Redefine and Refine

Through life we often find ourselves at a crossroad, shifting our lives from one phase into uncharted territory. This can happen as we meet major life changes. Events such as graduation, divorce, job loss, death, retirement, or having an empty nest can have us looking into the fog of the future thinking to ourselves, “What now?” and “Where do I go from here?”. If there isn't a clear path ahead, we are at the risk of becoming stuck. At those times it’s important for us to realize there is a piece of us that has attached our identity or value to certain relationships or phases we experience. A sure sign of a needed shift is feeling lost, confused, depressed, or lack of life purpose. Change is something we all must cope with sometime in our lives, but part of the lesson is remembering who you are and find joy in each day through the process. Our journey in life can take a sharp turn and send us into a whirlwind. However, if we are firmly rooted in faith it is possible to still move forward with peace. At the onset of a new phase of life we often get to be flexible by redefining our path, refine ourselves, and find new meaning and passion in life. Through these transitions if we can find that quiet place in our minds for prayer or meditation this can allow us to receive inspiration, direction, and new ideas thus bringing us back to balance. If we are open, this can be the gateway of greater self-awareness by paying close attention to those messages that are true inspiration and connectivity. Even through suffering, we can still have peace in our hearts, fully engage in life, reach goals, and find joy. It’s what our spirit truly wants for us, and there is no greater feeling than showing up in life for you by LIVING. Remembering the pendulum eventually swings back can offer patience through growth as we let go of a part of ourselves and clear space for something new. Surrender to the process, let go with gratitude, and welcome refinement with an open heart. 

Masquerade

People who keep it real don’t hide behind a mask to keep themselves safe from their fear of how they think they should be. There is no pretending to be perfect or more powerful. Authentic people show up in a fullness of who they truly are, including the good and not so good. Without the worry of showing the world a part of themselves others would rather pretend didn't exist or hide behind. Authenticity has become a commodity in our culture, so if you know someone who is brave enough to be real, consider yourself blessed. We all want to look younger, be thinner, or more successful, but what people really crave is a deep connection with each other and acceptance (thus the need to pretend). When we succeed at the masquerade, we rip others off by not taking the risk in allowing them to share in the beauty of our real selves. Real people serve as reminders for us all that we are already good enough. It's negative self talk that is telling us we need to be something we are not. "Real" shows up as relaxed, humorous, grounded and genuine. They inspire others to reveal, be free of their own judgement, and fully accept themselves. Some may have to work a little harder to let go of pretenses, but the reward for taking such a risk is true into-me-you-see (intimacy), self love, and REAL connection.

Magic of Dance

For me, dance is a magical state of absolute bliss! Feeling the music in ones soul can be a powerful tool in the healing vibrations. Like in a meditation, we can allow our bodies to let go and fully emerge our awareness with the rhythm. If you haven't danced for a long time, it won't take long before your body remembers how it loves to move and connect to music. The freedom of movement allows us to be open and tap into our inner child where it was once okay to be completely liberated, dance unselfconsciously, and be free from fear of judgment on ourselves or others. As children we could careless about who was watching, or what we looked like, and simply danced whatever way came naturally. Rediscovering the beautiful gift of dance provides joy by listening and moving to the music. If you have been out of the habit, take some time to indulge in this healing pleasure by remembering that this is your birthright and we are all born to dance. Every culture on the planet celebrates a form of dance because it is already in us; all we get to do is start moving. You won't regret the joy-filled thrill of dance no matter what type you might choose because dance is simply heavenly.

Enjoy this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYL3j27sSH8

PERFECT!

