Are you listening to your intuition?

I just got back home to Brooklyn off of a redeye flight from LAX to JFK. I was on the West Coast celebrating the bachelorette party of my friend Meghan, who was my very first friend in the U.S. when I arrived at age 17. The weekend was amazing and so special. I had such a blast and felt so inspired and full of ideas that I stumbled through the door, dropped my bag on the floor, kicked off my shoes, picked up my laptop and started writing. This week I wanna talk to you about something I am super passionate about: your intuition and how important it is to get in touch with it.  

Have you ever had a moment in your life when you knew on a gut-level that something was off but since you couldn’t rationalize these intuitive doubts, you overruled them and ended up in a sticky situation? I certainly have.

The thing is this: getting in touch with our intuition can be tricky if we are used to figuring things out using reason predominantly. It takes active engagement and consistent, gentle practice before you can freely trust your intuition and act on it confidently. But, let me tell you, it is so so worth it.

Here is what my life looked like before I actively chose to tune in and trust my intuition:

• I tried all kinds of diets that promised a flat-belly and weight loss in record time. Obviously I never had long lasting results or, not to mention, any sense of feeling more beautiful.
• I dated people who looked great on paper but didn’t make me laugh.
• I had the illusion that my pursuit for a degree from an renowned university was the key to not only professional success, but to happiness.

Needless to say, during this time I was constantly hangry (hungry + angry), exhausted, frustrated, single and confused about why, and creatively stunted to the nines.

My choices were made from the neck up.

However, intuition lives in the body and I had been silencing it for quite a while. Reason and logic were all I was able to listen to and give credit to.

Then I learned through a series of missteps and subsequent further confusions that the best choices are made when both –reason and intuition- are combined and brought into communication.

This is what mind-body work and masculine-feminine energy balancing is all about.

So, here is what my life looks like today, after I started to get in touch with my intuition:

• I am eating foods that truly nourish me and make me feel good (goodbye to non-fat products, fake sugars, and processed foods). I lost weight, have tons more physical and mental energy, and have way less cravings. Of course, I have days when I misstep too, but generally there is a sense of peaceful alignement.
• I started to selectively invite people into my life who are inspiring, loving, and full of life in the real world. Shortly thereafter, I met Raz, my boyfriend of almost three years now, and whom I could have never described on paper.
• I pursued a career in a field that I was relentlessly researching every free second I had but formerly didn’t think was a reasonable possibility for me.

Getting in touch with my intuition and acting on the signals that my body was sending me was one of the biggest things I have ever done for myself.

It is more than a simple self-care principle. It is your route to happiness and fulfillment.

Here are some questions for you to consider and help you listen to your intuition:

1)    How do your every day tasks feel to you on a gut level? Do you get a sense of fulfillment out of the value you are adding to your work?

2)    When it comes to relationships, are you with people who make you feel good? Do they bring out the best in you and you in them? Does your romantic partner help you in feeling free, light, and happy?

3)    Are you eating foods with your mind or your body? Does the food you choose support your body to function at its best? Our bodies are these magnificent organisms that are designed to function smoothly and be alive in every sense of the word. It’s simply our job not to disrupt our body’s natural function with fake, processed foods and damaging, stressful lifestyle choices, but to lovingly support and nurture it.

I would love to encourage you with this blogpost to start communicating with your intuition and hearing it a little bit more step-by-step. I am still actively working on this every day, so take it easy and approach it with a playful mind. I cannot tell you how exhilarating it feels when you decisions start to flow out of your whole self –mind and intuition on board!

In the comments below, tell me when and in what circumstances you are struggling with following your intuition.

If you are in NYC and you feel like diving into this topic deeper, come join me tonight for the 3^rd session of my workshop “Decision-making made easy and fun.” Tonight’s topic will be: Tuning in. How to access your intuition? Making happiness a priority. We are meeting from 6:30-8pm at Atmananda Yoga at 67 Irving Place, 2^nd Floor. More info here.

Click here and let me know if you want to join.

Xo,

PS: Every month I am giving away 3 1-hour Strategy Session. Email me to win yours and let me know what you are currently struggling with. I would love to connect with you!

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How to bring out the best in OTHERS. Let’s talk about YOUR ego.

Do you ever wonder how some people just seem to have this magical ability to bring out the best in you? When you are with them, you feel free, light, and like your life is full of adventurous possibilities. And even though your problems don’t suddenly go away, they somehow seem smaller, more manageable, and not that big of a deal. When you walk away from hanging out with them you feel loved and your step has a little bounce to it.  

My friend Lindsay is THAT person.

I just got back from an amazing weekend in Montauk with 15 wonderful people who came together to celebrate Lindsay’s 30^th birthday. Some of us knew each other beforehand and some of us had never met. We all came from different walks of life with various careers, multiple passions, and a range of personalities. Yet, it was clear right from the start how much color and uniqueness each person added to the mix. The weekend was filled with elaborate home-cooked meals, games, music and instruments, beach walks and volleyball, and lots and lots of shared laughter.

Do I sound exhilarated? I am :) –that’s what people who bring out the best in you, do.

So why was all of this possible? On the drive back, four of us were discussing exactly that and came to the conclusion that the common denominator between all of us is our friendship with Lindsay and her ability to bring out the best in each of us. The reason Lindsay can do this is because she doesn’t allow her own Ego to get in the way and run the show.

What do I mean by that?

I mean that Lindsay is motivated by the desire to bring more love into people’s lives. She is able to take herself and her own struggles out of the equation and create a collective space where others can safely unfold on their own. Because her vision of others is not clouded by her own fears and doubts (which naturally she has too!), she can see others in their brightest light. She is a magnet for positive energy and good people.

What I took away from this car conversation and what I would like to share with you now, is that the key to bringing out the best in others starts way before asking deepening questions and listening well. It starts with your own acceptance of who you are. Only if you are at ease with yourself, can you freely and selflessly act from a place of love and not fear.

As long as you are caught up in suppressing your weaknesses, you ego will find its way through your inner chaos and prevent you from giving fully to others and thus from receiving abundantly from the world.

So, here is what I would like to encourage you to do in order to create a relationship with yourself that is based on self-acceptance:

Think about what parts of yourself you are uncomfortable with?

In what moments in your life do you get embarrassed and retract?

When do you feel intimidated?

When do you feel jealous?

Once you identified one or two of these scenarios think about what it is about yourself that you are feeling uneasy about, that you are not truly willing to accept, that you have been trying to hide?

Perhaps you feel uneasy about where you are in your career, maybe you are jealous about someone else’s looks or style, or you feel insufficient about being single when all of your friends are in seemingly great relationships. Think about how in those moments your voice of fear speaks much louder than your voice of love.

The only way to tune up your voice of love is by peaking underneath the surface and accepting yourself exactly as you are. Instead of judging yourself for what you are discovering, start to be curious about yourself and recognize that these inner self-judgments are your biggest roadblocks.

Your beginning inquiry might sound something like this: “Wow. I can see how I am uncomfortable with/jealous of ___________ and that I might be judging parts of myself. I wonder how I would act differently if I accepted that part of myself?”

The more you can accept yourself, the more you can accept others, and the more you can bring out the best in them and in yourself.

Keep in mind that this is a very sensitive topic, so take it slowly and be kind to yourself as you are unraveling these deeper aspects of yourself. It’s all part of the journey and every step matters. In the comments below, let me know what comes up for you as you are starting to pay closer attention to yourself.

Lastly, if you are interested in tapping into this topic a bit more, join us tomorrow for the second session of my workshop “Decision-making made easy & fun.” We are going to look into how you have made decisions in the past and how you can begin to make decisions from a place of love. Click here for more info.

Xo,

PS: I had so much fun connecting with some of you via the free 1-hour Strategy Sessions this past month that I decided to continue to offer 3 free Strategy Sessions per month going forward. This is a great opportunity for you to flush out some of your confusions and get some advice for how to unravel and move forward feeling fresh, light, and clear. Simply hit “reply” and let me know where you are stuck or what problem you would like support with. Sessions for May are given on a first come, first serve basis. I am excited to connect with you, hear your story, and strategize together for how you can make your life just a little bit easier and more fun.

“Whoever wants to reach a distant goal must take small steps.” – Saul Bellow

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Do you have enough romance in your life? A little story from Paris.

Lately, my blogposts have been pretty practical. I have been talking a lot about careers, decision-making, and have shared a little bit about my own professional journey. But to be quite honest with you: all this practical stuff (though important!) is only one part of life. The other side is the romantic part of life, the part that makes you feel burningly alive, the side that truly creates the types of memories that remain engraved in you for the rest of your life. They are memories that sit in your mind as much as in your body. They are the ones that fuel your soul, your imagination, your love for life in general.  

Humans are so complex and we need more than one source of fuel, more than one outlet, more than one focus point in order to be truly, vibrantly, and fiercely engaged with ourselves.

 

The romantic side of life is huge no matter if you are in a relationship or single! After all, there are masculine and feminine energies within each of us and putting yourself into a romantic mood does not depend on your relationship status.

 

Over the past few years I have done a lot of work with masculine and feminine energies. My back injury -two herniated disks- was a tremendous wake-up call for me during which I understood that my life was driven too much by masculine energy that focused on achieving, competing, and producing measureable results. I didn’t allow enough space for creativity, play, and yes, ROMANCE.

My injury embodied this inner state of masculine predominance: my vertebrae (the hard, structure, masculine parts) didn’t leave enough room for my disks (the soft, flexible, feminine parts) of my spine. I came to see my spinal column as the perfect symbol of balance and vitality between masculine and feminine energies within myself. This realization revolutionized my life and the way I live on a daily basis.

Today, I would like to propose this question for your own consideration: Do you have enough romance in your life?

