Making Everything Beautiful

So many of us are trying to get somewhere. We think there is a destination that we must keep working toward.

Wherever it is, it seems elusive. We don't seem to be getting any closer. It always seems in the distance.

If we just try harder, we might get there. Eventually.

But, what if there is no such destination?

What if, it is an illusion of our ego that there is somewhere we must get to?

What if the journey is the destination? And, we are already there?

Doesn't more ease and grace in your life sound delicious?

It does to me.

This is what I've been longing for more of in my own life.

I know that when I am focusing my attention on things that don't "appear" to be working out in my life, I tend to feel anxious and uneasy.

In those times, when I notice I've allowed myself to get caught up in the worries in my head, I just bring myself back to the present moment and I instantly begin to feel better.

I just remind myself that I'm only just this moment.

That I only have power to do anything about anything in the present.

It's the only place where true power can be found.

Because it's the only place where life is happening.

When I am present to just this moment, then I realize I don't need to worry about past moments I can't change or future moments that aren't here.

I can't do anything about any of that.

I'm learning to allow Life to lead me where I'm meant to go.

Life knows how everything is interconnected and knows what is the best use of me.

We see a beautiful picture of how Life flows with ease and grace when we observe nature.

Nature doesn't strive to figure out what to do next. It isn't worried about any of that.

There's a beautiful ebb and flow in nature. It just knows what to do.

And, when we allow Life to ebb and flow in us the same way, we can experience a greater sense of ease in our life.

Trusting that Life knows what it's doing.

No more striving. No more pushing. No more forcing. No more making it happen.

That's how I've lived most of my life and it doesn't feel good to do it that way.

So, I'm choosing a new way to live my life.

With ease and grace.

And, as I practice allowing Life to flow this way in me I'm beginning to experience the deliciousness that in only found in surrender. ❤️

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 30: Inside the Chrysalis- Between the Old and the New

Episode 31: Letting Go of the Old Story

Episode 32: Finding Joy in Surrender

Episode 33: Allowing the Moment to Be

Episode 34: Life's Perfect Provision

Episode 28: Healing Our Inner Child

Kyle Cease Website

Eckhart Tolle Website

Tosha Silver Website

*These are not affiliate links. I'm not an affiliate for anyone or anything.

For more goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the Web!

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️

Do you ever find yourself complaining about how Life is providing for you?

Maybe things don't look the way you want them to look.

You look around at the circumstances in your life and don't see your dreams coming true.

Not even close.

Or, so your mind tells you.

Is this you?

Take a deep breath.

Look a little deeper.

Often, when we look at the outer circumstances of our life situation, it appears that something's wrong.

That, it shouldn't be this way.

But, Life is always working on our behalf.

It might not seem that way, but rest assured that It is.

Life has a different agenda than we may have, though, which is why it may seem at times to be working against us.

Life's objective in everything is our transformation.

That we learn who we are at our deepest essence and that we become more and more of that.

Its primary focus isn't that we get all the things we want in our outer experience of life.

Although, we most likely will get some of those things, too.

It sends us exactly what we need, in order to become more of that Ocean of Love that we are, so more of what we are not falls away.

As I am going through this period of being uprooted and in-between the old story and the new story of my life, I am experiencing just how marvelously Life is providing for me exactly what I need.

My heart is swelling as I feel the deep love Life has for me as everything I need shows up when I need it. Without fail.

Sometimes, I don't always recognize I am being provided for because I am expecting it look a different way.

But, then I see it. Life providing just what I need. Again.

And again. And, again.

Thank you, Divine Beloved, for loving me soooo freaking much that you give me just what I need and spare me the burden of being weighted down with what I truly don't.

I know I am safe and secure in your unwavering love.

And, it will forever be that way. I love you.

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 30: Inside the Chrysalis- Between the Old and the New

Episode 31: Letting Go of the Old Story

Episode 32: Finding Joy in Surrender

Episode 33: Allowing the Moment to Be

For more goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the Web!  

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️

Learning to surrender to what is, to the way things look at the moment, is the key to living Life fully and powerfully.

