Make the Vision for Your Life Your Reality
Hey guys! I let you in on a sneak peak of my desk area the other day and got some inquiries about what the rest of my bedroom looked liked. Here’s the whole story behind my collab with LensCrafters for a room that promotes eye health (and being totally zenned out).
B A L A N C E is NOT one size fits all – it’s a journey for each of us and a conversation between us and our inner guidance system. I’ve gone through so many stages on my journey to finding balance and I felt the need to say something because I think some mixed messages about balance are confusing and misleading. I used to eat fast food every once in a while when I was in college because I thought that was “balanced” and even more recently I would treat myself to a vegan, gluten free cookie whenever I desired because I’d say “hey – balance.” What I’ve come to learn is that balance is NOT about supporting an institution I don’t believe in (fast food companies) or feeding myself toxic substances (processed, refined foods) – balance is about LOVING my body whatever shape it is and putting in it only things that I know will nourish it. Balance is never about poisoning my body because “F it! It’s Friday!” so let me eat that food regardless of what it’s doing to my body. For ME, balance is not about having the occasional sugary treat – I have learned that I can not handle it. I don’t feel balanced when I consume sugar, I become an addict and crave more and more and more.
Balance is about knowing myself.
I’m in no way trying to shame anyone who has a different version of balance – please I’ve been there, too! I’ve eaten the cheeseburger with a milkshake and treated myself to ice cream in the name of balance for years before I came to where I’m at today and I don’t regret a minute of it! It was all part of my path to where I am today.
It’s okay to be wherever you are because balance is not one size fits all – balance is finding what works for you right now and loving yourself where you’re at while being willing to see how that evolves.
Don’t listen to what works for me or anyone else when it comes to defining balance for yourself! Go inside, check in with your body, surrender your pre-conceived notions and ask what balance looks like for you!
Some thoughts for you ponder on your quest to define your own balance..
Maybe right now balance feels like being able to have that cheeseburger and fries when you crave it. So be it! Perhaps for you balance is NOT having that cheeseburger and fries because of how awful you feel afterwards. Only YOU truly know what’s going on with you and where you’re at right now.
Is balance getting 8 hours of sleep or is balance getting 5 hours of sleep during the week and then sleeping in on the weekends? For me, it’s somewhere in between. I do my best to get as much sleep during the week but really look forward to decadently relaxing weekends.
For me balance has A L O T do with alone time. I get the energy sucked right out of me if I’m spending too much time at social gatherings during the week. I need ample time to recharge my energy supplies or I feel completely depleted. This is a relatively recent development for me because I used to be someone that loved being around people all the time and was petrified of alone time. It’s only now that I truly love myself and my own company that I feel very restored by my alone time.
When does exercise feel GOOD and when does exercise feel like punishment? This was another part of my finding balance. I started moving when my body felt like it and stopped pushing it to the point of exhaustion because I thought that’s what I should do. My body likes to try different things, new classes, it loves cardio and yoga but it doesn’t like schedules or feeling like it *has* to do anything. Where do you find your balance when exercising?
The biggest tool for me in finding my balance and in enriching the dialogue between me and my highest self (or inner guidance) has been my meditation. Take some time now or later tonight to sit in stillness, put on a guided meditation or just some relaxing music and spend some time in meditation on the subject. Bring the thought of balance to your meditation and then release it. After your meditation is up (10-20 minutes ideally) then journal for a few minutes on what balance is to you. See what your higher self says to you and lovingly adjust accordingly.
