Hi. My name is Mo. I believe in the power of positive energy and intuition. I believe when you tune into energy it leads you to the answers you are seeking and ultimately, the life you want to create. I'm a no nonsense, practical, grounded soul and if you want to cultivate greater awareness of energy, then start reading.
With the New Year, we all try to create better habits because we all want to be our best selves. This usually involves compiling a list of things that we wish we would do but don’t, whether it be short lived or not. Then, we ultimately feel bad because we have created unrealistic expectations. What if we forget about the New Year’s resolutions and instead live by doing that thing that feeds/nourishes you. These are the signs: it brings you joy, makes time nonexistent, is calming or grounding, and opens your heart. It’s the thing that your friends or family can tell you is emphatically a part of who you are –it’s the one thing you do that helps to keep your life feel balanced.
For instance, I know the one thing that empowers my best friend is swimming. It always has. When she swims, she goes into a place of balance; for my brother, it’s playing the guitar and singing; for another, it’s cooking. For me, it’s doing creative tasks, especially writing. I took my first oil painting class in college and I would get lost in time. Two hours went by and it felt like 20 minutes- nothing else existed. The same happens when I write. There is always at least one thing in your life that does this for you- it appears to stop time and keeps you present. When we are present, we become centered, opening our hearts. From this place, it creates space in our lives to make change.
What is the thing that does this for you?
Don’t worry about implementing or keeping new habits for the New Year that will likely fall to the wayside. Instead, focus on refilling your inner well with the things that feed you. Make it a priority to do so on a regular basis, despite the demands of your life. For instance, I must write on a regular basis to refill my well. If I don’t write, I feel like something is missing, I’m internally off balance- my day doesn’t have the same kick to it. An expression of myself is lost because it is my form of meditation. If I can meditate on top of my writing, it’s a bonus, but my number one thing is my writing. No matter how many times I read how wonderful it is to sit down and meditate, writing is my number one priority. What’s yours?
Do what is right for you.
What gives you peace and empowers you to feel your best self? This is your own personal meditation. Do it on a regular basis, don’t neglect it. Push the other “important” things you have to get done to the side in order to do what you love and see the ripple effect. Watch how everything else falls into balance and creates more space in your life. Rejuvenated, time appears to stretch and we are more balanced, creating joy. You are worth it, no matter how busy you are and how demanding your life is.
Make it your New Year’s resolution to keep filling your well. It ultimately empowers those around you to do the same, and you will serve as an example of the importance of loving yourself first in order to live joyfully.
Now, go be your own Superman or Superwoman. Happy New You. Fill your well.
As 2017 approaches, the weather gets colder, and many settle in for hibernation time, I hope my blogs have created more compassion toward yourself and others and inspired you to create and trust in the power of your intuition.
As you look forward to the new year, plan and expect wonderful things to come. Cheers to a holiday of love and laughter and a new year of abundance.
Here are some of our year-in-review highlights:
Mo’s blogexploded with content in the past year, including 10 blog posts and a Newsletter for every month! Check out any you may have missed!
We were so excited to have been featured in 2 publications: Conscious Magazine and Autism Parenting Magazine.
Mo started her podcast and interview series in the back half of the year. Our first episode features chiropractor and holistic healer, Dr. Michelle Robin.
The MoMarshall.com website underwent a total upheaval. With our new format, there’s no excuse to miss a beat on Mo’s blog, Facebook activity, tweets, or her helpful insights on abundance, balance, and intuition.
Thank you for being apart of this year with us. As we look forward to more, take a look back with us at some of our favorite moments from 2016!
Wishing all the love and health to you this Holiday season,
The holiday season is one of the most universally stressful times for people. There are people we love to see, people we don’t care to see, people we are neutral about and people who inspire. We see all these people around the Thanksgiving table. The important thing is to know and recognize who it is that makes you want to soar and who makes you want to take a nap.
