I was peeling away the shell of an egg I colored for Easter one year. As I slowly removed the pieces of shell after cracking it, I saw something amazing. The dye had seeped through the shell and colored the white of the egg. Beautiful purples, pinks and greens were very tie-dye like and put me in awe! I didn’t want to eat it, it was so pretty! Then so many things began to emerge for me just looking at this gorgeous egg. So many questions as well.

There is such a magnificent beauty in all of us, if we just take away the protective shell we place around us. We all have a rich array of colors to ourselves, which should be un-shameful to display. There are colors nobody has seen before because they belong to only you. We should know and also get to know, the beauty that lies within us and not be afraid to show it to others.

As I kept gazing at the egg, I realized this is one of a kind. I am one of a kind, an original. I couldn’t copy or try to duplicate the colors and design on the egg again. Each of us are all very unique on the inside as well. Why should I try to copy someone else?! That is stealing their uniqueness from them and not honoring who they are. I’m also and more importantly, not honoring myself!

Questions began to emerge for me as I kept gazing at this beautiful egg.

What do I allow to sink into me and color the inside of me?

Are they colors of dark sadness, anger, despair and negative in nature? Or are they amazing colors of peace, joy, laughter, love and full of positivity?

Am I allowing the “dye,” or color, to seep into myself? When I don’t want it to?

Do I color the outside shell to mask and hide myself on the inside never letting anyone see me?

Do I protect myself with my shell, so heartache never sets in me? Or, can I break it open to set myself free?

Do I “hard boil” myself? Beat myself up or “scramble” myself to a bloody oblivion?

All questions to gaze upon in my life.

There are different colors that I apply to myself. All are magnificent, gorgeous and amazing riches which I add to my life. Events, situations and people all help color who I am. And I have come to know, when you peel away the outer shell, the beauty of you is amazing! Thank you Easter Egg, for such a profoundness for myself!

Seventeen years ago, I was in darkness and hit hard by a storm which brought me to my knee’s. My divorce left me in a million pieces and each of those pieces kept bleeding. Then a couple of years later, my Dad passed away. It took me a long many years to pick myself up. Like puzzle pieces, I had to put myself back together. But I also knew, the outcome of the picture I was creating had to be different. I had to ignite the light I knew was inside my heart. The lady I so desperately wanted to be was buried deep within the catacombs of my heart. I just had to bring her out!

Thankfully, I had family and friends to help lift me off of my knee’s. It felt wonderful to have helping loving hands, when they were out reaching for me, to grab a hold of. I also I knew I needed therapy to help me work things through bit by bit. I realized I’m stronger than I think I am. I amazed myself. I slowly started to see and feel the spark that was always there inside my heart.

It’s been an incredible, magical journey to say the least! And I’m still on it! I have tenderly wiped each bloody puzzle piece with love and set them around the light of my heart. I vowed to never ever let the light of my heart, go out or dim again.

2019, I experienced a deep love with a wonderful man. But yet again, a storm hit me. But this time I was not left in darkness, because I had done the hard work within myself. And he will always have a sweet spot in my heart.

We all have a house we go to and live in. I leave the porch light on outside my house and I leave a light on inside my house. I feel safe knowing I can see the door, and I feel comfort knowing I can see my way inside the house. I realized I have another home. Within myself! I have always said: “If I’m around myself all the time, why don’t I get to know me and love the home of my heart!”

It was easier for me, as I go through this storm, because I have already done my hard inner work and strive to on a continuous basis. To make sure my light within will always be on, so when storms come and darkness hits, I have a light on to see my way home!

As you can tell, I love affirmations! I’ve been writing them ever since I was a wee girl. I’m always on the search for affirmations from other’s, to help me with my own inner journey. I credit this affirmation to Abraham Hicks. Then later on Abraham said it this way as well:

“Looking for your soulmate?

“Look into the mirror, and be the mate to your soul!”

This hit me like a ton of bricks years ago after my divorce. It caused me to take myself out of the “oh, woe is me pity party.” I kept saying: “Where is he, the love of my life! I just want someone to love me for who I am and stay with me, be my soulmate, my life partner!”

Then after reading this affirmation, I looked into the mirror. I gazed at myself, and I knew I had to devote myself to be the mate to my soul. Last year I had a wonderful man in my life. This present day of February 11th 2021, as Valentines Day approaches, I am embracing being single again. I am still constantly working on being the mate to my soul. Learning to do that, has been incredibly enriching and enhancing. It brings an amazing and awesome beauty into myself and my life.

