Last night at the JCC in Manhattan, I went to a meditation course on “The Color of Silence”. I was really intrigued and wanted to know what it all meant. I quickly learned that even silence has a color.

Color is my thing. I live, breathe and eat it, so I wanted to know more.  Shalom, which means peace in Hebrew, was the name of our teacher (a very suited name for a meditation teacher).  He had the coolest yarmulke (a Jewish hat) on his head made up of all different colors. The room was dark and ice cold with lots of blankets and pillows on the floor.

He first had us envision a color we felt fond of and/or connected to. I thought of the color green. Green makes me think of abundance, growth, grass and being outside in nature. We closed our eyes and I drifted off, imagining myself tossing and rolling in a sea of grass. I was enjoying myself, reminiscing of my childhood days of when I was just 5 years old. I felt so happy and free.

He then led us in a guided meditation of a blossoming rose garden. During the meditation, he asked us to pick our favorite color rose.  He described all these beautiful colors ranging from soft cream to pale, to buttercup yellow, to shades of peach and apricot, and then to deeper tones of crimson and dark berry.  I chose soft buttercup. I just love that color.

It was a very long meditation with some imagery, then moving on to pure silence. I found myself getting lost in the silence and completely still. It seemed to go on forever but the mediation was just 20 minutes.

What is really so wonderful about meditation is that it gets your emotions out of the way.  It allows you to think and act clearly. It helps ground you and opens you up to new possibilities. It is so relaxing once you find your rhythm and get into the practice of it all.

There were 10 of us in the group. After we were done with the meditation, we went around the room describing what our color was and what it meant to us. One woman talked about the color peach. She had grown up on a peach orchard in California. One of her all-time favorite memories was of her grandfather letting her go with him on his daily route, picking peaches. She loved the smell, the taste and the color peach. It was a mixture of warm yellow and orange tones. The meditation brought her right back to that fond and playful memory of her childhood. She stated, “I came here tonight, because I was feeling so stuck in my life and this has made me feel free and happy!” Many of us chimed in, because we all agreed.

This exercise made us feel good about ourselves and helped us to feel free in our minds and in our thoughts. In order to create and manifest what you want in life, you must relax, breathe and meditate. You need to get clear on what it is that you really want.

So close your eyes, imagine your favorite color, and see where those thoughts bring you. What is your color? Maybe now you to can feel the color of silence! Doesn’t it feel great!

*Please comment and share with your friends: www.iadoreme.com/blog.html

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

What does the word manifest mean? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as: “to perceive by the senses, especially by the sense of sight. To be easily understood or recognized by the mind.” It has recently become the IN word among spiritual seekers.

I just came back from seeing the movie “Ruby Sparks.” What a great flick. It makes you question what is real and what is not. In this movie, art truly imitates life.

Seeing this movie was very enlightening to me, and I believed it. The movie centers on Calvin, a struggling 29 year old novelist wanting to create a successful novel once again. He is depressed and doesn’t know what to write or where to begin. Then one night he has a dream and a vision of a woman by the name of Ruby Sparks. He invents her with his mind. He is so inspired that he manifests her in his life, creating his very own perfect dream-girl “Ruby”. What is so cool about this film is that it blurs the lines when our fantasy becomes reality.

To keep from spoiling the dream, he stops writing. But he soon realizes that he has manifested a puppet of what he wants and not an independent person. Sometimes in life, as the saying goes, “be careful what you wish for”. Of course the movie has a great ending, but you must go to see what happens.

“Ruby Sparks” crosses the line between fantasy and reality. Is it possible to manifest all you desire in a woman or a man? Can you manifest anything your heart desires?  

For many years I would write in my daily journal of what I wanted to manifest in my world. I wanted to travel the world for work and I did. I wanted to start my own clothing line. I did. I wanted to design for some of the great designers, like Oscar de la Renta and Bill Blass. I did. I wanted to have a pre-war apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan…something with soul and character. Once again, I did. So I guess I can say I am a believer. You can manifest anything you believe you can have! That is the whole process of manifestation. Do YOU believe that you can have anything you desire?

