Guest blog post by Kimberly Riggins, star student and respected, brilliant colleague!

I used to think I had to do it all.
Be essentially superwoman.
To prove that I was strong.
Worthy. Capable. Beautiful.

I drove myself absolutely crazy.
And I was downright miserable.

I was running around with my head cut off all the time that I forgot to live.
I lost my sparkle. My luster for life.
The sad part was it literally took me years to realize this.
That I was falling apart and needed a serious makeover.
(And I am not talking lipstick, a dress and some heels here, although for some that may help.)

So, I set out to find myself. I embarked on a journey that has forever changed who I am today.

And I thought…because so many of us, being women, experience this that I would share some of the most important lessons that I have learned along the way.

Worship Your Temple
One of the biggest reasons women are not happy with themselves is because they do not accept and love their body. I have news for you, God only gave us one vehicle to live through…it is time to treat it with love and respect. Once I truly embraced my body and learned to love it…flaws and all…areas of my life significantly changed. My self-esteem soared, my confidence increased and my sex life…well, let’s just say AMAZING. (There is definitely something to be said with having sex with the lights on. :-))

Kick Your Negative Self-Talk to the Curb
Oh, the dreaded self-talk. You know, that inner voice inside your head that yells, “you are not good enough, pretty enough, worthy enough, smart enough.” She needs to go! One of the ways I was able to kick that talk to the curb was to personify those thoughts. Because let’s face it, those thoughts are not yours. They are just words learned to trip you up, to make you yourself and to stop you from moving forward. When I transformed those thoughts into a person, it was much easier to tame them because now whenever Dream Doubter Darby (my name for her) starts trash talking, I can sit her down and give her a good ole fashioned smack down.

Ask For Support
I know you are probably thinking, “Is she crazy? I can handle this. I got it!” Sure you do. That is what I said too! 😉 There is nothing wrong with asking for support. Asking for help and reaching out to others does not render you weak. Actually I think it strengthens you. Once I started creating a support system for myself, my life felt less stressful because I knew if I was feeling funky, I could call on my support to lend me an ear. Being heard and having someone in your life that just listens is imperative to living a sparkling life.

Express Your Feminine Energy
Have you stopped being playful? Are you constantly taking charge of everything? Living in your masculine energy? Lacking passion? It’s not a surprise. Most women find themselves here. They get married, have a family, or start a high-powered career and start taking care of everyone else and forget to take care of themselves. I know this because this is where I found myself after giving birth to my son. I literally felt like I lost my feminine mojo. The good news is…there are easy ways to get it all back. For me, it all started with movement and I am not talking about structured exercise. Turn on some music. Feel the beat and just move with raw abandonment. Go ahead…try it. Dance like no one is watching and see what happens.

Meditate
I have to be honest. I used to think I sucked at meditating. I thought that in order to meditate, I had to completely quiet my mind. Not true at all. Meditation is so much more than being silent with your thoughts. For me, meditation is allowing my raw feminine energy to flow through me from head to toe. I can experience this feeling in many different ways…intense yoga, Oming, pole dancing, belly dancing but one thing that I do consistently everyday to ensure my energy is ever-flowing is a meditation called Sparkling with Feminine Power by our very own Unleash Your Sparkle Goddess, Sherri Nickols. These precious 15 minutes act as an infusion to my soul. Who doesn’t want that?

Surrender to the Present
There is nothing more depressing and disheartening than trying to control everything in your life because the reality is some things we just don’t have control over. Once I learned this very valuable lesson, the Universe was able to hear my needs and wants loud and clear and help me achieve them, rather than try to decipher my craziness. The best advice I was ever given was to just be in the moment. Live for today and let tomorrow figure itself out.

Open Your Heart to Receive
Have some faith. Stop living in fear and approach everyone and everything from a place of love, even if you think they don’t deserve it. This mentality will open your heart, reduce your stress, access your feminine essence and make your life feel amazing. Isn’t that what its all about?

To truly live a sparkling life, you must first commit to the journey. Because there will be ebbs and flows. There will be days that feel effortless and others where you might have to relearn or remind yourself of some of these lessons.

But just know, that no matter where you are on your journey, you will always be a sparkling goddess.

Kimberly Riggins is the owner and creator of The Art of Eating Chocolate Naked. Her mission: to help women all over the world fall in love with themselves and their life. She teaches women how to let go of their body image hang-ups, kick negative self-talk to the curb and shows them how to release their inner vixen. To learn more about Kimberly visit www.eatchocolatenaked.com or check out her newest program (it’s FREE), The Love Your Naked Ass Warrior Series…where she features fierce female luminaries who dare to defy the social norm.