Jun 20, 2011
Sometimes we get stuck in a rut – the routine seems extra monotonous and the known seems stale somehow. We feel restless and know that we want to change, but we just aren’t sure how to go about it. We aren’t sure what steps to take to move toward our ideal life – the one filled with joy and exciting energy.
When this happens, a great way to get unstuck is to mix things up – get out of the house, walk around the block, go for a drive. Change your outward experience and stimuli so that you can create new experiences within.
I needed this more than ever yesterday. There are so many ideas floating around in my head that it was feeling overwhelming. I felt like the more I tried to figure everything out, the deeper into confusion I went.
So Dan and I got in the car and went to a movie. And it was the perfect movie to escape to:
Midnight in Paris. It’s about longing for the past – another era – anywhere but your present life. And by going back to these times, the character realizes that the present truly is where the joy is and where life is.
It was great to escape for awhile, and now I’m in a much better place today to be better able to make some sense out of all of my thoughts that are swirling around.
If you are ever feeling this way, I would definitely recommend a change of scene. It truly does switch things up and helps in huge ways.
Jun 19, 2011
We are each given so many options every single day in our lives.
And we have the opportunity to travel along the same path or mix things up a bit and go down a different route.
While these choices are wonderful, we may sometimes feel overwhelmed by them.
We may start to feel scattered and find ourselves retreating into the known instead of embracing the new.
This is where I am today.
I have so many wonderful new options in my buffet of life.
And I really want to step out of my comfort zone and try some new options.
But to do this and enjoy them, I feel that I first need to get grounded and get focused.
And I would suggest that if you are ever feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the choices you get to make – to take a deep breath, take some time to go within, and just sit with it all.
Which choices feel right for you and where you are right now in your life?
Which choices are a bit of a push, but still feel like something you would like to try?
How would your life be different if you sampled more choices and pushed yourself?
What’s the worst that could happen if you went for it
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Jun 16, 2011
This seemingly innocuous question from our
Journaling Further Within book can really bring up all sorts of outdated beliefs and issues of self worth if you dig deep enough.
I think most of us believe that we are worth the necessities of life – food, shelter, love, etc.
But if we go beyond this, our self doubt tends to kick in, and we start wondering what we are truly worth after all.
A great example of feeling worth it is with regard to self care.
We probably would all agree that we are worth giving ourselves a reward now and then for a job well done – this could be in the form of a night off, or a day out just by ourselves, or treating yourself to a spa day, hanging out with your girlfriends, etc.
And yet – how often do we actually do these things?
Life takes over, and we have to take the kids to various activities, dinner needs to be made, the house needs to be cleaned, and before we know it the days have stretched into months, and we can’t remember the last time we took any time (even a moment) for ourselves.
If I were to suggest that we each take time every single day for ourselves, I would imagine that many would think I was crazy. Or maybe they would think that I just don’t understand the infinite demands that are put on them. That if they took this much needed time for themselves, everything would fall apart.
Or would it?
Sometimes feeling like we are needed and like we can’t take the time to nurture ourselves can be our saboteur stepping forward. This is the part of us that doesn’t feel great and truly doesn’t think we are worth much at all. This is the part of us that lacks self esteem, self confidence, and self awareness. And when this part takes over, if you aren’t conscious of it, you will look back at your life years later and wonder why you feel like a shell or only part of a person. You may wonder how this happened, which can be really scary.
The saboteur is only part of us though, and we have the choice to decide how large or small we would like this part of us to be.
Once we recognize this shadowed part of ourselves, we can push it aside and let our souls do the talking from now on.
And your soul emphatically wants you to take time for yourself each day. It knows that you are worth that – and so much more. And the more you can step into this part of yourself wholeheartedly, the more worthy you will feel. And the more it will become second nature to fill up your own tank and build up your own confidence.
Because you are worth that and so much more.
Jun 14, 2011
I write a lot about faith. Having faith. Keeping the faith. Knowing when to let go and surrender to faith. I write about it because it’s so important. I write about it because without faith, we are filled with fear and uncertainty. I write about it because it’s something that doesn’t come easily for me – it’s not necessarily second nature to let go, trust, and be okay knowing that the universe has my back – that I will always be okay – that things are always going exactly More
Jun 10, 2011
Can you think of a belief that you have that really is outdated or no longer serves you or maybe never really was your belief in the first place?
Let’s say when you were very young you were afraid to jump off of the high dive at the swimming pool. And from that moment on, you were known as the scaredy cat by your friends and family. Before that, you didn’t feel particularly afraid in other areas of your life, but every time you heard this label, it reinforced this notion that you were afraid of life and timid and weak somehow. And this became part of your identity.
Now imagine that you are an adult who is still carrying around this label and belief that wasn’t accurate in the first place. Years have gone by, and because of this belief that you are afraid of everything, you have shied away from opportunities all because of fear.
But it’s truly not too late to change this belief. You get to decide each moment of each day how you will react to certain situations, and how you view yourself. So even if this label has become part of your identity, it’s not too late to remove it and replace it with something else – something that feels more like you.
Try on a bunch of beliefs and labels and see which fits the best. Remember that only you get to decide. You can get input from your friends and family (although I would encourage – at least in the beginning – doing this exercise on your own), but ultimately you are the one who has the final say.
Have fun going through your beliefs and seeing if any of them are outdated or inaccurate for who you have become. Like we clean out our closets each spring and get rid of clothes that we no longer wear or that no longer feel like who were are, we can also do the same thing with our beliefs.
Make sure you are only wearing the beliefs that feel the most like you.Your soul will thank you for it!
