Do You Prefer Consuming or Creating?

Last week I had clients tell me they are tired … tired of consuming the “next best thing” and tired of not getting ahead in their life and business. They told me they have purchased enough self-help books, programs and products for healing and growing their business. They have received tons of inspiration and motivation, but are completely bummed they haven’t gotten farther along.

Here is my guidance (from one Bold Woman to another): It is time to STOP CONSUMING and START CREATING.

It is time to stop consuming the next best thing and get creating the next best thing!

Your soul will thank you. You will feel freedom and true joy.

Your heart truly craves some bold-ass creation. When you’ve realized you have consumed way too much information but are still spinning your wheels it means only one thing: it is time to take BOLD action and CREATE.

You already have everything within that you need to take action. Are you ready to see this for yourself?

You have a choice to doubt or believe in yourself. What I know for sure is that doubting is painful and believing is hopeful and inspirational.

My sense is that you’re going with the option to be confident in your brilliant self. You see, there is no way to know if what we create will work, but the alternative is to doubt and not take action, thereby fully guaranteeing it will never work. I know this isn’t what you want for yourself. You’re a brilliant, bold woman who knows there is more inside of YOU waiting to come out.

Are you willing to go on a hiatus of consuming? My daughter has committed to doing this and I can already see a change. She has decided that for the next two months, there will be no more Forever 21 (a clothing store teen girls go nuts for). Instead she is taking time to sit by the gardens and paint; her confidence has flourished by doing so. I love her smile when she shows me what she has created … it is light, love and joy! And, the best part is that it feels so good to her.

Now it’s your turn. It’s time to start CREATING.

• Clear your schedule and create.
• Go outside to your favorite place and create.
• Honor your brilliance and create.
• Create. No excuses.
• Believe.
• Talk about the last truly awesome thing you created.
• Breathe and listen to your soul. Let it guide you.
• Close your eyes and imagine all that you are capable of creating. What do you see?
• What does it taste, feel, sound, smell like when you are creating? Imagine it then do it.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:

Empowerment Expert, and Master Certified Coach Karen Fagan publishes her “Live in Your Brilliance” weekly ezine. If you want special tips to live bold, brilliant and rich in your life and business, you can sign up for a FREE subscription to Live in Your Brilliance at www.karenfagan.com. Want to see more secret tips? see Karen’s blog at Karen http://www.karenfagan.com/blog/

Are You On Top of Decision Making?

I can really relate when a client says, “Karen I have a decision to make but I’m just not doing it … it’s driving me nuts!” When you avoid taking actions you have to take, it weighs on your thoughts, depletes your mojo and disconnects you from your personal power. You’re not present to what you are doing because in the back of your mind you’re focused on how you need to be making that decision, returning that phone call, or writing that email.

How can you truly be creative and access your unique abilities when you’re in an indecisive space?

This week a client of mine put off responding to a potential new client’s inquiry because she was afraid to make the wrong decision. This kept her blocked from doing what she really wants – spending the majority of her time doing what she LOVES – because she was afraid of making the wrong decision. Another client kept dialogue going with someone she knew she was never going to do business with. She focused on thoughts of, “I need to tell him” and worried about how and when to do it – all of which blocked her from pursuing the things she is really passionate about (enjoying life).

In both of these cases, my clients allowed fear to create indecisiveness and it kept them from taking positive steps toward their goals. They both knew with 100% certainty that simply making their decision would make them feel better, but they didn’t trust that the correct answers were within them. If they had fully decided and responded, they would have been less stressed; less distracted and felt a whole lot better (this is what it’s all about spending more time doing what you love and feeling great)!

Being indecisive leads to procrastination, self-doubt, and distraction. The energy drain of being stagnant while thinking about making a decision only drives you further away from the success you want. Decision-making always feels better, connects you to your personal power, clears the way for new opportunities, and propels you towards deliciousness in your life.

Being an empowered woman means being the leader in your life. One of the most empowering skills a leader has is the ability to make a good decision.

So how do you move away from the fear of making the wrong decision?

