Transformation

Transition brings your strengths and passions alive - 
sometimes we journey through darkness
before we reach light.
Where ever you are on your journey-
remember, you have over come in the past.
You will triumph again.

Damaged goods?

In a throw away society, it is refreshing to come across this type of philosophy.
Reminds me of the following story:

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. 

One of 

the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'

The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?'
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Beacon or a crutch?

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A beacon or a crutch?

Listening to a recorded call this morning, 
the conversation was about relationships.
It's important to identify how we relate to others.
One caller was often asked for advice from his brother.

And his brother never took the good advice,
did things to jeopardize his health,
then asked to be bailed out when the problems grew too big.

I think this scenario sounds familiar to all of us.
It really can be frustrating to be so emotionally involved
in a better outcome for another, especially someone we
are close to.

Part of the solution lies in realizing that we are not responsible for solving other people's problems.
We can support, encourage and love by being a beacon in their darkness.
Your strength is more supportive than any crutch you offer. ❀

Celebrate You!

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Celebrate your successes - yes, even the small ones!

We often set big goals for ourselves.

But we overlook the many small steps that add up 

to lead us to those goals.

If you want to lose 25 pounds by Christmas - 

have you congratulated yourself for slimming down 

4 pounds this month?

If you desire a clean, uncluttered home-

have you noticed that you managed to clean out 

drawers or a corner in the garage?

Accomplishments come in so many forms.

We are often exposed to major accomplishments like

Olympic medals, Super Bowls, Biggest Loser, etc.

Spending more time with the kids isn’t exactly 

the next tv sensation,

but it sure makes for important strides

towards a meaningful life.

Take the time to recognize your positive accomplishments.

And don’t forget to celebrate your friends, too!

Circle of Influence

We've all laughed at the circle of trust in the movie 
Meet the Parents.
But did you realize that you have a circle of influence?
You are impacted by the people you hang around with.
Your actions, words, thoughts, inactions, beliefs...
They

're all influenced by the people around you.
I heard of one study that found people are the
average of their 5 closest friends.
They looked at incomes and health among other things.

I remember Dad calling me out on something a teenager.
I said - 'how do you know?"
He said - 'I see who you hang out with.'

Your circle of influence says a lot about who you
are as a person.

Just sayin'...

Feeling small?

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Feeling small or hopeless?

Sometimes we fall into the limited thinking of how small
or insignificant we may feel.
After all, we're just one person.
'I'm just a small fish in this big ocean.'

Did you know that the best things in life come from within?
That one plus one isn't two - it's three!
Each individual plus the collective of each.
There is power of one, but as we combine our
strengths with others, we multiply our power. ❀

Discovery Keys

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Discovery keys...

Every new day brings different experiences
- pieces of who you are today.
Everything you observe, experience, learn, feel 
- they are like individual keys that can be used 

to unlock/reveal the next step in your process.
Some people move very quickly through their process.
Recognizing the keys and using them
to discover more than the surface.

Opening doors that were unseen previously.
Taking steps forward and seeking,
rather than sitting back and waiting to be ‘shown’.
Given this newfound key, they might even use it
to dig deeper and uncover buried treasures.
Discover brand new territories.

An important realization is the key itself.
Seeing situations as not happening to you,
or keeping you down.
Rather, as containers of tremendous growth
through lessons and realizations.

Kind of like the development of a callous
through repeated hard work.
The ripples formed by a stone tossed in the water.
There are end results to your actions or inactions.
We have little external control over what
happens in the world.

However, we do have free will to cultivate our
inner processes - our perceptions and outlook.
By focusing on that which we can impact,
our own attitude, outlook, mind development -
we can create a more meaningful journey,
regardless of externals. ❀

Those moments add up!

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Those moments add up!

Do you often find yourself so busy that there
just doesn’t seem to be enough time to do
the things you want to do?
Maybe it’s carving specific time for exercise,

or reading a book to learn about health.
You’d love to meditate, but where do you find the time?

