All posts by Joy

Jun 19
0

Learning

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

So many times in our life we find ourselves back inside a learning curve, whether it be learning a new medium, adjusting to a change in career, figuring out evolving technologies, or simply navigating change. Life seems to be designed to keep moving and certainly promises changes. If we can understand the concept of life constantly moving, we can also accept a little ebb and flow in our lives. If we can be open to the changes, we can open ourselves for better learning and growing in a positive way.

Many times we find ourselves experiencing sudden life changes due to unforeseen circumstances. Initially they may appear to be things we’d rather not want to move through. It can easily align us with a resisting perspective. Change isn’t always the easiest for us when we were comfortable with how things used to be. Even further, we may be more resistant to the thoughts and fears of the unknown. It’s common among many of us to be a little afraid of change.

We can still move forward even without knowing the outcome by letting go of some resistance. We can start by being more open-minded to changes and curves. We often have opportunities for learning in life. When we are fighting change, we close ourselves off to more possibilities. To move forward with more grace and ease, it can be helpful to let go of our stubbornness.

We often act stubbornly when we feel vulnerable. Operating from stubbornness can close us off to learning and understanding. We can miss a lot of growth when we are caught up in our heads (egos) with stubbornness rather than being open to what we can learn from others and our universe around us.

To learn often requires seeing and understanding from another perspective. Our egos can feel a little bruised when we struggle while learning. This can create resistance and a lack of understanding.

I’ve found learning to be a more powerful experience when I can be open and truly listen rather than battle with what my ego thinks it knows. I think we do this often inside our minds more than we would like to admit or consider. Learning really requires loosening up from what we already know. Not knowing makes many of us feel vulnerable.

Being open when we feel vulnerable can provide us with an opportunity to tap into our own superpowers. We have the ability to tap into our own wonderful creative energy and guidance from within when we allow ourselves to tune in as we move through unexpected circumstances.

Life provides an enormous number of opportunities to view things from a variety of perspectives. Whether we choose to see them differently is up to us. Learning doesn’t have to scare us so much. We can see it as an opportunity to receive more helpful tools.

Learning can empower and enrich our lives. We can allow more openness for perspectives other than our own. When we are open with ourselves we can hold that healthy space for others. As the universe inevitably expands and grows, so can we. And even when the changes are unexpected, we can approach them with joy rather than fear.

Learning can not only take you many new places, but help you find more peace and understanding. When you feel change coming, try to be more open and receptive to allow learning into your experience. What we learn can boost and enhance our lives!

Jun 12
2
Should

Should

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

Many times we are not mindful of the words we habitually use. The habits we create with our words can directly cause what we are experiencing. One disempowering verb I hear used often is “should.” First off, “should” seems like such a bossy term. When we tell others what they “should” do, we are imposing our own beliefs onto them.

Often our beliefs and perspectives are different. When we throw the “should” verb towards another we are also throwing our judgments as well. Rather than being helpful we are invading or disturbing another’s view. “Should” really is a standard we have decided to uphold for ourselves, but we aren’t being careful enough with how we habitually use it.

It’s a bit like not minding your own business. We all have choices in how we handle things. Experience can also teach us how to react in the future. When we infringe on another’s experience with our “shoulds,” we disempower ours and their own.

The idea of how someone “should” take care of their home, kids, or life is certainly diverse among us all. Encroaching on another’s lifestyle makes it difficult to argue for the freedom of your own. To choose one’s own career, home, personal fashion, or perhaps religion seems to be a common desire. As you decide to resonate what is important or joyful to you, it helps to hold the same space for others.

Just because others’ lifestyles and choices are different than our own doesn’t mean we have to agree. You can decide something is wrong or unpleasant for you, but try to accept that it may be joyful for another. When we use the verb “should,” we are not allowing for the same freedoms we wish and choose for ourselves. We make choices from our own perspectives. When we don’t walk in another’s shoes, we may not understand their choices. Rather than expending our “shoulds”/feelings onto them, we can empower each other with an open mind amongst our differences. I believe we can hold healthy space even if we disagree.

We certainly weren’t created the same. We look and act differently in a variety of ways. We also won’t experience the same perspective. Having different experiences can lead us to different conclusions. Think of it this way: The astronauts in the rocketship are going to see a different view than the people at the space command center. Yet they are both needed for a successful launch.

