Category: Intentions

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Surrender

Surrender is not necessarily one of my favorite words. Despite this it keeps coming up in conversation and is evidently a SIGN. I think my resistance to the word is that old visual from cowboy or war movies where surrendering involves sticking your hands high into the air and offering yourself up to another person, potentially the enemy.

Okay, I know this is not what it really means and that to surrender does not mean giving up or giving in. Nor does surrender imply weakness or loss. According to the dictionary to surrender means to relinquish control, and detach from results. Darn – there’s that control thing again.

I turned back to one of my favorite all time books, Return to Love by Marianne Williamson, seeking some solace and clarity on this subject. She suggests that surrender is powerful nonresistance, being open and receptive to allowing our lives to be guided by a higher power. In this state of nonresistance you allow ‘spirit to infuse your life and to offer you meaning and direction’.

I have to say that I am all for that. It simply gets confusing when I try to figure everything out for myself not to mention that I also step back into being a control freak. When you stop trying to control all the events in your life, you notice that things fall into place anyway and that there is a natural order to them.

So how do you surrender? Now that is the $20,000,000 question. Even as I say to myself all I have to do is surrender I feel the trepidation and wonder how do you so this. I can only share what I am learning at the moment and to suggest to you, that although surrender seems unfamiliar and uncomfortable, I suspect we are all in this boat together. It is a new experience.

Let go of what you can’t control

 

Re-Connect with your Heart
The starting point for me is to forge a new relationship with my heart. This begins by putting aside 10 to 15 minutes of quiet ME FIRST time, sitting or lying comfortably, away from all distractions. Place your hand on your heart and feel it beating under your hand.

With each breath in imagine that your heart is expanding. Infuse your heart with love on each in-breath and on the out-breath imagine this love extending you your entire self. As you continue, notice any stress in your body, and then release it on each out-breath.

Consider an issue which has been troublesome for you and perhaps what actions you have been taking to control it. On the next out breath release these actions and ask your heart the question, “what would be in my highest good?” Don’t expect an immediate answer; simply rest with the question for a few moments, then ask again, “what would be in my highest good?”

Your heart is the seat of amazing wisdom and knowledge. Unfortunately it is overruled by your head and buried under worry, anxiety, frustration and impatience. Impatience by the way is the highest form of resistance, like pushing at something. When you push there is an equal and opposite force in return.

As you continue your heart ‘meditation’, imagine yourself floating in a sea of light. The water sparkles, infused with hues of purple, turquoise and yellow. These colours dance around you. You feel all the resistance you have been experiencing begin to float away and as you drift, your heart opens even further. You begin to appreciate that all you need to know is there, you need only to relax and allow it to come to you.

Back to Reality
I hear you, REALLY! Can this possibly work? YES! And it takes time. As with any new habit it must be practiced. I wish there were a simple switch you could turn on and off, to step from control freak into control free and to experience complete surrender. Wouldn’t that be blissful.

The thing is, and you know this as well as I do, you are simply getting in your own way when it comes to moving forward in life. Everything you want is waiting for you. Your work is to conceive it (ask for what you want), believe it (imagine that what you want is already a reality) and receive it (get out-of-the-way and allow it).

Here’s the challenge: changing any habit takes 21 days. My invitation to you is to take the time each day for the next 3 weeks to re-connect with your heart. Follow the instructions I have offered and see what happens. You never know, new doors may open and something you never expected may arrive on your doorstep!

Until next time,

Betty

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Celebrating Life

Fall Equinox arrives tomorrow. As the days grow shorter, we are left with more darkness. It is a great time to reflect, for although our world of work seems to expand in these Fall-Winter hours, the truth is this time of year is designed for rest. Mother nature knows this, as the plants die off and energize their roots for the seasons to come, the animals hibernate for a long winter nap, and the world relaxes, like a great global sigh.

This week I received an e-mail from a colleague who celebrates the anniversary of cancer recovery on this date, outliving all predictions and celebrating her life. A SIGN I though and an apt theme for our labyrinth walk.

In following this theme of celebrating life, I was drawn to one of my favourite books, Anam Cara by John O’Donohue, choosing one of his blessings for the event:

May you recognize in your life the presence,

power and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone,

that your soul in its brightness and belonging
connects you intimately with the rhythm of the Universe.

