These are big, life-altering examples. You also take a stand for yourself when you say, for example, "I'm not cooking dinner on Friday nights" or "From now on, I'm leaving work by 5:30pm" or "I'm for first time committed to losing these 20 pounds".

Sometimes stand you've taken may not be popular amongst those nearest and dearest to you. And sometimes, you'll feel everyone is cheering you on! Sometimes it's a little of both. In any case, you have stretched into unknown territory.

Tips for taking a stand:

- Gain clarity: What do you want? What action, if any, do you need to take?

- Carve out some time and space to reflect and listen to yourself. What does your intuition tell you?

- Recognize that your energy for taking a stand ebbs and flows.

- Engage your support system. Talk about your goals with people who know you and truly listen.

- Know that you always have a choice. What may feel like balance one day may not feel like it next.

When you take a stand for yourself, you contribute to world in a bigger way than you could ever imagine. The ripple in pond analogy fits: When you value yourself and what you need, you inspire others to do same thing. What would world be like if each of us took a stand?

------------------------------------------------------------------ Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionals identify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781-676-5633 or claudette@metavoice.org. Sign up for her free newsletter "Insights for Savvy" at http://www.metavoice.org.

What are avenues for being present?

Observe. When you notice that your mind has made up a story about past or future, simply observe it. Observation of story will bring you right into present. After a while, you'll start to notice that you are not your story, and that two separate entities exist: you in present and your mind with its story.

Allow. Allow whatever is in moment to be there. It is what it is. Once you begin observing and allowing, you'll notice how often you resist moment you are in. That resistance keeps you in your head and out of present.

Here's an example of distinction between allowing and resisting. At times when my nine month old son is cranky and I'm frustrated, my natural reaction is resistance. In other words, I want moment to be different than it is, which creates stress. Those times that I've allowed situation to be what it is, I felt present and experienced peace.

Once I've become aware of my resistance to what's occurring - I'll often experience it as physical tension - I'll say to myself, "I don't like this moment." or "I'm noticing that I feel frustrated and impatient." Simply observing and allowing what I experience brings a conscious level of awareness.

We each have an inner peace and freedom that already exists inside of us. Our job is to release muck surrounding it, and reclaim as our own. Stay present by ALLOWING what's there to be there. Then you can accept it, change it or talk to someone about it. By spending so much time in past and future, we often resist gem that's right in front of us.

------------------------------------------------------------------ Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionals identify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781-676-5633 or claudette@metavoice.org. Sign up for her free newsletter "Insights for Savvy" at http://www.metavoice.org.