Why Not Me?

I hear people arguing for their limitations regularly.

"I couldn't do that."
"Now isn't the right time for me to try/do that."
"I'm too _____ for that." (Fill in old, out of shape, busy etc.)
"I can't afford that."

Including myself. I find myself looking at other people thinking they're able to do something that I'm not.

Why do we argue for our limitations and think things are not possible for us?! We are limitless beings with infinite potential. Why do we sell ourselves short?

My new motto is "Why not me?" If someone else can do it, why not me? I'm changing the script in my mind to I CAN if I want to.

Limitations are MIND made. They are old stories we tell ourselves. And we create our lives from these stories so let's change them to be more empowering.

I love this quote by Steve Bow:

"God's gift to us is more talent and ability than we will ever use in a lifetime. Our gift to God is to develop as much of that talent and ability as we can in this lifetime."

You have so many gifts inside of you waiting to come out. Don't let your life pass with music still in you - work on developing your talent and ability daily. You might surprise yourself how talented you really are.

XO

Adrienne

Imagine

Over the weekend, I had the super cool and fun experience of entering the multiverse on an awesome Virtual Reality Tom Gun ride.

I was completely engrossed in the world of fighter pilots soaring through mountains and shooting down enemies for five minutes and completely forgot about what was going on around me.

It reminded me about how we have a miraculous tool right at our fingertips to completely transport us anywhere we want to go - our imagination.

Napoleon Hill has said "Imagination is the most marvelous, miraculous, inconceivably powerful force the world has ever known."

Why is that?

Close your eyes. Imagine yourself on a beach, sun shining on your face, feet in the cool sand, waves rhythmically coming to shore, the scent of salt water. Can you see it? Stay there for a few minutes, then come back and see how you feel.

Better, right? It took just a few minutes of imagining something tranquil and beautiful for you to instantly feel better in this moment.

That's one of the many reasons why our imagination is so powerful.

If you're feeling blah, negative, frustrated and you instantly want to feel better - try going into your imagination. Imagine somewhere you'd rather be, imagine someone you love right before you, imagine the situation as you'd like it to be.

The more you can practice this, the more vivid your imagination will get, the better you will be at using it as a tool to elevate your state. And the more you will see how what you imagine becomes your reality.

Because remember, everything is created twice - once in the mind and then in physical reality. Your phone, computer, house, office building etc - all started as an idea in someone's imagination before it moved into form.

What do you want to create? Imagine it and visit it often until it becomes your reality.

XO

Adrienne

One Year Milestone

You may have seen if you follow me on social media that last week I celebrated one year since I stopped drinking.

I'm really proud of this and it blows my mind it's been a year already. When I started this journey, it was scary and unknown. A life without alcohol would be a HUGE change. I had never gone more than a week or so without it.

The thought of giving it up indefinitely seemed overwhelming. But I knew it all started wtih a decision.

All I had to do was decide not to drink and recommit to that decision everyday. I've used this same formula for several things in my life now - just make a decision, move in the direction of everyday and miracles start to happen.

Over the weekend, I had a moment of overwhelming gratitude and I burst into tears. I looked at my life and truly saw how I am creating my experience and things are happening that were pipe dreams that I never really thought were possible for me.

I've been letting go of things that no longer serve me, walking into the unknown and committing to my future everyday - the more I do that, the more good starts flowing to me.

I have this quote on a post it on my computer for a daily reminder and I'm really understanding the power of it - "Your journey to grow, succeed and flourish in life, starts with a commitment to yourself."

It's easy not keep commitments you make to yourself. But what you don't realize is that it subconsciously sends a signal to your mind that you don't value yourself, you can't trust yourself and your confidence slowly withers.

What do you want to commit to? Reply to this email and let me know - when you announce it to someone else you're much more likely to keep it.

I believe in you!

XO

Adrienne

Open Mindedness

My sister, her husband and their three kids braved the cross country journey and came out to see me last week.

I love those three kids so much (9, 7 and 4) and even though they test my patience, I always learn something from them.

It's so interesting to me how open their minds are. Innocent, impressionable and open to any and all possibilities. Not to mention their imaginations are incredible - untainted by things that we call "unrealistic."

When do we lose that?!

Napoleon Hill says “Open-mindedness is essential. Closed minds do not inspire faith, courage, and belief.”

Being open minded allows you to think it possibilities, adopt more empowering beliefs and inevitably achieve more because 

XO

Adrienne

Physical & Mental Fitness

It wasn't that long ago when it wasn't just a given that we had to exercise everyday. Over the last several years, people all over the world have become more aware of the importance of living an active lifestyle.