May you respect your own individuality and difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here, that behind the façade of your life
there is something beautiful, good and eternal happening.

May you learn to see yourself with the same delight,
pride, and expectation
with which God sees you in every moment.

John O’Donohue

 

Blessings to all of you for this Fall Equinox, the final months before December 21, 2012. Celebrate YOU and wonder about why you are here and who you are called to BE.

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Apachetes

The ancient tribes of Huichol Indians of Mexico built pyramids of rocks on the earth as part of their sacred ceremony. They believed this allowed them to communicate through Mother Earth with their brothers and sisters in neighboring communities and that all the apachetes were connected one to the other through the ley lines or energetic grid of the earth.

Jim and I were recently introduced to Apachetes by our colleague and ‘spirit guide’ Denine Savage. Somewhat like the tradition on the Inuksuk in our Canadian north, apachetes speak to the power of connection through the four elements – earth, air, water and fire.

Admittedly I am very attracted to ancient traditions and have found myself through the years searching for information from other cultures including our aboriginal peoples. For all that has been written and recorded, it seems to me that much of what we need to know is embedded in the ancient traditions of those who lived from the land and who walked this earth long before us.

As we prepared for the fourth annual Goddess Camp two weeks ago, Denine and Jim decided to build two apachetes on our property. Both Denine and Jim are highly sensing, in tune with the energy around them and able to communicate with the land. Many of you can probably relate to this as you feel things more than others and take information in through your senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch and intuition more than others. If you have this ability, cherish it, for it allows you to tune into ‘energy’ as well, something you may be doing without even realizing it.

 

Zen Garden with Apachete

As I observed my two energy workers, it was like watching a dance. The first apachete was built where we already had a number of large rocks, our Zen garden. The three of us set about gathering a number of other stones in assorted sizes and colours, reaching only for those which spoke to us in some fashion. Yes I participated and I have to be honest, I was listening for messages but noted that Denine and Jim seemed to be engaged in real conversations with the stones that they chose. Once gathered, everything was transported to the garden and then one by one stones were placed in the pyramid. I placed only one rock as I felt much more called to observe as both Jim and Denine wove their choices together.

And then there was Cleo, our black and white tuxedo cat.  She participated and propped herself up on the stones, as if she knew what was being built.

Cleo and Apachete

 

The first apachete completed, our attention turned to the Fairy Garden, a garden room located in the forest just off the labyrinth in our back yard. It has a magical energy and Jim felt compelled to add a second apachete. He laid the first stone followed by a second placed by Denine. Immediately Cleo ran across the garden and placed herself directly on top of the first two rocks, blessing them and somehow acknowledging what was being created. The rest of the apachete was built around her until she finally decided to move. I tried to imagine what she was seeing or experiencing through her cat’s intuition..

There is no doubt that something was shifting energetically. It is still palpable without actually being able to describe for you what that is. An apachete is simple a way for you to connect with the earth and to be part of something greater than you can possibly understand. As the weekend proceeded I learned that apachetes do not need to be built outside and they do not need to be built of stone. They can simply be a collection of special objects placed together by you. The placement of what you choose is intentional; you carefully and thoughtfully put the stones, feathers, shells, hearts, objects together in a way that is meaningful to you. From that point, supported by your intention, this becomes a sacred place for you, a place which you can visit, use to become more grounded, or meditate.

As Jim and I looked around our property and within our home we realized that we had been doing this and have identified 2-3 other locations where apachetes already existed. Interesting or simply a SIGN that somehow, without knowing or understanding, ancient wisdom was channeling through to us. My invitation to you – take this opportunity to build your own apachete, create your sacred space and join in the ‘grid’.

 

You can read more about Denine Savage’s work at http://evolutionaryprocess.com/apachetes/

 

Until next time,

Betty

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Control Freak or Control Free

I have always prided myself on being planful – it’s simply the way to get things done. There are long range plans for the next five years and short range plans for the next 2 weeks. It’s makes life so easy when life is planned – you are in control.

CONTROL – am I really in control? Does planning really eliminate worry and make life a smooth running road? NO. Control therefor may simply be an illusion. I am considering this.

