My mother-in-law narrowly escaped death last week and things have been wicked hard. The kind of hard that makes you gain new perspective and understand song lyrics or book quotes that went over your head before. Dickens’ prose “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” keeps swirling in my mind. Suddenly, famous words from A Tale of Two Cities accurately describes my life.

I’m getting comfortable with being both ridiculously happy and excited about some things, while also processing deep grief and anxiety. Allowing and processing two contrasting feeling states is not for wimps, I promise you.

A delicious life doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. Life isn’t always 100% solid. You might have a great family life, but your job is sucking your soul. Or maybe you feel like you have everything all wrapped except the debtors that keep calling. Perhaps your kids are happy and healthy, you are at the peak of your career, and yet your husband is walking out—with a younger woman. Life, quite simply, is messy. And we can learn to love the mess and clean it up, or wallow in it and stay stuck.

I think this is my next phase for Life Is Delicious. I’m documenting and developing coaching tools to address the question: How do you rock out a delicious life, even when the shit hits the fan? My working title is: Life Is Delicious: A Place to Fall Apart So That You Can Build It Back Up. I’ll keep you posted.

I’ll tell you now that having a community of support is one of the ways that I have kept my sanity. Creating community is one of my passions. Clear Coaches is a community that I have created for Life Coaches who are building profitable businesses. Check out what my latest coaches created below. I am so proud of the positive impact they are making in the world!

PS. My mother in law has bounced back, rather suddenly. She’s off the vent and back in the rehab wing!

_____________________________
Cynthia O’Kelly

Not losing weight? Let’s talk! Cynthia works with people who have had struggles with weight loss. Through one on one coaching, she can help you lose weight, be fit and healthy and get your joy back. All your dreams can come true. Coach with Cynthia O’Kelly!

www.losinggracefully.com

Salina DeLarge

(Are You) Living a Life Worthy of Your Calling? We were all put on this earth for a unique purpose. Soul Care and Purpose Coaching will help you uncover your God given strengths. Stop going through life, start growing through life. One-on-one coaching programs available to help you uncover your purpose.

*I am currently working on a downloadable, self-paced, 4 week curriculum. Available soon.

http://www.radiancewellnesscoaching.com/soul-care.html

Shawna O’Hagan Morrow

“Find Your Feisty” class coming this summer. This class is a must if you who want to increase your overall well-being and be less stressed while utilizing your personal strengths to help you Find Your Feisty. Be one the first to know about this class and get other freebies at www.shawnamorrow.com. Sign up for my newsletter and be in the know.

Linda Hill Hickok

I work with clients who wish to transition from unsatisfying careers or life situations to a better place. They get clear as to who they are and what they really want. My purpose is to assist my clients in taking charge of their own lives, to dump the fear and live authentically. I believe that we are all designed for purposeful and joyful living.

Contact: Linda@beginwithjoy.com

Susie Shubert

Yo, Stargazers!!

Are you trying to get your amazingly creative self out there in this thing we call life, and yet with all of the many things you’ve tried you just feel unsettled, uninspired, and unsure? It’s time to start living loud. To be heard. To be seen. To be a force. To embrace the Wanderlust. To discover that Creative Badass and set it loose on the world. I help Stargazers kick failure to the curb so they can rock out their badass plans. Susie Shubert–Your Real Life, Coach

www.yourreallifecoach.com

Dana Mallon

Share Your Story, Heal a Heart – I’m working on creating a space for a collection of awesome stories from women who have experienced different trials and tribulations in their lives and have overcome them. My intention is to bring women together who are willing to share their journey and life lessons so we all can heal our hearts and empower one another! I believe your story is meant to be share!

http://soulfitwomen.com/soulfitstories/


Lisa Levine

Shift Out of Overwhelm! – Action is the antidote to overwhelm. I have a toolbox full of ideas to help you free yourself from whatever is holding you up. Free coaching session for the first 5 who get in touch and a great package price for 4! Lisalevinelifecoach@gmail.com. Website coming soon…..

Leslie Plesac

I know first-hand the pressures of living in the shadow of a professional athlete. It’s easy to lose touch with what matters to you and to find yourself living a life that doesn’t resemble the one that you imagined.

I work with wives of professional athletes to help them find peace in world where nothing is certain. Together we can explore the frustration and loneliness that occurs in a life where everyone thinks you have it all. As your coach, we can work together to define your goals and dreams in game that has you focused on someone else as the priority.

http://www.leslieplesac.com/coaching/sports-wives

Shelle Winkler

Have you discovered that your life is a bit “dull” because you have been so busy taking care of everyone else’s needs that you have neglected yourself? What would it take for you to create a life you love? I can help you rediscover your passions and help you design a life that gives you joy so that you can have a richer, fuller and happier life. I am offering four 50 minute sessions for $200 that ar designed to help you kick-start a life you love!

https://www.facebook.com/IntentionsofJoy

Your big goal/dream/idea wants you to know that it is waiting for you. Pining away. Would send you roses and chocolates and a handwritten love poem if it could.  I can see the beauty that is meant for you and am smirking at your excuses. (With love, of course.  I adore us humans. Seriously, I love how ridiculous and miraculous we are. Highly entertaining.)