The reality is, we all have friends or family members who can be challenging or difficult. Whether you have 2 or 20 good relationships of friends or family, take a look at all of them. Who brings you joy? Who inspires you to think and dream larger? Who makes you feel smaller or dims your optimism? For the least amount of stress during the holiday season, It’s important to really take the time and ask yourself these questions because this gives you more room to not be reactive. And for those who don’t make you want to soar, practice not expecting anything else of them. Internally, thank them for the reminders they give you about what it is that does not generate positivity. We are all here for a purpose even if to our own eyes it’s not clear what that might be. If you consciously decide to accept each person for the role they have in your life then that is all that needs to be done. It’s an exercise of gratitude and tolerance. Perhaps you can look at that which you find stressful during the holiday season as a mirror to yourself of how grateful and accepting you are of others. No need for fighting or bickering, just accept whoever is not your favorite. This is maturity. It’s reality- specifically, the lens you use to see the world which directly impacts your experience of your holiday or life.
I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by a good amount of people who are models of abundance and positivity: they have worked very hard in their lives and have created a vast amount of abundance in their every day – in their relationships, their jobs, their work and home environments. They are my favorite people to be surrounded by on holidays. The thread that ties them all together is curiosity and passion for life. Their personal mindset of abundance is physically mirrored by their environment. This is the reality they have cultivated and built for themselves. Do you see this in the people around you? Do they cherish the present and take care of the world around them, or are they a hot mess?
So, how can you find abundance in even the most difficult family members? What I have found in people who are profoundly abundant is that they have minds that think so far beyond what one would call “the usual.” It is almost inevitable that they would find their way to the profound abundance they have. How does one do this? They think, imagine and dream up things all the time. They often speak almost another language because they are always using their imagination as a tool to create. That is, the reality they have created in their mind is so vast, that they forget that not everyone thinks this way.
I would say the first step to creating more abundance is to dream regularly. But make it a dream that is as large as possible. Make it a dream that is not for yourself, but for others. What is the one thing in your life that you can dream of creating that will positively affect others and the greater world – that is what I’m talking about. Not a dream about the new car you want or the next new thing to buy. Dream about real change- change that touches someone other than yourself and your ego.
This is the difference between those who create profound lives and those who create average ones- it’s one’s ability to and awareness of effecting the large picture of the world- not just your own reality. There is nothing wrong with what might be called a “simple reality” of only wanting to change your life – the world needs this. Accept it, embrace it and be happy about it, don’t dwell in the what ifs or negativity. If you are dissatisfied with your reality, this is when you have to challenge yourself to think bigger and create a new one. I challenge you this holiday season to be more accepting of the Aunt, Cousin, or the in-law that irks you; instead, have compassion for them – they are serving as an example of what is to not dream and imagine and see the larger picture. Have empathy and be kind. They prefer a different reality and there is absolutely nothing bad or wrong about that- in fact, it makes the world go round and what makes the holiday season even more interesting and another reason for that extra glass of wine!
Mo: Good morning! I thought if I could give my readers tools, it would provide another reference to put intuition at the forefront. So Michelle, tell me: what is it that you do, and how did you get onto this path of wellness?
I happened to go to the chiropractor after I hurt my pelvis playing basketball, and while I don’t remember much about the chiropractic experience, I do remember they way they made me feel. I really fell in love with helping people feel better holistically.
When I went to college, I wanted to be a chiropractor but I wasn’t very good at science. As a senior, I finally told myself I could figure it out.
Now, I help people write a wellness plan for their life. People have plans for their finances, and they have plans for their vacation, and they have plans for their career, but they don’t have a plan for their most important asset, which is their well being. I look at the person form the whole perspective— mechanical health, chemical, psychological, and spiritual.
My mini-book has ways and tools to think about your body holistically, with some tools.
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How do you define wellness and self-care?
I think about wellness, or “well-being”— I like to use that word more, because I like the being-“ness” of it, and “well-being” in the dictionary means “happiness” — and I have tried to figure how I could be more happy through my life.
I have a sprained ankle right now, and I don’t know about you, but it is hard to be happy when you are dealing with a sprained ankle, or a broken pelvis, or a broken heart, or a digestion problem, or depression-anxiety.
So, for me, well-being is being able to move through life without your body, mind, or spirit getting in the way. So, self care or well being is self-love.
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How do you create your own self-care routine?
I’ve amped it up, that’s for sure. For years, I did things like chiropractic care or massage care. I’d move, whether it’s walking with my friends, or biking or swimming, or taking time to be more present.
