Know Yourself - 5 Principles for Being Authentic

by Mike Robbins -

How often do you not say or do something because you're worried about how it'll be perceived? For most of us, myself included, this happens more often then we'd like to admit.

We live in a culture that is starving for authenticity. We want our leaders, our co-workers, our family members, our friends, and everyone else we interact with to tell us the truth and to be themselves.

Most important, we want to have the personal freedom and confidence to say, do and be who we really are, without worrying so much about how we appear to others and what they might think or say about us.

Sadly, however, even though we may say we want to live in a way that is true to our deepest passions, beliefs and desires; most of us don't and it's not that easy.

We've been taught by our parents, teachers, spouses, friends, co-workers, politicians, the media and others, that it's more important to be liked and to fit in than it is to be who we truly are.

In addition, many of us assume that who we are is not good enough and therefore we're constantly trying to fix ourselves or to act like others who we think are better than us.

Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken

What it Really Means to Be Authentic

Authenticity is about enjoying a new sense of freedom to be who we really are -- ourselves, natural and without a mask in our relationships, our work and our life.

It takes courage, commitment and depth to:

• Look within ourselves
• Tell the whole truth (even when we don't want to)
• Be vulnerable
• Admit, own and share our true thoughts, feelings, desires, insecurities, passions, embarrassment, dreams and more.

However, being open and real about all of these things (and more) is what it means to be authentic in life.

In order to utilize the power of authenticity in your life as a way to enhance your relationships, increase your fulfillment and empower yourself, here are five key principles:

5 PRINCIPLES FOR BEING AUTHENTIC

1) Know Yourself  

Make a commitment to your own personal growth. Discover more of who you are. And, seek out and allow the support, honest feedback, and guidance of others. 

2) Transform Your Fear  

There's nothing wrong with having fear, it's the resistance and denial of fear that is the real problem. When you admit, own, feel, and express your fear, you have the ability to move through it, transform it, and utilize its power in a positive way. Taking action in the face of fear is courageous and empowering. 

3) Express Yourself  

Have the courage to speak your truth boldly. Deal with conflicts directly. Express your emotions fully. Be vulnerable and real about what you think and how you feel. While on the surface you may worry that this will be seen as "weak," in actuality expressing yourself completely gives you access to real freedom and power. 

4) Be Bold  

Live, speak, and act with courage, passion, and truth -- even if it's difficult or scary. Go for what you want in your work and in your life. And get back up when you fall down, which you will. 

5) Celebrate Who You Are  

Appreciate and honor who you are, what you do, and the gifts and talents that you have. Celebrating yourself is not about being arrogant. It's an awareness of your own power and it's the key to self confidence, fulfillment, and authenticity.

Being your authentic self is not for the faint of heart but once you're willing to truly engage and do the work to become more real -- your life, your work and your relationships will be more exciting, meaningful and fulfilling!

mike-robbins.com

Our Essential Unity

A desktop or laptop can connect us instantly to vast knowledge sources. A computer can link us to the news, stock reports, airline bookings, shopping, medical breakthroughs and information in almost every other sphere of knowledge.

The Empowered Soul

The information connectedness that we experience with computers is a small sample of the potent connections we can make with our empowered soul.

The empowered soul experiences universal connection with all beings. Becoming aware of this unifying force can help us realize our essential unity. Walls of division separate people.

If we are born in one part of the world we say, "I am a citizen of this country, or that country". If we are born into a certain religion, we say, "I am a follower of such and such religion".

One Message Runs Through All Faiths

Religions are man-made. There was no Buddhism before Buddha. There was no Christianity before Jesus.

It was the followers of the great saints, mystics and prophets who organized their teachings into a religion.

Most often, we become a member of a religion based on our parents' beliefs. A Hindu infant who is orphaned and who is later adopted by a Christian may become Christian.

Similarly, the way we live is dictated by the peculiarities of the region we live in. Many people worship God through prayer. But the way they pray is different. In some warm climates, it is customary to remove shoes before entering a holy place; in colder climates, going barefoot may be impractical.

Over time, customs that originate for climatic reasons become sanctified and become part of religious law. People tend to use those differences as a basis for prejudice and hatred.

Another dividing factor is language.When people in different religions use different words for the same concept, it becomes an excuse for thinking the other religion is not as good as one's own. Each religion has its own name for God, based on the language or culture in which the religion originated.

