We can consult many fields for information and clues to these answers, including and not limited to, the medical, psychological, astrological, numerological,  various psychic/intuitive realms etc.  As I see it, ALL of these resources are valid and we are very lucky to have them available to us. AND, once you compile your desired information you must sit with it all, solid in knowing that they are all (with the possible exception of some medical info) PROBABILITIES! These probabilities are blended with your free will to create your future. Yes, it’s all great information for you.  AND, YOU are your own map maker. YOU are the ultimate decision maker and you do this with your own FREE WILL.

Take a stand for YOU! Research all areas you feel pulled to learn about…then create a reality worthy of YOU by Engaging Your Free Will!

Note: If you are one who could use a little support and guidance around this…don’t be afraid to seek assistance!  (It’s what I DO as a personal coach)   I know that it is NOT as easy at it seems, and….. you CAN do it!

Whether you know it or not, you are living a life with the gift of being “at choice” with every decision you make. What does this mean? It simply means that you have the amazing ability to truly go inside yourself to find your answers. Go not only into your brain, but into your HEART as well. One of my favorite quotes of all times is this one by Albert Einstein: “The Intuitive Heart is a Sacred Gift, the rational mind it’s faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant…and has forgotten the gift.” To that I would add: And we wonder why life feels less then joyful?

When we make choices, we often ONLY consult our brain. We go there automatically to gather the facts. Unfortunately while we are there, we also gather things like “should” or “supposed to” or “have to”. While up there in our brains and egos, we tend to also stumble into what we make up about other people’s opinions and even what our ego has made up about the issue itself. When we combine only factual information, with “should” or “have to” or “supposed to”, and then pile on a little of what we’ve made up about the issue, we are NOT properly armed to make the best decisions for ourselves. No kidding. We are forgetting to consult with the most knowledgeable part of ourselves! Our Intuitive Heart.

I cordially invite you to drop down into your Heart as well while pondering every decision you make. Consult your inner knower. We all have one! We all have access to wisdom within ourselves that many of us are not aware of….because we “think” our brains have the answers. I believe that our bodies know more than our brains and/ or our egos. Your heart, or the very soul of you, has access to intuition….and that is powerful stuff! When you learn to trust your intuition, your heart, your soul, your inner knower….or whatever you are comfortable calling it….you will make decisions that are truly right for you. You will live more “on purpose”…with more joy and satisfaction in your life. And know that sometimes your heart will inform you AND it can still be difficult to make that informed decision because it may go against what your ego, your brain, or what other people, may want for you. Please always remember….your life is YOUR life. YOU are the only one who owns the privilege of choosing what to do with it. Be Strong, and choose consistent inner dialog with your heart/intuitive center as you follow your JOY.

With Love & Laughter to all,

Leann Maxwell-Burr, CPCC, CSSP

Certified Life Coach & Intuitive Practitioner

www.LeannMaxwellBurr.com

Yes the human face, and in particular women’s faces. I had a past career as a make-up artist. I actually got paid to have fun blending art with people. It was fabulous work….until one day, after WAY too many encounters with “Mother-Of-The-Bride-ZILLA’s”….I had decided to move on.  Let me just say that dealing with the MOTHER’s of these beautiful young women (especially from a certain income bracket) is a torture that NO human should have to endure. I mean seriously…did they REALLY believe that any make up technique could fill in those wrinkles like some magic youth putty? Come ON. LOL.

