Have you ever had a situation come up that you felt was challenging or outside your comfort zone? Maybe it has created that feeling in the pit of your stomach that can leave you squirming from the tension. Some people feel it when they get on stage to speak, you might feel it walking into a new fitness class for the 1st time or perhaps you have felt it because of something that excites and scare you all at the same time. I can totally relate! Home in Harmony is growing at such a dynamic rate, which creates new & fascinating opportunities around every corner. At the same time I am constantly asked to “skill-up” on new proficiencies. This is fun, scary and challenging all at the same time! In this week’s video I give you 3 Simple Solutions to overcome challenges that may be placing you outside your comfort zone. Click on the image below to watch!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

PS… If you want a clear direction to help you move through the challenging times, click here for your Free Success Strategy Call. Let me help you put a plan in place and put fun & adventure back in your life!

Inspired Greetings,

If I had to sum up the past week with a one-word image, I would describe it as a roller coaster. The carnival ride on both a personal and professional level ranged the gamut from elating and joyful experiences to depleting events.

My family and I packed our bags to head home from a warm, sunny, fun and successful adventure to Florida.  We enjoyed relaxing, playing and thawing out from the deep freeze of the Northeast! I met some incredible people on the sets of The Daily Buzz and Emotional Mojo while getting the opportunity to share the Home in Harmony message with more than 250 million viewers.

We arrived home to find our house suffering the consequences of the record levels of snow that have been piling up on roadways, rooftops and T-tracks. Unfortunately, the snow and ice took its toll and created a funnel effect on our roof sending streams of water through the cedar shingles and walls into our home. Despite crews of shoveling men, a team of engineers, contractors and restoration company the water continued to create blistering bubbles in the ceilings, rugs that felt like saturated sponges when walked on and run from recessed lighting as if it were pouring out of spigots. Every room on every floor felt the impact.

As a team (Team O’Leary) we pulled together and quickly mobilized. The youngest member had to clear her room of all her beloved belongings (we call her the Zoo Keeper because of her love of stuffed animals). Water penetrated the walls soaking her rug; books, clothes and “stuffies” had to be moved. Later she would help Dad, or at least keep him company, remove snow from the deck that the contractors were fearful would collapse under the weight of the snow. (Much of the snow from the roof had been pushed down onto the deck. On my Facebook page you can check out a picture of my 6’2” husband surrounded by snow. I mention his height so that you can fully understand the magnitude of snow New Englander’s have experienced this month… notice the size of the icicles hanging from the roof!) The oldest child spent time shoveling, shoveling and more shoveling. He also let his little sister sleep in his room for two nights while he slept in the guest room. I raced around finding leaks and more leaks, placing buckets, laying down beach towels, cleaning & drying towels that were sopping wet, only to begin again.

After only two days of being home I had to jump back on a plane. I was both excited for the adventure ahead but apprehensive to leave the house and my family in this unsettled condition. After a sleepless night, from the disconcerted feeling of a home in disrepair, I took an early morning flight to the West Coast to speak at the National Lifestyle Bloggers Conference in LA. I met with so many inspiring bloggers who are living their passion and shining their light in the world. You can check out some fun posts and highlights on Twitter @HarmonyDesigner and #NLBC15.

I also had the opportunity to unwind in Marina Del Ray for a few days before heading back to the whirlwind of motherhood and house cleanup duty. My plane flight flew into Boston as my husband’s flew out on a business trip to Brazil.

You might be wondering why am I sharing this with you today?  Well, it really is for two reasons. Below you will find two simple solutions to help you find calm in the midst of chaos even when life has placed you on a wild roller coaster ride.

First, in life we are always going to have things add to the chaos of modern day living. How we choose to deal with these depleting types of events determine the quality of our life. We, as a family, could have buckled under the pressure of a house quickly becoming unhinged. It went from a sanctuary to a state of disarray in a matter of hours.  Instead we banded together trying our best to make this event into an adventure which helped to create a sense of calm amidst the chaos.

Second, as Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.  In other words, be the person you want to see and be around in your life. I want to be the person who is a positive, glass-half full influence on the world. I want to be the example for my children and my community. When ceilings are flooding I know it is important to express my true feelings of disappointment in the situation but it is also imperative to focus on and convey a sense of hope as things unfold. As I watched the water flow I kept asking myself. “What is the silver lining?” I wanted to find a silver lining to make my family feel better and calm the anxiousness creeping into my own sense of grounded-ness. When you can find a silver lining, even if it is only a sliver, this sense of hope can pull you out of a place of negativity or despair.

