Your Year of Miracles

Tag: Intuition

  • 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!

  • Trust Life’s Unfolding

    Trust Life’s Unfolding

    Today’s Miracle Moment is about the miraculous power of trust.

    Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a place of complete surrender, a place where you profoundly trust that you’re being taken care of by a Universal power at every moment? To live with certainty that the Universe is really out to support you…That it’s on your side and has your back…

    We know that that seems like a big stretch to believe 24/7/365…but let’s lean into it just for the moment.

    We often try so hard to control everything in our lives that we forget the power of putting our faith in the universe, and in letting go. But once you get into the habit of doing all that you can from your humanness, and trusting when you get that intuitive message “it’s time to let go and surrender to a Higher Power” and you you actually do it, you’ll begin experiencing a deep sense of peace and of well-being.

    Throughout history, the wisest men and women have known that their highest good came from surrender.

    Not the kind of surrender as in losing a battle surrender, but as in letting go of their personal limitations and aligning totally with an intelligence and an energy that’s greater than themselves. The energy of: “Let Thy Will Be Done.”

    If you can do this, it creates something that we call a “yes mind.”

    Now what’s a “yes mind?” Basically, instead of saying no and resisting everything that’s happening, simply say “yes.”

    I (Marci) had my first experience of a “yes mind” when I took an improvisational acting class many many years ago, and they had this practice that at first was really hard for me…

    One of the rules of improv is to respond instantly and enthusiastically with a yes to whatever another actor throws at you. So during my first class, my improv partner told me that I was an elderly rock star. Instead of saying, “No no no, I can’t do that,” I immediately started playing the part. I started strumming an air guitar, and clutching my lower back, and belting out lyrics as I gyrated like a ninety five-year old. When suddenly the scene switched. And I was an alien coming to earth to rob a bank, I just had to go with it.

    This exercise broke my boundaries and freed up my energy, and I found that it was a great practice for living life. When you say yes, it’s like being a trapeze artist – you’re able to let go of the trapeze you’re holding on to, and sail through the air towards the next one. Without letting go and trusting the next one is there, forward motion just isn’t impossible. So it’s surrender and trust that creates a feeling of flow in every moment.

    Now, we acknowledge that sometimes things happen that are not the way we want them, like we let go a bit before the hands of the other trapeze artist are there to catch us, but we also know that there’s an intelligence in the universe that’s bigger than us…an intelligence that can see things in ways that we can’t…an intelligence that just wants you to hear it when it’s telling you, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this one.”

    Here’s an exercise that we invite you to try.

    It’s an exercise of acting from from saying yes to what the universe brings you and being led by your soul surrendering throughout the day. This is an exercise that was adapted from A Course in Miracles, and here’s what you do…

    At the beginning of your day, close your eyes for just a moment, and take a few deep breaths, and offer these three questions to the Universe: What would spirit have me do today? Where would spirit have me go today? What would spirit have me say and to whom? And then, as you move through your day, use the answers that come to you as your inspiration from spirit, and simply say yes to whatever those answers are, trusting life’s unfolding. And if you get stuck, ask the questions again.

    When you act on the intuitive answers that show up and follow them trusting that spirit is guiding you and has your back, you’ll find yourself living more and more in the miracle zone.

    Debra and I wish you many moments of trusting, surrendering, and living in in the Miracle Zone until we’re together again.

    How has trust been a challenge AND a champion for you? Please share a comment below…

  • The Power of Intuition

    The Power of Intuition

    Today’s miracle moment is about the power of intuition.

    A few years ago, Marci went on a trip with the amazing Lynne Twist to the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador and lived for a week with the indigenous Achuar people there. Traditionally warriors with a fierce devotion to their land, the Archuar have kept their culture and worldview remarkably intact. In the Achuar world, dreams are shared each morning before sunrise, and interpreted by either their community leader or their shaman.

    One of the things Marci most noticed when she was in Ecuador was that the Achuar depended primarily on their intuitive sense to navigate through life. They had rituals that honored their intuition and it was working really well for them. In fact, being guided by intuition is what’s allowed all indigenous people to survive. In cultures like the Achuar, intuition is acknowledged, respected, and honored as an important aspect of life. The Achuar children are taught at a very young age to allow themselves to notice and follow their sense of connection to the universal creative force. As people age in these cultures, their intuition doesn’t diminish but becomes even stronger.

    Watch the video below to get the full story or keep reading…

    We can all access our intuition…

    …This inner knowing, which is a universal, intelligent life force that everyone has. Some people describe intuition as a “gut feeling.” And even though we’re all born with it, unfortunately, in our modern world, we’re rarely encouraged to develop it. Instead, we’re taught to defer to the wisdom of our parents, teachers, clergy, bosses, friends and even the media.

    And just like a physical muscle that can atrophy if we don’t use it, the muscle of our intuition degenerates if we ignore it.

    There’s another reason why we in our modern society lose touch with our intuition and that is, we rarely get quiet enough.