Today I sit here remembering these women. And….looking at my own newfound crepe-y eyelids, I NOW am beginning to understand where they were coming from. (Still…they didn’t need to be such b*tches, and  yes….I get it)

SO…for those of you in my age bracket that love to play with and wear eye makeup, here are the results from my last couple of weeks of playing:

1. Get a good eye cream….AND USE IT DAILY! Crepe-y lids are a part of life now, and you don’t want them DRY on top of crepe-y. There are a lot of great ones out there…with a wide price range. Just choose one you like that fits your budget. The most important thing is that it is formulated for eyes….and that you USE IT REGULARLY! (I happen to love AVEDA’s Firming Eye Cream)
2. Let us NOT go Brow-less!  Nothing ages us more then not having the proper frame for the windows to our soul! Get a good angle brush and some powder shadow in a half shade darker  than your hair color. Brush just a tad of the powder through your brows to give more definition. This is key: DO NOT start at the inner corner of the brow. This will deposit TOO much color there…which will only add 10 years. Instead…start at the outer edge of your arch, THEN go back and touch up the inner portion of the brow. If you like…Smashbox makes a great “brow wax” to dab onto your brow…which will keep your brows groomed for the entire day.
3. Use a good eye shadow base. My findings here: Clinique touch base is for a younger lid. It’s GREAT on my daughters, however too dry for me. There are many good ones for us older gals, and my favorites: Bare Escentuals Prime Time (great stuff with moderate coverage) and Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer, smooth, creamy, great full coverage.
4. Try Cream Eye shadow! It is wonderful and is a bit more moisturizing then powders….HOWEVER, stay AWAY from metallic. FAR AWAY! It enhances the crepe-y-ness and adds about 15 years. LOL  As far as cream shadows, I have tried many  and returned them all EXCEPT for Bobbi Brown’s cream shadow in “Malted”. This is luscious. It’s a nude color that works wonders as a base color. And her “Bone” is a good highlighter color. There is no shimmer in these, and they apply smooth and creamy….giving a more rested look. (and god knows most of us need this) Powder shadows are fine too….but again, STAY AWAY FROM METALLICS.
5. NO Lower Lid Lining please. Let’s face it….the upper lids are drooping a tad now so let’s not make the eye look smaller by lining the lower lid….leave that to the teens. However, if you take a TINY bit of powder shadow in a color that makes your eyes stand out…rub just a tiny bit along your lower lashes. (this looks great if done with a VERY light hand)
6. Always SMUDGE your liner on the upper lids. A sleek liner on the top lid now only emphasizes the crepes girls…..get a good smudger brush and dip it in a little powder close to your liner color and blur that line. It gives a really soft look…..which is what you want here. Again, stay away from harsh liner.

Here is one exception to the metallic no-no rule. Shimmer…is different than metallic….it is subtle. We still need to be careful with shimmers however…so here is my “Shimmer fix” for when I want a dewy glow….without the aging effects. Once my cream shadow is in place (usually Malted w/bone highlighter) I blend JUST A TINY bit of Smashbox’s  “Artificial Light” onto my lids. This stuff IS GREAT. It LOOKS scary. It is a warm shimmery liquid that is so sheer….that when added to your face in ANY area, it creates a tiny bit of glow…..without actually looking at all metallic. It really does what the name implies! I love it and will never be without it.

And in closing….always remember…LESS is MORE unless you are a highly skilled makeup artist! (and sometimes even then!)

OK…that’s enough from me about make up for middle agers on a Sunday Morning. LOL If I am not ready to leave for the gym in just a couple of minutes, the hubby will leave without me.

Quick….Where is my Artificial Light???

With Love & Laughter AND LIGHT to all….

Leann

I was working with a  client of mine, “T” , about 2 weeks after her father had passed away. While we were engaged in conversation, the name Lawrence appeared in my inner screen. Here is the conversation:

Lee: Who’s Lawrence?

T: Um……oh, my mother’s father’s name was Lawrence.

Lee: ….he seems to be wanting to make himself known. Could he be with your dad?

T: ….SURE! They were very close!

We let that drift by…continued talking about other things and then I got a vision on my inner screen of a large, round belly, with man hands on it….bouncing/jiggling around like he was laughing and jolly or something. (it seemed odd to my logical brain to say the least) I shared the vision with “T”.

She said: Oh my gosh….that is my father’s father…..he played Santa Claus for us every year at xmas…he WAS fat and jolly!

It would appear then that T’s father was back with his father and father in law on the other side. I delight at the thought that her grandfather knew to send a sign that SHE would recognize (fat jolly belly) even though my brain would register it as odd.

