Your Year of Miracles

Category: Miracle Moment

  • The Surprising Power of Doing Less

    The Surprising Power of Doing Less

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About The Surprising Power of Doing Less…

    Sometimes, the real breakthrough doesn’t come from doing more — it comes from doing less… and listening. Forcing your way to happiness and miracles doesn’t work. It depletes you, it disconnects you, and it drowns out the quiet wisdom trying to reach you.

    Here’s an example of what I mean: You know those aha moments that seem to drop in from out of the blue? Or that great idea that comes to you when you’re taking a shower? That’s the power of the pause!

    Epiphanies don’t usually arrive when you’re pushing or striving. They arrive when you stop and take a break.

    Think about it: when do your best insights come? Not mid-scroll, mid-meeting, or mid-meltdown. They come when you’re walking quietly. Or sitting in stillness. Or just breathing. Or when you’re focusing on anything other than the problem you’re trying to solve. Here’s how this showed up in my life…

    When I was 13, I went to see Zig Ziglar, an inspirational speaker, and I had a very clear vision that that was what I was supposed to do with my life.  I had a clear vision, saw myself traveling around the world speaking to large audiences inspiring people. But when I started my career, I struggled with so much self doubt and low self-esteem.

    In 1989, I got trained by Jack Canfield – this was before he’d even thought of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books yet. He was teaching about self-esteem. I wanted to start teaching programs like that because as they say, we teach what we most want to learn. 

    So I started teaching workshops on self-esteem. I worked really, really hard to build my career. For years, I was a road warrior – going from city to city every day and giving talks to anywhere between 20 and maybe 100 people a day. It certainly wasn’t the big audiences I’d seen in my vision.

    I was struggling and exhausted. I knew I was doing the right kind of work, but I felt like I was hitting my head against the wall to make it happen. Well in January 1995, a dear friend of mine came to me and said, “Marci, you’re  burned out. You need a break. Come with me on a seven day silent meditation retreat.”

    I said, “You’re crazy. I don’t do silence. I haven’t been silent for more than two hours in my life!” But she was very, very persuasive, so off I went.

    I’ll tell you, the first couple days of silence were absolute torture. But finally I settled in and really started letting go of that pushing, driving energy that I’d lived in. I really surrendered to the pause. And on the fourth day, in the middle of a meditation, out of nowhere, a light bulb went off in my head.

    I saw the words Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul. And now, at the time, there were no other books out there other than the original Chicken Soup for the Soul book. And I knew that that was exactly what I was supposed to do, and it was what was going to lead me to bigger and bigger audiences. 

    There was one problem – I had just had this huge epiphany and I still had 3 more days of silence. When the retreat was over, I ran to the closest payphone – we didn’t have cell phones then and called up Jack and told him my idea. He said, “Oh my God, I can’t believe nobody’s thought of it!” He called up the publisher, and the publisher said, “I can’t believe nobody’s thought of it!”

    I started working on the book and year and a half later, Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul came out and went to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list that first week. And it was the thing that propelled me to that vision that I had of speaking to large audiences around the world.

    Since then I’ve written 9 books that have been on the New York Times bestseller list for 121 weeks and have sold more than 16 million copies. I could never have planned that.

    So that’s how powerful that pause was for me. The idea that brought me to greater purpose and success, came in the pause, not in the push.

    Here are 3 key shifts to lean into the power of the pause:

    #1: Rest Is Not Laziness

    Somewhere along the way, we were taught that if you’re rest, you’re lazy. Especially as women, we often feel guilty for pausing. There’s always someone or something that we need to take care of – whether it’s a partner, children, parents, community, or a business. And taking care of ourselves usually ends up last on the list. 

    But rest isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity for living a miraculous life. All of nature has cycles of rest and action. Our bodies, minds and souls need the rejuvenation that comes from rest. 

    I used to feel so guilty taking breaks. At one point, I was overworking so much that an Ayurvedic doctor said to me: “you’re burned out and you have to stop right now.” I said – “I don’t have time to stop. I’ll rest in a couple of years once I get through all of this work” and he said – “no, it will be too late by then. You’ll lose too much of your body’s prana – your vital energy and life force. You must take care of yourself now.” Well, that really freaked me out and so I stopped and started to do what he was telling me to do in terms of rest. I made the quality AND quantity of my sleep a priority, and every night I get to sleep by 10pm – I call it catching the angel train. And I found that I not only started to feel more energized during the day, but I was happier, and I even started getting more done. 

