Live Lightly and Peacefully

December 28, 2022December 28, 2022 ~ jodiheisz ~ 3 Comments

“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”
— Maya Angelou

Now is the time of year when we create our goals and resolutions for the new year. We set SMART goals created in detail with deadlines marked in our calendars. We create our vision boards to help visualize our dreams and desires. We enlist our accountability partners to make sure we stay on track and don’t lose focus.

All these are great things, and I encourage you to use those techniques. I do as well. But what if for the new year, we make a conscious effort to live peacefully and lightly. Choose letting go of the baggage in your life weighing you down with the intent of creating peace and joy.

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Lost, But Never Gone

April 27, 2021 ~ jodiheisz ~ 3 Comments

For the past few months, I’ve been feeling…lost. My sense of who I am vanished making me a stranger to myself. I thought I knew who I was moving forward in a specific direction towards my goals. But then out of nowhere, I was thrown way off path leaving me disorientated, unsettled and bewildered.

Have you ever felt lost and out of touch with yourself? Have you felt you were on the “right” path but then suddenly went astray moving into unknown territory? You knew for sure where you were going and where you were headed but unexpectedly, you veered way off course.

It’s unnerving and upsetting being lost in a chaotic and distressed world. Especially when you thought you knew where you were going. The notion to choose our destination and stay on track no matter what is drilled into us. Don’t get distracted. Don’t move your eyes from the prize. And heaven forbid, don’t look backwards. You are expected to keep driving down the road you started on at all costs.

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Every Moment Matters

December 28, 2019 ~ jodiheisz ~ 2 Comments

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12

We rush to wake up in the morning to get ready for work and our kids to school.

We drive on autopilot hurrying to the next destination not knowing how we got there.

We mindlessly eat our lunches not paying attention to what we’re eating so we can return to work ASAP. Or worse… we work through lunches while we’re eating.

Because we have so much stuff to do at night, we rush through cooking missing smell of our home cooked meal.

When a friend talks about their problem, instead of being a good listener our minds wander thinking about yesterday’s incident on repeat mode.

We rush. We hurry. We don’t pay attention. We live on autopilot. We miss our sacred moments.

Constant overload. Never resting. Always worrying. Overfilling our plates. All. The. Time.

This way of life is complete and utter nonsense. It doesn’t serve us, God or anyone around us. Call it ridiculousness.

And I am guilty as charged. My sentence is the mental prison chained to the limitations of wasted time and lost moments. The only way to break free is to listen and act on God’s charge for us.

The Bible states God wants us to live with awareness, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. God wants us to be present with all our experiences so we can feel His love and hear Him speaking to us. He wants us to be aware to serve, live with purpose and to love others.

To live, breath and act according to God’s will, we must be aware of what we are doing, thinking and feeling. If we are too busy, overloading our schedule, worrying about things that don’t matter, we lose our connection to God.

But when we slow down and take a deep breath, we have the ability to make our moments matter. Small moments. Ordinary moments. Mundane moments. Big, earth shattering moments. Life changing moments. Every moment.

Every day we either gain an opportunity to use our time wisely or lose an opportunity by wasting our time. We can be aware of your life by being present or miss precious moments by not paying attention. The choice is ours.

When you make every moment matter, your time with friends and family is richer. Your connection to God is deeper and stronger. You’re more creative and become an open vessel for new ideas and effective solutions. You live each day to your fullest by tasting the food you eat, hearing the music on the radio, feeling the warm breath of your kids when they hug you, seeing the sunset on your drive home, and feeling the peace and grace of God’s presence.

When you are at church, listen to the sermon. Every word. When your friend tells you about their tough day, hear their struggles with all your heart. When you are with our kids, laugh with them and see their bellies vibrant with every giggle. When you watch a movie, be drawn in with your full attention. Immerse yourself in every scene.

Savor the life God has given you by choosing to live your life with purpose and meaning. The Bible says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”Ephesians 2:10.

What is God calling you to do with your life? God has chosen you. You are uniquely made with mission built for you based your talents and abilities. He wants to be aware of this calling and walk with a mission to serve others in the best way you can.

God wants you to make every moment matter. To make your life matter. And to love one another to make their lives matter. Choose today to make every single moment of your life matter to live the life God has meant for you to live.