If we make mistakes, we think that we are failing or not measuring up... but to whose standards? Life is about experimenting, experiencing, and learning, then to be imperfect is a prerequisite! Are they really mistakes at all? Life becomes much more interesting once we let go of our quest for perfection and accept "imperfection". This doesn’t mean that we don’t strive to be our best. We simply accept that there is really no way for us to ever have "perfection"—especially in life. All living things are in a ceaseless state of movement. Our lives are in constant change more than otherwise. Perfection may happen in a moment, but it will not last because it is an impermanent state. Trying to hold on to perfection or forcing it to happen causes frustration, self-criticism, stress, and unhappiness. Regardless, many of us are still focused on chasing the fairytale -of perfection. One way to remove ourselves from this tendency is to take a look at our lives and give notice that no one is judging us to see whether or not we are perfect; we usually spend more time judging ourselves. We can choose to let go of the need to perform for someone's approval. Similarly, we can choose to experience our lives as a LOVING experience where we are free to be who we are, whatever that is. Once we realize this, we can begin to take ourselves a lot less seriously and have a ton of fun! Imperfection is inherent to being human. By embracing your imperfections, you embrace yourself! Once we are emotionally ready to allow ourselves the permission to be "perfect", only then can we truly accept who we are and others. That's what I call perfect!

Run Into It

We can assume brave people are fearless, but in reality they are simply more comfortable working through fear. The more we practice this on a regular basis, the more our feelings shift into excitement when facing our challenges. It's okay to feel afraid or nervous, as long we are not allowing it to limit ourselves or hold ourselves back from what it is we want to achieve. The more we support ourselves in moving forward, the more we gain TRUST that we are capable. We are then more likely to run into it, facing the challenge, than run from it. These challenging opportunities have shown themselves for a reason, so we have a choice to take it on. Shifting our thinking from resistance, to being completely open can be done simply by reassuring ourselves through positive thoughts and hearing ourselves say it aloud. When we hear our words, "I am really looking forward to running this marathon!" or "I am really excited to do something I have never done before!" ...there is an energy shift that releases all fear into empowerment. We are then able to move forward, learn, and grow from some of the most difficult challenges we may face. We might even surprise ourselves.

Deep Inside

When we have the courage to look deep inside, growth begins. Awareness and sentience expands and we gain a meaning and purpose. We realize that having a true knowing of who we are, why we are here, and revealing our true authentic self, brings forth freedom to ones soul. Peace can begin. Healing can happen. We begin to see ourselves in others, having a deeper understanding and compassion to all. You will see what exists in you, what you are created from, and how those same things are reflected back as we connect with others. Welcoming our inner voice that carries the answers we're searching for, hearing, and receiving the messages. Self Discovery and personal reflection gives us time to process and heal, opening our hearts to new possibilities. We begin to learn from our spirit rather than our ego. Allowing the TRUTH of what lies inside of us to unfold and show itself. As we grow and our deeper knowledge develops, we make space for the necessary work we get to do to move forward in our quest. Incredible miracles and transformations can occur and greater healing will be created. This process gives us the gift of such things as insight, forgiveness, understanding, and LOVE .....things we could all use a little more of if we just look a little deeper.

Reaching Your Goals

When we have equally important goals, we can compare and evaluate the end result of completion. The determine which will have the greatest impact and benefit on ourselves and others. As well as how completing one before the other would enable us to achieve them sooner and more effectively. We can keep focus by setting goals that we can envision and measure because when we do not believe or 'see' ourselves reaching them, it might be difficult for us to commit in taking the steps to complete them. Our goals must be satisfying and have small pay offs on the journey to maintain our focus and ambition. We can write goals down, place them on a vision board, or listen to our voice on a recorded device hearing ourselves through positive affirmations (see "Life Vision" link). This way, it keeps our goals fresh in our mind and reminds us of the purpose we have in striving to achieve them. Rewarding yourself after small accomplishments keeps the motivation thriving. If you find you are getting stuck, look at possible incentives and examine ways to revitalize your plans so you can keep going. Being open to possibilities that something else may work better, can open doors that we didn't even know existed. Being rigid shuts out all other options. So it's important to stay flexible during the process. Setting goals is simply outlining our vision of the future, and reaching goals is simply a dream manifesting itself. When we choose our goals using our heart, we can make our dreams come true.