So many times people think that romance is reserved for the first year of a new relationship, when in reality true romance starts way before we ever fall in love. It starts with the way we treat ourselves. It starts with how we choose to see and experience our surroundings. It starts with bringing our own masculine and feminine energies into balance so that they can be in harmony with one another.

When I first began to play with this topic, I became sharply aware that I needed to create more space for romance within me and with myself. I was on a trip back in Europe with my family and had a few days by myself in Paris. During these days, I allowed myself to exist without a plan and with no agenda. I went on endless wanders through the city, treated myself to delicious café au laits & croissants, sat on staircases, took photographs, and wrote… a lot. I was sitting in the Jardin du Luxembourg on a warm day in July 2010 and was reflecting in my journal about what it meant for me to create more space for romance as a single 27-year old woman:

Letting myself fall into it.

Letting myself float.

Without choosing a direction, I intuitively follow one.

There is no right or wrong.

I swim in the music of steps, of laughter, of the beating hearts of lovers and children.

I hear the music of life.

An orchestra of beautiful souls.

Playful.

Fearless.

Marvelous.

Alive.

So why am I telling you all of this? Because most of the people I know are also driven by predominantly masculine energy focused on achieving and competing. Knowing how important internal harmony is on a mental, physical, and spiritual playing field, I would love to encourage you to create more space for romance in your life –both, in your relationship with your partner and in your relationship with yourself. Giving yourself this gift of time is an active decision. Our lives are busy so we have to create space intentionally.

We cannot wait for chunks of time to magically appear, but we can choose to create the space we need for play and romance to enter our lives now.

The best part is that this doesn’t have to be hard. Here are a few of my personal favorite ways to weave more romance into my everyday life:

Light candles.

Play music.

Dress up.

Write love notes.

Spray perfume.

Take baths.

Breath deeply.

Listen acutely.

Share stories.

Eat chocolate truffles.

Make out with your boo (as if you were in Paris;))

Engage.

Get flowers.

Have breakfast in bed.

Laugh.

Hold hands.

Dance.

Whistle.

Hug.

Care.

In the comments below, let me know what some of your favorite ways are to create more romance in your life.

P.S.: The first session of my workshop “Decision-making made easy and fun” is TONIGHT. The topic will be: Flushing out Confusion. The 4 truths about decision-making. JOIN US! Your first session will be 25% off. Find out more here.

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When tragedy happens and we feel helpless

My heart goes out to Boston and I am sending all my love to those who have been affected by yesterday’s tragedy.  

Last night Raz and I were sitting in the couch watching the news. Different people reporting on what happened and with all the same pictures crossing the screen. The explosions. Smoke rising up. People in terror.

My stomach was in knots and I wasn’t breathing… not really. I went to Boston College and Marathon Monday was one of my favorite days of the entire year. Literally everyone is out in the streets, celebrating, and cheering on the runners. In particular, I remember the story of Team Hoyt, a father who pushed his disabled son in his wheelchair the whole entire marathon (and many other sporting events). Needless to say, Marathon Monday is a fest of love and support for Boston.

After about 20 minutes of watching the news, I suddenly felt completely overwhelmed, sat up straight and said “Let’s go to bed. I cannot watch this anymore.” Ten minute later, Raz and I were still sitting there, watching, glued to the screen. As much as I didn’t want to watch the news anymore, I also couldn’t not.

What if this happened here, right outside my window in NYC (again! –though I wasn’t here for 9/11)? On Raz’s bike-ride to work over the Williamsburg bridge? In San Francisco and Charlotte where my brothers live? In Europe where my parents and rest of the family is? Or to any of the people I love who live in metropolitan areas and are therefore always in crowded places?

I said to Raz: “This makes me want to move to a more rural area, a smaller city” to which Raz responded: “That doesn’t make a difference. Think of Sandy Hook or Oslo….”

I felt… helpless. Small. Angry. Fearful.

If I cannot bolt, run away, hide and take everyone I love with me, what am I going to do?

Fact is, something terrible happened yesterday. A tragedy. An act of violence by people who use violence to showcase their longing for power. An act of hate.

What can we do as individuals in moments like this?

We can choose today, in this moment, and every other moment to stop perpetuating hate in our own seemingly small lives.

We can choose connectedness, mutual support and love in our actions, words, thoughts, and relationship to ourselves. We can reach out, offer help, and send light and love to those who need it. We can heal as a community.

Hate and violence are not sustainable ways of interacting without destroying ourselves as well.

Of course, we need security, safety measures, and protection. We absolutely do. But we cannot neglect the essential necessity of acting from a place of love in the way we show up. Otherwise life seizes to be worth living. It is simply not sustainable.

Holding this tension of protecting ourselves yet acting from a place of love is one of the most challenging yet most significant actions we can take.

As you can tell, I have a whole cascade of reactions to what happened yesterday and am still feeling the knot in my stomach. In the comments below, if you like, I would love to hear from you about what you have been feeling? What reactions you had and are having as we remain in this place of uncertainty, not knowing, not having answers. This can be a great place to get some support and write out what you are experiencing.

Love to you and your loved ones.

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How I finally DECIDED & WENT FOR my dream career

Spring is here – FINALLY! Especially, if you are in NYC, you know what I am talking about. I am so ready to lock away my winter coat, you have no idea. I love seasons and especially spring! I just feel like things around me are waking up and emerging again. It’s a time of renewal, reinvention, and creation of opportunities and relationships.  

And, let’s be honest, spring clothes and rosy cheeks are just so much cuter than winter layers and Casper-like complexion.

In today’s post, I want to share with you how I first DECIDED on becoming a coach and then WENT FOR IT.

I know that so many of you are struggling with finding professional direction AND going for what you want. Getting clear about what you really want to do with your life and when the right time is to go out and pursue your purpose in the world is a tough and scary topic. Trust me, I know this just too well.

My story from confusion to clarity: 

About a year ago, I finished my M.A. thesis and graduated as a published author with a degree in Counseling Psychology. However, by the time graduation rolled around, I instinctively knew that being a Marriage & Family Therapist who has to go through up to 5000 hours (depending on the state) before becoming licensed in one specific state only was just not going to align with the life I was currently creating for myself. (As you may know already, I am from Germany and Raz, my boyfriend who I met while I was getting my M.A. is from Sweden, so together we have no idea where in the world we are going to be in the long run.)

In addition, I started having doubts if I was cut out to be a therapist. To be honest with you (and I was embarrassed to admit that at first) I wasn’t sure if I could handle the emotional heaviness. I had my doubts about diagnosing and if I would be able to do crisis intervention work without burning out in about 10 minutes. I was also scarred shitless about being sued and not being able to pick my own clients. In essence, I was afraid that I would lose the harmony I had finally created in my personal life and within myself.

So, even though I loved my M.A. studies and all the amazing realizations I made and tools I learned –many of which I apply in my coaching today to listen, tune in, respond, and hear underneath the surface—there was just this lingering feeling that being a therapist wasn’t 100% right for me, both practically and emotionally.

I found myself back at square one and I cannot tell you how frustrated I felt. There were 100 voices and opinions around me (including my own!) saying “What?? Are you really going to change what you are doing AGAIN?”

To give you a little back-story: I majored in International Studies at Boston College for my undergrad, then I did a Postbacc Premed Program at Columbia University because I thought I wanted to step into my parents’ footsteps and go to medical school before I decided to get my M.A. in Counseling Psychology. Don’t get me wrong, I needed to go through all of these stages to first follow and then let go off external expectations, return to myself, and finally see and love who I really am.

But, regardless, even though I was now able to talk about international warfare, the molecular structure of Mg+, and help people interpret their dreams and overcome traumatic events, I had also just spent a good chunk of money on education and was feeling super guilty, restless, and incredibly annoyed with myself for not being able to just figure it out. Why was I so difficult? Couldn’t I just be normal?

When I started learning about coaching and how it differs from therapy, I had glimmers of hope that my studies weren’t for nothing after all.

Sometimes it just takes a subtle shift from what you are doing already to reveal what is a perfect fit.

Coaching as a philosophy aligned with all of the things I loved about counseling psychology (tuning into people, reflecting, creating intimate environments where a person could truly unfold and explore) AND it was also filled with forward-looking action, fun, and positivity. This combination is what I am good at and what I really could AND WANTED to add to the world.

But HOW would I start this? And WHEN was a good time? I felt completely overwhelmed.

So, what are the top 5 things I did to create clarity, momentum, and direction?

1)    I confided in people I trusted about my doubts, hesitations, fears, and worries. If I was going to be free of negativity, I needed to flush through these things. I needed to see and recognize how my confusion was affecting other areas of my life to kick my butt into gear and act.

2)    I went out and showed up with curiosity. I looked for networking events to meet other coaches and people who I thought were doing cool stuff. I began surrounding myself with people I admired and basically “tried on” what it would be like if I was one of them.

3)    I understood that google does not have the answer. I stopped reading articles and instead actually utilized my psychology skills to tune into myself and get super clear about who I wanted to work with and what types of topics I want to talk about all day long. Once I created a program that reflected this I invited my friends over to my house, cooked them dinner and presented my ideas so I could get feedback from real people.

4)    I got a coach to facilitate my own decision making process and teach me how to set up the cornerstones of coaching business.

5)    I manifested (no joke!) my dream part-time job at Urban Zen in NYC that would support me through the initial months of prep work. Literally. My friend Lindsay sat me down and made me write out in detail what I wanted. Two weeks later I had that job.

These are some of the most essential things I did that worked in getting me into a state of clarity and direction.

Can you see what the overarching theme is here? I asked for help and created a community of support to bounce my ideas off of, to keep me grounded and sane, and to help me figure out what was right for ME.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT ON YOUR OWN AND IN YOUR OWN HEAD.

