So what would you like to celebrate about yourself?

Use your first name and then write down words that make you feel good…and tell us why!

I’m Mona and I’ll start:

M = Maple syrup: My new favorite sweetener. I love putting it on anything I can.

O = Obama: I’m super inspired by his presidency and all the possibilities it helps me see. I’m capable of so much more than I imagine I am.

N = Neighbors: The house next door to us has been empty and some of our friends are moving in at the end of the month.

A = Algebra: After a lifetime of trying to avoid math and not liking it, I’m so excited about reteaching it to myself with a book called Algebra The Easy Way.

Okay, your turn…

We’ve already got some AMAZING people
signed up to play the Self-Love game…

Women from:

- Maine
- Kentucky
- Hawaii
- Massachusettes
- Arizona
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Illinois
- California
(To name a few…)

And even a heart-centered guy from
ITALY!

I’m so excited to get started on Feb.
2nd…

But some of you wrote to me with
questions about the Self-Love Game…

And you hoped I could answer them before
FRIDAY, Jan 16th (TOMORROW) because you
wanted to get in before the bonuses
disappeared…

Well, I’m glad you wrote!

Because yes, some of the bonuses will go
POOF! tomorrow…

http://www.selflovegame2009.com/game

So here are the answers to some of your
questions and comments…

==================================
This program looks great! But I’m so
busy that I won’t be able to participate.
==================================

Oh dear.

If your life feels so busy that you
don’t have time to TAKE CARE OF
YOURSELF…

Please keep reading…

See…

The Self-Love Game is not designed to be
another “have-to” in your life.

It’s designed to come in and help you
find more time for yourself and fit in
with your schedule.

So this game is ESPECIALLY important if
you feel like you don’t have time to do
another “thing.”

Playing the Self-Love Game will actually
make everything feel easier in your
life.

That’s the whole point.

When you’re cared for, everything else
will be smoother in your day…

Which leads me to another important
question…

====================================
How much time will I need to commit to
playing the Self-Love Game?
====================================

Only as much as you want.

And I mean that.

On the 1st Monday of each month at 5:30
Pacific/8:30 Eastern, we’ll have a
Self-Love Coaching Call.

This call will be about 60 min. long.

That’s it.

And if your schedule doesn’t allow you
to attend the live event, it’ll be
recorded so you can listen to it later.

So at least 1 hour each MONTH will be
suggested…

Then…

Each WEEK I’ll post a Self-Love “focus”
to our Self-Love Game blog so that you
can be mindful of that activity for the
whole week.

It’s up to you how much of the self-love
activity you do.

If you can only do 10 minutes of it one
week…

That’s totally wonderful!

If you find you can do more, that’s
great too!

The whole idea is that you start
bringing a little bit more attention to
yourself each week.

And you can totally take baby steps.

I’ll be doing it right along with you
too.

To summarize, you’ll only need about:

- 1 hour per MONTH for the group
coaching call

- And maybe 30 minutes per WEEK to do
your Self-Love activities. (But it’s
totally up to you.)

And ya know what?

Just THINKING about the Self-Love focus
for the week can help you start feeling
better.

So please don’t let your fears about not
having enough time stop you from joining
us for the Self-Love Game.

In fact, if you’re thinking you don’t
have enough time, I strongly encourage
you to sign up so that you can start
lessening your load as we play the
Self-Love Game.

You can sign up here:
http://www.selflovegame2009.com/game

======================================
Will there be a way for us to
communicate and stay in touch with you
and other members?
======================================

Absolutely!

Part of the fun of playing the Self-Love
Game is going to be connecting with
other women who are taking better care
of themselves too.

We’ll have a Self-Love blog (here) where I’ll
be posting the weekly Self-Love exercises
and you’ll be able to post your comments
and write to other members also.

By playing the Self-Love Game TOGETHER
we’re going to be able to inspire and
support each other…

And participants in past programs of
mine have wound up making life-long
friends…

So the community and friendship aspect
of the Self-Love Game is a huge part of
things and I’m going to do everything I
can to help you feel connected with me
and the other members.

You can register here:
http://www.selflovegame2009.com/game

=====================================
What kinds of topics will we be looking
at during the Self-Love Game?
======================================

Oh boy!

