Oops…Have you ever promised someone you’d do something and then totally blanked on it? I did that: I told my lovely editor at BeliefNet that when this blog officially launched and got a few days of “front page” exposure, I’d write a blog that was more of an introduction — to myself, my work, and my vision for the “Your Charmed Life” blog. I forgot. Well, now I remember, so …
Hello — and thanks for stopping by. To get you acquainted with me, I’m going to do a little interview with myself, and to keep this from being all about moi, I’ll follow each question with a little life-coaching tip to add some sparkle to your day.
If you’re asking philosophically, I believe that I’m an expression of
the Divine, of God, like everybody else, and that I’m here on earth for
a majestic spiritual adventure. I came with an assignment to
learn some things (how to love, mostly), clear up some old stuff
(karma, if you will), and experience and share delicious joy.
Speaking of assignments, one of my favorite books is Chris Michaels’ Your Soul’s Assignment. I love the way he sees the Divine, as “a power for good in the universe and in your life.”
writer and speaker first thing. Words are my gift from God, and I love
using them in both spoken and written form. I have quite a few books
out, including my bestseller, Creating a Charmed Life, as well as Fit from Within (that about food and weight, one besetment I’ve overcome) and Younger by the Day (a
daybook for rejuvenating your body and revitalizing your spirit). I
speak for churches, wellness conferences, retreats, and even the
occasional enlightened corporation. And I host an Internet radio show
once a month (but archived forever) on Creative Health and Spirit Radio.
I am also a spiritual-life coach, thus my being honored with the privilege of writing this life-coaching blog. As a spiritual-life coach, I believe that the wisdom you
need is already inside you. It’s a matter of tapping into it. A great
way to do that is to relate to somebody else’s life and experience,
since we’re so much more alike than different. It is my intention that
the experience, information, and (I hope) inspiration I’ll be offering
here will spark your own brilliance. You are, after all, the primary
expert on YOU.
I have a degree in comparative
religions because I think that the ways people find meaning in life is
the most fascinating thing there is. Things
that make me happy (in addition to the people I love) are living New
York; animals (they speak to me in a very special way; that’s why I’m a
vegetarian and do all I can to help those who can’t speak for
themselves); and conversations about life and God and mystery and
meaning. I also like books (I posted a while back my “Top 10 Spiritual
Books“) and movies (especially those victory-of-the-human-spirit
types), and I’m interested in natural health and healing.
always fascinated by the many different aspects we all have in our
personalities. Not all the parts match the other parts. Here’s
something I write about that in my upcoming book, Living a Charmed Life:
“People
are different and together we make up the intricate patchwork of
humanity. How can we expect ourselves to find the best in people of
other cultures, religions, and ways of life, however, if we can’t
accept our own diverse characteristics? What parts of you don’t conform
to the other parts? What is there about you that surprises people and
sometimes even surprises you? Admire your uncanny ability to house so
many marvels and refrain from passing judgment on some off-the-wall
trait that is an improbable but utterly endearing dimension of your
uniqueness. Swami Kripalu wrote, ‘Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart.’ Admire yourself instead, you and all your parts.”
Tell me about your home and family. — I’m from Kansas City, Missouri (which is one great
town) and I now live in New York City, in Harlem. I’ve been in NYC for nine years, and it is a dream come true. (Actually, I have quite a few of those, and through this blog I hope to help you to more and more of yours.) Our new condo, which we’ve had since October, is in a green building (ecological green as opposed to kelly green!), and my hsuband and I both work from home. I’m married to William Melton,
who’s a business consultant, screenwriter, musician, and author (he and
harmonica genius Randy Weinstein wrote The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Harmonica).
My daughter, Adair Moran, is an actress and stuntperson here in NYC (she’s one of the dancers in the club scene in Revolutionary Road) and my son-in-law Nicholas Moran (yes, he took her last name!) is an actor and variety artist (he was a mime in the movie version of The Nanny Diaries). My stepdaughter Sian Melton is a makeup artist in Toronto, and my stepson Erik Melton is a dynamite guitar player in the Ontario pop band, We Are Bravest.
My other stepson James passed away in 2007. He was only sixteen, and
yet he’s such an amazing soul that the
Facebook page, “In Memory of James,” is still active. All of us who loved him will remember him forever.
week is themed for Valentine’s Day. Come to visit (or subscribe —
there’s a link to your right) and expect to read (Monday) “Calling All
Soulmates” (with some input from Arielle Ford and her new book, The Soulmate Secret; (Tuesday) “Top 10 Tips for Scoring with a Vegan Chick” (with help from Anne Dinshah’s column, “Dating Vegans,” in American Vegan; (Wednesday)
“Let the Love Flow” (acts of kindness with a Valentine’s theme);
(Thursday) “Fall in Love with Your Life” — a clip from my book Fat, Broke & Lonely No More; and a surprise on Friday.
in love with yourself first. Create a life that is so rich and full and
wonderful, you won’t care if you’re partnered right now or not (that
alone is an attractor) and your rich, full, wonderful life will draw
all sorts of interesting people (Ms. or Mr. Right among them) into your
world.
can be sacred space. So can a place in nature. And the place you
meditate—a special room with a little altar if you have the square
footage, your bedroom or kitchen if that’s the place where you commune
with the Divine. And once you know through and through that God is all
and everything, He/She/It must be everyWHERE, too. So every inch of
earth is holy ground, and every place you find yourself is sacred.
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