To choose to be living in this space of what I want creates freedom.
To choose not to be creates resistance.

To be or not to be all of me,
Had become my question.

Do I conform to rules and chain myself to the “normal” way to make money, design my career, lose weight, or live life?

Or do I listen to my soul which guides me to create work out of play, revel in the awe and love of my family and friends, ditch structures that no longer serve, and be kind to my brilliant body that adjusts intuitively to support all of this activity?

You know the answer.
And so do I.

I choose plan "Be."

More and more often these days,
I find myself creating a magical life,
Thriving outside with nature, with friends
Where I feel fully alive.

What if we all create a career around serving the choice to be rather than conforming?
What if we choose dreams, healing, and love always over scarcity and fear?
What if we give ourselves what we long to receive?
What if we stand in our truth and never settle or adapt to something that doesn't allow us to grow?

Perhaps it truly is as simple as "To be or not to be."
And if that's how simple it is:

Why not stand in Truth?
Why not create magic for yourself and others?

Why not dare to believe that God is with you?
Right there. He's got your back.

Down this path, vulnerability never wins.  Fear doesn't stand a chance.

What if we choose to be love?
What if we always choose in the moment,
The option that feels the most like love for ourselves,
That becomes the reflection of love for others.
Choosing love is selfless.

Choosing to live life as love out loud is Divine.

To be or not to be all of me,
Had become my question,
Until, it led me to my answer.

Just be.

In Truth & With Love,

In class, we were prompted to explain why we write. 

Very timely since I have been taking an unplanned sabbatical from this blog.  It was much easier to explain why I wasn’t writing than why I was.  But I closed my eyes, took a breath, and let my hand write.

"Write" is the word I've heard for years.  In the shower.  On a walk.  When asking, "what the hell am I supposed to do next?"

That small, still, unwavering, patient response:  "Write."

I write to bring my knowing into words.  I write to pull out of my soul what I know to be Truth, but have never given myself the permission to listen to and really believe in.

I write to break through what I was taught to be truth to discover what is real for me.  Writing is an outlet to ditch the rules that no longer serve.

Writing is where play, love and Truth coincide for me when I don't judge what it is that I really want to say.

It is a form of play with a creative purpose.   Watching how I write is like learning from the horses.  Any type of play that is inter-laced with self-judgment is not really play.  Writing, though, from a place of curiosity and love… now that’s life changing.   I hear my own words and can be totally blown away!   Connecting with that feeling is why I write.

What is written is sometimes just between God and me.
More often than not, though, it feels like it was meant to be passed through me from God to you.  

One of my very favorite quotes feels spot on (not that I claim to be so saintly):

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." ~ Mother Teresa

That is why I write.

In Truth & With Love,

Have you ever been stumped?

One of my jobs as a coach is to help clients get unstuck.  In short, being a coach is like being a personal trainer for your mind and soul.  I am trained to help with the “heavy lifting” when a client’s brain is engaged in some serious mental shifting.  This includes creating new and better feeling thoughts to replace limiting beliefs that are holding them back.  We call these Turnarounds.

But what happens when the coach gets stumped?

One day, I had a client ask me this over e-mail:

“Where does Christ fit in this work?” and  “Do you fit Christ into your coaching practice?”

I was, honestly, at a loss.

I know how God fits.  I’m a coach due to what I sense He is calling me to be.  I’m working with clients who want to gain peace and lose weight because that’s been my struggle and I sense He knows that teaching others is part of the path to wellness.  It also brings me great joy, which is a total clue that He and I are on the same page.

On the flip side, I consider myself more spiritual than religious.  I have participated in a handful of Bible studies, but do not quote scripture and will never claim to be a Biblical scholar.  I talk with clients from my heart and not a book.  Suddenly, I did not feel equipped to answer how the printed words of Christ came to play in my practice.

I looked at my Bible and admitted to needing some "heavy lifting" help at the moment and went for a walk to chat with God about it.

I often walk out the door with a question and return with a multiple choice list of answers.  Not this time.  God did not speak from the treetops.  So I went back inside and surrendered to doing the best I could without pretending to be something that I wasn’t.

This e-mail was waiting at the top of my inbox.

____________________________________________________________

Subject:  CHAT WITH GOD
To:  Jennifer Voss

I thank you for being you!

HANDY LITTLE CHART - GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:
YOU SAY  vs. GOD SAYS BIBLE VERSES

You say:  'It's impossible'
God says:   All things are possible.  (Luke 18:27)

You say:  'I'm too tired'
God says:  I will give you rest.  (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say:  'Nobody really loves me'
God says:  I love you.  (John 3:16 & John 3:34 )

You say:  'I can't go on'
God says:  My grace is sufficient.  (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say:  'I can't figure things out'
God says:  I will direct your steps.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say:  'I can't do it'
God says:  You can do all things.  (Philippians 4:13)

You say:  'I'm not able'
God says:  I am able.  (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says:  It will be worth it.  (Romans 8:28)

You say:  'I can't forgive myself'
God says:  I Forgive you.  (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say:  'I can't manage'
God says:  I will supply all your needs.  (Philippians 4:19)

You say:  'I'm afraid'
God says:  I have not given you a spirit of fear.  (II Timothy 1:7)

You say:  'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says:  Cast all your cares on ME .  (I Peter 5:7)

You say:  'I'm not smart enough'
God says:  I give you wisdom.  (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say:  'I feel all alone'
God says:  I will never leave you or forsake you.  (Hebrews 13:5)

PASS THIS ON.   YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MAY BE IN NEED.

____________________________________________________________

Freaky, huh?

Okay.  Yes.  It’s one of those chain-mail-pass-this-on-to-your-entire-inbox things.  But I was struck dumbfounded by the synchronicity of it.  I picture Him smiling down saying “How’s that for some heavy lifting?”

So… to answer my client's questions:

“Where does Christ fit in this work?”
He’s the Grand Master Turnaround Artist for those who look to Him to find peace and freedom from their limiting beliefs.

“Do you fit Christ into your coaching practice?”
Yep.  I don’t quote scripture, but I do lean on Him for some heavy lifting.  He occasionally steps in to help formulate e-mail responses to this line of questioning.

It also sums up very nicely the heart of getting to the place of “un-stumped.”

• Move away from the stuck place so you can see the big picture.
• Surrender to doing your personal best and knowing that it’s enough.
• Never try and be something that you’re not.
• Most of your roadblocks are due to your thinking.  Thoughts can be changed.
• Ask for assistance with the heavy lifting.
• Sometimes a higher power will step in to help you.

I will not ask that you forward this to your closest friends and relatives in order to receive abundant wealth in 24 hours.  If you feel inclined to pass it along, though, please feel free to do so.  I would be honored and I’m sure He would be too.