Author: Elisa Balabram (Page 14 of 21)

Get over it already! Or maybe not.

Scotland Have you ever heard someone tell you: Get over it already!? Have you ever told yourself that?

In this article, I’m going to share what happened to me last year, and give you some steps to take to “get over” a trauma, or better yet, to move through it.

A year ago today, a relationship I was involved in ended abruptly. There was no real communication, no explanation provided, only it’s over, goodbye. No calls or emails afterwards. My heart was hardened – that night I couldn’t sleep, eat, probably not even feel, as I was so numb and in shock. I remember what was said, or not said, I remember exactly whom I called afterwards, and why. I remember calling Expedia and trying to cancel the ticket I had purchased to travel with him. I remember crying on the phone with customer service, begging to cancel the ticket, only to learn it was non-refundable and non-transferable.

I also remember going on that trip alone; I had after all purchased a very expensive ticket. I remember having the support from a friend who answered the text I sent him from the airport, and he sent me loving messages in return as I cried waiting to board the plane. On the plane, I made the decision to enjoy that trip, and so I did. I was, after all, in Scotland! for the first time ever. (This photo was taking in Edinburgh - I thought the article could use a little lightness from Yoda.)

Read More

Transforming Mishaps into Opportunities

ShelfOne of my best friends gave me a bookshelf and helped me set it up. When I put it up, I realized that we had made a mistake with the back of it. The wrong side was facing us. Instead of being disappointed, upset, or even angry with myself for not realizing this minor mishap sooner, I saw it as an opportunity. I saw that silver panel as a blank canvas. I realized I could have the opportunity to create a huge painting.

So, I laid it back on the floor and I painted, and painted, and painted. You can see how it looks like in the picture within this post. I didn’t have much of a plan for it. I only knew that the sky was going to be blue. I started there. Then, I decided to paint mountains, in honor of my hometown as well as my trip to Peru. Then I painted the sun and some flowers, trees, and other details. A few days later I painted the bottom part, the attempt was to paint the beach and ocean, and probably only I or someone with a very creative mind can recognize it, and that's OK… ; )

It was a really fun project, because I was not concerned about the outcome. It is going to be behind books after all. But I will know that behind the books, there is a hidden treasure, a heaven, a peaceful place I painted. And I can assure you that no one else has or will ever have a bookshelf like this one, unless when I’m ready to give it away.

Here are some questions for you to consider as you uncover ways to transform your own mishaps into opportunities:

  • What can you make it into an opportunity in your life right now?
  • How can you look at a mishap or a problem upside down or backwards to help you shift your energy and find a creative solution?
  • How can you allow yourself to be fully creative, letting go of perfectionism, or the perfect outcome, or even a certain outcome, period?

I recommend that you come up with something fun to do: paint, dance, laugh, sing, write, hang out with friends, listen to your favorite songs, as you put your mishap on hold, and allow inspiration to flow through you. Then, trust yourself and when you least expect it, you will smile and you will know what to do. I can tell you that painting the bookshelf was very healing, which is a bonus. 😉

Feel free to share the opportunities you come up with here.

 

Getting Up and Continuing the Journey after Falling

Getting up after falling

A few days ago I went to a family lunch and shared that I was looking into buying a bike. They mentioned that they had a bike they hadn’t used in years and they showed it to me. It’s a beautiful vintage bike as you can see from the above photo, and I’m so grateful they offered it to me. It’s a man’s bike and it’s kind of too tall for me, though. They suggested I gave it a try, since no one was using it. After work yesterday I stopped by to pick it up and to ride it back home. I checked my friend’s site www.ridethecity.com, to get the safest route in Brooklyn, and I followed it.

Before I tell you how the journey went, let me share my own journey with riding bicycles. I did ride as a child and a little bit as a teenager, but maybe over twenty years had passed until I tried again. I was at a friend’s beach house in Rhode Island a few years ago, and her granddaughter wanted to ride her bike and she invited me to go with her. When I got on the bike, fear took over, and I told her I couldn’t do it. She said, “tell yourself: Yes, I can, Yes, I can, Yes, I can.” She was seven years old at the time. She also gave me some great tips, I honestly didn’t remember how to get started and I’m still using her tips to this day. I loved it! So, every year since, I have made a point to rent a bike with a friend, at least once, and ride it either at Central Park or by the Riverside Park. Every time, I walked the bike through traffic and then rode it where I felt it was safe.

