So what's YOUR passion? Watch this video and be inspired by 11 & 12 year olds who are completing their final WOW Projects for Citizen Schools and The i adore me Kids Program. They have found their passion and used their creativity to impact their community.

Once we find our passion we can step into who we really are and what we want. There's no time like the present, so find that passion within you and bring it out into the world. We all have special gifts to share. What's yours?

                    Written by: Betsy Karp

My entire family and I went to go see one of the last shows of “War Horse” at Lincoln Center in NYC. I’m not sure what all the hoop-la was all about. We found it very hard to sit through and six out of the eight of us really had a hard time keeping our eyes open. My mother and father managed to stay awake even though this was their second time seeing it. How they did that, I don’t know. So many people loved it. I found it to be painful and boring.

We went to go eat afterwards at P.J. Clarks and had the perfect table downstairs in the back. It was a round table with a red and white checkered tablecloth that sat all eight of us. I was telling everyone about the workshop I went to and how we were asked to name one thing or one person we were grateful for. Scott, the eldest grandson who adores my father, blurted out with great enthusiasm, “Papa, you are caring and generous and you always put everyone before yourself. There isn’t anybody that can say ONE negative thing about you. You are the most well rounded person I know and I love that!”

Marc, the youngest grandson, chimed in, “Papa, you are my role model and you give and give without ever taking. You are so generous, caring, hardworking and intelligent and you are the best grandfather I could ask for.“

My mom had tears rolling down her face and I saw my father’s eyes swell a little. My dad said, “See sometimes going to a bad show brings out the best in all. Thank you!”

My sister interrupted and said, “Wait! I have something to say. Thanks Dad for always being there. You are my friend, my mentor and my hero. I admire and respect you, and love you with all my heart. I am proud to be your daughter.”

So then it was my turn and I stated, “Dad you are Remarkable! You are the most devoted, dedicated and compassionate father, as well as the hardest working, honest, and warmest man I know. Actually, I think you are getting younger than older in your years and I adore you.”

All you have to do is meet my father to see what everyone is talking about. My Turkish friend Sumru recently met him and said, “your father’s warmth radiates from him and his being. He is even warmer and nicer than you described”.

My father has taught me so many invaluable life lessons and he is the one person I look up to and always want to make proud. He, in turn, makes all of us so proud and we are grateful that he is our Dad and Papa too!

Who are you grateful for in your life? Reach out and make that person feel great today too!

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

                            By: Betsy karp

Happy New Year! Start it off with a gift to yourself. Pass these inspiring questions along to people you love. Whoever gets the most people to answer these questions under the comment section below and "like" my Facebook page, gets 20% off any program of their choice.

Rules:
1. Whomever comments below must put the full name of the person who sent them here at the top of their comment (yes, you and your answer counts as well).
2. Whoever likes my Facebook page must post the full name of the person who sent them there on my wall.

Take a few minutes today and fill in the blanks. See what you get. Don’t edit. Let these uplift and inspire you to be the best you and let 2013 bring you more of all of these wonderful things.

Love is __________________________________________________

I’m grateful for __________________________________________________

I believe __________________________________________________

The world needs __________________________________________________

I hope for __________________________________________________

Life depends on __________________________________________________

Sex invigorates my __________________________________________________

Hold on to __________________________________________________

I crave some __________________________________________________

The moment is __________________________________________________

It’s time to __________________________________________________

Believe in __________________________________________________

Trust that __________________________________________________

My success depends on __________________________________________________

My appreciation is __________________________________________________


***Comment Below with your inspiring answers***

Enjoy this video. I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me.

Right now I have a lot of hope in my heart. I have hope for our country. I have hope that we can move forward as a united nation now that the election is over. I have even more, positive hope that President Obama will do what he set out to do 4 years ago. I have hope that my dreams and my passions of i adore me’s success will come to fruition. I also have a deep hope and courage within myself to keep going, never giving up. What do you have hope for?

Please enjoy this video. I hope it will inspire you as it has in me…

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are!"                            Joseph Campbell

Are you living your truth? Do you feel that you are truly being honest with yourself each and every day? What is it you can say about yourself that is “uniquely you?”

