by heartsdesireintl | Dec 18, 2014 | Dating, Gratitude, Heart's Desire International, Intimacy, Love, Marriage, Relationship Advice, Self-Love, Uncategorized
by Gladys Diaz
During the next few weeks, many of us will be celebrating a variety of different holidays. This time of the year can be very stressful if we are not intentional about handling all of the events, tasks, and celebrations with love. grace, and ease!
Since I don’t want to add too much more to your “Holiday To-Do List,” I came up with a short-but-sweet list of things you can do to get through the holidays feeling love, peace, and joy! Whether you are single or in a relationship, you’ll want to have this list handy during the next few weeks!
If You’re Single During the Holidays…
The holidays can feel especially lonely, if you don’t have someone special to share them with. It can seem like everyone else has someone to cuddle and laugh with. You may be attending parties and events where there are couples and not too many (if any) singles present, and you may hear that ever-dreaded question about when you plan to settle down, get married, and start a family!
If you’re single during the holidays, here are some things that can help you get through them with hope and a smile!
- Accept as many invitations as possible for dates, holiday parties and social events. While what you really want is to share these days with that someone special, it’s helpful to surround yourself with family and friends who make you smile and bring out the best in you. Plus, you never know who you are going to meet at your cousin’s tacky sweater party or the last-minute holiday work party you were invited to. Resist the urge to want to be alone (unless you need to take a break), and accept as many invitations as possible. This goes for dates, too! Some people are “selective” about who they will see and spend time with during the holidays. While you may not want to bring someone you don’t know very well to your family gathering, going to a party or put to dinner is a great way to have fun and get to know someone new! (Plus, as I said before… you never know!)
- Plan some girls’ nights out with your friends. Aside from attending events solo or with a date, be intentional about spending time with your girlfriends. Whether they are single or in relationships, I promise you that everyone wants to disconnect and just have fun for the sake of having fun! Don’t wait until the last minute, since it may take some creative thinking to have everyone arrange their schedules. Also, let your friends know that this is your way of creating a new holiday tradition that is stress-free, feminine, and fun!
If You’re in a Relationship During the Holidays…
Sharing the holidays with someone is nice, but it can also bring about feelings of stress, especially if you’re trying to create time to spend with two families! It can be even more stressful if you are not close to or don’t have a great relationship with your partner’s family.
If you are married or in a relationship during the holidays, here are some things that can help you get through them feeling closer to your partner!
- Remember that your partner may want to be with his family just as much as you’d like to be with yours. It can be tricky to fit in time to be with both families over a short amount of time, especially if one or both families don’t live in your city or the same city. Create a plan together, but, rather than telling him what you “should do,” let him know what you would like to do and then ask him what he’d like to do. See if there is a way to create a win-win situation. If in-person visiting isn’t possible, then plan a video chat family reunion, where you can all share some treats as you speak over Skype or Facetime. Block out enough time so that no one feels rushed and you can really connect with one another. If you’ve sent and received gifts from distant family members, plan to open them when you’re on camera so that you can enjoy the moment together!
- Remember to share some “couple time.” Let’s be honest. Being with family and in-laws can be really stressful. Make some time to disconnect from the crowd and just share some alone time with your partner. If you’re visiting with or having family visit you, consider that you may have some readily available babysitters to watch the kids or pets so that the two of you can sneak away for a romantic walk or dinner! Plan your time for when the kids will be sleeping so that you don’t have rush back and you can stay out as long as you like with your honey!
Whether You Are Single or In a Relationship.
- Remember to put yourself at the top of your holiday list. Take time to practice self-care by scheduling time to relax and replenish your mind, body, and soul. Yes, it’s the season for giving, but you need to give to yourself, too. If you are going to be traveling to visit family members, bring some of your favorite books and music with you, and see if there is a gym nearby where you can exercise to get some of those endorphins moving! This also gives you a reason to spend some time alone, especially if being with family is becoming a bit too much to handle (Don’t feel guilty… We all have that one – or two, or three – family member we need a time out from!) Also remember to ask for help if you need it. This will help you feel more grateful and less exhausted (and resentful), and gives others a chance to do something for you, too!
- Be Present. Getting caught up in all of the activities, visits, and shopping can actually rob you of actually BEing with your loved ones. If you’re hosting the holiday get-together, don’t worry about planning out every single moment of the day. Allow for everyone (including yourself) to have some downtime. As you’re sitting around the table, take a moment to really look at and appreciate each person in the room. If you find yourself getting irritable or feeling exhausted, take a time out so that you can recharge (see the tip above) and so that you can really BE with the people you love!