That doesn't mean it's easy to do.

Yet, Life gives us opportunities daily to practice.

I'm currently learning this crucial lesson: how to allow the moment to be as it is.

We cause ourselves much suffering when we resist the moment and think that what's happening shouldn't be happening. Such as:

There shouldn't be all this traffic right now, I'm in a hurry.

I shouldn't have to clean up after my spouse.

The neighbor's dog shouldn't bark so much. It's driving me crazy!

All day, every day, we find ourselves in situations where we can choose to resist the moment or allow and accept it just as it is.

Just like the caterpillar surrenders to the process of becoming a butterfly, which requires that it dissolve so it can be recreated into a whole new creature, we're in a similar transformation process.

Surrender and allowing is the key.

If you've been following the last several episodes (links below), you know I'm currently in a time of letting go of everything that is connected to my old story to make room for a new story.

I'm not sure what the new story is, yet. Life is unfolding that one step at a time.

All I know is that right now, Life is leading me to let go of everything in my life that no longer is who I am.

The parts of my life that are stagnant and outgrown. That aren't in alignment with who I am becoming.

It's an uncomfortable process, yet a sacred and holy one.

As the old parts of me dissolve, much like the caterpillar, so more of that Ocean of Love that I am at my true essence can shine more fully from me and into the word.

This process requires surrender. It requires allowing the moment to be as it is.

To be friendly with Life.

And, the only place where Life is happening, is in the present. In the NOW.

Life can't happen anywhere else.

All there is, is NOW.

So, as I practice allowing each moment to simply be, and not need it to be any different, I am experiencing peace. And, joy.

And, learning that ultimately, there is no destination I need to get to.

The journey IS the destination.

And, as I allow the journey to unfold in each moment, and I allow each moment to be the sacred space that it is, no matter what's happening, then I am learning how to live Life fully.

By embracing it.

One sacred moment at a time.

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 30: Inside the Chrysalis- Between the Old and the New

Episode 31: Letting Go of the Old Story

Episode 32: Finding Joy in Surrender

*I am not an affiliate for anyone or anything. These are not affiliate links.

For more goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the Web!

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️

One would not expect to find joy in the rubble of a life crumbling apart.

Yet, when we surrender to the process that these events are here to teach us instead of fighting against them, our sorrow has a companion to walk alongside it.

Joy.

I'm recording this episode from my almost empty apartment.

Yesterday, I moved all my stuff out and today I am doing the final cleaning before I say goodbye to this apartment and turn in my keys.

I felt the Universe leading me to let go of this apartment even though I didn't know at the time where I would go and how I would pay for a different apartment.

I just knew that this place was part of my old story and it was time to release it.

It was here that I moved over 9 years ago after leaving a painful marriage.

It was here I cried many tears grieving the dissolving of my family.

It was here that I experienced much pain and suffering as I attempted to move forward when I felt so crushed and beaten down.

But, it was also here that I began my transformational journey.

It was here that I experienced sooooo much healing.

It was here that I learned to love and accept myself.

It was here that I discovered who I really am. A brilliant beautiful spiritual being.

So much pain, yet so much joy has been felt inside these walls.

So, today as I prepare to close this part of my old story, I bless this place.

I bless it for the part it played in my story.

I bless it for all the beautiful things that happened within these walls, both painful and joyful.

I bless it for sheltering me so wonderfully for all these years.

As I've been going through this little completion process here at this apartment, I feel an unexpected wave of joy.

Surprising, since there are many things up in the air for me.

Yet, I'm learning never to underestimate the power of joy to appear in the most unlikely places.

Even, and especially, in surrender.

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 30: Inside the Chrysalis- Between the Old and the New

Episode 31: Letting Go of the Old Story

*I am not an affiliate for anyone or anything. These are not affiliate links.

For more goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the web!

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️

Every year I create a new theme for my life for the year.

I have bracelets made with the new theme and wear them all year to remind me of what I'm focusing on for those 12 months.

For 2019, my theme is: Feel Good.

Throughout this year I have been working to create a life that feels good.