For those of you who pick stuff up like this….never “judge” what you get….just allow it and let it flow in!

Love & Laughter to all.

I recently joined Ediets….which is a wonderful site that offers lots of options and for me, it is about re-learning healthy nutrition and habits. Not that I don’t know this stuff…indeed I do. It is just that I am very much a free spirit….not all that aligned with following routine if you know what I mean, so I am using it as a method of accountability. I have a little blog over there….which I have posted on twice so far. Amazingly, I had a number of folks comment back and friend me, stating that they find me both motivational and…funny. Who knew? SO…I thought why not post those posts here as well. Here are the first two, and from this point forward I will copy them in this section here as well in the event that they may entertain and make you smile!

#1:  “DIDN’T I HAVE A BELLY RING DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE?

Oh where or where has my belly ring gone….oh where or where can it beeeeee?????

OK. Today is the day. The universe has aligned a magical week of TIME for me to get all about me. About my self-care that is. (was supposed to have jury duty and voila…they settled! so my calendar is amazingly clear!)

I did Ediets years ago…and lost 17 pounds. It works. I like it. NOW at almost 48 I am up to 169….my most voluminous self ever. I have officially too much middle-aged middle to fit into most of my clothes. And SO….I begin again. I am starting to work out again too….rejoined the gym.

One thing I have committed to myself which I think will be fun….is that while on this journey…I do not WAIT for 140 pounds to look great. I WILL pull together some great looks (outfits/accessories/hair and makeup) right now….every day. I am worthy…I am a gift of the universe after all! Yesterday I make a grey sweatshirt look amazing with the addition of a beautiful scarf and some rose quartz and silver earrings! Today….dont know what I’ll create yet because I am sitting her tying in my pj’s…and it will be something cute. I shopped the winter clearance sales for a few cute things in a larger size to this will be possible….next winter…off to salvation army they will go, because they will be too big!

I feel like in the past…I have gotten on that “when I get to 140 I will….” wagon. I think a lot of women (and maybe men) do this to themselves….and it is not right! We are ALL worthy of love…and looking great….at ANY weight! It is our birthright.

Well, that’s it for now…I have to go re-learn the diet…..

I Love me!

#2 “WHOLE WHEAT CRACKERS HAVE MAGICAL POWERS, RIGHT?”

So as I was eating that handful of Wheatsworth crackers last night, I made up that because I was combining them with red wine…they’d have some mystical magical powers what would absorb all of the crap contained in the box of Good & Plenty I ate while at the movies with my daughter! That works, right? LOL

Well, here I am ….tomorrow is my 1st weigh in. I am not exactly optimistic….because I pretty much blew the week with a wildly happy day of eating whatever I wanted yesterday. Hey…I was in a good mood…what can I say…I am a JOY eater! And, I shouldn’t think that a 48 year old can eat what an athletic 15 year old can eat and not have it show up on my middle. In addition to my daughter…there is my husband…who is REALLY GOOD at keeping routines, including healthy eating and working out…and I am not so much. I am more of a free spirit. And let me tell you…when I say he is routine…..if you looked in his underwear drawer…you’d see neatly folded goods. No kidding! On the other hand…my drawer is a colorful array of crazy fun…all fluffed up and tangled in a beautiful messy art-form! Anyway, my point is, that I am NOT so good with routine. And this 1st week proves it.

However, I refuse to beat myself up for it….I am after all, divinely human. And there is still the same physical volume of me to love today as there was last week!

Reality check: I gradually fell OFF the wagon…so it’s ok that it will be a gradual climb back on. I do not view this 1st week as a failure….I view it as a warm up! I DID get something out of it. I re-learned the basics of how to use this site (though I am still learning) AND I re-acquainted myself with the plan. That is progress!

Looking forward to seeing what progress I am able to make in week 2….while honoring that I am wonderfully human!

Much Love & Laughter to all who read….

