A Delicious State of Mind...IS YOUR CHOICE!

"If people would just stay out of my business"

"When I get my money straight, I'm going to get my life in order"

"I am a mother, work full time and have children, my life is too busy to take care of me"

"I can't afford a life coach but I sure do need one."

"There's a great book I want to buy but I don't have the money"

"I want to change my life but I don't know where to begin"

"I can't quit my job and start a business, how will I survive?"
BLAH BLAH BLAH, YADDY YADDY YAH! (excuses disguised as reasons)

Maybe you've heard this and maybe you say this. Sorry! These are reasons dripping with excuses. Now, I know there may be an element of truth in the statements and it may feel very real to you, these reasons (excuses).



YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DO IF YOU CHOOSE.

YOU CAN FIND A WAY TO GET WHAT YOU WANT IF YOU CHOOSE.

YOU CAN DEFY OBSTACALES IF YOU CHOOSE.

IF ANY OF THE ABOVE ARE YOUR REASONS THEY ARE ALSO YOUR CHOICE.

A delicious life has no room for excuses. Either you choose to live the most spectacular life you can imagine or you choose to live the life you are living. Everybody has challenges, obstacles and fears yet some people get up and fight despite their circumstances where others lay down, wallow and refuse to get up.

THE KEYS TO THE SWEET LIFE ARE WITHIN YOU!


A delicious life is no mystery, in fact you can start living deliciously right now if you choose. So how do you begin?

1. Decide exactly how you want to BE in life and how you want to LIVE in life.
2. Make a plan with SMART goals and take baby steps to reach or exceed your goals.
3. Get a coach, mentor or create a dream team to help you make your dreams a reality.
4. Stop whining, complaining and fearing your way through life.
5. Take responsibility for your thoughts, feelings, actions and responses.
6. Get those negative people out of your life, period.
7. Quit singing the same ole pity pity pity song. If you keep talking about the same drama in your life you'll keep getting the same drama in your life.
8. If you are engaging with people who suck you dry, get on your nerves or make you upset and you are complaining about it, you must like it because you keep engaging in it. Cut them loose, let them go and get over it and get on with your life.
9. Stop talking about what you are going to do and do it.
10. Believe that you can and be successuful at doing it.
11. Stop saying you can't afford something and figure out a way to get what you really want. (are you willing to give up getting your nails and hair done to get it?)
12. Quit blaming other people. You are living the life you live because of your OWN thoughts and actions.
13. Fight for what you believe in and don't give up until you are victorious.
14. Take action, seize the moment and do what you know you need to do!
15. Stop making excuses. Excuses are the doorway sure to lead you to failure.

These sassy tips are the truths you may not be ready to hear yet if you use these tips I guarantee you will create and live a delicious life on your own terms. Now, the choice is yours. Will you choose to keep your life on layaway or will you choose to step in your personal power and create and live your life outloud?



CHOOSE TODAY AND BE SURE TO CHOOSE WISELY! A delicious life is waiting for you, what are you waiting for?

Tell The "Little Princess to Take a Hike"

There is a little princess in all of us, and there is a full-grown woman as well. The little princess is our “girl” self who sometimes overshadows the full-grown woman and can become our own demise. When these two parts of us are out of line, we ultimately are living incongruently or out of balance. Let's talk about the little girl or princess who lives within us as women. She is often immature, self-centered, envious, catty, controlling, whiny, and insecure. Think back to your younger adoescent days of middle and high school. Can you recall the cliques and how girls betrayed, preyed upon, an ostracized other girls?

I too once was involved in those types of shenanigans and recall the pain and misery I felt and caused on occasion. Those were moments of transformation as we tried to figure out who we were and where we stood in the world of other people and especially other females. I remember judging other girls by how they looked, what they did, and who they hung out with, and knowing that I too was under that same social microscope. Although I was generally pretty authentic and a leader versus a follower, I too fell victim to and perpetrator of the “mean girl” syndrome. Through my personal transformation I realized there is no place for the little princess or the mean girl syndrome in my life. Yet, as you may have discovered, there are plenty of grown (in age) women who still allow this way of living and engaging to permeate their lives.