    I finally learned that rest is not selfish – it’s sacred. And it’s where our best self can return. 

    #2: Sacred Space Creates Clarity

    Have you ever had a big decision to make, and the more you went over it in your mind, the more you got stuck in your head trying to figure out what to do?

    Often, the answer won’t come from “trying to figure it out.” But when you allow quiet space in your day, you’re opening a doorway for something higher to reach you. That’s when the idea comes. The answer arrives. The clarity lands.

    Not because you forced it, but because you made room for it.

    And there’s some science to this – When our focus softens, the brain shifts into the default mode network—and that’s where creativity, memory, and insight converge. In the quiet beyond effort, the mind connects what pushing and forcing can’t, and that’s when clarity and inspired ideas can arise.

    This was what happened for me at the silent meditation retreat. As the constant stream of thoughts and mental clutter cleared out, it created sacred space for clarity. 

    But you don’t have to go away for 7 days to create sacred space for yourself. Even 5 minutes a day spent in silence can help you access greater clarity.

    #3: When You Do Less, You Feel More

    When you pause the doing, you reconnect with the being. You feel more. You notice more. You become present again. And that presence is where peace lives.

    And when you stop racing through your life, you can finally experience it.

    My partner Sergio, who’s originally from Italy, taught me this beautiful Italian phrase, “dolce far niente.” It literally means, “sweet do nothing,” and it’s a celebration of relaxing. Being stuck in busy-ness doesn’t leave us time to connect with our innate essence or to appreciate who we are deeply inside, beyond what we do. We can miss some of the sweetest parts of life and of ourselves. 

    By doing less, you leave time to feel more of the yumminess of life – and more of what you’re truly here for. 

    So this week, give yourself permission to stop forcing and start allowing. 

    You don’t need to earn your rest. You don’t need to justify your pause. Because the happiness you’re chasing? It’s already within you. It’s just been waiting for the noise to quiet down.

    I’ll end with this great quote from Anne Lamott:

    “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

    Let me know in the comments: What would it look like for you to rest without guilt this week?

    Your next epiphany isn’t in the push. It’s in the pause.

    Please share your answer below, “What would it look like for me to rest without guilt this week?”

  • The Shift From Burden to Devotion

    The Shift From Burden to Devotion

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About The Shift From Burden to Devotion…

    How often do you feel like you’re holding it all together — for everyone? You show up. You keep your promises. You check off your daily list, your tasks. And somewhere along the way, ‘responsibility’ started feeling like a prison sentence.  But what if we’ve misunderstood what responsibility really is? 

    What if it’s not a burden to bear — but a devotion to offer?

    This one shift changes everything. Responsibility says: ‘I have to.’ Devotion says: ‘I get to.’ Responsibility drains when it’s rooted in obligation. But devotion uplifts when it’s rooted in love. When you show up from devotion — not duty — you reconnect with purpose. Instead of running yourself dry, giving comes from a deeper well within – a well of contribution, service and love. Another way to reframe responsibility is to think of it as our ability to respond, and that’s where our power lies. We get to choose how we show up and how we share our gifts.  And the tasks that once felt heavy become sacred. Even holy.

    Here are 3 ways to make the life-changing shift from burden to devotion… 

    This first shift is Moving from Obligation to Offering.

    Instead of asking “What do I have to do today?” you can start your day by asking yourself the first three questions, which are adapted from A Course in Miracles: 

    • What would Spirit have me do?
    • Where would Spirit have me go?
    • What would Spirit have me say, and to whom?

    The answers that you receive are the offering that you give to Life.  The practice of connecting with these questions softens the heart and centers your energy. You’re not just performing roles — you’re making a sacred offering of your time, your care, your presence. For me, this shift gave me one of the greatest gifts of my life – and that was to be in devotion while caretaking for my parents as they got older. I ended up moving closer to my parents at the time when they needed more care, and because I was the closest sibling, I became the primary person to be there daily and to take them to appointments and check in on them. At first, it felt like a lot of responsibility, but it really shifted to feel like such a blessing that I was able to give them care and give back to them. I did my best to bring joy to their lives and those times with them were some of the richest experiences of my life. 

    The second shift is to Anchor into Purpose, Not Pressure.

