The Gift Of Going Within: A True Lightbulb Moment (Like, Literally)

Yesterday as I was starting to pack for an upcoming trip to Chicago, I found myself frantically searching through my closet for a pair of pants. And not just any pants...my favorite comfortable and cozy black fleece sweatpants. 

The beautiful thing about living in a pre-war studio apartment located downtown is the charm. The bad thing about living in a pre-war studio apartment located downtown is the lack of closet space and built in lighting. As a result, for the last two years, as the sun slowly fades across the Mesa crest, finding anything in my closet has become something liking dining at Opaque ... a sensory experience where I try and feel my way to a handbag or pair of heels hiding amongst an endless sea of accessories in the dark.

So when 2 minutes turned into 10 minutes turned into 15 minutes (all over a silly pair of sweatpants), I panicked.

Then...I got a grip.

In that moment I realized I was missing the one important fail proof sensory tool of all: my internal self.

When dealing with the most fearful and stressful of circumstances, going within seems a practical no-brainer (an almost automatic response if you will), and I find myself easily led to the answer I'm seeking with a simple prayer of intention to resolve the situation. Yet when faced with a frustratingly mundane human experiences such as trying to find a pair of sweatpants in a small dark closet, I freaked. That's why it was no small blessing that after almost half an hour of panic, I was led to remember my true self...my internal guidance system, which infinitely connects to the all-knowing Source (a.k.a God, Universe, FP, or whatever other word you use to describe that Being that's part of, yet bigger than you).

When I came to my senses, I silently asked a simple question: "God, how I can I get more light in here?"

BOOM! Answer (Almost Immediately actually...and like a big giant swap across the side of my head).

My true self said: "Well, why don't you turn on the light?"

OMG! The light?! I had forgotten about the light. You know, those cute little solitary bulbs attached to a piece of string that you see people tug on in the movies? Yeah...I forgot...this closet actually HAD one of those.

I AM NOT EXAGGERATING when I say that for almost two years, I had opened that closet door a million times...and not once had I thought about that light (let alone turned it on).

Yet there it was, right in front of me.

A lightbulb.

Amazing.

I stood there in disbelief for a minute, then pulled the darn string. HALLELUJAH!!! It was like having an entirely new closet, with clothes and shoes and handbags I'd forgotten I owned. And there they were, in plain sight...my favorite pair of black fleece sweatpants.

See, the thing I learned from this whole closet/lightbulb debaucle was that answers to our problems (no matter how big or how small) are always available. We simply have to remember to go within and actually ask. 

More importantly though? It was a reminder that our minds only perceive things we believe to be there...unless we open up to the possibility of a different point of view. My true source provided that different point of view, and I was lead to a lightbulb that literally hung from the ceiling right in front of my face for almost two years.

Living from the possibility of a different point of view is the starting place for living A Love Styled Life. It's how I've personally come to curate a completely bespoke lifestyle...one that involves styling myself in the things, people, and experiences I love, every single day.

You, too, can create your own version of a bespoke life. It simply starts with being open to the possibility that you can live life a different way.

Quiet yourself, go within, and simply ask. 

I promise, if you sit in the question with a little faith...you, too, will be led to the answer. And who knows? You just may find that your answer has been right in front of you all along.

xo - Cynthia

photo credit // lightbulb on string * women surrounded by light

Ready to Curate a Life Even Your Dreams Will Love? 

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Lessons From A Break up: Proof That Everything Really Is All Good

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Trust me, I know...hearing the phrase Everything Happens For a Reason isn't something that's easy to hear, especially when you're in the middle of a major life crisis. And...as the Holiday Season is in full swing, hearing this phrase while dealing with long lines, busy traffic, and often overwhelming family/friend/work commitments doesn't make any of it better.

Here's the interesting thing though...Everything Happens For a Reason, as it's mostly commonly understood, is only half of the story. When you're creating a dream life and working to style yourself in love, INTENTIONS and RESOLUTIONS are the name of the game. Knowing what you desire and standing for nothing less, sets the Universe in motion to bring into your life the people, resources, circumstances, and opportunities for you to experience that desire. This is how The Law of Attraction works. But 9 times out of 10, these people, resources, circumstance and opportunities are going to look nothing like you pictured them to look. Your job is to stay open and trust that all will unfold beautifully as it's supposed to (even when everything looks like it's failing). Everything WILL Happen For A Reason if you're open to experiencing meaning out of EVERY experience in your life.

