ARE YOU READY?

My previous post, What Are You? was all about declaring yourself and commiting to that declaration. In today’s post we are talking about what happens next.

A lot of critics of The Secret or other motivational programs think it’s people sitting around chanting ‘bring me the guy (or girl) of my dreams!’, ‘a fully loaded G Wagon please!'(not my car pick, but you do you) or merely ‘Show me the money!’ and then sit on their bum waiting for it to arrive like a UPS package.

And yes, it can actually happen that way. A guy who became my bf was on the same dating app as me but due to my filters, we never connected. It was a random intro from a mutual friend. I’ve also had unexpected money show up in the mailbox in the form of a check from an unknown payout.

However, let’s revisit the last part of the previous post; a chance meeting with filmmaker/producer Ben Affleck. If he doesn’t have me tackled by security, what if his response to my statement, “I look forward to working with you!” is “What do you got?”

crickets crickets crickets crickets

If this were today, my honest reply would be, “I don’t have anything finished… but I have some really great ideas.”

WHAT?! This isn’t the 80’s, you can’t get jobs with just concepts anymore, you need a script, preferably more than one. And if it’s Jon Peters, it damn well better include a giant robot spider!

See, my fear isn’t that I won’t run into Ben or some other dream filmmaker/producer, (I’m talking ’bout you RoRo!) it’s that I won’t be prepared when I do. Because I’m so certain I will.

Some people, myself included, have wonderful aspirations but fail to commit to it fully enough due to lack of faith it will happen or lack of faith in them self. For me, it’s also a lack of urgency. I don’t have a deadline that feels legit because it’s still treated as a possibility not a fully conceived PLAN.

If you want to be the next Michael Jordan (#23 baby!) you don’t throw the wish out to the Universe and then wait for recruiters to call, you follow up with INSPIRED ACTION!

You are running every day, building up your endurance, on the court working on dribbling and hitting those 3’s!

If you are a singer, you are probably also working on your cardio, running vocal scales – while also running! And hopefully working with a vocal coach.

If you are a writer, you are writing, there’s a little more to it but you better be writing whenever, wherever you can. No mercy! Sorry, got a little Cobra Kai energy there for a sec.

Now you might be thinking, “Well of course Karma, you just mentioned desires that literally revolve around action, but what about meeting the love of your life?

I’m glad you asked because there is action to that too. Here’s some of my opinions on how to prepare for your soul mate or sole mate (Louboutins anyone?)

  1. Determine the WHY – You need to be clear about the reason for having a romantic relationship. Is it because you are lonely? You want someone to cuddle? Someone to love and love you back? A dog might fit that criteria! Keep in mind, a relationship is not like shoes, a car or money, it is a cooperative manifestation with another human, not a doll. Make sure you have a strong WHY.
  2. WHAT? Have a clear desire of what you want in a person/relationship. I’m not talking about playing Frankenstein with traits like must be 6’2″, dark hair, muscular, etc… this is your chance to go deep!
    Some of my preferred interests were open minded, kind, generous, loves nature, loves music, etc… You might even write out some scenarios like, “If my car broke down at 3am could I call him and how would he respond?”

I’m reminded of the scene in the movie SINGLES. Janet (Bridget Fonda) sits in the waiting room of the cosmetic surgeon with her friend Steve (Campbell Scott). She’s planning on breast augmentation to gain the attention of her love interest Cliff (Matt Dillon). Steve is trying to figure out his new love interest Linda (Kyra Sedwick).

Steve Dunne: Tell me, what do you really want from a guy?
Janet Livermore: Well when I first moved here from Tucson. I wanted a guy with looks, security, caring. Someone with their own place. Someone who said “bless you” or “gesundheit” when I sneezed. And someone who liked the same things as me, but not exactly. Someone who loves me.
Steve Dunne: Tall order.
Janet Livermore: I scaled it down a little.
Steve Dunne: What is it now?
Janet Livermore: Someone who says “gesundheit” when I sneeze. Though I prefer “bless you”. It’s nicer.

