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History of the Handwritten Note

4/29/2015

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I am a BIG fan of the handwritten note and still have many analogue tendencies that are revealing themselves in 2015 as being quite strange.  For example, I still keep a Filofax calendar to set all my appointments.  If I don't write it down with pen and ink, I cannot remember a thing.  I also write out grocery lists and to do lists on index cards....a habit my grandfather used to do and I simply adopted it when I was a child.  As much as I'm a Facebook and Instagram junky, I also toggle the analogue world with reverence and glee. 

In the technological age of digital and social media, however, the art of the handwritten note is a craft fast becoming obsolete.  And yet, it is still one of the most welcoming and powerful modes of communication.  When receiving a handwritten note, we have a tendency to pay attention.  There is thought and feeling and intention behind the delivery and it's quite sweet, and nowadays, rare, which makes the reception that much more enticing.

Perhaps because it is so personal and heartfelt to write a note and the process also requires patience, time and materials.  Materials like pen or pencil and paper or card.  There is an effort that is embedded so beautifully and organically in this plan of sharing thoughts and experiences, gratitude and thankfulness. 

It is different than the immediacy of writing a text or email.  When writing and sending and then receiving a hand written note or letter, there is the quality of  time and attention to details that are considered.  It takes TIME to choose the card, reflect on the words, write the note, seal and address the envelope, place the stamp, and mail the package.  On the receiving end, there is also the time it takes for the post to be delivered. 

It is an exchange and a form of communication that is timeless and exquisite and I invite you to practice your skill set and see how it feels to send some notes out into the world.  Choose one person each week and send a "thinking of you" note to them and see what happens. 

As I was writing this post, I was curious about the history of the handwritten note and this is what I discovered : Click here to read about it. 

And then I also was reminded of a postcard that came to me hand written from Costa Rica a couple of years ago.  It was never signed and so I have no idea who sent it to me.  But it serves as a reminder to me of the importance of sending postcards, notes and cards to friends, lovers, family and strangers, too.  It is also a reminder of the sweetness of messages that come through in unexpected ways.
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Write with your hand and your heart and send it out to someone today.  It may be the most profound message that someone receives. 
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#secretagentstephanieculen #mydailyom
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What's Your Story?

4/29/2015

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"You is Kind.  You is Smart.  You is Important."

This is a quote from a book and movie called The Help.

It's a story.  Just like any other story.  Basically, it's about African American housekeepers who work for White Southern housewives in the 1960's and in this one story there are many stories : lessons and teachings and heart tales that make up our humanness.  It's a story that pulls at the heart strings and reveals the truths of life in a way where you feel your heart skip a beat, laugh, break, heal and grow.  This is a story of time past and yet still relevant to time present even though the historical circumstances are different.  The overall quality of the human condition remains. 

This is how the story of life and the life of story works.  We live our lives each day from the time we are born until the time that we die experiencing love, loss, fear, passion, injustice, jealousy, greed, compassion, longing, adventure, generosity, fun, tears, joy and every human quality that exists.  From sunrise to sunset for as long as we are alive, we are in a story.  The story of our life.  And it's powerful because our story is embedded with shared meaning and connection.

It's important to share.  One way we learn and grow and understand are from the stories of our elders and the stories of our times.   A lot of our personal meaning making is derived from stories and sharing tales.  And I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on different aspects of your life to find the story and the message that is aching to be told. 

A dear friend of mine whom I call my sister, Leza Lowitz, is an American born writer living in Japan with her husband and son and she is about to publish her memoir : Here Comes the Sun: A Journey to Adoption in 8 Chakras.  I was with her at the beginning of this process years ago when she was very nervous about sharing certain aspects of her truth and yet she felt equally compelled to get her message out to the world.  It's a GREAT read and perhaps you will be inspired in reading her story, to share your own.

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You have a story to share.  And it's important.  Your life is valid and your experiences are valuable and your perspective is worthy of offering to the world.  With the rise of social media, we are able to share our stories more readily and easily.  And one thing I am noticing more recently is that people are sharing ALL of their story and not just the good and happy parts but also the tough and suffering aspects of life that are equally, if not more at times, empowering and inspiring.

