Karen S Flynn
Body | Mindset | Living the Prime of Life
My Memorial Day
Just like clockwork, it happens every year.
We honor the fallen.
War and conflict between nations kill people — there’s no sugar coating it. And the fallen have families — wives, children, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and future generations — all with a perpetual empty seat at the table.
This weekend every year I honor and remember my biological father, Air Force Captain Gary Bitton.
I’ve been told my dad was liked by many, was a natural leader, and a phenomenal athlete. Booyah! He loved flying but more importantly loved his family. His face would light up when he talked about my mom or us kids. And he knew all the words to ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Poked Dot Bikini.’ Yup.
When his plane was shot down in South Vietnam, he was the true hero until the very end. He made sure the crew was out before he left the controls.
Do me a favor. Find his name when you visit the massive black Vietnam memorial in DC, bow your head, and simply say ~ thank you. Then after you do that, stay in gratitude for all the blessings that have been bestowed on you.
Second favor is for you to hang your US flag in his honor. And you are welcome to do it more than this ‘holiday.’ Fly it, honor our fallen, and remember.
Why tell the story? Because it’s important to acknowledge that life is wrought with really crappy stuff sometimes. Yet ironically, it’s the crappy stuff that many times makes us stronger, more empathetic, humble, and true.
Instead of focusing on all the ‘things’ you don’t have, try focusing on all the relationships, people, and experiences you have had.
My wish for each of you is to dig down in your stories and tell them out loud. It’s through our stories that we understand and have more compassion for one another. In the end, that is really what life is about — compassion, love, and experiences.
When we share, we learn. When we learn, we are able to be better. When we’re better, we’re better together.
Perhaps it’s through loss and stories that I’ve learned to live more out loud and not shy away from asking questions, being curious, exploring more change and newness with the potential of a failed attempt or odd look. What I know for sure is nothing would be nearly as bad as this so why the heck not?
Today for the first time ever I attended the memorial service held at the national cemetery where my dad rests. How comforting to know that people cared enough to show up to honor and show appreciation for the ones that didn’t make it out alive. #memorialday
Tactics to Deal with Pain
Robin Sharma says that “Crisis comes to serve the person so they may use it as fuel to their advantage.”
He further states that we can either let pain cover us in victimhood or we can use the darkness of pain as a way to grow and be wiser.
I choose growth and getting wiser.
Robin claims that when crisis hits, and it will, it’s there to teach us a big lesson. We are meant to listen, learn, and use the learning as a foundation to elevate our life even greater.
Have you ever had a moment of woah? huh? WTH? confused?
If so, I’ve rode that same bus. I get you. It’s heavy, it’s painful, it feels unbearable.
And the natural tendency is to quickly put on the victimhood hat and wallow on your bathroom floor with a pint of your favorite ice cream. Good solution? Maybe short-term, but clearly not one to result in wisdom or growth.
During this week, I was met with a sudden crisis. After the initial shock and the dark clouds of this faded, I realized I was going to rise above the smallness of the situation and maniacally focus on being greater than the decision of someone else’s scarcity. For what I put out in the world is huge, it’s valuable to others, and boy do I have a lot of good in my life to be grateful for. On the other side of this crap was hope, love, kindness, trust, knowing, worthiness, believe, abundance, gratitude.
Dark clouds are temporary. And on the other side of those dark clouds is usually bright shining, warm sun. Light. Radiant and beautiful.
As Robin Sharma shares, “Gratitude is the antidote to pain.”
So here I sit so grateful. Not just of this lesson but for what is on the other side of that door.
Robin Sharma has come up with some tactics to ease pain. He calls these insights the 5 ‘ings’ of overcoming pain.
- Journaling. Allows us to process through the pain. Write out confusion, hurt, misunderstanding, blessings, talents, what’s good in life.
- Talking. Find a trusted advisor, great friend and talk it out. Open yourself up and take off the social mask. If not, you repress creativity and you block emotions that can lead to disease down the road. The reason there is so much anger in the world and toxicity out there – even in our workplaces – is because people have so much pent up pain they never let out.
- Communing. Nature walks, flowers in your house, etc. Be gentle with yourself. Get one with nature. Breathe. By doing so, you gain perspective and are better able to truly think. This allows us to not see the bars of the prison cell but the stars of the universe. I love that. And really, will this crisis you are in now really matter 2 years from now?
