On January 2nd, 2009, I walked into my office and was met with a harsh reality—almost no billing in my business. The market crash of 2008 had finally caught up with me, and I felt the weight of it all at once.

I allowed myself to feel it. I mourned, screamed, cried, and asked, Why me? But after letting those emotions run their course, I made a conscious decision—I wasn’t going to let this storm define me. Instead, I was going to soar above it.

The new year is here—a blank canvas, a fresh chapter waiting for you to write your story. What will this year mean for you? What dreams will you bring to life?

Are you starting to feel angry, suffocated, or ready to kick something? I hear you as I’m right there with you! But this hard time we’re all going through is also giving us an amazing opportunity to both flex and build our resilience muscles. And here’s why that’s so important …

Over the holidays, I was tucked up, all warm and cozy under my plush blanket watching Netflix. The next thing I knew, a mean little voice popped up in my head and started yelling at me, “Get up! What’s wrong with you? Stop being lazy! Do something productive instead.” But then I remembered a fabulous quote from Brene Brown:

I know holidays can be a very stressful time of year. Things get hectic with those packed end-of-year schedules, the parties, the shopping, the cooking, and the added financial obligations. When stress is high, it’s easy to feel fatigued and your patience typically runs low.

I remember being so excited to go to Kmart and pick out my Halloween costume complete with a plastic mask. But as adults, wearing a mask isn’t always fun. Many of us choose to wear a wide range of “masks” in real life to hide who we really are because we’re scared to show people our true selves.

Imagine this: you’re relaxing on a serene beach with your friend. The water is crystal clear, the sand a powdery white and the sky the perfect shade of blue. You’re on cloud nine and super excited because you’re just about to share some exciting news with her. You turn to her and say …

I went through something this past weekend that really brought that home to me how resilient our minds are. I want to share it with you in the hopes it may help when your darkness comes calling.

I got a call from someone recently who was super angry. She called because she wanted me to ‘walk her off the ledge’ and prevent her calling someone who had been talking badly about her. She knew exactly what I was going to say because it’s something I’ve worked very hard to implement in my own life. And it’s this:

There’s a place many of us get stuck in and I call it the ‘uncomfortable comfortable’. Being stuck there for too long has some dire consequences, but there is a way to get out. Here’s how.

Growing up, I often heard stories about how hard life was, how hard it was to get ahead, how hard you had to work to have what you want. So hard in fact that by the time you were done, you didn’t have the energy to enjoy your achievements!

Beginning something new is exciting, be it a job, a project or a relationship. But it can also be terrifying. It's no wonder then that you start to hear an annoying, ugly and almost-suffocating voice in your head (in Dolby Stereo!) - telling you how badly you suck; how you don’t have what it takes; how you’re not good enough to love etc.

Have you ever been so excited about an idea or a big dream and shared it with family and friends only to have them look at you like you’re out of your mind? It’s pretty crushing isn’t it? Well, I’m here to tell you that if you have a dream, you are NOT out of your mind! Here’s why …

Many of my coaching clients face relationship challenges. Usually they feel like they aren’t being heard, seen, supported or appreciated. You’re probably nodding your head right now having experienced at least one of these feelings! But there are a few things you can do to work on your relationships and ensure you move forward into a place of love, rather than darkness.

We are all multi-faceted, multi-passionate beings. And by that I mean there’s a variety of interests (or passions) that fire us. Some are super strong, while others burn a little less but no matter the strength, they make up who we are.

You can’t do it all - or can you?

So many of us live in the past and worry about the future. In doing so, we completely miss the joy in the now. To be able to focus on the good stuff, it’s crucial you learn how to let go of the past …

Have you ever heard about the concept of ‘divine timing’? It centers on the notion that everything happens at precisely the time it’s meant to. However, as we’re all creatures of the ego, we want things to happen when and how we want them to and when they don’t, it upsets us. But things really don’t work that way. Here’s why …

We’ve all been there – you’re at a party or an event and you approach someone but they give you the cold shoulder. It hurts, doesn’t it? It leaves you wondering what you did wrong to deserve such disrespect. It’s happened to me and it used to bother me so much that it ruined my entire day. Sometimes I even stewed on it bitterly for the whole week, creating stories in my mind about what I did wrong. What an utter WASTE of energy and time!