Remember the goal is a harmonious relationship, not something that looks good on Instagram.

  1. WHY NOW? After making a list of my desired traits, I stopped and asked myself two questions.

a. Why do I want a boyfriend? Is it because I’m lonely? That society thinks single women are SAD 😦 ?

b. Is there anything you need or want to do that will be more difficult once you’re in a relationship?

The answers were so revealing! I realized I was trying to fulfill some SOCIETAL validation and that it would be tough to have a relationship with a person when I already had a relationship with my laptop. Funny enough, I met a guy 2 weeks later and we were together three years.

  1. MAKE ROOM! This one is actually quite literal. Do you have physical room for another person? Some things to consider are making room in your closet and removing all those extra pillows and stuffed animals from your bed. It doesn’t mean you’re moving the person in as soon as you meet them but rather you are signaling to the Universe you are ready for that happening at the appropriate time.

In Florence Scovel Shinn’s book, The Game of Life and How to Play It, she describes a woman setting the dinner table for two and purchasing an extra chair for the livingroom.

This also includes time, just like with a dog, you need to have room on your calendar!

SET IT and FORGET IT! Now, send it out into the Universe and go on with your life, which is already awesome, like you! Maybe even go out and explore – not with the expectation of meeting someone but with the goal to experience JOY.

And just maybe, while attending an art exhibit you love, you might also meet someone who will love you, too.

These processes can be applied to other experiences as well.

For money, be clear about the amount and the why. Just stating you want more money will bring you that. I once found a nickel!

Try to be specific like:
I am open to receiving $350,000 for a new house. WHY? I need a place to live and I don’t want an apartment. WHY NOW? I’m planning a move in the next 3 months. MAKE ROOM! Feung Shui practice encourages decluttering your current space, it will make moving easier – this can also be applied to your wallet.

Regan Hillyer suggests creating ‘containers’ for your money. You could do this literally by labelling envelopes with the goal. I have a change jar for found money, once it’s full the coins are separated into plastic bags then stored in a larger container; it’s getting really heavy!

Then let it go! That means not forcing any hustles, not stressing about when it’s coming. LET. IT. GO. Trust that the Universe knows where to find you when it’s time to deliver.

The Universe brought me money in an interesting way, though it might seem obvious. I had to take out a loan for a dental procedure, unfortunately, the loan didn’t cover the full amount and I had a high balance with the dentist. I wasn’t worried at the time, I figured the money would come somehow and worst case it would just delay completion.

That was in 2024, in 2025 the dentist was asking when I planned on finalizing payment. I didn’t have an answer and I was stressing. This amount of money was beyond commititing to over time at work and would most likely require another loan…if I could even get one. One day out of frustration I marked the bill ‘PAID IN FULL’ with green marker to really highlight it. I had no idea how it would happen but I was adamant that I was tired of worrying about it.

Then, in February of 2026, the tempory dental broke and I was suddenly faced with the urgency that I couldn’t put it off, I needed to do something now. I struggled, trying to figure out a way, doubled down on the faith it would work out, then inspiration hit, could I pull the money from my 401k? Turns out not only could I – a hardship withdrawal – but I had more than enough available.

The other day I found the bill marked ‘PAID IN FULL’ and it made my heart so happy knowing it was realized! In fact I’ve taken to applying that process to other bills.

Here are some takeaways from this: Yes, the option was always there but not visible to me as I thought the money had to come only in ways that made sense to me. I restricted the options.

Also, lets go back to when the loan was processed, leaving me with a balance with the dentist that I had wished the loan had covered. The interest on that loan was way higher than any fees and/or interest on the withdrawal, so I was benefitted by paying this amount separately.

****DISCLAIMER – Now I don’t want to hear people reminding me about how my dipping into my 401k was a terrible financial choice – hello, obvious there are soooo many that led to here! But can we just agree that having that money available to pull from, without putting unnecessary strain on household expenses was a blessing? Thanks! Let’s move on, shall we!

