Purpose Archives - Page 4 of 5

September 13, 2017 By Carin Rockind Leave a Comment

Making A Difference: How To Be A Change Agent

When I felt stuck in my career, I yearned to make a difference. My heart ached to do something that mattered. But I had no idea what to do, and any idea I had felt too BIG and too out of reach – so I did nothing. Maybe you can relate.

But since then, I've learned that you can make a difference right here, right now, starting where you are. It doesn't have to be “big” for you to be a change agent.

Last week, I realized how simple being a change agent can be. I spent my birthday doing 43 Acts of Kindness (one for every year of life) and it felt amazing. Here's what we did:

– Wrote a thank you note to our mail carrier who is the BEST and she always gives treats to (our dog) Charlie! – Made 8 PB&J lunch bags with water, fruit and a snack and gave them to homeless people
– Left cupcakes and a note at the fire station
– Made a care package for Houston hurricane survivors
– Dropped off new winter hats and socks at a shelter
– Passed out 20 flowers to people on the street
– Gave nearly 100 free hugs
– The best free hug was with a 14 year old from Miami (pic below) whose family had escaped the hurricane and it was the girl's bday too!
– Bought birthday donuts for the family from Miami
– Posted affirmations in toilet stalls and all over a public market
– Passed out ring pops randomly on the street. Note: Starbucks employees love ring pops!
– Gave thank you notes to cashiers and the deli guy at the supermarket
– Wrote a note of love to my stepson
– Sent flowers to my mom thanking her for birthing me
– Posted appreciation on a few people's FB walls
– Brought sorbet to a sick friend
– Put money in the meter for 10 cars that were expired
-Took Charlie to the park
– Sent lots of prayers to hurricane survivors and people who are discriminated against
– Forgave some grudges I was hanging on to, including toward myself

It's that easy to make a difference. Being a change agent starts with you.

Perhaps you've wanted to be a change agent as your career. Perhaps you're craving making “big” change in your life or in the lives of others.

I get it. Years ago, I craved this too and so I got my Master's degree in Positive Psychology, the science of happiness and human flourishing. Positive Psychology gave me the foundation of knowledge to be a change agent.

If you crave knowledge to become a change agent too, then I invite you to check out the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology program (CAPP). This 6 month training will give you the tools and information you need to immediately become a change agent in your work, community, at home, and globally.

In CAPP, you'll learn:

How to transform negative thinking into the positive
How to have a growth mindset for success
All about your brain to use it to your advantage
How to use your strengths and teach it to others
The benefits and applications of mindfulness
The principles of healthy relationships
How to uncover your life purpose and help others do the same
Best practices in goal achievement and changing habits
The facets of a vital, healthy body

Plus, you'll learn in a community of like-hearted change agents who all want to make a difference. Having graduated 800 change agents globally, I promise in CAPP you'll find your tribe. In fact, it was CAPP's founder who gave me the idea for birthday acts of kindness, so if this resonates, you know you'll fit into CAPP!

Class meets for one weekend monthly and every week online, so you can take CAPP anywhere, even if it's not offered where you live. In fact, I teach CAPP in Miami so I can have warmth all winter long! 🙂 I'd love to have you join me in Miami, or you can join one of 11 other cities this Fall. All the teachers are great!

As a teacher, I also can offer you $150 off, so if CAPP resonates with your heart, then just use this code: carinr27 and you'll get the discount!

Check CAPP out here. Feel free to email me any questions you have. Again, use carin27 to get a discount.

And whether you choose to join CAPP or not, remember that being a change agent is easy, and it starts with you. We're all capable of making a big difference in this world.

With so much love,
Carin

September 11, 2017 By Carin Rockind Leave a Comment

Starting Over

Hi friend,

You can start over again.
You can decide that today is a new day.
You can choose what you do and how, no matter what's going on in life.
You can love yourself and your life right now by APPRECIATING WHAT IS.

That's the message that came through loud and clear on my birthday last week. Two days beforehand, I was rushed to the ER, thinking I was having a heart attack. Fortunately, all checked out and I'm super healthy, but it was definitely a wake-up call for me.

It made me ask:

How do I want to live?
What matters most?
What is all this for?

This isn't the first time I've asked these questions, and it probably won't be the last. We go through spirals in life – ups and downs and curves – and we often have to get off track in order to begin again more strongly.

Every moment – even the challenges – is for purpose.

Often, the challenges show us how strong we are, how resourceful, resilient and capable we are. Often, challenges make us appreciate what we have even more.

I've been watching the hurricanes and praying for the survivors, sending money and packages, wondering how people will rebuild everything. And then this weekend I met a family who escaped Miami with nothing but their passports, their wedding photo, and a whole lot of gratitude that they were alive, together, and able to afford to get away. They knew they could start again.