Sooooo, I've been letting go of everything that no longer feels good.

Jobs, my apartment, old beliefs, stuff I no longer need, etc.

Things that are part of the old story.

Things that have served their purpose in my life, but the time has come to bless them and release them.

This has not been an easy-peasy process.

There have been tears, fears, and lots of continual surrendering.

Creating a life that feels good means learning to surrender to Life and the transformational procedure It performs on us while we are in that place of transition.

Transitioning from the old way of doing life into a new way of living life.

That in-between place.

I've been in an in-between place for a while now. Years, actually.

As parts of me that are part of my old story are crumbling and falling away.

And, something new is preparing to emerge.

It's uncomfortable to be here in this place.

In last week's episode, Episode 30: Inside the Chrysalis- Between the Old and the New, I talk about what it's like being in this middle, in-between place.

In-between the old story that's dissolving and the new one that hasn't quite emerged yet.

This episode is a continuation of that conversation, I guess.

I was just sitting here feeling emotions, processing thoughts, getting insights about this uncomfortable uncertain place I'm in right now.

I felt compelled to plug in my microphone and started sharing what I'm currently experiencing in my life to help me process it all.

I teach what I'm learning.

I coach myself as I go through life's challenging places.

Even though, I'm in one of those places right now, I recognize that these times in our journey are necessary in order for us to become the highest version of ourselves we can be.

So, it's all perfect. All of it.

I know it won't last.

I know the tremendous growth that I can feel happening on the inside of me will at last emerge and show forth.

Any time now.

I can feel it about to break through to welcome the new dawn.

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 30: Inside the Chrysalis- Between the Old and the New

MudLOVE- Handmade Pottery and Jewelry

*I am not an affiliate for anyone or anything. These are not affiliate links.

For more goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the web! 

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️

Ever heard of caterpillar soup? It's actually a thing.

Yep. It's cooked up inside a chrysalis and served up a'la butterfly.

HUH??

I know. It sounds like something one might be forced to eat as a contestant on Survivor, but let me explain.

We know that when the caterpillar spins itself into a chrysalis, it emerges as a butterfly.

But, what the heck is happening inside that thing???

The caterpillar actually disintegrates in there until it is just a pile of goo.

If you were to open the chrysalis during this time, caterpillar soup would come running out!!

YUK!!!

But, then...magic happens! The cells begin to restructure themselves.

The goo is actually recreating itself into an entirely new being!

WHAT THE WHAT!!??!!

Isn't that soooo freaking fascinating!?!

The chrysalis is really a sacred place where magic happens!

Just like butterflies, we also experience this in-between place of transformation.

A time when we are in-between what is passing away in our life, the old, and what is still to come, the new.

And, it is also a sacred place where magic happens.

To be sure, it's uncomfortable to be in that place.

I know. I'm in that place right now.

Right now, I am caterpillar soup.

I can feel the changes happening inside me, but they haven't manifested in the outer part of my life yet.

I can feel that beautiful new creature being restructured inside me!

I'm in a process right now of letting go of everything in my life that is part of my OLD story.

The parts of my life that no longer serve me. That are no longer working.

But, the NEW hasn't emerged for me yet. I'm in a place of unknown and uncertainty.

I can't see where Life is taking me. I haven't a clue.

Other than deeper in and deeper down.

To more of that PURE LOVE that exists in me.

It exists in you, too.

I have a beautiful blessing that captures this in-between place so wonderfully:

For the Interim Time

When near the end of day, life has drained Out of light, and it is too soon For the mind of night to have darkened things,

No Place looks like itself, loss of outline Makes everything look strangely in-between, Unsure of what has been, or what might come.

In this wan light, even trees seem groundless. In a while it will be night, but nothing Here seems TO believe the relief of dark.

You are in this time of the interim Where everything seems withheld.

The path you took to get here has washed out; The way forward is still concealed from you.

"The old is not old enough to have died away; The new is still too young to be born."

You cannot lay claim to anything; In this place of dusk, Your eyes are blurred; And there is no mirror.