So what did we learn? Faith is first and foremost, whether it’s in God, the Universe or Source – I like to call it GUS 😉 You don’t always get to know how it’s working out, just that it does – like the electricity that turns on the lights when you flick the switch…unless you’re Bill Nye.

But also, action is important, but only as long as it’s INSPIRED ACTION! That’s filling out that job application, talking to the person who made your heart flutter, writing your outline for your script. 🙂

Tell me in the comments if this resonated with you, confused you or what your favorite color is… I’m kidding! I actually want to know your favorite movie or TV show with a Happy Ending…meaning the protagonist manifested what they wanted, not…well, uh, you know.

Until next time, go forth and be awesome!

Love and Blessings!

Karma Marie

Chekov’s gun & life hacks

Before you freak out, let me clarify for you non nerdy theater kids and writers.

Chekov’s gun is the idea that every element introduced in a story must be necessary and serve a purpose.

For example, in a play if there is a gun sitting on the table then it must go off before the end of the performance or it shouldn’t be included. Nothing extraneous to the story.

It hit me the other day that this could be a good philosophy to apply to my life.

I have a habit of purchasing self-help programs, writing courses and so. many. books. I have the best of intentions – I’m going to improve my finances, my health, my skills, my life!

Sadly, just like New Year’s resolutions they fall to the wayside; neglected, orphaned and choking on dust while I binge watch Cougar Town…hey, it’s Bill Lawrence so technically, it could be considered writing research, right? Right?

Well maybe Chekov can help me out.

  1. No extraneous additions! If the item or experience doesn’t improve some aspect of my life, then I don’t add it…even if it’s FREE! Because it’s really not; everything costs something be it money, effort or TIME.
  2. Follow through on what I already have. They say procrastination is caused by fear. So, if I committed to, say a course on shifting realities then I need to face my fears and schedule time for study…which will be even easier once I learn how to manipulate time travel! Where’s my Delorian?
  3. I don’t really have anything more than the two, but I like the number 3. Hey, if you think of something let me know!

Now, I know what you are thinking. “Karma, what about your crazy sche—um, creative opportunity plans?”

I haven’t given up on my dreams of working with Edgar Wright, Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck…to name the obvious characters that we’ve already discussed but we haven’t even begun to delve into my new-ish fascination with Jason Mantzoukas. (not new to me, just new that I’m telling you) He is one of 5 of my favorite Jasons…what? You don’t have a list of Jasons? You should, it’s fun.

In no particular order:

Jason Sudeikis, Jason Segel, Jason Bateman and my brother Jason.

Mantzoukas is my bittersweet crush, my doomed love affair – for as much as I adore his crazy sexy smart self, he is allergic to eggs and that’s 95% of my sustenance.

 I think that would be like a vampire dating a woman who exists on garlic and holy water. ☹

But a crazy girl can dream.

Speaking of dreams, I haven’t mastered the skill of lucid dreaming yet. You know where you are dreaming but totally aware you are dreaming so you can control what happens? So, I’m at the mercy of whatever my psyche throws at me, which is very hit or miss.

Hit – A man told me he won the lottery and I said, “That is awesome, you totally deserve it! I’m so happy for you!” and then he told me he wanted to give me $1 million. 😊

Miss – Any work related or I’m trying to accomplish any menial task. Like needing to get somewhere by a certain time but I can’t seem to move or it’s really slow motion.

Questionable – The other night, I left my office job to join a group of men on a heist. We jumped out of a plane, and we landed in a barren field next to a giant building. As I was collecting everyone’s parachutes to hide, because I was the newbie, I was freaking out about getting in trouble for leaving work without letting anyone know and it had already been four hours!

Yep, that’s what I was worried about.

I left the building because I also started to worry about legal trouble and next thing I know I’m in a restaurant, I believe it was in Beijing or maybe downtown San Francisco. While I’m there I notice Keanu Reeves sitting at a nearby table. He says hello and invites me to join him. Isn’t he nice?

