#272 The seven steps to achieve abundance, and gratitude journaling for children, with Claudia Noriega-Bernstein.

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION

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Please note that while an effort is made to provide an accurate transcription, errors and omissions may be present. No part of this transcription can be referenced or reproduced without permission.

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Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  0:00  
Go to the mirror. Tell yourself you love yourself. Do you know how hard it is for some people to look at themselves in the mirror? Like really look at themselves in the mirror, look at your eyes in the mirror, they can keep they can keep it they look the other way, is hard. But tried to do that. And once you connect with that person looking back at you, then you say, I love you. You're great and proud of you. You have come a long way. I trust you. You say those things to you and you empower yourself

Agi Keramidas  0:45  
you are listening to personal development mastery podcast, providing those with the desire to grow with the simple, consistent actions needed to master personal development and create the life they yearn for. I'm your host Agi Keramidas. A few years ago, I found myself unfulfilled and unmotivated like I had lost my sense of purpose and my life was merely passing by. Since then, I've been on a continuous journey of personal development that has transformed every aspect of my life. Now, my mission is to inspire you to grow, stand out and take action towards a purposeful and fulfilling life. In this podcast, I invite myself inside the minds of remarkable entrepreneurs, authors, thought leaders, spiritual teachers, people who share the journey milestones and learnings for you to be inspired to grow. In this episode, you will find practical action points that you can implement right now. So make sure you follow the podcast to get them as soon as they are released. Today's episode is about abundance about the seven steps to achieve abundance in your life, and also about gratitude journaling for children.

Agi Keramidas  2:02  
It's a great conversation with a very uplifting guest. Let's dive right in. Today I am delighted to be joined by Claudia Noriega, Bernstein. Claudia,

Agi Keramidas  2:17  
you are an artist published writer, philanthropist, abundance coach, mentor, mother and wife. You have dedicated the last 12 years of your life to empowering people, especially children and women. As an abundance life coach, you help people to discover and implement the full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth and self healing. Claudia, welcome to the show. It's such a pleasure to speak with you today.

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  2:50  
I am so thrilled to be here and it's a pleasure to talk to you I have listened to a few of your podcasts and I found them very uplifting, uplifting and enlightening. And, and I love it. So I was really looking forward to have this chat with you.

Agi Keramidas  3:06  
That's brilliant. And now I will make a comment that just came to my mind that someone listening to us already, because we are two strange accents one after the other. So this is something that one will enjoy or they want. So it's it's beautiful. M We will talk about abundance, mainly Claudia, that's my intention to, to direct most of the conversation. Not all of it, though. But before we discuss abundance, I would like to start with a bit of your journey, your background. So usually there is, you know, a transition in people's lives. So would you like to take us back to what were you doing before? You know, some possibility turning points that turned your life into doing what you're doing now?