I don’t know about you, but my mind can go totally nuts at times and I can run myself into whole mountains of confusion, information overload, and second guessing hell. Knowing what you want to do and how to make strong decisions that are aligned with what you actually want isn’t easy. And that is okay! Once you do get clear, it will feel all the better.

This is why I am so excited for my up-coming 4-week workshop on Decision-Making. I literally cannot wait to share more information, exercises, and tools with you that I used in order to make decisions that I really really want to stick to.

This workshop will consist of an amazing in-person group of 6 women.

There is so much power in community and getting together in real life. Fears and doubts can be flushed out and released. Encouragement can flow freely and authentically. If you are unsure about how to make decisions that will support you in your own life, you don’t want to miss this opportunity. Here are the 4 topics we will cover:

Meeting 1: Flushing out confusion. The 4 truths about decision-making.

Meeting 2: How have you made decisions in the past? What is holding you back? Who are you trying to impress?

Meeting 3: Tuning in. How to access your intuition?

Meeting 4: Manifesting. Trusting. Committing.

We will meet at the beautiful Atmananda Yoga Studio on 67 Irving Place, 2^nd Floor for four consecutive Tuesdays: April 23^rd & 30^th and May 7^th & 14^th from 6:30pm-8pm aka. you will be out in time to meet your friends for dinner.

(If you cannot make one of the dates, contact me here and let’s talk about how we can work around that!) 

Early Bird Special: $183 before Sunday, April 14^th

Regular Investment: $217 after Sunday, April 14^th

Wanna join the group and start Spring feeling clear, light, and on point? Email me at Caroline@carolinezwick.com to reserve your spot! I would love to have you.

xo

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I am a recovering potential addict... and why decision making skills are essential

Are you overwhelmed by all the things that “could be”? Does this overwhelm lead you to either a) choose nothing aka. you stay static and stuck, moving in no particular direction at all, or b) choose all of them and start 1000 things at the same time without noticing that you are spreading yourself too thin?  

Last week, I had a crucial realization about myself after reading a blogpost by Danielle LaPorte titled "Are you addicted to potential?” And, OH MAN, am I a recovering addict!

I am the type of person who gets super excited about new opportunities and creating out-of-the-box possibilities. I love reaching out to people, making new connections, and working towards finding the solutions to make sh** happen. I love the feeling of having found a new loophole and there is rarely any better sensation for me than seeing things unfold and pan out smoothly. This is a genetic gift I got from my dad (dad, you know it's true too ;)!) and what my friends and clients often tell me is one of my greatest assets.

In my own little microcosm, I feel like a rebel (the fun, adventurous kind!) and in those moments it’s easy to experience my life as exciting and bursting at the seams with all the great things that will be...

While this optimistic and willing-to-make-connections side of me is a great quality when it comes to brainstorming for how to move forward into a new, formerly assumed impossible way, this quality can lead to overwhelm when I don’t pay careful attention.  Particularly, looking back at my life but still to some extent today, I can see how I can get carried away with the exciting wave of creating potential and then lost sight of attending to two things: 1) falling in love with the present moment, and 2) self-care and appreciating the things I already have instead of experiencing a sense of lingering deficiency.

Then what happened? In the moments when I sniffed potential, I felt free, alive, and connected to the universe until more of these potential opportunities actually unfolded into real possibilities and I had to play catch-up. Danielle’s blogpost last week really reminded me of this pattern of mine and led me to check in with myself again more closely.

So this is what I am learning once again... this time on a bit of deeper level than the time before (thank god for growth):

If I want to set myself up for success, I need to be in tune with my decisions before I go ahead and get carried away by the charm of potential.

Being able to make strong and confident decision is equally important for those who shy away from what could be and thus create static stuckness AND for those, who are like me, who travel on the Autobahn of creating possibilities.

Decision-making is a tricky subject and having the right tools and a shift in your outlook can change everything.

Be honest, who has not second-guessed themselves? Who has not felt torn between two or more choices and ended up choosing nothing? Who has not felt overwhelmed and maybe even a bit estranged from themselves because the prospects just looked too good to say no? Who has not sacrificed their self-care regimens in the eye of what could be?

I want you to know this: The answer to deciding confidently and scope appropriately resides in your own authenticity, in your own instincts.

Everything you need to know is already there.

I have been carefully collecting practical tools as well as slightly more spiritual exercises that have allowed me to grow tremendously in my own decision-making abilities. This is why I am so excited for my up-coming 4-week group coaching course in NYC called Decision-making made clear. And just to be clear right now, this course was developed through my own authenticity and with all my intuitive sense on board, so rest assured that this group course will be revealing as it will be rewarding.

You can find the dates and location by clicking here.

In the comments below share what you are struggling with when it comes to decision making. Do you get stuck and don't move forward at all or do you create potential everywhere and then end up chronically catching-up.

Note: The course is limited to 6 women and if you sign up before Friday April 14^th, you will get the whole course at the early bird special rate of $183.

Some things you can expect:

• Group discussions on acceptance, fear of making the “wrong” decision, worrying, manifesting, and more.
• Supportive exercises that will deepen your ability to access your intuition
• Guided personal inquiries into how you have made decisions in the past
• Adopting a playful way to go forward with more confidence and fun

Click here for the full scope.

Please contact me with any questions. I am here to answer them for you, so don’t waste time worrying and thinking about what the answer might be.

I cannot wait for joining together for this workshop.

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How to find direction in your career

First off, I want to thank all of you who sent in responses to my last post that asked you to share a topic that you would like to hear more about in exchange for a chance to win one of five free strategy sessions with me. Not only the number of responses but the depth of your emails really touched me.

Thank you!

As a consequence, I feel so inspired this week to write about a topic that a number of you brought to my attention as posing a particular difficulty: How do you figure out and follow what you really want to do for your career.

No doubt, this is a difficult topic that causes a lot of confusion for people. I have been there myself. If you have had a chance to read my story on my website’s “about me” page, you know that I went through total professional confusion. I was on the road to medical school when I found myself completely unhappy, burnt out, and creatively stunted. It wasn’t until my back started hurting so bad that I returned to Germany to have surgery that I finally began to listen to myself and admitted that I was not following my true professional passions. Getting unstuck for me required taking off the pressure both mentally (“it’s ok if I don’t know all the answers yet”) as well as physically (taking off the pressure from my herniated disks that caused pain to shoot down my legs).

I truly believe that your real passions and your truest desires will unfold when you create the openness within yourself to receive answers.

As long as you try too hard to squeeze out answers, you create rigidity, inflexibility, and tunnel vision that will keep you blind. So when the answer, opportunity, or challenge comes your way, you won’t see it. In addition, when we apply pressure onto ourselves, we are de-friending ourselves and the negative self-talk starts. How is anything truly awesome and revolutionary going to result from that?

Now, you are probably wondering how and where to begin this inquiry. Of course, every individual is different, which is why one-on-one coaching work is so powerful (we can really laser in on specific confusions and personal patterns of stuckness). However, there are a few courses of action that serve as a great starting framework to kick off this deeper inquiry and create the openness to receive clarity.

1) Align with your strengths (and recognize them as such).

What are 3 things that you do pretty much every day that come completely natural to you? What could you do all the time because you basically never get tired of it? What fuels you with energy and inspiration? In what situations do you find yourself in flow?

Think about these questions because they are giving you valuable feedback about what sort of tasks should constitute the basis of your job. Keep in mind that these do not have to be job focused tasks necessarily. They are only meant to inform who you are as a person. Approach this exercise in a playful way.

Here is an example from my own life: When I was getting my Master’s degree, my class did an exercise that explored when we felt in flow in our lives. The first thing that came to my mind is that I love lighting candles and placing things in my apartment in beautiful ways. That basically means that I love creating atmospheres that feel warm, intimate, and filled with loving attention. I feel in flow when I am creating and nurturing. Supporting people to reach AHA-types-of-moments fuels me with energy (I get this giddy feeling in my stomach). In addition, empowering women by listening to their stories and sharing what I have learned in my life thus far inspires me. This is why I coach women through transitions AND also do workshops (where I can light as many candles as I want –Hooray!). By combining different seemingly unrelated things that come naturally to me, and that I feel passionate about, I now came up with a rough outline of how I chose my career path.

 2) Let go of perfectionist ideas and take action.

You do not have to know all of the answers today or even tomorrow. Barely anything turns out exactly how you planned it anyway, so if you get too stuck on planning everything before hand, you a) never start and b) set yourself up for a whole lot of frustration when the slightest shift happens. Shifts and changes become threatening and uncomfortable instead of potential opportunities. You end up with tunnel-vision.

Instead embark on your journey with openness and curiosity. For example: You do not need to know what exactly you want to do professionally right from the start. Use your answers from question 1 to pursue a direction/field/area of interest that exposes you to opportunities where you can use your identified energy-fuelers and then learn if this field is right for you (versus thinking you “might” like a certain field). The point is to START and ENGAGE.

Another good way to engage, is this: If you know someone who is in a career that you admire and think you would like as well, take that person out for coffee or lunch by saying something like: “Your job sounds fascinating. I would love to hear more about what you do. Can I take you to lunch next Thursday?”

The answer to your confusion is not hiding under your couch, so stop ruminating, pondering, and second guessing yourself and go out there and engage with your ideas and potential interests. That’s the only way you will find out if it’s right for you.

3) Trust that good things will happen for you.

If you tell yourself over and over how difficult it is to find out what you want to do, it will be difficult. See, we humans want to be right, so unconsciously you are looking to proof your own expectations. Instead, tell yourself that you are ready, open, and excited to finding a profession that will fit your passions, talents, and skills (from question number 1). Can you see how this simple reframe sheds a completely different light on your journey? Feeling positive, light, and excited is a way for you to set yourself up for success.

