According to Donna LeBlanc, author of The Passion Principle: Discover Your Personal Passion Signature and the Secrets to Deeper Relationshps in Love, Life and Work, there are 5 distinct ways we deal with our fears, tap into our passions and strengths, and relate to others.

Your passion signature is the way you express your passion and seek fulfillment. When you know your passion signature – along with the pitfalls that accompany them – you no longer react to the world around you, but instead are able to respond from a place of strength, a place of passion. Your self-esteem and your confidence increase because your are operating from your natural passion.

The five passion signatures LeBlanc describes are:

The Visionary

• motivated by excellence
• optimistic
• born leader
• wants to make the world a better place

The Warrior

• thrives in leadership roles
• enjoy leading people out of struggle
• has a big heart, though it may be hidden
• loads of integrity

The Lover

• thrives in 1-1 relationships
• great nurturer
• loves to learn about other people and their lives

The Creator

• great problem solver and negotiator
• can see all sides of an issue
• helps people find common ground and understanding

The Prophet

• spiritual teacher
• have new knowledge to share with the world
• have psychic abilities, though may not have recognized them yet

Each signature, or archetype, also has what might be considered a shadow side – the way you behave when you are at your worst, in the throes of fear and reaction.

If you’re the Visionary, you may have focus so much on the vision you are trying to create that you neglect to live in the hear and now. They are so used to putting a positive spin on everything that visionaries often have difficulty being completely authentic if what they feel is less than positive. You can get stuck in the role of perfectionist.

If you are the Warrior, you tend to put others’ needs before your own. You tend to feel misunderstood by others, and have often felt betrayed by someone you trusted. You may have been described as a “bull in a china shop” at some point in your life. Because of this you also have your guard up and are quick to take on the role of a Conqueror.

If you are the Lover, not only are you great in 1-1 relationships, you may need them so much that you feel uncomfortable or afraid when you are alone (not in a relationship). You need validation and often want to be the center of attention. You may even be highly flirtatious or use sex to connect with another, hence the reason the role of vamp is the shadow side of the Lover.

If you are the  Creator, you have creative ideas that take you in different directions, making it difficult to make decisions and follow-through. You end up feeling scattered. You are also a people-pleaser, and so tend not to ask for what you need. Hence you take on the role of a martyr.

If you are the Prophet, you may have a tendency to feel unsafe, particularly if you are aware of how different you are fro others. You may isolate yourself rather than reaching out to others to ground you, in part because you are generally mistrusting.  The shadow side of the Prophet is the escapist.

Do you recognize yourself in any of these passion signatures?

If you’d like to learn more about them, be sure to check out the book summary (September 2010).

Related posts:

1. How Your Authentic Archetype Helps You Navigate Self Doubt So That You Are Free to Embody Your Brilliance…
2. September self-help book summary added to member page
3. Can a cookbook be a self-help book? [interview]

I had not heard it…until I met Deborah Nelson, author of From Rainy Days to Sexy Nights Cookbook: Simple and Inspirational Recipes to Fit Your Mood.

Deborah is the spunky – fiery? – owner of SaucyWellness.com – with the tagline “healthy living one juicy bite at a time”. Her cookbook  is really about living a juicy life – savoring all aspects of your life – with a healthy eating twist.

Food affects everything – from self-esteem to happiness to your level of confidence.

Food creates the environment in your body – an environment of stress or an environment of peace. There are many other factors affecting stress, of course, but food is one that many of us turn to. Deborah’s goal is to help people turn to it in a way that serves their goals and soothes their souls, rather than a short term relief that creates longer-term challenges.

The recipes are divided into 4 categories: Rainy Days, Summer Sensations, Heal Me, and Sexy Nights. In the interview below she explains what these categories mean and how to use the food we select to alter our mood. She says that “food creates who you are – you choose your mood in the moment by choosing your food.”