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  4:01  
Yes, I Well, I had a degree in production and direction of TV and film. So that was my background. I was always working on that. And in a way when I think about it is like when you work on TV, I used to be an actress. So so when you work on TV, you pretend to be somebody when you play a character in front of the camera. And I just dawned on me when, you know, as I was saying this, that that's what most of us do in our life, you know, we pretend to play that part. And so I was working on that for a long time. And I think to an extent I was playing a part and I realise that I wasn't happy and fulfilled and perhaps that's one of the things that you and I have more in common that we for the world we had everything we were establish we had a good Job, we, you know, we had a family, everything was perfect in front of somebody else's eyes. But when I would look at myself in the mirror, I was feeling that I was missing something. It was like, there has to be something else, you know, I, it's like, it's like if I had a pizza, and there was one slice missing, in a way. So I started working on myself. And I started discovering things about me, that I wasn't aware of, or perhaps they were not available for me, because of all my limited beliefs, everything what I adopted as true since I was a child, because that's how the limited beliefs are, you know, people tell you one thing about you, and you adopt that information as true. And one day you wake up, and you realise that all those statements are facts in quotes, that people have said about yourself, or not true. And then you want to find out who you really are in? What is your purpose? And what is your mission? And why are you here for and what is your talent. And I said in my book, you know, everybody has a gift, you just unwrap it at different times. And that was my time to unwrap my gifts. And I realised that my Hi, as my husband describe it, is to empower others in to see those changes in them to see those potentials become real. And I love to do that. So I changed my life 180 I stopped doing what I was doing my in was a perfect timing, because my daughters were growing, their were becoming independent, when they were going to college, they were doing different things. So for me was kind of like my time to do what I really wanted to do. And I was having a conversation with my daughter yesterday. Because we were talking about visions in what I wanted to do and what she went in to do. And she said to me, Mom, do you ever feel bad that you were not able to do certain things? Because you were a single mom? Because they see my potential? And I said, Absolutely not. I first of all, I will never put that weight on them. You know, like, I could have been this this and that if I wouldn't have to do A, B, C or D. I will never do that. But the truth is that I enjoy very much being a mum. So I was very present. And I always felt that what is for me is going to come at the right time. I think God times are perfect. The universe, whatever you want to call it, they're perfect in things come to you at the right time. So now it's my time to do this, and I am having a blast, and I'm enjoying myself. And as I always say, sometimes I'm the teacher and sometimes I'm the student. So it's all good. I'm just very happy to win this right.

Agi Keramidas  8:27  
That's fantastic. Thank you for sharing it in such a way. And one thing that came to my mind where you wish discussion that and I want to ask you, because right now you're really, you know, fulfilled and successful in what you do. I want to go back to the beginning when you said that you had the realisation and you change your life 480 around. Was there some difficult moments that you had to face and overcome? Or was it because you found your your things or we say things started flowing for you?

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  9:08  
I I think that it was more it wasn't like a trauma than make me change my life. I think it was the acknowledgement in the realisation that I had all those traumas in the past that I needed to work on. So I started working on myself. It wasn't like I woke up one more morning and say, Oh my God, this just happened to me. I have to make a change in my life. No, it was a process. And in that process, I started to realising this limited belief is not true. This drama, taught taught me something. This other situation was impersonal. It was in against me and And then realising, like looking backwards, you know, to my life and say, Okay, I am where I am right now, because of everything that happened for me, not to me. And now that I have all these ingredients, I'm going to try to create something delicious for my life. And I start working on myself first. That was the first step working on myself and kind of going through those ingredients, if you want to call it, you know, and figuring out Okay, where is this coming from? Why do I feel this way? What it is, that happened to me 10 years ago, five years ago, a year ago that, you know, makes me feel the way I'm feeling right now. And once I understood myself, because I always feel that everything started with ourselves, you know, you can love if you don't love yourself, you can respect if you don't respect yourself. So the work starts with you. And when you start working on those limited beliefs, in all those traumas, in all those experiences that had hold you back, that's when you have to make the you have the opportunity to make the turn into having a different mindset, and having a fulfil life and have an abundance life, I think the process has to start with you. And when I have a client that comes in is so much into the hole of I'm talking to hole now the h w h o l e, but the more h o l e, so into the hole that you don't see the light, and you just think this is this is who I am. And this is how my life is going to be. And then you live a life of survival. You just surviving every day is like I can't wait until it's the night I can go to sleep. But then again, the next morning, you start again. But there is no light. So that mentality is like a scarcity mentality, you're never going to grow, you're never going to have the life of abundance that you deserve. I honestly feel we came to this world to be happy. We didn't come to this world to suffer in Yes, there is different circumstances. And geographically there is a huge difference between where you're born and what what is your reality. But I truly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, you have the possibility to see a bright side, in you have the possibility to see possibilities. It's really up to you is how you face it.

Agi Keramidas  12:52  
That's wonderful. And I have talking about abundance. And you mentioned scarcity, mindset and abundance. What do you think? Is your number one advice to someone who wants to make that transition in the mindset? What's the number one thing to do in order to go to the other side? And then I will ask you more practical kind of things. But I think this mindset shift is important. Not everyone has understood it. And that's why I'm asking.