And all this planning … perhaps this needs to be re-examined. In one of our coaching programs recently, one of the participants noted that she was spending so much time planning, she was not living. Who’s the coach? I heard the comment and it dove deeply right to the core. I was left with the questions, “Am I living?” Am I so concerned about having control and planning my life that I have forgotten to simply BE in the moment?

The thing about planning is that it also limits choice. Take a look at it for yourself. You have your life planned and your eye on the ball. You know where it is and you are heading in the direction you have chosen for YOU. It’s all perfect and the ducks are lined up a in a row. BORING! (Yes, I have said this to myself as well!)

When you are overly planful, it’s a bit like walking through life with blinders on. You are so focused on the goals you have set for yourself; you cannot see what is in your peripheral vision. You eliminate unnecessary ‘distractions’, you don’t see the SIGNS crossing your path and in many ways, you are cheating yourself of some rich, playful and interesting experiences.  Life is happening around you and you are simply not in life.

Control freak or control free? What would be the benefits of less planning and more being? I have pondered this question since the moment the questions was posed. Did I mention that the person asking the question was only 17? Darn, don’t you hate it when the young are so wise, when they see the obvious and end up teaching you life’s most important lessons!

Here is the lesson for me and I am thinking for anyone reading this column. We all need to:

  1. Lighten up and be a little more in the flow of life
  2. Live more and plan less
  3. Be aware of what is happening on the side lines, in our peripheral vision
  4. Become more present in today and less concerned about tomorrow
  5. Pay attention to the SIGNS crossing our path and be curious about what they mean
  6. Relax, breathe and wonder what life might be like if we were control free.

I am sure that like me, you have heard the phrase living in the moment. I totally agree. So why is it I find it so difficult to simply be present, in this moment and feeling what I feel rather than planning the rest of today, tomorrow and all the days after that?

Here is my new morning ritual – setting my intentions for today. They are not plans; they are more akin to how I want to feel and the experience I am attracting during the day. I know the ‘plans’ are in my agenda and I am giving myself permission to relax and breathe into them. This feels different and I am beginning to encounter the shift from control freak to control free.

Here’s the other notice – life is flow. Control is an illusion (oops – who knew!). Back to flow – there’s lots of things to take a look at and enjoy when everything is not pre-planned. And for some reason everything in the plans still gets done. It is amazing how this works.

Back to you – control freak or control free – it’s a choice!

 

Until next time,

 

Betty

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Postive News

One of the things I admire about the Local Seeker,   and one of the reasons I write for the paper is that the focus is on Positive News. It has long been a dream of mine that one day there would be a newspaper, TV or radio station where all you can find is the things that are right with the world. You will notice that this is not the focus of most media as finding the negative and then digging until whatever the wound is bleeds, is the preferred approach to the news. Honestly – YUCH!

Is it truth? Hardly! It is perception and in case you have forgotten, perception is not reality – it is simply the reality of whoever is reporting on the situation. We all have a ‘different take’ on how events unfold. And yet, for some indescribable reason we believe what we read. It’s not to suggest that what is reported is wrong, it is simply wise for each of us to read and watch with a level of discernment and understanding that all is not exactly as it is portrayed to be.

Back to celebrating positive news, the same principle applies to your life. At the end of the day, you tend to remember the things that went wrong in a day rather than enumerating all the things that went right. If you actually begin form the moment you arose and recorded all the good things, then all the ‘bad’, you would probably discover that the good far outweighs the bad. As Rick Hansen in his book Buddha’s Brain wrote, negative thoughts tend to stick to us like Velcro whereas positive ones are like Teflon, they simply side on by.

It takes focus to bring the positive into your life and consciousness to make it stick. The world is not inherently a bad place and I am completely convinced that on any given day in the world, the bad things that happen are like a small black dot on a white sheet of paper. All the white space is filled with the many acts of kindness, good deeds and amazing acts of humanity that go, for the most part, unnoticed and under reported.

As human beings we need to be inspired and fed a diet of positive news. Otherwise we become pessimists, our glasses held empty. You get to choose what you fill your days with, who you spend your time with, what you read and what you view on TV or the internet. Consider a media diet! Set an intention that you will attract only stories that inspire you and begin to turn away from anything that makes you feel less than joyful. How would that influence your days, impact your happiness and perhaps even influence your relationships? When you feel better your energy field shifts and others around you have a different experience of who you are.