    Pressure says: ‘Get it all done.’ Purpose says: ‘Do what matters most.’  I know it’s really easy to get busy doing a lot of things. I call it the addiction to doing. But if you aren’t doing the right things, it won’t serve you. You’ll have put all this effort out just to end up on the wrong mountain. You want to make sure that you’re climbing the mountain that’s right for you. What will serve you the most is living in accordance with your priorities. And you’ll have different priorities at different times. There is a time for every season under heaven. When you know what it is the time for you to do, you can connect to the deeper purpose behind what you’re doing and disengage from the pressure. For example, years ago, writing my book was my focus, and for 3 or 4 months, and I had to let my partner know I couldn’t be as available in our relationship. But I knew it was the time to do that and the reward would be worth the sacrifice. At another point, my partner and I wanted to focus on strengthening our relationship, so we both made it more of a priority in our lives – by having dinner together, playing pickleball, and going on trips with each other.  You don’t have to do more to be more. The quality of your presence often outweighs the quantity of your output. When you connect with your why — your deep reason for showing up — the to-do list becomes a devotion list.

    The third shift is to Let Leadership Become a Living Prayer.

    Have you ever thought of yourself as a leader? You don’t need a stage or a title to lead. You lead in how you love. In how you listen. In how you hold space. When you share your gifts in the world from a place of devotion rather than burden, you become a leader in your life and that expands into each person whose life you touch. Every interaction becomes meaningful. True leadership is sacred. It’s an act of service. By recognizing yourself as the leader you are, you can embody greater self-confidence, deeper inner power, and more love.  Whether you’re parenting, mentoring, working, or caregiving — you are offering light into the world. That’s not burden. That’s purpose in motion. Responsibility doesn’t have to weigh you down. It can lift you up — when it flows from devotion.

    This week, choose one thing you’ve been carrying as a burden and ask: ‘How can I hold this with love instead of pressure?’

    You’re not here to carry it all. You’re here to live on purpose. And when you lead from love, even the ordinary becomes sacred. Sending you so much love!

    Please share Where in your life are you ready to trade burden for devotion? I can’t wait to read your shares!

  • The Intuition Secret That Led Alysa Liu to Gold

    The Intuition Secret That Led Alysa Liu to Gold

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About The Intuition Secret That Led Alysa Liu to Gold…

    Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads—pulled between what the world expects of you and a quieter, more mysterious voice calling you toward something different?

    That quiet voice is your intuition. And listening to it can feel like a radical act. But that act of listening… it just might lead you to a miracle.

    Let me tell you the story of someone who did just that.

    The Olympian Who Walked Away

    Alysa Liu was a skating prodigy. At just 13, she became the youngest U.S. Women’s National Champion in figure skating history. By 16, she’d competed in the Olympics and World Championships. Everyone assumed she was on the fast track to becoming one of the sport’s biggest stars.

    And then… she retired. At 16.

    No injury. No dramatic fallout. Just a deep, quiet knowing that it was time to step away. While the world scratched its head in confusion, Alysa trusted the whisper that said: Not right now.

    She chose to live a little more off the ice—experience life, feel joy, explore beyond the arena that had defined her for so long. And then, something remarkable happened…

    Two years later, while skiing for the first time in her life, Alysa felt a sudden, powerful inner nudge: Maybe it’s time to skate again. So, she did. Just for fun.

    That fun turned into training. The training turned into competing. And within a year, Alysa had won the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships at age 19.

    Talk about full-circle!

    3 Shifts That Will Help You Trust Your Intuition Too

    Whether you’re 16 or 60, there are powerful lessons in Alysa’s story. Here are three shifts to help you start trusting your inner voice—and allowing it to lead you to your own miracles:

    1. Intuition Feels Like Expansion (Even If It’s Hard)
    Your intuition isn’t loud. It won’t shout over your to-do list or the opinions of others. But when you pause and listen, it often speaks through feeling.

    The key question is: Does this choice feel expansive or contractive?

    Even if your intuition is guiding you to make a tough decision—like stepping away from something familiar—it will usually come with a sense of inner expansion, relief, or calm clarity.

    Your soul speaks through expansion. Your ego speaks through fear. Can you tell which one is leading?

    2. Your Intuition May Go Against the Grain
    Sometimes your inner guidance leads you in a direction that doesn’t make sense to anyone else. People might question you, or worry about you, or even doubt your judgment.

    But if you know, deep in your being, that it’s right for you… trust that knowing.

