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It has been 3 weeks since I completed my integrity experiment and having found a quiet moment I thought I would take this opportunity to close the loop on my journey.

It has been a great ride, much was learned and even more was created.

Hmmm. Let’s see….

1) Happy animals: 

One area of major triumph was my integrity around only eating animals that came from free roaming farms and to not contribute to the factory farming industry.  I have been acting on this for some time now but rarely with such consistency and vigilance. 

With free range eggs as a staple and the occasional serving of grass fed beef I have found my way to a much more vegetable centered existence and there is no experience of hardship.  When I go to a restaurant I look for the black bean soup and applaud the restaurant if they have gone to the care of having free range chicken on the menu. 

By taking this on in my integrity experiment it has truly helped me turn the corner to a primarily vegetarian diet as a joyful choice without the experience of hardship or sacrifice.

2) 97.5 Degrees:

raising my body temperature was another triumph.  I had been taking my temperature in an attempt to track body temperature for fertility and all that good stuff.  My temperature hanging out in the 96’s along with an unusually low metabolism drew me to conclude that thyroid may be an issue.   I dug in, asked more questions, read more and explored and with the help of my faithful chiropractor and B12 supplements my body is living in the 97’s with regularity. YAY!

The intention and action it took to take charge of this issue and make this change came directly from my experiment and I am grateful to have this small piece of my physical puzzle in place.

3) Guess Who’s Allergic To Gluten and Casin?

Out of my increased attention to health and my quest for unanswered physical questions, my doctor encouraged me to get blood tests to determine a possible gluten or casein allergy (wheat or milk) and low and behold I am positive for both of them.  I am so excited to learn this!  While milk had been pretty much dropped because of the afore mentioned ethical issues, Wasa crackers and Ezekiel sprouted grain bread have been a staple for some time. 

As I think back I can remember countless people asking if I have a cold to which I reply “no” and shrug it off as a bad phone connection. Could it be that my body has been fighting off the affects of my food all this time? Who knows, but as I turn in my whole wheat and oatmeal for Quinoa and buckwheat I am truly excited for this step towards greater health, one that I actually saw as an ultimate goal but had not yet had the motivation to act on.  Funny how life works that way.

4) Pondering Wine and Other “Goodies”: 

You may recall that part of this process was to experiment around the place of alcohol and sugar in my life and the findings are conclusive.

They don’t fit.  Not forever, but certainly not for now.  

Right after my crash and burn post I made a new arrangement with myself, no alcohol and no sweets until I hit 139 lbs. Why this number you ask? Well, it’s the number I have in my head and it’s not far away and historically I have demonstrated that when I play with sweets and wine it just gets in the way of this health goal so I just don’t want it in my life right now. Again, I’m not saying never, but none of it has a place as a daily installment for me.

The cool thing is that again, I feel no hardship.  Instead of wine I drink 100% cranberry juice with a little stevia. It looks like the real thing and it has a depth that is actually quite satisfying. As for the sweets, I have found that 1 tbsp of coconut, 1 tsp of raw organic cocoa powder and 1 packet of stevia with a little cinnamon is totally satisfying and I rarely ever have the need to do more than one serving. It gives me the chocolaty goodness without any of the drama.

5) Happy news on the decaf front:

Ok, one more thing about health. Since I drew a line around decaf coffee (the decaffeination process can be toxic and I cannot do strong caffeine because it makes me freaky) I have revealed some helpful information in my quest for a happy cup of coffee. 

First off, the good people at www.swisswater.com responded to one of my blog posts and shared that their process which uses water for the decaffeination process instead of solvents.  After looking into it I realized that many of my favorite coffee providers were already ahead of the curve on this one, using swiss water processed coffee in their establishments allowing me to have my “coffee without compromise.” 

Before I had discovered this decaf solution I had also made a trip to whole foods for coffee alternatives and I am quite happy to report that my new favorite drink is French roast Teeccino with unsweetened almond milk.  No caffeine, alkalizing (instead of acidic – coffee is acidic) cozy comfort in cup.

6) Meditation Shmeditation:  

Spiritually, a lot has happened due to my experiment.  I set out to meditate daily which I did for the experiment but it has not stuck afterward which is interesting.  I think I would be well served by a spiritual practice guided by someone else to get this to make this process more purposeful and meaningful.