Speaking of positive news, we invite you, our readers to join us either Tuesday, August 28th or Wednesday, August 29th for a day of positivity and well-being. On these days we will be filming the roadSIGNS TV Show at the Church on Sydney. This is the third season of the program filmed by TV Cogeco and we will be featuring a number of guests speaking on topics including the Body-Mind-Spirit connection as well as themes from Positive Psychology – understanding what helps people flourish. The Seeker Chicks are part of the program! We have 25 spots available for audience members so if you are interested and want to join in for a day that will feed your soul, let us know. You do need to reserve a spot so e-mail us at info@roadSIGNS.ca or phone at 613-874-9934.

Life is a series of choices you get to make every day. Take a little inventory and ask yourself, what is in your life today that feeds your soul and spirit in a positive way? What relationships do you have that build you up? What choices do you make regarding the media in your life?

I encourage you to reach for those things that make you feel good about yourself, about life and about the world you live in. Remember that what you focus on expands. Imagine that if we all, you and I, focused on what is right in the world, what might happen.

Yee-Haw! I can see it now!

Abundantly Yours,

Betty

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Act-Think Feel

There is a saying which goes, “Fake it until you make it”. It is not one of my favorites and I have often been tempted to dispute it. It’s the ‘fake it’ part that bothers me as it seems inauthentic.

This past weekend I attended the inaugural conference for the Canadian Positive Phycology Association in Toronto. There were a number of impressive presentations all leaving me with a desire for more learning and immense sense of curiosity. One of my favorites was the opening keynote address by Dr. Greg Wells a neurophysiologist from the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, skyped in from the Olympic Village in London. (Watch for him as part of the CTV broadcast team). He covered a number of topics within the context of his presentation. One of the pieces that stuck with me was ‘act-think-feel’ – you guessed right, fake it until you make it.

In his work with athletes and the mind-body connection, research has demonstrated that what you show on the outside is replicated on the inside. The two key variables which have been researched are smiling and posture.

You have all heard the other phrase, ‘smile and the world smiles with you.” While that theory has not been examined scientifically, the reality is that when you smile, outwardly, your inner world begins to smile. You lighten up and your attitude shifts. When you act – smile, you begin to think and feel differently. Your smile activates a physiological response that makes you feel better.

Remember your mother saying, “Johnny or Jane, stand up straight!” It really annoyed you because you were a teenager and slouching was simply cool. Well it turns out that slouching is not only bad for your posture, it’s bad for your attitude and your health.

The second part of the act-think-feel equation is that standing tall, stretching your height upward and elongating your torso, makes you feel better about you. It is almost impossible to think positively about yourself and feel the resulting emotions if you slouch and slink. Stretching upward enhances your esteem and boosts your confidence.

Step outside yourself for a moment and begin to notice others. Imagine for a moment the person who is frowning, slouching and slinking. What is your response to them? Do they appear positive or confident? No they don’t. You are probably judging them and wondering why such an attractive person wouldn’t stand tall and occasionally smile.

Here’s your choice point – start acting different yourself. Decide each morning to begin the day with a smile, even if it does feel fake. Just plaster it on and then notice:

  1. How you feel about yourself as the day goes on
  2. How others respond to you

Next, begin to check your posture. You don’t want to stand military style; you simply want to stand tall, as if there was a pulley attached to the crown of your head stretching you upward. As you elongate your posture, your shoulders naturally pull back a bit, you can breathe more easily, your chest opens up, you are more receptive, and others will notice.

As a former physiotherapist, there are numerous other advantages to improved posture, including preventing long term back issues and, for women as they age, that ‘dowager’s hump’. Remember, checking in with your posture and standing tall, supports what you think and feel and positively affects how your brain functions.

As you tune into the Olympics this summer, watch the athletes as they prepare for their event. You will see intense concentration; you will see them correct their posture and stand tall, and if you are lucky you may catch a smile or two.

