In early January, I attended the annual vision board workshop conducted by Deb Roffe of Summit Life Coaching. Once again, it was a powerful experience. New things were revealed–some expected and others that took me by complete surprise. I already knew my central word for 2012 is CONNECTION–it’s what I kept hearing as I journaled. During the guided meditation, however, I discovered its meaning went deeper and there were other messages too.

In the meditation Deb took us through prior to creating our boards, we visited our future self 20 years from now. My future self confirmed that my core word in 2012 is CONNECTION–she told me how important it is that I connect to my own heart, to family and friends, and to the people I interact with professionally. She conveyed that I must help others connect with their hearts. She told me to have courage and tap into my POWER as our family continues to deal with difficulties. She assured me all will work out. She also said to surround myself in LIGHT–to be LIGHT and to shine LIGHT. As she wrapped me in a shawl, which was a gift from her, I knew she was showing me how to care for myself. It was a beautiful visualization, and so is the board I created as a result of our encounter.

You too can create a vision board. Attending a workshop is a great way to do it because of the group process. However, you can make one by yourself with a few materials. You’ll need magazines, scissors, a glue stick, and a poster board. Before you begin, it’s a good idea to meditate or take quiet time to bring focus to this process–to hear your own inner voice. Here are the steps to follow based on what I learned from Deb’s workshop:

1. Set a goal, make an intention, and dream. Remember to DREAM BIG.

2. Collect images and words from magazines. Put the images in one pile and the words and phrases in another. Choose what touches you. Maybe you get chills or feel your heart skip a beat as you come across a certain word or phrase or feel “grabbed” by a specific image. Sometimes you’ll just know. When you have a strong reaction to something, be sure to include it. Even if it doesn’t make sense now, know that at some point its meaning will become crystal clear. That’s part of the fun! Let your intuition be your guide.

3. Create your collage. This is the most exciting part, yet it can be the most nerve-wracking. Gluing is committing to your dreams. It allows for the possibility of actually manifesting what you desire.

4. See the results. You’ll know when you’re done–when it’s time to stop gluing. Step back, look at your board and take it in. Allow it to touch you. Many images will make sense. However, as I said earlier, some may not yet be clear. In the days ahead, take time to gaze at your vision board and journal about your feelings and impressions. You may find that something on your board has more than one meaning or signifies something deeper. Other images and words may begin to come into focus.

The excitement of a vision board is that its meanings will continuously unfold. Even more exciting will be the manifestation of your dreams.

Visualization is a powerful mental exercise that can help manifest what you want in your life. The power of our minds to create and see what we desire is a tool we can use on a regular basis. Athletes use this technique as they prepare for competitions, seeing themselves crossing the finish line with ease. In sports conditioning, visualization is often used to aid an individual in seeing oneself accomplish a goal–especially something that might have been difficult up to that point.

When I was working towards my black belt in taekwondo a couple years ago, one of the school’s masters came to Colorado and taught a special class for us. In preparation for the next day’s tournament, he had everyone stand with eyes closed and visualize picking up a lemon in our hand. We felt the coolness and texture of the lemon. Then we picked up a knife and placed the lemon on a cutting board. Next, we sliced the lemon. He then had us take a lemon slice and put it into our mouths, sucking some of the juice. Without him giving us any description of its tartness or how our mouths would respond, some of us shared afterward how our mouths began to salivate and react in exactly the same way they would have if we’d put an actual lemon in our mouths. He demonstrated to us the power of visualization. Our bodies responded to what we saw with our minds.

Feel free to use the lemon visualization to strengthen your ability to visualize. Exercises such as this hone your skills of visualization, concentration, and mental endurance. As with any muscle in our body, it’s good to exercise our minds in varying ways. Here is another exercise you can use. Close your eyes and imagine a vase. See its shape and feel its cool weight in your hand. Now visualize a rose in your other hand. See its color, smell its sweet fragrance, and feel its stem in your fingertips. Place the rose in the vase. While still maintaining your visualization of the rose in the vase, imagine a daisy in the same detail. Add it to the vase. Continue creating flowers in your mind and adding them to the bouquet in your vase, always holding the earlier flowers as well. Stop when you start to feel tired or when you lose track of some of the flowers.