Photo by Kevin Delvecchio on Unsplash

The Quiet Power of Humility

June 15, 2019 ~ jodiheisz ~ Leave a comment

“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself…Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, and humility.”
– Nelson Mandela

Humility is a beautiful but lost virtue in today’s power seeking, narcissistic world. Harnessing the quiet power of humility is not something people readily seek out or learn.

With our culture placing tremendous value on worldly things such as fame, awards and accolades, notoriety, and outward appearances, humility gets lost in the sea drowned by the noise of egoistical desires.

It’s not the favorite virtue to seek because humility requires us to be honest with our faults and to own up to our mistakes. But in the end, having humility is the path to joy and fulfillment by looking deeply within and taking the rights steps to improve.

People with humility take responsibility for their lives, are open to other’s suggestions, ideas and perceptions and have a self-controlled view of their skills, talents and abilities. They are happier because they live simply and know what really matters in their lives.

Being humble means knowing there’s a greater power working beyond ourselves and our own understanding. To accomplish our dreams and our heart’s desire, we need to surrender to God’s power knowing we can’t do this on our own.

We need help, guidance, grace and strength to carry us through. We have to trust He will guide us through our journey, and He is in control. We are along for the ride and if we choose the right car to get in, we will arrive at the right destination in God’s time.

Here are some other ways humility is an important virtue to learn and harness.

Humility is a Quiet Strong:
Sometimes humility is perceived as a weakness. But in reality, it’s the opposite. To be humble is to be strong.

A quiet strong.

This type of quiet strength doesn’t need a loud speaker, a boisterous voice or the need to shout on a mountaintop. Humility is a strength that’s gentle, kind, nonjudgmental and the willingness to be of service to others.

Being humble relies on truth no matter how painful it is or how difficult it is to face our shortcomings and mistakes. It’s easier to push our suffering aside and ignore the faults we harbor.

It takes great strength and wisdom to see our truth as it is unfiltered and raw. When we see our truth head on, we bow down to it with great honor and reverence encouraging us to change and become a better person.

Humility Shows We are Human:
Being humble allows us to accept failures and mistakes with a deep understanding we are all human and one way or another we’ll make mistakes.

People with humility are able to handle failures because they don’t tie their accomplishments to their self-worth. Mistakes and accomplishments don’t define us. They are not who we are but only what we’ve done.

We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, so our self-worth is much more than the labels we own, the materials we possess, our corporate status or how many likes we get on Facebook. Humility knows we are deep souls and our lives meant to live with a higher calling and purpose.

Humility Opens the Door to Learning:
No matter how much we know, there’s always more to learn. No matter how much an expert we are in something, there’s always someone who knows more than we do.

To learn, we need an empty cup to fill more knowledge and wisdom. If we are overflowing with our egoistical views of ourselves, there’s no room to add anything of value and meaning. We stunt our personal growth and spiritual development.

But with humility, we open the door wide to expand our consciousness to gain a deeper understanding of life while simultaneously knowing we can never stop learning.

Humility Teaches Compassion and Patience:
Being humble with an open heart unlocks the door to compassion. With humility we cultivate empathy, patience and tolerance towards one another.

Once we accept we are in a constant state of learning and growing, we see others with grace and mercy. We are no better than them and they are no better than us We are all learning and growing together.

It’s easy to comfortable around someone who is humble because we are free to be who we are. We don’t fear being judged or criticized because the humble ones don’t feel or act better than us. They understand when we make mistakes and are willing to hold our hand when we get back up.

Humility relieves the pressure of always needing to be on top. It’s exhausting to portray perfection and trying to perform at our best in every waking moment.

But with our humble humanity we know perfection is not possible. Once we embrace and surrender to this truth, we can find peace. In this place of honest humility and integrity, we become servants of the world on a mission to spread love and help our fellow humans to bring out the best within each other.

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Transformation is a Tough Job

May 26, 2019 ~ jodiheisz ~ Leave a comment

I believe people can change. I know this to be true because of my own personal transformation.

In the past, no one believed I could change. Many doubted my drive and passion to push myself to higher levels of consciousness. But no matter what anyone said or thought, I was determined to become the best version of myself and live aligned with God’s truth.

In my process of deep change, I learned transformation is tough and it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do. It’s painful, slow, exhausting and sometimes lonely.