What I do not love is how quickly and easily smart and talented people will squash dreams with excuses. I do it, you do it, we all do it. It’s a not so charming part of life.

Want some miracles on demand? With just a little bit of mind fuel, we can change and train our minds. Consider this your kick in the ass to make your thing happen.

Over the past two weeks, here are some of the favorite excuses I’ve heard (and my reply):

The shit is really hitting the fan right now….It’s not the right time. There’s a time for licking our wounds and a time for moving on. Know the difference. What I’ve learned is that we have to keep living and trying, especially when the shit hits the fan. Mastering how to surf the dark seems to conjure up the light. Hang ten.

I’m waiting for a sign. This is your sign. Ok? There are hundreds of signs sent our way a day. We miss them when we are “waiting.” Go paint your own sign. Come on.

Mercury is in retrograde/my psychic said I wouldn’t/I pulled a bad tarot card/A black cat pooped in my driveway

I have had psychics tell me the following in just the past 2 years: No, you will not ever write a book (published in 2011). Your husband will leave you in 2011 (we just celebrated our 20 year anniversary). TV just isn’t in the cards for you (a’hem). Understand, I love me some intuitives. But NO ONE BUT YOU gets to chart the course of your life. Stop replying on external guidance and tap into your own.

I just don’t have the money. You know what? I am not a fan of debt. So do not misunderstand me. I am not recommending that you get yourself into financial trouble. But don’t say that you can’t invest in your dream while you are spending money on purses that cost more than my first car, ok? Make your dream a priority.

I’m not sure how. Change to, “I will learn how.” Take a class, interview people who have done it, read up on it. Empower yourself.

It won’t work. Well, not with that kind of mind crack thought. Ask yourself, “How can I create this?” What resources, knowledge, people, tools can help make it a reality?

No one gets me and what I’m trying to do. Once you get you, and your understand what you going to do, you won’t rely on other people to get it. But still, for the love of all things holy, find a supportive tribe of peeps who will support you as you build your vision.

If you can crave it, you are meant to create it. And that’s a fact. I’d love to hear about your big, fat, amazing dream. Please share so that I help hold the intention that it is happening.

Ladies & gents (OK, let’s keep it real — mostly ladies!) …

May 5th, the world got a little bouncier and rowdier.

‘Cause lil' baby Susan was born. My mama and daddy had no idea what they were in for…..

Yup. Sunday is my 40th birthday.

And while the big 4-0 feels slightly bizarre (me? 40? what the what?) I have to say … I’m feeling a major bonfire under my bootie.

There’s still so much I want to deliver to the world — and with a bit of luck, I’ll be laughing, playing & coaching my face off for another 60 years … and blowing out red velvet cupcake candles on my centennial b-day.

Here’s the thing, though: nothing is certain. There are no “for sures.”

Over the past couple years, I’ve watched my brother-in-law survive a debilitating stroke, at age 38 — one that doctors told him meant “you’ve got 100 days to rehabilitate.” I’ve watched my mother-in-law fight an agonizing battle with cancer. I’ve seen fit, fabulous, unbelievably positive people experience life-altering catastrophes.

You never know how much time you’ve got left.

And while that can be a scary notion, it’s also a source of major INSPIRATION & FUEL — to discover your personal, custom-blended flavor of happiness, and live it. NOW.

In honor of LIFE —precious, delicious, fragile & fabulous — I give you:

40 Birthday Wishes from me … for you.
(blow ‘em out. rock ‘em out. make ‘em come true.)

1. Adopt a doggie or kitty from The Humane Society. Befriend your lint roller.

2. Be generous. Treat the person in line behind you to a coffee, a bagel, or a car wash.

3. Be presumptuous. Ask ‘em out on a date.

4. Be brave. Ask him (or her) to marry you — whether it’s legal in your state, or not!

5. Book that life-affirming trip you’ve been putting off till retirement.

6. Buy a gourmet cupcake and REALLY enjoy it. (Every last crumb.)

7. Call someone you want to re-connect with. Tell them, “You’ve been on my mind, and in my heart.”

8. Choose your favorite body part & show it off. (And send some extra love & affection to the parts of your body that you’re not ready to reveal, just yet.)

9. Dedicate your next yoga class, walk or run to someone who’s been going through a rough time. Send them good vibes & sweaty love.

10. Don’t just “go to the movies.” Make it an EXPERIENCE. Get dressed up in themed outfits. Throw a premiere party. Do it UP.

