Be DARING!! What does that mean? Simply stated, be a risk taker! Where in your life are you taking risk? Where are you not risking? To be daring is willing to stretch yourself to that uncomfortable place.

Granted our comfort zone is warm and fuzzy but warm and fuzzy doesn’t get you your desires. It doesn’t stretch you to grow. We’ve all heard a hundred times, “If you’re not growing you’re dying.”  It’s much like a plant; it’s either growing or dying. The four areas of growth are: Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical.

                            “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”  Neale Donald Walsh

For example, your goal is to lose weight. Your actions is work out 3 times a week in the morning. So you begin and the first week is great.  The second week begins and after a long week of work it’s more challenging to get up early three times to workout, not to mention being sore. What do you tell yourself? I’m too tired and can I really wake up this early.  Then you make a decision you know what I will start again in a month when things settle down. That was the uncomfortable feeling! That feeling makes it easy to lose sight of what your initial desires: to lose weight and workout 3 times a week.

Start being DARING!

1. Be Clear with your desires
2. Listen to your inner voice
3. Change your relationship with the uncomfortable feeling
4. Embrace the uncomfortable feeling
5. Enjoy the benefits of achieving your desires and creating a larger comfort zone.

My mental stretch is owning who I am. I initially started this online coaching website as Viva La Diva Coaching.  That was my comfort zone. For some reason my intuition was telling me Myra Grefaldia, start owning who you are! Why are you hiding behind Viva La Diva Coaching? I was in such resistance and it made me terribly uncomfortable.  I would get a lump in my throat! That’s when I knew I had to do it! So I decided to go with Myra Grefaldia, Lifestyle Enthusiast. I pushed throught he uneasiness . I pushed throught the thoughts of “I’m not good enough.”

Here I am on the other side writing blogs and sharing my voice to the world, while helping others. I created a larger comfort zone for myself. Now I am enjoying what I do!

What’s your next Daring experience?

I’ve been a busy bee, creating a project for women to partake this September.  It incorporates everything I love, my Fab4 and travel! For those who don’t know my Fab4, here it is: my Faith, my Family, my Friends, and great Food.  As I mentioned on my last blog, I am one who enjoys experiences in life, so I figured I might as well create an experience based on the things I love.

Why La Dolce Vita? An Italian saying meaning The Sweet Life! Tell me who doesn’t want to be living The Sweet Life.  This is why I am taking a dozen women to enjoy a week of experiences.  When I say experiences I mean adventure! This is an adventure to own your inner D.I.V.A. and help those who might not know their sweet spot.

I am so excited to share it all with you but not just yet!! I am still making the final arrangements. Once it’s all set I’ll share it all with you.  What I will do, is share my experience in creating this week long adventure. Cuz I know following my dreams doesn’t mean peaches and roses, it means going through thru some challenges to see my dream come true.  

What I’ve noticed so far that what I truly want is within arm’s reach. When I feel the uncomfortable feeling it means I’m on the right track! It means I’m on the verge of a breakthrough!  So I ask you, what dreams have you put aside because it became challenging? Next time when it gets challenging remember going thru the uncomfortable stage is part of getting what you desire.  So, accept the fact its part of the process and soon you’ll have your desires.

So stay tuned for all the details on La Dolce Vita 2013 Project and my journey in creating it!

Why did I change from life coach to Lifestyle Enthusiast? I am a passionate women savoring every moment in life.  Frankly, life coach didn’t feel right.  It didn’t resonate with me however, Lifestyle Enthusiast did. It just came to me and when I wrote it for the first time, it felt oh so perfect!  Every experience life has to offer is just that, an experience, a life lesson.  Experiences come in different ways from jumping out of a plane to jumping into my life. It’s been a great journey for me. That’s exactly what I want to share with the World…..Experiencing life in the present!  That’s where all the fun is!

For far too long, I was looking back into the past or wondering about the future.  It wasn’t till I was present in my life that I began to see my life as an amazing adventure.  Experiencing an amazing adventure is so much better than reliving life’s disappointments, hurts, and worry of the unknown over and over again. Wouldn’t you agree?   

As a Lifestyle Enthusiast, I continue to utilize my trained coaching skills to help people.  So don’t think for one minute I am turning my back on life coaching. I love helping people too much to stop. It’s fulfilling for me to witness people discover themselves for the first time, to achieve their goals, and to learn to dream again!

My passions run deep and wide, however, my core values are my faith, my family, my friends, fabulous food (100% Foodie front and center!), and traveling!  My lifestyle reflects all that I am and I am enthusiastic about it! I’m looking forward to sharing how I am combining my love for helping others with my passion for experiencing life.

Till next time!

