What's Stopping You From Living the Life You Love? by Betsy Ringer

Our Blog Talk Radio show this week answered the question, “What’s stopping you from living a life you love?” You can listen to our radio show online from noon to 1 PM each Monday by going to CWA or you can listen to the recording after the show on our iBloom website.

Here is the recording from today’s show CLICK HERE

We had some great tools from today’s show that I’d like to share with you.
First of all, we talked about major life situations where we were completely stopped from living the life we loved. Then we listed some “daily stoppers” that hinder us from living life to the fullest. Some of the things on our list included:
1. Grumbling rather than being grateful
2. Reacting to your day rather than being proactive.
3. Taking on too much so we don’t have some margin in our lives.
4. Not planning.

We decided that some tangible things we can do to avoid the stoppers include:
1. Being mindful of the words we use – say, “I get to” rather than “I have to.”
2. Have a plan for my day, week, month and year!
3. Schedule time for fun, friends exercise, and enjoyable activities.
4. Catch yourself on the run; stop and breathe; savor the moments.

Kelly shared a wonderful quote from Chuck Swindoll that I remember having up on my bathroom mirror for years and years!

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” Chuck Swindoll

We all admit that it’s not necessarily EASY to have this attitude ALL the time, but when we are conscious of it we will make the effort to make a shift when we find ourselves slipping into a non productive attitude!

We invite you to consider these Five Ingredients to Living a Life You Love and then come up with your own list!
1. Have a vision. What do you really want your life to be about? Who do you want to be or become? What do you really want to accomplish? Who do you want to invest in?

2. Discover your uniqueness! God has created you with a unique blueprint. What are your strengths (weaknesses)? How is your personality unique? What are you passionate about? What drives you? What is your purpose? Why are you here? We have just the book for you coming out in February called iDiscover with lots of exercises for you to discover your design.

3. Cultivate an Intimate Relationship with Christ! Meditate on scripture, pray, and be still and listen!! He just might want to tell you that you are the apple of His eye and that He will provide for your every need!!

4. Invest in yourself. Take some time for YOU to do something you like to do, relax, plan, read, and dream. Ahhhh!!!

5. Invest in deep, meaningful relationships. Surround yourself with relationships that breathe life into you; people who love you for you and believe you can be anything you want! Schedule time with them!

I had several friends share with me their ingredients for living a life they love, how they know their lives reflect that as well as red flags. You will want to hear their stories and think about the answers to these questions for yourself. Having quality relationships, creating margin in our lives and taking time for ourselves are common themes. Red flags include:
• Being snippy with others
• Complaining
• Feeling like a victim in circumstances
• Experiencing stress and fatigue

We also had a great interview with Jennifer from List Planit. Be sure to check out her website where she helps you put mental chaos on paper to sort through it and make sense of it. There’s just something comforting about being able to put things down so we can relax and enjoy!!

To sum up our show, I have a list of inspirations for living a life you love:
1. Laugh – find humor in all situations
2. Do it afraid – don’t let fears rule you!
3. Live with a sparkle in your eyes
4. Be playful
5. Have one meal you cook that is delicious; one outfit that looks fabulous on you; and one funny story you tell really well.
6. Give compliments generously.
7. Know you are God’s Beloved – disregard the other voices
8. Teach someone how to do something
9. Be a Life-Long Learner
10. Get acquainted with the Inner YOU!
11. Take time to breathe.
12. Really enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
13. Engage in meaningful work.
14. When you complete a task, celebrate!
15. Guard the nourishment of your mind.

Visit us at iBloom or contact us. Life is waiting to be lived and loved!

iBloom Blog Talk Radio – Live a Life You Love! By Betsy Ringer

Our Blog Talk Radio show this week was about stepping into 2010 and live the life you love. You can listen to our radio show online from noon to 1 PM each Monday by going to Christian Women Affiliate or you can listen to the recording after the show on our iBloom website.

Here is the recording from this week's show.

We had some great tools from today’s show that I’d like to share with you.