Life, like a roller coaster ride, is sure to have its ups and downs. How you look at the ride will determine if it rattles your foundation and feels like a scary corkscrew carnival coaster or you view it as an amusing adventure that will have its peaks and valleys. Life can be about the fun and thrills even during turbulent times!

When you have moments of despair, negativity, or anxiousness can you ask yourself, “What is the silver lining?” Feel free to comment below and share your “Silver Lining Moment” I would love to hear how you have stepped off life’s roller coaster and created calm in the midst of chaos.

Happy Soaring,

XOXO

PS… If you need a plan to help you move off the roller coaster of life, I am here to help you find that silver lining! Set up a Free Success Strategy Call to begin being the person and creating the home, health and happiness you deserve! Your time is now!

Have you ever found yourself juggling so many items or to-dos that you lose track of important items like your cell phone, car keys or an appointment you were supposed to be at hours ago? In the whirlwind pace of today’s lifestyle it is understandable that this happens. Today I will share why this happens and a few simple solutions to help you create a state of calm a midst the chaos so that you are less likely to lose your cell phone or miss your next important appointment.

Have you ever lost your keys as you were entering your home because you were juggling a bag of groceries, your coffee and the item from the errand you just ran? As you came in the phone rang and you quickly put down the load of items you were carrying to answer it. After you spoke with your Aunt Sue you realized you couldn’t find your keys. Maybe it wasn’t your keys but it was your cell phone or iPad. Have you had to call yourself to find your phone? Can you relate to that feeling of not being able to find something because you were distracted by other things around you?

Perhaps you had an important appointment that you were supposed to be at but it was on Tuesday not Wednesday? I can personally relate to this one! I was asked to speak at the National Bloggers Conference in LA which I gladly accepted. Recently my schedule has been filled with media appearances that have involved travel along with personal and professional travel plans. It is exciting and fun but there is also an ample amount of logistics that are involved to ensure the household is running smoothly while I am away. With all of the recent plans I mixed up not the day but the month (!) that I am headed out to LA for the National Bloggers Conference. Fortunately I hadn’t booked my flight yet, but it was a mad scramble when we realized my husband needed to be in Brazil at the same time. Thankfully my father-in-law was willing and able to stay with the kids while we are both away!

The reason we lose items or it is hard to keep track of calendar events is because our brains were not designed and trained to process the amount of information we are exposed to on a daily basis. We are overloaded with not only information but things. The average household has 100 times more items in it than that of our ancestors 100 years ago. A centurion who lived in the early 1900’s didn’t have hair dryers, iPods or clock radios in every room. This simplicity allowed their brain to categorize and organize items so that memory retrieval was easier.

I know this sounds a bit scientific (which can sometimes get a bit boring) but stay with me, there is a reason you need to know this! It will help you move with more ease and grace in your life. The neurons in our brains are living organisms that actually get tired out when they need to process too much stimuli or information. In any given day they are getting bombarded by every connection you come in contact with be it the conversations with people, the Tweets & comments on Twitter or Facebook, anything on your TV or computer screen and the grocery aisle that has over 40,000 items to choose from. Each day our neurons are taxed to the max in an effort to unscramble the jumble of information overload. So, it is important to give your neurons a much needed break! Let’s look at two simple solutions to create calm amidst the chaos of daily living.

First, give your neurons a break by taking a few moments to center yourself and find stillness. A simple way to do this is to unplug, sit in a chair with your feet firmly grounded on the floor and focus your attention on your breathing. Slowly inhale to the count of 5 and slowly exhale to the count of 5 (10 if that is a better number for you.) This exercise has multiple benefits; first it allows you to come to a place of stillness and peace which will help to recharge your proverbial batteries. It also has the added benefit of bringing much needed oxygen to your overburdened neurons. Do this a few times a day and you will notice the benefits right away.

Second, get in the habit of placing your items in the same place every time you enter or leave your home. Creating habitual patterns will train your brain to always place items in their ‘designated spot’ without you even needing to think about where to put them. Literally your brain will move on autopilot helping you achieve your desired results without thinking about it. If it is helpful, find a pretty trey or docking station that will give you a designated spot for those items that can be easily misplaced.

These two simple solutions will help you move through each day with ease and a sense of calm. Learning tips to gracefully flow through each day a midst the plethora and inundation of information is important in the frenzy of the modern lifestyle.

Happy Soaring,

XOXO

PS… If you are trying to gracefully flow through each day a midst the plethora and inundation of frenzied information, let me help you put a plan together that will help you move through each day with ease and a sense of calm. Click here to schedule your FREE Success Strategy Call!

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