#igniteyourlife

Nov 19, 2017
3 min

Gratitude Brings Happiness

Point to Ponder: Do you pursue happiness through gratitude? Happiness--the slippery fleeting emotion that people are constantly in pursuit of finding and holding onto. On July 4, 1776, the pursuit of happiness, along with life and liberty, is among what our founding fathers identified in the Declaration of Independence as our unalienable right that has been given to all human beings by their Creator. Happiness is indeed pursued in a myriad of ways and changes throughout our

Nov 12, 2017
3 min

Gratitude in Motion

Point to Ponder: Who and what are you grateful for? Over the past few weeks the sun sets in San Diego have been spectacular--like a paint explosion in the sky. They have been so incredibly stunning that around 4:45 p.m., when the sun begins to set, the kids and I dash outside and run down the street for a perfect view of surprise in the sky. On occasion, a hot air balloon or two will float amongst the setting sun and holy cow....that's double the magic! For sure this special

Nov 5, 2017
3 min

Pause & Restoration

Point to Ponder: Do you pause and allow time for restoration? In addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas and July 4th, my favorite day of the year was last night: daylight savings. I treasure a good sleep and I love going to bed knowing I have an extra hour. There’s also something grounding about an earlier sunset, the seasonal chill in the air, warm crock pot meals and Mother Nature providing shorter days to encourage a slower pace of life. For me, this leads to less distraction

Oct 29, 2017
4 min

Refuse to Miss Your Life

Point to Ponder: What can you reduce or shift that will allow you to be more present for your family, your well-being and the life you desire to live? Lately, I feel like all I ever say is “no”, at least to my family. I’ve heard myself say “no” to Durant’s continual request to go fishing, as well as “no” to Malaine’s ongoing ask to ride her bike around the block. I’ve said “no” to taking a much-needed yoga class and “no” to something as simple as just spending time together a

Oct 22, 2017
2 min

How An Enthusiastic "Yes!" Leads to More Fun for Everyone

Point to Ponder: Which do you say more often: "yes" or "no" ? Have you ever thought about the power of the words “yes” and “no” and how they affect your ability to have fun, be fulfilled and enjoy life more? I never had until my mid-twenties, when I co-owned a non-competitive gymnastics business. Our gymnasts ranged from toddlers to preteens, and our goal was for each child to leave feeling enthusiastic about gymnastics and their experience, regardless of what they accomplish

Oct 15, 2017
3 min

Are You Taking Yourself Too Seriously?

Point to Ponder: Do you take yourself too seriously? Have you ever felt like you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? A time when you felt as though everyone was counting on you and while you were doing everything humanly possible, you just couldn’t get it all done. The result was feeling you had disappointed yourself, inconvenienced others or revealed that you were actually human and couldn’t pull rabbits out of a hat. A few weeks ago I found myself exper

Oct 8, 2017
4 min

Get Your Giggle On

Point to Ponder: Are you laughing enough? With "Keeping Things Fun" being last week's journal topic and our spirit-filled focus throughout October, during class we talked a lot about having fun, what it looks like for each of us and whether or not our fun buckets are being filled in each are of our life: marriage, mom, friendships/relationships, career, volunteer, etc. The outcome is that fun comes in a range of ways and can vary with each life season. For some, fun is cooki

Oct 1, 2017
4 min

Keep Things Fun

Point to Ponder: Where in your life are you having fun and where in you life do you need to have more fun? During July, while leading two back-to-back iGnite Escapes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and having the time of my life, I had an epiphany: throughout the past several months my 'fun' core value was violated. This probably sounds whacky, so let me explain. Several years ago through the professional coaching of iGnite member Martha Lynn Mangum, I learned my core values. They a

Sep 18, 2017
3 min

Is Your Attitude Worth Catching?

Point to Ponder: Is your attitude worth catching? I often times think about the song I learned as a child in Sunday School, “O Be Careful, Little Eyes”, with hand gestures to complement each verse. This song encourages us to guard our eyes and ears and control our mouths, hands, and feet. As a child, I didn’t understand the depth of the song, but as an adult, I get it. What we say, what we look at and listen to, along with the places we choose to go, all have consequences and

Sep 18, 2017
4 min

A Formula For Ongoing Optimism

Point to Ponder: When faced with adversity of challenge, how can you change your perspective in how you respond? Last week I was in conversation with two different friends and talking about two separate topics and their comments were ironically similar. Though not verbatim, they said something like: “I wonder what the spiritual lesson is in this?", or in other words, I wonder what God, the universe, a higher power, life is trying to teach us. I love it when introspective thou

Sep 10, 2017
4 min

A Do You Assume Success?

