Here is part two for the i adore me class I am teaching to 11 & 12 year old children for Citizen Schools. Through this course they are learning how to adore themselves, how color can impact their emotions and what that means for their community. The following are six short blogs by some of the students. They were asked what their passion is, what their favorite color is, how their passion and their favorite color makes them feel aWnd how they will use these things to support their community. The lesson here was to teach them how to express themselves through words. It’s interesting how a child’s mind works. We can learn a lot from them! They don’t edit themselves. I hope you enjoy their answers as much as I do:

Written by: Mansur Usman

My passion is that I want to be an artist to get money and play basketball. My favorite color is yellow. The reason why I pick that is because yellow makes me feel free and relaxed. The passion and the color makes me feel I am going to be a better person and be famous. I can use all of these to decorate my community and make it colorful. Or maybe the boys wants to play basketball or the girls want to be artists. And I could make my community a better place.

Written by: Leslie

My passion is counseling people. I love giving people advice. I’ve always loved giving advice. My favorite color is blue, because I love the way it makes me feel. It makes me feel secure. The way these things would help me support my community is that I could go do a big poster and I want it to be blue. I want the people to know that I’m creative…also what I’m capable of doing for my community. It’ll help them with their problems.

Written by: Merlin

My passion is to be a Marine. My favorite color is blue. It makes me feel safe and happy. I will help.

Written by: Marcel Daniel

My passion is being an artist and rapping. My favorite color is green, sage, because it makes me feel like I’m strong. I say it’s because my raps and drawings, and my color will change the world.

Written by: Mark Diaz

My passion is to play football and basketball. My favorite color is black. My passion makes me feel energetic. My favorite color makes me feel happy. A lot of people love black. I can also build football fields and basketball courts. They will be able to practice their dream.

Written by: Stephanie Porfil

My passion is playing Xbox Kinect. My favorite color is red and black. My favorite color makes me feel dark and bright. I will play games with kids who don’t have Xbox 360 to let them have fun.

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

"We’re all seeking that special person who is right for us. But if you’ve been through enough relationships, you begin to suspect there’s no right person, just different flavors of wrong. Why is this? Because you yourself are wrong in some way, and you seek out partners who are wrong in some complementary way. But it takes a lot of living to grow fully into your own wrongness. And it isn’t until you finally run up against your deepest demons, your unsolvable problems—the ones that make you truly who you are—that we’re ready to find a lifelong mate. Only then do you finally know what you’re looking for. You’re looking for the wrong person. But not just any wrong person: the right wrong person—someone you lovingly gaze upon and think, “This is the problem I want to have.
I will find that special person who is wrong for me in just the right way.
Let our scars fall in love.”
                                       --Galway Kinnell

Relationships are in our every day lives from the people we work with, to the people we love, to our partners, to the man that serves us coffee. They make us stronger, they make us happy, they make us whole and at times they can make us crazy. Relationships take time, work and energy. They’re about being honest, being real, showing up, being kind and staying open.

One of the greatest ways to create success in your life is through understanding that your work relationships are a way to build on trust, success, confidence and growth. We’ve all gotten so used to texting. So maybe the next time you want to text or email someone a message, pick up the phone and have a dialogue. Meet someone for breakfast or coffee and build on that relationship of how you want to grow your business, what you need to get out and say. Don’t take the easy way out. Be real, be open and show up in the “old fashioned” way. Communication is key!

It takes time to build on trusting relationships. It takes persistence and courage for people to trust who you are and what your message is. This also takes a lot of clarity and patience.

Relationships also mean building a relationship with YOU. Learn to adore yourself, be happy with YOU, because you need YOUR essence and YOUR energy to be with that special someone, to build that great company and to find all that you want.

Many of my clients have reached out and asked me how to get their partner to start taking care of their health. “He’s not listening and he doesn’t care,” is what they’re telling me. This is actually a very touchy and delicate subject. How I believe you should approach this situation is to address the issues when you are doing something together, whether it’s having a lovely dinner, taking a walk or playing tennis, where the focus isn’t on, “this is what I need you to do.” How to approach this in an easy manner is, “Can we start taking daily walks together so we can both be healthy? Let’s cook some healthy meals together as a couple and learn how to make quinoa and share the experience.”

By opening up and doing things as a couple and a shared alliance, you will hopefully see a shift in your partner’s attitude (as well as your own) and a wanting to change. See if this works, give it a try, do it with love, be soft about it and see how your partner reacts. Hopefully you can share all of the great results you will have.

Are you happy in the relationship you are in right now? Are you giving it your all? Are you being kind and patient with your partner as well as yourself? Look inside yourself to find all of your strengths and your greatness so that you can share it with others. It all starts with the relationship with YOU. So adore yourself, give yourself compassion and THEN share it with someone you love.

Relationships are what keep us sane and strong. Make them work. We’d be lost without them.

