Jillian Maas Backman >> Intuitive Life Facilitator and Award Winning Radio Show Host

I want to dedicate this entry to my good internal emotional friend, Fear. One of the most mis-understood emotions and yet, has the greatest potential to be our working warrior beside all of us in a time of need.
So much is written about this illusive emotional condition. Just the word alone conjures up a negative reaction and sends people into a tailspin. Why? Along the way, we have received implied mixed messages, finger pointing towards FEAR as the “evil one” from our emotional piggy bank from which to draw from. Origins deriving from such statements, as “We must conquer our fears!” “That fear is going to kill you!” “FEAR is the root to all evil!” This kind of verbiage sets up a battlefield inside your conscious mind. Think about it this way, whenever someone goes into battle there will always be a winner and loser. When we apply this same kind of tactical representation towards fear, it is no longer an ally. It becomes an adversary to suppress. Nothing good comes from this kind of thinking in your head. We end up segregating pieces of ourselves and assign judgment. A power struggle ensues between good and evil.

We have humiliated ourselves into thinking it is cowardly if we admit experiencing some form of fear. Somehow, we are less emotionally healthy if we have bouts of fearful momental breakdowns. What a set up that is, in so many sad sad ways. Fear is a human emotional conditions we should honor and respect on different levels. It is not meant to be a comfortable state of being, by any means what so ever.

NEVERTHELESS, it can be an immutable force behind your intentions!
Every human emotion was given to us for a higher purpose of some kind. I believe we are trying to think our way through changing the human archetype we were heavenly blessed with from inception. Impossible and a waste of human time. My ability to feel fear is necessary for my survival in certain situations. It is how you act upon those internal markings is a gift not a punishment.

Let us take the fear out of “being in fear.”
First, there is lots of wiggle room between using fear as a catalyst for expansion and creating a fear addiction. As always, I am addressing a healthy dose of “fearness” herein. This is not intended for those of you that feel you may have crossed into the danger zone of a “fear addiction.” As with all addictive behavior, intervention prevention by trained professional is always advised.

Please do not abandon your sense of fearing.
Fear, as with all other human emotions, will be present forever. It is our natural sense indicator of change in the rawest form possible, an involuntary boundary sensor. The minute you find yourself outside your comfort zone, that fear brain sensor will be busy transmitting all forms of warning signs. Why in the world would you want to intellectually spend time fighting against this loving emotional companion is beyond me. For goodness sake, walk with it.

Years ago, I too was immobilized with my own fears. My perceived options were either ignore the presence of it and force my way through or accept defeat and surrender. Both seem ludicrate at the time. Neither option was going to get me to my desired destination of transformation. I trusted myself enough to know that fear was not my enemy. I was being guided to delve deeper for illumination on the gift of heavenly fear. The answer was not about the elimination of it, more on how to manage my way through the consistency of fear. How do you deal with the innate presence of emotional fear?
Which one are you; Cliff Diver or a Rabbit Hopper:
Before I share the details, let me preface this by stating: No one category is better than the other. Each one has inherited advantages and disadvantages. I use these labels as a fun way of stepping out from the wake of fear, observing how you personally deal with conflict resolutions, and possible modifications.

Cliff Diver: Peaks of Fearlessness followed by Peaks of Fear
Now cliff divers are the ones that do exactly what the label sounds like. Not literally, of course. When they decide to make changes, they usually go big. Not in the sense of crazy big, more like something out of the ordinary. The opposite, they sit back, internally analyze, wait for the right moment to jump, and then jump long! All the while, vacillating between moments of fear-ness and fearless-ness. This reminds me of that old cartoon, Wily E Coyote and the Road Runner. The coyote would chase the roadrunner off the end of a cliff. His first reaction on his face described it all. “Oh crap, what did I just do?” Eyes wide as silver dollars, realizing his forthcoming quandary, flapped his arms as fast as he could in the attempt to soften the blow with his eventual landing. He always seemed to survive another day of relentless chasing the Roadrunner.
Advantage:
-Fear instantly subsides. There is immediate spontaneous resolve to the inaction of fear.
-Go with the flow kind of people, flexible
-More times than not, this decision defines completion.
- Meaning, you have completed a cycle in your life that has been festering for a long time and your inability for movement has stalled. Your last bit of built up fears pushed you forward to a decisive action and possibly propel you to new territory of exploration.
- Feel your way through fears. No intrinsic internal need to identify and label each fear individually.
-Able to handle both conscious and unconscious pretara of “perceived fears” simultaneously.
-Insights always come from a multitude life lessons.
Disadvantages:
-Be aware of compulsive fearless moments. It is an incredible motivator but may also create lingering repercussions.
-Be conscious that you are a cliff diver. The natural order of human fear will settle in again, but the configuration will definitely be different from before. You will eventually decide to jump off the cliff of fearlessness once again and the cycle will repeat. What measure have you set in place to reconfigure a new way of handling fears when it comes around again? A good solution would be to adapt the ways of a “rabbit hopper…” Therefore, when you decide to “jump” again the aftermath may have a softer landing.

