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The Power of Living a Life of Purpose

Posted by

rstapholz on December 22, 2021

“When you stay on purpose and refuse to be discouraged by fear, you align with the infinite self, in which all possibilities exist.” – Wayne Dyer

So often many of us navigate through life feeling numb. We search for a deeper connection but are uncertain on how to obtain it. Most often we feel as though something is missing and at times our lives lack passion. One of the greatest days of our lives is the day we were born. The other is the day we discover why.

I used to struggle with trying to figure out my purpose. I discovered that the challenge was not in my figuring out what my purpose was but, lied in me “trying to find my purpose.” Our purpose is not found outside of us. It is within us. It is that thing that you wake up with, travel throughout the day with, naturally and authentically touches someone else, and rests in your spirit each night. It is the defining part of who you are that does not need to be found. It needs to be activated. The beauty of such a powerful discovery is the realization that it was there all the time waiting for you to tap into it.

The Secret to Living a Life of Purpose

The wonderful discovery of living a life of purpose is to live YOUR life with purpose, faith and trusting God’s plan for YOU! Adversity can be a great deterrent to living a meaningful life of purpose. Why? Life’s challenges often create painful experiences that can keep you stagnated due to a sense of hopelessness. On the flip-side, painful experiences develop patience for those experiences, gratitude for the life lessons learned, a willingness to embrace change, and become the key to lasting joy.

As author and scholar C.S. Lewis describes, “It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”

Purposeful Action Steps

I passionately encourage women to daringly steal away from their day-to-day busyness and be still to hear the inner voice of their heart. I know all too well how our minds can be on constant overload. Intentional moments of stillness empower you to be led to taking one bold step at a time to explore the opportunities that await you. Be inspired by these action steps to live your life with intentionality.

Stop thinking about finding your purpose. As Nike reminds us, Just Do It! Get out of your way and daringly take one bold step at a time by doing something new even if it scares you! Results are bred out of our doing.
Listen to your heart, therein lies your true purpose. Take a bold step to answer the questions of your heart, i.e., are you doing what YOU love? When you follow your heart, true happiness flows and your inspiring, creative soul boldly shows up.

7-Day Action Plan

Over the next 7 days, you are being challenged to take some time to be still and listen to your heart. As your heart speaks, be brave enough to take one bold step at a time to fully walk in your purpose.

A Final Step

Your purpose matters! Your life’s mission matters! Your calling matters! This week’s Call to Action: Whatever it is, just do it and live your life on purpose with purpose. “The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion” – Terry Orlick

Dare to Live Your Best Life in Abundance,

Cheryl

Your Mindset and Wellness Coach

Time to Make Yourself a Priority

Posted by

rstapholz on December 13, 2021

Empowerment

“You always have to remember to take care of you first and foremost, because when you stop taking care of yourself, you get out of balance and you really forget how to take care of others.” – Jada Pinkett Smith

Our society teaches us that taking care of ourselves first is selfish and not a good thing. Anyone who knows me will acknowledge my frequent echo that, “self-care is not an option – it’s a necessity.” As I promote the importance of self-care, I often share the analogy that, in the unlikely event of an emergency, fit your oxygen mask first, before attending to children or dependents. By putting yourself first, you can more effectively, help your loved ones or those in need. But what does it take to learn when to say yes and know how to say no in order to take control of your life?

If you were to pause right now, and I asked, does your life feel like it’s out of control, how would you respond? Would your answer be that you feel like you have to say yes to everyone’s requests? Or would you say that you find yourself readily taking on the responsibility for others’ feelings and problems? Or perhaps, would you say that you focus too much on being loving and unselfish that you’ve forget your own limitations?

Life experiences, while varied, have taught me many valuable lessons. As an encourager, I have and continue to invest time speaking life to others. Walking in this truth with complete integrity, I acknowledge that there have been times, where I spent more time taking care of others and neglected my self-care. I found myself on a journey of pouring out of my cup, taking care of everyone and everything while leaving little to nothing for myself. Eventually, I found myself at the brink of running on empty. The dangers of allowing our cup to become bone dry can lead to burnout.

Yes, I am very confident that we can attempt to be superwomen, mastering the task of multi-tasking and getting things done. We can often major in achieving our goals, walking in our purpose and mistakenly risk forsaking the most important person on our journey – ourselves. Let’s take a quick peek at some of the signs of an empty cup.

How Full is Your Cup?

With the many hats we wear, it is essential that we take consistent ‘me-time’ moments to refuel, refresh, and rejuvenate our spirits. When you are giving of yourselves to others, no matter what your task is, you must take time to keep your cup full. But how can you know when self-care is lacking? Does it show up as irritability, tiredness or low-energy, frustration or even anger because we have not been “intentional” about working on the personal goals we set for ourselves? The result, most often, is that you can become resentful because of feeling of putting your life on hold.

While the list of signs that serve as warning signals that our cup is empty varies, we must be open to observing how we are responding to self and others. A continual lack of self-care will take a toll on our lives either by way of exhaustion, burnout, decreased focus and a lack of motivation, to name a few. It is vital to take time to learn that you matter.

