Michelle LaBrosse Blogs

Snap shots in the moment capture something different then what is readily noticeable – it’s why loving myself more happens in an instant when I stop to notice.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

I’m writing this from the airport at the start of my journey to Alaska.  I have made my way north every November now for almost the past five years.  I figure if the eagles are going north, so must I.  (There is a large gathering of bald eagles in Haines, Alaska every November to catch the last salmon run of the season).  When most folks are planning vacations to somewhere warm, I prefer to head to where it’s most assuredly winter. I did, after all spend forty years looking at the duck I made in 7th grade that flew in the other direction of all the ducks my other siblings had also made in 7th grade shop class.   So it just makes sense I would go in this direction with my own flock.

I read an article yesterday that appears finding health and happiness in my round cherub state is now gaining popularity amongst the research elite.  While the haters who hate anything other than lean continue to refute the mounting research,  there is more and more evidence that people with a bit of heft are actually the most healthy around.   But it’s this journey to learn how to love myself more where I realize, it matters not one iota if scientists like my rolls or not.  What matters is how do I love them?  So if it took a little bit of pudge for me to learn to love myself more,  well even more reasons to love my rolls.  What emerged from this adventure has uplifted me far more than any diet I’ve ever attempted.

Kate’s comment: you’ve found some really great doctors who look beyond initial impressions and who look at health markers in other ways. I’m really grateful for that – because the history of medicine shows us that some medical blanket statements show how bad of ideas they are 20-30 years later. In the mid 20th century, it was widely advised to prevent weight gain during pregnancy, and to avoid breastfeeding and opt for forumla. The result? A generation with wonky metabolism.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

For some reason my creativity peaks around the time when my virtual office becomes a plane.

I’m here tying up lots of loose ends getting ready to head north for Thanksgiving.  On days like this there is no need to cajole myself into performing as I effortlessly stay focused to make sure I finish all I need to do.  And this is why I love these trips.  It seems I get more done on the day before a trip than I do the whole month before.  The irony is where I’m headed is my creative sanctuary so there is no need for me to put the after burner on any writing projects, yet it is this heat that stimulates my writing like nothing else.  I wake up on these days full of vim and vigor to tackle the task at hand.   Too much time is never a good thing for me.  Give me a pressing due date and I deliver like there is no tomorrow.

I have no need to stop to wonder why this is so.  I accept it as a gift and respond with the graciousness of the gift that it is.  It may also be why to be the prolific producer I am,  I be bop around the planet like most folks take a jaunt across town.  Even the thought of sitting in a plane seat opens up my creative fervor and away I go finishing my latest writing project.  Today is no different.

As I’m getting close to the end of this 66 day challenge, I realize it will end where it began – up in Alaska, enjoying time with my dietitian – who helped spawn this idea in the first place.  I’ve learned much in this challenge to love myself more.  Like today instead of saying – why can’t I be this focused on other days?  I recognize this is what it is and it’s wonderful just the way it is as I ride the rising tide of uplifting productivity however that is happening in the moment.

Kate’s comment: cravings come from your body’s need for a certain nutrient – and being able to filter real cravings from habit-based cravings can result in balanced nourishment. I think this might be what you’re experiencing with difference in day’s productivity – you knew what you needed to get done, and you did it. Go with the flow – obviously, your work flow has served you well in the past. Look at where you are today.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

Finding the humor everywhere is a big part of who I am.

Several months ago I had the good fortune to participate in a laughter yoga program run by my friend Jackie Ruggirello. Now I love to laugh as much as the next person.  It’s actually part of my stunning personality – to be jovial.   As my assistant Rita says – “laughter is a major subject you know.  You have an intoxicating laugh.  It’s not even anything is all that funny, but because you’re laughing, I laugh.  I don’t mean any offense by this.”  (none taken).  But here I’m sitting down to write this blog post, just wondering how I can make this funny – LOL.

I did find a home for my laughter during the laughter yoga program – it was with humor.   Sitting around and just laughing, well that was fun, but it is even more fun to have a reason to laugh.  Now granted I do laugh at some things that wouldn’t be all that funny – like that IRS audit.  But even then, we found the comedy with that.  Like we had to do photo shoot that showed me working with the cattle as the IRS was saying since I did not actively manage the cattle ranch, I could not deduct it – this was actually NOT true.  But that is not the point of this – even with the IRS audit, we were able to find the laughter.  My assistant printed off an 8×10 color glossy photo of the picture on this blog for the attorney to use with the IRS to prove I was actively involved in the operations of my cattle ranch.  It even became the front page of our business plan.

