I never quite felt ready to express to others what I was trying to offer with my business because I felt as though something was missing- I knew I wasn't living fully what I wanted to teach. Today, I am ready and willing to share with you my passion, learnings, skills and abilities and I hope I can encourage you to join me on this journey of living life well.

Active Soul

WELCOME!
to a real-whole-istic approach to living boldly

I want to encourage you to notice, explore, experiment and determine what works for you when it comes to living well. If you need some support to guide you along your path of self-discovery and optimal living, then have I got some creative solutions for you that you probably haven't used or thought of!
I have a toolbox of life affirming activities to help you live your best life,
 a life more empowered; a life more daring.

Integrating self-care practices start with a single step.....

 move towards setting time out for your self:
http://activesoul4u.com/pb/wp_e1606dec/wp_e1606dec.html

 now you're ready to repair & rejuvenate your soul:
http://activesoul4u.com/pb/wp_7f9d1dad/wp_7f9d1dad.html

No matter where you are on your journey, it's never to early or to late to make changes; right now is a great time because your life is happening NOW!
You owe it to yourself to make this moment totally awesome.
When you are happy, everyone else around you benefits from your energy, and gives them unspoken permission to release their own greatness within.

Being in the industry as a nutrition worker, I know food is critical for health and happiness but it is only one component in the nourishment requirements your body/mind connection needs to thrive. Healthy relationships, regular physical activity, fullfilling work and a spiritual practice all contribute to filling your soul with peace and joy. We hunger for stimulation, recognition, certainty, touch, adventure, creativity; all of these are essential forms of nourishment. Everything is food. Food can fill you up but it cannot fulfill you. We need experiences to grow.
We take in the experiences of life in thousands of ways. Sometimes, we need to slow down to reconsider what we've learnt from our past experiences and then re-learn as we challenge our childhood conditioning, beliefs and values that were passed onto us and through us in our growing years. As time moves on, we realize that hanging onto them through habit limits our capabilities, the choices we make and the outcomes they produce. There must be another way to live truer to ourselves. There is. The connection between leaving the past behind and moving into the future with clarity starts with being in the moment, working with a "what is" frame work of thinking rather than a " if only..."  limiting thought process. It is about accepting where you are right now. Once you start to identify what in your life is keeping you from making healthy choices, only then can you gain the clarity needed to instinctively gravitate towards nourishment that will best support you and allow your body and mind to operate at its fullest potential.

And where are you now?

Sign-on for a change that will nourish you from the inside, out!

I look forward to serving you.

Marla @

www.activesoul4u.com

Yes, I have been very personal about my affairs and if it sounds as though I've had issues with my mom, then you've perceived it quite clearly. I haven't aired this info because I can't stand my mom, it's been about my " peeling the onion layers" and learning to accept, forgive and love myself through this process. I could be non-subjective but the truth is, this parental relationship has challenged me the most; it probably is the same for a lot of you viewers.

Do you live your life based on events that happened in the past: a difficult parental relationship, a humiliating situation at school or a challenging relationship that ended in an unsatisfying way? In some ways, I was living my life through my past pain; I've healed a lot of holes in my spirit but there were sooooo many levels to peel through with my mom. I would get through a couple of layers and then something would happen and I would get triggered, fall back a layer and into responding the same way with her. Something had to give but I didn't know what- I didn't know until I went through it. It's taken 20 years of 'therapy' but I finally get it! I still needed my mom's approval and I needed her to show me she loves me, but I needed it shown in my way. I'm not blaming her anymore; I'm taking responsibility to say that I was playing the victim, thinking I needed her to do for me before I could do for me. I can't depend on anyone else to give to me what I am unwilling to provide to myself first. I need to love me the way that I want to be loved. I even thought I needed my husband to show me that he loves me in a certain way and if he didn't, I felt abandoned and I would shut down; It's the same pattern of behaviour I learnt through my relationship with my mom.
....OMG- another "AHA' connecting moment- I felt abandoned by mom everytime I perceived her choosing my brothers over me. Her actions might show me that she cares more for my brothers but the power lies in me to know and feel that I don't need her actions to validate for me that I am loveable. I am love no matter what does or doesn't happen.

 If you don't heal past hurts, you'll carry those patterns of  behaviours into other relationships, whether it be at work, with a friend or an intimate relationship. We each put rules onto our loved ones; they look different for everyone; what are yours? What triggers you; were is its source?