- Moving. Get off the couch and move. Get to the gym. Go for a run. Ride your bike. Do yoga. Science tells us that movement changes our neurobiology, releases dopamine, and makes us feel better.
- Resting. Our world says, move, learn, achieve, produce, and produce fast. But there are seasons to life. And if you are in pain sometimes you have to slow down to speed up. Use the time to read great books, think, produce new insights, new ideas, new energies. This allows us to move from fear to love.
So if you are facing a difficult time in your life, I’m so sorry. Unfortunately, this life we lead has pain in it. It sucks sometimes. Life isn’t fair. But know that you, YOU, have the ability to react how YOU want to react. YOU have the integrity to face the situation head on and be a leader in your thoughts and actions. YOU are enough.
The Whole Enchilada
How we do one thing, is how we do everything.
Think about your life for a moment. Although you play a variety of roles – parent, entrepreneur, employee, wife, athlete, friend – how you handle yourself in one area, is probably how you handle yourself in all areas. Your behavior and approach to life isn’t this fragmented operation, but rather an integrated whole experience. You can’t expect to thrive in one area yet be totally different in another area.
The more I learn about this topic, the more I know this is accurate.
This notion of poverty versus abundant consciousness is powerful and if you really are honest looking in your life mirror, it’s eye opening.
A good example would be your closet. Close your eyes and envision what lies behind that door. Are there items in there you never wear? They may be old, may not fit any longer or may have been gifts. Whatever the reason you are still holding on to them yet those things take up space. Empty space. Space that could be used for new items that fit you well and you feel great in.
Now shift that same thinking to relationships. Are their people in your life that no longer support you? Are they taking up empty space? Maybe you feel as though you need to continue the relationship because they have been in your life for a long time but they no longer align with your thinking but you continue to use your energy for them because you fear being alone, fear they will judge or talk negatively about you. Or you don’t open yourself to new relationships for fear of rejection.
How about a job that you don’t love but you settle because of fear of change?
The thread that runs through all of this is the same energy – poverty consciousness. When your mind is constantly being reminded that you are coming from a limited existence, guess what will appear for you? Limited energy, opportunity, and lack of all the things you desire.
When you are stuck in the past and don’t progress, you are unable to see all the new possibilities before you. When you are feeling like the victim, rather than taking responsibility for your life, you will never be able to succeed. If you begin a phrase with ‘I’m too ____” that usually means you are coming from a poverty consciousness because it’s limiting right off the bat.
Conversely, when you look at your life with an openness of skills and talents, and are open to constant learning, are open to new energy and a new way of being, you will evoke a life of new positive and progressive activity.
In 2016, I plan to focus more effort in the abundant consciousness mindset which includes getting rid of all the crap in my closet, garage, house. Bye bye stuff. I will continue to be work on being more deliberate with my time and the relationships I cultivate and the reasons for each. I will say yes to more things that scare me, I’ve never done, and interested in. As they say, if it’s not a ‘hell yes’ then it’s a no. No is a complete sentence.
Life is just like art. You explore, you course correct, you start again reapplying what you learned, and eventually you find a niche that works for you. But you can never get to that niche if you don’t explore in the first place.
Hand painted torn paper, acrylic, original @KFlynn, Dec 2015
New year = continued new energy = new abundant, joyful activity, people, experiences.
2016: The Year of Openness and Giving Up to Get
Ways to start small? Take 30 minutes each day to handle things you’ve been putting off. Clean out that junk drawer, clean out the pants section of your closet, research a new workout plan for the week and write it down, call someone and apologize or say hello and ask them how they are. Sign up for an Ironman in July 2016 and develop your plan. Take out your paint and explore on a canvas. Get outside and move your body. Put your phone down and look up at people and smile. Be open to the possibilities in front of you. Say yes more. Say no more. This is your life so get your hands dirty and live it for you. Be in communion with people. Be transparent how you feel. Stop being a nice-aholic. Nice-aholics never succeed because you never get what you truly need.
Old Ways Won’t Open New Doors
By focusing on connectiveness, I bet you’ll find a pattern emerge. Think whole enchilada. And on the topic of enchilada’s, here’s a favorite recipe that is the bombdiggity.
The Stand Out Recipe
So much information, so little time. What’s going to make you stand out and get noticed?
It’s simple: originality, having an opinion, and showing up (a lot).
