Bootcamp

Freedom and Confidence on the Road to being Authentically You!

by Guest Blogger on September 27, 2012

“Today I am me. I am free-er than free. There is no one alive who is Me-er than Me. I am the BEST I can possibly be.” – Dr. Seuss.

Through these words, Dr. Seuss defines the essence of authenticity as an expression of freedom and confidence: freedom from the shackles of others’ expectations and demands on us and confidence in the notion that our very beings are worthy of love and respect.

Authenticity to me is a state of being – being comfortable in your own skin such that you can put forth the best expression of yourself.  By best I don’t mean – wealthiest, most powerful, most influential, or most popular – by best, I mean the version that communicates to the world that “I matter”.  One of my favourite “Oprah lessons” of all time is when she shares, “Because we are here, we matter.”

For me, residing in the space of authenticity is positively luminous, but sadly and admittedly, it is not always my first instinct. It can definitely be a struggle to move forward in a space of introspection, connection, and truth when faced with competing demands and others’ expectations of me.

I often think about being authentic when people ask me in a job interview, for instance: Tell us about yourself.  As I provide a snapshot of my life as it appears on my resume, I begin to ask myself, is that authentically me?  Do they see the real me?

Recently, after reading the brilliant Untethered Soul by Michael Singer, I began to reflect anew on this question of:  Who are you? Singer articulately explores how we are not our jobs, our names, our histories, how none of these linear descriptors of our identity do justice to the sum of all of our qualities, history, experiences, and promise.  He explores how we are not our thoughts, actions, or feelings but something much greater.

For me, authenticity is the perfect paradox: while it ostensibly asks us to embrace that which makes us unique, truly understanding and appreciating our authenticity connects us to a larger more universal truth.  As Deepak Chopra explains, we are all “spiritual beings having a human experience.”  Living authentically allows us to connect to core universal values of love, self-respect, understanding, compassion, and grace in ways that animate us all and infuse our relationships with vibrancy and lustre.

So if authenticity is so amazing both personally and for us as a collective community, why is it that we hide who we truly are?  Because to be authentic requires us to be completely honest and complete honesty can be extremely scary.

Martha Beck, columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine and author of Steering by Starlight, appeared on Oprah’s Lifeclass: Season 1 (fourth webcast) to discuss the power of truth to set us free, sharing that our lives do not have to be what everyone thinks they should be.  She encouraged us to be the happiest we have ever been by setting ourselves free, reminding us that as long as we are pretending to be someone we are not, we will not be all that we were meant to be.

In Lifeclass, Martha Beck urged us to share our deepest truths, let our walls down and then others will do the same.  By sharing our deepest truths, we have the power to forge deeper, more authentic relationships.  At the end of the day, she shared that people who love us want to know that loving our truth has brought us great joy.

Sai Baba, a spiritual teacher in India, has often explored the concept that we all have three dimensions: the one you think you are; the one others think you are; and the one you really are.  Wouldn’t it be so amazing if we could take the first two dimensions and have them truly connect with the one we really are?  Imagine the boundless possibilities that could emerge upon connecting to our core essence!

For me, a recent example of connecting to my authenticity was recognizing that I was not my profession and in fact, my profession was not the best vehicle through which to express my authentic self.  I am a lawyer, but it is not my calling.  Admitting that my authentic self yearned to work in the entertainment field, in creative endeavours, and then having the courage to state it publicly was the first time I authentically connected to my soul’s calling.  Funny enough, my first public declaration of that facet of my truth, happened at a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2010.

As Oprah so often shares with us, “the only courage you ever need is to live your own dreams.”  For me, connecting to my authenticity required me to seize that courage and embark on the path to honor my calling. I am not fully there yet, but I am focused on moving in that direction, small step by small step.  In my efforts to connect to my authenticity, I discovered that the people who truly love me, including my parents and friends, have been thrilled to know that embracing my truth has brought me such joy.

By being authentic, we take responsibility for our own lives and as Oprah shares rise into our best selves.

In honor of The Daily OWN and its weekly call to action, here are 3 challenges we can all undertake this week:

  • Introduce yourself to someone new by describing a part of you that gives them a glimpse into a facet of your authentic self.
  • Share a truth, big or small, with someone you love and trust.
  • Do something you love and that makes your heart smile.  In that space of enchanting joy brought on by kindness and grace, we can all connect to our authentic selves.

