It’s Friday morning. My kids don’t have school today, but since I’m used to the schedule, I was laying wide awake in my bed this morning by 6:45am.

Since there was no reason for me to rush, I just laid there and pondered my life. I’ve been making some really big changes for most of the year and especially over the last few months.

These changes are lifestyle changes that I’ve been slowly implementing one at a time. (I’m a huge fan of baby steps).

It occurred to me, while I was laying in bed… why not share some of my favorite things with my readers? And so that’s just what I’ll do… I hope you enjoy!

I had an enlightening conversation with one of my girlfriends the other night. She talked about what it was like for her live under the microscope. She's the kind of woman who is always open and willing to work on herself. So much so, that she allowed herself to be picked apart not only by her own hand but also by the hands of other people.

I could relate... can you?

For those of us guilty of living under the microscope, let me explain my perspective about why this happens and how we can correct it.

Imagine if you could wave a magic wand and suddenly your life would become what you've always wanted?

It's a nice thought, but the truth is, if everything you wanted in life just simply appeared, you'd probably be bored. And chances would be, that you'd keep waving the wand, never feeling satisfied or fulfilled.

Life is satisfying when we push ourselves out of our comfort zones. We are fulfilled when the foundation of our purposeful life is because of our determination, commitment and hard work.

Believe me, we want to be the creators of our own lives; we don't want our paradise handed over on a silver platter. (Even though we might think we do).

Here are 8 important decisions that will move you forward and change your life!

Can you think of a time when you acted or behaved differently because you wanted to blend in with the crowd?

A chameleon protects itself from predators by changing colors; we too protect ourselves by being, doing or acting differently when we feel vulnerable.

For the most part, we have a deep desire to be liked by others. When people accept us and like us, we feel validated that we are worthy and valuable. But when people disapprove of us, reject us or don't want to be friends with us, it can create a sense of insecurity and self-doubt.

When it comes to creating a big life, living authentically is one of the first items on our 'to-do' list. We want to be real; we want to be ourselves because, in the end, that's what brings us joy. Here are 8 ways to keep it real and to live your life as your authentic self.

Hi my name is Carmen and I was a diet-holic.

There's something about that statement that can silence a room. I totally get it though, why would we want to talk about our pain when we can engage in small talk? And let's face it; it's a heck of a lot easier to talk about the weather than it is to talk about our deepest pain. Even more, we're not always greeted with open arms when we talk about what's hurting us... our pain often makes others uncomfortable.

So, we put on our mask and we live our lives as if nothing is wrong. It feels like this is the sensible way and it certainly feels like it's the easiest way. But yet when we're alone and we take off our mask, our pain is always there to greet us. It doesn't go away, despite our best efforts to ignore it.

Things aren't always what they seem... sometimes we need to take a much closer look.

Several weeks ago, I was looking for a natural and healthy meal replacement shake. While I decided to test out one of the latest and greatest shakes on the market, I continued doing more research on 'grab foods' (foods that are quick and healthy).

I had no idea I would be opening a big can of worms! During my research, I learned that most of the foods I ate on a daily basis were loaded with chemicals, additives and pesticides. (Honestly, some of what I discovered wasn't all that shocking...)

But what I did find very shocking was my discovery of MSG (Monosodium Glumate).

I recently brought my kids to the swimming pool. While we were soaking in the hot tub, my son kept bobbing his head in and out of the water. There was only one other family at the pool that night (it was a quiet night). There were five kids in the family. At different times throughout the evening, each kid came into the hot tub and told my son that if he continued to put his head under water he would get an ear infection.

Finally, one of the children explained that their younger brother had gotten an ear infection by putting his head under water in a hot tub.

Indeed, this boy's brother experienced an ear infection and it very likely could have been caused by a hot tub. (We'll never really know.) But does it really mean that every single person who dunks their head under water in a hot tub will get an ear infection?

It seems we have so much going on in our lives that some of us don’t make the time to stop and check our happiness gauge. I had a client once who told me she was unhappy for 17 years but had been too busy to notice.

Is this true for you? When was the last time you asked yourself if you were happy? And I don’t mean just a little bit happy or kinda sorta happy; I mean really happy? The thing is, a big part of our life’s purpose is to be happy. Nobody is doomed to a life of unhappiness.

I recently had a conversation with my fabulously successful photographer and friend Claudine Lavoie. She has a brilliant photography business, a husband, two kids, two dogs and a really big acreage with enough grass to keep her busy full time. How does she manage it all? Hang on, I’ll tell you in a minute.

You see I have this idea in my head that I should be able to live my ideal life. This includes all sorts of things I want to be, do and have. I have so many ideas that sometimes I make my own head spin. But hey, the truth is, I want to have a fabulously successful life! And who doesn’t? I have a feeling that a lot of women are thinking the same thing.

So how can a woman be fabulously successful?

She really only needs ONE thing!

Support!

(Yep, you got it…my fabulously successful friend Claudine has support!)

Nearly every woman I have ever met has expressed a desire to love her body. If you find yourself in a room full of women, chances are good topics about how to be more beautiful and tips and tricks will surely arise.

In my opinion though, if you want to love your body the first thing you should do is turn your attention away from it. Now I’m not suggesting you ignore the needs of your body but rather stop looking to your body as a means of arriving to body love.

In other words focusing on how to be more beautiful, dieting, exercising harder and implementing all sorts of tips and tricks will not be the source of your body love. While they may be helpful they are not the means.