Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Author: Karen Putz

  • Ladies Night Inn, A Retreat for Your Soul

    Ladies Night Inn, A Retreat for Your Soul

    Imagine a weekend just for YOU

    Time to explore your hidden dreams

    Time to connect with kindred souls

    Time to allow your creative spirit emerge

    Time for some  carefree FUN, relaxation, and laughter

    It’s a sleepover–

    With a little pampering thrown in

    Ladies Night Inn!

    November 3 and 4, 2018

    Naperville/Lisle, Illinois

     

    All Roads Lead to YOU

    After this amazing weekend, you will leave feeling:

    Relaxed

    Refreshed

    Renewed

    Re-energized!

    And what’s more, you’ll leave with:

    New friends

    New connections

    New energy

    New perspectives

    And…a new creative spirit, ready to SOAR!

    Your Guides for the Weekend:

    The Retreat Queen

    Beth Galvik Majerszky

    Beth is a Master Retreat Coach. She has nurtured many souls through workshops and retreats.  She’s passionate about helping women take time for themselves, becoming fully expressed.

     

    The Passion Mentor

    Karen Putz

    Karen is a Certified Passion Test Facilitator with a background in counseling and the author of Unwrapping Your Passion. She is passionate about helping women create the lives they truly want at ANY age.

    Are you ready for a transformational weekend?

    For more information and to see what you’ll experience: Ladies Night Inn Retreat

     

    Space is limited as we want this to be a weekend of connecting!

    * Use coupon code Early Bird for $50 off! *

     

  • When You Hit The Rough Season in Life

    This winter was a tough one for me. I found myself dragging through the days. I didn’t want to get out of bed on some mornings. My energy was at a low point. My well-meaning, caring friends suggested a light box to get me through the gray days. No one said the dreaded word, “depression,” but it was pretty darn close. “Seasonal Affective Disorder”, they said.

    I stopped writing.

    There were several books in the works, but I couldn’t get myself “in a writing mood.” The muse left and didn’t want to return. I was perplexed, as we had moved to a new place and things had settled down into a comfortable pace, yet I found myself complaining left and right about little things.  I was turning into a grumpy woman and my husband was losing a bit of patience here and there.  I found myself grieving for the people I had lost in a short time–my mom, my nephew, my friends Patti and Peggy. Grief that had been stuffed down now poured forth freely. I was going to bed earlier and staying in bed longer. The pounds were packing on.

    Then the spring came.

    Like a blossom that unfolds overnight, I found myself with new energy and a new outlook. Can it really be that simple–that light and growth change everything?

    Indeed.

    To everything there is a season.

    For some of us, the season is counted in years. For others it is days or months. For each of us, it is a journey. It’s often when one season shifts to another that we find the shift of energy as well.

    I know I have much to be grateful for and when I drift from that state of gratitude, that’s when the darkness creeps in.

    A short time ago, I attended a Passion Summit. It was a breath of fresh air, the springtime boost that I desperately needed. A speaker, Hal Elrod, took the stage. Hal is the author of The Miracle Morning and he generously gave out a copy of his book to every participant. If you have not heard of Hal or read his book, I so recommend it. His podcasts have transcripts. His book is a life-changer. I started implementing his miracle morning steps shortly after the conference and it has made a huge difference. There are days when I don’t follow it and I give in to the sweet indulgence of staying in bed just a little longer–and I pay the price in a sluggish morning.

    During the summit, Hal shared his story–of dying in a car accident and being revived, of having his career come to a huge debt-ridden dip, and of being diagnosed with cancer literally overnight. The Miracle Morning process has changed the way he lives his life–putting many things in perspective and giving him extra hours in the day so that he can have even more meaningful time later.

    Sometimes it takes someone else’s story to “wake us up.” My sister in law was recently diagnosed with cancer. A friend’s daughter was diagnosed with a cancer entailing her spine. A barefoot water skier was recently killed in a boat race accident.

    Just like that, life can take a turn down a road we never expected. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, we can’t assume that it will be there day after day. We must cherish with gratitude each day that we do have.

     

    ****I recently had the opportunity to speak at the Ziglar Legacy Conference in Dallas. The story I shared was a reminder not only for the audience, but it was a reminder that I needed for myself. When adversity strikes or we are going through a rough season in life, we have control over three things: our response to our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions: When Adversity Strikes.

     

    Karen Putz is known as The Passion Mentor. She is the author of Unwrapping Your Passion, Creating the Life You Truly Want. 