Laughter truly is great medicine and it’s found it’s way into my medicine chest to cope with some intensely challenging times.   Like when I was caring for the person who’s laughter I inherited – my mother.   That phase was the best of times and the worst of times.  Our norm together was laughter and this was no different.  There was much comedy in the  crazy situations we found ourselves in together while dealing with her brain cancer.  What brings this to mind was a conversation I had with my oldest daughter last night.  She learned by taking care of my mother with me, your true personality is the last thing to go.  My daughter commented my biggest asset is my personality with my abilities to laugh at just about anything.  With my Mom, even though she became paralyzed and her brain was fairly compromised with the brain cancer, she still found the humor in many parts of this experience.  I figure if she and I could laugh together through that, well I can laugh through just about anything.

I’ve found though that some people don’t quite get this laughter part of me.  And they question my sincerity (even integrity) if I’m laughing and making light of my foibles.  While I want to be compassionate, even empathic, I do question how this is for my best and highest good to be in these situations?   Then I remember my calling – to be love and joy in action and realize, yes I need to find the gallows humor here too.  Seriously how people don’t find a lovable cherub who finds the humor in just about everything the best thing to ever walk into their life is absolutely beyond me.  I need to recall as part of this loving myself more challenge- she who laughs first, laughs longest and lasts longest.

Kate’s comment: What Anne said – about your true personality being the last thing to go – is so true. I think Memere’s personality is still alive and well, because when I think of her, I remember her laughter. That’s the picture and impression that will be my lasting memory of her. Keeping her true personality alive in my thoughts and remembering it daily brings her back each time.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

Love is the key ingredient in every amazing presentation.

I read a great article in Psychology Today yesterday about the futility of weight loss.   One of the reasons that so resonated with me was the one on the idea that you will “look” better at a lower weight.    This paragraph brought home the whole essence of this 66 day challenge to love myself more:

“For argument’s sake, let’s say that you had your “ideal body” and were supremely happy with your appearance. The reality of life remains that our bodies will change as we age, so, ultimately, putting all of your worth and value into your appearance is akin to boarding a sinking ship…..

…..What if instead of trying to manipulate or control your weight, you focused on loving and accepting your body exactly as it is now?”

I’ve noticed that people who were really gorgeous, as in model gorgeous, when they were younger actually seem to suffer more from nostalgia about the good ole’ days then those of us who were more plan o plan o.  I was actually fortunate to have had to work on my own internal joie de vivre rather than focusing on my external appearance.  This afforded me the luxury of spending more time in making a difference in the world rather than on striving towards some unrealistic appearance ideal of who I never was going to be anyhow.  I am after all short, and round with brown hair and brown eyes.  A decade ago a friend’s parents had visited my homes, yet had not met me after a couple years of seeing where I lived.  Her mother said to her, “I envision Michelle is a tall willowy blonde.”  It is a kick too when people meet me in person and are surprised I look like I do – the comment usually is – “you are so much shorter than I envisioned.”  We live in such a biased world about what people feel a successful women (even person) should look like.  I still remember the sting of a short lived public relations (PR) advisor who said he could not promote me until I lost 5o pounds as he did not like my “presentation.”  Yeah, he did not stick around for long in that PR position.

I do however agree presentation does matter. But presentation is so much more than external physical appearance.  What matters is how people feel when they are around you. Do they feel loved, appreciated, seen, heard, valued and acknowledged for the special gifts they share?  My daughter Kate is very good at this.  I remember one such time when she was in eighth grade and I had gone to her school to watch her final year end project presentation.  A boy before her was so visibly nervous about his presentation.  He was not as visually prepared as the other kids with their final projects – yet it was obvious he had put a lot of time into crafting his presentation with the comedic timing of his story.  I sent him love throughout and when all the kids were done, I sought him out.  I told him his story helped me recognize how important it was to love people for who they were (he was teasing his mother for her perpetual dieting) and that I really enjoyed his sense of humor and his diligence with how he kept his topic light and fun (it was all about love and acceptance).  He so lit up and Kate pointed out to me how I had this knack for making people’s day by acknowledging their genius. I felt so seen for my gifts by her recognizing this in me.

Presentation for me is about congruence.  Do all the parts line up?   My sweetheart is fantastic at presentation with food – but what makes it even more incredible is the flavor lines up as well.  The love and devotion put into crafting the meal comes in for the home run with the final presentation.  In a world of window dressing where we have photo shop’d perfection,  experiencing presentation that permeates many layers deep activates my heart.  With loving myself more, I realize I’m just sensing the mirror of my own well spring of love – this is how I present to the outside world as well.

Kate’s comment: when people let me help them with their weight loss journeys, I start by asking what their motivations are. I tell them they don’t have to tell me right there and then – sometimes motivations take awhile to make themselves clear. They don’t even need to tell me, if it’s too personal or difficult to say – what matters is that they know their motivation. Most of the time clients say, “I want to lose 30 pounds for my high school reunion so I look as good as I did then” – which totally resonates with what you said about people who peak and suffer from nostalgia.

I ask them to look a bit deeper into why they might want to lose weight. Because a weight loss journey is a path, people normally hit upon the “love thy body no matter the image” crossroad – do we keep going with the healthy lifestyle, or do we quit because the motivation was skin-deep, and we learn to love ourselves no matter what?

If the motivation is health-based (like: I want to decrease my cholesterol so that I can survive to watch my kid graduate high school), this is much more likely to stick through the tough times and the positive body-image crossroad.

Positive body-image is a really excellent milestone to hit – which is why it would be disappointing if it derailed other excellent milestones. The sooner body-image is separated from health, the better.

I found my way to comfort and ease by selling the goat.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

In teaching yoga, I’ve learned to find true comfort takes being pushed to an edge.  There is a story we learned in yoga teacher training about a man who lived in a small shack with his wife and six small children.  He went to talk with the priest in his village about the chaos that was in his home and what he could do about it.  He was counseled to get a goat and have it live inside the home with them.  Several weeks go by with the goat in the home and he cannot figure out how in the world was this noisy, smelly goat living with them supposed to make their life any easier.  In a fit of absolute frustration, he sells the goat.  With the goat gone, the house became a haven of comfort for the whole family.

I’ve pondered this story many times when things seem absolutely chaotic in my life.  How can I find my way back to comfort and ease from an edge?  Often I don’t even know I’m on an edge – except that my life feels anything but comfortable and easy.  That is the tell of a goat somewhere in my existence that needs to go.

Being comfortable as a normal state of being – well that gets rather boring.  I like being pushed to my edges.  How am I supposed to extend the envelope of what is possible for me unless I’m willing to go out there?   But living “out there” is not where I want to be all the time.  Spending more time doing and teaching yoga, has me realizing it is helpful for me to occasionally go to an edge, but for the most part, I now prefer coming back to a place of comfort and ease.  What has been interesting is loving myself more – that place of comfort and ease is easier to find.  And being easier to find, helps me go to a new edge more readily.  That is to take more chances, being more confident I can find my way back “home” to my stable base of an ever loving self.  This extends to the work projects I’m willing to pursue, to the clarity in which I can move the “goats” out of my life, to the loving guidance I can hear from others I may have ignored before as it pushed on my edges.  Comfort is my new home – from which I can soar.

Kate’s comment: Our comfort zone is a relative place. If the boundaries were never pushed, wouldn’t the comfort zone be the size of a postage stamp? I think that by attempting to make yourself uncomfortable (thus pushing to your edges), you’re actually helping expand your comfort zone – ensuring that regardless of the situation, you’ll be comfortable. Doesn’t that sound like nirvana?

Carb Craving Dreams – My Subconscious is Rebelling.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

It’s amazing how my dreams have changed since I started working with my dietitian.  Now I dream of having cereal with milk for breakfast, or enjoying white bread slathered with butter, eating large plates of pasta, or a large cheese pizza, and then there is the plate of chocolate chip cookies (with nuts).  Yesterday I was longingly watching a show on the All Recipe Roku channel on making this luscious pound cake.  These dreams are so so easy to satisfy and I’m very happy what creates bliss for me is now so simple.  While I’ve become a pro at counting carbohydrates – and much more conscious of how these impact my blood sugar levels (and my overall health), I preferred life without carb restrictions.

