I actually think that the most important thing in our lives is the relationships we have with one another. We have relationships with everyone: our parents, friends, colleagues, clients and even ourselves.  Relationships are the foundation for building trust and respect between two people. It’s a give and take, and a wonderful balance of truth and trust.

Relationships can make or break a company, a family or even a friendship. When something goes right or wrong in your life, to whom do you turn to? Who is there to give you support and hold you up?  It’s the healthy relationships that really get you through all of the good, the bad and the ugly. You can have all the money in the world, the greatest job and much success, but if you don’t have caring relationships in your life, what is the point?

I am very fortunate with all of the love and close relationships I have. I put a lot of love and care into them and in return I get a lot back. Just a few months ago I decided I needed to re-brand and re -tweak my brand, “i adore me.” It was daunting how many things that needed to be fixed. I needed an editor, web designer, new marketing and branding, as well as videos. I must remind you, however, that I am on what you call a shoestring budget. So where in the world was I going to find the resources to get this done?

I had no choice but to get really quiet inside and just pray. I started to journal, asking the universe for support.  I asked in silence, while meditating, for guidance with this big undertaking. And here is why I believe in Manifestation. I went to a “Smart Girls” meet-up group, and it was there I found an amazing woman, LaTanya. She is a gem and has helped me brand, market and tweak, making “i adore me” clearer and presentable to the world. The thing I love most about LaTanya and our relationship is that she really cares about what I am doing and she wants me to shine. Just the other day she said, “I see so much for you and can’t wait for all that is coming…it’s goanna be BIG!” She has had belief in me on the days that I started to lose it and question why I was doing any of this any way.

I also have the most amazing assistant Steven, who is another gem and gift.  I found him through the Actor’s Work Program and I feel like I struck gold. We started working together just six months ago and I trust him with my life. I love his attitude, work ethic and his incredible loyalty.  I have been so lucky to find these two very special people. Both have helped me start building my team of love, support and strength for “i adore me.” These two relationships alone have given more of a gift than anything I could have purchased on something greater than a shoestring budget.

So I ask YOU, what are YOUR relationships like? Are they strong and healthy? Do they make you feel good? And now the most important question: what is the relationship you have with yourself? Please share!

How do we find love for ourselves? How do we connect to our true center and feel whole and happy? Light and loved? It's like I want to walk around just hugging people today. Pour out my love to whoever will receive it. I want to be connected. I don't want to feel so isolated within what I'm doing. Being an entrepreneur and starting something from scratch can be very isolating at times. But when you have a vision and a yearning in your heart and soul to help people, sometimes you just have to do it. Even all the feelings that go along with it: the good, the bad, and the lonely.

Starting something new is hard and it takes belief and patience. It also takes perseverance. Sometimes, in the darkest of times, when you just want to give up is when you have to be your strongest and tell yourself it's going to be OK. To let go and release it to the universe and know there is a higher calling and greater good that has your back.

For so many years, I was so incredible in manifesting anything that I wanted in my world. I would write it in my journal, I would visualize it and I would believe it. Within 3 months, 6 months, or any time frame I set, it would show up. I know manifestation works, because I've done it, tried it and succeeded at it. And now I'm taking a really deep, long breath, breathing into my heart and soul and being and just knowing that the right people, the right opportunities and clients are going to all come. I need to get out of my own way of any negative feelings and self-doubt. I mean, listen, I'm human.

It feels really great to write this right now. To get it out, being truthful and real. To let my emotions flow. And instead of getting panicky and worried, I'm writing and letting go and allowing the emotions to be. THIS is feeling the LOVE. Life is a process.

So how do we find love for ourselves? We need to get calm within and relax. We need to let go of the negative and focus on the positive. Connecting and sharing our life and love with others helps us to feel and find the love within us. It's good to be vulnerable. It's real. Be the authentic you. Share, connect and communicate.

So now, how do we connect, feeling whole and happy, light and love? Put on some fun music, dance in your apartment and let the music, the movement, and the dance move you to help you feel free. "Dance like no one's watching." Let the moment engulf you in positivity, love and light. Be kind to yourself. Love yourself like you love your best friend. Give yourself a hug today. Say to yourself: "It's true, I am so smart, fabulous and wonderful." If you say it enough, you start believing it too. Have fun! You deserve it!:))

When I was a student at Syracuse University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, my favorite teacher, Ludwig Stein, told us “You must start everything with a foundation and build one layer at a time.” Everything needs a platform, structure and base to begin. Even a blank canvas has to have a foundation. From a foundation you then build a structure for what you desire. Structure gives us stability, and the more structure we create for ourselves the better off we are in our lives.

It takes time, perseverance, , faith, persistence and a belief in yourself to build a foundation for what you want in your life. To create your vision and build your platform from a belief that says, “YES, I have a purpose! I am here to help others, to be of service and to build upon that energy.” There is not one person in life that gets anywhere without a lot of continued building, re-tweaking and incredible amounts of NEVER-giving-up!

