Ooo la la...it's all about connection, baby!
I get asked all the time, "How do you create a great relationship, and keep them great?"
The simple answer is: share yourself.
What?!
Yep, just share yourself, and you're good to go. You're probably thinking...GREAT, got anything else?
Let’s tell the truth here. Sharing personal information about ourselves is difficult for most of us; even for me. I am constantly challenging myself to open up and share more of myself with you.
I also know that when I do open up and share, it paves the way for those around me to open up and share with me, more easily.
Have you ever noticed when someone shares; you give yourself permission to do the same?
The sharing of oneself is the substance necessary to create connection. It is the stuff that relationships are made of. No sharing, no connection, no relationship.
Because I value YOU, my dear readers, I got to thinking we should play around with this idea of sharing, so we can all witness how it works. I will share a little about myself and hope that you’ll be inspired to do the same.
As I share, pay close attention to your own thoughts and experiences you would like to share with me.
And again…please do!
I promise you will see, first hand, connection in action. It will be a blast!
So here goes, here are 10 personal details about me, Staci Welch-Bartley:
1. I am the youngest of five (I have three brothers and a sister). For the most part, we are thrill seekers, and capable of creating fun out of nothing. I can be very silly and ridiculous.
2. My father died of cancer at the age of 39 when I was only 7. I discovered that relationships and our lives are very precious things. We were very poor after the death of my dad, but I didn’t know it. My mom was simply gracious, bold and elegant with a whole lot of wisdom and sparkle. Mom was my first great teacher of relationships. I miss her. Mom died in February 2016.
3. I love animals. I currently have a hound dog named Jigi, and dreamed of owning a horse as a kid. The closest I came to owning a horse was traveling the rodeo circuit one summer with my uncle who was a “bulldogger” and my two cousins. My job was to cool down the horses after a competition. Horses smell so good!
4. I love nature and being outdoors a lot! To this day, I lay in the grass or sit in a tree whenever I can.
5. I love what I do. Lease On Love is my vocation, my calling, my life’s work. I LOVE the community, my clients, as well as my team that makes all this magic happen. And I can’t forget my latest project, Samba. It is a place for people to come to create toe tingling love in their lives. You can check it out here.
6. I have 6 children of my own. The first one I delivered at the age of 17. I currently have 11 grandchildren and counting, 2 stepchildren, and many others who I’ve claimed as mine throughout the years because of our time together and special connection.
7. I have been divorced twice. Once when I was 18, and again when I was 32. How do you count the others...the significant people that I loved and who loved me? Let’s just say there were a few. I had some growing up and reinvention to do.
8. I am a bit of a health nut and eat mostly raw/vegan food and study digestive health intensely. However, because food is used to create connection, I value relationships over the food. I never allow my food choices to keep me from missing opportunities to share and connect with others.
9. I began formally studying human behavior and relationships in 1996 when I became a hypnotherapist. I have studied and lived many chapters since then. Check out my about me page for a list.
10. I have lived and witnessed a lot of life…I know what it is like to experience sexual abuse, domestic violence, grief, interracial relationships, mental health crisis, addiction, single parenting, step parenting, and thankfully learned how to create SPARKLE, JOY, and most of all LOVE again anyway…and so can YOU.
The Solution for a lack of LOVE, is to challenge yourself and LOVE MORE!
Okay, I know I promised just 10 facts but those who know me personally know that I’m all about more, so…
11. Tom is my everything, my toe tingling lover. I met him when I was 14 and he was 22. I carried a secret crush on him for almost 35 years. How we met: my sister married his best friend from the 4th grade. Now they are bother-in-laws. Crazy how life plays out. Tom is also an incredible teacher and mentor of relationships and contributes much more than I can list here to this body of work and my life, our families lives. Thank you, Tom…and I love you just crazy!
It all works out in the end you know, if it has not worked out, it is not the end!
Now that you know a few personal things about me, I would be thrilled to hear from you. How are we the same? Does any of this prompt you to ask me any questions or share your experiences with me?
If so, DO IT! Reach out to me…share with me and join our FB Group…this is how we create connection with each other.