Everyone else has lost sight of your heart And you can see nowhere to put your trust; You know you have to make your own way through.

As far as you can, hold your confidence. Do not allow your confusion to squander This call which is loosening Your roots in false ground, That you might come free From all you have outgrown.

What is being transfigured here is your mind. And it is difficult and slow to become new. The more faithfully you can endure here, The more refined your heart will become For your arrival in the new dawn.

John O'Donohue from "To Bless the Space Between Us- A Book of Blessings"

In this episode I share:

• The illusion that there is a destination to get to
• What the in-between place is and why we must pass through it
• What diamonds and butterflies have to do with it
• How we can move powerfully through such interim times in our life
• My own in-between story that I am currently in and the transformation I am receiving as a result

If you are caterpillar soup right now, too, just know that is temporary.

I'm certain of the promise for me and for you, that eventually, we will emerge from the chrysalis as beautiful new beings that can bring much love and joy to the world.

We must love the place where we are right now.

For where we are is a sacred and holy place.

We are here, in the very presence of magic.

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links mentioned in this episode:

To Bless the Space Between Us -A Book of Blessings by John O'Donohue

Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver

*I am not an affiliate for anyone or anything. These are not affiliate links.

For more goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the web! 

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️

Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you?

I did when I was seven years old and I thought I was dying. Literally. Obviously, I didn't because I'm writing this right now.

Sometimes in life, things happen that "knock the wind out of us".

Sometimes, we lose our way and find ourselves in the darkness.

Maybe you are there right now. In the darkness.

I recently ran across a YouTube video that told the story of a young man, a talented singer, who had experienced great success as a teen.

His name is Jack Vidgen and when he was 14, he won the 2011 Australia's Got Talent competition.

I had never heard of him until I ran across a YouTube video, in my FB news feed, of his Blind Audition for 2019 The Voice Australia.

It turns out this was his first time stepping on a stage in 5 years.

A series of painful experiences occurred that "knocked the wind out of him" and he stopped singing.

In this episode, I tell his inspiring homecoming story (YouTube links posted below).

His story reminded me of a time in my life when painful experiences left me breathless and fighting for air.

A time when I, also, lost my way.

And, just like Jack, I managed to find my way back to me and to what I am meant to do in this lifetime.

The truth is we all have something unique to share with the world.

YOU have something unique to share with the world! Me, too!!!

Martha Graham said it so beautifully:

"There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open."

Whenever you are not sharing who you are with the world, there is not only a hole in the world, there is a hole inside you.

You KNOW something is missing.

When you've been knocked down, it can be sooooo difficult and painful to get back up.

Yet, it's not until you come home to yourself, to who you truly are and what you are here on this planet to share and express, that things will feel right again.

It's time to come home.

Home is where it's always been. There, inside you.

Just waiting for you to open the door and step inside.

Welcome home.

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Blind Audition: Jack Vidgen - Hello - The Voice Australia 2019

Bullied 'Got Talent' Winner auditions in The Voice | Journey #45

Jack Vidgen - Australia's Got Talent 2011 Audition! 

Jack Vidgen - Australia's Got Talent 2011 GRAND FINAL! 

Episode 28: Healing Our Inner Child

Healing the Inner Child FB LIVE

*I am not an affiliate for anyone or anything. These are not affiliate links.

For more goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the Web!

Join me LIVE every Thursday at 1pm EST on the Making Everything Beautiful FB Page!!

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️

Do you find yourself sabotaging yourself repeatedly?

Are you still struggling with pain and emotions from events in your past?

Do you often feel unlovable, rejected, and like something is wrong with you?

Then, let me introduce you to the source of most, if not all, of these experiences.

Your inner child.

That little boy or little girl that is still inside you who never felt seen, heard, or loved as a child.

Your beliefs about yourself, about life and the world, developed when you were little.

Your parents, your experiences at school, your friends and family, what was happening in your home and in the world, all helped shape you into who you became as an adult.

All the self-sabotaging patterns you find in your life can be traced back to your childhood.

Sooooo, what can you do to stop those habitual behaviors?