Transforming oneself is not for the faint hearted or the lazy spirit. It requires an enormous amount of energy and effort requiring you to dig deep into the dark crevices of your soul.

You need to be ready and willing with unwavering commitment for your inner revolution. You must be willing to show up to do the work, take 100% responsibility for your life and be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses.

But after the painful, exhausting and excruciating hard work of years of dedicated effort, its more than worth it. Waking up and being who you really are is one of the best things you could ever do for yourself.

I learned (and still learning) if you want to transform yourself, you must do these four things.

1: You must want to change: You can only change if you have a deep desire and will to transform your life. You can’t ish it or go half asked. You gotta be all in. You need to have a fire in your belly lighting up your soul to burn through everything needed to be healed and released. This passion will trump anyone’s opinion that you don’t need to or can’t change. Allow your strong intuitive sense to guide your decision and resolve this must happen no matter what.

2: You must do the hard work to change: Transformation is very hard work. There are no shortcuts or life hacking skills to get around it. You must travel through the dark valleys of your soul and face your shadows with courage and honesty. You have to own all of your mistakes and past hurts taking full responsibility for them. You must feel the pain and move through your grief to let go of everything holding you back. This divine work on your mind and soul is a daily practice requiring you to show up again and again.

3: You must have a strong support system to change: Transformation does not happen on your own. You need a support system. Ask your family, friends or find a mentor to help. It’s vital to have someone you trust to point out what needs work and show you what your strengths are. Having a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold through the tough times is key to making your transformation a success.

4: You must have faith in God or a Higher Power: You will not be able to transform on your own power. You’ll burn out way before you make any significant changes. You need the Divine to flow through you to give you strength, courage, energy and the grace to keep moving forward. Surrendering to this power signals to God you are truly ready for change, and He will help you transform way farther than you ever could on your own.

The journey of transformation is a long and arduous process. You must be in it for the long haul because there are no shortcuts to get you there.

I wish there was a magic wand to change overnight, but it doesn’t work that way. It’s like a marathon running slowly to build your endurance along the way of moving towards your goal.

However, the goal of transformation never ends. It’s an evolving process made to challenge you to keep progressing and growing to higher levels of consciousness. It’s always about the journey, never about the destination.

But if transformation is so hard and never stops, then why do it?

Because what lies on the other side of the pain, hard work, exhaustion and suffering is joy, love, peace, strength, confidence, trust, belief, compassion and deep healing. The reward is creating a whole and purposeful life being aligned with your truth at the deepest level.

Transforming yourself into the person you are meant to be allows you to live with intention and walk the steps to fulfill your Divine mission here on this earth.

How to Build Champion Confidence

January 29, 2019 ~ jodiheisz ~ 2 Comments

I’ve been a martial artist for over 22 years. I’ve won Grand Champion Black Belt twice, earned my 5th Dan master black belt in KiMudo and my 1st Dan black belt in Judo. The awards and accolades are great, but there’s one thing I gained the most on my journey.

Champion confidence.

What is champion confidence?
Champion confidence is knowing who you are, why you are here, and standing strong in your beliefs, talents and abilities. You know have what it takes to win at life and create the life you desire no matter what difficulties or obstacles you face. You own it and rock it in everything you do.

You’re killin’ it.

Champion confidence is hard earned with no easy path to get there. It takes work. Lots of work. It requires commitment and dedication to working on yourself every day. Showing up with consistent practice over time is vital to growing your confidence.

It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of many accomplishments small and large over time accumulating to building yourself up to a higher level.

I used to be timid, hard on myself and never believed I could accomplish anything I wanted. It took me years of consistent effort and building my self-esteem until I was convinced I was worthy of greatness.

With my martial arts training for two decades and my deepening faith in God and myself, I found a powerful combination and training tool for building my confidence. It’s still a work in progress, but I want to share what I learned with you and hope it will help you too.

There are more ways to build confidence with a free eBook coming soon filled with more ideas and tips. But here’s short list to get you started.

1: Know Who You Are
The more you know who you are, the more faith you will have in yourself and your abilities. If you let others mold into who they want you to be, you’ll lose your identity causing distress and loss of connection to your soul. Knowing who you are and standing in your truth builds confidence helping you stick with your beliefs and values no matter what.

Take a look at Jesus. He knew who he was and never faltered from his truth. He never needed validation from anyone or created a watered-down himself to please anyone. And neither should you. Take the time to discover who you are and be strong in faith knowing your inner truth.