Most importantly, check in with yourself and begin today to smile more and to stand tall. Do your own research project – begin every day with a smile and by stretching your head to the sky. Do both regularly each day and notice what changes or shifts in your energy, confidence and esteem. I guarantee you will feel better and your thoughts will be more positive. Notice how others respond to you and when that friend says to you, ‘what are you smiling about?’ simply say, smiling is changing my world inside and out – want to join me?

It’s really up to you.

Until next time,

Betty

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In Spirit

This has been a ‘spirit guided’ journey, one which began in 2000 just prior to our move to South Glengarry. In June of that year Jim and I attended a retreat called “Take Your Soul to Work”, a gift we gave to one another in celebration of our 27th anniversary. During one of several meditations we experienced, Jim received a message that he was to build a labyrinth. This was very exciting except that, he did not know what a labyrinth was and had little understanding of its purpose or its history.

The journey continued. Jim researched the topic. He learned that a labyrinth is a ‘unicursal’ maze, meaning there is only one way in and one way out. Labyrinths date back to the beginnings of humankind and can be found in almost all cultures around the world. The ancient Greeks wrote about them in their myths. Some of the great cathedrals of the world have them imprinted in the floor, for example the Chartres Cathedral in France. Aboriginal peoples such as the Hopi used them for ceremony.

Today, labyrinths are experiencing resurgence around the world, as a symbol of peace, for walking meditation, to build community and more. The ancient has found its way back to the present.

Prayer Flags in the Fairy Garden

Returning to Jim’s vision, once he learned more about what he was being asked to create, the next step was to identify a labyrinth pattern. There are many traditional patterns and the first winter at TighShee (the name of our home and property) we built the complicated Chartres pattern in the snow. It was clear that this was not perfect and far too intricate for us.

The following summer, as the exploration continued, a labyrinth pattern came to me in a meditation (this meditation stuff is powerful!). I drew it out and offered it to Jim. It was clearly atypical, totally unlike any labyrinth pattern Jim had seen in his research. The following winter, we tried again, this time building the new pattern in the snow. Intuitively we knew this was perfect. On June 8th 2002 building began and over the next week the labyrinth was built.

What emerged after that has been an intuitive experience in which the surrounding gardens took form. As novices, we had a lot to learn about plants and creating gardens. Most of the design was left to Jim and as he tapped into the earth energies, a series of gardens emerged around the labyrinth and the many trees that are found on the property. The effect is rather magical as there are no corners, only curves. Plant choice was left to me and there have been a few plant mistakes along the way – all part of understanding light and shade, soil composition and simply said, energy.

Irises

On the event of the 10th anniversary, 40 people joined us to walk. There have been many magical moments here at TighShee (House of Peace) and clearly this was one of them. With friends we have known for 20 years or more and friends who we met for the first time that day, we felt blessed. The blank canvas we were gifted when we purchased the property 12 years ago has come alive, not only with the gardens and the labyrinth, but with the community that is emerging as a result.

Dreams do come true. When dreams are founded on intention, the desire to be of service and create a space where visitors realize that they are allowed to simply be who they are, the result is community. In the last ten years, we have hosted twenty or more labyrinth walks. Each one is unique. Sometimes there are five people and sometimes forty. We always know that whoever attends are the perfect people to be there and we never question what happens.

This last event however, was undoubtedly the most special of the events, with drummers and singers and plenty of celebration. It was one of those moments when folks come together and connect ‘in spirit’,  and this, in my experience, is the most powerful connection of all.

Abundantly Yours,

Betty

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Create a NEW STORY

Since returning to the Cornwall Region in 2000, I have had the good fortune to coach and work with many of Cornwall’s local artists. It is work I truly love as it gives me the opportunity to play with those extraordinary creative souls who bring beauty to places and spaces. What and who would we be without the influence of art in our lives?

Kirsty’s Flowers – Part of the Downtown mural created by Cornwall artists

One of the reasons that I choose to coach in this arena is that artists, while creative, often do not see the value they bring to society. As a result they tend to underplay their gifts. While there is no doubt that being an artist, and more importantly making a living at being an artist, can be trying, it is essential that the artist believes in him or herself first.

Too often I have heard the following flowing from and artist’s lips – “I am just a poor starving artist”. I recoil at the words and wonder why one would even put that out into the world. Step back for a moment and listen again to the words – I am a poor starving artist. While the phrase may simply be meant as a statement of affairs, or perhaps to garner sympathy for one’s plight as an artist, I am compelled to ask, “Really?”