We talked about life and my crazy ideas for a Matrix – Dracula cross over. He totally loved it! Then I realize I’m actually in another country and I’m freaking out about how I’m going to get home.

I say, “I don’t know where I’m going to get the money to get home.” And he looks at me and smiles and says, “Hand me your notebook.”

He then proceeds to sign his name and then three other names and I guess I’m supposed to sell these autographs to buy a plane ticket home? Then he leaves. WTF?

Wait, I forgot. He leaves AND then the manager comes up to me and says, “I want to close up, and your check is the last one that needs to pay.” So no help getting home AND he didn’t pay for my dinner?! Harsh brah!

Needless to say, our relationship hasn’t been the same since. :-/

Also HIT – Ben Affleck placed my hand in his and professed that I was his best friend and it made me feel all warm and gooey inside and I said, ‘Suck it, Matt!’ under my breath. Afterwards we went to Claire’s and got matching bracelets. You know the kind that are two halves of one whole? Okay, maybe I added that part to seem cooler than I am.

Anyways, hope this chaotic catch up post didn’t make you too dizzy and nauseous…if it did just drink some Pepto, you know that pink stuff. Hey that reminds me of another dream.

Just kidding! Hope your 2026 is shaping up to be a time of JOY and BIG DREAMS! Go get em’ Tiger!

Love and Blessings!

Karma Marie

UNBALANCED

Ever ride in a car with someone who uses BOTH feet to push the pedals? I have and it can be rough. The right foot punches the gas and the left foot slams on the brake. You lose that transition time if you are only using the one right foot. It’s just GO and STOP!

My life has felt like that, lacking balance. I think it’s because I lack structure. There is an author I follow, Kelsey Humphries. She’s big on YouTube, look her up. You wanna talk about organized?! She’s a damn fine writer, too, I just finished her novel Happy Christmas and can’t wait to read more. Anyways, she teaches writers how to plan their writing and publishing and it triggered me so much! Why?

I think my fear of organizing the writing; creating a spreadsheet or outline or even a simplified word doc stems from fear. Fear that if I stop the momentum of constant writing, well whenever I cram it in around work and taking care of my mom and the house and… I think you get my point.

I don’t want to be unprepared, actually, quite the opposite. I desperately yearn to have my focus contained, each chapter mapped out, at the very least; a goal! That sounds like bliss to me. Knowing exactly who is doing what, when and how? Sign me up!

So, why can’t I do it? Why haven’t I implemented this glorious new call to action? I don’t know, but I aim to find out. When I do, I promise to share here, this place that I neglect so due to…you guessed it; no structured schedule!

Well, I just wanted to pop on and share some thoughts, random like I do. I do want to take this moment to wish you the very best holiday season – I wish you so many blessings you can’t count them all!

Love and Blessings – Karma Marie

What’s up?

I’m back! What? Did you think that would take longer? I can leave and come in again…but I’m already here and it takes So. Much. Effort. Okay, you talked me into it, I’ll stay.

Some updates: I wrote a heartfelt letter to Kevin Smith, then rewrote and rewrote to the point I think it’s about as good as it’s going to get…to rewrite just one more time. You know what they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. I need it to be at worse, acceptable and at best, Oscar worthy 😀

The reason for the letter: My son convinced me to send him an Edgar & Kevin & Richard & Wes shirt, I showed that off in a previous post.

The second hardest part, after completing the accompanying letter, is finding the right address to send it to. On Google it mentions mostly their View Askew office and SmodCastle BUT then hallelujah, I found an email address: assistant@smodcast.com so I can get the appropriate address rather than just sending stuff in the mail to never be seen again. I’ll keep you updated!

Speaking of shirts, I created a new design, this time to show off my love for Edgar Wright–er, Edgar Wright’s creations.

The front reads: “Looking for Mr. Wright” with a lipstick mark.

