It’s important to take pleasure in life…stop and smell the roses and all that.

My favorite indulgences include eating my beloved Twizzlers, buying beautiful notebooks, and lounging on the couch all day with a stack of magazines and a cup of tea.

Indulging in something is supposed to be forbidden. We’re not supposed to be that lazy or selfish. But deprivation doesn’t make me a happy Sage.

I WANT to eat sugary candy. I WANT to fill my shelves with dozens of notebooks. I WANT to curl up on the the couch and blow off the laundry.

Part of my self-care routine is to recognize when I need a break. My challenge for you today is to indulge in something that you haven’t let yourself enjoy in a while. You deserve it!

In the comments below, let me know your favorite indulgences.

The post Question of the Week: Favorite Indulgences appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

Today I’m meeting up with a friend I haven’t seen in 15 years. We found each other again on Facebook, as so many people do these days.

This particular friend was with me when I was going through a terrible part of my life. She really made me feel like I deserved better, and she made me feel OK to be me.

We were on the phone recently, and my friend couldn’t get over how happy I sounded. She also remarked that I smile a lot in the photos on my blog. It made me realize just how lost and depressed I was as a teenager.

Do you keep in touch with old friends? How have your friendships changed as you’ve gotten older?

While I stroll down memory lane, here are some tidbits for you to peruse at your leisure.

What I’m Reading and Watching

• Hilarious Yoga Mat for Sale Ad on Craigslist. Oh my gosh, I just about died laughing while reading this!
• It’s Not You, It’s Them: 11 Frenemies You Should Dump Today. Time to say goodbye to those toxic people.
• If the World Were 100 People. This really puts into perspective just how good we have it…and how much suffering is taking place in the rest of the world.
• “Ugh, I’m Huge”: How “Fat Talk” Affects the Way We’re Perceived. I’ve notice many women are super kind to others, but unkind to themselves.
• Five Ways to Cure Work at Home Office Fever. Good tips even if you don’t work from home.
• A Helpful Guide to Becoming Unbusy. As with most things, being busy is a choice.
• The 7 Bad Habits of Highly Unhealthy People. According to this article, thinking “Maybe there’s a way I can still eat chocolate cake all day and lose weight” isn’t very helpful. But you never think like that, right?
• Lazy Cat on a Treadmill (Video). This is eerily similar to how I look at the gym on bad days.

New Blog Posts

• How People Treat You Is Their Karma
• Learning to Go With the Flow

Let’s Connect

The post Link Roundup: May 19, 2013 appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

Agree or disagree?

I’m a big Wayne Dyer fan, and I heard him speak last year at the “I Can Do It!” IGNITE conference. I’m also a big believer of karma.

Most people think karma is when a bad thing happens to you because you did something bad, but karma is simply a reaction to any energy that you put out into the world.

Share goodness and light, and goodness and light comes back to you.

Share anger and misery, and anger and misery will come back to you.

One of my favorite books, A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen, says that people who hurt are hurting. I really believe that’s true. So if someone is mean to you, that’s on them and the universe will sort things out. How you respond to that negativity (ie, the energy you put out), will determine what karma you will receive.

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” Wayne Dyer. Tweet this!

In the comments below, let me know the kind of karmic reactions you’re seeing in your life.

The post How People Treat You Is Their Karma appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

Things have been a little unpredictable around here lately.

Just when I think I’ve got it all figured out, some obstacle or unexpected situation pops up and my perfectly structured plans get Hulk-smashed.

In less than a week, my email stopped working, my website was accidentally deleted (not by me!), my website was restored but some blog posts and other parts had mysteriously vanished, and a few long-time followers who never updated their bookmarks figured out my super secret summer project.

Whew!

Sometimes I just want to say, “Screw you, technology!” and go live in a cave somewhere and eat berries and communicate with nature. I will be Queen of the Squirrels, and nuttiness will be plentiful.

OK, so I’m not about to give up, but I am going to do something I advise my clients to do quite regularly.

I’m going to go with the flow.

If I keep fighting the universe and being upset, I’m going to attract more misfortune into my life…or at least piss off everyone around me.

This is why it’s so important for me to decide the type of day I want to have in advance and set my intention. I can choose to be happy even when things don’t go as planned.

I’m also spending more time on my morning ritual and taking care of myself. Meditating is also keeping me centered, and I just recently discovered Calm.com, a website with free 2-, 10-, or 20-minute guided meditation sessions plus some of the prettiest visuals I’ve seen.

And if all else fails, I’m going to get myself a treat and start again tomorrow.

It feels like an iced coffee kind of day.

“Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” Lao Tzu. Tweet this!

