I am allowing my reflection of the past 53 years to whisper in my ear, and it's telling me to go ahead -- the beast is not as scary as you think. It is time to lean in!

In the years I've been doing this work, I've noticed that insights are a lot like butterflies -- while there are things you can do to make them more or less likely, it's ultimately not up to us when they land.

When we let go of our judgment about where we are and where we think we "should" be, we're able to appreciate our lives, the people around us, and ourselves in a genuine way.

Upon meeting someone new, part of me hopes I will never hear the dreaded four words (what-do-you-do) because then I wouldn't have to assess how I am going to respond -- with my pragmatic communications-consultant role, or with the idealistic wanting-to-save-the-world profile.

Your inner voice that tells you that you can accomplish something is a positive and healthy one. The more you listen to it and trust it, the more likely you will be successful at whatever you're attempting to do.

Lately, I hear more and more people across different disciplines and walks of life talking about the heart. People seem to be waking up to the wisdom of letting their hearts guide them, finding it leads them to more joy and fulfillment. This is news that does my heart good.

Intuition offers a direct line to your life force, and also, as I experience it, to a divine intelligence. We can't afford to remain deaf to intuition's messages. Its expertise is energy; its job is to know every nuance of what makes you tick.

Decisions and choices give momentum and then we are rolling. From there, energy can move and things can land. The choice is ours. We can't do anything wrong, and we can always make new choices. Things are rarely so serious and final as they seem.

Our feelings are always informational -- a profound source of inner guidance. I encourage you to value your feelings and listen to what they are telling you, rather than ignoring and avoiding them.

If used mindfully, the calendar is a wonderful tool with which you can measure your year before living it -- intentionally pacing yourself with a rhythm that suits and honors your life spiritually, mentally and physically.

One of the greatest gifts in life is being able to be in touch with your own intuitive guidance from the heart. It's that still small voice inside each of us. Life just seems to work better and feel easier when I follow mine.

What if our purpose is exactly who we are at this very moment and what we are doing right now? Ask yourself: Which part of me really wants to nail down this elusive life purpose? Is it my mind, my heart, my soul, or my ego?

We're finding out who we are, so we can do it on purpose. So we can be free. We are gently learning to become honest with ourselves, about ourselves. Which is the entire practice of awareness. All we have to do is show up.

When we stop, quiet down, and pay attention, there suddenly emerges into awareness a whole field of experience. Do we have to take a course in order to "know" these feelings, sensations, sounds? Of course not. The capacity to know is our nature.

This season, we can give ourselves the gift of embracing our hearts in silence. Our crowded thoughts come from a crowded heart. Taking time to enjoy silence is time for the simple beauty of life.

The loving, consistent support of family and friends is part of the reason people find peace and happiness in this life. It makes sense that we have to exorcise from our mind-body system the negative words left there by others.

These simple tools can help us get started on the ultimate treasure hunt, where self-awareness and self-acceptance reign, and conscious choices begin rocking our world, rather than the more common suffering-is-all mindset.

A consistent, daily practice of yogic meditation chips away at the workings of the mind. As we devote ourselves to this practice over time, we empower ourselves to observe our ego as being separate from ourselves. This allows a more natural insight to emerge.

To let go and fall into the arms of silence carries us into the sweetness of surrender. It is to become a master in the humble art of living.

What can break through entrenched, old thought patterns and lead you forward is an inspiring idea, a revelation, that becomes a door-opener to a new direction to take, a new next step in your career, new and expanded opportunities you hadn't seen.

As soon as we enter into silence, there are gifts that renew and strengthen our essential selves. These gifts are qualities that enlighten and bring real joy. I call these qualities "muscles of the heart."

You can use the various situations in your life to make yourself stronger and better, or you can sit and cry. This is the choice you have. If you have set your life up to experience growth and well-being, everything in life becomes beneficial.