I had a friend in my 30’s who said people who achieve their dreams too soon die young – was this what she meant?   At about the same time in my life, I was lamenting to my mother how my dreams of life long marriage died with my divorce – her encouraging response was – “you’re young you can create new dreams.”   The same is true here.  Is it really worth it to hold onto dreams of high carbohydrate delights?  Loving myself more may require expanding my dreams beyond the carbs I’m currently craving.

Kate’s comment: I think that the fact that carbohydrates are appearing in your dreams shows how close of an emotional connections food can have for us. Sometimes, it’s foods like this that can be higher maintenance for our bodies and need to be watched a bit more closely than others. Very interesting that for you, this manifested in your dreams.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

Loving myself more helps me make it more of a priority to do yoga.

My dietitian has this program called “Is it Worth It?”  when making decisions on what to eat.   Sometimes there are things that are worth it for whatever my very good reasons are at the time.  Her point with this effort is to make conscious choices about what I’m consuming rather than doing mindless eating.   I’ve taken to applying this in other parts of my life as well.

I woke up today an hour before I needed to get going and was contemplating if I should get up and do yoga or roll over and sleep for another hour.  I decided it was not worth it to sleep for another hour, but it was worth it to get up and do yoga.  The new litmus test on is it “worth it”  is what choice is the most loving for myself in the moment and beyond.  This AM, my low back was sore.  Being in bed for another hour wasn’t going to help my low back, but getting up and doing yoga would.  So the most loving decision this AM, was the yoga.  Tomorrow it might be a different choice and that is for me to decide then.  If I  decide today what will be the right choice for tomorrow, I will get to make that decision again.  I trust tomorrow I will make the best choice for me based on what is happening then.

Kate’s comment: When I think of “Is It Worth It?”, I think of a game show-style setup where contestants from around the country compete. The prize? Satisfaction and assuredness – and everyone can be a winner. The entire crowd cheers when the host enters, and they chant “IS…. IT…. WORTH IT?”. It sounds like you had a very successful episode this morning, evaluating what was worth it at that time for you.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

I fell in love with this tree on my walk yesterday. Today I became a tree hugger. The Mom that I am, I made sure to let all the other plants around it know I loved them too (and why).

I get to enjoy the neighborhood several times a day as I take my little dog out to do her business.   Every walk is just a little different, but what is always the same – I notice something delightful.   The past couple of days it’s been the beauty of the mature stately trees on our standard loop.  Last night, out on our walk, this odd crumudgeon flipped a u-turn pulled up beside me and barked at me for staring at him – really dude?   I hadn’t noticed him at all – I was admiring the gorgeous red bush across the street.  I stated as much, he sped off.  It got me thinking, maybe I should have remarked about his beauty too…..  Probably better that I hadn’t as I really don’t want to need this security system I just installed.  I’d rather have a paranoid curmudgeon angry about my adoring gaze (not directed at him) – rather than a stalker.  I did bless him with stability and peace in his heart as he sped away.

Beauty is all around – it’s a choice to notice it.  To his own detriment, anger man was choosing to notice something different than I was.  When I make the choice as I do on these little breaks in the day I get to take with my pup, I’m always surprised at what appears (usually in good ways).  What is always the same though is how these delights open my heart and let the light of love flow in.  No matter what is going on, about five minutes into the walk, I feel lighter, happier, all is right with the world just the way it is. Regardless of how others are experiencing our same reality.

A few months ago, my friend and colleague Scot Nichols taught me this little exercise where you start with your thumb and forefinger at the side corner of your eye and watch it as you move your hand to the edge of your peripheral vision.   It is an interesting eye exercise to not only expand your peripheral vision, but it also gives the sensory feeling of seeing things as brighter.  It’s like a photoshop filter for your brain to enhance whatever you are seeing.  Whenever I do it, I do notice things more vibrantly and beautiful.  I wonder if it’s as much too that  I’m pausing in the busyness of my brain to take time to do so.  I’m sure both are contributing and I do like the effect it has on me.