I’m really excited about all the ways
we’ll be bringing self-love into our
lives during the year…

We’ll be looking at ways to love
ourselves via:

- Our body
- Our home environment
- Our friendships
- Our “open loops” where we need closure
- Our ability to forgive oureslves and
others
- Our tendency to self-sabotage
- Our natural gifts that we can share
with others
- Our ability to ask for what we want
- And much more…

And within each topic, you’ll be able to
go as deep as you want.

You don’t have to PUSH yourself out of
your comfort zone and do outrageous
things that scare you.

You only do what feels LOVING to you and
as you practice these things within the
context of the Self-Love Game…

You’ll find that you’re better able to
take care of yourself and LOVE yourself
when you’re dealing with the rest of
your life.

The self-love will start rippling out
into other areas of your life…

And believe me…

That’s going to feel AMAZING!

=====

Okay…

So those are responses to some of the
questions and comments I’ve received
about the Self-Love Game…

Remember, some of the bonus goodies are
disappearing tomorrow, Friday, January
16th…

So if you’d like to receive some sweet
treats (not sweet as in yummy, but sweet
as in awesome!)…

Come on over to the sign up page and
read more about the Self-Love Game and the
goodies to see if it’s a match for you…

We’re going to have a GREAT year together!

http://www.selflovegame2009.com/game

There’s a cute book for kids called: Everyone Poops.

It’s a picture book that shows how all different kinds of animals poop…

And that people poop too.

One way it’s used is to help little ones who are potty training be more okay with the idea of pooping.

Well, I think it’d be cool to have a book geared toward adults reminding us that:

Everyone Plays!

Yes, little kids play…

And animals play…

But so do adults!

Seems like play gets put on the back burner after we enter the working world…

Or start a family…

Or get in a relationship…

Or hit a certain age that ends in ZERO, right?

We get “serious” about stuff and then sometimes forget what it’s even like to be:

• Silly
• Light-hearted
• Goofy
• Creative
• Care-free
• Fun
• Uncensored

As if being those things would be:

• Irresponsible
• Immature
• Dumb
• Distracting
• Self-indulgent
• Embarrassing

So those words in that last list above (and the fear of them) keep us from taking care of ourselves by giving ourselves PLAY.

Something that all mammals do…

Something that helps us relieve stress and refill our energy…

And actually…

When you avoid play, it’s like holding in your poop.

That sure doesn’t feel good right?

When you gotta poop, you gotta poop.

If you get constipated it hurts and is very uncomfortable.

Well, when we don’t PLAY and let that energy out, it hurts us in different ways..

We can get:

• Crabby
• Irritable
• Depressed
• Impatient
• Angry
• Frustrated

But if we let our need for PLAY come out…

It helps us stay in flow and not be so emotionally constipated.

So…

Keep your play energy flowing…

Use fun activities as your “laxative” to make sure your emotions keep running smoothly.

And just like you make sure that you have time to poop regularly…

Extend the same courtesy to yourself and make sure that you give yourself time to play regularly too.

When you get busy, busy, busy with work and family stuff…

Sometimes you wind up not giving yourself any playtime.

I’m not talking about just play like hanging out in a sandbox…

(Though of course you could do that too…)

But PLAY can be anything that rejuvenates you and helps you feel more alive.

Here some ideas:

• Watching a comedy.
• Going for a walk with your dog or your best friend.
• Playing frisbee.
• Swinging on a park swing.
• Journaling on a park bench.
• Playing solitaire.
• Calling a friend.
• Coloring mandalas.
• Making cookies.
• Having a picnic in your front yard.

Whatever it is that you choose to do for play, it should meet these criteria:

- Is it fun?

If you don’t have fun doing it, then it’s not really play.

For instance – maybe walking your dog feels more like a chore than something fun to do.

If that’s the case, then don’t consider it part of your PLAY.

- Is it special?

Whatever you do for play should feel special and unique. It should be like a treat!

A trip to the zoo maybe. Or a stroll through a book store looking at magazines and new releases.

Make sure it your PLAY activity feels like a privilege that you get to do it…

Like, “Oh boy!”

- Does it make you smile?

This one is important.

:)

When I worked at Blockbuster when I was in high school, our store owner told us to make sure that we smiled and said hello to every single customer who walked in.

Why?

Because he said that we might be the only smile that person sees all day!

Even though I was only 17, I could understand the power of what he was saying.

