Taking Control of Your Own Success

Angel Quintana April 6, 2015

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR OWN SUCCESS

Article by Cinthia Singleton
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #23

To be an expert in a specific area of study or field. To gain the utmost respect and receive oodles of recognition. We all want it. Well, let’s do it!

1 :: Don’t wait but DO. Actually get that paint, brush, canvas… the still life… and paint. You want to have your own business? What are you good at and what are the steps to take to actually start it. If you’re not doing, research those in the know.

2 :: Expect to try, don’t except to be perfect. The City Ballet dancers didn’t just roll out of bed to amaze us. They struggled, each and every day, to perfect. It’s a verb not an adjective; so much of mastery is.

3 :: Attendance is 90% of the struggle. If you find yourself saying, “I would love to write,” you’re not. 30 minutes of fully engaged writing is far more ‘present’ than 2 hours of talking about it. Outline that novel or short story. Push the words out of your head and onto the page or screen. Be the verb.

4 :: Assume no one but you can really help YOU, i.e. “attend” as in 3. But rest assured that their are others who’ve either 1. been where you are, 2. can inspire you to find your way. Meet those people. Read their books. Listen to their Ted Talks. So much inspiration comes from those who’ve been there and pushed through it.

5 :: The more you learn, the more you learn but the more you combine and blend, the more you learn how creative you truly are. THAT is a master, one who can craft the present gifts and be fluid as new ones evolve. Start out making soaps, discover a product that would be amazing for a body scrub… and a new line is added to your products.

6 :: The element of fluidity IS when we truly become masters of our, well, mastery of whatever it is we work so hard to achieve.

So enjoy the chase. Would you do what you’re doing for free? If yes, you are on the right track. True, money is a vital energy we need to survive, but it’s not the best motivator. See, the energy of MONEY best translates as a tool. We work hard, we get paid. We get paid, we can pay for [rent, clothes, car, food, trips, etc]. If not used as the tool that it is, money creates things that lack soul and are inauthentic to you.

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.” Maya Angelou

You and the gifts you master are the footprint of YOU. Be true. Be brave. Savor it.

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Be a Better Holistic Leader by Embracing Your Shadow Self

Angel Quintana April 3, 2015

BE A BETTER HOLISTIC LEADER BY EMBRACING
YOUR SHADOW SELF

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #23

We all have two sides, for it is in our nature. One side (the good side) is filled with joy, hope, love, peace, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The other side (the bad side) is filled with anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, gilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. We as humans in nature have these two sides. The balance of both of these sides is totally dependent of how well we know and embrace your shadow self.

Our ego tells us that not to dwell upon our darker shadow side as normal functioning humans, but how quick do we turn to anger and resentment when someone hurts us. If we experience failure we quickly become overwhelmed with fear, confusion and guilt. These are the events that occur to often and during these events we feel the vulnerability until our minds almost always suppress these matters until they are forgotten.

This cycle of emotions never gets displayed completely and gets stored within your shadow self, destined to resurface in the form of negativity allowing a channel for this negativity to appear over and over again.

In order for us to be of sound mind and body our consciousness needs to confront our shadow self. You can start by making mental notes of negative feelings, which leads to contraction of energy in your body. Once you understand the root of the feeling, what you want to do with it will be at your decision on your terms. You might want to convert it into something positive to be at peace and rise above a deep seated negativity.

Once you have acknowledged the existence of anger and vulnerability to yourself, you will figure out a conscious solution to deal with it. It will no longer have the power to unconsciously rule over you. Your shadow self will become your friend which will help overcome the thoughts that bring you down. This process in human nature as told by Native Americans is a battle between “Two Wolves” where a constant battle of conscious and sub conscious exists inside of us.

Introducing yourself to your shadow self, understanding and embracing it can be the only way win this battle between the two wolves, as only one wolf can win this battle “The one you feed the most will most certainly win”. Understanding your shadow self can help you to win the battle for your good side.

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Own Your Niche by Mastering Your Expertise

Angel Quintana April 2, 2015

In order to become a master of your unique gifts, you must first indulge patience, commitment and practice. We were all given a unique set of skills when we came to this earth.

Mastery, Success, or Perfection... What's the Difference?