You can see it in the rapid growth in the size and popularity of the fitness industry. There are new gyms, classes, trainers and home equipment popping up daily.

It's my opinion that's what happening in the world of mental wellness.
People are waking up to the fact that we have to take care of our minds just as much as we take care of our bodies.

More people are getting into meditation, self-care is the new buzz word and talk therapy is becoming commonplace.

The high-performers like CEOs, Wall Street's elite and pro athletes understand the importance of it. Heck in the show Billions they even have a mindset coach on staff!

It hasn't quite been picked up by the masses the way physical fitness has but I believe it's getting there.

There are a lot of similarities when it comes to working with our bodies and working with our minds. You must push yourself to get uncomfortable if you want to see results.

If you can get through those tough moments, the rewards of confidence, clarity and excitement on the other side just keep building.

Just like the body, the mind performs better when you strengthen it.

When was the last time you exercised your mind? Your mindset must be worked on daily just like your body.

XO

Adrienne

Masks

Happy Halloween!!! It's long been one of my favorite holidays - I've always loved scary movies, haunted houses and dressing up.

At a party over the weekend, I was seeing how being dressed up changes people's behavior. You get into character, you feel different so you act differently.

It reminded me of the masks we wear everyday. At work we act a certain way, with our friends another and our families yet another.

We meet someone new and we're on our best behavior, then in our intimate relationships we're someone else entirely.

It's interesting how this happens; it's like we have a bunch of masks that we use at different times depending on the role we're playing.

Having these different masks is exhausting. I think that's what drained me the most in my finance career - the mask I wore became more difficult and inauthentic to keep up with.

My goal is to remove all of these masks and get down to my truest, most authentic self. Whether it's in these emails, on social media, with my clients etc, I want to show up as the real Adrienne.

I find the more authentic and vulnerable I am in my life, the better response I receive back. It's liberating - and enlightening as I learn more about myself.

Take off your mask today. Let the world see the real you - you're good enough just as you are.

XO

Adrienne

Sowing & Reaping

I love the fall.  It's such a beautiful time of year, it's much quieter and still than the buzzing sounds of Summer and I'm still always fascinated by the changes in seasons.

As I participated in a bunch of fall activities this weekend, I thought about how it's harvest season.  Farmers had to plant their crops earlier in the year, tend to them all Summer and now is when they see the fruits of their labor.

Sowing and reaping is a natural law of the universe.  It applies to everything in life.  What we sow today we will reap tomorrow.  What we are facing today is a result of what we sowed yesterday.  

If you don't like what is happening in your life currently, you can start to change today by making different decisions.

The problem is in this world of instant gratification and immediacy, we lack the patience of sowing and reaping.  

The good decisions you make today need to be made everyday and tended to in order to reap the benefits you want later.  But when we don't see results, we typically stop making those good decisions.

For example, you know eating dessert isn't good for the energy and vitality you want to create, but you also know eating it won't make you fat tomorrow so you do it.  You don't realize that little decision is eroding the health you're craving in the future.

You procrastinate on something you know is in your best interest, but it's easy not to do it today.

All of these little decisions are so easy not to do because you're not seeing instant results and when we don't, we have trouble believing they're coming.

If you want to create a better future for yourself, you must plant the seeds today, tend to them daily and have patience and faith that it will pay off.

Everyday is your garden - treat it as such.

XO

Adrienne

Write Your Script

Did you know we have an internal, subconscious self-image of ourselves that dictates all of our behavior and results?  This is one of the things I coach on that has been most impactful in my life.  

This internal self-image acts like a thermostat and anytime you try to accomplish something outside of that image, it's just going to bring you right back to where it's set.  Basically you will sabotage yourself to stay congruent to that internal image.

I recently watched the Elvis movie and was so impressed by the acting.  The actor took that script and completely became Elvis.  

When Jim Carrey played Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon, Jim never broke character the entire time he worked on the movie.  He expressed that after the movie was done he didn't know where Andy ended and he began.

We can do the same thing.  We can create a character of who we want to be and then step into that role.  

One of the ways this has been so impactful in my life is when I'm faced with decisions - I can then tune into the version of me I want to be and decide from there.

Does the highest version of Adrienne skip the gym just because she's tired?  No.  Does she skip writing a Monday email because she doesn't feel like it?  No!  Does she put herself out there everyday even when she's scared?  Yes!

The law is Be-Do-Have:  You start by BEING that person, DO the things they would do, then you can HAVE those results. 