Mentors, role models and inspiring people in our field are great and can be extremely valuable but at the end of the day, you need to find what’s right for YOU or it will be exhausting and draining. I’ve seen this a lot in my sessions recently with wellness entrepreneurs – “so and so is doing this so I should do that”. HOLD UP. It’s valuable to get inspiration from other leaders in your field but they are where they are because they are listening to their own ✨r h y t h m. It’s time to find yours! When I work with people I really aim on getting them in tune with what is going to be of highest good for them and sometimes that’s not at all how I went about it in my own path. I was blessed in the beginning of my journey by not being exposed to anyone else who was doing what I was doing. I was not yet in this world so I didn’t really know what everyone else was doing and felt like I was “winging it” with only my internal guidance system to direct me. It wasn’t until later that I started to learn what other people were up to that I started to get distracted from my own beat. I tried to wake up at crazy early hours or hold certain structure in my business that was NOT me and I felt it majorly. It wasn’t until I turned back to myself and marched to the beat of my own drum that I could truly embrace flow, abundance and joy. I hope this inspires you to dance to your own rhythm. Xo, C ✨#LightMaker 
Stop trying to force those flowers to bloom. You know who you are. You’re pushing, you’re not trusting and you’re trying to control the gestation process of all those seeds you’ve planted before spring came. It’s okay, I’ve been there, I’ve muscled through an idea to make a project come to life before it’s due date, a lot of us have. We’ve all also probably noticed that the most magical things, the biggest game changers in our lives happen in their own time. You plant the seed, you realize your intention or desire and then you surrender it to the universe and trust that you’ll be moved to make moves when it’s ready to come to form. When we allow ourselves to be the soil, we create favorable conditions for which something can blossom but get out of its way for natural growth. This week, take a look at the flowers in your life you may be forcing to blossom and the ones that seem to be blossoming on their own. Surrender your control over the process and instead focus on making yourself the container (soil) for optimal growth. Meditate, fuel your body with nourishing food and take time for self care. Today a flower is blossoming on a seed I’ve had in the soil for quite sometime I can honestly tell you if it had sprung up any sooner because of my own coaxing it would not be as magical as it came to be in its own time. Surrender to your spring. Trust the process. Happy Monday! Xo,C ✨#LightMaker
We can learn a lot from the ocean but what stood out to me today as I was walking along the beach recording a meditation for one of my clients, was the tides. High tide, low tide and that in between transition period are so much like our lives. We have times when we’re busier, work is going well, romance is exciting and money is flowing abundantly – our own personal high tides. Then we have times where things don’t seem to be going our way, we are experiencing difficulties or perhaps just not seeing a lot of action in our lives – our low tides. Yet the ocean doesn’t worry during a low tide if it will ever be high tide again, it knows that for every low tide, comes a high tide. What if you started to embrace the tides of your life with total trust that for as far as the tide went out it would always come back in? It would allow you to be at peace exactly where you are. Our lives are like the tides, they have their own ebbs and flow yet unlike nature we tend to fight the tide. We push, we get frustrated with ourselves – we’re trying to direct the ocean and we wonder why we feel so exhausted and depleted! I spent years pushing for a high tide, I pushed so hard I could never even tell when it actually came. It wasn’t until I got so exhausted, so depleted from all this forcing that I had to completely surrender – I stopped fighting the tides and just floated with them. What do you know, I started experiencing more high tides than ever before. I embraced the high tides (filming in LA, getting a bunch of clients, doing speaking engagements) and I cherished my low tides when things slowed down and I enjoyed the down time. I relaxed, I rested, I gave birth to new creative endeavors and I was able to restore my energy because I knew that a high tide was just around the corner. My life flows like the ocean and I no longer see one tide as better than another but both important parts to the ebb and flow that is my life! Xo, C ✨#LightMaker #oceanmusings
