Way back when, I remember Oprah sharing with us the “things she knew for sure”. Since then, whenever I start feeling out of sorts and being in doubt about something, I ask myself, “What do I know for sure about this?” With each answer I come up with, I feel more and more grounded.

Here’s “3 things I know for sure” about life in general…

1 Try FULLY PARTICIPATING or really engage in whatever you find yourself doing. This means taking everything you do—whether it’s a relationship, work, paying bills, taking a walk, or doing a chore—and really getting into it. I really believe most of our misery and discontent comes from getting into the habit of half-assing it.

2 HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE. We have the choice whether to make any situation in our life the worst thing that happened or the best that happened. It’s what we want to make of what happens.

3 Understand the PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO LEARN TO LOVE, not to avoid or attack what we don’t like. I often hear my coaching clients saying they do love others, but it also means loving yourself, the good and the bad, and learning to love everything else. I did a video on learning to love doing the dishes years ago, take a look.

If you need help with any of these 3 things, contact Vickie for a complimentary coaching session.

I loved the 1993 movie Groundhog Day and have probably watched it over a dozen times. Not only does the movie make me feel good, but it has a very spiritual plot that can apply to almost everyone, whether they believe in a higher source or not. The movie implies “there are no accidents” and somehow absolutely everything that happens in life is orchestrated with a greater purpose.

Here’s How 2020 (and Possibly 2021) is Like the Movie Groundhog Day…

1   TRAPPED-

In the movie, the main character, Phil Connors, is reliving the same day over and over as if he was stuck in time until he learns how to unconditionally love.

In 2020, it seems like our lives have not only been turned upside down but stuck in a never ending cycle—that goes on day after day, week after week, month after month. The happy ending will probably only occur when we learn how to unconditionally love everyone and everything. That means loving ourselves, especially others, and everything else we could imagine.

2   DOUBT-

At first, Phil Connors doubts himself and thinks he might be crazy, going to the doctor for a checkup and to a therapist.

In 2020 (and possibly into 2021), lots of us are struggling to stay sane watching all the external drama unfold, which causes us to start doubting everything. We also reach out for help to try to make sense of what’s happening, especially to the latest news, the experts, and of course, the government.

3   FIGHTS BACK-

Getting angry about his situation, Phil lashes out by criticizing and being downright cruel to others. Thinking the clock might be to blame, he finally throws it across the room, breaking it. But as he finds out the next day, his rage had no effects. The clock was in perfect condition and the alarm rang the next morning as usual.

In 2020, almost all of us have been swept up for a time and downright furious at someone or something—and this may continue into 2021. There has got to be someone, some group, or something to blame for this endless horrible experience. We lash out in any way we can. Sometimes it’s by social media, giving money to our cause, or simply by badmouthing others. We soon find out our lashing out and anger only increase others’ anger and lashing out. Therefore, it has no lasting effects in changing this bloody battlefield.

4   DESTRUCTIVE-

Phil even takes it to the extreme. He wants this day to end so bad he resorts to stealing a truck, kidnapping the groundhog, and running the truck off of a cliff. But again, it has no lasting effect.

In 2020-2021, we may resort to destructive behaviors, such as trying all sorts of ways to gain at someone else’s expense. We could also turn those destructive behaviors inward, to numb or hurt ourselves, like beginning or continuing bad habits or addictions—anything just to stop this ongoing nightmare.

5   TURNING POINT-

Phil keeps trying to push and rush a romance with Rita, hoping to get some relief by forcing her into a relationship. Finally, Rita slaps him and declares, “You will never love anyone but yourself.” Phil replies, “That’s not true. I don’t even like myself.” With that one statement, a lightbulb turns on in Phil. He was really honest with himself, and the movie takes a turn from then on.

We often think as soon as things calm down and return to “normal,” it will give us the relief we so desperately want. Yet, until we include learning to love ourselves and get to the point we feel like we deserve something better, we cannot fully experience it.

