“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”
-Tom Bodett

I love this quote… I find that there’s a lesson to be learned from every experience in our lives, be it sorrowful, satisfying or absolutely elating. They all have something to teach us… about ourselves, about our attitudes and about our ways of viewing others and the world around us.

What lessons have you been incorporating / integrating into your life lately?

Love and Joy,
Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.
-Lou Holtz

I thought this quote was a beautiful reminder… if we go through life living each day in worry, fear or anxiety, that definitely makes our load (our jobs, our families, our social lives, etc), feel more like a burden than a blessing. And yet if we can learn to find some joy, some gratitude, some beauty in our days, it certainly lessens the other, less pleasant emotions, and reminds us just how wonderful our lives truly can be.

How are you carrying your load today?

If this quote inspired you, as it did me, I’d love to hear about it… feel free to comment and share!

Love and Joy,
Kim

The end of the old year often warrants reflection as we prepare to say good-bye and start a new chapter. What made us proud in the previous year? What did we do that made us feel amazing? Do we have any regrets? What would we like to do differently / better in the new year?

Like many people, I spent some time thinking about these questions as I prepared to enter 2011. The biggest discovery that came out of my questioning was that I’ve been playing very small. I’ve been staying in my comfort zone in regards to my business, but ironically enough, doing so has not made me at all comfortable or gotten me the results that I seek. I long to serve more people by helping them to gain greater fulfillment in their spirituality, thereby increasing their joy and improving all areas of life exponentially. If I refuse to step up to serve on a higher level, then I’m not honoring my purpose, living authentically, or showing up 100% for my clients, and that’s unacceptable to me.

To fully embrace the vision that we desire for our lives can be a very scary process. To act on that vision and take steps to bring it into our reality can be daunting and sometimes overwhelming. And yet, the act of playing small, in any area of life, will eventually lead to unhappiness. It’s easy to tell ourselves that we don’t deserve more… more happiness, more fulfillment, more prosperity, more love, etc. But we should ask ourselves, how is my unhappiness assisting me / those I love / the world? If we are playing small in our own lives, what message does that send to those around us? How does it serve? How much more could we share / expand / accomplish if we really stepped up and acknowledged ourselves as the gorgeous, powerful, exceptional child of Spirit that we are?

Here are five strategies that I’m sharing to help myself, and all of you, stand more firmly in our power and reach higher in the coming year.

1. Honor where you are now. If you’re feeling stuck, stagnant or just plain scared, acknowledge the emotions you’re experiencing and ask yourself what they can teach you? If your stuckness, fear or stagnation was a person with whom you could have a conversation, what would this emotion tell you? How is it trying to serve you? Perhaps a part of resolving the emotional upheaval you’re experiencing is to give yourself some comfort, listen to the underlying messages they have to convey to you, and find other ways to honor your feelings rather than fighting them so hard. After acknowledging them, *then* you will be better equipped to release them and step into your greater power.
2. What are you saying? Your self-talk can dramatically impact your life, for better or worse. If you’re continually telling yourself that your incapable to do something, not worthy of happiness, too busy to take time for yourself or too stupid to achieve anything of worth, then there’s no way you will allow yourself to step out in faith and fulfill your potential. If you can’t think of anything positive to say to yourself, ask someone else… you may be surprised to learn just how wonderful others know you to be. Once you discover that you have many fabulous qualities to explore and share with the world, and begin reminding yourself that you truly *are* worthy, capable and willing to step up, you’ll be amazed how your life will shift for the better.
3. Embrace your gifts, talents and skills 100%. Don’t know what your gifts and talents are? Ask yourself what makes your heart sing? What activities bring out your creativity and fire your passion? Often our gifts bring joy to others, so if you’re having trouble with this, you may want to ask those you love what you do that brings *them* joy, and then determine if those activities bring you happiness, as well. When you discover what your gifts are, ask yourself how you can utilize them more often, on a bigger scale or in greater ways? This will bring you fulfillment, and bring pleasure to others who have the privilege of experiencing your gifts first hand.
4. Give yourself a break. If you’re having a bad day, don’t try to deny it. Learning to stand in our power is a process, and nobody can, or should, be positive and happy all the time. after all, if we were, how would we learn, grow and become better people? All emotions, situations and circumstances have lessons to teach us, if we have the commitment (and the courage) to learn them and live them. Learn from your bad days and then move forward. Or, as a friend of mine is fond of saying, “Go to the pity party, just don’t live there.”
5. Ask for assistance! Life is much easier when we have loving support systems around us. Join a mastermind, find supportive friends who have been where you are and have successfully circumvented similar obstacles, and have plenty of chats with the God of your understanding. The synergy to be found in working with others can help you to shift in incredible ways.