I’ve found beauty is both about being present to even notice and to have an object of adoration.  For me, it’s also enhanced in the presence of love – as when I’m in my heart, open and loving, I more readily notice the beauty in the things of every day life.  I notice the beauty more in myself as well.  So beauty both creates love and exists more vibrantly in love.  After practicing Scot’s exercise recently, I did an experiment and looked at myself in the mirror and asked –  “what is it about me that is so stunningly gorgeous?”   Just saying the words  “stunningly gorgeous” – made it so – it lit up my whole appearance.  I was able to love myself even more.  Give it a try…..

Kate’s comment: I love the concept of dominant thought – instead of saying “don’t forget your keys”, saying “remember your keys” is much more likely to help remember your keys. It sounds like the same thing that Scot was working with. Steering speech towards more positive wording makes this loving language the dominant thought.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

The good thing about bad days is they end.

Yesterday I got to walk my talk.  It was one of those days where chaos emerged at every corner.   A day when my patience was tried, then tried again, and then one more time someone pushed me to an edge I did not want to go to.  Yet it was also the day we were slated to shoot videos for a class where I’m making some significant upgrades – and the topic – “happiness.”  How do you shoot videos on happiness, where you are the leading actress, and well, you’re being challenged every way you turn?

You show up and just do it.  I am finding it far easier to do just that with loving myself more.  As I was loving myself even though I was so aggravated I didn’t even want to be around myself.   It’s one thing to love myself more when I’m behaving in ways that bring me happiness,  quite another when I am in a state that is anything but enjoyable.  I felt like an out of control two year old ready to have a melt down, yet having to get the job done as well, it takes a lot to put everything together to create these videos.

What I am noticing though, is loving myself more is providing for more capabilities elsewhere too.   It’s far easier to review these videos for content, delivery, understandability without cringing at how I look on video. I attribute this to my enhanced capabilities with loving myself.  Deep, enduring happiness is also something that once gained is hard to shake – even on the most trying of days.  And that is something else I’ve discovered on this pursuit of learning how to love myself more – it is grounding me in a very happy place.  Being tested on how this is so everyone in a while is a good thing, a very good thing.

Kate’s comment: there are all of these mirrors at the gym in Haines – which initially I thought would be terrible for body image. However, I think that if going to the gym can become a habit for someone, they might find the opposite. Seeing your body doing physical activity actually helps increase appreciation of it, and therefore be able to look beyond the body-image-comparison mindset. For me, the mirrors at the gym helped me love myself more as they helped show me how much stronger I can get. It sounds like watching video of yourself doing yoga turned into a positive experience where you, too, saw how awesome your body is.

The idea of an Inspired Eagle Yoga Retreat is to activate bliss. When the folks who get what we’re about reach out to me, my gosh does the MOJO flow.

Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

I first heard the term “MOJO” from a radio host interviewing me about accelerated learning.   She asked me to tell her about the “MOJO of Learning.”   I don’t recall exactly what I said, but I made something up pretty quick on the spot.   After that interview, I called my publicist to inquire about why this radio host was asking me about the “MOJO of Learning.”   Oops she said – that was something I asked her to ask you – so sorry I forgot to tell you.   ha ha ha ha ha.  Well there you have it, a new concept was born right on the spot for me.  I do love having to think on my feet and am great at improv so it was a blast of a good time.

Anyhow, since then MOJO has taken front and center in my vernacular.  The term MOJO – used to mean charm or spell.  Now it refers to talent.  For me, it means getting some energy and enthusiasm coursing through my veins for whatever is exciting me in the moment.  Sometimes my MOJO gets lost beneath a cloud of stress – too much work to do, too much responsibility, too many people needing my attention, too too too.   And then I have a moment where it all lifts and my MOJO comes a roaring back to life.

I just had one such moment.  This wonderful soul filled out the “talk with Michelle” inquiry form.  But she did not complete the transaction to talk with me.  I kept the appointment anyhow  to see what was up and what we could do together.  So thankful I followed my gut on that.   Now, we are organizing a yoga retreat together and we are both so energized and excited (we activated each other’s MOJO).   And in another serendipitous encounter – one of her best friends has my same last name.  I said – oh maybe she married one of my cousins.  Sure enough – she did.  What a small world…..

Kate’s comments: How random! That is some seriously funny MOJO – and a bit of a crossover between the two definitions. Something mystical happening in the background to activate each group’s innate talents. I also recall MOJO entering your vernacular when the MOJO golf balls were around in my tween years and we golfed and brunched with Memere on the weekends.