God is Allah to Muslims, Wahe Guru to Sikhs, Paramatma to Hindus, God to Christians. Whichever the language, the words refer to the same God. Yet we make these language differences a source of contention and separation. We forget that God existed before language was created.

By drawing boundaries we limit ourselves. The soul, however is limitless. 

There is a unifying force beyond the physical plane connecting all life. 

We are full of the love of God. It is only at the human level that we make divisions. The soul is a part of the Creator.

For us to be able to truly understand ourselves, we need to recognize all the divisions as walls that surround our true self. These walls keep us from truth.

Sant Darshan Singh spoke of Oneness:

"What does it matter if I am called a man, In truth I am the very soul of Love. The entire earth is my home and the universe my country."

Through lack of self-know-ledge, we create separation. Through our soul, we can experience connectedness and create more peace and harmony among the inhabitants of this planet.

spiritualnow.com

Deeper Than Thought

by Eckhart Tolle -

The Most Important Dimension of Human Existence:

We’re here to find that dimension within ourselves that is deeper than thought. This teaching isn’t based on knowledge, on new interesting facts, new information. The world is full of that already.

You can push any button on the many devices you have and get information. You’re drowning in information. And ultimately, what is the point of it all? More information, more things, more of this, more of that.

Are we going to find the fullness of life through more things and greater and bigger shopping malls? Are we going to find ourselves through improving our ability to think and analyze, and accumulate more information, more stuff?

Is “more” going to save the world? It’s all form. You can never make it on the level of form. You can never quite arrange and accumulate all the forms that you think you need so that you can be yourself fully.

Sometimes you can do it for a brief time span. You can suddenly find everything working in your life: your health is good; your relationship is great; you have money, possessions, love, and respect from other people. But before long, something starts to crumble here or there, either the finances or the relationship, your health or your work or living situation. It is the nature of the world of form that nothing stays fixed for very long — and so it starts to fall apart again.

The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most important dimension of human existence: the sacred, the stillness, the formless, the divine.

“What does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose yourself?”

It has been said that there are two ways of being unhappy: not getting what you want, and getting what you want. 

When people attain what the world tells us is desirable — wealth, recognition, property, achievement — they’re still not happy, at least not for long.

They’re not at peace with themselves. They don’t have a true sense of security, a sense of finally having arrived. Their achievements have not provided them with what they were really looking for — themselves. They have not given them the sense of being rooted in life or as Jesus calls it, the fullness of life.

The form of this moment is the portal into the formless dimension.

It is the narrow gate that Jesus talks about that leads to life. Yes, it’s very narrow: it’s only this moment. To find it, you need to roll up the scroll of your life on which your story is written, past and future. Before there were books, there were scrolls and you rolled them up when you were done with them.

So put your story away. It is not who you are. 

People usually live carrying a burden of past and future, a burden of their personal history, which they hope will fulfill itself in the future. It won’t, so roll up that old scroll. Be done with it.

You don’t solve problems by thinking; you create problems by thinking.

The solution always appears when you step out of thinking and become still and absolutely present, even if only for a moment. Then, a little later when thought comes back, you suddenly have a creative insight that wasn’t there before.

Let go of excessive thinking and see how everything changes. 

Your relationships change because you don’t demand that the other person should do something for you to enhance your sense of self.

You don’t compare yourself to others or try to be more than someone else to strengthen your sense of identity. You allow everyone to be as they are. You don’t need to change them; you don’t need them to behave differently so that you can be happy.

There’s nothing wrong with doing new things, pursuing activities, exploring new countries, meeting new people, acquiring knowledge and expertise, developing your physical or mental abilities, and creating whatever you’re called upon to create in this world. It is beautiful to create in this world, and there is always more that you can do.

Now the question is, Are you looking for yourself in what you do?

Are you attempting to add more to who you think you are? Are you compulsively striving toward the next moment and the next and the next, hoping to find some sense of completion and fulfillment?

The preciousness of Being is your true specialness.

What the egoic self had been looking for on the level of the story — I want to be special — obscured the fact that you could not be more special than you already are now.

Not special because you are better or more wretched than someone else but because you can sense a beauty, a preciousness, an aliveness deep within.

When you are present in this moment, you break the continuity of your story, of past and future.