John 14:6 says: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’”

2: Practice, Practice, Practice
Whatever it is you’re involved in, practice as much as you can. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel in your efforts. You’ll get the kinks out, repeated mistakes out of the way, and the repetition needed to allow your greatness shine.

During practice, create a safe place to fail. Failing is necessary to learn, grow and evolve. By creating an environment where it’s ok to fail, you’ll relax and be open to feedback.

Over time, you’ll see positive progress giving you the confidence to keep moving forward. Those little celebrations of achievements small or large gives you the fuel to drive your self-esteem upward.

“Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation.”
Ann Voskamp

3: Surround Yourself with Positive People
You become the people you hang out with. Choose people who are confident within themselves. Confident people will inspire you to be confident. They’ll be willing to point out your special gifts and help you see your inner light. Many times, other people believe in us more than ourselves. It’s helpful to have someone open our eyes to see the special uniqueness within each of us.

“Surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself!”
Zig Ziglar

4: Grow Your Faith in God
The stronger relationship you have with God, the more confident you’ll be. God loves you and cares for you deeply. Because of His love and adoration, you’ll have all you need to be confident in who you are. God can make things happen for us, send opportunities our way, and give us strength to follow through on our goals.

It wasn’t until I grew in my faith in God and studied how Christ lived, I realized I had the chops to accomplish my goals. With man, many things are impossible. But God, all things are possible. Once I understood this and God has my back in everything I do, I could relax knowing my life would be ok.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Luke 1:37

Building champion confidence gives you courage to create the life you desire. We all deserve to be confident in who we are, in our faith and beliefs and the special gifts we possess to offer humanity. Take the work on your confidence every day because you are worth it. It transforms what you think appears impossible… possible.

How Martial Arts Transformed Me

November 27, 2018November 27, 2018 ~ jodiheisz ~ 11 Comments

It’s been a few months since my last post. But, for a great reason. On November 3, I tested for 5th Dan Master Black Belt in KiMudo. I’ve been martial arts for over 22 years so this test was a big deal! I needed lots of practice, dedicated focus and a crazy amount of energy to accomplish this goal.

KiMudo is a martial art comprised of Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Hapki-Do, self-defense techniques and various weapons. We lovingly call it the “traditional mixed martial arts.” For my test, it was required I write a resume of my accomplishments. Instead a boring resume, I wrote about how martial arts transformed my life. I wanted to share this with you and hopefully it will inspire you to transform your life too.

Jodi Heisz 5th Dan Resume

For my 5^th Dan resume, I could give you a long list of accomplishments, rewards, and certificates earned during my martial arts career. I could tell you about how I achieved all my black belts in KiMudo, my black belt in judo, winning big, shiny trophies at tournament, being a judge, sitting on the testing board for both color and black belt tests, and more.

Yes, all are great accomplishments I’m proud of.

But you know what? At the end of the day, none of these matters.

There’s quote on Facebook I have liked and shared by Kaci Diane describing my biggest accomplishment in martial arts.

“I love the person I have become, because I fought to become her.”

To me, that’s what matters most.

The transformation I’ve experienced throughout my 22 years of martial arts means more than any trophy I’ve won or any belt I’ve earned. Becoming the best version of myself to lead a more positive and peaceful life with compassion for others including myself, is the center of my martial arts career. It’s what keeps me coming back to Dojang day after day, week after week, year after year.

Today, I am sharing with you three personal achievements that changed my life most.

Self-confidence and belief
Cultivating friendships through martial arts
Becoming a leader to inspire others

Self-confidence and Belief
Master Bob Perk reminds me most students who come to martial arts are broken and searching for a better way, a better life. I know this is true because when I started martial arts in 1995, I was very broken. Probably… the most broken of all.

Students and black belts today see Jodi filled with strength, confidence and smiling all the time. They don’t know the depths of darkness I originally came from. Back then, I was a much different person than I am today. Most don’t know the dark places I came from, and the deep trenches I climbed out of to see the light. I was desperate searching for a better way, a better life. To be whole. Healed. And feel worthy.