Here’s the stand out recipe
- Create original content
- Have an opinion and be … (oh wait for this one!) — honest — and WHO you are
- Be consistent
If you do all 3 and repeat them over and over, something ‘magical’ happens. You begin to build relationships. And what happens when you build strong relationships? That’s right. You build trust. And then what happens when you build trust? People buy from people (and brands) they know, like, and trust.
And bonus points go to the person (or online brand) who can shine a light on a problem, struggle, situation, issue, and offer a solution.
After you repeat this over and over and over, your audience will come to you. ‘Hello, is it me you’re looking for?’ Remember that lyric from Lionel Richie? Haha. Showing my age again.
Now get to it.
Vibrate on
You hear this ‘mind/body’ connection thing all the time. Wait, don’t close your browser yet!
This past few years-ish, I’ve noticed a ‘thing’ that’s happening. I’ll just call a ‘vibrational pull’ towards positive, good, better, peace, balance.
Can I be honest? Here’s goes…
There comes a point in your life where you’ve just had enough. Enough bullshit, enough imposter syndrome of thinking you are something you’re not or wish to be, enough consuming of crap to buy more crap to show it off to the people who tell you they are you’re friends but you rarely see, enough masquerading with relationships that you lead and you rarely get anything back in return. If you’ve not had one of these things happen to you, you’re either a saint or too young to drive yet. If you have had one (or more) of these things fall into your lap, welcome to the club.
But…there’s hope.
You see, once I began to explore what I’m about, what really really floats my boat, learned from people that have had success in their crafts, had the deep desire to grow, and believed in my core that new/different was worth the trip, things began to shift in my life for the better.
…and queue up Alicia Keys
I don't need your opinion I'm not waiting for your okay I'll never be perfect, but at least now I'm brave Now, my heart is open And I can finally breathe Don't be mad, it's just the brand new kind of free That ain't bad, I found a brand new kind of me Don't be mad, it's just a brand new time for me
The Law of Vibration
There is this universal law called the law of vibration. Once my body was at a higher energetic state of being, I began to pull higher energetic events, people, and outcomes into my world. True story, bro.
It’s started with believe, desire, daily action, and…wait…RESULTS. Something was happening on the inside which I didn’t even realize. I was becoming a higher vibrational human. You’re probably now thinking I’m all ‘woowoo’ and new agey, but whatever. It’s whatever, because I know it happened to me and I know it can happen to you too if you put your mind to it.
So I did a bit of research. Let’s assume that all living things hold a vibration or frequency, including people, nature, and food. Now let’s assume that who we’re friends with, how we react to situations, how we interact with nature, and what we ingest all factor into the life we live.
Some very smart scientists have concluded that living elements can be measured and the measurement stick is in what they call hertz (Hz) or bioelectrical energy. Healthy human bodies operate at between 62 – 72 Hz. When this frequency drops, our immune systems are compromised. Disease starts at less than 62 Hz. One hertz is one cycle per second of energy flow that is constant between two points.
Food and the Impact of a High Vibrational State
If our bodies are vibrational energy holding tanks, why are people surprised that when they fill their tanks with so-called ‘food’ that is the farthest thing from containing high-octane nutrients, their body doesn’t respond with positive outcomes?
Ponder these:
- How can you attract high energy when you are continually filling your body with crap masked as ‘food’?
- How can you perform like a refined race car when you feed your body like it was a dump truck?
- Why do you think you will attract, be, and blossom into, a highly successful person if your temple is bathed with chemically and/or pesticide-laden junk that changes who you are, how you feel, and how you respond in this life at a cellular level?
- If your blood cells replace themselves every three to four months, your muscle cells replace themselves about every six months and your brain cells take a year or more to replace themselves, wouldn’t it make sense to use high octane foods so when your body is a new entity every few years, it’s the best one it could be? How about those people you’re hanging with? Or that job you have? It’s called a lifestyle and all of it is served up to you in the form of your body.
So what are these ‘high vibrational’ foods? Examples include:
- Pure and filtered water
- Superfoods (examples: spirulina, wolfberry, mangosteen, ashwaganda)
- Nuts and seeds
- Whole grains
- Unaltered, Non-GMO foods
- Fermented foods
- Live enzymatic properties
- Grass-fed, pasture-raised protein
- Organic vegetables and fruits (in season to align with nature)
And the anti-thesis bad boys?