Since it’s Memorial Day, we can create a mental bouquet for someone we love. My father served in the military after WWII. He was involved in testing the atom bomb in the Pacific. Not understanding the danger of what he was being exposed to, he didn’t realize the effects radiation would have on his body. He died from lymphoma in 1997. He is buried in California, and I live in Colorado. This morning I created a bouquet for him and placed it at his grave.

You can do the very same thing, placing a beautiful bouquet on the grave of someone you love, whether or not they served in the military. Memorial Day is an excellent time to remember those who have gone before, especially our ancestors. We are here because of them. Memorial Day is a perfect time to honor their spirits.

Happy Memorial Day!

Have you ever noticed that when you have a new idea or awareness, it seems to pop up everywhere? The new word, phrase, or “thing” comes out of people’s mouths, shows up in the articles or books you read–sometimes it even appears on billboards! You begin to see and hear about it everywhere. It’s as if everyone has just woken up along with you.

So, what exactly is this phenomena? Well, I believe it’s the Universe’s way of letting us know we’re on track. We begin attracting people, places and things to align us more closely with this new idea or thought. In the past two months, since I began connecting more deeply with my need to share my message about “finding your voice,” the Divine has brought home this idea for me on an almost-daily basis. The latest message came this morning through today’s “Daily OM” email. Guess what today’s title is? “Letting Your Voice Be Heard–Writing Your Story.” Of course, it is!

Yesterday, I offered my latest seminar at a children’s boutique. It’s entitled, “Find and Follow Your Inner Voice.” Unfortunately, no one showed up. The afternoon turned out beautifully anyway. Naturally Loved‘s owner, Ally, and I had a wonderful time getting to know each other. We discussed ways to collaborate in the future–including a playshop entitled, “The Clean, Green Home” which we’ll offer her patrons in June. Yesterday unfolded just as it was supposed to.

This morning however I wondered about my presentation. Should I continue to offer it? Where should I offer it next? Is the message as relevant as I believe it is? On and on went my questions. And then…there it was. The Daily OM email. And do you know what that message said? Well, in a nutshell, it spoke of the importance and relevance of writing and sharing our stories, whether they be our entire life stories or a specific event. It spoke of the healing our stories provide us as well as the help they can offer by allowing others to know themselves better.

These are exactly the reasons I created this presentation to begin with! I want to share a painful part of my life which opened me up to my inner voice. In doing so, I want to offer others inspiration to connect with their inner knowing without having to experience a traumatic life event.

Yesterday, I shared parts of my story with Ally, and she shared parts of hers. We connected at the heart level. I believe we each took away from the other inspiration and validation that we are doing exactly what we’ve been called to do. This morning’s message “sealed the deal” for me. Yes, I’ll continue to offer my talk, telling about my “mack truck experience” (my friend Jan Haas’ wonderful phrase) which led me to a deeper connection with myself. Yes, I’ll continue to share the tools and practices which can help us stay connected to our inner voice. Yes, I’ll continue to write and offer my story in other ways as well.

Whether my message reaches one person or one hundred, it will be worth it.

Here is Part 2 of Chief Seattle’s message:

“The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst. The rivers carry our canoes, and feed our children. If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children, that the rivers are our brothers and yours, and you must henceforth give the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.

The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. And if we sell you our land, you must keep it apart and sacred as a place where even the white man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow’s flowers.”

Do you see nature as precious or something to be conquered? Do you notice the air you breathe? Do you see it as the sustainer of life? Do you see the relevance of Chief Seattle’s message of 1854 in our lives today? If you were able to embrace Chief Seattle’s message, how might you experience and live life differently?

