Happiness

By Kate Northrup

MoneyALoveStoryCover

I have a confession to make:

I’ve got this book about money coming out and I’m scared of being “the money girl” for the rest of my life.

My book is called Money: A Love Story, Untangle Your Financial Woes and Create the Life You Really Want. As my publication date gets closer (September 10, 2013), I find myself getting my panties in a wrinkle worrying about what this book is going to mean to my life twenty years from now.

I have at least one other book about money in me. But I also have ideas flowing about spirituality, health, parenting (someday), and relationships.

I’ve paused many times along this book launch process wondering if I’m going to have to move into talking 401K’s and IRA’s in order to stay on point with my brand. (If I did I would feel terminally bored. I’ll leave the nuts and bolts and abbreviations to financial planners and such.)

Ever hesitate to start something because you don’t want to be “branded” by that thing for the rest of your life?

When I get über stuck in my head about it, I think about other people I admire who’ve changed direction with agility and style.

Marie Forleo’s first book was called Make Every Man Want You. Now she teaches women how to rock businesses online.

Chris Guillebeau started out in service work on the Mercy Ships. Now he teaches how to live an unconventional life.

Ronald Reagan was an actor who went on to become President.

Gretchen Rubin was a lawyer who now writes about happiness.

Joy Behar was a high school English teacher before she started doing stand-up in her forties.

Louise Hay was a model and didn’t start Hay House Publishing until she was in her sixties.

My dad was an orthopedic surgeon who’s now a full-time, stay-at-home dad to my eleven-year-old sister.

All of these folks gave themselves permission to morph into the next great version of themselves. There was probably some angst and a bit of an identity crisis or two along the way. But they’re shining examples of the truth that it’s okay to change careers, change topics, and even to change your mind.

A reminder to myself and anyone else who needs it:

If you own and accept who you are, even if it’s a different version than yesterday, other people will accept you too.

We never really know where we’re going. Life is deliciously surprising. Chances are pretty good that all of us will change direction in a major way at some point in our lives.

So, instead of worrying about being “the money girl” forever and cringing every time someone tells me that I’m going to be “the next Suze Orman,” I’ve decided to just do the work.

Right now I’ve got something to tell people about money. Right now I’ve got some insight to share in this particular playground.

At some point in the future I may have something to share in some other playground.

But for now I’m choosing to let go of the fear of future limitation in honor of playing full out right now . . .

Have you ever not started a project because you were afraid of being limited by it later on in life? Do you ever find yourself getting nervous about being pigeon-holed by your brand? Have you made a major change in your career? How did it feel? How did you navigate it? Leave a comment — I’d love to hear your wisdom on this one!

Photo: Henning Mühlinghaus

by Celebrity Makeup Artist, Self-Esteem Coach and Best Selling Author Michelle Phillips

We’ve all said something like this, “When I lose weight, find the right guy, or get a better job”…then I’ll be happy. For so many of us there is a little voice inside that makes us think having what someone else has, or what we don’t have, will make our lives better.

We look at the people around us; friends, colleagues, even celebrities, and think that if we could just have a perfect partner like they do, perfect kids, maybe even perfect bodies, we could finally be happy. But what is “perfect,” and are the people who have it happy? Will we be if we attain it? The answer is more than likely no, so what should we do?

Comparing ourselves to others is totally natural and it is also normal to want to be better or improve ourselves. But chasing perfection, especially someone else’s, definitely won’t give you a fair chance at feeling good about being you. Not to mention that perfection is unattainable and striving for it will only leave you disappointed, so stop.

Long before I became a Life Coach I was a Celebrity Makeup Artist and could always tell just by looking at someone what is going on in their life. I could tell a wide variety of things from their skin, eyes, smile, the way they stood, spoke, and the way they took care of themselves.

It’s simple, if you don’t feel good about yourself and your life, it manifests in your image and you have to admit, you are all fully aware of it when you look in the mirror. Unfortunately the growing trend is people trying to cover up what is going on inside by getting work done on the outside. Our “quick-fix society is turning to Botox, plastic surgery and fad diets rather than doing the inner emotional work that could create lasting “beauty” in our lives. For example, over the last few years, I have been working with a plastic surgeon who sends me clients that feel that once they got “work” done they would finally find the level of perfect happiness they were searching for. Thankfully, by coaching patients towards a holistic transformation instead of yet another let down from searching outside of themselves, they found the perfection they were searching for…internally. As a result, they lost weight and began to look better because they were finding their bliss within.

Rather than dealing with symptoms let’s go a little deeper and try to figure out what is creating the feelings of inadequacy that are driving us. All of us want to look good, feel good, have a great life- I am in total agreement with looking good on the outside, but to achieve that I recommend a different approach.

Find gratitude for what you have- What if your life abruptly changed tomorrow and you lost everything? How badly would you want to have your life back the way it is today? Start a gratitude journal. Write down what you are grateful for and take time to make note of the beauty in your life each day.
Start being happy today- If you are constantly thinking about tomorrow you never have a chance to enjoy today. Where can you create your happy moments for now? Take time to smell the roses!
Make sure your life is your own- Are your decisions and goals your own? When we live the way we think we should instead of the way we could we grow resentful. What could you do and where in life could you live more authentically?
Stop comparing yourself- What if you were the trendsetter of your own life? Would you feel less pressure? Worry? Doubt? It’s okay to hold yourself to a higher standard as long as it’s yours.

The bottom line is that it is okay to strive and grow and to want more as long as you enjoy the ride. Check in with your goals to make sure they are yours and remain grateful every step of the way. When you do, an authentic power and beauty will be yours to radiate!

About Michelle

Michelle Phillips is redefining beauty! By combining her years of experience as a top Celebrity Makeup Artist and Stylist with powerful self-esteem tools, she has created a unique process that is transforming women across the globe. Throughout her career, Michelle’s job was to create the illusion of perfection on camera, and like so many other women, she strived for the same illusion of perfection in her personal life. Along the way though she became disillusioned with the world of “beauty,” and saw this same struggle in the hearts of women everywhere. Michelle saw that women’s quests for perfection were leading to feelings of inadequacy that they were trying to cover up with external fixes like new haircuts, makeovers and fashions, and when that didn’t fill the void, many turned to plastic surgery, dangerous diets, anti-depressants and sleeping pills. She said, “Enough!” and created a process to discover true inner beauty and radiate it outward!

Today Michelle Phillips shares her Beauty Blueprint process in her speaking programs, TV and radio host, and bestselling author of The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams (Hay House, 2011). You may have seen Michelle on TV shows and networks such as; Oxygen Network, We-TV, HGTV, TLC, CW, KCAL-LA, Fox13-Tampa, Daytime, or speaking on the Power of Women Tour and “I Can Do It!” events with inspirational icons Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay. She has also been heard on Martha Stewart Radio on Sirius/XM, Hay House Radio and many more.