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me

The unknown can scare us half to death, not knowing what to expect, what we’re going to have, where we’re going to be and how our lives will turn out. But if we knew everything in advance, we really wouldn’t be in existence; life wouldn’t be life and it would be a complete bore. Life is a constant evolution process. It’s learning to deal with and accept the unknown.

The other day I was feeling a little overwhelmed taking a look back at where my life had been and what I had done. When I looked back at the things I had achieved over the years (which I didn’t know about year ago), it made me feel great. I felt accomplished with a year of growth. All of a sudden I felt so much better and so much lighter. I realized, “how could I know the unknown right now?” It’s impossible. And this is where the adventure and fun should come in.

If we take the fear out of the unknown and look at it more as a new path, a new direction or an adventure (and it’s all a lesson anyway), life will show us the way. The path will be paved. As a friend always says to me, “life takes care."
 
I am starting to date again and open myself up to new possibilities of meeting new people, and everything is unknown: When are they going to call? What are they going to look like? Are we going to connect? Learning about someone new can be exciting if we let it. But if I don’t jump into the unknown with a positive attitude, how will I find that new, special person?

The late Steve Jobs once said: “If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.” I find this quote so true, because when we meet someone in life that just feels right, it feels like coming home. So don’t give up. Let the unknown be a good thing. Don’t give up on yourself and keep going until you find the person and/or thing you want. Your heart will know it when you find it.

Learn how to change your perception of the unknown, whether it’s relationships, starting a new job, your first speaking engagement or an audition. Look at the unknown as an awakening and an opening into a greater you. Let the unknown be your friend and keep saying yes to anything that comes your way. Be open, be ready and be willing to let the unknown become part of the known.

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me

“We're getting so pulled in by computers and technology, and our kids have their face in the computers all day. The human relationship is being diminished by this.” 
--Lenny Kravitz

My mother and I were on the train the other day and everyone was “connecting” to their iPods, iPhones, iPads, blackberry’s and computers. There was not one conversation being had, there was no interconnection between human beings…it was a sea of technology and it made me really sad.

For so many years I used to love getting on the train and sitting next to a stranger. Whoever would sit down next to me, we’d have a dialogue and start connecting about life, what they did and where they’ve been. HUMAN interaction.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly miss human contact. I think something is being lost in this whole new world of technology. Yes, it’s convenient and easy to get messages across, send emails, do business on line (such as what I am doing with i adore me), but as Barbara Streisand says in her song, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”

Are you burying your face and your life in your computer and your smartphone? I think more people care about their smartphones than they do their own bodies and lives. Start connecting to YOU. Reach out, meet a friend, have a live conversation, meet someone for coffee and connect in a human, natural way. We are, after all, animals and animals need connection by contact: human touch, laughter, gestures, energy and hugs.

I was in a restaurant the other day and someone sitting at the bar said to me, “I was so happy today at my job, because I had so many customers. I was busy. I had all of this wonderful energy. I made great contacts and had wonderful conversations. I sold the sh$t out of all the shoes on the sales floor.”

People give us energy. It feeds on itself and it’s a great feeling. Connect to that feeling and see how great and energized you will feel.

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me

Our sense of self worth means everything. What is worthiness? Do you feel worthy or unworthy? Do you believe that worthiness is something you attain or innately have?

I believe that worthiness is something very deep-seeded within you. It is a self-assured confidence in who you are, what you are and what you believe. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can someone else believe in you? “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” This quote by Hillel really sums up that we must take care of ourselves in life.

We must believe in who we are without being completely selfish or caring only about our own needs. We must embrace and include others in our universe and in our world.

I went to see the new documentary Diana Vreeland. It is about a woman who knew her worth. She was not beautiful herself, yet she evoked it. She knew who she was and what she wanted out of life. She stated, “If you know what you want out of life you make it for yourself.” I loved her bravado and how she had such an incredible sense of self worth. Her confidence was over the top. In the film she says, “I am not a fashion editor, I am THE fashion editor!”

When we are clear about what we want for ourselves, that is when we can ask the universe for all that is ours. Now please don’t mistake this with arrogance, because that is so NOT cool. It’s a true confidence that will give you that wonderful sense of self-worth.

As I was walking home from the theater there was a beautiful pink satin bow lying right in front of me. I looked around thinking that some sweet girl just lost that bow right out of her hair, but no such luck. I picked it up and took it as a sign of self-love and self-worth from the universe. Pink is the color of unconditional love. It was such a beautiful symbol reminding me to value my own self–love and self-worth. It came at a perfect time, because I was having one of those not so loving days. We all have them and that is okay…I’m human and so are you.

Self -worth starts with really simple things. For instance, when something good happens to you or someone says something kind to you, do you say “thank you” with graciousness or do you refute it (an example of refuting would be: “You look great today”…”Oh no, I feel lousy”)?

Learn to appreciate yourself, accepting compliments that come your way. This is the start of a process of feeling your own worth. Ask for what you need and believe that you are worthy of all that you want.