My confidence on a scale of 1-10 was off the charts on the low end. Scared to spar, feared falling, afraid to speak or teach in front of a crowd, petrified of throwing or being thrown, etc. I remember Master Perk telling me repeatedly, “Be more aggressive!” I wasn’t aggressive because I didn’t believe I had the chops to be successful, to rock it and be great both in and outside the Dojang. I thought I didn’t deserve it because I felt unworthy.

Slowly over the years, kick by kick, punch by punch, throw by throw, my confidence grew stronger, more powerful. The light always existing inside, but dim, was starting to shine bright. It was beginning to shine, because I believed I could shine. Instead of knowing I could be successful, I believed I was successful.

And now, I am unstoppable, determined, strong, capable, powerful, amazing, fearless, rocking it and … more aggressive. I am whole. Healed. And believe I am worthy.

Cultivating friendships through martial arts
One of my biggest achievements held dear in my heart are the friendships I’ve been blessed with through martial arts. I am honored to have met so many wonderful people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and ages.

But the friends I cherish the most, are my instructors Bob and Audrey Perk and my gals.

Masters Bob and Audrey Perk have been my rock and my foundation through many life’s challenges. They’ve supported and guided me through the good times and the bad. Without their encouragement and belief in me as a person, I wouldn’t be the woman I am standing here today. They taught more than martial arts. They taught me the value of family, friendships and how teamwork really does make your dream work. My hope is for me pay it forward and help someone else one day like they have helped me.

Then, there’s my gals. We call ourselves, Audrey’s Angels. We’re kinda like martial arts gangsters… so we are. A true sisterhood running deep, maybe deeper than blood related sisters. Life is better lived with true friends to share it with. Especially when you can kick each other in the head or throw one another on the ground. I don’t know many friends who would stand for that kind of treatment. But we do. Because we love martial arts. And because we love each other.

From that infamous night we’ll never forget, making Pauline walk 42 miles in Woodman’s to get my favorite blue chips, bonding with my judo buddies during those ridiculous attempts to get “that throw” right, and to all who hugged me during my darkest moments. No words can describe how grateful I am to have their friendship.

Just like form Ka Chi says, “Go Together: Sharing the Journey of Life”. To the share the journey of life with my martial arts family through the laughs, the cries and everything else in between, is my best award. Supporting and encouraging each other to be strong, powerful, connected, and awesome is a gift of a lifetime.

And I love them all for that.

Becoming a leader to inspire others
Anyone can learn to be a leader. But not anyone can attain a certain level of inspiration and compassion if they haven’t walked the steps themselves from darkness to light. Being an inspiring leader requires a glowing confidence with humility, integrity, joyfulness and little tough love.

After years of working towards building my confidence and restructuring my life, I’ve become a strong leader for my students. Taking what I’ve learned and the transformation occurred within has granted me with a different set of skills in teaching and guiding others. Nothing feels greater than passing down your knowledge to help your students change their lives for the better. The ability to empathize with those who are struggling because you once struggled, makes the difficult times of the past worth it.

One of my favorite teaching moments is when I won Black Belt Champion twice competing in the spring and fall tournaments. Last summer I set a goal to win that trophy. There were setbacks and challenges. But I never gave up on my goal. I visualized it every day, trained hard and consistently, and had friends to hold me accountable. With the power of goal setting and perseverance, I achieved my goal.

But it the end, winning black belt champion wasn’t about me. It was about teaching my students dreams can come true if you believe and do what it takes to make it happen. Being a leader who’s walked the path and inspires others become the best versions of themselves, is my dream come true.

True Listening

April 27, 2018 ~ jodiheisz ~ 1 Comment

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“Don’t die with your music still inside you. Listen to your intuitive inner voice and find what passion stirs your soul.”
– Wayne Dyer

Learning to truly listen to yourself is the key to living a spiritual and purposeful life. Cultivating the skill of deep listening with mindfulness will improve the quality of your relationships. But first, you must learn to listen to yourself.

With the spiritual practice of deep inner listening, you’ll develop heightened sensitivity of your body and soul. Over time you will learn and understand how they communicate to you. True, inner listening is a spiritual practice requiring dedication, compassion and awareness helping you move towards maturity and enlightenment.

True listening is hearing your heart and soul speaking to you, not the intellectual mind. This sacred voice are whispers of love and wisdom always knowing the truth about you. You won’t hear a loud booming voice or a neon sign, but instead a gentle, blowing sound.