Point to Ponder: How would someone describe your attitude? Positive or negative/optimistic or pessimistic? While the benefits of optimism and positive thinking are no longer cutting edge news, new research is proving that the effects of positive thinking and optimism can be the difference between a flourishing, healthy and long life, or not. Having recently gotten a hold of some powerful facts about optimism, positivity and resiliency from the Positive Psychology Center at t

Sep 3, 2017
2 min

A New Look at Different

Point to Ponder: How are you dealing with the differences that change has brought you? A dear friend recently moved from San Diego back to the neighborhood she grew up in. While her entire family lives in the community, the change is still proving to be a difficult one. Despite her familiarity and even comfort in the area, it doesn't look and feel like the life and friendships she worked hard to build in San Diego. The faces, routines, schools for her children...it's all ne

Aug 28, 2017
5 min

15 Habits for Feeling and Being Your Best

Point to Ponder: What habits do you need to adopt, replace or eliminate? Even before having children I loved the start of school. I find the rhythm and routine to be rejuvenating and inspiring, much like the actual New Year. With that, I'm always looking to drop some habits that I picked up throughout the summer that no longer serve me, and replace them with new habits that will allow me to feel and be my best in this new season. One habit I'm adopting is a monthly marriage

Aug 13, 2017
4 min

15 Best Pieces of Life Advice

Point to Ponder: What's the best piece of advice you have ever received? I'm a total sucker for good advice and wisdom, and over the past few years several of our iGnite members shared the best advice they ever received. And so, without further adieu I hope their best advice inspires you as much it did them and me! 1). Sam McClure- My family has a motto: “If you never go, you never know.” I’m not sure who started it, but we pretty much live by it. 2). Lisa Wade- The best ad

Aug 6, 2017
2 min

How to Solve Problems Before They Happen

Point to Ponder: What future need can you address now? I just returned from an epic iGnite Escape in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Fundamental #23 for my consulting business, Momentum Consulting, ended up being the guiding light of our trip. The fundamental is: LOOK AHEAD AND ANTICIPATE. Solve problems before they happen by anticipating future needs and addressing them in advance. Preventing issues is always more effective than fixing them. From the time we started packing (usi

Jul 30, 2017
2 min

Lessons from the Rock

Point to Ponder: What “thing” in your life have you pretended to or attempted to be committed to? While on the Smoky Mountain iGnite Escape in North Carolina, I rock climbed for the very first time. I anticipated the experience would be challenging, scary and exhilarating (which it was, plus much more!), however I didn’t expect that I would walk away with life wisdom. While rock climbing, a special bond is formed between the climber and belayer. The belayer is the climber’s a

Jul 23, 2017
3 min

Sweat Today, Smile Tomorrow

Point to Ponder: Do you sweat at least once per day? Whether iGniting in Austin or San Diego, sweating is definitely something I am experiencing in mass quantities. After every class (with the exception of swimming), I am hot and glowing from all of that good sweat. If you recently peaked at the extended forecast, the whole country is experiencing higher than normal temps, which means you’ll likely shine bright wherever you go. If you don’t have water to submerge yourself

Jul 17, 2017
4 min

Dealing With Unmet Expectations

Point to ponder: Do you need to change your approach to a challenging situation? If you are into reading or looking for a great summer read, I highly recommend Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg. If you watch the morning news, talk shows or read the paper, I am certain that you’ve heard about her and her brilliant book. In fact, she is one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Texas Conference for Women. I’m also certain that i

Jul 9, 2017
1 min

Born to Start Again

Today, iGnite Leader Jill Watts, shared a music video by the rapper Macklemore. The name of the song is "Glorious" and it's fun, sweet, catchy, emotional, upbeat, and above all else, inspiring. It's the perfect reminder that each day offers the opportunity to start again, love others and live gloriously! (To view the video and get hooked as I have, just click on the picture.) Action Item: Find an area in your life where you need start again? #igniteyourlife #ignite #Neissa

Jul 2, 2017
2 min

Freedom- Our Greatest Asset

Parades, watermelon, get-together's, flags, potato salad, fireworks, hotdogs, sparklers, cherry pie, celebrating our great country's birthday and our freedom--- these are all traditions that make July 4th one of my favorite holidays. Everyone is in chill-mode, neighborhoods gather and red, white and blue is worn with great pride. It's the best! This year, America turns 242 and when she first declared her independence there were only 2.5 million residents living in the U.S.