personal development Tag

Lifestyle manifestation mental health personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

By Theresa Birmingham Fearless friendships enrich everyday life and encourage us to embrace ourselves fully. In the very modified words of Jane Austen, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an individual in search of a tribe is inevitably seeking long-lasting relationships that enrich, excite, temper, and lift them up.” Fearless friendships are those we’ve cultivated from being ourselves, and not having to fear the judgments of others. Overcoming relationship fears Where does our fear of relationships come from? Here are some common fears when it comes to relationships and furthering our tribe connections. The unknown Sometimes, our fear is the result of newness. We don’t know where we stand with these new friendships we’re building. Instead, we tend to better understand who we are alone—our Netflix-loving, silent-hiking, solo-traveling,...

Living fearlessly successfully requires self-knowledge

Living Fearlessly: finding freedom from within

June 7, 2018

Career, Health, Lifestyle, Relationship

Contributing authors: Kimberly Marsh, Jonathan Dury, Danielle Rose, and Theresa Birmingham Living fearlessly successfully requires finding freedom from within and understanding your strengths and weakness as well as your passions. Outside your comfort zone Are you merely existing, going through your daily motions with apprehension and timidly? Or are you living boldly, abolishing fear and conquering life with an unquenchable thirst? To live fearlessly is to make commitments outside of your comfort zone, to seek out experiences that may scare you—and may also change you. How can you get to a place where you look fear in the face and boldly move forward? How can you work toward living life fearlessly and accomplishing things that help you grow? For the month of June, we’ll explore ways to do...

do what you love Lifestyle Love and sex mental health personal development relationship with self spirituality stress

Passionate living is how to be successful

May 31, 2018

Career, Currency, Lifestyle, Relationship

In order to truly have success in your life, you really do need to follow your heart, your mind, and your passions because spirited lifestyles precede prosperity. By Libby Reilly What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “passion?” Perhaps you think of the color red, a romantic night with a lover, or someone who is following their dreams. The truth is, there is no wrong way to look at passion. It can be about love, work, or just what makes you who you are. Passion is whatever makes your heart sing. Diving into a passionate future This month, we dove into passion in many different forms. From entrepreneurs taking a leap to make their dream comes true, to getting passionate about health,...

do what you love Lifestyle mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

Five tips to set your world on fire and find your passion

May 29, 2018

Energy, Health, Lifestyle, Relationship

Contributing Authors: Marla Funez, Danielle Rose, Theresa Birmingham, Marisa Goudy, Kerstin Zettmar and Jessica Laudati Although it can be difficult discovering or rediscovering passion, you can jump-start healthy harmonious passion in your life. No one can tell you what you love to do. You must figure this out on your own. Your tribe may give you direction or even encouragement, but following someone else's passions or letting another individual live out their passions through you will be your greatest regret in life. Why, you might ask, does passion matter? Passion is the animator, just as Dr. Frankenstein’s corpse was brought to life with lightning. Your passion distinguishes you from that of a zombie walking through life in search of that spark. According to a 2009 study...

do what you love Lifestyle meditation mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self tips & tricks

Genevieve Ryan talks success. Success is many things, and for this Massachusetts native, it's having her cake and eating it too.

Stories of Success: Author and Professor Genevieve Ryan keeps trailblazing

May 25, 2018

Career, Lifestyle, Newsbreaks

By Theresa Birmingham Professor, published mystery author, and Massachusetts native, Genevieve Ryan talks success in this month’s passion issue for Mind Key. The Professor Genevieve Ryan, Gen, is not only a published author, she has a Masters in Forensic Psychology and Legal Studies, and she is currently in the process of writing her dissertation. Upon completion of this, she will obtain her Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology. Mind Key/Theresa: Tell us about what you are doing with your life. Genevieve Ryan/Gen: I am a full-time psychology professor at an all women’s college and a writer. I am legitimately finally in a spot in my life where I am living my dream! I am a mood writer, so I haven’t written in a while. [However] I am so blessed to...

do what you love Lifestyle personal development Profiles of success relationship with self

Tribe friendships nurture generativity and further promote our foundation for passion and legacy.

Six ways your tribe supports your legacy

May 24, 2018

do what you love Lifestyle manifestation mental health personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

This is part two of the third article in a series of six on how to build your tribe and includes a discussion on how to find your guy or gal pals, and how to go deeper with yourself and become more vulnerable. Each article will focus on a different area of friendship and intimacy in order to not only build that tribe, but to create long-lasting bonds that transcend a game night. You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends and the best kind of friend is the one who becomes family. You can find part one here. By Theresa Birmingham Erikson, your tribe, and finding your passion Tribe friendships nurture generativity and help build our legacy, as we learned in part one of...

Your tribe, your legacy

May 18, 2018

do what you love Lifestyle manifestation mental health personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

This is part one of the third article in a series of six on how to build your tribe and includes a discussion on how to find your guy or gal pals, and how to go deeper with yourself and become more vulnerable. Each article will focus on a different area of friendship and intimacy in order to not only build that tribe but to create long-lasting bonds that transcend a game night. You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends and the best kind of friend is the one who becomes family. You can find part two here. By Theresa Birmingham Strong tribe friendships foster generativity and promote passion and purpose. Without our need for generativity, we would be aimless. The term, generativity,...