Then true intelligence arises and also love. 

The only way love can come into your life is not through form but through that inner spaciousness that is Presence. Love has no form.

eckharttolle.com

Uncovering Your Authentic Self

by Lisa Martin -

Seek Your Truth: 

Discovering and living a life of success and balance, means orienting yourself around your truth. It is not always easy to be honest.

I once read an article that said on average people tell about 7 lies an hour. I remember being quite shocked by that claim believing that it couldn’t possibly be true. But as I began to think about it, I realized that I did tell “little white lies” more than I thought.

Mostly because I wanted to spare others’ feelings or I felt by being truthful I made myself too vulnerable. When I dug a little deeper, I was amazed to learn that some of the biggest lies I’d ever told had been to myself. Perhaps it was a self-protective measure. But clearly when I hid from the truth, I made decisions that pushed my life in a direction that did not serve me.

We are so busy that we often do not listen to or tell our truth. 

Many of us just skim the surface of our lives. Our everyday motions fill our lives up, yet we feel unfulfilled.

By not paying attention to our inner wisdom, our truth center, we are unsure of what is really important to us: what makes us tick and brings us joy.

So, how do you become brutally honest with yourself?

The four C’s: Courage, Caring, Change and Commitment

• COURAGE 

Seeking the truth about your own life takes courage. Asking tough questions and answering them truthfully is essential, even though the outcome may be surprising and scary. Taking stock of the inventory of your life is a daring, bold initiative.

• CARING 

Accept the results of this quest with an open mind and caring heart. Go easy on yourself. When you begin excavating your true self it can sometimes be painful. You might have some regrets, notice missed opportunities or come to the realization that some things just have to change.

• CHANGE 

It is normal to feel some personal upheaval and adjustment going through this process. It is important to maintain objectivity. 

For example, if you discover you have not been spending as much time with your child(ren) as you’d like, do not beat yourself up. Instead acknowledge your truth and devise a plan to start living it. This doesn’t necessarily mean making a dramatic transformation immediately. 

Being open to change and aligning your life with your authentic self is key. Just start with small steps like leaving the office in time to be home for dinner or spending a weekend afternoon with your child. The most difficult part is beginning the process of change. Once underway, change creates its own momentum.

• COMMIT 

Finally, commit to seek, speak and live your truth on a daily basis. Create the space to tap into your inner wisdom. That could take the form of meditation, journaling or communing with nature. I invite you to carve out some time each day to connect with your truth. The result will be life enhancing.

Make Your Move 

Use your journal to uncover your authentic self. Take some quiet time to answer these questions. What do you really believe to be true about yourself? Who are you at your very core? Who are you when no one is looking? What brings you joy? Is this the way you want things to be? What would you change, if anything?

How can the four C’s: courage, caring, change and commitment work for you? 

Be candid. Be honest.

successandbalance.com

Energy Awareness Techniques

by Lee Channing -

No matter where you are on your path to personal awareness and spiritual growth, there are simple tools you can use to increase your inner vision and enhance your intuitive abilities.

By increasing your knowledge and awareness of your own energy patterns, you will begin to grow healthier in every aspect of your life. Remember that a compassionate and nonjudgmental attitude is imperative when addressing issues of personal growth.

Consider the following techniques for one week:

1. FOLLOW your energy flow and at the end of each day, list what increased and what decreased your energy level.

• What contributed to your feeling of well being? 
• What contributed to your discomfort? 
• Did you experience anger, fear or guilt and if so, what provoked these emotions?

2. OBSERVE your environment and note where you find peace and where you find stress.

• Which people or places feel healthier? 
• Which people or places feel unhealthy or dangerous to you?

3. DECIDE what you can change to improve your life. To enhance these changes, list your talents and goals. Be sure to include energy goals such as inner peace, increased intuitive ability, deeper understanding of self, and more compassion for others. Create a realistic daily energy plan using the techniques below:

• Commit to a time of silence each day. This time can be spent sitting quietly, meditating, or just taking a few deep breaths. The important thing is to experience the silence and feel an increased level of harmony between your mind, your body, and your spirit.

• Carefully tend the physical body. (It's the only one you get this time around!) Eat, drink, and exercise in moderation, listening to the body at all times. Stop at regular intervals and take a few deep breaths.