Do you journal?  Do you take note of occurrences?  How do you share your gifts, your unique teachings, and the lessons of your life with others?  Other people truly depend on your perspective and your gifts, so please tell your story.
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And check out Leza's book.  It's a great read and perhaps you will be
inspired to share your own life or aspect of your life, too.  If you are uncertain or afraid of something, it's a natural part of the transformation process to feel uncomfortable.  Just go for it! 

'Cuz please remember : "You is important."

#secretagentstephanieculen #mydailyom
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Please Pay Attention...

4/29/2015

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Your Future Self is Calling You

Every person you meet in the course of your lifetime has an impact on you.  There are those people, that when you meet, you have no idea that your life will be changed in some way forever.  There are those people that come and go quickly never to be seen again.  There are those people that you meet and think you will not see again and they become the most important people in your life.  There are those people that are in your circle of love forever and move in and out of your daily life like the tides of the ocean.  There are those people that you feel will be with you always and they disappear unexpectedly or circumstantially. There are those people.. .you fill in the blank.  People are important.  Honor the people in your life.  All of them.

People people people are what make the heart heal and break and grow and love and learn.  It is people who influence and experiences and shape your path in ways that are both subtle and profound. It is in the meeting and the sharing that is the present moment.  Savor it and appreciate it.  Love it and adore it.  Breathe in each person as if they have a new part of your life to unfold for you. 

It is in paying attention to the connections and opening to curiosity as that of a child that the magic and power of Presence and People will be revealed. Over time, the connections and reflections give pause to understanding and inspire the respect for each encounter. 

I am reminded of T.S Eliot's Four Quartets:


You say I am repeating
Something I have said before. I shall say it again.
Shall I say it again? In order to arrive there,
To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not,
       You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstacy.
In order to arrive at what you do not know
       You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance.
In order to possess what you do not possess
       You must go by the way of dispossession.
In order to arrive at what you are not
       You must go through the way in which you are not.
And what you do not know is the only thing you know
And what you own is what you do not own
And where you are is where you are not.

In contemplation and gratitude, here is another poem for the sharing offered to me recently by my college professor, Michael Glaser, who has had SUCH an overwhelmingly and unexpected influence in my life it is beyond explicable and I am forever indebted to his generosity and graciousness in how he shares his passion for the human condition of love and loss and extraordinary living.


No, no there is no going back.
Less and less you are
that possibility you were.
More and more you have become
those lives and deaths
that have belonged to you.
You have become a sort of grave
containing much that was
and is no more in time, beloved
then, now, and always.
And so you have become a sort of tree
standing over a grave.
Now more than ever you can be
generous toward each day
that comes, young, to disappear
forever, and yet remain
unaging in the mind.
Every day you have less reason
not to give yourself away.

-- Wendell Berry --
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#secretagentstephanieculen #mydailyom
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This is the Dalai Lama Calling

3/7/2015

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Are you Ready?

In New York City there is always someone doing something amazing, off-the-charts, innovative, out-of-this-world, gorgeous, connected, and well, just BIG! And living in New York City now for over 20 years, I have noticed the cycles of creativity and the rhythm of flow and there are seasons for everything.

There are moments in our lives when we feel that nothing is happening. We are bored, flat-lined, depressed, out of sorts, not motivated.

And then comes the existential wondering :s What am I doing with my life? What's the big picture? or maybe you consider questions of happiness ....  What's going to make me happy?  Is what I'm doing now bringing me joy? 

The cycle of inquisition and reflections starts and the mind, the heart and the body start to move in all sorts of directions.  What's is all about?  And what am I supposed to do now?


Wherever you go with this cycle, it often-times may feel like it is a state that lasts too long and yet, this "flat-line" time period may be the most important times of your life.  Pay attention to them.  And watch and listen and take action.  One conscious step at a time.


When it feels like there is NOTHING happening in your life is precisely the time when you need to PREPARE and PLAN for the moment when something IS going to happen. 

Because when the Dalai Lama calls for you, you want to be ready!