Action Steps to Keep YOUR Cup Full

To live intentionally and on purpose, we must keep our cups full EVERY DAY! We hear the word “intentional” used frequently in many aspects but what about being intentional about taking time out to keep your cup full? I know everyone around you is busy, or they’re in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean we need to be on that same downward spiral.

I was recently on a conference call, and participants were warmly welcomed to share how they were managing their self-care. Despite the adversity they faced, each woman shared very profound steps they had taken to keep their cup full. I was completely overjoyed!

Action Steps to Keep YOUR Cup Full

To live an intentional life, it is vital that we establish me-time moments by laying a deliberate foundation. Here are some ways I found helpful on my journey to keeping a full cup.

Dare to be Vulnerable! It’s okay, to be honest with yourself as well as with others.
Follow YOUR Truth! Know when to retreat. Your mind, body, spirit, family, and friends will appreciate you for it.
Own YOUR Voice! Un-apologetically say ‘no’ to things that distract you from keeping your cup full and living an intentional life of purpose.

When we establish purposeful me-time moments, they create meaningful opportunities for our commitment to live intentionally and on purpose.

7-Day Action Plan

Pause and Reflect: What do you do to personally keep your cup full? What does life look like for you when you don’t? If there is need for change in order to keep YOUR cup full, be willing to make a paradigm shift to avoid potential burnout or a breakdown.

A Final Step

My life experiences have without hesitation accelerated my genuine eagerness and passion of helping others to keep their cup full. Me-time moments matter. This week’s Call to Action: Please take care of YOU!

Dare to Live Your Best Life in Abundance,

Cheryl

Your Mindset and Wellness Coach

Your Worth is Inspiration

Posted by

rstapholz on October 15, 2021

Empowerment

When we understand our value, we are equipped to add value
to the lives of others.

Have you ever been in the midst of difficulty or uncertainty and found yourself questioning your significance or trying to figure out your sense of purpose? Have you or do you struggle with not feeling good enough? Do you find yourself trying to fit into circles where others seem to minimize your value? Believe it or not, these are shared reflections of not feeling good enough.

My Story

I have always been eager to be a successful entrepreneur, write and travel the world inspiring women. However, I can recall times when I found myself scared that I would not be successful. While I have now taken the plunge to fulfil several God-directed assignments, there are those moments when I still feel a tiny bit nervous. These are moments where I feel that I am not smart enough, not talented enough, not productive enough or don’t measure up to the achievements of other successful entrepreneurs whom I admire. There are other days when I am extremely confident in my own skin and feel as if I could rule the world, my creativity is flowing, my To-Do List is on point, and I am making things happen.

Several years ago, I and four other women who named ourselves, The Phenomenal Five, would meet once a month in Harrisburg for our monthly sister circle. It was a time of transparency and sheer authenticity. We would gather over dinner and once settled in, would unashamedly share our collective successes as well as insecurities without judgment. This space of intentional openness allowed us to encourage and inspire each other despite the fears – big and small – that we felt.

I remember how we would laugh, cry and encourage one another as we truly believed in each of our respective abilities and value. These monthly gatherings are moments I will always cherish as they proved powerful in helping me to shift my perspective of my own worth. Today, when I find myself being challenged with any nervousness, I recall those powerful conversations and the courageous perspectives offered, which to this day, not only inspire me to remember who I am, but to inspire other women to do the same.

Shifting Perspective

Once you acknowledge feelings of not being good enough and identify the root cause, you may wonder how to move past this. The most important shift is understanding the importance of establishing boundaries. Why? Because YOU MATTER! As you begin to reflect, you will discover that the lack of established boundaries can create barriers to investing time in yourself, acknowledging your potential, setting a worthy goal, avoiding common traps, surviving bad days, and binding thoughts of failure.

Here are some practical steps to establish boundaries that will help you regain your self-worth and knowing that you are indeed good enough.

Be honest and transparent. When you are transparent about your life experiences, the fears you face, and your short-comings, you find support from those you trust in knowing that you are not alone. They are able to offer valuable perspective during those moments when you are unable to see your real worth.
Stay free of the comparison trap. Stop comparing yourself to others who you perceive as high achievers. Instead, create your own definition of success that liberates you.
Give attention to what you do right. Not one of us is perfect. There is value in acknowledging your strengths rather than giving attention to your flaws. Embrace that you are worth far more than you give yourself credit for.

7-Day Action Plan

For the next seven days refer to the list above and jot down ways you value yourself! Select an area where you may feel not as valued as you would like. Then ask yourself these question: If I valued myself more, what would I do in this situation? Who would I be? What would be the first step I would take in promoting my self-worth?

The purpose of this activity is for you to recognize the qualities that you possess as well as identify potential areas that you need to work on.

Final Step

No matter how challenging or difficult the situations you may face, never stop believing that you are good enough! Whether you have an extraordinary idea for a project, or an opportunity to partner on an assignment, you must believe that you have what it takes. You don’t need validation before you can feel that you are good enough. This week’s Call to Action: Just believe that you are and walk in it!

When you are clear about your value, it leads to a greater sense of inspiration and clarity about your real worth and the opportunities that lie ahead. You are worthy, valuable and good enough!

Dare to Live Your Best Life in Abundance,

Cheryl

Your Mindset and Wellness Coach

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