I believe that everyone has a true, special, unique gift to share with the universe. Most of us want to share something that we are passionate about or truly great at, but then we shy away with lingering doubts, continuously asking ourselves questions like, “Can I do this? Am I good enough? Do I have what it takes to make all of this work?” The answer is a BIG YES! But it takes guts, courage and a tremendous amount of persistence to make your special gifts a reality. Here is the thing one needs to ask oneself: “What can I do to serve?” It’s about this instead of what you will get.

There is only one you and you are worthy of happiness, doing what you love to do everyday. Embrace you, and learn to appreciate and love you. You have special talents and strengths that no one else on this planet has. It is your job, however, to find that gift. Follow your inner guidance, listen to your own spiritual GPS and be honest with yourself. Isn’t it time to get out of your own way, breaking down those walls of fear, isolation and shame, and start living your truth? Once you open up and let go, you will be amazed at what you see in your-SELF.

The biggest relationship we have in life is with ourselves. Yes, we may lucky enough to be loved and have parents, friends, lovers and children, but it is you that has to make your life work. You don’t need anyone’s permission but your own to make your dreams come true. What’s truly amazing is that once you step into your truth, you give yourself permission, you start to take action and the universe supports you. It has your back, door’s open, new opportunities arise and synchronicity begins to work it’s magic. 

It took me a long time to truly believe in myself and to have the guts and courage to start “i adore me.” It was something that was inside of me, yearning to come out. I knew I had to do this. I needed to do it for me just as much as I needed to for others. It was learning to self–love and to take care of me with love and respect. It’s an evolving process as well as a daily journey.

At first I had my doubts and fears. So many people thought I was NUTS! Many people said to me, “Really Betsy, i adore me? No one can really say and mean that. It’s too hard. It makes people sound so full of themselves.” My reply was, “I adore me is about feeling self-complete, not self-conceit”.  Again, people stated, “Just forget about it! It’s not going to work!”  But I had a deep feeling within my gut that this was what I had to do. It is my calling and my truth. I listened to me. I was in alignment with my mind, body and soul and I didn’t have a choice.

It's amazing how three simple words, “i adore me,” can cause such a reaction within people. I am so happy now that I am persevering and sharing my message and vision with the universe. It is a gift to you to say and feel the words “i adore me.” I am thrilled that others want to share their truth and stories through their own blogs within the “i adore me” community. It’s about creating a movement of self-love. It’s a journey of self-exploration in finding all that is great about YOU, and building on that while sharing your gifts with the world.

So please share what is “uniquely you” about YOU, and stand in your true power…


Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me

My heart was filled with warmth from the message left on my voicemail. It was a shared moment between friends and it was special. Friends are gifts and should be treasured. They lift you up when you are down and they’re always there in the good & bad without expectations…just love.

“Hey Bets. It’s me, Lisa. I am driving down to Albuquerque, and I’m TOTALLY having an “i adore me “ moment, and I wanted to share it with you. I kind of did it consciously, but not with creating too much intention around it. I was getting ready tonight to go to a party, which for me, you know is a big deal, because of my terrible health issues. I’m always feeling like shit, and I look like a corpse lately. I walk around down here in worn out, grungy, sloppy sweats, no makeup and it’s okay, because I’m Bella’s mom, and it’s just her and me. But tonight, something shifted in me and I said ‘NO MORE!’

I got it together and put some effort into me. I took a really hot shower and put some good-old Chaka Chan tunes on. Then I put on makeup and a cute outfit and I feel like the old me, just like I did when we were roommates back at Syracuse. I haven’t felt like this in years. And you know what girlfriend? Just like you always do, my friend, I got it together!

I feel sooo good. I feel like I took care of me today. Mind you, it’s nothing over the top, but I look good. And damn it, you know what?  I feel good! I haven’t had this feeling in so long. So I am calling you, my beautiful friend, to share my i adore me moment and to say, ‘I love you.’ It’s Saturday night at 6:30. Call me!”

I listened to her message again and it made me feel so good. Sometimes all we need in life is a shared moment. Maybe you can reach out to someone you love and just share something that makes you feel good. See how it will touch them as well as yourself. You’ll be glad you did. I’ll even bet on it...

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me

I am teaching a new i adore me coaching program to middle school students in the Bronx. There are a total of twenty-two enrolled in the class. As the students entered the room on the first day, all I heard was, “I really don’t want to be in this i adore me class. What is it anyway?” My heart dropped. I knew once I got them rocking and rolling they were all going to love it, however, it took a little longer than I thought. The kids were loud, unruly and they just didn’t want to listen. Then I took charge. I let go of the lesson plan and lived in the moment. I clapped my hands with a loud force and told the kids, “I have a personal story to tell you.” All of a sudden there was silence. Finally, I had their attention.