In the comments below, I would love to hear about your journey or confusion and how you might be able to apply the above points to move from confusion and stuckness into clarity and action.

I know you can do this!

Is fear of LOSING IT keeping you from LIVING IT? [+ a chance to win a FREE 1 hour Strategy Session]

If you have been following my blog for a while now, you know that my coaching is based on the principle that embracing your own authenticity (aka. knowing and loving who you are as a woman, friend, daughter, mother, girlfriend, worker, money-maker, care-taker,…) is the key to creating a life you love. I have discovered this over and over again in my own life. When I was stuck and had no clue what I actually wanted to do with my professional life, I first tried to maneuver my way out of confusion by “following the rules” or “doing what I should do.” Guess where I ended up? Yup, you got it… in even more confusion plus added feelings of guilt and self-dislike for still not being happy.

The way to true bliss, flow, and happiness always led me through my own authenticity and that meant that I had to tune out the could-s, should-s, and ought to’s and tune into what actually made me happy as the individual I am. It was through discovering and ditching old patterns and believes about myself that I was able to let go and emerge with confidence, clarity, and direction. From there I could strategize and create opportunities for myself that would take me where I actually wanted to be. Do you see how this is the only way you can be totally on board with the decisions you are making for yourself?

Stepping outside of the box like this often generates a lot of fear in people –fear of the unknown, fear of embarrassment, fear of failure, AND YES, fear of actually getting something and then losing it.

To clarify what I mean, here are examples for what this might look like in your life:

• being in a relationship but not deeply surrendering into everything it has to offer for fear of doing something wrong.
• putting off making a decision or trying to get other people to make decisions for you, so that you won't feel responsible.
• being in a job that you worked really hard to get to but then not really speaking your mind for fear that your ideas might be rejected or that the outcome might be different from what you anticipated.
• not letting yourself fully enjoy the present moment because you don’t know what tomorrow will be like. 

Basically, you deny yourself the honey life has to offer from the get-go (by not fully participating in your current life) because you are afraid that there might not be enough honey for the rest of your life or that you might be disappointed because the honey won’t taste as sweet as you expected.

Check in with yourself:

Do you make yourself small first so that nothing (love, work, health) and no one (your partner, boss, neighbor, parents) can do it later on?

Do you tend to never let life get really really good so that you cannot be disappointed afterwards?

Is your fear of LOSING IT keeping you from LIVING IT?

So, before this blog post gets too depressing, there are good news: You are still the boss in your own life and once you recognize what you have been hiding from oh so badly (love, romance, work expectations, body image…), once you recognize these powerful ways in which you have chosen not to show up for yourself, you can begin to release, to befriend, to let go, and to change these patterns. You can begin to lead your life with more awareness, more confidence, and more zest so that you can stop sabotaging yourself and actually get what you want.

I have to honestly tell you that I could not have done this work of unveiling, re-vamping, letting go, and strategizing in my own life without the help of mentors and coaches who guided and challenged me through this process.

Patterns are super strong (which is why they are patterns in the first place) and when you add fear on top of it, you got yourself in a pretty sticky situation. Think about it, we repeat patterns (most often unconsciously) over and over for years and sometimes generations, so choosing a new and different path that uniquely suits YOU can be pretty intimidating.

As you can probably sense by now, I am so passionate about sharing this concept of personal authenticity as the fundamental framework for creating a life you love, that I am giving away 5 1-hour long Strategy Sessions (value: $150 each). In this hour, we will laser in on what is currently most challenging for you and what is keeping you stuck. I will help you get really clear on what the next steps are that you need to take in order to move into a direction that feels most authentic to who you are and what you want.

(Why am I giving away 5 sessions NOW, you wonder? Honestly, the last few months have been so busy with getting my new website up and getting all my coaching materials and assignments polished and ready, that I simply didn't have the time to focus on more than a few clients. The last thing I want to do is not deliver the highest standard possible. Afterall, I, too work to set myself up for happiness, balance, and success.)

Ok, here is how you can enter to win one of my 5 FREE Strategy Sessions: All you have to do to qualify for one of these strategy sessions is to email me at Caroline@carolinezwick.com by 12 noon this Thursday, March 21st and let me know what topic, difficulty, or problem you would like to hear more about in a future blog post. I will then randomly select 5 winners and email you with a few different time slots for YOUR personalized Strategy Session. Sounds good? Click here to contact me now. (Subject line: Free Strategy Session with Caroline)

I am so excited to hear from you.

What would life be like if you were "there" already? [try this for one day!]

What if you were already the best possible version of yourself?

What if you were enough and more already? 

What if you were exactly where you need to be in your life right now?

What if your body was perfectly beautiful the way it is and you felt 100% comfortable in it? 

How would that feel? 

How would your life be different?

How would you treat yourself differently?

The reason I am proposing these questions today is because the belief that we are not “there” yet no matter what we have done already is so prevalent in our society. We are constantly “behind” and are therefore chronically catching-up.

The thing is, that as soon as we have gotten just a bit closer to that ideal future outcome, that ideal future outcome –sneaky as it is- adjusts and molds into something new, a little more advanced. The distance between where you are now and where you want to be never shrinks.

This is not always a bad thing. After all forward thinking keeps us going. It inspires us. It keeps us engaged. It gives us a goal and a purpose. If done correctly, it provides a powerful positive pull for us. However, if we allow the thought of not having achieved the ultimate objective yet to become personal and determinant of our essence and worthiness as human beings, we are setting ourselves up for unhappiness.

I want to challenge you to try living for one day as if you -in your essence- were exactly where you want to be in your life.

For one whole day this week, get ready in the morning and walk out your door as if you had a job that you felt amazing about; as if you had the most beautiful body and the brightest smile; as if you had the most loving relationship (or) as if you had the most fun dates lined up; as if the universe had your back 100%.

What would you wear to work if you felt accomplished, well respected, and got tons of acknowledgement? How would you hold you body if you felt sexy and confident? How would you talk to the barista at your favorite coffee shop if you were convinced that your interactions are filled with positivity? Observe how you feel differently. Notice how people react to you when you walk in the image of your best possible self. Pay attention to how you talk to yourself when you allow yourself to live on the bright side of your life.

The thing is this: we all have great plans for our lives and things we want more of, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot feel blissed out, confident, beautiful, and loved along the way. Every stage of your life is a step AND a goal. And that includes where you are right now.

You don’t have to put “feeling good” on hold for the future.

In the comments below, I would love to hear what you would do differently if you lived in the embodied version of a confident, completely love-worthy, accomplished, life-loving YOU.

If you feel fired up and want to dive deeper into this self-exploration, I have two great opportunities for you:

1) As things have calmed down a bit after my website launch, I am now super psyched to get back to doing what I truly love: working with brilliant women who want to catapult their lives into freedom, self-love, and genuine authenticity. All three of my programs are carefully designed to be the most revealing, fun, and revolutionary personal experiences that will meet you exactly where you are. Find out more about my programs here: Straight-up Goal Setting (5-session), Authentically Yourself (6-session), and my signature program Find Your Voice and Speak With It, Too (10-session). Feeling uncertain? Check out what others have said about my programs here.

2) I would love to invite you to my Bodymapping workshop on Tuesday, March 26^th. I literally cannot wait to share this workshop with you because mind-body work has done tremendous things for me in terms of understanding and loving myself wholly. Once I got on board with my own life, literally everything opened up and fell into place.

In this workshop, we will take an artistic-creative approach to explore how your body experiences your relationships. This can be your romantic relationship, your friendships, your family, your relationship with yourself, or even your relationship with food, work, or your health. It’s totally up to you! Find out more here and sign up soon before the workshop is full. I only have 6 spots left, so space is limited!

What overpriced pappardelle clarified about my relationship

I cannot believe it’s been less than a week since my new website launched (if you missed it, click here and let me know what you think). I am still so excited and gitty about it. You know what it feels like to have worked on something for a long time and then experience that relief when you actually push it out! It’s like a mini birth! Best feeling ever once it’s done.  

What has been particularly rewarding in the last few days since my launch is all the love and positive feedback I have received from so many people: friends, family, strangers and now new friends alike. THANK YOU for making this past week so amazing and rewarding!

Today I want to talk about something I havn’t really ever written about before in much detail: my relationship with my boyfriend, Rasmus.

I think I have kept a bit quieter about my relationship because I am afraid that people will get annoyed when I gush about how much I am in love with my man and how easy our relationship flows most of the time. The fact that I don’t really ever have any substantial or rattling complaints about him and genuinely think that he is the most fun human being to hang out with somehow makes it intimidating to talk about. I think this is especially true in a world where so many relationships are difficult and unsettled and so many people bond over having shared complaints.

However, today I am going to take a leap and share something with you from this past weekend while Raz and I were skiing in Park City for his 30^th birthday and spoiled ourselves with overpriced –yet insanely delicious- pappardelle.

Over our romantic candle-lit dinner, I asked Raz: “Why do you think our relationship works so well?” I know, what a bomb question, but hey, I like to talk about things AND I am truly curious about his answer.

So, together we ventured into an exploration of this topic and after we covered some fundamentals (ex. we are both ambitious and therefore stay intellectually interesting to each other, we are both equally generous so neither of us feels taken advantage of, we both come from small towns and share similar family values etc.), we came down to what really puts the cherry on top:

We can PLAY together!

This sounds so simple, but what I observe so very often and what I have experienced in my own life a few years back when I was living my life constantly hustling to fill inner voids with external stuff, is that so many of us have forgotten how to play, how to be silly, and how to not think ahead all the time.

I truly believe that the best things and the deepest connections happen when we let go completely. 