XO

Adrienne

Head vs Heart

I just returned back from a two week pilgrimage to Egypt - it was an ineffable experience that I will need to sit with for a while before I can even explain it.

One thing that stood out to me that I immediately noticed and wanted to share about the Egyptian culture is how they operate much more from their hearts versus their head.

From the ancient Egyptians and all I learned about them to everyone I encountered in my travels.

What was so interesting was even in the stores when a sales clerk was helping me with a purchase, they would tell me to hold it in my hands, close my eyes and FEEL what the decision was in order to make a purchase. 

This is so different from how we typically operate in our culture.  We think rationally, logically, very much relying on our intellect to guide us.  Asking ourselves questions like - is this a good deal?  Will I use it?  Is it practical?  Etc.

We’ve become so disconnected from our hearts and our feelings.

If we start to listen, we’ll notice how our heart speaks to us in just a clear yes or no.  Our minds come up with the reasons, justifications and all the other nonsense that comes up when making a decision.

Often times what the heart wants doesn’t make sense, it’s illogical.  So then logic is actually resistance to what’s in our hearts.  

Start tuning into your heart to feel your way into decisions. If something is a yes, do it anyway even if it doesn’t seem logical.  When you start listening to your heart over your head, your life starts to unfold much more effortlessly.

This has been a constant practice for me (and will continue to be) but I’m starting to experience the magic of it.

Try it.

XO

Adrienne

Be Here Now

You've probably heard this phrase before - my guess is so much so it's probably somewhat lost it's meaning.  Be here now, stay in the present, yea yea I get it.

Lately I've been realizing what it really means to be here now - and how much I'm not "here."  I noticed it when I was in the mountains admiring an absolutely stunning view but I was thinking about what I was going to eat for breakfast and what time I should leave to avoid traffic.

Our bodies are in one place but we're all over in our minds.  Our next steps, the past, events of yesterday, what we have to do today, a conversation earlier that day etc.

What we give our attention to is what we give our energy to - so when we're so caught up in the mental projections in our head we're siphoning energy out of the present moment.

I talk about how powerful our minds are but most people don't realize how powerful they are because when your mind is so scattered, your energy is all over the place diminishing its power.

It's not until you can get your mind to that single pointed focus when you can really harness that power - kind of like taking a magnifying glass to the sun.

It can get discouraging at times after all these years of meditation and working on my mindset, that my mind can still run away with itself.  But instead of getting discouraged, I get excited every time I catch my mind drifting. 

Awareness is always the first step to change and when you can become aware you're not present, that's a win.  And because our minds learn more when you celebrate instead of criticize, it helps to retrain your mind to catch yourself more and more.

Be here now.  And notice how much you're not.

XO

Adrienne

Enjoy the Process

If you've been following me for a while, you know I'm always talking about setting a big goal.  Which I do 100% believe in.

But something I tend to forget about is how you must enjoy the process.  I was reminded of this over the weekend when I ran the Golden Leaf half trail marathon in Aspen.

I ran this race in 2018 and it was my goal to run it again after I broke my ankle and had two surgeries over the past three years.  This little goal funnels into my bigger personal goal of being an ultramarathoner trail runner.

The first five miles of my race were a STRUGGLE!!!  My shoes were bothering me and I just wasn't feeling in tip-top shape that morning.  And my mind was going absolutely NUTS.  

I was stressed about my time, comparing myself to the people around me, putting so much pressure on myself and pushing harder and harder even though I wasn't feeling great.

Until I stopped and realized "What the heck was the point of this?!"  I love trail running because I find it to be meditative for me - I clear my mind, get connected to nature and get some of my best ideas when I'm on those runs.  But this was far from enjoyable because of the stress going on in my mind.

If I couldn't enjoy the actual race, what did it even matter if I hit the goal?!  I let go of what the outcome and my time, I ran when I could and walked if I needed a break.  I looked around, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and started using mantras to focus my mind.  

I ended up finishing within my goal time and the second half of the race was MUCH more enjoyable.

It's important to have goals, but don't get so hung up on the destination you forget to enjoy the process because that's really what it's all about.

XO

Adrienne

Mind is Everything

I heard a quote over the weekend that really made me think: "If you were paralyzed from head to toe, but loved every thought you think, you wouldn't have any problems."

Take a moment to contemplate that.

It goes right along with everything I preach about - how it's not what happens to you, but it's what you think about what happens.

It's not that you have a broken arm, or a terrible boss, or an unsupportive spouse - it's that you think it shouldn't be that way and those thoughts make you suffer.