NOW is a great time to reflect on 2009 to celebrate and learn from the events of the year. This reflection helps prepare you for looking ahead to 2010. We encourage you to grab a notebook and answer these questions for yourself:
1. What has gone well?
2. What have I been most proud of from this past year?
3. What was the biggest challenge that I overcame?
4. What am I most grateful for from 2009?

Next, think about 2010 and write your answers to these questions:
1. What do I hope to change in the upcoming year?
2. What are my biggest aspirations/dreams for 2010?
3. What is it that I “really” want to accomplish? Do? Become?

Now, craft 3-8 personal and professional goals for 2010. Be specific so you’ll know whether or not they have been accomplished.

For fun you might want to try this great no fuss goals and wishes idea with your family.


iBloom wants to inspire you this year to live a life you love. That means we want you to know and live into how God has uniquely wired you. It means deciding what you want your life to look like and living into it! Just think about how much you would love your life if you took time for the things that matter most rather than being stuck going through the motions of life. And it means being INTENTIONAL about how we live!

Are you familiar with the concept of living intentionally?

• Living intentionally means having a vision and setting a course for your life.

• Living intentionally allows us to create a broader vision for our life…God’s vision

• It’s taking our priorities (those things we value most) and creating a plan that is flexible; it's like a road map showing us how to get from point A to Z.

• When we don't have a clear, pointed vision we tend to just drift through life - moving from one thing to another.

• Intentional Living is the map that we create for our life.


The big takeaways from today’s show:
1) STOP and reflect on 2009!
2) Seek God’s Face!
3) Decide what you want your year to look like & CHOOSE to live intentionally!

Can you do this on your own? Certainly! But if you want someone to walk you though the steps, help you actually take action and to celebrate you, the iBloom Life Coaches are experts at helping you live intentionally so you can live the life you love.

Visit us at iBloom or contact us by clicking here. Life is waiting to lived and loved!

OH!! And if you are interested in ordering the great devotional we used today, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, click here.

2010 is going to be YOUR YEAR!

Create Your THEME for 2010 by Betsy Ringer

Instead of making a new year’s resolution, how about setting a THEME for 2010? Choose a theme that reflects your assignment for this particular time of your life. Your THEME can be applied to many areas of your life and will allow some freedom for failure and the excitement of surprise.

Your THEME is not random. It may be balancing out your previous year or it may be something you see God is leading you towards, or you might see a new direction emerging. For example, maybe 2009 was hectic and frazzled, so your THEME for 2010 might be Rest or Quiet. By focusing on Rest, you allow yourself to sit, to say “no” to a request, or go to bed earlier. Your health and spirit will be renewed and your life will be more fulfilling.

Maybe there is a need in your life for friends, better health or de-cluttering. Be positive and use words that will help you take action. For example, instead of having a theme of Making Friends, choose Be a Friend. That implies taking action that will most likely lead to connection with others.
Some THEME ideas to get you thinking - Simplify, Adventuring, Health, Move my Body, Write, Surrender, Laughter, Paint, Savor the Moments, or Discover my Passion.

Take the following steps to identify a THEME for 2010:
Step 1
• Picture your life being richer because of your attention to your theme
• At the end of 2010, what will make you smile as you look back over the year?
• What is your assignment for this particular time of your life?
• Is there a way 2010 needs to be balanced?
• Ask God to give you direction in selecting a theme.

Step 2
• Write out several themes that seem to emerge from within. Give some thought to how they might be carried out in your day to day living. Is it a theme that can be realized in your ordinary routine as well as jump start you to try something new?

Step 3
• Select your theme. Embrace it. Be excited about it. Write it on several cards and place them in strategic places to remind yourself about your 2010 THEME. For example, place THEME cards on your bathroom mirror, over your kitchen sink, on your computer, hanging from the rear view mirror in your car, and wherever else you look frequently.