Angel Quintana March 31, 2015

MASTERY, SUCCESS, OR PERFECTION...WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Article by Tamisha Ford
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #23

In The Rise, by Sarah Lewis, she intricately defines mastery this way:

“Mastery requires endurance. Mastery, a word we don’t use often, is not the equivalent of what we might consider its cognant – perfectionism – an inhuman aim motivated by a concern with how others view us. Mastery is also not the same as success – an event-based victory based on a peak point, a punctuated moment in time. Mastery is not merely a commitment to a goal, but to a curved line, constant pursuit."

Mastery’s Style

Mastery is curvy. She doesn’t stay in the lines nor does she like them. If she were a dating profile, she’d say “a little extra.” This is because mastery, by nature, is dedicated to building on itself – it never sees perfection as an end goal. Instead, it focuses on excellence and consistent movement & improvement. Mastery is known for its commitment to process. When it comes to our creative expression, embracing a mastery mindset means liking the prefix “re”. Re-mixing. Re-mastering. Re-branding. Re-launching. Re-painting. Re-doing. And being totally okay with it.

Perfection’s Style

The style of perfection is best described by Anne Lamott:

“Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist’s true friend. What people (inadvertently, I’m sure) forgot to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are, and why we are here…”

Here’s the thing about perfectionism – it usually has good intent. If you’re like me, as a recovering perfectionist, it always came from a genuine place of just wanting to make my parents proud of me. The thing is, that created the precise unrealistic expectations perfection needs in order to thrive. It’s motivated purely by how it’s viewed by others, which is the reason it’s unhealthy.

The Style of Success

Success in our society has been painted as the resident “she made it” attitude. It’s a pinnacle. It’s the mountain peak. The climax, if you will. The question I have for this version of success is “what happens when you get there?” How have you built it?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having goals. I just think we have to be careful how & why we achieve them. Mastery gives us permission to do it our way and define and refine our work along our path. It allows us to be flexible with change and master our creative and self-expression with servitude and heart - continuously.

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How to Stay in Shape While You Grow Your Business

Angel Quintana March 25, 2015

HOW TO STAY IN SHAPE WHILE YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS
{Don't Be Fooled by the Gimmicks}

Article by Angela Anderson
Photo Credit: Jana Cruder
Magazine: Issue #23

Pretend health foods, Oh-La-La Amazonian juice, & Muscles!

You've seen it, heard it, read it, and bought it. "On this diet, you can have gluten-free pizza, waffles, noodles, brownies, and cupcakes!" Just control your portions, right? Here's a reality check: these foods are not geared towards helping you achieve long term fat loss. Most diets are aimed at women who just want to drop some pounds and who are not weight training. What happens? You lose the weight, but it comes back with a vengeance thanks to also losing metabolically active weight called "muscle." Oh, and you never really learn how to eat 100% whole foods because you've been tricked into believing that "pretend" health foods can help your fat loss.

Is Amazonian oh la-la exotic berry juice is the secret to igniting your fat loss? How many times have we all bought into taking the rainbow pill because there are deficiencies in our diet? Let's get real here - there actually is no obscure ingredient missing in your diet that is going to make all the difference in your fat loss world. Have you considered that boozy weekends, glorified coffees, "pretend" healthy snacks (nut butters, so called Kind bars, dried fruits, and gluten-free baked goods) are keeping you from your fat loss goals?

Oh snap! We know deep down what our vices are, but without your coach saying "don't eat that" we keep the junk and just practice portion control. For some reason, petite-sized servings of crappy food (skinny popcorn) make us think we'll achieve a petite-sized body.

Always Eating "Clean" and Always 5 lbs. Overweight?

Women prioritizing their weight don't realize that they'd become more efficient at burning fat and permanent fat loss if they had more muscle. You can get to a destination with your fat loss where you no longer have to diet. It's all about making your body efficient at burning fat. If you must use a diet, it will only take a small and temporary tweak to get back on track.

Don't wind up skinny fat. Build more muscle and eat as though you are putting more muscle on your body. This doesn't mean drinking more green smoothies and going vegan. It means fueling up for workouts in order to work harder, pump nutrients into muscle cells, and feel your muscles working. Drop the wrist and ankle weights and retire those 5 lb. pink dumbbells. Challenge yourself.

Tick Tock. Are you tired of not having that body with the gorgeous muscle definition you want no matter how much you exercise and "eat clean"? Discover how to master your metabolism by training your fat cells with Trim the Fat™.