11. Don’t wait for the perfect invitation to arrive — throw your own damn party.

12. Feeling cozy? Make a risky move. (For me, it’s gonna be … launching a web TV show, this fall! YES!)

13. Find a new Netflix addiction. Spend a whole day under the covers watching back-to-back episodes of your new obsession. (Hello, Veronica Mars…)

14. Find out where your all-time favorite band is playing next — and GO THERE. Fly, drive, take buses & trains. Be a full-on groupie, for a night.

15. Find your personal version of God, and create your own a spiritual practice — whether it’s a weekly visit to church, or a reflective walk through the woods.

16. Get a massage, woman.

17. Get a professional bra fitting. Not “when you lose ten pounds.” Do it NOW. (You won’t believe how it changes your posture + curvy silhouette!)

18. Get pregnant (if you want to.) It’s wild.

19. Go to a ridiculous rock concert in your town & totally embarrass your kids (or yourself.) I recommend Keith Urban, Green Day and Kid Rock … for starters.

20. Have a grown-up sleepover party. Stay up (way) too late.

21. Hug someone who desperately needs to be touched.

22. If you’re stuck in a soul-sucking job, pick a date for your GRAND EXIT! You don’t have to know precisely what’s next (you’ll figure it out, sister.) You just need to circle a date — and hold yourself to it.

23. If you love someone and you haven’t told them for a while, tell them. Even better? Tell them WHY you love ‘em. (“You know what I love about you? THIS.”)

24. If you love someone and you haven’t told them yet, take a vulnerable risk and SAY it. (They’ll feel the same way, or they won’t. Either way — you will survive.)

25. Learn how to GET OVER SHAME. Shame is a bummer, a killer, and a joy-sucker. (Don’t know where to start? I’ve got a video treat coming soon, that’ll show you how to do it!)

26. Learn how to create your own luck. (It’s magic.)

27. Look in the mirror & say something really, really nice to yourself.

28. Make a picnic — and pack a bottle of champagne! Invite all your friends. Insist upon floral dresses. Take photos. Frame them.

29. Once (twice, or thrice) in your life: shop with a personal stylist. Trust me on this.

30. Plant a tree in someone’s honor.

31. R-E-S-P-E-C-T your elders. Take flowers to an older neighbor, and see if she needs any help around the house. (Remember: that lovely granny could be you, someday.)

32. Say you’re sorry. Say it now.

33. Single? Send a coffee (or a cocktail) to the hottie across the room. It’s just a drink. It’s an impulse. Do it.

34. Send a spontaneous gift to someone who’s had a profound impact on your life — an author, a TV personality, even a celebrity. (Even “famous” folks need & crave recognition for their work.)

35. Sponsor a female entrepreneur on Kiva.com.

36. Start a business — even if it’s just a small, on-the-weekends, hustle-on-the-side-business. Entrepreneurship will transform you.

37. Still not sure what the frack makes you happy? Take steps to figure it out. (Starting with THIS.)

38. Tell a middle school age girl that she’s beautiful and she ROCKS.

39. Tell your momma three things she did RIGHT raising you.

40. Write your own (un)rulebook for life, work & love. Don’t accept everything you’ve been spoon-fed, since childhood. Activate your inner bad-ass. Decide what’s true for YOU.

Birthday challenge! Which of these 40 wishes are YOU going to fulfill for YOURSELF, first?

(Declare it, sister. And make me a very happy birthday gal.)

Anyone who says that true love shouldn’t be hard is either lying or an asshole. Or both. Those kinds of messages cause great people to walk away from one other. Which we almost did…once upon a time. But after 22 years together, and 20 of those married, I’m proud of what we’ve built. It’s the kind of love that makes me grateful and weepy and indulgent.

If you find yourself craving connection, romance and intimacy, it’s a good idea to bring that to that table instead of waiting for someone to bring it to you. I’ve learned how to show others the kind of love that I want to receive. I’m not perfect at it, and I still act like MADEA sometimes when I don’t get my way. But overall, here’s some goodness for you that I am proud to share:

• Believe that you ARE love. There’s no getting it from someone or something else.
• The shit will hit the fan. You can handle it.
• You are not a character from Wuthering Heights, Friends or even 50 Shades. That’s a great thing. You get to be you.
• Ask yourself if you are building connection or destroying it. Stay aware.
• Don’t hide money. But do have your own.
• You are responsible for yourself and how you feel. Yes. You.
• There is always another chance and another way. Love loves resourcefulness.
• Share who you really are. Don’t let someone love only part of you. Or a false you. You deserve to be seen as you magnificently are. Cellulite and all.
• I’m sorry. I love you. How can I make this right? Those words never get old. Say them.
• Here’s what I love about you: ________ Also never gets old.

Real love takes a loving mindset, the strength of an honest to goodness vulnerable human being, and some divine elbow grease. You are it. Spread it.