• Evaluate your support system. Do you have a healthy network of family and friends for support with emotional issues? Do you need assistance from a therapist, physician, homeopath, or spiritual counselor? Remember that locating the necessary tools to repair your body or your mind is necessary for spiritual awareness, personal growth, and inner peace.

Increased knowledge is an important part of growth but remember that in order to turn knowledge into wisdom, you need time to absorb what you read - don't overdo the intellectual input.

spiritsevolving.com

10 Signs of Authentic Intuition

by Lynn Scheurell -

Intuition is the quiet inner voice or feeling that consistently guides us toward being and doing our best in every moment. So how do we know that voice or feeling is truly authentic? That it belongs to us? That we are getting the “right” information?

 10 Indicators to Help You Know 

1. Intuition is a whisper—not a shout. 

True intuition will not compete to be heard—it simply is. It is a feeling, a nuance, an inkling, a subtle knowingness that is always accessible but not always acknowledged. The speed of life has a lot to do with your ability to understand and work with your inner wisdom. Chances are that if your intuition is shouting at you, it is time to acknowledge that that light really is the oncoming train.

2. There is a sense of calmness and certainty in the intuitive awareness.

While it is not always easy to trust intuition at first (mostly because that is not a generally accepted practice of socialization in our formative years), there is a feeling of confidence in the intuitive insight. Authentic intuition just feels right when it is.

3. Your body experiences “breathing” in all ways. 

When we are in a state of fear, stress, confusion, or indecision, our bodies are tight, our breathing is shallow, and we can be distracted. Experiencing our authentic intuition leads to a release of that heavy or constricted sensation. When our intuition gives us the information or answer that is needed, we feel a particular lightness, a freshness, a sense of breathing again—literally.

4. It seems like your “life glass” just got cleaned. 

The world is brighter and cleaner, shapes are sharper, even smells seem sweeter. Your intuitive insight has gifted you with clarity; the distractions to appreciating your world are gone. Your vision and your senses are connected again to the world outside of you due to your intuitive direction.

If you suddenly notice that your spring cleaning never did get sprung, you know you have had a solid intuitive connection. (So that is the upside of noticing housework. . . .)

5. The solution feels easy and natural. 

When your intuition gives you a genuine answer, there is a gentle and relaxed energy. This guidance can feel like permission or maybe even forgiveness. The insight is personal, and you know it to be true like you know being your own gender—completely natural and in sync with who you are at your essence. When it is authentic intuition, the message is effortlessly just for you.

6. True intuition will not harm you (or anyone else, for that matter!). 

Your inner wisdom is a compass guiding you toward what is in your best interest at all times. It is impossible for authentic intuition to share space with negativity or malicious intention. Intuition serves only your best and highest good. Your intuition may direct you to do something that you may not want to do but that is ultimately helping you.

For example, it may be time to release a relationship, which may hurt either party but overall, it is a disservice to prolong a relationship that has served its purpose. The healthy cycle of life (birth, living, dying) is inherent in every part of life and is inexorably linked with every phase of our lives—including intuition. The bottom line is that bad things do not come from good intuition!

7. The intuitive insight conveys creativity in being. 

Sometimes intuition is baffling in what it communicates, which could be a symptom of not knowing your internal intuitive language, or it could be that you are not quite ready to assimilate that information. Intuition is amazingly creative and yet perfectly simple.

If something pops in seemingly from out of nowhere but addresses exactly what is needed in a kind, gracious, undiluted, and perhaps unfamiliar way, it is a message to be taken seriously.

8. Authentic intuition speaks in repetition. 

Intuition often shows up as consistent messages, such as hearing a word or phrase, seeing it in a magazine, then passing a picture of it on a billboard. There are no coincidences, only synchronicities. Many intuitive insights appear in dreams, where our conscious minds cannot censor the messages. Intuition will pass if you do not listen as it has no enforceable interest in being heard.

Additionally, exercising free will in making choices overrides even the best intuition. However, if something shows up often for you, it is time to take notice. If you ignore an important intuitive message, it will show up again bigger and louder until you cannot miss it. (Much like the movie Groundhog Day, it is a do-over until you get it right!)

9. There is a sense of “flow” opening up in other ways. 

The purpose of authentic intuition is to help pull you forward in being your best. It creates space for your life to move in a dynamic, positive way. Things will start lining up easily and effortlessly. There is a new sense of open energy, ready to receive what is being attracted to you.