Welcome to week nine of our O You 2012 Boot Camp Challenge.  Today, during the authenticity week challenge, let’s take the time to connect to our true selves, listen to our hearts, and move forward in the world in the knowledge that our authentic selves are incredible!

***Prasanna Ranganathan, an original OWN Ambassador, is a lawyer and project manager, writer, ultimate Oprah fan, and television, film, and Academy Awards (Oscar) aficionado. Prasanna is pop-culture personified. When he’s not out bringing JOY to the world or scooping up the lessons at OWN, he can be found on Twitter @PRanganathan.

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Affirmations to Live By

by patricia on September 27, 2012


It is funny how life works.  Often the simplest messages can be the most profound.  Although high school was at times difficult, it seemed smiles filled most days more often than not.  It was a time of true discovery and I was fortunate to have a solid core base of friends that helped me to recognize the limitless possibilities that life was full of.   We often convened at the house of a set of twins.  While some would jam in one room, others of us would dip into the sofa and laugh along with SNL.  It was at this home that I stumbled across my first affirmation….without even realizing how much it would impact me.  The guy’s mom had taped up a little saying that has stayed with me (and several of my friends) ever since.

“I am worthwhile and capable even though I make mistakes.”

As I challenged my world and made mistakes, this could have been my mantra.  In retrospect, I realized that seeing this small note taped to a desk had been one of my greatest gifts.  A reminder that no matter how badly I blew it…I was worthy.  Although this was clearly the affirmation that shaped my life, there are so many others that I think all of us should hold close to our hearts, like:

  • I feel at peace with my body. Imagine is all of us were at peace with who we are.  It is obtainable.
  • I trust the universe to provide for me.  The universe wants all of us to do well.  You just have to show up and do your part.
  • I have all the energy I need to accomplish my goals.  Often people feel too little for the opportunity in front of them.  Know this…you are capable for anything!
  • I am a radiant person full of positive energy.  We are born of light…anything else is created.  You have the power to manifest the energy you want in your life.
  • I attract the love that I give.  You don’t have to be perfect in a relationship…no one is.  But it is important that you are being the person you want to attract.
  • I am at ease with all types of people.  Despite being 99.9% the same, people tend to focus on the differences that set us apart.  Whether it is political, religious or simply life choices that create the diversity, embrace it.  Be open.  That is how we learn and how we learn to love.
  • If something doesn’t work, it is merely a push in the right direction.  If everything in life was a success, we’d lose so many chances to learn about ourselves.  Know that if something doesn’t work out, it happens for a reason.  Learn from it and trust in it.  Some of the greatest lessons grow out of perceived failure. 

Okay, so the last one isn’t a total affirmation but it is a lesson that I try to live by.  AND really that is what affirmations are all about…reminding yourself of all that is good in life and that you have the capacity to have it all.  Do you have an affirmation that you live by?  If you do, please share. If you don’t, feel free to take one of these and start your own collection.  One just might change your life.

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Finding Eco-Beauty at Home

by patricia on August 24, 2012

There is no doubt that the beauty industry is tough but extremely lucrative.  Everyone is looking for a quick fix to the little imperfections our mirrors expose.    Keeping up with the hottest new trick can bleed you dry.  But this week in our OYou beauty boot camp, we are sharing a few eco-beauty tips that won’t empty your wallet.  We all have areas we’d like to tighten, plump or erase…and now you can with a few suggestions from us.   Some of these we’ve tried and the others are now scheduled for our spa day.  Give these a try and tell us what you think.

Luscious Lips – We recently discovered a simple way to moisturize and heal dry, chapped lips.  Begin by washing your lips.  Glaze your lips with lots of honey.  Don’t use the raw honey because it can cause irritation.  Take a piece of plastic and place it over your lips.  Leave it on for 15 minutes and then wipe off the excess honey.  Use your lip balm seal it in allowing it to keep working.  Best kissable lips ever!

Saggy Skin- One of the easiest tricks we have been using for years is the egg white facial.  Spread uncooked egg whites onto your face and throat and leave for 15 minutes being sure to avoid your lips and eyes.  Simply rinse and you will love the results!

Natural brightener or lightener- This is a great exfoliant and mild bleacher, but keep in mind that it can make your skin sensitive to the sun.  Use a tablespoon of yogurt, a half teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon full of matcha green tea powder.  Mix it well and apply it to your face and throat avoiding the eyes.  Leave it on for 15 minutes and then wash with warm water.  If you do this mask a couple of times a week, you should see results within a month.

Puffy eyes- All of us have suffered from puffy eyes.  Take a couple of spoons and put them in the freezer overnight.  Let them thaw a little in the morning,  apply the back of the spoons under your eyes to redistribute and remove water retention from the puffiness.

Blemishes- We all have had a blemish pop up a few hours before we are heading out the door for a big night.  Fight the inflammation by mashing a little avocado and applying it to the area.  It totally helps with the redness.   Now if you are dealing with one of the nasty puss filled ones (yeah I know…totally gross but real), try using Calendula oil.  It is a great antiseptic and really gets below the skin.  Apply it daily and in no time you will be blemish free.

Fine lines- Take a few organic green grapes.  Cut them in half and squeeze the juice on your line and let them dry.  After 20 minutes wipe your face clean.  Fine lines will slowly melt away.

Summer Scrub- By the end of the summer our skin really needs a little love.  Try mixing 2/3 cup of ground nuts, 1/3 cup of oatmeal and enough yogurt or milk to form a paste.  Slather it all over your face and let it dry.  Then remove it with warm water. You will love it!

If you have any tips, please share.  We always love hearing new ideas!

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Get Moving in Your Daily Routine

by patricia on August 8, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge: Get Moving, No Excuses – Week 2

If you want to see change in your life, you have to make it happen.  Earlier in the week we discussed ways to steal a little time back in our lives…helping us to eliminate the well-crafted excuses we all use to avoid exercise.    The reality is that in order for us to get healthier, we must keep moving.  That is the most important thing.   Here are a couple of ways we all can integrate getting fit into our daily routine.

Go shopping a little longer.  Next time you head out to the mall, Sams or Costco, show up to the store 30 minutes early.  Take that time to walk the entire store at a brisk pace before you do any shopping.  Plus what a great excuse…”I have to go shopping because I need to get my workout in for the day. “

Turn on the Tube.   Many of us have out nightly TV favorites.   Instead of sitting your bum down in your normal chair, pull in the exercise bike or get on the floor to do leg lifts.  Too much of a commitment?  Then begin by getting up each time a commercial comes on and do jumping jacks.  It is that easy to get moving!

Keep it Close.   Many of us live within a mile of at least one of our regular haunts.  Whether it is the bank, Starbucks, the grocery store or a local restaurant, try to ditch the car and either walk or ride a bike when you can.  A casual mile walking usually takes around 20-25 minutes.    Not only will you save money on gas, you will be helping both the environment and your overall health.

Dance through your Day.  Whenever and wherever you can…dance!  Trust me it makes vacuuming and simply moving around the house so much fun.

Walk & Talk.  The next time you need to make a call to friends or family, step outside and walk around while you chat.  A 15 minute walk can add 2,000 steps to your workout which can be an entire mile.  Imagine if you took all your calls that way!

You would be surprised how easy it is to add an element of exercise to almost any task.  The more you move, the better you will feel.  So get creative and try to remember to always keep moving!

Photo Credit: Arca Universal

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5 Ways to Search for your Best Life

by patricia on July 31, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge – Week 1.

So often we wait for a sign…something to reaffirm that we are heading in the right direction.  However, we can spend our whole lives waiting.  Imagine that opportunities run parallel in your life.  Without reaching out or turning a corner, you may never come in contact with them.  In fact, the comfort of the narrow road we travel often limits our experiences.  With this week’s OYou challenge of searching for our best lives, let’s all reach out a little to our parallel paths and maybe we just might find something that sparks our interest! 

Here are a couple of things you can try in your search for your best life.

  • Self-Discovery – Take a moment to write down all of the things you are good at, all the things that make you happy and all the things you would try if you didn’t fear failure. When two (or even all three) of these things come together, pay attention. It can change your life.
  • International Food Night – Make it a point to venture out this week and find an Indian, Greek, Ethiopian, French, Thai or any International restaurant. It is a great way to experience a little of the world without needing a passport.
  • Give a Little Bit – Find a local charity that interests you.  Give them a call and offer your services for a few hours, a day or even a few hours throughout the week. Use your skills to help your community…pack food bank bags, walk animals at the shelter, paint props for local children’s theater groups, offer free haircuts to a battered woman’s shelter, music lessons to the local children’s shelter or simply offer to do office work.  Every little bit helps and you may find that you benefit the most from the experience.
  • Get Creative – Sign up for a local painting class or simply grab your camera and head out to experiment with your own inner artist.
  • Share Your Story– We all have something that we can’t read enough about, whether it is fashion, holistic medicine or current events.  This week, take one of the headlines and use it for inspiration.  Sit down and write.  It doesn’t have to be polished or flow smoothly.  Simply write and try to capture what it is about the subject that captivates you.
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Finding You: The Search For Your Best Life

by paula on July 30, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge – Week 1.