And you don't know when that time will come. SO get ready.

The time you need to go deep is during that downtime when there is no creativity flowing, when the world feels dull, when the days are long and you feel lonely and disconnected from your source. 

This is the time you need to go deep and it looks a little different than you might expect.  Maybe it is going on that yoga retreat or meditation weekend or writing or getting the therapy appointment on the books.  But, if you've been down this road a couple of times, you know, those activities may be good for a short-term fix but then the duldroms creep back into your life.  So what makes real change?

It's not what you think.  Ready?

Get ORGANIZED!  

Get organized with your external space and your internal space will miraculously shift, too.

Here's your homework:

Clean the closets, wipe down the counters, organize the pictures and the mail, sit for longer meditations, stock the pantry with food, sweep the floor, buy candles and incense, do the laundry, clear out the cobwebs and button up the shirts!  In other words, PREPARE for your magic day.  And do it with purpose and intention and clarity for as long as it takes until you have the moment when you get the call from the Dalai Lama. And it will come.


And You will be ready! YES!


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The "call from the Dalai Lama" is code for the opportunity that you've been waiting to arise.  And when that opportunity comes, you want to be ready.  And furthermore, you want to be ready  to CHOOSE if you wish to engage and receive it or not. 

Our preparation leads us to the awakening to more opportunities. And these opportunities are happening in every day many times a day. When we are busy with other circumstances and conflicted with extraneous noise, some opportunities do not have a place yet and we have to wait for an opening. 

When you get skilled at this preparation practice, you will notice that you may sometimes desire the periods of flat-lining to return again so there is time to relax and renew and reassess values, goals, intentions and quality of attention. Then the time comes and we start again.


This flow is not always so smooth. There are big waves and small waves and obstacles and setbacks, but the important thing to remember is to continue to prepare for the future that is awaiting you. And when opportunity knocks you can say, "I'm Ready!" and choose if it is what you wish to create or wait for the next opportunity that comes.

It is in the preparation that we have the power of choice.

And that is ultimate power : self responsibility, self accountability and freedom of choice!


So make your bed, take a bath, fold the laundry, do the dishes, sweep the floor, fluff the pillows, prepare the flowers, pour the tea and sit.

Your opportunity will come and you will be ready!
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Pitango's Tea Surprise

2/20/2015

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I discovered iMovie on my iPad and it's been so much fun exploring different elements and aspects of life to share in different ways of mood and temperament that come together in harmony.  This is my second insta-film.  Hope you enjoy it!

This insta-film is about my dear friend, Pitango.  

We met in 2010 on Prince Street where he sold his rings. He was a street vendor there for 20 years and I walked by him for 20 years before I actually "saw" him.  When we met, it was a friendship from the soul and heart that will last forever.  

He is a great teacher of life and love and laughter. 

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insta-film.com

Please share on social media!

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Four Steps to Bliss

2/18/2015

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How to Plant Good Seeds

This is the best practice I know to be done on a daily basis or as often as you can remember.  It has worked wonders in my life and I notice a considerable difference to my personal well-being and to the way my days unfold when I practice these four steps with attention and intention.  Happy planting!

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The Four Steps

1.  Make a decision of what you wish to have or want to happen for yourself.  
It should be one short sentence. 

Examples : 
"I want an amazing place to live."  "I want a healthy body." I want a loving partner." 
"I want to travel more." 
 "I want help with my business."  "I want more money." 


Be specific and exact.

This step is called Shi in Tibetan.  It basically means "basis".
2.  Find someone who wants something similar to what you want.  
Make a plan to help them get what they wish.

Example :
"I will ask my friend who shares my same desire if she wants to have tea.  
I will listen and see how I can support their desire and give counsel and ideas as they arise.  

This step is called Sampa in Tibetan.  It basically means "intention" or "state of mind".
3. Meet them.  Speak with them.  Love them and be happy for them.  

Meet and talk.  Help them with intention and attention.

This step is called Jorwa in Tibetan. It basically means "deed" or "act".
4.  Before bedtime, as you lay awake review your day and the good deed that you did in sharing your time to help someone be happier and more fulfilled in their life. 