“Should” closes the door to different options and opinions. We can halt kindness and understanding with our “shoulds.” Pay attention to how often you project your “shoulds” and judgments in situations. See if you can allow for some freedom of differences. It may enhance the understanding and healing within yourself and your relationships.

Jun 05
2
Need

Need

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

Often when I hear others say the phrase “I need,” it makes me cringe. It seems to be a common bad habit that may be holding us back rather than moving us in the direction we want to go. Once I really understood the power we have with our words and energy, I had to break this habit myself. When we are in need of something, we are lining up with the energy of lack. I’m not saying you can’t be aware of what you would like more of, but often we focus too long on the lack of what we feel we need.

This focus aligns you with more need. The statements we make can empower or disempower our lives. I don’t think many of us understand that “need” can be a very disempowering word. It’s a bit like focusing on the problem rather than tuning into the solution. Once you have identified that you want to go in a different direction than you are currently facing, you will move along further and faster if you let go of your need and embrace the fulfillment of appreciating what you do have. Focusing on what we do have invites more. We do that by not only focusing on the direction we are heading, but using words and emotions that line up with what we would like to have, do, or see.

For example, if you want to attract a loving partner, you will be more powerful at attracting them when you are a loving partner. If you want to experience more peace from others, you begin with working on peace within yourself. If you want to attract more abundance in your life, you can empower your energy by first giving of yourself, whether money, time, or energy. You give out and emit the frequency that you wish to receive.

We may not only be habitual in making statements about what we need, we also disempower others by telling them what they need. I know when someone starts a conversation off telling me what I need, I immediately start resisting their suggestions and building a wall. It’s a little pet peeve of mine. I feel we are much more powerful and helpful to others when we can share helpful information rather than pointing out their needs or lack. Often we are selling things for a living. Whether it be products, information, business, health care, or experience, we can be mindful of the words we use when interacting with customers.

For example I have run across this scenario so often through the years: When someone tells me “you need to…”, I want to stop them and say “You will get much further with me if you give me suggestions of what I could do.” Being a business owner for years, I’m approached by salespeople often. It may seem small and silly, but if you are attempting to sell me something, I am more receptive depending on how you approach me. I find I’m not alone in feeling this way. One thing I have learned repeatedly through the years is that we can be more powerful when we empower others. This includes the way we sell and do business.

Anytime I approach a client by telling them what they need to do, I automatically feel them tighten and close up before I get the opportunity to deliver the goods or information. The way you communicate with people can be magical and it can also quickly slam a door. I know many of us in the business world are taught to find people’s needs and target them. There can be value in being in a compassionate place to study the needs of others so you may can help others, but there can also be a difference in how you approach them,

The problem we can easily run into is focusing on others’ lacks and needs. . Emotionally we may not get the chance to share the help they can use because of the words we speak and energy we use to share our gifts and products. I’m not saying that this will always guarantee a sale or lead, but I’ve learned it can get you a lot further towards those goals.

Think of it this way: If someone were to offer you help, would you be more receptive if they demonstrated what they have to offer, or if they pointed out your lack and needs? Often we are taught how to sell without putting ourselves in the customer’s shoes. If you don’t like to be approached that way, why would they? I’m encouraging you to be mindful of how you like to be approached before approaching anyone.

The way we approach others and the words we use for our lives can powerfully dictate our experience and the direction we go in. So why not empower what you can to move you further towards your desires and goals? Rather than focusing on our needs and lack for ourselves and others, try to empower your words further by focusing on the intended direction.

I generally find that people like options to choose for themselves. It seems when you can empower people towards their own choices and decisions you are more helpful to them. If you have advice or business of value to offer others, I would encourage your selling points to give them a variety of ways to help. When you truly empower others, you are not only developing a deeper relationship with them, you do so with yourself.

Telling others what they need or need to do takes you away from listening and understanding them. I challenge you rather than focusing on needs, try to approach the direction that empowers the haves, the plenty, the options, and the goals.

May 29
1
Setbacks

Setbacks

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

Sometimes in life we experience setbacks. It can be easy to get frustrated with our detours in life. When we can take a step back and remember that setbacks are also forward progress, we can change the energy we interact with. Many times our setbacks are really setups for better success. We often need the detours to prepare us for situations ahead.

We may initially try to take the perspective that things are going wrong simply because it wasn’t in our plans. No matter the path in life, we will experience variations not planned for the destination. These fluctuations present opportunities to learn and grow. As we grow, we strengthen what we do. Learning is generally more effective when you directly experience it. So when someone advises you on a road they have traveled, keep in mind yours will always still go differently even if your goal is a similar road. You cannot duplicate the process in life.