Manifest what you with a strong belief that it will come, and see what the universe creates. Are you manifesting what you want in your life? Do you believe that you can have all you desire? Please share!

*Please comment and share with your friends: www.iadoreme.com/blog.html

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

Lately, I have been stepping into my power, owning who I am and what I desire for my life, but that wasn’t always the case. For so many years I had so much fear and didn’t know which way to turn. I let fear with its entire ugly attributes rule me. Then one day, just recently, I had an epiphany that I deserved to have the life I wanted. I believed it in my heart and in my being. Yes, of course I knew what I was asking for would take a lot of work, persistence and perseverance, but I knew I could do that. For the first time in my life I BELIEVED that I could achieve what I desired. I DECLARED that I was going to live my inspired life.

When we start believing something in our gut and in our subconscious, everything shifts. Sometimes it can feel like it will take forever to get to that place, but as soon as you start making the shift, raising your vibration and consciousness, everything changes instantly. It’s like magic. I swear, I’m not kidding. But the whole piece of this process and mind shift is that YOU have to BELIEVE it on all levels: spiritually, emotionally, consciously and most importantly subconsciously.

Read and listen very carefully to these words:

In order to manifest something in your world, it’s not about what you want. It’s all about what you BELIEVE!

Do you believe you are worthy to have the success, the abundance, the great job, the new boyfriend, a great marriage, a fun, healthy sex life and anything else you desire? Set your intention for what it is you want, and DECLARE IT!

I had to make a very big choice recently on something. I let LOVE win…not fear. I was offered something and it just didn’t feel right, so I listened to my gut. I came from a place of love within me and I said I couldn’t do what they wanted me to do. By saying YES to me, I stepped into my own power.

What can you say yes to? Listen to how it feels for you. Your body will tell you what is right or wrong for you. Take action from a place of love not fear. See how empowering it is.

When we feel LOVE, everything is softer, quieter, and warmer. We are stronger, more resilient and this raises our vibration to attract the same like-minded people and opportunities. When we are fearful, we are smaller, constricted and not in sync with who or what we should be doing.

When you love something, it feels good.  Find the things that you love in your life and step into your own power to make them happen. You will soon find that stepping into your own power is the only way to live. A whole new way to be will emerge. What took you so long?

I was really upset this morning due to a phone call from someone from my past. He asked for something so unreasonable that it was almost shocking. I had to tell him, in a kind way, “I’m sorry, but the answer is NO!” I do have my boundaries.

You know what’s interesting in this whole matter? It wasn’t what he asked for, but my emotional wellbeing that was at stake. I couldn’t afford to have him rob me of my healthy emotional state and I couldn’t afford to be dragged into his unhealthy world.

Yes, I do feel bad for his situation, and for many years I have been a support through kindness and love. But when I had to lovingly tell him I was not going to “bail him out anymore” and that he needed to “take responsibility for his actions,” he responded with “I appreciate what you have done, but your word’s really don’t mean anything.” Although this was painful to hear, I knew I was doing the right thing for both him and myself.

You really have to be careful whom you go out of our way for. It is so imperative that you acknowledge your boundaries and hold what is true for you. So I will send love in my heart and do a silent meditation, putting out an intention of love and protection. I will send out strength and clarity for him to find the source within himself so that he can get what he needs. I have released it and NOW I can afford to be truly kind to me.

So I ask you, what can you afford to do or not do for your emotional wellbeing? Maybe it’s time to say “No” to whatever it may be that will allow you that courage to be true to yourself. Now that is a worthy cause.

I truly believe that each and every one of us, on this planet, is here for a reason. We’re here to make this a better place and bring something into the world that will help others, whether it be some type of service or some type of product.

It is really up to us (each and every individual person) to figure out what that calling is. What drives you? What makes you feel good inside? Because when you have passion inside, it’s the greatest gift of all. It’s what gets you through the hard times. If you have passion for it, it doesn’t feel like work or a job. It’s part of your being and your essence. It’s as if time doesn’t exist when you’re doing it.