How can you help heal your inner child and ultimately heal your life?

In this episode I share:

• What the inner child is and how it develops
• My own inner child story
• Three powerful tools I used to heal my own inner child
• A sample dialogue with my inner child
• Where you find the source of the Love that can heal your inner little kid

The tools I used to heal my inner little Darlene are powerful and they totally work!

But, for them to work for you, you have to actually do them.

If you want a life of love, joy, and freedom from suffering, you must make a commitment to your own inner healing.

It can be done.

You CAN learn to love and accept yourself.

I know. Because, I did it for me.

I healed my own little girl and learned to be my own BFF.

If I can do it, you can too.

Although, if you have experienced severe trauma, then you should have a counselor or therapist help you move through the pain.

But, for many of you, these tools will be enough to cause tremendous healing in your life.

The power to change your life is already in you. And, only you can do it.

Just take a small step today toward a new tomorrow.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said:

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 2: Intrinsic Value- How Do You Measure the Worth of a Person?

Episode 3: How to Love Yourself and be Your Own BFF

Healing the Inner Child Facebook Live

Kyle Cease Website

Kyle Cease YouTube Channel

Eckhart Tolle Website

Eckhart Tolle YouTube Channel

SuperSoul Sunday

*I am not an affiliate for anyone or anything. These are not affiliate links.

For more goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the web! 

Join me LIVE every Thursday at 1pm EST on the Making Everything Beautiful FB Page!!

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️

Have you ever run across a song, quote, book, movie, etc that touched you so deeply that you felt a shift happen inside?

That, it caused you to see something in a new or deeper way?

And, you felt that in some way, your life was transformed?

Even more, you knew that it wasn't a coincidence that you found it and that actually, it was sent to you at just the right moment?

I had one of these experiences this past weekend. I LOVE it when the Universe sends me messages this way!

A few days ago I ran across a beautiful song by Jason Mraz called Love is Still the Answer. (Video link posted below)

Now, I LOVE Jason Mraz. Almost as much as I LOVE using ALL CAPS to emphasize words and phrases!

Sooooo, I have NO FREAKING IDEA how in the world I missed the release of this song! It's been out for 6 months! Say, what??!!

It must be I was meant to find it a few days ago, which was the perfect timing for this song to enter my life.

This song brought up many emotions, and valuable insights.

It also strengthened my commitment to my mission of doing everything I can to cause more love in the world. To shift the energy in the world from one of conflict and hate, to one of love and unity.

So, in this episode I share what opened up for me through this beautiful, and oh so timely message of love.

I share:

• My struggle to find love and why it felt so elusive.
• That love is really spiritual in nature
• That in order to have more peace in the world, we need to connect with the true source of love that dwells inside each of us.
• My journey from feeling like I didn't belong anywhere and contemplating suicide to the realization that the home I was seeking was in my own heart the whole time.
• How working in a Senior Care Facility has helped me realize how precious life is and helped me to be conscious and intentional to use the rest of my life in a way that will leave me with no regrets when it's my turn to leave this world.
• That we can't take anything with us when we die except the part of us that is eternal, which is nothing but PURE LOVE.
• How this song deepened my commitment to do everything I can to cause more love in the world while I'm still living and breathing.

If you resonate with the message and mission of Making Everything Beautiful, then connect with me!

I'm looking for my kindred spirits! My soul brothers and sisters who also want to cause a HUGANTIC shift of love on this planet!

Let's connect! Reach out to me and introduce yourself!

We have work to do! It's time to get off all our buts and our other butts!

LET'S GO!

It starts with us. It starts with love. ❤️

With Much Love, Darlene Michele

Links mentioned in this episode:

BlinkNow Website

Love is Still the Answer by Jason Mraz

*I am not an affiliate for anyone or anything. These are not affiliate links.

For more beautiful goodness, visit Making Everything Beautiful on the Web! 

Join me LIVE every Thursday at 1pm EST on the Making Everything Beautiful FB Page!!

* Intro and Outro song by Tamir Leibovich ❤️