The final segment of the three part Circle of Empowerment podcast series focuses on the last element needed in order to have power in your life, and that element is FAITH!

There are certain things in life that we know to be factual or true because we have proof or have witnessed them.

For example, we know that the sun comes up in the morning, and goes down at the end of the day. We know that when it rains in Orlando you can expect a traffic jam on I-4. We know that if we place our hand on a burning stove it is going to hurt!

We know these things because we have experienced them directly or have heard others tell us about the outcome. But, what happens when you don’t have proof? When you haven’t actually experienced the situation before? This is where having faith comes into play.

Remember when we were kids? Even though we had not actually SEEN Santa Claus, we had a tremendous amount of faith that he would pay us a visit once a year!

We have two ways to look at things. We can either chose to believe and have faith that situations will work out the way they should or we can dismiss it all together because we don’t have actual proof…the bottom line is WE DO NOT KNOW what the outcome is going to be. So, why not have a little faith?

It has been said that “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Do you have faith in yourself? Do you have faith in your dreams and goals?

The end outcome may not be one that we would have anticipated, but a larger part of having faith is knowing that things do happen for a reason and that it is all part of the journey of life.

There are no mistakes, there is just life! So, let’s keep the faith

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Jen and Leah continue their three part series this week – The Circle of Empowerment. This week they focus on the second key ingredient to being fully empowered in your life – Perseverance!

Perseverance: Persisting in or remaining constant to a purpose, idea or task in spite of obstacles.

This week they focus on what you need after you have the determination and are now going for it…once you are in the game however; things might not be going your way and you find yourself not winning…this is when you need Perseverance to make it through.
Sometimes it isn’t about WINNING the race, but about finishing the race that counts. And, in order to finish the race you must have the perseverance to go on despite some of the challenges that you will encounter along the way. In life, we will all face challenges and obstacles that will sometimes seem overwhelming, unable to conquer…you are ready to throw in the towel.
This is when you have to Persevere.

It’s not easy to tackle this alone, and that is when having a support system in place can help you get closer to your goal. This support system can be large or small, it can be the comforting voice of your mother telling you how wonderful and special you are, it can be your child who tells you that you are the best parent in the world.
It’s someone who motivates you and gives you the strength to continue in the game. In a sense it’s like having a coach in your corner!
Do you have a coach in your corner? Someone helping you as you go through life’s challenges?
Just as important…are you that person for someone else? Be someone’s coach today and tell them they can do it…and Persevere!

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This week on the Creating Your Masterpiece podcast Leah and Jen introduce their 3 part series – The Circle of Empowerment. The Circle of Empowerment consists of characteristics that you need to have in order to live a life of complete EMPOWERMENT.

Over the next few weeks,  they will introduce you to three different characteristics that makes up the Circle of Empowerment. This week they focus on Determination!

Wait a minute…we have  all felt this way about something in our lives. How many times did we adopt the “I Can Do It” attitude, yet never really fulfilled our goal or mission? It happens all the time, be honest, it has happened to all of us more than once.

Look around you – we see real Determination every day. It’s in a child’s voice when they really, really want something. Your dog’s un-ending pulling on the leash when he sees a cat across the street. In a disabled person’s eyes, when they are struggling to be as “normal” as possible, and get that can off the shelf by themselves.

Do you have that kind of Determination? Try it out this week. Don’t stop at just having an “I Can Do It” attitude – really get determined!

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This summer Jen and Leah had the awesome experience of attending the National Speakers Association Conference in Orlando. They had the opportunity to hear many excellent speakers who inspired, motivated and provided positive messages in all shapes and forms. One speaker in particular that inspired them was Karen Cortell Reisman. Now, her name might not be a household word, but you may be familiar with her famous cousin -  Albert Einstein.

Interestingly enough, she didn’t talk all about her famous cousin; instead she told the story of her parents and how they went about making decision in their lives. She compared their decision making strategy to that of birds, yes….birds. Jen and Leah discuss this philosophy on this week’s podcast.

Have you ever had a decision to make?  A really big one?? Did you feel like you needed to make the decision quickly? Well, DON’T do that. When we need to make big decisions, we need to take time to make them.

Karen actually can be broke down the decision making process into three stages (back to the BIRDS) according to the birds!

The first step is PERCHING. This is what birds do before making any major decision. They  just sort of sit there, and THINK….they contemplate every issue of the decision….they weigh the consequences….they PONDER. And, most importantly, they take their time. We typically don’t allow ourselves enough time to perch. But, we really should! Allow yourself the time to really think about the decision you have to make, and think it through, weighing out the pros and cons of each possible action. There is no time limit, only YOURS.

Step two is when we FLAP our wings…this happens when we have determined the route we want to take.  So, when we *flap our wings* we are really creating our action plans…..figuring out what we need to do to get there. A very important step in the whole process!

The final step we take in the process is taking flight! This is when we set off to begin achieving our dreams. We have thought it through, we have our action plan, and now we are ready to soar!

Each step is very important towards the ultimate move you make. You don’t have to be the Energizer Bunny with every action you take……………remember to Perch. You must PERCH before you can FLY! Take the time to really get in tune with what it is you want to do. Relax, allow yourself the time, space and freedom that you need to determine your life plan.

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‘Il bel far niente’  this Italian phrase means ‘the beauty of nothingness’. If you have seen the popular movie Eat, Love, Pray with Julia Roberts, you know that her character begins to understand what the beauty of nothingness truly means while she is spending time in the beautiful city of Rome. An Italian friend of hers explains that we (being Americans) always feel like we have to be DOING something. Like the Energizer Bunny, we are always Going, and Going, and Going. Americans don’t appreciate Il bel far niente – the beauty of nothingness.

On this week’s podcast, Jen and Leah talk about how you can start to embrace il bel far niente and  learn to just be a peace with yourself. You don’t have to schedule every minute of your day with a task from the never ending “to do” list. It’s OK to just do nothing…………..and not feel GUILTY about it. By doing nothing you are actually honoring yourself and your life.

Some tips on how to enjoy il bel far niente include:

1. Schedule time in your day timer to just do nothing! Even if it is just 15 minutes per day. Use this time to relax and *turn off* your sense of urgency.

2. Meditate or practice yoga. This will help you really be in touch with your thoughts and feelings, momentarily forget about your worries.

3. Schedule time for a mini-siesta! Even if that means just closing your eyes for 10 minutes.

4. Notice your breathing patterns. Many of us actually forget to breathe! Take a deep breathe ink, hold it for 5 seconds and then slowly exhale.

5. Turn of the radio while you are driving. Use this time to let your mind wander and ponder (but do keep both eyes on the road!)

Il Bel Far Niente – make it part of your daily routine!

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