Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity of connecting with a lot of entrepreneurs who had questions about living an authentic balanced life and while building their business. At the end of the year we generated a survey and the response from our readers are still coming in. I will be answering those burning questions here and invite you to send your questions and to comment to the posts

This week’s question came from a reader who asks the following question,  “I would love for the picture to be painted… what does a day, week, month and year of balance look like?”

A balanced day, week or year could look like…

• Time for yourself just before day breaks to enjoy an early morning meditation, walk or maybe a cup of tea before you begin your day.

• Scheduling your day, week or year with a gaps between each event creating a space to inhale and exhale the breath of life before you begin the next right thing – simply ‘be’.

• A healthy mixture of spiritual practice, a lifestyle filled with freedom and choice and a business or career guided by your life purpose.

• A delicious mixture of ‘being’ your best self and ‘doing’ the things that you enjoy.

Your portrait may be painted with different hues and shades of harmony, peace, joy and opportunities to grow. It may even be sprinkled with music, laughter, family or  simply an inward journey but most of all it is unique to you.

Living in balance means different things to different people. Mostly it’s about how you show up in your life.  I offer the following keys to begin painting your very own individual portrait of peace and balance:

1. Take the time to listen - Sit in quiet contemplation and ask your self the question, “What brings me peace and joy?” And complete the following sentence; I am the most happiest, when I am…
2. Courageously and gradually do more of what you enjoy to create the life that’s right for you, one that fuels your desire to step into your life and purpose without reservation.
3. Set boundaries around your time and choose mindfulness over multi-tasking when doing your everyday task – be present.
4. And most of all, enjoy the journey.

Until next week…..

For the past several years I have consciously declared a theme for each year. Making a declaration for the year felt good and somehow gave me direction. Even if I changed course or outgrew where I was headed it still felt good to claim the year as mine.

This year, however, I simply stepped into the year confidently and courageously knowing that it is already magnificent!!!! Stepping into this year with confidence has allowed it to unfold with me doing things I’ve never done before or doing familiar things in a new way. The theme of the year found me. The excitement of living life like never before is so exhilarating that I invite you to journey with me!

So what would it be like if you could live your life like never before? Would you share it with others, the celebrations and possibilities? Well I’m going to do just that and would love for you to journey with me.

Each week this blog series will feature stories of people living their life aligned, reaching their dreams and being of service.  And there is a space just for you! Whether it’s planting a garden, bungee jumping, experiencing a sunrise at the beach or your biggest business month ever, we want to celebrate with you. Simply send your entries of 200 words or less to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will feature them in the Live Life Like Never Before blog series. Twice a month, in addition to the print version we will feature a special audio blog interview as well.

Have a great week and remember to live life like never before!

If you are like me you are pretty busy during the week yet you still want to stay up-to-date on a mixture of topics that excite and nurture you. This week we are premiering the new series, The Weekend Reading Mix.

How to use Your Subconscious Mind to Change Your Life
If you are looking for new ideas on how to use your subconscious mind to change your life this article on The Change Blog shares the 3-step request process with you. Great article!

Top 10 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs
Most of us use or are at least familiar the top 3 social network sites; Facebook, Linked In and Twitter but how many of us have heard of Partner Up or Start-up Nation. This is an excellent article to expand your social media horizon.

Two Hundred Sit-ups
I am living healthier than ever before. In the past 6 weeks I have lost 8 of the 45 pounds, I will release this year so this blog immediately caught my eye.  If you are looking for a way to tone your abs as well this blog is a great place to start.

What Apple Can Teach You About Marketing
In 2007, I purchased an iPhone and the following year a MacBook. Like most people who have converted from Windows to Apple there is no comparison or going back! Beyond the amazing technology we can all learn from observing the Apple marketing process from packaging to savvy television commercials, Apple is top of the line.

To read more of my favorites from this week, visit my Stumble Upon page at Stumble Upon Marie Kirkland

Happy Reading!

In the month of February the focus was love.  It feels so right to begin March – Spiritual Wellness Month by sharing how taking time out for self-care allows you share the best of yourself with your family and through your business.

When you love yourself so much that you like yourself, you are better able to share the best of you with other people. Loving yourself often requires that you evolve even when you don’t feel like it. Your heart knows exactly what you require. It doesn’t matter if you are attentive to your needs or you ignore them altogether, your heart will not be denied.

Sometimes the biggest lessons about self-care come from safety instructions. What we’ve learned in these lessons are so memorable that we can recite them in our sleep. So I share one of them with you so that the next time there is a need for balance or clarity it will easily come to mind.

Moving through life’s transitions is one area where a few directions would come in handy. As a child, I clearly remember receiving the instructions, “Stop and look both ways before you cross the street”. I think of those instructions now in terms of transitioning from one experience to the next. To stop for at least a moment before quickly jumping into the next experience is a way for you to:

    * Listen to your heart
    * Ask what have I learned?
    * How have I grown?
    * What do I now wish to experience?

As I was watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button recently, the following quote struck me as an example of the importance of stopping at life’s transitions and taking inventory. Even if we do not feel like evolving at the moment it is always beneficial to evaluate if you are being who you want to be.

"For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case, never too early to be whoever you want to be. There is no time limit, stop whenever you want, you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing, we can make the best or the worst of it, I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you, I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

Please take some time this week to take inventory of your transitions and decide if you are being who you want to be or if you need to start over.

This has been the perfect week for me. It has been filled with uncertainty, doubt and plenty of love. Plus, I got a chance to be mommy’s little girl for a few days… just when I needed it. My mom visits from Virginia two to three times a year and equally shares her time between my sister, Dawn and I and both of our families. She showers us with love and we enjoy her in our own special way!

This visit we has been so much fun as we made veggie pizzas on oat and stone ground pita bread and laughed at movies. Most of all we listened to each other’s heart and that felt SO good!

Those special moments we share with loved ones are priceless. What memories have you created this week?

This Week’s Affirmation:
With every ending there is a brighter beginning! I step into each adventure filled with Wonder and Joy!

In this month of love and relationships, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of reconnecting with many relationships of the heart. Through the technological genius that is Facebook, our family has been enjoying a virtual family reunion. Through our family legacy page I have been able to connect with cousins that I haven’t seen in over 35 years and we have all been united through family photos that date back to the 1920’s. Pure love of the heart!

I have also had the pure joy of being in absolute synergy and growth with many of my business friends as well. There are few things in business better than collaborating with like-minded entrepreneurs and friends who knows both your heart and your vision and is willing to share their strengths with you as you build your business legacy.

Most of all, this month is about the love of connecting with all of you and the growth of IAL. At the beginning of the year we shared with you how we are expanding so that we may serve you better. One of the ways we are expanding is how we deliver this newsletter to you each week.

One of the ways we are expanding our service is to switch our newsletter provider to AWeber. If you would like to continue to receiving Align Your Life and enjoy more articles, tips and insights, I invite you to continue your subscription by completing the form to the right.

May you enjoy a week filled with love, excitement and joy!