Keep your mind and heart in a happy place and take joy in your actions.

This step is called Tartuk.  It basically refers to "joyful contemplation".



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Tartuk is the most important step of this process.  
It is the step that will make a magic garden grow 
in your life.  
Remember to Tartuk each night!

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This work is based on teachings by Geshe Michael Roach and the Diamond Cutter Institute. 

Please share!


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Unsubscribe Please

2/1/2015

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Since the beginning of January, I've been spending small pockets of time unsubscribing from the gazillion emails that come into my box every day.  Why? Because something shifted in me in the New Year and I wanted to get super essential with every thing that I was doing, feeling and experiencing and I found that my energy was being divided by all those pesky messages coming into my virtual space.  I wanted to find out what and who I was truly connecting with and what were they telling me that was helpful, important, and worth my time to pause and read. 

I found few who made the cut.  And then I started feeling out why they were privileged to be chosen to take up my time.  This is what I discovered:

Those people, companies and messages that remained in my life had similar qualities: 

They all offered something inspiring, interesting, helpful, funny, creative, purposeful and connected.  They all spoke to me with honesty and charisma.  And they all gave me really awesome ideas and contemplations. 
And almost all of them that I chose to keep in my "box" were not selling me a product or a service or a course.  They were sharing themselves in a real way.  And I liked it. 

And so, that got me thinking, eh......how do I serve my clients, "fans", friends, family and others who have chosen to be on my mailing list?  What am I offering that would inspire and serve? How can I be most helpful because I truly wish to be a muse of inspiration, health, grace, fun and love. 
I don't want to take up space in someone's life without offering something truly worthwhile. 

And the editing of my own life began to get very real.  And I started to ask myself : How am I presenting what I know and love to the world? And where do I want to help people?  And where do I most want to put my energy and time?

These questions and reflections have been a part of my curiosity for MONTHS now which is why I've not mailed anything out to my list that isn't fun or free, but my messages have been kind of lame.  And even I know it.  So, I've stopped mailing .... for now .... but that may change.  Everything does.

Instead, I will be posting things here on my website so take a look around.  In the meantime, you will find me here and there and everywhere (thank you for your inspiration Yoga Sara...you made the cut!)
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Photo by Teddy Szcudlo
So, if you are on my mailing list and want out, now is the time to unsubscribe.  No hard feelings.  I totally get it.  And if you change your mind later, you can come back.  I will still love you.  I never stop loving.  But we change and our priorities change and where and how and with whom we want to spend our time with changes.  Yada yada yada.  And so we evolve.  I get it.

But here's the deal : I'm going to give you information you may really like (and need!) about a lot of different things in a lot of different areas and if there is a way I can help you feel better, live happier and be a better person for yourself and others, it's my secret agent mission to make that happen for You.

Oh, you're not on the list?  Here ya go:  You can subscribe here.  That was easy.

Did you know I wrote poetry? 
You can browse through the blog archives and feel them out.
Let me know what resonates with you.  Yeah, I really want to know.....
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In Search of a Mermaid Calling

9/6/2014

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Whoaaaa…….It’s Labor Day. I arrived home today from a weekend vision quest to Florida and sat and cried in my EV apartment. Will this dream ever come true, I wondered. I texted my friend in hopelessness seeking some sort of consolation and he said, “Don’t breakdown. Use the energy to create.” Yes. Create. Breathe.

I’ve been remiss in communicating because I’ve been so enthralled in my own dream weaving over the last couple of months. Selfish of me, I know! But there are times when dream weaving and vision questing require quiet time to listen and reflect and get clear. ‘Tis what I’ve been doing. And, in doing so, everything so far with this vision quest has been miraculous and magical. Truly. Do you wanna hear my story?

Sooooo….it’s kind of long…..and I do hope in reading this story that it will inspire you, too, in whatever way that serves you. I believe in magic and I believe in miracles and big breath of gratitude, I’m sharing with you from a very vulnerable heart space.

