Did I ever think that the young girl who didn’t like public speaking nor being seen on stage would grow up to be brave and write a blog to share her random thoughts with the world? Truth is, I didn’t.

Becoming an author and blogger was never something I planned. Rather, the idea for this platform to express my thoughts came to me “randomly” in 2010 while taking a coffee, talk, and a walk on the beach in Hawaii with my family.

Relaxing on the beach that day, I looked around: everyone was smiling, having fun, enjoying the surroundings, and at peace. Hawaii was working its magic – it was allowing people to feel free to be themselves. There were men and women from around the globe, all of so many shapes and sizes. But they had one thing in common; they were happy at the beach. As was I. So at the beach that day, I had a life-changing thought: everybody is beautiful.

I disconnected from technology for a week and spent my days moving through: swimming in the pool, snorkelling in the ocean, walking on the many island beaches, and wandering around the towns and attractions. Saw turtles playing in the waves. Connected and had beautiful conversations with locals and tourists from all over the world. Rode the ocean currents on a catamaran, watching humpback whales enjoy the waters – especially a baby frolicking with its family. The sunrises and sunsets lit the sky. There were also some rain showers; but what I learned is that no rain = no rainbows.

Many of you have asked me recently how The Self-Discovery Retreat was created. Let me share with you how opening up, standing tall, and speaking from the heart led me to where I am today.

How do you connect with people who seem out of reach?

After writing the post last week, I have gotten inquiries about how a person can begin being seen and making their presence known. I get asked this question regularly, as I have connected with beautiful people from around the world. With all of them, we started as strangers; through developing the courage to express our thoughts, we built a connection.

Each day since the beginning of time, the sun has risen from the darkness to the highest point in the sky for all to see. This summer, the early morning rays of the dawn have been waking me up as the sun rises to brighten the day. It seems the beams are at peak brightness, waking me up and causing me to pay attention to them. The sun doesn’t care if you aren’t ready to wake up, or if you dislike the intensity – it keeps its brightness – it keeps shining – it wants to be seen! We can all learn a lot from this notion.

Aloha! I’m back. Hope you all had a great couple of weeks. I had a refreshing vacation in Maui.

If you want to get inspired, you should visit the Hawaiian Islands. They have changed my life; they may change yours. We all have places that empower us. The Hawaiian Islands do this for me.  Maui has a special place in my heart; it is where I originally came up with the idea for my blog. So, I thought I should use my holiday as a chance to reflect on my blog, past and present.

As some of you know, I was interviewed by Anne-Sophie for her podcast recently.  I was a little nervous as I had never done one before but it was amazing and so much fun. I love trying to new things and reaching out of my comfort zone.    We had such a fun discussion - the conversation is 45 minutes long. Thanks Anne-Sophie for the opportunity!  Click the image to hear the interview. I'd love to hear your feedback on it.

On December 31st, I always take time to reflect on the events of the past year and the lessons I have learned.  Through the ups and the downs, I have experienced so much this last year and I would love to share 12 important lessons with you. 2012 was an amazing year for me. Let me share with you my reasons why through the top 12 lessons:

I have interviewed many people for my "Profiles of Perseverance" series about how they persevere through many types of obstacles.  I thought it would be fitting to ask someone who loves the water and coaching as much as I do. Mercedes Maidana is a Motivational Speaker, Abundance Coach, and Patagonia Surf Ambassador.  I love the work she is doing! I really respect her and think she has a powerful mission. Thanks, Mercedes, for sharing with us the lessons you have learned throughout your life! Keep up the awesome work!

I read this quote recently and realized it is true.  However, I believe in this battle against yourself we have two opponents: the outside world and ourselves.  I personally believe the latter is the harder fight.

For example, I was at the beach this past weekend with two good girl friends. We have different body shapes and sizes, yet we are fighting the same battles.

The first is our struggle with a society that constantly has images of how individuals should ideally look. The media puts out the message that we should change ourselves and our imperfections to a standardized “ideal” image in order to be happy and accepted.