7) One Inspired Community Coming up!:

In week 3 of my experiment I had a sudden burst of inspiration that has completely enriched my life and in a very real way created structure for me to continue to live very intentionally beyond the experiment. 

Last year a coach friend of mine suggested I do Julia Cameron’s the Artist’s Way  based on some of the things I shared with her about where my head was and what I was looking for.  I wanted to explore this but when I was cast in Beachwood Community Theaters production of the princess Snow White earlier this year I realized that rehearsal would conflict with any regularly occurring evening commitment so I put off starting the group. 

Well the idea came back to me during my experiment and it caused me to act rapidly.  I sent out an email to 10 gentle souls who I thought would like share the 12 week journey with me.  I had the email crafted and sent within the day.  I had 8 yes’s and we began the following Wednesday.

Little did I know that with this email I had managed to pull together the soulful community I had been longing for since I moved to Cleveland. In this group I am “student” not “teacher” and it is an opportunity to create, to explore, to be messy and to share love.

Who knows where we will take it after the 12 weeks of the program are complete, it doesn’t matter, all I know is that a deep need has just been filled and it happened in an instant and I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

Gentle Hands: 

Early on in my experiment I was called to get into action to find holistic/energetic nourishment, education and reprieve.  I started on a quest to find a spiritual mentor or a home for the next phase of my development.

I explored energy practitioners, and naturopathic resources and while I am still looking for a guide to support the elevation of my understanding of the world, I find it intriguing that a major piece of my puzzle was here all along.  

I am happy to announce that I have found a gentle place for the replenishment of my soul in the loving hands of Debbie Craven Massage Therapist, Reiki Master, Reflexologist and wise woman extraordinaire.  The first time I met Debbie she gave Jeff and I reflexology treatments at a wellness fair.  I loved her energy and have returned to her little peaceful studio for birthdays and special occasions. 

The 30 minute drive to her studio through Ohio’s beautiful countryside was a true delight for my senses and the moment I was on her table every care in the world drifted out of my head, I found blissful Zenned-out happiness, she has a real talent.

While she did her work we discussed resources, methodology and connections for me to continue my quest for spiritual deepening and physical healing.

This wonderful experience lead me to the obvious question.  “Why on earth would I save such a gift just for birthdays and special occasions?”  Debbie and I now have a standing 90 minute monthly appointment. And I look forward to our insightful conversations, and her gentle care of my body and soul.

9) I could go on but….:

I am realizing I could write much more than I am sure anyone wants to read on all of this so I am going to wrap it up by saying that my life is rising. I can feel it.  I feel light, creative, peaceful, healthy, excited, alert and alive.

I smile as I realize that my integrity experiment has really just been an exercise in Life-Making. Sometimes I do not put enough value on the work I do in the world – I don’t take myself seriously.  The truth is that being a conscious creator in life is the key to a joyful today and a beautiful tomorrow and through my experiment I essentially put every lesson in the Make Your Life Program into high gear in my life with awesome results.

I think I will ride this wave for awhile. My head open to possibility, my heart open to god, dancing with the magic of life.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me.

With love,

Joelle

If it is your time to reclaim the joy in your life and start taking yourself and your dreams seriously, join me for the Make Your Life Program October 13-December 8, 2010.

Some people come to me because they have a goal they want to achieve; others come in search of a deeper knowing of themselves, to shift old ingrained patterns and habits; still others come to recapture their zest for life, seeking to reconnect to joy and adventure.  And every once in while, I meet someone who is lost, floating rudderless and without mooring because they have fallen victim to their own success.

Have you noticed how often it is at the very pinnacle of professional achievement that we hear the Broadway actress or the successful lawyer or the best-selling author questioning “Is this all there is?”

Take my client Rebecca for example.  A respected doctor, proud parent and loving wife, she had been following the path to achievement for as long as she could remember.

Pre-med, medical school, building her practice, becoming an expert in her field, each step followed the one before as she reached for professional excellence.

Voted one of the top docs in her major metropolitan area and with the financial means to do whatever she wanted in life, one would expect Rebecca to be flying high.