And here we are on 9/11, an anniversary that reminds us of how resilient we are, and shows us that we can not only start over, but that the challenge can empower us to rebuild higher and become stronger.

I was teaching this concept in a workshop at PBS headquarters last week, and we all realized that we have done this in our lives and can do so again. You can do this, too. You can look at any challenge you're having as a catalyst for growth. From going off of your diet, to overwhelm with kids going back to school, to a parent's illness, to abandoning your dream of being a writer, you can start again. You can use it as fuel for growth and let desire consume your mind so that you choose for this to be a moment of purpose.

This is not to minimize the pain or suffering, or to say, “Just get over it.” You must feel all of it, being gentle with yourself and allowing grief. And then you can grow.

Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) is rising to a new level of functioning as the result of adversity. In other words, it's growing not “despite” challenge, but because of it. Researchers Tedeschi and Calhoun found that we all can experience PTG and not just start again, but start better, stronger, and more alive.

So what challenge are you experiencing? How can it help you grow? Here are a few questions to journal about:

What does this experience show me about my strength and courage?
What do I now appreciate as a result of this?
Which relationships can this help me to strengthen?
What wisdom do I wish I had known? (Said another way, what would I now share with a 20 year old to help them manage this?)
What would it look like to choose a new way?

So my love, what do you need to do this afternoon or tomorrow to start again? How will you choose to treat a new day? What will you promise to love about yourself and your life right now, as is? I'd love to hear from you.

With so much love,
Carin

PS – If you're struggling with overcoming a current or past challenge, email me. It's my honor to do a 30-minute call with you and identify what you want and where the blocks are.

If you want to discover who you are and your true purpose… if you're ready to claim your birthright of joy and self-love, if your heart is calling for transformation this fall, then I invite you to email me now. I can't wait to connect with you!

July 25, 2017 By Carin Rockind Leave a Comment

Don’t Let Your Dreams Die With You

7 years ago, my friend Ed drowned to death, and I couldn't save him. I dedicate this post to him.

It was a beautiful July morning, just 5 weeks before I was heading off to graduate school for Positive Psychology to finally pursue my dreams. My friend Ed had never been on a boat, and had never been in Lake Erie either. I couldn't wait to take him out.

So a week later, he met me at the dock and we began taking on the free waters. He laughed and shouted with joy. I'd never seen him so happy!

We then anchored and with a huge smile on his face, Ed dove in. I immediately saw that he was struggling, so I turned the boat to be a bit closer to him. He didn't move so I started throwing him a rope screaming, “Ed, get the rope!!! ED, GET THE ROPE!! EDDDDDDDD GET THE ROPE!!!!!

Seconds later, his head fell below the surface of the water, and he never came back up.

After weeks of trauma wanting to give up on school and life, I finally learned that Ed's body had been chock full of cocaine. Apparently, after being rejected from the military two weeks earlier, he turned to heavy drugs to numb the pain. It's like he had a death wish.

Ed's death is a constant reminder of why we must live our purpose WHILE WE'RE ALIVE.

What are you waiting for?

Why aren't you going for it fully? If you're like me, you're scared. Years ago, I sat on my KNOWING that I was here to inspire and support you because I was too afraid of leaving my safe job. I was too afraid of being rejected. I was so afraid of failing. So I stayed stuck. And then the pain of being stuck became so bad that I got sick until eventually the pain of staying stuck became worse than the fear of possibly failing. I knew that if I came to the end of my days without ever trying to live this purpose, I'd regret it forever.

Do you want your dreams to die with you like Ed's did? Why do you have painting talent if not to share your gift with others? Why do you have ideas about politics, if not to help your community? I know it's scary, and I know that your brilliance is not meant to die.

Your purpose is bigger than you. If you have a book idea, then those words are meant to help someone else. What good do those words do sitting in your journal and dying with you in the grave? If you dream of starting an animal shelter, it's because there are puppies in mills who need your help. Do you want to die with them?

This may sound dramatic, but having survived being robbed at gunpoint and having lived through Ed's death, I know too well how short life is.

Do not let your dreams die with you. And if you don't know what your dreams are, and you only know that you feel stuck and lost, then let this be your wake up call to start the process of figuring it out.

Find a mentor, join a mastermind, do a program to get clarity on who you are and what you want.

No matter what you do, take action today. For Ed. Ed's legacy lives on through us following our hearts. Sending so much love to Ed's family.

With so much love,
Carin

PurposeGirls on Fire – Real success stories of people who are going for it!