When have you had to go with the flow in your life?

The post Learning to Go With the Flow appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

In tomorrow’s issue of The Sweet List, we’re talking about first impressions and trusting your gut.

• The little voice inside you that’s smarter than your conscious mind
• Why your first instinct about a person or situation is usually correct
• How to trust your gut reaction and use it to your advantage

Not on The Sweet List? Click the image below to sign up. The Sweet List is my ezine where you’ll receive weekly emails with exclusive content, updates, and special offers from Sage Grayson Coaching. Best of all, it’s free!

See you tomorrow!

The post The Sweet List: You Were Right the First Time appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

I don’t have much to report this weekend, but I’d like to say, “Happy Mother’s Day!” to those of you who are mommies. Hope your kids are taking good care of you today.

I’m not a mom, and Chris and I don’t have relationships with our mothers (long story), so we’re enjoying some down time. I suppose we’re parents to Skyla.

We got a bunch of delicious strawberries from the store this morning (so good!). Chris likes his strawberries smothered in whipped cream, while I prefer them plain or with just a sprinkle of sugar.

While get back to relaxing (and so should you!), here are some tidbits for you to peruse at your leisure.

What I’m Reading and Watching

• “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” performed by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole (Video). Sorry, Judy Garland, but this version is my favorite.
• I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet. Not the spiritual transformation I was expecting.
• Why Vegans and Paleos Should Stop Hating Each Other. Can’t we all just get along?
• Are You Collecting a Pile of Underpants? Sadly, I used to do this and I know too many people who still do this. Stop it!
• How Social Media Changes the Way We Think About Food. For better or for worse? You decide.
• The Ultimate Quick Fix: Solve Any Problem In Your Life In Three Steps. Sobering and true.
• Decluttering: The Power of Purging Inclusively. A simple shift to make spring cleaning a breeze.
• The Things That Go Wrong Often Make the Best Memories (Video). Another reason to go with the flow.
• 8 Effortless Actions You Can Take Right Now To Live A Better Life. My favorite? Be the first to apologize.
• The Zen Of Losing Control. Because our lives go nuts every once in a while.

New Blog Posts

• This Week and Spring Bucket List Update
• Question of the Week

Let’s Connect

The post Link Roundup: May 12, 2013 appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

Skyla’s been taking lots of long naps in the grass lately.

We’ll head out on a walk around the neighborhood, but as soon as she gets to the grassy area next to the pond, she’ll plop down on a dry spot and fall asleep. It’s sometimes embarrassing to be standing there holding the leash while people walk by.

No, my dog’s not dead. She just likes napping outside. Of course, this makes me feel guilty for not living in a house with a proper backyard for her. It’s on my to-do list.

Anyhoo, I thought I’d do a quick post about what I’ve been up to and how I’m doing on my spring bucket list goals.

This week I got a new computer, a Macbook Air. I’ve never been a Mac person before, but there are a lot of features I wanted to try like iMovie, and I like how everything interacts well with my iPhone.

My old laptop (is 2 years considered old?) was dying a slow death, so it was in my best interest to move everything over to a new computer before it conked out (which it did shortly after).

I’m still getting used to the controls and how different everything looks. But typing on this smooth keyboard has been a dream.

I’ve noticed that I’m having trouble commenting on sites that use Blogger. If I choose “Google Account” to comment, my comment disappears when I click Publish. I can’t use “Wordpress” as my commenting choice because I’m on a self-hosted WordPress site. I haven’t figured out why my comments are disappearing on Blogger sites. Is Safari or my Mac to blame?

However, I’m still able to comment using the “Name/URL” feature in Blogger comments. But sadly, many people turn off this feature on their blogs (why, I don’t know). Disqus comments are unaffected.

I don’t know many people who use Blogger, but I have a few favorites that I regularly comment on and now it looks like I’m being a jerk and ignoring my friends. I’m not, I promise! If you have any idea what might be causing my comments to disappear, please let me know.

As for my spring bucket list, here’s a look at my progress.

My Spring 2013 Bucket List

• Personal: Read 3 books for fun (hard copy or audio). Status: I finished reading The Four-Day Win by Martha Beck, and I loved it. It’s the same idea that I talked about in this video. I’m looking through my “to-read” book list, and I’ll be choosing another book to start reading this weekend.
• Family: Spend at least 10 minutes of quality time with Chris every morning. Status: Doing good! It starts my day off right by having some quality time with my husband. It’s nice to look at each other, talk, and plan our days before work, TV, or our phones distract us.
• Spiritual: Attend temple services at least twice a month. Status: I only made it to temple once last month, but I have been meditating for longer periods at home. Half credit?
• Health and Fitness: Fit back into my pink Boden jeans. Status: Umm…not so much. My crazy eating habits and lack of exercise have been thwarting my weight-loss efforts, hence why I decided to read The Four-Day Win.
• Career: Take Sundays off from business work. Status: Happens about half the time. But that’s still better than before when I’d work through the entire weekend. Baby steps.
• Financial: Pay off my credit card. Status: Did it! And it feels amazing.