Like so many, having reached the top of a mountain which she had been climbing for decades, Rebecca found herself with nowhere else to climb. Without that next challenge, her sense of purpose dwindled, without direction or motivation she found herself losing interest in her life.

Dissatisfied with the idea of spending the next 50 years hanging out on scenic vistas, she sought support to begin to unlock the dreams still waiting to be born. It was time for her to create a new inspired future to live into.

A Life Without An Inspired Future Is Like The Coyote Without The Roadrunner!

We all remember the old Looney Tunes Cartoons where Wile E. Coyote spends episode after episode in the tireless pursuit of the ever-elusive Roadrunner.

Imagine for a moment what Wile E’s life would become if he ever managed to catch and eat his infamous foe?

It would be tragic! Not just for the Roadrunner (obviously) but for Wile E. too!

No more concocting ingenious schemes, no more plummeting off cliffs, no more crates arriving from ACME! (As a point of interest, acme means the highest point, as of achievement or development.)

Wile E.'s future, the one where he catches and eats his tantalizing Roadrunner, would be expired. 

Left without a goal, a purpose, a raison d’etre, nothing left to compel or propel him, Wile E. would be set adrift.  Life as he knows it would cease to exist!

Coach Help Me! I think My future Just Expired!

If you can relate with either of these stories, you may just have an Expired Future on your hands.

Let’s take a look:

Figure A) and B) below demonstrate the energizing effect of an Inspired Future; one which authentically engages you and pulls you to its completion.

Figure C) shows the drain that often follows the thrill of the finish-line, when you move past the vision you had and into the abyss. The future you once held so tightly no longer has value or provides meaning. It has effectively expired.

Figure D) holds the remedy.  By selecting a new, heartfelt and worthy point on the horizon you put the wind back in your sales with a new Inspired Future.

Does this mean that we must forever be in the dogged pursuit of lofty goals, fame, money, success – always accomplishing without a moment to breathe or rest in order to live a good life?

No, of course not.  But it does mean that your life needs purpose.

Whether it is exploring the practice of being in the moment, learning to paint or seeking to be the best spouse or parent you can be, no goal is too great or too small to be inspired. It must simply come from the authentic longings of your heart.

The invitation:

The next time you happen to be rounding out a major accomplishment:

1) Be sure to celebrate, BIG TIME!

2) When the excitement wears off and you find yourself wondering “what’s next?”, remember that it is natural to feel a little disconnected, uninspired or let down after the future you once courageously pursued is old news.  Do not fear.  This feeling need only be temporary. 

3) Reconnect and reengage in your life – look, listen, explore.  There is always a new Inspired Future waiting to bring energy, joy and meaning to your days.

It may take some soul searching but trust me.  With as many worthy journeys as there are drops of water in the ocean, it is only a matter of time and intention before life sweeps you up in a new adventure.

With Love,

Joelle

P.S. If you are ready to discover a new inspired future for your life I know just the place to build a brilliant tomorrow. Join me for the Make Your Life Program Starting October 13th – December 8th, 2010. Read More

Good Morning!

You know when you get those chain emails that say “send this to 200 people or all your traffic lights will be red” or some other such nonsense? Well, I rarely forward them and I usually skip the read all together, but this week an angel in my life sent me an email that was poignant and share-worthy (thanks mom).  It set a string of ripples in motion in the lives of the people I love and the lives that their lives touch and I thought I would keep it rippling.

For anyone who is going through what may seem like unusually hard times, the story of the two travelling angels reminds us that life is not always as it seems.
 

Two Travelling Angels

Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.

Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied,

"Things aren't always what they seem.."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.

Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen?

The first man had everything, yet you helped him, he accused..

The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.

"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.

Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the  wall so he wouldn't find it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed,  the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead.

Things aren't always what they seem."
 

The Invitation

When life is not being served up the way you think it should be, consider that there is a bigger picture, the shape of which is grander and more intricate than you can even imagine.

With time and distance we are repeatedly shown how today’s hardship can be tomorrow’s blessing and as a wonderfully insightful greeting card once stated;
 

“It all works out in the end. If it has not worked out yet, it’s not the end.”

Have faith and patience in the divine unfolding of your precious life and remember, if you are open, if you are willing to look, to listen for the good and the growth, it is always, always there.
 