- Sugary, white-flour based concoctions (people consume 185 pounds per person per year of sugar alone)
- Anything boxed or commercially canned
- Alcohol
- Inorganic coffee or coffee that has not been mycotoxin tested
- Soda
- Microwaved foods
- Frozen-packed foods
- Hormone-injected, feed-lot, accelerated growth, antibiotic-laden, GMO-corn fed meats
- Pharmaceutical or over-the-counter medications
- Pasteurized milk
Fancy This
Disease, virus, fungi, bacteria, etc cannot live in an environment that is satisfying all it’s nutrient requirements so if you want to avoid any of these, focus on nutrients, nutrients, nutrients. And you might just need to find them outside of your ‘eat clean’ food supply [another blog post soon].
So I ask, if your body is ‘off,’ is that a sign that there is need to change? Your body speaks to you daily and craves nourishment.
When you steer away from the low energy to a high vibrating state of being, you will, overtime, see a physique that is lighter, more dense, more focused, and balanced. A healthy physique is the core to all other outcomes. How do I know this? Because I’ve lived it.
Angels Amongst Us
Now let’s just throw in what happened to me repeatedly in August and September during the events leading up to, and surrounding my dad’s death this year.
During random times, I would look at my phone or be in the car and look at the temperature and there they were. Ones. Zeros. In different combinations. Over and over. It’s said that this means that angels are with you. High vibrational state?
You can’t be in a low vibrational energetic state to be receptive to the spirit.
Mind/Body Connection
I read and hear about people all the time wanting to know what their life purpose is or want to find ‘passion.’ In all honesty, those secrets start to unravel, the minute you get serious about a healthy physique. Until then, tick tock and things stay status quo.
Stop starting over. Stop thinking that because you have kids or are a certain age, that life is doomed to be lived a certain way. Stop the crazy train of thinking doctors will take care of you. Just stop it. Vote for yourself. You deserve it. I deserved it.
You Promise me Something, Okay?
As Jenny in Forest Gump said, “Listen, you promise me something, okay? Just if you’re ever in trouble, don’t be brave. You just run, okay? Just run away.” Run away from the nonsense. Run away from thinking it’s okay to live of life of feeling like crap. Run away from thinking you are doomed to disease and at the mercy of pharmaceutical drugs. Run towards a life of understanding how your body works and thrives. Run towards a healthier you.
So, yes, there’s a mind/body connection. The body goes where the mind wants it to. Where’s your mind at? Is it a BFF with your body or an enemy?
This stuff isn’t easy — it’s messy. But one of the most satisfying things I’ve discovered is to live in a world where each day there is peace.
I leave you with this gem from Lady Antebellum.
You will notice me I'll be leaving my mark like initials carved in an old oak tree You wait and see Maybe I'll write like Twain wrote Maybe I'll paint like Van Gogh Cure the common cold I don't know but I'm ready start cause I know in my heart I wanna do something that matters Say something different Something that sets the whole world on its ear I wanna do something better With the time I've been given And I wanna try To touch a few hearts in this life Leave nothing less Than something that says "I was here"
Gratitude for all those that listen and peace to those that need more time. I’m here to help when you’re ready.
So here’s to starting your engine and hearing it purr.
Vibrate on, friends. Be guided by light and love.
American Airman Tribute
I am an American Airman. I am a warrior. I have answered my nation’s call.
I am an American Airman. My mission to to fly, fight, win.
I am faithful to a proud heritage; a tradition of honor, and a legacy of valor.
I am an American Airman, guardian of freedom and justice, my nation’s sword and shield, it’s sentry and avenger. I defend my country with my life.
I am an American Airman: wingman, leader, warrior. I will never leave an Airman behind, I will never falter, I will never fail.
~The Airman’s Creed~
If you or a family member ever took a flight from San Francisco to anywhere in the US or internationally, you might have been flown by my dad. His aircraft was under his command and if a passenger was ever disrespectful of the crew or other passengers, he was known to kick him off his flight.
Yes, he was a badass.
During his tenure with the US Air Force, he was assigned to fly the General around on some top secret flights. After arriving to the destination, the crew would be armed on-board waiting for the General to finish his meetings and then up in the air again for the next adventure. As you hear all the time, your experiences shape you. They mold you. And the people you surround yourself with are core to who you become.