When things happen, they happen for you. When you compare your experience with others, you miss the opportunities to help yourself. When we can focus on what is happening for us, we can understand our setbacks and detours in a way that helps us. When we get discouraged because things aren’t going the way we wanted or planned, we can block the liberation that comes with the experiences.

So many successful people have fallen and failed at several ventures and avenues before they found the niche that catapulted them to success. If we look at setbacks as failures, we may give up our dreams and goals, not knowing the setbacks were needed for the catapult. If we can take a step back during setbacks and polish our perspective towards understanding that there is something to be learned, we change the energy moving forward. We can pivot towards a more rewarding experiences.

Success is generally reached through a process. It’s called a process for a reason. There are no straight lines. Nor can anyone tell you exactly what to expect on your journey. The future in its full magnitude is the mystery of life we get to work with. Nothing is guaranteed in the process or how things will go. We can look at it as a scary horrible thing causing worry. Or we could see it as a magical mystery with many possibilities.

How we look at it directly affects how we feel. Our feelings have power in the universe. Many people have quoted the phrase “what you think, you become.” The thoughts you think, the words you use, and the energy you give out all affect your reality and experience. Being mindful of how you think and feel also allows you the option to change. Don’t you think it’s nice to know that if you don’t like what you are experiencing and getting, you have a choice in changing it?

We often think we don’t have the power to change things. We do have the power to change ourselves and our perspective of the situations. That is where our power and leverage lie. Sometimes we find this strength in the setbacks. Setbacks can teach us some of our greatest lessons. Without them, we may never reach our set goals.

The next time you are experiencing a setback, rather than feeling discouraged, try getting excited about what there is to learn. Ask yourself, “What new and better way is showing up on the horizon? “ When setbacks happen, instead of asking yourself what else can go wrong, try approaching the magic of life with the question “How much better can things get?”

May 21
1
Mindset

Mindset

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What mindset are you dominantly living? As you move through your day, are you appreciating yourself or criticizing yourself? It’s the thoughts and feelings you repeat to yourself all day. Many times we can get caught up in being hard on ourselves and criticizing what we think needs improvement. What you may not realize is that the the words you are thinking repeatedly become your mindset that you operate from.

When you get up each day and get ready, do you appreciate that you are alive? That your heart is beating and you have a home? A place to work possibly and transportation? You may have clothes to wear, running water, and soap to start your day. Are you appreciating and acknowledging your basic needs? Not only that, but are you recognizing how much you really do have?

Or… Are you criticizing yourself more than you know? Are you hard on yourself because of how much you weigh? Are you beating yourself up for any wrinkles or disabilities? You may not have perfect straight teeth, or the fit abs seen on the cover of a magazine. We often criticize what we should eat, what we should wear, and how we present ourselves. We can bog down our light and energy when we condemn our looks and actions. We torture ourselves in attempts to meet what we think others expect. Or maybe we have picked up some bad habits of striving to look like someone other than our beautiful self.

We all have beauty to offer and in our own unique ways. We are not the size of our clothing. We are not the color of our skin. We are not the house we live in, the car we drive, or the designer clothes we may wear. We are souls living in bodies. Our bodies come in all shapes sizes, colors, and preferences. No two are the same. We might intellectually know and admit this, but inside your mind, you may not be telling yourself these things every day.

In our culture, we have consumed ourselves with images of how we “should” strive to look. We are bombarded with images of what to achieve and compare with others. We become hard on ourselves trying to keep up with popular opinions.

There is great power in improving to feel better. It’s healthy to envision goals and dreams. The difference is we often attempt these goals by disapproving of ourselves. Think about how children blossom. Many times we have discovered that children thrive and respond better to positive reinforcement. When we say hurtful things and condemn them, we are planting a seed for poor self esteem. Just the way you would praise a child and point out the good in them to help them see, we need to remember to be as kind to ourselves. We are children within.

We don’t all get those solid foundations growing up and as adults we still have the opportunity to love, heal, and appreciate ourselves. We just first have to be mindful of the thoughts we think and the words we tell ourself. Once you are aware of what you are repeating to yourself each and every day, you can practice being better to yourself. Even if you want to improve on some of the things you see, you can leverage better power when you can do it in a kind and loving way.

