Have you ever noticed that when someone tells you they have been really productive, they’re usually not happy? Or worse, they are downright exhausted or stressed. Let’s take the glory out of productivity.Prosperity is about meeting your external goals with lasting happiness and inner peace. This comes from the Sage space of expansion, ease, clarity and meaning. Creatives don’t produce, they create. Do you think Matisse, Alvin Ailey or Sister Parish talked about being productive? I doubt it. Creativity is inspired, flowing, energizing, and mysterious.

It seems fair to say that work/life balance is still a work-in-process for most people, myself included.* I’ll go out on a limb and even say it’s not sustainable. By definition life throws things in our way—illness, unexpected delights, change, traffic, natural disasters, falling in or out of love—that shake our alignment or knock us off balance. No wonder we struggle!

Like so many things, we tend to think confidence and esteem will come from “out there.” When I achieve the next level/goal/position. When I get the affirmation or accolades. When I finally get paid $X. Or if we just think hard enough about it, it will be so. Oh, no. We can’t think or wish ourself into more confidence. It takes effort and action, bit by bit building a stronger sense of self by doing esteemable acts—acts that push our edges and put us directly in the center of our care and concern. Acts that might be scary and that might have us fall on our face. But we tried; we showed up for ourself.

Many of us in a service business, or any business, put all of our focus on the client or customer. We twist ourselves in knots to please them. We accept unacceptable behavior. We sacrifice our own self-care and boundaries. That’s our saboteurs in action. Your Sage knows the true joy of service is as much about you as it is about serving others.

Relaxation is your super power. Bam! This truth bomb, dropped by Julie Piatt on my favorite pod, made me smile from ear to ear. In a world where hustle, grind, one-upmanship and even burnout are lauded, this can be a tough one for most of us to swallow. What if the inverse of everything you’ve been rewarded for is actually the seat of your power?

You can’t create at a high level when you’re tight, upset or perseverating. It’s impossible. Those types of feelings are energy blocks. And creativity is energy. I believe it is your soul expressing itself. And your soul, your spirit, your essence is energy, and it is love.

Society and your Saboteurs perpetuate the big lie that vacation is indulgent, selfish or even dangerous. The competition will surpass you. You’ll lose that project. It will look bad to [fill in the blank]. Your world can’t possibly keep spinning if you take time off! Your Sage knows that for maximum success with peace-of-mind you need to make space, play, and just be. That’s squarely in the Self-Care bucket of Life Styling.

Janine Aurichio and Lou Ionis discuss the source of your stress and the simple, effective solution of Mental Fitness. Recorded on Lou’s Coaching Lab, this video covers the why and how of your inner Saboteurs and the power and wisdom of your inner Sage to turn your stress into ease and flow.

Ever notice you just like being around certain people and not others? Or maybe you know someone who just seems to have all the "luck" and good things seem to come their way effortlessly? Chances are they are operating at a high vibration. Listen to why.

Mental Fitness is the foundation of Life Styling and the end result of using the Positive Intelligence (PQ) operating system, developed by Shirzad Chamin. PQ is a gym for your brain! It trains you to minimize your Saboteurs and to grow your Sage using simple, embodied exercises for breakthrough results in your life and business. This work has deep impact on relationships, work and overall enjoyment of life.

I cannot contain my enthusiasm, gratitude and inspiration that I am now a Mental Fitness Coach with Positive Intelligence (PQ). PQ is a gym for your brain! It trains you to minimize your Saboteurs and to grow your Sage using simple, embodied exercises for breakthrough results in your life and business. This work has deep impact on relationships, work performance and overall enjoyment of life.

In a society that values doing vs being, information vs wisdom, analyzing vs intuition, it can be challenging to buck the norm and be still and be quiet. Sages for millennia have been telling us that this is the way to freedom, and my personal experience confirms this. Being quiet allows us to connect with the infinite abundance energy of the universe; the source of all creativity, prosperity, joy and wisdom. Quiet contemplation raises our vibration and attracts other high vibration energy.

What I know from experience is this, our thinking mind is like a data processor, capable of generating one, two or maybe three solutions or options; while our intuitive mind is infinite and connected directly to Source. Unfortunately, our society reveres the thinking mind and rejects the intuitive one so most of us have lost touch with our intuitive senses. Which would you rather be tapped into?

We all need to be creative, whether you’re a designer, parent, accountant, salesperson, teacher or healthcare provider. Creativity on demand is part of the deal. So are interruptions, distractions, changing deadlines and urgent demands. Unfortunately, these are all blocks to the creative energy necessary to produce beautiful designs and a thriving business. The solution is 100% in your control.

In our go-go, hyper-connected, 24/7, device dependent society, one very rare and valuable element is space. Not exactly the “final frontier” of Captain Kirk, and not that far off actually. Space for wonder. Space for stillness. Space for spontaneity. Space for grace.

When you’re an entrepreneur, your business is a huge part of your life; heavily influencing your mood, your satisfaction levels and your overall wellness. That’s where a Life Coach can help. There is so much to deal with as an entrepreneur to ensure that your business thrives and that you thrive in the process. I call it sustainable business ownership, and it’s not something we’re taught in school (or at least not when I was in school).

First, what does regenerate mean? When I looked it up, there’s a ‘biology’ definition (regrow) and a ‘theology’ definition (reformed/reborn). I love that! And of course there is. These two realms are getting closer and closer in my studies (think quantum physics). Anyway, the definition that’s closest to what we’re discussing here is…”To become formed again.”

Self-acceptance can be such a challenge and yet it is a requirement for self-love and joy. It takes tremendous courage to take a good, hard look at yourself, warts and all. The reward is priceless.

In this conversation with my dear friend, Carrie Friedberg, SF Money Coach, we discuss the how's and why’s of our self-acceptance journeys, where and how money played a role, and how Life Styling can help.

We have so much thrown at us every day and expect so much of ourselves; it can be a total joy suck. There is no way one human can attend to, process and respond thoughtfully to three email accounts, texts, WhatsApp, MarcoPolo, Clubhouse, Messenger, LinkedIn, Slack....and that's all before you get to what you need to do today.

Stop. Take one deep breath. Feel your feet on the floor. And try this instead.

Nature is my muse and mentor; she has so many lessons to teach if I just watch and listen. This post expands on my top six.