Jordan Axani is perfect the best example of this.

If you didn't read about his amazing story on People.com this morning, then let me give you a recap: Jordan and his girlfriend Elizabeth Gallagher broke up. After they had purchased tickets for an around the world vacation excursion. And the tickets were non-refundable or transferable. Determined to still experience the trip and not waste a single dollar of his investment, Jordan set out to find another woman with the exact same name to take with him, and posted an open call via a post on Reddit.

Now Here's Where Things Get Amazing. As you can imagine, yes...Jordan found another Elizabeth Gallagher to go on the trip. And they take off for New York, Milan, Prague, Paris, Bangkok and New Delhi on December 21. But the miracle, and the manifestation...proving that everything Really Is All Good...comes not from the story of finding another Elizabeth, or from the amazing opportunity Jordan still has to go on his dream adventure. No, the true miracle and manifestation from this whole breakup fiasco came from the over one thousand email replies to the Reddit posting that he received. One in particular, from an 8 year-old boy who was going blind and dreamed to see the world before his site was gone, sparked Jordan and his brother to start an organization called A Ticket Forward, which aims to elevate the quality of people's lives by facilitating the connection for individuals with people and places that matter to them most. 

By not giving up, and standing for nothing less than his dream experience of traveling the world, Jordan not only gets to do just that...but also, he gets to shape the world. And my guess is, this new venture with A Ticket Forward was the answer to a deeper dream and desire within Jordan to make a difference on a grand scale. And it all happened because of a breakup...proving in beautiful detail that Everything REALLY DOES Happen For A Reason.

Jordan's fearlessness is inspiring. But staying open to make living the life of your dreams a non-negotiable is often easier said than done. The trick? Having someone who believes in you and supports you in creating your dream life, every step of the way. That is the mission of A Love Styled Life, and my personal passion and purpose as a Love Stylist and Dream Mentor.

So in the spirit of support and mentoring at one of the craziest times of the year, I've put together a FREE class series next week titled:

"Master Your Resolutions: The Only 3 Things Required to Live Your Dream Life in 2015"

 In each hour of this amazing three part class, I'll share with you the ONLY 3 THINGS you need to start living A Love Styled Life...not tomorrow, or on January 1st with your New Year's Resolutions...but today. And don't worry, if you can't make the calls live, they'll be recorded and emailed to you after the broadcast. 

Call #1: Monday, 12/22 at 6pm

Call #2: Tuesday 12/23 @ 6pm

Call #3: Wednesday 12/24 @ 10am

So what do you have to lose? Take a lesson from Jordan...CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE CLASS, and learn the ONLY 3 THINGS required to master your resolutions and start living your dream life, today!

Love Styled Inspiration From Around The Web

It's Wednesday, and the perfect day for a little Love Styled pick-me-up. Check out my curated look at what's inspiring me from around the web this week: 

Fellow Life and Business Coach, Amanda Frances, really brought it home this week with her blog on self love , keeping it real by talking about how she herself had to take a personal time out to re-adjust her schedule and make more time for her...BRAVO!

It's raining, and all I want to do right now is stay inside. This holiday gift guide from Grace Atwood at Stripes and Sequins hit the spot, and put my desire for pretty-little-cozy-weather-things at the forefront of my shopping wish-list // hint hint, #1, #4, and #15 are looking extra nice right about now ;)

Politics aside, you can't help but feel a little silly (remember my #MakeItHappenMonday intentions for the week?) from the amazingness of Jimmy Fallon's Slow Jam The News Segment with Brian Williams. Priceless!

HAVE ANY INSPIRATION YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE FROM AROUND THE WEB?