Learning how to love and appreciate yourself can take some time, but the more you practice, the more you can raise your energy, vibration and mindset for more nurturing thoughts and experiences. We are often taught to put others before themselves. Then when we try to be kind to ourselves we may battle some guilt. When you learn to let go of expectations, you can start to appreciate more of what you have and the blessings you live with each day. This programs your mindset and dominates your experience.

The more aware of your mindset, the more you can work on what you are depositing. The more kind and loving you are with your mindset, the more kind and loving results you can certainly achieve.

May 07
1
Anxiety

Anxiety

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

Worry and anxiety are the most common struggles I hear regularly from my clients. For years, it’s not been uncommon to hear people worry about their children, their health, or perhaps their finances. What I am seeing in more recent years is the dramatic shift in stimulation throughout our culture from the news on TV, the Internet, and the abundance of content on social media.

We are exposed to more and more advertising, negative news, and often scenarios that plant worries in our minds. We are bombarded by information to add to our own thousands of thoughts each day. If you sit and think about it, it’s enough to overwhelm you and possibly stir up much anxiety. The more we stimulate our nervous system with frequent anxiety, the more it shows up in our health.

Anxiety increases our blood pressure, frequently upsets our gastrointestinal system, slows down our breathing (sometimes causing hyperventilation), tenses our muscles (at times causing cramps, aches and pains), and for some people triggers tension headaches (from clenching their jaws) and often disrupts their sleep. Experiencing these symptoms often leads to larger health problems.

Whether you are feeling tired and uneasy from anxiety, or experiencing larger issues like anxiety attacks, heart problems, ulcers, or maybe insomnia, we can probably agree that we can use more tools and helpful activities to counteract these disturbances as much as possible. Just decreasing the amount of worrying we do each day will have a big impact on our mental and physical well-being.

The good news is once you are aware of your worrying and anxiousness, you can find ways of decreasing it to promote better health and healing. What relaxes one person may be very different for another. The key is finding some things that help you relax, release some worry, and feel better.

I feel lucky to have grown up in a time and place that I spent much time alone in nature without the overstimulation of technology and electronics. I did struggle with boredom from time to time, but I did not experience an overload of news and information. I was able to enjoy the quiet moments and turn to these tools today. When I get overwhelmed or stressed, I may find a quiet place to breathe, meditate or simply rest. If the weather is nice, I love to sit in the sun on my deck or take a walk.

Today many of our children are growing up in a noisier and busier world. I too enjoy the neat inventions and innovations, but it can be important to be aware of how much anxiety and overstimulation we are experiencing and of how much time we are spending on our technology. When we are busy and overloaded, we may forget the importance of balancing these stressors.

Our children may be wound up with energy that they don’t have the techniques to balance and calm their mind. It can show up in disruptions in school and focus. As adults and parents, we are too often becoming overly engaged with our technology and not providing examples of balance. Being a wife and mom, running a business, blogging, and taking regular art classes, I truly understand the challenges of a busy life infused in a very busy and noisy world.

Some good news is there is much you can do about it. Finding ways that help you channel your anxious energy into calmer feelings is only step one. Making regular time for it is another. Often we can put off things that are healthy and good for us until we feel like we have the time, which often just keeps us from not doing them.

Go about it in ways that fit you and your life. You may be one that cannot hold yourself accountable to the intentions you set. If you do, find ways that help you regularly schedule your hobbies or relaxation. If walking relaxes you, find a friend or loved one to keep dates with. If you like to read for relaxing, you can join a book club. If you relax with yoga and meditation, you might sign up for some classes. If you enjoy getting a massage for health and relaxation, make some appointments. If you’re not even sure what relaxes you, take some time to try some new things. If you have always been interested in art, cooking, dancing, acting, or perhaps learning to play and instrument, there is always time to sign up for a beginners class. The point is whatever it is that helps you to feel more fun, ease, and balance, make sure you make time for it weekly. It can be a variety of things or a routine that turns into a habit.

For the way my brain seems to work, I turn to a variety of things to help me balance the busyness and overstimulation I experience. I’ve had to be open and try many new things to find the experiences that help me relax. My balance looks a bit different each week. This is what works best for me. You really need to tune into those interests that soothe your soul and fit them in the best you can for your lifestyle.

The more you implement aspects of your life that invoke peace, calmness, and positive feelings, the more control you can have over your health and how you feel. The more tools you have to counteract anxiety, the more choices you have in how you handle your life in the face of challenges like overstimulation.

