300 RIDES! WE ARE NOT BROKEN! SHOW ME YOUR WHOLENESS!

Yesterday I hit 300 rides on my bike that goes nowhere (so they say)! I’m not certain exactly how many miles that equates to, but around 5000.  This may not seem like a huge accomplishment to some, but for me, it represents more than a number.

In my basement where no one sees me, except for the occasional curious pup trying to lick my leg or Tyson waving through the window, I ride. I have gotten up countless mornings to get on my @peloton bike to ride myself to greater wellness & strength with gallons of sweat, choice swear words, intense affirmations, glorious intentions, & tears of joy & anguish.

It has been there for me through 2 severe injuries, an angry IT Band & a broken back.  It was there when I couldn’t hike or run, & when I could barely walk. It became MY SAFE place to release miles of sweat, inner fire, frustration, sadness & funk, when I couldn’t go outside for my normal ways of moving my mind-body & soul for liberati...

WHEN THE WORLD TURNS UPSIDE DOWN, WE GET A NEW PERSPECTIVE (AND HEADSTANDS AFTER BREAKING MY BACK)

When the world goes wild, turns upside down, we get a new perspective! When things get weird & wacky what do you do? How do you move to get unstuck? How do you shift for a new perspective?

Yesterday, as I joined #jonnykest as he taught his 1^st LIVE yoga class online, he invited us to “take an inversion of our choice & to play with it”.  My initial thought was guarded, “Uummm, I don’t know if that is a good idea… I haven’t done any inversions (turning myself upside down) for at least 9 months. Should I be doing this after breaking my back?” Then as quickly as that thought popped up, I popped up & floated right up into a forearm stand! I moved towards a pillar in case I needed the support, but to my surprise, I didn’t & I felt like I could have stayed in that forearm stand FOREVER! 

I was so shocked & pleased! I couldn’t believe how effortless it was AND how strong I felt!  I had an imme...

REFUSE TO BE AN A$$HOLE – DON’T BE A DICK!

When the world went wild a few weeks ago, one day I had the thought: Nicole, refuse to be an a$$hole, no matter how crappy, weird, horrible, strange, scary, or crazy things get, simply, refuse to be an a$$hole!

I fully understand this may be easier said than done! HOWEVER, hear me out! When $h!t hits the fan, you have a choice on how you respond, every time! Keep in mind at this time, and any time, that you always have a choice. HOW DO YOU want to be & WHO DO YOU want to be in this bizarre time? Supportive, caring, jerky, loving, judgmental, complaining, incredible?

What are 3 things that can help you slay your Inner A$$hole?

HONOR YOUR NEEDS!

HONOR THE STRUGGLE! Pause and determine what you’re feeling & how can you express it kindly?

HONOR THE A$$HOLE, BUT DON’T GIVE IN!

SELF.LOVE = Take care of you.

*What do you need to take care of you right now?

*Shower, get dressed, make-up, shave, walk, get outside, bubble bath, meditate, yoga...

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS! WE ARE MADE TO WEATHER STORMS!

This morning I was chatting with a dear friend about the different feelings we had been feeling.  I heard myself saying, “My dear, remember we can do hard things, we have done lots of hard things & we will continue to do them! We have survived through many horrible things and came out stronger on the other side.  This is big, but it is not undoable!” I’ve found myself saying this to myself an uncountable amount of times in the past few weeks as a soothing balm for my soul.  I believe it to be true!  The hard things we have all been through before & how we got through them, inform us & give us hope to persevere.  Lean into what you have done before that helped you get through the tough times & do more of that!

After that chat, I loaded the pups up to go for a run.  As I pulled into the parking lot, dark clouds rolled in & it started raining, hard.  I could have turned around & gone back home. But I didn’t! I told myself, I CAN DO H...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO CALM YOUR HEART & SOUL TODAY?

 When $h!t hits the fan, what do you do? Life is known for throwing us curve balls that we have little control over on a regular basis. The craziness of the past week has taken it to a new level. 

As I filtered through some unusual anxiety this week, pondering the hectic frenzy that was/is swirling around me, I came to the same conclusion that I always do in times of challenge & loss of control. 

I reminded myself: we can DO HARD things, we are RESILIENT, we each have our own NEEDS to quiet our own HEARTS & SOULS (whatever that looks like for you), & above all else, REMEMBER TO STOP & BREATHE! Release the panic & do the next best thing for your logical heart! LOVE will RISE ABOVE ALL of this!

This is what it has looked like for me so far: actually stock our food pantry for the 1st time ever, get myself OUTSIDE in nature to release my anxiety & FILL MY HEART, ride my Peloton bike like my life depends on it, self.care & self.love my...