    I remember a time in my own life when I said no to a major contract in Asia that looked incredible on paper. Everyone around me thought I was making a huge mistake.

    But something in me said, Not this.

    Soon after, the idea for Your Year of Miracles came through—and I knew I’d made the right choice.

    3. Following Your Intuition Leads to Miracles
    When Alysa returned to skating, it wasn’t because she wanted to prove anything. She didn’t need to make a statement. She came back because something in her felt ready.

    That readiness, that joy, that alignment—it led her to gold. And it all started with a whisper on a ski slope.

    We don’t always know where our intuition will take us. But if we follow it, one step at a time, we often find ourselves right where we were meant to be… sometimes with miracles in hand.

    A Gentle Nudge for You

    Is there something your intuition has been quietly telling you?

    Maybe it’s time to pause. To rest. To begin again. Or to say yes to something that feels wild but right.

    Whatever it is, I invite you to listen. To trust. To follow—even just a little.

    Because your joy, your timing, and your path are not meant to look like anyone else’s.

    As the poet Rumi said,
    “There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.”

    Please share below how your intuition has guided you. I can’t wait to read your stories!

  • Big Miracles from Small Acts of Kindness

    Big Miracles from Small Acts of Kindness

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About Big Miracles from Small Acts of Kindness…

    I want to share a story with you that I recently read about a young woman named Hannah who was racing against the clock to get some last hours with her mother before she passed away.

    Hannah’s mom, Kathleen, was in critical condition after she got undiagnosed pneumonia that progressed into septic shock. Kathleen’s doctors had notified her family that she didn’t have much time left to live, so Hannah rushed to book a flight to a small airport in North Dakota where her mother lived.

    But because of the limited flights to the small airport, the first flight she could get was on the following day, and each hour she had to wait was an hour she wouldn’t get to spend with her mom. 

    Once she was on the flight the next day, the plane’s takeoff was delayed due to technical issues. Hannah started panicking, because she had just a half-hour layover before her connecting flight in Minneapolis, and knew she wouldn’t be able to make it. 

    Hannah shared her situation with one of the flight attendants, hoping that there was some sort of solution, only to find out that her connecting flight had already been rebooked for the next morning.

    Hannah broke down in tears, and felt so anxious thinking of her mother being alone through this. Well, Hannah’s story moved the flight attendant to tears as well, and she decided to go speak directly to the pilot to see what could be done.

    The pilot was also moved by Hannah’s story, and so he called the dispatchers of the connecting flight in Minneapolis to see if they could possibly hold the flight, and… they said yes!

    The whole crew was working together to get Hannah on her next flight so that she could have as many remaining hours with her mom as were possible. One person on the flight gave Hannah their seat at the front of the plane so that she could exit faster. Someone else got out airport maps to help Hannah find the fastest route to the gate. And others gave her caring smiles or words of encouragement. 

    When the plane landed, Hannah was escorted off first, and ran through the airport with tears streaming down her face. She was greeted at her new flight by a welcoming crew who got her to the airport in North Dakota safely.

    Hannah was then able to spend the remaining hours of her mom’s life with her. Her mom passed away the next day.

    Hannah said that each act of kindness from each person added up to give her one of the most important moments in her life – which was to be there with her mom.

    I love this story, because it’s such an expression of how we’re all part of a greater web of miracles together.

    So often, it’s easy to look around at the world today and think – what can I possibly do to help the state of things? 

    The answer is to listen to your heart. When you lead your life with an open heart, which is one of the foundations for living in the Miracle Zone, then the opportunities to be a miracle for someone else will knock on your heart. 

    We are all interconnected and the Universe speaks to us through our hearts and intuition. When you feel a nudge to do some sort of small act of kindness, you can trust that you’re being invited to be a miracle for someone else in a way you might not ever really know. It could be as simple as:

    • Opening the door for someone
    • Complimenting the person at the cash register
    • Calling a relative out of the blue

    It might seem small or insignificant to you, but you never know what part your small act of kindness plays in someone else’s miracle story. 

    And as you give, you receive, and you can also trust that the miracles energy you give comes back to you tenfold. And you will simply feel amazing from listening to what’s calling your heart and acting on it. 

    This week, I invite you to simply listen to your heart.

    Notice when you feel a nudge to do something kind for someone else. And then, if you’re able to – do the thing, and notice how you feel afterward. You’ll probably feel a wave of miracles energy filling up your heart and brightening your day. 

