Mar 24, 2011
We’ve had a lot of loss in our lives over the past few months,
and it’s made me realize just how unpredictable and fragile life can be.
No one knows how long they have here on Earth –
we can just strive to live our best lives while we are here.
Imagine you are at the end of your life.
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Mar 22, 2011
Doesn’t it feel good to smile?
You can’t help but be happy when you are smiling – so smile, smile, & smile some more!
I recently watched
Eat Pray Love, and I loved the part where Julia Roberts was in Thailand meditating with a smile on her face the entire time.
I started doing this each morning while taking a shower.
And at first it feels a bit strange to just be in there with a big smile on my face while shampooing my hair.
It’s definitely awkward.
But…while I’m doing it I can feel something start to shift in my brain.
I start to feel happier.
I start to feel lighter.
My brain isn’t able to worry or stress or be overwhelmed when I am smiling.
And these are definitely good things!
Try it tomorrow – see how great you feel!
Plant a big fat smile on your face from the moment you step into the shower until the moment you step out of it.
You get extra credit for thinking about everything you are grateful for while you are smiling!
And for today, take some time to write down some things that bring a smile to your face. (Be prepared to start smiling just thinking about them.)
The more you think about smiling, the more you will start to smile. And the more you start to smile, the happier you will be. And the happier you will be, the more fulfilling your life will become. And the more fulfilling your life is, the more you have to give to others. And the more you give to others, the more they will pay it forward and give to others. And pretty soon the entire world is paying it forward and happy.
And it all started with just one smile.
🙂
Mar 20, 2011
I woke up this morning thinking about the many unfinished projects I needed to do, emails I wanted to send, and the seemingly endless pile of papers that needed to be filed.
Not always the best way to wake up. I immediately felt tired and overwhelmed.
But then I remembered a wonderful cd that I listened to several years ago that talked about how we store energy in our bodies. It was called
Energy Anatomy by Caroline Myss.
While it was an amazingly insightful series that I enjoyed listening to, the part that still sticks with me today and that I still use in my daily life is thinking about our bodies as circuit boards and everything we have to do and all of the thoughts we have are plugs. We only have a certain amount of circuits – and just imagine how many circuits you have plugged in when you are feeling completely overwhelmed and stressed out.
When I start to feel this way, I first take a look at where my circuits are plugged in.
I take a moment to write down every plugged-in circuit I can think of – everything that is draining my energy.
Do I have emails to send that are weighing on me?
How about papers that are piling up?
Projects needing to be finished?
A house that needs to be cleaned?
Expense sheets to enter in?
Orders to make?
Friends to call and connect with?
Old thoughts and thoughts patterns creeping back in?
Hurts from the past still affecting me in the present?
The list can go on and on – we are all so busy and we all have so many circuits plugged in to so many things.
First simply become aware of these circuits.
Next visualize unplugging them.
See your body increasing with energy and vitality with each circuit unplugged.
Sundays are perfect days to clearing your circuits – are at least starting to.
You can start by clearing a chunk of time to sit down and batch as many circuits as you can into time chunks.
Send all of the emails in one chunk.
Clean the house in one chunk.
File the papers in one chunk.
More
Mar 15, 2011
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do your best.
But what happens when wanting to do your best keeps you from living your best life?
Have you ever had a project that you wanted to start – you had really great ideas – and great hopes of what the finished project would look like – and then you started thinking about how this is going to be the best project that you’ve ever worked on – no one will have ever seen such a project before – and your mind starts swirling with all of this pressure that you’ve just put on yourself to make it such a great project – and you immediately get overwhelmed and just need to step back from it – just for a little bit – and then months go by and you remember that you had a great idea for a project that you never started
(and definitely didn’t complete)?
Sound at all familiar?
Perfectionism can be really amazing – it can push you forward and keep your standards very high. It can make sure you’re living your life to your best potential.
But… it can also be a saboteur in your life. It can keep you from finishing projects, which can do a real number on your self esteem.
More
Mar 14, 2011
This is a fun exercise and a great self-esteem boost!
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Easy, right?
Hopefully!
But… sometimes we can be really hard on ourselves. Many of us are quick to praise other people and forget to praise ourselves. If we had to come up with 50 words to describe our loved ones, we could easily do this – and probably come up with many more! The powerful part of this exercise comes in when we turn that love back to ourselves.
If you are able to, it might be helpful to create a special space for yourself before you begin to write. Light a candle – carve out some “you” time. Sit in a comfortable chair. Take some deep breaths to center yourself and get into a positive, loving space. Think about your gifts and strengths. And then write.
If your inner critic appears while you are writing – just take notice of it. You don’t have to give it power. Recenter yourself and start again. Write down only positive, loving words.
If you are having a hard time with this exercise, think about what words your loved ones would use to describe you (only positive words, though!).
Once you have your list, remember to go back to it from time to time. Add to it! Hang it up where you’ll see it often! And let the words sink in.
Feel how powerful they are.
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