Have you noticed that in the spring time most people decide to do a little Spring Cleaning in their homes? It is because the spring time represents a time of re-birth, a new beginning, and a chance to get organized and focused.

For those of you who live up north, spring time also means the weather finally gets warmer and you just naturally feel better when you can get outside and enjoy! It is a good time to  not only clean your house, it’s also a good to examine yourself as well.   Jen and Leah believe that you need to take the time to do a little Spring Cleaning for Your Soul and not just in the spring time but year round.

In this week’s episode, Jen and Leah talk about the two houses that we all have, our external house which is the physical structure in which we live; and our internal house which is our mind, body and soul. There is a direct correlation between these two houses! If our external houses feel cluttered and disorganized, then our internal house is probably feeling a little discombobulated as well!

The key point made is that in order to have focus, motivation and joy in your life, you need to take the action steps needed to have a balance between your two houses! When our external house is cluttered and messy, we tend to feel anxious and overwhelmed .the state of your home often reflects the state of your life! So, let’s take charge and do some spring cleaning for both houses! Who cares if it is only January!

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On this week’s Creating Your Masterpiece podcast, Leah and Jen continue sharing their top tips for not only surviving, but thoroughly enjoying, your holiday season! This week’s tips include:

1. Express Your Needs. Holidays can be stressful, both physically and emotionally. Don’t be afraid to ask for some help! People inately love helping others. If you are hosting this year’s big holiday dinner, why not ask your sister to bring her famous green bean casserole. Or, ask your children to help you address those Christmas cards (or at least put the stamp on the envelope). In addition, the holidays can stir up a lot of emotions, especially if you have experienced a loss during the past. Allow yourself to have a good cry if needed.

2. Leave the *past* at home when going to holiday gatherings. Does your Dad always share that embarrassing story about you when you were 8 and had a temper tantrum because you didn’t get the Barbie you wanted for Christmas? Does your Mother starting to speak to you like you are 15 instead of 43? Do you still hold a grudge against Aunt Alice after all these years because she insulted your cooking? Whatever it is that bothers you about past holidays, leave it at home when celebrating this year. Live in the moment!

3. It’s all about Quality, not Quantity. Time….there never is enough of it, right? However, realize that most holiday memories are based on the quality of the time spent together, not on how much actual time was spent doing the activity. This year, why not bake homemade Christmas cookies with your children, or make homemade ornaments together to hang on the tree. Focus on WHAT you do, not how much time you spend doing it.

4. Choose a Healthy Attitude. There are so many things we can’t control during this time of the year, but the one thing we can always control is our attitude. We can choose to have a healthy attitude! Sure, there may be some unpleasant or trying situations that come along the way, but it is how you respond to it those situations that make the difference!

Happy Holidays!

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The Holidays are upon us! While this is a joyous and wonderful time for most of us, it also means more stress in our lives as well. It seems there is just so much more to do and so less time to do it all. Between holiday shopping, decorating, parties, and commitments, most of us start feeling a little frazzled right about now! In this Creating Your Masterpiece episode, Leah and Jen will share with you there top tips for how to survive the the holidays and keep your sanity! Tips covered this week include:

1. Learn How to Build a Super Reserve.   This means having MORE of what you need so that you don’t run out!  We’ll share some practical advice on how to build your reserve to stay strong during the holidays.

2. Make Time for Yourself.  Carve out at least 30 minutes per day to get grounded and re-charge those batteries. Maybe it’s taking a hot bubble bath after the kids or in bed, or getting up 30 minutes earlier to write in your journal or just reflect on the blessings in your life. You need all your energy during the holidays.

3. Trash those energy draining tolerations! Anything that zaps or drains your energy, time or money is a toleration! Become toleration free before the holidays, so you have more time for enjoying the good things in your life.

4. Extend your boundaries. Remember ‘No’ is a complete sentence. During the holidays it seems so much more is asked of us and our time. So, you don’t have time to bake 15 dozen cookies for little Johnny’s school Christmas party? That’s OK, just say no.  You don’t have to be Super Mom.

5. Raise your standards. The holidays make everyone a little crazed. Heavier traffic, long lines, exhausted parents …it can make people do some very weird stuff! Keep your cool and your sanity by not lowering yourself our your standards to all the craziness.

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Trash those Tolerations!
This week we share with you the secret to gaining additional time in your day. That’s right, additional time and no it’s not about managing your time more efficiently, or making a long task list or even buying a Franklin Convey planner. We teach you the secret to Trashing Tolerations! Time after time the feedback we receive from participants who have been to one of our workshops is that the easiest component to developing a strong personal foundation and the one they have the most fun incorporating into their daily life is Trashing Tolerations!

Ok, sounds great, right? What the heck is a toleration? Tolerations are those things in your life that you are putting up with, things you are tolerating, that zap your energy. Things that make you say UGGHHH!! The most exhausting tolerations are the small ones. Things like the weeds in your flower bed you see every day when you walk to your mailbox or when you pull into your driveway. You know you want to clean out that garden, yet, it’s never the right time when you see it however, it makes you go UGGHHH. Or how about driving to work and your gas tank is flashing empty you are late already and you resort to praying that the gauge is wrong and you can coast to work UGGHHH. Most women claim the following example as the number one toleration in their life. The dreaded closet you open it every morning, hoping to find something to wear it’s a struggle every morning, because either the clothes don’t fit, aren’t ironed or just do not look flattering on you. UGGGHHH major energy draining toleration.

Small tolerations seem innocent enough, but start adding them up and you can see where they drain your energy daily. In this week’s podcast we talk about how you can trash these tolerations and more importantly how vital it is that you take time to identify and make a plan to trash them. Once they are trashed, you gain additional energy daily. With your new found energy you have more time to enjoy your day – more energy equals more time. Listen in, the next 15 minutes may save you hours daily!

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Welcome to the first Creating Your Masterpiece show! We are very excited to bring our message of discovery and development of one’s true self, to the airwaves in conjunction with the Parents Everywhere Network. Each week we will be provide you the insight, tips and techniques needed to live your most fulfilling life and oh yeah, we’ve been told that we are quite funny – think Lucy and Ethel!

Our first podcast focuses on defining what a Personal Foundation is and why developing a strong one will help you navigate your way through the invariable storms in your life. When you hear the word foundation what comes to mind? Many people visualize a slab of concrete or the beginning of a structure, it’s base or cornerstone. Now imagine that building complete and inside it is filled with expensive items, sumptuous fabrics on its’ furnishings, the latest and greatest gadgets built into the infrastructure, all the luxuries one would hope for in a state of the art building.

However, it doesn’t matter how beautiful the building is, if it is not built with a strong foundation, then it will not withstand strong storms, earthquakes or natural disasters. Our lives are much the same; we must start with a strong foundation so we can have the freedom to enjoy all the beautiful things and experiences in life. When one develops a strong personal foundation they make wise choices based on their personal integrity, they have more energy to enjoy the everyday pleasures because they have eliminated tolerations in their lives, their relationships are stronger because they are getting their needs met and understand others needs as well, there is more time to give to others freely because they have clearly defined boundaries and standards to which they live by. In a nutshell, they have built a strong personal foundation and now they have the freedom to thrive in their lives instead of just surviving.

As you listen to our podcast you will certainly feel our passion in guiding individuals through the process of building a strong personal foundation. Listen for details on how you can attend one of our creative, fun and interactive half day workshops. Oh yeah, we are known for having fun, laughing and truly just being ourselves. We were all created as perfect individuals somewhere along the line we get lost or our lives get cluttered. We invite you to dedicate 15 minutes, just once a week, as we guide you through discovery, empowerment and motivation needed to build your personal foundation and create the masterpiece that is you!

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