Achieving Success

Did you read the last post about our custom-built dream home? Be sure to read that one – it helped many readers take a step back and objectively question what’s most important in their lives.

The one thing I didn’t mention in that post, though, was about all the “stuff” we accumulated in the gigantic basement of that dream house. When you have the space, it’s easy to fill it. So that’s what we did.

The stuff I had been storing in my grandma’s basement for years naturally ended up in our new house. And Bill’s parents were delighted to give him back all of his childhood things in various boxes since we had the new space. No problem, though. We shoved it all downstairs where we never saw it and didn’t even give it a second thought.

But, when we sold our big house and downsized into a townhome, we had no storage. What to do? We knew we weren’t emotionally ready to deal with all the boxes, and we reluctantly paid Read more »

“There’s no way we can move. We said we’d live here forever.” Those were the first words Bill and I uttered when we pondered the idea of letting go of our dream home eight years ago. At the time, we had only been in our beautiful home for two-and-a-half years. And it was truly our dream home. We custom-built the entire thing to completely reflect us and our lifestyle – both individually and as a couple. It was the perfect Minneapolis suburb retreat, tucked in a wooded setting with mature trees, wildlife, and ultimate privacy.

This rare find was thanks to a sweet elderly couple whose home was on a large piece of land, and they decided to subdivide their lot into two. We were the privileged ones who found the other half and bought it.

And it was there that we Read more »

I knew it was time to change into my shorts and tank top and get my butt downstairs. I could smell the amazing Caribbean-style dinner cooking, and I heard Bob Marley and his reggae vibe blasting through our speakers.

Our vacation kick-off party was getting underway! This “party” is a ritual of ours before going on vacation. Bill and I have a Caribbean cruise planned this winter, and several weeks out we like to get the excitement started. This usually includes looking at pictures from past cruises and vacations, going through travel documents, playing our favorite warm-weather music, and most importantly – setting our intention for the upcoming trip and discussing what we each want from it.

The evening of fanfare sets the stage for the two of us to get completely jazzed and fired-up for the upcoming trip!

We’ve been doing this now since our honeymoon cruise in 1994, due to important lessons we learned back then. While our newlywed time together was wonderful, something about the trip wasn’t quite right. We felt pulled in several different directions. We hadn’t really talked much about Read more »

What has been a turning point in your life; a moment or decision that led you toward greater joy? You know, one of those times where you know things will never be the same?

For me, soaking in the summer sun each year reminds me of one of those important times in my life. Back in my days in the corporate world, I had a great job. I enjoyed my role as Training & Development Leader and had the gift of spending my days with cool people, many of whom are still close friends.

Goofing around at work

One of those friends, Michelle, sat in the cube next to me and we’d constantly goof around in between working on projects. We’d laugh at anything and everything, throw notes over the cube wall at each other, and my absolute favorite was Michelle’s horn. I mean, literally—she had an actual “horn” sitting on the top of the cube divider wall. It was a heavy-duty metal one with a big black rubber ball on the end and screws attached to it, intended to clamp on to a kid’s bike. It was loud!

When something exciting would happen Read more »

What’s the secret to being happier at work? Career Strategist and fellow blogger, Karl Staib, has a great blog called Work Happy Now with tips, advice, and stories that will help everyone from employees to CEO’s improve their work environment.

I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for Karl and hope you’ll take a moment to check it out: Happiness At Work With the Help Of a Coach. You’ll see how my client, Lisa, began to realize that her unhappiness at work was impacting her #1 priority: The happiness of her family. See how she got clear on priorities, re-shifted her focus, and began to feel happier in her work…and at home. Yay, Lisa!

Wanna be happier in your job?

Need clarity on a career direction?

Ready to make a change?

I launched my LifeShine^® business almost seven years ago. And what a great ride it has been! As a Professional Coach, I work with women who have the courage to roll up their sleeves and do the work it takes to live a more purposeful and joyful life. I’m honored to introduce you to them!

The cool part of working with my clients these last few years is that I’ve discovered the foundation for living a life of purpose, fulfillment, balance, and well-being. It centers around following the things in life that make you come alive; the things that bring you joy. If you’ve been reading the blog posts here, you understand the utmost importance of following your joy.

My lovely clients

In my coaching, I work with these women to look objectively at what’s working in their life and what’s not. I help them identify where they’re getting stuck and begin the process of releasing old habits and patterns that no longer serve them. We lay out a customized action plan to help move them forward in a way that is aligned with what’s important to them.

LifeShine coaching helps my clients build the skills to go from where they are right now…to Read more »

The Following Your Joy blog is officially a year old! Woohoo! So much gratitude goes out to my visitors and readers who have consistently cheered me on and waved the flag for me to keep on going. That support has literally fueled me throughout the year!

The birth of this blog began last spring when I tagged along with Bill on a business trip to Southern California. I had one end in mind while he was at the office during the day: Hang out by myself in the trendy, comfy hotel room and make sense out of all the papers I brought with me in a folder titled “Life.”

Inside the folder were random quotes that inspired me, business ideas that jazzed me, and personal goals that challenged me.

Most importantly, though, there were pages of journal entries that needed to be shared somehow. How did I know they needed to be shared? Because every time I recounted one of my amazing stories to friends, they would routinely say: “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” or “I can’t believe that happened to you!” So I knew I was on to something.

They were joyful stories that included winning tickets to the Caribbean, getting front row seats to concerts over and over Read more »

Introducing guest blogger—and lovely client—Jen Antila. She is full of life and a poster child for following your joy! Joy isn’t something she even seems to “choose,” though; she simply embodies it and lives it. During our coaching relationship, Jen courageously made the leap from her corporate job (which didn’t bring her joy) into the world as an entrepreneur (where she knew joy would abound!). Watch Jen’s bold adventure unfold as she captures it all in her blog.

 
“To inhale Paris preserves the soul”—Victor Hugo

I went to Paris with five dreams in mind…
To reconnect, to fall in love, to unwind
To figure out my future career dreams
To begin new plans and create new schemes.

After two days, I had a choice to make
Pick three of the five – or fun forsake.
I chose to defer making future career plans
I chose my husband and fun – as Paris demands!

I engaged with Michelle upon my return
I was the student, ready to learn. Read more »

Hello! As you can see from the photo above, I’ve been working hard and preoccupied with thoughts of how to make my blog better.

I could use your assistance! What got me thinking about this is a great quote by W. Somerset Maugham which is posted on my business website: “It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”

See, I’m not interested in just “having a blog” or “being a blogger.” I’m only in this to make it rock. One of my friends recently said, “Of course you are going for the best—that’s how you roll!” My intention for this blog is that it creates huge ripples in the world! And if you’re not sure about that…well, just stay tuned.

A blog is driven by its readers, and that’s where you come in. Read more »

Hello and welcome to a bunch of new subscribers! So glad to have you here. Wow, we are really rockin’! And the message to me is that we’re on the right track. Love it! And so grateful.

To get 2010 started off right, let’s look back…

First things first. Got any idea what the initial blog post was about back in April ’09? In it, you’ll find the phrases: “Cedar Falls, Iowa,” “front row,” and “Taco Bell.” Still not sure? Here’s the gig that kicked this whole thing off back in the spring.

And…here are the reader faves from the rest of 2009!

Synchronicities & The Power of Intention:
–How Synchronicity Led To A Front Row Kiss
–Winning Tickets To The Caribbean
–Jefferson Starship and “Miracles”
–Neil Diamond, CEO’s, and Magic

Helping & Serving Others:
–How To Help Others Follow Their Joy
–You, Too, Can Make Someone’s Day

Law of Attraction & Concert Tickets: Read more »