6   FOCUS-

With Phil’s realization and new outlook on his predicament, he begins by learning to focus—not in a controlling, self-centered, and wanting something in return way. He starts by simply trying to throw cards into a hat, by training his mind and concentrating on it.

If nothing else, in 2020-2021 we are learning how to train our minds away from the external drama that we can’t hardly ever control, to something we can control, how we want to feel. We are learning the power of our thoughts like Phil did.

7   ACTS OF KINDNESS-

Phil then gives love to others with small acts of kindness, like caring for a homeless guy and surprisingly, providing coffee to his co-workers. The more he genuinely cares for others, the better he feels about himself. Phil’s courage and ability to care continue to build as he catches a boy falling from a tree and saves a man from choking.

The more we genuinely care for others and unconditionally love them no matter what they think, say, or how they behave—the better we feel about ourselves and the easier the future will get.

8   BEING INSPIRED-

Phil evolves into letting go of the “mediocre” and instead, having a deep desire to be inspired and excited about what he does. This is shown by him taking up ice sculpting and playing the piano with feeling.

For most of us in 2020-2021, the “mediocre” is becoming less tolerable, especially with our work. There were hundreds of thousands of us stuck in a rut and doing work that was not that satisfying. Something had to push us out of our comfort zones and give us the courage to look for something better.

9   COMING TOGETHER-

By taking time to become a person Phil could actually admire and love, he attracted others who admired and loved him too. Everyone at the dance thought highly of Phil and voiced their appreciation of him.

Now is the time to stop playing small and have the courage to become someone we would admire. We have let other things in our lives become the priority, such as money, status, and being right. But when it comes down to it, our ability to unconditionally love is the highest priority there is.

10   THE ENDING-

Phil wakes up with Rita in his arms, pinches her to see if it is real, and says, “Something is different. Anything different is good. But this could be real good.”

Finally, getting a new way of living is going to be wonderful, but it could get real good—beyond what we can possibly imagine!

Are You Ready to Unconditionally Love Yourself?

This self-study course helps you change the mindset that you have about yourself and the world around you. You will finally feel you deserve your new life on a steady basis. For more details.

Check out the Quiz, How Worthy Do You Feel?

If you need more help, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

Right now, external circumstances are pushing millions of us out of our comfort zones and spinning our lives in a completely different direction.  Everything seems to be changing or disappearing rapidly. And to make it worse, we are being told it could go on indefinitely.

Deep down we all probably know that this is a defining moment in our lives and that it will change us forever.

GOOD NEWS!

Even though it seems like we are losing control of almost everything, we DO have control over our mindset. We could stay in the fear, get angry, worry ourselves sick, and essentially make this a horrifying experience.

Or we could use this experience to learn to love everyone and everything, and most of all, become a hero in our own lives—someone who showed courage, who we respect and admire. Most refer to this process as a hero’s journey.

A Hero’s Experience or Journey…

1   THE CALLING OR REQUEST

External Pressure…

Many times, the calling begins with a tragic event or a predicament we’re facing—an external pressure. It is something that abruptly happens, throws us off guard, and turns our life upside down.

It could be concerning a loved one, a sudden illness or a pandemic, a death or several deaths, being laid off or furloughed, being a victim of a criminal act, a severe accident, an unexpected breakup, being trapped in close quarters with family members, too much alone time, being unfairly treated, an act of mother nature/extreme weather, or anything else that hurls us out of our comfort zone.

Internal Pressure…

Then there are times that the calling begins more gradually, hardly noticeable at first, then becoming more intense with time. It’s a feeling of dissatisfaction and discomfort. Something doesn’t quite feel right, like a yearning of some sorts to be filled—something that rises up from deep within.

With Both Pressures…

With both beginnings, the calling’s pull makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to turn back. We may not like it, but we know deep inside, this different direction—wherever it takes us and however long it takes—is destined and is our mission to follow through.

A Special Note…

Probably all callings initially begin with internal pressures. It’s more noticeable to those people who pay attention to how they feel and practice using their inner guidance or intuition. Psychics and INFJ personality types (according to the MBTI Personality Test) can often feel an underlying uneasiness and discomfort in themselves, other individuals, and even with the general population before the external pressure becomes obvious.

