life lessons – Cheryl Ilov International

Lessons from The FemiNinja

Written by Cheryl on June 1, 2021. Posted in Ninja Notes.

During my 17 years of training in the Art of the Ninja, there were many principles and philosophies of the art which were applicable to every aspect of my life and every life situation. My training was not only about protecting myself, it was about learning how to have a better life through the insights gleaned through training. A few weeks ago I had the honor of telling my story to the Pearls of Wisdom Women’s Circle, hosted by my friend and colleague Beth Anderson of Pearl Coaching, LLC. I shared some of my insights with them, and now I am sharing them with you. As I reflect on my experiences, I realize I have so many ninja secrets that I am now collecting them and organizing them to put in a book. Yes, even while my second book, “The Reluctant Ninja,”is going through...

Patience, Perseverance, and Number #1 Best Seller

Written by Cheryl on February 27, 2020. Posted in Cheryl's View.

Patience and perseverance are two valuable principles I learned in my martial arts training. It means that our focus is on the journey, rather than the end result. And it explains why the students that come to our dojo with their primary goal of becoming a black belt are usually gone in just a few months. Because everything takes time and effort. The same applies to every aspect of life. Focus on the journey, put in the time, the effort, and see what unfolds. That’s exactly what happened when I published my first book. I just focused on the journey, even though it was incredibly labor intensive. When I heard that the “real work” in writing a book begins after it’s published, I found it hard to believe. After all, it took me two and a half years to write it. In reality,...

Episode #43: The Magic Of The Fourth Stripe

Written by Cheryl on December 4, 2019. Posted in Femininja Podcast.

Captain Mark Hardcastle returns to The FemiNinja Project to share his insights of the magic of the fourth stripe, including how to be the captain of your own life. He describes how we can steer the direction of our life by how we choose to engage in it and how we interact with other people. Mark explains that we are all in a position in life to touch each other in a positive way through very simple gestures of kindness. Mark also shares the secrets to conquering our fears, exercising our courage muscle, and how each one of our lives are extraordinary. He concludes with a dark and stormy night, but we will save that story for another time. Download this episode for uplifting and motivating information, and learn how to release the magic of your own fourth stripe. Listen to Mark’s previous...

Episode #41: Writing Words That Work

Written by Cheryl on November 27, 2019. Posted in Femininja Podcast.

Words are powerful, and the ability to be able to clearly communicate your message is crucial to your business and life in general. In this episode, Jesssica Olma, the founder and owner of Scribe Syndicate explains how to write and use words that work, how to change habits that might be getting in our own way, and how to handle life’s bumps in the road. http://scribesyndicate.com

Episode #30: The Symphony of Your Life

Written by Cheryl on October 21, 2019. Posted in Femininja Podcast.

This high-spirited, fun-filled, and inspiring episode features Mark Hardcastle, aka Captaininja. Mark is a graduate of the Air Force Academy, which he fondly remembers as “the Dark Ages.” He is a commercial airline pilot, author, music aficionado, athlete, and all-around great guy. He bravely ventures into the FemiNinja girl cave to share his incredible stories of surviving the Dark Ages, as well as many of the other challenges in his life. Mark uses music to illustrate that sometimes life doesn’t go the way we want it to, and how to restore harmony when your life gets out of tune. Download this episode to learn how to play through the music when your life gets out of tune, and how to get back on track in the glorious symphony of your life. https://www.symphonyofyourlife.com/ https://ww...

Episode #29: Living Your Dream

Written by Cheryl on October 16, 2019. Posted in Femininja Podcast.

Meet Janet Langmeier, a woman who knows how to dream, and dream big! She is an Actualization Mentor, founder of All Out Coaching, and co-founder of the dynamic new networking group Rising Tide. Janet helps people of all ages and walks of life focus on their dreams rather than chasing after goals. As a teacher, trainer, coach, and mentor Janet has helped hundreds of people successfully transform their lives, including their careers, education, relationships, spirituality, body image, health, and even weight loss. Janet shares some of her philosophy and techniques to help her clients live their avowed dreams. The possibilities are endless! http://janetlangmeier.com/index.html http://www.risingtidebusinessnetwork.com/index.html https://www.facebook.com/alloutcoaching https://www.facebook.c...

Be Aware, or Beware!

Written by Cheryl on October 15, 2019. Posted in Ninja Notes.

Last week I was honored to deliver my information packed, educational, motivational and interactive signature speech “Be Aware, or Beware” to the members of Rising Tide Business Network. I have decided to share a brief synopsis of the presentation as well as one key life lesson or take home point which was emphasized under each topic that was covered. Keep in mind, this is simply a sneak preview. BE AWARE…..OR BEWARE I. Introduction: My personal story, as well as first martial arts class and how my journey into the strange new world of men and martial arts began. Life lesson and key point: I was stronger than I thought I was, and so are you. I firmly believe that there is an incredible amount of strength and power in each and every one of us, just waiting to be discovered. II....

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Written by Cheryl on August 27, 2019. Posted in Life's Lessons.

Don’t you absolutely just love the song about respect by Aretha Franklin? You know the one,“R-E-S-P-E-C-T…..Find out what it means to me.” I never thought about it before, but I guess it does mean different things to different people. To me it means being polite, mindful, thoughtful, considerate, and treating everyone with the human dignity they deserve. A few weeks ago I met a woman for the first time. We were introduced online by a mutual acquaintance who assured us that we had a lot in common and would get along famously. She was wrong. We met at a coffee shop, got a table, and exchanged a few pleasantries. Suddenly, she whipped out a notebook and said that she just got an idea and had to jot it down before she forgot it. No problem. I often do that myself. She...

Seize The Day

Written by Cheryl on May 20, 2019. Posted in Life's Lessons.

A few days ago I woke up feeling heavy and sluggish. Gingerly I rolled over in bed, got up, and staggered toward the enticing aroma of fresh coffee brewing. Ahhhh, coffee! I followed it into the kitchen where my husband and 3 dogs greeted me with wagging tails and a cheery “Good Morning!” Easy for them to say. Eventually the coffee worked its magic well enough for me to give everyone a pat on the head (including my husband) before going down to my girl cave to get some work done. I also had to clean the kitchen, get dinner in the crock pot, get dressed and head out the door for ballet class. I had a lot to get done, and I was in a crappy mood. I made sure I took my bad mood with me as I made my way downstairs. But something funny happened. All of a sudden my creative juices began...

Never Stop Dreaming

Written by Cheryl on May 13, 2019. Posted in Life's Lessons.

The ability to dream is something each and everyone of us are born with. However, as we mature into adulthood and the responsibilities of work, home, family, and life’s challenges can get in the way of our dreams. And sometimes we even forget how to dream. That happened to me. It was a long time ago, but it really doesn’t seem like it now. I was going through a major bump in my road of life, and simply getting out of bed in the morning was a supreme challenge for me. My focus was merely to live to survive another day. Or not. Well, I kind of did. After all, I couldn’t imagine leaving my husband to take car of my dogs all on his own. But every moment in life was so effortful. And just in case you were wondering, I have been accused of inventing the word effortful. But think...

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She gently guide you so that ultimately you understand your body better and are able to move with greater ease and less pain.
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Some of the numbness around my knees has subsided and I’ve regained some feeling as well as had deep joint pain reduction. Flexibility and overall strength has increased.
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Her gentle, loving approach is just what my body needs to fully recover from a recent car accident. I leave each session with a slight tingling sensation and movement seems much more fluid.
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Cheryl’s background in physical therapy, dance, Pilates, Feldenkrais, and martial arts make her very capable of not only understanding movement but helping others achieve their goals!
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