1. Know that it is absolutely impossible to make a wrong decision.

   For every decision you make, you gain experience and knowledge for the future, and open up new opportunities. The fear you feel when worrying about making the wrong choice is your ego trying to keep you small and stuck. Who needs that?

2. Step into your BEST SELF.

   When you are in a feel-good place you will be more decisive and make quicker decisions. Connect to your best self through meditating, journaling, exercise, etc.

3. Visualize your best self-making decisions that need to be made.

   Imagine exactly how your best self feels and what she thinks. Then, when it’s time to make decisions in life, ask how your best self would handle the situation. Would she procrastinate or take action?

Trust your intuition and go with it without question, otherwise things get confusing and unnecessarily complicated. Your answer is already within you; it’s just a matter of accessing your confidence. Believe that your first choice is always the best. If you feel a little unsure about a specific decision, put a timeframe on it. Tell yourself that within 24 hours you will make a decision and then do it.

One thing I know for sure is that avoiding decisions only brings you more of what you don’t want. Making choices can be easy and lead to a whole lot of freedom when you do it from a place of calm. You are completely capable of accessing your freewill and personal strength as a bold, empowered woman … all you have to do make the decision.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:

Empowerment Expert , and Master Certified Coach Karen Fagan publishes her “Live in Your Brilliance” weekly ezine. If you want special tips to live bold, brilliant and rich in your life and business, you can sign up for a FREE subscription to Live in Your Brilliance at www.karenfagan.com. Want to see more secret tips? see Karen’s blog at Karen http://www.karenfagan.com/blog/

Self-Confidence Made Easy

Last week, my client Laurel (not her real name) asked, “Karen, how do I increase my self-confidence so I can feel great on a daily basis and push my inner limits to create the life I want?”

My answer? “Simple.”

Increasing self-confidence is much easier than you think. Really, it is. It’s about creating a deep belief in yourself and owning all of who you are – NOW. Self-confidence is about believing in YOU no matter what. It’s SO much harder to live a life not believing in yourself. Actually, it’s freaking painful and a true esteem destroyer.

If you decide to reject yourself rather than believing in YOU, you will always struggle with confidence issues.

Self-confidence is created from within simply by completely believing in you no matter what. (I know I said this twice, but I really want to imprint it in your mind.) It is so essential to build a strong foundation of self-confidence. This way, no matter what happens on the outside – what someone says, what someone does or doesn’t do, what your bank account reflects – it won’t knock you down.

When you have healthy self-esteem, you feel good, are more attractive, make decisions quickly, take actions that align with your goals, have more fun, enjoy greater success and have opportunities show up in ways you never imagined possible.

You deserve to feel great from within – always! Here are some simple suggestions for you to begin to use today to increase your confidence now.

1. Decide today to believe in YOU – no matter what.

   Your confidence will not increase if you are cracking the whip on yourself saying you have to do more or be better. You can’t take meaningful action if you focus on your flaws, past mistakes or worry about the future, and surely you will be so distracted to pay attention to the wonderful things about you that will enhance your self-esteem. Self-confidence will not increase if you are looking for evidence and ways to validate your thoughts of, “I am not good enough,” “I can never get it right,” or “I have no clue what I want.”

   If your friend, daughter, or niece were trash talking herself this way, you would tell her to STOP. And, you’d be a mirror back to her to reflect the truth of how great she really is. Do this for yourself starting today (no excuses). Reflect the truth back to you. I promise you will instantly feel better.

2. Embrace all of your greatness.

   When you receive a compliment, smile, say “thank you” and fully receive it. Pay attention to the part of you that wants to reject the compliment and dismiss it. When your artwork or writing is published in a magazine, or you receive amazing feedback through email, open it, look at it, breathe it in deeply and receive all of your greatness.

   When you walk by the mirror, look at yourself and acknowledge YOU – FREE of criticism and FREE of judgment. Start to acknowledge the cool, smart and attractive woman staring back at you!