By simply seizing the scattered moments in your day -
waiting in line at the store,
sitting at a red light in traffic,
sitting on the toilet,
waiting for an appointment in the office,
doing the dishes,
loading the washing machine,
mowing the lawn,
shopping at the supermarket,
while watching television,
walking from your car.

A meditation can be focusing on the now while you do dishes.
Exercise can be done while watching tv or maybe doing lunges
as you prepare lunch.
I like to park far from my destination - partly for the exercise,
partly to protect my car from dings.
i pods make education easy as we can load interviews and books
onto them for easy listening while we do other things.

By combining activities, making use of idle time
and being creative with our time allotment,
we really do accomplish much more.
Or find the time we need to simply be quiet
and reflect on things. ❀

Shine on and believe!

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The light at the end of the tunnel

Is really a reflection of your potential within.
Shine on and believe in yourself! ❀

Stay the course

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Stay the course

When you follow your soul purpose in life
and apply all your energies and sweat -
The fruits of accomplishment are sweeter than 
the illusion of rest (giving up).

You can just ‘feel’ the righteousness
in the depths of your gut.
Even though others tell you that you’re wrong or crazy.

By staying focused on your vision,
you will side step those distractions and bumps in the road.
Remember your mission
by creating a vision.

It helps you to stay the course. ❤

Slow down to smell the roses ❀

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Slow down to smell the roses ❀

Sometimes we get so caught up with perfection and everything running smoothly that we miss out on:
peace
lessons learned
the Now
building relationships
having an experience
enjoying the moment
making a memory

Does a friendly gathering at your home turn into a Martha Stewart frenzy of cleaning or are you just glad to spend quality time and build on relationships?

In preparing for your child's school play, are you supportive of his efforts, or critical that he 'get it perfect' for the stage?

Many terminally ill people, when reviewing their life, talk about the regret of missing out on experiences/time with those they loved.
Their job, money, degrees - it offered no comfort in the end.
The significance of people, experiences and love -
And the appreciation of the ‘little things’
Is what seems to give us the most fulfillment in life.

I’ll never forget what a cancer patient told me 25 years ago -
“Make sure you always take the time to smell the roses.” ❀

Perception and mindset is everything!

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Medicate or Meditate
Pop a pill or Stop and chill

Next time you hear the phrase
“It’s all in your head”
Be sure to thank them for the reminder.
You can change your world!
Things don't have to happen like they usually do.
You are a powerful creator! ❀

Believe in You

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Snap out of it.....

How many times have we heard people mutter those words 
when dealing with emotional turbulence? 
Kind of diminishes the importance of your feelings, 
suppresses the natural course.
Reminds me of those times as a child when my bladder was
suddenly full, and I was told to ‘just hold it until....”

We’re so often programmed to conform to the expectations of others, who were probably also following that same program.
So who are we really pleasing, anyway?

Be patient with yourself and accept who you are.
That’s more important than conforming for another. ❀

Best way out is always through

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“The best way out is always through.” Robert Frost

We all face challenges that test our limits of power.
Sometimes, the first reaction is one of avoidance 
or problem resolution at any cost.
There’s a process to problem resolution that involves 3 basic steps.

1. Recognition of patterns that lead up to the problem
or the nuts and bolts of the problem.

2. Dismantle the patterns
what are the details?
start to gather all the threads so you can unravel the pattern.

3. Replace old patterns with meaningful ones.

Look at ‘how’ you are, then at ‘why’ you are how you are.
To truly evolve/grow and learn lessons to be proactive,
we must do this internal work.
Don’t jump stages, or skip steps to any process
in an attempt to resolve something.
The best way out of anything, is to go through it. ❀

The story of WE

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Story of We


When we give ourselves to others in bits and pieces, keeping score of 
whose turn it is to give next, 
we are actually shutting down both sides of love.
Keeping score and love have nothing to do with each other.
“I said I’m sorry first the last time - it’s your turn now.”
Scorekeeping comes from scarcity and fear.

What if you asked yourself the question - What if.......
What happens if you give all of yourself?
How can I give more, love more?
Just because you give and some one doesn’t give equally,
doesn’t mean you wasted anything.