Brigid had always wanted to be an artist. She just loved painting and had always loved the stroke of a brush. But as a young girl, she kept seeing commercials for “starving artists.” She didn't want to starve, so understandably, she gave up painting. Brigid went on to start a successful printing business with her partner, but twenty years into her business and life as wife and mother, she lost her spark. Life took over and she became depleted. She heard about my offer for a free 30-minute call and within moments of talking, she declared her desire for change. She joined my EMPOWERED program and within our first two weeks of working together, Brigid remembered her first love: being an artist. She came home from the first EMPOWERED retreat so light that everyone at home noticed a change. She started painting at home and began to feel alive. She then started bringing her art talent to her business, and she felt on purpose. Doing graphic design, creating new project ideas, and bravely sharing her talent with clients, for the first time in a long time, Brigid fell in love with life. She knew she needed more space to create, so she asked her partner if they could get rid of the futon in the spare bedroom so that she could set up a studio. Just a few weeks ago, Brigid not only set up her studio, but she also sold her first painting! No “starving artist” for her!! I love this photo of her painting with the woman who bought it, and I love this picture of the FIRST (but not last) check she's received for her painting talent. Join me in CONGRATULATING Brigid on being a kickass woman on purpose. To learn more about her and her graphics arts, painting and printing business, check out Creative Characters here.

July 18, 2017 By Carin Rockind Leave a Comment

The 1st Step to Being Empowered

If you could solve any problem in the world, what would it be?

This weekend, I was in Montreal with hundreds of people at the International Positive Psychology Association conference who dedicate their lives to answering this question.

Karen unexpectedly lost her husband at a young age. She wanted to die with him, but with young children, she knew she had to live. She began reading, meditating, and working on herself, and soon she realized that she could CHOOSE happiness. Wanting more people to realize that they too can make happiness a choice, she created the World Happiness Summit for thousands of people. Everyday, she wears a bracelet to remind her.

Emilia was nearly beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend before she escaped with nothing. She healed through sheer determination, running and deciding to dedicate her life to social justice. In November and December, she's running the length of New Zealand – 1500 miles – to show other survivors that they there's life on the other side of trauma. She wants to “encourage people to reach out for their extraordinary, exceed themselves and become leaders of positive change.”

Talking to them, I was both inspired, and to be honest, I also felt a teeny-tiny bit inadequate. Then I remembered… I'm just like them, and so are you.

These extraordinary people once had ordinary lives, but they woke up one day and made a choice to pursue their purpose. Emilia didn't know how to get sponsors or raise the money, she hadn't run that far, and she was afraid to leave her job, but she made the choice to try.

That's the 1st step to being empowered and living a life of purpose: To make the choice to finally do it. Even if you don't know how, trust you'll figure it out. It's really that simple. The research is super clear about this: Your level of commitment is critical to success.

Yet, many of us are walking-dead. We shuffle through life wanting more, but then get drowned in email and laundry, and before we know it, we're waking up on New Year's Eve wondering where the year went. I'm constantly receiving emails from people who feel “stuck”, “lost”, “unfulfilled”, “exhausted” and “like something's missing.”

If this is how you feel, then something is missing – YOU. Your passions, your strengths, your heart's desires.

Every single one of us is capable of doing something “extra”ordinary. Your purpose doesn't have to be “huge” like Emilia or Karen, but you are worthy of putting your gifts and ideas into the world. In fact, the world NEEDS your gifts. Where would we be if Rosa Parks had held back out of fear? One simple decision of her worth changed civil rights forever.

My client Heather just launched her dream yesterday (see the new “PurposeGirls on Fire” section below for her story) and it's amazing to see how she's already impacting lives with simple social media posts.

Journal on this:

Which of your heart's ideas you've called crazy, stupid, impossible, impractical, yet they still nag at you and won't go away?
What issue do you want to contribute to?
What would make you feel alive?

Or maybe you don't know what you want to do. Then decide that it's time to get help in figuring it out.

Let these extraordinary people who are just like you remind you of what's possible when you make the decision to get unstuck and be empowered.

With so much love,
Carin
(Here's a pic of me speaking about Purpose at the Intl Pos Psych conference! It was such an honor and so much fun! I got to do it because 8 years ago, I made the choice to pursue my purpose no matter what.)

PS: I’m going to have something huge to share with you in a few days: The doors will be opening on Monday for my transformational 4-month coaching program – EMPOWERED! I’ve led EMPOWERED for several years, and it has truly changed the lives of so many women in dramatic ways! As I share with you details about the program I’ll also share stories of some of the amazing women who have gone through the program. They’re truly inspirational, and the opportunity to empower women like them – and like you — is the reason I do what I do. Stay tuned!

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PurposeGirls on Fire – Real success stories of people who are going for it!