For four years now I have been building a foundation while learning, growing and absorbing it all. I have been asking myself the questions: where do I want to be in my life, what it is that I want to do with my life, why am I here, and what is my vision for " i adore me "? And let me tell you, it’s not been easy. To be perfectly honest, it actually feels like I’m on a roller coaster. My emotions go up and down every single day. There has been a lot of pain, disappointment, delays, setbacks and frustration, as well as revelations, awareness and new beginnings. I find that it’s in the growing pains: pushing and moving forward one step and one day at a time.

Just two months ago I attended The Client Attraction in Stamford, CT, because I wanted to learn how to market my brand “i adore me”. I needed to get clear on what my message was and what I had to offer. I hate to say it, but it made me happy that I wasn’t alone in my confusion. So many people there seemed to be lost, confused, or just not in the right place of where they wanted to be. I was there to get clear and build a solid foundation.

When you have this very strong inner voice telling you that you must do something in your life, then you have no choice but to do it; to face the fear and build the foundation one step at a time. There are some days I have so much fear and I question myself.  “Can I do this? How can I do this? Where do I begin?” Then I say to myself, “I’m here and I have to continue each day to make progress.”

It’s learning about how to be open and vulnerable to what life has to offer, and standing up to the fear. It’s all in finding that space of love, while telling yourself that you’re going to pull through and face those fears, having the courage to move forward.

Just this past weekend I saw the most beautiful movie "Beasts of The Southern Wild.” Hushpuppy, a young, beautiful, six-year-old African-American girl is confronted head-on by ferocious beasts as they are standing in front of her, ready to devour her alive. It’s truly amazing, because somehow she finds the courage and strength as she stands tall within herself and faces these beasts with literally NO FEAR! She asks them to be her friends and they just go away. It was such a brilliant moment, delivering the message that we all need to stand up to our fears and push through them. She built a foundation of courage from the inside, and the outside responded.

So as Ludwig Stein says, “start everything with a foundation and build one layer at a time.” Face your fears and do it anyway. Keep saying, “YES, I believe in myself no matter how hard it is.  I am building the inner voice to match the outer voice declaring…I WILL THRIVE!”

It was so damn cold out. I had that raw chill inside of me and couldn't, for the life of me, get rid of it. I was up in the Pocono's on a Spiritual Retreat. It was the first day of summer, but somehow it really felt like the beginning of spring. There was a group of us and we were all going on a nature walk around the lake. It was supposedly a 4-mike walk and I was just so happy to move my body. I was trying everything and anything to get warm.

There was group of ten of us, men and women, and I was leading the pack. I was speed walking and really moving my body. It felt good. It was damp out and there was still a chill in the air. I had so many layers of clothing on and it felt good to want to start shedding a couple of those layers. I was in a very unsettling state, feeling anxious and just not in a good place. Then suddenly my foot went cur-plunk into a wet swampy, mucky mess.

I let out a scream and Bob came running over, shouting, “are you okay? Oh my god! I thought you were attacked by a bear!”

“You’re not serious are you,” I said.

“Oh yes,” he said. “There are bears up here!”

“Oh my god,” I responded. “Now you tell me?”

“That's why I came running,” he laughed. “I thought a bear attacked you.”

Frightened, I said, “okay now you’re really making me feel anxious and scared!”

In a matter of fact tone he said, “seriously. I saw footprints near where we started.”

My anxiety levels started hitting an all time high. Not only was I feeling cold and anxious, but now there were bears!

We continued on the walk and I decided to let Bob take the lead.  If there was any chance of a bear showing up, then Bob needed to be in front. I started to take very deep breaths, relaxing myself to get in the NOW. It was amazing, because as soon as I started to relax and breathe, enjoying what I was doing, this truly magnificent yellow butterfly appeared. It began to fly all around me, circling me. What was significant about this is that yellow stands for courage, and here was this courageously colored butterfly reminding me to be strong. I was amused by it all. It was a beautiful sign from the universe to let go and enjoy the NOW.

Suddenly I felt so light, warm and free. I was living life in the moment. It also helps that butterflies are my most favorite things. They represent freedom, beauty and lightness. They are magical and very spiritual. 

My anxiety went away, and I felt free like the butterfly. I was so happy, enjoying the present moment. I had gone on the walk to get warmer and to get out of my own way. I came back feeling, lighter and free just like the butterfly!

My point is that it’s all about living in the moment, letting go of fears and surrendering to the universe. Let all of nature, in all its glory, circle around you. If you are feeling anxious, try surrounding yourself with the color yellow, letting it give you the strength, courage and optimism to move forward with all the challenges in your life. Live now, feel bright and be free.