I don’t know how many times I have been caught up in my own head with this one particular question – what is my passion?  Oprah has told us for years that this is our purpose in life…to go and find our passion and has excited us to make our passion our life.  But how do you do that?  For years, I have been looking for what fills my soul. In my 20’s it was all about looking outside me and passion always rested in the current relationship or cute guy in the early morning college course that got me to class.  As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that the passion that I’m looking for isn’t going to be found by finding someone else.  It’s going to be found by finding me.

There is a reason why we choose the “Lifecoach” series at the beginning of our OYou Boot Camp this year.  As Martha Beck spoke during the OYou 2011 event in Atlanta, she talked about riding the wave of your journey.  Now, the only wave I’ve ever ridden was body surfing in Santa Cruz when I was 18…but I got the message.  Over the months since the conference and through this ongoing journey of finding myself, the lessons about riding the wave have reappeared religiously in my life.  The greatest point taken from the inspiring discussion is this:  all things in life are temporary.  The only thing that is constant is change.  If you are riding high and feeling great it’s not going to last forever.  Even more importantly, if you are feeling low and depressed or defeated…it’s not going to last forever.  A great life strategy for how to maneuver through life – it’s simple.  Just ride the wave but while riding, keep your eyes open.  What do you see along the way?  What keeps coming back into your life?  More importantly, what makes you FEEL AMAZING and fills your body up with happiness each time it comes across your path?

So, for this week we are beginning our OYou Boot Camp Challenge looking for our passion and paying attention to life.  It’s our “Finding me” journey.  Here’s our weekly 3-step challenge.

  • Step out of your box and try something new – Anything. A new restaurant or book or road. Get off your regular path, shake things up and do something different.
  • Create a vision board for your life –  End to end create your vision that you want for your life. Do it and hang it up to remind you to look up and see your life in front of you.
  • Listen to your life – Take 5 minutes at the end of each day to find 5 things that made you happy. Look for the smiles from the day and give yourself a few minutes to focus on what lifts your heart.  We are hopeful that this will be fuel for the soul.  

We hope you follow our journey and are inspired enough to start your own. Welcome to week one of our OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge.  Take the time to pay attention to your life…take care of your mind, body and spirit and it will take care of you.

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OYou BootCamp 2012 – Twelve Weeks That Will Change Your Life

by paula on July 25, 2012

With O Magazine’s OYou conference inspiring us to celebrate and live our best life, we decided to make the commitment to go through our second OYou Boot Camp Challenge and to bring you along for the ride.  Last summer, we spent eleven weeks moving through weekly areas that the conference brought into focus and trying to get to know the speakers just a little better.  This year, we are taking the journey to a new level.  After spending the last year living the lessons of O Magazine and Oprah’s Lifeclass and putting them into place in our own lives, we thought that this OYou Boot Camp should raise the bar a little higher and dig a little deeper.  So with OYou 2012 and a special luncheon with Oprah on the horizon for October, we will be putting ourselves through a twelve week “mind, body and spirit” challenge and telling you all about it here at The Daily OWN.

Here is our challenge. Starting this next Monday, for the next twelve weeks, we will be taking ONE of the O Magazine, OYou and Oprah topics and focusing on their teachings for one week. We will be searching for lessons to share and doing the work in our own lives and telling you all about the journey here at the Daily OWN. Each Monday morning, we will outline our simple 3-step action plan for the week. During the week, we will take you on our journey. Here is our boot camp schedule for 2012:

O You Boot Camp Weeks

  • Week 1 (July 29) – Finding You: The Search for Your Best Life
  • Week 2 (August 5) – Fitness Week: Get Moving, No Excuses 
  • Week 3 (Aug 12) – Organizing Your Life
  • Week 4 (Aug 19) – Beauty Inside and Out
  • Week 5 (Aug 26) – Healthy You, Healthy Life
  • Week 6 (Sep 2) – Design on a Budget
  • Week 7 (Sept 9) – Hope and Finances
  • Week 8 (Sept 16) – Fashionable You
  • Week 9 (Sept 23) – Authentically You (Gayle King inspired)
  • Week 10 (Sept 30) –  Unleashing Your Gratitude Circle (Oprah inspired) 
  • Week 11 (Oct 7) – Your Energy Community
  • Week 12 (Oct 14) – Wrap up, Recap & Get Ready!
  • OYou in Los Angeles (Oct 20)

Check back on our progress…we’ll be posting daily from O You Boot Camp. Whether you want to JOIN IN and go through your OWN O You Boot Camp challenge or simply come back for the lessons and tips, we would love the company! Get ready…it’s time to change a life!