With love,
 

Joelle

My father was dying.

It seemed like a good enough reason to not attend.

On the surface it sounded valid enough but if I were to be honest with myself, it was an excuse. A good excuse but an excuse none the less. 

It was my last year of university and I was part of a student organization of Peer Advisors.  We counseled fellow students on everything from stress management to cross-dressing.  On St Patrick’s day you would find us handing out green “in case you get lucky” prophylactics and we were practiced in giving condom application instruction using anything from bananas to a handy little device aptly named “woody” designed for  just the occasion.

The meeting, from which I was “excusing” myself this day was not STD related, but was instead of a more serious nature. It was an opportunity for Peers to share their experiences, to report, if you will, on their volunteer Peer Placement. 

Some were placed in Job Services, others in AIDS education, and two precious souls entrusted their semester to me in the “Peer Promotions Placement”, a function I developed to express my own creative promotional ideas in service of the organization.  The two team members who joined me in my quest were talented creatives able to bring my lofty visions to pen-and-paint-on-paper reality.

Leading up to the event, my team was not oozing confidence.  They seemed confused on what to report. They looked to me for direction but I pushed back.  They’d known about the meeting for months and on some level I was annoyed with their lack of initiative.

I left them to figure it out and sent them off to the meeting without me. 

Looking back, I must have known instinctually that something was about to hit the fan but I still wasn’t quiet ready for what went down.

Some People Are Born Leaders. Apparently, I was not.

“She treats us like TRAINED MONKEYS!!!”

That’s a direct quote, conveyed to me by the Peer Coordinator in the aftermath of my missed meeting. 

This comment was but a highlight in the litany of criticism they shelled out in my absence.  I was shocked, shamed and hurt, but to their credit, to this very day I have not heard micromanagement described more colorfully.

With the school year almost over and my father’s death a throbbing daily ache it was easy to plead ignorance, avoid the whole situation and miss the lesson.  But as with all essential life lessons, this one was going to keep coming at me until I got it.

Feed back delivered:

Response: Avoidance

12 months later I found myself once again called into the office.  I was one of a dozen youth employment agents, who matched students with summer employment.

Sitting across from my boss, Doris delivered her message fast and hard without preamble.

“Joelle. EVERYONE is complaining about you. You are REALLY ABRASIVE.”

My reaction was a one two punch of defense and resentment followed by justification and a healthy dose of righteousness thrown in for good measure. 

I rationalized that “everyone” was clearly an unnecessarily dramatic overstatement and I was sure the whole thing was related to a particularly blatant display of incompetence from my fellows regarding the PROPER and AGREED UPON placement of the ever-important client file paperclip (SIDE, NOT TOP! When were they going to get that strait?!)

Feedback Delivered:

Response: Justification

Next stop,  Manpower.

It was a couple years into my employment as a branch manager and whether it was out of a desire for growth or a hunger for success, I had begun to seek out opportunities for development. 

I learned all “7 Habits”, I was quick to throw out a deserved “Whale Done!” and I rallied my team to create “Raving Fans”.

Despite all my hard work. I ended up in the office yet again! Actually, more specifically, my staff member, Anna, came to my office, and she had news to deliver. 

She was there as an ambassador of the team. She had come to tell me that they felt I was disengaged and distant and that I was not leading them.

She had me. It was true. I had been avoiding and hiding out. 

Thanks to Anna’s act of faith and courage the feedback was delivered and I got back to the business of being the leader that I was committed to being. 

Feedback Delivered:

Response:  Action

Fast forward to 2004, I was running a branch in Tempe, AZ and I was on an active quest for great leadership, effective communication and professional satisfaction.  I had received my coaching certification and every interaction with a team member, coworker or client was a place for service, an opportunity for growth and a chance to live more fully as “a fearless leader igniting the sparkle in people’s eyes.”

I was having lots of meetings in my office those days, but these meetings had a slightly different tone.

As Heather was promoted to a higher-paying position in another division she had some feedback to convey.

“I really mean it when I say that the hardest part of leaving was to know that you were not going with me. Thank you for making me feel I can reach my full potential and that I should never stop pushing myself to be the best I can be.”

Brenda had a few choice words herself as she was on her way out the door, promoted to the onsite position she had actively pursued and won.

