Written by: Betsy Karp

Starting something new is very challenging and can be a test of your resiliency. It takes a lot of belief, patience, faith and a really big dose of courage. ORANGE is the COLOR of courage and it is all around me right now. My screen saver is a bright ORANGE and I’ve been eating so many ORANGE foods filled with beta-carotene and healthy nutrients, giving me that internal boost.

Sometimes, in the darkest of times, when you just want to give up is when you have to be your strongest, telling yourself it's going to be OK and to take it Step-by-Step. Let go of the control and release it to the universe. Trust that there is a higher calling and a greater good, and that the universe has your back. It’s a step-by-step process of putting one foot in front of the other.

Taking action and doing something everyday is what gets you results, and I mean EVERY DAY action. It can be the littlest thing like answering an email that you have been putting off. JUST DO ONE SMALL THING EVERY DAY!

By taking action we learn, we grow and we adjust. It’s in the doing that progress occurs. Don’t wait to make it perfect. Just do it and make adjustments as you go. As we move the universe moves with us.

Fear pushes us to move forward. Without fear we wouldn’t grow or do very much. We need some fear in our lives, but the key is to embrace our fears with love. This is when the breakthroughs and the “ah ha” moments happen.

Life is a process. It is about building and taking that step, after step, after step, and not giving up even when you want to. It’s the small steps that get us to where we want to be. Without them we really can’t move forward. Let and allow the feelings to come up and know that LOVE is the only way you want to be.

Each step and movement feeds on the next. Sometimes it takes a really long time to get there. Everything comes in the right time and in its divine order if you keep moving forward Step-by-Step.

So how do we find love for ourselves and get out of fear? It’s about taking a deep breath and getting calm within. It’s about letting go of the ego and the perfectionism of how it’s all going to end up. It’s learning how to just be and accept all that is in this precious moment. Unleash the negative, bratty voices and focus on the positive. Make that call you have been putting off for days (maybe even weeks) and connect with an old friend or business associate. Ask for help and support. Just do ONE thing!

People can’t read your mind and know what you need. Reach out and ask someone for help. It’s amazing how everyone wants to help if they can.

I have been connecting with so many people and asking for help in the last few weeks. I am amazed at the synchronicity of it all. For example, I am about to launch my i adore me Kids Program. With this on my mind, I bumped into someone today I hadn’t seen in years. Her husband, also a friend, is in the NYC school system. How perfect is that? Everything comes in the RIGHT TIME, so I decided to reach out and ask for his help. I now have an appointment with his son’s principal to discuss my i adore me Kids Program. Now, none of this would have happened if I didn’t pay attention to the signs, reach out and make that call, asking for help and being open to connect. Life is about giving and receiving. Be in the moment and make it happen.

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. Don’t be afraid. Get out of your own way and share: connect and communicate, and do it all with LOVE…Step-by-Step. Now doesn’t that feel better?!

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Have a Colorful Day,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

                    Written by: Betsy Karp

I was one of the speakers at the Joie De Vivre Circle I’ve been going to for years now, and I love them. They are intimate gatherings at lovely women’s homes on Fifth Avenue. I met Edwige Gilbert there five years ago. She’s the woman who started the circle back in 2001.  She is charming and I adore her French accent.  Over the years she has become a very dear friend. When I walked in, she said, “Betsy, let’s change the format this evening. Instead of us speaking to the group one-on-one, let’s bounce off of each other and see where it goes. Are you on board?” I said, “Yes!”

It was a wonderful forum of conversation, letting go and just being in the moment. We were a great complement to each other, bouncing back and forth with our stories and powerful words. Sometimes the best things happen when we don’t plan and expect everything to be perfect. Perfection! What a word. And if you’re not careful it can destroy you.

For so many years I wanted to have everything perfect in my world, but now the word perfect to me means that everything is perfect just as it is. I look at my life through such a different lens. I‘m not about getting or making things perfect. I am just being me and showing up, and it feels really great.

Edwige went around the room asking everyone one to share an experience about someone they love and how that experience had an impact on them.  It was so real and everyone opened up, speaking from their hearts.

A lovely gentleman in the group turned and said,“ Well here is my share. I was away on a trip with a very dear friend. I carry many of my business cards with me and I hand them out to anyone I meet. My good friend, who is a psychologist, turned to me and said, ‘Why in the world are you wasting those cards on people who probably will just throw them in the garbage after tonight?’  So I said, ‘I believe that it’s better to share the love and give the cards than to have them sit in a box in your house to collect dust.’ ‘Thank you for that…you are so right. I will start giving them out. I can’t thank you enough for that message.’”