Yes, really. Now artists are not the only group guilty of this ‘sin’, that of undermining their worth. I have heard the same words uttered from the many folks I know who work with energy and healing therapies. For whatever reason, there seems to be a belief within both communities that the gifts they have to offer are either not valued or not worth being paid for. And this is a LIMITING BELIEF!

Limiting beliefs are those things you tell yourself that have no basis in fact. They do come from the collective, that is ‘they’, whomever they are, have been saying this over and over to everyone they know until it simply becomes an accepted fact that you can’t make money being an artist or a healer. It moves into your psyche and whenever you approach financial success the little voice in your head rears its head and repeats the mantra, “I am a poor starving artist”.

It’s a vicious cycle!

As I stated above however, we all have our story, that is, our own set of limiting beliefs which usually go something like, “you can’t do that—– because….. You can fill in the blank. If you listen in, you will hear the story and even though you may not believe it anymore, it still pops up. You recognize that when it does it steals your breath. You see your mother’s finger pointing at you or an old teacher scolding you. The old stories you see come from your choir, the team of critics who have lined up over the years to keep YOU in your place. Guess what? They are out of date and it is time to write a new story.

What will your story be? Last week, I spent 2 hours with one of my coaches, a remarkable man named John Heney. He uses a very interesting technique for getting us out of our old story and into a new one. This is how it goes –

Ladies and Gentlemen,
on behalf of all starving artists and healers in the world,
watch me ROCK!
Watch me walk the path of success and financial abundance!

This action is done full throttle, arms flung wide open, face turned skyward, as you embrace what it is YOU really want. The truth is YOU don’t want to be a starving artist or whatever you old story is, you want something different, larger, beneficial to you and your future. You are tired of living small and the way your choir instructed you. You want to live large, and to live the life where you really are a true expression of who you are. Don’t YOU?

Here is the reality – YOU get to choose your story. You can live the one you were given or you can write a new script. Of course to write that new script, you must know what YOU want and what YOU want to attract to your life. Then you must step into it, as if it is already happening and be in the belief that your new story has arrived. When the Old Story creeps back into your space, and it will, smile and simply say, ‘you are out of date’.

Begin today – write your New Story! No more hesitating – time’s a wastin’!

Abundantly Yours,

Betty

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The Big Rocks

I have found myself dipping into an exercise from my past recently, an exercise called the Big Rocks. Here is how it goes. Take a large gallon sized jar and place it on your kitchen counter. Beside this place a number of fist sized rocks. Carefully place all of these rocks in the jar, to the point where you cannot place any additional rocks in the jar.

You will notice that the jar is full – or is it?

Next, take two or more cups of gravel and pour this into the jar. As you gently shake the jar, the gravel settles down around the larger rocks. Once again the jar appears full, but is it?

Now take two to three cups of sand and pour that into your container. You will notice that the sand filters down around the large rocks and the gravel filling in all the crevices. Again the jar appears full – is it?

Finally add a large jug of water to all the other ingredients. You may be surprised just how much water you can add. Now the jar is full.

What if you had reversed the order, filling the jar with water, sand or gravel first, would you have had space for the big rocks? The answer of course is NO.

And so it is with life. We forget to look at our priorities or what we consciously want to fill our life with and the space gets filled anyway, with the gravel of demands made on our time, with the sand of taking on things that don’t belong to us, and with the water of “should’s, have to’s and must do’s”. When your days come to an end you realize that everything that is truly important simply has no space.

What are your big rocks? At a ‘being’ level they represent your intentions and your clarity regarding what you want to attract in your life. At a ‘doing’ level your big rocks represent your priorities, the things you really want to get done to forward the action on your life or your business. They would be the first items you would put into your daily agenda and they would be the items that are non-negotiable.

Here’s what happens however. Your priorities get pushed aside because you have not learned how to say NO to the demands of others or you get caught in the trap that something else looks more appealing at the moment. Now I don’t want to suggest that knowing your big rocks make you inflexible, in fact I suggest it is just the opposite. You simply want to become conscious regarding your emotional, spiritual, and physical big rocks and where they belong in your life. Once you know this, everything else, the gravel, sand and water can be placed around and you have whatever flexibility you need with that.

