Every person is an artist. Every moment of every day we are painting the colors of our lives with our palette and brush in hand.

I had the pleasure of speaking with the divinely gorgeous Sophie Chiche, CEO & Founder of Life By Me (www.lifebyme.com), who is intent on stirring up meaningful conversations and asks a simple question – what is meaningful to you?

The question is a good one and the answers are purely personal.

Here are some tips to painting your life with meaning:

Start Small: You don’t have to be Oprah to live a meaningful life. You can just simply be you – your divine, beautiful self. Stop blowing through life and smell the roses. Observe the sights and sounds around you and start being a part of nature’s symphony. The meaningful conversations at Life by Me, share a thread, it’s the small stuff that holds the most meaning. Start appreciating life’s little miracles.

Feed Your Soul: All your answers lie within. Let your mind go and drop down into your heart. Meditation is a great tool for this.  With all the hustle and bustle in our lives it’s so important to clear out the noise and be in quiet reflection. Your practice will evolve over time and is something you can enjoy by yourself or with a group. There are tons of places in NYC to sit and meditate. Just pick a bench! Try finding a spot in one of NYC’s many community gardens. http://www.oasisnyc.net/garden/resources.aspx

For groups try: The NY Meditation Center http://meditationinnewyork.org/ or a class at The Integral Yoga Institute http://www.iyiny.org/.

Nourish Your Body: One of Sophie’s favorite indulgences is a massage, treat your hard working body to one and don’t forget your scalp!! There are countless spas in NYC, Try Silk Day Spa or opt for a super luxurious 90 minute massage at the Mandarin Oriental Spa If you can’t splurge on a massage, take some extra time rubbing in your body lotion and just say thank you. For an inner refresher and powerful nutritional punch, sip a green juice. Buy a juicer, throw in your favorite fruits and vegies and sip to your body’s delight.

Live Large: Be bold, don’t cower from life and what your heart longs to do, listen closely and go for it. Many people cower at the thought of truly living the life of their dreams. You don’t need an invitation to this party, your life is the party, it is not a dress rehearsal. Perhaps you want to fly high in the sky, take a trapeze course at http://newyork.trapezeschool.com

Know Thyself: When you are on your path, every fiber in your being will resonate. If you are off your path, you will face closed doors and disappointments. Tune your dial inward and be true to who you are. Accept yourself and lavish yourself in love.

Be Inspired: Inspiration can bring you to even deeper levels. Catch an uplifting movie at www.SpiritualCinemaCircle.com or buy a new book that takes you deeper into yourself like Colette Baron-Reid’s new book The Map: Finding the Magic and Meaning in the Story of Your Life! http://www.themaplaunch.com/

Integrate: One of the most important tool in any spiritual practice is integration. How can you incorporate all this inner work your are doing? You can take a tour through the Rubin Museum of Art www.rmanyc.org where you’ll find inspiration but on Saturdays there’s a Family Art Making Class where you and your family are encouraged to manifest your own creations after your time in the museum.

Get to the Good Stuff: Don’t save the best part of your meal to the end. Jump right in. Start with the “big talk” instead of the “small talk.” Have no fear of enjoying yourself and sharing meaningful moments with others. Jump in, the water’s warm and you never know what can happen next.

Sharing Expands: Start a journal or a blog about your journey. Share your knowledge, find your choir and preach to it. If you love yoga, bodywork and teaching, perhaps take up a certification training course. One such place is the NY Open center which has a Thai Yoga Certification Class beginning June 8-12^th.  Urban Zen Integrated Therapy.

You hold a beautiful palette to create a most colorful life. Yet a painting is just assorted colors until you attach meaning to it. Author Louise Hay puts it this way “The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives.” http://bit.ly/yWtg

Paint the moments of your life with broad strokes of meaning!!