Leann

So I am moved to write today because of something a dear friend of mine wrote a day or two ago. He wrote about owning ALL sides of himself. The enlightened one AND the online game addict. (very readers digest extreme paraphrase there)

I started thinking about my life. I have MANY interests and passions. I am not one to “do the grind” of what is “expected” of me by anyone. I tend to dance a jig to my own inner drummer. It’s how my energy flows. And I own it. Except…… that I find that there are little pieces of me here and there that my gremlin says thing about like “well, that’s not a mind-blowing enlightened thing to do…what will people think of you if you “just” do that?”

I then argue back with my little inner demon…”just?  did you say JUST? Are you kidding me? Step back B*aaaatch and get YOUR issues out of MY way!”

Here is what triggered my little inner demon. I happen to love, and I mean LOVE things that are colorful and creative, and that feed my soul. I indulge in them. In specific for me, it is jewelry. I’ve been making it for years, occasionally I sell it, yet most recently I have fallen in love with a line that because it is a tad pricey, I became a rep to get a discount and have found that I LOVE sharing it with other women.  Top this off with the fact that I am also a huge fan of creating a warm, enveloping feeling of love in my home, which is partially created with scent, and so I am a huge fan of candles etc., and…my love affair with a line of wickless candles, landing me in a rep “job” with this company as well. Again I love sharing it with others who like it as well. I love the connections with like souls….it feels GOOD to mine! And I meet a lot of wonderful people….

So a friend of mine said to me last week…..”I thought you are a Life Coach?”  I replied “yes, I am.” She said “then why are you bothering doing these other things?” My answer: “Because I love them…they make my soul sing”. She says “you’d rather do sales then coach?” I said “I dont “do sales“…I dont sell   by standard definition of the word….I share something I am passionate about, and the products sell themselves.  AND I coach, which I also love.”   In addition to these passions, I also kept a portion of one of my old careers and have an amazing bunch of women (for the last 15 years) who I still do their nails. (I call them the Magnificent Divas) YES FOLKS…I am also a nail technician! I can create a competition quality set of acrylic nails! (and yes…there ARE such competitions!)

As I am writing this I am realizing that over the past few years, while in training for Coaching, Leadership and various metaphysical studies….I had been denying this creative side of myself in public. This is similar to when I left my Accounting career to got to cosmetology school and my father nearly had a heart attack!  You see, when it was time to go to college, I wanted to study art and social work, and my father said NO WAY…you need to be able to feed yourself now go study accounting and business. I was 18. I said “OK”.  I had a good career in that field for years. So you can imagine his shock at my decision to follow my soul’s desire. Fact is, it turned out to be a journey of LOVE as I created an amazing sanctuary of a spa/salon and I also showed my father  that I could make a living with a brush in my hand. (for me it was the acrylic sculpting brush that got me high…no pun intended…LOL) And isn’t any job in the cosmetology field THE combination of Art and Social Work? YES it is indeed.

So….here I am again. I AM still following my hearts desires….I love being a rep for Silpada Designs (jewelry) and for Scentsy (wickless candles) and I love to Coach. And I still love doing nails too. I’ve noticed that I havent been talking about these other parts of me so much within my professional coaching community. I had made up the assumption that they all feel so f*cking serious and intense…and my playful artsy side will be frowned upon. YEP…that is what I had made up.

Today I am here to say….I dont care. I am me. I am playful, creative and artsy….and I COACH. Perhaps not in the same way many others do….and so what.

What I am realizing as I am wrapping up today’s post….is that nowhere in here did it come forward that I was holding back my intuitive side….huh. That is interesting. That no longer feels like an issue…I can own that now and it must be integrated as it never even occurred to me to be connected to my little gremlin as it was so strongly before. I love that!

Bottom line folks: OWN yourself and ALL that makes up you. DO NOT be concerned with what others might think. If you are passionate about something….if it feeds your soul…sing it out. And do not be surprised when like souls enter you circle….it is meant to be.

WhaaaaHooo!