- Begin thinking about what you’d like your love life and relationship to look like in 2015. As we begin to close out this year and move into next year, take a moment to take inventory of your love life.
If you’re single, ask yourself –
- What do I want my experience of dating to be like?
- What do I want the experience of being in a relationship to be like?
- What kind of girlfriend do I want to be?
- When I take a moment to stop and reflect on December 31st next year, how will I describe myself and my love life/relationship?
If you’re married or in a relationship, ask yourself –
- What do I want the experience of being in a relationship to be like?
- What do I want to see more/less of in my relationship?
- When I take a moment to stop and reflect December 31st next year, how will I describe myself and my relationship?
by heartsdesireintl | Nov 17, 2014 | Dating, HDI Blog, Heart's Desire International, heartache, Intimacy, Love, Marriage, Relationship Advice
by Gladys Diaz
Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel like you are exactly where you were meant to be?
Last week was like that for me!
I spent the first part of the week in California with one of my mentors and her coaches, and then spent the last part of the week attending a very intensive 3-day business workshop where I had incredible personal breakthroughs.
I just love transformation, don’t you?
During both events, I had the opportunity to listen to amazing women share about their personal journeys of how they came to where they are now in their lives, relationships, and businesses. With each interaction, I was able to connect with them on very personal level and share some of my heart with them, as well.
Some of the stories I heard this week were heart-breaking.
I met women who had lost everything due to natural disasters and unforeseen circumstances and had to rebuild their lives.
I spoke to women who had hit a wall in their love lives and, with coaching, were able to turn their relationships completely around.
I met women who are still experiencing the dark part of their journeys, but who were committed to working on transforming those areas of their lives.
I saw women break through their fears right in front of my very eyes!
All of these women – from different parts of the world, economic situations, and life circumstances – shared one thing in common: The unwillingness to stay stuck where they were.
Some may call that perseverance, tenacity, or determination. I call it the Essence of who we are as women.
There is something that lies within the core of our Selves – some refer to it as our spirit, or soul – that we are equipped with, which makes us able to experience pain and resolve to move forward with grace and strength.
If you are in one of those dark moments in your life –
If your relationship is falling apart and you don’t know where or how to begin to turn it around…
If you are frustrated with dating and are close to wanting to give up (or you already have)…
If you are feeling lost, lonely, and afraid all the time and long to love and be loved…
I want you to know that you are not alone.
No matter what it is you are going through, there is love, peace, and freedom on the other side of this! It may not seem like it now, but I promise you – because I have been through my own dark valleys when it comes to love – that you can experience more love, joy, and fulfillment than you can imagine!
It will take some work to get there, and some of it won’t be “easy,” but, as I said, you won’t be alone.
As we approach the end of 2014, take an inventory of your love life. Ask yourself:
- Is my love life everything I want it to be?
- Even if things are “good” or “okay,” is there another level of love and intimacy I’d like to discover?
- If my love life is not what I want it to be, am I willing to take a courageous step forward and do the inner and outer Heart Work to shift that and begin seeing my heart’s desires fulfilled?
These are questions only you can answer. Only you know what’s really going on in your heart.
Whatever your answers to these questions, I’m happy to help you walk through any of them, if you’re ready. I truly am here to serve and support you, and my commitment is that you actually begin to see your heart’s desires fulfilled. Just click here to set up a time to talk.
by heartsdesireintl | Nov 4, 2014 | Dating, Gratitude, HDI Blog, Heart's Desire International, Love, Marriage, Parenting, Relationship Advice, Self-Love, Success
by Gladys Diaz
November is one of my favorite months of the year because it seems as if most of us are more present to the blessings we have in our lives. The more present we are to our blessings, the more gratitude we feel, the more we begin to see more of what we want in our lives. It’s pretty amazing the way that happens!
If you’re reading this, it’s likely that there is one thing in particular you desire to have more of in your life: LOVE!
Love is one of our purest and deepest desires because you are a loving being. You were made of love, to love, and for love. It’s simply who you are!
During the month of November, Michelle and I have partnered up with some amazing women who are just as committed as we are to guiding you to get more of what you want in your life! And, because we are all about you creating and experiencing the life and love your heart desires, we’re not keeping it only to attracting more romantic love into your life.
Over the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing opportunities for you to participate in both live and virtual events that will enable you to:
- Access more of what you want through practicing gratitude on a daily basis
- Manifest more abundance and success in all of the areas of your life
- Create harmony between your professional, personal, and family life
- End 2014 powerfully so that you can move into 2015 with grace, ease, and equipped to fulfill the desires of your heart
And, of course, we’ll continue to provide you with the tools, skills, and solutions that guide you toward creating the extraordinary life and love you desire and deserve!