The back reads: “He’s a SPACED out RUNNING MAN, BABY DRIVER with HOT FUZZ, (drinking pints) with SCOTT PILGRIM and SHAUN OF THE DEAD RIGHT next to the ASYLUM, LAST NIGHT IN SOHO and he holds my heart in his FISTFUL OF FINGERS

***SPECIAL NOTE – these shirts aren’t available in the store…yet, we’ll see!

Let me know what you’ve been up to, what you think about the new design, what you think about Kevin Smith, what you think my chances are I’ll get a response to my email…whatever you like to say, here is your chance – comment below…or above, I’m not sure where it’s located tbh.

Whatever you do, have an awesome day!

6 STEPS TO START LOVING YOURSELF

When you come to Earth, you are an eager and excited spirit who has just been handed the keys to their very own human transport device aka a body.

Ever watch a baby? They are typically happy, crying here and there to alert the bigger people to their needs; usually a diaper change, food, bottle or comfort, but their natural baseline is happy.

So what happens next? Well, with our newly formed brains in a theta state – similar to hypnosis – we begin to download our environment, the sights, sounds, tastes, touch and anything else that is helpful to our survival, like not touching a hot stove or running into traffic.

This is an important time for development, up until 7 or 8 years of age the brain continues to download indiscriminately, without question. You can imagine that in certain environments this could be a detriment to future development. You are not only learning about safety but also about money, personal relationships, right and wrong, love and more. What you learn during this time becomes your belief system, your program that runs in your subconscious, 24/7.

To best illustrate, let’s look at food. In our house we didn’t eat liver and onions. I can vividly remember my mother making a face and expressing how disgusting it was. So if someone asked me as an adult if I liked Liver and Onions, I immediately said ‘no’. Actually, it was more like, “NO!”.

Had I ever tried it? Nope. I didn’t need to. I was programmed to not like it.

Now, I know liver and onions is a pretty easy one, I know plenty of people who have tried it and had the same opinion but let’s change it to cherry cheesecake. I happen to think it tastes delightful but if it had been met with the same vehemance as liver, it would have been doubtful I would have tried it without someone’s insistence and well outside my childhood years.

Now, take the food example and change out liver and onions for healthy love. This is where things get real.

A common declaration made in books, tv and movies is “I will be better than my parents, I will do X,Y,Z differently!” A beautiful sentiment but a little challenging to fulfill, at least in its entirety. If you grew up lacking food, you could easily be a parent that makes sure there is always plenty of food, in fact, you might even ensure it’s the healthiest options availble.

Let’s look at something a little trickier, let’s look at love. Did you grow up in a home where you felt unconditional love or did you feel like you only received love if you did something good, like finished your chores or received good grades? What relationships did you see? Were you a child of divorce? Did you have older siblings? What were their relationships like?

The quickest way to determine which program you downloaded is to look at your current circumstances.

Let’s assume, based on the title of this post, that you have issues with self love. What are the steps you can take to REprogram yourself and override those beliefs of not enough?

  1. Who Are You? – You my friend, are not a human having a spiritual experience but a spirit having a human experience. You come from pure love source energy. Earth is your playground, so to speak. Think of it like your own personal video game experience. Being human comes with a lot of emotions like happiness and joy but also insecurity and depression. Remembering who you truly are is incredibly empowering and the first step to loving yourself.
  2. Why Are You Here? – If you evaluate a typical human experience it’s nothing like the video game analogy. When I was a kid I believed you finished school, maybe went to college, you got a good job to work at until you retired and along the way you got married and had kids and they continued the process. People who were astronauts, artists, musicians, humanitarians, you know world changers were the exception and there was no connection between myself and them.

YOU came here for a reason, YOU need to decide what that reason was. Not your family, not your teachers, not society, YOU. The sooner you figure that out, the sooner you can really start living. Please note that while I have this as Step 2, you can skip this and come back to it if you’re not sure yet.

3.You Are Worthy. – This is my most favorite step! This is the step where you acknowledge your birthright. While kings and queens were given thrones, treasure and kingdoms to rule over, your birthright is even more amazing; this is where the LOVE comes in!

