My Logo, The Blue Lotus - Rare, Wise, and Beautiful, as We Are.

Like the lotus flower, we too can rise from the mud. I have always been drawn to the Lotus flower, no matter how often I saw it, I just loved it! I had never taken the time to look up the meaning of the symbol, but once I did, I immediately felt the connection because I, like many of you, have risen from the muddy waters in my own life. Life is not always easy. Many of us have experienced childhood traumas, hardships as adults, or we have lost ourselves in the grind of life taking care of everyone but ourselves.

I love the lotus flower because it signals strength, renewal, rebirth, and spiritual awakening, but I fell in love with the blue lotus flower because it is the rarest of them all. It is symbol of wisdom, intelligence, and illumination. It symbolizes the pursuit for greater understanding, clarity, and overcoming desires, and emotions that hinder our growth, and distract us from living conscious and in the present moment. We often ruminate about the past, or feel anxious about the future, yet our greatest peace and joy can be found living in the present. Interestingly, the blue lotus has been used in traditional medicine for its ability to calm and relieve anxiety.

Women, as we age, I believe gain wisdom and intelligence. I know I have. We become more intuitive with our bodies, understanding and listening to what it needs or craves, we become lighter, happier, sexier, more honest with ourselves, and others, speaking our minds, setting necessary boundaries, and transforming ourselves into the person we were always meant to be.

The lotus flower represents new beginnings, yet just like it takes time to bloom out of the muddy waters, it takes time for us to heal and renew. We have to be patient with ourselves. We have to forgive ourselves, show compassion, and love for the person we have become. In order for us to transform our lives and blossom into our true selves, like the lotus flower, we have to let go of all that is holding us back. Our body works best when we honor our feelings and emotions, and treat our bodies with kindness, love, and compassion. When we truly connect to our inner wisdom. Here are a few ways that I have, and you can too.

First, we accept our struggles are part of our story. Our life experiences have gotten us to where we are now. They may have been good or bad, but they are a part of our past. We can’t go back and change them, and holding on to them limits us in our lives, and keeps us from being that highest version of ourselves we long to be. For most of my life, I limited myself by the false belief I was not enough, or that I had to achieve at the highest level to finally be enough, or finally reach that destination known as happiness. Those thoughts were in my subconscious, never voiced, but the record was playing in the background of my mind, and it always got louder when I wanted to reach beyond my comfort zone to try something new. My childhood was unstable, I went through a divorce in adulthood, and for some reason, I let those things limit me in my life, maybe it made me feel like a failure. To make up for it all, I let the stress of trying always to overachieve in my work and school almost rob me of my health. Now, at the age of 50, I have sifted through the muddy waters of my life, accepted all that was, all that is, let go false beliefs and labels I had placed on myself, took risks I never thought I could, healed my mind, body, and soul, and finally feel strong, wise, free, and at peace with myself.

Second, we love ourselves unconditionally. Embrace our body, use our voice, listen to our intuition, trust the wisdom of our heart, connect with nature, others, and our higher power. When we really start to love ourselves, we have compassion for ourselves, we start to take care of ourselves like we are someone who matters. We “stand guard at the door of our mind,” we don’t allow ourselves or others to speak negatively. We don’t let others disrespect us. We really do teach others how to treat us. It is time to teach them to treat us with the love and respect we deserve. Once I started to love and respect myself more, I started prioritizing my time to include things that made me feel good and whole. I made it a priority to feed my body with foods that loved me back, that healed me, I nourished my body with clean water, quality sleep, sat outside in the warm sun, walked with my bare feet to the ground, speaking positive and healing affirmations, I learned to meditate, do yoga, and how to deep breathe to soothe me, and stimulate my peace nerve (vagus). I learned to embrace laughter, and do more of the things that bring me joy, make me feel alive again. Life is for living, being grateful for all we have, and all we are. It is not for obsessing about all we are missing or all we are not. All of the practices I have incorporated into my life have transformed me. I can only hope you can start doing more of the things that you love too, the things that make your life worth living.

Third, we get honest with ourselves. What are the things that are keeping us from living fully? What people surround me? Do they add or subtract goodness from my life? Am I doing the things each day that bring me purpose, satisfaction, and fulfillment? Am I living by my values? If I say I value my health, am I making choices each day that make me healthy? Am I doing work I love and working to my strengths and talents, or settling for a career because it’s convenient and gives me a paycheck? Am I stuck in the muddy waters in my life? I was there for a long time. My work in the emergency room (ER) was stressful, physically, and mentally exhausting, yet I stayed there for 15 years of my life because I was afraid of change, and thought maybe it made me weak for wanting to leave a job that not everyone could even do. It was a martyr mentality. I finally did leave the ER, went to the urgent care center, finished my nurse practitioner degree, then again, worked long hours, weekends, holidays, and through the pandemic, burnt myself out, got myself sick, and realized I had to take a risk to save my health and my mind! I had to actually do what I would so often encourage others to do, stop playing it safe, and jump out of your comfort zone! I left my six-figure job that I had practically killed myself to get, and I have not regretted it once! Please, take some time to evaluate where you are, where you want to be, and how you plan to get there. Like Jim Rohn once said, “we can’t change our life overnight, but we can change the direction.”

Last, we get support if it is needed. No one is stronger or better for doing things alone. Once we realize it is time to be the highest version of ourselves, we do anything and everything we can to get there, and that often includes seeking help to get beyond the traumas or hardships we have experienced in our lives. The book, The Body Keeps the Score, is a reminder that often unbeknownst to ourselves, our physical and mental signs, our dis-harmony, our dis-ease is from holding everything inside, never really getting the help or support to let it go. I am able to help you in your health, mind, and spirit journey, but there are many trained therapists to help you heal your deep-seeded wounds of the past, seek them, your healing and your life depend on it. Then be sure to surround yourself with those that celebrate and support you, and don’t forget to celebrate yourself!

In health & love,

Kim ✨👩‍⚕️