I began by telling them who I was and why I was here, as well as what I was going to teach them. I shared with them a personal story of when I was just eight years old and how I learned to oil paint. When I began the story there was silence once again.

“It was really late one night and everyone was sleeping. I crept downstairs while taking my colorful paints and all of my supplies. I stayed up all night painting and created a beautiful picture. I hadn’t even realized that so much time had passed. When it was almost light outside, I realized I had painted through the night. When you have a passion and you find something you love to do, you forget about time. My parents weren’t so happy with me the next day, because I was so tired. I didn’t want to go to school. My parents made me promise that the next time I wanted to paint I was going to have to do it after school or on the weekend…not on a school night. I agreed. I told them I loved to paint. It was my new passion.”

I continued to tell them about what I had done in my life so far and all of the companies I had worked for. When I mentioned Ralph Lauren, the kids screamed, “That is so wild, really you did?” They were mesmerized. I continued and told them that I even had my own line of clothes called Betsy Karp and I sold them in 75 stores. “Wow you are famous!” they yelled out.  “Not really,” I replied. “I want all of you to know that we really should never stop learning in life. I went back to school to get a second degree in my early 40’s.” “WOW,” they said. “No teacher ever tells us his or her age. How old are you?” I said, “I am 48 years old.” With excitement, they said, “You are the coolest teacher EVER!!!”

The lesson for the class was based on Passion, “What is your passion? How can you make your passion a reality? What are two of your passions that inspire you to do well in school and why?” These were big questions for middle school students, but they were grasping it. It was incredible. They were eating this stuff up.

I had their attention and it was time to teach them about PASSION, so I asked a few students, “could you please tell me what your passions are? What do you like to do after school? What makes you happy and makes you feel good?”

One of the students blurted out, “I have so much passion, I love to play basketball, and volleyball. I am a great, cool dancer too! When I get older I am going to be the next Michael Jordan.”

Another stood up and said, “My passion is helping my mom make dinner. I love to cook. It makes me happy and I love that we get to eat what I make.”

Their answers were precious. They understood the lesson so well and what it means to feel and have passion.  Maybe we should all take a look at how children view the world. They are so open, free and they live in the now. 

So I ask you, i adore me readers, what is your passion? Are you living out your passions in your life today? Are you happy? Maybe it’s time to look back in your life and find that thing that turned you on way back when. There is no time like the present. Let these children inspire you. What are you waiting for?

*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

Do you feel like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders? When it feels like you’re being pulled down in every direction and you feel like you can’t breathe, take a deep breath, reach out and ask for what you need.

I was recently at a breakfast for Dress For Success at The New York Stock Exchange. It was an empowering group of over two hundred women and I was invited, because I had created a self-empowering i adore me coaching program for some of the Dress For Success girls. I taught them how to dress for success by using power colors to land their dream jobs. It felt great to be part of this event.

One of the keynote speakers got up and told her personal story of how her husband had gotten very ill with Leukemia and lost his job. She was the caretaker of him and their two boys and had to become the breadwinner of the family. She was loaded down and felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She became more overwhelmed when she was asked to head up a large program overseas with the company she worked for. She talked to her boss that morning and didn’t mean to break down crying, but the tears came. She said, “I need some help. There’s no way I can take on this responsibility right now with all the obligations I have of taking care of my family.”

She had no idea what to expect. She was just being herself and asked for what she needed. To her surprise, her boss said, “Why didn’t you come to me sooner with this? Of course we’ll work with you. What is it that you need?” She couldn’t believe her ears. He repeated himself by saying, “You’ve heard me correctly. What is it that you need? How can I help?”

The point of this story is that when we need something we need to reach out and ask for it. We need to feel the worthiness within ourselves to ask for what it is we need. When we start showing up and doing this for ourselves, that load and the weight of the world on our shoulders starts to dissipate.

As I was leaving the breakfast to go uptown, there was a fabulous musician singing the song “Lean On Me.” The synchronicity of it all just warmed my heart.

Wherever you are in your life right now, reach out, ask for what you need, ask for some help and feel worthy that you deserve to get that help. As the song says:

“Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on”
--Bill Withers

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me