You can jettison healthy weight change and still have a good time.

3 Tips for staying passionate during weight loss

May 16, 2018

Health, Lifestyle

By Jessica McWhirt Staying Passionate During Weight Loss Deep down, we’re creatures of habit; however, knowing that our habits are making us unhealthy may be enough to jettison healthy weight change. It’s difficult and challenging to drop fat. If you want it bad enough, though, there are ways to make changes. That being said, a lot of us are set in our routines, and change is hard. If losing weight was easy, everyone would be doing it. In high school, healthy eating and exercise weren’t on my radar. I didn’t care about them and thought it was for the birds. Then, I found cycling and fell in love with the sport. It completely changed my life. I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been and I’m passionate about staying healthy. Yes,...

do what you love Fitness Food & nutrition Lifestyle mental health personal development relationship with self tips & tricks

This month’s passion issue has us looking at all sorts of characters. Mallory Harte Underwood talks success.

Story of Success: Mallory Harte Underwood

May 15, 2018

Career, Creativity, Lifestyle, Relationship

By Libby Reilly Stories of Success Mallory Harte Underwood talks success as we delve into this month’s theme of passion. One common thing that comes to mind when thinking about passion is someone who has chased a goal or dream, and is now living their passion through their work. Mallory, the powerhouse entrepreneur behind Hartewood Professionals, a unique virtual assistant business, has done this. Mallory and her family of four reside in Phoenix, Arizona and strive to soak up all that life has to offer. Through her previous work with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, meditation and yoga practice, several cross-country moves and now raising two children, there were many instances that lead to her taking the leap into entrepreneurship. In this interview, Mallory shares the scoop on...

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Vocational happiness rewards wallet bottom lines and allows you to fulfill your purpose.

Turn your passion into a career

May 14, 2018

Career, Currency, Lifestyle

By Joseph Gonzalez Vocational happiness rewards wallet bottom lines, but more importantly, allows you to do what you love and still care for yourself and those you love. Do what you love How does the saying go? “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This saying is true for a number of reasons, with the most important one being that work shouldn’t feel like work. Your career should be something that, at the very least, you enjoy. But this isn’t always the case. A 2016 study by Gallup found that 51% of full-time employed Americans are not “engaged” in their jobs. This means that the people are essentially just there to pay the bills—there is no passion involved whatsoever. This mindset is bound...

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A passionate individual has strength of will and the determination to follow their dreams.

Finding passion, motivating your life

May 11, 2018

do what you love mental health personal development relationship with self

By Shefaa Ramadan Spirited lives necessitate backbone, and we need that fortitude of will and passion to continue successfully wading through the difficult times in life. Passion is many things. There is no one word to describe it. Have you ever experienced a certain feeling that you just can’t control? A feeling that’s very strong but amazing at the same time? Passion is what gives us that fire inside and makes life worth living. It is overpowering and intense. Passion is the desire, the lust and the motivation to do something. It is that one quality that cannot be taught through a textbook. Passion also, for the most part, is not gained by following a lesson nor can it be learned from our parents or teachers. It comes from...

If struggle fuels passion, then embrace the hardship and turn it into something empowering.

Through hardship we discover passion

May 7, 2018

do what you love personal development relationship with self

By Barbara Steingas Our biggest challenges in life lead to passion and our experience with struggle fuels purpose. It is through these challenges we discover our inner strengths and courage. We become more than we ever thought we could be. This is also how we can give back to the world. We give back by helping others who are experiencing similar challenges and by sharing our trials and tribulations and how we got through them. Struggle fuels purpose and helps us discover our passion When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease after graduating college, I didn’t realize this trip down a dark rabbit hole would end up becoming my mission and purpose in life. Yet, it didn’t occur to me at the time, because I was just...

Uncovering passion in your own life can lead to following your soul’s purpose.

A life of Passion: Tackling your soul’s purpose

May 1, 2018

business do what you love Lifestyle mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress

By Theresa Birmingham At Mind Key, we believe each individual has the potential to discover not only the infinite possibility that exists within them, but we also believe the individual should work on uncovering passion in their life. The difficulty arises in getting to that point. The process. The rigor and effort behind the passion. But here’s the kicker—if we are truly following our passion, our soul, our internal fire, there is no fear. And without fear, the rigor and effort become second to the actual purpose we are fulfilling. Mind Key editor Libby Reilly knew a girl in college who, instead of wasting time with small talk, would ask, “What are you passionate about?” Not, “What’s your major?” Not, “Where are you from?” These questions are...

Finding focus is essential to growth and becoming more self-aware.

Flow and self-discovery: Moving forward with new Focus

April 27, 2018

Career, Currency, Lifestyle, Relationship

By Theresa Birmingham Finding focus and chasing after your best life In truth, finding focus is an effort, but it is an effort worth undertaking. Whether you’re tired of the same-old, addicted to social media, need a recharge with friends, or are struggling with financial focus, it’s important to understand that there are resources and help available. You want the best life you can have. For yourself. For your loved ones. Even for your clients and associates. But much of the business in today’s world is space-filler that we not only don’t need, but that inhibits our growth and ultimately, our ability in finding focus. Self-awareness in finding focus Yes, greater focus does equal being more self-aware. This month, we discussed how practicing self-aware spending can help you focus...

do what you love finances Lifestyle mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

Learn how to have a writing career, and in the process, gain that flexibility and freedom you’ve always wanted!

Turn your passion into a career

April 25, 2018

Career, Creativity

By Danielle Rose Once upon a time, if you wanted to make a career change, such as taking up teaching or accounting, your options were limited. Getting another degree was your only recourse—something that cost significant time and money. How often have you said, “I wish that were my job,” or “I’d love to make money doing that”? What held you back? Experience? Reputation (or lack thereof)? No time or money to undergo training? What if you could make a career or thriving side-business out of things you already know you love? What if you could become an expert in your chosen field? And, what if you could do all this without sacrificing too much time or extra cash? The answer is incorporating a professional writing...

do what you love freelance personal development tips & tricks

Relationships give us power and help us discover new focus.

Building your tribe: How your crew can help you discover new focus

April 24, 2018

do what you love Lifestyle manifestation mental health personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

By Theresa Birmingham The need to discover new focus can be a difficult task to take on by yourself. But with good friends—whether time-tested or just starting out—you can successfully navigate the waters of life. Discover new focus in your tribe It’s been a long week. So long. Too long. Sometimes exhausting. And when you’re exhausted, you might be the tearful exhausted. Or maybe you’re the angry exhausted. Or maybe you just detach from the world entirely. Because of that exhaustion, you just can’t seem to focus. That dream you have, or that task you need to complete, falls to the wayside. You can’t seem to get to where your heart and mind need to be to get stuff done. Enter your tribe and their inevitable shenanigans. Whether you’re...

It is possible to multitask successfully if you focus on splitting up tasks consciously.

Consciously shifting your focus: Successful multitasking

April 13, 2018

Career, Energy, Health, Lifestyle

By Marla Funez What is multitasking? Can humans multitask successfully? To what extent is it efficient? What are our limitations and when is multitasking not the best option, based on these limitations? The simple definition of multitasking is to complete more than one task at a time. Multitasking, however, is much more than that. It is about getting the most done efficiently and in the least amount of time. According to this 2017 study, multitasking is only truly considered multitasking when it is done consciously. This means even tasks that you do not want to do can be multitasked. The choice is in whether or not the tasks will be done simultaneously. Choosing to do multiple, different tasks at once means focusing on different subjects or actions at...

business Lifestyle mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

Focus on your inner awareness using the physical with soft eyes.

Using your Soft Eyes: Envision the big picture and find your center

April 12, 2018

Energy, Lifestyle, Relationship

By Vera Remes Focus, focus, focus—or maybe not When it comes to focus, inner awareness is essential. As a follower of horse trainers Sally Swift, Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance, I am familiar with the principles of grounding, centering, breathing and “soft eyes.” Sally Swift describes the essentials of soft eyes in her book Centered Riding as “wide-open eyes and peripheral awareness, awareness of your entire field of vision and feeling sensations from within.” Grounding, breathing and centering can relate to meditation and other metaphysical pursuits. I use those principles in Reiki, energy healing and my everyday life, but I never thought of using “soft eyes” in the same way. Now I have. Using soft eyes in life may be antithetical to the typical advice given for success—to focus, focus,...

alternative healing environment Lifestyle manifestation meditation mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self spirituality stress tips & tricks

full potential comes from building the new

Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want

April 10, 2018

Energy, Health, Lifestyle

By Barbara Steingas From the time we are born, we are taught our limitations and we are broken of our full potential. Our parents and caretakers, although well-meaning, tell us what we can’t or shouldn’t do in hopes of protecting us. Even though this is intended for our benefit, it teaches us to focus mainly on our limitations. Rather than focusing on our full potential and what we want to have happen, we instead focus on what we don’t want. For example, we are often told, “Don’t forget (something),” rather than, “Remember (something).” We also have the word “no” said to us an incredible amount of times by the time we are about ten years old. The book What to Say When You Talk to Yourself by...

do what you love Fitness Food & nutrition Lifestyle mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress

Focus on Finances: Practice self-aware spending

April 9, 2018

Career, Lifestyle

By Joseph Gonzalez Having money is something that has been proven to make people feel better about themselves, but the ability to gain financial focus is not an easy task. Money not only enables us to essentially do what we want, it gives us a sense of security, as well. However, focusing on saving money is often easier said than done. Xinyue Zhou’s research article, The Symbolic Power of Money, which was published in the Journal of Psychological Science, explains that money provides a feeling of self-sufficiency. In this mindset, people are less likely to ask others for help. We teach those going into adulthood to be dependent on themselves. So, asking a family member, or anyone, for money at any point could cause insecurity about...

addiction business finances Lifestyle mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

What do you (still) want to be when you grow up? Childhood interests lead to adult purpose

