Notice Your Thinking

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When meditating it is best not to judge or feel discouraged if your thoughts come into your focus. Notice them, acknowledge them, and let them pass.

This is also a helpful approach as we go through our day. When a thought that you feel is overly negative or unhelpful or that you don’t want to focus on for whatever reason, comes into your mind don’t try to not think it, just notice it, acknowledge it, and let it pass

You can be aware of your thinking and acknowledge it without judging yourself. You may want to say to yourself “oh, there’s that thought again”, or just one word to describe the thinking, if you are being judgemental or overly critical, such as just saying to yourself the word “judging”.

If the thought is that you are having cravings for junk food and that you should go and buy some, for example, again, don’t try to fight the thought, just notice and acknowledge it. To acknowledge it you may choose to say the word “cravings” to yourself or keep a post it note near you where you make a tick each time you notice these feelings. And after a few days of noticing and making ticks on the post it note, you will likely see the number of ticks lessening and start to feel better about this aspect of your thoughts.

Noticing the thinking, and acknowledging and naming it, and then letting it pass without judging ourselves or trying to prevent it, is the key to lessening its power over us and its grip on our conscious focus.

Are You Hiding Your Light? Be Your Iconic Self

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Are you hiding your light under a bushel? That expression means are you concealing your talents or abilities.  Sometimes we do this because we are afraid of what others will think. Deep down, we may be afraid that we are not ready for the attention and praise or we may be afraid of the judgement and criticism that we fear may be directed at us.

By owning our talents and abilities and owning who we are, we can move forward another step on our paths to living a truly authentic life. Stepping up and saying to the universe and people around us here I am, this is who I am, is expressing not only an acknowledgement of the gifts that we have been given but of the hard work and efforts that we have put into developing ourselves as the person that we have become today.

And by stepping up and saying to the universe and people around us here I am and that this is who I am and thank you, is also an acknowledgement of the gratitude that we feel for the unique gifts and abilities that each of us have. If we hide our abilities and talents from the world, and do not acknowledge them, how can we truly acknowledge our gratitude?

Hiding your light under a bushel in fear that others will feel diminished or jealous or judgemental is a negative approach that will ultimately cause you to miss out on the joy that owning up to your own talents and gifts could bring you and the rest of the world. The world needs your talents and abilities. We are all unique and gifted in our own ways. By acknowledging, appreciating, taking credit for, and expressing gratitude for our abilities, you can shine, and also encourage others to do the same. The world needs you to be your iconic self.

Finding Our Why

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Many of us would like to save money, cut expenses, increase our income, change our eating habits, exercise more, and lose weight. We are intelligent enough to research and for the most part learn the steps to take to achieve results. We learn to break our goals down into smaller do-able steps. We start our journeys with the first single step. We take the second and third steps. Maybe we continue on this path for some time before we start to lose our motivation and ability to prioritize this goal any longer. Life happens and gets in the way. Obstacles come up which we seem not to be able to overcome just then. This is to be expected. But when do we get back on our path? Sometimes we find it difficult to do that. We lose motivation, lose hope we can follow that path and achieve our desired results, lose sight of why it was important to us in the first place. Perhaps we never really took the time to think about that.

Finding our why, the reasons why a goal is important to us to achieve or the reasons why a step is important to us to take, is the key to motivating ourselves. It has to come from within. It has to truly matter to us.

But how do you find your why if you aren’t really sure? In this case meditation can help or even simply going for a quiet walk in nature. Find stillness and a sense of calm. Make a list of the reasons why you think the goal is important to you and or what you hope to achieve. Review the list and choose the top reasons that resonate the most with you. This may seem basic but it is important not to skip over this step.

It helps to write your top reasons down and keep them somewhere where you can see it and remind yourself on a daily basis. A note taped to your bathroom mirror, a note on the fridge, or a post it note stuck on your computer monitor. Even a little note taped to the front of your credit card and or tucked into your wallet can be a helpful reminder of what your motivation is, if for example you are trying to be more frugal and spend less.

When challenges occur, obstacles come up and life happening seemingly is getting in the way of our goals and steps that we had wanted to take, remembering the reasons why we wanted to achieve that goal or take that journey is the way we will find it within us to overcome the obstacles and to move forward on our path. Even if it is delayed and put on hold for a time, or even if the steps forward are very small we will be able to move ahead. Finding our why, knowing our deep reasons for wanting to take action and understanding what the reason for the sense of purpose is that resonates deeply within us, is the way we will find the motivation to move forward again.

Create a Success Mindset

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In order to succeed you must first create a success mindset. Here are five simple steps to start you on your way.

1)      Mindfulness. Mindfulness will calm you, clear your thinking and help prepare you for your success mindset. Take a few slow deep breaths. Try a simple meditation technique or go for a walk in nature.

2)      Gratitude. Cultivating a sense of gratitude and giving thanks will bring about many health and psychological benefits including a more optimistic outlook. It increases resiliency and mental toughness, which will help you in your success mindset. What are you grateful for in this moment? Make a list of five things that you are grateful for right now.