Read More

How To Handle Change in Life and/or Business

magnets

Last month I moved to a new place. Here is my journey and the steps I took and recommend you take when handling life changing experiences of any kind.

First, there was the certainty that it was time to move from where I had lived for the past eight years. The move was actually about two years or so passed due. But I procrastinated. I made excuses. I stayed. To be honest, I don’t care for moving.

Second, it was hard to find the new place. I wrote a list of requirements I really wanted or would like to have. I wrote a vision of my life at this new place. It was overwhelming when one of the first places I saw had nothing at all to do with my list; it was pretty much the opposite of what I wanted. I realized now that it was a set up, so that I would keep looking and know for sure when I found the one. I share this, so that if it happens to you, and you are tested by attracting the opposite of what you imagined, simply say no, walk away, and go back to the drawing board.

Read More

Brazilian Valentine’s Day: An Opportunity to Practice Self-love

Fany BombonsToday is Valentine’s Day in Brazil. It is quite a different day than February 14th in the United States. It’s mainly a day for couples to celebrate their relationship, to have a romantic dinner, exchange gifts, etc. There is no greeting card exchange with friends or loved ones who are not involved romantically.

As a single person, you tend not to care so much for this day, or you dread the day, or you don’t even think about it. The main issue is when you go out and you see all the restaurants with candle light dinners, and all the happy couples around. Here are a few good self-love attitudes to consider and practice love for self with or without a romantic relationship:

Read More

What to Do When You are Going on a Downward Spiral

TulipsDo you ever find yourself going on a loop of negative thoughts leading to more negativity and tears? Do you feel like crawling under the bed and just crying at times?

I was feeling this way the other day. It felt like it was all doom and gloom and that there was no way out. It is normal to feel this way when we are going through any kind of transition and when we have more questions than answers.

It was interesting that soon after I started feeling this way, a friend called me out of the blue to touch base, and she even said it herself, I thought of emailing but decided to call, and she was glad she did. I was too, just sharing my feelings with her helped. Then, when I started getting myself back together, I got an email from another friend inviting me to go to Central Park in the evening to enjoy the tulips. The photo of this post is from that evening.

I didn’t want to show up all messed up and in my own drama, so I stopped what I was doing, and meditated. I asked for guidance and received so much more. My energy had shifted, my awareness of what’s possible had grown and I was feeling myself again.

What can you do when you feel you are going on a downward spiral?

Read More

I’m stuck, now what?

4 Stages of Feeling Stuck and What You Can Do About it

How often do you feel stuck in your life? How about in your business? How often do you feel stuck when writing, painting, creating, growing?

I consider that we all go through different stages of “stuckness” depending on how we are responding to it, and what’s happening in each moment.

Read More

Taking Inventory of Your Career Changes by Elisa Balabram

Scotland1

I’ve changed careers many times and it is possible that I’m not done. I invite you to take an inventory of your career transitions, from childhood dreams to adolescence creative ideas to today. Here is a brief sample of my journey; it was fun to write about it. It turns out that each transformation could build from the previous career:

Read More

Trust Yourself and Transform your Life & Business Webinar by Elisa Balabram

TransformationLearn Five Steps to Transforming Your Life and Business

  • Are you ready to make significant changes to your career and life?
  • Have you been dreaming about a future in which you are your own boss?
  • Do you wish you were making money from sources other than a full time job that drains you?
  • Do you have a creative hobby that you would love to create a business from?

    Read More

How do you feel when others in your field succeed? If you feel stuck, ask yourself “What makes me unique?”

When I was writing Ask Others, Trust Yourself, my inner critic had a lot to say about my abilities to write in English, my abilities to write period, and what could possibly set me apart from all the other great books that were out there. Ultimately, my passion for writing and my passion for sharing my own message and my deep desire to shake people up and show them there was a way, won.

As I build my coaching business, I sometimes have the same tendency, and I’m constantly asking myself what’s unique about me now? I’m on the email list of high profile coaches who have created huge empires, such as Marie Forleo with her B-school and inspiring online TV show, Fabienne Fredrickson with her highly effective Client Attraction program, and Ali Brown the e-zine Queen and entrepreneur mentor, just to name a few, so I do need to keep asking myself what’s unique about me?

Read More

Page 14 of 21

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén