Let’s face it we all love a fun girls night out now and then, the bond shared in friendship among women is a feeling of sisterhood that cannot be put into words. Given the opportunity would you like to go to a place that offers countless different activities that you may have missed out on through the years or have been unable to squeeze into your busy schedule of tending to your family, your job, your children and everyone else except you? If you dream of meeting lots of dynamic energetic women, and making wonderful new and uplifting friends then there is a place you can go where the door is always open and the women are more than welcoming. This is a place where you will be comforted, waited on, cared for and nurtured. Would you escape your own reality leave your family behind for a few days to share a life changing experience with amazing women from around the country? If the answer is yes, I know just the place for you and I can speak from experience this is Destination Sisterhood.

Where will you go to meet all of your new sisters and recharge your battery?  Joan Lunden’s-  Camp Reveille. Ladies this might be a camp setting but I assure you it is not “camping”.  This is a retreat where you and 149 of your sisters will be pampered and waited on by a staff of 85 (not including Joan and her family). You’ll relax, unwind, get inspired, make jewelry, paint pottery, workout, laugh, cry, hang by the fire, dance, sing, go boating, water ski, get facials, be massaged, jump-start your health, eat delicious food, drink wine and never ever have to clean up. You can do all of this and more if you so choose or you can sit quietly and take in the peaceful surroundings and the beauty of the lake.

You will feel like a kid again and form many new wonderful friendships bonding with women you otherwise would have never known. This experience will truly change your life. You will literally wish you didn’t have to return home. However when you do arrive home you will be refreshed, rejuvenated, recharged, energized, focused and motivated to take charge of your life as well as ready to take the steps you will need to do so. Nothing this special is free, so I suggest you start saving a little bit each week to make this dream weekend your reality it will be worth every penny.

Joan was the Keynote Speaker at the 2010 Greater Hartford Women’s Conference. I would like to thank her and her family, the staff and all of my sisters for the most amazing memorable weekend.Photos and videos coming soon…………… This blog post was written by Nannette Bosh owner of http://www.BangleandClutch.com and provided courtesy of  http://www.asknannette.com

If you haven’t heard of Dwell magazine, I think it’s time you do.  If you’re into hip, chic and eco home style, this is the publication for you. Recently at a tradeshow I saw some great eco-friendly providers. I thought I’d share with you some of the green products of note at this year’s Dwell on Design Home Show.  Root pouch made up entirely of recycled bottles, for plants, flowers, gardens, etc.  From large rooftop gardens to hanging your herb garden on your kitchen wall they’ve got something for you.  Easy to install, earth friendly affordable and making it simple to have a garden regardless of your space.  Environment furniture sophisticated, chic and super eco-furnishings.  It’s hot!

One of the coolest items I saw at the show was by Eco Arbor designs.  Dreading building a deck in your back yard or roof top?  Dread no more!  Eco Arbor makes fabulous, green, wood tiles that you lay in a snap to create a deck space.  Completely sustainable woods, colors and styles (some have LED lights in them for pathways) you can have a brand new, eco-friendly area in just a few minutes!  Reclaimed space custom built and delivered living spaces.  Way stylish and can be anything from a guest house or work space to being a primary residence (if you live light!)  These homes are so unique that you can customize these pre-fab dwellings with modern kitchens, vintage bathrooms and decorate with more green furniture.

How about Nook sleep system a non-toxic, environmentally sound and healthier mattress for babies? Their innovative pebble design made with eucalyptus fibers is soft and allows air flow to keep baby comfy and sound asleep all night long.  Ideapaint makes any surface a fry erase surface with Idea Paint! For school, office or even at home, make every space a creative one with their special paint.  The modern doll houses for kids with discerning taste try Brinca Dada Eco dolls houses with mega style and flare.

Still not convinced? Check out Greg Fleishman Studios -architect designer, artist and inventor’s work is largely informed by geometry and functionality.  From shade, shelter structures to furniture as well as kids playgrounds and even vehicles, these wood structures will blow your mind!  Then there is also the Eis Studio – making all sorts of functionally decorative goodies but my favorite is their indoor and outdoor pebble seating.  They’re a full on design studio so from interesting furnishings to a whole new eco-house, they can help!

This blog post was written by Carolyn Scott. For more information, visit you can visit Carolyn’s at  Healthy Voyager  This post is part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of : http://www.bangleandclutch.com , http://www.nannettebosh.com Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com We would love to see Carolyn wearing our Silver Creek Bangle. Thanks Carolyn!!!!

So you’ve been called the member of the family    who doesn’t fit in, the person in your group of friends who stands apart, or maybe you are so odd that you have difficulty finding a group of friends to accept you,  at worst you are the black sheep and at best you are different.  Everyone wants to be accepted. When you are young and you don’t fit feel you fit in it is hurtful.  Being accepted or popular means you are good and being unacceptable (in our formative minds) means we are not good.  You often wind up having such a lack of confidence and self worth that setting a goal to be do or have what you want is not something you feel you have a right to do.

We’re going to break that mold here and now once and for all so you can live out your dreams!  Fitting in makes you a member of the herd and you know that herds of cows just wander around eating grass all day right? Being easily accepted by others is being allowed to munch grass. Yawn!  What if you don’t like grass?  Most often it is the ones who don’t fit in and have their own thoughts and ideas that become our innovators, inventors, leaders and entertainers to name a few.  Have you ever seen a herd of Bill Gates, Donald Trumps, Yoyo Mas, Meryl Streeps, Martin Luther Kings, Oprah Winfreys, Jim Rohns, Tchaikivskys, Mahatma Ghandis, Nelson Mandelas, John Kennedys, Mother Theresas, Celine Dions, etc?  Granted being an outsider doesn’t guarantee worldwide fame, but different really is great.  So why would you want to spend the rest of your life eating grass you don’t even like? Most entrepreneurs were the outsiders when growing up.  If you don’t fit in it’s a sure sign that you are meant to be an entrepreneur or someone amazing.  Did you know that many successful entrepreneurs often drop out of school?

So what is it that inspires you?  What makes you laugh, feel compassionate, drives you and compels you?  What makes you laugh and feel compassionate?  These are hints as to your genius.  Your goals are your big picture, the kind of picture that those in the herd cannot even conceive.  You have a desire to be separate from the masses because the masses are too involved in eating grass to raise their heads and see what you see.  You, on the other hand, have goals that are inspired and beyond eating the grass in front of you. If you are finding you don’t fit in anywhere, bravo!  Look inside not outside to define your purpose, passion & values and figure out what your soul connects with.  Discover you and what you have to offer this world. This world needs different, this world needs you. The herd produces milk but you can create and ice cream franchise.  Keep on Goaling!

Lynn More is the author of this post. If you would like to know more about Lynn or connect with her directly visit her on the web at http://www.cleargoalscoaching.com .This post is part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com or http://www.nannettebosh.com . Thanks Lynn for Do Your Dare to Break the Mold and the inspiration!!

Remember the saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder?” It is time to remind ourselves everyday as we look in the mirror beauty is starring right back at us. As woman we tend to forget the true definition of beauty. We read magazines, watch TV, compare ourselves to others and forget the true being of who we are. It is not about a dress size, but the size of our Heart & Character. Beauty is about confidence, no matter what size you are, you can walk into anywhere, own every step, every move and love who you are! Curved Beauty is about loving your curves, embracing them and not being afraid to show them off …It’s time to Curve your outlook on who you are and to focus on the elements you love about yourself.

After working as a Makeup Artist for over 6 years, I have seen women of all shapes; sizes and looks sit in my chair. Yet, there is one thing they all have in common …everyone has at least one beautiful feature about them. Whether you are a stay at home mom, a teenager, a celebrity or a career woman, each demographic represents a form of beauty we can learn from. Also, I can guarantee we all have imperfections. Marilyn Monroe once said “Imperfection is Beauty”, a true statement just to think if everyone was “perfect” how exciting would the world be.

Unfortunately, we have been programmed to want to immediately change our flaws …nip, tuck, refine, and replace. I am all for wanting to improve and define what God has given us, but it is important not to lose a sense of who we are along the way and become obsessed with outer beauty. People tend to forget, no amount of makeup, surgery or clothing will upgrade your beauty status. If inner confidence and self love is not present, it will overpower any cosmetic alterations attempted.

