Gifts, homemade cards and flowers can be sweet.  And today I want to encourage you to give yourself a gift.

A Gift For YOU From YOU!

Find that place inside you that knows what an amazing mom you are – you know that place that on some days and in some moments (even if they are brief) says “I’m a marvelous mom!!” Tap into that place today. Feel it and take a deep breath (maybe even a few deep and conscious breaths). Celebrate YOU!

If you want to amp it up a bit then name three marvelous mom moments you’ve had in the past 24 hours (even just in teeny, tiny moments).

Amp it up even more by recalling three marvelous mom moments every single day this week before you go to bed. You’ll find them (and more) if you try!

Celebrate how beautiful, wise, marvelous, and complete you are today – just as you are!

Let your light and beauty shine. Keep being the inspiration that you are to your kids and to the world!

***Please leave a reply and share one of your marvelous mom moments below!!***

Let’s Celebrate! Happy Mother’s Day!

Much Peace and Love,

Julie

P.S. If you are looking for one more way to treat yourself today, you can get 15% off the list price of my book until midnight tonight (Mother’s Day). Order your copy of Vivid Living for Busy Moms: Coach Yourself to an Extraordinary Life here and enter this coupon code when you check out – KV3DKX4B. You can also find it at www.amazon.com. (No discount there, sorry!)

Wake up your life and empower yourself to drink in the sweetness of the moment.

About two years ago I interviewed almost 70 busy and working moms about their top life challenges.  And, you know what most of them complained about – feeling like they aren’t present or don’t give their all to anything they do.  They feel spread so thin that even the things they want to enjoy – like time with their kids and time with their spouse, or even time for themselves, is consumed by thoughts about work, guilt or their to-do list.

Sound familiar?

Imagine if:

• You had a surefire way to feel present and calm in any moment you wished.
• You could confidently spend your time focusing on the people and things you love, instead of on your never ending to-do list and guilt.
• You felt like you really had time to stop and smell the flowers.
• You loved your life enough right now to want to be present to it, instead of re-living the past or dreaming about the future.

Do you want all of this and more?

Then, listen here as Kate Hanley, the amazingly talented coach and author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide: 77 Simple Strategies for Serenity interviews me and I share some simple tools (that I even use every day) that will help you Wake Up Your Life today!

PLAY INTERVIEW

What helps you to wake up your life and get in the moment?

Enjoy!
Peace and Love,
Julie

Take advantage of this offer by entering discount code: KV3DKX4B when placing your order at:  https://www.createspace.com/3581207.  This discount is not available for purchases at Amazon.com, although you may make your purchase there as well.

Vivid Living for Busy Moms gives you the tools you need to live your vivid and extraordinary life today – right in the midst of motherhood.  By providing practical and powerful coaching tools you can implement now, this book helps you define what is most important to you, personally and professionally. You will learn to access the innate truth and wisdom of your body and mind to live fully, passionately, and guilt-free.  Don’t just tolerate your life. Your vivid and extraordinary life is waiting!

Vivid Living for Busy Moms will guide you to…

• Say goodbye to mommy-guilt, stress, and feeling overwhelm.
• Trust yourself to make decisions with confidence and clarity.
• Uncover your true Life Purpose and Essences – who you are at your core.
• Create a balanced life that works for you and your family.
• Turn your fears and hesitations into powerful and passionate living.
• Thrive in extraordinary ways you once thought impossible.

Give yourself, or your Mom, the gift that gives them a new lease on living their passions as they create the life they’ve always dreamed of.  Don’t delay, order your copies by the May 13th deadline to take advantage of the 15% discount.

For more information or to read a sample chapter visit: http://vividliving.net/julies-book

But, today I’m jumping up and down celebrating the fact that my book, Vivid Living for Busy Moms: Coach Yourself to an Extraordinary Life is finally published – out in the world, for sale, and available for everyone to read! (Just in time for Mother’s Day & they make great gifts!)