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OYou 2012 Boot Camp Prework – Your Life. Your House. Taking Care of YOU!

by paula on July 9, 2012

After a full day of planning for our twelve week OYou Boot Camp Challenge that starts up later this month, I left the table feeling excited and exhausted – both my mind and my body.  The topics look amazing (you’ll see them soon!). The focus will be intense and spot on.  The challenge – a little daunting.  Twelve weeks of really working on my life. Suddenly, last year’s journey has come back into focus…reminding me that I was in tears by the end of the first week and how hard it was to get through the eleven week challenge last year.  I had forgotten…many times on the path to self-discovery and exploration to live your best life, you find that the walls you have built to keep you safe need to be broken down to move you forward.

As we plan the editorial calendar (I know, such grown up blog words!) it’s also causing me to stop and take a look at the landscape around me.  Stepping back and seeing the bigger picture of how much better life has become with connecting the dots of mind, body and spirit over the last year and a half.  What do I mean?  Let me try to put it into words…

Here is what comes to mind – Your life is like your house.  Patricia often says “Your body is just the shell for the soul…” She’s so much more eloquent and evolved, my little sister…but here is the same concept and how it came to me for this journey.  This is what I know for sure…  The world offers all of these self-help programs and books for the taking that help you through life.   You collect them as you go through life…like little bits of wisdom along the way that you tuck away in case you need it one day.  But here’s the thing – it’s not a one size fits all world (God, don’t I know that!).

Here is my lesson for you and for me…since you teach what you most need to learn.  Your life is like your house.  Beautiful and master planned just for you!  Free and clear – it’s yours forever!  But there’s a catch.  Over the years you have to pay attention to all the stuff along the way and take care of it…and in turn, it takes care of you.  I remember the first time I bought a house in my twenties – this girly girl became a super shopper and super spender at Home Depot.  Forget the mall, I’m at “The Depot.” I loved this little old house with the huge leaning tree (an “Italian Pine” is what the tree guy called it…so, it stayed) and the salmon walls that ended up being just a tad bit too pink in the sunlight (my friends know what I’m talking about!).  And all those years I lived there, I loved this house. Weekend painting projects, planting gardens, updating windows,  tearing out, putting in, building on… I took care of this old house…and in turn, it took care of me.  When I moved to a newer house on the other side of the world (California to Florida seems like the other side of the world, trust me!), this new house didn’t need as much love…so I kinda stopped.  Years went by with dull paint and dusty shelves and unfinished furniture projects until I realized, this home deserved love too.  Actually, I was forced to learn this when the air conditioning went out in the middle of summer.  My wake up call to remind me, it’s time to take on some little projects here and there.   So now, if something breaks, it gets fixed.  The walls are freshly painted and screens get repaired after storms. Little things are updated here and there… Just taking care of the house.

This is how our life works.  Our body, our mind and our spirit.  You pay attention to the things that need attention along the way.  You focus on not just what’s working perfectly but also, what needs a little help.  This house that you live in called life is your gift.  It’s up to you to take care of it.  I’m not talking about being perfect. I’m talking about being you. Feeding your mind with things that will help you grow and shine and become the best you.  Feeding your spirit with energy around you that will help you soar through life and climb mountains and reach new heights.  Feeding your body with what will make you feel amazing, move amazing, live amazing.

So, with this OYou Boot Camp Challenge, I’m getting ready to start paying a little more attention to my life “house.”  Adding color…some yoga classes…some organic changes…some organization…some celebration.  It’s time to expand and try new things…pamper my house a little…fill my house with good energy….then, turn that good energy into GREAT energy!

THIS is how you live your best life…and this is what O Magazine reminds us to do every month…and what OYou celebrates one day every year.  Take a few moments each week and follow our journey during this OYou Boot Camp Challenge starting later this month.  And then, no matter where you are on October 20th of this year – whether it’s in Los Angeles at OYou or in your own house – make this day about you.  Your life.  Your house. Take care of it and it will take care of you.

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