Below is an interview I conducted with Deborah a couple of weeks ago. She has also generously agreed to provide a set of 5 recipes to members of PersonalGrowthPrincess, as well as a free complimentary consultation session. If you want some support on how your eating habits affect your mood, energy levels, weight and also your libido, I encourage you to take her up on it right away! Info is available on the Members page. (Please note, this is an additional fabulous bonus – on top of your regular monthly bonus tools.)

Here is one of my favorite recipes from From Rainy Days to Sexy Nights – in fact, almost everyone in my family has asked for a copy!
Black Bean Salad With Pineapple! (muy delicioso!)

One of the funny and paradoxical things about Deborah is that she says she isn’t really a cook. She’s obviously does cook, and she is a certified health and wellness coach, but her mission expands far beyond the kitchen. Her passion is really about helping people live truly SAUCY lives…whether it be your personal or professional life. When people are living a saucy life, they are more relaxed, more passionate, and have less stress – the biggest element of disease (and the biggest impediment to losing weight – a subject we talked about quite a bit).

You can order the book directly from her website – Saucy Wellness.com.

Be sure to leave a comment below and let me know what you think about the interview, the recipes, or the concept of a cookbook as a self-help book…

Related posts:

1. Princess Expectations: How to Raise Your Expectations of Yourself
2. What is your personal passion signature?

Some might think that a woman who is vibrant and full of herself (as a Princess is naturally) would not have any issues about self-expectations. They might actually think her expectations are too high. In my decades of leading personal growth seminars I have found that sometimes it is the person who appears the most “together” and “accomplished” who needs some help dealing with her expectations of herself. She may look and be successful, but have some gaps in her levels of fulfillment.

You may remember that I personally named 2010 as The Year of Fulfillment. I did this in order to put Fulfillment front and center as the most important thing for me to focus on. (I invite you to do the same.)

Why am I focusing so much on fulfillment?

There are many things in this life we have no control over. Fortunately, fulfillment IS something we have control over. Fulfillment is a feeling, not a deed or action. And the great news is that you get to define what fulfillment means to you – your personal “conditions of satisfaction” for fulfillment.

The trick is to learn how to lead yourself to greater heights and deeper fulfillment without pushing yourself over the edge. It can be a fine balance, but one a Personal Growth Princess is up for. And, yes, you can feel fulfilled even when you didn’t “achieve” what you set out to.

While having greater expectations opens you up and make you more vulnerable to failure, there are big rewards too. It’s worth it in the end because a negative experience is still an experience that you can learn from. A positive experience may provide you with one of those life-defining moments that make you happy to be alive.

Here are some excellent ways for any princess to raise her expectations of herself:

1. Do difficult things. Contrary to popular opinion, princesses do not take the easy way out. Pushing your limits can only be achieved by doing difficult things. You might not find success right away, but when you do, it can be the starting place for doing even bigger and better things in the future. Accomplishing difficult tasks, particularly meaningful, difficult tasks, can’t help but raise your self-esteem, and by association, your expectations of yourself.

2. Expand your comfort zone. We princesses are all about treating ourselves luxuriously. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. Staying comfortable is another way of continually playing it safe. When you expand your comfort zone, you open yourself up to new and exciting things. You’ll then come to expect more from yourself just because you’re comfortable with more.

3. Challenge yourself. Set yourself up with a specific challenge or make a dare with yourself. If you’re dared to do something, you pretty much have to do it!

4. Take a survival course. Taking a survival course can show you how to get back to the basics. These courses are not just about basic survival, they can also teach you about yourself. You can learn more about your abilities and strengths, and then continue to challenge yourself in the future.

5. Learn new things. This is a natural for all Personal Growth Princesses. By definition, we love to learn new things. That’s why we buy all those books, isn’t it? Using your self-help book summaries is an easy way of broadening your horizons, and with new knowledge and skills under your belt, you’ll be able to raise the expectations of what you can do.

Having higher expectations for yourself raise your self-esteem. What you think you can achieve is very important because it decides what you WILL achieve. When you raise the bar, you enable yourself to do more and be more than before.