    I’d love to hear your thoughts on this – leave a comment and share what miracles you’ve experienced through giving or receiving small acts of kindness.

    And I’ll leave you with a quote from Desmond Tutu:

    “Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good together that overwhelm the world.”

    Have a beautiful week!

    Please share with us below about the miracles you’ve experiences through giving and receiving acts of kindness.

  • Finding Your Happy Place

    Finding Your Happy Place

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About Finding Your Happy Place…

    I was inspired to do this Miracle Moment because I’m actually in my Happy Place right now – Maui. And not only that, but the house that I’m staying in is filled with little signs that say “Find Your Happy Place.” I even found out that the street I live on, which is Luana Place, is Hawaiian for “Happy.”

    Outside my house, here there is the most magical garden surrounded by trees and beautiful plumerias and hibiscus flowers. I’m just a short drive from the most fantastic beach with crystal blue waters and I love going there to watch the epic sunsets at the end of the day. All around Maui, there are waterfalls and hiking trails and glorious sunsets. 

    It’s deeply life-giving and nourishing to spend time in beautiful parts of the world, and happiness research can also tell us why it feels so good. 

    Taking a walk by an ocean, a river, or a lake allows you to breathe in air filled with negative ions, which can decrease stress and lift your mood. 

    If you have a garden at home and love to dig in the dirt, you’re getting yourself around great beneficial bacteria which has been shown to act as a natural antidepressant.

    When you take a hike in a park, you’re surrounded by trees and you can take a deep breath and flood your body with oxygen.

    Sunlight can reset your serotonin and melatonin levels, the feel-good hormones that you need in order to get deep sleep at night so you feel amazing the next day.

    At the same time, being somewhere out in nature, like Maui, is just part of the equation. You also have to build the muscle of taking in how good it is!

    Dr. Rick Hanson talks about the power of taking in the good.

    He says that “the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones. That leads to your underlying expectations, beliefs and mood to be in an increasingly negative direction. Dr. Hanson says that you need to train your mind to take in the good, and notice any resistance to it, and one way you can do that is by savoring the good for 20 or 30 seconds.

    So it’s not just about being in your happy place – it’s about training your mind to take in all the good of your happy place! And the more you allow yourself to really take in a positive experience, the more you rewire your brain in that direction. By taking in the good, not only can you enjoy your happy place even more, but take it with you wherever you go.

    This week, I invite you to take yourself out to a place in nature that you love.

    While you’re there, take some time to intentionally take in the goodness of it. Notice all of the colors around you, allow your feet to connect with the sand or dirt or ground, notice the wind or the breeze or the sunlight. Savor the goodness your body is taking in from all the seconds. Breathe it in and spend at least 20 or 30 seconds really intentionally enjoying it.

    I’d love to hear where your Happy Place is, and what it is you enjoy about it! Share with us in the comments! And I’ll leave you with this quote from Mary Davis: “A walk in nature walks the soul back home.”  Have a fabulous week!

    Please share with us below what your experience is with finding your happy place.

  • Take Responsibility For Your Life

    Take Responsibility For Your Life

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About Taking Responsibility for Your Life…

    In Your Year of Miracles program, we have Five Foundations for Living in the Miracle Zone. Today, we’re going to talk about the fifth of these foundations, which is Take Responsibility for Your Life. 

    Taking responsibility is the way to embrace your true power in life. This means showing up as a victor rather than a victim of your circumstances. We’ll explain more about that in a minute.

    Now we recognize that the word “responsibility” can feel heavy. Many people think that taking responsibility means judging or blaming yourself: “things are all my fault” or “shame on me.” That does feel heavy.

    But that’s not what we’re referring to. Instead, we suggest you think of responsibility in this way: “If my life is my responsibility, it means I have some say in it. I’m going to have a great role in the outcomes I get in life.”

    When you allow yourself to make choices from the place of what’s possible for your life rather than from the place of limitation, then you feel the power and freedom of taking responsibility for your life.

    You can start to take more responsibility for your life by noticing how often you give away your power by showing up as a victim in life.

    Here are three ways to know that you’re showing up like a victim:

    Blaming: Anytime you’re blaming somebody else or outside forces for what’s going wrong with your life—whether you’re blaming the weather, or blaming someone else or blaming society — you’re giving away your power.

    Shaming: This is blame turned towards yourself. Telling yourself things like, “I’m never good at this. I can’t do this. I’m always messing up. I don’t deserve this” is evidence that you’re stuck in the rut giving away your power through shaming yourself.