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  13:26  
I believe that to fix a problem, you have to acknowledge first that there is a problem. So when something is not working, the first thing you have to say to yourself is why this is not working. And the why can comes both ways. Because why this is not working. And then why do I want a different life? Because that second way is going to be your fuel to start making the changes that you need to make to achieve the life that you want.

Agi Keramidas  14:01  
That's great. Thanks for that. It's it's, as I said, it's important and these practical things I always enjoy during the podcast conversations to offer to the listener some things like that, you know, so next so the question now that you said, Why is digital not working? Just spending the time to answer that question or ponder that question can lead to great insights. So it's always great to share them. Talking about abundance. The first question that I want to ask you, how do you define abundance? What is abundance for you, Claudia?

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  14:46  
Abundance is a lot of something. When you have a lot of something, you have abundance in your life. Now, the conversation can go two ways because some People think that a lot of something is a lot of material things. I have abundance because I have a big house, I have abundance because I have two cars, or I make a lot of money. But then you wake up one day, and you feel poorer, because you have all these things, but you don't have what makes you happy. I just read a story about this father that took his kid to us a very poor village to show him how privileged he was. And when he came back, the child says we are the poor ones, because they are not watching TV all day, they're playing in the in the park, we're not sitting in the table with our phone, they're talking to each other. You know, so it's how you see abundance. For me abundance is a lot of love, is a lot of friendship, is a lot of happy moments, is a lot of health is a lot of precious moments. That is abundance. For me, it is a lot of possibility as well. So when I face the day, every day, I don't face the day, thinking what I have to do, I face the day thinking what I get to do. And that immediately shift my perception. Because you can be sitting in a car and thinking, Oh my God, I am so frustrated. Because there is so much traffic, I don't know I'm going to be laid that at all that is not going to change. That present moment. You're adding to can change the present moment, okay, I'm in traffic, I'm going to listen to a podcast. So I'm going to practice my language that I'm trying to learn or I am going to have, you know, a silly moment with a silly song that is playing in the radio is your choice. And if people would really, but really realise that every day, we have the choice to make it or break it. Because it's just like that, we have that choice. And if we choose to be positive to have an abundance mindset, and think, look how lucky I am I'm sitting in this car instead of being in the middle of a country that is in war, for example. I'm sitting in this car in Yes, I am in traffic, but I'm listening to music. And you know what, me being upset or being stressed out is not going to make me get wherever I need to get faster. So let's just be present. Where are you right now? What can I do right now?

Agi Keramidas  17:45  
100%. I agree with you. I would add that the talent to that is to being present. I mean, yeah. Is that many times for many people, the autopilot behaviour of the mind, sir we say doesn't think solver and you become you're not conscious of what you're thinking how you're behaving, whether you are stressed out in traffic, you don't you tend to get so much absorbed in this stream of thinking. So I think that's the the challenge there to be able to catch yourself that Whoa, okay, this I'm really drifting away. Let me be present

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  18:28  
is that constant reminder? Yes, yes, I actually have seven steps to achieve that abandons. And I'll tell you really, I mean, I'm not going to expand but just naming to you. The first thing what I said before, you have to acknowledge the problem. So you have to be mindful, you have to be in that moment, aware of where you are, your surroundings, be present, not in the past, not in the future right now, where I am. That's the first step. Second step is to practice gratitude. In you don't practice gratitude just by saying, Oh my God, thank God. I didn't do this. Oh, my God things is a great thing that is not going to rain today. No, like, really practice gratitude. Really be aware of the blessings that you have, and really be thankful and say it out loud. You know, I am so grateful that I have health today. I am so grateful that I can see the world that I'm not blind, that I can see my kids growing up and my children, having children and this beautiful world that we share, you know, be really grateful for what it is. Number three is believe in possibilities. You've really got to believe that there are possibilities, not problems, not walls, not inconvenience, but possibilities. We live In a life of in a world with possibilities, we more than a lot of other people in the world. So see those possibilities, because those possibilities are available for you. Number four, is always surround yourself with positive people is very important, who is your tribe, who you allowed in your life, if you're gonna have people around you, that is always negative there is always thinking, this is not going to happen. I hate this job. I don't like this country, I don't like this politics, then you are carrying that weight of those people. But if you surround yourself with people that are uplifting, uplifting, and they see possibilities and things in the grid, you already with that smile, then your whole attitude is going to change. So I think is very, very important to surround your people. You surround yourself with people that are going to bring that to your life. Also, I think is number six. Number five is meditate, I think meditating. And I know you're fond of it, I know you just went away to do a meditation retreat, correct?