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW 

STYLE TIP TUESDAY: SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE FOCUS ON OUTCOMES, NOT ACTIVITIES

If you're going to be the the most successful version of yourself in your life and your business, you have to shift your mindset and your attention to your dreams and your desires. It's the foundation of everything I do with my clients, and how I aim to approach everything in my own personal and professional life. 

What exactly are the outcomes successful people focus on?

1) The Overall Vision // how it looks, feels, tastes, and smells (yes even smells)

2) The Why // why your vision is important...what it will create in your own life, and in the life of the people you aim to serve

3) The Things That Matter Most // those things you are grateful for and those things you desire to be grateful for

What exactly are the activities that unsuccessful people focus on?

1) The Shoulds // everything you believe the world is telling you you SHOULD do (this list can be long and overbearing, and when it is, we mistakingly take action from this place)

2) The Actions Taken From A Competitive Mindset // and you know when you're in this mindset because you feel one or all of the following: tense, stressed, worried, fear, anxiety, anger, or sadness (and many many more emotions I didn't list here...if you don't feel joy and freedom, you are most likely in the competitive mindset)

Three ways you can move from unsuccessful activities to successful outcomes?

1) Stop What You're Doing (cuz I'm about to ruin the image and the style that you're used to...umm, oops, sorry for that little love styled 90's rap moment). Take a break, go for a walk, and spend the next hour in re-connecting with your vision. What does your dream look, feel, smell, and taste like. 

2) Ask Yourself Why. Why is this dream important to me? How will this impact my life, and the lives of those I serve or provide products for. If your answers doesn't match the actions you've been taking, then pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for taking the first step in getting back on track.

3) Start Counting Your Blessings. And not just the amazing things that you've already manifested into your life...don't forget to also be grateful for those things you know are destined and making their way into your life. 

HAVE ANY IDEAS YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ON HOW YOU'VE SHIFTED YOUR FOCUS BACK TO OUTCOMES? SHARE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW, OR VIA FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM USING HASHTAG #STYLETIPTUESDAY.

 

Want to create rapid success in your life and business?

Consider working with me through my LOVE STYLED EXPRESS program.

It's one day of accelerated and focused success coaching, either from the comfort of your own coach or the luxury of a 4/5 star hotel suite.

YOU CHOOSE.

Click here for all the details!

MAKE IT HAPPEN MONDAY: This Week's Love Styled Intention

December 1st...DECEMBER 1ST?! How did we already make it to the last month of the year?Time is flying fast, and before you know it, we'll be counting down to midnight and signing the haunting melody of Auld Lang Syne. Craziness!

As we prepare to enter the last moments of this incredible year, today I launch a new post series: Make It Happen Monday. Each week, I will set the stage with my intentions here on the blog (as I do every week on Monday in my journal). My goal for the remainder of the year (and for this blog from this point forward) is to be more transparent in my process...how I truly live A LOVE STYLED LIFE every single day. I hope to inspire each and everyone of you (both as women entrepreuners and as human beings dedicated to living a truly joyous, dream centered life) to do the same and to realize that it truly is possible.

My MIM Intentions for this week? SERENITY, SILLINESS, AND STRENGTH.

1. SERENITY: This week I focus on remaining calm, peaceful and untroubled. I am confident in everything I am doing, every dream I am dreaming, and every step I am taking, knowing that I am provided for and that I CAN be and do anything in my life.

2. SILLINESS: This week, I commit to doing something silly...every single day. I've already planned a few things for this week in advance, such as attending our local La Arcada Christmas walk on Wednesday, Santa Barbara's First Thursday Art Walk on (you guessed it) Thursday, and a trip home to see family this weekend and to celebrate my Dad's birthday. But I'm also leaving some fun and silliness up to the universe. A last minute hike with friends? A funny movie? An impromptu dance off in my living room to 90's Hip Hop? We shall see!

3. STRENGTH: I'm expecting big leaps this week. And I need all the strength of conviction I can get this week as I manifest some pretty amazing things. So...I'm borrowing the strength of this Elk, confident in myself enough to stand tall and look life dead in the eye, without having to make any noise to prove anything. Just silent confident and strength. Amen.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN! Tell me, in the comments below, three things you are intending in your life and your business this week. And share with me online via Instagram how you're making it happen, using the hashtag #MakeItHappenMonday. Looking forward to a great week, and hearing from you al! xo - Cynthia

If one of your intentions this week is to take action of receiving support to grow your business? Consider working with me!