Four years ago today I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now with gratitude and love, I live a healthy, vibrant life, passing on all I’ve learned to others through my business and personal relationships.

I had the honor of being interviewed by Jan Haas,The Present Path, last Friday. In honor of my anniversary, she posted my story today. Because she portrayed my journey so beautifully, I am reposting it here. I wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day, life with an open heart, and good health always. In love and light, Donna

“Donna Mazzitelli has a special reason to celebrates Valentine’s Day today. She was given an uncertain future four years ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her suggestion to anyone going through a challenging experience is to ‘open your heart a little more to the Love that will see you through.’ Thanks Donna, for opening your heart and being willing to share your story with others.”

My dear friend Sue Scudder is now a published author. She is also the developer of Integrated Healing Therapies TM and an accomplished musician and recording artist. Near and dear to my heart, she is one of my co-facilitators for Pachamama Alliance’s Awakening the Dreamer symposium. Her book, “The Voice Across the Veil: Powerful Messages from Beyond That Give Us All Hope,” was launched this past Saturday at the Rocky Mountain Writer’s Summit. What an amazing day it was, not only for her as a debuting author, but for all of us in attendance who were able to take in so much wonderful information from authors, editors, graphic designers, and more.

Sue’s book, based on her personal experiences, is truly a gift to the world. Her book’s description at Amazon reads, “The Voice Across the Veil powerfully illustrates that the human spirit transcends death; that those we love are never far away and compassion and forgiveness heal across dimensions. Sharing her own experiences of personal growth, spiritual fulfillment, and knowledge of the sacred, Sue reveals that we on the physical plane have access to astounding help from the unseen worlds. This true story provides comfort, hope and joy by showing our innate connection to the benevolent plan in which we all participate.”

I’m writing about Sue today on this Magical Monday because what she is living right now is a reminder to me that when we listen to our inner calling and respond to it, magical experiences and events begin to happen. Not only did her book debut on Saturday, but she is now being asked to speak at various events and gatherings. Her book sales are climbing. The beautiful mandalas captured by the artist in her book are being sought after. And this is just the beginning of her book journey.

Each of us has gifts and talents to share with the world. Are you sharing yours or is fear holding you back? The world needs what you have to offer. When you live your life’s purpose, the magic begins for you and the world!

My friend Sabrina Risley just posted this to her Facebook page: “Develop and operate outside of your comfort zone but not outside of your ‘gift’ zone.” ~John Maxwell

How can you start sharing your gifts today?

“We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”–Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today I remember the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was gunned down. I was in 7th Grade. Two months later Bobby Kennedy was also assassinated in California, the state where I lived. I, my family, and school friends were all devastated by both of these tragic events. Once again our hope was shaken to the very core. The next year, my best friend and I wrote reports and made speeches to honor both of these men and to send a message to our fellow classmates to keep hope alive and strive to make the world a better place. Through these experiences, I learned that hope and commitment to change are two of my most important assets.

Today, working for peace is as important as it was then. Learning to see our connectedness and our commonality is as important as it has ever been. In recognizing that we are all ONE, we will heal ourselves and our planet. Today I offer this prayer as a way to begin building the bridges to connect us all. This was taken from “Earth Prayers from Around the World–365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth”:

“Let there be peace, welfare and righteousness
in every part of the world.

Let us survive
In peace and harmony with Mother Earth.”

HAGEN HASSELBALCH

On October 14th, I received a follow-up email from Kelly Blynn of 350.org. Here is the email and the video.

The messages of both are inspiring and encouraging. They demonstrate that we truly can make a difference–one person at a time, one community at a time, one city or town at a time, one state or region at a time, one country at a time, one continent at a time. Together, one at a time, we can globally make a difference for our world and our planet!

Dear friends,

P.S. Last weekend was powerful–we hope you’ll take a moment to share the inspiration with your friends on Facebook & Twitter.

