2011 - Page 24 of 29 - Jodi Chapman

Grateful for Authenticity

Apr 13, 2011

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude! =&0=&

I love choosing one of our Soulful Journals and randomly picking a writing prompt. Today’s question comes from our Journaling Further Within book: =&0=& =&1=& =&2=& =&3=& =&4=& =&5=& =&6=& It could be for a number of reasons: Maybe you were comfortable with how things were going in your life. Maybe the unknown is scary – even if you know that the unknown is a good thing. Maybe you feel that you aren’t really worthy of this good news or good fortune. Maybe you are afraid that now you will have no excuses – nothing is standing in the way between you and your own happiness. Maybe you are waiting for the bubble to burst or the other shoe to drop. Maybe you think that something this good definitely couldn’t truly happen to you, and you wait for it to go away. =&7=& It’s okay to not be completely ecstatic when good news appears in your life. It’s okay to take some time to take it all in. It’s okay to sit with it until you understand the ramifications of how it will change your life. It’s okay to notice any feelings of fear, anxiety, or uncertainness that surface. It’s okay to be in whatever emotional state that you are in. As long as you are aware of your emotions and are able to delve into why you are feeling the way you are, you’ll come to see that any reaction to any circumstance is just right. =&8=& By truly believing that you are worth all of the good fortune that you are receiving, you will open yourself up and be able to embrace all of the wonderful things that come your way. Hopefully after spending some time calming down your own saboteur and building up your self esteem, you will come to realize that you truly deserve happiness. You can start to embrace all of the good that enters your life! You’re worth it! 🙂

Tax-Time Reflection

Apr 11, 2011

It’s that time of year, isn’t it? For the last few years, we’ve passed along our taxes to an accountant. But this year, we are putting ourselves back on the priority list, eating healthier, and saving for a Vitamix! The money that we’ll save by not paying for an accountant is more than enough to pay for this amazing blender. I can’t wait to start making yummy juices, soups, and sorbets! I’m keeping that goal in mind as I tackle the tedious task of compiling everything and figuring it all out. Having a home business really adds to the complexity, and I will be so happy when we file them and don’t have to think about taxes for another year. Yesterday, going through the mound of paperwork and expenses took me right back to last year. I couldn’t help but reflect upon where I was then – and was so thankful at how different and better my life is now. =&0=& My work/life balance was pretty much nonexistent. Almost every expense is work-related, and almost everything we made went right back into our business. And while I realized this and have begun to make drastic changes in my life to make sure this is no longer the case, it’s still a wake up call to see it in black and white. We had a really rough year filled with transition, loss, and lots of change. And it’s so nice to see that where I am now is so much closer to my true path than where I was a year ago or even six months ago. My actual life is getting closer and closer to my ideal life – whew! We saved three cows (with the help of over 100 people)! I am so happy that they are living normal cow lives just a few miles away from us. We learned a lot of life lessons that will stay with us forever. We began to truly take responsibility for our lives. As you are going through your taxes this year and the seemingly endless pile of paperwork, take some time to reflect on the stories behind the numbers.
How has your life changed from then to now?
What have you learned since then?
What feelings does going back in time bring up for you? Turning a not-so-fun task into one of learning and self reflection can be eye opening and truly wonderful. Give it a try! 🙂

Letting A Good Idea Incubate

Apr 10, 2011

Dan and I were playing Pictionary the other night and I picked the word, =&0=&. I drew test tubes, a beaker, and a thermometer to show the heat. While we weren’t able to guess it before the time ran out, it did get us thinking about the other meanings of the word. The meaning that stuck with me and is still here days later is, =&1=& =&2=& =&3=& =&2=& There is something very satisfying to me about sitting on it for awhile rather than immediately acting on it. Let it germinate – let the seeds start sprouting before taking any action. We have been given a wonderful opportunity to put this concept into action immediately. And before we probably would’ve acted right away – but this time we are sitting, pondering, weighing the options, and just letting the idea of it grow and blossom inside of us before we put it out into the world and act on it. Can you think of an idea, goal, or plan that you can let incubate? Is there anything in the back of your mind that you are ready to “give birth” to? Have you ever tried to think of a word and the harder you tried to think of it the harder it was to remember? And then did you notice when you gave up the struggle of trying to think of it, it just suddenly came to you?

Saturday Selection – The Highly Sensitive Person Book and Workbook

Apr 9, 2011

As I sat down to write about this week’s selection, I was thinking over different possibilities, and one book kept coming to the forefront of my mind. It’s a book that I read several years ago that had a big impact on my life. And I’ve noticed that it’s been mentioned in several blogs that I read recently, so I thought it would be a great time to recommend it here. It’s called: =&0=& =&1=& I have been sensitive all of my life – and while I have always embraced this side of myself, this book also helped me to understand my own sensitivity better. It helped me realize that it’s not just about emotions but also about how we take in stimuli and how our nervous systems are wired. While you most likely are already aware if you are a highly sensitive person, here is a test just to check in and see where you fit on the spectrum: The HSP Self Test =&2=& =&3=&

In her national bestseller, The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, author Elaine Aron defines a distinct personality trait that affects as many as one out of every five people. According to Dr. Aron’s definition, the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) has a sensitive nervous system, is aware of subtleties More

The Passing of Energy

Apr 8, 2011

I was reading last night about how energy is contagious – just like the common cold.