Focusing on your childhood passions could unveil your future career

April 5, 2018

Career, Creativity, Relationship

By Libby Reilly Childhood interests; grown-up focus It might surprise you to note that your childhood interests could be the key to your future purpose. Think about it. Who were you in second grade? Eight-year-old Libby carried a Lion King backpack, learned how to do a French braid all by herself, and discovered that “stage fright” was not in her vocabulary as she shimmied and pirouetted across stages for dance recitals and local plays. At eight years old, Libby also loved making up songs, rhyming words, and she soared through vocabulary tests like a champ. But how do these childhood interests help you find your purpose and focus? This article from Business Insider says that if you are wondering what you should be doing with your life and career,...

business do what you love personal development relationship with self stress

inward focus is key; outward focus is the door

Learning to focus on that which best serves

April 2, 2018

Career, Creativity, Currency, Energy, Health, Lifestyle, Newsbreaks, Relationship

New life and reflection Spring is a beautiful time of growth, inward focus, new life and reflection. There’s a reason we often participate in spring cleaning—the harsh winter is behind us. With the sun and sprouting life comes the desire for a fresh, clean start. With this new start, we allow ourselves the optimum opportunity and setting to enjoy the welcomed season. Spring also allows us to reflect on so many areas of our life. If we are wise, we can use this time to look inward and do a self-spring clean. We can rid ourselves of the habits, attitudes and relationships that are as harsh or unwelcome as the desolation of winter. By turning our focus to the important and beautiful things in life, we...

finances Lifestyle manifestation mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

Healthy ego development and the blank slate

Parenting without ego: from Blank slate to Healthy self

March 29, 2018

by Cris McCullough Is a child’s mind a blank slate or are children driven by their egos? When it comes to the word “ego,” there are two definitions. As a noun, it describes “a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.” It implies the cultivation of self-worth, self-respect, self-image, and self-confidence. In the realm of psychoanalysis, it describes “the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.” Our Children—Blank slate, or ego-driven? As a parent, one can blur the lines between the need to inspire our children to develop a healthy ego, which will help them navigate the reality of their world without harm, and our own ego’s need to be bolstered by the...

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Parenting without ego: Living and teaching our children safety and authenticity

March 27, 2018

family & kids Home Lifestyle mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self spirituality stress tips & tricks transitions

By Danielle Rose If our ego is a guidance structure that we created for ourselves as children, then the best way to ensure our children create their own healthy guidance system is through conscious parenting. That means parenting without ego. That means seeing our ego for what it is, and not coloring everything through that lens. It involves facing the fears of parenting, of your own youth, of your future and the future of your children. It involves taking steps to become whole and forgetting what others have to say about the matter. Parenting without ego also involves incorporating all of our inner voices into one coherent direction. Sound overwhelming? Well, so is parenthood. The good news is that, as always, we’ve got the keys to...

Life a life of adventure no matter where you are

Ten Ways to Travel With Less Baggage

March 23, 2018

adventure and travel do what you love Lifestyle mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self tips & tricks

By Theresa Birmingham Many of us could do with a little less baggage. We’ve all got things we can’t help but bring with us, however, so how do we find that balance? This month, we’ve discussed ego in its many forms, but one thing that is clear is that in relationships, we bring everything we’ve got. Sometimes, what we bring is good, clean, and useful. But other things we bring can be harmful. Just as in relationships, our life and world travels, we need to be aware of how our baggage is healing or harming us. In my own life, I’ve broken a lot, mended a lot, lived a lot…and as a result, I’ve accumulated a lot. My own all-consuming drive for adventure has brought me many...

Exhaustion: It’s time to tell a new story

March 19, 2018

Energy, Health, Lifestyle

As a woman, as a parent, as simply a person living in today’s fast-paced environment, we could all use more rest and better sleep. Not to mention, better sleep results in better focus. Author and women’s wellness advocate, Karen Brody, has created a 40-day yoga nidra program that makes yoga meditation relevant and accessible to women around the world. In this article, she shares how our ego-driven perspective on rest can be the one factor that keeps us from finding truly healing sleep. By Karen Brody Let's face it, women today are tired. I support busy women leaders, and here is what they tell me all the time: "I spent years getting educated and now I don't have any energy to work." "I love my work, but my kids...

alternative healing environment family & kids meditation mindfulness personal development relationship with self spirituality stress transitions

Pitfalls of bloggers and rock stars

March 15, 2018

Career, Creativity

On a summer trip back in 2015, Mind Key affiliate and writer, copywriter, and coach, Marisa Goudy, learned some life lessons applicable to many creative entrepreneurs and their artistic ego. Through the lens of U2’s song, "Songs of Innocence," Marisa found there are many pitfalls that can be found among creative types and entrepreneurs across the globe. By Marisa Goudy You know the songs that matter. They have a way of illuminating your past. At the same time, they shed new light on your present and make you look forward to a brighter future. (Articles and blog posts can do this too, of course.) If “Songs of Innocence” appeared on your iTunes as a free download back in 2014, you likely recall the backlash. No one even had time...

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Meditation for letting go of unhealthy ego and embracing the call of our spirit so we can find light.

