Do you consider yourself to be diplomatic? Are you able to express your feelings in a way that honors both the person your talking to and yourself?

Sitting on our feelings or emotions (energy in motion) is equivalent to putting a dam up to hold life in check. We all know that eventually the dam will crumble and the energy will come out with such force that it's destructive.

One of the best life skills we can learn is diplomacy. It is far from fake or syrupy - it is the art of sharing the truth in a way that's not harmful.

If you have something difficult to say, you might want to write it down first and say it out loud a few times. If it leaves you feeling angry or upset, perhaps the message needs a little more refinement. Work with it until it has a feeling of neutrality - until you've buffed away all the hurtful debris and only the truth is left.

Emotions flow on life - we can't stop one without stopping the other. Express yourself - the world is waiting.

I'm having a blast doing radio shows all over the country to promote The Energy Cure and spread the message of inspired living. The best part is that I can call in from home - in my pajamas if I'd like, which most of the time suits me just fine:)

Here's a show that you can tune into if you'd like:

1/25 9:35am MTN, Seattle based program, Chat with Women, listen live on-line at http://www.chatwithwomen.com/.

It's always fun to have a new awareness. When the Truth hits it always feels new - even if we've heard it or known it before.

The idea of "Staying Open" is one such truth that keeps coming back to me. There are so many ways to constrict life flow - we can constrict it at its base by remaining perpetually in our heads, we can constrict it at the solar plexus by giving our power away to other people, food or substances and then chasing it in the hopes that we can somehow get it back... And many of us stop it right at the heart level for fear of being hurt again.

Spiritual energy naturally extends through us, we don't need to work at it, our only job is to make sure we don't constrict it in any way. Remaining open is not for sissy's (is that a word?), rather it's the job of a warrior - someone with courage and valiance.

That's why Bright Ones are so precious - true brightness is hard won, but in the end it's the only way.

Yesterday I went to a yoga class where balls are used to stretch and release kinks in muscles, as well as calcifications in the feet, and the rest of the body. It's a two hour class offered at At One Yoga called yoga and body rolling

The teacher, Kat Puralewski Myers (as seen with a yoga ball), is a Bright One. She's completely radiant and incredibly enthusiastic about the human body. She danced into the class with a huge anatomy book and talked to us for several minutes about the kidneys, referring to them as "beautiful red jewels."

"I'm telling you, Kidneys are where it's at..." She would say as she passionately spoke about these beauties and what we were going to do in class to support them in their cleansing function.

She taught us that it's important to cultivate strength in the "Sea of Energy," which is two fingers below the belly button. She said that when you contract this area the kidneys lift and are able to take their rightful royal place in the body.

The class was a pure joy - not only because I learned a lot, but because I got to witness one of the world's brightest in action.

I'll never think of kidneys again in the same way.

With The Energy Cure now available in bookstores and on-line, the promotional efforts have officially begun. Radio Interviews, newspaper articles, and television are all on my schedule for the coming weeks.

Now, more than ever, I'm being called to practice what I preach. I notice each time my breathing gets shallow in response to an approaching deadline or crack-of-dawn radio interview for an East Coast program.

What keeps coming to me is that it's all about this moment - no matter what. It's all about staying connected to life and being present in an immediate way to whoever or whatever is in front of me.

I'm so grateful for this opportunity to spread the word of energized living, and my goal - first and foremost - is to demonstrate these life-enriching principles as I teach them.

Now that the holidays are over and we're getting back into the normal swing of things, let's remember to stay grounded and resist the temptation to dip into fight or flight mode when everyday challenges arise.

My belief is that many of us sub-consciously put our bodies into fight or flight mode to get the adrenaline boost it provides. The road before us gets bumpy and we start catastrophizing in our heads while breathing shallowly, or worse yet, forgetting to breathe at all!

Fight or flight mode is a huge energy drain and should only be invoked when true danger is present - being late to a meeting or having a disagreement with a loved on is not life threatening and need not be treated as such.

This year can be different. Let's watch our thoughts when we hit a snag and remember to breathe. You can consciously avert this "stress bath," as I called it a few blogs back, but it requires mindfulness and a desire not to live on excess cortisol and adrenaline, both of which cause stress related illnesses, weight gain, aging and overall impairment of mental and physical functioning.

As we breathe deeply and remember to think realistically, we will experience more enjoyment and energy in the great year of 2008!

It's the first day of the New Year - 2008 is a year of absolute richness. It's a year to enjoy each other completely, to savor every bite of food, to notice the vibrant colors that surround us, and to relax deeply into the present and feast on the abundant gifts contained in each moment.

We can only experience this amount of pleasure when we're free of guilt. Guilt tarnishes the brilliance that lies in front of us, therefore, taking care of ourselves becomes a prerequisite for pure enjoyment.

To be completely guilt-free, look at how your choices affect your energy, not only in the present, but over the course of two or three days. Each time you're at a crossroads trying to decide what to eat, or whether or not to exercise or clean your house, simply ask yourself, "Will ____ bind me in guilt, or free me inside, over the next couple of days?"

This approach to life is reinforcing and inspiring. It frees us from having to rely solely on will-power, which is often grueling and short-lived. Aside from the brief sting you'll feel while walking away from that yummy plate of cookies, you'll feel free.

May you enjoy the absolute richness of 2008 - Happy New Year!