Authentic intuition is to your life what water is to an ocean—it is an integral, changing element that creates, reinvents, and connects all parts of itself by being and “flowing.” When intuition is flowing, it is likely that your life is too.

10. Manifestation blooms around you. 

We are the creators of our life experiences. Intuition is a vital tool that illuminates all that is available to us in our relationships between our inner and outer worlds. Authentic intuition helps us to distill the bigger picture into something meaningful and accessible in our everyday lives.

As a conscious creation instrument, intuition helps us manifest what we need and desire; upon connecting with authentic inner wisdom, you will know the power when you see (and acknowledge) the richness of what is manifesting around you.

What to Do When You 'Get' Intuitive Signs

This is truly the greatest place for actively participating in the positive change choices that are possible and opening in your life—it is the awareness of the messages that are meant just for you. When your intuition is authentically speaking to you and you hear it (or see it, feel it, know it, etc.), it is the time when you get to make a choice from your full knowingness. This choice will be demonstrated through your thoughts, words, actions, behavior and therefore your results.

It’s not generally a question of right or wrong choice because each individual choice point that you make from your intuition takes you down a different path.

For example, when it is a choice between eating cake or a salad, your intuition will tell you what is better for you in the moment—and it could be either one, depending on what is happening in your life! If your best choice is cake, you will have one path, and if your best choice is salad, it is simply a different path, neither being likely to hurt you in the moment.

However, you must exercise free will to follow the recommendation of your intuition. Additionally, over time, if you extend your journey on each of these paths, the result will be a very different experience (and one of them likely will result in love handles!).

The most important action you can take when you are in awareness of your intuition is to acknowledge and honor it. 

If you suppress, avoid,or reject it, you are setting up a process by which you are not only hiding from yourself but you become unable to trust your own inner wisdom. When that happens, you may feel indecisive, disconnected, empty, or even lost, like you do not recognize yourself and do not know how to “come home.”

So what happens if you miss or do not “get,” your intuitive signs? Worse, what if you think you do not have any? 

In this case, relax—your intuition is always with you. 

It is a part of the fabric of who you are and when you want to access that part of yourself, it is waiting for you. If it has been a while since you honored your inner guidance, you will have to relearn its language. You may have to take a little extra time and create a quiet space to slow down to the speed of your inner self, but like all your other natural body parts, trust that your inner guide is always there for you.

Learning to appreciate and act from your intuition is a process. It takes practice, patience and presence with your own inner guidance. Slow down to be aware of your inner voice as it is expressing itself right now—it is well worth the investment.

mycreativecatalyst.com

The Divine Matrix

by Gregg Braden -

There is something "out there." Just beyond our perceptions of the everyday world there’s a presence, or force, that’s at once both mysterious and comforting.

We talk about it. We feel it. We believe in it and pray to it, perhaps without even understanding precisely what it is!

A series of groundbreaking experiments in the last decade of the Twentieth Century unveil dramatic and undeniable evidence of a previously unrecognized form of energy, a Divine Matrix, that appears to link each member of our global family, creation, and the events of our lives in unexpected and empowering ways.

From the success and failure of our careers and relationships, to family health and the peace of our world, these studies add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that we may actively participate in the outcome of the personal, as well as global, events of our lives.

Reported by leading research institutions of our day, the experiments shake the foundation of traditional science, documenting that:

• All of creation is bathed and connected through a field of subtle energy.

• We "speak" directly to this field through emotion, beliefs, and prayer.

• Through this field we are part of the healing in our bodies, and the peace in our families, communities and nations.

Calling it by names that vary from the Web of Creation to the Spirit of God, ancient traditions knew this presence exists. They also knew how to apply it in their lives.

In the words of their time, they left detailed instructions to the people of their future describing how we may use this invisible force to heal our bodies and relationships, and bring peace to our world; they are all part of the same force. Today we know the language connects all three as a "lost" mode of prayer.

Unlike the traditional prayers that we may have used in the past, however, this technique of prayer has no words. It is based in the silent language of human emotion. It invites us to feel gratitude and appreciation, as if our prayers have already been answered.

Through this quality of feeling, the ancients believed that we are given direct access to the power of creation: the Spirit of God.

