Make the Vision for Your Life Your Reality
So excited to kick off this new series of videos called #dailylight where every day I give you guys a little blast of light every day to help flip your light switch on and help you connect to your truth! Today We chat about the power of committing to kindness to ourselves, others and the planet for 2016.
In this video I talk about the energy surrounding us going into the new year and how you can tap into it to start creating your most expansive 2016 right now!
If you love this video and want to dive even deeper, I’m holding a two hour online intensive this Wednesday on “Magnetizing Abundance” to rocket launch you into the New Year! You can join us live via Google Hangout or just watch the recording at your leisure. We are going to bust through whatever has been blocking you from being a magnet for the life you desire and tap into the stream of abundance for 2016. Head on over here to read all the details and check out my facebook or instagram for a special discount code. 😉
A few days ago when I was writing my last post about the KIND event that I lead a meditation at, I started getting a little emotional, that good kind of emotional where you start doing something that you didn’t even realize you missed so much. That something was blogging, just straight up telling you guys about what was going on in my life, the highs and lows, exciting events and soul stirring revelations. I missed it!! Sure I share a ton of my life with you through instagram, periscope and youtube but it’s not the same as the journal like quality of blogging. I can’t explain it but sitting here just typing away at whatever comes to mind feels so good, so therapeutic and so intimate.
Well then why I did I stop?
That’s a valid question and yes, it was intentional. I have been working on my memoir for two years now and it has been a painstaking labor of love. I had made the decision to do more videos and other content during the process so that my writing endeavors could be focused on the massive project that lay in front of me. Made sense. However, what I discovered this past weekend was that blogging was the whole reason I have everything I have now! This LightMaker house was built on my own crazy concoctions in the kitchen, my honest accounts of my struggles and my journey to living in the light. It’s why people started paying attention to me to begin with. Now, I’m not going to stop periscoping, youtubing or instagramming because I whole heartedly love that as well but I am COMMITTED now to writing to you guys once a week and letting you know what’s going on in my world. And if you enjoy these blogs I hope you use the comments below to start a dialogue, ask me questions, show me some love or just say hi!
This weeks other major “Ah HA” moments..
Your triggers are the universes loving way of showing you the areas of your life you still need to work on.
Ouch. This one can always suck majorly. Someone upsets you, a situation frustrates you like no other or a person’s behavior drives you mad – – it’s never about them. It’s always about you! Once you fully integrate this it’s an absolute self-development gold mine whenever you choose to utilize it. So I’ve known this, of course, but I was feeling particularly triggered the past couple weeks with all sorts of various situations that were going down. I also had my period so hellloooo sensitivity! However, instead of going into the grievances, I started taking notes! I literally wrote down whenever something would pop up that would irritate or upset me and then immediately counter-write what it was in me that I was unhealed about. For example, someone your eagerly anticipating an email from doesn’t respond for a week, but instantly you (or I) realize that it’s bothering you mostly because you are not as on top of answering emails as you would like to be. I’m super guilty of that but once I looked at it I was able to leap into action on going through my inbox! On another note, maybe your girlfriend gets upset about the silliest things and you love her to death but sometimes you have to restrain yourself from huffing a bit and rolling your eyes. Well, hello beautiful, are there situations in your life where you make a mountain out of a molehill?! Never, I’m sure. Haha. This approach to dealing with things that get under your skin was a massive game changer in my life and I hope you steal it from me and use it in yours!
Remember why you started. Rekindle the joy!
This one was about the blog but can be applied to anything in your life. I know for myself sometimes I get overwhelmed with massive projects on my plate and the most important thing when that happens is to bring back the JOY. There was so much joy in writing this post, it felt so good and it makes me excited for upcoming adventures I’ll be able to share with you. This can also be powerful in relationships, after time we can start losing that joy we first had when we met someone, whether it is a friend or lover, there is always that spark when you meet someone who’s going to take on a bigger part in your life, who makes you laugh and lights you. Remember why you started and tap into the immense power of the golden nugget of love in your soul for whatever the endeavor may be!
The trick to doing it all is scheduling it all.
I admit, I needed some help with this one. My friend Nitika Chopra is one of the most organized women I know when it comes to her work so I asked her for some tips on tackling on the amazing but hefty projects on my plate right now because I know I can handle it all, I just needed some tools! First thing she said was SCHEDULE it! Sounds simple but I wasn’t doing it. I wasn’t putting my projects in my google calendar and therefore meetings and interviews were clogging up the time that I really needed to be working. Not scheduling also left me feeling unfocused, which is a super easy trap to fall into when you work from home – – speaking of — she also said to put away the phone during my scheduled blocks so that I make the most of my allotted time. Well let me tell you that today is day one of this and I’m already almost half way through my to-do list for the day and feeling SO ready to take on all the abundance flowing my way!