Click here to check it out & order your very own copy!

Yipppeee!

It is a dream come true that began almost 4 years ago in 2008, when a colleague of mine, Hallie Crawford, wrote a book. “What?”
I said to myself as I read the news in her latest newsletter.  “How could she have written a book? She’s was just like me. We did our coaching training together for goodness sake (in 2001)! She thinks of herself as an expert with something important enough to share in a book? Yes, I guess she does. Wow!” I felt jealousy and possibility begin to creep through my body.

In that moment, using one of my favorite coaching tools myself – turning jealousy into inspiration – I knew that I was going to write a book.  I, too, had something important to share! In that moment my dream was born.

It has taken me three years to bring my dream to fruition.  I’ve spent hundreds of hours writing and rewriting this book – working into the wee hours of the morning.  I let the laundry pile up, let the food on my floor rest peacefully, let workouts and yoga classes come and go, and let my husband eat frozen dinners from Trader Joe’s for days on end so I could work – so I could write – so  could follow my dream.

There were times my Ogres (self-liming thoughts and beliefs – see session VI in my book for more information about these sneaky suckers!) got the best of me and I cried myself to sleep wondering if I could/would do it? Did I have what it would take to go through revision after revision – edit after edit – hurdle after hurdle? What did I know about writing a book, publishing, or book design? And, what would people think once I wrote it?  Would it be helpful? Would it make the powerful and far reaching impact – changing peoples lives in vital ways - that I hoped/longed for?  Even in the face of fear, doubts, and tricky hurdles, I felt a boiling sense of urgency.  There was a fiery passion in my cells and a deep love in my heart.  I kept going…

This book is for you, amazing mom!  I wrote this book because I resolutely believe that everyone – every single person – can live a vivid and extraordinary life that they LOVE – even you! This book is designed to give you the tools you need to do it – to live your uniquely vivid and extraordinary life.  You’ll find the tools here to figure out what that looks like. And you’ll find the tools here to actually go and live it.  You’ll learn how to tap into the innate wisdom of your body and how to combine that with the wisdom of your mind to trust yourself more solidly than you ever thought possible.  It will make your path clearer and make the journey so much more fun!

Take yourself on your Vivid Living journey individually, or I’ll guide you, step-by-step, to create your very own Vivid Living group.  It can be powerful to share with other amazing women.  So often in motherhood we feel alone – like everyone else is doing “it” better or has “the answers”, or has it all “together.”  It’s just not so.  We are all on this uniquely glorious, messy, crazy, wonderfully imperfect journey and path together.

When you read the book let yourself be inspired by the very real client and personal stories. Use and enjoy the interactive Downloads from my website (find the link to these resources in the book) that will enhance your journey.  You’ll find recordings of me guiding you through visualizations.  You’ll hear clients sharing about how uncovering their Essences (who you are uniquely at your core – session IV in the book) helped them to live vivid and extraordinary lives they love.  Download reminders of the new tools you are exploring as you make your way along your Vivid Living journey. It’s fun…

Writing and publishing this book is amazing and is definitely something to celebrate in a big way!  And, I will do just that, I promise!  And, at the same time, my Vivid Living journey is just beginning. The most important part of the journey is ahead of me now – the part where I share my passion, my dream, and my belief that everyone can live a vivid and extraordinary life and share the tools to actually do it, around the globe.

I hope you will join me and will embark on your own Vivid Living journey. Together let’s celebrate, spread the word, and live our vivid and extraordinary lives.

May Brave and Bold Challenge

This Mother’s Day month, give yourself the gift of YOUR dream!

1. What fiery, passionate dream do you have boiling in you?
2. What is important about this dream for you?
3. What is one thing you can do today, and each and every day this month, to get yourself closer to realizing it? One teeny, tiny step a day is all it takes.
4. If you haven’t yet, then begin your Vivid Living journey today.  Buy my book, do a coaching group, get some individual coaching, or just go make YOUR dreams come true!