If you met my dad, you probably experienced his non-politically correct posture and opinion. He was known for his crude jokes and ‘don’t give a $hit’ demeanor. He liked his beef so rare that he would say, ‘just knock the horns off, wipe his a$$ and bring it out.’ Did I mention he was crude sometimes?
He told you what was his truth and was damn proud of his country. Last week, I took him this picture of his early squad mates and although there were things in life he couldn’t recall, he could recall ever single person’s name in his squad. He’s at the far right.
On his last trip as a Captain for United Airlines he was flying home to San Francisco from Paris. My mom was with him on the flight, and because it was a full flight, and she was on stand-by status, the on-ground crew told him that my mom may not be able to get a seat. He immediately told the crew that if my mom wasn’t on board then he wasn’t going anywhere. Ha.
Did I mention he was always in charge?
After his last hospitalization, and in a long-term nursing facility, my dad demanded the nurses find him a phone. He got my mom’s phone #, called her and demanded she come and get him and take him home. Another time, he out of the blue flew the covers off him, and told my mom ‘he was going home.’ She quietly moved her chair back from the bed and told him to go ahead. He tried but quickly discovered his limitations.
He was, after all, always striving to steer his own course.
In high school, there was a time when I cut class to be with my boyfriend (shock! I was a teenager), and devised this method to get around the attendance office procedures.
The Dean called my parents and wanted my dad to disclose how I maneuvered around their processes. My dad told him that if he wasn’t smart enough to figure it out, he wasn’t going to tell him.
Oh believe me, I was disciplined for my actions, but my dad told me later that he was pretty impressed that his daughter outsmarted a high school Dean.
Did I mention he stood his ground in the face of truth?
In the end, it is for which we have stood for that matters. And there were times that many of my dad’s actions and words got him in deep doo doo. In the end, he stood his truth and certainly won’t be forgotten as one of many.
After retirement from the airlines, my parents lived the typical suburban lifestyle until my mom and dad got the bug to travel again. This time they wanted to see the US – not by air and hotel but by ground – on their terms. The house and cars were sold and possessions put in storage. A new big bus was their home on wheels – for nine years. They ended up meeting endless friends and spent their winters in Palm Desert and summers on the Oregon coast and everywhere in between.
They saw endless places and met many special people along the way, some of whom are still near by and others near by in their hearts.
During their travels, my dad was known as the ‘go-to guy’ to fix any mechanical problem on any of the buses had. He was THE MAN.
As you can see by the picture here, these buses weren’t The Griswold’s family bus like many imagine.
I was reminded of the time he was on a layover on the east coast one time and had a terrible, painful tooth ache. Rather than wait for a dentist when he got home or go to a local one, he pulled his pliers out of his flight bag and took care of the tooth right then and there. Yup, out cha go. Problem = Solution.
Did I mention he was a badass?
Oh, and probably had a pain threshold beyond measure.
I arrived in the desert a month ago to spend time with my dad (and mom) and really didn’t know what to expect. I worked in between visits and supported my mom with the difficult decisions that we were faced with. A few weeks ago, we decided it was time to transition his care over to hospice and with that came a very special moment. It was a few days past his birthday and the hospice team arrived with a ceremonial blanket and plaque for my dad. The blanket had the US Air Force emblem on it along with the US flag and the plaque honored my dad’s service to his country.
The hospice team said some nice words about him serving his country, protecting our freedoms and being one of those chosen few who dared to step up to the task. He never took that blanket off of him. We told him that he was the only one in the place with such a blanket (true statement), and boy was he proud (and damn should’ve been).
Did I mention he was one of our military heroes?
He trained many a pilot and was very proud of his past.
It is with death that we learn about life.
My dad played life balls to the wall.
He fought a good fight up until the end – the same way he lived life. He was proud of all his children — all 9 of them — his grandchildren — and his great-grandchildren. Life is hard and it comes without a playbook, including the end of life.
I learned that we all need to forgive more, tell each other how we really feel, share stories, share moments, live life out loud. I certainly understand playing balls to the wall gets you in hot water sometimes but it also makes you alive.
My dad was the farthest thing from passive, but at least people knew where he stood. He had an opinion and many times people disagreed with him, but he stood his position, backed it up with facts (usually), and agreed to disagree (sometimes).
I think he skipped the Miss Manners classes in kindergarten, but sometimes bull dogs are bull dogs for a reason. You can’t make a bull dog a poodle or that wouldn’t be truth.