And as if that all wasn’t getting me pumped enough, today’s A Course in Miracles lesson ( for those of you who don’t know, I do a ACIM lesson each morning on Periscope called “miracle mornings” and we chat about the lesson as well as get pumped up and inspired for our day together) was, “there is nothing my holiness cannot do.” If that’s not a big punch of love and light, well then I don’t know what is! It really got me thinking how all of these little ah – ha ‘s tie together and how when we center in on our true source, whether you call that love, light, the universe, God or what not, when we hone in on the amazingness that we are made of we realize that there is nothing we cannot do. We are unstoppable!
I hope you’ll join me in throwing that LOVE bomb of unlimitedness all over today, tomorrow and onwards and watch your life expand as you do!
A little business before we go, I have two exciting announcements today!
1. If you’re a NYC lightmaker, I hope you will join me at PureHouse in Williamsburg, BK for one of my final meditation workshops before I leave for Cali! It’s on Wednesday 9/16 at 7:30pm and you can reserve your spot here http://puremindfullness2.splashthat.com/Cass
2. I’m launching a very intense, very special 3 month program and I’m limiting enrollment to 6 wonderful ladies — 10 at the VERY max if I feel super aligned with a few other souls. It will be 3 months of work around building a powerful well of light utilizing food, meditation and self care to transform your clarity and connection to your inner guide, elevate your vibration and fill your well up so high that you will be an unstoppable force of light + love in the world. If you think this is something your ready to take on, email me now at cbodzak@gmail.com. I will be doing a soft launch of this program to interested inquires before I announce it in it’s entirety to my list and open it up for sign ups.
It was late, I’m not wearing any make up but I had just had a major revelation for 2014 and I new I had to share it with you. All year I have been getting little signs about “flow”. It started with quotes on instagram, then in a trip to the ocean, soon I received a beautiful mala from TinyDevotions in my signature turquoise color, I even picked out a card from a big deck at my branding specialists office that spoke about flowing and releasing expectations but it wasn’t till tonight after forgetting all that and allowing myself to be in the hurt box after an unsatisfactory situation that it really clicked. It’s all about allowing love, light, abundance to FLOW. Check out the video to hear about my revelation and how to let your life flow so that you can create the best year ever in 2015.
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It’s been a while since I’ve been SO obsessed with a specific session I was offering but New Years, new beginning and intention setting are my favorite of things! I love the power and renewal in redirecting your course, taking action and getting clear about what you want your life to look like. There’s a great quote in Alice in Wonderland where the Alice asks the Mad Hatter “Which way should I go?” and he replies,” Well where would you like to end up?” and she doesn’t know. So he tell her that it doesn’t matter how she gets there! How many of us walk around our lives like that? We know we want SOMETHING, more money, more love, a nicer apartment, a trip to france, to lose five pounds, etc but we never take the time to really sit down and see what it looks like. We are so wrapped up in functioning we forget that we are born to FLY! This year, let’s start spreading your wings. Let’s set clear, focused, intentions from your heart. Feel how 2015 is going to feel for you, soak up all the joy, the energy, the excitement and then hold space for that every single day. Sound like a plan? Well check out my New Year Launch session details and let’s schedule a time to blast you off ASAP. XO, C
NEW YEAR INTENTION SETTING LAUNCH SESSION
* You will be contacted with in 24 hours of payment to set up your appointment! 🙂
Well, technically, it may be the second day of September but I know most of you were out enjoying your “last day of summer” yesterday and have only clicked in to full September mode today! I wanted to share with you a practice that is very near and dear to my heart and has proven very effective for my wellness + meditation coaching clients, intention setting! Since we were little, September signified a fresh start, it was the start of the school year, a new grade, new classes, new teachers and a chance to re-create ourselves after the blissful relaxation and adventure we had all summer.
WELL WHY NOT NOW?
Hey, maybe we’re a little older, JUST a little, but September always feels like the start of something new to me and I still love to imagine I’m starting the next school year of life!
So last night, I whipped out my bad ass “Manifest Journal” given to me by the ever-lovely and inspirational Kelly Bennett ( she creates them all individually and infuses them with lots of love and good energy for your manifesting). I keep mine specially for times like these and use my regular pink moleskin for the day to day breakthroughs and brilliant ideas. Regardless, you can use whatever you’d like, you can even get all crafty with it and bring paints, construction paper and the whole nine yards and make it really fun!
