How Your Halloween Costume Helps You Be More Successful

Happy Halloween! I dressed up as a Magical Muse Goddess, although someone commented that I could also be the Snapchat flower crown filter. Ha! 

Who or what did you dress up as, and why? 

What I LOVE about Halloween is that it’s just an excuse to dress up! If you know me by now you know that fun and playfulness are muy importante in my world. It’s a time to try things out, get creative, tap into another persona and explore how we can adorn ourselves in a beautiful way. Exploring beauty is an exciting part of a woman’s life. We were bred to cultivate beauty of all sorts and I believe our greatest purpose as women is to be fully expressed. 

Halloween allows us to playfully express ourselves through another identity. Consider it “practice” for your own expression because there’s a reason you chose that costume. There is something about that character that you like, something you want to tap into a little more.

Since I am always on the lookout for what helps us stay successful and be more powerful, I noticed something that I thought would be a valuable perspective for you.

Here’s how your Halloween costume can help you become more successful:

Makes you smarter

When all rules are out, the sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity. Some costumes require a lot of details and planning, inviting our most resourceful self to come forward. When we are in a creative space, full of excitement and inspiration, our brain works at its optimal level. It’s kinda like problem solving… putting all the pieces together to create an outcome. Scouring the internet or stores for the perfect attributes to our costume or coming up with unique pairings that makes up something new are all creative ways that heighten our ability to problem solve and inevitably, be successful.

Connects you to others

If you are dressing up, chances are you will be around people. I’m a big cheerleader for connection (with it being my theme for the year and all) because we have WAY more power, impact, pleasure, happiness, confidence, contribution and growth when we are connected to others. During Halloween events, we get to experience camaraderie and bond over all the interesting costumes ideas. We inspire each other, laugh together and enjoy a different side of one another that isn’t normally present. This allows us feel supported, accepted and inspired which helps us feel safe enough to innovate and authentically create success.

Strengthens your confidence + skill set 

This is why I wrote this blog. When we dress up, we tap into a new identity and basically become that character. We use the mindset they would have to do, say + think differently in order create an experience that is the costume. Do you see how amazing that is? We can literally become another persona or identity if we wanted to. We can “borrow” their values, quirks, ideas, confidence, mannerisms and power. 

This is exactly how archetypal coaching works. Archetypes are simply personas that are within all of us which we can use in any moment to create what we want or need. Common archetypes are the Lover, the Warrior or the Wizard. We don’t have to have been this person before to know what makes them powerful. We can obviously see the traits that make them so, and cultivate those traits in ourselves when we need it, to balance out a situation or simply to have a bigger impact on our life or someone else’s. 

Maybe we have to go through a tough situation with a friend who is dealing with a loss of a family member, so we can use the Lover’s soft and compassionate energy to support them best. Maybe we need to tackle a very big dilemma that requires way more productivity than we are used to, so we can tap into the Warrior’s energy to get it done. Or maybe we are having trouble problem solving in some way and need the energy of the Wizard to help us stay curious and creative. Do you get why Archetypes are so powerful now? Think of your costume as an archetype. No matter how small, silly or creative your costume is, there is power in it’s identity. Find it’s power and see how you can “borrow” or use its power in real life for your own challenges. 

So, that’s why I love Halloween. It helps us test the waters on our expression and allows us to understand the power of identities. 

Speaking of Identity, have you seen the free virtual women’s circle I posted on Facebook recently? It was a prequel to my upcoming Bay Area in person women’s circle and workshop on 11/11 called Living From The Heart. It’s all about releasing the outdated identity that we might be holding on to and truly claiming that identity that will serve our success moving forward. It’s going to be SO much fun and transformative. My co-leader Dawn Bennett, who is a Homeopath and Bodywork, and I are locking in all the details to make this a phenomenally magical day. Click the button below to learn more about it and to register, there are limited spots available. 

YOUR TURN!

Do share what your costume was and what power that identity allowed you to see.