In the 20th century, modern science may have rediscovered the spirit of God as a field of energy that is different from any other form of energy. It appears to be everywhere, always, and to have existed since the beginning of time. Just as the ancients suggested, the Field responds to human emotion!

Regardless of what we call it or how science and religion define it, it is clear that there is something out there—a force, a field, a presence—that is the "great magnet" constantly pulling us toward one another and connecting us to a higher power.

Knowing that this force exists, it makes tremendous sense that we would be able to communicate with it in a way that is meaningful and useful in our lives. Ultimately, we may discover that the same power that heals our deepest hurts and creates peace between nations holds the key to our survival as a species.

greggbraden.com

When Everything Falls Apart

We often have the perception that self-growth will be simple, enjoyable and rewarding. It certainly can be but there is also another aspect of the self-growth journey that is rarely mentioned and that is when everything falls apart.

One of the major parts of self-growth is learning how to look inside yourself and get clear about certain things. 

Most often, this involves recognizing and dissolving inner blockages. These are usually deep-rooted beliefs that we formed in childhood or at least the early part of our lives. Sounds good, right? It's very good, actually, because these beliefs are usually what prevent us from living fully productive lives.

These are the beliefs that keep us stuck in self-destructive patterns and have a negative effect on all aspects of our lives. So dissolving them is an excellent idea.

The problem is that these deep-rooted beliefs are part of the foundation upon which our current lives are built. 

When we dissolve inner blockages, there are suddenly gaping holes in our foundation, which cannot support what is resting above them. Inevitably, something will slip down into the hole, causing pain and turmoil and terror.

That's what happened to me this week. My eyes were opened in a big way about a blockage I had been struggling with since early childhood. I finally felt totally clear on why it was there and I understood exactly what I needed to do to dissolve it. So, I set about doing just that -- and then everything fell apart. That's the understatement of the century.

Everything I thought I knew about my life suddenly became a lie and I was shaken to my very core.

I spent a couple of days feeling shell-shocked. Then another couple of days grieving. Then the light dawned. Finally, I understood what was happening and I could see clearly how everything is interconnected.

It was no accident that everything fell apart just when I was finally making progress on my inner blockages. They fell apart BECAUSE I was making progress on my inner blockages.

As painful as it is, it's a good thing, because my life circumstances were built on lies. The lies were the early beliefs I had formed about myself since childhood. Once I began changing those beliefs, my life circumstances began changing also.

Change is good, but it can also be scary and painful as hell. It is necessary however, because in order to build something better, we need to tear down what already exists.

In my own experiences, I've noticed that there is a direct correlation between the size of the blockages we dissolve, and the magnitude of destruction it causes in our lives. 

If we dissolve a small blockage, something small will fall apart in relation. Maybe our car will break down, or we will develop a minor illness. When we dissolve a very LARGE blockage, something equally as large will begin to slide into the abyss. Our marriage might fall apart. Or we might lose our job. Or we might experience a more serious illness or accident.

As frightening as this sounds, it's a very important part of the process because it makes us sit up and take notice! Most often, the parts of our lives that begin to fall apart weren't that great to begin with. They didn't serve our higher purpose, even though we may have felt comfortable with them.

So, how do we deal with the pain and fear when everything falls apart? 

Our first reaction might be to run away to avoid feeling the pain. Another reaction might be to try and put everything back the way it was before it fell apart. But doing so only delays the process. Remember that the destruction is necessary in order to make room for the rebuilding of something better.

In order to complete the process, we need to stay with it. Yes, there will likely be pain and discomfort involved. There will be fear. There will be anger and grief. But there will also be an awakening deeper than any we have experienced before and our eyes will be opened in powerful ways.

How to stay with the process through completion:

1) Look closer.  

When everything falls apart, pay special attention to the exact circumstances that have begun deteriorating. This gives you a BIG clue about the biggest lies (limiting beliefs you have formed) about yourself, and your life. Look for the connection between the blockages you are dissolving, and the circumstances that are coming apart at the seams.  

For example, if you have begun exploring your true talents and abilities, and then you suddenly lose your job, a little introspection may help you to realize that your job didn't allow you to USE those talents and abilities, so it needed to be removed to make way for a more fulfilling career. 

