Purposeful Thoughts

Sanitation Increases Sanity

So. I cleaned my house this week. Not that it was a disaster area or anything. I’m usually pretty organized. But… somehow papers had accumulated on my desk, laundry needed to be put away, shelves needed to be dusted, etc. etc. I’m also slo-o-wly purging unwanted or unused items from my huge inventory of stuff. You know, material possessions. What is the link between Cleanliness and a Healthy Mind and Body? According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, both words share a root in the Latin word “sanus,” meaning “healthy or sane.” Many insane or unhealthy people live in conditions of dirtiness as well. Are the two related? And can changing one affect the other? I know that I always feel so much better; less overwhelmed and more creative and productive when my home and office environment is clean and organized! So why do I, and many people, procrastinate those “dreadful” […]

The Healing Power of Giving Thanks

It’s funny how often we focus on what’s not going right. Our boss is a jerk. Our kids aren’t obeying. We’re stressed about finances. Our significant other has an annoying habit. Our best friend looks better or gets more attention than we do. We get caught in rush hour. Or we find something else to dislike or hate about ourselves or our lives. Being thankful cures many of these ills, almost instantly! It shifts our focus from what is “wrong” to what is “right” in our world, and by so doing, we shift our energy into a higher vibrational tune, uplifting not only ourselves, but all with whom we come into contact. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, what do you find you’re thankful for this year? Maybe your boss IS a big fat jerk. But by being thankful for the job you have when so many don’t have a source of […]

Inspiration

I’m behind on my self-appointed schedule for writing. This blog post should’ve been published yesterday, and I’ve been toying with the idea of actually publishing on Monday, or maybe even Friday. I’m also behind on my video editing. I’ve got 3 episodes of the show backed up on my computer, waiting for me to trim out all the boring bits in between questions on the show. I’ve been feeling like I “lost” my inspiration… So that’s what I decided to write about today. Inspiration. What causes it? What inspires me? What inspires you? Looking up inspiration online I first see the definition. Inspiration is “something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create.” That’s kind of nebulous. So, really, inspiration could be anything? Gee, I wanted it to be something I could go out and buy, or maybe download! […]

Inspiration

Dream Big or Go Home

I woke up with this quote echoing in my head. Come to find out, the original is actually “Go Big or Go Home”, but I like this revised version. If you don’t have a big dream, it’s kind of difficult to go big, wouldn’t you agree? What are your big dreams? Do you have a big dream? If not, what stops you from dreaming big? In my work as The Naked Life Coach I’ve seen people of all ages, from all walks of life. The #1 thing they all have in common is that they have a dream that’s bigger than they are. They come to me for the nurturing and training they need in order to grow into the person they wish to become. Along with all those big dreams, I’ve seen the big challenges they face. Here’s a small sample of these challenges which are often disguised as […]

Placebo OR Nocebo?

Have you ever heard about the Placebo effect? What about the Nocebo effect? Most people have heard the term placebo, but do you know what it means? Placebo is from the Latin for “I shall please”. Nocebo is from the Latin meaning “I shall harm”. Both words are typically used to refer to effects that a patient experiences when taking an inert substance -like a sugar pill – instead of an actual medication. These effects arise solely from the patient’s expectations of the results. If they believe that the “medication” will be helpful, they often recover. If they believe or fear the potential side effects of a drug, they often experience them – even when the drug is not actually there! The fact that taking a faux drug can powerfully improve some people’s health—the so-called placebo effect—has long been considered an embarrassment to the serious practice of pharmacology. Wired Magazine New […]

Your Ride

I recently saw a video of a woman who was completely out of control of her body and vocal cords. She was grunting and flopping around on the ground, trying unsuccessfully to stand up. It was heartbreaking to watch the EMTs try to help her, and finally restrain her and put her on the ambulance. According to her neighbors she had done PCP and a hit of crack, then (possibly) had a stroke. When I see people who are seemingly so lost, I often (as I’m sure many of you do) wonder what drives them to this point. Are they lonely? Depressed? In search of a thrill? Irresponsible? I will admit, I’ve done a few drugs in my time. But none of them ever made me desperate for more… I guess I would call myself an experimenter. I enjoy trying new things. But… I like to be conscious and aware […]

Relax into the Infinite

I don’t usually write or talk much about my personal journey. Sure, I teach the lessons I’ve learned from it, but I tend to leave out the “juicy bits” as my friend calls them. However, today I want to share my weekend with you, at least a little bit. First I want to give you the back-story. I have gone through quite a lot of emotional turmoil this past year. From the highest highs to the lowest lows. Despite understanding the law of attraction, and knowing the principles that are effective, and knowing how to guide and channel my own emotions and energy, this year has been a challenge! And I’ve been camping deprived. I’m not sure if there’s a connection there, but my subconscious thinks, “yes, yes there is.” I’ve been working really intently on creating my dream life all year. What does that consist of? Well, on the […]

Katrina Rainsong & Nathan Machutta

West of Eden

Photo: Michael Sarda Models: Katrina Rainsong & Nathan Machutta I’m just going to put this out there. Here’s my personal opinion of the Garden of Eden story. As you’re probably aware by now, I think that the entire Universe is one energy, that we are all part of that energy, and that energy is what we might call “God”. I believe that we each and collectively create reality. I was raised religious, however now as an adult I see the Bible as an interesting history lesson, yet not always something that I would follow to the letter. It’s filled with contradictions, and I’m not a fan of all the dogma and traditions that have grown up around religion in general. However, it is something that has literally seeped throughout our culture, so even if you weren’t raised in a religion, you probably have some idea of what I’m going to […]

One World Time

For centuries humans have marked time using day and night as a benchmark. We have marked days, using the movement of earth (with its tilted axis) around the sun, as days grow shorter or longer due to the degree of tilt and the oblong orbit bringing us closer or further from the sun, creating semi-predictable climate changes throughout the course of what we call a “year”. Although much of the world now uses the Gregorian Calendar with its 52 weeks of 7 days each, there are still around 47 other calendars in use today! In addition to keeping track of “days” of a “year”, we have broken each complete cycle of day and night down to approximately 24 hours, and each hour down to 60 minutes, with one minute consisting of 60 seconds each. Then each area around the world has a different time zone, which attempts to match up […]

Smile and feel good

Smile and Feel Good!

Do you feel overwhelmed with emotions like fear, anger, anxiety, stress, sadness or depression? The #1 thing you can do to improve your life, right now, and all the time, is… SMILE! Why is it so simple? When you smile you trigger your body to release the chemicals that feel good: serotonin, dopamine, endorphins… in short, the more you smile, the better you’ll feel and the more you’ll smile, creating an upward smiling spiral in your life. And when you feel good, you’ll just do better in all areas of your life, won’t you? According to the latest findings in neuroscience, it only takes 90 seconds for a complete chemical changeover to occur in the body. That’s great news! That means that the very longest you ever have to feel bad is only 90 seconds! The only thing you have to do to feel good is smile for 90 seconds. […]