Receiving unconditional love requires this of you…are you ready? To simply exist. That’s it. You deserve love because you just do! You are ALREADY worthy.

  1. Open Your Heart. – So you might be thinking that you’re a pretty nice and loving person. You’re fine. You don’t need any steps. I thought the same. Years ago I learned that my heart chakra was not fully engaged. I would happily send love out to the world but was closed off to receiving it. That was because I was thinking of human love, not source love.

Human love comes with strings and requirements, sometimes tests and sometimes you don’t qualify to even play the game because your human body isn’t attractive enough. You my friend, need to tap into unlimited source love. That is the 100% unconditional love we talked about in Step 3.

Think of how your lungs breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, over and over again. It’s a happy exchange of give and take. It has to be! Imagine if you just sent your breath out without taking more in!

Here is how to connect to that unlimited and unconditional love. I’ve been connecting for years but I really like the meditation from Christie Marie Sheldon.

  1. Find a comfortable spot to sit, feet planted on the floor. If you need to lie down for this, that is okay, too.
  2. Close your eyes and imagine you are pulling in loving energy from above and let it fill you from head to toe.
  3. Send that loving energy through to the center of the Earth and pull that Mother Gaia loving energy up into your body.
  4. Allow the two energies to combine in your heart chakra and sit here for a moment, really feeling that unconditional love. That love that is here for you no matter what.
  5. Now expand that love energy out into the world, as far as you can go! Imagine so many people, animals and plants receiving that love and then feel it coming back into your heart.

That’s it! How did it feel? Did you cry? Don’t worry that is totally normal and encouraged. When you have held onto toxic, limiting beliefs or trauma in the body for years and then finally release it you usually will feel a shift in your body and tears. I believe these tears are both physical over finally feeling relief in the release and emotional, because you are finally clearing away a block that was preventing you from feeling the positive emotion.

  1. YOU come first. – Before I get push back on this, I am not suggesting you ditch your responsibilities like children or work. However, I do want to use the airplane safety analogy of put on your oxygen mask first then help others with their own. You can’t help others if you aren’t even helping yourself.

Many of us, especially women my age or older, were brought up to believe that self care was selfish and selfish was a bad word because you were supposed to give and take care of others and if they chose to reciprocate and take care of you then weren’t you the lucky one?

Look, I’m 100% about kindness, sharing, caring and helping others. What I’m not onboard with is martyrdom, sacrificing at your own expense, staying small so others can feel big. That is not healthy and it’s not good for others, either. You can’t give what you don’t have.

Let’s use money. Say you have $200, you only have $200 and someone comes to you for a loan. Let’s be honest, you know this will be a gift! Now say there was an investment opportunity that allowed you to put that $200 into an account and the interest earned would triple it. Helping someone when you have $600 instead of only $200 is an easier proposition.

Or let’s use blood donations. I like to donate blood or plasma, it helps people who really need it and my body will replenish what I donated; plasma takes about 24 – 48 hours and red blood cells take around one to two months. I usually donate plasma but if I donated red blood cells then I couldn’t donate 2 weeks later. It wouldn’t be healthy for me and the quality wouldn’t be good for someone else.

Take care of yourself physically, emotionally and mentally. Don’t you want to share the best version of yourself with your loved ones and the world? I know I do!

  1. REPEAT steps 1-5! That’s right, this isn’t a one and done kind of deal. This is life on Earth and it takes consistent attention and intentions.

Helpful Tips: Focus on nature – It’s therapeutic going on nature walks and/or hanging out with animals – there’s no judgement there! Wait, my dog Bella does have a judgey look when I’m dance cleaning singing but maybe that’s really admiration?

Reduce social media exposure – there are links that show limiting exposure can increase happiness!

Find some alone time – I feel I can truly appreciate and love myself when there is no one around for me to impress.

I hope this helps you feel more the magnificent, loving, loved, special, joyful and excited creator that you truly are!

Let me know your thoughts. Did I miss something? Did you try the steps? Did they work for you? I’d love to hear from you!

Until next time Love and Blessings – Karma