Let me back up and explain what I mean by girl versus woman. Think back to your middle school and high school days. You can probably recall incidents when you or other girls participated in the “mean girl” games. You know what I am talking about: the gossiping, snickering, leaving certain girls out, judging and classifying other girls, cliques against cliques, and so on. I believe we all know and have either been the victim or perpetrator in these types of games. Now, think about how the victims must have felt and how nasty and emotionally draining this type of behavior was. Those were girl behaviors. At this point in your life, ideally you have graduated from the school of girlhood and emerged as a full-grown, whole woman.


Unlike a girl, a woman is confident in her own skin. She’s satisfied with who she is, no matter what titles and credentials she does or does not hold. She doesn’t take everything personally, knows her core values and lives by them, and treats other with kindness and respect. What another woman wears, what she looks like, and whether she is pretty or not does NOT matter to a woman, because a woman sees the souls of other women not their outward definitions. I could continue, but you get the picture. A woman does not play those schoolgirl games.

These “mean girl” games continue to show up in our lives and careers today. If you’ve recently said or thought “Who does she think she is?” you may still have traces of “girl” flowing through your veins. The little princess (girl) inside wants all the attention, gets emotional when things don’t go her way, pouts and maybe even cries at the drop of a hat, thinks the world should revolve around her etc. The little princess wants the best Barbie, has to be the mommy or teacher when playing games, gets jealous when her friends play with other friends—and the scenarios continue. Okay, now for the point of all this: Who wants to be around someone like the little princess? Who wants to hire or promote her? Who wants to date her? Who wants to be on her team? I may be going out on a limb here, but I would say “No one!”

The little princess in you still functions from a place of insecurity and false feelings of superiority. On rare occasions she shows up in my life; however, I have intentionally told her to go take a hike and get out of my way so the whole, full-grown, mature woman in me can reign. Yes, in my queendom there is absolutely no room for the little princess—only the queen diva (Divine, Inspirational, Vibrant, Aspiring) sister in me rules my space. What I know to be true is that the little princess causes many women to live an incongruent life. The little princess is alive and kicking on the inside, yet often women will try to portray something else to the world. A full-grown woman—a savvy woman—lives in balance and has declared dominion over her queendom with no tolerance for the little princess’ existence.

You may be wondering by now if your little princess shows up in your life more than you want her to or whether you would be classified as a full-grown, whole woman. The following are characteristics of women (people) who are living congruently, in balance and harmony.

· Your outer self mirrors your inner self and vice versa.

· The person you display to the world is the same person you are in private.

· You give yourself as much as you give others.

· You do what you say you will do.

· You display internal and external consistency throughout all aspects of life.

· You are perceived as sincere by others.

· You can be authentically yourself, despite the situation or the company you keep.

· You are transparent…people see the real you.

· Others have described you by saying, “What you see is what you get.”

What I know for sure is that the little princess has or does live in all women despite race or ethnicity. If we as women are going to truly master "supporting one another" we must tell the little princess to take a hike so the full grown woman can emerge and soar! I encourage you to check yourself to see if the little princess is reigning in your life and how she may be not only impacting your relationships with other women but your relationships in general.

**Excerpt from Delicious! The Savvy Woman's Guide to Living a Sweet, Sassy and Satisfied Life (Chapter 11) http://www.catricemjackson.com



Visit the website to download Chapter 11 and enjoy Chapter 14 in the attachment below!

Delicious Living Tip #11

A savvy woman is a whole woman: a woman who is committed to letting go of the little princess within.

The Scent of a Woman...

Have you ever said "wow, he/she smells good when someone enters or exits the room?" When you live deliciously, you get that same response about your soul scent! What's your life fragrance say about you?

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE AMAZING SCENT OF A DELICIOUS WOMAN!



I have mastered the art of deciphering peoples' soul scent. Often in one engagement I can tell if they are funky, refreshing, sweet, musty or alluring. People get so caught up into themselves that they rarely pay attention to the silent messages they send with the scent of their soul.

Fancy clothes, expensive perfume, diamonds, physical characteristics and other outer adornments can NEVER mask the scent of one's soul. You know who I am talking about, those folks who glitter, sparkle and shine but are sour on the inside... It's these folks who I prefer not to spend too much time with and instead would prefer a plain looking person whose scent is fresh, sweet, and captivating.