My promise and vow to myself and to you (those I serve) is to step up and fully embrace my purpose in 2011. I commit to shining my light more brightly, sharing more often and more powerfully, and reaching further to spread more and more joy. And to do that, I’ll definitely be stepping out onto that ledge and jumping waaaay out of my comfort zone. Though it will undoubtedly be an adventure, I choose to enjoy the experience. Will you join me?

How do you intend to step up and delve further into your power in this new year? I’d love to hear about it!

Love and Joy,
Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

My dearest friend,

Are you feeling called to a ministry of soul purpose? Is your soul calling you to live authentically in the embrace of the Divine? Are you yearning to fully share the gifts you have to offer? Do you want to empower others to do the same?

If you answered yes to these questions, I feel compelled to tell you about my good friend, Rev. Dr. Kimberly Marooney. Over the last few years, I watched her pull a most extraordinary program down from the heavens and manifest it on earth. There is truly nothing else like it.

I watched in amazement as every part of this program came through angels to Kimberly. Then I witnessed the ecstatic transformation that happened in her students as they become ordained Angel Ministers.

If your soul is calling you to a ministry, I urge you to look at The Angel Ministry. Click here to watch a short meditation to faces in ecstatic union with God so you can see for yourself the love radiating from the new Angel Ministers.

The Angel Ministry is for you if you are:

o Feeling the call of the soul to a ministry

o Seeking a deeper relationship with God and angels

o Need to understand why you are here and what you are called to do

o Ready to integrate your soul purpose with life purpose

This 7-month ordination program prepares you for a career in ministry. Your ministry will combine your deepest soul calling with your unique gifts and talents to serve in the way that you feel called. There is no formula or cookie cutter model.

Ordained ministers can legally offer hands-on healing and pastoral counseling. Officiate at weddings. Offer the sacraments of baptism and communion. Invoke angels as you bless, heal, counsel, love, and serve. Even start your own church, spiritual or healing center!

To discover if The Angel Ministry is right for you, complete the application and have a conversation with Kimberly. No obligation. Miracles are possible! Click here.

With love,

Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

Hi All,

I promised that I’d be expanding on some of the topics mentioned in my last post. Well, here’s the first of those topic-expanding posts. 🙂

Sometimes, when we have a dream, planning and forethought are necesssary in order to help us take steps to bring that dream to fruition. Step by step, goal by goal, we come closer and closer to reaching our dream.

Here’s a story to demonstrate this point. Once upon a time, not so very long ago in the early 1960s, there was an ambitious young man named John. He was a highly talented songwriter and musical arranger, and his most pressing dream was to be the primary writer and arranger for the next big folk group. Over the first several years of that turbulent decade, John arranged and recorded several singles and three albums with his three-piece group, but fame and fortune wasn’t exactly coming his way. By
1965, he had formed another singing group with his wife and two friends. In late 65, this group had managed to land a record contract with a top L.A. producer.

One afternoon, the foursome drove out to the famous Hollywood Bowl, and looked down over the city below them. John said, “By this time next year, we’ll have played a concert here, and we’ll have won a Grammy.”

John had a lot of wonderful qualities going for him… talent, ambition, determination, and a strategic plan for reaching his lofty goals. He was more than willing to work hard, painstakingly write and arrange hundreds of songs, tour relentlessly, and do whatever it took to make his dreams come true. John understood that, with enough passion, determination and a solid plan, he was sure to achieve measurable success.