     

     

  • A Passion for Alcohol Inks

    A Passion for Alcohol Inks

    I’ve fallen in love…with alcohol inks.

     

    A friend introduced me to Ranger Ink , a paint made up of colorful inks suspended in an alcohol solution. I’ve been playing around with this unusual medium and having quite a bit of fun with it. Painting with alcohol inks can be unpredictable, as the alcohol serves as a conduit as well as a drying agent. Amazon has been making regular deliveries of inks and Yupo paper to my house.

    Painting with alcohol inks has become my nightly meditation session. I have a studio set up in my basement with plastic covering my former dining room table. Night after night, different ideas come to me and they show up on paper almost as if my magic.

    This foray into the art world is new to me. I was inspired by a book written by my friend, Joanne Miller: Be Your Finest ART, Awaken Your Creative Self. Joanne tapped into her creative side in midlife–after her last child flew the nest. In her book, she encourages us to play–just as we did when we were a child. If it’s been a long time since you had some creative fun, seek out some classes and learn with an open mind. I took an art class with Joanne and learned to color and draw with pastels–something I would have never even thought to try.

    Last year, my daughter introduced me to painting with acrylics.  I enjoyed the process of slapping paint on canvas and seeing the blended results that appeared. I didn’t consider myself talented, because I couldn’t produce a reproduction of anything that resembled real life. But…if I called it abstract art, I could get away with it. Every now and then, I would share a painting on Facebook and someone would buy it.

    When I started playing with alcohol ink–that’s when passion came into play on a whole new level. Art on steroids, that’s how I describe it. I love how the inks flow, blend, play, and connect with one another. The unpredictability makes it beautiful. The vibrancy of the inks stand out on every piece.

    I started sharing my pictures on Facebook and little by little, they began to sell. At first, it was hard to part with some of the paintings because each one was a creation much like a little child of mine–how could I give that away? But with each one that I let go, I began to see the joy that appeared as each person received a painting. And I take great delight in heading downstairs each night to see what blossoms from the bottles of ink.

     

    Not all of the paintings turn out well. Some are hopeless beyond repair–muddied messes of ink that have pooled together. Art is like life–not everything is perfect nor should it be. Art is what YOU create–it is a manifestation of everything that is unique to you.

    All around me, I see people in midlife picking up new skills and trying new things. That’s exactly what keeps us young–the continual exploration of new experiences. And according to Art News, one actually becomes better in art with age!

     

     

    Karen Putz is known as The Passion Mentor. She is the author of Unwrapping Your Passion, Creating the Life You Truly Want.  Want some color on your walls? Visit Designs of Serenity.

  • Southwest Storytellers: Sharing Travel Stories and More

    Southwest Storytellers: Sharing Travel Stories and More

    I love to travel–and I especially love to travel on Southwest Airlines. And this year, I have the honor of being among a wonderful group of #SouthwestStorytellers. Throughout the year, a team of us will be sharing our travel stories and having some LUVing fun with Southwest Airlines.

    Early this year, I met up with the team for the first time at the Southwest headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Before arriving, I stopped in at the Ziglar headquarters to see Tom Ziglar and Howard Partridge. (You can find their stories in my book, Unwrapping Your Passion.) This was my first time at the office and Zig Ziglar’s spirit was everywhere. Zig has touched millions and millions of lives everywhere with his wisdom about sales, business, and life.

    Howard and Tom were in the middle of a Ziglar Business Boot camp. While Howard was talking, I spied a big bag of Southwest peanuts lying on a table. I had seen pictures of Howard with the Southwest peanuts and pretzels, but I wasn’t sure what the story was behind all those snacks.

    Turns out, the story can be found in Howard’s new book, The Power of Community.

    During one flight, Howard began to tease the flight attendant about the lack of peanuts on his tray when he awoke from a nap. Southwest Airlines attendants are often playful and fun, the company is known for excellent customer service. Howard ended up with more peanuts than he bargained for–on that flight and more. Howard began tossing the peanuts to clients at his business events and entwined business lessons from Southwest in his talks.

    “When you create a sense of community among your team members and you have a solid mission, it spills over to your customers, creating loyalty and therefore resulting in higher profits,” Howard writes in The Power of Community.