Now comes the good part, the actually setting intentions part. Here’s where you start brainstorming what you want to create / manifest in your life for the month ahead.
What this looks like for me is spending about 15-20 minutes in a meditation, connecting with my higher self and really asking for guidance surrounding what the next step is for me. I allow whatever comes in to come in with out judgement and then I start scribbling! I just let the information flow and allow myself to be surprised by what pops up and excited about any and everything I put down on the page. You can have one or two intentions or many, listen to what resonates with you and feels good while your setting intentions.
What are my September intentions?
Well, my overwhelming theme for this month is **FALL OF FOCUS** so everything fell under that massive intention. I’m determined to eat ONLY high vibe foods that help me stay CLEAR and focused, which means for me, no sugars and no alcohol. I don’t eat very much sugar or consume a lot of alcohol but I recently came across the saying “99% is a bitch, 100% is a breeze” and it truly resonated with me. It’s fine for my day to day life and for my clients to indulge in moderation, however, this is my FALL OF FOCUS, and that for me, means going big and really fueling my mind + body to be performing at it’s peak. And I know, even the occasional vegan cookie or glass of red wine, certainly gets me to a “less than crystal clear” place and I’m just not willing to make that sacrifice right now. It also means, earlier wake up calls because I’m at my best in the AM and creating more programs so that more people have access to my coaching than the people who are able to work with me one on one. I have a lot going on this month, creating a new online program, my first ever group coaching program is launching (details below!) and I’m finishing up my book. I’m excited to make a fresh start this Fall towards being the clearest, brightest version of myself so that I can show up as my highest self for all of you!
For more information about my FRESH START FOR FALL group coaching program, click here and email me to reserve your spot today. Class size will be VERY limited to keep it intimate and allow everyone personal access to me.
I saw this quote by Danielle Laporte a few days ago and it simply stopped me in my tracks. The past few days have been all about getting CLEAR about what I want, saying good bye to apartments and habits that are no longer serving me and welcoming in new beginnings (and better apartments) that are inline with how I want to feel.
It all started on Saturday, the night of the new moon. I have never really followed moon cycles but it’s something that has been coming up a lot for me this year through my kundalini yoga practice and I’ve found it very interesting and compelling. So over the weekend I took at two-hour new moon healing circle kundalini yoga workshop. I had no idea what exactly that would entail but it sounded exciting enough to get me to the studio. Among other things, I learned at the workshop how important it is to set intentions for the year ahead in the new moon period, it’s still going on till the full moon on August 9th – so you can still get in on this! My teacher also said we could set specific intentions to manifest by the full moon – woo hoo – you bet I set some killer things into manifestation. This moon cycle is all about planting seeds to blossom over the next year. It’s a great time to start a job, embark on a new relationship and move into a new apartment!!
In case you haven’t heard via instagram, I JUST moved into a new apartment on Monday and spent all of yesterday unpacking my life from boxes. I couldn’t have been happier to move during the new moon, although to say I planned it that way would be a total lie. I recently had one of my clients make a big move as well and we did some basic “new beginning” rituals, intention setting for the fresh start and a leaving behind of things that no longer serve her in the old home. So I decided to do the same for myself and it’s been a really rewarding experience. This past Saturday night after yoga I had a girlfriend over and we stayed up late, meditated on the roof and journaled about what we we’re manifesting in the new moon. I also took sometime to write down something I was leaving behind for my fresh start and ready to give up for this next chapter.
A lot of people have manifesting or intention setting a little confused. It’s easy to get caught up in “manifesting a new car” or “manifesting a large sum of money” but the key to manifesting is the FEELING. Yes, it’s totally fine to get specific about what exactly you want, get as clear as you want but then let it go, and focus on the feeling. What is the feeling you’ll get from the car or that money? Now, think about things you can do right NOW to start generating that feeling. That’s YOUR power. You want to attract something right now? Start FEELING like you already have it.
My core desired feeling right now is FREEDOM. Glorious, expansive, abundant FREEDOM in every single area of my life. I’m demanding freedom in my business, in my home, in my relationships and in my mind and body. I’m open to that showing up in whatever way the universe sees fit but just from getting clear about how I want to feel, I’ve had a couple ideas already come to me about how to infuse more freedom in to my life. See, this manifesting thing, it’s not always about someone you don’t know sending you a check for a thousand dollars, sometimes it’s about welcoming the divine inspiration to get into action about ideas that will help you bring them into your life.
Take some time today to write a little about what you want to bring into your life. Think about how you want to feel, get really clear on what that life looks and feels like and then think about some things you can start doing right now that will make you feel that way right now. Make whatever those things are part of your daily ritual. It can be something as small as wearing a certain piece of jewelry that makes you feel abundant, disconnecting from the internet while you write because it makes you feel free, drinking a green juice every morning because it makes you feel energized, etc. Most importantly, KNOW that whatever you got clear on, that feeling you desire and the seeds you’ve planted, are on their way into your life.
SIT BACK, RELAX, YOU’VE GOT THIS.
In the book I just finished reading “#Girlboss”, Sophia Amuroso says,”Learn to create your own opportunities. Know that there is no finish line; fortune favors action. Race balls-out toward the extraordinary life that you’ve always dreamed of, or still haven’t had time to dream up.”
First of all, I highly recommend “#Girlboss”, if you can’t tell, I absolutely loved it. Second of all, Sophia is a thousand percent right and I could not agree with her more. FORTUNE FAVORS ACTION. The only way to get out of your own way is by taking action. You may be saying but I don’t even know what kind of action take, I can’t even bring myself to begin. Well there is an action for that as well. The best thing you can do for yourself is start moving yourself forward and here are three of the biggest ways to get into action by taking very small steps..
1. Make ONE small tweak. Getting into action doesn’t have to be a massive ordeal. It can be as simple as waking up an extra 15 minutes earlier to meditate in the morning or making a conscious effort to eat green veggies twice a day. Just find one small thing and promise yourself to get into action with it and watch how that naturally will help you build momentum to go even farther.
2. Get CLEAR on what you want. Write down on a piece of paper or journal it out and get really clear about what you desire, whether it’s personal, business or health oriented. You will be instantly better at taking actions in line with your goals when you are crystal clear about what your goals are. I find it helpful to keep that piece of paper or note in my wallet or next to my bed so that I’m constantly reminded of it.
3. Ask for HELP. Whether it’s a professional like me who can help you through health coaching or business advice or it’s just a trusty friend or family member, sometimes when we’re blocked we just need an outside perspective to help us along in the right direction. A lot of my clients hire me solely to help keep them accountable, in action and on the path to their goals. I also am a big advocate for “accountability partners”, if you can find a friend or family member who you can check in with regularly and make sure each other is on track they can be worth their weight in gold. It’s important to understand that asking for help, whether it’s just a silent prayer to the universe, in the form of typing in Google’s search box or sending an email to set up an appointment, is a crucial but small step to getting out of your own way.
I hope that helps you start taking action this week! If you need help busting through those blocks or finding what actions you need to take feel free to email me at cassandra@gosweetandskinny.com to set up a breakthrough session and get yourself in to action. If you have success with these tools and are able to get out of your own way with it, I ‘d love to hear! Feel free to write about your experience in the comments below or post it on the facebook page and I’ll be sure to respond!
One of the most frequently asked questions I get, other than “what is Anthony Bourdain like in person?” is always about how I got started with my health coaching business and my blog. Sometimes I don’t get the opportunity to send the lengthy emails I’d like to, to tell all of you lovely budding health coaches and entrepreneurs about it so I decided that I would make a video! I’m also really excited to announce the launch of “breakthrough business sessions” due to overwhelming demand of people wanting to chat with me about their business.
In my breakthrough business sessions, we’ll spend an hour together discussing your business goals and ideas, your brand, where you’re target market is, your income stream, among other topics (depending on your personal situation) and then leave you with an actionable list to get started on immediately. If you’re curious about learning more or wish to get one scheduled ASAP, please feel free to email me at cassandra@gosweetandskinny.com.
Laugh away baby. It’s a thousand percent true! You know that person in your life that always seems to get a ton of things accomplished in the same twenty-four hours you might as well of sleepwalked through? They don’t have some secret pass to stop time just to get more done and make people like you feel inadequate! They just manage their time wisely.
And guess what?!
So can you!! How? Well it’s the same way you manage anything! Want to see why you’re not losing weight? Write down what your eating so you can see all those extra calories you’re not considering. Want to know why your bank account is embarrassingly small? Well you would write your income and expenses down, right? So why not write down HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME?!
