Kristen Marie Schuerlein is spreading her truth about the power of words one blanket at a time. As the president of Affirmagy, and the creator of Affirmawraps, her goal is to wrap others, body and soul, in the warmth of blankets embellished with heart- felt, soulful affirmations like "abundance," "joy" and "love."

An affirmation myth and the power of "I am"

Kristen says that it's a misnomer that all affirmations are positive. As she explains, "What we say to ourselves quite often is negative: 'I'm always late,' 'I'm never going to get married,' 'I'm not smart.' We design our lives around 'I am' statements consciously and unconsciously."

Kristen's awareness of the power of "I am" thinking grew out of being diagnosed with Graves Disease in 2002 at the age of 33.

As a result of her illness, Kristen got real clarity around the idea that words are powerful. "I wouldn't say the word 'sick.' I was mindful not to tell people or myself that I was sick. I didn't want to be in 'I'm sick" or to have others hold me in that space."

Kristen says she wasn't in denial. On the contrary, she enlisted an entire health center's worth of specialists to support her: a naturopath, an acupuncturist, endocrinologist, and so forth. She became very aware of what she was putting in both her mind and body.

She recalls, "I realized that I could stand in 'sick' or I could think of myself as 'healthy, whole and complete,' in the Now. There's magic in that space."

Balancing intuition and practicality

Already an entrepreneur, Kristen's focus shifted from her graphic design business to this new intentional living focus.

According to Kristen, Affirmagy evolved from her newfound awareness of the importance of nurturing oneself and from her natural inclination to listen to her intuition. Her business success comes from giving herself permission to explore "what if" possibilities that led to a great idea. And, it comes from balancing her intuitive creativeness with being methodical, budget focused and learning from her mistakes.

Make-a-difference gift giving

When asked why a blanket for her first product, with upbeat directness she explains that a blanket seemed the obvious product for extending the idea of surrounding oneself with warmth and care. The addition of silk-screened words to the fleece blanket took the concept of positive affirmations a step further by making the unseen - seen! Each word-rich Affirmawrap reminds the user that life is good.

The healing and feel-good impact of affirmations like hope, peace, strength, gratitude and wholeness has struck a cord. "People who present the blanket as a gift write me letters about how much they love giving it," she states.

Today, Affirmagy offers 14 different blankets, including her new "book and a blanket bundle" that she began offering during National Breast Cancer month in October. The bundle combines Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor Soul and a pink Courage blanket. She donates $7.99 of the purchase price to breast cancer charities.

To find out more about giving the gift of abundance, love and joy this holiday season, visit the Affirmagy website at www.affirmagy.com.

I recently was made aware, once again, that it's important to clear out the old in order to make room for the new in our lives.

In my case, it was donating one of my oil paintings for a charity auction. A month later my husband and I bought a new painting after being art gallery afficinadoes for years! I truly believe that the right circumstances for buying new art presented themselves after I was able to release another piece of art. After all, the universe abhors a vacuum.

So, here are three tips for creating the right mindset for inviting in fresh gifts and energy into your life.

1. Don't make possessions too precious. I'm an amateur artist, and yet my husband and I can be like parents who fawn over their children's so-so artwork. This is silly. We simply do not have room to keep storing everything we create. And, if we want to own other people's more professional work, we need to make physical and emotional space for it. Periodically review whether you are holding on to things that prevent fresh things from entering your life for you to enjoy.
   
   
2. Be aware of why you hang on to things you no longer need. For instance, I hang onto old buisness suits because I think I might need to dress like that again. The truth is, I'm in a new phase of my life. How I present myself to the world NOW has changed and I should honor that by letting go of my idea of what "professional" meant in the past. Ask yourself: "Do I hang on to old ways of seeing myself?"
   
   
3. Give yourself permission to be free of attachments. Our society both reveres consumption and shames those who horde. That is a mixed message at best. By giving ourselves permission not to be attached to our possessions we give ourselves permission to be freer emotionally. For example, I don't have any children, so I realize that someday all the photo albums I've put together for "posterity" will likely end up in a flee market being perused by strangers. This used to make me sad, but I'm beginning to find comfort in the idea. I'm freeing up emotional energy by not needing someone in the next generation to fondly recall moments of my life. I realize that it doesn't diminish my life or my life purpose I live now.

Dream boards and vision collages can help you get clarity around what is important now, not in the past! Discover how by taking a look at my special report which explain 9 different dream board formats, including Gratitude Boards and Taking Stock Dream Boards:Picture Your Life and Manifest Your Desires with more Clarity, Focus & Success.

The conscious mind is the editor, and the unconscious mind is the writer

David Mamet

Special Report Special!

If you are interested in having more small talk confidence, being better connected to others, attracting more clients and making more sales, get my Special Report: Making Business Wise Connections With Smart Small Talk.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

Dinner & A Dream Board
November 27, 2007, 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Watercress Asian Bistro
Redmond, WA
425-284-3188

Melissa Wadsworth is a self-help author, conscious communications expert and guide to radiant intentional awareness. Through her writing, presentations and seminars, she emphasizes the vital importance of wide-awake living and mindful communications to a fulfilling and successful life path.

If you wish to use any of the articles from this issue in your own electronic newsletter or ezine please include the following paragraph:

Reprinted from What You Notice Matters! a complementary ezine from conscious living expert Melissa Wadsworth. Interviews and articles deliver inspiration and tips for achieving personal and professional abundance through awareness.