3. DECIDE & TAKE ACTION!

   Many women who doubt themselves have a tough time making decisions and taking action. As a result they become stuck, overwhelmed, highly frustrated and have lower self-esteem. I had a client who came to be because her confidence was low and she was SO STUCK and unsure of what to do, she actually dreaded getting out of bed in the morning. We worked together and eventually she made the decision to believe in herself. I recently got a letter from her and I’d like to share it with you.

Karen,
Let me start by saying that 2010 has been amazing! Move forward? I’ve done it! I have been more consistently happy this year than in, well … years! No more waking up dreading the day or breaking down crying. I have more positive energy and forward momentum. One of the best things I did was take responsibility and control, and learn to decide and act. Thank you again for helping change my life and giving me the tools to do so.

I am so HAPPY for her – another amazing woman FREE from suffering. Woo-hoo!

One of the best ways to increase your self-confidence is by deciding and taking action. Make a decision and don’t worry whether it’s right or wrong. You can always decide again. One of best things in life is that your choices are unlimited.

If you have bigger decisions to make in your life and want someone to champion you, seek a mentor or coach. Having a trusted person to reflect back to you what you sometimes do not see for yourself is one of the quickest ways to improve your confidence and feel better NOW.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:

Empowerment Expert , and Master Certified Coach Karen Fagan publishes her “Live in Your Brilliance” weekly ezine. If you want special tips to live bold, brilliant and rich in your life and business, you can sign up for a FREE subscription to Live in Your Brilliance at www.karenfagan.com. Want to see more secret tips? see Karen’s blog at Karen http://www.karenfagan.com/blog/

Master Your Emotional Triggers

Today I am so excited to be with my coach and mentor, Fabienne Fredrickson, for the second week in a row. (That’s the two of us in the picture.) I have crazy love for this woman!

This week, I wanted to share some easy tips to help you become more aware of your negative emotional triggers. These triggers can leave you in the background of your life where you feel stuck, frustrated and blah. Mastering your emotional triggers will keep you connected to your personal power and allow you to create a bigger space for peace, change, creativity and happiness.

Read this week’s blog and learn to master your emotional triggers!

“Master Your Emotional Triggers”

Emotional triggers can happen just like that! One minute you’re feeling great, the next you’re down in the dumps. Have you ever experienced this? You read something, have a conversation with someone, see a colleague who’s doing something that you wish you were, see a couple laughing or a woman dressed really nicely, and all of a sudden your energy and joy decreases.

You may not even realize you’ve been triggered. But you know you feel off and out of alignment. Perhaps you become anxious, jealous, fearful or simply shut down.

It is really not about the other person, what you read or what you saw. Triggers take you back to an unpleasant event in your past, which is what stirs up the unpleasant feelings. However, being triggered is a great opportunity to heal, learn, grow and fully become more YOU.

One negative emotional trigger can lead you down a painful path to feeling powerless if you don’t know what’s going on. That’s why it’s so important to become fully aware of the things that trigger you.

Negative triggers can have the following manifestations:

• Physical: You are depleted of energy, eat more junk food, and become sleepy.
• Emotional: You lack motivation and feel helpless, overwhelmed, angry, anxious or depressed.
• Mental: You are less aware; you procrastinate, and have repeated self-defeating thoughts.
• Spiritual: You have no connection to purpose, creativity or inspiration.

Everyone has emotional triggers. Here are some ways in which you can learn to master them.

1. Make a List of Your Emotional Triggers
   Understanding what your emotional triggers are raises your awareness so that you can create a plan for self-care, be well and not suffer when they arise. Also, it is important to recognize that when we are fatigued, we are much more susceptible to our negative emotional triggers.
2. Be Present to How You Feel.
   Remind yourself that you’re being triggered because of a connection to a past event and detach from the old story. Release it. Decide to not give your power and energy away to someone or something that is not serving you. The only way to move on is to empower yourself to let go. When you’re empowered and in alignment, you feel energized, happy and great. Stay connected to how you feel throughout the day.
3. Get Out of Reactive Mode
   You can learn a lot from emotional triggers – and growing from them takes you to a higher level in your life. Understanding our triggers teaches us valuable lessons about who we are and what brings us peace. From here, we get to create new options for ourselves rather than staying in reactive mode.