As woman it is important for us to define a sense of WHO we truly are and teach generations to come that beauty is not something you buy, it is something discovered inside. If not, beauty will lose all sense of meaning. So next time when looking in the mirror, picking apart your flaws or “imperfections” , remind yourself “Imperfection is beauty” and those aspects contribute to who you are, embrace them and remember to be a beautiful, confident, you!

This blog post was written by Makeup Artist, Tiffany Hall-Scarmana. If you would like to connect with Tiffany directly visit her on the web at http://www.curvedbeauty.blogspot.com . We would like Tiffany to invite her clients to check out http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry . This post is part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . Thanks for the female inspiration Tiffany, we like Look in the Mirror: Who Do You See Looking Back at You!!!

Mother’s Day is a recent memory. Like most moms I was treated to a day where I could do whatever I wanted. I was Queen of the remote control. The lunch menu detailed food that I wanted, and I didn’t have to cook it. My daughter, young as she is, made several Mother’s Day cards at school, church and home with various scrapbooking adornments, which she proudly presented to me and begged me to select my favorite one. The sun was shining, and the day was happy. There are times in our lives where thi9ngs may not seem happy or joyous at all. Events happen and steal our joy. How do you recover from this?

Where are you going to get your joy? I must confess life is not all roses. My six year old daughter’s favorite sayings is; “It’s not fair”. She is learning that life isn’t fair at times. What would life be like if we had everything we wanted? King Solomon had it all; power, fame, fortune and wisdom. Yet, he put his happiness in temporal things and became very unhappy. Have you ever said to yourself, I will be really happy when……….? How long does this happiness last? What about when you have achieved a great accomplishment, the next one must be bigger and better right? It’s never enough and the cycle continues. Searching for the “happiness high” that you’ve experienced before can go on forever. What makes you happy? I’m not talking about for a few hours or days; I’m talking about happiness for awhile long, happiness that has staying power.

I encourage you to try these four suggestions on living a happier life: 1. Think of the small things that make you happy and write them down. This could be a sunny day, the smell of fresh cut grass or even hearing your favorite song on the radio. 2. Keep everything in perspective. Put things in their proper place. If something makes you unhappy, consider the scenario in the big scheme of things. Will it really matter when you are 80 years old? 3. Look at the root cause of what makes you happy in your life. Remember what it is that gives you joy. 4. Put yourself second and serve others. Happiness in serving another person first rather than ourselves; is a humbling experience and can be very rewarding. Have you ever heard the saying “Giving the shirt off your back”, if so have you ever given yours?

Happiness is a great feeling. The wonderful thing about happiness is that it can be found in small packages. Why not take time to look for the small stuff that makes you happy today???????? This blog post was written by Darcy Keith award winning speaker and author.  If you would like to connect with Darcy directly visit her on the web at http://www.DarcyKeith.com . We would love to see Darcy in our Carmel Pendant necklace. http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry/necklaces/carmel-necklace.html/

These posts are part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . Thanks for the female inspiration Darcy!!!!

Do you allow other people’s opinions to dictate your opinion of yourself?  If someone tells you “You aren’t smart enough”, “You aren’t pretty enough”, “You’re too slow”, “You’re not capable”, “You come from the wrong side of town”, “You’re stupid”, “You’re living in a fantasy world”, “You’re not nice” “You’re a fool” or “They don’t like you”,  do you automatically get defensive?  Do you take their words to heart?  Do you believe them?  Keep in mind that that in your journey of life you will meet thousands of people.  It is said that people come into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime.  Some people you will only encounter once or twice and others will play an intricate role in your life.  Let me ask you, what makes this person an expert on your life? Are you letting people’s opinions of you determine your life, when they may not even know you very well?  Many people let what acquaintances say about them get to them. 

Let’s say that we are talking about those people in your life that are there for a lifetime: your parents, your children, your siblings, your spouse and maybe a few friends.  They may mean well, but each of these people has their own unique opinion of who you are.  It’s their right to have this opinion based on their own life experiences, morals, values and beliefs.  They will each have opinions of you that are both good and bad.  Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality. Your family and loved ones are not experts on your life either, you are the ONLY expert on YOUR life.  You know your deepest darkest secrets as well as your burning desires that are waiting to be manifested.  Don’t allow another person’s opinion to stand in the way of you living your life the way you see fit.  Their opinion is right for them, not for you.  Be true to yourself.  Every person wants to be loved and accepted for who they are.  It is for this reason that many people will turn to others to build their self-confidence.  Your confidence comes from within, from your inner being.  Relying on other people’s opinions to determine your own self worth is external.  It is impossible to live up to another person’s expectations 100% of the time.  You will spend your life thinking you are not worthy, because of another person’s desires and beliefs.  You are not here on Earth to live your life through other people.  Regardless of how many people “approve” of you, you can only find true self-confidence from within yourself. 

I encourage you to not allow others to dictate or have the power to determine who you are.  It has often been said, “Your opinion of me is none of my business.” If someone doesn’t like you, or thinks you’re incapable, or whatever, it really is none of your business.  They have a right to their opinions and beliefs just as you do.  You cannot change another person’s perspective, so why waste your energy trying?  Keep in mind that when people say nasty and cruel things to you or they reject you or they hurt you, that you have not lost your value.  Their words and actions are a direct reflection of what they are feeling and have absolutely nothing to do with you personally.  Learn to trust your instinct.  Constantly tell yourself that you like yourself and that you are worthy.  There will always be constant chatter in your head.  Make it positive don’t let other people’s opinion take control.  You have the power to choose the thoughts in your head.

So what do you choose?  Learn to receive gifts of love and compliments from other people.  To build self-confidence and to be truly happy you must learn to give and receive. Just as it is impossible to only breathe in and not out, you need to give to and to receive in order to live a full happy life. You can’t be happy and self-confident unless you are being true to yourself. Create balance in your life by following your heart’s desires. Give and receive based on the talents and gifts that make you UNIQUELY you!

This blog post was written by Cindy Holbrook.  If you would like to connect with Cindy directly visit her on the web at http://CindySense.com . This blog post is part of our guest blogger series. These posts are meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . We welcome your comments and questions. We would love to see Cindy wearing our Clyde Spring Pendant Necklace. http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry/necklaces/clyde-spring-pendant.html  Thanks Cindy!!!!

Have you ever worked really hard to learn how to do something? Something you thought you SHOULD learn how to do. How much value do you place on your ability to do that? I’d venture it’s of a much higher value to you than the value you place on your natural gifts and talents. Now ask yourself what do others appreciate in me? I bet it is things you don’t value, rather than the thing you worked so hard to learn to do.

Most of us know the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”. Well that applies to your gifts, talents and skills too. I’ve often noticed this when I read people’s hands. Whatever they do naturally and easily, they place little value on. Whatever someone else does easily and naturally they admire and wish they could do. Often we make ourselves wrong for not being able to do certain things and at the same time we discount what we do very well. It takes other people noticing and complimenting us, sometimes for years, before we can finally give in and recognize the inherent value of what we do.

How do you open your heart to embrace your gifts?

1. Notice what you do so easily. See the impact it is having. Allow your attention to focus on how much that means to the recipient.

2. Pay attention to how you feel when use your natural gifts. Are you enjoying yourself? Are you enthusiastic? Do you feel like you’re getting filled up inside with joy?

3. Also you need to pay attention to the compliments you receive. Thank the person. Stop and breathe in the words and the feelings being expressed to you.

 4. Watch your inner dialogue. Don’t allow your ego to tell you what you did is not important or meaningful. Also don’t let your ego overinflate a compliment received and make it into how special you are. There’s a two edge sword to avoid here because minimizing or inflating are both insidious to your genuine open-hearted acknowledgment.

5. Self-love truly must come from the self and not from what others tell you. Yes barrow their belief in you until you have your own. That’s a good way to climb a step of your staircase. Just don’t rest there too long without looking for ways to cultivate genuine self-appreciation and acknowledgement.

I’ve found that your gifts and talents are usually part or your Life Purpose. Once you recognize them and use them intentionally they contribute to living a life that is fulfilling to your soul. Make this the year you own and express your gifts.