But let's get to the point! Are YOU one of these folks? Do you look good but smell sour? Do you sound smart but are musty on the inside? Do you have a lot of money yet ooze with bitterness?


A Delicious woman's soul scent is like the cover of a fabulous book! This scent is the "thing" that attracts people to you, it's the the silent message that makes people say "wow, who is she, I want to more about her, I want to do business with her, I want to be in her presence." Having a delicious soul scent is NOT about attracting men (but can if that's what you desire) its ALL about how she moves through the world with ease and grace captivating the hearts, minds and souls of people.



A Delicious soul scent affords you to...
1. Love the skin you are in.
2. Enter and exit the world with power, passion, presence and purpose.
3. Let the world know YOU ARE HERE, you have value and you matter.
4. Occupy space comfortably and confidently.
5. Be anywhere, anytime and with anyone, hold your own or stand out.
6. Be fearless in spirit.
7. Know that you can do anything you choose and be successful.
8. Get what you want with little resistance.
9. Impact the lives of other people.
10. Make it happen instead of watching it happen or letting it happen.


Your soul scent is concocted in your mind and oozes into your spirit. Everything that you take into your consciousness blends together to create your soul scent or life fragrance. So if your mind is filled with junk your soul scent is highly likely to be rotten! Think about it... if a woman thinks she is smart, loving, talented, compassionate and joyful...what kind of scent is she likely to give off?

If a woman thinks and believes she is ugly, poor, clumsy, uninteresting what kind of scent is she going to exude? Now... just because you have "good qualities" about you (i.e smart, wealthy and attractive for example) doesn't mean your life fragrance will be sweet. The BEST scent is a combination of how you feel about yourself and how you perceive others (people in general). A delicious soul scent is a fabulous blend of loving you and loving other people.

5 Ways to Sweeten Up Your Soul Scent:

1. Change the way you think about yourself. Stop putting yourself down, not believing in yourself and allowing negative thoughts to fester in your mind.

2. Change all negative thoughts into positive affirmations. That means change all the negative messages to ones that emphasize the great things about you.

3. Stop letting others infuse you with negativity. Get rid of the toxic people in your life right now! Associate and hang out with people who are optimistic, joyful, and motivated to live better, love stronger and spiritually climb higher.

4. Show off your strengths and work on your limitations. Be proud of who you are and embrace your imperfections. Do the best and be the best you can be and don't worry about the rest. Just live and love your life on your own terms. People will always have something to say about you, let them talk about how you are living life based upon your own standards.

5. Pour unlimited sweet resources into you. You should be investing in you by giving your time, money, energy and resources to become your best self from the inside out. Don't be cheap and settle for a generic life, you are a name brand woman and you deserve the BEST that life has to offer. Get a coach, take some classes, read some self-help books, pray, meditate, refresh your image, do whatever it takes to absolutely transform your life from the inside out.

THINK ABOUT IT THE NEXT TIME YOU WALK INTO A ROOM OR MEET A NEW PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME...What lingering, captivating and refreshing scent do you want to enter and exit the room with?

IT'S UP TO YOU...


If you are a little musty, you might need, Catriceology! Get yourself some and learn how to spritz a captivating scent wherever you go!

A Box of Sassy Chocolates...

Sometimes you just got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. Living the sweet life is like a box of chocolates... some of them you devour and others you throw away....

Besides self (often the biggest obstacle to fulfilled living)other people will keep you from living to your full potential and will serve as distractions to you creating a living a satisfying life.

It's up to you... hold 'em or fold 'em, savor the flavor or toss them out...

THIS IS WHAT A SASSY AND SAVVY WOMAN WOULD DO...

5 Cards to discard... (things/people to get rid of)


1. Negative naggers: Those who always have something negative to say and who choose not to see the silver lining in clouds.

2. Doubtful naysers: Those who say they believe but their actions say just the opposite.

3. Lying leeches: Those that only want to be with you for what you have and bring to the table but do not contribute to the feast.

4. Blind Betty's: Those who refuse to focus on revealing and living out the purpose for their lives. Those who refuse to see and believe in your vision.