When I used to paint, hours would go by and I wouldn’t notice. I just enjoyed what I was doing so much, I lost track of time in such a beautiful way.

To be really successful within yourself, you need to go inside and figure out what is that hobby, what is that craft, what is that thing that gets you excited? Maybe you love cooking a meal, so you decide to start taking a cooking class. Maybe you love writing in your journal and a novel is in store. Maybe you enjoy drawing and it’s time to create something to put out in the world.

The only person that can help you with all of this is yourself. You need to make the decision first. Figure out what you’re passionate about. Then you start working and building upon that. Maybe it’s just something you do when you get home from work at night. You create the time to feed your passion and enjoy something outside of the realm of work. There have been many successful businesses that have started out as hobbies and late night endeavors.

The next key is to start taking baby steps, because these baby steps build upon one another and move you forward. And then you have to let it go, into the universe and see how the universe responds. You must give up all expectations and have no judgments, and give up the need to know what will happen tomorrow. You must fully appreciate the process and the journey, having faith that your persistence and drive will move you forward in building your dream. Let the love of what you have in your heart for what you want to do, give you the direction, passion and excitement to create your calling.

So look inside of yourself right now and ask: “what’s calling me?” Aren’t you excited and ready to find out? List some of your hobbies below to help you manifest your beautiful dream(s), so you can start sharing your calling with the world.

Life is not about one, big, grand thing. It’s about taking small baby steps each and every day. When a child learns how to walk, they don’t run. They gradually take small baby steps to build strength and confidence. They do this just like you and I, to create what we need in our daily lives.

The only way things really get done is by taking small steps, one by one, every day! It’s making that one phone call. It’s sending that one email. It’s contacting that one resource. It’s the constant actions and baby steps that lead to bigger things.

For the last few months, I have been rebuilding my brand by taking small steps every day. At the end of each day, I take a moment, get really quiet, and make a gratitude list of what I’ve accomplished. This feels really good. It feels like I’m doing something; I’ve gotten somewhere and achieved something.

If you sit around and wait for that person to call you back who you contacted months ago, hoping they’ll save your life, you’ve got another thing coming. That’s just not how things work. It’s about going slowly and thinking things through. Yes, you need to allow the universe to work for you, but you still have to take action.

It’s time to take small actions and baby steps towards the direction YOU want to go. If you continue doing this each and every day, you will see that new people, new opportunities and new energy will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something.

When you feel like you’re going too fast, slow down. Don’t be in a rush. Enjoy the process and the journey, and make each day count. Life is about appreciating the small things and not that one big thing.

Now I ask you. What baby steps are you going to take today to achieve the goals you want? What actions will you take to move forward in your life?

I’m really excited, because all I am doing lately is saying YES to things that feel good to me. This is also letting me say NO to the things that don’t feel so good. I said YES to a blind date. I said YES to a last minute invitation to the theatre. I said YES to my intuition that guided me to believe in myself and say YES to me and not someone else.

The word YES is very powerful. It’s strong and positive. It’s open and being available to possibilities. It’s about living your passion, being in the NOW, rising to your higher self and raising your arm in the air and feeling that strength and positive energy that says, “YES I can do this…YES I am free!”

It feels really light and natural, and as you are saying YES, YES, YES, you start smiling more. Your face is expanding and the possibilities of the universe begin to expand for you. As we expand, our world becomes bigger and we open the possibilities to new people and opportunities to bring us things that are more positive and truly worthwhile.

NO has become really wonderful, because I feel really clear when I say NO now. When I feel something that doesn’t resonate within me, I can say NO, because I feel it…not because I have to. Sometimes NO is not about being negative. Sometimes it’s being positive, because you are taking control of your life and what is right for you. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but a good thing.

Now what are you going to say YES to today? As you continue to say the word YES, you will feel lighter and happier. Isn’t that what we all want? So share with me what you are going to say YES to today. I hope it’s something great.