That’s right, NOW, not after you go on that cleanse or when you lose five pounds, LOVE YOUR BODY NOW. Stop waiting for some outside circumstance to give you permission to love it! This lesson came up again after years while I was in Paris. After spending years hating my body, torturing my body, crying for my body to be different, when I was in college I finally made the flip. One semester my food allergies made me so sick that I actually started to care for my body. I choose to nourish it, to love it and to appreciate it for doing its thing so divinely. Since then my love and appreciation for my healthy body has grown tremendously in recent years as I’ve watched loved ones struggle with their health. Yet still, I’m human, and sometimes these things come up again for us to heal even further. In Paris, quite frankly, the food made me feel gross. I felt heavy, bloated and even got a terrible allergic reaction one night. As I was laying in bed that night after a warm shower, uncomfortable in my own skin and not feeling a whole lot of love for my body, I got the message CHOOSE LOVE EVEN NOW. And I did, and my body is still recovering from Paris and I am choosing to love it in each moment. I am grateful for this magnificent vessel I’m on this planet in, this healthy, working machine. My body is far from perfect but it’s mine and I keep choosing to love it, as it is right now. The more you love your body now, the more you’ll be guided to make loving choices for it. You’ll be guided towards the food and activities that make it feel good and nourish it. Eating and exercise becomes pleasurable and not punishment because your making your choices from love not fear. So stop waiting for the “after” picture, love what IS right now because the way to true transformation, boundless energy and body that glows is through love. Xo, C ✨#LightMaker #letfoodLIGHTyouup #eatwithintention
Ah, last night’s Dead Sea salt and lavender bath was divine after an intense yoga workshop in the afternoon. It was interesting to reflect on how different my weekends have been since my early twenties. Just a few years ago my weekends were full of dinner, drinks and then a hungover brunch & repeat, a good weekend meant little to no alone time for me. I’d lay in bed Sunday night feeling totally drained yet my FOMO would prevent me from ever saying no to plans the next weekend. I was so caught up in my ego and what I thought I should be doing instead of what I actually wanted. It wasn’t until I started on my spiritual journey that I was able to release the “fear of missing out” – now I know that I’ll be guided to the events I need to be at and people I need to see. Doesn’t mean I don’t go to dinners or brunch on the weekend ever but it does mean I choose what feels expansive. I know how alone time is divine and truly deeply rejuvenating. I cherish my alone time these days and everything in my life (career, relationships, etc) has blossomed because I finally started scheduling ME into the calendar. Happy Sunday lightmakers, I hope you schedule some YOU time for today! Xo, C ✨#LightMaker
Ah, Paris! How I fell in love with your beautiful architecture, the magic of your lights at night and your cafe lined streets. It truly felt like I spent another lifetime with you, from standing inside Notre-Dame, to sitting at Cafe De fleur and reading Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast”, I truly loved spending time with you.
However, I also have some bones to pick with you, Paris. First of all, did you not get the memo that smoking kills? It’s completely disgusting the amount of people who still think it’s (gasp) still chic to smoke? Really?!! Looks like total self-hatred to me. Cancer isn’t cool and it was a major bummer that I could barely breathe while sitting outside in your cafes because so many people think this self destructive behavior is “fashionable”. The 80s are over Paris, I’m disappointed in you. Secondly, wow you made me grateful to be a New Yorker on the eating front. Bread and refined carbs on every corner and a struggle to find a green juice in a walking radius. Luckily, I had some amazing friends there and was lead to your farmers markets and the cute little whole in the wall juice places that do exist but it certainly made me realize how lucky I am for my east village plant based haven over here in NY.
I’m not trying to hate on you Paris, but perhaps *despecialize* you a tad from this beautiful, golden, dream city so many people think of you as. I had a lovely time roaming your streets, writing in your coffee shops and enjoying your river and canals. I actually found your people extremely friendly, granted I know a tad bit of french and that was quite helpful, but overall I never had a rude encounter in my time there. The hot chocolate at “Angelina’s” was literally divine and perfect for walking along the Seine and traipsing across your gardens. “Bob’s Juice Bar” hit the spot every time I was craving my green nectar and Cafe Pinson had some life saving almond milk matcha lattes when one too many spots looked at me with four-heads for asking for a non-dairy milk. Montmarte and Sacre-Coeur were absolutely magical, being on top of the hill gazing down on all of Paris, nothing short of breathtaking. Oh, and all the angels in Sacre-Coeur made me feel like I was walking through a different time and space. You gave me shivers multiple times.
I love that everyone sits outside at cafes and people watching is an everyday occurrence. Overall, your vibe was much more relaxed. To-go places are few and far between because “why not sit for a few minutes while you ENJOY your coffee” – don’t worry I realize there are somethings my beloved NYC could take a few notes from you from as well. Honestly, your gluten free pastries far surpass much I’ve tasted on this side of the pond (shhhh!!).
Paris, I know you are still on your journey and I look forward to you making more healthy advances before my next visit. Your architectural beauty will continue to enchant my dreams, the spirit inside your cathedrals will stay strong in my heart and the lounging in cafe lifestyle you exude’ s impact will continue over here for me in my favorite NYC cafes where smoking is not allowed and almond milk lattes are the norm. 🙂
Now let’s talk about the juicy stuff, the stuff that only comes up when you’re traveling by yourself in a foreign country!