5. Presto Chango's: Those who do not live authentically. Those who change who they are depending who they are with.

If you want a winning hand (life) you've got to fold and discard these folks. The sooner you do, the faster your life will begin to transform into one that is purposed and rewarding.

5 Chocolates to toss out!


1. Moping Maple: Those folks who are always down and out, never happy and always complaining about life.

2. Crybaby Cherry: Those folks who are constantly whining, blaming and talking about how unfair life is.

4. Hating Hazelnut: Those folks who deep inside do not want you to be successful. Those folks who smile in your face and talk about you behind your back. Those folks who are connected to you only to be nosey and or steal your dreams.

5. Drama Delight: Those folks who always got some mess going on. Those folks who never let you talk about you because they are too busy telling you all the drama in their life.

If you are like me, I know you've bit into a chocolate before and thought "no, I don't like that one." Well, I'm sure you've taken a bite out of a few folks and thought the same yet somehow you keep nibbling on their nasty flavor. Spit them out! You must learn how to read the label before you take a bite next time. The sooner you learn how to do this the faster you can savor the flavor of the sweet and tasty chocolates (people) in life.

Tune in next time to learn how to intuitively read the labels of people before you indulge...

What will your DELICIOUS legacy be?

Now is the time to make history! What will your legacy be and can it be as phenomenal and profound and the King Of Pop/ Michael Jackson? One thing is for sure MJ had, knew and used his divine gift to inspire, entertain, uplift and the world. I believe he still had much more to give to the world yet it was time for him to rest in peace. I am grateful to have experienced the power of his electrifying and powerful gift of song... Rest in Peace Michael, forever the King you will be!

What does your life have to do with the life of Michael Jackson's?



YOU are here for a divine reason and your gift is to be shared, not dreamt about and or hoarded for your own glory. EVERYONE HAS A GIFT...yet many do not open it up and share it with the world. YOUR GIFT IS WAITING TO BE UNWRAPPED...and the gift is YOU!

Michael's legacy will live on until the end of time and in years to come he will be remembered for the impact he made in the lives of people. Your legacy is waiting to be created and YOU NEED TO GET BUSY RIGHT NOW making it happen! You can do one of two things: 1. Keep wallowing in pity, self-doubt, confusion and fear OR 2. Get up from the pity pot, know you are great, unwrap that gift and share it with the world to make a difference; to elevate the human spirit. It's that simple, now choose what you are gonna do...

Michael's songs and legacy serve as an extraordinary framework for how to live your life more deliciously, to live your life with a purpose to serve the world... to live your life out-loud and absolutely phenomenal!



1. The delicious life will require you to tell some people to "beat it." That's right to eliminate some negative, naysaying and hating people from your life. If you choose to keep these type of folks around your life will be miserably unfulfilled. Discover who they are and tell them to "beat it."



2. The delicious life requires you to know, accept and embrace your greatness! You are divinely and perfectly made. So quit trying be like everyone else, quit trying to live your life based on someone else's standards, quit trying to show up in the world with masks on. I cannot stress enough how you MUST strive to be authentic every single moment of your life. Be you, accept you, do you and love you! And yes... you are a Pretty Young Thing!



3. The delicious life requires you to be sassy, savvy and satisfied. Be sassy, discover your "it" and work it. Be savvy, stay on top of your game, master your craft, be innovative, be fresh, be confident and wise. Be satisfied, love the skin you are in because it's phenomenally yours. You are an original quit trying to be a carbon-copy, it just doesn't look good on you! Be smooth...live your life with ease and grace... BEND BUT NEVER ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME BROKEN!



4. The delicious life requires you to be scrumptious! Um huh, sweet, flavorful, juicy, fresh, delightful, spicy, savory, tantalizing and decadent. All that means is to become of woman of presence. Presence is a powerful source of social capital. Women with presence captivate others without saying a word, she connects with people with ease and grace, she is interesting, wity, captivating, charismatic and powerful. This has NOTHING to do with how you look or dress its all about your power to magnitize what you want and build deep lasting relationships with other people. Let's face it scrumptious women get what they want... It's time to release your juicy goodness and "thrill em" and make 'em say wow!