Admittedly, I’m a creative type who sometimes has trouble appreciating the power of planning ahead. But as a businesswoman who creates products, provides services and needs to market myself in order for folks to know what I have to offer them, planning is both a powerful and completely essential component to my success. Planning can be effective for anyone, in any given area of life. Whether you’re planning your next vacation itinerary, drawing up plans for a new home, or even writing today’s grocery list, planning is a great incentive to help you in your forward momentum. In the long run, it also helps to
simplify life considerably.

Here are three keys to help you to get your next important dream off the ground, and to assist you in following through with that plan to reach your goals with greater ease.

• Step one, take the time to formulate your plan with care. Sure, even the best laid plans can change sometimes, but nevertheless, it’s better to take the time to complete a thorough plan instead of just slapping something together in five minutes. I know that each time I throw together my grocery list in
  haste, I will undoubtedly forget to write down something important. We can save ourselves a lot of inconvenience and worry long term by planning carefully and studiously for our projects, big or small. When we do this, we’re almost guaranteed more fruitful results from the start.
• Step two, take consistent action on your plan. Now that you’ve carefully constructed your plan of action, take some action each and every day to help in getting the results you desire. This will be a little easier if you’re planning your grocery list than if you’re planning your European vacation, but in either case, taking action daily will be constantly bringing you closer and closer to achieving your goal, and it will also make you feel great and skyrocket your confidence level. Baby steps are just fine… as long as you’re doing something each day to further the completion of your plan, you’ll be on your way to achieving it!
• Step three, enjoy the journey. Often times our journeys in life can be just as sweet or sweeter than the results we wish to achieve at their completion. Have fun going through your plan. Celebrate your steps, both the big ones and the tiny ones, and revel in all the little successes along the way. In this way, you’ll grow to appreciate and respect yourself more, your confidence will increase, and your success will mean even more to you. So celebrate each accomplishment on your journey, and have fun along the way.

So you’re probably wondering if our friend John reached his goals by following this formula and planning for his success. Well, by the end of 1966, John’s group had celebrated a number one hit with John’s song, “Monday Monday”, had won a Grammy for the song, and had played a sold out show at the Hollywood Bowl. That group, The Mamas and The Papas, became one of the most celebrated groups of the decade, and the members, including that ambitious young song-writer named John Phillips, had a lasting impact on pop music and pop culture.

Creating and following through with a good plan can tremendously increase your potential to achieve your dreams. Planning will also simplify your life considerably, and help you to have a step-by-step approach to reaching your goals. Plan carefully, take action daily, and most importantly, enjoy the journey and have fun with it all! Happy planning!

Love,
Kim

Hi All,

I’m returning to blogging after a very long period away. In this post, I’d like to share a little about what I’ve been up to, and the lessons I’ve learned that can also help you to gain more empowerment and joy in your own life.

In late 2006, I went through a very powerful (and very scary) period of transition, questioning, and deep reflection and healing. A lot of events and situations culminated at that time, and left me feeling empty and hurt. It took a long period of rest before I could rediscover my inner strength and deep well of enthusiasm.

For a while during my healing process, I felt as if I was wandering aimlessly in a frightening and unfriendly wilderness of sorts. I felt exhausted, fearful and apathetic. Prayer sustained me through that period, although I still suffered from a sense of deep-seated confusion and uncertainty at the core of my spirit. But at last, I felt strong enough spiritually to return to whole-heartedly embracing my work and service in the world. I prayed for guidance as to how I should proceed after my extended period of silence. I was terrified that my newsletter readers, clients, friends and colleagues would no longer wish to know me due to feeling abandoned by me, since I’d been healing in isolation for quite a long time.

After setting a strong intention to get back out there and successfully serve, things began coming together again. But I still felt a void… like something crucial was missing somewhere. After praying to the God of my understanding for direction, I quickly met a woman who did similar work to my own, and who shared the purpose of empowering and inspiring others to lead their best lives. The synergy between us was almost palpable, and we quickly recognized one another as kindred spirits. We became great friends, and within a month of meeting, we also became business partners.