Last Friday night, my family and I had the wonderful gift of an evening of “great” music, as guest conductor Douglas Boyd expressed at the opening night of the Colorado Symphony. We heard Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and music by Tchaikovsky, including his Piano Sonata #1 performed by pianist Olga Kern.

We first saw Olga Kern right after she’d won the Van Cliburn competition in 2001. She was 26 years old at the time. We saw her again in 2002, both years at the Bear Valley Music Festival in California. Now in 2010, she is a beautiful, elegant woman of 35 who’s “grown into her shoes” as my daughter Alix described her. She was gracious, generous, and poised as she autographed CDs and programs after the concert.

Watching her play was such a lesson in living each moment to the fullest. She is very passionate and her music moves through her–she breathes it in and exhales it out in very visible ways. It’s on her face as she closes her eyes and makes facials expressions reflecting the rapture of the music moving through her. It’s in her body as she moves with her playing, allowing the music to flow out of her. She seems to be a much freer, more expressive performer than I remember her being nine years ago.

Alix and I stood in line to have a CD and program signed after her performance. When it was our turn, I told Ms. Kern that we’d seen her perform in Bear Valley in 2001 and 2002. She smiled and kind of chuckled. I took her reaction to mean that she knew we’d seen her at the very beginnings of her professional career, when she was still naive and new to the celebrity life. Now she knows how to handle it–she’s matured musically, professionally, and personally. She said she thinks she’ll be playing at Bear Valley in 2011–returning to her beginnings.

As I stood there, I remembered the young woman whose hand we shook in 2001 after the concert. Back then, she was like a deer caught in headlights. You could see her shyness and her uncertainty. She was very guarded. She smoked then (I don’t know if she still does) and she appeared quite anxious. This past Friday night, she was kind, poised, and very open–comfortable in her own skin. She told me her son is now 12 and is playing the piano “very well.” I felt honored for our very brief exchange. Two women proud of their children. I told her my girls were 6 when they first saw her perform; now they’re 15.

Time has passed. She has grown up and so have I. I recognized her maturity in the same way I recognize my own today. Although I’m 20 years her senior, I too have grown up a lot in the past nine years. The experiences of these past years have helped me grow into greater wisdom and knowing.

Friday night was a gift for me in another way. During the performance, the music that shut down in me three years ago seemed to burst open. In 2007, on the eve of my mastectomy, my family and I attended the symphony’s performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, thinking that hearing this joyful, triumphant music would give me strength for the journey ahead. In some ways it did, but in the process, the music in me shut down. I stopped playing piano and I stopped singing. I felt musically dead inside. Hearing music by Beethoven on Friday somehow allowed a release. I felt my heart burst open and I cried. I heard and felt the pain, the angst, the anger, the rage, and then I heard the exquisite beauty and love and ultimately the triumph of Beethoven’s 5th. I realized by the end of this beautiful piece of music that I too have triumphed. I can once again see, feel, hear, taste and smell the beauty of life.

On Friday night, I reconnected with the beauty of music in my soul. Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Olga Kern opened me up. Music feels alive again inside and ready to come out. I don’t know how I’ll express it, but I do know I once again have to. I have a voice that needs to express itself in many forms, including musically. My heart is bursting open.

“Studies have shown that it takes 21 days of consistent behavior to change a habit or create a new one, such as establishing a regular exercise routine, eating a healthier diet, or taking time each day for self-care.” That’s what the Chopra Center reported in a recent email invitation I received. That’s three weeks. Does it really take 21 days to establish a change in our lives?