5. The delicious life requires you to be relentless and NEVER give up! A delicious woman knows what she wants and is tenacious about getting it. Whatever it is that you want or desire in life you have to be willing to do what it takes to make it happen, to win, to be victorious, to be an undefeated champion! Life will always throw curve balls your way, but when you keep your eye on the ball and swing with all your might you will hit it out of the park! Be mindful to know that what you want for your life and what God has in store for your life are two different things. If you want to live with more ease, grace and joy be sure that your dream is in alignment with God's plans for your life. When you live on purpose your provisions will be exceeded. So envision it, create it, do it and receive it! NEVER give up and "don't stop til you get enough."


YOUR TIME IS NOW...

Discover your purpose and passion...
Get rid of the people who do not support and or believe in you...
Unwrap YOU and share it with the world...
Discover and release your juicy goodness...
Be and live with presence, power, and purpose...
Discover your it, master it, love it and share it...
Be ready to bend but never allow yourself to be broken...
Never, I mean NEVER give up... you deserve to live a fulfilled, satisfying, purpose-filled and delicious life!

Make 2010 the year you stop settling and begin expecting nothing but greatness and excellence...

Get your copy of Delicious: The Savvy Woman's Guide to Living a Sweet, Sassy and Satisfied Life for the blueprint and recipes for living the delicious life today!

MAKE THIS YEAR THE YEAR YOU BEGIN TO CREATE A DELICIOUS LEGACY OF UPLIFTING, EMPOWERING AND INSPIRING OTHERS...!

HAPPY NEW YEAR...YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED.

3 Reasons to Embrace Your New Season of Deliciousness!

3 Reasons to Embrace Your New Season of Deliciousness!

It's time to transition into a new season of your life and not just a new moment in time but also the experience of a new "flavor" of life. I'm sure you don't like bland tasting food, so why settle for a bland life. You know the power of simply adding salt and pepper to a dish, yet many won't sprinkle the same zest into their lives. It's time for you to discover the sweet and savory spices in your soul pantry and use them to whip up the most delicious life you can imagine.

As you begin to prepare for a new season, consider adding some spice to your life! There are three fundamental reasons to embrace this new season approaching and to create a scrumptious recipe for the most irresistibly delicious life that you can imagine.

Life is to be lived not dreamed about.

LIVE IN THE NOW MOMENT!

Please do one thing for YOU... just live your life. Take your life off of layaway, dust it off, polish it up and begin living with no regrets and limitations. Stop waiting for the right moment to leave your job, start a business, travel the world, or write that book. Just Do It! Tomorrow is not promised so take action in the right now moment to live and love your life.


Life is to be fulfilling not scarce.

LIVE A FULFILLING LIFE!

If you are not living the sweet life you can. Don't worry about whether your life looks like someone else's do your own thing. Create your own rules and live your life by your own standards and definition. People are always going to have something to say about what you do so let them talk about how you are fearlessly living your life. A lived life is a fulfilling life and you get to decide how your vessel is filled...

Life is to be shared not hoarded.

LIVE TO GIVE!

The greatest gift is our ability and spirit to give. The more you give the more you receive. The key is to give unselfishly without expecting anything in return. Another key is to give from the heart and to perform random acts of kindness.

Here are a few to get you started:

1. The next time you get your latte buy one for the person behind you in line.

2. Send a thank you card to someone you love, especially someone who lives in your house.

3. The next time you buy a book buy two and give one to a friend.

4. Make an extra dozen cookies, wrap them up and give them to a next door neighbor or a colleague at work.

5. Blog about someone you've never met who has made an impact in your life.

6. Give someone you love an unexpected hug and make it last for at least 2 minutes.

SIMPLE BUT PROFOUND....

It doesn't matter what you do or how much it costs as long as it comes from the heart and is intended to make someone smile!

You are appreciated and I am looking forward to helping you live irresistibly delicious in 2010! Be sure to bring the Living the Delicious Life Tour to your city.

Get a sneak peek at what's cooking at Catriceology for 2010!

Wishing You a Delicious New Season in Life in the New Year and Beyond

9 Enlightening Moments of 2009

Wow! What a year and I have learned so much. 2009 was a year of truimphs and valley moments. A bittersweet year of lessons, revelations, spiritual awakening and emotional challenges. The "aha" moments I experienced are sure to make 2010 a year of new beginnings and transformation. I cannot count the lessons I've learned this year but there are 9 moments that are clear as day. 9 moments I want to share with you in hopes you find the golden nugget to use as you plan for a new and exciting 2010.