And while we take many precautions to protect ourselves from getting sick when we come in contact with others (such as washing our hands), we don’t always take precautions to protect ourselves from taking on other people’s energy.

And this passing along of energy works in both ways – positive and negative.

The Passing of Energy

Example 1:

Imagine that you have plans to spend the day with More

Getting Back to the Basics

Apr 7, 2011

Sometimes it feels like life is just connecting one “to do” to the next. It can feel busy and overwhelming and stressful. Dan and I spend our days working on orders and making calls and answering emails and coming up with new products and writing and marketing and taking pictures and having meetings and delivering product and packing orders and sometimes in the midst of all of this we step back and take a moment to check in with ourselves. That’s when we realize just how tired we truly are. When this happens, it’s time to go back to the basics. We put everything else aside and take some time to catch up, get organized, go within, and slow it all down. I am a creature of habit – and monotony and routines can be very comforting when I start to feel frazzled. There is something very soothing about putting on some soft music, getting a warm drink, lighting a candle, and then getting to it – I file papers, respond to emails, organize the studio, and clean out my inbox. Every task that I finish clears up space in my mind for fresh ideas and new energy, which is such a great feeling! I take some time for myself, too. I curl up on the couch and watch tv. I read. I write. I play a game. I sleep. I slow down my thoughts. I recharge. This feels like a good day for me to get back to the basics. And the weather is cooperating, too. The mountains got a dusting of snow this morning – it’s cloudy and feels like a blustery winter day. Perfect for staying inside, catching up, and recharging. When you start to feel overwhelmed and it seems like things are spinning around you – what are some things you can do to get back to basics? What can you do to simplify and calm your mind? =&0=&

The Power of Visualization

Apr 6, 2011

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude!

Feel free to click here (or below) to learn more about our Gratitude Project.

Okay – now for today’s post:

Today I am most grateful for the power of visualization.

Seeing it in action in someone else’s life inspires me and gives me the spiritual kick in the pants that I need to get focused and create it in my own life. =&2=&

Staying Open to the Possibility

Apr 5, 2011

As many of you know, we’ve gone through a lot of loss over the last few months, which has allowed me to reflect on life a bit more than I normally would. I feel as though I am in two worlds – my everyday world and the spiritual world. Both existing side by side. Spending my days making journals and writing while at the same time grieving and contemplating the other side has been both exhausting and uplifting. Realizing that there is so much more in this vast universe than I ever thought possible has revealed so many wonderful possibilities and has opened my heart and soul. And because I’m in this space, I thought it would be fitting to include a particular writing prompt from our Journaling Further Within book: =&0=& We each have our own beliefs about death, the universe, and the afterlife. And it’s possible for these beliefs to change as you go through life and have different experiences. Over the past few months, I have experienced something truly magical, which I will write about once I have had a bit more time to process it. This experience has solidified my belief that life does go on, that the universe is neverending, and that our time here is just a tiny part of the whole. This experience has changed many of my beliefs as well – I have had to reevaluate many things that I thought I knew and start from scratch in many ways. Spend some time today thinking about your beliefs and your faith.
Did your beliefs come from your own experiences or were they passed down from your family? Is there anything about your beliefs that you would like to change or modify in some way? Do your beliefs serve you today? Do they reflect the person you are right now?

What are your beliefs about death and More

If It’s Not Working – Change It

Apr 4, 2011

=&0=& =&1=& When we recognize that our thoughts become our reality, we also recognize that we have the power to create the exact life that we want. This can be a wonderful feeling – and it can also be a scary feeling. When we realize that we are in the driver’s seat of our life, we are no longer able to blame others or be a victim if things aren’t working out how we would’ve liked. And it’s so much easier to just point the finger at someone else. You might want to say, “It’s their fault that I’m in this situation. If they hadn’t have done that to me, I wouldn’t be suffering now.” And while blaming others takes the responsibility off of you in the short term, it creates such low self esteem and powerlessness in the long term. Imagine how great you would feel about yourself if you simply accepted that you have the power to change your life. It’s all in your hands. You are in control of your own destiny, and if you don’t like something about your life you can change it. =&2=& =&3=& If so, you can follow the formula below to start making the changes and begin living the life you were meant to live: =&6=& First you figure out what isn’t working. Then you take responsibility for your part in whatever isn’t working.