I will miss you dad. I will always remember his phrases, mannerisms, jokes, and how he played life his way in his terms. He loved football — especially college — (good gravy he was asking us even a few days prior to his last day if football was on), your mechanical expertise, smarts, and love of country. He was a true patriot.
And trust that I will shower mom with love and watch over her. Keep watching over us and our country. We all can use the fighters and badass warriors like you — on the ground and from above.
You had to choose Labor Day weekend to close up this chapter. You labored until the end but passed until your body just couldn’t endure any longer. You lived more than nine lives and I’ll never forgot the smile on your face each day I came to visit this past month and how you tricked the hospice nurse with answering her questions by looking at the nearby calendar.
Did I mention to you he was smart?
It is through my dad’s death that I have learned more about living.
Thanks for being a wingman, leader, and warrior.
Thanks for defending our country and our freedoms.
Thanks for adopting me, loving me, putting up with my crap, and discipling me (I deserved most of it except for the weed pulling on Saturday’s and the spatula on the butt), and most of all thank you for being you. After my biological father passed at a tender age, you took me under your wing and never let go.
I now let you go in body but know that I will forever feel your presence of strength over me.
Until we meet again. Like I told you before leaving every evening this past month, ‘stay out of trouble.’
Vulnerability and Belonging
Having just read Dr. Brene’ Brown’s Daring Greatly, I’m here to shed light on the dark because as Brown quotes in the book, ‘numb the dark and you numb the light.’ The book is about shame and vulnerability–two big things that most people avoid, don’t understand, and hardly talk about. Her 12 years of research has concluded that those people who have the courage to open up their kimonos are those people who will live a more connected, fulfilled, and loving life.
Her message is simple: shame shines through only if you are unwilling to be vulnerable.
Vulnerability is at THE CORE - THE HEART - THE CENTER - of meaningful experiences.
Most people never develop skills in being vulnerable because most people are more interested in building up their armor and defenses so no one can really sees the true self. We spend all this unnecessary energy shielding ourselves from getting hurt and going out of our way to avoid shame. All in the name of then feeling disconnected, not fulfilled, and not loved.
At the end of the book, Brown talks about this notion of being an ‘other.’ She cites a story about her daughter who comes home one afternoon so distraught over an event at school. Growing up as a chubby kid was tough but being a chubby kid with red hair and freckles made my youth full of experiences when I felt ‘not enough.’ The story she tells here took me back to those middle school days where all I yearned for was to fit in and just belong to a group. Eventually I found my circle through athletics, but that inside hurt at that age was raw and real.
Even today, off-handed comments are made by people who don’t realize their cute little phrase may offend or potentially even hurt someone. Phrases such as ‘don’t act like that red-headed stepchild’ make me cringe. You see, I’m a redhead and yes, I’m loved, but am also technically a stepchild. As a grown adult with a good sense of self, I find these types of off-handed remarks, frankly, a common way for the sender to get perhaps a giggle, but for the receiver, a reminder of being ‘less than’ and ‘not enough.’ It’s essentially an off-handed shaming phrase that reinforces messages of the past.
Let me give you another example. Remember in middle school when it was recess and the teacher assigned two captains for athletic teams? And remember how the captains would pick one person and then the other captain would pick the next person? And then once a team was formed, there were extras or ‘the others?’ Yeah, I was always in the ‘the other’ group – always. So not only was I somewhat of an outcast because of my hair color and my size, but now it was confirmed that I was certainly not enough because my peers sealed the deal with always picking me last.
Here's what I know -- people just want to belong
"It's the innate desire to be part of something
larger than us. Because this yearning is so primal,
we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by
seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes
for belonging, but often barriers to it.
True belonging only happens when we present our authentic,
imperfect selves to the world, our sense of
belonging can never be greater than our level of
self-acceptance."
Brene' Brown
Evolving and changing is life and without it you are not living. My recent wellness focus and evolution has opened my thinking into the self-development realm — not the woo woo hippy thing but a selfish examination of exploring me. And part of this examination has led me to the willingness to be more open and vulnerable in my relationships, connections with people, creativity and time. It’s allowed me to examine in a honest way who I am, who I am not, who lights me up and who sucks energy out of me. As a result of this honesty, I’ve been blessed with new relationships, new adventures and a blossoming of a more authentic persona which in turn has created more joy for myself and others around me.
Once I discovered the inside part out, the outside part happened.
Karen S Flynn 