Do you have a default complain button? You know the one where you moan about things that aren’t going right? If so, you aren’t alone. So many of us are hard-wired to complain. We often do it without even realizing and guess what? It becomes a habit. And it’s not a great one.

I like being a busy bee but sometimes it all gets really overwhelming. I always have so many projects on my list (be it at home or work) that when I look it at, I freak out thinking ‘OMG, how am I going to get all of this done? It’s too much and too hard!’. The freak out produces one unfortunate outcome – I don't actually end up getting much done at all! Sound familiar?

Have you ever been hurt or betrayed by someone and then been told to just let it go and forgive them? Like me, your first reaction was probably something along the lines of “What do you mean just forgive? How can I? That person did me wrong and you want me to forgive just like that? Hell no! I want my justice!”

Happy New Year!!! Yes, I am a bit late as we are already almost a month in but I hope you’ll forgive me as this year, the holidays were a bit hectic. I didn’t have as much time to recharge as I usually do which brings me to the topic of this post: how you can use the New Year to focus on YOU and get your energy back!

Not too long ago, I was listening to Steve Harvey’s audiobook Act Like A Success, Think Like A Success and one chapter really struck a chord with me. He talked about how to respond to negative comments from others. His advice was … you don’t respond at all! Later that week …

Aside from Dare to Achieve, I also run a successful staffing agency. One of the questions on our employment application is “What is your greatest motivation in life?”. The answer is almost always - my family and friends. It’s rare for some to write money, work or material things. While family and friends are the most important thing to us, those relationships can also be the most challenging.

Putting yourself in a healthy situation does wonders for your overall wellbeing. But have you ever thought about how a stressful situation can be good for you too? Before you do a double-take and say ‘Grace, are you CRAZY?’, let me show you how you can make good out of a bad situation and learn a valuable lesson along the way.

I’d like to share this short, yet very inspiring video in the hopes it will help you see how the small positive decisions you make each day get you closer to what you want.

“I don’t have enough time in the day to get it all done!”

I’ve heard this one over and over from many of my clients. But you know what I say back? I offer them this profound quote from H. Jackson Brown Jr …

“Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent greater benefit,” Napoleon Hill

Everyone goes through dark and difficult times. They are an inevitable part of life. But how we deal with them - and most importantly what we learn - is key to moving forward and getting back on track.

Why is it that so many of us have such a hard time delegating? Is it because we truly believe we can do it better ourselves? Or it is a trust thing – will others really follow through with what we delegate?

"I'm rubber, you're glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!"

You’ve heard that one before right? It’s an old saying that as kids we use to shout back to someone who was insulting or teasing us. It basically says whatever you call me doesn’t stick to me, it bounces right back to you instead! While this saying has negative overtones, its basic premise is the same as one of the important laws of the universe …

The human body is an amazing feat of engineering and we can do any number of things to increase its efficiency. Take, for example, the over 800 muscles in our body. We know that if we go to the gym and lift weights, we’ll build muscle mass. The more we visit the gym, the more iron we pump, the faster our muscles will grow and get stronger.

Gratitude is a powerful process for shifting your energy and bringing more of what you want into your life. Be grateful for what you already have and you will attract more good things. ~ The Secret, Rhonda Byrne

Gratitude is a simple concept – it’s all about taking the time to acknowledge the wonderful things in your life and truly appreciate them. When was the last time you stopped and did this? If you’re like many of us, you may not even be able to remember!

How many times have you set a goal only to encounter endless road blocks in achieving it? Or you’ve been working super hard on a project but anything and everything that can go wrong does and you end up frustrated, stuck and more-than-a-little burnt out?