Think of two clams.
One clam opens up and gives all it has to offer.
The second clam then opens up a bit and takes it in.
The first clam then closes, it’s already opened up fully -
it’s the other clam’s turn now.
The second clam senses the closed clam.
And responds in like.

Relationships are nurtured by giving, not negotiation. ❀

Crab pot theory

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When exposed to boiling hot water, crabs in a pot will seek out other crabs trying to escape and pull them back into the pot.
Some have described this behavior as
‘If I can’t have it, than neither can you’.

Imagine if the crabs united and assisted each other out of the pot
until one of the crabs extinguished the flame under the pot.
When we realize that we are a part of the collective,
and act accordingly, the end result benefits all involved.

I can imagine a big pot of crabs, the commotion within.
Hot water being poured onto them.
Followed by a verse of the Beatles song, ‘Live and Let Die’

We all face hot water at various times in our lives.
Our reactions to such a situation are generally not rehearsed
or even textbook suggestions.
Emotions drive much of your steps that follow.
Emotions are driven by your current mindset and beliefs.

I’m seeing a mathematical equation here.
Change your mind, change your life!

When you’re feeling rather crabby about something,
Remember the crab pot theory.
Extinguish the flame of irritation.
And lead by extending a helping hand! ❀

Be true to You

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“Trying to be everything to everybody
means you’re being nothing to nobody.
At best, you’re being mediocre at everything.”
Derick Van Ness

It’s so important to emphasize your uniqueness for production.Look at what you are great at.
Be you.

When you go through life on autopilot,
simply reacting to the circumstances that surround you,
You’re not reaching your potential of experiencing the best possible YOU.

By carving some quiet time for yourself,
escaping the mind chatter and stresses of daily life,
You are creating that space of balance and solace.
You’re now being proactive - a creator of your destiny.

This allows you to better recognize who you are.
What resonates with you - your strengths, passions and desires.
Clarity of purpose sets the foundation for everything that follows.

Be true to who you are.
Live and express the song that’s within you. ❀

Waiting for your awsomeness!

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“When you let other people’s opinions become bigger than your visions,
you are never going to live your soul purpose.”
Garrett Gunderson

An important concept to grasp - 
Perfection is an illusion that keeps you in bondage.
When you’re constantly trying to look good, keep up appearances -
you’re never good enough to ‘simply be.’
You’re adding undue stress (may be subconscious) to your life.

Opinions of other people are none of your business, anyway.
It’s all about them - what they would do in your situation.
Nothing to do with you at all.

Once you get past this fact,
and focus like a laser on the greatness inside of you -
You’re gonna soar!
You’ll see things differently and approach
everything without concern of ‘how you’ll look to others.’
You’ll experience a freedom of creativity and a true expression
of who you are.

The world is waiting for your awsomeness! ❀

From 'test' to 'testimony"

Turn your 'test' into your 'testimony'
Joel Osteen

We all face struggles, challenges or even tragedies in life.
Not everyone will agree with your decisions.
You may not realize that you're making choices at that time.
Things might just seem crazy to you?

This morning, I was reading a post from a friend who teaches raw food lifestyle to help people experience vibrant health.
He is angry and disappointed with Paula Deen's choice to hide her diabetes for the past 3 years -
all the while promoting very unhealthy ways of eating - the direct cause of her type 2 diabetes.
Now she is a spokesperson for a pharmaceutical company, promoting drugs for diabetes management.
Continuing to promote an unhealthy foods, while profiting from promoting prescription drugs.

I understand my friend's frustrations.

What strikes me, though....

We all make decisions that make sense to us 'at that time'.
We do the best we know how, with the knowledge we have-
our present emotional and intellectual intelligence.

Paula Deen has a great opportunity here to turn her 'test' of diabetes
into a 'testimony' for the masses to relate to.
She will have an amazing story of following the SAD - standard American diet and succumbing to it's effects - diabetes.
She will have tried the pharmaceutical drugs to manage her diabetes.
She'll most likely travel the same path as other Americans.
More drugs, many side effects of those chemicals, and eventually insulin shots to try to manage 'a tired pancreas'.