What Makes or Breaks Success: Your Identity

Last week I shared about the importance of processing and how that serves you deeply in the success of your future. The week before I shared about the power of intentional living and how that is my #1 tool for success. There is a theme here, beauty, if you haven’t noticed…and there is a flow that I am creating that is taking you on a journey in a specific way that aligns with this specific time of year.

The one thing we all want is happiness. To me, what I hear underneath that is success and personal power…because how can we GET happiness without those two? Happiness is something we create from the inside that affects our experience on the outside. It’s a direct result of the transformation that occurs within our soul or a shift in our perception.

I know now that external circumstances have NOTHING to do with our happiness. I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor and everywhere in between. The happiest I’ve been was when I was the most poor because that forced me to focus on what REALLY mattered, who I really was and what I was actually capable of. I am in no way advocating that a low income = happiness, but what I know is that our low points offer so much perspective that have the potential to amplify our internal power which catapults us into a stronger, wiser, more resourced version of ourselves. 

Since part of my purpose is to support women in cultivating sustainable power, I have to address the big elephant in the room that really sets the tone for our level of happiness: Our Identity. 

What and who we identity with directly impacts our quality of life and happiness. 

Our identity determines our success.

If I had identified as “poor” or a big ole “victim” when I was broke (and I did lean towards those a few times), I wouldn’t have risen up to the level at which I needed to in order to create the future I was desiring, speaking spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. 

If I had identified as part of a “broken home” after my parents got divorced, I wouldn’t have been able to find true, meaningful love or experience the marriage I am in. 

If I had identified myself as fat, ugly or too big in physical terms, I wouldn’t have gained the confidence in myself that I have nor would I have the lavish experiences that I did with my girlfriends. 

See, there’s a difference between thinking some of these thing once in a while (normal) and identifying with the persona. The identity that we choose comes from what we think over and over as our internal dialog, which affects our belief system, who is really steering the ship (our subconscious). 

We all have blocks that are holding us back and I believe we all need to consistently re-evaluate what we are thinking, doing and being that can heal our past (old, outdated patterns + beliefs) and serve our future (inspiration, pleasure, action). 

I am by no means perfect in this area, but I am active when it comes to doing the work that is necessary to move past these outdated identities. I don’t ever want to hide behind my old persona’s like “party girl”, “dumb blonde”, “fat girl” or “poor”. I know they are not really true. I know I am way more than that. I also know that they were what I secretly identified with back in the day and totally kept me down because they crushed my self worth.

What persona are you secretly identifying with? 

What persona or identity would you LIKE to identify with? 

I honor the clarity that is coming up for you. Know that whatever is meant to come up, will. If it is coming up now, you are meant to be dealing with it now. You have the support, knowledge, know-how and resources to shift the identity that is steering your ship into one that creates success and sustains your happiness. 

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And, beautiful sister, if you live in the Bay Area, I would like to invite you to work through this with me, LIVE in person for a women’s circle and workshop on the magical 11/11/2016.

I am hosting this event with my soul-sister Dawn Bennet (a highly skilled bodyworker + homeopath) called LIVING FROM THE HEART which is built to assist you in releasing those old, outdated patterns, beliefs and stuck emotions and provide you with the tools, space and support to claim your new identity that will lead to your desired happiness and success. We have carefully curated a magical day to serve your highest evolution and to help you uncover your deepest truth + learn the power of intentional living. This is your chance to transform your identity into who you are meant to be, strengthen your sense of self and reconnect to your heart’s desires so you can create the quality of life you deserve.

We have a special early bird registration investment which is incredibly affordable for what you will receive. Or if you know of anyone that you’d like to invite, please help us spread the word.  ALL OF US NEED THIS! Thank you so much in advance. 

If you do not live nearby, we are hosting a live complimentary virtual women’s circle as a teaser to this event to answer questions and get you thinking about your identity on Wednesday October 26, 2016. You can RSVP here. 

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YOUR TURN!