Let go of ego and embrace peace and light: A meditation

March 15, 2018

Energy

By Kathleen Santora This meditation for letting go of unhealthy ego helps us accumulate more peace and light and attain a healthy balanced ego. Balance is the keyword when examining the essential element of the ego. When we focus on spirit, we can accept the light that we are asking for from this meditation and the universe. Meditation Light is ahead; darkness is behind. Light is ahead of me; darkness is behind me. I will forget my troubles and walk toward the light, leaving my darkness behind my thoughts. Disengage your thoughts from the system in order to accomplish your spiritual goals by changing the spiritual behavior of your mind with your conscious mind. Letting go of ego, going deeper on a daily practice level of thoughts. If you...

alternative healing Lifestyle manifestation meditation mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self spirituality stress transitions

Who do I listen to in here?

March 13, 2018

Energy, Lifestyle, Relationship

In this article, Wendy Watson-Hallowell, The Belief Coach, explores how our inner voices can often offer conflicting views. Our inner voices being what drives us toward action and growth. Indecision and goals become intertwined in a quagmire of stuck-ness when our inner compass is out-of-whack in this way. This is often compounded by the very human desire to find answers outside of the self. However, our intuition, inner child and ego have all the answers we need. Bringing these very different, yet ultimately self-serving voices into alignment can help us better understand our path. This can also show us to achieve our wellness and success goals. By Wendy Watson-Hallowell We each have a variety of voices inside our minds that take different positions and drive us toward...

do what you love family & kids Lifestyle manifestation meditation mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self spirituality

Learning should never stop: How learning supplements the ego

March 12, 2018

family & kids Lifestyle mindfulness personal development relationship with self

By Marla Funez The common phrase, "you learn something new every day " often gets taken for granted, especially when it comes to discussing learning and how education balances ego. However, learning is an ongoing process that continues as a person ages. The ego is a filter for how we live our lives, and it continues to grow the more you learn and supplement it with knowledge. The benefits of constantly educating yourself include better decision making, confidence in your decisions, and the ability to balancing the ego. The ego has a strong hold on our perception of the world and therefore, how we interact with it. Even though people cannot control what happens around them, decisions can be controlled. By first having as much information possible...

How to let go, be vulnerable, and build your tribe

March 9, 2018

do what you love environment family & kids Lifestyle mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress transitions

By Theresa Birmingham This is the first in a series of six articles on how to build your tribe and includes a discussion on how to find your guy or gal pals, and how to go deeper with ourselves and become more vulnerable. Each article will focus on a different area of friendship and intimacy in order to not only build that tribe, but to create long-lasting bonds that transcend a game night. You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends and the best kind of friend is the one who becomes family. One of the most difficult tasks in this inundated digital age seems to be the ability to build your tribe. Why it’s hard to build your tribe Perhaps it’s hard to...

do what you love Lifestyle mental health personal development tips & tricks

Avoiding arguments by removing ego can increase relationship wealth and health

Are you committed to being right (Ego based) or your relationship (heart based)?

March 8, 2018

Relationship

By Barbara Steingas Marriage, I have found, is about compromise and avoiding arguments by removing ego. About twenty years ago, my late husband and I went to the Big Island of Hawaii to attend an Anthony Robbins multi-day seminar called Life Mastery. It covered five main areas including relationships. Here, we discovered that the quality of our lives, particularly of our relationships, is based on the questions we ask ourselves. The importance of questions From the time we are young, most of us are taught to ask disempowering victim-based questions. Questions such as, “Why are people doing that to me?” Or “Why are people being such jerks?” These types of questions revolve around our ego and create a separation between us and the other person. They also cause...

family & kids Love and sex personal development

What is your God Job?

March 6, 2018

Career, Energy

by Vera Remes It's important to find a career with purpose. We spend so much time working. While taking a writing course, I heard the phrase “God job.” The inference is that writing should be something so special, it should be termed a God job. It might have been how the words rolled off the tongue, but the phrase stuck with me. I envisioned a God job as a divine calling. Some paths you must follow regardless of difficulty. Success wasn’t the goal, per se. Striving made it worthwhile. What is life without some struggle? What does it mean to have a “God Job”? This discovery brought up how I feel about the course change I have undertaken in my life. By focusing on my God jobs and what truly...

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Defining personality, building healthy ego

Who are you? A look at Ego and Personality Development

March 5, 2018

Creativity, Health, Lifestyle, Relationship

by Danielle Rose and Libby Reilly Defining personality and how your ego forms can be a confusing task. This is because, at its heart, personality is who you are. What you are is a daughter, a son, a grandma, a teacher, a friend, a fill-in-the-blank. But who you are is the base of your being. Strip away all the labels and the emotions. Strip away anything but a given situation and how you react to it—that is your personality. Why are we talking about personality types in an issue on ego? Because our personality is part of what shapes our ego, and how we perceive and interact with the world. How do you interact with the world? How can a better understanding of who you are...

