I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!

We cooked our first Thanksgiving dinner, well sort of with the help of Bristol Farms. The turkey was already done and all the sides to. We just had to sprinkle marshmallows on top of the candied yams.

It was civilized mayhem in the Beverly Hills supermarket. Later that evening after a good dose of food, we turned on the news to see Black Friday mania sweeping over the U.S.A.

A news reporter interviewed a girl camped outside one of the large department

stores. She’d been there all day on Thanksgiving.

“Do you think you can make more money than working?” he said.

“Yeah! And it’s much more fun. I took a week off of work,” she said.

I watched a video of hundreds of screaming girls waiting late night to buy a pair of Victoria Secret yoga pants that had be discounted to $12.95.

A guy outside Best Buy turned to the people in line behind him and threatened, “If you don’t get back, I’m going to stab you”.

Then a man in San Antonio who jumped the line got punched in the face. He retaliated by pulling a gun and the shoppers quickly scattered to safety. This was just a handful of terrible Black Friday events that occurred.

As I was watching frenzied shoppers, I saw some of the discounts were only 30%. It wasn’t like they were 50 or even 75%. I find it devastating to see people become mean-spirited and violent to get the latest cellphone, turning into animals for a discount which let’s face it isn’t really a discount.

I used to have so much pain inside, I’d numb it by going shopping. I remember counting the minutes for my lunch break so I could hit up the famous Harrods department store in London. It wasn’t far from my office. I spent all the money I’d just earned and then when I wanted something else that I thought would distract me from my true feelings, I stuck the charge on my gold credit card. “Buy now, pay later,” I lied to myself.

The truth was, “Buy now on my credit card, get my parents to pay it off later, they can afford it”.

I was an entitled bitch.

Shopping is fun and I love beautiful things but I’ve learned to make sure that when I buy something, it’s not coming from a place of emotional pain.

Here are some questions to see if you are an emotional shopper:

1. Do you shop when you feel depressed?
2. Are you an impulse shopper?
3. Are you a bargain shopper?
4. Do you always buy what’s on sale?
5. Do you buy something you don’t like that much because it has a big discount?
6. Do you use shopping as retail therapy?
7. Do you feel like you won’t be happy until you get the thing that you want? Then when you get it, the novelty quickly wears off?

Emotional Shopping Checklist

1. Do not shop if you are in a bad mood.
2. Do not shop if you are feeling depressed. Instead go window shopping without your credit cards.
3. Do shop when you’ve been planning for the item. That way, you go into the store, fully conscious and happy. You won’t get struck with anxiety or sticker shock later on.

If someone pressures you and tells you, “It’s the last one in stock,” or, “This offer won’t be available later”.

Say, “Thank you for letting me know”. If you don’t love the item or offer, leave the store and get on with your day.

If you are still thinking about the offer 24 hours later, go back and get it. The difference is, you won’t be buying out of guilt. You’ll be getting the thing you want out of true desire and appreciation.

You deserve good in your life.

Love,

I hope this video brings a smile to your face as it did mine! Check out my 3-years-old son Dominick doing affirmations. He is an Intuition Master in the making! I know that the biggest thing that holds people back is their mindset and ingrained belief systems. I grew up in London, a fabulous city but people often had the attitude of “You can’t do that.” That’s why I’ve started teaching my son from a young age to feel confident and believe in himself. In the process of guiding him, it makes it easier for me to love and affirm that I am good enough.

Here’s the video, enjoy! Please share and comment if it makes you smile:

Love,

p.s. Would you like an Intuition Blueprint Reading? Learn more here.

How many times have you said, “Yes,” to someone when you’ve wanted to say, “No”?

I’ve often had a gut feeling that I needed to do something a particular way and then someone has suggested I do it another way and followed their guidance only to feel frustrated afterwards, realizing that my first instinct was the best course of action.

Earlier today I was at the Getty Museum with my family for a children’s concert. I could see my three-year-old son was getting tired as he hadn’t taken a nap. As we sat on the beautiful emerald green lawn, my intuition said, “Stay close to Dominick, he’s tired”.

“I better go be with Dominick to be safe,” I said to a family friend.