Our minds are incredible and they are powerful beyond what we even know.  The mind is a great servant but a terrible master.  When it serves you, it can bring you peace, joy and anything else you could want.  When it's your master, it's creating havoc in your life.

That's why I truly believe the work I do is so critically important.  Your mind is creating your world.  And if you don't know how to control your mind, it's going to control you.

You can make all the changes you want on the outside - change jobs, relationships, houses etc. but nothing truly changes until you change.  And it all starts with your thinking.

XO

Adrienne

PS...If you're ready to change your life by changing your mind, let's talk.  There's no time like the present.

Impermanence

The Buddha said that impermanence is the root cause of suffering.

As humans, we’re always grasping and clinging wanting things to stay the same.  

But absolutely nothing in life is ever permanent. Everything is always constantly in flux, always changing.

I had an experience with this over the weekend.  I’m currently training for a half trail marathon in a couple weeks.  

I love trail running, it’s something that brings me so much joy and really fills me up.  Not to mention the amazing sense of accomplishment after crushing miles on the trail  at elevation.  

I ran this half marathon in 2018 and in my mind I thought I’d be able to get a similar time.  Well as I’ve been training, I’m a heck of a lot slower than I was then.

A broken ankle, two surgeries and not to mention four years of getting older - why would I expect to run at the same pace?!? 

But somehow we don’t accept that things change and we get frustrated that they can’t always be as they’ve been. 

When we know things will never be exactly the same as they are right now, every moment is another chance to appreciate things.

Let’s embrace the impermanence of this world and use it as a tool to appreciate everything more instead of trying to keep things the same in an ever-changing world.

XO

Adrienne

Honesty

I've recently made a vow of radical honestly - to tell the truth no matter what.  Once I did that, I realized how often I don't.

Honesty is a funny thing.  No one wants to be lied to yet we lie to other people so we don’t hurt their feelings.

Like when someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do and you make up a little white lie as to why you can’t instead of being honest.  Or just say yes to something then stew in resentment about it.

Then there’s the areas where we lie to ourselves.  Tell ourselves we’re happy, things are fine, when we know in our heart that’s not entirely true.  Or that one scoop of ice cream won't break your diet.

Making a vow of honesty means I can't hide behind those little white lies anymore.  It means I have to be OK offending or upsetting someone.  I have to be OK sitting in the uncomfortableness of my own truth.

I don't expect everyone to do this but this is part of my journey to live my most authentic and integral life.  I also need to give myself grace and realize I'm not going to be perfect overnight and this will be a lifetime of work.

Start paying attention to where you aren't being honest.  Be brave and dare to say the thing you think you cannot say.

XO

Adrienne

Success

This is a topic I've been contemplating a lot recently.  What is success and what is my personal definition of success?

Society teaches us that success is making a lot of money, recognition, status, having nice things etc.  But is that true?  I know a lot of people that have those things and are miserable - is that success?!

When I was in my finance career, I had a lot of that but I still wasn't truly happy.  Don't get me wrong, it was nice to be able to buy myself anything and not have to worry about money.  

But basically I used all of that stuff as an escape and it would make me temporarily happy, covering up what I knew in my heart - this job wasn't for me.  I knew I was meant for more.

Success for me now is different.  It's about freedom, service, integrity, being in alignment with what's in my heart.  I'm still working on the definition and uncovering more about how I can be "successful" but it feels more true to me than my old definition.  

I encourage you to ask yourself - what does success mean for you?  I'd love to hear if you're willing to share :)

XO

Adrienne

What You See

As I work on living my most authentic life, I've become acutely aware of how I come across publicly.  Several people have said things to me about what a fun Summer I'm having based off of these emails and my social media.

I definitely am and am so grateful for it.  But I'd also like to share another side.  For everything you see, there's also a lot you don't see. 

My internal struggles around things like: 

-Re-navigating a social life without alcohol
-Worry and doubts that come in around my business 
-Disappointments from dates gone bad
-My weight and image

I know this is true for most people.  For everything we see on the outside from anyone posting or even smiling to our faces and saying "I'm doing great," there's always another side that we don't see.

We've been conditioned to believe that life should be great and happy all the time.  If it's not, then something is "wrong" with us.

That is absolutely not true.  In Buddhism, there is a saying about life bringing 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows - meaning that life is a continuous flux of both.  The more we try to push away the sorrows, the more we're not being true to ourselves and what life wants to bring us.

My work is trying to embrace all of it - both the joys and the sorrows knowing that both are just as fleeting.  When we try to hold on to the joys and push away the sorrows, that's when we create suffering for ourselves.