Myra Grefaldia, Lifestyle Enthusiast

 After celebrating the New Year, a few of my dearest friends went grab an early morning dinner starting 2013 with our first meal. The topic of conversation? What were our Hi’s and Low’s for 2012?

Much to my surprise, I spewed off my two Hi’s with ease!  1) a new opportunity that began in Jan 2012. 2) getting my new furry companion Mr. Mojo, my Maltese Poodle mix.  To add since then: launching my website, creating a Facebook page, committing to my passions.

When thinking of the Low’s it was difficult……and to this day I am wondering what my real Low’s were for 2012. 

Those who know me from the past know I could easily tell you my Low’s; today it’s all Hi’s. Granted there were tough times during the year, however, with those times came lessons of growth. Life’s lessons have made me who I am today! I’ve learned something from the tough times which make tough times turn into Hi’s. When one chooses to not see the life lesson being taught, tough times become Low’s in our life.

My shift in thinking this way didn’t come overnight, however, I wanted more out of life. In order to get there I had to do something. I realized didn’t have gratitude for everything good and bad that has happened in my life, past and present.  I chose to begin writing my gratitude list.  In the beginning it was difficult to write my list since I was not accustomed to thinking about what I was grateful for; I took things for granted.  I am happy to say, choosing to be present in my life, becoming aware and acknowledging what I am truly grateful for in my life, I have have gained more our of life.

If you want gratitude to be a resolution for you in 2013, begin with this:

1. Choose a Gratitude Journal.
2. Decide when to journal.
3. Give yourself 15 minutes to start
1. Reflect what you are grateful for in your life
2. Declare it in your journal: I am grateful for…….

Let 2013 be of unprecedented favor for you!  To receive it…….Begin with Gratitude!

Let me know what you’re grateful for in your life! Leave a comment below.

Clarity………What does that mean? The word itself is obvious but when used to reference my life, I was clueless. My computer, which is my brain, said, “Does Not Compute! WARNING! Does Not Compute!” How do I gain clarity when it comes to my life? This question would leave me even more confused with so many thoughts, leaving me frustrated!

Through my own journey of self discovery, I gain clarity in my life.  The answer didn’t come to me instantly, of course.  It wasn’t till I had clarity in the direction of my life that one day I realized I had clarity. It wasn’t till someone asked, “How did you get clarity?” This question left me dumbfounded.  I never really thought about it until I was asked. At first I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to answer the question. However, after much thought, I found the answer…………BE PRESENT IN MY LIFE!!

I was great at keeping myself distracted to avoid looking at my reality. By not being present in my life, I was letting myself down and the people around me.  I left family and friends feeling unimportant which is not true at all. They never had the opportunity to enjoy all of me because I was keeping myself so busy.  Fearful of discovering someone I didn’t like. 

What I discovered shocked me, I was really afraid of leaving behind the only person I knew how to be, a victim. I was a victim in my life. Being present meant leaving my old self behind.  Being present in my life led me to my fabulous self!  Rather than being a victim in my life, I am now responsible for my life’s direction.  Once I chose to be present in my life, the fog started to slowly lift in my head. Much like real fog, it eventually dissipates and clear skies are revealed. That means clarity!

My life is now an adventure. I believe it isn’t till we become present in our lives that one can gain clarity!

Now I can truly appreciate the words of William Ernest Henley from his poem Invictus:

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul

So are you ready to find clarity? Are you ready to start your adventure?

The other morning, I thought of Missed Possibilities while walking my dog Mojo. There was a woman on a mission. Her mission to find plastic bottles and cans to recycle. As I passed her and the trash, I noticed 3 feet away from her, were several empty plastic bottles thrown on the ground. She could have easily taken them to recycle.  However, she was so focused on her mission to find recycled containers on trash day, she completely missed what was literally right in front of her.

Instantly, I thought how many times do I miss possibilities? That’s right, I said possibilities! Possibilities become an adventure no matter what direction or choices we make because anything is possible. At times, it might not look the way we thought it would however still possible.  Opportunities pass us by and leave us feeling like there was something we didn’t do or have when the opportunity presented itself. That feeling can last a very long time and challenging to change those limiting beliefs we created from one missed opportunity.

Possibilities = anything is possible = Fun Adventure = Excited about life

Opportunity = passes us by  = Limiting Beliefs = Disappointed about life

Missed possibilities happen when we are not present in our lives. Nowadays with kid’s after school activities, hot yoga, meeting friends for dinner, making dinner, laundry, etc. the list can go on and on. All this after a hard days work then to repeat the cycle again the next day. It’s called the rat race of life! It’s guaranteed we get focused on the next agenda rather than being present in the moment. 

Not only do we miss out on what or who is around us but how many people miss out experiencing our true selves.  Take note where you are not being present. You might find what you’re looking for in front of you.