I love my Vacuum Cleaner!

This morning found me doing something a little odd. 

Before my shower, before putting on pants even, I was vacuuming. 

My bed. 

Why?  Because I have a dog, as you may have heard.  A black dog.  Who sheds.  A lot.  

But that's not new, I've had a dog for a long time and my bed has been as furry as Jon Bon Jovi's chest for years now.

What is new is that I got a new vacuum cleaner last night.  I am so excited about this new vacuum that even before I opened my eyes I was thinking about all the things I could try it on.

My new friend has been a long time coming. 

About a year ago my old vacuum lost one of it's wheels.  It still worked in a hobbly annoying kind of way so I kept using it and started dropping hints that a new vacuum cleaner would be nice.  To myself, to my mom, to my sweetie. 

While I was away in March, it lost another wheel, 2 out of 4, which solved the hobbling problem but began a new set of issues, floor scratching, poor suction and general vacuum malaise. 

Thus the purchase of Animal, my new super powerful and adaptable vacuum cleaner. 

My friends think I'm a little crazy, they don't understand why I am SO excited about my new Animal.

I'm excited because vacuuming can be downright magical.

It's kind of like clutter clearing.  Clutter clearing can be a chore, or it can be a life transforming process. 

Vacuuming can be a chore or it can be the fastest way to transform the energy of your space. 

I learned this trick from my Space Clearing friends, Karen Kingston and Tracey Stanton and I've never looked at vacuuming the same way since. 

The rush for a new vacuum became critical in the last couple of weeks because I've started to see clients in my home office which means that my house needs to be clean, not only on a physical level - black dog, lots of fur, everywhere, all the time - but on an energetic level too.

Before and after each client, I give my office a quick vacuum. 

Before, to set the space for the clients session, and after, to clear the space for the next activity. 

That's a lot of vacuuming, but it's a joy, especially now that I have a new buddy to help me out.

You can do this too! 

• If you have some friends coming over, vacuum for your friends. 
• If you want to have friends coming over vacuum with the intention of having friends over. 
• If you've had a fight, vacuum up the harsh words.
• If you were sick and now you're feeling better, vacuum up the energetic kleenex and sniffles.

I'm serious, go try it!  And if you hate vacuuming no matter how magical it can be and you would rather someone else clean your home, just set the intention before then come. 

Happy Vacuuming!  And if you would be so kind to pass this along to one or two of your dear friends, me and my new vacuum cleaner will do a little jig, in our underwear.  ;)

Love,

Cecilia

ox

p.s. If you're reading this and you're not on my list, you should really get yourself on it!  I send out a fun and useful email just about every week.  Just pop on over here to get on!  All the cool kids are doing it!

Tulips Love Ice Cubes, Do You?

I just got back from a month in California and didn't give you a heads up because I thought I could meditate and blog at the same time. 

It turns out it's hard to write when your eyes are closed, imagine that!  ;)

I'm back and delighted that the snow is gone (for this week) and our springtime friends are making an appearance for the first time this year. 

Hello crocuses! 

Hello not as fat (but still pretty fat) squirrels! 

Hello guys wearing shorts when it's too cold out!

Last Sunday me, my sweets and Bella went for a long family walk, and halfway through I couldn't resist two bunches of red tulips I found on Roncesvalles for only $6.   Six dollars!

The bargain distracted me from the fact that it would be a long time before they saw water again. 

It took an hour and a half to get home, and then I'm embarrassed to say that I got sucked into email for another hour or so before I remembered that I had new babies to take care of. 

When I finally turned my attention to the tulips, they were sadder than a clown who missed the caravan out of town.  So limp, so lifeless, so so sad... 

I did what I could, trimming the ends, peeling off the most lackluster leaves and putting them one by one into fresh cold water with tulip food mixed in. 

You've never seen a more depressing flower arrangement.  The centerpiece for a called off wedding. 

In a final act of desperation, I grabbed a tray of stale ice cubes and dumped the lot in.