Typically, before I leave for the office, I’ve done more self-care than most people do in probably a week. My routine is I’ll get up and drink a glass of lemon water, then maybe taking a few supplements based on my genetic profile, and then I’ll do an affirmation. Then I will go and do some exercises for my posture. I may do a bio-mat, a swinging machine I use for my lymphatic system, or I’ll go for a walk or a swim. I’ll have a glass of bone broth, or some juice.
That’s kind of my rockstar morning. I probably start my morning that way 4 or 5 times a week. I intentionally try to not have meetings every single morning at 7:30. Then I go about my day and take care of my clients, have a lunch meeting with a friend, walk my dogs.
Yeah, this is all part of my self-care.
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How does taking care of yourself like that tie into your intuition?
Oh gosh, I think it’s such a big deal to really listen. I just went through the 23andMe genetic counseling. What they do is look where you may have some hiccups in your genes, but I had intuitively known that because I’ve listened! If I eat this food, and I don’t feel great from it, I am tuning in— to how I feel when I am around people, to the food I am eating, to how I feel with a song I am listening to.
So I use my intuition so much and I don’t think I realized how much I used it until I looked at my genetic results. I knew I didn’t respond well to alcohol. I knew I didn’t respond well to taking NSAIDs. Not because I had a bad reaction, but I just knew it intuitively.
So, I think people should really just quit listening to everybody else about their body. Take that as guidance, but don’t take that as fact for your body. Use your health practitioners as guides. I don’t know what is best for you, but I can definitely nudge you and guide you, and encourage you to tune in and listen.
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You define wellness as the “approach of mind, body and spirit.” What have you learned most about the power of energy and belief?
That your body-mind-spirit is the most amazing tool, machine, car, computer— whatever you want to call it– people take it for granted.
They value sometimes more their vehicle, Mac computer, or iPhone than they value themselves. I think we have to put ourselves in the equation more.
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What about your injury? When you broke your pelvis, what’s the biggest lesson you learned about your body and the power of belief?
Showing up. Showing up for yourself, and taking that time. It’s easy for me to show up for somebody else. But I had to really turn that on myself, and then allow other people to show up for me.
And taking time. I learned so much. I think I had the odds in my favor, because I was moving, I was grateful, I was fueling my body right. I was tuned in.
I learned to really show up for myself.
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Do you believe that abundance and wellness are connected, and if so, how?
God, I’ve never been asked that, Mo. That’s a great question.
I do believe they are connected because I think it is hard to feel abundant without feeling happy in your mind-body-spirit. And once again, when I see the word “well-being” and “happiness,” they mean the same thing to me.
Without a doubt. I don’t think you can feel abundant without feeling healthy.
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What are some small changes anyone can make that will put them on a path to wellness and make a noticeable difference in their quality of life.
This is so simple, but it’s probably in the top 5 that people pick when I travel across the country.
Drink water! It is so stinkin’ simple, but people don’t do it. Drinking water is huge.
I think checking in with your body. Ask yourself, “You know what, I had that broccoli. How do I feel? I had that coffee. How do I feel?” I think that is a big-small change. Just really, really trust yourself.
Also, having food before you have alcohol or caffeine.
Here’s another big one: chew your food! Think about how you chew food and absorb life. Are you just surfacing through it; are you just really not even tapping in and not really tasting it?
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What’s the message you wish people would hear. What is the most important thing you wish people knew?
Well, let me ask you: do you have a budget for your wellness?
I don’t!
I would say where you invest your time and energy is what’s important to you. My second budget item is my well-being, right there by my groceries. My groceries are probably number 3.
I want people to know that you either invest as you go or your body sends you a big bill later.
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Mo: Well, that’s all my questions.
Michelle: Oh, Gosh you are amazing, Mo!
Mo: I think you are amazing! I love this, because I think it’s so important. You are doing so much for people. You are really a healer.
Michelle: I am just trying to encourage people to love themselves enough to care of themselves.
What is that one thing that you are constantly trying to figure out; a situation where you might not have a concrete answer to? Usually, that thing that keeps you awake at night. It is what you think about when you have small pockets of time. It’s that situation that you want changed or to appear. It’s that thing you want, but are afraid won’t happen.