    Complaining: When you spend energy complaining about the circumstances in your life you don’t like–focusing on what’s wrong–you’ll inevitably end up getting more of that, because what you put your attention on grows stronger in your life.

    We’re sure you’ve noticed what a bummer it is to be around people who are blaming, shaming, and complaining, yes? Well, it’s also a bummer to be around yourself when you’re blaming, shaming, and complaining.

    Any time you’re blaming, shaming, or complaining, you’re showing up like a victim in life and you’re not in the Miracle Zone.

    So, here’s what we invite you to do this week: play the “Blame, Shame and Complain Game”.

    It’s quite simple. Every time you find yourself blaming, shaming, or complaining, you put a dollar into a bowl. You’ll be surprised how often you catch yourself on those first few days. But by the fourth or fifth day, you’ll be doing much less blaming, shaming and complaining. We’re sure of it.

    You can play this game with your family (it’s great with kids) or your friends or your co-workers. (At the end of the week, you can donate the money you’ve collected to a favorite charity.) This is a fun way to shift the habit of showing up like a victim.

    Click here to learn more about the first Foundation  – Trusting the Universe
    Click here to learn more about the second Foundation – Living from the Soul
    Click here to learn more about the third Foundation – Leading with an Open Heart
    Click here to learn more about the fourth Foundation – Choosing Where You Put Your Energy and Attention

     

    Please share with us below what your experience is with playing the Blame, Shame, and Complain Game.

  • Choose Where You Put Your Energy and Attention

    Choose Where You Put Your Energy and Attention

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About Choosing Where You Put Your Energy And Attention…

    In Your Year of Miracles program, we have the Five Foundations for Living in the Miracle Zone. Especially in these unique and challenging times, we lean on these Foundations every single day!

    Today, we’re going to talk about the fourth of these Five Foundations, which is: Choosing Where You Put Your Energy and Attention.

    We each have the ability to consciously direct our thoughts, words, feelings, and actions towards what we want more of and what we want to expand in our life. This is so important because whatever you put your attention on will grow stronger in your life.

    Rather than focusing on whatever isn’t working in your life, you can put your attention on whatever supports you in living a more miraculous life.

    This can be a challenge since we live in an externally oriented world where it’s easy to get pulled towards bright shiny objects, noisy circumstances, or the stress of the day. As the external world pulls on your energy, it may seem hard to consciously choose where to focus your attention.

    One way to consciously choose where you focus your attention is to collect your energy into your core and continually bring it back there throughout your day.

    When you practice gathering your energy back onto yourself, you strengthen your ability to know and remember that you have the power to choose. Then, you can make decisions from a place of groundedness that you can’t access when your energy is dispersed.

    So, practice putting your attention on your core, and that sense of self will magnify. You’ll be able to remember who you are regardless of what’s going on around you. Then, you’ll find that with every choice you make, things will fall into place in service of your highest good.

    This is a great way to keep yourself grounded throughout the day and remember that you have the power to choose where you put your thoughts, words, feelings, and actions. That powerful and blessed attention of yours will, in great part, determine the outcomes that you experience in your life. So we recommend that you put your attention on whatever will help you live more in the Miracle Zone!

    Click here to learn more about the first Foundation  – Trust In the Universe
    Click here to learn more about the second Foundation – Live from the Soul
    Click here to learn more about the third Foundation – Lead with an Open Heart

    Please share your experiences below of the practice of bringing your attention back to your core and powerfully choosing from there. We’d love to hear from you.

  • Miracle Moment: A 105-Year-Old Woman’s Secret to Happiness…

    Miracle Moment: A 105-Year-Old Woman’s Secret to Happiness…

    Today’s Miracle Moment is About a 105-Year-Old Woman’s Secret to Happiness…

    Recently, I attended a singing event with about 25 people, where we sang beautiful songs and chants together for about 2 hours. Throughout the event, I noticed a radiant woman in the back row – she had a huge smile on her face, and she was clapping and singing along the whole time. She stood out to me because she looked to be a little older than the rest of the people there. After we were done singing, I went to meet her and found out that her name was Natalie and she was about to have her 105th birthday. 

    She was the first 105-year-old I’d ever met, and she was full of energy, cracking jokes, and living in what we call the Miracle Zone!