Step 4
• Give yourself permission to evaluate your theme quarterly. Is it still a good path for you? If not, change it. Or, recast the vision - how will it make your life better having allowed this theme to be carried out in your life?
Yes, I have chosen my THEME. In 2009 it was Creativity. After having my creativity squished over the last couple of years, my soul was screaming for me to pay attention to this important area of my life. So I engaged in more photography, created photo books, developed new workshops, wrote articles and blogs, did some redecorating and tried lots of new recipes.

My THEME for 2010 is Harvest. God has been laying the groundwork with my training, skills and talents. I sense that this year God will provide a Harvest of products, speaking engagements, webinars, classes and books that will help bring a Harvest to women all over the world to live richer, fuller lives. I can’t wait to see how God unfolds this theme!

Be sure to share your THEME in the comment section of this blog. I want to cheer you on! Happy New Year! Click here to comment.

No Fuss Goals and Wishes by Betsy Ringer

What FUN it would be to write down your goals and wishes for 2010, put them away, and get them out at the end of the year only to discover 8 out of ten of the goals on your list had actually happened!! Impossible? Not at all!

When my kids were younger, on New Year’s Day we would all make a list of our goals and wishes for the upcoming year. Each family member put their name on their list. Each of us shared our list with the other family members and we prayed over the lists. Then I collected them and taped them to the Christmas Tree ornament box. That’s right – I taped them to the Christmas decorations and didn’t look at them again until we pulled out the decorations the next Christmas.

It was always so much fun getting out those goals and wishes and seeing how many of them had been accomplished or had happened. Each year I was stunned at how many were realized in the last year! “I am going to redecorate the living room. I will call my friend in Ohio once a month. I will host a Bible study in my home. I will take a two mile walk outside three times a week on the average. I will save $3000 so we can travel to California. I will put on three events at work.” ALL happened without me constantly reviewing and keeping track of my goals!! Each year I did this I was so pleasantly surprised!

Now, there were always a few goals that just didn’t happen – like lose 50 pounds (25 maybe) or declutter my whole house (two rooms maybe) or learn how to make jewelry (I’m really not very crafty). But for the most part my goals and wishes actually happened! And the same was true for the rest of the family members.

I can’t help but think about what Habakkuk says,
Habakkuk 2:1-3 (Contemporary English Version)
The LORD Answers Habakkuk Again
1While standing guard
on the watchtower,
I waited for the LORD's answer,
before explaining the reason
for my complaint. 2Then the LORD told me:
"I will give you my message
in the form of a vision.
Write it clearly enough
to be read at a glance.
3At the time I have decided,
my words will come true.
You can trust what I say
about the future.
It may take a long time,
but keep on waiting--
it will happen!

Try these steps:
1. Pray, asking God to give you guidance and direction for the following year. Ask Him to impress on your heart the goals and wishes to write down.
2. Write down what comes to you. Don’t labor over it. They are probably things you have been thinking about for quite some time anyway.
3. If you want to, invite other family members to do the same.
4. Tape your “tablets” – your lists – to a Christmas decoration box.
5. Enjoy your year. Then next Christmas season, get out your lists and celebrate each one the Lord has helped you with!

Tomorrow, I will share an alternative to making New Year’s resolutions. 2010 is going to be a fabulous year!

Hmmmm, I need to go pray and write down my goals and wishes for 2010. After all, it’s about time to put away those Christmas decorations!

Fun, Meaningful Activities You can Use NOW! by Betsy Ringer

Yes, kids DO appreciate meaningful activities during the holidays! My kids have often told me they value the ideas I’ve had to make our holidays special.

In fact, the other day I told a friend of mine how to make Reindeer sandwiches. Cut the sandwich in half diagonally; put two stick pretzels between the slices of bread along the long side of the triangle. Then use two green M&M’s for the eyes and a red on for the nose. She did that and sent the Reindeer sandwich with her HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR boy to school!!! After school he told her it was such a fun surprise! He said he even kept one half of it and showed it to everyone in the afternoon saying, “Look what my mom did!” Now what mom wouldn’t want that kind of recognition?!