“Joelle is by far the most personable, vivacious, understanding and knowledgeable manager. She has always made a fun work environment, she is excellent with people and has a wonderful, true caring personality.” (Take THAT Doris!)

Feedback Delivered:

Response: Do the happy dance!

Even reading this today I am a little in awe at how far I have come. 

I share this journey with you for a couple of reasons. 

1) First of all, I have always wanted to share the “trained monkeys” story, it was so absolutely brutal to receive at an already devastating time in my life but it is a part of my story and in the telling of it I cracked myself up and hopefully helped you realize that no case is hopeless. 

2) Secondly I want to demonstrate how we all start somewhere.  Whatever feedback you are getting now in your life, consider it a gift, something to help you grow. 

And remember, if you don’t get the lesson the first time, don’t worry, it will come around to hit you upside the head again sooner or later (at this point in our lives my friends and I have made it a habit to get the message when it is a tap on the shoulder instead of waiting until it is a brick flying at your head.)

3) Finally, as I look back at my personal path from controlling, abrasive and avoidant to fearless and loving leader, I see it as an example of our capacity to grow in the direction of our desires. 

I never wanted to be a jerk boss or a freakishly annoying coworker – I just didn’t know how to do any different.  The feedback received along the way gave me an awareness of how I was showing up in the world and with that awareness came the opportunity to make a new choice; a choice to adjust, to learn, to seek my inner leader, grow into a higher version of myself and reap the rewards.

The Invitation:

The idea of feedback being a gift was first presented to me by Jim W. an internal trainer at Manpower.  This one idea radically changed the exchange of information in our office and opened the door to a world of growth.

Whether it’s a direct message a la “trained monkey’s” or more subtle like the whole family secretly feeding your casserole to the dog, take a deep breath, and remember, feedback is a gift if you dare to receive and unwrap. 

May all your feedback come to you from a place of love and may you have the strength and courage to find the lesson before the bricks start flying.

XO

Joelle

Twenty year from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. 
So throw off the bowlines. 
Sail away from the safe harbor. 
Catch the trade winds in your sails. 
Explore. Dream. Discover.                         ~ Mark Twain

Hi guys!

A month ago my good friend Leslie called in an impassioned state.

She had just come from a business meeting where they’d created “bucket lists” and having left with only “3 measly things” on her list she was looking for a way to bulk it up a bit.

She asked me to facilitate a Bucket List Party at her place and I was a HUGE “YES!” A bucket list designed around your passions can powerfully support you living an extraordinary life and, of course, I’m all about that! (It also didn’t hurt that Leslie promised to make her signature Cosmos.)

The 20 women who joined us enthusiastically embraced the challenge and in two hours of creativity, play and cosmo-infused bravado they produced some amazing life adventures!

The best part of all was to see Leslie, beaming, proudly waving her robust list in the air. Mission accomplished.

I wrote my own list that night and no sooner had those dreams hit the paper, the opportunities began showing up all around me. (Life rocks that way.)

Are you ready to build your bucket list?

I’ve got 2 ways for you to do it.

1) Read this week’s article (below), grab an hour for yourself and build that list!

OR

2) Join me and the Life Makers Mastermind For The Bucket List Party on Wednesday August 11 at 12:00-1:00 EST and we will build your list together. SIGN ME UP

Making it happen,

Joelle

Building the Bucket List

1) You Name It

Let’s face it. The term “Bucket List” is, at best, a little uninspired and, at worst, downright morbid. When I hear “Bucket List” I immediately generate images of crotchety old men and even the phrase “kick the bucket” seems a crass and insensitive term for the end of a life.  Step 1 is to name your list something that excites and moves you.

Perhaps it will be your “Extraordinary life list” or “My Top 100 “or “Living life to the fullest”. Your list, you name it.

2) Dare To Be Bold

To make a juicy list worthy of your life, you will want to come at this with an open mind, flexibility and a willingness to be bold.

As ideas come to you, don’t label, judge or doubt them. If you want to do it, write it down.

Dare to be risky and think big. Write down stuff that excites you and simultaneously scares the heck out of you, and you have the beginnings of a list that will change your life!