The 9 Most Enlightening Moments of 2009!

#9 When things get tight, rough and uncertain your real friends are there. The people who care about you the most will be in the eye of the storm with you and not complain about it. Who was with you in your dark moments this year? Keep them close to you.

#8 Never say never. Just when you think it couldn't happen to you it does. A few things happened in my life this year that I thought NEVER would. A few of them took my breath away, yet I was able to exhale again, see the lesson and have become a wiser, stronger and more resilent woman because of them. What did you learn from your valley moments?

#7 Love is a powerful source of energy. When times got tough, my love for God, life, self and family kept me. When I leaned on love, I was embraced, comforted and confirmed. When people say "love is all you need" oh how much truth is in that statement. How much did you love this year and did it keep you?

#6 Closed doors lead to open highways. I intentionally closed many doors this year. Doors of pain, doors of uncertainty, doors of fear and even doors of friendship. I was amazed at how much lighter my spirit was when these doors closed. I was able to open new doors and have new doors flung open unto me. Everything and person has a season in your life. What doors do you need to close before the new year rings in? What doors do you need to kick down and step boldly into in 2010?

#5 When things get tough, get creative. I am going into my 3rd year of full-time entrepreneurship and am giving God all the glory for my success. There were a few moments where I wondered, "should I go back to work?" and everytime God confirmed with an "absolutely NOT, I have work for you to do." Through faith, creativity and ingenuity I surpassed the challenges and came out victorious! Instead of letting fear consume me I tapped into my creative gifts and made sweet lemonade out of the lemons life dropped in my lap. How did you creatively thrive this year?

#4 Everybody is not in your corner. I am getting better at intuitively knowing who is who. I can sense when people are good for me or not and this has helped reduce the let downs that one can experience when they put their stock into people. Everyone has a motive for why they are connected to you. Many are genuinely interested in you and supporting you yet others are just there to suck the life out of you and steal your dreams and joy. How often did you listen to that wise intuitive voice?

#3 The good life is now. Tomorrow is not promised so live in this moment and savor all the experiences of right now living. Plan for the next day but relish in what is taking place in your life right now. Slow down, be still, get quiet and just BE. I spent more time in the second half of the year "being" instead of doing. Trusting instead of worrying and as a result my faith has grown tremendously. Did you spend most of your time doing or being in 2009?

#2 I can do anything I put my heart, mind and soul into. As this year ends I feel blessed and proud of what I have accomplished on all levels. Everything I set out to do in 2009 I have done it except for 2 things. Those two things are at the top of my list for 2010 and beyond. I did not fail, I simply just did not put enough energy into those things. What you give energy to grows! Did you accomplish what you set out to this year?

#1 Fear is just an illusion! Fear keeps you stuck, immobilized, uncertain, stagnant and in contemplation mode. I faced many fears this year and was victorious. I still have one major fear to work through and know that with faith and baby steps of action I too will be the victor. If you are really ready to live life to the fullest you must begin to stare your fears in the face and say "bring it on." Once you face and conquer your fears you realize they were ridiculous to begin with. I fear nothing. I know what my God has in store for me and I am fearlessly ready to receive his outpouring of prosperity and abundance. Did you let your fears steal your joy and dreams this year?

These 9 enlightening moments were more valuable than gold. I know for sure that I have 9 golden nuggets to take into 2010 and cash in on my rewards. I am wiser, stronger, more faithful, more discerning, more clear and focused. I am open to whatever life puts on my path for I know that greatness and victory are already mine. I fear nothing and am ready for 2010 to be the beginning of a decade of God's favor and blessings. I will do MORE than win in 2010, I expect to be an undefeated champion!

I clearly and vividly see my destiny... and boy does it look sweet!

Celebrate the great moments of this year, learn from the setbacks and vow to evolve into a phenomenal woman, a winner, a champion, a faithful servant of God's will for your life. When you live on purpose your provisions WILL be exceeded. Do what you love, live life on your own terms and do not settle for nothing less than divine greatness!



Happy Delicious New Year!