]]> http://shyatt.com/married-20-years-love-despite-snoring-and-trauma/feed/ 20 http://shyatt.com/its-time/ http://shyatt.com/its-time/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:31:20 +0000 shyatt http://shyatt.com/?p=6057

The moment you decide that where you’ve been is not where you’re going.

The pause in the electric atmosphere that whispers — Go.

The tingle up your spine that reassures you– Yes. This.

—————–

It’d be nice if your delicious life was handed to you on a silver platter. Super easy if you could snap your hot little fingers and get the job or the body you crave.

If you are ready for divine and human elbow grease to work for you. Join me.

XOXO

S



]]> http://shyatt.com/its-time/feed/ 2 http://shyatt.com/tornado-of-enthusiasm/ http://shyatt.com/tornado-of-enthusiasm/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:40:42 +0000 shyatt http://shyatt.com/?p=6032 Had a great time being interviewed by Stephen Lahey of Small Business Talent on Visibility, Credibility and Creating Your Own Luck. He dubbed me a “tornado of enthusiasm.” I’ll take it!

Listen to Podcast



]]> http://shyatt.com/tornado-of-enthusiasm/feed/ 1 http://shyatt.com/channeling-your-freak-flag-for-good/ http://shyatt.com/channeling-your-freak-flag-for-good/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:32:50 +0000 shyatt http://shyatt.com/?p=6023

Click to View Video



]]> http://shyatt.com/channeling-your-freak-flag-for-good/feed/ 1 http://shyatt.com/life-is-delicious-truth-statements/ http://shyatt.com/life-is-delicious-truth-statements/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:16:08 +0000 shyatt http://shyatt.com/?p=5933 You are not perfect. Your life is not perfect. (And it never will be.)

Oh no! Did you hear that? It was the sound of 10,000 personal development gurus throwing a hissy fit!

But sister friend, it’s true. Perfection is a myth. Control is a myth. Imperfection is the only reality.

And here’s the crazy truth: when you wake up & enjoy the imperfect life you already have, it makes it sooo much easier to create the life that you want. It really is that simple. It really can be … that delicious.



 



Life is Delicious is a 7-part video program that’s all about the miracle of getting what you want — by appreciating, celebrating, and seriously adoring the life that you’ve got.

We’re gonna talk about your daily routines, your career ambitions, your personal edge, your capacity to take risks, and yes — even your money, honey.

It’s simple, sweet, and kinda sexy. Definitely NOT self-help as usual.

The next cycle of Life is Delicious is now open for enrollment for one week.

 

Join the party. And get ready to create an imperfect life that makes you freak-dance with happiness.



And here are some truth statements for you to download.

I’m sending you a delicious hug and a swift kick in the booty-

Susan



]]> http://shyatt.com/life-is-delicious-truth-statements/feed/ 0 http://shyatt.com/what-boxing-taught-me/ http://shyatt.com/what-boxing-taught-me/#comments Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:28:46 +0000 shyatt http://shyatt.com/?p=5860

My Emily is not a fan pf physical exercise. She’d rather do ANYTHING than exercise. But, she intellectually understands that her body needs to move, so we tried to find something fun for her to do that’s not your typical workout. Everything I suggested was a NO. Hiking? Nah. Zumba? Eye roll. Indoor rock climbing? No.




One day, she announced that she would take up boxing like her big brother. What the what? I signed her up quickly before she could trash the idea.




What I quickly came to realize, is that Emily thought on Day 1 she would slip on Ryan’s hand-me-down boxing glove and start smacking things around. She wanted to show up and do “Muhammad Ali.” What she quickly came to realize, is that it doesn’t work that way. She had to do all the pre-work to build up to it. Our (supremely patient) trainer explained that she had to first get centered, understand her body, and build some muscle. Her little wrists couldn’t even hold up the gloves!

And I thought–I notice this happening in business. A lot. Budding entrepreneurs sometimes expect to enjoy the fruits of a seasoned practice when they have seeds to plant first. They wanna be Muhammad Ali and they’ve never stepped foot in a gym.

There’s so much goodness in the build. Amazing truths in the quest. Unforeseen answers in the learning. Don’t rush that. Start where you are and let yourself explore and learn what you need.

THIS is why I love my Clear Coaches program so much. It allows entrepreneurs the community and space to be on an adventure of a lifetime.



]]> http://shyatt.com/what-boxing-taught-me/feed/ 1 http://shyatt.com/setting-intentions/ http://shyatt.com/setting-intentions/#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:27:51 +0000 shyatt http://shyatt.com/?p=5803

I’m not sure I’ve ever let go of something or made a wish in such a beautiful way. Check out this short video from the Clear Coaches retreat in Savannah.

 


]]> http://shyatt.com/setting-intentions/feed/ 0