Gain Perspective through Healthy Patterns

February 28, 2018

do what you love family & kids Fitness Lifestyle meditation mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress tips & tricks

by Theresa Birmingham One of the most difficult skills in life is the ability to gain perspective and to not only gain it, but to hold on to that hard-earned skill. Basically, just like anything else in life, perspective is not a once-in-a-life “Oh, I’ve got it” type experience. In order to truly gain perspective, one must understand that each day is a gamble, and we choose how we will react, how we will understand, and how we will move forward in a given situation. Triggers We’ve learned that sometimes those flaws we see in others are actually flaws that are within ourselves. When we change our perspective, we can understand that everyone has a path. With this understanding, we often find that our judgments are many times...

College fosters a perspective of self-expression essential for adulthood

February 9, 2018

Career, Relationship

By Joseph Gonzalez Many see college as a step to the next part of their lives towards adulthood. And it is. But college is also a new world that broadens our experience of the world. The shift from a sheltered life to a broadened college perspective can prepare you for true self-expression and for career and life in a way that classes alone cannot. My college perspective I came from a house that didn’t 100% shelter me but which also didn’t encourage me to socialize either. In my middle school and high school years, I was content with playing video games all day, and not going out with friends. it’s safe to say my social skills weren’t up to par with others at that point. When I got to...

do what you love family & kids personal development relationship with self

Can our triggers help change our perspective of self?

February 8, 2018

Energy, Health, Relationship

In this fantastic repost by Kyla Rose Maher of Long Time Sun Yoga and Apparel, we are encouraged to look at those qualities we don’t necessarily appreciate in others and to see how they manifest in ourselves. On a bad day, this powerful self-practice has the potential to trigger us. Even the best of us may find ourselves in a frenzy of self-doubt. We suddenly realize those things that trigger us may, in fact, be a quality we have. On a good day, this practice can help us recognize our “worst” qualities are often, surprisingly, our best ones. This facilitates both self-compassion and a deeper compassion for others. By Kyla Rose Maher Wait a second, am I arrogant? During October, my boyfriend and I were visiting New York...

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Change your perspective and tackle the season

February 1, 2018

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by Theresa Birmingham The holidays are over. January is past. All your pesky resolutions are either in play or in the gutter. So, how has your perspective changed? Now that you have some perspective on the new year, is it shaping up to be different than previous years? Or have you found yourself in the rut of bad habits you struggle in shedding? This month we will discuss how when you change your perspective you can change your life. As we move into the short but cold month of February, The Daily Key will be examining how Perspective can open new pathways of healing, help us survive the winter, and better love yourself. We’ll also be looking at everything from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) to reexamining our...

Meditation for peace and gratitude

January 19, 2018

Energy

By Kathleen Santora I received this meditation for peace and gratitude after I was in a major car accident many years ago. While meditating to heal myself, I saw my friends in Lilydale, all sitting in a circle and sending me light and healing, this was what was given to me. I hope it helps regenerate you as well. Peace and Gratitude Meditation Someone has prayed for me My brother has taken to a place in the heavens Where I could not have gone alone My brother has taken my soul in his heart And held it there in gentle loving light Returning it to me in healing He has shown me the purest love Has given me the purest of light In that returned my spirit to me in perfection In honor I return all love All light In...

alternative healing gratitude healing meditation mindfulness peace personal development relationship with self spirituality transitions

Gratitude and your cup of tea: bringing in abundance, gratitude and peace

January 12, 2018

Health, Lifestyle

Jessica Filkins is a health coach and owner of Jahmu Chai, a healing turmeric ginger tea. Each month, she shares a tea meditation that can be done quickly and easily during your morning cup of coffee or tea to bring more peace, abundance, joy and healing into all areas of your life. As we look forward into 2018, this gratitude tea meditation helps us recognize all that’s come before to bring us to this place, so we can continue to grow forward. By Jessica Filkins A daily meditation practice can increase your happiness, hone your focus and improve your health. Despite the growing body of scientific research on the benefits of meditation and mindfulness practices, most Americans do not incorporate meditation into their daily lives. However, most...

food and nutrition Lifestyle meditation mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self spirituality

Are you reacting or responding?

December 5, 2017

Health, Lifestyle

INTRO: Eleanora Amendolara dives into the difference between reacting and responding to help you bring a peaceful grasp on each situation you find yourself in. How can you mindfully approach things that seem thrown at you, ensuring to first take care of yourself and your unique process of writing your own song? Reacting or responding: How to master the two By Eleanora Amendolara If I had one wish for you, it would be that you would find the tools and concepts to write your own song. It all begins with how you receive input from the world around you. Do you know the difference between emotions and feelings? Are you able to recognize when you are reacting and when you are responding to a situation? Both emotions and reactions are...

Lifestyle mental health personal development relationship with self spirituality transitions

Enjoy Life— Don’t Cling to it or Push it Away

October 18, 2017

Energy

INTRO: One woman stepped onto a paddleboard for the first time and returned to dry land with a fresh perspective on how to enjoy life, embrace the moment, and see life through waves of gratitude. By Michelle Brook Trying yoga on a paddleboard has been on my bucket list for years! I finally had the opportunity to join Melissa Bee from Country Flow Yoga for a class on the Monksville Reservoir in West Milford, New Jersey. I never knew that Warrior II pose could be so challenging when done on the water. My mouth was agape as I watched other people doing headstands on the water. One of the most memorable moments was simply laying on my back, watching a cloud that was shaped like a cross-legged...