That begs the question: what does playing even mean? Here are 3 fundamentals that came to my mind as I was racing down the slopes the next day:

1)    Playing means being totally absorbed and completely engaged with an activity and the people who are there. Remember how you played when you were a kid? The only thing that mattered was that soccer ball, that afternoon tea with your toy china and dressed-up dolls, that puzzle, or that dance that you and your friends choreographed for hours at a time. You were in total flow with your mind and yourbody. Everything else around you vanished and didn’t matter. There were no cell phones to check, no facebook updates parading in at mind-altering speeds, no emails to read while trying to keep up an engaged conversation.

2)    Play is free of judgment –of yourself and your partner. You are not there to achieve, complete, compete, check off, or impress. You are purely and solely there to be there. That’s it!

3)    You act from a point of authenticity and allow the person you are with to see who you are fully. There is no hiding, no pretending, and definitely no weighing of what you should say or do.

This week, I encourage you to ask yourself:

Do you play enough in your relationship?

 

And by the way, this is true for any relationships we have. It doesn’t have to be your romantic partner. Think about your parents, you friends, your relationship with yourself, or even your relationship with work or food (do you take a playful approach by eating what your body really needs, without being distracted, without slef-loathing judgment and strict willpower?). You see the principle of playing can be adjusted to whatever relationship you are looking to elevate to the next level.

In the comments below, I would love to hear what this post brings up for you? Do you have enough play-time in your relationship? What are you mainly struggling with when it comes to feeling free, creative, truly seen, and liberated in your relationship?

See you there.

What does it mean to be strong? [+ an offer for FREE consultations]

I have a confession: I am bursting at my seams because I literally feel so filled with love. Why? Keep reading and you will find out. Today, I want to talk about a topic that is super important to me. I want to talk about what it means to be strong and how the definition of strength has changed for me over the years (which is also why I feel like a big fat bumble-bee of love right now). Consider this:

Having strength. Isn’t that something we all want?

Being strong. An objective applied to our physical, emotional, and spiritual existence.

When we experience life challenges –from heartache to work problems and identity struggles- we often tell others and ourselves to be strong. To persevere. To push through. To not let it affect us. When I was on my road to become a doctor and felt the most unhappy and exhausted I ever did, I told myself every day to get up and push through. When I subsequently started feeling severe back pain, I told myself to get over it and to be stronger than that. As if my emotions and my body weren’t part of ME…

While pushing through is one possible and at times even very valid way of dealing with certain situations (think, crisis situations that require immediate action, fight or flight type of responses), we have to be really careful to not estrange ourselves in this process of seeking strength.

When we attempt to “be strong” in this linear… and may I say narrow… sense all the time, we build up a whole body of armor making us feel the difficult parts of a challenge less harshly.

However, once the acuteness of a challenge subsided, we all too often forget to take down these iron shields we built up.

Think about how often people have tremendous difficulty really allowing themselves to fall in love because they have previously built up armor when they were broken up with or when they witnessed their parents going through a tough divorce. Think about how often people continue to sabotage their professional success because they have previously experienced negativity from their bosses or co-workers.

With a whole army of Roman soldiers ready to guard, we remain shielded and all the undigested emotions remain uncared for, unrecognized, and even denied. We end up being completely out of touch with our own authentic experiences and therefore can never actualize all the goodness that is within us.

Even more so: just because we don’t want to feel a particular emotion doesn’t mean that they will dissipate on their own.

In fact, and for those of us who enjoy a little backing by scientific research: there is growing evidence that the suppression of emotions can have detrimental effects on our health. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the UMass Medical Center studied the repercussions of suppressed anger in women suffering of breast cancer. He found that

“the majority of women who were later found to have breast cancer had either a lifelong pattern of extreme suppression of their feelings (for the most part, anger) or of ‘exploding’ with emotion. Both extremes were associated with a higher risk of cancer. However, it was much more common for these women to suppress their feelings than to be ‘exploders.’”

It is studies like this that leave no doubt in my mind that “strength” cannot solely be defined in this singular fashion that suggests building up emotional armor.

So here is what I would like to offer as an addition:

THE TYPE OF STRENGTH THAT RESIDES IN VULNERABILITY AND HONESTY WITH THE SELF.

This type of strength demands the patience, endurance, and resiliency to hold, witness, and be with one’s full scope of emotions without running away. Without denial. Without force. Without victimizing yourself. It is the ability to admit to yourself that you feel hurt, sad, or angry AND AT THE SAME TIME being able to continue to move forward as your own closest confident and dearest advocate.

Being strong in this sense is the opposite of self-negligence. It is complete self-alignment and self-advocacy. It is the strength that results when you can truly see yourself for exactly who you are and still genuinely like yourself.

For me personally, it was by extending my definition of what it meant for me to “be strong” that I was able to open up and allow myself and others to see me in all my imperfections… and what a relief that was!

This past year, since I started my own business, I have allowed myself to be more vulnerable than ever before. Launching my website, talking to people openly about my most personal struggles, and being completely transparent about my passion to work with women who seek to go through these inner journeys to find their authentic voices and then setting goals to actively pursue their dreams, has demanded me to be bluntly vulnerable. This is what I did in order to pursue my dreams without regrets in NYC, in a country where I did not grow up with my family 1000s of miles away.

Looking at my life from this perspective, I can see that this last year, has been one of my strongest yet.

The funny thing is that form the outside it has probably looked like one of my easiest years. Why? Because I have been the happiest I have ever been. Sure, I had days of doubt, fear, and worry, but I never lost my connection with myself. I always bounced back quickly. I know that this was only possible because I re-defined strength to include my ability to be vulnerable aka. completely, utterly, unapologetically myself.

Through this journey of re-defining what “strength” means, authentic happiness could finally enter my life. 

With no army of roman soldiers stacked up all around me, love has been able to flow freely and enter my life from all corners. That is why I am literally bursting at my seams because I feel so much love.

In the comments below, let me know how you have to re-define the term strength in order for your life to become full, authentic, and internally harmonious? What habitual beliefs about strength do you want to let go off in order to fall in love with yourself just a little bit more? What additions would you like to make? How do YOU want to be strong?

Want to discuss some of these questions in more detail? I am offering a limited number of FREE 30-minute consultations until next Thursday, February 28^th. Once I launch my new website next week I won’t be able to offer free consultations on a regular basis anymore, so be sure to email me at Caroline@carolinezwick.com by this Friday, February 22^nd to reserve your spot!

Here is to you and your journey. With Love and strength.

A little note because it's (almost) Valentine's day

Nope, it's not Tuesday (when I usually post), but tomorrow is Valentine's day and I know how many emotions are associated with that day, so I thought I'd send out a little support and loving in advance (make sure you read all the way through, because I will tell you about an amazing new webTV series that launches tomorrow). On Valentine’s Day, it’s so easy to get caught up in fear-based thinking. If you are single, you can get down on yourself for not being in a relationship and you start thinking that you aren’t good enough. That' no good! And if you are in a relationship, it’s sometimes easy to focus on the things that are wrong in the relationship because you put way too much pressure on your love to give you EVERYTHING you need.

Regardless of whether or not you are in a relationship, I want you to think about how you can love yourself more deeply. Because let's be honest: When you love yourself first, you are able to love that much more in your relationship, you are able to connect with others on a deeper level, and you open yourself up to attract the love that you desire in every aspect of your life. The more you love yourself, the more love will find you from everywhere else. It's the law of attraction.

So, here is what I want you to focus on tomorrow --besides obviously showing love to those you love: When you get up tomorrow morning think about what you desire to be loved for. Perhaps it's your extraordinary ability to make people feel comfortable and create a community, maybe it's your sense of humor that lights up any room, maybe it's your capability to tell your friends your honest opinion without sugar-coating things. Whatever you seek your friends, your partner, you parents, whoever to love about you, spend tomorrow loving that part about yourself.

I have seen the miracles that have occurred in my life once I truly started loving who I am. That is why I am so excited to share with you a webTV series called The Self Love Tour that will take you through fun and exciting ways of how you can show yourself more love. My friends Ali Leipzig and Natalie Berthold created The Self-Love Tour at www.selflovetour.tv and I know you will just love it. For my part, I am psyched.

Hop on this journey and learn how loving yourself can be FUN and exciting!

Sometimes you just have to surrender. What happened when I let go.

I genuinely like being busy. I like having things to do, places to be, and goals to achieve. It makes me feel good, positive, and in flow. Checking things off of my to-do list gives me almost as much pleasure as a Black Forest Cake. ALMOST! The thing is this: I have a difficult time telling where the line is when busyness turns into stress and overwhelm. For as long as I can remember this has been a real challenge for me. At first, I am cruising and all is good and then all of a sudden I am running around town like a chicken with its head cut off.

I gotta admit that this year has been a whole whirlwind of happenings already.

• My boyfriend and I moved to Brooklyn last Thursday,
• I am putting a lot of time into doing my back exercises regularly,
• I am working full force on developing some amazing workshops for 2013, and
• I am creating my completely new website that launches later in February (get excited- it’s gonna be awesome!).

When I got back from Germany, everything felt good, but the closer things got to our move, the more internally stressed I felt and the more my back started hurting again.

My inner stress level reached its peak the day before our move when I went to do my exercises. I arrived at the gym, changed into my work-out clothes, and headed to the bike to warm up. 5 minutes into my bike-ride and half-way through the magazine (I only look at the pictures) my body felt achy and every cell of me was yearning for rest. “Ok,” I said, “I know that my body has my best interest. Today I am just going to take it easy.” I ended my workout (something I rarely do), headed back into the changing rooms, and decided to sweat in the steam room instead. Once I laid down, I was suddenly overcome by a wave of stress and not so kind self-talk. Now, I have done a lot of work with negative self-talk, so I was able to calm that down pretty quickly. However, that nasty inner stress did not seem to dissipate. Do you know that feeling when you feel so icky that if you could you would slip out of your own skin?

I had recently picked up Gabrielle Bernstein’s book Spirit Junky again (if you are into manifestation and growing spiritually, you have got to get yourself a copy of any of Gabby’s three books. She is AMAZING!). While I was lying in the steam room, Gabby’s words suddenly found their way into my hazy, steamy, stressed out mind:

“It’s important to realize that the loving guidance has always been inside you, so you don’t have to fight to find it. You just need to slow down and surrender.”

Breath. Slow down. Surrender. Surrender. Surrender. By the time I left the gym, I felt so much lighter and at ease with my life.

This experience was so simple and yet so powerful. As I reflected on what had happened later that evening, I came to understand that the reason my busyness had turned into stress was because I was trying to forcefully push things forward. When I am busy in a positive sense I am simply navigating; I am floating and am reacting with flexibility; I am in close communication with my environmental energies. When I get stressed, on the other hand, it’s because I am trying too hard; I am driven by my ego-voice that wants to force things to happen on MY time (which is usually NOW); I am rigid in my approach and expectations of myself and others. By surrendering I let go of force and instead invited flexibility.

Force gives you tunnel-vision because you make yourself blind to all other options. Flexibility allows you to navigate according to what’s best in any given moment.

Guess what happened the very next day, the day we moved and were carrying boxes all over the place: My back was almost completely free of pain and I had all these amazing ideas about my workshops and new website.

Once I surrendered to all the things that were happening and let go off trying to force everything, things were able to fall into place on their own. My energy was aligned with my environment. We were pulling on the same string.

So here is my challenge for you: Next time you feel overwhelmed and totally stressed out, take 15-20 minutes and sit or lie down comfortably. Say something like this to yourself:

“I know that good things are meant to happen to me. I will let go of forcing these situations. Instead I will surrender and get back into flow with my environment. That’s when the most amazing things can unfold on their own.”

Do you struggle with overwhelm and feeling stressed out a lot? Perhaps you too have a hard time telling where busyness ends and stress begins? In the comments below, I would love to hear your story and how you deal with your stress.

How to celebrate your January achievements on a low budget

I promise this one will be a short one since you already received a surprise email from me last week when I interviewed my friend and wellness coach Nadya for some tips and tricks on self-love, nutrition, and digestion.

However, since this is my last post for January, I wanted to make sure to remind you to start the year off with a positive vibe by celebrating you January achievements.

A few months back I wrote a post on why it is super important to celebrate all the things we accomplish on a consistent basis instead of taking them for granted and moving on to the next challenge without stopping (read the full article here). Especially for those of you who always feel like they are behind and like they havn’t achieved anything yet, this is fundamental to creating a life that feels full, light, and vibrant! Ladies in particular, I cannot tell you how often I talk with amazing, beautiful, and brilliant women who have become blind to how successful they already are. If you ask me, that needs to stop right now.

Knowing that January is probably not your wealthiest month financially, it by no means has to be your poorest in all areas of your life. You can still celebrate whatever big or small thing you achieved in the last few weeks.

Here are 5 simple ways you can celebrate on a low budget:

1)    Invite people over for a good old potluck. Encourage each person to make something they really love in celebration of whatever they are proud of this month.

2)    Pamper yourself at home. Reserve a night for yourself, light some candles, cuddle down into your couch or maybe take a bath. Either journal (maybe not in the tub?!) if that’s your thing or just lean back and think about how good a particular experience felt this month (maybe you had a really loving moment in your relationship, perhaps you have been able to stick to your new years resolution of eating healthier, maybe you have managed to not get as stressed out in your job… this can be anything… huge or tiny). Take pride in these experiences and congratulate yourself. Replaying and visualizing our positive experiences makes us 1000 times more likely to recreate them again in our lives. Plus is makes us feel taken care of, saved, and loved.

3)    Stimulate your senses. This is a wonderful way to support a deeper awareness for where you are in your life and how clever your body is in recognizing pleasurable things. Get a scented candle or incense, visit a museum, get a foot reflexology massage, buy a new spice that you have been wanting to try, listen to new perhaps unusual music on your way to work. Regardless of what you choose, the point is to absorb life by living deeply intentionally while dwelling in your own achievements.

4)    Dress up in something special on a regular day. Maybe put on some bright red lip stick or wear a color that you usually only flaunt in the summer but that puts you into a special mood. Wear an unusual accessory that for that day symbolizes whatever you feel proud of.

5)    Get yourself some flowers. Having something in your apartment that is alive and flourishing makes everything better. They will be a physical reminder for how great you year has started off already.

In the comments below, I would LOVE to hear from you: What are you celebrating this January? What are you proud of? What have you accomplished? What has happened that infused your life with happiness in these last few weeks?

Do you know someone who always feels like they are behind or like they havn’t accomplished anything yet? Share this post with them and support them in their journey towards recognizing their own accomplishments.

Self-love, Nutrition, & Digestion – an interview with Nadya Andreeva

Before I get started on today’s post, I would like to take a minute and express my gratitude. After my last post “When the unexpected happens. A personal story.” (in case you missed it, you can read it here), so many of you reached out to me to check in how I was doing and to share how much this post meant to you in your personal lives. That really meant a lot to me, so thank YOU for your openness and love! Now that I am back in NYC and feeling better, I am totally committed to fueling my mind-body connection and supporting myself physically, mentally, and spiritually. To me that basically means romancing myself by eating well, eliminating toxins, and simply feeling light and balanced all around.

After spending the holidays and new years in Europe with my family (think daily cheese, meat, and chocolate feasts) I most certainly feel like I could benefit from a little pick-me-up to re-spark my usually healthy routine… AND maybe even learn a thing or two to make 2013 an even more fruitful and exciting year.

Personally, I am not a fan of juicing, restrictive eating, or doing anything that leaves me hungry. BUT I am a huge fan of treating my body with love and that 100% means eating healthy, minimizing toxins, and having a rocking digestion. I mean, let’s be honest who wants to be a sluggish, tired, achy, and constipated mess? Not me and I am guessing not you either ;)

That is why I called up my friend and amazing wellness coach Nadya Andreeva from Spinach and Yoga to get some key inspirations on how we can get back into the flow and treat ourselves with just a little bit more love.

In this interview Nadya will give us: 

• A quick intro to what ayurveda is and why it is a unique and wonderful approach to a healthy lifestyle.

• 3 simple nutritional shifts for how to feel light and happy in your body (hint: you might wanna think twice about drinking iced drinks).

• Some tips and tricks for a rocking digestion and elimination.

• A few strategies for how we can feel calmer, more grounded, and less stressed.

Click the image to watch the video:

http://vimeo.com/57604504

As you just heard in the video, Nadya is offering a 30% discount exclusively for you on her 6 week online video program Happy Sexy Belly, which starts next Wednesday, January 23^rd. The program will help you create your own Food Map (think: foods that your body thrives on and those that you need to stay away from). Click here to find out more about Happy Sexy Belly.

Enter Discount Code XGXKMTJV to receive 30% off.

Know someone who needs some nutritional and digestive support to manage stress better? Share this video with them and spark their curiosity about how they can live a healthy, happy, and clean life –inside and out!

When the unexpected happens. A personal story.

First off, I have to admit that I am a bit nervous to write this blog post. What I am about to share with you is somewhat of a personal issue for me, but I do believe that it carries a lot of value. As you are reading this, I am sitting at my mom’s house in the little town where I am from in Bavaria in Southern Germany. I was supposed to fly back to NYC with my boyfriend on January 2nd after we spent New Years with his wonderful family in Sweden (where he is from). However, he boarded the plane on his own and I flew to my growing up home near Munich.

The reason I changed my plans is because I have been having pretty excruciating back pain on certain, seemingly random, days. I have had this pain on and off since 2008, when I first found out that I have two herniated disks in my lower spine. When my pain increased again in the last two months, my dad, who is a doctor, suggested during Christmas that I should get proper, focused treatment.

Now, I am lucky that I am from an area in Bavaria where we have amazing natural hot water springs and incredible practitioners that offer a beautifully holistic and multi-faceted approach to healing. It might seem obvious to you what decision I should have and did make. However, this decision was not as easy as it sounds.

The thought of staying in Germany and going back into treatment was completely unexpected (at least for my conscious mind) and I had not fully admitted to myself the seriousness of the pain I was feeling and how much it, in fact, affected simple tasks in my daily life.

Sometimes it is more convenient to stay blind and “pretty talk” your own reality.

Have you ever been in a situation like that? And I don’t mean back pain specifically, but any situation that you deep down knew wasn’t quite right, but you kept going anyway, pretending like it wasn’t a significant problem? Maybe you remained in an unhealthy relationship for too long all the while trying to silence the bad stuff and hoping that things will just become better? Maybe you spent years in a career you hated convincing yourself that if you just push through a little longer things will become easier? Maybe you deep down know that the constant cycle of dieting then over-eating won’t lead you to a healthy relationship with food, but you feel too overwhelmed and are too pre-occupied with losing those 10 pounds fast?

We force, ignore, and fight to stay blind to the signals and the little aches our unconscious sends us until we reach a tipping point. This is the unexpected point where we have to admit that our excuses no longer hold, that something needs to shift, and that ignorance and pure willpower won’t lead us closer to our much anticipated glory. 

This is what my struggle looked like in the past few weeks: When I first considered staying in Germany for 10 more days, my mind immediately blasted out a million reasons why I absolutely couldn’t extend my stay. These are some of the most prominent thoughts my tricky mind formulated:

• What will my clients say if I postpone the first appointment in 2013? I will lose them all.
• I have a new website to launch, I cannot be bothered now. This is important stuff.
• My cat has been sick and has an appointment two days after we get back. I have responsibilities.
• We are moving at the end of January and there is simply too much preparation that needs to happen.
• It’s not that bad, I am exaggerating.
• My back should just shut up and let me live my life.
• If I am in treatment, they might tell me things I don’t want to hear and it will all take way longer than 10 days. Not now.

