So It's Your Birthday!

LIVE...This week is an exciting week for me. My birthday is coming up and while I usually just try to see my birthday as another day. I have decided to stretch my thinking this year... This year I want to do something ON my birthday to celebrate the fact that I am alive, healthy and able. My first plan for the year was to go canyoneering ON my birthday...However, due to scheduling we opted to go canyoneering later in the week. So I am going skiing for my birthday, spending a day out on the slopes just having fun and playing with my family. The thought of it really brings joy to my heart.

LOVE...For me to switch my "keep it low key" mentality, I really had to allow myself to start looking at what kind of message I was sending. Previously, my mentality was to try to be invisible for my birthday. Rather than trying to do something that nurtured my soul. So this year for my birthday, I will nurture my soul and allow myself to celebrate the abundance of love (and health) I have for myself and others.

LEAP... Say today is YOUR birthday... What would you do to nurture your soul? Think about it...dream it...feel it.

Until next time...Live, Love and Leap!

Jodi

Life Changing Moments...

Live...The last few days I have been asked some really good questions...One of them was "What brings you joy?"...The other question was about life changing moments...So how do these two questions fit together?

When I was asked about life changing moments...I thought about when I was almost 16, we had a school dance in January. The weather got bad and my friend and I decided to call our parents and get permission to stay the night where we were. They agreed. The following morning we got into the car, my friend, my date and I. The road seemed fine until we were getting ready to exit. The car spun out of control and we hit a pole with a concrete base about half the size of the car. I was in the back seat, sitting in the middle. When the car hit the pole from the rear...the glass from the rear window blew through the car and I had glass in my hair and my clothes. We were all quite lucky...even though I had a concussion and whip lash. It took about a year and a half for the pain in my neck to subside.

BUT...My biggest memory of the accident...my friend's mom looked at both of us and said, "Thank God! You hit it backwards! If you would have been going forward Jodi would have died." As it turns out, if we would have hit the pole from the front I would have been ejected from the car.

I simply cannot imagine my life stopping at 16.

Love...So having experienced a potentially life threatening car accident...What is MY joy? My joy comes from helping. I love to help people, animals and the land in which we live. It is the smallest act of love I can provide to others that bring me the greatest joy. One of these small acts of love is this blog...I write it to give others the opportunity stop, think and "leap" into new directions. It is one of my loves I share with others.

Leap...Having lived through the car accident, I have learned "leaps" look different at different times in our lives. So my question to you is...What "leap" do you need to take for this week? Do you want to stop and show the love you have for someone else? Do you want to take a minute and show love to yourself? What about showing love to the land that we live? What would it take to make a "leap" in this direction? Or animals...what "leap" could you make this week that would provide love to an animal...domestic or wild?

What ever you choose, it is YOURS to give!

Until next time...Live, Love and Leap!

Jodi

Good Goals...

"A good goal should SCARE you a little.

And EXCITE you A LOT!"

Joe Vitale

LIVE...So the new year has begun. What have you decided to do with it? Have you created the goals you really want to achieve.... OR.... Are you sitting back in fear, thinking that what you really want is impossible to achieve? Is doubt filling the space between you and your dreams? Are limited thoughts, poised as reality, keeping you from taking the initial "leap" of acknowledging your dreams? What would happen if you created goals that were aligned with the "what" and "where" you really want to be?

LOVE...Every time we allow doubt and fear to disconnect us from our dreams, our relationship with our "self" suffers. We show ourselves less empathy and more apathy...this disconnect can lead us to moments of disappointment, distrust, and anger or frustration with ourselves. We can change these moments and make them into a new moment... One where we choose to love ourselves and show ourselves the empathy, compassion and encouragement we would show others.

LEAP... So here we are... Are you ready to take the first "leap"....and acknowledge your true goals and aspirations? Remember...How long it would take and how big the goal is really doesn't matter. Being true to yourself by being in alignment with your self... AND... allowing yourself to take the first "leap" in a series of "leaps" is the most loving gift you can give your "self." So go on and create the goal of YOUR lifetime.