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Finding Freedom

Freedom. Ahhh. Just the sound of this word feels like a deep belly exhale. It allows your shoulders to drop from your ears just a little. It brings a softened smile to your face. Freedom often reminds us of a time when we were younger and free of the stressors of adulting. The struggle is real, my beautiful dreamers, but you never have to go finding freedom alone. I got you.

Freedom has been my number one value for as long as I can remember, it’s the core of what I help my Life Coaching clients to find in their lives too. But finding freedom can seem so ambiguous, impossible even, which is why it’s so important to define what freedom actually means for YOU, in all areas of your life. I’ve been on the finding freedom train so long I am practically driving the dang thing, so I know a thing or two about what freedom feels like, for me. But I also know what does not feel like freedom and how to re-align myself to get back on the train. You can too!

Clarify, Define, Align

If freedom is what you are longing for, but you aren’t exactly sure what that means for you, it’s probably because you haven’t defined what it actually FEELS like in the different areas of your life. You see, it’s the FEELING that matters most, and what feels like freedom to me, might be completely different from what it feels like for you. Because you need to clarify what freedom looks and feels like in the major areas of your life to be able to decide if what you are doing is in alignment with freedom, or off the rails of the freedom train.

Here is a practice I do with myself and with all of my clients.

1) List out the major areas of your life – I call them The Big 7:

– Health
– Relationships
– Finances
– Career/Purpose
– Creativity
– Connection to Source/God/Spirit
– Leisure/Hobbies.

2) Clarify exactly what your life would look and feel like in each of these areas if freedom was present. Write it out in as much detail as you can. See yourself experiencing freedom in all areas with ease. Who would you be? What would you be doing? How would you show up? What wouldn’t you be doing? Who would you be with? Where would you be? What would you be feeling in every cell of your body?

Becoming crystal clear on what freedom feels like in each of The Big 7 will help you make decisions in your life that align you with what you value most. Because, if it isn’t clear then how on earth will you know if it’s there or if it isn’t?! It’s important that you clarify YOUR definition of freedom, and not your mother’s, your sister’s, your partner’s or societies. YOURS.

3) Now every time you are deciding, in any area of your life, you can ask yourself, “does this feel like freedom?” If the answer is “yes”, then go for it! If the answer is “no”, take a step back and evaluate what is missing or out of alignment for it to feel like freedom and for you to hold your own integrity. Shift gears, course-correct or simply get off that train altogether.

Trusting your inner guide is all you need in order to know if you are in integrity with your values or not. Resistance, anxiety, compensatory strategies and buffering to avoid are all ways your inner guide is trying to tell you something is off. These signals are vital messengers trying to alert you that you are off course in your quest to finding freedom. Remember, these signals are not telling you to quit! They are reminding you of what you value most, which is freedom, they are helping you to re-align with what matters most to you in your life! How awesome is that!

In everything I do, from the foods I eat, to the people I spend time with, to the work I throw myself into, I continue to ask myself if it feels like freedom. It’s an automatic response for me now because I’ve practiced it so much. My soul now knows what freedom looks and feels like. Is it always perfect? Heck no! But, I know to trust the signs and signals when something is off. I am better able to make decisions that align with my values, keep my in integrity with myself, allow me to live the life I know, I want and deserve. Finding freedom isn’t as hard as you think it is. Freedom equals clarity, courage, commitment and consistency. Freedom is yours if you want it. You’ve got this and I’ve got you. xo

finish the year strong heal with shari aurora
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Finish The Year Strong

Hmmm kaaaayyyy, we’ve all heard this statement a few hundred times + it seems that everywhere we turn someone is telling us how ‘finishing the year strong’ is key for setting ourselves up for success in the new year. Whether you’re an entrepreneur hustling for a killer Q4; or someone who has put health as a priority + isn’t willing to let the Holiday Season Food Frenzy kill your groove, finishing the year strong is a way of finding completeness with the year. It’s about closure, the ultimate in Follow-Through, and about giving yourself something to REALLY celebrate on New Year’s Eve. I am not here to argue this perspective, but I am here to offer some perspective, because, well… LIFE.

As a relatively new solo-preneur, I have put much blood, sweat + tears into setting goals; employing strategies, re-visiting what worked + what didn’t + working hard at doing what I have to in order to ‘finish strong’ from quarter to quarter, month to month, week to week + day to day. I take workshops + courses, listen to podcasts, read books, engage in challenges, hire coaches + participate in support groups to keep my biz flowing in the direction of growth + to keep me in the game of finishing strong in all that I do.

I was on track to finish strong. I had the plans + the inspired motivation to execute a strong finish in 2018. I saw this as an awesome segue to a strong 2019. And then Life lifed.

When Life Throws You A Curve

My mom died + in the weeks I spent by her side during her graceful transition to her Spirit + Soul Life, I lost track of my goals + my plans + what I needed to do to achieve a strong finish to the year. My goal was to help my dying mother feel loved + feel safe + feel ready to let go. My goal was also to step up my mindful presence when it was most needed. To give myself permission to fully just Be where I wanted + needed to. I would never have the luxury of a do-over of this experience.

