10:10 AM

Blocks to Living with Passion

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In August at the Becoming a Woman of Purpose Meetup, I will be facilitating a 3-part discussion series called Blocks to Living with Passion. They will take place on three consecutive Saturday afternoons and we will discuss three things that hinder living a life of passion and purpose.


The first of the series is Overcoming Our Fears. Fears can grip us and keep us from living a life of passion. We will discuss several types of fears, including fear of failure and fears from the past.

The second of the series will be Overcoming Limiting Beliefs. Limiting beliefs are beliefs that hold you back, keeping you from living the life you are meant to live -- a life of passion. Examples of limiting beliefs are, "I'm not smart enough," "I don't have enough money," "Nothing ever works out for me." These thoughts become beliefs over time and hinder us from achieving success in business and in life.

The third of the series will be Overcoming Negativity. Negativity comes in many shapes and forms, including negative self talk and negative thinking. Negative thinking and negative talk creates a negative life. You know people who are always negative -- do you want to be around them? Then, ask the same question about your own negative behaviors.

In my coaching and counseling practice, nothing comes up more than these three issues. They are issues that remain with us, hindering our achievements in business and in life. Until we acknowledge them, assess them and address them, we will remain slaves to them; not moving forward in life and living a life devoid of passion and purpose.

These issues are part of the Life Purpose Building Blocks to Success that every young woman should receive when she reaches puberty. We will all have to deal with fears, negativity and limiting beliefs at some point in our journeys, yet knowing how to detect when they are crippling your life and then knowing how to detonate these time bombs will give you the power to create a life of peace, passion, purpose and prosperity.

Check out our Meetup calendar for more details of this important discussion series.

Live life with passion,
Coach Carolyn

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6:26 PM

Discovering Your Passion!

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This month's Becoming a Woman of Purpose Meetup gathering focused on discovering our passions. The women were amazing, as usual. In addition to passion and purpose, we talked about negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, and staying focused on our goals. Nothing discourages passion faster than negativity and fears. As women, we have the tendency to beat ourselves up because we feel we are not doing or being something we think we should do and be. But I tell all women that when you beat yourself up, please use a feather.

One of the women, Sherri, shared a wonderful tip that I just had to pass on to all the Purposeful Divas. She said to create a "Self Care Menu." Like a regular menu in a restaurant, put items on that are about caring and pampering oneself. Because, as Nina shared, when we are in that yucky space, we cannot think clearly, so having this is on hand is a great way to take care of oneself. And Sherri says make it pretty, so be creative.

So what kind of items can go on your menu?

  • A day at a spa
  • A walk on the beach
  • Reading a chapter of a favorite novel
  • Taking a bubble bath
  • Listening to favorite music
  • A manicure/pedicure
  • Seeing a movie -- alone or with a friend

The list is endless. And the list is yours. Place items in your menu that you are passionate about. When you create those passion moments, more moments will gravitate towards you. Like begets like. Passion begets more passion.


Also, one of my all time favorite things is a gratitude journal. Every evening, I write down three to five things that I am grateful for that day. I end my day on a positive note and I keep the negativity away. We tend to beat ourselves up at the end of the day about the things we should have done or should have said. Stop shoulding all over yourself!

Learn to practice random acts of self care. Create that menu and start that gratitude journal. Learn to take the time to listen to your inner child. What is she telling you? What is she asking you for? Would you deny her?


Taking time out to discover your passion creates a life of purpose and peace. And if you have lots of things that you are passionate about, do a little sifting. The wheat will separate from the chaff. Your true passion will remain when all others have faded away.

So I am off to create my menu. I am so excited about that! Thank you, Sherri for a fabulous creative tip. And thanks to all the women who shared their hearts, passions and light today.

Until next time, let your lights shine and live with passion!
Coach Carolyn

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2:09 PM

Positivity and Living on Purpose

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It is not difficult to tell the people who are living a life of passion and purpose. They are the ones with the inner glow -- that aura of positive harmony and balance. When we are living a life of passion, we cannot help but exude that ray of positivity. Yet, the feelings are mutual. When we live in a state of positivity, passion follows.

Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and many bends in the road. Yet, unless we journey through those bends, we will not learn and grow. And when we are going through those dark paths, it can be very difficult to maintain a positive attitude. We may want to scream, throw things, and even hit someone. But doing this only creates more darkness and the light gets further away. To move along the path toward the light, we must become light. Light attracts light. And when we make the conscious choice to be light, even when the darkness screams loudest, then we can live in light.