I was raised to believe that hard work (and being able to take care of yourself)  is what is important in life. This is in part because I was raised in what I now refer to as “survival mode”.  My father was disabled when I was 8 and I am one of 5 kids, so long arduous story short…I was told in my senior year of HS that as soon as I graduated, that I needed to immediately get an entry level job in a good corporation with full benefits, and to start paying room & board. And so at 18, I did. Not complaining, this is what our family situation called for. From there, I’ve worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time for most of my life and by the grace of god, I’ve always been successful at what I’d chosen to do. And I’ve always had fun.

Fast forward MANY years, a ton of stress (lol) and two great, almost grown, kids later….and I find myself at midlife with time to reflect on my life, both past experiences and future possibilities. You would think that having the resources to finally take a few months off the hamster wheel of life would be a happy joyous, gleeful time…..and yet, it took me a month to settle into! My worry gremlins were all over my ass saying things to me like “what the hell are you doing!?”, “you cant afford to do this!”, “you’re a big nobody!” “who ARE you!?” “Get back to work and do it NOW!” “You’re lazy!” “You’re a slacker!” “You’re getting fatter by the minute!” (that one is actually true….my advice to anyone who enters this transition place….KEEP MOVING your body even when you dont know where you are going in life! This is especially important for us women who are hitting midlife…. I am not sure who’s body that IS when I look in the mirror because it sure doesn’t look familiar to me…and that is a whole different post for another day. LOL)

Anyway, I spent the 1st month of this precious gift of time deeply steeped in the worry zone. Worried about the future. Worry, worry and more worry…about everything “unknown”. This came as a surprise to me, as I have always been a great crisis manager. Anything that could possibly happen in life…DID, and I could handle it! I know now, that this way of thinking and living was about survival, and while it’s great to be skilled in this area, it is NOT the same thing as being …..or living with ease…..especially, in the complete unknown. THIS is a way of being, that is new to me. I DO have an deep inner knowing that I’ve got full trust and faith in the universal unknown, and yet my intellect has trouble with it.

Becoming more present to my life and everything in it, I decided would be something to explore….while residing in this “gift of time” space. Hmmmmm. What would that require?

First off, I decided that it would require a laptop-ectomy. I no longer turn on my 5th appendage early in the morning. I come first. Meaning my morning rituals, and a cup of coffee withmy husband before he and my daughter leave the house. This gave me back about 5 hours a day or so it seems. (SO distracting is the web, with email and facebook and twitter….geez! We can easily become e-stressed while hiding from our realities THERE for hours! Come to think of it, I could likely become a millionaire by just creating a 12 step program around e-addiciton!….and this again, is a complete different post)

The second thing I decided to do, was to get OUTSIDE more. Simply taking a walk, is a great way to re-ground ourselves. And it’s free. (that was for my money gremlin!) Another benefit of taking a walk, is that we can engage in HUMAN CONNECTION! This is essential for our well being, and I dont care what anyone says, you dont get HUMAN connection from the internet. (interactions or more appropriately transactions yes, but true connection, NO)

And, finally….what has REALLY brought my awareness to the true gift of complete presence (in my “gift of time” space)…..is Batman. Batman is a 9 week old Shih Tzu. (hell, my eggs are dead, may as well BUY a baby!) He is SO damn cute and precious. And he requires my complete attention. And while I’ve had dogs in my past, I have never has this kind of time…to devote to a puppy. I am feeling gleeful. What I am finding interesting is that I can be focused on him, AND be at peace around where my life is right now. He is this little precious being…. unconditional love, with sharp tiny teeth. He is a great companion. (I am spending WAY more time outside!) He is not  a distraction around my contemplating my future….AND he is the catalyst for me stepping more fully into precence at this time in my life. I am completely engaged in his care and training and just loving him up. NO time to worry about the opinions of my damn gremlins!  All of those “you should be doing something!” messages….have WAY less of an effect on me now. I am currently enjoying this wonder of life. And, I am currently good with the unknowns of my future.