“He should be fine, there’s lot of kids running around and it’s a nice big grassy area,” she said.

I thought to myself, she’s probably right, she’s had two kids, I don’t want to be the over-protective mom, so I sat on the blanket and went against my instinct.

A few minutes later, Dominick ran down the lawn and couldn’t slow down. We didn’t see the height of the wall, even though there was a line of flags hanging to prevent kids from jumping from the grass onto the concrete. My heart dropped into my stomach as Dominick fell almost three feet off the wall onto the hard ground. The security-guard who was meant to be stationed there, wasn’t.

My mind flashed to spending the rest of the afternoon in the E.R. I was terrified. My husband Nick leapt over the barrier and scooped up Dominick. I couldn’t believe he was ok, apart from some light scrapes on his hands and knees. “Thank you angels,” I whispered to myself.

I didn’t want to be the mom who pushed back, I wanted to do what I thought was the polite and respectful thing to do. I didn’t want to seem like I was paranoid and overreacting.

I was reminded that in my desire to be loved and accepted that I was doing something to make someone else happy.

The most important question to ask yourself is, “Am I feeling intuition or fear?”

It is much easier to see clearly for someone else when you have no emotional attachment to the outcome. However, if you have strong feelings or are fearful about how things could turn out, it will be very difficult for you to clearly evaluate whether you are being guided by your intuition or driven by fear.

One of the most common questions I get asked is, “Should I stay in this relationship or end it?”

Over and over again, I see that the person asking the question already knows the best course of action to take, but they don’t want to hurt the other person, even though it is hurting them by not making a decision.

When I was in my dating days, I found the more friends I talked to about my confused feelings and asked for their advice, the worse I felt. I didn’t have the confidence to make a choice because I feared making a mistake.

I’ve learned that failure is the road to success. If I hadn’t gone through my dating nightmares, then I wouldn’t have been ready for my loving husband.

When I used to give dating advice on my TV show in the U.K. I was secretly confused over guys, I felt like such a failure but I later learned that I wasn’t confused, I had very low self esteem.

Here is a mini-quiz for you to see if you have a habit of people pleasing?

1. You’ve been looking forward to a morning off and starting your day at 10am and your boss or a client calls you the night before and asks if you can come in at 8am. What do you do?

a) Pretend that you have another commitment and then feel guilty for telling a white lie.

b) Agree to start at 8am.

c) Say that you have planned for a quiet morning but are happy to do 8am the next day.

2. A new movie is out that you’re excited to see and the person you’re dating who you’re really into wants to see a different movie that isn’t your type of genre. What do you do?

a) Arrange to see the movie with a different friend but wish that your date was with you.

b) Tell them you don’t mind seeing the movie of their choice but feel disappointed.

c) Let them know you’d like them to see the movie with you, even though it isn’t their thing, you’d be so happy if they’d go with you.

3. It’s your good friend’s birthday but it’s at an expensive restaurant and you know it’s going to be a big check and you want to stick within your budget. What do you do?

a) Say you’d love to be there to celebrate but you’re not feeling great and eat dinner at home.

b) Go to the dinner and feel anxious most of the night and spend over your budget because other people have ordered lots of drinks and you only got an appetizer.

c) Tell them you’re on a budget and would like to get a separate check and have a great night celebrating.

Mostly A’s: You take care of yourself but it doesn’t feel good. You are being out of integrity with your needs. It’s time to build courage in being honest about what you want and letting the other person know that you care about them to.

Mostly B’s: You are being a doormat. You probably know that. You see yourself saying, “Yes,” when you want to say, “No,” but it’s like you can’t help yourself. This means you have some deep buried mindset patterns that need to be acknowledged and healed.

Mostly C’s: Congratulations! You have good self-esteem. You are true to yourself and create win-win situations in most of your relationships. This doesn’t mean it is easy for you but the more you practice, the better you will feel about yourself and set a great example for others.

I’d love to hear what insights you got about yourself from the quiz?

Love & miracles,

Joanna Garzilli

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Tweet me @JoannaGarzilli

Connect and Like my fan page here.

