Here you see Liz Flavin, a business owner who participated in three of my mastermind groups over a period of a couple of years, looking radiantly beautiful and wearing her products–gratitude bangle bracelets and necklace. This image is scanned from the latest edition of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens (available free in specialty shops ) where Liz’s renovated  surroundings are captured in an 8-page spread.

So often we see photos like these and think, “Wow, I wish I were her. It looks so good.” The truth of the matter is, which Liz openly shares in the article about her and her freshly decorated home, that these pictures are the end result of a long and difficult journey. What carried Liz through a tortuous divorce and move was gratitude. Her website, business and life are all the tangible evidence of its power to heal.

As Liz transformed herself, her home and her business, she reclaimed the pieces that had been lost. She has spent the past few years recreating and reinventing all of those elements slowly, with frustration and setbacks, but ultimately with grace, compassion and success.

An ardent supporter of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Liz will be hosting three Gratitude Gatherings in the next three months. You can write to Liz for details: hello@gratitudeetc.com.

I found gratitude in the midst of real despair and used it to create a bridge from the darkness into the light. My business, part of my transformation, was in large part born in my new space; no accident that once your start to do the inner work, your surroundings often change, too. The reason that I took on recreating my space wasn’t really a choice. I had to move (divorce, foreclosure, etc.), but when I thought about reclaiming myself on all levels, the project of designing a space that reflected who I was becoming was so important to me. The big message is about transformation, reclamation and reinvention.

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