The voice of your true self is a voice you can trust. Your soul wants what’s best for you and nothing less. It knows every part of your being and the desires of your heart to guide you on the right path. To listen, feel the vibration emanating from your heart and breathe deeply to become intimately connected to it.

When you have a burning question on your heart rolling around in your head, look within instead of the outside world. You’ll feel deep in the bones of your body and soul the answers to the questions you are seeking.

Don’t intellectualize, overthink, overanalyze or disregard what you receive. Feel the gentle nudges tugging at your gut allowing the truth to come forward. Invite your inner wisdom with open arms to embrace the truth being told with awareness, gratitude and compassion.

Listen to what your life is saying to you. When you do, you’ll realize your life has been speaking to you all along. You’ll see a pattern of certain desires that never go away. They keep popping up over and over again like a kid vying for your attention.

Most of the time these desires have been there since your childhood waiting for your undivided attention. The voice of your true self never dies or goes away. You only choose to ignore it or suppress the truth.

Once you start listening to you and become accustomed to it, you’ll learn to trust yourself. You’ll understand you have everything you need right now to be who you are.

To hear your soul speak, you must remove all distractions. Internet, news, social media, and well-meaning family and friends who think they know how you should live your life. It doesn’t matter whether the information or intent is good or bad.

This information is problematic because it distracts you from hearing your inner truth. Why do you need approval or validation from others when you know what’s true? You don’t because your path will be different from someone else’s path. If you don’t listen to you, you’ll end up living someone else’s story.

To listen to you, create a quiet space every day for just a few minutes. It could be a walk outside, turning the radio off in the car, or sitting in silence for five minutes before your family wakes up. The more comfortable you feel being alone in silence, the easier it gets to hear you. But to hear you, you must show up with presence and open awareness every day.

Sometimes when sitting in silence, your ego overpowers your soul speaking to you. If you allow it, the ego can control and dominant your mind preventing inner wisdom from coming through. When this happens, stop and be present. With awareness don’t judge or condemn these thoughts. Allow them to pass through with mindfulness and compassion.

By allowing it to pass, it will dissolve naturally. If you engage in the dialogue, you’ll give it power making it stronger. Acting like a counselor attentively listening to clients speak, give your ego the space to lament so it can be free.

When you start listening to you, you’ll begin to start really living your life creating miracles for yourself. Opportunities, people and events will open as you align with your true self working with the Divine. You’ll receive guidance and direction as you experience the fullness of life being true to yourself. Whether you are on or off track, you’ll see it and feel it giving you the chance to adjust accordingly.

Listen to you and hear the whispers of truth and inner wisdom deep in your core. Feel it, own it and live it to be one with your mind, body and soul and live a life with purpose, magic and joy.

Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash

The Power of Perseverance

April 5, 2018April 4, 2018 ~ jodiheisz ~ 1 Comment

“With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.”
– Thomas Foxwell Buxton

Anything worth achieving is going to be hard. No doubt. To accomplish a goal that lights you up inside, requires hard work, dedication, practice, blood, sweat, tears, pain, sacrifice and perseverance. There’s no magic pill or fast track path to reach a significant goal. But the power of perseverance is key to making your dream a living, breathing reality.

It was a challenge earning all my black belts. My martial arts journey has been filled with setbacks, failures and disappointments. But with each setback and every obstacle, I got back on the mat and tried again and again. Every trophy, belt, technique and skill earned was the result of years of hard work, drive, determination and unwavering commitment no matter how hard the journey became.

All the pain, exhausting work and hard training was worth it to make my dreams come true. To keep going when times were tough built courage, optimism and resilience. Imagine if I gave up the first time I failed or come across an obstacle? Had I not persevered, I would not be the black belt I am today.

If you have a dream or a desire you want to achieve, let it inspire you and never give up. Ever. It’s vital to success. There will be times you’ll want to drop everything and say, “Forget it!”. But you must keep going forward and not back down. If you need to take a break, take a break. Go ahead and rest your weary soul. After you recover, get back up and go.

You’ll always regret quitting but never regret trying. Trying leads you somewhere. It may not be what you originally intended or visualized but it will lead you to a new destination. If you quit, you’ll end up nowhere with disappointment and lack of self-worth to gain.