In early August I was asked to attend and teach yoga to the guests of a dear friend for their very beautiful wedding in Anguilla. It was beyond my wildest dreams and imaginations to be of service to so many wonderful people in SUCH a gorgeous environment filled with friendship and love and generosity and warmth and spirit and pinch pinch pinch….it was ah-mazing.

Well, during that trip I had many self realizations, one of which was that I wanted to write stories and teach yoga and writing classes and offer Reiki and healing and whatever other service of love that came my way in a small seaside beach community. I imagined living in a very small old-school teeny tiny (2 bed/1 bath) beach cottage that was walking distance to a pier/marina/beach/bay and that had a quaint village of shops and services where I could walk or bike most of my days. A place that was in the States but atypical American and that did NOT have big department stores or big box stores or fast food chains. A place where I could develop a yoga clientele and be a part of a sacred space. A place where I could grow into my future. A place where my family and friends would visit and vacation and maybe my mom would one day live there, too. A place that was year-round warm and pleasant. A place that was relatively easy to get to and that a couple of ways out. (One way egresses always freak me out….’tis why I don’t like Williamsburg for all you Brooklynites…only one train in and out!) A place of my own that I could call home for a long long time.

When I returned from Anguilla, I listened to the mermaids (my mythical spirit creatures who guide me) and they called me to Florida. “FLORIDA!!!!”, I asked. It was like the last place on earth that seemed to have my vision but I listened. I booked a flight on Labor Day weekend on my way to Ft Myers with a plan to scout the SW Coastline from Ft. Myers north and south. That was all I heard at the time. And then I started digging and digging and listening to the muses and researching and googling and you name it to find some message, sign and signal that Florida was the place to go.

At a certain point in my quest, I was looking at real estate searches and started liking what I was seeing from a place north called Anna Maria Island. I’d NEVER heard of it and yet, the pictures of the cottages and homes that were being represented were saying YES YES YES. There was something magical about this little place.

Back at the ranch in NYC, I continued planning my visionquest and there were a lot of skeptics. Many were worried that I would be bored or that the consciousness of the people was not there or this or that….but I kept listening to the song of the mermaids and the muses. They were leading me somewhere to find something. I just needed to stay open to the signs.

When the time for my 5 day visionquest journey arrived, I spent the first day looking at real estate in Fort Myers that I had set up already with an agent and then planned on staying the night in Sarasota at an Airbnb reservation that I had preplanned. It was the only day I had organized in advance. I just knew I needed to head North and make my way to Anna Maria Island.

On Friday, the journey began all the way up the coastline along the side highway so that I could get a feel for all the towns along the way. When I had described what I was looking for with my Airbnb hosts on Friday morning, they thought what I was looking for was in Siesta Key. So, I planned the day to head north and hit Bradenton and then Anna Maria Island and follow the island back south to end up in Siesta Key for Friday night.

Bradenton was super nice and I really liked it. There was a sweet Village of the Arts there and I felt like I was getting closer. There were more independent restaurants and services and less big box stores. It felt like a more organic community. Heading west now, I was on my way to Anna Maria Island. Upon crossing the bridge and seeing the Eco Surf Bus that takes people on paddleboard and ecotrips on the island, I felt like this was definitely moving in the right direction. I ate lunch at the Sandbar Restaurant with a table in the sand and looked around at the people : young, stylish, fun-loving, happy. I kept listening and watching.

I drove around the island and scouted all the nooks and crannies and ended up on a dead end rode towards a marina. I turned around and took another turn to get back on the main road and saw a hand painted, quaint FOR SALE sign that appealed to me. I called the number and the owner answered. As I was walking around the most enchanting cottage straight out of my dreams, I was speaking with the owner who had a delicious French accent and I just couldn’t believe that the house that she was speaking to me about was the same house I’ve been dreaming about and envisioning and was the same house that I was now looking at and the price was a bit more than what I had been looking at (like $100,000 more) but I imagined it is STILL in the realm of possibility for me. It was a miracle. She said she could show it me the next day and then I started wondering : Is this really happening? Could this really be IT? I mean it was IT, but can it happen for ME????