The tulips hung their heads all the way down to the table, ashamed of their new mother and for trusting the farmer with their bulbs.  All that work, growing and getting ready to bloom, for this?

Before I went to bed the tulips had lifted their heads just enough to memorize my features for their post on the "People Who Hurt Flowers" website. 

It wasn't looking good. 

Imagine my surprise when I walked into the kitchen the next morning to find a beautiful healthy bunch of tulips, with strong green leaves, stretching and growing to meet the sun like a group of runners at the starting line. 

What happened?  What was the secret to their success? 

Of course they needed water and food, but the last ingredient, the one that really worked...

Ice cubes!

Tulips adore ice cubes. 

Perhaps it reminds them of the cold ground of early spring.  

It's only tulips who love ice cubes, a rose would feel very hurt and misunderstood if you threw a bunch of ice cubes into her vase.  The rose says, warm water please.

I have to admit that coming back from California left me feeling a bit like those forgotten tulips.  Limp, tired, dull.  While I was away I felt strong and capable, with moments of extreme discomfort, but always fed, always supported, always connected. 

So, I've been on a hunt for the human equivalent of ice cubes, for the secret ingredient to help me spring and grow.

I started by trying the usual.  Singing, jogging, meditating, working, tea with friends, etc...  But it didn't help.  I felt OK, but I didn't feel that jolt of inspiration.  I didn't feel Alive with a capital A! 

Those things must be the food and water.  Expected, needed, but not enough.

What is the ice?

Ice is different.  Ice is unexpected.  Ice is bold.

I've been sitting with it for a week, trying this, trying that and this is what I've figure out.

Ice is Will. 

Ice is opening your eyes in the morning and deciding to wake up. 

Ice is writing through the discomfort. 

Ice is finally doing the thing you've been procrastinating for months. 

Ice is deciding to open, even though it would be so much easier to close.

Ice is not something that happens to you, although it might feel like it at times. 

Ice is you saying "Bring it on!" and then opening your arms to receive it. 

You may have to remind yourself that you invited the ice in.

You invited the ice because you want to grow, you need  to grow, and you're not content to flounder limp and lifeless in a vase of tepid water.

Ice is not the every day. 

Ice is a statement, a choice. 

It may feel harsh or scary in the moment, like the first dive into a cold spring lake, but after a moment it just feels like LIFE!  And just like that cold spring lake, you're never going to get in if you inch your way in, you have to jump.

Remember, tulips LOVE ice cubes. 

The ice is something that you LOVE but that scares the shit out of you.  What scares you might be something soft and vulnerable, sharp and cool, or muddy and wet.

I'm a tulip, I need ice.  I love ice!

Today's ice was finally finishing this blog post and sending it out to you.

What about you?  I'm curious, what's your ice?  Let me know in the comments below, and if you have a human friend in need of a jolt of inspiration I'd love for you to pass this along.

Love,

Cecilia

ox

p.s. If you're reading this and you're not on my list, you should really get yourself on it!  I send out a fun and useful email just about every week.  Just pop on over here to get on!  All the cool kids are doing it!

Do you feel... Weird?

A few weeks ago I was hanging out with my sweetie in the kitchen and said

"I feel..."

and he said

"Let me guess? ...You feel... Weird?".

First came uproarious laughter, then a pause. 

Hmm...  Is it possible that I feel weird a lot? 

It's true.  I'm often saying "I feel weird" or "I feel funny", so it's not surprising that he could finish my sentence but what does it mean?

When I looked at it more closely I realized that I feel weird when I don't feel 100% like myself.  Not like Cecilia Moorcroft, but that feeling in my heart and being that feels like ME, the real me, the bigger me, the me that doesn't feel... weird.

Thus began the hunt for more ME in my life.  When did I feel weird?  When did I feel not weird?  When did I feel AMAZING?

I call it the Weird Barometer, Weirdometer (? Thanks Gaby!), and is it ever helpful.

If I feel weird, then it means that something is off and most likely what's off is that I'm not in alignment with what's true for me. 