Now, we intend to give to our hearts’ content, and we want you to prepare yourself to receive.
We realize that may sound strange, but the truth is that receiving – particularly when you are being given more than you feel you desire or deserve – can sometimes feel uncomfortable.
Rather than receiving the blessings coming to us, we tend to block or push them away out of guilt, fear, or habit.
That’s why it’s important to prepare yourself and your heart to receive!
Here are a few steps to help prepare yourself to receive all of the gifts, information, and invitations we will be sharing with you, along with the other blessings that are coming your way!
- Remember that you are worthy of every gift, offer of assistance, compliment, and smile you receive. You are a beautiful loving being, and, because of that, you attract beauty and love. So, if you begin to feel overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or “weird” when you are begin given gifts of any kind, simply tell yourself: I am a beautiful, loving being, and I am worthy of all of the beauty and love I am attracting and receiving in my life!
- Remember that there are no strings attached to the gifts, offers, compliments, or smiles you receive. Part of what makes receiving difficult is that we somehow feel like we’ll owe the other person something of equal or greater value in return. That kind of thinking is associated with a feeling of unworthiness and keeps us from receiving what others freely want to give us. So, if you begin to feel those strings getting attached, cut them immediately by repeating the affirmation above, and add: I openly and willingly receive the loving gifts and gestures others freely give me.
- Remember to be grateful for everything! Whether you’re in a space right now where you feel like you don’t have enough of what you want or need, or you are relishing in a feeling of abundance, gratitude is the doorway to experiencing more happiness, peace, love, and everything else your heart desires. So, make it a practice to take just a few minutes each day to just take inventory of the blessings in your life and express gratitude for at least 5 things every day. You can write them down, or simply say them aloud or to yourself. However you choose to express it, just take a few moments at the beginning and end of each day to say, “I am grateful for…”
- Bonus: Remember to be grateful in anticipation of receiving what you want! One of my favorite practices of all time is expressing gratitude in anticipation of receiving what I want. After expressing thanks for the blessings that already surround me, I begin to express thanks for the blessings that are making their way to me. So, if you want to meet the man of your dreams, already give thanks for the fact that he is making his way to you. If you are married or in a relationship, express thanks for the love that is growing between the two of you and for all of the beautiful memories you will create together. If there is something you desire for your family, career, or business, give thanks in advance for those blessings that are being manifested. And, as you do this, allow yourself to actually feel and experience the love, happiness, freedom and peace in anticipation of receiving the blessing. I promise you, this will be life-changing!
If you practice these steps, you will begin to experience the joy of receiving. And, in doing so, you also give the people who are giving to you the joy of having their gift received and appreciated! It creates a beautiful cycle of giving, receiving, and appreciation that keeps growing and multiplying the blessings!
So, take a deep breath…
Open your heart…
And receive the love and blessings that are coming your way!
And, just because we love surprising you with gifts, here’s a sneak peek into the events you can take part in over the next few weeks!
- Redefining Womanhood Series (Launches November 10, 2014): Discover 21 Creative Solutions for paving your own path to success in work, marriage, and parenting from top female leaders who are paving the way and redefining what it means to be “A Successful Woman” in today’s world! Click here to reserve your spot!
- 10 Days of Gratitude Video Series (Launches November 20, 2014): Join Mia Saenz as she hosts 10 inspirational interviews all focused on the incredible power that gratitude has on our lives! (Registration link coming soon!)
Remember: Give thanks… Believe… Receive!
Questions? Comments? Let us know below! We love hearing from you!
by heartsdesireintl | Aug 27, 2014 | Gratitude, Heart's Desire International, heartache, Loss of a Spouse, Love, Marriage, Relationship Advice
by Gladys Diaz
I’ve been going back and forth about whether or not to write this post, and I decided that, since it’s been on my mind so much, I need to.
Last Friday I attended the funeral of one of my very first clients. She was a young, vibrant woman who was into health and fitness, and left behind two beautiful teenage sons, and a loving husband.
When I first heard that she had passed away, I couldn’t believe it. She had done everything in her power to fight the cancer that was attacking her body, but never her spirit. She had thousands of people praying for and encouraging her. She was so loved that in just two days, her friends and family raised almost all of the $30,000 that was going to go toward helping pay for her to participate in a completely natural and holistic healing program.
Unfortunately, she passed away the day she was supposed to travel to the center to begin her treatment.