    Both Howard and Tom are on a mission to help people grow–both personally and professionally. Check out their upcoming workshops and conferences: Ziglar Events

    Now, on to Southwest…

    What an amazing company. I have been flying Southwest for a long time now and I choose them every chance I get.  As a deaf traveler, the company is very accessible–I can receive text alerts for gate changes and flight information. I can sit up front where I can lipread the attendants and they can get to me quickly if there are any changes in flight. Whenever I’m in a situation where I can’t use my videophone to call Southwest–they’ve been incredibly responsive through Twitter. And check out the Southwest Airlines intern who is deaf: Southwest Intern Defies the Odds and Soars.

    There are eleven of us who make up the team of #SouthwestStorytellers:

    Dani Austin

    Justin Forsett

    Lucas Hoge

    Joey Price

    Kody McCormick

    Kyler McCormick

    Leslie Harvey

    Rob Sesser

    Rocky Turner

    Sakura Considine

     

    We met for dinner the first evening and got to know one another. Kyler and Kody McCormick are also from Illinois–and we discovered we knew a fellow barefoot water skier as a mutual friend.  The next day we took a tour of Southwest headquarters–learning about operations, social media, and their specialized training. In one area of headquarters, the meeting rooms are named for the different languages that employees speak. Of course, I had to stop and take a picture of the American Sign Language meeting room!

    You can read more about each of the storytellers here: Meet the #SouthwestStorytellers

    I had such a blast getting to know the other storytellers and learning their stories. We all love to travel–follow the hashtag and watch for our adventures! I’m on a quest to barefoot water ski in all 50 states during my 50’s and I’ll be touching a few states this year.

    And I’m patiently waiting for the day that Southwest touches down in…

    Hawaii!!!!  I can’t wait to barefoot there!

     

     

  • Jackie Woodside: Raise Your Money Vibe

    Jackie Woodside: Raise Your Money Vibe

    I first crossed paths with Jackie Woodside when I discovered her book, Calming the Chaos, A Soulful Guide to Managing Your Energy Rather Than Your Time. 

    This was during a time when I was juggling kids, jobs, travel, and my dad battling cancer. I found calm through meditation, and by eliminating stuff off my daily plate. Yet, even today, the ever-overflowing plate is a sign that I need to pick up the book again.

    Instead, I’ve picked up Jackie’s brand new book, The Money Vibe.

    Her book has appeared in my life at just the right time! Joe and I sold our five-bedroom house and downsized to a townhouse near his work. Abundance is the theme this year–both with a content heart and a growing bank account–so The Money Vibe has showed up right on time.

    If you’ve struggled with money, this book is for you. If you want to attract a positive money vibe into your life no matter where you are on your journey, you’ll appreciate what Jackie shares in her book.

    I had the opportunity to sit down with Jackie and talk about her books and her life–it was a fun, casual, unscripted conversation!

    Enjoy:

    For more information about Jackie’s courses and coaching: Jackie Woodside

     

    Karen Putz is known as The Passion Mentor. She specializes in helping people unwrap their passion at any age. She’s the author of Unwrapping Your Passion, Creating the Life You Truly Want

     

    *Posts in this website contain affiliate links, which means I earn a few pennies if you purchase things from the links.

  • Are You Ready for a PASSIONATE Year?

    Are You Ready for a PASSIONATE Year?

    What does it mean to “have a passionate year?”

    It means a year of many moments filled with joy and bliss. Of doing what you love…and loving what you do.

    Even when things aren’t going well.

    A friend of mine recently posted that she couldn’t wait for 2017 to get out of her life and begin a whole new year anew.

    Yet, here’s the thing…

    At any given moment in your life, you can decide to live differently.

    You can change the thoughts that are floating around in your head. 

    You can change the way you see things. 

    You can change your perspective.

    You can choose your attitude. 

    You can create your actions.

    You can pivot in a new direction. 

    The end of one year is a wonderful opportunity to reflect back. What were your best moments? What accomplishments stand out? What was not so pleasant? What hurt?

    It’s all too easy to want to put the worse behind us and look forward to a better future ahead. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the many mentors I’ve had is this: if you keep repeating the same routines, you’ll end up with the same old life.

    Do you want this brand new year to be the same repeat of last year?

    Or even better?

    Knowing what you DON’T want can better point you in the direction of what you DO want.

    The first half of 2017 was the second half of my family’s downsizing journey. We moved from a five-bedroom house to a townhouse. On one hand, the convenience has been really nice–no more lawn work. We have a little plot of garden that we can grow tomatoes, herbs, and flowers and even that is mulched yearly by the service.