I drove away a little dizzy with anticipation. My heart was hurting from a longing that was inexplicable on the drive away from Anna Maria (the name of this section of the island). I knew I had found it. But I had already made a reservation for a place in Siesta Key for the night. It was my last round. Onward I trekked south again, stayed in Siesta Key and first thing in the morning darted my way back to Anna Maria Island. The mermaids were calling me much louder now!

As soon as I entered the island again, I felt at home. I found a seaside hotel for the night right on the beach and then called the owner of the cottage. “Yes, you can see it today at 4p.” OMG! I played on the beach at Bradenton Beach and in the small kidney shaped heated pool of the hotel and waited and waited and waited for the time to pass to see the little cottage again. It was time!

The energy of the beaches really shifted a lot as I drove north through Bradenton and Holmes Beach and finally, Anna Maria. The energy kept getting more and more magical as the drive headed north. I arrived on the Ave of the cottage and drove into the stone laid parking area for all the little cottages in that section and met the owner with a big hug. We walked through the cottage and she pointed out all the details and I just drank it all into my being with huge gulps of grateful breath. “It comes furnished and it has all new this and all new that and there is tremendous rental income and there is a VBRO website that is included and and and and”….my head was spinning. It still is……

I started considering the actuality and asked her what the next steps might be in which she said she could give me a contract signed by her with all the information and when I was ready, I could proceed. I told her I would call her and confirm and …. well …. long story short : From Thursday to Sunday, a day before I was scheduled to head back to NYC, I had a signed contract from the owner of my dream cottage in my hand ready for me to get my finances together.

From a listening to a longing to a visionquest to a vision to a mission to an almost completion, I am back in NYC right now wondering how on EARTH and in this UNIVERSE I’m going to come up with the money to make my dream come true.

When my head hit the practicals, I start crying. I only have about half of what I need to make it happen and this is such a pipe dream of mine, I’m wondering who in their “right mind” is going to agree to help me buy a small beach cottage sold “as is” on a barrier island in Florida….ummmmmmm…..very risky flood and hurricane territory….. Holy moly mermaids and muses : You really gave me a heart calling to complete !

I’ve got to get creative with this one for sure. It’s a first time home purchase as well as an investment property as well as a business! All for the asking price of $315,000 plus $25,000 for ALL furnishings everywhere. TURN KEY PERFECTION!

My big creative plan right now is to blast out a crazy relentless campaign for my Shizzle and Shine Method which is only $40 for an e-course program of inspiration, but I need about 1000 people to sign on to make that a go. It’s kind of a crazy place of possibility I am smack dab in the middle of and I’m wondering how it will all turn out. Another first step for me tomorrow is to call the mortgage broker I’ve been working with out of my uncle’s mortgage company and get him cranking. But the truth is : I don’t think I’m going to qualify for squat. I’m staying hopeful though and going to go through the steps. So far, all that has happened has been a miracle of miracles of miracles. Maybe more miracles are being brewed RIGHT NOW.

Thank you from every last breath of my being for hearing my story. It’s a true tale and one that is in process. Stay tuned.

www.shizzleandshine.com

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Anna Maria Island Dream Beach Cottage
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Become Your Dream

9/5/2014

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Last year, I developed a 40 day transformational e-course called The Shizzle and Shine Method. (www.shizzleandshine.com) An email comes to the participant each day with 3 “gems” in their “jewel box” for contemplation and action and there is a private Facebook group for sharing revelations and dreams and inspirations. Many people have enjoyed the process. We’ve gone through a couple of rounds over the last year. We will start another Shizzle and Shine group on September 15th, but you can start ANYTIME.

As some of you are following this blog, I’m in the process of following my future Self’s calling to be of service in a smaller community in a seaside beach town called Anna Maria in Florida. The personal process that I am in right now is an actual process of manifesting a dream into a reality using the tools, steps and awarenesses (is that a word?!) that I share in the Shizzle and Shine Method. I’m walking the walk and talking the talk. It’s a true tale with tools that bring results.

The more Shizzlers in the group, the more opportunity we have to experience many different paradigms and perspectives together. It’s incredibly rewarding and inspirational to have a virtual dream team for 40 days! You’ll see when you join the journey!!! It’s incredible!