Lessons and loving reminders from Paris:
EMBRACE THE TIMING OF YOUR LIFE AND KNOW THAT THINGS ARE UNFOLDING EXACTLY AS THEY SHOULD. That’s right you heard me, it’s happening as fast as it’s supposed to – stop trying to drive the ocean missy! You are so much more powerful when you ride the waves! This came to me all in a rush, I have been working on my book for a year now and it’s been taking me longer than I had hoped. When I got to Paris, I knew the universe had a better than mine. I was meant to have that experience before it was done. I also had been dreaming of Paris for years and I couldn’t have landed there at a more perfect time in my life. My experience would have been totally different if I had gone sooner.
YOUR SENSITIVITIES ARE YOUR GIFTS. I’m grateful that I’m not only repulsed by smoking, I’m allergic to it. I had sneezing fits constantly but this has also guided me against ever being tempted to touch the stuff! A few nights into my trip I decided to have some Brie and fresh baked bread, hey, “I’m in Paris!” – right?! Hahaha oh my body let me know how NOT right it was. I got hives all over my chest, my throat and chest got so itchy and I started coughing to the point where it felt like blood. Don’t worry I’m okay now, but it was a BIG wake up call that my food sensitivities and diet choices are for a reason. My body is very clear about what works for it, what heals and energizes it and what hurts it. Cheese is not my friend, sorry Brie, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m so grateful for these clear signs because it allows me to fuel my body correctly and guides my eating choices with love!
FARMER’S MARKETS WILL ALWAYS MAKE ME FEEL AT HOME. Okay, less powerful than the others but still pretty major. Finding a farmers market wherever I go connects me back to what I love: good, organic food made with love by real people. I speak vegetables in every language. 😉
TREAT YOUR BODY LIKE A LOVED ONE. This was a loving reminder for me. After struggling with body image in my past, feeling bloated and gross from food that didn’t work for my body put me in a funk I hadn’t felt in years. However, I brought it to my meditation and asked for guidance to help me love and accept my body deeper. I got that I needed to start thinking of it like a romantic relationship, realizing that I would never tell a boyfriend that I’d love them when they “lost ten pounds” or “got a six pack” – that sounded crazy! You love and accept your partner fully and that’s what makes them the best version of themselves. How could we not do that with our own bodies? Instagram is full of people who are waiting for “some day” to love their body. I say NO love your body NOW! Love and accept it for its beauty, it’s health, the miraculous systems that work all on their own day after day. That’s where real transformation starts. (Don’t worry you’ll be hearing more from me on this)
So that was the truth about Paris. The good, the bad, the ugly. Yes, I will go back and yes, I will be cooking all my food next time. Haha
#foodforthought on the eve of both a new moon + the spring equinox: are you being the most wonderful expression of you that you’re capable of? Take some time this evening to journal about what that highest expression of you would look like? How would that feel? Close your eyes and visualize that wonderful you, your highest self shining through, see all the details and soak up all that energy. Think about what intentions your ready to plant right now, what do you want to see blossom in the upcoming weeks or months? Feel free to share with me your thoughts and intentions below! I’d love to hear. Xo, C ✨#LightMaker
So last night, after my event, I get a disturbing email from my hosting service! Something happened and the website is being cached – I have no idea how to read the web lingo so I send it over to my brother who translates it into English for me. Haha He tells me that the website crashed from too many views!! I am upgrading my server and handling it all but I just wanted to tell you I was overwhelmed by all your love. I’m so grateful to all of you who read my blogs, watch my videos and listen to my meditations. I’m so happy to be able to be of service and so excited when it resonates with you! I can’t wait to share all about my travels on the blog tomorrow and I love you all so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Xo, C ✨#LightMaker
In this video I’ll show you my EASY, healthy hash brown recipe! I’m a huge fan of brunch and just because you’re eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to miss out on what in my opinion is the best meal of the day! Stay tuned for my healthy tofu scramble recipe that’s a great compliment to these.
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In this guided meditation for LOVE I’ll help you connect to your inner love supply and feel the incredible presence of love around you. This meditation is great if you’re feeling triggered by a romantic partner in your life or reaching out for love outside of yourself.
**I’m aware of the editing error but I didn’t want to NOT post this for Valentine’s Day so it will be corrected over the weekend!
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