Rabbit Hoppers: Equal amount of fear and fearlessness
Bless them, for many do not understand their unseemly unassuming ways. We are promoters of cliff divers in this country. “Go Big or Go Home.” Come on really? Not every big way is the best way. There are times when slow and steady is the best method to resolutions of all kinds. I again reference a childhood story, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Even though the hare is portrayed in this parable as the one who lost in the end maybe both were correct.
Advantages:
-Break down fears into workable “chucks of insights.”
-Deal with fear as it comes along. They live by the rule, literally, one-step at a time. In this case, one hop at a time.
- Extremely methodical in handling all aspects of fear- based experiences. Goals firmly placed in front of them. Set in their immediate intentions.
-Can only deal with single fear issues one at a time. Multi-tasking lessons are not an option.
-Keep internal fear/fearlessness in balance.
Disadvantages:
-Assume fearlessness as being out of control.
-Tendency to avoid situations of complete fearlessness and spontaneous decision.
-Inflexible. Rarely deviate from the pre-set course of action.
- There will be times of urgency to make a fast decision. Fear is an incredible activator for quick movements. Many times rabbit hoppers avoid this kind of situations at all cost. That itself can create potential danger. You must adapt and take the “cliff diver” approach and jump in.
In order for rabbit hoppers to continue to move forward, they must always keep a balanced perspective on both fear and fearlessness. That is a tall order, for the demure rabbit. Fear has a tendency to silently take over the rabbit hoppers momentum.

I presented this fun fear quiz to demonstrate how each one of us handle and manage the stress of fear. Both represent the beautiful ways in which we assimilate our fears, transpose them into lessons, and share our well -traveled wisdom with others.
In gracious love, Jillian Maas Backman

Jillian Maas Backman is an Intuitive Life, Author (Beyond the Pews, spring 2011), and Award winning Radio Host. She can be heard on her weekly Sunday morning program entitled: “It’s For You” on-air 9-10am(CST) Lake 961 fm, Lake Geneva, WI, North Shore Chicago, Ill or by listening on-line world wide at www.lake961.com

In a time of reality TV, shock jock radio and bully commentators, how in the world has self-help gurus like Dr. Oz, Jillian Michaels and now , Anthony Robbins been able to infiltrate closed media programming? What could be the driving force behind this cultural open-minded media phenomenon? Maybe I am going out on a limb but I believe we are primed, willing, and able to see ourselves as WINNERS again. Have we had enough of powerful people telling us we are stalling out with our perpetual potential? Are they really self help gurus or possibly intense dynamic peaceful warriors coming forth to gather the troops to exclaim once again the battle cry of our American spirit………”YES WE CAN.”

By the grace of NBC and Anthony Robbins for the next couple of weeks, we are being allowed free prime time access to the highly successful world of what I call the “Anthony Zone.” This self-help entertainment encouraging us to think positive, go for it and let nothing stand in the way of your own success. An over worked battle cry we have heard many times before, ever so logical, but nearly impossible to replicate in our daily life. We will be inspired by human triumphs over the saddest of challenges. We will cry together, laugh aloud together, and recite simple mantras in unison with the intent of igniting the fire of greatness within each one of us. However, what happens to this “spark” after our high priced cheerleader is no longer available? Like anyone who has attempted to start a fire in the forest – it is one thing to have a spark but it is something all together different to create a fire capable of burning all night long. How do you sustain the spark so that it can ignite a fire within?

