Elle-Vate for the Life You Deserve

I looked up one day, and I was walking down an unfamiliar street in an unfamiliar city. I kept thinking to myself, “How did I get here?” You see, the thing about being homeless is that you hate to see the sun rise or set, because in the morning, you’re searching for food and your next fix all over again. And at night, you’re searching for shelter.

The biggest issue with being stuck is that we walk around as if we are not.

Before my addiction had completely taken over my life, I believed I was moving forward. It never occurred to me that each year I was downsizing in every area of my life.

For you, being stuck may be subtle. Maybe you take the same route to work each day or keep having the same relationship issues over and over again. You may have been trying to lose the same 20 pounds for the past several years. Your annual family vacation to your timeshare summer after summer may be killing you softly.

Whatever kind of stuck you’re in – being stuck is still being stuck!

Elle Swan | Vibrant Living

From Homeless to Hottie

People have often asked me how I did it? They want to know how I went from being helpless and homeless to living a Vibrant life. Well, I will just say the decision to change my life happened quickly.

Did you know that life can change in an instant? When you find that you’re in need of self-improvement, there is no need to spend weeks or even years “working” on every aspect of your life.

In less than one minute, you can go from being stuck to unstuck by simply shifting your mindset.

Elle Swan | Health

From Caterpillar to Butterfly

When you think of personal transformation, it’s important to think of it as a life change. Many times, we try to make subtle changes in our lives by breaking habits, making resolutions, and making promises. We do this because we believe that we’ll somehow lead a different life.

However, transformation is a change that occurs from the inside out. Once you have really transformed, there’s no way you can ever go back to your old state. Isn’t that good news?

Personal transformation means that the “old you” must die so that the “new you” can be reborn.

Consider the caterpillar – an insect we may take for granted, but it also provides a perfect example of true transformation. A caterpillar is an insect in the first stages of its life; however, it grows very quickly as it prepares for its future transformation into a butterfly. A caterpillar is bound to the ground without any wings to fly, until the fateful day when it begins to spin a silk mat to create its own cocoon…

Elle Swan | Vibrant Living

A Real-World Strategy to Break Bad Habits

It was the morning of Memorial Day, May 29, 2000. I was in a rundown part of Van Nuys, California. Four of us were living in an abandoned van with two wheels up on bricks. It was so filthy you could barely tell it had once been green.

Two of my “roommates” were men. The other was a 52-year-old prostitute who had become somewhat of a mother figure to me.

The night before, one of the guys had stolen something, and he got a bunch of money for it. He scored a lot of drugs and alcohol and brought them to the van.

We all partied when he got there. Even though I was primarily an alcoholic, that night I did everything I could get my hands on. Eventually I passed out, and when I woke up the next morning, I was all alone.

Immediately, I felt the familiar pain that had been living in the center of my chest for many years. It was a constant feeling of hopelessness and impending doom. Only this time, it was so much worse. It felt like I was falling into a dark hole and that I wouldn’t stop falling for a long, long time.

I realized this was it. I was finally getting exactly what I had been yearning for …

I was dying.

Elle Swan | Vibrant Living

Wanna Have Some Hot Fun?

You’ve worked hard all year long, and now it’s time to enjoy yourself. You deserve a vacation, regardless of your budget. Living a rich and fit life can be accomplished at all income levels. Take some time and plan events that you and your family will enjoy. It may be as small as a family [...]

Elle Swan | Vibrant Living