Thanks for all of your love and unending support.  I would not be here without YOU.

Much Thanks, Peace and Endless Love,
Julie

P.S. If you live in L.A. it would be a joy and honor to have you come celebrate with me at my book signing on Sunday, May 20th, 3:30-5:30.  More info below…

When you initially practice the breathing exercises below, I encourage you to close your eyes and sit with your feet flat on the floor or lay in a comfortable position with legs and arms uncrossed.  This will help you to block out distractions from the world around you and focus more deeply inside.

Once you are familiar with these breathing exercises you can do most of them while waiting in line at the grocery store, while on hold, while walking, while parked at a red light, while doing dishes, while exercising, or anytime you could use a little pick-me-up or slow-me-down.

Bold and Brave Challenge

Challenge yourself to practice at least one of these breathing exercises daily this week.  Notice what shifts in your life as a result.

• The Slow Breath. Close your eyes and take three slow breaths.  Notice the sensations in your body without judging them.  Just notice them.
• Four-Count Breath. On your inhale slowly count to four.  On your exhale slowly count to four.
• Intention Breath. Choose two words that are meaningful for you.  It might be an intention, something you love, or just something that you like thinking about that brings you joy.  Say one word as you inhale and one word as you exhale.  Repeat for three to five minutes.
• Clear Mind/Don’t Know Breath. As you inhale focus on these words and say to yourself, “Clear mind, clear mind, clear mind.” On your exhale, focus on and say to yourself, “Don’t know.”  This breathing exercise was influenced by Zen teachings.

Julie Zeff is a Life Coach for busy and working moms; Author of Vivid Living for Busy Moms: Coach Yourself to an Extraordinary Life – Coming in May 2012; and a trained Forest yoga instructor building strength and flexibility with emotional and spiritual intelligence. Request her FREE report – Top 10 Tips to Vivid Living or receive her FREE Monthly Coaching Tidbits and 5 Anytime, Anywhere Breathing Tips by visiting: http://www.vividliving.net.   Download a FREE peek of her upcoming book, Vivid Living For Busy Moms here:  http://vividliving.net/julies-book

And, even with all the great stuff happening, I still worry about my kids sometimes. The other day I was working, sitting right here at my computer, and my three kids were all at school and were heading to play dates afterward. I was thrilled to have the time to work, sans kids. But, then a wave of worry flooded my mind and body as I thought about a list a mile long of things that could go wrong at school, the play dates, and on the way home from the play dates, etc.  And, I was stuck at my desk focusing on my worry instead of my
work.

The minute you become a mom you are automatically offered membership into “The Worried Moms Club.”  You are told that membership is FREE and are told that member benefits include having safe, healthy, and happy kids.  And, who doesn’t want that? So, many of us moms join the club immediately.

A bit of mom worry is normal.  It is part of your natural and protective motherly instinct.  It is good to have concern for your children and to be able to discern when there is danger lurking so you can take action to protect them.

But, when you get so worried that it starts to get in the way of your work, relationships, and living your vivid and extraordinary life, then you know that “The Worried Moms Club” is running the show, not you. Are you a member of the club? I know there are moments that I join in.  When this happens I use the tools below (and so do many of my clients) to help me run the show again.

If your worry is running the show try some of the tips below to help you get back to Vivid Living.