And….IN the future, when Batman will require slightly less of me and I move forward in my life….I’ll have a little companion to enjoy the journey with me!   Note to self: Shop for a doggy seat belt, ….it’s going to be quite a ride!

(my camera wont upload to my computer at the moment….picture of Batman to follow. He is black and white with a black “batman-like” mask, hence his name)

I’ve been in a bit of a funk as of late. I’ve recently finished a year long, rather intensive, retreat based leadership program, and am now in a space of “just being” for a bit of time. My soul loves to connect and play, so my “just being” needs a tad of adjustment so that I’m more fully honoring the connection/play piece of me. I know this to be true, because in addition to feelings of mild isolation, my unbalanced state is showing up in my body in the form of inflammation and achiness which can be tied to nothing else.

A friend of mine (and Mentor) had suggested to me that I should check out a program called InterPlay. She’s been suggesting this for almost a year. She says that based on my personality and soul type, I would LOVE it. I have neglected her suggestions until today.

So here is what I find interesting. I went online to check out the program, found that there is a bi-weekly class about an hour from me, and checked my schedule to see what I’d have to move around to make this happen. Yep I can do this. I will make the call tomorrow. I then head upstairs to my office to wait for a client, and notice that as I am heading up the stairs….my body feels really good. Light. Effortless movement. VERY DIFFERENT then I’ve been feeling for the past few weeks! Is it my imagination?

As I step into my office, still thinking about how good I felt physically (all of a sudden and seemingly out of nowhere) I get an urge to pick up a deck of my oracle cards and start shuffling. As I shuffle and start asking my guides for whatever info they have for me today….a card flies out of the deck and lands face up on the floor. And what do you suppose it said? ….. “INSTANT FEEDBACK” Ta Da! I started laughing, looked up and said “NO SHIT!” (My guides do not care if I swear) I stood there laughing, now with complete knowledge and trust, that this class is something that will enhance my life in ways I have yet to discover. Can’t wait to go.

LOVE the Mind-Body-Spirit connection! LOVE my Guides! And love Instant Feedback! Are you listening to YOURS?

PS: So, just as I go to post this, I had the urge to grab the deck to make SURE the wording was in fact “Instant Feedback”. I had intended to look through the deck one by one to find THAT card again since it had been shuffled back in…..and in my haste, a group of cards fell to the floor face down. I picked them up and turned them over…..and I’ll let YOU guess what words I stood there looking at. YEP…AGAIN! “Instant Feedback”! My JOY Guides Rock.

Here is the clip, ENJOY!

I got one today from a company that I know I have “unsubscribed” from before. So, today I quickly checked them out, confirmed for myself that I am not currently interested in their services and proceeded to follow their un-subscribe procedure.  During the procedure I was asked to give a reason for my action. So I did. I wrote the following in the box:

“It’s really nothing personal. I am not even sure who you are and do not recall signing up for your mailings. It may be that I did, yet I do not remember. In any case, I am cleaning out the email clutter and wish to be removed. ”  (or something very close to this)

Here is what I got back from them as a confirmation. I think it’s actully set into their auto-responder…

You have been unsubscribed from our newsletters and all contact lists.

  This is the last email you will receive from us. We have added you to our “blacklist”, which means that our system will refuse to send you any other email, without manual intervention by our administrator.

I am sitting here laughing. So, here is a company who is trying to build a bunch of loyal customers (who will REFER people to them), and when you ask to be removed from a list that you never signed up for in the 1st place…they “BLACKLIST” you!   WOW….what fabulous people skills!  I’ll be sure to remember them when I AM ready for their line of services. And what really amazes me here…is that the 3 guys who have created and run this business are, according to their bio’s,…all top business and marketing executives/ consultants.   LOL

The kind hearted person in me wants to point out to them that their choice of words in this procedure is…well,  just a tad less then customer service friendly. And yet, I’ve already expended enough energy in their direction. This was my chuckle for the day.

Off to Smile at Strangers now…..

Much Love & Laughter to anyone who reads this.

L