Do you say what you mean and mean what you say? Do you feel like you are not only heard but also understood? In other words, do you get what you ask for? I often find that people, especially women, lack the skills to truly get their message across.

Sometimes it’s a self-worth issue. Women often don’t believe they deserve what they are asking for, so they hold back, falling short in conveying what they truly mean or making a full request.

Photo Credit: Daniel Lee

What makes a person free? As we approach our country’s independence celebration, I often think about what freedom actually means. America was founded based on the desire for individual freedom, and we live in a country that provides enormous liberty, limitless opportunities and advantageous privileges. Yet, as individuals, I observe many people who do not feel free within the lives they have created. Sometimes they feel locked into their circumstances, restricted by their choices, and are scared to even question their lives, much less begin making changes.

But what if you could feel free to start living the life you are really meant to live? Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have complete and utter freedom? Do you know what freedom means to you?

Photo credit: David Rosen

We all live in our own reality. We see the world through our lenses – bringing our thoughts, feelings, perspectives, history, experiences, outlook, perceptions, assumptions, habits, strengths and yes, judgments. We constantly judge, “Is this good or bad? How do I line up or compare to others? Am I doing ‘it’ right?”

We search for meaning – an “okayness” – with our piece of life, questioning: “What is authentic and real?” Our reality is just that, OUR reality and what is true for us.

Photo credit: Claire L. Evans

Do you experience ease and flow in your life? Are you at peace with where your life is, or do you constantly worry, try to force the answers or attempt to control everything that comes your way? Do you enjoy the rhythm of your life, or are you stressed out, worried, anxious and constantly on the go, even when you don’t have to be?

Understanding your own natural rhythm, as well as the natural order of life, can bring not only more peaceful fluidity, but also moments of ecstasy and joy.

Photo credit: kanonn

Where do you live? What occupies your mind and what do you think about most of the time? Are your thoughts positive and filled with hopes, wishes and dreams – or do you live with fear, doubt, anxiety and pessimism? Do you consider what’s possible for you, your family and your future?

Photo credit: Hartwig HKD

“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” – C. S. Lewis

I have been told that people must fail, sometimes many times, before they can succeed. There are countless stories of people who have been rejected, lost their fortunes, were told they will not amount to anything or have failed relationships…