Lifestyle personal development relationship with self

From “hard on yourself” to “supporting yourself”

October 12, 2017

Health, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Dr. Doni Wilson, N.D. offers simple tips for making positive changes in your life – and how to break the cycle of being hard on yourself so you can start to rely on yourself. Gain support for breaking bad habits through these simple tips for breaking the cycle. Support for breaking bad habits By Dr. Doni Wilson Making a change in your lifestyle can be challenging. We get into habits that are hard to break. For instance, when helping patients change their diet, they often tell me that they can be very “hard on themselves” when they eat something they know will make them feel worse. Have you experienced the “hard on yourself” vicious cycle? As you can imagine, it doesn’t do you much good. I encourage my patients to...

alternative healing do what you love Fitness Food & nutrition Lifestyle mental health mindfulness personal development tips & tricks

The Hamster Wheel of Self-Sabotage Patterns

October 11, 2017

Health, Lifestyle, Relationship

By Barbara Steingas We all have goals and dreams we want to achieve--or hope to achieve. However, hoping for something is like chasing a carrot we will never catch. Usually we start off confident and empowered about our goals and dreams, especially if the path to those goals are facilitated by someone or something, like by a seminar leader, or by making a dream or vision board. Consciously we really want these goals and dreams and initially feel motivated to achieving them. However, the self-sabotage pattern sets in after scratching the surface of a goal. Self-sabotage is when we say or do something that ruins our success and happiness. We often don't achieve some or many of our goals and dreams because subconsciously, we don't feel...

mental health mindfulness personal development relationship with self stress transitions

Support our veterans at Visions in Black and White fundraising event

September 30, 2017

Newsbreaks

By Kelly Rockey Imagine being someone who spends a good part of their life making wishes come true. For Sandy Mitchell, that life is a reality. Sandy is the founder of Project Help for veterans fundraising, an all-volunteer, 501c3 charity in New Jersey. Project Help has one mission and one mission only, to support veterans and their families in times of need. Those needs usually revolve around lack of funds due to lack of meaningful employment, second only to lack of housing, especially when a family is involved. Why Project Help for veterans needs our help Many vets are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] and Traumatic Brain Injury [TBI] both usually the result of being in the military and being in combat. Neither is curable,...

family and kids Lifestyle mental health NY/NJ personal development transitions veterans

Mind Key can help you start up your business

September 25, 2017

Career

By Lizbeth Fabian Starting an online presence can be hard. As a writer in this constantly developing tech world, you have to make use of any resource available. You also have to build yourself a platform where you can share your work. And although many writers hate being a cliché, the best way to build your image is (drumroll)… a blog! I know, cringe, right? The idea of belonging to the endless list of bloggers also stressed me out. But I learned not to be afraid thanks to Mind Key’s very own Danielle Rose. Start-Up Services Mind Key offers many wonderful services and products for businesses, one of them being a Start-Up service. Mind Key can help you start or relaunch your own website and move toward getting connected...

business do what you love Lifestyle marketing personal development relationship with self

The secret to success as a young adult is easier than you think!

September 22, 2017

Career, Lifestyle

By Lizbeth Fabian In The 8 Success Secrets: For Teens and Young Adults, author Azuka Zuke Obi offers suggestions for remaining positive, following routines, and giving yourself access to opportunities/role models to improve young adult work ethic. I first spotted the book on Mind Key’s Marketplace, and I couldn’t help but think this would be a great way to get out of my summer funk and right into work mode. As a young adult who’s still unsure on how to properly adult, I thought Azuke could offer a couple pointers to help my improve my work ethic. Work Ethic Being a college student, you have to be organized, diligent, and ultimately, prepared. But what many actual college students do is lose everything, forget too many tasks...

do what you love mental health personal development relationship with self

Watch your wishes come true with tested techniques

September 21, 2017

Energy, Lifestyle

By Vera Remes You can make your wishes come true in plenty of different ways. Techniques to grant wishes vary from the Silva Method’s Glass Water Technique to understanding right and left brained thinking. If you’ll like to know more about the creativity of wishing, read Don’t let manifesting get in the way of wishing. The Glass Water Technique The Glass Water Technique, part of something known as Dream Programing, reminds me of the experiments of Dr. Masaru Emoto where he used positive words and negative words to affect the formation of ice crystals. You pick a problem, like how to figure out why your printer won’t work. Then, just before bed, drink half of a glass of water while thinking, “This is all that is required to find...