I always say: “If I’m around myself all the time, why don’t I get to know me and love me?!” “I have to be the love of my life! “I have to be my life partner!” “I have to be the mate to my soul!”

Affirmations can smack you like a gentle kiss. Wake and shake you. Spark and ignite you. Help you. That is why I write affirmations! Because they are what ignites me. It has become a passion of mine, to help give you guidance for your own innermost journey.

There are many souls we will meet that can and will be a soulmate for us. But always know that your the most important soulmate you will ever have! Your soulmate is you! Be the mate to your soul!!

Every now and then, especially now during these uncertain times, I feel a little lost. A little unbalanced with myself. It is during these times when I know I need to get quiet within and ask for guidance.

2020 has had me go within for the answers I need. There is always a loving truth which emerges and sometimes a perspective I have never thought of before. When I free my mind of all the false negative crap, I can then free and follow my heart.

Your mind tends to feed you things which are totally untrue. Overthinking leads to imaginary thoughts, that really are not there and serve no purpose. They cause you to be out of alignment with who you really are. Sometimes we can get in our own way! When this happens, step into your heart, and know you will receive a clearer answer and vision for yourself. Your heart and soul knows what you need and has all the answers you will ever need.

You have an extraordinary magic which lives within you. It will lovingly guide and take you beyond your wildest dreams. So:

Align with your truth. Follow your heart. Free your mind. Get quiet and listen, notice the loving guidance you hear inside your soul.

I haven’t got time for the pain.

I haven’t got room for the pain.

There is a song by Carly Simon, which has this phrase in it. It just popped in my head one day. It’s actually a romantic song. But these two phrases jumped out at me in a very different manner.

I just ended a year long romance and I am left with working on dissipating the heartache. As I go through this grieving process, I ask myself: Why am I letting this consume me? I’ve got a beautiful life to live. I haven’t got time for the pain! Life is too damn precious to be wasting time on heartache and pain for days, months or even years!

I did sit for a couple of months with tears streaming like waterfalls from my eyes. I gently stopped and thought: I really don’t have room for pain and heartache to dwell and live in me. To continue living in pain is not who I am! I choose to only have room for love, laughter, joy, peace and keep positivity within me. When I choose to look at my life differently it becomes more fluid, awesome and amazing things begin to happen. There is a easement which sets in.

This relationship put me in utter awe of myself. I gave it my all, but I also, listened to my voice within for guidance. I set my boundaries and I’m proud of myself for standing my ground and honoring myself when those boundaries were not met. I deserve someone worthy of me. I now know I am worthy of myself.

I also learned you can help people a lot of the time, but in certain circumstances, if their not willing to get the help they need for themselves, there is no need to keep holding your hand out hoping they will grasp on to help pull them out! It also drains your precious energy! Even though there was, and always will be, a deep love present, I would rather have tears of love, laughter, joy and peace rain from my eyes, rather than the heavy tears of pain.

It hurts to let someone go! Especially when their a wonderful person despite the problems that plague them. It hurts to let the wonderful parts of the relationship go. But it hurts even more if I let myself go!!

I’ve learned to really follow my voice within, my intuition. It is always right for me. There are so many different ways your voice with speaks to you. For me, it was phrases from a song.

I haven’t got time for the pain!

I haven’t got room for the pain!

There is a deep wisdom which is within each of us. It is always present. It knows you like no one else knows you. It is the core of you. It is your intuition, your voice within. Your voice within is the most sacred part of you. It is always true to you and always WILL be true to you.

I know that if I feel uneasy about a situation, or I am faced with some really difficult decisions, I feel safe to ask myself for the answers. I know without a doubt, I will receive an ever-loving and honest response from my voice within. It has never, ever steered me wrong! When I listen to my jumbled up, overthinking mind, my life seems to wander off track from where I really intended to go! It guides me in wacked out directions! I find if I get myself out of my head and listen to my heart, my inner loving guidance is there to wrap around me like a snuggling warm blanket, making me feel safe.

Throughout my life, I have learned to really listen to the voice within me. I have learned so many various ways my beautiful intuition guides me. Have you listened to your intuition lately? Or do you pay more attention to your jumbled mind. Stop and take some time to notice which is true for you.