1. State it. First, clearly name your worry or concern.  State it to yourself or even write it down.
2. Breathe. Next, take a conscious breath or two.  Focus on your breath fully. This is all it takes to interrupt the cycle of worry or anxiety for even just a brief moment. When you focus your attention fully on your breath, for those few seconds, there is no room in your mind to worry about anything.
3. Do a body check. Check-in with your body – there is so much wisdom in there. Breathe and notice what sensations are present in your body.  Simply breathing and noticing these sensations – letting them be and move through you can help them to dissipate.  I noticed tightness and pressure in my chest and around my heart, constriction at the back of my neck, and my shallow breath when I was worrying about my kids.  I just kept breathing and noticing those sensations and fairly quickly they dissipated.
4. Do a mind check. Move your attention to your mind.  Ask yourself if there is any urgent or true danger that needs to be responded to immediately. Is there clear evidence of something gone awry? If so, then trust your instincts and act immediately! If not, then most likely the worries are just stories you are creating in your mind.
5. Explore your options. What are the options you are willing to entertain?  We always have choices and options, always!  Don’t censor yourself. Here are some options I entertained in the moment. I could leave my work and go pick-up my kids and bring them home (You could too. Even if you work out of the house and for someone else. It is always an option!). I could call/text the parents to check-in on my kids. At a later date and time, I could find an empowering way to prepare my kids to handle the situations I’m worried about.  I could go for a walk – even just down the hall – to get a change of
   scenery and to get my body moving which can shift some of the “worry sensations” in my body. I could create a new story to focus on instead of the worry story, like “My daughter is having a ball and is safe!” Any of these options could help me get back to my work and living my vivid and extraordinary life.
6. Do it! Decide which option you are going to choose and go do it.

Trust your mom instincts, and be on the lookout for joining “The Worried Moms Club.”  Loving your children and keeping their best interest a priority doesn’t have to get in the way of your work life or you living a vivid and extraordinary life you love.

Enjoy spring and this beautiful April!

Much Peace and Love,

Julie

Julie Zeff is a Life Coach for busy and working moms; Author of Vivid Living for Busy Moms: Coach Yourself to an Extraordinary Life – Coming in May 2012; and a trained Forest yoga instructor building strength and flexibility with emotional and spiritual intelligence. Request her FREE report – Top 10 Tips to Vivid Living or receive her FREE Monthly Coaching Tidbits and 5 Anytime, Anywhere Breathing Tips by visiting: http://www.vividliving.net.   Download a FREE peek of her upcoming book, Vivid Living For Busy Moms here:  http://vividliving.net/julies-book

An Essence is not a value. A value is typically something you think is important to you because of the influence of family, religion, or society.  Although your values may be very important to you now, they may change over time or with external influence.

Brave and Bold Challenge 

To begin to identify your Essences think back to what I call Peak Experiences.  Identify at least two special moments in your life when you felt the most alive or “on fire.” These are times when you felt the most YOU, and felt energized and super excited about life, even if it was only for second.  Chances are that in those moments you were honoring and living into many of your core Essences.

So, instead of bitterly sticking with the plan – I took a deep breath and courageously recalibrated. Even though all the dinner fixin’s were waiting for me (I had prepped them earlier that morning) – oven-ready chicken, brussel sprouts cooked and ready to eat (I love those cute, round things with a bit of olive oil and salt!), veggies ready for munching, and pasta – I aborted my plan. I took the kids out for greasy tacos – a rare treat! My smile came back, I felt light in my body, and laughed with my kids on the way to the restaurant.

It was fun to scrap the plan. I created a very enjoyable (and balanced) evening where there could have been a lot of heaviness, probably some yelling, and definitely not so much fun.

What can you recalibrate today to help you create more balance and joy?

Want to hear about more ways to create balance for yourself and your family from the inside/out? Then join me this coming Wednesday for a Free Teleclass Busy Mom Balance: 6 Ways to Create Balance from the Inside/Out.

There will be a special give-away for those on the call and I’ll be talking about some special offers you won’t want to miss.

Have fun recalibrating and creating more aliveness and balance in your life.

Peace and Love,
Julie

Julie Zeff is a Life Coach for busy and working moms; Author of Vivid Living for Busy
Moms: Coach Yourself to an Extraordinary Life – Coming in May 2012; and a
trained Forest yoga instructor building strength and flexibility with emotional and spiritual intelligence. Request her FREE report – Top 10 Tips to Vivid Living or receive her FREE
Monthly Coaching Tidbits and 5 Anytime, Anywhere Breathing Tips by
visiting: http://www.vividliving.net. Download a FREE peek of her upcoming book, Vivid Living For Busy Moms here: http://vividliving.net/julies-book

• Are you a busy or working mom looking for more balance, ease and space in your busy life?
• Do you want to create balance on your terms in a way that works for you and your unique family?
• Some days does it feel like you are you just holding it together by a thin thread?
• Are you feeling weighed down with all the roles and responsibilities you have?
• Does your life feel heavily tilted in one direction toward work or family?