LET IT GO! LET IT BURN!

THE BURNING BOWL RITUAL!

The Fierce Love Warrior Goddess Way to Help Release Fear, Anxiety, Frustration, & Angst - & Call in What You Desire!

This is a great technique when your brain is going wild & won’t stop obsessing; you feel a bit freaky or out of sorts, or you’re angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, or scared.  It can be something physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual. 

My mom taught me this years ago as a way to settle my soul! I do it whenever I feel like I need to release or let go of something. Do this anytime you need to; there is no right or wrong way to do it; just make sure you’re playing with fire with proper caution!

STEP 1: GET YOUR TOOLS – blank paper, pen, matches/lighter, a fireproof bowl (if needed), water to put the fire out if required, glitter (optional, but I believe it’s better).

STEP 2: WRITE IT ALL DOWN – GET IT OUT! Write everything you feel, no: judgment, grammar checks, mistakes, edits! Write until your brain is done & no...

3 FIERCELY LOVING WAYS TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH 

Ritual: stick to what has worked for you in the past when things were challenging & what you know, shift accordingly & take one step at a time. (Assess, Adjust, Action!)

Why is Ritual important!?  For me, it is a set of guiding principles and practices that help me align with my heart & highest purpose! 

It is an opportunity for us to heal & keep our side of the street clean, keeping our mind/body/soul clean & clear with Intention & deliberate action – when we do this we contribute to the collective healing & wellness.  

Ceremony and ritual are ways to take a moment in our day and make it sacred, to bookmark that tiny sliver of time and highlight what makes it special.  It is a way to capture daily moments and lift them up so we are lifted up. Over a lifetime of small moments made sacred, we end up with a crafted, sacred life, one that we chose to create this way by bringing in spirit to a workout, intention to our ...

THE ‘NAUGHTY’ RULE THAT SAVED MY SANITY (& COULD SAVE YOURS TOO)!

One mental battle I have fought, being a recovering perfectionist, was living in extremes!  When a person struggles with perfectionism, they try to prove their worthiness by being ENOUGH, over & over again.  One consequence of this is doing things so extremely to “get things right” or to “prove they’re worthy or lovable”.  When a person doesn’t think they’re sexy, beautiful, skinny, healthy, smart, perfect, or successful ENOUGH, they’ll go to extremes to prove they are these ideals. This is exhausting & inevitably causes more damage (physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually).  This shows up as CONSTANTLY: dieting or trying the NEW FAD diet, exercising endlessly, having consistent negative thought patterns, or trying to race ALL the races.

Applying the ‘Naughty Rule’ (80/20 Rule) to choose nourishment, how you want to move your body, and your thought processes helps to break the perfectionist thinking & busts up ...

PREPARING FOR BATTLE, WE ARE THE DREAMERS! 

QUESTION 3: DOES THIS MOVE ME CLOSER TO MY DREAMS?

I covered Questions 1 & 2 in previous posts but wanted to make sure to share why Question 3 is so important!

3 MOST ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS TO INCREASE SELF.LOVE AWARENESS!!!

1. Does this create Sustainable Vitality in my life?
2. Is this me showing me Love?
3. Does this move me closer to my Dreams?

Why is it important to ask yourself about your dreams? Because YOUR DREAMS are the CORE OF YOUR LIFE! They’re what get you out of bed in the morning, give you purpose even on the gloomiest of days, are uniquely yours, supercharge of your life, & act as the juice that pumps through your veins!  THEY are WHY we prepare for battle and THEY are what we go to battle to defend! What if you don’t know what your dreams are yet? That’s ok! Really? YES, really! At the very least begin to pay attention to the things you enjoy, things you do regularly without having to put effort into, & things that bring you p...

HOW DO I BEGIN TO STOP NEGATIVE SELF-TALK?

 Start with Babe Talk!  It’s not what you’re thinking! Begin to notice how you’re talking to yourself.  How does it sound? Typically, before awareness is brought to this process, it’s pretty scary.  Often the self-talk going on in your head is HORRIBLE, no-good, should-never-be-said, we-wouldn’t-say-this-shit-to-our-worst-enemy kind of talk.  Look at the photo of my sweet Grandbaby, Attli, & consider saying the things you say to yourself to her in that photo.  YOU WOULDN’T!  Start to talk to yourself as if you were a babe, a small child.  Think about how you would speak to a small child learning a new task, kindly, sweetly, & patiently. 

Think about it; what sort of thoughts go through your mind when you look at yourself naked in the mirror? Do you: praise yourself, say I love you, say kind things to yourself? OR do you: start picking yourself apart, looking at the parts you hate & wish they were different, or worse, maybe you can’t even loo...