Agi Keramidas  21:15  
Yes, did the 10 day silent. The vipassana retreat. So meditation is one of the best ways that I found to be more in control of my mental and emotional state, I can't say I have mastered it yet far from it. But it is, you know, a journey of learning for me, my

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  21:41  
practice, right. But when we pass, and we meditate, and people think that when they meditate, they have to have a blank mind the whole time, your thoughts are going to come, but is the ability of get rid of those thoughts in go back into your blank canvas. So your mind can rest. I think meditation in calming your mind, allow those positive things in the world to come to you. Because it's like, you have your mind all crowded, so you making space for that. And I think, you know, some sometimes I say to my daughters, when you make the space for what is available, when you get rid of the weight from the past, you make the space for what's available for you. And if you keep carrying, you know, all the problems from the past, and the new things are not going to come because you don't have the space. And number six is pursue what you love is very important to do what you love. You know, even if it's a little bit during the day, I mean, I'm not saying that everybody's gonna have a hobby and quit their job. No, you gotta have a job, that's fine. But pursue what you love, have that joyful experience in your life, even if it's 10 minutes a day even do whatever you need to do to get there to eventually be in that place doing exactly what you love to do. It might take a long time might take a little time, nobody knows. But everyday, make a step closer, even if it's an inch, just make a little step closer to where you want to be. I think coaching in that's the last step coaching is important. Sometimes we don't have the answers. So we need somebody to guide us, we need somebody to help us find that abundance, or realise the abundance that we have in our life. In journaling, for me is super, super important. Actually, you said something in your, your podcast is stand out don't fit in. And my journal, one of the journals that I wrote, is don't shrink to fit. Because we oftentimes do that. You know, and there is a very big misconception between fitting in and belonging, we all want to belong. And that is, to an extent a human need. We need to belong, but you don't have to fit in. It's okay to stand out. It's okay to be different. You know, why would you want to be like everybody else? I mean, no. So, you know, I remember my daughter one time came home when she was little and she said to me, mommy, this kid in school told me that I'm odd. What is that? And I go, Oh, God is like different, you know is that I tried to explain it to her with her own words because she was letter and she goes and I go but that's a good thing. And she goes why? And I said why would you want to be like everybody else? You know, embrace your talent. Embrace what's different because you don't know how you can expand that talent and become something magnificent. But if you push it down or hide it, you will never know. So embrace embrace your oddness.

Agi Keramidas  25:19  
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Agi Keramidas  26:24  
Alright, let's jump back to the episode. Thank you, I liked very much what you said about the difference between fitting in and belonging and fitting in, in my definition, shall we say is doing things, basically, two plays or two for other people's expectations, rather than what is in your heart or truly inside you're authentically to do and yeah, it's everyone has the human needs to belong. But by hiding your unique talents, who you truly are your brightness, because we all have this light in us. And yeah, it's part of the journey to explore and find out what it is and then share it.

Agi Keramidas  27:26  
So yeah, that was a great thing. You said the way that you said I have. There was one other thing I wanted to ask in terms of abundance, I liked very much your description of the seven steps which was, you know, also very, in a nice structured way practical for someone to understand even though all of them are complete common sense.

Agi Keramidas  27:56  
It just who put us then that's the question. I wanted to ask you also what is from your experience? What do you see is the main obstacle that holds people from achieving abundance?

