When you look up and pay attention to your environment you can fully experience your life, which includes wonder, awe, and a curious disposition each day. I was traveling for most of the month of April, from Florida to Oregon, and something I saw really stood out to me…

A sign at a storage unit business read: “Don’t throw it away.  Store it instead.  50% off today!”  

This was interesting as it made me think of a conversation earlier in the day with a heart-centered man that I went to high school with in my hometown.  Joal and I were talking to him as we watched the Miami Heat game and he said, “I’d love to do what you guys have done, just pick up and go.  I have a place that I’d love to go to in Idaho and I could make double the money I make now- my wife wouldn’t even have to work. She’s more fearful though and doesn’t like change.  She’s an amazing massage therapist, but she makes so much at her current position that she doesn’t want to leave.  Plus, my job is nice, pretty chill, and low stress.”

When he referenced, “what you guys have done,” he was referring to the fact that back in 2018 Joal and I sold our home and most of our belongings and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  We said we were in search of more sunshine, which If you don’t know, that area of Colorado has over 300 days of sunshine per year.  In the end, however, what we’ve discovered is that we were in search of expansion.  Expansion spirituality, personally, with our businesses, and within our relationships as well.   This expansion has brought so much freedom, joy, and a deep-rooted sense of appreciation and faith in our lives.  And it all began with one thing… addressing and releasing our attachments.

Attachments in life give us a feeling of safety and comfort.  Comfort keeps us from taking the next step, making the phone call, writing the book, starting that business, or whatever is on your heart that you keep pushing down because of your attachments.  Ultimately, the attachments that are keeping you comfortable are also keeping you from your true calling.

I am reminded of a quote that I love as I write this and that is this: “Everything is permissible, but not beneficial.”

So I encourage you to ask yourself today: How long have I been nurturing an emotional, physical, habitual, or relational attachment to a season that is no longer fruitful for me?

It’s easy to stay the same.  It’s also unfulfilling and not what we were born to do in this one precious life we have all been given.  Yet on the other hand more than we could ever ask or imagine is waiting for us on the other side of change and growth.

One more question for you to sit with this week: What am I missing out on because I am so committed to staying attached to my comforts?

We all have options and choices in life.  We can choose to stand up in our calling or we can choose to sit in our comfort.  Isn’t it time that we confront our comfort vs catering to it?  Honestly, it doesn’t matter what you’re attached to and be comforted by, it’s killing your calling. It could be a physical environment, a friend group, a type of work, alcohol, food, shopping, or a relationship that is dysfunctional but familiar so you stay… 

Walking in your discomfort, your growth, in your uncertainty will always be fruitful, and it will cost you something.  But do you know how worth it that is?

Walking in your calling will cost you your attachment and your comfort, and it’s worth every sacrifice!

My life is a living, breathing testament of releasing attachments and comfort, many of which I just listed.  And, I would not change a minute of it- even the times that felt like the biggest challenges of my life because the lessons, growth, beauty, opportunities, and faith-building on the other side have been priceless! 

After reading this, what’s your next step?  Email me and let me know, or if you’re at a crossroads and need a little guidance, email me that too.  I can be reached at carmen@carmenohling.com

I read this last month, and it keeps coming up as a talking point in my life, so I want to share it with you as well.  Maybe you’ve seen this previously and maybe not, but I am pretty sure there’s something here for you.  

Take the time to read it today…

President Lyndon Johnson’s 10-Point Formula for Success:

1. Learn to remember names. Inefficiency at this point may indicate that your interest is not sufficiently outgoing.
2. Be a comfortable person so there is no strain in being with you. Be an old-shoe, old-hat kind of individual.
3. Acquire the quality of relaxed easy-going so that things do not ruffle you.
4. Don’t be egotistical. Guard against the impression that you know it all.
5. Cultivate the quality of being interesting so people will get something of value from their association with you.
6. Study to get the “scratchy” elements out of your personality, even those of which you may be unconscious.
7. Sincerely attempt to heal, on an honest Christian basis, every misunderstanding you have had or now have. Drain off your grievances.
8. Practice liking people until you learn to do so genuinely.
9. Never miss an opportunity to say a word of congratulation upon anyone’s achievement, or express sympathy in sorrow or disappointment.
10. Give spiritual strength to people, and they will give genuine affection to you.”