This path will provide a great testimony of natural, living foods -
how they will turn Paula's health around and cure her type 2 diabetes!
This natural healing happens all the time, but to people like you and me.
People who don't have influence like Paula Deen.

I'm not angry with Paula Deen's choices.
I'm looking forward to her eventual realization -
her testimony after the test.................. ❀

Done is better than perfect

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"Done is better than perfect." 
Scott Allen

If you're stuck in the mode of inaction - 

Is it because you're afraid to take the first step?
Maybe overwhelmed with the magnitude of the whole thing?
You're afraid you can't complete it perfectly?
Not quite sure even where to start?

In my line of work we have a saying -
‘The enemy of good is perfect.’

The key to moving ahead is following through.
Taking baby steps will decrease your anxiety about
a big undertaking.
This applies to everything -
especially all those New Years resolutions that were made.
If you made a resolution, are you still taking action?

Maybe this quote can offer us permission to ‘just do it’,
even if we’re not quite perfect!

Then what.........

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Then what.................

In listening to Dr Daniel Amen today, I learned that by simply thinking ahead - your brain is forming new pathways and benefiting!

Your decision to take an action, or not take an action, when followed with a simple question - then what? - 
encourages your brain to grow.

Physical exercise benefits the body/general health in many ways.
Forward thinking benefits your brain!

Inner freedom

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It’s never - ‘just the way I am’
That kind of thinking implies lack of responsibility.

It’s all from your inner landscape.
Frustrations and disappointments arise from your inner rules.
Abundance and joy stem from your inner freedom. ❀

Self Help vs Shelf Help

Self help or Shelf help?

Information needs to be taken in and digested.
Not just shoveled in as much as possible.
Turn information into wisdom!

Be-Do-Have

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Do you recognize this statement?

I’ll ________ when ___________.

fill in the first blank with:

be happy
travel more
relax
have fun

fill in the second blank with:

hit the lottery
retire
leave this job
the kids grow up


There’s a problem with this kind of thinking.
By postponing ‘being’ until you ‘have’ is not only backwards,
but is also not guaranteed.
No one can express this fact better than an oncology patient.
They’re often filled with regrets of yesterday
and an unrealized bucket list of tomorrow.

It’s not about being at your peak,
feeling vibrant 100 percent of the time.
That’s not a reality in a world of free will and human emotions.
It’s more a mindset.

To change the old paradigm from

Have - Do - Be

“When I (have) money, then I’ll travel (do), and I’ll (be) happy”

To

Be - Do - Have

You are NOW fulfilling your purpose!
Creating your life in alignment with who you are.
Bypassing regrets of missed opportunities.

Expressing this freedom brings it’s own rewards, naturally. ❀

Still Inspiration

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Stillness makes room for inspiration, for the Divine! ❀

Impatience

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Feeling Impatient or irritated with everything?

It could be that people are colliding with your unspoken rules.
If you find yourself frequently disappointed with others,
angry or bothered with others,
You’re probably unconsciously judging everything and wondering why the world behaves so wrongly.
After all, your way is the ‘right’ way, and people ‘should’ be following your rules.

This realization is not a ‘simple’ one to get to for most people.
There is ‘unpacking’ to do first.
To truly heal and find peace, there is much ‘searching’ - discovery to do first.

When you feel impatience building up inside of yourself:
Stop, take a deep breath, and exhale.
You might do that again.
Impatience usually has little to do with time.
Rather, it’s roots are deep in your need for feeling in control.
Don’t lose your peace over things you have no control over.

Recognition is a first step toward dealing and healing.
Here’s a photo of beautifully cultivated impatience! ❀

Blissipline

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Are you in the flow?
If not, it may be time to follow your blissipline!


Blissipline is the combination of Bliss and Discipline.
The term is used in the context of being in the now (bliss) as you strive towards achieving your goals (which takes discipline).
With blissipline you no longer pursue your goals with grim determination or use fear to motivate you.
Instead there is a joyous energy behind everything you do.
You are in the now, and the steps towards your goal are the blissful journey, rather than a means to an end.

taken from Urban Dictionary