Apr 30
1
Negative Emotions

Negative Emotions

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We all experience negative emotions. When we experience something unpleasant it can be hard to look deeper into those feelings. But if we can allow a little space for negative feelings before our quick reactions, we can help oursleves to manage and steer our negative emotions better. With practice, you can even lessen them.

Something that may be hard for us to understand is what triggers our negative emotions. We can often be quick to blame another person, but the people who trigger these negative emotions are messengers for unhealed parts of our being. When we are triggered, we usually respond with our default patterns.

These unhealed emotions can show up as anger, aggression, hurt, blame, and simply argumentative behaviors. We aren’t always taught how to deal with or respond to negative feelings. It is also something most of us struggle with. When we habitually blame someone else for triggering our negative emotions, it can become our first instinct.

It may be easier to work through and grow if you can become more aware initially of when you are feeling these negative emotions and step back a little to try to see what exactly they are triggering inside of you. We often carry unhealed experiences with us and when we feel this hurt or anger, we may act on them without understanding the deeper seed.

It can take some reflection and work with our soul to acknowledge that our pain can take time to heal and learn to pivot negative emotions with some loving thoughts towards ourselves. Our emotions are our body’s way of communicating what is going on in the inside. Our compass can help us be more aware of where we are feeling love and where we still may be experiencing some pain. Discomfort may be masked negative emotions.

When we feel negative emotions towards someone, It can be hard to understand that we are acting as mirrors for each other. How you may think another person makes you feel is actually a mirror to show you where you need healing. We may not always heal those experiences instantly just because we have been triggered, but we can work with them. We can use them to our advantage. We can be quick to react rather than giving ourselves time with our negative emotions that become triggered. We may not be disciplined enough to give ourselves time for a response. Sometimes it’s even wiser not to respond until you know what is really going on from the inside.

A small start is to simply pay attention to when you are feeling angry, negative, or tempted to enter an argument, take some deep breaths and count to ten before responding. This may be tricky in the instant, so you may also try to excuse yourself, or kindly walk away. If you can recognize when you are feeling these emotions, you can buy yourself a little time before you choose an altercation. You can use the opportunity from the person that triggered the emotions to transcend the negative feelings. It can be a small start of simply not joining every argument your ego wants to react to. It also helps you break some habits of feeling angry easy.

Most of this inner work and healing does take time. Especially when you have held anger for years. Often we do not tune in to see what may be going on within. It’s a journey. Being angry and feeling negative is not helpful to your mind, body, and spirit. If often manifests in your health. So recognizing and dealing with negative emotions is not just an attempt in being happy and feeling good, it is also helpful to assist in your health and prevention of illnesses.

Working through negative emotions can be considered good medicine for your immune system. The key is being gentle with yourself and understand we all go through things in our life that deserve the attention to heal. The reason anger can be hurtful and uncomfortable is because it’s like a poison with much potential damage to the body. Unless we learn to channel these feelings in a positive and productive way, we are harming ourselves. When we point that anger towards others we aren’t healing and spreading more poison within.

Awareness is the first step. Then you can move on towards giving space to these emotions and work at practicing our reactions. We don’t often change our habits overnight, but we can allow them some time and space to improve and help our mind, body, and soul to thrive better in the process. Health is certainly not only what we eat and our physical activity, but very importantly the thoughts we think and emotions we feel.

Apr 23
1
Trash days

Trash Days

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

I had a client tell me an interesting story about how his family sometimes has “trash days.” For them, a “trash day” is a really bad day that they choose to throw out with the trash.

The thing I found most intriguing about this idea was how the family used this tool to transform negative momentum into positive momentum. Sometimes when we experience a string of bad events, it can lower our energy and our moods and manifest even more unwanted circumstances.

Trashing the day and starting over brings you back into the present moment. Here you have some time to reground yourself. You create some space to allow more possibility and better things to flow. Have you ever noticed when a few things are going wrong that they continue to get worse? What we don’t always notice is we can get caught up in complaining about the circumstances and adding negative energy and power to attract more. Especially when we say things like, “What else can happen?” Or “What else can go wrong today?” I don’t know about you, but every time I have asked this, things get worse. One of the hardest habits I’ve had to break is asking these two questions.

Sometimes we don’t get too far into our day before it turns to trash. At this time you may have a day of work or responsibilities to finish before the day is over. We can’t always go straight home and hide under our bed sheets until it’s over, even if we are secretly daydreaming about it. In these instances we can be mindful of our reactions and try some ways to slow the momentum down.

I understand when you have had a day with many unfortunate events taking place, it can be hard to turn it around. You may find yourself dealing with frustration, anger, and disappointment in the incidents. If you can slow down just enough to realize that your reactions add to or take away from the momentum, you can empower yourself to turn it around.

Sometimes the best scenario is to at least slow down your anger and negative feelings. Some circumstances can be a bit out of our control. What we can work on is how we respond. This is one way for the trash day to come in. Realizing that we all have trash days may give you reassurance that it can happen to anyone. Knowing that we can trash it and move on can give us some hope. Especially for a better tomorrow. When you find yourself at the end of a bad day, this is a perfect time to consider trashing it. Take any lessons that could have come with it as wisdom, but by letting it go we take away its power. You don’t want carry that energy into the next day.

Just some ideas to consider. When you notice your day feeling sour, try out a few ways to change the energy or at least your mood. You may need to walk away and give yourself a little fresh air. We may not always be in a situation to implement every idea that calms you, but you can be creative. I had to be creative in a few previous jobs to find a time out option. When I worked as a nurse, the day could get hectic and head south quickly without much warning. I wasn’t always in a position to go walk around the building. What I could do at times was to go to the restroom and lock the door behind me. I would sit down just for a few minutes and take some deep breaths. Just enough to calm me down and let me get some better footing before I returned to the chaos. I really think some of you would be amazed at what little time it can take for a few deep breaths to help you. The important thing is just to do it.

When you let the stress and chaos build up in your life, it can affect your health and your family when you get home. It often spills over somewhere. If I had utilized more of these tools in my nursing days, I would bet I would have held less stress in by body, probably gotten rid of my heartburn quicker, and definitely been less cranky towards my family. Sometimes it’s good to sit in your vehicle for a few minutes before going straight home to center yourself and separate what happened at work so you can be calmer and more present when you get home. In all the years of working, I don’t think anyone taught me this and it would have come in handy in some of the stressful jobs I had. I know many of you out there are working in daily stressful environments.

Whether you are attempting to slow down the momentum in the beginning or middle of the day, know you can use some deep breathing or a relaxing technique that helps you fizzle that energy. Watch something funny online, envision a better scenario, or sit and think of as many things you can be grateful for in that moment. Gratitude can be much more powerful than we often think. When you are at a point to trash the day, it may be the best idea left. Allow the negativity to dissipate. Sometimes holding the intention in your mind that the day is a trash day helps your mind to simply let it go and look forward to better things to come.

Apr 17
1
A time to adjust our lenses

A Time To Adjust Our Lenses

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

I think now is the perfect time to adjust our lenses. Every day in my practice seeing clients and interacting with the world, whether it be in person or via Internet, I observe so many of us amplifying the problems we see. And I’m not disagreeing that much has happened lately. I just want to clarify the opportunity we have to step back and adjust.

Before we continue to dwell on our variety of problems and differences, I think we can also take the time to infuse ourselves with positive energy for change. Once we identify problems, we do not move forward with the same energy as complaining about them. We can become advocates for solutions. There is a time to voice concern and exercise the rights we may have to vote. Beyond our wishes to be heard, we are living day to day amongst each other with choices in whether to argue or understand each other.

The differences we can make to a more amazing world is in our daily interactions. When we adjust our focus from how bad the world is today towards how amazing our world can be, we open more doors of possibility. Resistance closes doors while acceptance opens them. Adjusting our lenses towards possibility is where we can be more powerful. We all have a choice in how we see things. We also have the choice in adjusting our lenses no matter how long we have seen things one way.

We have options for a better world, a better society, better communities, and better selves. A start is moving away from the energy of complaining and grumbling and towards a more applauding and uplifting energy. Lower energies feel heavier and harder to move against. Higher energies are lighter and easier to glide through. When we adjust our lenses to work with more empowering energies, we can accomplish things a lot more easily.

Think of it this way: Is it easier to push a car up the hill or down? The way we use our energy can change the momentum of how we are approaching it. We can definitely fly a kite easier with wind under the sails. So as we embark on daily tasks, interactions, and conversations, think about the energy you are bringing to the table. Are you helping or resisting? Is it necessary or limiting? Just be aware of where you point your energy and how you have adjusted your lenses.