Everything began to “flow” immediately. Have you ever had those days when everything you do just goes perfectly, and everything you put your mind do just happens seemingly by magic? That’s what began to happen for Kelly and I, almost instantaneously after we set our intention for success.

Six weeks after meeting, we had created our own internet radio program, Empowerment Radio and people were coming out of the woodwork to hear what we had to say. We were booking high-profile guests, (Emmy and Grammy winners among them), forming amazing new friendships, and had greater creativity and more inspired ideas than we knew what to do with! It was magical.

We’ve been through plenty of setbacks, trials and dry periods since meeting in March of 2008, and have learned and integrated plenty of great lessons along the way. These include the following:

1. Stay the course
2. listen to your guidance
3. realize that obsticles can be blessings in disguise
4. embrace your strengths and work on your weak spots
5. talk things out
6. have fun!

At long last, we’re almost ready to launch our new website, Empowerment Sanctuary. We’ll be offering one-on-one services to inspired your spirit and empower you to live the life you desire and deserve, gorgeous jewelry, educational telecourses to assist you in your personal and spiritual growth, and some of the most profound and beautiful guided meditations you’ll ever experience, if I do say so myself. 🙂 Basically, we want to assist you to lift your life to new heights, and very soon, you’ll be able to discover all the fabulous goodies we’ve been cooking up for you. Our website is a monstrosity, but it’s almost done now, and will soon get it’s debut. To tell you that we’re excited would be a vast understatement.

So what does all this have to do with you? Well, first of all, I hope that through this story, I can show how setbacks and dark periods can often lead to brighter and more beautiful experiences than one can ever imagine. I know it might sound like the ultimate paradox. When I was going through my period of confusion, questioning and isolation, I felt such intense fear, and all I wanted to do was come out on the other side of it all. But had I not experienced that intense period of fear and despair, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to grow as strong and grounded as I have. I wouldn’t have felt the need to evolve beyond where I was, embrace Spirit even more deeply, and cherish my relationships on a more profound level. Through having the experiences that seemed so nightmarish at the time, I’ve become more confident, more grateful and more assured than I’ve ever been. Oh, this certainly took a lot of healing, self-love and inner and outer work on my part, but was it worth it? absolutely!

Never, never, never give up on yourself. Some of your greatest gifts, discoveries and experiences may be delivered to you in really ugly little packages. Ask yourself:

• How / what can I learn from this?
• What can this teach me?
• Is there a way I can love myself more in order to help myself conquer this?
• Will surrendering to the love of the God of my understanding help me to reach the light through my current darkness?

Don’t allow your obsticles to stop you… maybe they have something to teach you. Perhaps the timing is wrong, or there is a better way to go about achieving your goal, or something else needs to fall into place before your goal can come to it’s biggest and brightest fruition. This has happened to Kelly and I several times over the course of our journey thus far. rather than pushing through, we learned to be grateful for the obsticle, (again, I know it may sound like a huge paradox), and keep our minds and hearts open for the perfect solution to arise. If you’re in a similar situation, I encourage you to try this method, as well. Not always easy, and it definitely requires patience and commitment, but it can lead to some really incredible and marvelous surprises! stay open to all the amazing possibilities!

Finally, remember to love yourself. Through the darkness, through the pain, through the fear and anxiety; please try to remember that you are worthy, lovable, and capable of achieveing the greatest desires of your heart. Love is the greatest gift you can give yourself… and you deserve it!

I’ll talk more about these topics, and many others, in the coming weeks. In the meantime, thank you for reading my blog… I appreciate you! If I can be of any assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Love and Gratitude,
Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

One of my clients, who I will refer to as Maggie, went through a period last year where she felt completely drained, totally stressed out and extremely overwhelmed. “I don’t know what to do!”, she exclaimed to me during one of our sessions. “I feel like I’ve hit a brick wall.”

I encouraged Maggie to remember the importance of self-care. We live in a hectic, fast-paced society. There’s always something going on, whether it be working, social activities or taking care of our families. In the midst of our busy lives, we tend to overlook how crucial it is to care for ourselves, too.