Now, I’m going to ask you to stop the internal chatter in your head. This is the part of yourself that tries to be in control of the uncontrollable. First, take a breath and start by offering that part of yourself some compassion. Acknowledge that you’re scared and feel out of control. That’s okay, but allow yourself to take some space from that thing. Trust it will unfold as it should and tell the scared part of you that you will not let it run your life or take up your sleepless nights any more.
That’s it. You have power. Decide to let it go. It’s going to be okay. Give it to the universe or give it to whatever higher power you believe in. Release it and with that, decide you will not let this “want” take over your free moments of space and perhaps, decide the answer or outcome isn’t that important or may not be the point. What will be will be. We have a choice to trust ourselves, our paths, and the universe. It’s when you release the questioning and struggle of “trying to figure it out” that a resolution appears. Be patient. Think of how much time you have put into this thing that takes up your headspace and give it equal time in patience for the outcome. Offer comfort to yourself because it’s going to be okay. Know that the best things unfold naturally on their own.
You don’t have to agonize over it. You don’t have to create a schedule, put aside time, or map it out five different ways. You no longer need to think of countless different strategies to create the outcome you believe you want. You don’t even have to hope for it or think about the what if. Just surrender the outcome. Be brave. Surrender your challenge and trust in your outcome. It might be different than you were trying to create, nudge or force. Go back to the decision of being brave and letting it go. Set it free. This is bravery at its core. This is what makes us human. This is what makes all of this a journey. This is what makes you the special and unique soul that you are. There are no duplicates of you. Smile at that thought and then be at peace, because you have won your challenge simply by letting go.
It’s been a busy June and July- I don’t know how that happened so fast, and I’m sure most of you feel the same. I really haven’t stopped. The great thing about summer is that it brings us a little more flexibility in our lives and flexibility brings unexpected surprises. So, I sit and type when I can to see what comes to my fingers, which sometimes surprises me, and I use whatever energy I have left in me for creating. The theme that has been most prominent when I have free moments is how much synchronicity and intuition are at work each day and therefore, creating flow in my life. It makes me smile every time the universe reconfirms that this entire thing called life is all about energy.
If you read my blogs, you know I am a huge believer in energy and listening to it. As a writer over the past month, my energy has not been so focused on writing blog posts; instead, I’ve been focused on other writing projects that I’m making progress with. The funny thing is, if you are out of your usual routine (for me, not living in the city) a part of me questions myself and asks if I’m off track or out of my flow. “Flow” is when you are firing on all cylinders and on track towards the goals you want to manifest. It takes me only a few minutes to know that I’m not out of my flow one bit. I know this because the universe tells me so almost every day in different ways via different experiences and people. How do you know if you are in your flow? Do you know how to recognize it? Take a moment to check in with yourself and ask: Are you in the flow?
Your intuition is on point. The way I know this is my instincts are on target without anyone telling me in words exactly what is up. Specifically, energy speaks louder than words for me. Since June, I’m primarily out in the Hamptons working, going back and forth to the city as needed. It was a day that I happened to be in the city when I got the intuitive hit that I needed to go back out to the Hamptons immediately. Even though I would leave in just a few hours, I decided to check in with my colleague who was out there. This was intuitive hit #1. My colleague texted me back that there had been an issue with a staff member. She did not give me specifics, but I did not need to know them because my intuition told me to get on the next bus out (Intuition hit #2). I called my other colleague and told him that I didn’t like the sound of a text I got and I needed to get on the next bus to the Hamptons. He is also intuitive and understood that I needed to go. Before I knew it, I was on the next bus, he found out specifics and let me know that indeed it was a medical emergency with staff and I was needed. More than three times in one day the universe was saying: you are on target, you are in the flow.
You run into people you know or people you want to know while out and about. You know you are in the flow when this happens because your energy is attracting a similar vibration. This could manifest by running into a friend, seeing someone you admire, someone who can help you or that you can help. Sometimes it happens when I’m out with a friend. This is confirmation that our energy together as friends is complimentary and we are in the flow together, which is always more powerful than manifesting alone.
You get what you ask for. For example, this week, my boyfriend and I walked into a packed restaurant and said to me “I just want a quiet table outside.” Immediately we were sat at the only available table, the exact one he just mentioned to me. When we put out what we want to the universe, especially with simple things like a table and the universe delivers, you know you’re in the flow. You are in the flow and manifesting your desires big and small.
You are a step ahead. When people say to you, “I was just thinking that.” The other day, my colleague turned to me and said, “Thanks for organizing, I was just thinking this morning, that it was a mess.” The truth of the matter is, I can get into a state of being an organizational junky and I was 200% in this mode, but of all the things to organize, I was drawn to organize the one thing in our office that was bothering her. Being drawn to something and receiving confirmation that it is helping someone else happens multiple times a week, if not every day for me.
Most importantly, a big part of flow is trust and good intent. When you have a whole hearted approach to life and stay positive, things can’t help but flow to you. For instance, my brain has been saying, “Get your newsletter out!” but my intuition is saying, “Just relax. I’ll tell you what you need to know what to write when the timing is right.” Apparently the timing is right now.
All of the above are examples that the universe saying, you are there, just keep going and know you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, despite what your reasoning brain might be chattering about. Pay attention to the subtle and not-so-subtle ways the universe is supporting and speaking to you and say thank you.
I wish you a Summer of synchronicity and flow of manifesting your desires and dreams. If you don’t hear from me in an August newsletter, know that I am just going with the flow…
What is the one thing present in every minute of your day?
Harmony.
I love this word. It’s so simple, yet complex. We are most aware of harmony when it is present in music, but are you aware of it in your everyday life? It’s there. It has so many uses and we overlook the brilliance of its meaning. Harmonize a song. Harmonize a group. Harmonize while playing a sport. Harmony in relationships. Harmony in family. Harmony in the workplace. Harmony in our writing. Harmony in our creations. Harmony in nature. The list goes on and on…
Do you recognize the harmony in your life every day? That is, the flow of your morning rituals, your everyday schedule, the relationship with your mate and perhaps your children. What about the relationship with your family, with your in-laws? What about the harmony between you and your co-workers? Do you work together easily, or do you push against one another? The harmony of putting a meal together. Is it quickly put together with no thought of the power of nourishment, or is it something you thoughtfully look forward to because you know it affects how you feel for the rest of your day?
Any healthy, balanced person experiences harmony, the ultimate experience of peacefulness. If you are in a disharmonious state, how can you find harmony? Feel your way through it, no need to think too much about it. Just ask yourself some quick questions:
What would make this situation feel better?
Is your ego taking over? If that is the main cause of the discord and disharmony maybe you need to set your ego aside, by doing so, put yourself back in check.
What is the mutual or shared end goal? Creating or maintaining harmony often involves compromise or “taking one for the team.” Try viewing everyone in your life as a different instrument. How can you adjust from this standpoint?
Once you find a source of flow, the disharmony will go out the window as quickly as it entered. This will happen because you are not pushing against your conflict anymore and it has room to move. You have, in a sense, created a dance– a dance of energy.
It might be helpful to simply put on some actual music to give you a concrete example of harmony. Why does music heal? We all know the answer- it’s harmony at its core. It’s the most viable, concrete example we have of it, yet it is in everything we do, every single second of the day.
If you don’t feel harmonious in areas of your everyday life, perhaps you can think of it as a song. How can the song of your life create a melody? Can you steer a conversation differently? I like to ask myself in the morning: how can I make everything I’m doing harmonious so that I start my day peacefully and centered? Did I get up in a rush or did I let myself ease into the day? I love quiet in the morning. It’s the time I enjoy most to myself because it sets the tone for the day. Do I feel like a tea, something to eat, do I want to meditate, stretch, or write, or do I simply want fresh air right away? The answer is different every day and I adjust my flow by listening to my feelings I’m fortunate in the fact that I have quiet mornings available to me, but I know most do not. If this is the case, I recommend finding the three most important things to you that you think would make your day flow better.
Here are a few things that might add more harmony to your life:
Give yourself extra time getting to work and appointments.
Take 15 minutes to walk outside during your work day for fresh air.
Put things away in the right spot when you are finished to avoid piles of things left undone. Every little action and thought contributes to your flow.
Work with people’s energy, not against it.
Steer yourself towards nourishing food that creates harmony in your body so that you feel balanced, alive, and vibrant.
Once you have recognized the source of discord, go harmonize and play the music of life. Harmony is a form of genius. We should remind ourselves of this fact because it can make our lives sing.