So often in my life, I’ve begun something and then quit. Sometimes it’s been a new exercise regime or practices I wanted in my life, such as starting each morning with certain rituals. Other times, it’s been releasing a behavior that no longer served me. Yet, when I reflect on the habits I’ve truly either let go of or established in my life, it was because I continued to practice them for a long time until they became “the way–my way.” I’m not sure it took precisely 21 days, but what I do remember is that those first days and that first week were really the make it or break it time–that critical time period when I had to choose each day to continue or to give up. Each 24 hours that passed, beginning from Day 1, was the impetus for the next 24-hour period. That is how it was for me when I quit smoking as a young adult (yes, I’m embarrassed to admit that once upon a time, I did smoke). Each day that I made it through without a cigarette provided the strength and hope for the next 24-hour period. I don’t ever remember thinking about the weeks (or months) ahead–it was truly “one day at a time.”

This theme of 21 days came up in my life this past week in two different realms. First, with regard to my mother, who is currently in a rehab center, working to stand, walk, and perform her daily functions while living with a sudden-onset back condition that may not ever go away. As we’ve discussed the challenges she’s facing, we’ve acknowledged the difficulty she’s experiencing in establishing new habits. Retraining her body to perform movements other than what she’s done for the past 80 years is especially challenging. The physical therapists explained in our meeting last Friday that it can take 21 days to establish a habit such as remembering to lock her wheelchair before standing or performing a log roll to get out of bed.

The second came through the Chopra Center’s 21-Day Meditation Challenge™ which began last week (today is Day 5). Their promise is that “in just 21 days, you can also establish a fulfilling meditation practice that will give you a lifetime of rewards. You may have dipped your toe in the water with limited success, but this time, you will have daily support and guidance that will enable you to move beyond any past obstacles and experience the many gifts and benefits of meditation.” Since my meditation is at times “spotty,” I decided to accept this challenge and their support to see where it leads me.

Along with my belief that the first days are the most critical, I also believe that the level of one’s commitment, intention and attention to change have a lot to do with the success of that change. In other words, how invested are you in achieving the desired result? My mother is not really interested in living her life in a wheelchair, so it’s been a challenge getting her to see the importance of locking it. She’s also needed some convincing to see the benefits for her to learn how to do a log roll as she gets in and out of bed–it’s a big deal to retrain muscles after a lifetime of doing it a different way. As for my meditation practice, I intellectually understand the wonderful benefits of meditating, yet I’ve never had any significant experiences during meditation. I’ve heard from others about the wonderful transformation they’ve experienced through meditation as well as their experiences of living a more heart-centered life. I’m trusting in those experiences to propel me forward with making meditation a daily practice–and a daily habit–in my own life.

Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, discussed in her blog of the same name the results of a recent study (referring to a study conducted by Phillippa Lally and colleagues from University College London who recruited 96 people interested in forming a new habit such as eating a piece of fruit with lunch or doing a 15 minute run each day. Lally et al. (2009).

She stated, “According to a recent study, a daily action like eating fruit at lunch or running for fifteen minutes took an average of sixty-six days to become as much of a habit as it would ever become.

“The study also showed that if you miss a day here or there when you’re trying to develop a habit, it doesn’t derail the process, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t keep a perfect track record. But the first days seem to make the biggest difference, so it’s worth trying to be particularly diligent at the beginning of the attempted-habit-acquisition process.”

That leads me to the conclusion that there is no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to making changes in our lives. Hanging onto the belief that “making the change will really be good for me” seems an important part of sticking with it, whether it takes 21 days, 66 days, or something more or less. Identifying the answer to questions such as “What’s in it for me?” or “Why do I desire this change?” can really help on those days when we’d rather be doing something else or feel like giving up. And, as has been my past experience, each day that passes with the desired change accomplished is a day to celebrate. In our goal-driven society, it’s especially important to allow ourselves time to acknowledge what we’ve done and how far we’ve come rather than only look ahead to the desired outcome. In my desire to always DO and BECOME, this seems like an important piece for me to remember. In the famous lyrics of Three Dog Night, it seems especially poignant to “Celebrate, celebrate, and dance to the music!” as I go along. How about you?