    On the other hand, it’s been quite the adjustment space-wise–my office is in my bedroom. The commute is short, but it sure is tough to write when the hubby is sleeping nearby.

    The move freed us up to travel more. We took an amazing cruise to several islands, including my favorite: Belize. My youngest son and I took a trip down to South Africa–another wonderful highlight of the year. I added Minnesota to my Barefooting 50 States for my 50’s quest.

    And the very best part of last year?

    The birth of Unwrapping Your Passion, Creating the Life You Truly Want.

    Not just because it was fun to see the book on the shelves at various Barnes & Noble bookstores and hitting the number five spot on Amazon, but because the information in the book is changing lives.

    Yes, people are actually doing the activities, creating new habits, and living with passion.

    Over the summer, I gave my friend Edie Iles a copy of the book. She was just a few chapters in when she reached out and told me that she remembered she had a passion for dancing. She had buried it for so long that she forgot about it. Right then and there, she signed up for dance lessons again.

    Here’s what she shared:

    They say timing is everything and this book sure came into my life at just the right time! I was recently divorced and was not feeling good about where I was in life. My good friend, Karen Putz gave me her book, Unwrapping Your Passion. 

    After reading the first few chapters, my passion for dancing was rediscovered. I had not been dancing in years. I was out of practice, had no dance partner and not sure where to begin. Unwrapping Your Passion inspired me to think about how I felt free and uninhibited and full of life while dancing. I got excited just thinking about those feelings.

    Then, out of nowhere, I received a message on LinkedIn requesting a connection from a former dance partner I had 15 years ago! It was as if the universe had read my mind and provided me with my desire! Bill and I reconnected and have been dancing every weekend since.

    I highly recommend reading this book and Unwrapping Your Passion!!

    ~Edie Iles

    So here we are, at the start of a brand new year. It’s the time of year when people start out with new energy, and new intentions. New thoughts, new attitudes, new habits, and new actions will result in a PASSIONATE year. One of the things I do is to look over my Life List. It is always so fun to see what has been experienced from the list and add more to the list.  A Life List is everything you want to be, do, and have in your lifetime. It’s a way of LIVING, of experiencing life in the way that only YOU can.

    If you’d like some help in planning a passionate life, I offer a 30-minute Passion session over the phone or via text chat–whichever you prefer. Simply email me at: karen at agelesspassions dot com and put “Passion Session” in the subject line. You’ll be on your way to making THIS year a passionate one!

     

    Karen Putz is known as The Passion Mentor. She helps people unwrap their passion at ANY age. She’s the author of Unwrapping Your Passion, Creating the Life You Truly Want. 

  • Life’s a Gift, Unwrap the Message

    Life’s a Gift, Unwrap the Message

    The email came out of the blue.

    “I wanted to let you know that we are using quotes and messages from your book in our Winter Play on December 21st to fit the theme ‘Life’s a gift, unwrap the message. I know you live out in Chicago, but wanted to share the invitation with you, just in case you were able to attend. If you can’t attend, maybe you could VP with us in the near future just so that the students can put a face to your amazing work. Lastly, we wanted to thank you for the courage it took for you to write this book (Unwrapping Your Passion) and for sharing it with us. We were inspired!”

    The email came from Heather Hapke, a transition teacher at the Rocky Mountain Deaf School. Heather came to a book signing for Unwrapping Your Passion at the Barnes & Noble in Golden, Colorado back in September.  She shared bits and pieces from the book with her students.

    December 21. It was so close to Christmas. It would be crazy to go…

    But…I’m a big believer in synchronicity. I believe things happen for a reason. It’s a lesson I learned from the many mentors I learned from when I wrote Unwrapping Your Passion.  Opportunities show up in our life and when they are meant to be, they fall into place.

    So I reached out to Southwest Airlines and explained the opportunity. Go, they said. We’ll make it happen for you. 

    It was a beautiful morning when we arrived at Midway to board our flight. My oldest son David was flying from Washington D.C. and meeting us out there. At the last minute, the hubby had to stay home–he was recovering from surgery and still not quite steady enough on his feet to attend.

    The Rocky Mountain Deaf School was the brainchild of Cliff Moers, the Director of the Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The school began in 1997 with just 11 students. The current school was built in 2014 and today, it is home to nearly 70 students, providing instruction in American Sign Language and English.