With these new revelations of truth popping up, my relationship with my husband is flourishing and my energy is radiating out to others; I know this because of the responses I've been getting- making me blush.

 I'm discarding the peels that aren't serving me anymore; I am releasing my inner goddess within and it sure feels freeing, sensual, powerful and uplifting. I can really feel the difference right down to my cells. When one fully takes responsibility for their own happiness and peace of mind, only optimal feelings of well-being can be experienced- they go hand in hand.

 What do you need to let go of or embrace to truly feel alive?

I would love to hear from you.

Take care,
Marla

I was wondering why I've been feeling a little stronger inside, more confident than usual and then it hit me, I've FINALLY let go of my mom and the need for a relationship with her. As soon as my mom decided to move back out of town, into my brother's house again, I knew that her inability to love me has nothing to do with me, and with that new found acceptance, I wrote in my journal & cried, and released the need to have her love me the way I wanted to be loved (because I did have expectations) and the unforgiveness I had against myself, always believing that I wasn't good enough. Imagine, I had one belief, stemming from a relationship with one person, affect me and my outlook on life. I wasn't being thankful for all the blessings I have in my life, I was only noticing that I wasn't getting any blessings from one person. I allowed this to have so much power over my life, my happiness. Today, I actually feel 'complete'; no more searching for the answer as to why can't she love me? (she's tried) OR, what can I do so that she'll love me? (she does in her own way) The only love I 'need' is the love of myself and the knowing that I am taken care of and all of my needs are met. 

Previously, I said that I find it hard to feel positive emotions and to fully express them freely; well, that's been changing but it's been low on the radar, not showing itself with force. Society tells us that happiness needs to be loud and fierce for it to be real but I'm learning that it's slow and steady and sneaks up on you, noticeable when one takes the time to sit back and reflect on their life.

I was reading a story about a lady that healed herself from stage 4 cancer by going deep into her internal wounds, looking at the patterns and then letting go. It hit me that I've been feeling as though I'm still living this hard life but it's only my ego (my story) that kept me in this 'lack of' or 'need of' finding answers 'out there' to feeling free in myself. When I look back on my life, I see how I've been taken care of by a higher power that I've taken for granted. When my baby son was sent to the hospital after stopping breathing on us, a specialist, from out of town, caught the trouble and found a solution. When my husband lost his job that year, we lived on $17,000, paid for a leased vehicle and our son's medicine as well as rent, ect. How did we do it? When I rented out a space and formed my catering company, didn't make much of a profit but I made a contact that ended up giving me the job that I'm currently in. Serendipity? Meeting my husband; being prayed over, I got pregnant with my daughter; so many life affirming events that demonstrates that I am loved and loveable for just being me and for trusting that all will work out when I let my life flow without judgement, shame, guilt or unforgiveness. When I believe and trust in myself, my life flows. As the chapters of my story evolve from the perceptions of the pains of yesterday, I am slowly transformed into a main character of substance, humility, grace and beauty. Everybody saw this in me; I needed to see it in myself. It's the perception of how we view the world that colours our experiences of it. Once we can acknowledge our perceptions, we can then challenge and then change them so that we can start to heal, and blossom into the being we are meant to share with each other. We need to take responsibility for ourselves; own what is ours and learn to let go of the rest.

We are here to love and be loved. We can't see that truth if we are stuck in perceptions that weigh us down. Undress yourself from the pains of yesterday; put on a new, colourful, rewarding style of honest seeing with a fresh new pair of eyes. And smile. 

Because it feels so darn good to!

I did so well that one weekend, that I was able to pay all my bills for the month with what I made through my business. And then my mood darkened and the body shut down; I self-sabotaged. Our emotions are a guide to let us know that something is/ isn't right within. I also believe that a belief about oneself resides in the dark emotions that take hold. Over our childhoods, each of us develops a belief about self (B.S.) through our processing of life's events & experiences and our interpretation of it all; mine is that I'm not worthy. When I'm stretching outside of my comfort zone and taking risks towards making my dreams come true, my belief of being unworthy pops up. I can feel an energy within that is ready to explode but my limitations are keeping it in submission.