Lifestyle manifestation personal development relationship with self spirituality

True Peace at Balance Yoga Studio: A Review

September 14, 2017

do what you love events Lifestyle mindfulness personal development relationship with self spirituality

By Lizbeth Fabian Taking the drive to Balance Yoga Studio, I tried to calm my nerves about getting back into Yoga. Maybe because I wore the wrong spandex leggings or because I haven’t taken a yoga class in three years, I couldn’t help but think that entire session would be a disaster. Seemed like this was the opposite of finding the balance yoga peace I was seeking. Since this was a free Beginners class in their new studio, my negative thinking had me repeat, “at least I didn’t pay for it” over and over again in the parking lot. Yet the funny thing about over-dramatic negative thoughts is … you’re always surprised on how wrong you can be. The Yoga Studio Although Balance Studio is made up of two...

do what you love Fitness personal development spirituality

Faerie card readings with Danielle Rose: A review

September 13, 2017

Energy, Lifestyle

By Danielle Rose Krista experienced a faerie card reading with Danielle Rose back in August 2014. Since then, she has received a number of readings from Danielle. In this interview, Krista discusses her experience with Danielle and how her life has changed since then. All this as a result of card readings for self discovery. The First Time Where did you first learn about Danielle's readings? I was first introduced to Danielle Rose's readings through the Trinity Summerfest psychic fair in Sussex County, NJ. I saw a faerie card reader [Danielle], and being a long time lover of fae, I had to get a reading! What made you want to try it? Simply put: I love faeries and I love card readings. I was even more excited to find out the...

Believing with The Belief Coach

September 5, 2017

Career, Energy

By Barbara Steingas This month, I had the pleasure of a complimentary belief coaching session with The Belief Coach, Wendy Watson-Hallowell. I choose her service for my wishlist because changing your beliefs are the foundation of our successes and failures. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, either way you’re right.” Changing beliefs that are no longer working can help you get unstuck, or achieve your next goal. We all have blind spots of beliefs that keep us from accomplishing our goals and that sabotage our success. Wendy could help me uncover some underlying limiting beliefs that hold me back from more success with my practice. If I could do this, then I could help more people who I’m here to...

business do what you love Lifestyle manifestation mental health mindfulness personal development spirituality stress transitions

My New Year Irresolution

January 5, 2016

Lifestyle

At Mind Key we focus on finding our inner strength and peace. As members we rely on a small voice that calls us to determine our true destiny and to reach our highest potential. To do so it takes practice, patience, and enlightenment. Focusing on new milestones is something we often do at the end of a year. As the holidays approach and we ready ourselves for 2016, we’re faced with the future. Where will our hearts take us? Will we find the right path? Will we conquer our fears and accomplish what we were created to do? Sometimes the answer to those questions comes in the form of resolutions, a common practice when confronting a new year. As for me, I call mine ‘New Year...

personal development relationship with self resolution

What the faeries think of us

April 28, 2015

Uncategorized

Photography by Kely Luzio-Cardonawhat is a faerie, and why not call them fairies? Learn more HERE There are many beliefs on who the faeries are and how they view humanity at large. What is their role in this world, and what is their role in our lives? Faeries are in large part energy, but they also live in part in our world, on Earth. In fact, they cannot live without Earth, and it is their duty and their purpose to keep earth spinning.They also believe it is our purpose in living here - to work with them to keep the world turning, to keep it happy and healthy for it is our mother and our child in turn. Shame on us, they say, for not...

higher self nature paranormal personal development

Songs from the heart: Emma Brooke

September 4, 2014

Nineteen year old singer/songwriter Emma Brooke has a sultry country voice and a passion for music.A year and a half ago she had the opportunity to make a dream come true when she recorded a song she wrote called "Wishing He Was You.”“That day caused me to fall in love with recording and being in the studio,” Emma said.While discussing her next songs Emma’s vocal instructor, Zuke Smith, suggested she write a song about Ty Rockey, whom Zuke had introduced Emma to a few years back. “One Day…” Emma said, then immediately realized she had the title to her next song. “I was like ‘Ok gotta go bye!!’ …. I had most of the song [written] in 2-3 hours.”Emma describes “One Day” as a time capsule of...

personal development

Rocking for a cause: Rock for Retinal Research

September 3, 2014

Ty Rockey is a regular nine year old boy - except for one thing - he has a condition known as Lebers Congenital Amaurosis Type 1 (LCA1) that has made him blind from birth.According to his mother Kelly, there is a gene therapy procedure currently in clinical trials that is working to restore sight to others with LCA gene mutations. The clinical trial for Ty’s gene should start within the next few months she said.“This is something we have been hearing about since the day he was diagnosed and now we are finally at the point where they are doing it – and it is working!” Kelly said.Through their non-profit organization, Ty’s Eyes, the Rockey family has been supporting this research with an annual concert...

personal development

The Story of Ty’s Eyes

September 2, 2014

Uncategorized

Ty Rockey is nine years old and about to start the fourth grade. Like most boys his age, he enjoys watching TV, riding his bike and playing outside with his friends. Unlike most boys, Ty was born blind. Ty has Lebers Congenital Amaurosis type 1 (or LCA1), a genetic retinal disorder that can occur on one of 19 different genes, causing blindness from a very young age or birth. “After we got a diagnosis we were completely devastated,” Ty’s mother, Kelly said. “We had never even met a blind person before and had no idea what to expect or what his future would be like.”The Rockey family has since learned a lot about how blindness does not have to be a limitation. Ty reads using braille,...

personal development self development

The Dark Summer

August 11, 2014