    We sat down to talk to her, and I asked her what her secret is to living to 105 with such zest and a big smile on her face? 

    Because it’s one thing to live to 105, but it’s another to be full of life, vitality, happiness and energy at that age. 

    Natalie said that her secret is keeping busy and helping people. She loves encouraging others, helping them believe in themselves, and doing that gives her an extra spark. 

    What I love about this is that when most of us think about being 105, we’re afraid we’ll need to rely on others.

    Instead, Natalie keeps her focus on helping others, and that’s helped her to stay healthy and energized at her age.

    I also got to talk with Ann, Natalie’s daughter, who said that one of her mom’s strengths is that she’s a “rascal” who has a lightness and sense of humor about life. And she definitely made me laugh during our short chat. 

    Natalie’s experience is backed up by research done by Dan Buettner, who discovered the Blue Zones – the places in the world where people live the longest, healthiest lives. Just the day after meeting Natalie, I had an interview already scheduled with Dan for Your Year of Miracles members. 

    Dan said: Having a sense of purpose and helping others can add 8 years to life. And that’s far more powerful than any pill or any supplement you can find.

    So there you go – put your focus on how you can help others, and have a sense of humor about life. 

    This week, I invite you to look for ways to focus on helping or encouraging others. This doesn’t have to look like spending a whole day doing volunteer work, but it can. Simply have the intention to be an encouraging presence for others, and as you go through your day look for the opportunities to help others or show you care. And, when life feels too serious, practice having a sense of humor.

    Leave us a comment about what Natalie’s story inspires in you! We look forward to hearing from you. 

  • The Happiness Benefit

    The Happiness Benefit

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About The Happiness Benefit…

    Many of us have been taught to believe that success makes us happy. But what if I told you it’s actually the other way around? That being happy can lead you to unprecedented success and open up a world of possibilities and miracles?

    In my book Happy for No Reason, I explore this paradigm-shifting idea that you don’t need a reason to be happy — happiness is a state you can choose, regardless of your circumstances. And choosing happiness doesn’t just feel good, it actually sets you up to receive more of life’s beautiful gifts.

    Here’s an example of how this works. Imagine you’re having a really good day: you wake up feeling rested, the sun is shining, and everything seems to go your way. On days like this, don’t you find it easier to smile at strangers, lend a helping hand, or come up with creative solutions at work?

    This isn’t just a coincidence. When we’re happy, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that not only make us feel good but also enhance our ability to organize new information, keep that information in the brain longer, and retrieve it faster later on. This means we are literally smarter when we are happier.

    Scientific studies support this. Researchers at the University of California found that happiness leads to greater creativity, improved immune function, and more effective problem-solving skills.

    Another study from Harvard University showed that doctors in a positive mood before making a diagnosis showed almost three times more intelligence and creativity than doctors in a neutral state, which led them to make accurate diagnoses 19% faster. Pretty cool, right?

    Let me share a story from my book that perfectly illustrates the Happiness Benefit.

    This is about Karen, a woman who always seemed to struggle with negativity and skepticism. She found herself laid off from her job, going through a divorce, and feeling utterly defeated.

    I think most of us can relate to Karen’s circumstances at some point in our lives. Walking in those shoes, it’s easy to justify looking at the world in a negative way and feel sorry for yourself. I mean, what’s to feel happy about?  But when Karen decided to shift her focus from despair to gratitude and optimism, amazing things began to happen.

    Every day, despite her circumstances, Karen wrote down things she was grateful for. She began visualizing her life filled with joy and abundance. Slowly, she started to feel better, and as her happiness increased, so did the positive opportunities around her. Within a few months, Karen received a job offer in a field she had always wanted to work in, she met a supportive partner, and most importantly, she regained her zest for life.

    Karen’s story isn’t unique because of the dramatic turnaround alone; it’s powerful because it demonstrates that our internal state can attract external success. By fostering a positive emotional state, Karen opened herself up to more miracles in her life, and the same can happen for you.

    How can you experience this Happiness Benefit? Let’s walk through a simple step-by-step process to bring more joy into your life:

    Step 1: Practice Gratitude

    Start by keeping a gratitude journal. Every night before you go to bed or first thing in the morning when you wake up, write down three things that you’re grateful for. This can be anything! Small things like clean air to breathe or big things like your most important relationships and everything in between. This helps to shift your focus from what’s missing in your life to what’s abundant.