Robbins is a world -class public speaker capable of creating that spark. As a spectator in the television audience how can you capitalize on this once in a lifetime event? Here are my suggestions:
He will cover a lot of ground in several weeks of life coaching material. Listen with great intent to what he is saying. Focus on the information and take notes on the material that resonates with you. Ignore the rest. Work with your notes and break them down into workable pieces that you can implement as you go. Your understanding will come after the weeks of faithful work and repetition.
The goal here is sustainable changes inside and out. Anthony Robbins is a well-known figure in the world of life coaching but there are also exceptional life coaches in your local communities who are readily accessible to help you maintain the “fire” of your newfound course of action.
The simplest part of self-improvement is striking the spark for change. The most difficult part is maintaining the “fire.”

In loving gratitude, Jillian Maas Backman,

Listen every Sunday morning 9-10am (cst) to “Its For You” with radio personality, Jillian Maas Backman on-air live 961 fm, Lake Geneva WI or on-line at www.lake961.com

Private one on on Intuitive Consultations with Jillian Maas Backman, Intuitive Life Coach, Author and Radio Host

August 17-19, 2010, Deerpath Inn, Lake Forest Ill

Every year presents both global and personal successes and challenges. This year in particular, has shown a trickle down affect on our own individual journeys. Although many of you have been able to survive these transitions, we also deserve to thrive without fear!

Join Jillian for your half-year Power Point check up! In this intense hour with Jillian she will review the past six months. What’s working for you and how we, as a team, can finish this year with greatness. You will receive a personalized e-lesson, a to-do list like no other you have experienced. Reservation Required, on-line or e-mail for an appointment: www.jillianmaasbackman.com Call 262-812-3445 for availability.

It feels like we are all suffering from one big national panic attack, a well -documented medical episode triggered by an onset of sudden fearful situations. We have hit a rough patch of “growing pains,” debilitating circumstances all around us: oil spills, wars, out of control domestic violence and natural disasters. This intense temporary attack affects every body system from head to toe; blurred vision, dizziness, the inability to breathe deeply and most importantly, brain function impairment. There is no quick- fix prescription from policy or politician that can stop this transition train from taking us to places unknown. So, I reference a common quote, “God only gives us what we can handle.” Does this saying apply for countries as well?

My answer to this auspicious question will always be YES. Even I have been feeling out of sorts the last couple of weeks with the constant bombardment of such spirit- testing state of affairs. We all have endured, for several years now, relentless assaults on our comfortable lifestyles. There is one consensual question many have asked: Are we going to be all right?

My honest answer is again, YES. I have this understated core sense of serenity right now. Unexplainable, but true! For some reason, I have great faith in my faith and more importantly, my fellow man/woman. Our greatest national strength resides with the diverse, complex convictions we hold sacred. This is what’s going to pull us through unstable transitional time. My minister father told me years ago, “The mere fact that we are still arguing our points of view means we are still committed to an eventual conclusion. When we stop fighting for our beliefs and simply give up, when we should worry.” How true is this? Apply this to your own relationships. If you ever ask someone why he/she chose to step out of any significant bond with someone, their usual response is: I simply did not care anymore. I believe “It’s apathy that makes the world flat line in failure.” Instead of looking at the negative, as a nation of causational bickering among
fractured entities, we should transpose our outlook and congratulate ourselves for understanding our quarrels are paying off. We do care enough about ourselves and others to keep striving for the goal of serene living. If I were capable of sharing one gift with the world right now, it would be to share a crumb of calmness I feel within my soul with each one of you, to soothe nerves and feel your way to the “YES” to the question yourselves. But of course, that is simply impossible, so the next best thing here is to help you discover your own peace within to stabilize frantic reactions.

A professional colleague and I were having a rousing discussion on the propaganda in the world of what we need to do to cure our epidemic slump: antidotal quips, re-tooled old school physiological ideologies with the latest buzz word weekend retreats on how to love better, eat healthier and live longer…. Great, all very pertinent information for anyone; unfortunately, attendees may leave more confused when they walk out the door.

Believe me; I appreciate the massive transcendental explosion as much as the next girl. However, I would label myself as a Practical Intuitive Life Coach. I cannot re-package simplicity in a shineier package to catch your attention. What we need right now are simple, old-school, true tested coping skills. I understand this is not flashy or super sophisticated stuff, just down to earth common sense reality check for all of us.

A common symptom of all fear- induced panic episode is the feeling of having a “Heart Attack,” heart palpitations of magnificent proportions, is exactly what we all are experiencing together at this point in time; an attack directly on the weakest and most vulnerable center of every human being on this planet- our, love foundation. The one elusive emotion we all crave, cherish and most importantly, DESERVE. It’s literally breaking down the compassion we have for others. Please do not buy into this kind of destructive stinking thinking pattern. There is nothing more sacred than this bond between all of us.

Every family has disagreements, as do countries, including ours. I am not asking any of you to change your beliefs in what you stand for in the world. But, I am asking for you to:

Trust: your fellow man/woman to follow through. The off-shore gulf oil spill is a perfect example. We are all feeling a tremendous amount of helplessness in many ways. We are all out here on the olive branch of trust together. Frustrations are heightened because we are a nation of “fixers.” We can fix anything if we put our minds to it. Granted, this will be the ultimate key to successfully solving this crisis. But, until then, we must be the watchful eye of others competencies.
All self-help books encourage the focus towards “healing yourself” first. For the most part, I believe many of you have embraced this concept with tremendous abundance. This event in particular is forcing us to our next evolution of complementary living, guiding us into the mind- set of “healing others.”
We have to train ourselves to trust. Easier said than done, I understand. We are fallible in our actions. Right now, it’s all we have. We practice this gracious gift everyday and it never consciously crosses our minds. If you ask anyone out on the streets if they trust our soldiers fighting in other countries for our boundless freedoms, with no hesitation, the answer is: absolutely! The armed forces are in charge of making universal decisions that have direct bearing on all of our lives. They are doing a commendable job over and above what is expected. I share this example to attest to the fact that we all have the capabilities to trust unconditionally. WE are simply out of practice in our own communities. For the majority of us, with the state of affairs we are dealing with, we have no choice BUT to trust others.

Inspiration: Divert your attention elsewhere. If you keep dwelling on something over and over again there is no room for the universe to create its magic. Find something else to occupy your mind, something or someone that represents hope instead of hopelessness. Seek out your inspirations. What gives you the motivation to keep progressing forward? Many people find holding onto a physical object can help calm nerves and re-focus attention onto more healthy choices. Remember, we are physical beings. I do not care how much we are grounded in our spiritual beliefs; we always have a deep connection to our physical world. Physiologically speaking, our brains literally have a greater rate of success when we are able to use physical objects that help represent what we aspire to in our outside world. This is why so many of you have your bibles with you at all times. It gives you a sense of physical connection to your etheric beliefs. When you find yourself in a spot of turmoil, objects assist our thoughts back onto goodness. As for myself, I carry my prayer beads with me at all times. I find great solace in what they represent for my inspirations to be a better person, and better servant. What objects represent your strength and inspirational center?

The Three P Cocktail: Patience Passion and Practicality
I have been accused of owning too much patience. Who has heard of such a silly thought? To the outside world it would appear that way. I have dedicated my lifestyle patterns to embrace what I label as the “The three P cocktail; Patience Passion and Practicality.” Americans are known for being the most prodigious “doers” in the world. If you want the job done right, knock on our door first for results. We are relentless problem solvers at our very core. An asset that has served us well for hundreds of years. Lately, our tactical maneuvers are not working. With this aggressive mindset, there is very little room for patience.
Passion and practicality do make good bed fellows. We all have our higher calling for a particular cause, but we cannot let our passion over take practicality. Both qualities are admirable, but timing is the essential ingredient that binds us to a higher education about ourselves. Convergence is in the air, spectacular visions of a new kind of America are being shaped in all facets of our reality. Persuasive enforcements for domestic violence accountabilities are being enacted. Alternative fuel economies are now seriously being debated.

Freedom for oppressed people overseas is being successful and above all we are hashing our way through all of this with fortitude! We have the ability to dig down deep and stay committed through completion.
In loving gratitude, Jillian Maas Backman

Join Jillian Maas Backman, host of Its For You Interactive radio program every Sunday morning 9-10am(CST) on Lake 961fm, Lake Geneva, WI and northshore Chicago Ill on-air: 96.1 fm radio or on-line worldwide: www.jillianmaasbackman.com

What are your plans for Year 2012?

According to ancient text, the world as we know it will come to an end on December 21, 2012?  In this four week series I will discuss both scientificevidence and philosophical beliefs, on the  top four leading scenarios of our“predicted  demise.”  Can our actions of today change our future of tomorrow?

Join me when I discuss this heated topic with my guests:

Between Bears, Cherokee man living in harmony with nature, his thoughts on global “etheric lessons.”