Imagine how amazing our world can be if we all did a little adjusting. Together. Are we more powerful complaining,y or infusing more compassion? How do you feel when someone complains about you or your beliefs versus praising you for your actions and feelings? You are only responsible for what energy you inject outward. What are you radiating every day?

We might not have the opportunity to start over, but we always have the choice in how we move forward. Now is the perfect time to adjust our lens and purposely decide on what energy we contribute to. Aren’t our health, our loved ones, our fellow living beings, and our earth worth it? The question isn’t what everyone else is doing. The question is what are you doing with your energy? The choices in adjustments are up to each of us every day.

Apr 09
1
Dramas

Dramas

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Drama is a part of life. We see many dramas played out through our medias. We know more about what goes on in each other’s lives than ever before through our technology advancements. As always, we can find good points and some negative ones too. Paying attention to how they influence our lives can also help you make choices in where you focus your energy.

Dramas represent our strong emotions amplified. They project what we are feeling on the inside. There are times and places that controlling our dramas and feelings can be more beneficial. Outside of emergency situations, crises, and unexpected major events, we might want to consider the scale of how much we are amplifying our dramas. In everyday life, it can be good to be aware of what you are magnifying and exposing yourself to.

I personally use Facebook for connecting to my family who live all over the country, friends I don’t get to see often, and my clients who use the convenience in communicating along with booking appointments. I use it because it provides me with many advantages. With these advantages I’ve had to be more mindful and aware of how I handle the disadvantages.

Some disadvantages that I think many of us are dealing with are the dramas we are exposed to. Anything from a friend getting frustrated at a store, to sad stories and horrific traumas happening in the world. We struggle with trying to be informed and getting overloaded with unpleasing or unbalanced information. It can feel a bit like a battle between the pros and cons.

I do like that we can have conversations with people all over the world. It can help us gain different perspectives that we might not otherwise have access to in our daily lives. Especially if you don’t travel far.

We live in a society inundated with marketing. We are constantly being marketed to, studied, and swayed from our beliefs. It has happened for many years through our use of TV, radio, news, and papers. Now that the Internet has made massive leaps, we are bombarded with thousands more a day. In this arena we are receiving more and more information to filter through. This can sway and throw us off balance.

I see how more and more information exposure is causing stress, overwhelm, and anxiety in people. It can be time consuming enough to be mindful of your own thoughts, family and co-workers, but now we are also allowing in lots of people into our space of thinking and feeling. If we do not learn a balance of what we expose ourselves to, we can have more emotions to deal with burdening our state of mind and health.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and dealing with emotions of anger and frustration on a daily basis by what you’re reading and seeing, your first step is being aware of the issue. Put some brakes on and monitor what you’re often feeling and what that is. Does the media you expose yourself to make you feel uplifted and joyful most often? Or are you noticing how angered, frustrated, or worked up you tend to get more often? When I stepped back I had some rearranging to do. When you allow more negative emotions to control your daily life, you end up allowing more of the same energy to surround you.

Just as you choose whom you spend time with and who are your trusted friends, you may need to stake stock in how you’re spending your time and energy through your social media. You have an opportunity to bring more peace and clarity into your life by navigating your focus and energy better. I have found that being mindful helps. There can be many ways you can improve your experience. It takes some practice to find some boundaries and filter to figure out what works for you.

You may want to vary how you spend your time and energy. For every hour you are on your technology, you can give yourself an hour to go outside, exercise, take a nap or a relax in a bath. Perhaps get a massage, paint, or even meditate. Balance helps you be more centered as you expose yourself to a lot of information.

Another side of the equation is what you are giving attention to in your media. Just as we often tell our children about being mindful of who they spend their time with, we could use the same advice on what exposure we are often allowing into our minds and experiences.

When communicating on your social platforms, what is worth your time and emotions? Are you kindly discussing your differences, or feeling argumentative and negative towards others? We can choose to get involved, emotional, and overheated by the dramas in life, or we can choose to allow them to pass through.

We often get into habits of just moving through our day rather than being mindful of our navigations through our day. Being mindful gives you the opportunity to choose how you want to interact with the dramas. Once you’re more sure-footed in how you respond and spend your time, you can focus better on your energy and interactions. You can steer into a more deliberate direction.

If we can be more aware of how we are interacting, creating and experiencing our medias, we can also choose how we steer our wheel. When you are mindful of how you create your environment, you empower yourself to what moves into your space. You can utilize your advantages more by tipping your scale. Being responsible to the energy you invite into your space leverages your experience magnificently.