2   REFUSAL OF THE CALL OR REQUEST

We have the tendency to deny, avoid, resist, or fight against the call, trying desperately to return back to the way our life used to be—to our comfort zone. We are scared to death that we are going to lose all the good things we had going for us, and that our deviation from our old lifestyle will lead to a disaster.

Along with observing our life being pulled in a completely different direction, there is a tremendous amount of doubt about whether we are capable of even completing the hero’s experience or journey.

If we drag it out, the refusal can last for months or even years until we stop denying, avoiding, resisting, and fighting the call. For some, the fear of the new experience or journey is so great that they completely opt out of living through it.

But all we have to do is jump in and make a commitment to the new hero’s experience or journey, wherever it takes us. When we commit and mean it, the fear subsides—and is replaced by a feeling of relief.

3  MEETING THE MENTORS

Once we commit to the hero’s experience or journey, divine guidance appears. We come across seasoned travelers who give us training, tools, and advice that will help us with the hero’s experience—and most of all, teach us how to use spiritual aids.

During this time, we may get serious about relying on a Higher Power (God, Source, Divine, Universe, Intuition, or whatever you want to label it). We could also become aware of the signs from the universe, have visions, have telepathy, hear inner voices, get “aha” moments, have meaningful dreams, and increase our psychic abilities.

4   CROSSING THE THRESHOLDS

As the hero’s experience progresses, we are asked to take the plunge into the unknown, where the rules and limits are not known. It requires an act of faith—doing something we would have never done before the calling.  We have no idea of what will be involved, or how we will even survive. No one does it for us or helps us, and we are on our own.

An example could be caring for loved ones, stopping an addiction or bad habit, quitting a job, changing our career, volunteering for a potentially dangerous mission, breaking up with our current relationship, moving to another city, or anything that we would not normally have done before the experience began.

5 THE EGO’S TEMPTATIONS

The ego (3rd dimension mindset) knows we are in the process of releasing it and tries to hang on with all its might.  We might be tempted to half-ass our quest, hoping we can stay where we are after all, and praying that the pull for a new life will vanish entirely.

With every temptation we give in to, we realize the old pleasures and comfort are not what we once thought they were and are not satisfying at all. They were just illusions of security and satisfaction.

Temptations could be trying to re-connect with old friends, reverting back to our bad habits or addictions, quitting volunteering, moving back home, going back to the old career, begging to be rehired, or getting back with the ex.

We learn that relying on a Higher Power (God, Source, Divine, Universe, Intuition, or whatever you want to label it) and using our spiritual aids can get rid of the temptations the ego conjures up—time after time.

Each triumph over the ego builds faith and courage, enhances the feeling that nothing is impossible, and gives us momentary previews of a hero’s life.

6   THE ORDEAL OR THE BELLY OF THE WHALE

The hero’s experience or journey keeps taking us inward to the most dangerous spot, to confront our greatest fears and inner demons head on. It might appear we have been swallowed up and eaten alive. But really, we have only allowed the end of our fearful ego-self (3rd dimension mindset) and let the fearless soul-self (4th dimension mindset) rise up and come into power.

We realize our greatest fear was only a smoke screen hiding what we always knew—that we have been unlimited and significant all along. There was nothing to fear after all!!!

7   THE REWARD

We, the hero in our own life, take possession of the prize we won by facing our inner demons.  There is no more fear—no more feeling inadequate or unimportant!!!

8   THE ROAD BACK

Shortly after receiving our reward, we are asked to go back to the ordinary world changed forever. We then become a seasoned traveler who gives others training, tools, and advice that will help them on their own hero’s experience or journey.

And the most important thing of all is to shine a light

so bright it lights the way for others!!!

If  you need a mentor to help you on your hero’s experience, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

I had a client ask me in a coaching session how to get yourself to make a commitment. I had to take time and really think about the process I just went through.