The next time you find that you are experiencing negative repercussions from a trigger, stop and realize that you have a choice in whether you react. If you know your buttons are being pushed, breathe and choose calm. Think, “What is the big lesson for me to learn here?” Asking questions like

• Do I want to react or grow?
• Is relinquishing my power to someone else in alignment with my desires?
• What do I know to be true today?

will help you move through the negativity and learn the lesson you are being taught by the experience. Learn to choose calm over chaos.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:

Empowerment Expert , and Master Certified Coach Karen Fagan publishes her “Live in Your Brilliance” weekly ezine. If you want special tips to live bold, brilliant and rich in your life and business, you can sign up for a FREE subscription to Live in Your Brilliance at www.karenfagan.com. Want to see more secret tips? see Karen’s blog at Karen http://www.karenfagan.com/blog/

3 EMPOWERING QUESTIONS

“3 EMPOWERING QUESTIONS”

Who are you as a Woman?

Good question!
So many women are simply scared silly to own their truth about who they are and what their place is in this world. Take an honest look at what your life is right now. When it comes to your business, your relationships and your personal life, are you a woman who is rocking it authentically, or are you hiding behind the rock?

Where do you want to add more color in your life?

In what ways would you like to enhance your experience?

Who is Leading Your Life?

When you lead your life, you begin to get the results you want.

Successful, empowered entrepreneurs lead their lives and businesses by bringing their unique brilliance to the world. They say “Yes!” to new opportunities they receive, work only with their ideal clients and create a thriving empire for themselves. Other women take charge by reflecting on how they got to where they currently are, and make the decision to create a new path in their life, on their own terms. For corporate women, taking control of one’s life and destiny is about leading into transition, having more quality than quantity and embracing a true sense of freedom.

I believe you know where you want to go. The only thing stopping you from being the leader of your life is your fear. I am all about kicking fear to the curb, which leads to my final question:

Do You Boldly Dare to Step Into YOU?

That’s the real question!

Are you ready to be happy, create success and take bold action?
Saying we want something is one thing; doing away with excuses and taking steps to get the results we want is another. Take an honest look at what is keeping you from making the bold, empowered actions necessary to be the leader of your life and step into YOU. What excuses are you allowing that are keeping you stuck in a “comfort zone” rut? I know you have so much more to offer to yourself and the world. More importantly, YOU know. Do you dare to step into you?

Stepping into the authentic YOU means no more excuses – no more, “I don’t have enough time,” or, “I’m too overwhelmed.” No more hiding or getting caught up in distractions. The time has come to be bold and take real action … I dare you! If not now, when?

Weekly Empowerment Assignment

Take the time to ask yourself these three questions. Be sure to answer them honestly.

1. Who are you?
2. Where are you going?
   
3. Do you boldy dare step into YOU?

Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:

Empowerment Expert , and Master Certified Coach Karen Fagan publishes her “Live in Your Brilliance” weekly ezine. If you want special tips to live bold, brilliant and rich in your life and business, you can sign up for a FREE subscription to Live in Your Brilliance at www.karenfagan.com. Want to see more secret tips? see Karen’s blog at Karen http://www.karenfagan.com/blog/

Is it Fear of Not Being Enough?

Did you know that fear is an illusion created in our minds? Its purpose is to distract us from our current reality and distort our thinking. Fear blocks us from our truth and interferes with one of the most powerful, knowledgeable sources we own – our intuition. Fear keeps us small. Fear completely impacts our ability to be clear, decide and move intentionally toward our goals.

Have you ever noticed how distorted one’s choices are when they are in a state of fear compared to when they’re living in a moment of confidence and clarity? I have seen it happen to others and in myself. Make one decision in clarity and a great outcome happens. Make that same decision while in a state of fear and you get a completely different outcome. One can really suffer major consequences of living in fear: what you believe you receive. Like believing you don’t have enough money, you don’t really know how, believing you lack creative ability or talent to move forward and turn dreams into reality.