3)      Believe in Yourself. Don’t underestimate the power of positive thinking. Too often we say we have goals and dreams but then tell ourselves it can’t be done.  To get there you must believe in yourself and believe your success at your goal is possible.  But how do we think more positively about ourselves and our goals or even change our thinking if needed? That brings us to our fourth step in creating a success mindset.

4)      Visualizations. Try following a guided visualization or write one yourself, record it and play it back to yourself. As you hear it, use your imagination to visualize the concepts. This is helpful to making positive changes in your life.  Visualize yourself taking small positive steps towards your goals. Visualize your success and what your life is like after you have achieved your goal.

5)      Affirmations. An affirmation is a positive short phrase or sentence that we say to ourselves and then repeat throughout the day as needed. They are reassuring and can have a very real impact in changing the way we feel and think about ourselves.  Repeat your daily affirmations slowly and mindfully. You can google to find affirmations or write your own simple ones that fit your needs.

For more reading on giving affirmations a chance including five affirmations to try, here’s a blogpost 

 With these five steps you will find yourself on your way to creating your success mindset. Enjoy!

Do I have to be talented to be creative?

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Often we wonder how we can engage in creative activities if we are not talented and we worry that we can’t draw/paint/etc.

Creative activities such as visual arts do not need to be techniques based. It can be about exploring and just enjoying connecting with your creative soul again. Exploring not only your creative soul and the world around you but also your new activity and tools, especially important if the medium (such as pastels or charcoal pencils for example) is new to you.

Just play. Begin with where you are. Your drawings don’t have to be perfect and your creative work can be photography, collage, finger paints … there are so many approaches to choose from.

A simple techniques based book from the library on your new medium or an art class can open up even more explorations for you as you learn to use your new medium, tools, and learn new methods. But the idea of “talent” or “skill” isn’t necessary to get started making art from the soul and just enjoy being creative and engaging in visual arts activities.

Abstract drawing and paintings from your soul are an authentic art form, don’t be critical of your creative work done for the joy of getting your creativity flowing and reconnecting with your inner core essence.

If you want to reference a techniques based book or take an art class later you can but for now just start where you are, with what you have.

For related reading on making art while you meditate here is a blogpost

Giving Affirmations a Chance

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If you hate the thought of saying an affirmation to yourself each day or just never thought it was something that you would do, you may want to give affirmations a chance and reap the benefits they can bring.  An affirmation, or a positive short phrase or sentence that we say to ourselves and then repeat throughout the day as needed, is reassuring. It provides reassurance to us that we have some control over our realities and that by repeating the affirmation, we can affect a very real outcome.

Affirmations help to change the wiring of our brain’s pathways so that we can begin thinking in a more positive way. Affirmations break the pattern of negative thinking that we may be stuck in, and the too often accompanying words and phrases that go along with it.  

You will also find affirmations helpful to keep important things in perspective which may otherwise get lost in your daily shuffle. Whether you are working to bring about a specific goal or looking to have more positivity and gratitude in your life overall, affirmations can be an important tool in your spiritual toolbox. 

You can google for affirmations to use or you can write your own. I would suggest a simple basic meditation technique be practised first for a few minutes to balance yourself and get in the right “head space”. Then write 10 affirmations that you can use daily. Don’t judge or edit, just write the first things that come to mind.  Pick your favourites and then you are all set.

Each day repeat your affirmations slowly and mindfully. If you can try a few minutes of meditation first that is great, otherwise just take a few deep slow breaths first. Don’t rush your affirmations, say them mindfully and slowly and try to “feel” them with your whole being as you say them.

It takes time to begin a new habit, especially one that involves changing the way that we think about something. Don’t lose heart if you don’t take to the daily affirmations right away. Just keep on with your new affirmations practice and over time it will become something that you miss if you skip it in your daily routine.  You may wish to sit down and write new affirmations regularly as your needs and thought patterns or events in your life change.  It is important to find what works for you. And most importantly, enjoy yourself.

Below are a few simple affirmations to get you started:

1.       I can overcome the obstacles that I am so afraid to deal with and will achieve my goal of ____________.

2.       Today is a new day with new opportunities.

3.       I am a being of light and happiness, I will hold that throughout the day.

4.       I am in control of my own choices and the words that I speak.

5.       I am grateful for my family and loved ones and the time that I have with them today. 

Spring Renewal and Spiritual Transformation – Taking Care of our Goddess Selves

Primavera by Boticelli c. 1477 o- 1482

http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/la-primavera-allegory-of-spring-by-sandro-botticelli/

Reposted from April 3, 2015 fionaharbour.com

Spring is a time of renewal and rejuvenation for all of earth. Not only the trees plants and nature but us as well. We feel the miracle of spiritual transformation even if we do nothing, the simple fact that it is spring gives our souls nourishment and renews us. We can help the process along by taking some simple actions.

1)      Begin our spiritual mindfulness practice again if we let it slide over the winter months. No guilt and no admonishing ourselves, just begin.

