Thought Changer

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Welcome! If this is your first visit or if you’ve been here before but haven’t had a chance to subscribe, would love to have you as a part of the Thought Changer community which has moved to Substack! Just sign up in the box to the left. You’ll get a welcome email from me at Substack. Don’t forget to click the confirmation link. Thought Changer looks at everyday life metaphors. We explore new ways to think about what we do, improve our mindset and live more consciously. And, if something moves you, please share! Thank you and enjoy this Thought Changer.

It could be meant for you too The moon woke me up. 4 a.m. and I was wide awake. I could practically feel its energy and like a magnet, a moon magnet, a lunar longing, it pulled me out of bed and outside in robe and slippers, just as the eclipse of the super blue blood moon was beginning. I texted my sister in Austin to see if she was watching. She was, so we texted as we watched it together. I tried taking pictures, to capture the view that my naked eye saw. But, nothing came close so I gave up and stayed with the moon. It was incredible as a deep, blood orange veil eased over the pale blue orb. It was chilly so I got in my car and continued watching through the moonroof. And, it was in that container, my car, that I was able to… Read more →

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash “Where are the cars parked?” I asked the valet attendant. “Behind the restaurant, inside a garage,” he said. “So it’s secure? I have my computer in here,” I said. “Yes,” he said and nodded. For whatever reason, I felt safe enough to take his word for it. To trust. Two hours later, you guessed it, when the same driver brought my car back around, the passenger window had been shattered and the one thing taken out of my car was the leather bag containing my MacBook Pro, which had been placed in the dark bag on the black floor, in a locked car inside their secured garage. To say I was suspicious was an understatement. And, believe me, I didn’t like feeling that way. I believe in people. I trust in people. I’d like to say I was clear-minded, pummeling questions at the driver… Read more →

Then, Meet Them Here… Photo by Aleksandra Mazur on Unsplash I love the little moments, the game-changers that shift things, changing everything from that moment on. This was one of them. I was doing a Creative Jam Session with a client recently, a woman who is brilliant at what she does. I mean crazy brilliant. We were brainstorming on creative ideas to get her business going in a new way. “She intimidates me,” she said, talking about a high-profile woman for whom she’d done some coaching. I understood. The woman had some really impressive creds, was a genius at what she did and was running a large event where she was required to speak, which is where my client was coaching her. She floated quickly through the comment, “She intimidates me.” It got me thinking about the idea of intimidation and more apropos to our discussion, the meaning and weight… Read more →

Photo by Emma Frances Logan on Unsplash I took a Sunday drive this week.Through my mind. I was bouncing around from thing to thing, flitting between writing and movies and articles and chapters and musings and organizing. It created a feeling of unsettle. “I’m meandering,” I said to Gracie, who is ever present by my side. She looked at me mid-purr. “So what else is new,” her look said. (at first I wrote ‘what else is knew?” which made me laugh because there’s true there too). I do meander. Aimlessly at times, so that I can almost get dizzy from the spinning. Breathe. Meander is fun to say, it’s kind of a whimsical word. It basically means to “follow a winding course,” and is often used when referred to streams or bodies of water, “the stream meandered across the valley.” People meander through a conversation, which can be interesting and… Read more →

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash “I had an Epiphany!” We’ve all felt that inspiring moment of realization at one time or another, the powerful insight that was going to change everything. It’s a great feeling, right? Today is the Day of Epiphany. I know that because as I glanced at the calendar to schedule my week of writing I saw “Epiphany” written on today, the day I was planning to publish a post. So, I had a little epiphany that I’d write about epiphany! I didn’t wake up receiving 12 drummers drumming from my true love, but I woke up thinking about how much I love those sparks of inspiration, those rushes of insight that bring clarity. The Day of Epiphany in Christian tradition signifies the 12th day of Christmas and ancient traditions culminated the season with a lavish Feast of Epiphany. It’s come to be known as “12th… Read more →

It Starts With the Word of the Year. And, the word is Perspective. Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash I’ve been thinking a lot about Perspective. This is one of my favorite times of year, when things start fresh, slates are clean, the canvas is fresh, new journals are cracked opened, solid lists of resolutions and goals are constructed and the reset buttons are pushed. But, I don’t think it’s really possible to completely start with a completely clean slate or canvas because old stories and patterns are still there underneath the surface, ready to become visible. Often it’s when we’re just ready to breakthrough or soar that they rear their little heads. This is where the idea of Perspective comes in. It’s such a great word and I think is vital to make the most out of the transition from year to year, from an end to a beginning…. Read more →

What Happened Afterward Was the Clincher “If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” ~ Napoleon Hill I pick my racehorses because of their names. I do the same thing when filling out my March Madness bracket, choosing the teams by the names that I like. Believe or not, I actually won the office pool one year by doing just that. I have an affinity for Jayhawks and Wildcats, so there you go! Names and titles inspire me. So, when it came to choosing a challenge on the Ropes Course, I saw “Leap of Faith” on the list and jotted my name down without even thinking about it. Then, I asked which was the hardest one, and the woman said, “You just signed up for it.” Now, if you know me, you know this is not like me. At all. I don’t normally do hard physical… Read more →

Here’s Why & How It Works Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash It’s very in vogue to talk about gratitude. Have you noticed? It’s kind of everywhere. People writing about it, talking about it, recording it in gratitude journals, texting in gratitude chains, creating memes about it and gathering around dinner tables to honor it. The truth is, being grateful has never been out of vogue. And, there’s a simple explanation for that. Because Gratitude Works The law of attraction is grounded in gratitude. When you express what you’re grateful for, in a powerfully energetic way, the universe conspires and moves to give you more of what you’re grateful for. It’s the simplest form of ‘what you focus on expands.’ Lack and Gratitude are Polar Opposite Energies When you feel you’re lacking something, the moment you shift to a place of gratitude you’re no longer in lack. Even if it’s… Read more →

Here’s a fresh take on what can be a debilitating force. Photo by Becca Matimba on Unsplash By Cindy Yantis “Focused attention yields the best results.” – Melinda Hughes Melinda is my personal trainer and the owner of The Strength Shoppe, a high-intensity training (HIT) facility in Pasadena, California. And, this quote, from their website, exemplifies what most I’ve learned from training with her. HIT is a slow burn, really intense, focused workout where with each weightlifting exercise you exhaust an isolated muscle or group of muscles to a slow count of ten. It’s also called Super Slow, Slow Cadence, Power of 10, or Resistance Training. It takes such focused concentration to get through a set of the slow ten. The tendency is to put all of your body behind trying to lift the weight. That’s when Melinda says to direct your brain to focus on the specific body part… Read more →

Here are a few ways to find out… I was marveling during a recent email exchange with some girlfriends at how things are really cooking for them, whether it’s dream-coming-true career opportunities, new potential love interests, new connections with conscious people and a general feeling of high-vibration purposeful wellbeing. I asked them what’s changed in their daily lives, what have they been doing differently for all of this good stuff to be happening. They both talked, separately, about how a deeper surrendering to their connection to spirit, to God, to the divine has been the game-changer. And, a result more and more they are tapping into their own divinities I recalled an interview awhile back with Sheryl Crow. “He was in his divinity.” That’s what she had to say about watching Michael Jackson in action. She toured with him early in her career and remarked about standing in the wings… Read more →