I have put together a collection of fun and meaningful activities for the holidays. It includes:
• Conversation starters: great questions for the dinner table. Just print out the sheet, cut the strips of questions, fold and place in a basket. Each person draws out a question. One person answers then each person at the table answers that question. Then move to the next person.
• Fun and meaningful activities to do with kids AND teens!
• Recipes – easy and yummy.
• A Christmas Eve (or Christmas Day) family service.

Very simply you can DOWNLOAD 11 pages of ideas. It’s so easy and only costs $5! Just CLICK HERE

I have one other recommendation. Andrea Bocceli’s new Christmas CD is fantastic!! I cry just listening to him! He has several duets – one with Reba McEntire, one with Natalie Cole. My favorite is “What Child is This” that he does with Mary J. Blige. I got my copy at Starbuck’s but I have seen it at Target and Wal Mart. You can even just download it from iTunes. It’s called, “Andrea Bocelli My Christmas.” Enoy.

Wishing you all Merry Christmas from the iBloom team.

Strengthened by Hope by Betsy Ringer

Hope is the thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it. We have the courage to reach for it because we know God. He is our Hope. He is our deliverer.

Our Blog Talk Radio show this week strengthened our HOPE and we’d like to share it with YOU.



You can listen to our radio show by Clicking Here.


You will hear an interview with author, Katherine Robinson who in late 2008 faced enough serious challenges to plunge the most starry-eyed optimist into a dark well of despair. Over the course of a month, she turned 50, lost her job and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Discover how Kathy persevered and, with the help of faith, family and friends, found a way to celebrate and live with hope.

Check out Katherine’s book called, Expect the Best

Katherine’s Website


“Got Hope?” Leigh Ann Napier’s article shares about three areas that act as hope builders for your life.


You’ll also learn about the group that iBloom will be investing in for 2010.The Refuge for Women is a twelve-month holistic journey for women who wish to leave the adult entertainment industry. Learn more!

"Savoring Holiday Moments with Your Family" by Betsy Ringer,gives you meaningful and fun ideas to use with friends and family during holidays! Right about NOW most of us are realizing that time is running short. Our creativity is over-run by our fatigue and concern about getting everything done in time, let alone planning some meaningful activities!! Download this great resource featuring 11 pages of activities. It is loaded with conversation starters for the dinner table, fun and meaningful things to do with kids and teens, crafts, recipes and even a family Christmas Eve Service. Buy now for only $5

The iBloom team wishes you a very Merry Christmas!

Here’s a Little JOY to Sweeten Your Cup of Warmth by Betsy Ringer

OH my!! We KNOW you are enjoying the festivities of this beautiful Christmas season so I’m just going pass along these terrific resources to you!

Blog Talk Radio program on JOY! Experience a fabulous interview with Lori Snider our iBloom Associate who has been experiencing an extended season of disappointment and loss of dreams. WOW!! She shares with us great wisdom about allowing the undercurrent of JOY to sustain us as we walk through the valleys. You DEFINITELY want to be blessed by her gems! And then I tickle you funny bone and help you lighten up and experience this season – and every season of life – with laughter. Find out how it improves your health and leaves a trail of joy behind you. Click here to listen.

Find out what your car keys, matchless socks and JOY have in common. Read Leigh Ann Napier’s article entitled “In Search of Joy.”

Save LOTS of time and have meaningful holiday activities for your family and friends!!! For only $5 you can download this GREAT product called “Savoring Holiday Moments with the Family.” Enjoy 11 pages of activities for family and friends. It is loaded with conversation starters for the dinner table, fun and meaningful things to do with kids and teens, crafts, recipes and even a family Christmas Eve Service. Click here to purchase.

And we have one more fabulous, resource. In this free WEBINAR, besides finding out just how important laughter is for your everyday life – like it boosts your immune system, lowers damaging stress hormones and helps you breathe – you will also focus on three vital questions for daily living. These questions help you sort through the clutter of demands and choices: What matters right now? Who will remember? What does God want me to know? Come prepared to laugh and to leave refreshed and ready to share the best of yourself. Click here to watch.

OH! When you first get on the webinar, be patient for about two minutes while things get set up – and turn up your volume! Enjoy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!