Knowing your big rocks is an antidote for what I refer to as spinning, being in action without being clear on why you are doing what you are doing. It is simple to plan for. In terms of being, the big rocks require simply taking a few minutes at the beginning of your day to be clear and intentional about who you want to be that day, your ripple effect, and what are the main items on your to do list. On a weekly basis, planning you big rocks ahead of time and placing them in your agenda means, this time is for this big rock and this in non-negotiable. If you give up space for one of your big rocks, you cannot get it back.

I encourage you to include scheduled ME FIRST time as one of your Big Rocks. In fact this may be the most important time you spend every day and remember, it takes on 1% of your day, or 15 minutes to begin a ME FIRST practice. Imagine if dedicating simply 15 minutes of your daily schedule was the most important Big Rock of all and imagine if this simple practice changed everything. Wow, that really would shift how the space in your life is filled and, most importantly, you would be living the life you want for you rather than the life others expect of you.

Start today – name and claim your Big Rocks!

Until next time….

Betty

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The Ripple Effect

So few people recognize the influence they actually have, whether that is among friends and family or where they work. You might be thinking to yourself, “Really. It doesn’t feel like that most of the time, in fact, I feel like I have no say what so ever.” And I understand that point of view as it is a view I once held.

My beliefs have however, shifted. The more I have studied the Law of Attraction, the more that I understand that what lives inside of me, my beliefs, my values, and my thoughts, are largely responsible for what I attract and experience in the world. According to the Law of Attraction, like attracts like. It is magnetic in that sense. Imagine that you are a magnet and that everything going on in your internal environment, your head and your heart, is exactly what you will draw into your life. Like attracts like.

Now you may be concerned about this because you are suddenly aware that what you have been focused on is not exactly positive, in fact it may be downright ugly and spirit depleting. No need to worry. You can change this by shifting your focus.

To begin the process imaging that you are a pebble, a beautiful multi-colored and multi-faceted one filled with vibrant energy. You are now dropped into a smooth glassy surface of water by some great universal force. Are you with me so far? As you envision this, notice what happens the moment you as a pebble strike the surface of the water. The point of contact sends out a series of ripples.

The water represents the water line of life. With you as a pebble, recognize that you get to consciously choose what energy you infuse in that waterline. You can choose to fuel those ripples with kindness, love, respect and joy or, on by contrast, with meanness, fear, judgment and ‘ich’.

Knowledge of this important ‘Ripple Effect’ is critical in shifting your life and using that old phrase ‘turning your life around’. It asks you to become consciously aware, every day, of the influence you want to have in the world. This is where your power gets fueled, for once you decide, you begin to attract a different energy from the outside world as well.

Imagine this: you wake up in the morning. Before jumping into your day, you take a few precious moments to consider the day ahead of you. Review the landscape
– who will you be with?
– what work will you be engaged in?
– what meetings will you be attending?
– what will you be doing?

Once you have a sense of what is before you, decide what your intention is for each situation. How do you want people to experience you? What do you want to add to any interaction at work?

You might decide on something like:
– I make heartfelt connections with everyone who crosses my path.
– I make a positive contribution to any projects I take on.
– I am open to new opportunities that come my way.
– I am a source of inspiration and joy.

Once you have formulated your intentions and offered them to the Universe, begin your day. Watch for the roadSIGNS, the small yet significant clues that your intentions are making a difference. And, most importantly, notice how others respond to you and how the energy around you shifts.

None of YOU are small, in fact you are much larger than you imagine. As soon as you turn your attention to living consciously and intentionally, your life begins to shift and your influence magnifies. Remember, thoughts and beliefs are intentions and if your thoughts and beliefs are tainted with the negative, your life reflects the same energy. You get to choose which field you play in, to be a beneficial influence to the world or a detrimental one. It begins with you and your intentions.

Here is my challenge to you – begin each day with intentions which are positive. You can even use the ones written above – I offer these to you. Practice doing this for 21 days (it takes 21 days to embed a new habit) and see what happens. Why not – you have nothing to lose except to begin to shift your life to a new place. Let me know what happens!

Until next time….

Betty