by Amy Matthews | Dec 4, 2018 | In-Power, Mindset |
I am blessed to work with the most amazing clients – I mean, every single one is a boss lady – successful, driven, self aware, honest and caring. They inspire me.
The topic of fears has come up a lot lately. Here’s the thing: when you commit to being front and center in your own life and step more fully into your authentic self and leadership brilliance, fears inevitably come up. They rear their ugly head. It’s part
of the process.
Fears of being fully seen, or judged, or criticized or not being liked or hurting those you love, or being too big or too much are common.
When you start unraveling your life full of shoudas and create a larger picture for yourself, it can feel vulnerable. It can feel scary. It can even feel unsafe.
I love this quote by Audre Lorde:
When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Don’t let your fears stop you from realizing your vision for yourself.
Rise up and show up – to yourself. Be a vessel for your message. Own your brilliance.
by Amy Matthews | Nov 26, 2018 | Blog |
Life sometimes brings us situations that are trying – that test us – that set us back.
Your spouse loses his job and you’re carrying the financial burden. A parent or child is sick. Your job is sucking the life out of you. A bad break up has left you not seeing straight. Whatever the situation, you want it to be over. You want it to be done.
I intimately understand what it feels like to want it to be over. I broke my foot 3 weeks ago and I have to be in a boot for 3 months. Yep, 3 months. No yoga. No hiking. No walking the dog. No Europe over the holidays.
I’ve been doing my best to look at the bright side, to be a trooper, to rise to the occasion. The truth is, it’s a destabilizing, frustrating and challenging time. At the same time, I know it’s only temporary and it could be so much worse.
What I’ve learned is this:
It’s an opportunity for me to reevaluate. To make sure I am focused on the right things. To review my priorities. To create new goals for 2019. To develop a stronger foundation within myself and my entire life. To feel a multitude of feelings. To learn patience. To have more compassion, for myself and others.
Perhaps I needed to slow down in order to move two-three steps forward.
We all have the power to find the silver lining in any situation. There always is one – we just need to look for it. When life brings us lemons, we have the choice to make sweet, luscious, liquid nectar out of it.
Say YES to whatever is happening in your life.
Allow the situation to propel you forward on your life path.
Bounce back. You got this.
by Amy Matthews | Nov 20, 2018 | Inspiration |
I love Thanksgiving. It’s a time to pause, reflect and open our hearts.
We all have much to be grateful for, especially those of us who haven’t been touched
by the California fires or the many natural disasters around the world. I count my lucky stars everyday.
Expressing gratitude for the people we care about – loved ones, friends, colleagues, employees – comes easily to most of us. It’s much harder to give it to ourselves. The truth is, we can’t rely or expect others to offer us gratitude, we must grant it to ourselves. It’s a muscle we need to exercise and it takes practice.
Ask yourself:
What am I grateful for about me?
When you are truly grateful for who you are, you respect yourself. You love yourself.
You are kind to yourself. You show up for yourself and for others.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving:
Thank you for being YOU.
Thank others who contribute to your life.
Be grateful for the fortunate situations you find yourself in.
Wishing you a heartfelt, connected and very fun holiday!
by Amy Matthews | Nov 13, 2018 | Inspiration |
Twelve years ago I went to Goa, India with my sister to attend a lavish, off the charts birthday party of one of her friends. We then met her husband and kids and explored Rajasthan. After an amazing 10 days, we parted ways as they were continuing on and I was flying back to San Francisco that night.
I had a full day to explore Delhi on my own. The hotel told me about a grand bizarre that was happening that day, a place selling beautiful, Indian scarves and shawls. It was held in a large warehouse and individual artisans were selling their creations. The space was dark and dimly lit.
I was looking at a particular shawl and asked the artisan if there was better light to see. He didn’t understand what I was asking and I heard a man’s voice behind me translating what I was saying. As I turned around to see who was helping me, a very tall, handsome Indian man, with sparkly brown eyes was smiling at me.
We struck up a conversation. His name was Niraj. He lived in Washington D.C., worked for the World Bank and was In India visiting his parents. Our interaction was light and playful, yet intense, in an out of this world way. We exchanged information.
As I walked away, I said to myself, Wow, what was that?
When my plane landed back in the States, I had an email from Niraj, asking me to meet for tea the following day. I told him I had just flown back and he said he would call me when he returned home in a couple of weeks. At that moment, even though we lived on opposite coasts, I knew we would get together. I just knew – in my heart and soul.
After being back in San Francisco for a month, I wondered why I hadn’t heard from Niraj. A couple days later, he called. He told me he was at John Hopkins hospital. He had returned from India 2 weeks prior and was having dizzy spells. After many tests, he found out he had a rare type of brain cancer.
Life can change on a dime.
Crazy as it sounds, I had a feeling I could fall in love with this man – and at the same time – I thought he might die. It scared me. Instead of moving towards it, I decided to protect myself. I rationalized my feelings – we could stay in touch and be friends.
Niraj died less than one year after we met. I’ve learned a lot since then. Looking back, I regret not saying “Yes” to it. I could have experienced love of a lifetime. It could have changed my life forever.
What moves your heart and soul? What are you not saying YES to? Whatever it is, go forward. Even if it’s scary. Or inconvenient. Or messy.
Life is shorter than we think. Take action towards what you want – that brings you joy – that stirs you – every single day.
Heed the call. Live with #NoRegrets.
by Amy Matthews | Nov 4, 2018 | Mindset |
I believe in serendipity and magic. Do you?
To recognize it, you have to be open to it. You have to make room for it. If you’re distracted, not present or attached to how it’s supposed to be, it’s difficult to see magic when it shows up in life. It requires being in the moment.
I also believe in being clear on who you are and you what you really want. Not what you wanted 10 years ago or a year ago. What you want right now. Once you know, start taking decisive and repeated action – every single day – towards your dream for yourself, your community or for the world. And, be flexible on how things unfold.
Why? It’s where the land of possibility resides.
Here’s an example:
You set an intention to find a life partner. You create a list of attributes:
Super smart, attractive, well-educated, sexy, charismatic, financially successful, athletic, thoughtful, loving, loads of fun, funny, likes to cook, loves dogs and travel, a good communicator and subscribes to the New York Times.
Hmm…that’s pretty specific. How about something like this instead?
I’m open if he/she is kind, has a ton of integrity and we’re comfortable together. I’ll know it when I see it. Or better yet, I’ll know if when I feel it.
When you’re open, opportunities knock at your door. Serendipity is your friend. It works the same way in business and in every area of life.
I love this quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:
Magic is Believing in Yourself. If You Can Do That, You Can Make Anything Happen.
Believe in Yourself. Believe in Possibilities. Believe in Serendipity.
No matter what – Believe. If You Do, You Will Receive.