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  28:14  
Their limited beliefs? I think 100% We, which is I think it's easier to accept what other people say, than to do the work to grow. It's easier, you know, some? Yeah, my, you know, I am so messy I am this is the way we speak to ourselves. If we only read can can stop and realise how important it is the way we speak to ourselves, our thoughts what we say? Because if we continue saying, oh my god, I'm so stupid. I am so stupid. i Yeah, sorry. I say that I'm so stupid. That's how you talk to yourself. You're stupid. Would you talk to somebody else like that? Would you talk to your best friend like that? Now, you will not tell your best friend seven times a day. You're so stupid. So why would you say that to you? Why would you talk to yourself like that. You should be your best friend. You are the person that knows you best. You're the person that is the longest with you since the moment you're born until the moment you die. So we need to be kind to ourselves. We need to talk to ourselves. Like we are the most precious thing in this world. And that is not being selfish. That's being self full. Because you you feel yourself with positive things with empowering things. So then you become the light. I always say I don't want to be a thermometer I want to be a thermostat. I Wouldn't and I have that in my book, I want to walk in a place. And I want to change the narrative, I want to be the positive thing that is coming in is going to make everything better. Just by having that attitude. I think that's so important. And when, when we started listening to what everybody else have to say about us, then again, we pretend we become this actor, that are pretending to play this part created by everybody that is around us. But that's not really us. That's an imaginary character created by everybody else's opinion.

Agi Keramidas  30:46  
That positive thing, you mentioned, the phrase to shift someone's attitude will you give to the listener right now, one piece of advice, some practical thing, one actionable thing to really hammer that down home. And actually, I think it's so important that if we can, you know, share something more practical about it, it would be perfect.

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  31:21  
You know, one exercise that is very easy to do is just to grab a piece of paper, and write the positive and the good things about yourself. Which is harder sometimes, you know, because you think, Oh, I'm self centred, um, there's no telling me positive things about yourself. What can you bring to the table? Who are you, you know what I'm saying, and then you write him down. I am talented, I'm smart. I'm kind and compassionate. I'm loving, you start with you. But that does seem that is a very simple exercise to do. Once you do that exercise, and you're more in tune with who you are, then you can go to the mirror. And that's another exercise that I tell my clients to do. Go to the mirror, tell yourself you love yourself. Do you know how hard it is for some people to look at themselves in the mirror. Like really look at themselves in the mirror, look at your eyes in the mirror, they can keep they can keep it they look the other way, is hard. But try to do that in once you connect. With that person looking back at you, then you say, I love you. You're great. I'm proud of you. You have come a long way. I trust you. You say those things to you. And you empower yourself for the day. Imagine you come in to face the world. With that attitude. It's like you're wearing a cape, your superhero, you know, is a superhero or a superhero. However you want to call it, but I think it starts there, you know, but it's a process. Don't expect to have an abundance mindset overnight. If you don't have it. If you are not there yet. That's your goal. You need to work every day towards that goal. And perhaps the first day, you're not going to be able to even hold your eyes looking back at you. But the second day, you will achieve a little more. And it's okay if you cry. I have clients that told me you know, every i, I have been looking myself in the mirror for 40 years. And now I look at myself in the mirror and I cry. I said okay, it's okay to cry. You're not you are not going to stop being strong because you're vulnerable. You know, that's a total misconception, especially with men when I when I do this exercise with men. Oh my god. It's like, okay, how long do I have to do that? And I'm like, what you haven't been looking at yourself. You're looking at me through the mirror. I want you to look at yourself. And they're like, looking at themselves. And then again, looking at me like how much longer just tell me what you see. Look at you connect with that person. You're not just a body that walks around this world. You have a soul inside you connect with that soul. And once you do that, and you realise that that person looking back at you got your back. You're not alone anymore. You have everything that you need. If you're going to choose somebody else to share your life, there's a choice is not a need. Because you already have everything you you you need. Everything you need is with within you.