2) Don’t Worry About The “How”

Now is not the time to worry about how you are going to make your list happen.  Trying to figure it out is only going to block your creative flow, so skip it.

It is not your job to know, you have a whole lifetime to figure that out and you cannot imagine what will transpire between now and then to bring the items on your list into being.

I would go so far as to say that if you only put down things that you already know how to do, the things you are certain you can make happen, then you are missing the point and robbing yourself of a real opportunity to add juice to your life.

 
3) Embrace Your Awesomeness

Enough prep, it’s time to get those juices flowing.

On a blank piece of paper write down 3-5 amazing things that you have already accomplished, seen or experienced in your life.  These are things that, had you made a bucket list in 2nd grade, they would have made the list.

It may be:
 

- finding the love of your life

- Going to Disney World

- Having a baby

- Seeing the great wall of china

- Parasailing

One of mine was definitely the up close and personal moment with two Killer whales in British Columbia last summer. (We were in Kayaks, they were within 15 feet of us, it was AMAZING!)

4) Let it All Out:

Now you have an inkling of your capacity to do amazing things, it is time to start coming up with items for your list. You likely already have ideas mulling around in your head, those long seeded dreams, that trip through the Australian outback by camel, that shiny red Corvette that has been calling to you since you were seven. Write anything that comes up. 

Remember: Your bucket list is not just for exotic travel locations or bungee jumping, it is the list for everything that you want to become, experience and create in your life.

Just let it all out. Get to it!

5) Engage in A little Mind Expansion

Question: How many of you think I can turn a drinking glass into a convertible BMW?

When I asked this question at the bucket list party I did not get too many votes of confidence (ouch!)

So I went on to tell the story of a remarkable young man I interview the other week who turned a novelty red paperclip into…. Get this…. A HOUSE!

Yep! Kyle McDonald began his adventure with one red paperclip on July 12, 2005 and 14 trades and one year later, on July 12, 2006 he got a house in Kipling, Saskatchewan!

Kyle’s story is remarkable while at the same time it is something that anyone with a big idea, passion and gumption can do.

I share this with you to open you up to allowing yourself to write down what you really want, even if it is bizarre or seemingly impossible. 

The airplane would not exist if the Wright brothers hadn’t wanted so desperately to fly.  What do you want desperately? What do you want to experience? What of this world do you want to see?

Write it on your list!

6) Get Your Google On!

To beautifully round out your list it is time to get your "Google on!" or Yahoo or whatever your search engine of choice might be.  Pull up a web browser and try searching for some of these:

“Bucket List Ideas”
“100 things to do before you die”
“Top 100 travel destinations”

Get creative…

You like personal development? Google that.
You like sports and athletics? Google that. 
You like quilting? Google that.

An intimate hour with you and your Google search and you are certain to have enough items on your list to keep you vibrant and adventuring for a lifetime.

Final thoughts:

When my husband turned 40 he wrote a list of things he would do before he was 50. It was a short list that included things like the bachelor party he never had, scuba diving and “lots more whales and dolphins”.  A little background on Jeff – when we went on our honeymoon 3 years ago he abandoned his snorkel buddy (me) because he was just not all right “swimming through the shark’s living room” as he so creatively put it.

I share this with you because less than a year later, while I was facilitating this bucket list party, not only was Jeff out on a boat with “lots more dolphins” but he actually got into the “shark’s living room!!” Repeatedly!

He dove no less than 6 times, two of which were open sea shark dives (you heard me, no cage, scuba diving with sharks!)  To top it all off, while he was there checking off items from his list he was invited on a trip to swim with humpback whales in the Dominican Republic!  And if you look at item #2 on my list below ( I call dibs on manifesting that one!) you know I will be joining him.

You write it down and the universe starts delivering.

It’s time to start writing!!

Join Joelle and the Life Makers Mastermind for a facilitated Bucket List Experience Wednesday August 11, 2010 12:00-1:00 Eastern by phone.  SIGN ME UP!