Sometimes the connections can be a little more vague and you may have to dig a little deeper. It may take some time to fully understand how everything is related, but if you keep at it, you will come to understand it and you can then use that knowledge to rebuild something better. 

2) Grieve.  

Yes, you MUST allow yourself to grieve! Just because the old circumstances were built on "lies" doesn't mean you won't feel a sense of loss and sadness as they unravel. 

Allow yourself to go through that. Cry as much as you need to and stay with the sadness for as long as necessary to move completely through it. 

3) Follow through with the destruction.  

As much as you might want to try and "fix" everything immediately, don't do it yet. Instead, take an active role in continuing the destruction of that which no longer serves you. Hell yes, it's going to hurt. But at the same time, it will be so incredibly freeing and empowering. Maybe for the first time in your life, you will feel in control of your circumstances.  

You will be choosing to release self-limiting beliefs, and free yourself from self-destructive patterns. This "destruction" process can take many forms, but it usually involves releasing circumstances that no longer correspond with your newly emerging beliefs, such as unproductive relationships, unfulfilling jobs, etc. 

Be willing to let them go, and prepare yourself for the creation of something more meaningful. 

4) Form new beliefs.  

Once you dissolve your old beliefs, you will need to form new beliefs to take their place. Usually this means replacing limiting beliefs with empowering ones. This is a process all its own, and it will take time to fully reinforce the new beliefs in your mind and heart.  

A helpful activity is to write out the old beliefs, and then write your new (and usually opposite) beliefs right next to them. 

Example: Old belief, "I am not worthy of love." New belief, "I am worthy of love. I deserve to be loved." Then simply keep reinforcing these new beliefs until they become a strong part of your foundation. 

5) Begin rebuilding.  

This is the fun part! It can be a bit confusing, however. What do we build? And how? Especially if the destruction process was particularly painful and life altering, we may feel at a loss about where to begin again. And the answer is: let your heart lead you.  

Think about what you really want your life to be, and then begin taking the steps to create it. That might involve getting an exciting new job, or moving to a new location, or building new relationships. 

The important thing is to be sure that your old beliefs have been replaced by new, empowering ones. Otherwise you will simply re-create circumstances that don't serve you, and you'll eventually have to go through the destruction process all over again! 

Listen closely to the urgings of your heart and use them to guide you along the path to a better life.

This isn't an easy process by any means. But it is oh so fulfilling and exhilarating if we embrace it and allow it to happen without fighting against the pain and fear. Through our trials and challenges come new levels of growth, wisdom, and inner strength beyond our wildest dreams. We just need to stay with the process and watch for the rainbows after the storm.


wingsfortheheart.com

Resolving the Unresolved

by Candy Tymson -

Do you have someone in your life who you dread running into? I'm not talking about the person who you find boring or the one who 'bends your ear' every time you meet. I'm referring to the one with whom you have an unresolved issue. It could be a current or former work colleague, perhaps an ex-lover, maybe a member of your family.

I recently completed a questionnaire that listed 100 statements in areas including money, relationships, physical environment and well-being and invited me to confess how my life was structured.

Questions like: "I have nothing around the house or in storage that I do not need"; "I am in relationships with people who can assist in my career/professional development" and "I quickly correct miscommunications and misunderstandings when they do occur".

Then I read the one that really hit home: "there is no-one whom I would dread or feel uncomfortable 'running across' (in the street, at an airport or party)".

How would you react to such a question? 

We all have them, matters that have been left unresolved because quiet frankly we just didn't know what to say - or didn't want to be the first to say apologize.

Banishing Blame 

When things go wrong our natural tendency is to blame - usually the other person! The only problem is blame can be a major handicap when working towards a resolution. Whether spoken or not, the problem revolves around the question of who is to blame. Who is wrong? Who should apologize? By focusing on blame, we inhibit our ability to learn what really is causing the problem and how to fix it.

Have you considered that by blaming others, you are actually giving them the role of 'accused person'. What do accused people do? They defend themselves any way they can.

So, what to do about it?

In their book "Difficult Conversations", The Harvard team of Stone, Patton & Heen, say: "At its heart, blame is about judging. Rather than blaming others they recommend focusing on contribution, which is about understanding."

Contribution is useful when our goal is to understand what actually happened so that you can move forward to resolve things because generally speaking, when things go wrong in human relationships, everyone has contributed in some important way.