I have never let myself feel sexy. Since the age of 6, I have been overweight – from 30 to 100 pounds — and I have never believed my facial features were very attractive either. So I resigned myself to a life of making due, blech!, with what I was given and learning to love myself anyway. Recently, my intuition and a series of events nudged me into committing to feel as sexy as I could. Read my blog on Define Feeling Sexy to understand what I mean.

Here’s what I did to make a commitment to myself…

1  I realized I was just wasting time. Everyday seemed to be the same, one meal to the next, just going through the motions, without any personal growth or “aha” moments.  I kept asking myself, “If not now, when? When I’m dead?”

2  I stopped lying to myself.  I had tried to convince myself  it didn’t matter, when all along, it did matter.

3  I had to acknowledge  I  had gotten so comfortable in my comfort zone that it was making me miserable. You know, when your life is not too bad but not too good either. My business was doing OK and I seemed to have enough clients. I was paying the bills and had some money saved.  I’m in fairly good health for my age, other than the weight issue. I had good relationships with my clients, friends and family. But it wasn’t amazing. Not even close.

4  I started doing affirmations.  For years, I have been in the practice of repeating positive thoughts over and over until I start believing them. It works well in getting me prepared to make a commitment. Some are…

• There is nothing I cannot do, including feeling sexy.
• There is nothing to fear. (From A Course in Miracles)
• Today is the toughest it will ever be.

5  I embraced a mindset to do whatever it takes however long it takes. For me this works by thinking of the absolute worst that could happen and giving it permission (mentally) to happen. For instance, never again eating the foods I want when I want them.

6 Then, I jumped in. I forged an all or nothing attitude. A real commitment to yourself requires a there-is-no-turning-back mindset.

Change may not be easy, but it is the way of life. And when it comes to changing – or in fact accepting that we deserve all our desires – even to feel sexy – it is life changing.  What is your desire, perhaps long hidden or ignored, that requires your commitment right now?

If you need help with making a commitment to yourself, contact Vickie Champion for a discovery coaching and consulting session.

Is your financial situation getting worse by the day? Are you having a hard time finding a job because you aren’t willing to change careers or move to a different city? Is your business suffering because you don’t want to change the way you market or what products you’re selling?

I came to a crossroads several months ago.

Clients were starting to drop off faster than I added them, something I was not use too. The old standbys of networking and asking for referrals were not as effective as before. Other life coaches and business coaches began to buzz about getting clients off the internet.

I had to ask myself, were most of my earning problems worse by my reluctance to change? Could I avoid earning problems altogether, if I started to embrace change?

Here Are Some Signs Your Reluctance to Change Could Be Causing Your Earning Problems-

When you…

1. Are adamant on doing things the way you’ve always done them.
2. Operate mostly on auto-pilot.
3. Refuse to listen to others or try new things.
4. Get upset when something does change.
5. Recreate the same old earning problems year after year.
6. Sit on the sidelines and watch others move ahead.
7. Don’t know if you have intuition.

Ways to Embrace Change-

1. Hire a life coach or business coach.
2. Learn new things daily.
3. Keep trying new things. Don’t stop.
4. Know that change is guaranteed and it’s a good thing. It’s a way to keep growing.
5. Realize fear of change is making the problem worse, if not causing it. Then place getting out of fear your highest priority.
6. Increase your faith. Nothing changes unless something better is coming.
7. Use our intuition daily.
8. Treat change as an adventure. If we make change a habit, we will have an exciting, fun life.

Instead of sitting on the sidelines and watching others succeed, I made the decision to embrace change. I learned everything I could on internet marketing and hired people to help. Now I’m getting almost all of my new life coaching and business coaching clients from internet searches.

Is your intuition telling you that you need to embrace change?  Sometimes an earning problem is no more than a reluctance to change.

Maybe you have overcome a fear to change and reaped the rewards. Or put your faith in a feeling that was telling you to change and had things turn around.  Or maybe you’re still confused about whether a failure to change is causing earning problems.
You can also contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.