The message is clear : My journey is everybody’s journey. If you have a heart calling, follow it and listen, watch and wait for the signs and signals to guide you from a true heart space that is filled with clear intention. You feel the way to go along the path with every bone and breath in your body. Trust yourself and trust the Path. It is your journey. Everyone will have their perspective and perception of YOUR journey and give you all kinds of counsel and wisdom. Listen and then LISTEN to what YOUR guides are telling you. It is important to respect the counsel of others especially those that have more skills and understanding in things that you may be seeking, but also trust your own process and be patient and loving and kind to yourself and everyone along the way. It is an ultimate message of Self Love and self awareness and trusting in a much bigger Universal wisdom that guides you. And then we open to a bigger possibility that may be awaiting for us.

To join the Shizzle and Shine Method, it’s really simple. Just go to www.shizzleandshine.com and hit the Buy Now button. It will take you where you want to go! Some people have already joined and are already rolling along their days.  It’s an ongoing process.  And some people do it many times over and get something new each time.  We are always growing.

Until next time….xoxoxo
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I was Howard Stern's Personal Shopper

8/6/2014

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It’s true. While I was in grad school studying for my masters in education at Sarah Lawrence I was a professional organizer and personal shopper to the NYC elite rich and famous. I payed bills, cleaned out closets, organized libraries and children’s rooms. I planned parties and events and was a personal stylist, too. You name it, I did it under the umbrella of a professional organizer.

One of my favorite jobs was shopping for Howard Stern as a personal stylist for all the people on his Christmas list. And what a list it was! I shopped for jewelry, art, electronics, clothes, designer pens, accessories and all sorts of specialty one-of-a-kind items. It was a blast. I matched up personalities with a vision of what they may enjoy and everyone was incredibly pleased and surprised with his thoughtfulness and great taste! Amazing grace!

I can do the same for you!  

After 10 years, I am now offering personal styling again.

This time, however, my styling is specific to accessories and jewelry by Chloe + Isabel.
Chloe + Isabel is a fashion jewelry lifestyle brand devoted to empowering and inspiring!
The company’s mission is part of my mission, too.

Do you need a special piece that turns your ordinary black dress into red carpet mystery?
Do you want to dress the part and take your career (and your wardrobe) to the next level?
Do you want to jazz up that jeans and t-shirt weekend outfit and make a more sophisticated statement?
Do you need a unique and special gift for your wife, sister, daughter, mother or partner?
It would be soooo much fun to help you.

Personal styling is truly a gift of mine and one of my favorite things to offer. And everything I do has a certain personal styling twist that is sassy, sexy and smart. I can do the same for you. I match your personality to your vision and needs and together we make styling miracles happen.

If you want to see what the Chloe + Isabel Jewelry is all about, go direct to my online boutique where you can view the chic and contemporary jewelry that awaits you. Pure bliss and glamour at a great price.

Here is the link : Chloe + Isabel Jewelry

The latest collection called Moroccan Summer JUST LAUNCHED and the pieces are exquisite.

The jewelry is hypoallergenic, nickel free, lead-safe, and comes with a lifetime replacement guarantee. As a gift for yourself or someone else, the pieces are packaged in signature keepsake pouches and most pieces are also branded with signature Chloe + Isabel closures.

They are beautiful. Really beautiful. You and yours will just love the styles, the quality and the prices. Truly!

My mission is to empower and inspire with practices and adornments that are embedded with beauty and grace.

Let me know how I can help you.
It would be a blessing to work with you.

With love and gratitude,
xo
Stephanie
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Twenty Years Ago, I Had a Dream...

4/24/2014

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Twenty years ago, I had a dream…..
I had a big dream. I wanted to turn 25 years old in New York City and work in the fashion industry. Yup. It’s true! Fashion was my passion! And I was an aspirational young lady. I knew what I wanted and I was ready to go for it!