As I walked through a store the following day, I found myself hurrying to pay and get to my car because I knew I was about to break down in front of everyone. I just kept thinking about her and the time we spent working together when she attended one of my courses. I thought about how hopeless she felt at the beginning of the course. I remembered her sighing heavily and saying, “I don’t even know if there is hope for us” (referring to her and her husband’s marriage).
She wasn’t the “easiest” client. Almost every suggestion I made was met with resistance and a reason why it wouldn’t work for her and her husband. There were times when she felt hopeless, where she didn’t feel like doing the exercises I’d assign between sessions, and where I wondered if she would come around. I worked with her with loving compassion, because I know how scary it can be to get your hopes up when you wonder if things will ever really change.
Over the past five years we didn’t keep in touch very often, except for a few phone calls and commenting on and liking one another another’s Facebook posts. I did, however, always smile when she would post a picture of her and her husband. I’d observe their smiles, their eyes, and their body language. I could tell they were happy together, and it made me smile, too!
It was during that walk from the store to my car that it hit me that, while I hadn’t been able to do anything to stop the cancer from taking her life, because of the work we did together, she and her husband got to experience five more years together – five happy years together. I smiled through my tears as I realized that those five years may not have been possible, and that, instead of dying inside of a sad or broken marriage, she had left this world knowing that she had loved and been loved by her husband.
His eulogy of her was beautiful. He spoke of his wife, lover, and friend. He challenged us to live our lives as she did, trying to make this world a better place. Having lost my first husband, I couldn’t help feeling my heart break for him as I thought of painful days to come as he works through his grief and the reality of her not being here any longer begins to set in.
But I also thanked God that I had the opportunity to make a difference for him and his wife. That, in some small way, I was able to help them experience and share their love for just a little bit longer.
As I sat by the ocean after the funeral, thanking God for my husband and kids and the gift that it is to be alive and love and be loved by them, I thought about what her husband said about living our lives to make a difference in this world. I thought about all of the women I’ve worked with and who I’ve been able to make a difference for, and said a prayer of thanks for them. I thought about all of the women out there who haven’t had the courage to reach out for help as she did, and I prayed they’d find the strength to do so. And I thought about the difference there is still to make!
I don’t know where you are right now in your love life. I don’t know if you’ve begun to give up hope on whether you’ll ever be able to have the type of loving relationship you dream of and your heart desires. I don’t know what it’s going to take for you to gather the courage to reach out for support so that you can begin to make that dream a reality.
What I do know is that tomorrow is not promised and that continuing to wait, expecting for things to change on their own, isn’t going to have you create and experience the love and happiness you truly want.
So, just as I did that day by the ocean, I’m saying a prayer for you today and hope it moves you to take one step in the direction of your dreams.
And, as for my former client, I know that wherever you are, you are radiating love, beauty and joy. Thank you for allowing me to make a small difference in your life. I love and will miss you! Rest in peace and know that you are loved!
I sent this message to my community today and was overwhelmed by the emails that came in response — women sharing what opened up for them as they read the message.
What about you? Has anything begun to open up for you? If so, please share it with us in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
P.S. If you’re moved to talk and take that first step, you can always reach out and set up a time to talk with me so that I can help you get started on making your dreams come true.
by heartsdesireintl | Aug 12, 2014 | Coaching, Gratitude, Heart's Desire International, Intimacy, Relationship Advice, Success
by Gladys Diaz
In June I had the opportunity to be interviewed by friend and colleague, Gina Hussar. She was hosting The “IT” Factor Master Class I invited you to attend. The other day, as I was listening to the recording of the interview, I thought, “Everyone in our community needs to hear this! I need to share this with them!”
Gina has been generous enough to allow me to share this short interview with you so that you can eavesdrop on our conversation! I invite you grab something with which to take notes and soak up some of the tips and secrets that have lead me to having the life, business, and relationship my heart desires!
In this interview, I share:
- My story – which was not always “pretty” or easy – of how I came to be where I am today, which is where I believe heart, body, and soul is where I was created to be!
- How our book 30 Days and 30 Ways to Fall In Love with YOU! was created
- Universal Values for Success in life, business, and love
- One of my favorite rituals, which has gotten and still gets me through some of the scariest moments of my life!
I hope you enjoy this interview and that you’ll share with me the what you feel were you biggest take-aways you will use in your own life!
Click below to listen to this life-changing interview
Questions? Comments? Let us know below! We love hearing from you!
You can learn more about Gina and the amazing work she does by visiting her website: 30secondstopeace.com