FOR ALL THE DETAILS ON THIS GREAT OFFER , VISIT THE A LOVE STYLED LIFE HOMEPAGE!

New Perspectives: When The Questions Surface, Be Still And Let The Answers Come

As entrepreneurs, we're wired for action. We crave creating and doing and building, as if our entire life and business depend on our ability to do so. And to some degree, this is true. But what do you do when the questions surface? Or the direction of your business doesn't feel quite right? What do you do when you know you have more to offer (i.e. in your programs, products, offerings, etc...)? When you want to create new things that don't necessarily align with where you've set the direction of your business? What do you do when you feel paralyzed by all the creative possibilities running through your heart?

The only thing you can do and should do...

Be still.

I can tell you from first hand experience, it's the only thing you MUST DO. Answers and truth can ONLY find you in the stillness. And it's in the stillness that magic and miracles live, where the right ideas and the right people will find you, providing the beautiful solutions to the worries of your heart. This was my week. And this is how my answers came. I was still. And I listened. And now? I take action (more on the exciting and expansive changes coming to my work in the coming week). 

For creatives, getting still can be a challenge. So here are three quick tips for finding stillness in the business of your day to day life:

1. Disconnect! Put away the cell phone, and go for a walk without it. I know what a radical concept this is, but I promise that over time, you'll crave that time away from your clients and your apps. 

2. Free write! With paper. And a pencil (yes, a pencil...not a pen or a computer...a pencil). There's something simple and nostalgic about putting paper to pencil, and it ignites within you a time when things were likely quieter and simpler. Try it...first for 15 minutes. Don't stop, and don't judge what shows up. Just write, and see what happens.

3. Meditate! Yes I know...everyone says it, but honestly, it works. Close your eyes, sit still, and allow yourself to just be. Start with five minutes, and expand from there. Take one breath at a time, and just sit within your thoughts. Don't judge what comes up, but find peace in each and every moment of breath.

At the end of the day, everything starts in the stillness. Find the stillness within the noise, and the magic and miracles will find there way to you.

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Love Styled Travel: The Mountains Called And Magic Happened

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As many of you know, this past week I travelled to the magestic mountains of Colorado for a wedding of a dear friend who I haven't seen in over five years. And while the intention of the trip was to spend time celebrating with friends I love, I took the opportunity to take a vacation with myself and really reflect upon the deepest desires within my heart. So, for two days following the wedding...when my friends and all the guests had already left and gone home...I stayed in Estes Park and spent time writing, sleeping, touring, walking, and eating some of the most delectable food on the planet. It's important to note that by all accounts I SHOULD have left when everyone else left. I SHOULD have gone home a few days early to unpack, and unwind from a fun few days. But instead, after much debate with the fear and stress, I gave SHOULD the boot and stayed anyway.

The famous Stanley Hotel...the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining, and famed to be one of the most haunted hotels in America. 

The oldest candy store in town with the most adorable fall display (Unfortunately they were closed while exploring )

Every year, Estes Park celebrates Elk Fest during the mating season of these beautiful creatures. The image is a little blurry, because you can only get so close to a male Elk in heat.

And...as always happens when you make the decision to honor yourself and your desires, MAGIC HAPPENED! Silently yet boldly, the inspiration for a new program was born. And I have to say, nothing has ever lit me up so much as what this program will do to up-level and transform your lives. This week I'll be putting the finishing touches on the details and sharing with you all next week (I can't wait to share all the details!). But until then, I hope you will take the time this week to give whatever SHOULD or SHOULDS have been pestering around your world the last few days/weeks/months/years the BOOT. Because when you do...I promise, the MAGIC will happen and your whole life will change!

xo - Cynthia

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New Perspectives: Overcoming The Fear Preventing Our Success

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As I continued to send out my A Love Styled Life Survey this week, it hit me just how much we let fear take control of truly creating the life of our dreams. In almost every single response (and yes, I mean every single response), many of you said that the support you need most in finally creating transformational events for your coaching business was in conducting the process of marketing and selling. And I have to admit, I was a bit surprised by these answers. Why? Each and every response was from a powerful and successful premier coach, who had already leapt and built big and beautiful and successful businesses through very specific, and very targeted marketing and sales channels. And more than that, each and every one of them had built-in support teams (from small teams to large teams) that could easily succeed in the task of marketing and selling their events.