I told you a couple of weeks ago, that what's true for me is this feeling in my heart, the heart wings feeling. 

The fact is, not everything I do makes me feel that way. 

I recently said yes to something that I probably should have said no to and boy did my heart wings kick up a fuss.  They got all ruffled and went straight to sulking, wings crossed in a huff. 

Yuck, that didn't feel good. So, I went back and said that I had changed my mind.  I said no. 

It was hard.  It was uncomfortable, but as soon as I did my heart wings sighed in relief and went to work grooming themselves so they could stretch out again. 

Since the "I feel...let me guess?...you feel weird" day I actually feel weird a lot less, in fact more often than not I have the heart with wings feeling and I have to say, it's a much sweeter place to live. 

It's easier to say no to things that I have a feeling will bring on the weird and yes to the things that will make my heart wings hula hoop to Dance Mix '92.  

Thank goodness for the people who know me best, thank goodness for my sweetie. 

The fact is I was saying "I feel weird" so much that it felt normal to say it and more importantly it felt normal to feel it.  I don't want it to be normal that I feel weird, I want it to be normal to feel like ME!

Am I the only one?

Do you ever feel weird, off or funny?

What does it feel like, when you feel like YOU?

What helps you to feel less weird and more like yourself?

I'd love to hear about it in the comments below and you know what?  It would definitely make me feel more like ME if you did.  Not that you should do it for me, you should do it for you and then send it to your friend who is always complaining that she feels... weird.

Love,

Cecilia

ox

p.s. B-School registration closes TODAY, Monday March 4th at 3pm.  If you want to feel more YOU in your business and life you should totally check it out, you won't regret it.  I made sure that I felt 100% me when I wrote this love letter to B-School and came up with my love-filled affiliate bonus.  There are only two spots left and it would make my heart wings sing to have you join The YAY team and take the leap into your own arms. 

p.p.s. If you're reading this and you're not on my list, you should really get yourself on it!  I send out a fun and useful email just about every week.  Just pop on over here to get on!  All the cool kids are doing it!

Legally Blonde It! Pull off the Impossible!

I love Legally Blonde.  I remember the first time I saw it at the now defunct Paradise Cinema right after 9/11.  The world seemed so bleak in those days and I didn't think anything could make me smile, but Elle Woods did.  From that moment on she had my heart.  She never fails to make me feel better when life feels grey and sniffly.  

Imagine my delight when my beloved coaching client Catriona (an amazing harmonica player, musician, teacher, crafter, all around heart filled awesome gal) told me that it's her favorite movie too! 

Last week Catriona was setting out to do the impossible (she's applying for something MASSIVE) and she needed some serious inspiration.  Lucky for her Elle Woods saved the day.

This week I'm going to let Elle teach you how to pull off the impossible, just like she did when she got into Harvard Law. 

Sometimes there are things in life that just have to get done, not because you have to, but because you really really want to.  It's easy to give up before you even start, but before you do see if Elle can't talk you into it.

What can you learn from Elle?

Relentless Optimism

Warner Huntington III: You got into Harvard Law? 

Elle: What? Like, it's hard?

Elle did something very important when going after Harvard, she didn't say no to herself first.  Instead of assuming it was impossible she found out how to make it possible and she got to work.  Her belief in herself never wavered. 

It's so easy to say no to yourself first.  To look at a big goal and say that you'll never get it, so why bother trying.  Be like Elle, go for it even if it's totally far fetched, and believe you can do it even if it seems crazy.

Get a Team

Elle didn't do it alone, she had her whole sorority rooting for her.  If you need to pull off the impossible, don't hide in the shadows, let people know!

Your friends want to support you, they want to be able to say "I knew her when".  There is nothing more exciting than cheering for the underdog and then seeing them win!  Give your friends the pleasure of supporting you.  You can ask for meals, help with accountability, moral support, texts of encouragement, etc...  Whatever is going to get you through to the other side.  

Ask for help!