I’ll recap my progress next month before choosing some new goals for summer.

I’ve also been spending a lot of my time mapping out the new direction for my business; lots of brain dumping and visioning. It’s gonna be great, but it’s a bit overwhelming right now. Meditating has helped me stay calm so I can focus on how I can better serve my peeps.

I might be posting less frequently while I work on the behind-the-scenes stuff so I can get everything updated and launched this summer. Stay tuned.

What’s on your spring bucket list? Click here to download your spring bucket list worksheet.

What have you been up to this week?

The post This Week and Spring Bucket List Update appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies, and I feel like I learn something new every time I watch it.

What do you think? Which trait do you like best? Or would you choose Dorothy’s sense of home and familiarity?

I’m leaning towards courage because being brave has helped me when my brains were lacking. I also think following your heart is a courageous act.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

The post Question of the Week: May 7, 2013 appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

In tomorrow’s issue of The Sweet List, we’re talking about how failure can make you happier in the long run.

• Why comparing yourself to others is the quickest way to kill your dreams.
• How to accept the fact that you’re going to suck at some things (honestly, probably a lot of things).
• The 2 benefits of failure and how they can supercharge your motivation so you can reach your goals.

PLUS read about my disastrous attempt at teaching myself how to ride a bike as an adult (it didn’t end well).

Not on The Sweet List? Click the image below to sign up. The Sweet List is my ezine where you’ll receive weekly emails with exclusive content, updates, and special offers from Sage Grayson Coaching. Best of all, it’s free!

See you tomorrow!

The post The Sweet List: You Suck—and That’s Great! appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.

Butterflies represent rebirth just like phoenixes…but without that whole bursting into flames business.

I love it that a pokey little caterpillar can build a cocoon, do its thing, and emerge a short time later as a totally new being. Its old restraints are gone, and it has a kind of freedom it never imagined before.

I’m feeling a bit like a caterpillar right now. I’m tucked up in my cocoon, slowly making changes so I can eventually emerge as a butterfly.

Not that being a caterpillar was less than perfect! That’s the thing—I don’t want my business to be a new and improved caterpillar. I’m ready for it to evolve into something entirely different.

Buuuuuut…that’s a bit down the line. I’m still working on my butterfly blueprint. In the meantime, check out my May Wish List inspired by butterflies.

May 2013 Wish List

album / cookie cutter / mug / necklace / scarf / nail art / shirt / yoga mat / book

Did you miss last month’s wish list? Click here to see my April 2013 Wish List.

What’s on your wish list this month?

Have you ever evolved into a whole new you?

And I can’t resist sharing this cheese-tastic MC video from back in the day! Would it be weird if I said that this video always makes me cry? Oh…nevermind. I just have something in my eye…

While I get back to work (Sorry! I know I keep teasing you about my business changes. Just stick with me, OK?), here are some tidbits for you to peruse at your leisure.

What I’m Reading and Watching

• 14 Disney Characters As Modern Day College Students. I just know Belle and I would have been roomies.
• 10 Life-Affirming Reasons to Embrace Simplicity. Ah, a breath of fresh air.
• I Used to Be a B*I*T*C*H. Or how not to pick a fight with the universe.
• Lessons from Dogs on Being Present and Healing After Loss. Beautiful, sad, and true.
• FOMO: Do You Have a Fear of Missing Out? And is everyone hanging out without you?
• The #1 Trait that Determines Long Term Success. Do you have it? I bet you do!
• 4 Potent Life Lessons From Benjamin Franklin. It’s all about the Benjamins, baby.
• Story: “Now I’m Free From French Fries” (Video). Let’s hope one day I can say I’m free from Twizzlers.
• How to Transform Negative Thoughts with Mindfulness Meditation. Another reminder that things are never as bad as we make them seem.
• Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a Fuck. Holy crap! Why’d it take me so long to find this foodie site?

New Blog Posts

• My Best Posts About Happiness
• You Are Creating Your Future Today
• Now Available: May Coaching Spots
• Business With Intention Workshop Recap
• The Sweet Life: Interview With Andrea Hiltbrunner and 2 Freebies

Let’s Connect

The post Link Roundup: May 2013 Wish List appeared first on Sage Grayson Coaching.