Creating Connection

Technology is intended to make our lives easier, improve quality, and assist us in connecting to others. While it has that ability, it also presents us with the opportunity to evaluate our priorities with how we spend our time and energy. By always using our email, cell phones, v-games, and Internet, we can create the opposite: disconnection. By becoming aware of these tendencies, we gain the power to overcome them and make better choices for ourselves, our families and have true connection and intimacy. People often crave this, but are unsure on how to create it.Without spiritual bonding there is no deep connnection, true intimacy, acceptance or understanding. Spiritual love is far more powerful and doesn’t require any effort, invention, or fantasy on ones part. Self-mastery, self-reliance, and self-control, together with positive spiritual growth, are achieved only when we live noble, unselfish lives, devoting our time to serving God and man, keeping our thoughts pure and elevated. ONLY in this way can we be strengthened in developing our spirit. By responding positively to the spiritual vibrations to which we will become increasingly sensitive, and learn to avoid all external influences. Only when we feel, within our innermost beings, a Holy, unselfish desire to grow, can we begin to make progress in the direction of a powerful spiritual connection. We can do this by living in the present moment, not getting caught up in thoughts or worries, and decide to leave our technical gadgets behind and become aware of the sights and sounds around us in order to expand our awareness and be fully present in our bodies and our surroundings. Communicating and listening to each other, deepening our first language of telepathic communication, intensifies our natual ability to sense thoughts, feelings, images, and ideas. Have good and positive intentions. Pay attention to detail. Most importantly, have a self-less attitude by serving each other. When we use our discernment about how we invest our personal energy, we can be sure that we choose only the best for ourselves and those we love. Our gadgets can be useful tools for our journey in the material world, but we must not forget that we are spiritual beings having a human experience and that means interacting with people on a personal level. Choices that enliven us and help us feel connected to our world and our loved ones, always deserve our full attention and presence of mind, body, and spirit. Love is a Spiritual energy. Passion may arouse and fleshly pursuits may be momentarily pleasurable but the deep love energy flowing between two people deeply involved, flows in unspoken words, a stirring in the heart untouched, and the senses inflamed with just a thought of your loved one. The warmth pouring from the eyes of a loving glance from one to another, two souls uniting in perfect synchronicity and spiritual connection in blissful alignment. True spiritual connection of love inspires, accepts, strengthens, radiates light from within, and fans an ETERNAL flame of LOVE within ones heart. Deeply. Truly.

(This one is for you...my darling man)

Letting Go Of Expectation

"Expect the best! Expect great things! Expect to receive what it is you hope for!" These are all true. In fact, having expectations can be a good thing. It sets a clear intention to reach personal goals and fulfillment. As we do this, we naturally develop an emotional attachment to the outcome we hope for. Expectations can assist us in having high aspirations, provide stability, and envision the future. However, expectations limit us from reaching our potential by not being open to unforeseen possibilities that can be at least equally fulfilling. Instead of being in gratitude of the unexpected results, we yearn for what we anticipated with feelings of disappointment, blame, or failure. When we think about letting go of all expectation, our self-doubt checks in with idol chatter in our heads, telling us we will come up short of the goals we are striving for. We can remain confident by focusing on being open and grateful for all we receive, then there is no way for us to be burdened with heavy feelings. Expecting a specific circumstance, relationship, or event to be a certain way, it's harder to recognize the many blessings. Instead of focusing on expecting, we can concentrate on CREATING what we want and make it happen! You may find your path uncomplimentary to your needs and desires, but as you remain flexible & open to explore the limitless possibilities, when life takes an unanticipated curve, you will easily be able to look for the good in all circumstances. When we allow our journey to unfold, letting go of the outcome, it's only then will we TRUST great things will happen. It's in THAT moment, we realize...it's ALL great things!

"When one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have".
-Steven Hawking

Go The Distance !

We can dream about it, over think it, put it into words by saying it, push it onto paper and write it, create a painting, dance and sing it, meditate about it...but until we DO it, and put IT into ACTION, what is IT really? We can make all the excuses, but why not make all the difference? Are you willing to do whatever it takes? To make IT actually happen? How far are you willing to go? Are you willing to go the distance, and take it on?