Try these strategies to help you raise your expectations of yourself and enjoy the pride and fulfillment that come with doing great things!

I’d love to hear what you try and how it works for you. Just leave a comment below!

Related posts:

1. Music, Expectations, and your Brain
2. Can Jealousy Raise Your Self-Esteem?
3. Is Dr. Phil a Personal Growth Princess?
4. Can a cookbook be a self-help book? [interview]

Common beliefs are that if someone is “highly sensitive”, chances are they are pretty emotional or attract drama into their lives. This misconception, and the subsequent comments and judgments, have led highly sensitive people to look on this trait as a weakness – something they need to change, and perhaps ought to be ashamed of.

Highly sensitive people tend to hide their sensitivity – not showing their true reactions to a person, situation, event, or even a thought. Because of this, they aren’t showing up authentically – aren’t playing fully in their lives. This presents obvious challenges…and Princesses want to show up authentically.

Many people who are drawn to personal growth, who crave personal development, have at least a bit of the super-sensitivity trait. We are very attuned to ourselves and how we are responding to the outside world as well as the inside world. But, because the cultural bias is toward suppressing this trait, we may mistakenly use personal growth opportunities and resources as a way to become less sensitive, rather than finding the value in the sensitivity and how we can use it to serve others as well as ourselves.

To put your mind at ease a bit, there is some evidence that super sensitivity may have a biological component. Some people have blue eyes, some have green. Some people are tall, others are short. And some people are very sensitive, and others are not. Thinking of it this way makes room for the possibility that being highly sensitive might actually be an advantage.

What are the advantages of being highly sensitive?

You are more tuned in to what is going on around you.
Highly sensitive people tend to be highly affected by their environment and the “energy” in the space or among people. This high susceptibility means you need to set up environments that support you. It ALSO means that you recognize what is happening in a situation before others do. This highly tuned sensitivity means you pick up on nuances – more quickly and more accurately. (More accurately because you are so well practiced at it.)

You are incredibly resilient.
Even if you appear tender or fragile, you have had to become remarkably resilient in order to make it through the day. This resilience will serve you in many ways!

You’ve already mastered the basics of personal growth.
You know yourself so well that the basic programs don’t cut it for you anymore. You are ready for more advanced opportunities – which means you seek out challenges and embrace them (even if you are a little fearful). This is excellent role modeling for others in your life.

You tend to be effective, and get things right.
Highly sensitive people are often very creative – but because of the sensitivity, may have a tendency toward  perfectionism in order to avoid criticism. This can be a problem when taken to the extreme, but can also be a great asset. You will notice things others do not…and therefore have the ability to correct them – positively affecting not only your experience, but others’ as well.

You find innovative solutions.
Because you are creative, and are used to “working around the environment” when it becomes overly stimulating, you have a tendency to look at things in a different way than most people. This gives you a unique perspective which is extremely useful when problem solving.

You are aware of just about everything.
You have an incredibly memory (which at times might drive other people crazy. ).

So the next time someone tells you to “quit being so sensitive”, remember that your sensitivity gives you an advantage they simply do not understand. I’m not suggesting you start feeling “superior”, but you do bring something to the table that others do not. Your uniqueness, your sensitivity, makes you a great asset.

Select any category to see more posts.

Imagine what it’s like if you don’t have a dress and can’t afford to get one. The Princess Project promotes self-confidence and individual beauty by providing free prom dresses and accessories to high school girls who cannot otherwise afford them. Is that a great idea or what?!

As the costs to attend high school prom soar, The Princess Project has made this tradition a reality for over 12,000 Bay Area & San Diego high school girls since 2002. If you’d like to participate, or perhaps start a similar project in your community, you can check out what’s going on at The Princess Project.

Related posts:

1. The Glow Project
2. The Princess School – the book series for empowered princesses
3. When did “Princess” become a bad word?
4. Doe a Deer, A Female Deer – a true princess moment