While all of this was happening, I also spent my jet lagged mornings devouring Geneen Roth’s book “Lost and Found,” which I had bought at the airport in NYC before I came home for the holidays. (By the way, I am a huge believer that certain books find us for a reason at very specific times in our lives. Geneen Roth’s book could not possibly have found me at a better time.) The book dissects our unconscious choices specifically around money and food as well as feelings of guilt, shame, and discomfort, which often lead to self-deprivation and/or over-indulgence. While the book mostly focuses on money and food, there was one particular phrase that stood out to me like a burning red flag:

“The real specialness lies in the willingness to turn toward it [whatever the point of struggle is] instead of hiding from or reacting to it. To let yourself fully understand the extent to which you’ve rejected your own humanness.”

What aspect of my own humanness was I rejecting in this particular resistance to listening to my body and instead choosing to hide from what was really going on by having a mind filled with the above listed excuses?

So I turned to pen and paper; as I often do when I feel that I am on to something but am not yet able to give it clear expression. I began to dig and this is what came out as I was peeling away layer after layer:

Underneath my peripheral excuses I discovered a deep desire to feel so important in the lives of others that I cannot possibly be away for a week. Underneath that is a fear of losing control. Underneath that is a fear of showing weakness. Underneath that is a fear about needing to be taken care of, about being helpless, and about being damaged. Underneath that is a fear of being everything but the glowing, positive, and lovable woman I aspire to be. Underneath that is a belief that I am a caretaker only and am thus not allowed to be sick myself. The truth is that unless I look all these fears in the eyes, unless I allow others to take care of me, unless I make sure that I am healthy from the inside out and the outside in, and unless I embrace my own humanness fully, I will always aspire to be, but never truly be that glowing, positive, and lovable woman.

That is when I changed my flights. I surrendered to my reality and aligned with my body.

Today, I am on day 4 of my treatment at Johannesbad. I am feeling SO much better already and am learning so many interesting things about myself and my body (for example that I carry almost 20 pounds more weight on the left side of my body –now I have to learn how to distribute my weight evenly on both legs. Basically, I have to stand with both feet on the ground… pretty profound stuff?! Check out the picture on the right to see me practice just that). Throughout these past few days, I am witnessing again how much wisdom my body holds and am absolutely fascinated by the human body’s complexity. I am also feeling some serious love and gratefulness for my physical sensibilities. I am reminded that we have some pretty miraculous vehicles carrying us around in the world, every single day! This is such a great thought to have as 2013 is starting!!

I am telling you my story, because I know that so many of the wonderful and brilliant women and men I know are at times caught up in these unconscious cycles in which we reject our own humanness in one way or another. I am sharing my story, because I want to be open, transparent, and encouraging with my own experiences and step-by-step self-realizations. After all it is these realizations that nurture the relationship we have with ourselves… and what’s more important than that?!

With this in mind, here are a few questions to stimulate your inquiry:

1) When and in what circumstances do you reject your own humanness?

2) What are you currently hiding from or reacting to that has been trying to get your attention (think: recurring situations or people, pains, aches, intuitive calls…)

3) In what circumstances do you choose to remain blind by making excuses (ex. “I don’t have the time”, “I cannot afford it”, “When happens, I will…”, “I’m not ready/smart enough/in the right position to…”)

In the comments below, I would love to hear what you have to say, what you realized, what came up for you as you were reading this post.

Sending love from a rainy yet beautiful Bavaria. xo

3 things you need to know (and DO) to kick off 2013 all fresh and clean

I hope that regardless of what you are celebrating or where you are in the world that you have a blissful gathering of loved ones around you. As for me, I am spending these days with my entire family -including grandma and grandpa- assembled at my dad's in Switzerland. Check out the sunrise on my first morning at home. Glorious, isn't it?! Seeing this natural wonder -the sun climbing up behind the mountain, then dipping the world into this pinkish golden light- unfold right in front of me, never fails to infuse my life with a richer, warmer, and more loving perspective.

Before I move on to today’s post, I just want to take a minute and say THANK YOU!

Thinking back on 2012, I can barely believe all of the things that happened and especially all of the amazing people who have entered my life.

The biggest thing for me was that I started my coaching business, which truly embodies all of my passions combined. I get to create support and guidance programs that are making people feel alive, in love with who they authentically are, and  allowing them move forward with clarity and confidence. I cannot think of anything better than that and I especially cannot tell you how amazing this makes me feel. All of this would not be possible without you, which is why I want to express my most genuine thanks to all of you: my clients, my readers, my friends, my family, and my boyfriend, Rasmus who must be the most patient human on this planet. I could not have taken this enormous step without all of you.

But now, because we are forward thinkers, here are 3 things you need to know (and DO) to kick off 2013 all fresh and clean (of course there are hundreds of things you can do, but in the spirit of being realistic, let’s just stick to the top 3 ;)):

1)    Forgive and let go. Yup. It’s time. Don’t drag 2012’s trash into 2013. Don’t do that to yourself. You see, forgiving someone does not mean you are letting this person off easy, it merely means you are setting yourself free from negativity. Take a piece of paper and write down all of the names of people and what they did that makes you angry, sad, irritated, frustrated, whatever it may be and say to yourself “I am giving myself permission to release these people and situations out of my life.”

Look, I am not saying you have to go back flying into the arms of people who have hurt you. In fact, you don’t even have to make friends with them again or write endless forgiveness letters. I am just saying that for you -in your own sweet core, in your own wonderful heart- let this person, this situation, these hurtful words fade away. You deserve to be free of negativity. This is the only way for you to shine your brightest light.

2)    Unsubscribe. Do you wake up every morning to 100 emails, 95 of which are from airline companies, hotels that you checked in for one night 5 years ago, organizations you donated to a long while back, and fashion websites that are way out of your price range? Is that a nod? No wonder you are overwhelmed. Even though you end up just deleting most of these emails anyway, it is still a shock every morning when you are confronted by your flooded inbox. External chaos created internal chaos (and vice versa) -a clever sentence I learned from Marie Forleo.

Unsubscribing from all of the emails that are just clouding your perception for the amount of work coming at you from your inbox, will take you max 30 minutes. Every single minute is so worth it. Think about this to calm your nerves: The website will not simply disappear because you are no longer a subscriber. You can always go on and find whatever you are looking for. The difference is that you are actively choosing when to consume something instead of being a totally swamped and passive absorption machine.

3)    Choose 1 word to focus on in 2013. I was introduced to this exercise by a friend of mine about a year ago and loved its simplicity and simultaneous power. Basically, you choose one word that will serve as your guiding principle for 2013. One word, that’s it! What do you need more of? What would you like to manifest in 2013? What is the next step you would like to take? What would be a positive turn considering where you are right now?

To give you an example, last year, my word was “Space” by which I meant to create the physical space for myself to tune into what I really wanted as well as to give myself mental space in terms of time. I have thought about this word many times throughout 2012 and it was a simple yet very powerful reminder during times when I felt stuck. Try it. Perhaps write down a couple of words that are appealing to you and then choose the one that sticks out most. Try this exercise with your loved ones. It’s a great way to connect and engage. Here are a few words to get you started: creation, embodiment, elaboration, movement, deepening, expansion, trust, giving, receiving, self-love, respect, self-integrity, lightness, ease, harmony… tune in to what YOU want to invite.

Sending you and your loved ones loads of love, happiness, and light. May you finish this year with a deep sense of comfort in who you are and who you are becoming every second of your living life. Know that you are unique and that this uniqueness is perfect just the way it is.

Is your environment keeping you stuck in a job you hate?

Can you believe Christmas is only two weeks away? Nuts. This time of year, even though it’s supposed to be all jolly and cozy, is often super stressful for so many of us. Of course there is a lot to get done physically, but I am also sensing something more hidden. I am sensing a deeper frustration about the fact that 2012 is coming to an end and so many of the things you had planned to resolve, change, or elevate in your life, have yet to happen. More than ever before, I am hearing people express how much they dislike their jobs, how unfulfilled they feel at their daily task, AND how they don’t see an easy way out of their situation. In essence, so many of you feel stuck in your jobs.

That is why in today’s post I want to address something that is way too often overlooked yet is fundamental in order to create the opportunity for any shift to occur.

I want to invite you to take a look at your immediate surroundings.  

Get this:

It used to be considered humanly impossible to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. That is, until 1954 when Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3:59.4. Shortly thereafter a number of athletes were able to break the “4-minute mile barrier” as well. Today, this is a standard for all male professional middle distance runners. In other words, Roger Bannister created the initial possibility for his fellow runners who then exceeded what they previously had deemed impossible.

There are two things this story tells me:

1)    As long as you believe that something is impossible, it is.

2)    Surrounding yourself with people who live in the eye of possibility, opens doors for your own flourishing.

This brings me to something crucial that I observe ever so often and have experienced in my own life: So many people connect with others because of a shared sense of misery.

“You hate your job and wanna slam your face into the excel spread sheet? Omg, me too. Let’s be friends." 

“You just broke up with your boyfriend and hate every man walking on this earth. Great. Cocktails when?” 

“You secretly like gossiping about people who are successful/pretty/do what they love (aka. have all the things we secretly want)? Amazing. Friend me on facebook.”

While we might giggle at the image of these scenarios, they are very often a reality and a huge roadblock on our way to living the life we really want. Be honest, talking about how much your life sucks and how you are just going to be miserable forever, is only fun for so long. The relief you get from this kind of talk is very short lived. On the flipside, you are creating a reality for yourself that is narrow and closed off to possibility.