One woman said, “I gave my daughter a magic wand many moons ago and I told her that the wand had three attributes and they are:

1) This wand will be your very own fairy godmother
2) It will work if you want it badly enough
3) AND It will work in it’s own time.

To this day my daughter says, ‘Mom, that wand was invaluable. You were so right, because it all does work out in it’s own time. Thank you!’”

We all chimed in with, “WOW, I wish my mother had given me a magic wand.”

Everyone has a story and I love the one of the magic wand. I am going to get my own magic wand and let it work it’s magic in it’s own time. How about you?

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

              Written by: Betsy Karp

What are you NOT doing right now that you WANT to do? Procrastination is more fear based than anything else: fear of failure or fear of success. It’s amazing how you can do everything under the sun than do the thing you truly want to accomplish.

You can make an entire day out of errands and find five hundred things to do (laundry, going to a movie, naps, etc…), but you aren’t sitting down to complete that one specific goal. Maybe by putting some Orange in front of you, it will inspire your courage and creativity. As soon as you see the color orange it will raise your vibration into a positive state. You can also eat some orange foods like carrots and pumpkin squash. These foods give you energy. They have a lot of beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin C.

Ask yourself, “What is it that I really need to do and get done?” An easy way to help you in this process is to find an accountability partner. Find someone who will give you tough love and make you accountable, not someone that will lick your wounds. When we are accountable to someone other than ourselves we feel responsibility and we don’t want to dishonor our commitment to our partner and ourselves.  This will help you with one stage of procrastination.

The second stage is about being disciplined. Make a schedule and find 30 minutes to work towards your goal each and every day. Persistence is what you need here. If you make this pact with yourself and honor it, everything starts to fall into alignment. Before you know it you will have completed the process.

So I’m really curious…what is it that you are going to do? Don’t procrastinate. Take charge, take action and surround yourself with orange. Let the courage and creativity of the color empower you to move forward. Aren't you ready to really start this new year?

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

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…

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Hugs,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

             Written by: EDWIGE GILBERT

Have you ever wondered what the true definition and meaning of the word emotion is? As women we are often accused of being too emotional, and often we simply agree, wishing we weren't. The real problem, I believe, is not having too many emotions, but actually is not knowing how to have our emotions flow in harmony and balance. Consider changing your perspective and looking at the word emotion as “E-motion” meaning "energy in motion." Look at it this way, and you can see that too much E-motion can create an excess and imbalance of energy in the body, which in turn directly impacts our health and leads to “dis-ease”, thus the ease of the body is dis-rupted.

We all agree that we cannot avoid our responsibilities and obligations in our lives. We also agree that we are constantly bombarded with challenges, which in turn throw us out of balance and create excess ‘E-motion’. We have now entered a complete vicious cycle: from emotions to stress, and from stress back to more intense emotions, looping around again and again...

Let us ask ourselves this question now. Does all this mean that the perpetual emotional roller coaster ride we experience will condemn us to suffering and sickness? No! What we need to learn is how to get off the roller coaster ride and understand how to return to a safe place within, to a state of emotional balance and optimum health and strength.

In my Fresh Start program I teach my clients how to achieve this result, by teaching them how to transform stress into strength with a fundamental two step process called “The Clearing and Creating formula”:

1. ”Clearing” the present from any anxiety or fears that hold you back, then accessing a quiet place within, where you can relax and feel safe.

2. ”Creating” the future, imagining the person you would like to be with and the life you would like to live.

You can also learn to change your beliefs about what happens to you. For instance, you could start believing that you have the power to transform your life and to imagine that the universe tests you at times, to see how you will respond to conflict and challenge. Have you ever questioned what would happen if you chose to welcome every challenge as an opportunity to develop courage, discover your inner strength and resiliency? Have you ever wondered what would happen if you chose to feel victorious instead of victimized? This choice is yours and yours alone, and will determine the state of your well-being.

Having said that, let’s find out what practical steps you could take every day to reach, and most importantly, to maintain this emotional balance in your multitasking, hectic life. I have created a series of rituals and exercises that I promise, if practiced daily, especially for the first 21 days (necessary time to create a new mental conditioning), will have a very powerful and positive effect in your life and will simultaneously create more “Joie de vivre" (French for joy).