Agi Keramidas  34:55  
That's I love this. Thank you. That's wonderful. Claudia am There is also one other thing I will attend subject. Slightly, I wanted to ask you about, you have published three books that was one that really caught my attention, because it's something I feel quite unique. And I wanted to ask you to share a few of your thoughts. And that's the gratitude journal for children. So, can you share a little bit about that, for me, and for the listener, who may be a parent, and they want to understand the importance of developing the virtue of gratitude from a young age.

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  35:40  
I have three journals in one book, because I just published the one for men. So there are three, the three journals, I published a one for men, because my husband was using the one for women and it had too many flowers, I change it a little bit and make it less, less girly. I created the journal for children. First of all, because I was very concerned about the amount of children that were killing themselves during COVID. It was very disturbing how they isolation from school, from social life from being with their friends was affecting them. And I wanted to do something that would help them with their mindfulness to be present, in how can I do that, in a way that is also fun. So as you know, gratitude, because I said it before, is one of the steps that you have to take to create the life of abundance. And we live in a world of instant gratification, especially for children, I want this, you get it simple. And sometimes they just don't even have to, they just go in online and they order it, they don't even have to ask for it. It's very different than when I was a kid. So I wanted to create something that make help them be present, acknowledge what they do have, but also look a little deeper in the journal for kids. The questions that I have are, what they have to write their, the day they are in, then they have little emojis on the side to see how they feel that they and I put those emojis because one time I was one of my clients, he was a five year old kid. And he was having problems at school, he was being very aggressive. And kids learn things from home. You know, they, I don't believe that kids are born aggressive or racist or prejudiced. They, they learn those things from home. So this kid, his parents, were going through a divorce, and he was angry. So he was having problems in school when he came, we started playing with it's like a kind of like a pizza thing. You know, it has different emotions, and we put it together, we build it together. And when we finish, he said to me, there is one that is missing. And I said which one because I have happiness, sadness, anger, the basic feelings, you know, because it's important that children learn the different feelings. When you have your head down doesn't mean you're always angry, you can be upset, you can be sad, you can be depressed, you can have stomach pain, there is different feelings. So he comes to me and he goes, there is one missing and I say which one and he goes the stressful one. And I was so impressed that a five year old knew what been stressed look like, you know, so in this is what I said. I always say sometimes I'm the teacher and sometimes I'm the student I was a student there, and a five year old was teaching me. So I decided to put many little emojis of faces. So it's not just sad and happy anger and you know it. Let's explore a little more how you feel. Then I have little batteries to see the level of energy, you know, but what was more important for me in the journal was tell me one thing that always makes me smile makes you smile. So you bring the kid to a positive place. Immediately. We're gonna think about something that makes me smile. I love when they have to finish the sentence, another positive Today I learn what did you learn today? We learn things every day. I remember getting my kids from school. What do you learn today? Nothing? What do you mean? Nothing? What do you mean nothing, you learn something, even if even if it's like, if you don't tie your shoes, you're going to trip and fall. That's a lesson. So you learn something. Today, I appreciate it. Tell me who you are what you're thankful for. So they have to really go back and see, hmm, I am thankful for my friend Tommy, or I am thankful that I was able to do PE today, because it wasn't raining. Like something positive that happened to you, immediately, you're teaching your children to see the positive in every single day. One thing that was hard for me today, it's okay. It's okay to say, I had a problem with math, or I had a problem dug into the new kidding, the school, why let's talk about it. These are all opportunities for the parents to have a conversation with the kid. And then my good deed of the day was because I think is very important that we teach our kids to pay forward, not only to be grateful for what we have, but also to help to be kind to others. And then at the end of the book, at the end of each page, I have a little quote, which I have in my other journal. So but this is more like for kids. So this one, for example, say Don't let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do. And I have little stories, I have little exercises I have problem solving, I have what is the what is the message in the story because they have little stories and stuff like that. And then you know, big quotes that empower kids, you are amazing just the way you are, you know, in, in during the whole journal, I have different things that will help the parents communicate better with the kids, help the kids be more present and grateful. And also learn because you learn everyday with different things. I thought it was so important to teach kids to be present, and to be mindful, and to be grateful. Since they're little. So then that has a ripple effect. You don't know when that kid is going to talk to another kid. And, you know, it then brings me back to one time when my one of my daughters was probably she was in kindergarten, my middle daughter, Isabella, I went to pick her up from school. And this lady knocked on my window. And I looked at her and I didn't know who she was, but my window down. She gave me $1 And I said, Why are you giving me $1? And she goes, your daughter give $1 to my daughter today? And I said, he said why did you give her $1. And because I always put it $1 Just in case in their in their lunch bag, I'm going to talking about 27 years ago. She said to me, because her parents are getting divorced, and she's gonna need it. But I thought it was cute. But at the same talk and how generous of her to do that. And then the mind process. So you know, those little things are so amazing to me. Because kids are always listening. They're sponges, they're watching us. And if we can teach them since they're little, to help the other one to be mindful of the people around you in and care enough to connect. We can connect with people in the grocery store, we can connect with people on the bus, we can connect with people everywhere. And you don't know who needs at that moment, a smile and empowering phrase, you know, a pat in the back. So, I love that I am able to create, in this case this journal for kids that open those possibilities for them.

