Written by:
                               Betsy Karp,
                         The Colour Coach

Are you speaking your truth, walking the walk and talking the talk or are you hiding behind your truth?

I was having coffee with a friend and she asked, “How do we find that confidence in ourselves when we don’t feel it?” I said, “I believe that confidence is a mixture of competence and trust in who you are and what you know. It’s stepping outside of your comfort zone.”  When we play in the arena of life, it gets messy and we screw up.  The answer is in NOT being perfect, which is what makes you REAL. It’s being authentic and just being who you are, as you are.

Confidence is the quieter you. It’s not boasting or bragging. It’s being humble. It’s living life, experiencing everything…most importantly, being OPEN. Let go of the way you want it to turn out. It’s funny, but sometimes we really don’t want to admit how much we like surprises. If we knew it all we would be so bored.

I find when I surround myself with the color ORANGE everything shifts in my world.  I feel happier and more grounded. I bought a card today for ME, which was odd and funny but felt great. This gorgeous, hand painted, orange card says, “Courage (small steps, big heart)” on the outside. On the inside it says, “As you move forward, know that I am here for you.” I inscribed it, “To Betsy, I believe in all of you just as you are,” and I signed my name. I read it when I’m feeling alone, frustrated and wanting answers.  It helps me to just be and appreciate who I am. It was an act of love for myself. It makes me smile every time. Orange is the color of courage...to learn more about Orange, click here.

Getting out of our own way challenges us to grow and learn, experiencing it all. When we break down the barriers of fear, isolation and shame, we move forward and grow in our lives. It’s saying, “I’m ok in my own skin. I like me.” When you truly like you, you are the real deal!

The biggest relationship we have in life is the one we have with ourselves. Yes, we have mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and lovers and children and friends, but we are brought into this world alone, as one, and we go out as one. Along the way we share it with many people, but when we really get down to it, the relationship that makes our lives work is the one we have with ourselves.

If you are true and honest, not only talking-the-talk but walking-the-walk (because only you know when you aren’t really being honest with yourself), well, then you are the real deal. You kind of know it when you are. Anyone can become the real deal. So speak your truth and live your truth!

Another way I live my truth is by reading and re-reading Don Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements.”

The agreements are:

1. Be impeccable with your word.

2. Don’t take anything personally.

3. Don’t make assumptions.

4. Always do your best.

These agreements are something I practice and preach every day. It’s not about gaining the approval of others, but learning to love and approve of oneself.

So where do you fit in this picture? Do you see yourself as the real deal? If not, be honest with yourself. Take time for you and make yourself happy. Relax and don’t be so hard on yourself. Learn to meditate, breathe, let go and accept yourself for who you are! This makes you the real deal! It’s okay to just be YOU… Say out loud to yourself, “I am ready to live, learn, screw up and just be ME!”

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Have a Colorful Day,

Betsy Karp,
The Colour Coach

                         Written by:
                         Betsy Karp,
                    The Colour Coach

March is all about spring and new beginnings…and it’s my birth month. It is a renewal of our spirits, our bodies, the clothes we wear and the food we eat. It’s a time for clearing, cleansing and preparing for greatness. Try putting some white clothing on, because it will give you a fresh new take on things. White is the color for wiping the slate clean and for new beginnings. Clear out the clutter in your mind, your closet and your belly. Spring is here and it’s time to let it all go.

Winter is notorious for gaining that extra 5, maybe even 10, pounds. Come March, we want to shed that extra weight. At this time of year we are also eager to shed the heavy BLACK coats, gloves and boots for lighter, more COLORFUL jackets and open toed shoes. Preparing for these clothes and our well-being, there are some wonderful foods to help us lose those unwanted pounds, getting our bodies ready for the spring and summer months. Click here to find out what colors will help you make a seamless transition from Winter to Spring!

Detoxifying your body is a great way to begin your Spring, because we need to rid ourselves of all the fattening and warming foods we’ve been consuming these last few months. Now is the time to start adding cooling foods. We want our bodies to acclimate to the coming warmer, summer months. One cooling food to eat is alfalfa sprouts. But there are so many more cooling foods to add to your diet...click here to find out what they are.

Enjoy the beginning of your renewal by shedding those extra pounds, eating alfalfa sprouts and other cooling foods. I offer wonderful cooking classes through Amazon Local, teaching you how to use colors purposefully while cooking and preparing meals. You can also go outside for a walk, soaking up the warmer weather. Did you know that just 30 minutes of exercise a day brings longevity to your life, lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure? It also changes your state of mind, making you feel great, and as we know, the mind is the key to it all. It’s time to get rid of that fear and worry and let go of that BLACK, heavy self-doubt.

You know what they say? “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” So let the air of spring flow into your body, mind and soul and bring in some COLOR. That's the preparation. Have fun and play around with yellow, green and orange. Feel the Renewal of your energy and spirit. You deserve it!

Happy Spring!!!

Have a Colorful Day,

Betsy Karp,
The Colour Coach

                        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?!

*Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Have a Colorful Day,

Betsy Karp,
Founder of i adore me

Learn to Paint Your Life with Color. Moms, Single Women, Married Women, Single Moms...enjoy this fun, informative video about what each color represents, and learn to use color purposefully in your life. Isn't it time to pamper yourselves? Contact me to schedule a FREE 15 minute chat and begin to completely transform your life.

              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

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

Are you coming from an ego driven place in your life? Are you looking at others and what they have achieved, feeling like you don’t compare, you haven’t done as much and you knock yourself down? It’s really important to look to others for empowerment and see what they’ve created and achieved but not to compare you to them. When we let go of our egos and come from a place of love, we start moving forward in our lives.

Creating something new is exciting and can be very challenging. When you have to stand in your own power and believe in what you are doing and saying 24/7, it can become daunting at times.

The other day I was feeling overwhelmed, looking at other spiritual healers’ and coach’s websites. I got down on myself, feeling like I’m not achieving enough and said, “Why am I not where they are?” Then I realized what I was doing.This is about serving and helping others and I realized that even if I'm helping just one person right now, I'm adding value to people's lives. So I stopped listening to my ego driven voices and realized how critical I was being with myself. All of this negativity was getting me nowhere and was hurting me. I can’t expect to be where they are in their careers after their many years of doing marketing and promotion and getting out there on a larger platform. I just recently started to believe in myself in a bigger way and have been getting clearer and clearer with the message of “i adore me.” Not only is “i adore me” a healthy way to loving yourself, but an exploration of getting out of your own way. It’s about being the best that you can be at that place you are in your life at this present moment in time. All we have is the present and we have to accept this with graciousness and patience.

It’s really important to find your own voice and trust in yourself. Yes, you will have trials, tribulations and setbacks, but if you are going to believe in what you say, you’ve gotta put it out there in your own special way. Comparing yourself to others only starts to make you feel weaker, and that’s where the ego comes into play. If you drop the ego and start focusing on what YOU are great at and what YOU have to offer, action starts happening, movement starts to begin and results occur.

Keep focusing on you. You can do this by surrounding yourself with the color orange. Orange brings about creativity and courage. Wear something orange, feel yourself connected to the color and start eating orange foods such as carrots, butternut squash and pumpkin seeds. Fall is in the air and it’s the perfect time to make delicious, homemade pumpkin muffins. So go out and pick some pumpkins, bring them home, share them with some friends, carve them, make something healthy and enjoy the harvest of Fall.

All of this ORANGE positivity will make you feel great about yourself, making you realize that YOU have something wonderful to share with the world. So stop comparing yourself to others and find all the greatness in you.

 *Please comment below and share with your friends.*

Hugs,

Betsy Karp,

Founder of i adore me