If you seriously want to be successful with this process, I suggest that you start believing that you can, that you are worthy of feeling good about yourself, that there is always light waiting for you at the end of the tunnel, and most importantly, celebrate every day as if it were your last:

• When you first wake up in the morning, stretch your arms above your head and declare to yourself:
                                ”I am happy to be me, I welcome the world of infinite
                            possibilities, I Can, I Do, I Will! Victory to me, victory is mine."

• When a difficult moment arises, imagine yourself holding a sword of fearlessness in your hand as you walk boldly forward to meet the challenge.

• When you feel very anxious, gently wrap your left thumb with the fingers of your right hand, hold it for 1 minute, and as you do, breathing deeply, imagining all your worries melting away.

• When you encounter a challenge, see it as an opportunity to test your courage and to develop your strength of character.

• When you want to experience some calmness in your day, take a deep breath in and say to yourself the word “calm." And as you exhale say the words “let go” and begin to imagine your mind like the silent bottom of the sea without a ripple of thought disturbing its surface.

• When desiring more confidence and energy, think of your belly as your power center, and as you breathe, gather all your energy supplies into that space and smile.

• When desiring change, release your will power, activate your subconscious power instead and imagine yourself the way you want to be.

Now – You are ready to experience joy, love balance and positive energy.

Merci,
Edwige,  Author of  The Fresh Start Promise

"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

Are you someone that wakes up in the morning obsessing about your to-do list from here to eternity? Or, are you someone that takes a moment and a breath and is grateful for a good night’s sleep, letting the day unfold as it may? I don’t know about you, but the days that I look at the cup flowing over, everything seems to really work out in my day and in my world. See how starting your day with a new, positive attitude will bring about a whole new energy and way to be. Aren’t you excited to start today?

Here are the steps that you should follow to have a positive day:

Think One Positive Thought: So much of our attitude in our lives is decided by what our thoughts are when we wake up in the morning. Coming from a true, positive place will set everything in alignment for you throughout your day.

Hug Yourself: Lately, I have started wrapping my arms around me first thing in the morning, giving myself a morning hug and saying, “i adore me.” This evokes my self-love, that I’m going to be ok and that I’m ready for my day.

Mirror Talk: As you look at the reflection in the mirror first thing in the morning, what do you say to yourself? Are you looking at yourself and loving what you see or are you being harsh and critical on that reflection? It’s so much better when you look in the mirror and say: “I’m going to have a great day today,” rolling up the corners of your mouth, letting that smile just peak through. With or without makeup, you are beautiful…but you need to feel that. Take one to two minutes out of your morning, looking in the mirror and have a positive conversation with yourself about what you are going to do during the day.

Take an Invigorating Shower: The next step to having a positive day is enjoying your shower. In order to enjoy your shower, don’t run your to-do list in your head. Put on some upbeat music and/or just let the essence of the water invigorate your body. Water makes you feel fresh, alive and clean. Let it do its job.

Envision Your Daily Color: Still in the shower, envision what you want to wear and what color is going to be in your day. For example: “Today the color I want to wear is orange to give me courage” (click here to find out how to use color positively in your world). Then incorporate orange from what you’re going to wear to what healthy orange foods you’re going to put in your body for breakfast, to feeling that sunny nature and the sweetness of the color orange. Immediately you will feel so good.

Meditate: After the shower and envisioning your color of the day, take a few minutes and put on some calming and meditative music, sit up straight in a chair (or upright on your couch) with feet planted on the ground, feel yourself connected to the earth and allow yourself to relax. Close your eyes, take three breaths in and out and allow the moment to just be this beautiful, precious moment of peace. You will not believe what a difference taking these two to three minutes will make in starting your day.

Use an Essential Oil: An essential oil is also a wonderful way to give yourself a positive outlook for your day (click here to find the list of essential oil options). There is a wonderful assortment of blends to make you feel empowered, relaxed or even to awaken you. The “Awaken” blend is one of my favorites, making me feel alive. It truly gives me that essence of feeling happy.

Eat a Healthy Breakfast: The last thing before you leave the house is to put some wonderful nourishment in your body. Think about your color of the day and find a way to incorporate it in your meal in a natural way. An example: If orange is your color of the day, eat a piece of orange, an apricot or an orange piece of melon. Have some healthy greens (like spinach or kale) to give you energy and vitamins, protein such as a hard-boiled egg and a fresh piece of fruit. This gives your body energy, brainpower and a wonderful way to start that positive day of yours.

So now that you have a wonderful list to start your day, follow these steps. See how great you’re going to feel: the positive change you are going to bring into your life and the people you will meet. Aren’t you ready for that?

*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

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