I read somewhere that most people's lives are the same for the last 5 years except for the people you meet, the books you read, the music you listen to. In this mood, my ego was telling me that my life was boring, I was living in the poor house and was stuck from moving forward. I knew that I was thinking of myself as a victim in this state and that's not who I want to be, so I sat down with my emotions, reflected on my fears and then challenged them by asking myself, "Is it really true?" 

Is it true that my life is boring? In the last 5 years.........

• I took a group of ladies on a backpacking trip to Italy
• I went back to school when I lost my job, then started up not one, but 2 businesses 
• started a new position that gives me freedom to use my talents
• travelled to California for training
• through my adventure club, have tried many activities such as gunshooting and dogsledding

Is it true that I live in the poor house?

• we have not one but 2 vehicles
• I am making a good wage in my position, the most I've ever made
• our needs are being met, the bills are being paid

Is it true that I'm stuck from moving forward?

• I've taken my fears of technology and have used that energy to teach myself how to use different medians to make my business run smoothly
• I've attended 5 tradeshows in the past month
• When I decided to take a job, the position opened to me that day

Is it true that I am unworthy of success?

• Why would I be? My heart is in the right place; I've worked at honing in on my skills and attributes; I'm here and because of that fact, I deserve to be who I am, to share what I know and to prosper with what I give out and take in. I know this logically but obviously, I still had to integrate it into my soul at a deeper level. 

My life is far from boring or stagnant; my issue is that I don't allow myself to feel  my power, joy, excitement, even my femininity ; It's as though my emotions are on auto pilot of my childhood when I didn't feel any happiness, just blandness; a companion that's been with me for all my life. When I do feel good, my ego (B.S!.) attacks, "Who do you think you are to feel this good?" and it shuts me down. I'm thankful that I can sit with my mood, acknowledge it and then challenge it. Well, I've outgrown this companionship; I'm ready to make friends with joy, peace, success, prosperity, .....all things good for me. So what did I do?  I posted on facebook; felt accountability to do something; as a result.....

• I got on the phone to muster up business
• I had beautiful, sexy photos taken of myself
• I talked to my manager to push my capabilities
• I gave myself permission to succeed 

Most of all, I pay attention to how I'm loving myself; that's where the real power lies.

Power on!

I'm being tested: I have been releasing this belief in me that I am not capable nor smart enough to succeed at being a healer because I lack the education that most people would demand of me. And people are questioning me about my credentials quite a bit recently. My path has been about releasing the demands and limitations of the rational mind, the part of you that most call the "Ego". The ego demands perfection, knowledge that is hard to gain, being one up, always striving to get ahead, and it never wants to be unhappy so it looks to others to make it happy. The rational mind can serve us but more times than not, we rely on it to validate us and we'll keep searching for more information, for the answer 'out there' to make us 'better' instead of looking inside of us for self-acceptance

.

Sometimes we want to take classes to learn about a subject but most information can be learnt in a variety of ways, not just limited to a classroom. I'm encouraging my daughter to stop stressing about the University she will attend and to start listening to her heart in this moment she's about to pick a class for next year. What excites her? What makes her feel alive? What God given talent can she learn more about within herself? And how is she inspired to learn it?

"The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." Tom Bodett

I've often said this about my life; I learn something new about myself, which in turn teaches me about other people, everyday. Life offers me the lessons that allow me to expand my thinking and grow my 'soul' and I listen and take part in this journey with an eager and open heart. I take responsibility for all of me. When something bothers me, I listen to what my inner knowing is trying to express to me. I notice the suffering in others and I want to ask them what it is they are saying about themselves; what judgements are they hanging onto? What are they unwilling to accept about themselves and their life? It might look and feel as though the problem lies elsewhere, but it never does. That's what taking responsibility means; knowing that you are in charge of your life, in what you get and in what you give, in all aspects. Most will not accept this; denial is easier. But by staying in denial, you stay stunted in your growth; your light is dim; your energy is low.  That is not how we are meant to live.

Unconditional self-acceptance means accepting your SELF, though not necessarily condoning every behaviour or choice you make. You are in no way "bad" or "good" for choosing a behaviour or thinking a certain way; you are the same being either way. When you stop rating yourself, you are less afraid to take responsibility for your choices and behaviours since each does not condemn you to a label of 'badness" or "worthlessness"; you will become much more able to change and grow.

Choose to let go of the Ego's demands and be willing to learn how to live from your inner power, all knowing part that is connected to Divine life.

Wake up to life and you will wake up to learning more about your greatness inside!