I felt the need to share this to shed light on the fact that we all struggle.  Even if our lives look fun and glamorous on the outside, there's always things we don't see.  So be kind - for everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.

XO

Adrienne

Being vs Doing

You may know this about me (and I'm typically reluctant to share it) but I am really interested in plant medicines. 

They are incredibly powerful ways to access different parts of your mind for growth and healing.  On Friday I had the honor and privilege to participate in a ceremony that was one of the most beautiful and profound experiences of my life.  

A major theme of the experience was how much I DO.  Endlessly packing my calendar with work, appointments, activities etc. barely ever allowing myself to rest.  I saw how when I just BE and do nothing, I feel unworthy in a way.  Like I have to be constantly proving myself and earning my keep in this world.

Where does this come from?!  It seems like it's conditioned in so many of us.

What I learned is that it's ok to just BE sometimes.  To drop the struggle and effort and just let yourself do what feels good.  Let go of the FOMO or constant nagging "shoulds" that fill my mind when I relax or do something unproductive.  

We all are inherently worthy and don't have to prove ourselves with accomplishments and things.

To that end, I may not always send these messages out every Monday.  While I do find a lot of joy in writing these and they can be very therapeutic for me, if one day it doesn't, I'm not going to force it.  I am giving myself permission to BE and listen to what my heart and body want and need.

I hope you understand and also do the same for yourself.

XO

Adrienne

Booze Free Living

Life is different since I’ve taken a pause from drinking (8+ months and counting).  I can be so much more present to my life in every moment.  
 

I thought certain situations would be difficult for me like going to concerts but it turns out it hasn’t been.  It makes for a deeper, more intimate experience with myself and whatever I’m doing. 
 

At the Kenny Chesney concert this past weekend (yes, another concert) I was surrounded and squeezed in with people in the pit.  I felt every sensation - my feet hurting from standing in cowboy boots for 8 hours, sweat rolling down my back, smells of booze from the crowd, emotions bubbling up when some of my favorite songs came on etc. etc. 
 

You would think this would make me cave or even just to leave but it’s quite the opposite.  I feel so alive!  I’ve been training myself to breathe through and soak it all in, not judge anything as good or bad, just accept everything that happens.
 

It’s certainly not easy but I’m learning.


People frequently ask me if I am done with alcohol for good and it’s hard to say.  Honestly it’s extremely daunting thinking about never having a drink again.

So my answer is it’s my decision for now.  I’m proud of how far I’ve come and I recommit to this decision everyday.  I know each booze-free day is a brick in the life I want - one of presence, discipline and my best self.

XO

Adrienne

PS...If you don't already, I'd appreciate follows on social media!  Links to all my pages below.  Your support means more than you know!

Live Like You Were Dying

I love music and going to concerts is one of my favorite things to do, which is why I am beyond happy that they are back!  Over the weekend I went to two :)

I have very mystical experiences at concerts - something about the music that really moves me, the energy of the crowd and seeing musicians completely immersed in their craft all culminate to a deeply profound adventure for me.

During one of the concerts, I had the thought "What if this was my last concert ever?"  

In Buddhism, there is a practice of regularly contemplating your death.  

It sounds morbid but actually it's beautiful.  We walk around never thinking about our death, denying that it's ever going to happen.  When you keep death and the fleeting-ness of this life in the forefront of your mind, you start to experience everything differently, more deeply.

What if this was your last day?  The last time you saw this friend/loved one?  Last walk in the park, ice cream cone, concert?  Whatever it is.

You would savor everything a bit more, wouldn't you?!  

Death is certain.  It could be in 50 years, it could be tomorrow.  We have no idea.  The only thing we can do is live each day like it's our last.

Take that risk, forgive that person, make sure your people know you love them - treat each day like the gift that it is.

XO

Adrienne

Flow

Few things fill me up more than getting out in nature.  It's why I try to spend as much time as possible in the mountains.  

This past weekend I spent in beautiful Steamboat Springs.  Saturday afternoon I rented a tube and floated down the magnificent Yampa River that runs right through town.

As I work on going more with the flow and letting go of control, this was a perfect experience to remind me.

Sometimes there are obstacles you have to maneuver around, sometimes the water is choppy, sometimes it's fast and you're flying by and other times it's moving painfully slowly.  Sometimes you get stuck in a stagnant part and you have to exert a lot of effort to get out.

If you try to go upstream, it's a waste of energy and will just exhaust you.  When you can relax and let the river take you, the ride is much more enjoyable.

If we pay attention, life is always trying to teach us something.  What is yours trying to teach you?

XO

Adrienne