I wish I wasn’t obsessed. I’d like to be free of obsession. I pray, I meditate, I journal, I’m a spiritual teacher, author, healer, business coach, entrepreneur and I still OBSESS.

This morning as I read spiritual literature at 6am, followed by journaling and then prayer as to what words of wisdom I should share today, the word “obsession” repeated itself over and over in my mind. Oh no, really? Shouldn’t I be perfect by now? Aren’t I meant to have everything figured out and be totally at peace and one with Spirit?

Today my friend Mastin Kipp called himself out on his blog The Daily Love. I love that he does this because it creates the opportunity for breakthrough, healing and a psychic displacement of unconscious energetic blocks.

This past weekend, I obsessed over how my husband was feeling, that I didn’t have enough time, and feeling personally rejected that someone didn’t text me back. Then when I finally let go, I felt happy and present, I realized that my mind creates an illusion that I don’t have enough time for relaxation and that person did text me back!

Obsession wastes a huge amount of energy. On a psychic level mental obsession looks like life force energy leaking out of your head in all directions. It leaves you feeling drained, tired, unmotivated and resentful.

If I hadn’t obsessed over the things that weren’t true, I could have felt more gratitude that I have a wonderful husband and how he feels in any moment is not a reflection of whether I did or didn’t do something right. I could have been totally present in my body, appreciating the beautiful blue sky and the sunshine as we drove down San Vicente Blvd in our clean car with my family, after having a lovely brunch in Pacific Palisades, CA, instead of having a foggy feeling in my mind. I could have felt peaceful and happy that I have fabulous friends, instead of looking for a fault because of me not feeling worthy of love.

This morning I wrote a list of things I want to do that are fun, joyous, creative, healing and loving. As I looked at my list, I noticed I’ve done many of those things but made up a story of suffering in my head. I’ve complained without reason because that’s what my mind does on autopilot, unless I use my intuition to pull out the weeds from my mind.

How is obsession affecting your life today? What have you been obsessing over?

Here are 3 spring-cleaning tools to detox your mind:

1. Write down a list of everything you can think of that you’ve been obsessing over.
2. Read over your list of obsessions. Next to each obsession, write down what your motivation has been for the obsession. For example: Get financial papers together for filing taxes. Reason for obsession: I’m scared because I don’t know how much tax I owe and I fear I won’t have enough money left.
3. Focus on your intuition (inner teacher). Take a moment to close your eyes and bring your awareness into your heart. Feel yourself click with intuition. Then open your eyes and write down an action you can take to erase the mental obsession. The necessary action may be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, also the step that you may be guided to take is to wait. The reason this happens is because you are not yet in correct spiritual alignment to be able to receive the download from spirit.

The great thing about this exercise is it works at a deep cellular level. You may have some resistance to doing it. You might only write down three obsessions because you’re denial isn’t ready to deal with the other thirty denials that are exhausting you! This healing exercise is here for you whenever you feel ready to detox from denial and create space for peace, happiness and an abundance of energy.

Today is an opportunity to Spring Clean Your Mind. Remove the cobwebs from the past, gently but with intention. I created a guided meditation as part of Big Miracle Breakthrough specifically to Heal and Energize Your Mind Body & Spirit because I have seen many times for my clients and myself how energy that is invisible to your eyes, creates distorted thinking.

Join me and friends Live in person for The Spring Equinox Healing, Prayer & Manifestation Circle in Santa Monica on Thursday March 22, 2012 @5pm PST. You are invited! This is an opportunity for you to:

• Spring Clean Your Soul
• Pray for loved ones, family, friends and those who are in need around the world
• Awaken Your Intuition to the next level
• Activate the Healer within
• Receive a Message from Spirit about Manifesting your Heart & Soul’s Desire in 2012 and Beyond
• Release money and love energy attachments to create space for abundance and healthy relationships

Please feel free to invite your friends, there is no charge for this event. The ceremony will begin at 5pm and end at 7pm when the sun sets. We are meeting at Lifeguard Station #26 down on the beach at 2600 Barnard Way. South of Ocean Park and Neilson Way intersection. Santa Monica, CA 90405

RSVP to Joanna@BigMiracleBreakthrough.com or just show up and I’ll be happy to see you!