This blog post was written by Rosemary Heenan and she sends her warmest regards. If you would like to connect with Rosemary directly visit her on the web at http://www.rosemaryheenan.com . This blog post is part of our guest blogger series. These posts are meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . We welcome your comments and questions. This post was provided courtesy of AskNannette.com. We would love to see Rosemary wearing our Cedar Beach necklace http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry/necklaces.html/ . Thanks Rosemary!!!!

When people hear the word Tantra they usually think of kinky sex, the Kama Sutra, something they say on HBO or on Sex & the City. That’s if they’ve heard of it at all. Tantra means expansion through awareness, transformation through pleasure. What this means literally is that your whole being is expanded, increased through awareness of your senses, feelings and energy. This includes awareness of your breath “the basis of all forms of meditation” with the addition of your sexual energy increasing your ability to feel- specifically pleasure; different from other forms of meditation. So what is the big deal about? Why is Tantra this ancient science and set of practices resurfacing in our culture today? Well people feel little if anything and we are mostly living our lives inside our thoughts, judgments, evaluations and assessments, essential living in our heads. As far as pleasure most are lacking. When most people feel it seems like they feel bad, sick, hurt, victimized or they are complaining. In fact some feel no pleasure at all. Pleasure shows up as anticipation rather than a sensual experience, one that can be sensed and felt. Remember really wanting something like a new car? Most likely when you got it the pleasure didn’t last very long. It wasn’t the feeling you expected from acquiring the new car right?

The powerful mind can imagine something that will bring us feelings of pleasure, but it actually takes the body to feel it. For many women, feeling strongly passionate was discouraged we were often told we were too emotional. Things were said to us such as “What are you having your period?” So we learned to bury our feelings and experience life in our heads. Our bodies became useful for wearing decorative adornments (attraction) and for getting us somewhere like from meeting to meeting (movement). In essence our bodies have become something we do and not a source of inner knowledge. Not bad, just not pleasurable and not healthy. Many women have become automatons rushing to work, caring for children and family members and trying to be loving partners. When it comes to relaxing and taking a breath we cannot seem to do it. We tend to focus on the pleasure of others not our own there never seems to be time for us. It is your birthright to feel pleasure and it’s also the feminine aspect of life to feel in essence you are honoring yourself as a women.

When you start this way of breathing and sensing you will naturally feel better, happier, passionate and more alive. Okay what does this have to do with Tantra? In Tantra you will learn to breathe properly along. Kegel exercises are taught; using your muscle contractions to build a charge in your body using the vital force of sexual energy. Once we learn to feel our feelings we can then learn to release them. Tantra teaches us to transmute the sexual energy into a spiritual connection with our “higher selves”; the result is eradication of feelings of shame and guilt as well as any other trauma we may have experienced earlier on in our lives. The outcome is pleasure, permission for unabashed life at its fullest “body and mind” connected working in union.

 Why you may want to practice Tantra:

1. Feel good about yourself, more attractive, self-confident and increase your capacity for pleasure. Learn to experience joy and fulfillment as a way of life.

2. Empower your well-being, eliminate toxins, eliminate stress, accept yourself as you are and release deep painful cellular memories so you can feel safe and whole.

3. To become focused and be able to set your intentions, do the practices and watch the laws of attraction bring what you want into your life.

4. Uplift your relationships and see others for who they really are, relate to their divine nature and trust your intuition.

5. Experience the expression of your deepest emotions. Know rapture, love, passion and BEYOND! BECOME your own BELOVED!  

This blog post was written by Laurie Handlers. You can learn more great tips from Laurie by visiting her website: http://www.butterflyworkshops.com or http://www.sexandhappiness.com .This blog post is part of our guest blogger series. These posts are meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . We welcome your comments and questions. This post was provided courtesy of AskNannette.com. Thanks Laurie!!!! When you’re going out on the town we would love to see you in one of our event bags, you will find them at http://www.bangleandclutch.com/bags/event-bags.html/ .

