There is a part of us that seeks comfort and pleasure. There is certainly a part of us that wants everything to go smoothly, according to our intentions, wishes, and desires. We would rather feel pleasure than pain. We want to have things work out the way we want them to work out. We want everything to go our way. Let's take for example, a situation such as a divorce, or the death of a loved on, or the loss of a job, or any such event.

I want to know: are you intimate with the universe? Are you on intimate terms with the universe?

Everything changes when we begin to think of the entire universe as ourselves. If the trees are our lungs, if the stars are our eyes, if our friends, teachers, parents, and partners are our reflections, there is a depth of intimacy in every interaction.

Here is an example:

In a very real sense, technology has allowed us to make more friends, and make them quickly, than ever before. Take this wonderful community site, for example. (Thank you Intent for creating this wonderful opportunity!) Or take FaceBook. We are able to quickly connect with thousands of people from all over the world. On my FaceBook profile, I now have friends from Egypt, the Congo, the Ukraine. You name it, I probably know someone from there, in theory anyway.

I would like to test a hypothesis in this post. Being that this is just a hypothesis, not yet a theory, I would love your feedback. Please feel free to challenge, comment, or otherwise offer your opinion - I always love to hear from you and read all of your comments!

The amount of satisfaction we experience when we achieve a goal is in direct proportion to how conscious we are as we set our goals and go about achieving them. The more conscious we are, the greater chance we will experience a sense of joy, excitement, even bliss and euphoria. The less conscious we are, the greater the chance that we will arrive at our goals feeling indifferent or even discontentment.

I am currently in the process of moving and just finished a second day of packing, sorting, moving, carrying, giving away, throwing away, storing, and figuring what in the world to do with all this STUFF!

I really, truly, dislike packing. We all have our weaknesses, I suppose, and mine is certainly organizing, packing, and sorting stuff.

I walked into my office this morning, stared at my files and papers that needed to be organized and packed, and practically broke in to tears. (I did in fact break down crying a few more hours into the move, feeling completely overwhelmed by the whole process.)

Who is this best me? It is being everything, while also being nothing. It is fighting endlessly for every dream, while letting every dream go. It is falling down seven times, and getting up eight. It is having everything, while needing nothing. It is constantly becoming, although never arriving. It is giving my very best all the time, knowing that anything and everything is absolutely good enough. It is loving because I am a lover, knowing that my heart is already whole.

It is looking at myself in a mirror and knowing I am the brilliance and beauty of the entire universe manifesting as a human being.

It is embodying power, beauty, and grace for the betterment of humanity.

Now to make it more concrete:

The Secret to Successful Leadership

Most people believe that leadership is primarily about your relationship to other people. How effective are you at motivating people, connecting with people, and marshaling support for your vision? How adept are you at getting other people to do what you want and need them to do?

The more I observe life, the more I realize that life is constantly evolving, and very rapidly at that. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are constantly dying and being born, dying and being born, continually becoming someone or something different.

Is your self-image keeping up with who you are becoming? Is your self-image flexible enough to let your life evolve, or is it holding you back?

I am in the process of moving to Seattle from Northern California. I have been wanting to leave the Bay Area for a number of years, and really love Seattle. It is interesting, though, that I almost feel like a different person depending on where I am located.

Other times, I life my head to take a breath and think, "Holy sh----, What am I doing???????????????" Everything seems murky and unclear. I watch things moving in a hundred different directions, and really wonder what I have gotten myself into.

I mean really, life would be so much easier if I wasn't living my purpose. I could curl up on my couch and read to my heart's content. I could go for long hikes in nature and take exoctic vacations. I could take as many dance lessons as I please (one of my great passions).

Yet, here I am working another way-over-forty hour week, involved in a contract dispute, figuring out how in the world I am going to create a sustainable budget for my business, and wondering what life would be like if I actually met friends in person as opposed to having all conversations occur over email or telephone..."I don't know how to run a business!" I think. "I am not prepared to be doing so much of what I am doing - this is crazy!" I lament.

And yet I wouldn't have it any other way. There is this burning desire within me to make a difference, to help, to make a lasting Impact. So onward I surge, trusting that at some point I will reach the top of the hill with this snowball I pushing, knowing that eventually it will begin to roll down hill, picking up speed and growing in size as it falls down the mountain.

I think the most important thing is staying in a state of positive focus, and to do this I am gathering quite a repetoir of inspirational tid-bits.

If you ever struggle with feeling discouraged or completely out of sorts, here are some tips that have helped me:

Pick your heroes - Seriously, this has helped me so much. I have a number of heroes, both in history and in present life who I think of whenever I am wondering if I will ever see the light at the end of this tunnel I am traveling down. I tell myself, "Look at what they have overcome! Look at what they have done!" I know it is possible. I know that I cannot fail - I just need to keep on keeping on. In the words of Paulo Coelho - "The secret is to fall down seven times and get up eight".

Practice positive self-talk - Just as I did in the paragraph above - do whatever you can to make yourself feel better. "I know right now things seems out-of-sorts, but they will certainly improve." "You are just gathering steam - you are learning what you need to know to excel." "Everything happens at the right time in the right order." "Rome was not built in a day." "Look at all the incredible gifts you have gathered."

Listen to music - I have found music to be an incredible help. Depending on my mood, I will listen to music to invigorate, energize, enliven and inspire.

Every day I focus on my dream, focus on what I am here to give, and trust that the wisdom I need will come.
I practice removing the word "can't" from my vocabulary, focusing only on the "how".

With love,
Sarah Maria

To listen to this high-powered interview, click here (scroll down to the descriptoin with Mike Geary):
http://www.breakfreebeauty/blog

Enjoy the show!

A question that I get asked often is, “Why does this happen?”

Why do most women, and a growing number of men, dislike their bodies? Why do they feel that their physical appearance is inadequate? Is it because they are overweight, or does it occur regardless of their size, shape, or color? What causes Negative Body Obsession?

Is it the media, with its obsession and idealization of thin, which stands in marked contrast with the majority of the American population? Is it a mental or neurological phenomenon, where people’s brains produce a deluded image of themselves? Is it the fault of computers and fast food chains that make people eat more and move less? Is it the fault of parents, of teachers? Is it loneliness? Who or what can we blame for this sorry situation?

Of course I have huge aspirations and dreams for what I do, wanting to help millions of people, etc. I want to help alleviate pain and suffering, create healing, joy, abundance, etc.

\But then there is the actual challenge of doing it. Sometimes I get rather frustrated, trying to find and connect with my market. Does anyone even need help?