Have you known a woman who is so fearful of the “NOT ENOUGH”? “Not enough” money, talent, creativity, success or clients? Can you relate to how she thinks, feels, decides, and acts? I believe what she really fears is not the “NOT ENOUGH”. Rather she fears being herself and offering it to the world in a big way, the way she really wants to but she is too terrified of her own power.

This woman tricks herself into believing there is not enough money to invest in what would most help her that her creativity is not really worthy of making a profit. She diminishes her talents because she is too fearful to claim them; she quickly believes no one will attend her workshops or exhibit, purchase her products or hire her.

This woman is not achieving the results she wants, her level of happiness has hit rock bottom and she is a master at denying her unhappiness. She keeps herself the best hidden secret, her relationships are suffering, she is not doing what she most wants to, her well-being is below her standard and her earning potential is blocked with a capital B. Isn’t this one too many consequences to living in a state of fear and believing the “NOT ENOUGH”? Heck YES.

It is really very wild, but you do get everything you fear – the lack and the “not enough.” You always get more of everything you believe – good or bad. You know the craziest thing about fear? It is UN-TRUE (period). Can imagine what your life would be like if you choose to feel the fear and do it away?

Here are three tips for kicking fear to the curb and reclaiming the belief that YOU are MORE Than Enough!

1. Create a different experience around the feeling and sensation of fear so it will no longer shut you down. When you’re feeling fearful, instead of trying to push the feeling of fear away (which only intensifies it), allow yourself to create a different experience in the places that scare you the most. Maybe you are fearful because you wonder if you will ever be as successful as you want to be.Simply acknowledge your feelings and notice how you want to respond (i.e. shut down, avoid, and procrastinate). When you acknowledge your fear without making a huge emotional attachment (believe the fear is going to happen or is true) you begin to move away from fear and start to take more action towards what you really want.

2. Stop believing you aren’t enough or don’t have enough. Come out of hiding starting now. Start being more of who you really are. Create a deep belief within yourself that you are more than enough. You may resist this, but here’s what you can do. . .Make a list of all the reasons you are more than enough.Make a list of everything you have done in your life, all your accomplishments and praise you have received.Make a list of the times things didn’t go as planned but you recovered and grew from the experience.When doing this exercise write them down on paper. I guarantee that as you begin to write you will remember some big accomplishments or big obstacles you have overcome. If you are unsure, ask the people who love you. Listen to the positive comments your clients and colleagues tell you and write those down.

   Own these areas of your life and stop saying there isn’t enough and you’re not enough – this is not effective and it blocks your energy to move forward.

   Reclaim the part of you that has always been and will always be enough. You were given all the tools you need to do the perfect thing you long to do. Actually you were born with it. You must now see it within yourself and believe it.

3. Look fear in the face, then kick it to the curb! What’s the worst that can happen in regard to your fear? Say no one comes to your workshop, event, exhibit, or no one buys your products. Would you die? Probably not. Would you survive? Yes. Is this fear even true? No. Looking fear in the face and kicking it to the curb offers a great opportunity to grow. Look at all the upsides to moving through your fear of growing your life and business bigger.Think about the best thing that could happen if you looked fear in the face and did it anyway. List all the wonderful things that would come from facing your fear and live from THAT place.Remember this: Successful people feel the fear, and then do it anyway.

Life truly is more rewarding when you step out of fear and into your brilliance while truly believing in what you have to offer to yourself and the world. When you align your mind with your heart’s desires and believe that you are already enough, real magic happens and great results follow.

Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:

Empowerment Expert, and Master Certified Coach Karen Fagan publishes her “Live in Your Brilliance” weekly ezine. If you want special tips to live bold, brilliant and rich in your life and business, you can sign up for a FREE subscription to Live in Your Brilliance at www.karenfagan.com. Want to see more secret tips? see Karen’s blog at Karen http://www.karenfagan.com/blog/