Look within yourself. Practice acceptance and say to yourself over and over again, “I AM WORTHY of all the good that is coming into my life.” Every single person in this universe is worthy of prosperity, abundance, compliments and acceptance. Own your own self-worth, feel good about all that you are and share it with the world. You are worthy! I hope you know that!

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me

 
"The willingness to forgive is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity. It is one of the great virtues to which we all should aspire. Imagine a world filled with individuals willing both to apologize and to accept an apology. Is there any problem that could not be solved among people who possessed the humility and largeness of spirit and soul to do either -- or both -- when needed?”
–Gordon B. Hinckley

This past week was the celebration of Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement…a day of forgiveness. It is a time when you get close to your inner being, look inside and ask for forgiveness for any sins you have committed, any gossip you have made or anything else for which you need forgiveness.

I was extremely reflective and asked God (as well as myself) for forgiveness. This year I made a pact that I will be kind and forgiving to me. I will be accepting of where I am in this moment in time. I will be more patient and I will be more loving and kind to whom I am and where I am.

I’d been putting so much pressure and angst on myself (as many of us do). That really just takes away from where we need to be and grow. When we stop and really take a look at who we are, what we want to do in our lives and all the people around that love us, there’s much to be grateful and hopeful for. As I’ve matured and grown in myself, I have learned to love the act of forgiveness. It is one of the greatest gifts that you can give, not only to yourself, but to others.

As the quote says, forgiveness is a “sign of spiritual and emotional maturity.” Take this time and become reflective and forgive anything or anyone that’s caused you harm and hurt your feelings. Just let it go and surrender it to the universe. It’ll feel like the weight of the world has dropped from your shoulders. Your heart will feel warmer and stronger.

Forgiveness is a gift, so use it in your every day life. Forgive others, but most importantly, forgive yourself.

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me

For the last three months I have been writing the Daily Insights Blog on all subjects ranging from love to life, to fear, to color, to procrastination, to energy and the list goes on. It has been so exciting to get your feedback and your insights on how the blog is hitting you in a certain way. I do want to ask all of you a huge favor. Please share your wonderful comments under the actual blog on my website www.iadoreme.com instead of emailing them to me personally. I am SO grateful for the comments and what you are saying. Your comments mean more to me than even what I’m writing sometimes. I am writing these blogs for YOU, so your feedback is what’s most important to me!

That’s why I’m reaching out and writing this blog today. The more feedback you guys give me, the more insight I get as to how to develop different types of blogs and what you are really looking for. What’s hitting home in your heart and your energy field.

My dream is to start an i adore me community where we can share what’s going on with us and open up, getting out the hurt, frustration and whatever it may be that we’re going through. What amazes me about this process is we are all one. And as I’m experiencing something, so is someone else.

I was very inspired by Mastin Kipp, who started writing daily emails to friends in 2005 from Starbucks and sharing them on Myspace. He started out with a few friends that grew to a few hundred and then to a few thousand. Then one day, Kim Kardashian “liked” his blog and then Oprah called. He now has about 50,000 followers on Facebook and a total of 600,000 followers between all of his media sights. He is one person who had a vision, a need and a willingness to share his truth in times when he was really down and out. It’s exploded, because people want to hear the truth and what’s really going on inside.

The thing today that everyone is focusing on (the youtube videos and everything else in the media world) is sharing your true authentic essence of who you are, flaws and all, love and all and lightness and all.

So come on board and be a part of the i adore me community. Send the blogs to a friend, leave comments and tell some stories. Share your point of view.

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me

"I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore
Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see
Bluebirds
Singing a song
                                                                     Nothing but bluebirds
                                                                   All day long
                                                                            Never saw the sun shining so bright
                                                                          Never saw things going so right
                                                                          Noticing the days hurrying by
                                                                        When you're in love, my how they fly
                                                                     Blue days
                                                                      All of them gone
                                                                    Nothing but blue skies
                                                                    From now on"

                                                                --Irving Berlin

When you wake up in the morning and look outside and there’s nothing but blue skies, you immediately start to smile. You can’t help it. Blue skies make you feel good. They lift your spirit. They make you want to go outside. It makes you feel that life is so worth living and that you’ve got to be in this day.

Being in the now sometimes is not always the easiest thing to do, but when you see those blue skies, being in the now is really all you want to do. Blue skies give us hope, make us feel alive, raise our vibrational, spiritual energy and get us to be where we need to be.

What do blue skies mean to you? Can you remember a place where blue skies really made you feel alive? Where were you in the world? Where were you in your life?

Even if it’s not a beautiful blue sky day, maybe you can remember when you woke up and experienced a blue sky. Go back into your mind and embrace that feeling and let it be with you all day. See how it will make you smile and make you feel great.

Blue represents hope, serenity, peace and tranquility. Aren’t you ready to feel those kinds of emotions right now? Maybe now you can sing the song too.

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me