Think of self-care like a yummy recipe. It requires several key ingredients in order to turn out just right. These include the right amount of sleep for us, healthy foods, exercise, time spent around supportive people, and plenty of inspiration in our lives. But there’s one ingredient that really makes this recipe truly magnificent.

The sweetest ingredient in the self-care recipe is self-love. If we don’t love ourselves, we aren’t going to bother to care for ourselves in the first place because we don’t feel worthy of doing so. Just as God cherishes each of us, we must also learn to cherish ourselves and give ourselves the best possible tender loving care. Being busy people, this is not always easy to achieve. Here are a few tips to help you to give yourself the love and attention you truly deserve.

• Don’t beat yourself up! Ah yes, the blame shame game! We’ve all done it. “Gosh, am I ever stupid.” “If I had only done this differently.” Or, my personal favorite, “But I’m not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough”, etc. What are you achieving by beating yourself up over past events? You’re simply making yourself feel worse, and that will only decrease your motivation. Why not try forgiving yourself instead? Say to yourself, “Tomorrow is another day, and I can learn to do things in a way that I can appreciate and in a way that makes me feel better about myself and my situation.” Look into a mirror and remind yourself that you are a beloved child of God. Tell yourself, “I have the courage to make positive changes in my life.” Find the support you need to help you to shift your attitude from negativity to empowerment and contentment.
• Next, treat yourself! Engage in an activity you enjoy, at least once a week. This doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. You could take a stroll through nature’s splendor, cuddle up with a good book, or volunteer for an organization you appreciate. As long as it brings a smile to your face and a song to your heart, that’s what’s important.
• Finally, reach out! The power of friendship to bolster our confidence and remind us how wonderful we truly are is huge! Have you ever had someone say to you that you made their day or that you made them happy in some way? How did that make you feel? Did it make you feel better about yourself and your importance in the world? That’s part of the wonderful power of friendship. When we discover how much other people love us, it helps us to love ourselves more, in the process.

In closing, let me share a great website link with you. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face. This site is called the Automatic Flatterer. Get ready to smile!Click here!

Also, here’s a wonderful radio show from the Empowerment Sanctuary radio archives, packed with tips and strategies to assist you in learning more about self-love and how it can so tremendously benefit your life. Kelly and I had so much fun conducting this show, and I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful.

If you’d like some extra help in learning to love yourself more, I’d be honored to witness and explore with you as your coach.Together, we can find tools and techniques to help you recognize just how lovable, beautiful and incredible you truly are.

I wish you all the love in the world.

NOTE: This article will appear in tomorrow’s Heartsong newsletter. Check out the Heartsong archives, and subscribe here!

Lots of Love,
Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

A Valentine’s Wish

Hi Everyone!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I wrote the following poem as a symbol of my love and gratitude for each and every one of you, my readers. I am so honored and grateful to be journeying with you and for your presence in my life. I send you my heart-felt thanks, and lots of love, today and every day.

May your heart beat wildly with happiness,
May your arms always have someone to hold,
May your voice ring out with rich laughter,
May your face hurt from smiling.

May your days overflow with bliss,
May prosperity and success enrich your life,
May your eyes be bright with joy,
May your thoughts be calm and serene.

May your spirit know the assurance that God loves you,
and that you are ever so beautiful, worthy, wonderful.

May you open to receive love,
Blessings,
Fulfillment,
Endless, glorious, fabulous possibilities.

May you remember your Divinity,
May you reach for your dreams,
May you touch all whom you meet with love.

Today and every day,
May you recognize how amazing,
astounding,
outstanding you truly are.
May you extend your hand and grasp your true potential,
And use it to empower yourself and others.
Through your example,
You can assist the world to shine more brightly.

Blessings to you, my beloved Valentine’s, today, and every day!