    Our first stop was in the high school to meet up with Heather and talk to the students about #Passion. The students eagerly gave us a tour of the building and it was easy to see that they took a lot of pride in their school. Every inch of the space was designed specifically for deaf students, by a deaf architect working with a design firm. For example, the floor in a social area is designed so that students can stomp their feet to get the attention of another student, even from a distance. The classrooms are arranged in a semi-circle so that students can communicate easily. The hallways are wide and open–so that signs can be seen from several areas.

    Rocky Mountain Deaf School is not a residential school–students are bused to and from home each day. All of the staff are fluent in American Sign Language and the majority of staff are deaf.

    The play featured students from preschool to fifth grade. My co-worker from Hands & Voices, Jeannene, introduced me to a young girl who played a Lion. As I watched the student on stage, she confidently advocated to have one of the lights moved as it was blinding her and her classmates during their performance. The ability to advocate for oneself is a coveted skill and this student owned it.

     

    Afterwards, I signed a few books and donated the rest to RMDS to use as a fundraiser. The next day, we took a tour of Flagstaff mountain before heading home to celebrate Christmas.

     

  • An Adoption Story: A Deaf Brother

    An Adoption Story: A Deaf Brother

    “I have something to tell you,” my sister said. “Aunt Gertie had a baby and placed him for adoption.”

    The news was quite a surprise, for I was in my early 20’s and had no idea that my aunt had a baby many years ago.

    “I want to find him,” I said.

    I didn’t have much information to turn to — I just knew that the baby was a boy and I knew the name of the hospital he was born at.

    Several years ago, a group of researchers from the National Institute of Health came to my house and took blood tests of my family members. All of us were born with normal hearing and several of us lost our hearing in various ways. The researchers uncovered a very rare mitochondrial mutation — we were the third family in the world identified with this hereditary condition.

    “The gene passes from females to all children,” the researchers told us.

    As I pondered the gene’s path through our family tree, I realized that Aunt Gertie’s son had the gene. I started asking deaf and hard of hearing friends in the St. Louis area if they were adopted.

    One evening, one of my sisters was talking to a cousin and the cousin casually mentioned that Aunt Gertie’s son had called another cousin. He was looking for his birth mother.

    “What’s his name?” I asked.

    Luckily, my cousin had written his name down and kept it in a drawer.

    “Brian Crites.”

    I quickly Googled his name and on impulse, I added “deaf.”

    Bingo.

    As I stared at his picture, I realized the reason my cousin kept the information a secret from us.

    Brian looked exactly like my dad.

    Which would make him…my half brother.

    I quickly looked up his phone number and debated whether or not to call him. It was 9 p.m. on a Sunday night. I just knew I couldn’t wait another day. I dialed his number.

    Brian and I spent about 30 minutes talking on the phone, both in shock and awe. He had spent years wondering about his birth family and now he was able to get the answers he was seeking.

    Brian and I texted back and forth every day. We discovered we had so much in common — water skiing (he even tried to barefoot as a teen), triathlons (I had just signed up for my first one), a love for the outdoors, photography, leadership, and…food. To top it off, he graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology, the same college that my three kids attended.

    And…Brian is deaf. Like me, he began losing his hearing in elementary school. He learned sign language at RIT. He obtained bilateral cochlear implants several years ago.

    Even though Brian looked just like my father and my brothers, we wondered how we could determine the genetic connection without any doubt. My father had passed away, there was no way to confirm paternity.

    We got lucky. A very kind counselor at the adoption agency went through the records and pulled out Brian’s file. He read through the file word for word. There, in the files, my aunt confirmed my father as Brian’s father.

    This story has an incredible, happy ending. My mother embraced Brian as both her nephew and my father’s son. Just days before we told her the news of finding Brian, she had been thinking about her sister’s son. (We never, however, told her of our conversations with the adoption agency and the news we had confirmed.) I believe the timing was so very right — my mom was in a place where she could love him with all of her heart.

    Brian and my mom share a laugh

    We love Brian as if he had always been with us. We’ve gotten to know his wife, daughter, and his mother. We’ve shared vacations, weekends together, and funerals. Growing up, we were a family of five siblings — and now we are six.

     

    Karen Putz is known as The Passion Mentor. For a daily dose of passion, follow her on Instagram at The Passion Academy. For even more passion, hop over to her site: Ageless Passions. To unwrap your own passion, grab the book, Unwrapping Your Passion.

  • Choosing Passion Over Fear

    Choosing Passion Over Fear

    “Are there any alligators in this lake?”