Love & Miracles,

Joanna Garzilli

“Right-mindedness is healing”. A Course in Miracles

p.s. Do you want a Big Miracle Breakthrough in your life? I have learned it is better to take action from a place of prevention rather than crisis. Big Miracle Breakthrough 90 Day Program will give you all the tools you need to manifest what you desire.

Private Coaching (limited availability, serious inquiries only):
To apply for one-on-one “Big Miracle Breakthrough” coaching for your life, love and business please email: Joanna@BigMiracleBreakthrough.com

“Joanna Garzilli changed my financial life. For almost two years I was struggling to find a way to make more money from my online business and in just one session she taught me how to DOUBLE my sales and it worked instantly. Joanna’s intuition and business savvy are a powerful combination!”

- Mastin Kipp, CEO & Founder of TheDailyLove.com

p.p.s. My dear friend Missy Costello is hosting a Vital Life 30 Day Cleanse that starts March 19, a great opportunity to detox your body for a clearer mind. I have coached with her personally and she is amazing. For more info please visit KarmaChow.com

I love reading. I have this habit of reading several books at the same time, however not literally. I have this desire to devour information. I was watching the new Steven Spielberg TV show SMASH this weekend. I am hooked! On Saturday morning while my husband was out at a transportation city-planning meeting, I watched three episodes back to back. There’s a scene where Jack Davenport’s character says, “I need more information,” so they could decide which actress to cast as Marilyn Monroe. This information was acquired through callbacks, private meetings at bars and even in the bedroom.

The character of Ivy Lynn has been on Broadway for ten years, she knows how to do perfection. The new girl Karen Cartwright is naïve, she doesn’t have experience of how to handle relationships on or off the stage but she radiates pure God given talent.

The point I want to make is whether you have years of experience or not, don’t let your past stop you being the true you.

You don’t have to let your past patterns and behaviors write your life story. You can create whatever you want this week. You can plant seeds that will eventually become fruit from your labor.

On Friday night, I had dinner with a dear friend and business associate. She wanted my advice on a TV opportunity that was being presented to her with a huge talent agency. My mind went into involuntary panic mode. I had a bad past experience with this talent agency and I wanted to protect her from getting hurt. I launched into all the ways she needed to protect herself with the producers, production company, agents and TV network. Later that night, I felt bad for what I had said. I was making an assumption that because I had gone through a bad past experience, that the same would happen to her, yet there was no evidence that this would be the case.

All I needed to share was how to prepare for the meetings with the agents, producers and TV network. My past drama and failure was not helpful for her because I was responding from fear.

How is your past shaping your decisions today? Are you making choices based on your past experiences in relationships, career and money history?

Today, I challenge you to let go of the meaning of your past. Your past experiences are not you. You can do whatever you want. I’m not suggesting you don’t do your taxes or refuse to go through the TSA security check. I’m hoping that instead of rushing through your day, numbing your underlying pain, all the while making effort to hold your life together, that you will choose to take actions that are harmonious with your spirit, soothe your soul and make you feel good.

Here are 3 things you can do to release the limitations of your past:

#1 Write down 10 things from the past that are bothering you. Be aware that if you are struggling to get something on paper or feel resistance to writing them, there is clearing to do.

#2 During your day, as you feel yourself check out and dive into your past, gently bring yourself back into the present. Look at your surroundings, take a couple of conscious breaths to get back into reality.

#3 Stop focusing on why something turned out the way it did. You can’t change the past. When your mind goes to a situation that hurt you, remind yourself that it is old energy that is not relevant today. Today is a new day and you can create a new positive outcome.

I want to confirm that you may get frustrated by these three exercises, it’s likely that you’ll skim over them and carry on with your day, doing things the old way. When you are ready to let go and try something different, you create space for spirit to come in and assist you. Your intuition can expand.

I would love to hear your breakthroughs and if you like what I am sharing, forward it to a friend who would benefit from this message.

Have a beautiful day and remember you are not your past!

Love and Miracles,

Joanna Garzilli xoxo

Comment or email: Joanna@bigmiraclebreakthrough.com

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