When I was 24 years old, I lived in Washington D.C. and was working in Public Relations for Neiman Marcus. I loved my position and had climbed the corporate ladder from temporary Christmas salesperson to top salesperson in the Dress Department to Public Relations Assistant ~ all in 6 months! Neiman’s was grooming me for BIG things and all things fashion, but I had a different vision for myself. In college, after having studied in Oxford, England and traveled a bit of Europe, I had already set my future plan to live in New York City, I just didn’t know when then was going to happen. And, then one day an opportunity presented itself. I was invited by my then boyfriend to move to New York. His mother was moving back to D.C. and she offered us her apartment in the now coveted Nolita on Lafayette and Prince Street.

Back in 1994, that area was Gotti-Gangster Land and it was a really funky neighborhood. I was in heaven. It was awesome! And so with no job, no savings and all Love, I was in New York City, shacking up with my guy and I started to hit Seventh Avenue with my stellar resume! As fortune would have it: no New York experience closed a lot of doors for me and so professionally I never made it past the sample sales and showrooms in the New York fashion scene. Over the years, I strategically managed to develop other entrepreneurial skills that included event planning, real estate sales, wedding planning, professional organizing, teaching pre-school and finally, teaching yoga, which has been my main gig for the last 10+ years.

I LOVE teaching yoga and this service has been my living grace for the last decade in New York City. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to all of you who have been with me on the yoga journey. The blessings and riches from teaching yoga are beyond blissful and this part of my life WILL absolutely continue. BUT, I’ve been chomp.chomp.chomping for something to revive my passion for fashion for a very looooooong time. And it has arrived!!!! Hallelujah!

I have come full circle in twenty years and am delighted to share with you a new direction of services to you that include STYLING in jewelry and accessories. Between my full yoga teaching schedule at Equinox, I have joined the team of Merchandisers at Chloe + Isabel which is a fashion and lifestyle brand based right here in New York City! Woot! Dream come true. The company’s mission is to connect stylish, creative and confident women through a modern-day social shopping experience, and I couldn’t be more excited to be sharing this with you! Their mission is definitely my mission!

Thank you for being in my life and giving me the privilege of sharing my desires and passions with you. Living with purpose, passion and peace, I do believe that all dreams come true!

Sending you light and sooooo much love!
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Self-Love and Radical Self Acceptance

2/10/2014

1 Comment

 
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In my years of teaching yoga, I’ve found Self Love to be an essential element of one’s evolution and enlightenment. The foundation of Self love is radical self acceptance. Self love is embodied and expressed in the delight to serve others. When we love ourselves completely and unconditionally, love infinitely pours into every cell of our body. Love is never finished, it is always in flow. So once you are being filled with the flow of self love, it begins to overflow and takes the form of loving kindness, compassion, playfulness, respect and nonjudgmental expressions of service.

My favorite self-love practice is forgiveness, forgiving over and over again, in every moment. Another great practice of self love is mindful speaking to myself and others. I listen to the language and tone with which I speak to myself and make certain that I speak to myself as I would to my lover or a child. It is an extremely helpful practice.

Loving self care is essential to Self Love! Taking care of mind and body – including eating good foods for my body and soul, dancing, clearing emotions with meditation, choosing positive thoughts and releasing negative ones, sharing time with people I love and laughing. Laughter and play are the most magical tools for self-love!!

To live a life you love, you have to have a sense of what you love, how you love and why you love. Our best possible selves must start with accepting where we have been and where we are now and where we want to go. There are always transitions in our lives. Everything changes everyday. We need to know how to work with these changes from a place of self acceptance and self understanding. We are the directors, producers, writers and actors of our own life. Once there is an understanding that we have the power within our own hearts and minds to create what we wish, then radical transformation can begin. Taking full responsibility of ourselves, our thoughts and our actions, is required. And self love starts the process.

Yoga is a process of balance and union of the different parts of our self nature. In its most simplistic terms, we are balancing and bringing into union the feminine with the masculine, the sun and the moon, the ha and the tha. Most of us have issues with one or both of parts of ourselves – so to love all the parts, just as they are without criticism or judgment, is a huge step towards enlightenment, aka the ultimate self love!

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    Stephanie Culen

    stephanieculen.com

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    #theartoflivingpoetically #talesfromthetreehouse

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