“One of the hardest lessons in life is letting go. Whether it’s hurt, anger, love, loss, or betrayal - change is never easy. We fight to hold on and we fight to let go.”

I love the simple equation from my gal and mindfulness expert, Tara Brach:
anything X resistance = suffering

I’d like you to call to mind a time when you held onto something or someone for a bit too long. It might have been a relationship, a job, a habit, an old car…something that was once good, precious, and served you at the time, but over time it just no longer fit you. 

Think about how it felt when you came to that realization?

Often our resistance to change is born out of fear – fear of the unknown, fear of not being worthy of something better, fear that we are making a huge mistake. Even though the situation is no longer a positive one, we’d rather be stuck and miserable than face that fear.

How long did you hold onto that thing or person before life forced you to let go?

When we allow things to pass their expiration date we open ourselves up to greater levels of suffering in the form of resentment, anger, sadness and depression. Of course, letting go of something will always have some of those feelings present, but the degree is definitely multiplied when we add resistance to the equation.

Today I invite you to try out the intention of “I let go of things that no longer serve me”. Keep this one in your pocket for the next time you find yourself in a situation that is no longer serving your highest good.

Here’s a great little mindfulness practice to help you lighten your daily load.

Finding Lightness of Being in Your Daily Life

o This week I invite you to stay open and aware to situations that feel heavy and sticky.
o When you find yourself noticing that feeling take a few moments to sit with it. Notice where it is present in your body.
o As you sit with the feeling, begin to picture a bright light filling that heavy space. The light enters and dissolves the heaviness.
o Repeat the intention from this week of “I let go of things that no longer serve me” as you continue to sit and breath into that lightness and spaciousness you are creating.
o When you feel ready, take a few slow breaths and thank yourself for taking time to practice mindfulness!
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xoxo,Mary 
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Hello my friend! Today I want to share with you a few different tips and techniques for creating simple, yet oh so wonderful life changes!

First, let’s look at some quick life hacks you can start making every day -

Stop comparing yourself to everyone else
Teddy Roosevelt said it best, “Comparison is the thief of joy”. When you are constantly looking outwards and measuring your progress or worth by someone else, you will never feel like you measure up. Celebrate YOU and every little accomplishment.

Look in the mirror every day and tell yourself you are enough
This has been a life-long journey for me and it is still one of my most used mantras. “I am ENOUGH”. I am constantly reminding myself that I don’t need to BE or DO anything more than what I am right now to feel loved and accepted. Own it, my friend, and repeat often!

Move your body every single day - walk, dance, do yoga, hulahoop - just MOVE!
One of the best purchases I ever made was my Fitbit. It is so easy to get sucked into working on a project and forget to move your body. Next thing you know, you feel like a dried up slug stuck to a chair. My Fitbit encourages me to get up and move every hour AND my daily goal of at least 10,000 steps ensures that I’m getting into a healthy fat-burn zone throughout the day. 

Stop complaining
This one might just be the hardest habit to break. Start out by noticing how often those complaints form in your mind throughout the day. How many of them are the same old ones repeating over and over? A friend of mine actually did a challenge using a colored band he wore on one wrist. Every time he complained throughout the day, he switched it to the other wrist as a reminder. Day by day, he noticed he switched it less and less…and he felt more and more happy about life!!

Practice gratitude
THIS ONE IS THE GOLD STAR my friend. The most transformative practice you can include in your day to day life is to stop everything and simply be grateful. Grateful for what you do have, grateful for who you are right now, grateful for all the goodness. A couple of years ago, I started keeping a daily gratitude journal. Every morning Andy and I get up and do our morning routine which includes writing down three things we are grateful for that day. This practice truly re-wires your brain and I promise will absolutely change your life for the better!

Not all transformation comes in the form of BIG BOLD changes. These simple daily lifestyle changes (when practiced regularly) are guaranteed to make you feel like a shiny, new person!

I highly recommend getting everyone in your circle on board with these new habits. It's much easier to stick to a new way of being when you have a buddy to do it with. Grab a friend or two and make the commitment with them today to try my 5 lifestyle changes for a whole week!

Reminder: "Yesterday is heavy, put it down"
How much of your past are you hauling around with you every day? One of my fellow life coaches, Michelle Chalfant, likes to refer to the stuff we carry from the past as "concrete suitcases" and I just love that image. That shit is HEAVY!! While I'm all about learning from the past, there's just no sense in dragging it around with you into the present. What we are not willing to let go of keeps us from the goodness that is still out there waiting for you. 
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Do you have some old baggage and stories that you are ready to release? The first step is to identify them. Write them down and sit with them. Then very sweetly and lovingly tell those old bags thank you for serving you all these years and let them go. Picture yourself becoming physically lighter as you release the past. Now smile and start to envision all the new and wonderful life experiences you are ready to bring on!

I’d LOVE to hear how my tips and simple changes are working for you! Shoot me a reply and I’ll help keep you accountable as you work on transforming your life!
xoxo,
Mary