Ms. Jacki Mari, Master Numerologist,   Share on air with us the hidden messages and significance to the date of December 21, 2012.    www.jackimari.com

Ms. Dena Eckels:  Author, The Peace Warrior, Executive Director of Echo Valley Farms, Wisconsin.   What we can do right now to encourage the growth of green sustainable living.  www.echovalleyfarmwisconsin.com

Join Jillian Maas Backman, host of   It’s For You interactive radio program  every Sunday morning, 9-10am (CST) on Lake 961, Lake Geneva, WI and northshore Chicago, Ill.  on-air at 96.1fm or on-line world-wide www.jillianmaasbackman.com

Tonight I hope you will join me on Blog Talk radio as we discuss and hopefully provide answers to questions we all have regarding a friend or relative who has died and yet are afraid to ask or talk about this with anyone. Many crime survivors visit this the Time’s Up blog looking for answers and information. We thought we would bring you a “Time’s Up Special” show using interactive radio technology hosted by Susan Murphy Milano and Jillian Maas-Backman, airing at 8:00 PM CST and 9:00 PM EST the link to participate or listen to the show is: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susanmurphymilano

As I sat and pondered my topic of discussion for this blog entry, I kept coming back to the idea of “energy of anger” and its advanced stage, the “energy of rage.”

How many of you hold onto the energy of anger, mindlessly exploiting this erratic behavior as a catalyst for getting ahead on your path to success? How many of you are in an ANGER RUT?—unwilling to consider the thought of relinquishing this detrimental pattern while fearing you will stagnate in your own inadequate resentments.

The energy of anger often masks itself behind other emotions and obscures our vision of the world around us.  Dominating and relentless, it will ultimately suffocate all other emotional energies.  It will subject you to a life of surface dwelling—an inability to commit to intimate connections with those around you.  Instead, you shuffle though relationships like an old set of “hand-me-down playing cards” for the sole purpose of avoiding the possibility of feeling vulnerable. At some level, we all can relate to that. Living in a state of vulnerability is very risky business. You must open your heart and your soul to all sorts of subjective, painful passages.  In a suspended state of anger, you may be able to avoid the human fall-out of uncontrollable experiences.  But ask yourself this question; what blessed events are you missing because your veil of anger is holding you back?

I want to share a few thoughts on how you have the opportunity to shift that anger into a moldable paradigm of reality.  From childhood on, we are taught to use this statement when we are unhappy with others:  “I am angry with you.”  If you remove two simple words from the statement, you’re essentially left with “I am Anger.”  After years and years of repetition, one begins to accept the possibility that this is true.   You are anger, and anger is you.  You become one with the anger. In the old paradigm, human emotions such as anger, are characterized as personality traits.  Unfortunately, the chances of reversing a characteristic trait are very rare.  It takes years and years of commitment and accountability.

Moving into adulthood, I began to perceive human emotions as human conditions, which are curable.  When you start accepting this truth, wonderful events will begin to occur.  One can experience human emotions without being overtaken by them.    This can be accomplished by “re-setting your emotional paradigm”.

Many teachers, including myself, encourage others to make decisions from a place of love, not fear, human- based emotion.  It helps to give yourself permission to detach from the emotional components of your personality.  Think of the process of detachment in terms of an archery target.  The target is composed of concentric circles of different colors, rings inside of rings, all encircling the core center, which is always pictured in red.  The red represents your soul center.  This center is steadfast and grounded in the pure essence of love, peace, calm and balance, and most importantly, isolated from outside forces.

The outer rings represent human emotional conditions, accumulated over time as protective mechanism.  These accumulated emotions can be either positive or negative.  As a functional person, you have complete control over human conditional emotions.   Are the emotional rings of your target negative, positive, or perhaps a mix of both?

It all right to experience both positive and negative emotions.  What is important is to remember that the soul, the center of the target, never wavers.  It is the essence of who we are, even when we feeling a myriad of human emotions.  By becoming aware of the separation of the “rings” we can develop more conscious control over our emotions.

In loving gratitude, Jillian.

Jillianmaasbackman.com

Listen online every Sunday 9 am to 10 am, central standard time,  www.lake961.com.



This time of year always brings out the best in our “new and improved” versions of New Year’s Resolutions.  It really doesn’t matter what chosen dysfunction you have selected to improve upon; the more pertinent question to ask yourself is: why this one?  What events in the past years have brought you to the conclusion that change is a must in this area of your life? What structures are you going to put in place to ensure success so this year’s resolutions do not end up with the rest of your buried and uncompleted proclamations?