Try it! For one week, bare with me and log how you spend every hour of the day and then at the end of the week go back and look for “wasted” time. Anything you think could be a better use of your time and circle it. Now Write down all those things you’d LOVE to get done and start inserting them into those circles spots! Give it a shot. It can totally change the way you use your time. 😉
These past six months have been wondrous to say the least. It’s truly been incredible to watch the Go Sweet and Skinny crew go from a group of people who went to school with me at some point or knew me through some NY social circle to a much larger group of amazing people determined to lead happy, healthy, inspired lives from all over the country! YAY! I am so happy to have you all joining me on this journey and feel so grateful to help provide you with the tools to living an amazing, vibrant, healthy life. It’s an interesting observation that I had I tonight though, because the bigger it grows, the larger my desire to stay personal is. I feel like more than ever I am writing super specific and intimate posts about what I’m going through because whether you actually went to high school with me or you happened to stumble upon my book on amazon, I want you to KNOW me, really know me and feel like I’m just that health nut girlfriend that gives you really awesome tips and killer recipes when you’re in a bind! My close friends get such a kick out of my youtube videos on GoSweetandSkinnyTV because it’s just like actually talking to me, I’m that ridiculously myself in them for you and that makes me really happy to hear.
So anyways, I know you’re wondering what in the world I meant by “sharing my brownies”, am I doing a vegan brownie give-a-way?! Sadly, no, but maybe at some point in the future if there is a big enough uproar I will. I was listening to an incredibly inspirational seminar by Fabienne Fredrickson and she gave a really touching antidote that really tugged on some strings for me and I just felt like I had to share so that you guys could really feel where I’m coming from. Forgive me for butchering it, Fabienne, but here’s my spark notes version of it:
Imagine you’re hosting a dinner party and all the guests are in the living room while you are baking brownies in the kitchen. The aroma of the baking brownies is seeping through the house and guests happen to wander in and out of the kitchen asking what you’re up to. Now let’s fast forward to your brownies being done, all cut up, cooled and put on a plate. Guests are coming in to see what’s going on but you are just huddled in a corner with your plate of brownies and you are not letting anyone else eat them!
Seems pretty ridiculous, right? Why would you bake delicious brownies and then not share them with ANYONE!? Well Fabienne used this to compare to those of us with service oriented businesses being afraid of marketing our services. Safe to say, it really hit home. When Go Sweet and Skinny started to take off and I saw the need for individualized guidance, offering up one on one assistance to help my amazing followers on their own specific path to a happy, healthy, AMAZEBALLS life was a total no brainer!
AND THEN I STARTED HOARDING MY BROWNIES!!
I got so worried that people might think I was forcing them to buy something or trying to “sell” them on coaching that I was very hush-hush about it. I offered it when people came to me specifically looking for guidance and touched on it here and there without making any huge waves. Fabienne made realize that not only was I totally incorrect in my assumptions but that I was depriving you of the amazing services I have to offer by not even letting you know that I offer them! And that’s when it really hit me. Not to mention, of course, I received some very loving emails saying that they saw a post about my FREE 30 minute breakthrough sessions and had never even known that I offered an one on one counseling package despite being avid followers of my facebook and blog. Whoa! Thanks for the re-enforcement universe!
Well, it worked, I am here and I am happy to say that I WILL NOW BE SHARING MY BROWNIES! I will share my brownies with love and a smile from here on out! If I can help someone by offering my support one on one as they embark on their journey towards a life and body they love – I want them to know about it! So be prepared to hear a bit more from me on this now. I’m talking LOUD + PROUD now. Of course, the recipes, tips and inspiration will always be the foundation of everything GSS but I’m really excited to be able to guide people individually on their specific path to health and happiness! It can be really hard and confusing at times to make massive change all by yourself and we all have different areas in our life we could use a little reinforcement in to help us push through to the next level. I’m here for those people who are ready and willing and need a partner to help them climb up the rest of the mountain to healthy body bliss because it’s so much easier when you have a guide who’s been there and done it and knows the path.
On that note, if you’d like a FREE 30 minute clarity session with me to get a taste of what we could accomplish together and set you off in the right direction, email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com to request a date and time. I’d love to meet you!
HOW CAN YOU SHARE YOUR BROWNIES TOO!?
Well it’s not just me that needs to share my brownies, you’ve got a plate too!! A great, easy way to start sharing your brownies is to start spreading the love, inspiration and tips you find on GSS as well as your other favorite healthy living blogs. Share healthy recipes or inspiration posts on facebook or twitter, instagram healthy food pics or motivational quotes. You don’t need to be an authority to pass along the brownies! If you’ve found some delicious stuff, take a little for yourself and then spread the love!! Not only will it make you feel amazing but you are helping other people have a chance to enjoy them as well. So go on my darlings, let’s make sure all the guests at the party of our life get a chance to indulge in a brownie!