Lots of Love,
Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

Are you searching for something profound for Valentine’s Day? What if this gift could result in more trust with your beloved? Suppose this gift could help you share a deeper intimacy? Now imagine this gift could guide you into a state of Divine Love? And you don’t have to be in a relationship to benefit. This gift is designed to work for ALL relationships! Give this gift to yourself!

Do you wish to bring more angelic love into all aspects of your life? This will help you in profound ways!

Your guides are here to take your love relationships to a more deeply satisfying level! Who better to take you on this exploration of Divine Love than Angels?

My dear friend Rev. Dr. Kimberly Marooney is a gifted mystic and pioneer in the fields of angelology and spiritual transformation. She is known as “The Elevator to God.” For a year, everyone who came to Kimberly for workshops and spiritual counseling was seeking deeper, more satisfying love relationships. A new group of angels emerged during these sessions to guide Kimberly and the people into profound experiences of healing and ecstatic heights of eternal love.

Angel Love Cards of Divine Devotion, Faith and Grace is the culmination of this work. The 40 angel cards and 160-page guide book, teach you how to connect with your love angels to experience true love and profound healing.

Kimberly is offering an Angel Love Valentine Special to get this important love tool into your hands and heart.

Click here to get all the details!
http://angellovecards.com

To help spread Kimberly’s message of love, I have joined with a number of other spiritual luminaries to provide a treasure trove of tantalizing treats.

I highly encourage you to give this incredible love gift to yourself or someone you love! You’ll be so glad you did!

Joyfully,
Kim Loftis, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

P.S. Please share this special offer with your friends, too! Simply send them to my blog and this post. They’ll thank you!

Hi Everyone,

I want to dedicate this post to Arlene, who sent me a beautiful email a couple weeks ago introducing herself to me, and a second email yesterday describing her loneliness. Thank you, dearest Arlene, for inspiring this post.

We all experience feelings of loneliness at times, sometimes mild, sometimes very intense. Sometimes it’s very hard to shake when these feelings appear. Today, I’d like to share a few tips that I use to heal loneliness. I sincerely hope they help you, as well.

1. Create and / or cultivate fulfilling relationships. This is a key practice in combatting sadness and loneliness. Get out and meet people who have similar interests. You might consider doing this by attending a church, spiritual center, gardening club, support group or community center of some kind. What activities do you enjoy? Think about what really makes you happy when you’re fully engaged in doing it. Pick a few of these, and look for places where you can meet and get to know others who also enjoy this or similar activities or lifestyles. If getting out is difficult for you for whatever reason, the internet is another way to make new friends from across the world. Start with Google groups, Yahoo! groups, and MSN groups to browse for communities of interest to you.
2. Pets! We aren’t all animal lovers, but if you are, a pet could be a terrific medicine to help heal your lonely heart. If we show love to our animals, they will love us with passion and total joy. They don’t judge us, they never condemn us, and they can almost always make us smile!
3. Music! Finally, music is one of my favorite ways to deal with feelings of loss, fear or loneliness. Music soothes the soul, opens the heart and can totally transform our entire outlook on life. It brings joy, hope and comfort.

Here’s an example of music healing the heart. This is my absolute favorite song to play when I’m sad or lonely. It’s called, “This is to Mother You”, and is written and performed by Irish singer, Sinead O’Connor. This is a video of Sinead performing this song live in Rome.

Sinead O’Connor, “This is to Mother You”, Live in Rome

The Lyrics:

This is to mother you
To comfort you and get you through
Through when your nights are lonely
Through when your dreams are only blue
This is to mother you

This is to be with you
To hold you and to kiss you too
For when you need me I will do
What your own mother didn’t do
Which is to mother you

All the pain that you have known
All the violence in your soul
All the wrong things you have done
I will take from you when I come

All mistakes made in distress
All your unhappiness
I will take away with my kiss, yes
I will give you tenderness

For child I am so glad I’ve found you
Although my arms have always been around you
Sweet bird although you did not see me
I saw you

And I’m here to mother you
To comfort you and get you through
Through when your nights are lonely
Through when your dreams are only blue
This is to mother you

May you find the comfort, joy and love you so richly deserve. God bless, and I love you all!

Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach