Living Peacefully

Post-Holiday Blahs....

2012-01-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2012!

Now that the holidays are over, you may be feeling a bit let down and anti-climactic. As promised, I have a New Year's gift to help with that -
"Overcoming the Post-Holiday Blues".

You can access it here -
http://www.living-peacefully.com/Products_and_Services.html

One of my intentions for the new year is to spend less time working on the computer when I could be spending more quality time with my mom, so this will be another short, but sweet message.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!
Much love,
Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant, Energy Healer and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are welcome to do so. Please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Holiday Joy or Holiday Stress?

2011-12-05T13:02:00.001-08:00

Are you feeling excited about the holidays finally arriving and looking forward to all the fun traditions you always enjoy?

Or are you starting to feel the pressure of your holiday “To-Do” list? Do you feel yourself rushing to get things done and not really enjoying this time of year like you used to?

To help you get a head start on your holiday plans andminimize your stress this season, I’m giving you an early present – my freeebook,

“Your Holiday Survival Guide.”

You can access it here:
http://www.living-peacefully.com/Products_and_Services.html

That's it - a short but sweet message for you today.

Relax, (when you can) stay present and enjoy the journeythis season!

Much love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant, Energy Healer and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are welcome to do so. Please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Gratitude or Gravy?

2011-11-23T14:46:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of articles and posts on Facebook andTwitter this week about what people are thankful for, and that is wonderful tosee. We’re so fortunate in this country to have a holiday that causes us topause and think about what we’re grateful for.

Or is it just a day to stuff ourselves?

Obviously, we all look forward to a delicious Thanksgivingdinner with all the traditional dishes – I’m sure you have your favorite – mostlikely concluding with a pumpkin pie or some dessert of pumpkin origin followedby a food coma. I know a lot of people look forward to the football gamesthat will be on TV.

Some people just look forward to the four day weekend as awelcome respite from their busy schedules and a time to catch their breathbefore all the big holiday events begin.

Often we just float through this day as another traditionthat doesn’t mean any more to us than any other day off. Some of you may bedreading the obligatory appearance at a family gathering that will be full ofstress and drama.

Some of you may have no family nearby, no time or money to gethome or perhaps no family at all. I’m always happy to see my Californiatransplant friends get together for an “Orphan Thanksgiving”.

If you have nowhere to go, and you feel so inclined, you could help out at a homelessshelter, feeding those who don’t have much and making connections that will mean so much to someone else. Or you could find an elderly person to visitwho would otherwise be spending the holiday alone. You can make this aThanksgiving to remember if it is your intention is to do so.

Whatever your plans are tomorrow, whether it’s a dinner you’relooking forward to for the company or the food (or both), or if you’ll be numblycounting the minutes until you can leave wherever you are obligated to be, oryou don’t have any plans at all – take a moment to stop and think of what youare thankful for. It’s a holiday – you don’t have to work and most likely youhave Friday to yourself as well so there should be some time in there fora moment of genuine gratitude.

If you can’t seem to think of much to be grateful for, letme help you – Do you have your health? Do you have a home, a bed to sleep in,clothes to wear and food to eat? Do you have people in your life who love andsupport you? Do you have a job? Do you have a car? Do you have money in thebank? Do you have activities that you enjoy? Do you have a strong belief systemthat keeps you going? Do you have hopes and dreams for the future?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these – be thankful forthat. There is always a blessing somewhere in our lives, even when we think wehave nothing. Think of the less fortunate who don’t have the luxury of atraditional meal in a nice home. And I would bet that you would still find thatthey are grateful for what they do have, even if it doesn’t seem like much.

Enjoy your day, however you are spending it, whomever youwill be with, whether you are looking forward to it or not, and make sure toinclude some “thanks” in your Thanksgiving.

I wish you a day of gratitude, gravy and many blessings thisholiday season.

Much love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:

Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are welcome to do so. Please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Be Responsible for Your Energy

2011-11-11T12:16:00.001-08:00

Today is a great day to examine your energy – this high-poweredday, 11/11/11, is so fully charged and millions of people are taking to really feel it and make shifts toward more positive thoughts andfeelings.

It also happens to be Veteran’s Day so please take a momentto be grateful to all those who have served our country to keep it the land ofthe free and the home of the brave.

For those of you watching Oprah’s Lifeclass on OWN, you mayremember the class that was all about being responsible for the energy youbring everywhere you go. She even has a sign in her make-up room to remindeveryone who enters to be responsible for the energy they bring into her space. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone were responsible for their energy?

How often do we really think about the energy we bring withus when we are with others, entering their homes, their workspaces or justtheir personal space? We know when we feel the energy of those who enter ourspace and whether it is positive or negative. Or we could say, whether it feels goodor feels bad to us. That is a great, simple indicator of what resonates withyou on the highest level – does it feel good or not?

This also ties into the Lifeclass about thescientific effects of energy from a physics perspective: What you put out comesback to you. Like attracts like. Newton’s Third Law of Motion: Every action hasan equal and opposite reaction. It’s the Law of Attraction. It’s not woo woospiritual stuff, it is scientific fact.

If you’d like a visual to help understand the basic truthand power behind your words and emotions, check out Dr. Emoto’s water crystalphotos – a few of which are pictured above. Pretty powerful, isn't it?

It’s always helpful to examine what you are attracting, especiallyif you’re not happy with it. If you don’t like what’s happening in your life, take a good look at yourself and your habitual thoughts and beliefs. The thing to remember is that the commondenominator in your life is YOU. So ask yourself, what are you putting out there to attractexperiences that you don’t want and are not enjoying? Many people don’t want totake that responsibility and will even become angry and defensive when the ideais presented to them. They prefer to stay in a blaming mentality and that’s OK –not everyone is ready to understand these principles yet. Hopefully somedaythey will, for their own sake.

When you do take responsibility, you free yourself frombeing a victim of the behavior of others and unwanted situations. Instead, you empoweryourself to create the life you want with the knowledge that your thoughts andemotions generate the energy you are sending out into the world. Whatever youput out will come back to you in some form or another, so be mindful of yourattitude and expectations.

We have become so accustomed to having a knee-jerk reaction to anythingwe find unpleasant that we lose all our power. We take everything personallyand feel that the world is being totally uncooperative and is working againstus. The key word here is “reaction.” This usually happens without our eventhinking – we just lash out when we feel threatened or unjustly treated. We makeit all about us.

When you slow down and become more thoughtful about what comes up for you, and then make a conscious decision to decide how (or if) you want to respond to a situation, you have just takenback your power and mastered your own life.

So if this makes no sense to you and makes you angry, that’sOK, just let it go. But if you want to take responsibility for creating whatyou really want to attract and experience in your life, learn as much as youcan about how energy and the Law of Attraction work. You can stop being avictim and become the master of your reality.

Which feels better?

Much love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are welcome to do so. Please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information.
Thanks and enjoy!

What's Your Favorite Scary Movie?

2011-10-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

After watching "Scream 4" (among many other horror movies this past weekend), I heard that line way too many times. But it was part of the scary fun....well, for the audience at least.

I have always loved Halloweenand more specifically, horror movies. I was watching the scariest, goriestfilms out there by the time I was six. I have no idea why it fascinated me somuch, but it did and never bothered me or gave me nightmares. I remember when Iwas twelve a neighbor had the Z Channel (anyone remember when there was onlyONE cable movie channel?) so I went over and watched “The Exorcist” threenights in a row. I know - what's wrong with that 12 year old?

Later on I was more into theslasher movies because I wanted to be a make-up artist specializing in gore. Iloved to see all the different scenarios and wondered how they made it look soreal. I didn’t become a professional make-up artist, but I lived out thatfantasy every Halloween, coming up with the grossest and scariest costumes Icould think of – dead school girl, dead prom queen, dead saloon girl, (dead was a big theme, always the result of violence with lots of blood) vampire, victim of vampire,bad knife-thrower’s assistant…etc. I also brought all my make-up to work togive anyone who wanted a little gore a bullet wound, a slashed throat, ablack eye or a spike in the head. So much fun!

My boss at that time, Adam,always let me do his costume and make-up. One year he went into his boss’office for a meeting, forgetting about the make-up and nearly gave the guy aheart attack – he thought Adam had really been in a bloody accident. I love it!

I also used to frequent Knott’sScary Farm with my friends – we went every year for 15 years. We always had ablast being scared out of our wits. But eventually I began to think, “Aaaah - too many teenagers everywhere!” Yikes – I used to be one of thoseteenagers! I knew my time with that tradition was done, but it was scary fun while it lasted.

Why do we love the creepiness ofHalloween? Probably for the same reason we love rollercoasters – it’s a thrill,it scares us, but ultimately we know we are safe. It’s fun to explore our darksides with no lasting effects – just finish watching the movie or take off the costume and wash off themake-up.

Or are there lasting effects?

A while ago I began noticing that thesehorrific images began lingering in my consciousness. I found myself dreamingabout the most recent horror movie I had just watched. I began having dreamsabout the unearthly face from “The Exorcist” – silently watching me, menacing.That freaked me out.

So began the habit of the happymovie after the horror movie to even out my brain. Even this past weekend of having a horror movie marathon with my husband really messed up my energy and put me in a dark place emotionally. Thank goodness for Tivo'd episodes of Oprah's Lifeclass to significantly raise my vibration back up where it belongs. I've detoxed in the last few years so much from scary, disturbing movies that they greatly affect me now more than ever. I think next year I'll stick to "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!".

This negative eeriness all came to a head a few years ago oneHalloween when I was going to attempt my greatest feat make-up wise – Regan ofthe unearthly face. My eye doctor does special effect contact lenses for movies andactually made the ones that Linda Blair wore in the movie. Since then he’s donejust about every vampire movie and anything else requiring special effects withthe eyes. So I got a pair of scary, yellow, red-rimmed contacts from him, (in the photo here) andbegan studying photos of the face online. I needed to know all the littledetails that you wouldn’t be aware of unless you really looked.

I began feeling uneasy andcreeped out at night in my apartment – had I invited dark forces into my energyfield with the planning of this costume? I couldn’t wait for Halloween to beover so I could take my attention off of the scary face.

Then one night I had a dreamthat shook me to my core. Now, I am a Christian, but not hard-core – I believeJesus was one of the greatest spiritual teachers who ever lived and I aim tolive a good life and follow his teachings. So when I had a dream where Jesus cameto me and asked, “Why do you want to emulate something so evil?” I was sofreaked out that I immediately abandoned the idea. When Jesus speaks to you so directly andclearly, you listen.

A friend at work then requestedthat I do it on her since she was an atheist. I did do the make-up on her and she wonthe costume contest at the office Halloween party. So mission accomplished,ultimately.

My point is, even when you're just having fun, always be aware ofwhat energy you are inviting into your experience and what images you are putting into your subconscious. Limit the safe scares to whatis fun but will not leave a negative, lasting impression on your psyche. On a regular basis, make sure to fill your heart, mind and spirit with uplifting, happy, positive,inspirational images, information and people. You don’t want any underlyingnegativity to attract people or situations that you don’t want to invite into yourexperience.

That said, have a safe (in everyaspect) and Happy Halloween!

With love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with anyone you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome to! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Traffic Talk

2011-10-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

I recently got a new licenseplate, which I love. (Pictued here) Let me tell you how I finally arrived atthis message after many plate changes…

I have always had personalizedplates – even before I started driving. When my parents bought a new carwhen I was 11, I asked if we could get personalized plates, so they got “4Tanna”. I know – I’m spoiled. Of course, the plates were transferred to myfirst car when I was 16 – my dream car, a metallic blue ’75 superbeetle named“Elliott”. (I got him right after I’d seen E.T.) I even wrote a songabout my love affair with Elliott when I had a singing duo with my friendStacey in the early 1990’s.

I enjoyed having a personalplate and usually had a custom frame to send yet another message out to myfellow drivers. I think the first one I had read, “Have you hugged Tannatoday?”

Eventually, I got tired ofstrangers calling out my name acting as if they knew me so I got new plateswhen I was going through my Doors phase. I was in my early twenties, exploringmy spirituality and I became fascinated with Jim Morrison’spoetry and songwriting. So my next plate was both a tribute and a message toothers – “BKNTHRU”. Translation, “Break On Through” as in, “…to the otherside”. I wanted LUVME2X but it was taken. I actually passed that person onthe road once.

People had a hard timeunderstanding what my plate meant so soon after when I began doing energyhealing and became a licensed massage therapist, immersed in the world ofalternative health and healing, my new plate was “MJK TCH” (Magic Touch). Itried to be very phonetically descriptive but again, people didn’t always getit. Often they thought it meant “Magic Teacher”.

A few years later I became fullyimmersed in my lifelong love of the Beatles and a phrase that I have used formany occasions in my life – All You Need Is Love. At this time, there were new symbolswe could have on our plates - a hand, a star, a plus sign or a heart – yay! Thistime my plate was ALLUND(heart). And just to clarify for others, I had a plate frame thatplainly spelled out “All You Need Is Love”. Most people still didn’t get it.Some did, but not many. *Sigh*

Unfortunately, I had a bad caraccident, totaling my car and those plates were smashed. Being so traumatizedby the accident, I never picked up the new replacement plates. For the firsttime in my life, I had generic plates on my new car. In a way, it was nice tobe a bit anonymous, but after a few years, I felt like a medium ofcommunication was being wasted, especially on the road where people tend to getangry and frustrated and really need a bit of inspiration.

So I pondered many options – theDMV has a great resource on their website where you can see what your desiredplate would actually look like and find out if it’s available. Check it out - it's fun! https://www.dmv.ca.gov/ipp2/initPers.do

I played with many versions ofLiving Peacefully, Inner Peace, Peaceful, etc…I wanted my message to relate tomy business and my intention to serve the world by helping others reconnectwith their inner peace. And I wanted it to be easy to understand.

I finally found the phrase thatmade me feel good and was a message I would be happy and proud to drive arounddisplaying – “Relax – Ah”. And my frame now reads, “Thank You For YourKindness”, affirming my expectation that I am always surrounded by kind,courteous drivers and as I aim to do the same for everyone around me. I alwayshave a pleasant driving experience – you attract what you put out!

I love this message because justknowing that I have it on my car also reminds me, first of all, to breathe. Every time I look at it or even think about it, I find myself taking a deep, cleansing breath, and Ihope it does the same for other drivers who see it. It also keeps me conscious to walk my talk and be an example of the thought I am sending out.

If you have apersonalized license or frame, be mindful of the message and theenergy you are sending out with your words. A lot of people will read it and it will affect their energy. So please use your powers for good instead of evil :)

We all need a little kindness and words of encouragement, especially stuck in traffic or during a long commute. The mostimportant thing you can do while driving is to relax. Be the best person youcan be on the road. Don’t take things personally. Let it go. Understand thatpeople who are in a hurry or cutting you off or not letting you in are goingthrough their own stress, it's really not about you. So send them a good thought for a great day.

Make a point of filling your car with love and good vibes every timeyou get behind the wheel, and send that good energy out to everyone around youon the road. If you do this with the right attitude, I can assure you that youwill always have an easy, pleasant drive.

Have a nice drive today!

Much love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

The View From the Hammock

2011-10-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

OK obviously, I am in love withmy hammock. We spend a lot of quality time together, mostly during warmweather, and if I don’t get outside for my special time, I feel it.