I detached from all things biz in the most responsible ways I could. I didn’t abandon my business, but my attention + energies did go in a different direction. One that I CHOSE for myself. I stepped away from my plan to finish strong in the final quarter of the business year + instead chose to SHOW UP strong for my mom in her final days of LIFE. And it taught me that we can plan + plan + plan our lives, but LIFE is gonna life + that is where the lessons lie.

A New Kind of Finishing Strong

You see, Beautiful Dreamers, in the re-jigging of my focus, my plans to finish the year strong took on a new look + my focus shifted in the most beautiful + self-honouring way.

  • instead of trying to be more visible in my biz, I gave myself permission to get quiet + to look inward to see what I truly needed to heal.
  • instead of filling my days with tasks, I gave myself space to lean into the grief + not try to bypass the healing process.
  • instead of telling those who asked how I was doing that I was ‘fine,’ I told them the truth. Sometimes it was, “I’m okay,” sometimes it was, “I’m really sad” + other times it was, “I’m pissed off at the world.” But I chose to NEVER say I was fine when I wasn’t, just for others’ sake.
  • instead of being the one to be there to support everyone + help them to rise, I allowed myself to lean on others, to ask for support + to practice the art of receiving, which is never an easy task for me, but I did it.
  • instead of ‘muscling through’ in true superhero fashion, I let myself feel ALL the feels associated with such a great loss. I did some deep inner work to release myself of the pain + guilt + old stories from my past. It got ugly but it felt like freedom.

A Shift in Thought

I think about my plans to finish strong this year + whatever that meant to me before my mom passed away has shape-shifted into something even more empowering + healing than numbers + dollars. I am finishing the year strong in a different way now. A way that feels much more powerful, much more in flow + much more aligned to how I want to feel in my life, always. As I set my intentions for 2019, I have the reminder that Life happens FOR US, not TO US + sometimes we have to re-define what that means for ourselves. But, regardless of the twists and turns life hands us, when we are true to what really matters to us, we will always finish strong.

With light, love + empowered action always,

Shari xo

It's September Time to Start Again Healing With Shari Health Coach York Region
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It’s September So Let’s Start Again!

Those are BIG words: ‘Start Again.’ They can evoke a sense of failure or of wrong-doing. Of falling off the wagon of ‘Life-ing.’ But I am here to change ALL of those feelings for you. You see, for me, a true ‘Start-Againer,’ those words never carry a low-vibe feeling. In fact, they excite me to no end! Starting Again means you get a chance to do something new + awesome. Or something better than what you might have done before. The sentiment has a freshness to it that sings to my soul + my biggest wish for all of you, My Healing Dreamers, is to FEEL into the words Start Again + to believe that nothing but amazingness can come from a fresh start.

September has always been my favourite Start Again time. I LOVE the New Year, but there’s something about the ease + flow of summer’s end that inspires us to get off our butts, get organized, get back into routine + get sh*t done. As an entrepreneur it’s that golden opportunity to set some serious BIZ goals + finish the year strong. As a human being, it’s that golden opportunity to set some serious LIFE goals + commit to yourself. Deciding to Start Again, in any area of your life is an opportunity to see the possibilities for something new, something different, something better + to CHOOSE to go there. And, yeahhhh Girl to START AGAIN!

The Queen of Start Again

I am known as The Queen of Fresh Starts, do-overs, jump-in-with-both-feet-before-I’m-ready life changes. It’s kinda my thang + it can be yours too. If you open yourself up to it + surrender to the process of adopting The Beginner’s Mind in all you do. When you think about it, our entire lives are a series of Start Agains. We learn to crawl, then we start again when it’s time to walk. We go through grade school making our way to the top in grade eight + then we start again at the bottom in our first year of high school. I’m sure you can see where I am going with this, but I want to nail it down for you so you can see just how many times you’ve actually started again and survived.

Maybe you went to college, beginning as a freshman, scared as hell + in a few years you graduated with confidence + got a job + had to start again at entry level. You were single + then got married. You were childless + then had a baby. You got fired + had to hit the pavement to find a new job. You ended a bad relationship + started a new life of independence. You went back to school as an adult after being in the workforce + had to readjust to a new schedule. You lost someone you loved dearly + had to keep on living without them. You cut off all your hair + then decided to grow it back out. You moved to a new city/country + had to figure out the groove of your new community. You had a full house + are now an empty nester. You quit the job you’ve had forever + now what?

Let’s say it together: you START AGAIN!!!

You Have, You Can + You Will Again

We’ve all started again so many more times in our lives than we can count, so why do we tell ourselves it’s too hard THIS TIME? Why do we let the narrative in our heads tell us we aren’t brave enough, or courageous enough, or daring enough to do it again when it really counts? As a Holistic Lifestyle + Mindset Coach, my work is all about empowering women to believe that they can begin a new chapter in their lives. No matter who they are + where they are in their lives. My goal is to pull out of them the belief that they can start over. Because they have done it before, they can + they will Start Over again. But this time it will be more out of inspiration than obligation. I want that for you too!

Here Are Five Ways to Shift Into a Start Again Vibe:

  1. Cut out something in your diet that isn’t making you feel your best.
  2. Make each day a Gratitude Sandwich by giving gratitudes upon waking + right before bed
  3. Get outside + move for at least 30 minutes a day.
  4. Limit your time on Social Media to 1 hour in the am + 1 hour in the pm only.
  5. Find something that you love doing but stopped for some reason + START AGAIN!

With light, love + empowered action always,

Shari xo

Holistic Health + Lifestyle Coach - Newmarket, Aurora, Keswick, Heal with Shari
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Get Unstuck by Simplifying Your Life + Move Confidently In the Direction of Your Dreams

If you read this title and immediately thought, “Life Goals!”, then you are in the right place. And you are always in a safe place of love + non-judgement here at HEAL. You belong here so let’s get unstuck together so we can all move confidently in the direction of our dreams + live the lives we have imagined, as Henry David Thoreau said a gagillion years ago. Such timeless wisdom. Le sigh.

Staying Stuck Sucks (say that 5 times fast)

As a Holistic Lifestyle + Mindset Coach, my clients come to me stuck. Stuck in unhealthy habits. Stuck in unhealthy relationships. Stuck in unfulfilling careers. Stuck in stagnant friendships + finances. Stuck in the muddy pool of old stories + programming filled with self-doubt, self-loathing, self-criticism + fear. STUCK! My job as a coach is to empower them to dig deep to find the root of the “stuckness” + to kick through what’s blocking them or slowing them down from living the life of their dreams. And to get out of their own way in order to take Empowered Action forward. In consistent, manageable steps. On. Their. Own. Terms.

Are you feeling me, Sister? I got you.  The key is to SIMPLIFY your life in all areas. Streamline things so the flow is, well, “flowy”. Keep the good stuff + get rid of the bad.  Right now, you’re rolling your eyes + saying, “yah right” + I feel you, but stick with me Kid, and we’ll go places.  Pinky swear.

Saying NO to things that no longer fit into the truth of how you want to live your life isn’t always easy but it’s necessary in order to become unstuck. They are called BOUNDARIES + creating them + sticking to them no matter what is a powerful way to unstick yourself + allow the flow of your life to just get on with it already! Boundaries are a whole other blog, but they are our friends + they deserve an honourable mention here today. Thanks Boundaries! Talk soon!

Streamlining Your Life

I am currently in the process of streamlining my life + my business + let me tell you how free I am feeling these days. I am out of the frazzled hustle + it just feels easier. We all want our lives to feel easier, don’t we? There’s something so magical about clearing clutter, making space + trimming the dead + unruly branches of our lives. Not only can we SEE things more clearly, but it gives us space to breathe. So, let’s start creating magic by simplifying our lives, becoming unstuck + moving forward in creating the lives we dream of allowing for optimal health + wellness, deep, harmonious relationships, solid finances, fulfilling careers + a strong connection to Mama Universe, trusting that she has our back on this but only when we tell the truth about what we truly want.  Ready?

As a Holistic Lifestyle + Mindset Coach, I try my best to live a healthy lifestyle. Is it perfect? Nah, but it’s balanced + in alignment with how I want to show up in the world. (most days).  I want to simplify things for you in a way that makes sense so let’s look at your life as a perfectly healthy + balanced plate of food. Yup. You heard me.  Eating healthy isn’t about restriction but adding an abundance of nutrient dense foods to fill your plate- quality proteins, healthy fats + loads of leafy greens. You are not taking away from your life, but you are adding MORE of the stuff that fuels you + feeds you + lights you up. You with me?

Introducing the Big 5 Areas of Life

So, I want to invite you to take a good look at the Big 5 areas of your life:

  • Career,
  • Finances,
  • Relationships,
  • Health +
  • Connection to That Which is Greater.

One at a time I invite you to explore the aspects of those areas that are sucking your energy with little to no return + start trimming. When you trim the fat, so to speak, you are left with only the good stuff. There is space for inspiration, space to flow, space to invite the people, experiences + things into your life that are in alignment with your goals + dreams that will energize you to become unstuck.

It’s a gift to be able to create the lives of our dreams + it all comes down to choices + Empowered Action Steps in the right direction.  Will you choose the life-sucking fat that’s keeping you stuck or the magical, energizing, flow-producing  nutrient-rich greens to fill your plate? You get to decide what stays + what goes. You just need to start + if you’re still stuck after trying this exercise, let’s talk.

I invite you to join the conversation. You can connect via Facebook, Instagram, or leave a comment right here on the blog.

With light, love + empowered action always,

Shari xo