Category: Worthiness

Let Your Soul Lead You

WarriorLara

Many of you have been following me for quite a while now and know much of my story. I have shared so many parts of my life journey over the past 8 years when my Muse awoke during my late husband, Russell’s, unexpected illness & death. You have watched me grieve, grow, laugh, cry, allow joy into my life, try new things, let go of old things, move, and weave dreams. You have held me up in more ways than I can ever express & I love sharing my journey out loud with you.

Today, I want to say a special THANK YOU to Danijela Kandera & her makeup magician, Jasmina Muht. They helped me unleash the magic of the joyful part of me who loves my body, mind, and soul EXACTLY AS I AM! Saying YES to Dani’s Empowering Portraits for women was a bit of a stress for me. My body isn’t in the shape that I most desire it to be. I love it, but saying yes to professional photos created a push and pull in my mind – “But I should wait until I lose weight and ‘look’ better again. No, I love my body. Well yes, I love my body but it could look better, I should wait. No don’t wait, do it now.” Back and forth, back and forth.

As I allowed myself to really pay attention to this push and pull, I KNEW that it was the PERFECT time to do my photo session. The first step of every empowerment journey I guide my women coaching clients through is ACCEPTANCE & LOVE for themselves. That’s where we start. That’s what we weave through everything else we do.

So, I coached myself; had an amazing photo session with Dani; and pretty much fell in love with my joy warrior soul self! I have so many pictures I will eventually share and some that are just for me. They make me smile and feel really powerful. More importantly, my time with Dani helped me realize that I am glorious just as I am. The photos just remind me of that soul-knowing.

Thank you all who are part of my online community. Thank you Jasmina Muht for highlighting ME, not turning me into someone I don’t recognize. Thank you Nicole Martin for introducing me to Dani. Thank you Danijela Kandera for being the fabulous love light you are for me and all of the women who have the opportunity to learn how to shine with you.

I am rising, rising, rising as I share my life with the world.

Warrior Lara 💟

P.S. the only thing that wasn’t mine was the beaded bustier. Not the most practical for daily wear, but I might have to get one for badass going out days. 🤔🤣🤔

#empowerment#loveyourselfalways#wonderwoman

What if I just loved myself?

WarriorLara

 

whatifloved

My Muse is awake! May she inspire you to love yourself more fully! 💖💖💖

“What if I just loved myself?”

What if we listened, really listened, to our hearts, minds and bodies instead of telling them to just shut up?

What if we stopped beating ourselves up and telling our weary selves that we suck at life?

What if when we are sick in our hearts, our bodies, or our minds we just stop adding things to our to do list?

What if we stopped layering more expectations on top of the things we already don’t have the energy to do that are remaining on a permanent, stress inducing, ever-growing list?

What if we stopped pushing ourselves harder and harder, even as our bodies, minds and hearts were breaking under the strain of trying to hold ourselves together?

Instead, what if we chose to love ourselves and take care of our own bodies, minds and hearts as our first priority rather than the last?

Instead, what if we wrapped ourselves in the love without judgement we would immediately wrap around anyone else who was struggling and in pain?

Instead, what if we listened with a profound intensity to our aching selves, then acted out of love to give our hearts, bodies and minds what they most needed?

Instead, what if we simply and deeply spoke love and light to our overwhelmed selves?

Instead, what if we just loved ourselves exactly where we were at in all things and at all times?

What if?????

Vanity or Health? Which will I choose?

WarriorLara

choosinghealth

“Vanity or Health?” Which will I choose? You’ve got to read to the end to find out. 😂

It’s about radical self-love. 💖

Okay, deep breath 🌬️ and in I go, into being crazy vulnerable and really real about something that’s been holding me back. I’m ready to dive deeper into what my healthiest self could look like; a self whose body feels so free and amazing I can barely imagine it right now. But, I have to choose – my vanity or my healthiest self.

You see, it’s my vanity about my face that has been winning for a long time. I spent 12 years working a horse farm. No amount of sun screen was ever enough to completely protect my skin. I knew one day I’d have tons of face wrinkles because of it. I just didn’t think it would be so soon. Since I’ve lost 53 pounds I can really notice it. And wowza, has it stopped me in my tracks. No way have I wanted to lose more weight and look like a prune. Even if losing more weight could be really good for the rest of my body.

Some of the thoughts that have pinged through my brain during this internal debate have really revealed how much further I can go to radically love myself exactly as I am.

“If I want to date again who would want a wrinkle faced woman?”

“Do I really need to lose more weight, even if I know it could be great for my aging body?”

“Will I get ugly?”

“Should I put more weight back on to plump out my face again?” (Answer is always, NO WAY!)

“Am I seriously this obsessed with physical appearance?”

“Am I in any way attractive anymore?”

“I miss my 25 year old self.”

 

WOWZA! I am a HUGE proponent for everyone to love themselves exactly as they are. I am a HUGE proponent for making choices that help us create our best selves. I am a HUGE proponent for recognizing our SELF is about soooo much more than our bodies.

I am also, quite clearly, a woman who is trying to believe in herself more, recognize her worth, find her beauty again, and radically love every part – the dark, the light, the wrinkled, the strong, the weak – ALL OF ME!

So, I am choosing my health! I am learning to love my wrinkles for the stories they tell. I am going all into turn my body into its strongest, healthiest, most Badass self. I am choosing to believe I am beautiful. I am wrapping myself in the love, hope and healing I strive to bring to everyone else.

That means my goal, now spoken publicly, is to lose the final 15lbs I’ve been considering losing by my birthday on July 30. Get ready to watch my journey as I go for my finish line! 💪💪💪💪