afformation Archives - rainbowsoverruins

I spent my Saturday talking with Kym Douglas who is my next interview on the Rebuilding Your Life…. Podcast. Kym is part of my weekly work life as a family member on Home and Family for Hallmark Channel, but this was my first opportunity to sit down and talk about her life outside the show.

Kym’s television persona is as the lovely and upbeat expert on beauty secrets of the stars. She’s written four books on the subject, the latest of which is Bliss Happens. Cute story. Jay McGraw, executive producer of The Doctors and his dad, Dr. Phil, suggested the title. Remember all those t-shirts and sayings that deliver the opposite message – s….. happens? Well, bliss happens sends a much more positive message and helps to attract better things into your life. Since publishing the book, Bliss has become Kym’s brand as she shows people how to feel better about themselves by adding a touch of elegance and beauty to their lives. And her message is clear. It doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to do it.

If you read Kym’s bio in her book blurb, you’ll learn that she’s a beauty guru and lifestyle expert who appears on several television programs. She’s been a regular on The Ellen Degeneres Show, on Home and Family and The Doctors. She started her career as a hard news reporter in Detroit before becoming a red carpet reporter. Kym’s passion has always been to cover more positive subjects, so she developed a signature interview style with celebrities, many of whom were willing to share their beauty secrets. One of the early interviews was with soap opera star, Jerry Douglas. In short order, they fell in love and he whisked her off to Hollywood where they have been happily married for over 25 years.

So why did I want to include Kym in a show that is about rebuilding your life and getting past disasters in order to find prosperity? Quite simply, I wanted to lighten the mood. It’s easy to sink into negative mind space when talking about natural disasters, divorces, deaths, lost loves, financial woes and other tragedies. Yet part of the healing process is to move into positive mind space. It’s about gratitude, appreciation and, yes, bliss.

I had to learn how to do that. It was one of the most powerful ways for me to overcome the aftermath of the landslide. The first step was to accept where I was even as I needed something more. I began by asking myself “I am where I am and why is it okay?” The why question – an afformation – gradually changed into “I am where I am and it’s fabulous, even as I dream of something even better.” And bliss happens when we make the most of what we have in order to get what makes us truly happy – and it all comes together. That’s what Kym shows her audience – how to make the most of what we have.

Kym is a person of faith who believes that bliss is a choice. In a poignant share, Kym reveals how she made the choice to believe in the possibility of a positive outcome when no one was giving her very much hope. If you have a situation in which the outcome is unclear, why dwell on the negative result when you have an equal possibility of the positive result – and the positive feels so much better?

I’d like you to meet Kym Douglas. She’s my next guest on Rebuilding Your Life: Moving from Disaster to Prosperity. The podcast is available iTunes at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rebuilding-your-life-moving/id975055547 as well as Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=62871&refid=stpr.

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about Kym Douglas and her work now, check out her website: www.kymdouglas.com or follow her @kymdouglas and like her at www.facebook.com/hollywoodbeautyexpert.

Please listen in as we talk bliss with Kym Douglas.

To Your Success,

Susan

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s the holiday season in my world. In the background, the Home and Family Holiday Special is playing. For the next few weeks, we will think of little other than food, traditions, gifts, music and all the ways to celebrate the spirit of this special time of year.

For myself, gratitude is the first word that comes to mind because I have been so blessed to be working on a show for a network that embodies the highest of values. Back that up with a cast and crew who put in so much energy and good will every day at the “office” which in our case is a beautiful house and gardens.

A lyric crosses my mind. It’s a phrase from a Sunday school song: “let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” It makes me smile. The lights on the roof and in the trees and the skating rink installed for this show are all shining.

But the song is not about lighting up your house for the holidays; it’s a parable to remind each of us to stop hiding our talents under a bushel. Get the word out. Let others feel your joy as you share your gifts. Each of us has a value and something to contribute to others. If you know what it is, then shout it from the rooftops! If you are shy or unclear about it, then find someone who can help you define and share your natural gifts. The world needs what you have to offer in order to bless and support all that other people need to make their contribution.

The thought inspires me with a great New Year’s Afformation, although you could start using it now. Try saying this every day: Why do I let my creativity shine? Why do I let my natural gifts and talents shine for those who need what I have to offer?

May the holiday season bring you and your families joy and anticipation of a multitude of possibilities for an abundant, creative year.

Testimonials

“What I appreciate about you is your sincere and great generosity of spirit. You have an almost unlimited tolerance for the foibles of others and manage to find humor in some of the most trying circumstances. I can always count on you to give me an honest, balanced assessment of whatever is happening privately or globally. You never stagnate. You’re always seeking ways to make your life better and more meaningful. That is inspirational to me.”

Susan Scudder
Actress, Casting Director
“Calm, Serenity, Wisdom, Patience, Empathy. These are the characteristics that I think of, when I think of you. Throughout our relationship, you have always “shared only and freely” with me. You have never been judgmental (of anyone really) or unkind with words. Your ability to take in all the information surrounding a situation, process it in a kind, loving and logical way and then interpret the information back in such a way that I feel that I too can learn and grow from the experience, whether it was mine or not. Susan, I believe that you are a conduit, maybe not the right word…a channel…o.k. I laymen’s terms, you are the glue that holds us all together. If I were ever in a crisis…I’d want you to be with me more than anyone I know.”

Toni Casala
Owner, Children in Film
“Susan ran the Producers Guild of America seminars program for years – and while she was heading it up we had an amazing array of well-produced, always-well-attended and interesting seminars and “evenings with” events. She has a real handle on putting together top-notch panels, finding guest speakers and outlining the main topics for the seminars, as well as a great attention to the details needed to pull these off. I highly recommend her and her fantastic skills.”

Tim Gibbons
Executive Producer, HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, Governor, Producers Peer Group, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
“I love working with Susan because she has an amazing ability to help me gain clarity and focus about the possibilities that surround me. Susan is so skilled and supportive that her faith in my abilities has transformed my thinking and now I know the action steps I want to take with certainty and enthusiasm.”

Susan Prime
Prime Coaching, U.K.