But what I heard beyond this, was something much much bigger:

FEAR

Fear in not being good enough, not being able to sell enough, no making enough money. Fear in putting all your blood, sweat and tears into creating this beautiful event only to find that no one wants to sign up. Fear of being vulnerable...of being face to face and heart to heart with this tribe of people you serve from behind a computer screen or a telephone. Fear of being judged, or disappointing these people that you so desire to serve.

The thing about fear is that it paralyzes us from allowing the magic of God and the Universe to flow through our lives and create miracles....from allowing dreams and desires to manifest...from allowing us to up-level our lives and our businesses. 

I can help you move through the fear!

This is my passion, and a big part of the work we'll do together in the Love Styled Vision Intensive.

Success is not only possible, it's a given. It's our right. We are worthy of it. We just have to make the leap to moving forward. All it takes is a shift in perspective from fear to love.

Let's start the shift...together!

xo - Cynthia

Ps: Ready to get started? Join me in Seattle in November, and enjoy a bit of #divineliving while busting through the fear and finding the clarity of your vision for your transformational event. Need more information? Click here and let's hop on a call and connect!  


New Perspective: The Answer Is In Our Anticipated Memory

As you know, this week my website (and my business) launched to the public. Having worked behind the scenes for so long, seeing my passion shared with you (those I seek to serve most) has truly been a dream come true. Thank you to each and everyone of you for your support and your feedback...it is appreciated more than you know!

With all that said, I have to admit, at the end of my first day I struggled...struggled with the big giant question of WHAT NEXT? Having spent so much of my time and focus on the project of creating a strategic plan for my business (and of course, the rollout of my new website), I felt a bit lost. I knew I needed to take action on the next big phase of my work, but finding an answer to what exactly?

I was drawing a complete blank.

And to be completely honest? It freaked me out. How could I really move forward with growing my business to the next phase, when I had no idea what NEXT really looked and felt like?

 So I did what I always do in times of great ambiguity: I surrendered the answer to God and The Universe, and released the worry to faith that my question would be answered. JUST BE COOL, I kept saying...the answer will come.

And just like clockwork, the very next day it did...from perhaps the MOST UNLIKELY PERSON EVER: My teenage niece. Specifically? The way my niece's generation perceives life through their everyday (and often obsessive) interaction with Instagram.

Yes, you read that right...

INSTAGRAM!

As you'll see in this short and amazing video below, my niece's generation approaches life through the anticipated memory of each and every moment. They not only experience life from the perspective of their future self...but they are also taking action from the memory they expect their future self to experience of each moment.

And while so much can be said about this, especially as it relates to the Law of Attraction and the process of manifesting your dreams, the biggest message this generation can teach us is this:

Our decisions, actions, thoughts, visualizations, strategies, etc...ALL OF THIS SHOULD BE GUIDED BY THE FUTURE SELF WE SEE OURSELVES BECOMING. 

After watching the video, for me in that moment I knew what I needed to do (and I started to take action based on the person and entrepreneur I saw myself being 1 year from that very moment). The irony of the message? It's the same process I take you through when working to create transformational events: starting from the transformed place you visualize your clients being at the end of the event and working backwards from there.

At the end of the day, the message was a simple yet important reminder that the answer to everything we truly need is already within us. So when the ambiguity and the fear start to bubble to the surface, all we have to do is ask for the answer and JUST BE COOL, knowing with unwavering faith that the answer is only moments away from bubbling to the surface. 

Tell me, what was your biggest take away from my niece, this video, and her generation? I'd love to hear from you, so leave a message in the comments below.

Wishing you #ALoveStyledLife week! xo - Cynthia

*image source // glitter guide tumblr