    Intuition speaks to us in moments of silence, and when we’re moving too quickly or doing too much multi-tasking, we can’t experience silence. In fact, when we’re watching TV, eating, talking to someone and texting at the same time, there’s so much noise in our brains that there’s no space for our intuition to speak to us. On top of that, we’re bombarded with so much energetic “noise” emitted from the EMF’s swirling non-stop through our homes and workplaces that our intuition really doesn’t stand a chance.

    Maybe people in the rain forest are in touch with the inner voice because there is so much silence. The “noise” they most often hear are the sounds of the river running, animals calling, and insects singing – the sounds of silence.

    So what can you do?

    Slow down. If you need an insight about a situation in your life, stop what you’re doing, take a few breaths and ask your intuition. If you get a gut feeling, listen to it and act before your rational mind starts giving you all the reasons why you’re wrong. You can recognize your intuition (as opposed to some thought based on fear or past hurts) because it comes to you in a flash and gives you information neutrally and unemotionally.

    When you’re hearing that intuitive voice, although it will ultimately lead you to your greatest good, it might not be linear, and it may ask you to do things that are inconvenient. It may lead you into unfamiliar territory, or even require that you take a leap of faith…but it always takes you by the quickest and surest route to a more expanded and fulfilling state of life – a state that we call Living in the Miracle Zone.

    We’ll leave you today with a great quote from the actor Alan Alda: You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you discover there will be yourself.

    May your intuition lead you to the Miracle Zone!

    Please share a comment below about how your intuition has guided you…

  • Following Your Intuition

    Following Your Intuition

    Today’s Miracle Moment is about cultivating our intuition.

    We view Intuition as the phenomenon where we gain insight without the use of reason. Intuition is knowledge that comes to us spontaneously before we have a chance to analyze it with our intellects.

    The word “intuition” is thought to come from the Latin verb intuaire or from the middle English word intuit, both of which mean to “look upon” or “to gain knowledge without using the process of rational thinking.” We all have intuitive potential – as a matter of fact, when you were a child you lived by your intuition, just following it freely long before you even had the ability to reason.

    In fact, I (Debra) remember a day when my daughter was a little baby like it was yesterday even though it was almost 28 years ago. Since Deanna was our first and my husband and I both worked from home, it took awhile to have the courage to leave her with a babysitter. We were probably a little over cautious and must have interviewed about a dozen potential sitters.

    There was one girl who we loved. She was charming and funny and seemed very responsible but when we handed Deanna to her – who was maybe 7 or 8 months old at the time – she would just start to scream her little head off. We were miffed but obviously couldn’t hire this girl because it happened every single time.

    A few weeks later, we read in the local paper that this girl been arrested for selling narcotics and was part of a drug operation that spanned 3 states. How did Deanna know??!?!

    Unfortunately, over time we begin to doubt our intuitive voice and shut down that channel of information. The good news is that it’s still there waiting patiently for us to open it up for business again! Just like a muscle that hasn’t been exercised, it’s still exists and if you want to build it up, you need to exercise it consciously.

    The first and most important thing that you can do to develop your intuition is to acknowledge and honor the messages you receive.

    Start noticing simple gut feelings throughout the day. Trust those gut feelings and act on them even if they might seem counter-intuitive. You’ll be amazed at the positive results that show up.

    Although the mind is sometimes a useful provider of knowledge it often throws us off course as our intuition bumps up against the mind’s storehouse of old imprints and fears.

    And if you think, “But I don’t get many gut feelings,” then you’re looking for the wrong thing.

    Intuition may not be a big booming voice. It’s more often a subtle impulse that tends to come back again and again until it gets our attention.

    Intuitive flashes often come to both of us in the bath or shower or during our meditations or when we’re driving with some quiet music playing or talking a walk in nature. And if you feel you don’t get intuitive messages, then you may simply be moving too quickly or doing too much multi-tasking. When there are 3 or 4 things going on in your head, there’s no space for that inner guidance to speak to you. Intuition is most readily available when we have silence or spaciousness in our heads. It also comes when we’re relaxed, enjoying and thinking about something else. Even Einstein said that his greatest ideas came to him when he was out for a walk or relaxing.

    So, here’s what we recommend…

    First, slow down. Intuitive knowledge cannot come to an agitated mind. When you’re running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off, stop, take a few breaths and ask for an intuitive answer. When we’re moving so fast that we’re “spinning,” we stop, take a breath and ask our higher self, “What do you want me to know right now?” 9 times out of 10, we get a profound answer because the contrast between the spinning and the silence allows a portal to open and your intuition to speak. Your intuition is a muscle that needs to be exercised or it can degenerate and then it takes longer to get it back up and running. As they say (whoever they is), “use it or lose it!!”

    And we’ll end with a quote from one of our favorite actors, directors and authors, Alan Alda who said:

    How has your intuition served you? Please share a comment below…