I love the view from my hammock –I always think that would be a nice title for a daily weather report. This isthe actual view from my hammock today – it’s beautiful and clear in LA after a stormyday yesterday. It’s getting colder but the sun is still warm, so there willstill be Hammocktime! (I always put this to MC Hammer’s “Hammertime” in myhead)

I try to get out and spend sometime, not only to relax, meditate, align with my spirit and reconnect withnature, but also for my daily dose of Vitamin D from the sun. There issomething about relaxing in this particular spot – it could be that I’msurrounded by so much beautiful, lush greenery, a swaying palm tree, birds,butterflies and bees humming around doing their thing – or it could be mypersonal philosophy about why a hammock is so comfortable and conducive to totalrelaxation: I believe that being somewhat cocooned and totally supported whileyou rock back and forth may remind us of the same experience when we werebabies. When we had no worries, no cares; everyone else took care of all of ourwants and needs, we weren’t concerned about our body image or if we anyoneliked us or if we were going to succeed…life was just simple and happy. Formost. It may sound crazy but that’s my personal belief. Or it may be that we just associate it with a tropical beach and a Corona. Both make sense to me.

Sadly, it’s not so comfortable or relaxing to be outside when it’s cold, so we will have winter hiatus. I could get an indoor hammock, just as my brother has had for many years. Two hooks on either side of the family room are always on standby if they decide to bring out the hammock. But alas, mine is strictly the outdoor variety. Relaxing, meditating, aligning with spirit and reconnecting with nature will move indoors to my office with my spiritual alter and small coconut palm. Vitamin D will have to be supplemented.

As you will notice, there are afew not-so-relaxing elements in the area – a clothesline directly above me(which I use to drape vinyl over to shade myself when it gets too hot…handy!)or the other wires running diagonally across my view. That is actually aninteresting story -

Those are telephone lines fromthe telephone pole in the corner of our backyard. When my parents first boughtthis house in 1949, (they looked at a model and put down $10 and moved in totheir newly-built home two months later…hello…can we say “equity”??) the phonesituation was much different than it is now. They had party lines (for those ofyou who are too young to know, everyone had to share a phone line in aneighborhood, much like extensions on a phone in one house, i.e. “Can youplease hang up soon? I need to make a call”). And beyond that fact, some peopledidn’t even have a phone. I know…I’ll give you a moment to recover from theshock.

However, my father was apoliceman, so he had to have a phone. Hence, the telephone pole landed in ourbackyard and we were the first in the neighborhood to have a phone. So I actually don’tmind seeing the wires – it reminds me of the long history my family has in thishouse.

My special little meditationspot in our backyard is behind the garage and surrounded by tall ficus trees,giant bird of paradise and pink hibiscus so it’s very secluded and private. It’sis truly my little oasis. I’m a bit sad that I won’t be spending as much timeout there as the weather gets colder, but believe me, I when the sun is out andwarm enough, you can bet I will be out there enjoying my precious Hammocktime! Imay have to put up some hooks in my office…hmmmmm....although, it's not quite the same without the clothesline and phone phone wires.

That said, I highly recommend toanyone who is seeking some quality relaxation - Get a hammock! And enjoy your own view,wherever that may be.

Wishing you a beautiful,relaxing day…

With love,
Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of "Living Peacefully in a Big City", please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Ginger Tea, OTC Drugs and a Hammock

2011-09-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

OK so rest didn’t exactly do it for me on Monday…I did indeedget sick, which was surprising, since I was only a bit run down. I’m prettygood at catching myself when I feel out of balance and doing whatever I need todo to regain that balance. But my body had other plans this week. I always tryto pay attention to what’s going on in my body and get the message it’s tryingto convey. I guess this week the message was, “Cancel more appointments andrest”. *Sigh*

When I get really sick, it’s usually starts out with a sorethroat, then progresses into horrible sinus congestion and pain, concludingwith painful chest congestion and horrific, painful expulsion of mucus. Sorry,I know, gross.

Because I am a Holistic Consultant, I like to use naturalremedies and prevention to keep myself healthy. When I find something thatworks well for me, I like to share the information to help others in the samesituation. But once in a while, I will get the usual above-mentioned severecold and need a little additional help.

This time it really snuck up on me – it started with barely asore throat, which I used Sovereign Silver to treat. (www.sovereignsilver.com I highlyrecommend keeping this on hand for a myriad of health issues) I felt prettygood on day two so I did my morning workout, and went to the market to stock upon food for my new eating plan from The Belly Fat Cure, Fast Track by Jorge Cruise. But as the day wore on, I feltworse and worse. I know at this point the best remedy is rest – you can sleepoff just about any illness if you catch it early enough. I was also cravingginger tea. (Slice fresh ginger into some water, boil, add honey or stevia andyum!) This had an unexpected beneficial effect – being a natural expectorant, theginger prevented the cold from going into my chest, which is always the worstpart, requiring me to sit in a steam shower to loosen and painfully cough up the grossness I already mentioned.

But I must confess that I did resort to the onlyover-the-counter drug I use in extreme situations – decongestants. I alwayswait too long, wanting to walk my talk and rely on natural remedies. Butfinally, as always, I gave in when my head and sinuses felt like they weregoing to explode and I couldn’t get any of my coveted rest because I was in somuch pain and couldn’t breathe.

I hate to say it, but I have tried every natural cold remedy Icould find in my many years of research and education, and my conclusion is…theydon’t work well. Or quickly. Unfortunately, that is the nature of healingnaturally – it takes a little longer since you are actually healing and not just covering upsymptoms. But at this point, I need relief from the symptoms so I couldfunction. Taking care of my mom when I’m feeling crappy is not easy. And beingMom, she feels bad and wants to take care of me. The intentions are good butshe can’t really do much for me. I don’t know how moms do it with their kids.Thank goodness for senior day care!

I am happy to report that with the aid of some harsh chemicals,my head has cleared up a bit (although I feel totally groggy, but I’m justgoing to enjoy that for now :) and this has not progressed to my chest thanksto the ginger tea. And I also believe that my new eating plan helped my bodystave off the severe symptoms I’m used to.

One final treatment that is incredibly healing for me is gettingoutside and spending time in my hammock. Being outside, breathing fresh air,getting some sun and enjoying the relaxing, rocking swinging of the hammockgive me the zoned-out rest I have been so desperately in need of. I highlyrecommend a hammock for general relaxation, but when you’re not feeling well,there’s really nothing like it.

I hope my week of misery has given you some helpful informationto refer to should you find yourself in a similar situation. Butif you listen to your body, get enough rest, eat well and maintain a positiveframe of mind, you’ll maintain your balance and feel great.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, restful weekend!

With love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Let Go.....

2011-09-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

I shouldn’t be writing this blog today, according to theintention behind my topic.

I’ve been so busy, had so much to do, been booked with back-to-backappointments and now I’m feeling run down. Today I plan to rest and let my bodyrefresh and heal itself. But I still want to get my message out to you today…thenI will rest.

I’m sure many of you can relate when I say that I often findmyself pushing to get things done, especially in my business. And I know,intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and energetically that this iscompletely counterproductive. My goal is to live a happy, healthy, peaceful, fulfilledlife and help others do the same. But I often get off track with the “trying”, the "doing" and the “shoulding”. I'm forgetting about just "Being".

We have been taught that you have to work hard, strive,struggle and climb your way to the top. Granted, many people have done this andenjoyed the fruits of their labors. But they usually maintain this attitude ofcontinual pushing forward to get ahead and stay in a state of stress, never really enjoying their accomplishments.

Then there is a more enlightened group, (many of myteachers, mentors and coaches make up this group) who know that life was notmeant to be a struggle, it was meant to be easy and that your energy iseverything. It is the force in your life that determines who you are, what youattract and how you enjoy both of those elements. Your energy either easilyattracts or repels the things you want. This is the basis of the Law ofAttraction that everyone is aiming to master. But most of the time, we don’treally get it.

We try…oh we try so hard! We write our affirmations, we doour visualizations with the energy of “I have to make this happen!” , while very oftenour ego is behind the desire, not our higher self.

Why do you want what you want? Because you genuinely feelyou will be happier because of it or because of how it will look to others? Orboth?

I’m sure you’ve heard stories about people who worked veryhard toward a goal with little to nothing to show for it and finally they gaveup. The moment they let go, things suddenly began to happen for them. Theyalready had a very strong intention out in the Universe of what they wanted,but they were pushing so hard to make it happen that they were actually pushingit away. The underlying feeling is usually, “I don’t have it yet!!! Must tryharder…Must do more!” A good example is the couple who tries for years to conceive a child and finally give up and adopt, only to find themselves pregnant shortly thereafter.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Let go, Let God.” Doesn’t justthe thought of letting go give you a feeling of relief? That the amazing,brilliant Universal energy is making it happen on your behalf and you don’thave to wear yourself out taking all kinds of action? Let’s all breathe acollective sigh of relief with that knowledge…

Really…let it out…Aaaahhhhhh….

How about we all make our goal today to stay focused on thefeeling of what we want and let go of the “How”s. Let’s relax, knowing thereare benevolent forces at work on our behalf. Just trust and have faith. For today, let go and enjoy what comes.

Much love,

Messages from Beyond...

2011-09-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

(I wrote this blog afew days ago before I found out that a dear friend and former colleague fromCapitol Records passed away last weekend. My Capitol family and I were shockedand saddened by the news, so now this message feels especially appropriate.)

Ever since my father passed away eight years ago, he hasbeen faithfully communicating with me in many ways, just as I asked him tobefore he died.

Many of his messages come through random songs I might hearanywhere – on the radio, playing in a store or restaurant, etc…

Some of the songs have emotional significance that connectus, for example, “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. I used this songat the end of the video I made for my parents’ 50^th weddinganniversary. But other songs my father never heard, or would not have liked ifhe did. But that doesn’t matter – what is important is that I feel theemotional hit when he is trying to get my attention.

One of my favorite songs that has always invoked hispresence very strongly is “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins. Now, I onlyknew this song from the Disney movie “Tarzan” soundtrack. It was only recentlyI looked it up on youtube.com to send it to a friend when I saw that thesubject matter of the video had nothing whatsoever to do with Tarzan. I was actually pretty blown away by it. Check it out below.

If you have lost a loved one and ever feel their presence,watch this video and you will understand the very thin veil that lies betweenus. And whenever you feel someone might be trying to connect with you, don’tever doubt it: they are.

Enjoy and stay open ~

With love,

Tanna

With love to Denise, wherever you are - xo

***
Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Got Divine Guidance?

2011-09-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Not all of usare as fortunate as George Bailey from It'sa Wonderful Life to have a guardian angel or spirit guidephysically show up to enlighten us about our lives.

But rest assured, you have an abundance of guidance available to you all thetime…we all do...but most of the time we miss it. We either aren’t aware of it, we’re notseeing it, we can't hear it or we get it and don’t recognize it.

I’m sure there have been times when you felt an inner nudge, or saw or heardsomething that seemed to resonate with you and provide some information oranswer that you needed. But if you’re not used to receiving guidance, you’ll begoing through life without this rudder that can help you easily andeffortlessly navigate your way through life.

If you make an intention to be aware and on the lookout for guidance, yourlife will change in amazing, miraculous ways. It makes all the difference whenyou know you have divine support at all times to help you every step of the wayon your earthly journey. Now the real work is learning to recognize, understandand follow the guidance. So you do you know when you’re receiving guidance?Easy – ALL THE TIME! You just have tolet go of expectations and limitations you might place on how messages and information show upfor you. Let me give you some examples and I bet you will have past experienceswith at least one.

Guidance often comes in dreams - your consciousness is more receptive, andit’s easier for spirit guides, angels and loved ones to communicate with you. Messagescan also come as feelings, an inner knowing or an idea that suddenly pops into yourhead. You might see a license plate that speaks to you. Or a billboard, songs onthe radio, overheard conversations, publication headlines, something on TV orin a movie….the possibilities (and the messages) are endless.

The problem is that most of the time we can't hear the guidance because of ourmind chatter. The way we overcome the chatter is to make time during your day tostop and get quiet and just listen. Regular quiet time allows the voices,feelings and ideas to come to the forefront so you see, hear or feel them. Youcreate the space to receive information.
During this quiet time, you can also ask questions or voice any problems youneed help resolving.

When you feel you have received information, don’t doubt it! If you thinkyou’re just talking to yourself, maybe you are. Does it really matter? As longas you are receiving some kind of guidance, don’t question where it came from,just follow it and take action.

Now, this is the most powerful thing you can do in your life – take inspired action.When you spin your wheels taking all kinds of desperate, ego-based action, trying to make thingshappen from a place of fear or trying to force things, you won’t get very far. And even ifyou do, you’ll be exhausted and not very happy on a soul level. Inspired actiontakes a lot less effort because things just begin happening easily foryou. The right people and opportunities will be drawn to you at the perfecttime in ways you never could have imagined. When youlive your life this way and look back at the series of serendipitous events,you will see how things happen in ways you never even thought of. This is whenyou really begin to understand the awesome power of the Universe to direct yourlife.

When you get into the habit of receiving guidance in the silence, you’llfind you receive it (or simply recognize it) much more often. You can live your life being divinely guided all day every day - many peopledo.

One of my favorite teachers, Sonia Choquette, lives this way and teachesothers to do the same. If you’d like to learn more about connecting with yourspirit guides, please check out Sonia at www.soniachoquette.com.She has excellent programs to help you connect with spirit guides, angels, and loved ones. Why not learn how to make your life an effortless adventure withthe many unseen guides just waiting around to help you?

I cannot tell you how much this has changed my life – I see and feelmessages everywhere, all the time. I feel loved and supported in everything Ido, living an inspired life with integrity and joy. When I trust andfollow this guidance, things always work out for my highest good, often in waysthat leave me amazed at the process.

Try it – get quiet, get clear and open yourself up to receive all the guidanceavailable to help you live the life of your dreams. Be on the lookout formessages that speak to you. Practice staying alert andaware. Make it a habit and watch your life transform in miraculous ways.

You may not have an angel just like Clarence, but you have many of your own guides, angels and loved ones just waiting eagerly and lovingly to help you along your earthly journey. Go help someone earn their wings :)

Much love,
Tanna
Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach.
If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Tune into Your Own Truth

2011-08-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we get so caught up in our busy work and what we feel we “should” be doing that we lose sight of our truth. I have spent several years, it seems like, in this mode.

Thanks to the advice of a wise coach I am working with, (thanks Beth!) I took a step back from my business and took all the pressure off myself with everything I have been working so hard toward this year.

Ironically, even though I have been devoting myself to these new endeavors, and I have accomplished quite a lot, at times it’s been slow going. Often it's difficult to fully focus on my business when my primary role is being my mother's full-time caregiver. But I love what I do, I love my clients and I love the new projects I'm working on. Even so, sometimes you need to take a step back to find out what your truth is and what might be holding you back before you can move forward.

This can also be challenging when you have well-meaning people around you telling you what they think you should be doing, asking why things aren’t done or happening yet or pointing out a time frame that they feel is appropriate for you. All this pressure and outside influence can often get you off track and make you doubt yourself.

When I pulled back from my regular coaching business to focus on my projects this year, many people came forward with advice to voice their opinions, coming from their truth – all well-meaning, mind you, but distracting nonetheless.

You have to learn to disconnect from outside influences. Just say, "Thank you for sharing" to the well-meaning folks, then connect with your inner voice and guidance. This is where your truth is and this is where you will receive the inspiration and ideas to motivate you and move you forward in a way that is right for you.

I love the radio station analogy – if you are vibrating at 105.1 and those telling you what you should be doing are vibrating at 92.3, it won’t feel good to you and it won’t work for you. They can operate from their own frequency and it will work very well for them. You need to tune into your specific frequency so you’ll know what works best for you.

The best way for me to get back in alignment with my higher vibration is to retreat to my second office - my hammock. When I have been at the computer too long and I feel my body tensing up and my energy lagging, I go outside and lay in my hammock, connecting with nature and hearing my inner voice much more clearly. There, I am relaxed, replenished and inspiration comes easily to me. There, I am definitely vibrating at my highest frequency! Then I can resume my work with new ideas, refreshed with renewed energy.

Make time to connect with your inner truth and find out where your own frequency is. This quote from Wayne Dyer says it all: "Become independent of the good opinion of others." Amen!

The next time you feel off or others are trying to sway you from their perspective, opinions and ideas, make time to step away and tune yourself to your individual frequency and you will be more firmly established in the flow of your Truth.

To your high frequency!

With love,

Tanna

Aging Gracefully and with Dignity

2011-08-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago as my father was dying, he asked me to move in with my mother and help take care of her. She didn’t need much caring for at the time, but I believe he was thinking long term, probably thinking forward to the point where we are now. I’m happy to do it – my parents have done everything for me and spoiled me rotten my entire life so this is the least I can do.

Taking care of my mom is not always easy, but I consider it an honor and an adventure in making her life as happy as possible. As I have learned in my caregiver support group, I have two jobs when it comes to Mom – make sure she feels loved and that she feels safe.

Mom is 83, blind in one eye, has early stage Alzheimer’s (or “Old Timers” as she calls it),
dementia, diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and arthritis.

I know. All things considered she’s doing really well, in my opinion, and I like to think that I’ve helped her maintain a quality life. We get along really well and enjoy each other’s company. I have assumed the authority role as the mother figure and she is more like my child now and that works just fine. We have developed a daily routine that flows very nicely, always concluding with a Shirley Temple movie before she goes to bed. She's relaxed, knowing that I’m there to take care of her needs and trusting my decisions.

However, there are well-meaning friends and relatives who panic every time she says something odd (which is all the time) and they feel the need to “fix it”. I hear the weird things she says all day every day and it’s nothing to get worked up about. Mom picks up on the vibes of everyone around her and my aim is to make sure she feels relaxed and happy, so I just point out what’s real and correct her without getting upset over something she’s said or done. (OK sometimes I get impatient and frustrated when I’m tired and my tolerance level is very low…but I’m entitled once in a while, right?)

At this stage, I see no point in stressing over what she’s saying. She just needs to be happy, not feeling the need to “perform” to appear OK to everyone. Her only job at this point is to be a sweet old lady, enjoy her knitting, and visit with friends. She goes to senior day care twice a week and has become the welcoming committee and advisor to new participants who are feeling unsure about the situation. This particular day care is paired with a children’s day care, so Mom gets a dose of the little ones (she was a pre-school teacher for 33 years and suffers from child withdrawl, to which I say, “Don’t look at me!”) so this satisfies her innate desire to teach. Kids love her. I know, I used to be one. She is incredibly loving and generous (to a fault – good thing I handle the finances now…)

I like to make sure she still feels like “Mom” as often as possible. I ask her to mend my clothes, make her special tuna salad, kiss my boo-boos and I ask her for her opinion and advice when I need some motherly guidance. She’s still there in her heart, it just doesn’t always make it from her brain to her mouth.

And oh yes – and I am married. I only see my husband on the weekends. I see your raised eyebrows at our unconventional situation….and then I see the thoughtful look come across your face as you think…”Hmmm, that sounds like it might work well…” It does. We have our “golden time” on the weekends while neighbors and family check on Mom while I'm away. In our marriage, we never get sick of each other, that’s for sure! He is so good to my mom and totally supportive of me in my role of caring for her.

Yes there are times when it’s very difficult but as I appreciate my role more and more, I just focus on Mom and the fact that I think she’s got a pretty good life. I feel like I've made a difference.

I never thought this is what I would be doing in my life at this point, but it all works out the way it's supposed to and I'm happy. This is a great example of going with the flow of where life takes you, making the most of what comes your way and enjoying the journey. I am enjoying my journey with Mom, knowing my Daddy is watching over saying, “Thank you, Little Girl. You’re doing a good job.”

May we all age gracefully and have a nice, cushy life where we are well cared for every step of the way.

With love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach.
If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact: Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City,
please visit Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

I'm Too Tired to Write This Post...

2011-08-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been so exhausted that you can’t seem to function? You read your emails and none of it registers? You leave your cell phone in the refrigerator and don’t remember doing it? Your body feels like it weighs a ton and you have to drag it around? You just want to sit and do nothing because you don’t have the energy to do anything else?

Today is one of those days…and I worked out this morning in spite of being extremely tired. Now I'm really exhausted.

Let me preface – my husband and I had a busy weekend, cleaning out a property for sale that needed to be vacated by yesterday. It was a mad dash to clean out every nook and cranny. Fortunately, we had the help of the people who had been living there so it progressed nicely, but everyone was exhausted.

I cannot even imagine how tired my husband must be feeling today. This was his schedule for the past week – up early in the morning (he is normally a night owl who sleeps from approximately 4am to noon), working all day, clearing out this house of 19 years of stuff, having the emotional devastation of discovering important documents and sentimental valuables have been destroyed by termites and rats in the garage, not eating enough, and to top it off, the night before the last day of packing, having a bad fall that resulted in what is most likely cracked ribs. He needs to sleep for a few days. Or a month.

So my point with today’s post is this: Listen to your body. I am finally back into a regular workout routine and wanted to stick with that, in spite of my body begging me to take a break today and resume tomorrow. Now I can barely function. In my husband's case, was rushing and slipped and fell as a result.

If you don’t listen to these messages, you will get a whisper (exhaustion). If you still don’t listen, you will get a tap on the shoulder (body breaks down and gets sick). If you are still not listening, a brick wall will fall on you to get your attention (injury severe enough to physically make you stop and rest). None of us wants the brick wall, but often, that’s what happens when we don’t listen to and honor the requests made by our bodies.

Let me give you another example – last summer I was dealing with some extremely stressful family issues. It was causing me constant, ongoing anxiety, I wasn’t sleeping well, I was reaching for the Kahlua every night to relax and help me cope, and I wasn’t eating well. I became extremely fatigued. I was out of it for a week with severe exhaustion, so I rested, but the stress and anxiety were still there.

Then I got sick – another week shot. I finally got back on track, continued to deal with the situation as best I could and manage my stress, although the anxiety was still there. I visited a friend whose three-year-old had a runny nose and BAM – I was laid out sick for almost a month. My immune system was shot.

Still doing my best to maintain my daily activities, I was a bit better but then shortly after, I got food poisoning. Laid out for two days. *Sigh* Not feeling great about the example I’m setting for my clients :/ How often do I preach to everyone, “You have to take care of yourself and let your body rest!” Although, I do tell people to just do your best, and at the time, that was my best.

But apparently, I still wasn’t getting the message because a week later, the day before Thanksgiving, I had plans that I really wanted to postpone because I was tired, had so much to do and just wasn’t really up for it. But I went anyway. And I fell. Hard, on my butt. I wound up spraining my sacrum. It was the most painful thing I ever experienced. And I finally got the message…”STOP ALREADY! REST! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!!” That was my brick wall. So I made a point of resting and doing as little as possible during the holidays. I didn’t have much choice, anyway, with an injured back.

And during that time, I got some great inspired ideas and actually decided to take my business in a new direction, which I have spent this year implementing. Which further proves my belief that quiet time is essential to our well-being at all times, regardless of what is going on…or not.

Now I take my time, manage my stress and nip things in the bud so they don’t get out of hand and cause anxiety. I've learned to be a non-reactive observer in most circumstances, and I make sure I have time to rest – often – even if it feels like I’m not getting enough done. Ironically, the more I take care of myself (i.e. take breaks to meditate, relax, read a magazine, have lunch with a friend…) the more productive I am.

So please take care of yourself, listen to your body, give yourself quiet time every day and stop when you are tired or stressed. Believe me, you do not want the brick wall. Everything flows better when you make your well-being a priority.

And now, I am getting off the computer and going out to my hammock to relax.

Have a great day!

With love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Clean Those Pipes!

2011-07-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today I am doing my monthly cleanse with my favorite product, Colonblow! (Cue laughter) No, not the cereal advertised on Saturday Night Live by Phil Hartman in the 80’s…this is real.

Since healing myself of lupus several years ago, I believe more than ever in natural remedies along with the power of the mind to keep us in balance.

I like to clean my system on a regular basis – as we all should – because like clogged pipes, stuff that’s stuck will prevent things from flowing smoothly (I’m trying to be as delicate as possible so as not to gross you out, but this is important stuff). This accumulation means your body is hanging on to toxins that are leaking back into your body and could be causing you headaches, feeling bloated and any number of other issues.

Could be that you just need to clean out your pipes.

There is also the route from the other end – colonics – which I have done quite often in the past. But I prefer to do things in the direction nature has intended J

Our best plan of action is to eat plenty of clean food and good fiber. Think about the food you’re eating - the consistency and what it’s made of (do you know what all the ingredients are in your processed food?) and then think about that working its way through your body. I know, I know, we all eat plenty of stuff we shouldn’t. I’m right there with you. (Refer back to the Matterhorn Macaroon…) All the more reason to do a bit of maintenance once in a while.

I have tried many cleanses over the years – some were very involved with a long list of products to use throughout the day, usually taking several days or weeks to complete. Too long! And they were usually very expensive.

Then there is the hardcore Master Cleanse. If you can handle drinking only water with lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for a week (or 30 days), then go for it.

And all of them require a huge amount of water to be consumed. Let me just say – not everyone’s body is designed to drink that much water! And I am THRILLED to report there are finally studies coming out stating that there is no real evidence that we need 8-10 glasses of water a day – YAY! I know many of you already do this every day and God bless you – I can’t. I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere or do anything. I’d have to wear Depends. I feel everyone needs to do what works for them. I know how much liquid my body likes and it does not like (or need) to be flooded, thank you very much.

However, I will do the flooding during the Colonblow cleanse, which only lasts 24 hours and is way more effective than any other cleanse I have tried.

So today I am working from home, no outside appointments and no clients (I’d have to excuse myself every 5 minutes from their session) and I will eat again this evening, enjoying feeling lighter and healthier.

If you want a quick, effective, affordable cleanse, check them out – their website is pretty funny – www.colonblow.com. Enjoy!

Wishing you a happy, healthy, clean day!

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Get a Grip!

2011-07-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

…On your emotions, that is. You know when water comes gushing out of a garden hose at such force that it just goes flying in all directions uncontrollably? This is what happens to us when we don’t get a grip on ourselves and we let our random emotions take over and whip us all over the place.

Remember the Water Wiggle? That was great fun in the summer and we loved trying to avoid the hose as it flailed all over the place, spraying water everywhere.

Let's have a retro moment, shall we? (and for those of you too young to remember...)

We are just the same. We often go through our day without thinking about taking conscious control over our emotions. We let the mood we wake up in set the tone for the day. To this I say, “Get a grip!”

When you get a grip on how you feel, you are able to direct your emotional energy, and you will feel much more in control of your daily experience. Your Life Force is like a strong stream of water and the hose is you. When you literally get a grip on yourself, you can then direct the flow of energy coming through you to more positive emotions, people and experiences, instead of letting it fly all over the place, causing havoc.

This is where we tend to get off track and not fully understand the power we possess to create our own experience. If you get up each morning without consciously deciding where you want to direct your energy – toward feeling good, preferably – then most likely, any event that occurs is going to determine the course of your day. If something good happens, you feel good, but if something “bad” happens, you feel bad. (And please understand that “good or bad” are relative – it’s all about your perspective)

The minute you wake up, find something to be grateful for – the comfortable bed you slept in, the nice sheets, blankets and soft pillow, the home you’re living in, the food waiting for you in the kitchen….there are a million little things that we take for granted every day. We have so much to be grateful for – get used to finding at least one thing every morning to start you day out with a firm grip on your emotions, pointing your stream in a positive direction.

When you have already decided that this is a great day and everything is going your way, any minor occurrence that would normally throw you off track will have little to no effect on how you feel.

You can begin this practice at any time – do it right now for the rest of your day and tomorrow, get a grip first thing in the morning.

As you make a habit of this, you’ll find your days going more smoothly, great things coming your way and everything falling into place much more easily. Just like the garden hose that’s stream is directed at the beautiful flowers to help them grow instead of the weeds. Direct your flow to the good emotions, not the negative ones. When you realize the power you have to set the tone of your day and control the flow of your emotional stream, you will feel the empowerment that comes with getting a grip.

(Excerpt from the upcoming Living Peacefully 30 Day Program)

Have a great day...decide to make it so!

Lots of love,

Tanna

Food Glorious Food....!

2011-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, have I been remiss in my blogging...and it's all still about food. Let me start by saying that it has been an interesting culinary journey since my last entry.

OK I admit that I am a total sugar addict and the Candida diet was really difficult. I tried to maintain that style of eating after the initial two weeks but I found myself eating more than usual - not good. Then I moved on to calorie counting and that worked quite well - I used www.dailyplate.com to calculate all my calories and restricted myself to 900 a day. I was losing about 2 pounds a week for a while. Yay! Naturally, I had to have a treat once in a while, so the weight loss stabilized. My body likes a certain weight and tends to stay there - I've been pretty much the same weight since I was 15. I can still fit into my high school uniform and prom dress :)

So now I have adopted another new eating habit. (I don't like to "diet" or follow a diet or feel like I'm on a diet...too restrictive and will have me running to a cupcake for relief) I am now avoiding dairy, flour and grains about 98% of the time and I feel great! If I didn't rely so heavily on hard-boiled eggs for protein, I would even consider going vegan. But for now, this works well for me.

If you're interested in some great vegan recipes, check out my niece Cassie Wanda's blog - www.vegodactyl.blogspot.com.

Since Cassie is my monthly Disneyland buddy, it's quite an adventure finding food that fits into our current eating plans, but we usually find something that works. And of course, we allow ourselves a treat once in a while...my new favorite is the Matterhorn Macaroon...OMG YUM! Helloooo....take a look!

<<<

I have even exchanged my weekend cupcake splurge for my new flourless treat - Cashewtopia (dairy-free, gluten free, organic gelato) with Nocciolata Organic Hazelnut Spread (think healthier Nutella). Another OMG YUM! Check them out - too decadent for words!

Now that I'm settled in a satisfactory eating regimen, I can move on to other topics here...because there's more to life than food...isn't there?

Until next time, (which won't be so long, I promise) stay happy, healthy and peaceful!

Tanna

Living Peacefully (TM) is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:

Tanna@living-peacefully.com

www.living-peacefully.com

To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit

amazon.com

If you'd like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Sugar Blues :(

2011-02-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

Whenever I'm eating or just anticipating eating something sweet, I think to myself, “Yum - Sugar is my friend! Sugar makes me happy!” Oh yes, like any addictive drug. (Which it actually is – a very powerful one) I’ve loved sugar my whole life, but I have long suspected that my body may be overrun with Candida. When my symptoms became more than I could ignore anymore, I had to do some research and figure out a health plan for myself.

The reason I’m writing about this is that in my research, I found that Candida overgrowth, which is literally fungus in your body, has been known to turn into much more serious health issues. So it’s definitely worth pondering for your own health and well-being.

Believe me, I was not ready to let go of sugar until now – I’ve tried before but just couldn’t do it. Sometimes you just reach a point where you know it’s the right time.

Let me just say that I LOVE cake – especially cupcakes. With the explosion of cupcakeries all over and the TV show, “Cupcake Wars” on Food Network, my mission has been to sample everyone’s cupcakes. I’ve always been good at enjoying my food and maintaining a steady weight. But recently, I have been really feeling pretty crappy - and the last straw to ignoring this was my bloated belly. I have always prided myself on my flat belly (although it’s usually being sucked in…but whatever, it’s flat!) So I went about doing the research to find the best course of action for myself. After much research and a quick, easy self-diagnostic test, it was confirmed, Candida. Bummer.

Obviously, this means NO SUGAR. Waaahhhh! And lots of vegetables and healthy proteins. Right now, my diet is pretty limited. There is sugar in EVERYTHING! Read your labels, people! I’ve always been able to find healthy substitutions for foods I love and let me tell you, right now my best friend is Stevia! (Sweet Leaf brand – please don’t waste your money on the corporate produced brands)

Many people have this issue but don’t know it or don’t know how to diagnose it. The medical industry can’t really diagnose this since Candida is always present in our bodies. If they did try to treat a potential overgrowth, they would most likely prescribe harmful drugs or worse, antibiotics which the overuse of is primarily responsible for this problem in the first place.

If you are interested in learning more about Candida and to find out if you have it running rampant in your body, check out http://www.bloatedbellyhelp.com/. This informative website was created by Doug Burton who after many years of serious health problems, did a great deal of research and experimenting, and finally diagnosed his own Candida. Doug took all of his extensive findings and put together a plan to regain his health and has made this information available in an incredibly helpful and informative ebook available for purchase on his website if you’re interested. I bought it and I am so glad I did!

Although I’m singing the sugar blues right now (and let me tell you, detox is no laughing matter (similar to coming off drugs or alcohol…no joke) I feel a little better every day. My biggest triumph so far was making it through the day at Disneyland and staying within my strict no-sugar diet! If I can do that, anyone can.

Here’s to your health and wishing you a very sweet life, free of Candida!

Lots of love,
Tanna
www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City available at www.barnesandnoble.com or http://www.amazon.com/

It's OK To Receive...and Take Care of Yourself!

2010-12-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas! And like most people, I’m sure you’re running around trying to buy all the gifts you have on your list for others. As adults we usually don’t let ourselves get excited about what we might receive. It’s OK to revert back to the little kid anticipating what Santa will bring from your list. I myself haven’t thought much about it in the past few years until this year, for several reasons, I’m allowing myself to focus on that wonderful eager feeling of receiving and what Christmas morning will bring.

My husband is the best gift-giver ever and spoils me rotten on every occasion, especially at Christmas. This year I guess I didn’t make any references to anything I wanted so he had no clue what to get me. He finally had to resort to asking, but I couldn’t think of anything I wanted or needed. I didn’t want him to buy something just to buy something. I do not like - nor do I need - more “stuff” – things that are not consumable and/or have no useful purpose and just take up space. But then I thought of one item that I had been meaning to buy myself for months. He was so excited to have a gift idea! Then I found myself having that same feeling as when I was little – that excitement of knowing my much-wanted gift might be under the tree on Christmas morning. I realized that this feeling is not only OK but a normal, necessary part of living a postive, expectant life all year round.

And as best you can this time of year, make time for yourself whenever you can squeeze it in. We’re so busy getting things done that often we don’t make time to stop and enjoy the season.

Here are a few simple things you can do to keep your balance during the holidays:
* Don’t book yourself solid. It’s OK to say no – only accept invitations that you really want to say “yes” to.
* If you enjoy being booked solid then stop every once in a while to just take a deep breath and acknowledge what’s going on around you at that moment.
* Ask for help if you need it. Delegate some of the shopping, wrapping, baking or errands you need to do.
* Don’t eat too much crap. Follow the 80/20 rule – if 80% of what you eat is balanced and healthy, you can splurge the other 20% of the time and still feel good and maintain your health and weight.

So my message to you is, get excited about the magic of this holiday for whatever reason – seeing friends, family, going to parties, all the yummy food you’ll be eating or anticipating that special gift you’ve asked for, and do what you can to maintain your balance throughout the holiday.

Whatever you do, enjoy yourself!
With love,
Tanna

www.living-peacefully.com
tanna@living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com

Who Are You Hanging Out With?

2010-07-06T10:10:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while we need to examine our relationships and ask ourselves if they are benefiting us or not. Here is a great suggestion from Jim Rohn (1930-2009, Author and Speaker) that sums it up nicely:
“You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the big question: Is that okay? Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change."

I am very fortunate to have surrounded myself with amazing girlfriends over the years. I believe this is one of the most important things any woman can do - create a support system of like-minded, loving, uplifting, supportive friends and continue to add to this network throughout your life. Yes, the husband/boyfriend/significant other relationship is important and so are the children, but guess what....eventually he may be gone before you are and the kids grow up and move away. So who are you left with? Yes indeed - girlfriends!
If you don't have supportive friends in your life, decide to change for the better today, starting with who you surround yourself with. Appreciate and nurture those relationships that enhance your life, that make you a better person and leave the rest. You deserve the best of everyone and everything…don’t settle for less.

Lots of love to my friends who enhance my life!

(Special thanks to the ladies surrounding me in this photo - Christina, Marlene, Cathy, Stacey, Kristine and Susan!)

tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com

The Power of Loving Yourself, Believing and Expecting

2010-06-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling exceptionally wonderful for the past few days and it’s all due to a big shift in my attitude, conscious thoughts and expectations. Like everyone else, I get off-course from focusing on what I want once in a while, but a few days ago I started listening to the audio version of Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life. I’ve read the book dozens of times but never listened to Louise read it. What a profound way to get that reminder to love myself, affirm what I want and believe it's coming! Along with my constant reading of Abraham-Hicks materials, I am back on track, really loving myself and feeling the vibration of the life of my dreams. Even though all the physical elements haven’t manifested yet, many of them have and I feel good as I am seeing it come forth, one element at a time and I am so excited! It is imperative that we find a way to feel the life we want to be living, even before we are living it. You are so powerful! Let yourself dream big, get lost in imaginary scenarios and enjoy all the aspects of your ideal life. Then you too will begin to see it coming to you, bit by bit until you are actually living that life! Doesn’t that feel good?
Enjoy!

tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com

Remembering Today...

2010-05-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

It’s Memorial Day and most of us have a glorious day off! But how many of us actually take a moment to remember what this holiday is about? We are so fortunate to live in this country where we are free to do, be, say and believe whatever we want. This freedom didn’t just happen – there have been millions of people over hundreds of years who have made sacrifices so that we are able to live the way we want to today and we often don’t give it much thought, even on the day meant to honor this very fact.

I don’t mean to get all heavy on you – I want you to enjoy whatever activity or inactivity that you have planned today…I certainly plan to! But please just take a moment today to pause and give a thought of appreciation to all of those who have gone before to ensure that we remain free. We have had this freedom for so long that we take it for granted but if you saw how some people live in other countries and how limited they are in how they are allowed to live, you would have a whole new appreciation for living in the USA.

Veterans are not always appreciated for what they have done and really, if we just take a moment to thank someone who has served our country, it would mean the world to them. Whether silently or out loud to someone in particular, say “Thank You” and be grateful for a free nation.

I have a long line of American history in my family – we have a relative, William Hooper, who signed the declaration of independence. My great-grandfather was in the Civil War, my Grandpa was in World War I and my father was in World War II. I was fortunate to hear a lot of my father’s stories about being overseas during that time. My grandparents encouraged him to sign up for the reserves so he wouldn’t have to serve all four years. So he ended up serving three years and eleven months. Oh well, it was a nice idea.

My father was shipped out to San Diego for boot camp from his hometown of Peoria, Illinois. He fell in love with the warm weather here so as soon as the war was over and he went home, he slipped on some ice and promptly packed up and moved to California where he met my mother. The war had one good outcome for him in that respect!

I can’t imagine what it was like for him being so far away from home in a war. I do know that the opening scene of “White Christmas” - where Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are overseas during WWII for Christmas and putting on a show to entertain the troops on Christmas Eve – always made my dad cry. I have so much respect and appreciation for anyone who is in service for our country and for all the sacrifices they are making. And of course, my heart is with all those who have passed on who gave their lives to protect us. There is a reason they call us “The land of the free, the home of the brave.”

Today I am keeping my Daddy and my Grandpa closer than usual in my thoughts and in my heart. I will spend extra time smelling the delicious Veteran’s roses outside our back door today, which are a beautiful reminder of my father’s service. I am sending out thoughts filled with thanks appreciation to everyone who is still out there overseas, working to ensure our freedom and that of others.

To everyone who has served this beautiful country, still here or only in spirit, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. God bless you all.

Happy Memorial Day!

tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com

Work....Your Other Family

2010-05-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have to say, although I love working for myself, having the freedom to set my own schedule and make my own decisions, sometimes I really miss having a work family.

Working from home and taking care of my mother keep me very busy during the week, and my Golden Time on the weekends with my husband is always a welcome break in the routine. But I used to have a wonderful group of people that I worked with for a very long time and we really were a family. We went through everything together over the years – births, deaths, marriages, divorces…you name it….and all of it always brought us closer together.

There was a time when I was part of an amazing division of the Capitol/EMI that was headed up by an remarkable man named Eli who treated us all with the utmost kindness and respect. He had his priorities straight….family first, work second. He created such a fun, productive environment that we were all proud to work for him and we all worked hard….and we played hard. Eli took us on business trips to Maui – incredible experiences that none of us will ever forget.

And there was always a party for every special occasion – after a while it was actually written into my job description that I was the office party-planner, so birthdays and holidays were always celebrated, big time! Then there were Happy Hour Friday’s in Frank’s office…no one left without a shot of tequila to start the weekend right! And my daily experience was always a happy and enjoyable one because I had the best boss ever – Adam. He is still a close friend, confidant, advisor and cheerleader. And I am proud to say that I believe he considers me the same. We were all so blessed to have been brought together by our work situation.

This week, one of my special girlfriends from my former work family, Kate, is moving to Nashville so I HAD to go to her going away party last weekend. Even though that meant leaving my husband and mother to baby-sit each other…I couldn't miss my last opportunity to see the lovely and hilarious Miss Kate. We were cube-mates – we sat right next to each other for a few years at Capitol and we had so many great times…Im-ing each other, four feet apart about the stupid office dramas as they played out in front of our desks…a weekend trip to Vegas to see Zumanity and visit our friend Joey Arias backstage… a girls’ trip to Maui…(thanks, Kate, for holding me up after too much rum in the limo after that 16 HOUR TRIP TO GET TO THERE!!!)

I was so happy to be able to give Kate a big hug and wish her luck in her new adventure (and find out how the heck this all happened since we haven’t had time to chat for months…both too busy for phone calls or lengthy IM’s…sad…) And at this party I was so happy to see a lot of my old work friends like Susan, who is one of my very best friends that I have had so many adventures with - too many to mention here. Everyone at the party made me feel so loved as they welcomed me with big hugs and some screaming (Woo Richard and Shirley ;)

I realized how much I missed all these people, seeing them every day and having fun and crazy times with them. And this small group is just a very tiny aspect of the large work family I accumulated over the years. Multiply these events by twenty years and countless other people and you may have an inkling of the magnitude of my memories and feelings toward this other family of mine.

But – life changes, we have to move on. I know I’m doing the work I am supposed to be doing and I love it, but I do miss having that group of people that you know you’ll see every day – some you may dread seeing, some you get used to but - some become your best friends, and some you don’t realize how important they are until they’re gone from your experience. My goal is to one day have my own business and create another work family, ala Eli, so yet another group of people can know how joyful and fulfilling a working experience can be. (Oh yes, business trips to Maui are definitely part of the plan :)

Make the most of your work family – you spend more time with them than anyone else in your life. It can be a positive, life-changing experience if you choose to make it so.

I am so grateful for each and every member of this family and I will always treasure the memories and most of all, the relationships that will always be there, no matter where any of us spend our work days.

Bon voyage, Kate!

To the rest of my Capitol/EMI family – I love you!
xoxo

tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com

Life's Little Bumps

2010-04-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Things happen once in a while that we hadn’t planned on, but it’s our perspective on the situation that makes all the difference in the world. We’re supposed to enjoy the journey and sometimes there are bumps in the road. No big deal.

This week I had a little bump – literally – I was rear-ended. Nothing major, not a lot of damage, no injuries. Just a little unnerving and a gave me a little headache. I like to look at the events of my life – good and otherwise – to figure out why I attracted them, because we create, attract and invite every thing that happens to us with our thoughts, energy and feelings. No exceptions. It's the Law of Attraction.

A very insightful friend helped me with this one. It’s been a bit of a tough week emotionally. My mother has emotional meltdowns once in a while – it’s all part of the dementia and Alzheimer’s – but last week was an ongoing series of low days for her, requiring a lot of me to keep her up, happy, active and engaged. So when the weekend came, I really needed the break – it’s my only time with my husband (our Golden Time, as he calls it). My mom is fine taking care of herself for a few days and we have plenty of close neighbors to look in on her and help her out if she needs anything. I always call her to check in, say hello and ask how she’s doing, and last Saturday she seemed fine – laughing about the problems she was having ripping out and starting over on a scarf she was knitting and talking about the movie she was watching. But THEN...

A few hours later, just as we were just about to have dinner (I am doing a cleanse and only get one real meal a day and this was going to be IT…) my mother called crying hysterically saying she was confused and didn’t know what she was doing and wanted me to come home. Now I try to be the loving daughter, living with and taking care of my ailing mother, always trying to be there when she needs me, but this was supposed to be my time to take care of myself and spend the only time I get during the week with my husband. In addition, we are all the way on the other side of town, over the hill these days. I was furious. And I felt bad and guilty about being furious. But still, I was pissed and I couldn’t shake it. I had our neighbors go check on her and stay with her until we could get there. She never knows why she is upset. She’s usually just bored, or she’s been watching too much depressing stuff on TV or some other random thing could set her off. I never know. She never knows. So we sat with her, talked to her, calmed her down, I gave her her evening insulin shot and her special sugar-free ice cream that is her treat after the shot every night. When she was feeling better, I finally got her to bed and we went home and ate our dinner at 10:00pm. Thank God my husband is as understanding and patient as he is – he loves my mother and knows that these episodes happen once in a while.

As upset as I was about this, I wanted to burst into tears and release all my frustration over this situation – the fact that I am now the mother in this relationship, that my primary responsibility these days is taking care of my mom and that I can only do so much for my work and my career right now and that I only have two days a week with my husband. Usually I’m fine but every so often I reach my own breaking point. And I am usually really good about making time to have a big ol’ boo hoo and cry my eyes out once in a while just to have the emotional release since it is so very necessary and feels so good. But I was too tired, too depleted to even expend the effort to cry, so I put it off. A few other emotional issues came up early in the week that I wanted to cry over but once again, I just didn’t have the time or the energy, so again, I put it off. And then BAM! Rear-ended. It was a freak situation – the guy behind me hit his accelerator instead of his brake. But the Universe just gave me a big nudge to get my attention to remind me to release all this accumulated emotional stuff and take care of myself. I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t had much time to do that this week, but now that it’s Friday, after I finish my busy day, which will be at 9:00pm tonight, my husband will pick me up and we will have our weekend of Golden Time, and I will enjoy every minute, and I will take care of myself and let my husband take care of me too.

There can be a lot to learn and appreciate from the little bumps. Look at yours and figure out why you attracted them and how you can better take care of yourself.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend, full of fun, self-love and smooth roads ahead!

Lots of love -
tanna@living-peacefully.com

www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com

Spring Cleaning!

2010-04-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

It's April already - I can't believe this year is flying by so fast! What better time to look at clearing out clutter from your home, your body and your mind than spring? It just feels good after a long, cold winter - the weather is getting warmer and we want to shed anything that we feel has weighed us down - heavy clothing, extra weight, heavy emotions. It's a time of feeling light and free and stepping into a new time of the year.

I have been doing quite a bit of cleaning in the last week. I had a professional stylist, Brett Ellen (The Closet Concierge) come over and help me go through my closets and get rid of everything I don't want, need or wear anymore. She helped me create new outfits from what I already have with a few simple additions. It's a great analogy for what we can do with our lives - get rid of stuff, emotions, situations and even people that don't serve you anymore and make room for new and better things and people to come into your life.

We can clean up so many areas of our lives that will help us move forward and grow. Such as -

People - did you know that you are a combination of the qualities of the five people you spend the most time with? Really think about that for a minute. Do you have friends who spend most of their time complaining that nothing ever goes right for them, they're never happy, they're usually broke...etc? If you don't want their energy to influence your experience, I suggest you spend less time with them or even disconnect from them completely. They are not adding to your life in any kind of positive way.

On the other hand, do you have friends who are always up and happy with positive expectations for themselves and for you? These people are generally happy and content with their lives, they make the most of and appreciate what they have and they are a joy to be around. These are the people you want to spend more time with. Remember, you are acquiring their qualities, attributes, attitudes and even income level, whether you realize it or not. A good general rule to follow with friends is this - if they add to your life in a positive way, nurture those relationships. If they drain your energy and seem determined to prove how bad life is all the time, step away from them.

If there are qualities you would like to have or experiences you would like to incorporate into your life, find new friends who embody what you would like to include in your experience and develop relationships with them. It will eventually rub off on you one way or another.

This is a good time for physical cleansing as well. We all start thinking about our bodies when the weather gets warmer. We want to eat lighter and get outside and move. I'm actually doing a cleanse right now with Isagenix, and it is unlike any I have ever done before. It's a whole body cleanse on the cellular level and I have been feeling great! Some strict cleanse days have been tough but overall I feel great and I can feel the difference it's making in my body and mind.

I also went to see an amazing medical intuitve, Amy Startari who helped me clear out a lot of old energy from my body. It's amazing what (or who) we hang on to, energetically and psychically that can have an effect on our physical bodies. I felt so much lighter and more energized after our session together! If you're interested in working with Amy, (which I highly recommend) she can be reached at ahealingappt@aol.com.

Your mind is a great thing to clean out once in a while too. We let so many negative and unproductive thoughts clutter our minds that it serves us well to examine our thoughts regularly and clean them up. If you have any negative thoughts about yourself, your life or things you don't want, turn them around into positive affirmations about what you do want. Examine your thoughts regularly and make sure they are serving your highest good and not working toward your detriment.

You're off to a great start with your Spring Cleaning -
Clear out your surroundings of clutter;
Clear out negative people from your life;
Cleanse your physical body;
Clear out negative, unproductive thoughts from your mind.

You're on your way to a happy, healthy, productive spring and summer - enjoy!

Lots of love,
Tanna

tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com

Birthdays

2010-03-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

Happy March!

Wow - it's almost spring! It's been a beautiful week and I think I feel the beginning of Spring Fever!

My birthday was this past week and as has been the tradition for the past few years, my wonderful husband took me to Las Vegas, my favorite place (besides Disneyland) to spend my birthday!

Birthdays are interesting...some people (like me) love to have one day a year that celebrates them and to be inundated with messages of love and good wishes. My lovely husband always goes out of his way to make my birthday a special and memorable occasion. Others don't want to acknowledge the day at all, for whatever reason. Then there are those who want the special day and the celebration but feel are shy about wanting it and don't know how to express that desire so they simply act as though they don't care and don't want any attention. Often if their request is honored and friends quietly let the day pass, they feel slighted and upset. This is too high-maintenance for me. Tell me what you want. If you say you don't want attention, I won't spend time psychoanalyzing your request; I will leave you alone.

I try to honor every one's birthday in whatever way they genuinely want or do not want. I used to be in charge of the birthday celebrations in the office where I used to work and at one point I was keeping track of over 120 birthdays a year. With one monthly celebration, trying to satisfy specific cake requests for multiple people, decorate cubicles and offices and make everyone happy and feel special according to their birthday requirements of - lots of celebration/limited celebration/NO celebration - it got a bit exhausting. I personally love birthdays and I want everyone to feel special on their birthday and I do my best. It's the one day a year that it's all about YOU! The one day you are flooded with good thoughts and warm wishes of love and appreciation that, if you don't accept them now, will most likely only later be expressed at your funeral. Sorry to be morbid, but it's true. Wouldn't you rather receive all that love and attention while you're here to enjoy it?

Whether we admit it or not, we all love the feeling of knowing we are loved and that our life matters, that our existence makes a positive difference in the lives of those around us. Our birthday is usually the day we are reminded of this. It really is a special day - it is when you first graced this planet with your presence!

However you enjoy celebrating (or not) your birthday, appreciate the gift of life that you have been given and get excited about another fabulous year ahead that you have the power to create however you want! There are infinite possibilities in the next 364 days - who knows what your life will look like on your next birthday...make it a great year so you will have even more to celebrate next year!

If you're having a birthday, a very Happy Birthday to you from me and the Beatles!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zstoSUhbNntQ!

and if not, a Very Merry Unbirthday -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj2nXj7hHE&feature=related

...to you!

Lots of love!
tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.co
Living Peacefully in a Big City now available at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com

Empowered Women!

2010-02-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt spiritually energized yet tired from doing something you love? I was so tired on Sunday but my heart was happy and full. I had the most amazing day on Saturday at the Millionaire Entrepreneur Women's Conference, created by Debbie Allen (http://www.debbieallen.com/) and Jill Lublin (http://www.jilllublin.com/). It was a long day but it was full of amazing speakers and lots of networking with incredible women from all over the the world with all kinds of talent and gifts to share.

The highlight of the day for me was hearing Barbara DeAngelis speak. She is an amazing, empowered woman, reminding other women that we are all goddesses on this earth and our energy is essential in the shift that is happening on the planet. I have been reading her books and listening to her tapes and CDs for over twenty years. She is mentioned several times in my book so it was a thrill to meet her and give her a copy. I also had to thank her for giving me some of the tools that brought my husband into my life! I actually signed up to do some group coaching with her - an opportunity I could not pass up!

What an amazing few months - I have been so fortunate to meet two of my spiritual rock stars, first Wayne Dyer and now Barbara DeAngelis!

After the seminar I drove home, blissfully exhausted with the energy of a very estrogen-empowered day! I've always had a strong bond with my girlfriends and I've always loved to be around women. I think God was giving me a preview of my life purpose when He landed me in a private girls' high school. I was so happy to be among only girls - no boys around to make me feel ugly or stupid or inadequate. I made a lot of great friends in high school, many of whom are still in my life today.

There is something about women that is so empowering and nurturing. I'm not sure if it's our ability to create life and the natural tendency to care for others or just a built-in emotional and spiritual mechanism that always brings love and compassion to the forefront of our interactions.

I have always made a point of putting my girlfriends ahead of any guy. (Well, my husband is sometimes the exception now, but he understands and encourages time with my girls, knowing how important my time with them is) This has always been my reasoning for putting girlfriends first: If you never marry, then these are probably the most important relationships in your life. If you do get married and have kids, you grow older, your husband dies and the kids move away.....so who are you left with? Yes indeed - your girlfriends! Watch "The Golden Girls" and you'll get it.

I cherish each and every one of my ladies and I like to collect them like precious gems - each one is beautiful and brilliant, shining in her own unique way. I love to surround myself with uplifting, inspiring women who want other women to feel the same way. What a wonderful circle!

I encourage you ladies to always treasure your female friendships and nurture them - when there is no man in your life and especially when there is. Do not ever sacrifice a girlfriend for a guy. Gather friends like beautiful flowers so that throughout your life your bouquet will grow fuller and more beautiful as time goes on, and your life will smell so sweet!

Lots of love and joy to you and empowered women everywhere!

tanna@living-peacefully.com
http://www.living-peacefully.com/
Living Peacefully in a Big City now available at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/

Abundance!

2010-01-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

How is your January so far? Still excited about the new year? What are you expecting for yourself in 2010? I like the idea of focusing on Abundance, especially in the beginning of the year. We have an abundance of days ahead of us to create whatever we want this year! We have an abundance of resources available to us to support us in that creative process. Right now in California we have an abundance of rain, which we really need. And even with the disaster in Haiti, there has been an abundance of love, money, people, prayers and resources pouring out to help them right now.

We focus so much on lack - "There's not enough time", "There's not enough money", "I'm not good enough" - sound familiar? There is so much abundance in this world and there are millions of people who are attracting and enjoying it. Why is that? We all have the same number of hours in the day, the same ability to access our dreams, the same potential for greatness....it all depends on how you are thinking and the energy you are sending out.

Think about how many grains of sand there are just on one beach - it's more than we could ever count! Nature supplied all of that. Think about the ocean - it is a vast, infinite source that will always be there. Even though the tide sometimes goes out, it always comes back. When you watch the waves of the ocean, do you ever worry that the tide will not return? Of course not - you know that it always comes back, often greater than it was before. Nature created and maintains that as well. Why wouldn't nature supply your needs just as abundantly?

I know you may be thinking, "Well grains of sand and ocean water are not going to pay my bills!" Here is where I invite you to make a shift in your thinking. Money is just energy. In history, many other forms of currency have been used in exchange for services or necessary items. Cacao beans (chocolate!) were once very valuable and used as money. Animals and produce have been exchanged to obtain goods. The form of currency we now use may evolve into something different in the future. It is all an exchange of energy. What kind of energy are you putting out there?

Regardless of your financial situation, be generous and give to others - not just money, but give of your time and your talents so that abundant energy will not become stagnant and stop flowing to you. Like the tide, it flows in and out - and it will always come back. The more you give, the more you receive. I know it can be hard but think of it this way: If you keep your fist closed tight on the quarter you have, you cannot receive the dollar that is trying to come to you. You must open up your hand to give and then to receive. It must continue to circulate in your experience. Remember: the tide always always comes back - that is nature!

Sometimes we have subconscious blocks to receiving abundance. How are you at receiving in general? How do you react when someone gives you a compliment? Do you graciously accept it or do you reject, negate or invalidate it? You are rejecting a form of abundance trying to come to you. When someone gives you a gift, offers to pay for your lunch or wants to do something nice for you, how do you react? These are all forms of abundance and you must open your arms and gratefully accept them! Think of how you feel when you want to give to someone and they argue and tell you that "you shouldn't have". It doesn't feel good, does it? Does it make your energy contract and make you feel uncomfortable and unappreciated? Maybe even a little mad? How would you feel about giving to that person in the future? Probably not too eater because you may get the same argument and rejection. Now, if you give someone a compliment, a gift or do them a favor and they graciously accept and react with great happiness, gratitude and appreciation, how does that make you feel? Pretty great, right? Will you want to give to that person again in the future? Absolutely! You will most likely be inclined to give even more to them in the future because you know they will really appreciate it. This is how the Universe works. If you continually reject, argue or negate the gifts that come to you, regardless of the avenue, you are sending out a silent message that says, "I don't want you to give to me. It makes me uncomfortable." And the Universe will stop. But it is always on the sidelines saying, "I'm still here - let me know if you change your mind because I have so much in store for you! Just say the word and I will open the floodgates and pour abundance into your life like you have never seen!"

How do you want to live? What do you want to experience? Can you conceive of receiving more? My simple advice is to graciously accept ANYTHING that comes to you - a penny on the ground (eventually you will graduate to quarters!), a free meal, a kind word from a stranger or a friend - see these as little reminders that the Universe is there, waiting to give to you through the many channels on this earth. No matter what it is or where it comes from, just say, "Thank you! I accept!"

It is my great joy to be of service and give of myself to you. My desire is that you receive some value in the ideas I feel inspired to share with you. So I may be of greater service, please email any questions, concerns or problems to www.livingpeacefullynow@hotmail.com and I will choose one to feature in this blog on a weekly basis very soon.

Have an abundantly wonderful day!
Lots of love and joy to you!

www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City now available at www.barnesandnoble.com and www.amazon.com - thank you!

Auld Lang Syne

2009-12-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

What the heck does it mean? Well, it means "days gone by" or "long long ago" or "times gone by"....however you translate it, it's appropriate to be the song we sing to bid farewell to the days that made up the past year. And in this case, the past decade! I can't believe we're heading into double digits of the two thousands!

What a year - I'm sure we've all had a lot of change, some good, some bad. I like to focus on the good and try to learn from the not-so-good. I really enjoy reflecting back over the year on New Year's Eve. There were many years I spent it alone and it was a sacred time for me that I really enjoyed. I would look over my journal from the previous year and begin my new one for the next year, writing down all my goals for the coming year on the first page. It's such a great time to take inventory of your life, of who you are as a person, where you are now and where you want to be.

What did you accomplish this year? How have you or your life changed this year? What do you want next year to look like? It's always very powerful to write down your goals, dreams and desires. It sends the energy of that goal out into the Universe like an order in a restaurant - as soon as you write it down, the Universe goes to work to fulfill it for you. But if you doubt that it is being taken care of for you (imagine running to the kitchen every five minutes to see if they are preparing your order correctly...or if they have even begun at all) you're interrupting and disrupting the energy flow toward your goal and therefore delaying it's arrival.

Write it down, let it go, and get excited about receiving whatever you have asked for! Prepare yourself and your life to receive it. Live in full expectation that it is on its way to you right now and don't get discouraged if it takes longer than you think it should. Sometimes your meal takes longer to prepare in the kitchen of life :)

And if your goals and desires change during the year, which they inevitably will to some degree, just write a new order - tweak it and send it off again. The Universe is ready and eager to serve you to make your dreams a reality!

Expect great things to happen for you! Imagine looking back on 2010 this time next year and think of how happy and fulfilled you feel knowing that you created the life of your dreams!

I'd like to share some tools that I use daily that will keep your expectations high and your belief system strong throughout the year -

www.tut.com - Personalized notes from the Universe delivered to your inbox every day with reminders of your magnificence and that It is there to support you in whatever you want to create.

www.abraham-hicks.com - Daily messages about the Law of Attraction and how to access this amazing power.

www.ramdass.com - Words of wisdom in simple messages from the amazing Ram Dass to remind us of our divinity and the basic simplicity of life.

www.drwaynedyer.com - A wealth of great information, books, events, blog and daily inspiration from one of my very favorite inspirational teachers!

www.guideposts.com or www.ourprayer.org - Daily messages of inspiration and hope with many beautiful stories on their websites to restore your belief if it is faltering.

www.hayhouseradio.com - Louise Hay's online radio station with a constant stream of inspirational teachers, speakers and authors. Great to have on your computer throughout the day while working to feed your mind with constant positive, uplifting information!

www.insightoftheday.com - Inspirational and motivational messages from Bob Proctor to remind you of the health, happiness and abundant life you were meant to live.

And lastly - the Living Peacefully in a Big City Facebook fanpage, accessible just to the right of this blog or
www.twitter.com/LivinPeacefully
I post daily messages during the week that range from the practical to the spiritual as a little bit of support and inspiration to help you find balance, reduce your stress and create more happiness throughout your day.

I wish you all the best in 2010! Many blessings of health, happiness, success, fulfillment, abundance and of course, peace to you, every day of the New Year!

www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City Now available to get a peaceful, powerful start on your new year at www.barnesandnoble.com!

“It’s That Time of Year…

2009-12-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

...when the world falls in love..." as "The Christmas Waltz" croons...
Oh I love Christmas! For years when we'd get to June I would dance around and say to my Daddy, "We're half way to Christmas!!" To which he would reply with a groan.

Regardless of your religious beliefs or affiliations, this year is emotionally charged for everyone. (And for those of you not celebrating Christmas, please bear with me as I expound on my love for this holiday)

Although I am partial to hot weather, I do get into the cold this time of year and bundle up with scarves, sweaters and coats. I am not ashamed to admit I have a Snuggie and it is quite warm!
Hot chocolate and spiced cider are a regular part of my diet this time of year. I remember in my early twenties I lived on eggnog and Chex Mix during the holidays. Yikes. A new recent discovery is Pumpkin Spice Eggnog - OMG if you haven't tried it you must experience it - It is nothing short of heaven!

I start listening to Christmas carols mid-November and pretty much nothing else until January. The decorations go up immediately after Thanksgiving. I just love all the decorations everywhere - the mall, street posts, stores big and small, the neighborhoods that go crazy - it's all so beautiful!

And Disneyland....oh my...if you can get there this time of year it is absolutely magical. The decorations, the music, the fireworks and snow on Main street, the amazing holiday light display on It's A Small World and the unique show that is projected on to it...I can say is WOW! You have to see it to appreciate it but at the very least check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elDvo5uCTXQ
My husband and I go every year at this time. We were engaged there by the wishing well at Christmastime - it doesn't get any better than that for me!

But perhaps some of you are not feeling the love this time of year. We can get overwhelmed with all there is to do with the deadline of Christmas to get it all done. We have to make lists, figure out what to buy family and friends, possibly buy a secret Santa gift for the office party, go shopping, wrap the gifts, get Christmas cards written and in the mail, bake cookies, attend holiday parties and functions...although it's a fun time of year, it can leave us feeling completely exhausted and spent, emotionally and financially.

We often don't give much thought to the real meaning behind this holiday - I try to remind myself of that somewhat cliche saying, "Jesus is the reason for the season". It's a little cheesy but it does put things back into perspective for me. We have had so many traditions piled on to this holiday and I love them all, but when you think about it, most of it really has nothing to do with the event that inspired this holiday. I think most of us are aware that this time of year was chosen centuries ago to celebrate this event and that most of the ensuing traditions have come from pagan winter celebrations and customs originating from other countries and cultures that have melted and evolved into this big, beautiful, pot that we know today as Christmas.

Religious issues aside, I find that taking time to remember what made it so special and exciting when I was little helps me to get back into the spirit when get overwhelmed with all the stuff to do this time of year. Of course we were all excited about the gifts we would receive and the impending visit from Santa, but let me remind you of some of the childhood holiday staples that are still available to us.

A huge part of Christmas for me has always been any Rankin-Bass holiday special. Even though we can own them on DVD now (and most of us do) there is nothing quite like turning on the TV and unexpectedly coming across "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty the Snowman", "The Year Without a Santa Claus" or "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". We all know and love the songs - "Silver and Gold", "Put One Foot in Front of the Other", and my favorite, "The Heat/Snow Miser Song" which is covered brilliantly by my friends Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. And how cool is it that huge movie stars participated in these children's' specials? Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Durante and Burl Ives all voiced characters in these specials.

And of course..."A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the music! Linus does a lovely job of reminding everyone about the real meaning of the season. Nuf said.

Another way to enjoy the season and get out of your head is to help others who are not as fortunate as you are. There are plenty of opportunities this time of year to give of yourself - your time, money, food, clothing, energy - whatever feels good to you. It will make you feel the joy and love that are really what it's all about.

And most of all, it is especially important this time of year to make time to take care of yourself, whatever that means for you. Make time to sit for a few minutes every day and do nothing. Have some eggnog or cider (or rum or Bailey's...whatever ;) and really enjoy it. Spend a few moments enjoying your tree and decorations. Just breathe. Everything will get done. And if it doesn't, so what? A few minutes to regain your sanity will not jeopardize your schedule.

I love the story of "A Christmas Carol" - I think we can all relate to Ebenezer Scrooge and his amazing, positive transformation overnight. It reminds us that we can make a major change at any time and that we are capable of keeping the spirit of Christmas in our hearts all year long. Just know that anything is possible for you if you love yourself and others.

I will leave mention of my all-time favorite movie, holiday and beyond, "It's A Wonderful Life" for my next post. Until then...

Enjoy your holiday!

www.living-peacefully.com
Help for your holiday and every day stress - Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at www.barnesandnoble.com!

Giving Thanks...

2009-11-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I blogged...but after an experience like a weekend with Wayne Dyer, a little time to digest all that great information and inspiration was in order. Now I am ready to blog about giving thanks.

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving? This time of year always seems too fly. When September is over, I feel like it's Christmas already...it seems to go that fast. And I hate to admit that I am already listening to Christmas music.

Halloween was fun, although the annual party my husband and I go to was on the weekend I was in Maui unfortunately, so we spent Halloween night with my mom to help her hand out candy to the kids...none of which ever showed up. Which means that I had to eat the candy myself...good thing I bought something I like ;)

Now November is upon us and the weather is turning cold. (For many native Californians, mildly cold weather feels freezing...anything under 70 degrees sends some of us in search of a warm coat). Although I love the heat, I have embraced the fall and am enjoying my coats, boots and scarves once again. Time for hot chocolate and eggnog!

I wonder how many people actually do take the time to think about what they are thankful for this time of year. We have so many blessings that we take for granted...like the fact that we are alive and breathing, most of us have nice homes, clothes to wear, plenty to eat, a car to drive , some money in the bank...but often we complain about the quality or condition of these blessings or we complain about what we do not have.

We are most blessed by the people in our lives. It doesn't matter who it is that you love and appreciate, just as long as you realize how fortunate you are to have these loved ones in your life. Wayne Dyer once said, "Friends are nature's way of apologizing for your family". If this is the case for you, treasure your extended family of friends and tell them how much they mean to you.

I just watched "The Wizard of Oz" last weekend for the first time in years (since that whole thing about watching the movie with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" about 12 years ago). One of the lines really hit me like it never had before - when the Wizard gives the Tin Man his long-awaited heart he tells him, "A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." How true.

Give some thought to what and who are you are thankful for this year. Tell the people you love what they mean to you and how much you appreciate them. Love and appreciate yourself. And have a very happy Thanksgiving!

www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness is now available at www.barnesandnoble.com!

Mahalo Nui Loa!

2009-10-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

What an amazing weekend with Dr. Wayne Dyer in Maui! I have so much to share from all the wisdom and inspiration I absorbed!

The weekend started on Friday night with a short, welcome session with Dr. Dyer who was working through the flu...our hearts went out to him. But he kept on, seeing himself well and finishing the weekend full of love and energy. He was off to a good start.

There were about 450 of us there - a crowd of mostly over-40ish, into their 50's and beyond and all eager to begin this wonderful experience together. Dr. Dyer began the evening by informing us that "life is a sexually transmitted disease"....he can be pretty damn funny! He talked about the journey from ambition to meaning and about the obstacles and excuses we use to keep us from getting where we want to be in life.

He talked about the Tao - his main source of inspiration - and advised us to "let yourself be done - let the Tao live through you. You do nothing in and of yourself", giving us the task of measuring our fingernails tonight and then tomorrow morning and asking what action we had to take to make them grow. None. It is the Tao - it is God - it is Life that does the work. We can get so much more done when we learn to do less.

Everything we need for this physical journey is handled for us by a higher source, as demonstrated by the first nine months of our physical existence. Everything we need to fulfill our dharma is provided by Source - just allow it to live you. I love that idea.

He talked of ambition and how the ego is Edging God Out. This false self is the source of all of our problems. He urged us to "become independent of the good opinion of other people and detach yourself from outcome - just allow yourself to be. Do what you feel because those that matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter" I love that one!

Ram Das came to speak to us on Saturday - what an honor! He told us to "love everyone" and to repeat to ourselves, "I am loving awareness". We have love, compassion, peace and joy in each muscle. Find peace within and radiate out.

Then Dr. Dyer gave us all the "sugar talk"...dum, Dum, DUM!! We all eat way too much sugar and to demonstrate the principles in his recent book, Excuses Begone! , he cut his daily sugar portion down to 25mg or less and consequently dropped 23 pounds in 29 days! I think this really inspired the room - there were many commitments made by Sunday to drastically reduce sugar intake in the future. Perhaps some will come back to next year's seminar with smaller waists. This registered with me - I tapped to reduce my sugar cravings recently but they are still there, especially this time of the month..no explanation necessary there, I'm sure. But since that talk, I have had very little sugar craving. And today is the day I would have gone to the store for a jar of Nutella or to See's candy for a few Bordeauxs. But...no desire!

I spoke to many other people attending the seminar and found many energy healers who, like myself, were sending healing energy to Dr. Dyer throughout the weekend to help him recover more quickly from his ailments. He seemed to feel better and have more energy by the close of this event Sunday evening.

I could go on and on with all the amazing information and notes I took but the overall message was to find your passion, align yourself with source energy, love yourself and others, get rid of your excuses, be of service to others, see yourself where you want to be in life and believe that you are already there - "assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled!"

I hope this brief glimpse into the weekend gave you a few ideas to ponder. I could never fully express in a blog the impact of this experience.. If you are a fan of Wayne Dyer, I encourage you to check out his books, CDs, movie, "The Shift", talks and even consider attending this weekend seminar, if it happens again next year. What an amazing man - I admire him more than words can say. God bless Wayne Dyer and also all of you!

http://www.living-peacefully.com/
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at barnesandnoble.com!

Happy New Week!

2009-10-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

OMG has it been that long since I blogged?? Oh well...life gets in the way sometimes.

Mom has been in the emergency room twice in the last few weeks for shortness of breath. It is so much more pleasant in the ER when you come prepared with a book, a sweater and a snack for what is usually at least a 5 or 6 hour event. They did discover she has congestive heart failure and consequently added more meds to her already huge personal pharmacy. Now she will be cursing me further for limiting the sodium in her diet (I already monitor her sugar intake for diabetes). But the good news is, after conducting every test imaginable for her heart and lungs, she is in pretty good shape, considering all of her currently existing conditions including early stage Alzheimer's. But she's home and doing well so I am happy!

It was a great week of female bonding last week. Had a Women's Empowerment meeting, Professional Women's Toastmasters meeting and girls night with some of my girlfriends on Friday night at Universal Citywalk! I haven't been there in years - we had a great time at dinner and walking around. My girlfriend time is so very important to me!

This week is mostly about preparing for my seminar next weekend with Dr. Wayne Dyer in Maui! Although we will be in the seminar most of the day on Saturday and Sunday, I still need a pedicure, a wax, hair color touch-up and lash fill...just an excuse to do all this at once! Oh I cannot wait to walk around Lahaina and buy more pairs of my favorite Island Slipper shoes, have dinner at Roy's (even though we have them here in California now...it's just not the same as being at Roy's in Hawaii), and enjoy at least one lava flow by the pool. I wish I had more time to relax and enjoy the island but it's a long weekend specifically for this seminar and I am looking forward to basking in the love and wisdom of Dr. Dyer. I will blog about it when I get back next week.

This is going to be a great week! Please enjoy yourself and expect the best of everything!

www.living-peacefully.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness is available at www.barnesandnoble.com!

Friday...Yay!!

2009-10-02T09:56:00.001-07:00

As I've said before, I love Fridays!! A week of accomplishments and service behind us, we can take some well-deserved and very necessary time to relax. Whether your weekend actually falls on a Saturday and Sunday or if your days off are sporadic and scattered throughout the week, it is most important to take some time to recharge your batteries - whatever that means for you.

Whatever activity (or inactivity), people, places or things feed your soul and fulfill you on a deep, core level is what your body and mind are craving. I love to sleep in on the weekends and then meditate and read some inspirational material. Right now I am re-reading Excuses Begone! by Dr. Wayne Dyer. Once I have my mind in a positive state, expecting everything I am affirming and visualizing for my life to manifest for me, that it is unquestionably on its way...then I lose myself in a good story just for the enjoyment of it. I love to read...lounging in my hammock in the backyard or reclining on the balcony always replenishes my whole being. I'm so glad that my husband insists that I take a break from all of the holistic, self-improvement, spiritual, personal empowerment reading, teleconferences and webinars that constantly occupy every free moment of my waking hours during the week in between working with others and taking care of my mom - I must constantly be working on myself to be the best I can be and of the highest level of service to everyone I work with, right? But - I must also follow my own advice and disconnect and go within to recharge my own batteries. No computer, no cell phone (don't own a Crackberry and never will...) no studying or researching - just taking time to simply be....and to breathe. Aaahhhh....take a breath right now yourself...doesn't that feel good? Just breathe and be for a minute.

After a week of busy-ness, which for me this week included a trip to the ER with my mother after a doctor appointment for shortness of breath - diagnosis: congestive heart failure. Prescription: diuretics to relieve fluid around her heart. Result: she is feeling much better and I am feeling relieved. It can be just as emotionally as it is physically draining to be a caretaker. But my mom and I laugh and have fun most of the time when we're not doing the usual mother-daughter button-pushing. That's to be expected but I am very fortunate that I have a wonderful mother who appreciates me and who does everything in her power to take care of me in return, in whatever way she is able to. Usually paying for me to get a massage once in a while or playing with my hair while we watch TV - she is an expert at this and my brother also loves to plop his head down in mom's lap for her expert pencil-massage thing that she has always done since we were little. It's almost better than the spa sometimes! There is nothing like a mother's touch and the hint of Heaven Sent perfume that has been her signature scent my whole life. If I can make her life better, keep her happy, healthy and comfortable living in her own home for the rest of her life as I promised my father I would do, then I am happy and proud to have this job as her caretaker.

But now, it is my time to go with my husband for our golden weekend time together to recharge my batteries with a good book on the balcony tomorrow morning :)

Have a great weekend!

Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness is available at www.barnesandnoble.com!
www.Living-Peacefully.com

First Day of Fall

2009-09-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

Summer is over...:( But it's still HOT thank goodness! I LOVE the heat! But I will get into the cozy, bundling-up of cold weather when it comes around.

I went to see Wayne Dyer at the Santa Monica Civic yesterday - what an inspiration! Such an amazing man with so much incredible wisdom to share...and in a humorous way! I've never heard him swear before so that was pretty funny! His daughter, Skye was there and sang a couple of songs, one of which was "The Leader of the Band" to her father. Oh my, I was fighting back tears...I get teary just thinking about it. Wayne was crying too. She has a really beautiful voice.

Wayne talked about coming from Love (your Higher Self, God, Divine Spirit, etc) instead of your ego, (Edging God Out) at all times in every area of our lives and how we can create anything when we do this. It's not always easy but worth the continual effort. I think we all left there feeling like we could create whatever we want in our lives. I'm very excited to attend his weekend seminar in Maui next month - I'm sure I'll have amazing stuff to blog about when I get home!

Like last week, this week is packed with appointments, opportunities to be of service, more seminars, classes, teleconferences and webinars to continually inspire and educate myself so I can live my best life and pass that information on to others...I love it!

I hope you all have a wonderful, inspired week and live from your Higher Self in all that you do!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at Barnesandnoble.com!

Beach and Interviews and Anniversary, oh my!

2009-09-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

What a week! It's been a good one...love those three day weekends that result in a four day work week!

OK I have to say that the miracle remedy of all time is the apple cider vinegar, raw honey and cayenne pepper with hot water drink....three times a day every day over the weekend and down to once a day now but WOW - that just loosens everything up and really gets your system going! I think I'll keep it on as a regular part of my daily routine.

Mom is better this week and has been in a surprisingly good mood lately - yay! We had a busy day yesterday of doctor's appointments, filling out paperwork and prescriptions but it got her out and about!

My best friend Marlene is in between jobs right now (an intentional break to travel the world and explore her options, all positive with nothing but great expectations for a fabulous new job in the near future!) so we decided to have a beach day like we did back in high school. I have not done this for at least ten years...I can't even remember the last time. So we went to the beach near Zuma that we have been going to since the 80's and just enjoyed the beautiful day of sun, sand and dolphins swimming by! It was also nice as a recuperative time for me to relax and soak in more sun...love that heat!

I had another great interview that aired this morning on B101.5 in Washington DC on the Chris & Dee Morning show. I got up at 5:00am to hear it but I must have missed it...I gave up at 5:25 and went back to bed and had a dream about finding two adorable little puppies sitting on my father's grave (he was cremated and scattered in different places so he doesn't actually have one) and it tore my heart out so I took them home. Some woman was berating me for not going to the pound to get puppies and I wore myself out trying to explain to her there is no difference - they were homeless and would have ended up in the shelter anyway so just cutting out the middleman...but she was persistent and really wearing on my nerves. Very tiring and weird. But oh, I was so in love with those little puppies! I was trying to name them when I woke up.

And today is my anniversary with my husband! Well, one of them -we have so many it can be very confusing....we met 20 years ago at work so we've been friends that long...I fell in love with him 13 years ago...we were finally together 12 years ago...broke up for three years and got back together on this day five years ago....we got married in May of 2008...so we have a cumulative eight years together and we still celebrate this day that we reunited as an important anniversary. Going to dinner tonight where we got married and then off to Palm Springs this weekend for our annual anniversary trip. We are sickeningly sentimental and romantic and I love it! He is so perfect for me - the man of my dreams, the mate of my soul, the wind beneath my wings, my biggest cheerleader and supporter...ahhh I just love him!

Tomorrow I get to spend the day with my beautiful niece and surrogate daughter, Laurel before she goes back to college at UC Davis. I am so proud of her! We will have our usual lunch at Red Lobster with cheddar bay biscuits...yum!

Oh and the sugar update for the week...I did have a treat on Monday when my monthly visitor came early with cramps...I sent my husband out for my favorite So Delicious cookie dough coconut milk ice cream and my favorite gluten free vanilla cupcakes from Whole Foods...YUM! But that was it - after that I had no more desire for sugar and I feel great! So looks like it will be one day a month for a sugar splurge. That EFT is amazing stuff!

Off for my busy day until my romantic anniversary dinner tonight! Have a great weekend!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at www.barnesandnoble.com!

Congestion, ACV, Emotions, EFT...

2009-09-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day weekend!

OK I rarely get sick anymore these days, but when I do I really study it to find out how and why I got sick so I can use that information for myself and for clients as future preventative tools. So let's look at my journey this week into horrible chest congestion...

Monday I had a great time doing an interview on Hi-Frequency Living with Eddie and Friends (which is available for replay at www.latalkradio.com/Hifreq.php - scroll down to the August 31st show and enjoy!). When I got home I had a slight sore throat - no big deal, I took a few droppersful of Sovereign Silver which usually gets rid of any illness quickly.

Tuesday sore throat still noticeable but not as bad. More droppers of Silver. My mom and I continue to battle over the thermostat - she likes it subzero freezing and I LOVE the heat and warmth. So I end up freezing most of the day while I work. Sore throat worsens by the end of the day.

Wednesday sore throat is worse, but I have a busy day and once I get out and into the heat and am busy, I feel better. I have now closed the vents in the rooms I spend most of my time in as tightly as they will go and spend most of my time in those rooms to avoid the cold. I can tell mom is getting mad and close to one of her emotional meltdowns because I have had a busy day and now choosing to stay in warmer rooms and not spending much quality time with her. Stress ensues.

Thursday I feel a lot better, almost back to normal as I drive to Ventura to have lunch with an old friend but have to cut our visit short to rush back home for an afternoon interview call. The call never comes. Mom is still acting on the verge of angry, bored, frustrated, meltdown. I spend time with her in the evening (after Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune have ended) and we watch "That's Entertainment" while the end of the couch I sit on is right under the air conditioning vent so I am bundled up in a fleece blanket. Mom is happy which alleviates my stress a bit but I am freezing.

Friday I wake up with horrible chest congestion, again retreating to the warmer rooms in the house. I want to go to my hammock outside which is my refuge and my favorite place of complete peace and rest but the air is so bad from the fires all week, I decide against it since I'm having lung problems as it is. I take my remedy of apple cider vinegar, raw honey and cayenne pepper with some hot water and I feel it loosen things up. Then on to a steam shower where I sit under the stream of water as hot as I can get it and breathe in the steam. I am feeling run down and cancel my appointments for the day but make an appointment with my acupuncturist which is where I go when an illness has progressed too quickly for me to handle alone. That makes me feel a bit better and loosens up my chest so the painful coughing and expelling process begins. Sorry, I know, gross...

More apple cider vinegar concoction several times that day until my husband comes to pick me up for the weekend. Yay! We both love the heat so I will have a weekend of warmer temperatures and air conditioning only to cool down occasionally. More ACV drink and Chin Chin for dinner with a rented movie - our Friday night routine. I actually slept really well considering the painful coughing in the evening.

Today I woke up still congested...more ACV drink, another steam shower, more expelling and by golly, I am almost back to normal! But here is the emotional part of the equation...

A sore throat represents several things - angry words or not feeling able to express yourself. Makes sense...one word...Mom.

Chest congestion/lungs can mean not fully breathing in life - again, makes sense as I felt trapped as to what to do about my mom's emotions (and the thermostat) while attempting to still live my life and take care of myself.

Fortunately, the Tapping Summit for Emotional Freedom Technique started on Thursday and goes on for nine days so I am getting much assistance in expanding my EFT tools and using it on myself to clear up these issues. Good news on that front - I used it last weekend to get over my chronic sugar addiction and it worked! I was astonished, even though I have been doing EFT for several years and I know how powerful it can be, still - my sugar cravings can be monumental. I have had no cravings all week and I have lost 3 pounds! We'll see how this week goes as it will be PMS time...

So my point of sharing all of this is to remind you, in addition to taking good care of yourself on a physical level every day, pay attention to the emotions going on in your life and the things that are affecting you in a negative way and find ways to dissipate them before they turn into an illness or any other problem. I'm telling you, EFT is the way to go to eliminate negative emotions, thoughts, beliefs, physical issues...it's nothing short of amazing.

Have a happy, healthy holiday weekend!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com

Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at www.barnesandnoble.com!

Radio Interview on LATalkRadio.com Tonight!

2009-08-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

I am so excited about my interview tonight on Hi-Frequency Living with Eddie and Friends on LATalkRadio.com at 8:00pm PST! My friend Eddie is one of the most amazing people I have ever met and he has helped me develop as a person, an author and a healer since I met him some eight years ago.

In the meantime, so much to do today before then! Mom is feeling better but has no energy and is "unsteady" as she is every day....I have got to get her out doing some kind of volunteer work or social interaction. She doesn't want to do much and is not into meeting new people so it can be a challenge because then she looks to me as her main source of companionship, conversation, entertainment....it's a challenge to develop a new career when you have those expectations on you every day. But I love her and I do what I can while still making sure she maintains some level of independence. If anyone has any suggestions for her, I would greatly appreciate the input!

So this weekend I finally decided to use EFT on myself to work on my sugar addiction. I have been working with others to help them get over their issues for almost two years with EFT, but not always on myself. I'll be honest, up until now I have had no desire whatsoever to dissolve that addiction. I know, it's terrible coming from a Holistic Consultant who is supposed to be a prime example of great health...which I am...but I love my sugar! Well not any more actually because the treatment really worked well. My usual, daily thoughts about sugar are, "Oh that sounds really good! Yum! I'm really looking forward to that treat" Eating sugar is fun and makes me happy!" Those thoughts are no longer in my consciousness...we'll see if I need to do more tapping when PMS kicks in. But it feels good not to be craving some kind of sugar every day or needing a sweet dessert after every meal!

Being willing to let go of something you want to get rid of is a huge part of actually making the change. A lot of people don't really want to get over an issue or let go of chronic problems. There is usually some underlying emotional satisfaction and often, a payoff from staying stuck in an unhealthy pattern. I know, sounds weird but a lot of people get attention when there is an issue and if there were no issue, they would not be getting what they need. We need to change the underlying belief to a healthier way of getting what we need. It really feels better in the long run! For example -

I was diagnosed with lupus when I was 15. I was so sick and developed very bad arthritis in my entire body which made it difficult to do just about everything. It gradually got a little better over the years and the severity would fluctuate depending on the weather or my stress levels. But every once in a while I would wake up and be so fatigued I just needed to rest. This didn't happen too often but I used to think, "If I didn't have the lupus to blame my fatigue on, I would look like a lazy slob staying in bed and resting all day!" It was a terrible cycle that I often felt very guilty about, even though it was a genuine problem. But I knew, as I studied more and more about alternative health and healing and the power of the mind, that if I was willing to let go of this illness that it would go away. We create everything in our bodies (and in our lives) so in the words of Louise Hay, "When you change your thoughts you change your life." And Dr. Wayne Dyer puts it like this, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." There was definitely some mental and emotional clearing work to do here, too.

So in addition to the mental work, I continued to try all kinds of different natural remedies over the years just to improve my heath in general. When I was studying for my Holistic Health Practitoner certification, I discovered so many new therapies and I tried everything that sounded interesting and effective. And one day, I felt something shift in me and I thought, "I don't think I have lupus anymore. I don't want it - I'm willing to release the need for it as an excuse for when I need to rest. Everyone needs to rest and it is OK for me to take time for myself whenever I feel I need to do that." So I went to my doctor and asked her to run some tests to verify this and lo and behold, all my levels were normal and I no longer had lupus! I was overjoyed and felt such a sense of relief and accomplishment! And I actually felt healthier and more energetic that I had in years. It was a great psychological and physical shift that was necessary and so worth it. I rarely get fatigued these days but if I do, I rest and I don't feel guilty about it.

If you have something you would like to change - stop smoking, create better eating habits, release old resentments and anger, whatever your issue - make a decision that you want to release it and take whatever action you are lead to in order to make it happen. EFT is a very powerful tool that can assist you in doing this as well. I use this with my clients and you can also learn more about this at www.emofree.com. Good stuff!

To a happy Monday, a fun interview, a healthy mom and releasing issues!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at Amazon.com!

What a week!

2009-08-27T09:41:00.001-07:00

Although this week has had it's challenges, I still look back and feel really good about it!

It started off with an Alzheimer's evaluation for my mom on Monday - 4 1/2 hours - with really wonderful, compassionate people. It was very pleasant considering how long it was. Thank goodness we had nuts for mom to munch on (she's diabetic). She held up really well.

After receiving a prescription for Alzheimer's medication, we made the long trek to another building (it's long when Mom walks very slowly) to the pharmacy, waited in line to put in the prescription, waited a half hour until her name was called, waited again in the line to pick up the prescriptions, only to be told when we got to the window that the medication was not available and had to be ordered - we would have to come back tomorrow to pick it up. OK no big deal...so onward...

Back to the other building where the physical therapy department is to pick up the cane they have prescribed for Mom since her gait is not so steady and she gave the new cane she already had to a friend who is having hip problems...sometimes Mom is generous to a fault and to the detriment of her own well-being. So it's late in the day and we are walk-ins - they announce that someone needs assistance with a cane. No one comes up. Another 10 minutes, the nice lady behind the desk announces once again we are there needing help, then she has to leave for the day. We wait another 10 minutes just in case anyone decides to come out and help us but our hunger and weariness from a long day get the better of us and we make the long trek (again...slow walking) back to the car and head over to Marie Callendar's for a meal at 6:30pm. Of course, we both deserve a piece of pie as a reward for the very long day we have just had - thank goodness MC has sugar-free pies for Mom!

Whew - that was only Monday!

Tuesday I had lunch with my best friend and world traveler, Marlene. She just returned from seven weeks touring Italy and Spain, then took off on a ten day road trip to Portland. So we finally have time to catch up and have some girl talk. She came with me to keep me company on my trip back to the pharmacy to get Mom's new medication, which I had Mom take immediately when we got home - I want to see the effects of this new drug ASAP - hopefully she will have some memory improvement. However, one of the side effects can be nausea if not taken with food, so I gave her a snack and it seemed to be fine. Until...

Wednesday at 3:30am...Mom is calling to me because she is terribly ill - cold sweats, dizzy, vomiting, other stuff I won't mention...I am up with her until about 5:30 when she finally goes to sleep. She had eaten a 3 day old chicken sandwich for dinner the night before so along with the new medication, it was not good. She was so sick all day - couldn't keep anything down, feeling like she was going to die (which is scary for an 81-year-old, and her daughter...) I had clients in the afternoon but I rushed home to take care of her and skipped my mid-weekly church service last night. And thank God, she is finally feeling better today - very weak and 3 pounds lighter to her delight, but much better - whew!

I'm still watching over her today while I do laundry and run to the market to get some food to soothe her tender tummy but so relieved that she is finally on the road to recovery.

Can't wait until tomorrow - I love Fridays! As long as Mom is feeling good enough to be on her own then I'll have a weekend of quality time with my husband. Life is good!

Wishing you all health, wealth and a happy weekend!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at Amazon.com!

Ch Ch Ch Changes.....

2009-08-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today we gave our 100 year old piano that has been in our family for over 50 years to a good friend who wanted a piano for his young kids.

It's been bittersweet....my dear, sweet mother is a depression-era packrat who does not like to throw anything away...I mean anything. I recently cleaned out her kitchen and back porch while she was out of town for a few days with friends. Batteries that expired in 1992...cake mixes from the 70's...drink mixes from the 60's...Tylenol that expired in 1998...you get the idea. Nothing that we needed or that would ever be used.

Clutter is so detrimental to any environment - it literally clutters your thinking and since my mother has some significant memory loss, I need her space to be as uncluttered as it can possibly be, which doesn't allow me to eliminate very much, considering she is very attached to her clutter. I just try to make it as functional and comfortable for her as possible, while still keeping some sense of order with the stuff that is still here.

I have been talking to our piano every night since I knew it would be going to a new home. I know, it sounds crazy, but I tend to see many of my inanimate objects as having a spirit, a life of their own. This piano has been in this house my entire life. It is a beautifully carved upright. My grandmother used to play it once in a while for us. She actually used to play piano in the theaters for silent movies! (She would have been 111 years old this year) It is totally out of tune but you can still play it just for the enjoyment of it. I haven't played it in years but I did play quite a bit when I was younger. These days it has become a home for all of our family photos and any other random photos, Christmas cards, postcards and random papers that my mom decides she wants to keep but has no where to store them. So I told the piano how much I love it and I will always love it, and that it is going to a new home and starting over with a new, young family who will love it just as much as we have. Sure enough, my friend called when the piano was delivered to his house and he and his wife love it and his kids have been playing it all afternoon. That makes me so happy.

I cried a bit when the piano movers loaded it into their truck and I told it goodbye one last time. Now we have a big empty wall in the living room but I feel like I can finally breathe with the extra space. We're going to get a nice, simple bookshelf for the space and we'll hang our family photos on the wall that hasn't seen the light of day since the 1950's. It's progress...mom is more open to cleaning things out and getting rid of some of the useless clutter. Because there is a difference, you know, between the useless and the "we might need that someday!" clutter.

Sometimes things feel strange after a change but I always know that it means better things are on the way. Right now a more organized home for my mom is the goal. More changes to come, I'm sure!

Good night Piano...I'll miss you.

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at Amazon.com!

Happy Friday!

2009-08-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

As I just Twittered...I love Fridays! There is an excitement about the day...the feeling of completion at the end of a week of working hard, the anticipation of what the weekend will bring, a chance to relax your mind and body from all the weekday demands...love it!

It's been a great week with all kinds of new marketing and promotional things coming up for my book Living Peacefully in a Big City. I am so proud of this book and I actually really like it myself - hope that doesn't sound arrogant - but sometimes when I am having one of my issues during the day and I am working on my book for whatever reason, I will find advice that I had forgotten about and it helps. I guess that is the ultimate in "self-help"!

I want to take a moment to say "thank you" to my first comment ever from Anna! Anna, you made my day - you never know if anyone sees your blog or if it makes a difference in someones day and you answered that question for me - thank you!

Now I must go take the hot rollers out of my hair and meditate before I get going with my day. Looking forward with positive anticipation to another wonderful weekend of quality time with my wonderful husband!

Everyone have a great weekend (especially you, Anna)!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Now available at Amazon.com - Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness

"Shoulding" all over myself...

2009-08-10T14:32:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday!

OK I really don't want to be on the computer today...my body is getting that stressed out feeling it does when I've been sitting in front of this screen for too long. But so much to do...online! And then I realized I hadn't written in here in a week....so I felt I should be blogging, even though I don't have any deep thoughts or issues to discuss today, other than the fact I want to be outside in this beautiful weather, not indoors on a computer.

But I should be productive and doing promotional, career-oriented things...on the computer...
I should be blogging and Twittering...

Then I realized, NO - I want to be outside enjoying the summer that will turn into fall way too soon! I want to soak up the sun and get my Vitamin D for the day! I want to lie in my hammock and read my most recent novel-just-for-fun, Something Blue. And I want to spend some quality time with good friends - which I will be doing this evening.

I feel much better now...going to get off the computer and go outside because that's what I want to do and it will make me happy! And there is nothing more important than that.

Have a great day!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Now available at Amazon.com - Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness

Technological Blips!

2009-08-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

OK I don't know what was going on yesterday with electronic gadgets...I thought it was just me but apparently others were having technological difficulties too.

My internet connection wasn't working, my printer was jamming, the earphone on my cell phone suddenly wasn't working....I thought maybe Mercury was in retrograde, but that wasn't the case. Are there other planets out of whack right now? Is there a surge in too much information at the moment so the Universe is shutting things down so we have no choice but to turn within and spend some time in reality?

I stopped to think, "what does this mean?" It's all about connections, being connected...and I realized, "I need to take some quiet time to get reconnected with Source Energy right now" - my most important connection. Which I kept putting off because of various things that kept me busy during the day which made me more and more fatigued...but I finally sat down to meditate late in the afternoon and then, everything worked fine again. Crazy!

It's amazing the insights we will get when we stop what we are doing, quiet our minds and become open and receptive. Today I did my meditation first thing after getting up before I did anything else, and I will do another later today, just to make sure I keep the balance.

I'm off to run errands with my mom - get her hair done and then on to beautiful Forest Lawn in Glendale to visit her parents and sister (My Aunt Tanna, whom I was named after). I know it seems weird to look forward to visiting a cemetary, but if you've never explored Forest Lawn, please check them out one day - beautiful, serene, impeccably manicured grounds, incredible sculptures, museums, art...the Hall of the Crucifixion at Glendale houses an ENORMOUS painting of the Crucifixion. Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, it is a magnificent piece of art that must be seen. If you've driven by on the freeway and seen the white rectangular building with a cross on top, that is the place. Really amazing.

Here's to a day off of the computer and the internet!
Have a great day!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness now available at Amazon.com!

Back from Nashville...on to Book Promotion!

2009-07-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

Oh I love Nashville, specifically the town my friend AnaLee lives in, Goodlettsville. (Apparently pronounced Gullavulle by the locals) She has the most beautiful property with her two horses, two dogs and two cats. There are trees everywhere and the most amazing birds I've ever seen - so many colors! We had some good, girly time to talk about everything from food to boys (OK men, but it's really the same in girl talk, regardless of your age).

It was a wonderful trip overall - A great time was had by all at AnaLee's 50th birthday celebration! And I got my grits and Cracker Barrel! And to the dismay of my digestive system, I also had biscuits with gravy...

It's interesting that in another city, so different from Los Angeles, that there are many of the same issues we deal with, although to a lesser degree, like traffic, irate drivers (in a LOT less traffic!), money, health, relationships...there was even interest in my book for some tips on stress relief and dealing with issues in a city that I thought was already so much more peaceful. And it is, but it just demonstrates that everyone is dealing with issues everywhere, which is why I wrote the book. I'm glad it has the potential to help anyone, anywhere!

Here's to a peaceful evening, wherever you are!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com
Living Peacefully in a Big City - available at Amazon.com!

Off to Nashville!

2009-07-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be going to see my close friend, AnaLee in Nashville for her birthday this weekend! We used to work together at Capitol Records but a few years ago she left the craziness of LA and moved to a little town called Goodletsville near Nashville - so appropriate for the peaceful, open country area where she is now living. I haven't seen her in five years but whenever I go to visit, it is such a relaxing, fun experience. Sometimes all we do is hang around her house and watch HGTV, or walk her seven acres with her horses, dogs and cats, or go through her mini-forest up to her own private park at the top of her property. But mostly we just laugh. We have the best time together and it is always a rejuvenating experience for my body, mind and spirit to be with AnaLee.

I love to visit there - life is a little slower paced, the air is clean, people are kind....and they have Cracker Barrel!! I can't wait to have some grits! There goes my healthy eating this weekend...oh well, it's just one weekend.

I will return relaxed and happy and ready to continue promoting my book next week! I will be posting excerpts now and then - please refer back to my previous post to see the table of contents which will give you an overview of the topics addressed in my book, Living Peacefully in a Big City.

Have a great weekend y'all!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.com

Living Peacefully in a Big City - Table of Contents

2009-07-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon! What an amazing accomplishment - it should serve to remind us that NOTHING is impossible!!

I am going to be posting excerpts from my book, Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness here in my blog once in a while, beginning with the table of contents to give you an idea of the topics addressed. The book is now available for purchase from Amazon.com!

Here you go:

Introduction.................................................................ix
Stress.............................................................................1
Anger.............................................................................6
Fear..............................................................................10
Anxiety.........................................................................13
Driving and Traffic.....................................................16
Electronic Gadgets......................................................18
Dealing with People around You...............................22
Setting Boundaries.....................................................25
Education.....................................................................28
Job.................................................................................31
Take Regular Vacations.............................................33
Money...........................................................................36
Status............................................................................40
Attitude.........................................................................43
Stay in the Moment.....................................................45
Good Days and Bad Days: Decide to Be Happy........47
Stuck in a Funk: When Bad Days are Beyond Bad...51
Peace of Mind.................................................................54
Love.................................................................................57
Forgiveness....................................................................59
Growing Pains................................................................62
Relationships..................................................................64
Romance.........................................................................70
Energy.............................................................................79
Take Care of Your Body...............................................84
Dreams and Sleep..........................................................91
"Feel Good" Things.......................................................93
Your Own Little World.................................................96
Laughter.........................................................................98
Random Acts of Kindness...........................................102
Silence............................................................................105
Intuition.........................................................................108
Gratitude and Appreciation........................................111
Goals, Affirmations and Visualization........................113
White Light....................................................................117
Something to Believe In...............................................120
Prayer.............................................................................125
Unseen Forces...............................................................127
The Law of Attraction...................................................131
Working on It: Practice, Practice, Practice!...............134
Rest, Relax and Let Go.................................................135
And in the End................................................................137
Recommended Reading................................................139
Bibliography.....................................................................141
Author Bio.......................................................................145
Index................................................................................147

Have a wonderful day and enjoy this amazing summer!

www.tannasholistichealthcare.coom

Great First Day of Sales!

2009-07-16T08:05:00.001-07:00

Wow - what a day yesterday! I was inundated with emails and Facebook messages and posts about the release of my book - what a great feeling! My greatest desire is for this book to help as many people as possible. Thank you to everyone who purchased yesterday and for the word-of-mouth promotion!

I did take a break to go see the new Harry Potter movie with my beautiful niece, Laurel, who will be leaving for England next week for the rest of the summer and then straight back up to college at UC Davis. She's going to be doing medieval studies in England...very apropos right after a Harry Potter movie. I won't see her again until Thanksgiving - I will miss her so much! My amazing nieces are like my kids - they are the only kids I'll ever "have" and I've always been very close to both of them. I had a small hand in helping raise them so I couldn't love them more if they were my own. I am so proud of both of them - they are so very different and so gifted and talented each in their own individual way. I just love my babies who aren't babies anymore!!

Now on to another beautiful summer day - and more book promotion and publicity!

Living Peacefully in a Big City Now Available at Amazon.com!!

2009-07-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

I am so happy and proud to announce that my book, Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness is finally published and available to the public! I have been working on this book for a very long time. Essentially a guide of tips and advice that I have utilized over the years designed to deal with the daily stressors we all encounter each day living in a larger city, or anywhere, really. I took a holistic approach, addressing mind, body and spirit, from common issues such as stress, fear, anxiety, traffic, and difficult people, to taking care of your body and finally a few ethereal suggestions based in spirituality.

The book is available online at Amazon.com if you are interested in purchasing a copy. I am unable to post a link here, unfortunately.

I also have a favor to ask of anyone who is inclined to purchase a copy (let me first say Thank You so very much!) it would help me tremendously if, after reading or at least perusing the book, you would take a moment to write a review on Amazon.com. Word of mouth and public opinion are major driving forces in the life of this book. Thank you I really appreciate it!

Have a peaceful day and enjoy!

Book Promotion....

2009-07-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, almost Tuesday!

So herein lies the dilemma....

The book I wrote, Living Peacefully in a Big City, is designed to assist you with advice to relieve your daily stress during these crazy times, however, one of my biggest issues is the overuse and our addiction to technology these days. How can I not use technology to get my message to you and others? It must be done, but honestly, I prefer to meet people and deal with them in person. I am not the most cyber savvy person. Oy!

How about this - as soon as you read this, turn off your computer, put down your cell phone, iPod, iPhone or iWhatever and do something REAL. Go outside and reconnect with nature for a few minutes. If outside is not an option for whatever reason, go have a conversation with someone IN PERSON...NOT on the phone, or via texting. One on one, face-to-face. Or play with your pet or your children. Or someone else's pets or children. Read a book or magazine - something you can hold in your hands, not read on a screen. Eat something delicious without distracting yourself with TV or reading or anything else. Focus on the flavors dancing in your mouth. Or sit in silence, or take a bath, maybe with a candle and don't do anything. Just breathe.
Keep this up as long as you can before you go running back to your gadgets. Do this once in a while - as often as you can handle. Stay connected to a tangible reality and to yourself.

I am now taking my own advice and turning off my computer for the day.
Good night!

TGIF!

2009-07-10T13:42:00.001-07:00

I shouldn't say that - I actually love every day for it's unique happenings, but there's just an excitement about Friday, don't you think??!!

Today has been full of marketing and publicity work for the upcoming release of my book, Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness. Fun and exciting, but still, work!!

I took a break to have lunch with my beautiful friend Andromeda whose Pilates studio is oh so conveniently located in my neighborhood - check it out - www.pilatessportscenter.com. Great place to get in shape and run by amazing women!

Doing more work before heading off to get a much needed (and deserved, if I do say so myself) massage at Spirit Dance Day Spa www.spiritdancedayspa.com with the amazing Teena. She has created such a tranquil oasis and her energy is so relaxing and comforting. I highly recommend her!

Then off for a wonderful weekend with my husband - our golden time, the best time of the week!

Have a great weekend everyone!

MJ

2009-07-09T18:59:00.001-07:00

Wow - what a couple of weeks. I was so thrown by Michael Jackson's death - I think, like a lot of people, I never realized how much his music and presence influenced my life until this news came. I cried for two days. OK, I've actually been crying for two weeks.

Whatever accusations have been made of him over the years, I always maintained that he is a good soul and had nothing but love and the best of intentions. We will never know what his life was like, what went on in his head and heart, or what did or didn't happen, but that doesn't matter anymore - it is now between him and God. He is finally at peace.

I think we all gained new insight into this man from stories told at his memorial service and the outpouring of love that has erupted around the world. I believe that some good has come from his death - an awareness of the magic, the love, the inspiration and the great gifts that Michael left us - and that those who are mourning his death are more aware of these things in general and are being perhaps a little kinder and gentler with each other now. I hope it lasts.

Having grown up and still living very close to the Jackson Encino home, I have been acutely aware of all the media and public attention. I was awakened at 6AM the morning of the memorial service by all the helicopters hovering over their nearby home. I knew when the family caravan left the neighborhood because so did the helicopters. It's nice that people wanted to come to pay their respects and be near his family home, but I'm glad that aspect is dying down. I hope and pray that all those who did pay their respects whether it was at his home in Encino, his star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, his childhood home in Indiana, at the Apollo Theater in Harlem or any of the many other places around the world where people gathered to pay tribute, that we all remember the message of love, hope and a wish to heal the world that Michael worked continually to convey to us.

With Michael in my heart, I now return to my originally scheduled life.

Beautiful day! ...with cramps

2009-06-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

Oh such a lovely day outside today! It's been another sunny day and I've been out enjoying it, running around for work, doing a healing session and having lunch with my dear friend Marcia whom I haven't seen in almost a year!! Where does the time go?

Marcia works in the office where I used to work in for many years before I was laid off a year ago tomorrow. I was very happy there most of the time but I am so sad to hear that it is not such a happy place anymore. There used to be wonderful people running the company who actually cared about the well-being of their employees and had their priorities straight, but that was long ago. My remaining friends are hanging in, making the best of it, waiting to see what the future will bring.

I send good thoughts to all of them knowing that great things are in store for them - the worker bees who give their all and are not always compensated for their time, effort or dedication. These days they are grateful to have a job, but they would also like to be happy and appreciated in that job. Hold tight and remember...karma, my friends, karma....

I'm having dinner tonight with two other friends from twenty years back at the same company - some of the first people I worked with there. It's good to keep in touch with dear friends and know that there are some people who will always be in our lives. You know that poem...A Reason, A Season or a Lifetime....these are lifetime friends and I love them dearly.

And oh yes...cramps. Continued from yesterday's blog, I once again apologize for TMI...but it is part of my day right now. It's my excuse to curl up with a heating pad, some chocolate and give myself a little extra nurturing :)

Have a lovely evening!

Monday Monday

2009-06-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

As preparation for the upcoming release of my book, Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health and Happiness, I am here to help you deal with the daily stressors of living in a big city. Even if you don’t live in a big city. Stress is stress wherever you go.

So today I had a pretty stress-free day. I just had a morning consisting of activity that I advise everyone else to make an effort to limit: too much techno-connection. I was on the computer and cell phone all morning doing business. But I did get out to run errands all afternoon and it was a beautiful day! I dragged my 81-year-old mom with me to get her out of the house too. I had wonderful interactions with everyone everywhere I went. Ann at Massage Central to stock up on supplies. Len and Smiley, the greeters at our local Ralph’s supermarket. And the drivers were pretty pleasant on the 405 and all the side streets today!

Oh believe me, there will be days when I am frustrated beyond belief with how badly people behave and I have not yet mastered the art of dealing with them without thinking “People are so stupid!!” or rude, or whatever emotion some random stranger has evoked in me. I just have to breathe and come back to the happy, peaceful place and focus on the people and things that bring me joy, because that's what I'm trying to help you do.

And now, I must retreat for some chocolate as monthly cramps have gotten the best of me…I know, TMI…sorry…

Off for a pleasant evening now - wishing you the same!

Happiness thought...

2009-06-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

The way to Happiness: Keep your heart free from hate. Keep your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.
- from Have A Great Day by Norman Vincent Peale

One more thought for the day...

2009-06-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

When you're getting out of your good frame of mind for whatever reason, remember the words of Abraham Lincoln: "A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be."

Make up your mind to be happy!