Jim Rohn, author of Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle, said:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Am I saying that you should point the finger at those people and blame them for your own lack of success, happiness, fun, ideal weight, loving relationships? Not at all. It is NOT their fault. Most likely those people are totally clueless themselves and are surrounded by five other people who drain their energy. The only person who you have to point the finger at is YOURSELF. And guess what, that is GREAT news.

Why?

Because that means that you can change it right this second.

Start to surround yourself with people who live their life in a way that you admire today. This can be in their private life or their professional life. It doesn’t matter. It also doesn’t matter if they do exactly what you want to be doing. They don’t even have to inspire what you are passionate about directly. You will go your own journey anyway.

They just have to inspire possibility.

They have to be open and share with you the belief that you can be happy, that you can get a job you love, that you can be in relationships that are fueling, that you can feel completely alive.

Together you will be pulled by the image of possibility.

So as this year is coming to an end, create those new connections for yourself. There is absolutely no shame at all in going up to someone you have been curious about for a while and say “Hi, how is your day going? I wanted to see if you would like to grab lunch together? I would love to hear more about ________ (that hobby of yours, that book you mentioned, that yoga class that is getting you in such great shape, your studies… ).” I know this might sound daunting to some of you, but this is what taking charge of your own happiness means.

Your relationships matter. They are the soil in which you are growing your roots, so you might as well make sure that this soil is rich in nutrients; rich in water and sunlight; rich in possibility.

Here is to you. I know you can do this.

Thoughts? Questions? Reflections? Head down to the comments underneath this post.

How working at Lululemon helped me overcome my fear of goal setting (and how you can do it too)

Hi there, How are you feeling being back in “normal” life after Thanksgiving? What were you thankful for this year?

As we are entering the holiday season, so many of us are experiencing heightened emotions of all sorts. This is why in today’s post, I want to offer you something that will challenge you to think forward and narrow in on what actually matters to you in the grand scheme of things.

I am going to share something personal with you. I am going to tell you how I overcame my fear of setting goals for myself aka. failing to achieve them. This is important because we all or at least most of us know that goal setting makes sense yet so few of us actually do it. My guess is that your fears aren’t so different from mine.

When I set goals for myself –and I mean the types of goals that really truly connect with what I deep down desire; the ones that reflect my personal authenticity –I have to be in a peaceful place inside and out.

That is why I used this last week, the week where I am giving thanks and focus on being grateful for all the amazing things in my life, as the perfect week to revisit my goals from last year and formulate my goals for this coming year.

To give you a little background: One year ago, while I was working on my Master Thesis, I was working at Lululemon in San Francisco. While I was obviously in athletic clothing and yoga community heaven, I was also introduced to something that has had an enormous impact on my life: structured goal setting.

It was at Lululemon that I first nibbled into vision writing and really formulated my dreams into specific goals. It was also the first time that I shared my goals out loud with a community of people (everyone on the Lululemon team writes down their goals, frames them, and puts them up on the wall in the store; you can see mine to the right). This was scary at first because my fear of failing and being held responsible for fulfilling my dreams felt daunting:

            What if I write down something I would like to achieve and I don’t actually succeed to do it? I will feel like a failure.

            What if I actually say out loud what I really desire and it just won’t happen for me? I will jinx it and be sad forever.

            What if I write down something I think I want now and won’t actually want anymore in 6 months from now.

You will not be a failure.

You will not be sad forever.

It’s ok to change your mind as long as you are acting from a place of LOVE and not fear. (For example, last year I set myself the goal to go to yoga 3 times per week until I learned that 2 times per week feels much more fueling to my body + that way I am actually super excited for each class)

One key realization that helped me overcome this fear of failing and letting myself down was understanding that my vision was MY VISION and my goals were MY GOALS. In other words and unless you are psychic, which I am not: as I change, grow, and expand into my wonderful life, my vision and my goals have to change as well. Once I fully realized that my vision and goals are not written in stone but that they are alive documents that are purely meant to guide and support my happiness, I was able to engage into this process with all my enthusiasm, love, and trust.

I also came to understand that as long as I was scarred of voicing what I actually desired for my life, I would remain direction-less.

Once I got over that fear, I loved every second of this newly found tool. In fact, I felt so inspired by it that I kept twisting and molding goal setting to make it really fit for myself first and for my clients thereafter.

One of my favorite quotes is by Anna Jameson, who said:

What we truly and earnestly aspire to be, that in some way we are. The mere aspiration –by changing the frame of the mind –for the moment realizes itself.

So, by earnestly writing out my vision -which is an exercise to prepare for goal setting- I was in some way already living it. Now, one year later, I am living much closer to my vision than I did last year. Let me tell you that THIS FEELS AMAZING! I truly feel like I have direction and that I am on a journey that wants to happen. When I look at my 1-year goals from last year and how they gave rise to my 1-year goals this year, I feel that I am growing and making process. And what feels better than that?

If you are like me and thrive on seeing your efforts and projects come to completion (don’t you just love checking points off on your to-do list?!), goal setting is an absolutely essential tool for you! If I hadn’t written out my goals last year, I would have no reference point for what I have accomplished this past year and no base from where to proceed for the coming year.

This brings me to today’s challenge:

Think about what you really want in 5, 10, or 20 years from now. In my goal setting work with my clients, we talk about 4 different aspects of life specifically: Health, Work, Love, and Play. Take these into consideration when you begin to imagine your ideal life. How do you want to FEEL in these four areas?

Don’t get discouraged if your inner voice calls you silly, crazy, selfish, or flat out nuts. From my experience, I know that there can be a lot of self-criticism involved in this exercise, so instead of trying to make it all perfect and polished, treat this exercise like a stream of consciousness. Write in the present tense and start like this:

"When I wake up in the morning, I feel……."   

If you need inspiration and to support the process of sharing, you can read my vision here. If you find that reading other people’s work before you write your own distracts you, focus on your own work first! This is essential.

As usual, I would love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. How was this exercise for you? How do you want to feel in your life? How do you see yourself unfold in your health, your career, you relationships, in your hobbies?

If you want to work on discovering your personal authenticity and get my 1-on-1 support for creating your vision, email me at caroline@carolinezwick.com.

Have a fantastic last week of November.

With love,

Caroline

What doing vision boards taught me about how I fill up space in my life

Hi everyone, I’m feeling stoked! Today I am writing to you from one of my favorite coffee shops in blue-skied, lovely San Francisco. For those of you who don’t know, I moved from San Francisco to New York City last February and have not been back since then.

While I am here reconvened with my parents who flew in from Europe and my brother who currently lives here, I am feeling so grateful to get a few days with NorCal nature, SF flair, and most of all, my former host family (who I lived with when I initially came to the U.S. for an exchange year in high school) and amazing SF friends.

Last Sunday night, one of my best friends Amy and I had a slumber party at her house. We had it all planned out: sofa and catch-up time at night followed by cooking breakfast together the next day, going on a hike, lunch at my favorite spot, window shopping, and wine in the evening. After a series of incidences that included a midnight gas leak and a broken water boiler the following morning, our original plans were a bit disrupted.

But, since we are the-glass-is-half-full types of people, we quickly embraced the novel and highly complex philosophy called: “Roll with it.”

For us that meant to seize the time we were waiting for the plumber and whip out all of Amy’s art gear to create vision boards.

Let me tell you, doing creative work at Amy’s house is nothing short of amazing. She is a former Art major turned Personal Chef (get inspired by her cooking blog here), so rest assured that all my needs were more than covered. Check out our working table in the picture below. Not too shabby, right?!

To make our vision boards extra special, we put a twist on them: Instead of using huge boards that fit everything that we ever remotely thought could be fun, we cut out approximately 5 x 7 inch foam boards. The idea behind this was to really focus in on the things we actually want to invite into our lives right now.

Thinking of myself as a vision board pro, I expected this project to be super simple. What I discovered, however, was that I am a total sucker for power words. Loving. Play. Reinterpreter. Catalyst. Ready. Timeless. Excitement. Calm. Adventure. Organic. Natural. Romance…the list goes on. Deciding between them is really hard for me and had I had a large board, I would have undoubtedly plastered them all on there. Selecting only the most important ones and committing to glue those onto my mini-board was a true challenge.

Then I realized something: What was currently happening with my vision board paralleled my real life.

Especially in these final months of the year, there are always so many things I love to do, so many people I want to see, so many experiences I still want to have that I can go into total overwhelm. I tend to fill up the space in my life like I was embarking on the creation of my vision board: Over eager and filled with so much excitement that I can forget to feel underneath the surface for what I actually need. Similarly on my vision board, I was pre-occupied with the liveliness happening on the pages of Bon Appétit, Real Simple, and Interior Design that my own inner needs were blurred.

Expressing my difficulty to Amy, she calmly responded “Don’t worry. There is no such thing as cheating on your vision board.” Oh!

I leaned back, took a few deep breaths, noshed on some more deliciously sweet Persimmons and wandered into my inner world. 2012 had been all about simplifying and un-cluttering physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And this is what I needed to express onto my vision board. ------------------------------------------------------------>

So here is to today’s challenge:

Ask yourself how you fill up space in your life. Do you commit to too many things because everything sound so exciting and you don’t want to miss out? Do you then forget to check in with your core instincts to make sure that doing all these things actually fuels your energy?

If you have time and like doing vision boards, embark on your own journey and create a mini vision board for yourself. Perhaps suggest to do this as a Thanksgiving project with your family or friends. It’s so fun to do this kind of work with people you love.

If you feel pressed for time or simply don’t like vision boards (that’s cool too), take a few minutes and check in with yourself: What is your inner world asking for? What needs attentions? Do you need more adventure in your life or more calmness? What are three power words that truly resonate with your energetic needs?

I would love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. If you make a vision board, send it to me at Caroline@carolinezwick.com. I would love to see what you made.

Xo, Caroline