If you would like to learn the many ways your voice within, your intuition, speaks to you, you can get my book, Listen To The Voice Within. Go to my store page for a copy.

Your intuition, your inner voice is like a compass. It will always steer you in the right direction for yourself. Through the years many people have given me advice. Some graciously give their wisdom, some give advice and get angry or upset because their advice is not being utilized. “Why didn’t you do it the way I told you! they would exclaim. the way “they wanted” seems right for me?

I always take the advice people have given me and weigh it to determine if it feels right or not. What I have found in listening to my inner voice, really hearing it, is that it’s always right. When I’m in tune with myself I feel free, joyous, peaceful and ever loving.

So Stop, take a breath and listen.

The best advice you will ever get comes from your gut instinct. The inner compass of your soul. Always follow it and go where it is pointing for you to go!

One September morning in 2020, I woke up with a song stuck in my head. A romantic song by Barry Manilow. I have not heard it in years, and could not for the life of me figure out why, of all songs, this particular one! It just kept going on and on in my head! Maddening! Until I stopped to realize there had to be a reason for it replaying over and over! The song goes something like this: ( well these are the bits and pieces which were in my head!)

“I can’t smile without you,

” I can’t laugh, I can’t sing, I’m finding it hard to do anything!

” I feel sad when your sad, I feel glad when your glad!

And it continues on. I woke up thinking, REALLY??!! And for the record, this is not about bashing this song or Barry Manilow by any means! I apologize if it is now stuck in your head too! This song all of the sudden hit me so different than the romantic way it is supposed to be viewed as.

After my divorce in 2005, I would hear a multitude of love songs which would creep up on the radio in my car, at home or on the t.v. My heart was in pieces and each piece was bleeding, so to hear any love song just made it worse! Until one day I heard a voice within me say: “Dana, turn those songs around to yourself. Sing those love songs to yourself. Turn them around so there just for you! I thought: “Wow, never thought about it that way before!”

For instance, there is a song I heard in the car one day which had a line that says: “If you can’t be with the one you love honey, love the one your with!” Well that would be me! Because I’m around myself all the time! Another one jumped out at me one day, a romantic one by the Eagles. “Love will keep us alive.” I turned it around. ” Love will keep ME alive! It became so powerful and profound for me. It can be a whole song or just phrases of one.

With the song by Barry Manilow, it made me turn it around in a very different way.

Why am I letting, or allowing someones emotions to become my own?

Just because the other person is sad doesn’t mean I have to be sad and feel that way when I don’t. “I can’t smile without you.” I should be able to smile within myself. Why am I relying on someone to make me smile? Why am I living my life through them and what they feel? Don’t get me wrong, I am all for helping people out and being there for them when they need someone. But it doesn’t mean I have to take on and absorb what they are feeling. Those emotions are their’s not mine. I can choose not to claim them for myself. So this song was a big “WOW” for me! It put things in such a different light for myself.

Songs seem to always stir us, inspire us, make us feel good or not so good. They make us dance around and get you in a happy feeling place and can romance you! For me, they sometimes stop me in my tracks and get me to open up, to look at things very differently. So if a song gets stuck in your head, or jumps in your ear, maybe there is a message contained in it. What message do you get for yourself? Stop and Listen!

Do you keep saying: “I’ll do it tomorrow!”

Life is “NOW!” You reading this is the “NOW.” Your breathing in this very moment is the “NOW.” With all of your hopes, dreams and desires you hold for yourself, and for your future, make today the opportunity to step towards those dreams, desires and goals. Tomorrow soon becomes your today, and today is the tomorrow that you wanted to take action.

There is another saying: “Don’t put it off till tomorrow what you can do today!”

So, when tomorrow comes, then the next tomorrow comes, then the next, you have a stack of tomorrows that you have wasted! How many tomorrows have you gone through? Don’t waste the day wishing for more tomorrows. How much time are you going to waste thinking you need more time? Your tomorrows can’t get better unless you make the first step today and keep stepping forward. Take steps to plan that trip you’ve always wanted and go! Go after that dream job, take the class you’ve wanted to take. Make today the day you call to get clean and sober! Make today the day you start writing a book! Hey, if I can write a book, so can you!! Start that website, be the boss of your own company, call friends and loved ones to spend more precious time with them! Whatever it is!!

Don’t let another tomorrow slip through your fingers. Today is the day! Your dreams of tomorrow can be your reality today. Make your tomorrows come to life!