― President Lyndon Johnson

While each one of President Johnson’s 10 points could be a mic drop moment on their own, there are a handful of the points that have hit home with me over the last month, and I have been having meaningful conversations around the following:

1. #1- Remember names.  My husband, Joal is so darn good at this, and you know why?  Because he uses them right away and associates them with something to remember the person’s name.  I am forever practicing this, but often I do write them down because it’s important to me to remember people’s names.  We all want to feel seen, and this is one of the best ways to do that! 
2. #3- Be easygoing, so things don’t ruffle you. Friends, this is really the work of our lifetime here isn’t it?  To maintain inner peace and joy no matter your external circumstances.  This is a daily practice for me that includes, taking breaks, somatic resets, reframing my thoughts, and speaking out loud my fears and challenges.
3. #6 – Study your conscious and unconscious low vibe elements of yourself- AKA “do the work.” At the Amplified Life Company, one of our key beliefs is that personal development is the foundation of thriving health, meaningful relationships, dynamic leadership, and extraordinary business outcomes.  Yet, all too often we get wrapped up in external validation and strategy and forget to turn the mirror back on ourselves so that we can get to the next level!

I invite each of us, including myself, to focus on one principle this week.  What does it mean to you in your life?  How can you expand its meaning and practice it in your life and business?

We’d love to hear from you too!  Email us at hello@carmenohling.com with your thoughts!

Is your cortisol healthy?  Take this quick quiz to find out:

Do you often feel:

• feeling tired but wired (tired all day but wide awake at night)
• waking between 2-4 am
• stubborn belly fat that won’t budge
• sudden facial rounding & puffiness
• metabolic resistance
• digestive issues & constant bloating
• low thyroid function
• feeling overwhelmed or on-edge
• trouble concentrating

If you said yes to 2 or more of these, then your cortisol cycles could be unhealthy.  For me, the main cause of my cortisol imbalance was my nervous system dysregulation.  I had no idea that my relentless ambition over the years was causing such issues in my body and mind.  Because believe me, I was “doing all the things” – eating good, exercising, meditating, etc – and I was still having these issues!

If you want to learn more about how to combat this, let’s chat! Click HERE to book a time and we’ll create a roadmap for you to get started.

Spring is a time of abundance, possibility, new life, and growth… You know that feeling of everything falling into place? 

That’s what I am encouraging you to begin to create this week.  It’s not about perfection, but progress.  I deeply believe that the chaos and clutter in our minds are directly related to the chaos and clutter in our physical environments. If your space is cluttered, chaotic, or just chronically disordered, your energy will be too.

Why do we save things? Often, it’s because of two things… the first is a scarcity or lack mentality and the second is comfort.  The comfort that things bring to us is a reminder of a past version of ourselves. 

If these “spring cleaning” messages resonate with you today and you want to learn more simple steps you can use to audit other areas of your life, click HERE to join our life audit mini-course – it’s free!

Check out this article and TV segment I contributed to around this very topic for more tips and inspiration:

Do you ever feel stretched too thin?  Overwhelmed?  Resentment creeping in?

This is often not because we have too much to do, it’s because we are not clear on what we want and where we are going so we say yes to everything and everyone and it’s exhausting!

We say yes when we truly want to say no.

Think of it this way…

Each “yes” steals a precious piece of your time and energy that you cannot replace.  While on the other hand, every “no” is a “yes” to you, the impact you can make, and your legacy.

Generally, people are the byproduct of their circumstances and environments.  And the reason for that is that people are not decided.

Today I want to introduce you to this principle: 100% is easier than 98%.

This principle is simple.  Decide, then go all in.

Step #1: Gain Clarity + Decide.  

If you’re still taking time to set up Plan “B” you haven’t made a choice yet.  If you want to take over the island, you must burn the boats.  Micheal Jordan famously said, “Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again.” Let that sink in for a minute.  How much time and energy do you spend wavering, overthinking, and saying “yes” when you mean “no?”

Step #2:  Follow the Clear Path

When you decide you have a clear outcome and path to get what you desire.  You don’t require willpower or motivation as much as you do when you’re only 98% committed.  

For example, if you are 100% committed to not drinking alcohol, when you get together with friends for dinner you don’t have to decide whether you are going to have a glass of wine with dinner or not, you’re committed. 

You cut off any other option.

The meaning of the word “decide” comes from the Latin word, decidere, which is a combination of two words: de = ‘OFF’ + caedere = ‘CUT.’

Step #3: Build Your Self-Belief

Self-belief is different from self-confidence.  Self-confidence is an outward projection, primarily based upon the perception of others.  Self-belief, however, is internal.  It is your internal knowing that you are enough, you are capable, you are worthy, you are loved, and you are valuable.  Each time you follow through on your 100% commitment you build your internal self-belief, thus further increasing your motivation and resolve to continue no matter your external circumstances.

Today, I encourage you to decide, to let go of the back-and-forth thinking and go all in.  The result will not only be more time, energy, and freedom but also a deep sense of self-belief and fulfillment in your life.

Let’s end with this quote from one of the most successful men in our current day’s history… 

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything. “ – Warren Buffet