Perseverance builds character to overcome adversity, deepens your integrity, develops humility, empowers your life and creates fierce, inner strength. By staying on your path, you’ll tap into your unlimited potential for greatness you never thought was possible.

When your path becomes challenging, and it will, lean into it. Embrace it. Accept it. Allow the joy and inspiration from your dream fuel your perseverance to carry you through. When you reach the peak of frustration, doubt and discouragement, know your breakthrough is on the other side.

Believe in yourself even when the odds are stacked up against you. The more you believe and trust, the more the odds will fall away. Be strong, diligent and focused on your mission under all conditions. Take it step by step, day by day, moment by moment. With each small step forward, you’ll get closer to your goal while staying in the game.

Perseverance means ignoring the naysayers, toxic people or well-intentioned family and friends who don’t agree with your path. Listen to yourself and no one else. You know what’s best for you and know what’s needs to be done to fulfill your goals and dreams. Don’t succumb to what others think and say but surrender to what you believe following the calling of your heart.

To fulfill a dream that drives you, inspires you and propels you forward with joy and passion requires perseverance. The power of perseverance is the key to success and putting your destiny in your own hands. Keep on keeping on to make all your dreams come true.

Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash

15 Ways To Develop Intuition

March 10, 2018 ~ jodiheisz ~ 3 Comments

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“Intuition is seeing with the soul.”
–Dean Koontz

I love developing my intuition. I love it because it helps us communicate to one another at a deep and profound level. It creates a strong connection to our highest selves while opening the channels to hear and feel the Divine. Everyone is born intuitive because we are souls living in a physical body having a human experience. Intuition is the language of the soul and because we are souls, we all have intuition.

But what if you feel disconnected to your intuition? Or maybe you’ve been working on your intuition but want to develop it further. Or you’re in the beginning stages on your intuitive journey and don’t know where to start.

If you want to develop and grow your intuition, you need to practice by using it. It’s like a muscle. To make it grow stronger, you must train and exercise it every day. With consistent daily use of your intuition, you’ll understand how it works and how it works for you. You’ll see how it’s been working all this time but never realized it until you became conscious of it.

Here’s a list of 15 ways to develop your intuition. You don’t have to do all of them. Pick the ones you resonate with the most and ones to challenge you.

Before you check your email in the morning, see if you know how many are in your inbox.
See if you know who’s calling or texting you before you check to see who it is.
Meditate daily. Five minutes minimum.
Before meeting with a friend, try to “see” what color clothes they are wearing.
When standing at an elevator, feel which doors will open first. Or if you are at the grocery store, feel which line is the fastest.
Before going to work, try to feel what emotions your boss is having.
Ask God a question. Grab a pen and paper. Write. Feel the answers coming from the top of your head through your hands on to the paper. Don’t edit. Just write. Allow the words and the answers to flow through you.
Practice acting on your intuitive feelings and nudges you receive versus what your intellect tells you. The more you listen and act on your intuition, the stronger it gets and the more you trust.
When choosing what to eat at a new restaurant, feel what meal is right for you. Order it and nothing else.
Use your imagination to visualize your heart’s desire as already achieved. Be as detailed as you can using all your senses.
Go for a walk outside and feel the energy of nature surrounding you. Try this at different times of the day to experience the natural flow of earth’s magic. Listen to the birds chirping and cars driving by. Look and see every detail of the trees, the clouds in the sky and the flowers along your path. Feel the breeze and the wind on your face.
Be kind and gentle to yourself. Being too hard on yourself and negative thinking kills intuition. Self-love is the nectar feeding your intuition to grow and expand reaching a new level of consciousness.
Eat whole foods on a plant-based diet. Fueling your body with nature’s goodness increases your vibration to receive guidance from the Divine.
Before you meet someone new, try to see what they look like in your mind’s eye. Try to know their hair and eye color, facial features, body type and style of clothing.
Open waking in the morning, take a few deep breaths. Visualize three things you want to accomplish in detail as if already accomplished. State each of your goals out loud with confidence.

These tips to charge your intuition are simple to integrate into your daily life. No need to mediate alone in a cave for thirty days, or spend lots of money on training to develop your intuition. Intuition is simple to add in your life because it’s a part of your soul. Your soul wants to connect deeper to your mind, body and the world around you. Using your intuition will always guide you in the right direction to help choose what’s in your highest good and create the best life filled with joy, magic, love and peace.