    I was down in Florida, about to take a barefoot water ski lesson from a two-time World Barefoot Champion. The thought of alligators didn’t cross my mind until that moment. I was about to get into a lake that averaged 600 alligators per square mile…

    And I was scared.

    “Alligators don’t come near the boat because the engine scares them away,” my instructor reassured me.

    My passion for the sport of barefoot water skiing was about to outweigh fear. I put my feet on the water, stood up, and felt a joy that had been buried for too many years.

    When you do something you’re passionate about, you are willing to challenge yourself to do more than you ever thought you could do — you step way, way, way out of your comfort zone when you live on the edge.

    I was hooked, but there was just one problem — the more lessons I took, the more the fear escalated. When I floated in the water while waiting for the boat to pick me up, I imagined hungry 13-foot alligators slithering underneath.

    Then the nightmares began.

    At three in the morning, I was jolted awake by the image of an alligator with a wide-open mouth about to snap down on me.

    I contemplated giving up the lessons and skiing in lakes that were alligator free — but that would mean giving up passion over fear.

    “You need to face your fears,” the World Barefoot Champion told me. “You need to see them for the magnificent creatures they are.”

    “Are you crazy! I can’t do that!”

    I shuddered at the very thought.

    All fear stems from the imagined and the unknown. The human mind is very powerful in dreaming up scenarios that feed on fear. Yet, the only way around fear is smack dab through it.

    And here’s the thing: You attract what you fear. How do I know this? Because alligators started showing up in my life left and right.

    A few years later, I started barefooting with Ken Cowles — who is known as The Gator Guy. He’s a state licensed alligator trapping agent. He’s the guy you call when a wayward gator gets stuck in your pool.

    “We need to conquer that fear you harbor,” he told me one day. Then he hauled out a ten-foot gator and made me sit on it.

    I was shaking for a long, long time afterwards.

    The act of getting upfront close to the very thing that I feared most was cathartic. I discovered I had the courage to do the very thing I was extremely frightened of.

    There’s a part of you that comes alive when you do something that you think you cannot do and you get to the other side of it.

    If you’re holding back in life because of fears that you harbor within you, it’s time to get clear on what you WANT in your life, not what you fear.

    Choose passion over fear.

     

    Karen Putz is known as The Passion Mentor. For a daily dose of passion, follow her on Instagram at The Passion Academy.  To unwrap your own passion, grab the book, Unwrapping Your Passion.

  • Reflections of Gratitude

    Reflections of Gratitude

    We just came back from a funeral. An extended family member passed away from a sudden heart attack. He had a beautiful memorial to celebrate his life–the church was full.

    Death has a way of nudging us to do life differently–to reach out more, to hug harder, to love deeper.

    I had been stagnant for a while. A new job came with a learning curve and time devoted to writing technical stuff. I had added so much to my plate that things were falling off and crashing to the ground. I launched a book and wrote another book in the same time period. Coupled with travel, speaking, and coaching, the plate had been bending and I was trying to keep everything on the plate. In fact, one of the topics I covered with my plate-juggling friend, Tina Childress, was: “How to Spin 27 Plates and Keep Them From Crashing. (Usually.)”

    Jackie Woodside, author of Calming the Chaos and an upcoming book, The Money Vibe, told me, “Take something off your plate.”

    Less is more. I know this lesson. I’ve been trying to assimilate it into my life for the last year and half, with results that are a “half and half” success rate. The hubby and I downsized our house, trading it for a townhouse just minutes from his work. We rode our bikes downtown and split meals at our favorite restaurant on Saturday afternoons. We donated or sold a lot of our stuff, yet a lot of stuff remains–some which still tugs at our hearts (precious pictures!) and some which simply needs to be organized or gone.

    In the last few years, several mentors have taught me the practice of gratitude.

    When you wake up in the morning, what are you grateful for? 

    When you lie your head on the pillow at night, what are you grateful for? 

    This simple practice of reflecting gratitude has shifted my view of bliss. Bliss happens when we are grateful for what we have–for what is good in our life at the given moment. When I forget to practice it, that’s when life dumps road blocks and bumps in my way. It’s so easy to lose the focus on what’s good when you’re deep in the bad.

    The one thing I know for sure is this: when we forget the gift of gratitude, life can take away our precious gifts.

    And to you, dear reader, I’m grateful for you.

     

    Check out Karen’s latest book, Unwrapping Your Passion, Creating the Life You Truly Want