7 Secrets to Mastering Your Success

Angel Quintana March 23, 2015

7 SECRETS TO MASTERING YOUR SUCCESS

Article by Kimberly Ward Manning
Photo Credit: Jana Cruder
Magazine: Issue #23

Mastery is defined as accomplished knowledge or control over something. It is not “able to do.” I can play the piano, however, Alicia Keys has mastery over the piano. That’s not to say that at some point I won’t master the ivories.

Whatever it is that you’re looking to gain superiority over, here are some secrets you need to know.

1| 10,000 hours. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell speaks of a “Law of Deliberate Success,” that in order to be world class at something, one needs to invest a lot of time (about 10,000 hours) in that endeavor. If you want to get really good, get busy.

2| Divine guidance. Hard work is one way to success. While it may sound woo-woo, access to your gifts through the Divine is also possible. Think child prodigies and HH Dalai Lama.

3| The path to mastery is paved with some boo-boos. To be successful at anything you must have the courage to make mistakes. “Take chances. Make mistakes. That’s how you grow.” Beautifully said by Mary Tyler Moore.

4| Mastery is its own reward. Sure it’s nice to have the carrot at the end of the stick, however, mastery is an intrinsic carrot. Mastery of anything implies a love of that thing. When we love to do something, extrinsic motivation isn’t necessary. So throw the sticks and veggies aside and get down to doing what you love.

5| Share your gift. How do you know you really rock at something? Teach it. Have you noticed when you show another your skill or talent, not only do you illuminate the other person, but you become really sure of what you know (and what you don’t)? This is service to others, and to your mastered gift.

6| The appreciation of others. When you are world class at something, others notice. People will pay a premium to work with you, buy from you, and they’ll want to hang out with you. Mastery can be a magnet.

7| Master thy self. To get and stay really good at anything requires interest, practice and diligence. Think of it as a fitness program where you’re keeping your mastery in shape. Do what you need to do physically, emotionally and spiritually to keep yourself and your gift sharp.

One who gains mastery will create her own opportunities says a Chinese proverb. Remember these seven secrets as you master your success.

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Attracting Intimacy with the Art of Self-Love

Angel Quintana March 17, 2015

ATTRACTING INTIMACY WITH THE ART OF SELF-LOVE

Article by Marcela Liliana Veron
Photo Credit: Jana Cruder
Magazine: Issue #23

If you want to have a fulfilling love life you must master the Art of Self-Love. Receiving love from others can only take you as far as you’ve gone with your own self-love. Depending on others for your only source of love is not only unsustainable, but can leave you feeling empty when the love is no longer present, and keep you from looking inside for your own source of love.

Love is not only a concept; it is life affirming energy and divine source. Love is a renewable source and a powerful resource – revitalizing and soul-fulfilling.

The art of self-loving emerges from engaging in acts that bring love into your being. Art is a heightened creative expression that moves from the soul. Art becomes ART when fully engaging the practice with intent, passion and devotion. The art of self-loving is therefore self-expression of love in motion, in practice, in ritual – an act of devotion. If there is something you need to be full of -- it is LOVE.

Having a practice of loving yourself can really help you amp up your personal love vibe and source of love. To Master the Art of Self-Love, make it an ongoing ritual, which then blossoms into a self-devotional practice. The more you tune in, the more intimacy you create for yourself – the more you get to fall in love with yourself.

Intimacy becomes then a deeper expression and connection to your soul. Art of Self-love is about loving ALL of you not just the good parts. Having a self-love practice deepens and expands connection with your heart and soul, which magnetizes love and intimacy to you.

Love then follows you around. It’s in your thoughts, communication, intentions and everywhere. It envelops you and radiates in all areas of your life.

As they say “Energy grows where attention goes”. The same goes with Love!

What I’ve experienced, in the years I’ve worked with women, is that many do not know HOW to love themselves, let alone have a self-loving practice. What I’ve realized is that many people, especially women, are not really taught how to love themselves. Here is an important thing to know about self-loving:

Having intimate time is a foundational practice in the Art of Self-love. Which means, you have to put into practice intimacy time, a routine and ritual to retreat and reflect on your feelings, thoughts, emotions, heart’s desires, dreams and all of it.

Write It Down! Speak it Out Loud! Express it through Art. Music. Dance. The deeper and more intimate you get with yourself the more intimacy you will attract. Self-love in motion is art. Mastery --you Embody Your Love.

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