2)      Increase the amount of raw whole healthy foods we eat, whether we are simply eating more fresh raw vegetables or using our juicers or making delicious nourishing recipes. I love looking at the delicious recipes on the website www.earthempress.com , Shakaya Leone’s website. The ones that I have made are phenomenal.  In addition to her store she also has free recipes on her site at: http://earthempress.com/recipes/

3)      Nourish our spiritual goddess within by enjoying ourselves and having fun. Whatever you find feeds that energy within you, find something and do it. Going for a walk in nature and simply looking at the renewal around you, smelling the fresh air, dancing, writing, art, using aromatherapy by going for a spa session….anything that works for you. The importance is in nourishing your spiritual goddess energy within, so that it grows stronger and you feel more YOU!

Spring Affirmation

I feel that I am rooted in the Earth and growing.

There are buds on my branches that are new beginnings.

I know that I am connected to the Earth.

I am a part of the trees, water and soil.

Ancient and elemental, I am also new and young.

Breathing in, I know it is a new beginning.

Overcoming Fear of Failure

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Instead of being afraid of failing, author and speaker Gabby Bernstein  says that we should ask ourselves what we can learn and how we can serve. In today’s blogpost I’d like to discuss this further because these are such powerful tools for us to use.

We have all been there, afraid of failing at something important to us, afraid of taking the next step. What if we tell ourselves that it doesn’t matter if we “fail” by our standards, what is the worst that can happen? And to ask ourselves what will we learn by doing the next step no matter how afraid we are? We will learn something. That is not “nothing”. That is something.  Whether a small lesson or a big one, we will learn from each of our experiences. By viewing our next step as the next big adventure and a learning experience, we reframe how we see what used to be seen through a fear based view.

If our view includes the question “how can I serve” then that also removes a sense of failure from the equation. If we ask ourselves how we can serve and then follow through on our chosen action for our next step, our intention and purposes are aligned with a bigger worldview than the self-diminishing fear of failing that holds us back too often.

On your journey when you take the next step in your big adventure, if it goes horribly awry, and you feel that you have failed by your standards, remind yourself that you have learnt more than if you had done nothing. And then think of your next step on your journey and ask yourself “how can I serve” and “what will I learn”. 

For a downloadable guide and audio on Overcoming Fear of Failure please go to: Overcoming Fear of Failure Guide

Pets and Mindfulness

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The link between pets and mindfulness has been observed through the years by many. Pet owners see that their pets live in the moment and it draws us in to do the same. The simple joy they feel in having an ear scratched or their bliss from lying in a patch of sunlight is a way that our pets remind us to enjoy every moment and not to give in to our normally rushed hectic lives.

By now we have all heard that pets are good for your health. They can lower high blood pressure, whether you are petting your dog or watching fish in an aquarium. The regular schedules, daily walks, family time spent with their pack, and regular adequate sleep that dogs need, are also good healthy factors that can improve our own health. At a time when many of us are spending more and more time engaging electronically, our pets provide not only connection to nature, but important face to face social interaction.

But have you thought of having a pet as being a component of your mindfulness practice, much the same way yoga or meditation can be an important part of it? Animals notice small details. They savour every moment, and watching them reminds us to enjoy little things in life that we may too easily otherwise overlook in the rushed pace of our daily lives. Just watch your dog sniffing the air, or lifting its head up towards the sun, eyes closed, soaking up the rays.

Some people even use the sound of their dog’s bark as a mindfulness bell. A mindfulness bell is the idea that when you hear a certain sound, you stop for a moment and take a couple of breaths to bring yourself into the moment, and to be mindful. It can be a helpful reminder to do this.

When a dog is outside sniffing the air and following scents, it is working hard, living in the moment. But when the dog is lying down resting at home, lolling about in a state of absolute relaxation, it doesn’t feel guilty or chide itself that it ought to be doing something. They live completely in the moment. If you have a pet, think about this and enjoy your time together living in the moment. If you don’t have a pet, offer to take a friend or neighbour’s dog for a walk. You will be learning from a master of mindfulness!

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We Are One

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Feeling connected to the earth and nature benefits our health in many ways including a sense of peace and calm, stress management, and better sleep. It helps us to clear our minds which makes us more productive when we do go back to our tasks and work. It makes us more able to be fully present for our loved ones. I’s good for the soul, and it makes us feel good! 

WE ARE ONE

Sitting in stillness

I hear the wind in the trees

Feel it against my skin

Smell the lush green vegetation

Hear the birds calling

I know I am here today

In this moment

Of stillness and bliss

For a purpose

To feel my soul

And connect with my inner essence

Ancient and primeval

The connection with the earth is strong

Interconnection and bonding

So powerful

So beautiful

We are one

JOURNAL QUESTION: What makes you feel connected to the earth? What activities or places help you to feel the ancient bond with nature? Make a list, even if you have to think back to an earlier time in your life. Choose one or two of the activities that you have listed, to incorporate back into your life or to do more frequently. Lastly, schedule them into your calendar or planner to make sure you find the time to do them. Enjoy!