• 13Jul

    Expectations are powerful indicators of your future. Positive expectations strengthened with enthusiasm help you to access your deeper desires and create a path for more abundance to come your way.

    Let me share a great example:

    When I was writing Day 6 of The Smile Diet in my book, Living with Enthusiasm: How the 21 Day Smile Diet Can Change Your Life, I was looking for a way to explain how you can increase your enthusiasm for an activity you’ve scheduled in the future to help maximize and increase the enjoyment of the experience.

    I created the example of anticipating a massage that you would schedule a week after doing your daily reading for Day 6. I suggested doing a conscious 16-second savoring smile every time you think about the upcoming activity to increase the pleasure of the experience, but then deleted the story because of space.

    Because of the synchronicity that happened two days later, I added it to a later chapter and still marvel at how Life is always giving us clues and gifts to help us live richer (in all meanings of the word), healthier, and more inspiring lives. Continue reading »

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  • 04May


    Think about all the different ways you’ve appreciated your mother over the years. What kind of gifts have you given her? Preprinted cards? Flowers? Candy? Jewelry? Clothing? I’m sure your mother enjoyed them, but have you ever wondered what she’d buy herself under the same circumstances?

    In a national retailers’ poll of mothers, 49 percent of mothers expected flowers; 13 percent said they wanted them. It’s presence, not presents, that count. How much time do spend with your mother? And how much of that time do you both enjoy? Continue reading »

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  • 30Mar

    Last week I was privileged to celebrate the life of a great friend, father, and a pioneer and leader in the nutrition and holistic health fields, Dr. Bruce MacFarland.

    We were invited to bring a favorite food to share, which in my case, that day, because I was pushed for time, would have been chips and salsa, picked up at Costco. But as I thought about all the things I’d learned from Bruce over the five years I’ve known him including his infamous “Eat slow or die fast,” and “Don’t cross your legs or risk varicose veins,” I realized I wanted to do something to honor his health conscious ways (well, except for Kopp’s Custard in Milwaukee, but who can resist that!) so I decided to make homemade hummus with sliced carrot sticks.

    I got out one of my favorite (and beautiful to look at) recipe books “The Raw Goumet” and made the Hummus recipe, which is good, but still kind of bland. I wondered what I could do to spice it up and asked the Ethers, “What would Bruce add?” Continue reading »

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  • 27Mar

    One of the five main reasons living with enthusiasm is so important is because it increases your ability to enjoy yourself and your life. But that’s easier said than done some days because we forget that we have a choice about how we think about and express ourselves, which is one of the reasons why I subscribe to the Abraham-Hicks Daily Quotes.

    Today’s quote really spoke to me about the importance of moving your mind from self-justification to in-the-moment appreciation, which triggers the release of your authentic enthusiasm through genuine joy bursts.

    “Mining the moment for something that feels good, something to appreciate, something to savor, something to take in, that’s what your moments are about. They’re not about justifying your existence. It’s justified. You exist. It’s not about proving your worthiness. It’s done. You’re worthy. It’s not about achieving success. You never get it done. It’s about “How much can this moment deliver to me?” And some of you like them fast, some of you like them slow. No one’s taking score. You get to choose. The only measurement is between my desire and my allowing. And your emotions tell you everything about that. ~ Abraham

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  • 12Dec

    What is your Inner Voice trying to tell you?

    Do you ever encourage a conversation with your IV (Inner Voice or what some experts call the Voice of Intuition)? I do. Most often while walking in nature or writing Q&A dialogue before I fall asleep at night or first thing in the morning when I wake up.

    My IV is the conduit to self-discovery and solutions to challenges; comfort when I’m experiencing fear, disappointment, or anger; appreciation when I do something well; and wise counsel that I may not want to hear but when I trust helps me live authentically with integrity and leads me to the answers I’m seeking.

    This morning when I awoke at 4:48 AM, I sensed it was time for a Q&A session. After asking my IV for guidance and typing stream of consciousness on my laptop for 20 minutes, the timer chimed for me to end. I continued writing to bring closure to the conversation and heard something that equally surprised me and reminded me of something I often forget, which I’ve shared below.

    Oh, I should also mention that sometimes my IV says things that initially appear to have no personal relevance (you’ll see what I mean with the Tiger Woods comment). I’ve learned to write whatever comes even if it doesn’t make sense in the moment because when I reread what I’ve written later, the Eureka Moment often arrives and I know that what I’ve heard is both a personal message for me and a Universal Truth (from my limited conscious perspective) that is so compelling I’m inspired to share it with you.

    So here’s the conversation. I’d love to know what you think when you’ve finished reading, so please leave a comment or email me.

    MM: I don’t want to open my eyes. It’s safer in here, where I can feel my connection to you.

    IV: Tiger was not connected to himself and that was his failure. All people will fail when they lose their connection to their Inner Voice. Your Inner Voice will never lead you down a path that destroys you. Your willfulness is what destroys you when you go against what you know to be loving. It is that simple.

    When your needs are suffering because you are not connected to your Inner Voice, you will make decisions that do not serve you. It is understandable, but not necessary.

    Listen more, intend more, and actions will be clear. Not always easy because there are so many energies pulling you in different directions, but there is a yes or no that can be instituted quickly. And once you learn to follow that voice, and act on the answer, you will flourish.

    Go practice. It leads to greatness. And you are already great in our book.

    There is no one to impress. Just people and life to love.

    MM: Thank you.

    Whatever Tiger’s reasons for his choices, whatever the cynics say, however you view failure, the message for me is loud and clear: There is no one to impress. Just people and life to love.  How slowly I learn, how quickly I forget, how important it is I remember.

    What about you? What do you think? I’d really like to hear from you. Mary

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