Spring Cleaning Time! Let it Go!

Every spring, I feel the urge to purge.  I rummage through my drawers, closets and den in order to clear out the old and make way for the new.  As I pick up clothes, books, papers and yes even shoes; I as myself a few questions:

1.  Does it make me happy to hold it? If the answer is NO then into the bag it goes.
2.  Have I worn it or am I holding onto it because of sentimental value or the dreaded "I may wear it one day"?  If it is sentimental than I ask myself if the memory is enough and then let it go.  If I am not ready to let it go, I put it in the keep pile.  If it's the "I may wear it one day" answer and I haven't worn it in the past year...out it goes.
3.  If it's paper, I determine if I have it on the computer or can find it on the internet.  If the answer is yes, shred it!  Books that I have read and don't need to read again are either kept for the book exchange group or donated to someone who will enjoy them.

As items are put in the donate bag or the garbage bag, I feel my spirit lighten.  It's very true what they say about spring cleaning improving your mood, decreasing stress levels and increasing creativity.

While de-cluttering your space, you should also consider de-cluttering your mind.  Remove the negative thoughts that no longer serve you and make way for positive thoughts to break through.  As I was removing old items from my space, I found that I was able to make peace with my past and let it all go.  I had a few AHA moments regarding past relationships and felt such inner peace at the end of the weekend cleaning spree.

This picture says it all....

 If you haven't started your spring clean...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??  Get to it!!

All you need is love!

I came across this on Facebook and was completely blown away by it.  Albert Einstein is one of the people on my list of those I would like to have at a dinner party.  He was way ahead of his time and he knew it!!  I really don’t have much more to add.  Give this letter a read…I got goosebumps…know you will too.  All you need is love!!

A letter from Albert Einstein to his daughter:

In the late 1980s, Lieserl, the daughter of the famous genius, donated 1,400 letters, written by Einstein, to the Hebrew University, with orders not to publish their contents until two decades after his death. This is one of them, for Lieserl Einstein.

"When I proposed the theory of relativity, very few understood me, and what I will reveal now to transmit to mankind will also collide with the misunderstanding and prejudice in the world.
I ask you to guard the letters as long as necessary, years, decades, until society is advanced enough to accept what I will explain below.

There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all others, and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the universe and has not yet been identified by us. This universal force is LOVE.
When scientists looked for a unified theory of the universe they forgot the most powerful unseen force. Love is Light, that enlightens those who give and receive it. Love is gravity, because it makes some people feel attracted to others. Love is power, because it multiplies the best we have, and allows humanity not to be extinguished in their blind selfishness. Love unfolds and reveals. For love we live and die. Love is God and God is Love.
This force explains everything and gives meaning to life. This is the variable that we have ignored for too long, maybe because we are afraid of love because it is the only energy in the universe that man has not learned to drive at will.

To give visibility to love, I made a simple substitution in my most famous equation. If instead of E = mc2, we accept that the energy to heal the world can be obtained through love multiplied by the speed of light squared, we arrive at the conclusion that love is the most powerful force there is, because it has no limits.

After the failure of humanity in the use and control of the other forces of the universe that have turned against us, it is urgent that we nourish ourselves with another kind of energy…
If we want our species to survive, if we are to find meaning in life, if we want to save the world and every sentient being that inhabits it, love is the one and only answer.
Perhaps we are not yet ready to make a bomb of love, a device powerful enough to entirely destroy the hate, selfishness and greed that devastate the planet.  However, each individual carries within them a small but powerful generator of love whose energy is waiting to be released.  When we learn to give and receive this universal energy, dear Lieserl, we will have affirmed that love conquers all, is able to transcend everything and anything, because love is the quintessence of life.

I deeply regret not having been able to express what is in my heart, which has quietly beaten for you all my life. Maybe it's too late to apologize, but as time is relative, I need to tell you that I love you and thanks to you I have reached the ultimate answer! ".
Your father, Albert Einstein

 Tell the people in your life that you love them.....don't wait...

Fell off the Wagon and down the Hill

Yep...I had a really bad week this past week.  I got my period and had really bad cramps, things were stressful at work and I stopped eating healthy or exercising.  I increased my sugar and fat intake while lounging on the couch in the evening and wallowing in self pity.  I ate half of a small jar of nutella in a few days...yep, it was bad.  All that did was make me feel worse about my situation and a little like a slug. I even messaged my friend Carrie and told her that I was feeling like a slug.

In the past, I would have stayed down for quite some time.  However, I now know a lot more about the power of the mind and positive thinking.  Instead of giving in to the feelings as I would have done in the past, I decided to change my thinking. By focusing on what I had accomplished and forgiving myself for having a few off days, I was able to lift my spirits and turn it around.  Yes I FORGAVE myself for being a slug for a few days.  It happens to all of us.  It doesn't mean that I am not doing well or should throw in the proverbial towel.  It means that I accept myself for being human and celebrate the fact that I was able to recognize it and pull myself out of the funk.

I picked myself up from the bottom of the hill and dragged myself back up to that wagon.  I'm back on course and feeling fabulous!

Oh, and I'm also working on a few projects.  One is a cook book about dating adventures and the other will be this blog where I am going to document how it feels to fit, fun and fabulous at 40.

Life truly is magnificent!!

New Challenge....Healthy Me

Happy New Year!

I don't do resolutions because I believe you should make changes in your life when you feel the urge to do them and not once a year.  I also believe that you should set challenging goals that cause you to DO something and not give something up.

Right now I'm sitting here writing this blog and drinking a weird tasting concoction because I decided to do a cleanse after the holidays.  Its a way to kick start me into my next challenge.....lose 10 lbs and minimum 1 inch within 8 weeks by eating well and exercising.

I'm on day 3 of 7 days for this one and so far it is doing what I need it to do.  I'm feeling fantastic as the toxins leave my body.  Although the urge to purge doesn't always come at the best times...lol.

I cleaned out my cupboards and replaced all the junk with healthy alternatives.  I purchased a new cook book with gluten free alternatives and have tested a few of the recipes out.  I will be sharing them on this blog and my website.  www.coremagnificence.com

I plan on sharing my work outs as well as these will all be done at home.  I've already inspired a co worker to also take up the challenge so we will keep each other motivated.

Promise to write more as I go through this next challenge.  Healthier me...here I come!!