I am happily married and a mom of four beautiful children, two boys and two girls. I am truly blessed! I have been told that I am a positive person and I believe that being positive has carried me through the tough times in my life. Although my faith has been tested, I give full credit to my Heavenly Father, for me making it this far. I believe part of my reason for being here is to inspire others to be positive and strong. My gift was lost but I have found it again. So wrapped up in my everyday life, that I forgot what it was that I love to do.

When I was younger I use to draw all the time. It was my outlet. Now I wasn’t Picasso or anything, but I could draw. I use to write letters with elegance. Kids at school would ask me to write their names and draw on their book covers. I knew a lot of talented kids in school that I thought were better artists than me but I knew that I could become better if I practiced. I wasn’t given the pat on the back or the acknowledgment that I desired from my parents so I just gave up. But life went on and my world changed, I lost my way and slowly forgot about my passion.

That’s just an excuse but it was my excuse. I want kids and teens to know that they are in control of their feelings and no one can take that away from them but themselves. I hope that we can touch millions of young kids, teens and adults with our words of inspiration and art of positivity. This post was written by Myda Muckala and you can connect with her at http://www.theartoflivingpositive.com .Thanks Myda!

This blog post is part of our guest blogger series. These posts are meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., Ask Nannette, AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . We would like to see Myda wearing http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry/event-jewels/slatina-saphire.html/

A lot of people are feeling the financial hardship this economy is bringing us. For some, nothing has changed, for others, this cannot be a better time to invest, yet for most, this is a very difficult time. When our basic needs are not being met or we find ourselves under a lot of stress, especially financial, we lose focus of what’s important. We walk around like zombies, with glassy eyes, tight stomach, scrambling, fearful, hearing but not listening, a million thoughts racing in our mind, and simply not present. This pressure is more intense when other people depend on us. And the worst part is that it doesn’t seem like there is anything we can do to fix or improve it. There is apparently nowhere to turn. We are driven by fear. Fear drives us to doubt ourselves, to experience lack of trust, to neglect or hurt ourselves and our loved ones, to create more fear and stress, to create chaos and confusion, to live in darkness. What is the Universe be trying to teach us? Why are we all going through this? Why all this fear?

My sense is that these obstacles are making us stronger. These situations are teaching us about the value of family, friendships, simplicity and community. We are forced to reach out for help, to count on one another, to share more, to build a conscious community. We are forced to simplify our lives and appreciate the little things money can’t buy. This economy is teaching us to believe in ourselves to define us, to give us the appreciation we needed, the status, the honor, the love. We’ve experienced life through buying more and more things, filling up our garages with things we forgot we had. We’ve experienced life without real joy because we had to work hard and had no time to stop and have fun.

The Universe has given us such magnificent gifts: the sun, the sky, the ocean, the mountains, and the seasons. We are so busy building our material world that we don’t take the time to enjoy all that is right in front of our eyes. When was the last time we stopped to listen to the birds chirp in the morning, welcoming the new day? When was the last time we stopped to feel the energy of the earth beneath our naked feet? I know many people who got laid off from their 9-5 jobs. They were devastated. They were not able to find comparable jobs that gave them the life style they were accustomed to. They were forced to look for alternatives and in their search, they found what they truly love doing. They have simplified their lives, have accepted help from people, and they are living life fully, enjoying the time they didn’t have before because of their jobs. They are now doing things they’ve put aside or exploring their passions that were dormant inside themselves. They are exploring what it is like to love without judgment and learning to count on that love to keep them strong and positive.

Being forced to simplify, change, love, pursue our passions, and take time to enjoy life is a gift this economy has brought to many of us. I know some are still resisting it, but with time they too will understand that things happen for a reason, and that an optimist always sees the glass half full and looks for opportunities in the midst of chaos. I invite you to see the gift in your challenges and join me in appreciation and gratefulness for our gift of life. This post was written by Nancy De Andrade and you can connect with her at info@nancydeandrade.com  

We would like to see Nancy wearing http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry/earrings/ventura-blue-zircon.html/ This blog post is part of our guest blogger series. These posts are meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., Ask Nannette, AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . We welcome your thoughts, comments and questions. This post was provided courtesy of AskNannette.com. Thanks Nancy!!!!!!!