Agi Keramidas  44:27  
That's wonderful. I I realised when you were saying that I only started journaling myself when I was in my 20s. And the real detailed journaling that I do now where it's probably the last seven years or six, seven years so, but I wish I had the agenda like the one that you have for children when I was growing up. That would be amazing. So thank you. I really enjoyed what you do there. And the description of the journal.

Agi Keramidas  45:05  
I do have Claudia, a couple of quickfire questions to start wrapping this conversation up. Before I go there, I would like to ask you, where would you direct the listeners that has enjoyed the conversation and wants to connect with you and find out more about what you do.

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  45:25  
I have a website is called just like my book, brighter days book.com I have my Instagram too, they can connect through my Instagram is called Cindy frickin Rella my Instagram. And, and well, first of all, because I didn't want to use a bad word. And second of all, because I do believe in sin in Cinderella stories, I do believe that you're going to have the right person coming to you. And you can have your happily ever after. It's really up to you, you know, to make the choices and to have the right mindset to look for the possibilities every day.

Agi Keramidas  46:12  
Thank you. That's great. So just some final rapid fire questions then closed there. And the first one I always ask is What does personal development mean to you?

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  46:26  
To grow? To grow, and I am a believer that people don't change, people grow. You know, when somebody says, Oh, no, that person has changed. It means the person has opened their mouth is the same person, it doesn't change. It is grow in when you grow and you are open to growing, then everything else fall into place.

Agi Keramidas  47:01  
It's great. And let's say you could go back in time and meet your 18 year old self, what's one piece of advice you would give her?

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  47:11  
I would tell her you know, it's funny is 18 year old because excuse me, that was before I got married. But right before I got married, but I would have said to her now not to get married. I will say to her, you don't have to do what they're telling you to do, you do what you want to do. Because you are going to be okay. Because you have what you need. So, if I will go back to my 18 year old, I will give her a hug. And I will say do what you want to do now what they're telling you to do.

Agi Keramidas  47:52  
Thank you, Claudia, I have really enjoyed our conversation today. Thank you so much for sharing this amazingly positive outlook with us today. I mean it was coming through, even though we're on the other side of the ocean, through my my screen in my headphones. So thank you very much for this. I want to wish you all the very best with your mission and keeping on empowering others. last parting words from you,

Claudia Noriega-Bernstein  48:28  
one person at a time, right? We can change this world one person at a time. We don't have to go and try to change you know a whole stadium just you know start with you. Start with you. And then you can start with the next person and the next person and if in especially with children. If we start changing the mentality and teaching kids were really is important in life, then we can give him the possibility to have an abundant life. And I think we all deserve it and we'll have it if we want to.

Agi Keramidas  49:08  
Thank you for listening and I hope you got great value from today's episode. And if you'd be so kind, please take a moment to leave me in Apple podcasts review sharing how personal development mastery has made a difference to the day and I will read the review in the podcast. Until next time, stand out don't fit in!

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