Some people can go ALL DAY without  seeing other people smile…and maybe don’t even smile themselves.

So the more opportunities for smiling – the better.

If your PLAY activity doesn’t make you smile, then why would you do it?

Instead, ask yourself:

“What WOULD make me smile right now?”

Then see if you can give that to yourself.

So…

What are your favorite ways to play?

The things that are fun, special, and make you smile when you do them?

And how can you do one of those things with yourself today – even if it’s just for 2 minutes?

(So far today, I’ve gone down to the beach, played hacky sack in the sand, and scurried along the waves like a tiny sandpiper bird trying not to get wet. It was fun, special, and I was smiling and laughing a lot too. And I feel so much better about starting my day.)

It’s pretty easy to get wrapped up in our daily activities:

- Working on the computer…

- Running errands…

- Cleaning the house…

- Working at our job…

- Taking care of our family…

And sometimes we can almost forget about ourselves in the process…

So when you can remember, ask yourself this little question:

“Do I need some water, a snack, a stretch, or a snack right now?”

Just that little self-care question can help you be kinder to yourself even on the busiest of days.

Give it a try…

And of course ask yourself the question right now…

Then take just a few minutes to give yourself what your body needs…

Here are some things you probably should know about me.

**I like playing games.

Not crazy mind games that mess with people’s heads…

But good ol’ fashioned “game-games” that are entertaining and involve some laughter and good conversation. I don’t care if I’m playing with a 6 year old or a 96 year old. I think games are a fun way to relax and connect with others.

Some of my favorites are: Scattergories, Apples To Apples, Taboo, & Balderdash…oh and definitely Boggle.

(I also like coloring, doodling, and collecting cool pens/markers, but that’s a post for another time…)

**I’m a fan of self-care, self-kindness, and self-love.

There, I said it.

I know it’s not at the top of everyone’s hobby list, but it’s on mine.

I’ve spent too much time playing the “Other People Are More Important That I Am” game…

And even though I thought I was pretty good at that game, I never really *won* at it, ya know what I mean?

In fact, quite often wound up losing…a lot.

I lost my health. I lost my ability to trust in myself. I lost my courage. I lost my voice. And those are just a few of things I lost by playing that game. (Which by the way, is a very popular game that a lot of people are into.)

So, instead of making resolutions in the New Year, I’ve decided to embrace this idea of SELF-LOVE in 2009.

That’s my focus…

And that’s how this blog came about.

Love for games + Love for self-love = Self-Love Game 2009

Now here’s the thing about games…

Unlike solitaire which is (kinda) fun to play by yourself…

This Self-Love Game is meant to be played with others.

I am *so excited* to play this game with you…

So how can you get in on the fun?

Here’s the full scoop including all the details and how to know if this is the right game for you to play…

Oh yeah – I almost forgot…

Remember when I said I liked doodling?

Well, you’ll see some of my little visual creations when you click that link. Fun!

Yeah, I know…

A lot of people think it’s SELFISH to pay attention to ourselves.

To think about ourselves before thinking about others.

As if that’d be such a terrible thing.

But I just gotta ask…

- How’s it workin’ for ya to keep putting everyone else’s needs before your own?

- How’s it affecting your health to neglect your body and energy levels in favor of doing something for someone else?

- How’s it affecting your mood when you’re doing things for other people, but you’re running on empty and you feel drained and tired?

- How’s it affecting your ability to say no to things that you don’t really want to do, but that you think you *should* do?

A Double-Edged Sword

I know it feels good to do things for other people…

And I’m not suggesting in any way that you should stop doing that.

But what I *am* going to suggest is that if you want to be able to give to other more fully…

And if you want your own life to be full of good feelings, more peace, and more happiness…

And if you want to make it through life without having a major breakdown or health crisis…

And maybe even have some FUN…

Then you’re going to have to start including YOURSELF on the list of people you’re doing nice things for.

That means putting yourself way up toward the tippy top of your list.

Yes, it’s going to take some practice…

And you might stumble with it a bit in the beginning…

But that’s why I’m here with this blog…

So that we can do this TOGETHER.

So here’s something to think about:

What if loving yourself is actually the most UN-selfish thing you could possibly do?

Think about it for a moment. Close your eyes if you want to…

Then share your thoughts in the comments section.