Say NO

Elle knew that in order to get her LSAT score from a 143 to a 179 she was going to have to study her step class toned butt off.  Even though she didn't enjoy it, she knew this meant studying when she could have been at a kegger with hot shirtless frat boys. 

In order to pull off the impossible you're going to have to say no to some things, or as Marie Forleo says, "Get on the NO Train!".  You can't do it all, all the time and this is especially true when you need to get something huge off the ground.  Start practicing and get used to saying it.  No. 

A no to one thing is a yes to another, say yes to yourself.

Be Yourself

It never occurred to Elle to be anyone but herself.  She wore a sparkly bikini when other's would have worn a suit.  She was proud of her degree in Fashion with a major in the history of polka dots.  It's what helped her to stand out among a crowd of Philosophy and English majors.

You don't need to pretend to be someone you're not to get what you want.  You just have to show up 110% authentically YOU, no apologies.  When you do that, people can't help but respond.

Do it From the Heart

Elle wasn't trying to get into Harvard Law to please her parents or live up to some Ivy League ideal, she was doing it for love.  OK, so maybe Warner was a total jerk who didn't deserve her, but the fact that she had a motivation beyond the goal itself is key.

You need to know the why behind your impossible goal.  How do you think it's going to feel when you get there?  Go for the feelings, not the goal itself. 

Celebrate!!

When Elle got her LSAT score back she had a huge celebration with all of the people who helped her along the way.  She didn't know if she would get into Harvard Law yet, but she celebrated the fact that she achieved her goal of scoring a 179. 

Remember to celebrate your accomplishments even if you're not sure of the results.  The fact that you did it is reason enough to celebrate.  Remember to let your helpers know you did it so they can celebrate with you.

~~

I'm happy to report that Catriona did in fact pull off the impossible last week and she couldn't have done it without Elle and her inspiration.

Yay Catriona!!!!  (One happy coach here!)

She got a team, believed she could do it, made sacrifices, asked for help, was 100 herself and is celebrating all her hard work with a trip to the spa. She also asked her angel for help and boy did she pull through by throwing some earthly angels into her lap to refine and edit just when she needed it.

Of course she had Legally Blonde playing on repeat as she was grinding away.

I can't wait to see what comes from it, but in the meantime Catriona can glow in the satisfaction of doing something she didn't think could be done. 

Is there something seemingly impossible that you want to do? 

What is it? 

What do you need to help you pull it off?

Or maybe you've pulled off the impossible, what made it possible?

I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below, and please pass this along to your friend who needs a little Elle Woods this week.

Take care,

Cecilia

ox

p.s. Thinking about B-School?  I'd be happy to skype if you want my honest input about the good, the bad and if it's the right fit for you.  I'm gathering a group of amazing peeps and I can't wait to see them all make incredible things happen.

p.p.s. If you're reading this and you're not on my list, you should really get yourself on it!  I send out a fun and useful email just about every week.  Just pop on over here to get on!  All the cool kids are doing it!

A love letter to B-School

Calling all artists, writers, creatives, coaches, healers, entrepreneurs and want to be entrepreneurs.  This is for you.

Last Spring I decided to embark on an exciting adventure called B-School, yes, that would be business school.  Not your average business school, but Marie Forleo's Rich Hot and Happy B-School (um, yes, I did just write rich, hot and happy). 

Why did I take B-School?  I took it because I'm on a mission.

I'm on a mission to spread my heart wings as far and wide as I can. 

A few years ago I volunteered in an Alzheimer's day program.  On my way out the receptionist would always  say "God bless you, it's hard work, I don't know how you do it".  It always felt weird when she would say that because it didn't feel like hard work.  I loved it! 

It took me awhile to figure out why I loved it so much.  I loved it because when I walked into that room, I was met with 20 hearts willing and open to be loved.  In that room I could love without limits. 

My heart is greedy, it wants to love A LOT.

It might sound funny to talk about business and love together but in my opinion they are a match made in heaven.  Running your own business is an opportunity to give as much as you want, care as much as you want and love as much as you want.