With Love,

Joelle

My Kick-Butt Amazing Life List

1. See a blue whale
2. See humpbacks breach
3. See humpbacks bubble net
4. Buy my dream house on the lake/ocean
5. Experience my 50th wedding anniversary and be more in love that I am today
6. Understand the very nature of life
7. Have a 10 year wedding celebration/vow renewal that is magical, beautiful, moving and transformative
8. Do a wine and food tour of Italy
9. Stay for 2 weeks – a month in an Italian Village
10. Write a book that touches lives and makes the world a better place
11. See my husband thoroughly and deeply passionate and fulfilled in his work
12. To see my mom find love again
13. Learn to dance (ballroom, hiphop, whatever) and perform regularly on stage
14. Be part of a fun contemporary “up with people” experience or “glee club”
15. Experience my body strong, lean and radiant
16. Have someone make my clothes
17. Have an out of body experience
18. Compete on The Amazing Race
19. Create inspiring/empowering jewelry (and it be a HUGE hit!)
20. Have a healthy happy baby
21. Dance fabulously with my husband
22. Ride horses regularly
23. Go indoor skydiving
24. Bungee jump
25. Ropes course
26. Go fire walking
27. Experience weightlessness
28. Have a meaningful conversation with Alanis Morissette
29. Go white water rafting
30. Share a ski vacation with Jeff
31. Learn how to sew my own clothes
32. Attend a Tony Robbins event
33. Have an organic garden or participate in a community garden
34. Leave a valuable contribution in your area of personal development and life creation
35. Find  a spiritual community
36. Have an outdoor hot tub
37. Road trip up the west coast of America – 2-4 weeks camping and B & B (some major wine tasting in there)
38. Find a spiritual mentor
39. Attend a TED Talk
40. Speak at a TED talk

And much more to come. Have an idea for my list? Leave it in the comments. I am always up for a new adventure!

P.S. If you happen to know a resource to make anything on this list come true, don’t hesitate to leave a note I appreciate any support the universe will deliver. J

HIYA! Coach Joelle here to report that last week I totally crashed and burned in my integrity experiment.

How could such a thing happen?  You ask… And to a coach?!!!
 

Well,
 

I could explain how after a glass of wine, one scoop of gelato is just not sufficient and how when your mother in law makes blueberry cobbler for brunch you eat it, lots of it.
 

I could justify how work has been so busy and exciting that there was just no time to take 15 minutes to meditate (3 days in a row.) 
 

I could tell you that when your spouse’s alarm wakes you up 2 hours early 2 days in a row it’s no wonder everything else goes to pot!
 

I could tell you that but it is all just excuses and nonsense.
 

Don’t get me wrong, I am not beating myself up or being all mean.   My 30 days of living to my highest ideals was a gift to myself after all, not a punishment.   I even called this undertaking an “experiment” with the intention that I would be learning about what it takes to be in integrity with myself. And so after finding several fascinating ways NOT to live up to my highest ideals, it is time to recommit.
 

An often quoted speech from the “Maliwada Human Development Training School”  defines integrity as:
 

“the singularity of thrust of a life committed and ordering every dimension of the self towards that commitment.”
 

“a destinal resolve – a resolve that chooses and sets your destiny and out of which your whole life is ordered.”

If I look honestly, my “destinal resolve” the last few days has been towards being caught up in the world, being a victim to my cravings, making myself sick on blueberry cobbler and living my life confused, wishy washy and a little grumpy.  Nice.
 

Good to know.  

And so, without further whining, excuses or self flagellation, I will reference my original integrity experiment commitment, for there I have written what I chose as my “singularity of thrust” for my life (or at least for these 30 days.)

Clarity

Connection to source

Health

Fearlessness

Love

Oh yah,  I like that much better.

Today I take notice and I readjust myself back on course to engage these final seven days with new clarity and renewed commitment. 

Deep breath….. own your stuff….. recommit…… do what it takes.
 

With love and renewed integrity.
 

Joelle

Well hello!

It is almost bedtime Sunday night but I needed to touch base to let you know that I will be giving a full update of my Integrity Experiment tomorrow.

It has been quite a ride, complete with a colossal crash and burn Friday that I look forward to sharing with you.

Each day I find myself a little more. 

Each day I get a little clearer about what Integrity is and what it means to live in it. 

Each day, the totally stellar ones and the really rough ones, bring with them lessons and illumination (particularly the rough ones.)

My bed calls to me longingly but I will fill you in tomorrow.

Much love and gentle compassion to you in your own walk with integrity.

Joelle