    Step 2: Cultivate Optimism

    Spend a few minutes each day visualizing your life as you wish it to be. Imagine all your dreams coming true and allow yourself to feel the joy as if they already have. This visualization not only boosts your current mood but also aligns your energy with the outcomes you desire. Even if it’s hard to do at first, keep going! This gets easier with practice. The more you do it, the more fun it becomes.

    Step 3: Random Acts of Kindness

    Once a week, commit to performing a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as paying for a stranger’s coffee, sending a thank-you note to a colleague or friend, or simply making eye contact and being fully present with someone. These acts of kindness increase not only your happiness but also that of others, creating a positive ripple effect. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to just one a week! I think you’ll find that these random acts of kindness become an ongoing habit because they make you feel so good. 

    By integrating even one or all of these steps into your daily life, you’ll begin to experience the Happiness Benefit. Remember, happiness is not just about feeling good, it’s a catalyst for success, creativity, and deeper connections. It’s your secret weapon for leading a fulfilling and prosperous life and stepping into the Miracle Zone.

    I want to end this Miracle Moment with a wonderful quote from Helen Keller who said “Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within.”

    Here’s to activating the Happiness Benefit in your life!

    From my happy heart to yours, I wish you an abundance of joy and miracles.

    Want More Easy & Fun Happiness Practices?

    P.S. True story: I began studying happiness because I had been unhappy nearly all my life. I felt like I was born depressed and I wanted to figure out why other people were happy and I just wasn’t. This desire took me on a deeply rewarding journey and I knew I had to share what I learned with as many people as possible. And boy does this message resonate, especially now!

    This work has been my deepest joy. And in 2025 I’m devoted to training a few select people to become Certified Happiness Trainers. Could this be you?

    Apply to become certified so that you can make a good living being an advocate for happiness!

    I’d love to hear from you! How has the presence of happiness affected your relationships or your money or your health? What would you like to welcome into your life as a result of simply being happy?

    Please share your experience with being happy for no reason below.

  • Lead With An Open Heart

    Lead With An Open Heart

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About Leading with an Open Heart…

    How do you experience one miracle after another in life? A great place to start is by practicing the Five Foundations for Living in the Miracle Zone. These five foundations can support you to live a life where you’re more in the “flow” and experiencing synchronicities and miracles on a regular basis.  

    Today, we’re talking about the third foundation we teach in Your Year of Miracles program, which is to Lead with an Open Heart. 

    Leading with an open heart is to lovingly practice gratitude, forgiveness, compassion, and kindness and to give and receive in joy and balance. These are the qualities of the heart and of love itself. 

    When we think of the people we know who are truly living in the Miracle Zone, there’s no question that they live open-heartedly. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have challenges in life or that everything always goes their way. It means that whatever happens to them, they still allow their heart to lead them through life and come back to these qualities of compassion, forgiveness, kindness, and gratitude.

    How can you start leading your life with an open heart?

    You can more easily lead with an open heart by “making the short but most important trip from your head to your heart.” 

    If you’re filled with judgment, fear, or anxiety, then most likely — you’re stuck in your head. 

    Imagine bringing your attention down from your head to your heart. Then, bring your focus beneath your heart to anchor and tether your energy there. Take a deep breath in your belly. Deep belly breaths help you to stay out of your head and in your body — and your heart. 

    To lead with an open heart that’s loving, kind, generous, and caring to others, the most important thing you can possibly do is be loving, kind, generous, and caring with yourself. When you’re compassionate and forgiving of yourself, your life will be easier and more in the flow. You can also more easily engage with others in an open-hearted way.

    Leading with an open heart is also about being equally comfortable in giving and receiving in balance. Often people tend to feel comfortable in one of those two modes. (And for many women especially, they are often more comfortable in the giving mode.) You can balance these out by noticing which area tends to be more difficult for you and practicing either receiving or giving more. And discover how that naturally helps your heart to open more!

    Over the next week, we invite you to make the most important trip that you can make in your life…

    … the trip from your head to your heart. See how life feels and how life responds to you when you practice leading with an open heart — with compassion, kindness, and gratitude both for yourself and for others. 

    If you’d like to learn more about the first and second of the Five Foundations to Living in the Miracle Zone, click below:

    Click here to learn more about the first Foundation — Trust in the Universe

    Click here to learn more about the first Foundation – Live from the Soul

    Please share your experience below of putting your attention on living with an open heart. We’d love to hear from you

    .