What's your mission?

What Marie teaches is how to share that love, YOUR love, with even more people, online and in a way that is crazy effective.  You'll learn how to market and grow your business in a way that isn't gross or scuzzy, but that's 100% in line with who you are. 

B-School would be great for you if:

• You are just starting out and have a clear focus and lots of enthusiasm
• You have an established biz but you want to take it to the next level
• Want to up your online game

I'm still in the process implementing of everything that I learned in B-School, but every time I add a new piece I'm totally amazed by the results.  For example, by making one little change I increased my subscription rate five times over.

Curious?  Thinking about it?  You can check out the website here where Marie has detailed everything that you'll learn in this 8 week course and will answer any questions you might have.  If you decide to purchase and want to qualify for my bonus be sure to follow my instructions below.

You can also read about some of the incredible women who've participated in the program and have had huge shifts in their business and life. Including my dear friend and client Sarah Selecky who went from teaching people writing in her living room, to making 44K teaching people creative writing online all over the world.

Because I believe in B-School and the power that it has to truly transform businesses and lives, I've decided to participate in the referral program as an affiliate and to give YOU a very sweet bonus if you sign up using my link.

Please see below for exact instructions to receive your bonus.

Big change happens with big support, no question. 

I want you to succeed.  I want your home and your life to support you in your dreams to be, do and love MORE. 

That's why the bonus, if you sign up with me, is to work with me One on One. 

Yes, you read that right.  Me on your team, rooting for you, helping you make it happen.

And you have a choice!  You can choose between the Half Day of Fabulousness, the AGO Afternoon of Awesomeness OR Four Hours of Power.  These are brand new offerings that are not yet available to the public, only to my email subscribers and through this B-School offer, you can read more about them here. 

In addition, I'll send you my B-School Survival Guide on how to get the most out of B-School.  B-School can be good, or it can be HOLY COW AMAZING in terms of how much you get out of it. 

You'll also gain exclusive access to The YAY Team!  This is a small but mighty crew of amazing peeps.  We'll have our own facebook group and I'm also setting up bschool blind dates, setting up the perfect people to act as accountability buddies for each other.  I wish I'd had The YAY Team when I did B-School. 

You'll also get, and I think this one is the most important, me 100% totally on your team, cheering you along and celebrating every step of the way.  And you know what?  I would so love to be on your team.  Love, love, LOVE!

That's over $500 worth of love from me to you.

1. One on one coaching with me!
2. B-School survival guide
3. The YAY Team + B-School blind date accountability buddy
   
4. ME 100% on your team and cheering you along the way
5. Surprises!

What?!  I know, massive.

B-School opens for registration on February 20th at 11am and closes on March 4th at 3pm EST.

Important Instructions!

Be sure to follow these instructions to to get your bonuses!

1. Close all other windows in your browser
2. Enter your name and email address using this link:
   http://www.rhhbschool.com/?orid=5379&opid=31
3. Purchse B-School using this link:
   http://rhhbschool.com/join-us/?orid=5379&opid=71
4. Before you click ADD TO CART check that the link matches this one, the 5379 is key: http://rhhbschool.com/join-us/?orid=5379&opid=71#checkout
5. Once you're on the checkout page you will no longer see the link above, all is well as long as you followed the rest of the instructions.  :)
6. Once you're finished your purchase send me a copy of your receipt.
7. CELEBRATE!!!!
8. YAY!!!!!! 

To get my super YAY bonuses you have to register following the instructions above.  Once you've confirmed your purchase just send me an email with your receipt and we'll get you set up.

Let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to help via email or we can set up a skype chat over the next week to see if B-School is a good fit for you.  I'll be honest, I'm not into recommending people to do things that aren't a good fit.  Just drop me a line and we can set it up.

What is your mission?  How much can you love?

Love,

Cecilia

ox

p.s. If you're reading this and you're not on my list, you should really get yourself on it!  I send out a fun and useful email just about every week.  Just pop on over here to get on!  All the cool kids are doing it!