One way to combat the darkness of our thoughts and release the light is to get ourselves off our minds. It is easy to disappear down in the abyss of negative thinking. And when things are not going our way, we become negative -- blaming and flaming against anyone who crosses our path. It is a defense but a very destructive one. When confronted by these negative gremlins, just think, "What is my part in this?" Acknowledge your part, then release it and move on. To stay in the abyss is not self-serving.

One of the keys to living a life of passion and purpose is to keep our thinking pure and positive. Passion and negativity cannot occupy the same space. Adapting an attitude of gratitude is a great way to keep the mind pure and positive. When thinking of all the things that we can be grateful for, we create an awareness of love. When we are grateful, we recognize our own light; a light that we miss when we are in the darkness of negative thinking.

A Nigerian proverb says that in giving thanks for a little, you will find a lot. A little light dispells the darkness. So try a little positivity and see how bright your world can become.

This post is part of the The Power of Positive Thinking Group Writing Project organized by Kirsten Harrell of the Think Positive! Blog. Thanks, Kristen for this wonderful effort.

Live positively, on purpose!
Coach Carolyn

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10:56 AM

Entitlement vs. Gratitude

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I have the wonderful pleasure of communicating online with women in different parts of the world. The beauty of the Internet. I have stated before that my purpose in life is to equip, empower and encourage women to be amazing spirit women living lives of passion, prosperity and peace.


I have been given many opportunities to be encouraged by fabulous women, and for this I am humbly grateful. This is what fuels my passion to encourage other women, knowing I have been given the fire for my torch to pass on. And I do pass it on. I am honored to be given opportunities to create opportunities for women to become all they were created to be. I know we are all busy. But there is not one of us who has the purpose in life to be busy. If we were truly living our purpose, busyness wouldn't enter into the equation. Be are called to be fruitful and productive, not merely busy.

So this leads to my moment of being perplexed. I hear from women over and over and over again about not having the opportunities to network, get support, talk about things relevant to living a passionate life as a woman. I can't have this argument anymore because I have been given the charge to create these moments for women. But women do not take advantage of the opportunities. Again, I know we are all busy. But we are also called to set priorities. My priority is being the best me I can be. Without that, all bets are off.

When I speak with women in Africa, there is such a deep appreciation of any small opportunity because opportunities are not just around the corner for them. So they will avail themselves of them and are extremely grateful for them. I find women in America, and of course, not all women, but there is this sense of entitlement and expectation; more so that gratitude.

Oprah was once asked why she gave to African children and not to American children. Her answer was simple, yet profound. She said American children have more opportunities here. She is creating opportunities where there were none. And because of this, the people are grateful. They don't feel like they are owed something because of their plight.

So where am I going with this? Perhaps no where. Perhaps now here. I'd love to have your comments.

Live with gratitude,
Coach Carolyn

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7:23 AM

Living Green on Purpose

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Unless you have been away from the planet for awhile, I am sure you are aware of the green movement -- the effort to create a more eco-friendly environment. This movement has many different layers, from recycling to carpooling to growing things. This move was brought to a new level with An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore's award-winning documentary about global warming.

Living on purpose is about holistic living -- mind, body and spirit. And this involves our global home. When we do not take care of our health, parts of our bodies begin to whither. When we do not keep our minds sharp and entertained, slowly we lose our emotional and mental acumen. And so it is with our planet. Unwittingly, we are slowly destroying our global home. It is very easy to say this is not my responsibility. Ah, but you see, it is! It is ALL of our responsibility.

Some of us are complete greenies! Some of us have never heard the term. Okay, maybe I made it up, but you get my point. Ignorance does not exempt you of responsibility. So get in the know! Three little words that I have heard since I was a child: Reduce, recycle, reuse. Not difficult at all. Take one a day, like a multi-vitamin. It is like any muscle, when you do not use it, it atrophies. Frequent and constant use will strengthen and become a habit. Then it will become second nature.

Start small. Use a mug instead of Styrofoam cups. Run your dishwasher when it is full. Throw cans and bottles in proper receptacles. Use rechargeable batteries. Reuse grocery bags. We often throw things away that we think are no longer useful. Do we do that with people? Of course not. We think of other ways to be of use. Purpose has no expiration dates.

So, think of ways to reuse the things that no longer seem usable. I would be interested in your comments and ideas.

Live green on purpose,
Coach Carolyn

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