You have found a place of comfort, encouragement and inspi-ration - a safe, “come as you are” space to unwind for a bit and just be you.

Linda is a personal and spiritual life coach with a genuine commitment to helping women change and grow.  Uplift! was created with the intention of offering insights, resources and interactions that help women feel understood, supported and encouraged as they navigate change in their lives - all kinds of change.

So please, browse around at your leisure, join in the conversation by clicking on “Comments”, and connect with your sisters.  Share your true self, your creative ideas and resources, your wisdom and intuition.

And please contact me by email at linda@spiritfirstcoaching.com if you’d like to have a private conversation or become a contributing author at Uplift!

Explore. Dream. Discover!

Home alone on a Friday night.   It’s summertime.   Nowhere I must go; nothing I must do. Time to be quiet; time to just be. I fix a simple meal and am drawn to the dark screened porch. The first thing I notice is that I’m noticing everything. All of my senses are awake at the same time.

Soothing heat sinks into bones and gentle breeze caresses skin. Wind whispers in treetops and night creatures sing. I savor cold shellfish, crisp salad , sweet cherries. Candlelight dances on  glass table top. Fireflies flicker and dance out there too, beyond the porch.  I smell green things growing and flowers in full bloom.  Two black and white cats have joined me, sharing the porch and sensing the night.

I feel the aliveness in all of these and in my own body. I sense that I, too, am this — this nature, this earth, this intelligence, this beauty and grace, this magnificence, this life.

I am grateful. I am still. I am.

I share this experience in honor of summer and of solitude. My heartfelt wish is that you find a way soon to slow down and give yourself the gift of silence and stillness.

Explore. Dream. Discover!

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Such quiet comfort,                                                             curled up purring in my lap –                                                     a warm, sleepy cat.

“I just looked at my reflection in the mirror, thinking how I was beginning to know and love the woman who was me. I was beginning to feel comfortable in my own skin; it was an elusive and precious feeling that I had longed for all my life.”

This quotation by Heidi Waldrop describes just how I feel and as I read it, I realized that it’s one of the things I most want for women — to feel comfortable in our own skin.

For me this means valuing and taking care of my strong, healthy body not just for how it looks but for what it allows me to do in the world. And it means finally getting comfortable with the introverted part of me, celebrating my unique strengths and thriving in an extrovert world. (Did you know that 75% of the world is extroverted and that there are many advantages to being  an introvert? I am amazed at what I’ve learned lately on this subject! More in a future post…)

My point is that getting to know your true nature, loving who you are right now, and having compassion for your perceived flaws is a great start to leading a more joyful life.

Sure, we all have imperfections and things we’d like to change about ourselves or our lives. And we have definitely all made mistakes! But I say that forgiving and showing compassion towards ourselves first is good practice for being that way with others.

You are a one-of-a-kind, precious being and you must cherish your own sweet self, woman! Don’t look for someone else to make you feel better. You must do for yourself the things that make you feel good.

Why not carve out some quiet time soon and consider:

♥  What makes you feel happy?

♥  What is it that you really like about yourself?

♥  What would make you even more comfortable in your own skin?

Explore. Dream. Discover!

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