As I wind down my week long vacation here in Scottsdale, AZ I cannot help but reflect on the special time spent with me and my family. In particular, it was during my second to last day here that a couple things come to mind. more....

 One of the great mysteries in life, especially when following a dream is knowing when to quit vs. when to keep pushing and moving forward.  

 On a typical day, I wake up, get two kids off to school, get myself to work, go home at least once to see my kids for lunch, go back to work, get home make and eat dinner, do showers snuggle time, and put the kids to bed….sometimes my husband is there, sometimes he’s not…as a firefighter, he works often in 24 hour shifts, and isn’t home for the day to day stuff. We also have sports, meetings and people to see. more...

  Now to clarify - this job involved public speaking, asking people for money, making sure they brought in that money, and sports- all things I had no experience with and pretty much hated.  But I knew this was my way in, and I was going to have to do it.  Along the way, I unexpectedly found myself loving it; seeing the participants complete their fundraising and crossing the finish line, seeming to have such an amazing sense of accomplishment for everything they had worked so hard for.  And although I hated public speaking (and still do), I didn’t mind when it was for a cause I believed so strongly in.  This is when the phrase "go the distance" took on a whole new meaning for me.

There are three key "heart-based essentials" required to live a fulfilling and rewarding life. Each one of these essentials is called "heart-based essentials" because they all center around and within our heart.

It is also important to note that all three "heart-based essentials" need to work harmoniously with each other if we are to live a rich and rewarding life. Even if all three are present in your life yet are not in harmony with each other this will eventually lead to imbalance which will ultimately lead to a less rewarding life.

In addition, living with just one, or even two of these essentials, without the other(s) will lead to a less rewarding and unfulfilled life. .

I have listed below these three key heart essentials required to living a more rich and rewarding life.

The first heart essential is courage. This is the ability to stand for what we believe in as well as practice it in our lives on a daily basis. It having the courage to live your dreams and live your life on your terms - not someone else's. It is having the courage to commit to something fully without any obligation other than your self.

Courage is doing the right thing when know one is looking. It is also thriving on the unknown and realizing that the unknown is what makes our lives so exciting. Courage is living your life purpose.

The person that comes to mind when I think of courage is Martin Luther King. He had very strong convictions, was faced with many obstacle along his journey, yet he still had the perseverance and conviction to stand tall regardless of the obstacles. His unending commitment to further the Civil Rights Movement was truly inspiring. he was following his path on his own terms ad under no obligation from anyone other than himself.

The second "heart-based essential" is joy. It is the ability to take life in fully in the present moment as well as release any and all guilt from your past; it is also free of worry from your future.

Joy is about being grateful for the moment and thanking the universe each and every day for being alive. It is "knowing" that whatever we require in our lives will show up automatically by the universe. We are the creators and at any instance we can change our lives by changing our thoughts and shifting our awareness. Living in joy is knowing that we are so loved by the universe and so taken care of all of the time.

The person that comes to mind when I think of joy and being present in the moment is Buddha. Whenever we see Buddha we see him in a sit down position smiling - you can just feel the enlightenment and knowing that resides within him - there is an ease and a knowing as well as a great deal of gratitude of which he exudes.

The third and final "heart-based essential" is compassion. True authentic compassion. That is the ability to care for someone else's life and to actually take action to help better it. It is doing things for others not for our own ego but because we know that as we do into them we are really doing unto ourselves. We are all just mirrors of each other.

Compassion is having the realization that we are all connected and that as I do unto you I do unto myself.

Mother Theresa is a shining example of someone with tremendous compassion. It was her true authenticity and unending compassion to help the poor and needy which exemplified her compassion for others.

So remember the three key "heart-based essentials" to living a more rich and rewarding life; courage, joy and compassion. So go live with courage, smile with joy and intend the best for yourself and others… the universe knows.