Before I lay out a few suggestions of my own on how to follow through with your resolutions, let’s examine the positive first:

The New Year’s Resolution ritual is the one time throughout the seasons the majority of the people on this planet; stop to; engage in a reflective moment and take part in one big universal “Internal Check-Intake Evaluation;” like the kind we’re all subjected to every time we go to a physician’s office.  Assessments of where/what we have been in the past; where/what we want to be in the future; willingness to move forward with a new attitude and plan of affirmative actions towards a higher quality existence.

The next part of this inspirational rite of passage is the fact that we are all bound together in one distinct voice to announce publically to the world: I AM NOT PERFECT, BUT I AM A WORK IN PROGRESS TO PERFECTION.   Ahhh, that feels so much better!  Now, we can all take a big sigh of relief.  Somewhere along this timeline of humanness we’ve lost our ability to grant each other the patience and time to fully embrace an adult learning curve together. You must say to yourself: Yes, I am willing to accept my challenges.  Yes, I will work on them, year round if necessary. Sometimes, we have a lifetime of make-over’s to live up to, underscored with the commitment to live a more loving lifestyle than year’s past and a promise to recommit for years to come, if that’s what it takes to be at peace from the inside out.

So where do we go from here?

Unfortunately, many of us do not make it past this point in the progression unless we are forced to do so.  Here comes the reality of the situation: it is time to buckle down and do the supportive work it takes to succeed.

Support your new proclamations with new measures:

Surround yourself with new people and new experiences.  Break the energy bond you have with those around you.  The reason we keep repeating some of our outward behavior is because we are used to the energy of the company we keep.  There is an exchange of force that builds between all relationships; the closer the bond, the more fixed this energy gets between yourself and friends.  There can be both positive and negative exchanges, so you need to get very clear on who in your life has positive influence and who in your life has a negative influence.  Be honest with yourself and ask the question, “Is this person supporting my intentions and in return, am I supportive of their intentions?”  If not, trust and let go.  Your intentions of living a more pure life will bring forth those that have the same convictions as you do.

Run your own experiment here; test this theory on your own: let someone go out of your life- with love, not anger- and see what transpires. You will be amazed at who stumbles into your path, by accident!

Select a friend’s New Year’s Resolution proclamation to support.

I get so tired of over-working my own issues, on all levels of MBS (mind, body, spirit).  It is so easy to get myopic, tangled up in your own issues, concentrating solely on your growth that you lose sight of the rest world growing with you.  It feels good inside to lend your MBS know- how to someone else for awhile. Doesn’t seem like their issues are easier to resolve than your own? Pick a friend in your inner circle to support in their New Year’s Proclamations.

Self Motivation: The glue that holds your intentions in place:

It seems some people have an easier time of following through on their intentions?  I suppose so.  What have they tapped into that you have not in this moment in time?  Self-motivation, that’s what. It is the key to grounding your intentions in a solid foundation. It is one of those strange and illusive traits that have to be practiced over and over until you hit the bull’s eye of what you want to accomplish.

People ask me this question all the time. How did I get to be the lucky one that has this special trait?

I ask myself this question all the time as well!  What am I doing differently than others, what motives me to keep moving forward? I have spent countless hours dedicated to connecting with inner seeker, part of me that many label as the inner child.  I see it differently; this part of me is an adult, functioning as an adult, curious to the world and all that it has to share with me, part of myself.  That sense of self that does not adhere to someone else’s expectations does not resonate with someone else’s time clock. My inner voice keeps asking relevant questions, like what’s next?  I treasure the connection of knowing myself more and more each day I serve here on this planet.

Here is a good example:  those of you who have made resolutions for this year or even in the past have picked up and dialed inward to the private line known to the world as your inner voice only for you, by you, and only you can keep the dialog going throughout your life.

Years ago I went out for a walk with several dear friends in the woods.  I was complaining that all I could hear was ringing in my ears.  My friends, being my friends, quietly told me to pick up the phone!  I realized that day, that my internal self-motivation mechanism had been there all along reaching out to me, and I was the one avoiding the soulful phone call.

I applaud you for taking the initial stance of declaring your yearly resolution, encourage you to shake up your support system and focus on helping others achieve their own resolutions.  Lastly, I ask you to commit to dialing in your own self-motivational landline to keep you going throughout the rest of this year and beyond. I know there is always a sense of urgency to change everything at once, but THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME TO TAKE YOUR TIME!

In loving gratitude, Jillian