If you answered “Yes!” to any of these questions, then you won’t want to miss this call.

This is not just another teleclass suggesting that if you make lists and prioritize, it will all be OK.

In this teleclass I’ll share with you my easy to use and remember formula that will help you create your unique life balance from
the inside out. And, the good news is that most of these tools you know and use in some shape or form already. I’ll show you (really just remind you) how to put them together to create just the kind of balanced and vivid living you most desire.

When: Wednesday, March 28th – 10:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time
Where: Anyplace your phone will reach!
How: Register here to receive the Dial-In number right in your Inbox.
Cost: Absolutely FREE!

I’ll also be telling you about some special Vivid Living offers and opportunities at the end of the call that you won’t want to miss – but you’ll have to be on the call LIVE to be eligible!!

And, I’ll tell you more about my upcoming book, Vivid Living for Busy Moms: Coach Yourself to an Extraordinary Life which will be released around Mother’s Day.

Click Here to register and save your spot on the call!

What would be different in your life if you had more balance?

Peace and Love,

Julie

But I know that underneath any baby fat, stretch marks, or weak muscles I may have collected is a powerhouse of strength and wisdom.  You have it too (no matter what your belly looks like) – it is your core!

I think of the core in three different ways.  Physically – your core is your abs and pelvis. Emotionally –your core is the essence of who you truly are and where your personal power resides. Spiritually – it is the center of your spirit and wisdom.  Through my work as a life coach and yoga instructor I have seen that they are all inter-related.  When you tap into your core, consciously, in all three ways, you have access to tools to change your life (and body) in profound ways.

This month I’m going to focus on my belly/core and get curious about it – about all three aspects of it. I invite you to do the same.  Let’s go beyond appearances and physical strength this month. I invite you to get present, quiet, and curious and to go a bit deeper into your core this month.

To begin, let’s declare this month, “Be Nice to Your Belly Month!”  Here are some tips to guide you.

Be Nice to Your Belly Tips

1. Let It All Hang Out! This month you get to stop pulling your belly in trying to make it flatter or tighter.  Let your belly relax so you can breathe into it and feel your belly/core fully.
2. Core Connection and Gratitude. This month, at least once (or even once a day), create minute of quiet time to put your hand on your belly (you can do it right now). Take a breath and feel your belly below your hand.  Stay here for a few breaths get connected to and curious about what it is like in your core.  When you feel ready you can ask yourself:

• What do I notice in my belly?
• How has my belly served me?
• What is my belly really good at?
• What does my core/belly want more of?
• What do I like/love about my belly?

        3.  Move Your Belly! The next time you exercise or do a yoga class, amp up and intensify your connection to your core.  Stay in your body brining your attention back to your core and the sensations there as you shake things up.  What do you notice in there?

       4.  Dream. What is possible for you in your life when you connect to the aliveness, and power of your core? Remind yourself of this often.

       5.  Invite. Invite core aliveness, intensity and power into your life more fully.

Enjoy connecting in to your core/belly this month.  Enjoy being nice to your belly! There is some amazing strength, power and wisdom in there!

Julie Zeff is a Life Coach for busy and working moms; Author of Vivid Living for Busy Moms: Coach Yourself to an Extraordinary Life – to be published in 2012; and a trained Forest yoga instructor building strength and flexibility with emotional and spiritual intelligence. Sign-up to receive her FREE Monthly Coaching Tidbits and 5 Anytime, Anywhere Breathing Tips by visiting: http://www.vividliving.net.