With so much deep love for you, sister, to be on the journey with you, wherever you are at. I’d love to hear what came up for you after reading all of this. Where are you at with your identity and is there a gap in who you want to be? Please comment below and tell us. 

My #1 Tool For Success

Full disclosure: I am a highly ambitious woman. I have always known what I wanted and usually got it because I would do anything to get it (it’s the Capricorn in me). Success is a theme in my life and I love climbing to reach it. However, back in my 20’s I got a little too concerned with what I thought I was supposed to do and I created a life that wasn’t truly me and perpetuated a constant state of burn out and overwhelm from all the hustle, work and denial of myself. Ambition seemed less appealing as life went on…that is, until I learned about intentional living and how that is the magic of success.

Years ago, as I was fed up with all the masculine type energy that I lived in (read: all the productivity, doing, achieving, climbing, working and busyness), I discovered the enchanting possibilities of the feminine energy (read: just being, pleasure, receiving, surrender, intuition, beauty, flow, softness and playfulness) that helped me start to cultivate the success I was looking for in all areas of my life and became the catalyst to my work as a coach. I learned that magic existed and was sourced in intention.

Intentions come from our desires, our dreams, even our pain. We want change or growth and so we can intend to do, think, be or experience something different. They allow us to make a decision (a powerful practice in general) and open up room for magic to occur. Intentions are way more authentic, playful, thorough and magnetizing than simple ‘goals’. 

Instead of focusing on achieving something, like a normal goal would be, Intentions create an overall experience with room for an even better outcome than we might imagine. 

See, focusing on the end result, although important, feels too rigid, masculine centered and boring to me. It sure doesn’t get me jazzed to make moves towards it. I need MORE to be motivated. I need to feel constantly INspired. I want feel into the reality of my desire, how it makes me feel on all levels, how it will help others when I achieve what I want (win/win), how it will impact other areas of my life and how moving towards it will benefit me immediately. When I am tapped into all of that, I am completely connected to the manifestation of it or something better. Even if the specific intention doesn’t come to fruition (which is rare now because I can identify the purity of my desires), whatever results occur are always an improvement in my life in some way. 

What I love about intentions is that it gets us thinking about WHY we want what we want and WHY we should focus our energy there. No more “should’ing” ourselves out of obligation or societal standards. Those results will be unsustainable and make us resentful. Before we can be motivated (masculine energy) we need to be inspired (feminine energy) and we access that through our intentions. The clarity we have will yield the result we experience. Intentional living creates INSPIRED ACTION which is beautiful blend of masculine and feminine energy, the kind that fulfills our needs, gets results and sustains our life balance.

Where and what you can set intentions for

• All of your dreams, desires and goals
• An important event or meeting
• A vacation or travel experience (like on a plane, train or boat)
• Anything you create: a piece of art, a website, a book, a blog post, a program, a schedule, etc.
• Your home
• Your car
• Your energy, persona or reputation 
• Your career
• Your health
• Your family or relationships
• + more
   

How to set powerful intentions

Remember, intention setting is a magical process because it takes you out of a linear format and connects your body, mind and soul. This is where you tap into your underlining why, your senses, your potential, your impact and of course your overall experience or quality of life. This is where you get to viscerally feel the desire being real and how you can recognize when the intention is happening or has happened. Ideally, you want to write out your intentions because writing clarifies more than thinking and declutters your mental state. Saying intentions out loud is also an extremely suggested act because it becomes a declaration. Finally, if you can put the intention as a statement of the past, as if it already happened, that is ideal but not necessary.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What is it that I want to experience or achieve? What is the purpose?
• What do I want to feel, emotionally and/or physically? What are the sensations?
• What do I want to see while I’m doing it or after it’s been achieved? What am I looking at?
• What do I want to smell or taste during or after?
• What do I want to hear from myself, from others or in general? What are others saying? What noises are present?
• What is motivating my desire? How will this impact my life and future?
• What kind of support do I want to receive?
• How could this intention coming true help other people?
• In what ways will me taking steps towards this intention benefit me immediately? 