As a child, Heather Daniel loved her grandmother's cooking. She wanted to write a cookbook “one day,” but before she knew it, she had two kids, a full-time crazy-busy event planning job, had gained a lot of weight, and was stuck in constant stress and overwhelm. She was turning 30 and knew she had to make a change. Heather came to Goddess Girls Retreat with me and Taylor Strecker and immediately opened up about feeling stuck and wanting more. As she and I began working together, at first one-on-one, and then in my EMPOWERED sisterhood, she focused on getting healthy for her boys. She did Whole 30 and saw amazing results so she continued eating paleo and began taking her kids on walks and in time, she lost 40 lbs. Heather posted all of her delicious paleo recipes on Instagram and people asked for more. She felt ALIVE and excited again about life! So she came back to her dream of a cookbook and I'm SO THRILLED to share that just yesterday Heather launched her new blog, “Sweet Revel“. She's a brilliant healthy chef (mostly Whole30/Paleo) and an expert event planner so you can expect lots of fun, refreshing ideas for meals, mommy-ing, and play. She's got the mom-meal-planning down! She's getting her dream done one blog post at a time. She's lost more than 40 lbs on her own cooking and is so so so inspiring. PLEASE join me in following this awesome mama who's following her true purpose. Click here for Sweet Revel!

July 3, 2017 By Carin Rockind 8 Comments

From Pain To Purpose

Nine years ago today, I was robbed at gun point.

I was walking home from a bad blind date, laughing about it on the phone with my sister, when a scared young man followed me into my condo building. At first I didn't see him, but when I put my key in the front door I felt thick hot breath on the back of my neck. I turned around and was within inches of these big, sad, saucer brown eyes.

“Are you going in?” I asked him. I thought maybe he had a friend who lived there.

He paused and then looked down at my belly. I followed his eyes and saw that he pointed a gun my stomach. I fell to the floor, with my arms over my head, screaming, “Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me!!!”

Thoughts raced through my head, “Tell my parents I've had a good life, thank my grandparents for me.” I remembered my 3rd grade birthday party and envisioned my funeral. I looked up at him and now the gun was pointed at my left temple. I could see down the steel barrel.

At that moment, a strong, calm voice came over me: “Oh no,” she said. “You're here for purpose. People are waiting for you.”
So I made a promise with G-d: “If you let me live, I promise to pursue that purpose.”

At that moment, the man took my purse and he ran.

See, I had known that I wanted to do this Purpose work for years, but I had been too afraid to do it. I was afraid I'd fail, afraid you would all hate me, afraid that no one wanted to hear what I had to say. I was afraid I'd never make money and afraid I'd never be published. I was afraid of everything.

So I stayed stuck. Stuck in my job, stuck in my relationships, stuck in my life. And staying stuck made me severely depressed. I called myself horrible nasty names for not following my dreams. I went on heavier and heavier depression drugs and I got shingles at 34.

I was a mess – all out of fear.

But that day, with a gun to my head, I made a decision: I was doing this. I was going to use every talent G-d gave me for purpose. I was going to use my life to make a difference in the world. I was going to become PurposeGirl.
It was all I ever wanted. It still is all I want. When I die, I want millions of women saying, “She impacted my life.”
And I will tell you my friends, this Purpose-thing is not easy. I've had many days of crying and fear. I've been terrified of running out of money. I've compared myself endlessly to coaches who have bigger audiences than me. I've been excited one day, felt like shit the next, and called myself a loser. At various times, I've become obsessed with winning your “likes.”
But as I was working on my book today and realized that TODAY was the day 9 years ago that changed the trajectory of my life FOREVER, I KNEW that I would not change that experience for any amount of money or “likes” in the world.

I'm a survivor. I'm a warrior. I've survived so that I can inspire you to thrive. And I don't take my mission lightly. As of this moment, I'm more serious about it than ever. I want EVERY woman on earth to know and love who she is. I want EVERY human being to realize his true purpose. I want ALL of us to live and love fully with open hearts and giving souls. There is so much more I can do. So much more I want to do.

When this young man was sentenced, I went to court and his attorney handed me a letter that the young man had written to me. He explained how he had grown up without a father, how he had 2 babies and one on the way, how he robbed me because he needed money for diapers. Tears streamed down my face and sobs left my throat. (They are again writing this.) The judge asked if I wanted to say anything. I stood up and faced his sweet sad eyes once more. “It's not fair that I grew up the way I did, and you grew up the way you did,” I said. “And I don't want your kids growing up this way. I want them to go to college.” Tears now streamed down his face.

I meant it. I still mean it. I'm remembering it all today in vivid color and I'm really wanting to make a bigger impact. I want to serve. I want to empower kids in challenged situations too. I don't know how and I don't know where.
And I want to empower EVERY woman to RISE UP. I just know that we are ALL PurposeGirls! We are ALL here for SOMETHING! We can't let raw talent go wasted. You can't let your dreams get lost. If you don't know your purpose, let's figure it out. If you know it but aren't following it, let's get you on your path. Please don't hide behind fear anymore, my friend.
You never know when a gun will be pointed at your head.

Written in complete and utter love. Sending love tonight to C. H., wherever he and his children may be.