Now, before you give in to any potential overwhelm with this formula, just know that this is a WAY to set powerful intentions. How bad do you want it? How real can you make it? You by no means have to include every single one of these points in every intention you set. Just keep them in mind and pick the points that speak to you. Sometimes the most simple intention is the most needed. Other times, we need all the specifics we can get. I trust that you will be able to discern how to set your intentions that will enliven and excite you and help you to cultivate the magical power that resides in you. 

To your true, sustainable and enjoyable success,

YOUR TURN! 

What is the first intention you want to set after reading this?

SPECIAL INVITATION: Time to up-level your life!

Hello beautiful!

How was your summer? I took a break from blogging and retreated to do some inner work on myself. I’ve hardly been on social media this month, which is saying a lot! It’s been a lovely experience these last few weeks, and I can sense there is lots more to come. Here is a photo of one of my more memorable moments while I was on retreat in Connecticut last week in the middle of a women's circle (I'm in the pink).

This year has been one of the best years of my life and I can feel more abundance and opportunities unfolding now still. This month is also a powerful energetic time. Expect to have the opportunity to transform your way of life and way of being in the comings weeks. Hey, and if you’ve already had some shifts, I’d love to hear about them!! 

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Today I am entering back into the blogging atmosphere to not only re-commit myself to YOU, to showing up for you and myself in a more powerful way, but also to finally invite you to something special and close to my heart. 

You are cordially invited to join the second round of my now signature program Around The Bagua: 9 Weeks to Energetically Uplevel Every Area of Your Life! This is a virtual group Feng Shui program with soul.

The launch of this program is timed divinely on purpose with the energy of this month. I am calling in women who desire to shift their inner and outer world and who want to stop being stuck, disorganized, low energy, broke, lonely or all of the above. I have been called to offer this program again NOW because there is a need I see amongst my tribe, friends, family and society this year that needs the information, tools, support and fun that (my kinda) Feng Shui can provide. 

You see, I got involved with Feng Shui when everything in my life was utterly disastrous. I was broke, jobless, on the brink of divorce, stuck in toxic relationships, estranged from some family members and was in a near fatal car accident. Nothing in my life had meaning and nothing I did was working to make anything better. When I joined a class with total strangers, my whole life completely turned around based on the powerful teachings of Feng Shui and the connections I made with my space and self that were based on the Feng Shui principles. I got my power back, found my purpose, started making money, created my business, saved my marriage, released friends that no longer served me, healed my relationship with my family and found my joy again. If it wasn’t for Feng Shui, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It changed my life and was the catalyst to truly stepping into my destiny. 

I know those of you reading this may not be at this low of a level, BUT, my point is that Feng Shui and it’s principles are powerful and when used in conjunction with mindset tools, organization, success techniques, magic ritual and sisterhood, it makes us UNSTOPPABLE! 

So, think about your big goal right now, your new years resolution or your intentions you just set for the new moon. What if you could add INSTANT meaning and energy flow into your self and space to manifest this? That is what’s possible in this program. Around The Bagua guides you in getting unstuck and creating success in your life and business so you can truly THRIVE. Whatever goal you have, you can cultivate with the tools and techniques that will be taught in this program.

I PROMISE.

And, you will have the soul-support of a new sisterhood of like minded women and me to help you along the way (a priceless gift that will absolutely change your life).

If you resonate with this, if you feel the energy during this month already and are feeling called to step into something transformative so you can take your life to a new level, then please join me for this program. 

You can learn more about the details here: http://www.michellepowell.me/aroundthebagua

We start September 18th and there are limited spots available. This will sell out, so make sure you jump on this chance if you are even considering it. I would be happy to speak with anyone about this to see if this program would be a good fit for them. Simply go here to schedule your time with me or shoot me an email.

CLICK HERE for more detailed information on the program and to claim your spot. 

YOUR TURN!

I would love to know, what are you looking to shift in your life??? Comment below!