It may be that offense was taken by something that was said, maybe someone was too sensitive, and perhaps they were only focusing on things from their perspective and didn't consider the other person's point of view. Previous bad experiences could have coloured the outcome of this experience … the list goes on and on.

Speak Up 

Some years ago I was sharing an office with a colleague and it just wasn't working out. I felt that I was doing everything and that he was doing nothing. I was looking after all the administration involved in running an office while he; well he wasn't doing anything to contribute. Well, that's how I saw it!

I just got more and more annoyed. Every time I did something, such as collect the mail, clean up the kitchen, arranged for the photocopier to be repaired - I just got more annoyed. One day, it all got too much and I blasted him. He was genuinely taken aback. He had no idea that I felt I was doing everything. And why would he? I'd never said anything!

Why do we expect people to be mind readers? 

We mutter about things behind their backs, we loudly complain to our friends - but we never actually SAY anything to the person concerned. And so what starts out as a small annoying thing just grows and grows and before you know it you are resentful and full of blame. And that's when the trouble really starts because it is so easy to justify your position when you feel like that, isn't it?

Try this instead:

• Take responsibility for your own reaction
• Speak up immediately if you have a problem
• Tell the person how it is for you, from your point of view
• Ask them how it is for them, from their point of view
• Talk about how you can solve things in a way that works for the both of you

Sounds easy in theory doesn't it and we all know that there will be times when you can't get a solution or are unable to agree.

From my experience though, the fact that the issue is out in the open, that we are willing to discuss it and are actively looking for an answer, makes things so much better and easier to deal with. And those two simple words, "I apologize" can do so much to start to mend things.

tymson.com.au

Learning To Be The Observer

by Doc Barham -

As human beings we have the amazing ability to observe our experience. Unfortunately, most of us have never been taught to observe our experience. But if you learn how and engage in a daily practice you can discover quite a bit yourself and how you work.

Upon observation, one of the first things you witness is that you have thoughts. 

Those thoughts are coming and going continuously; a thought arises and passes away and then another thought and another and so on. People often talk about how they can’t ‘turn it off’.

It can interferes with life in any number of ways such as an inability to focus on the task at hand or listen to another person who is speaking or even getting to sleep at night. As a result, millions of people have resorted to taking medication in an attempt to fix the situation when they don’t need to.

Instead, they can learn a to do a few simple things differently and experience a great deal more focus, enjoyment and calm presence.

What most people don’t realize is their problem stems from the fact that they identify too much with their thoughts. 

When you identify with something you ‘I-dentify’, meaning you relate to it as if it is you, as in ‘I am this thought’. Believe it or not its hard to get rid of something you think you are, for as long as you think you are your thoughts then you will be highly identified with them, and therefore, continue to have more and more thoughts, particularly the same or similar kinds of thoughts.

Ask yourself this question: 

Are you your thoughts? If the answer is yes, think again, pun intended. Instead, consider that you are not your thoughts but that you have thoughts. In fact, you can observe this right now.

Try this exercise: 

Close your eyes. Now think of a pink elephant. Now open your eyes. Are you a pink elephant? No. Proof positive you’re not your thoughts.

This might seem silly but it illustrates a very important point and begs an equally important question: Who was the one observing at the thought? And where does this observer reside? Clearly, there is some aspect of you that is separate from the thoughts you have. This is the observer. The witnessing aspect of your consciousness.

Now try this exercise: 

Close your eyes again. Think of the pink elephant. Now notice the space around and in which the image of the elephant is arising. There are no thoughts just empty space.

If you continue just relaxing and noticing you will find that the observer resides in that empty space that surrounds each and every thought you have. Typically, thoughts seem to arise in the forefront of our head while the empty space seems to be to the back center of the head and the surrounding area.

If this is true, then when we have a lot of thoughts that we can’t seem to turn off we now have a place to go to get away from all the mental chatter. 

We simply step back into the observer position and watch. As each thought comes up stay in the observer position as the thought does what all thoughts do, arise and then pass away. We detach or ‘dis-I-dentify’ from the thoughts. When we do this on a regular basis we discover and experience that empty space as something which feels very peaceful and open and yet energizing at the same time.

Eventually, this observer aspect becomes a part of ourselves that we regain full awareness of again. In the eastern tradition, this is known as witnessing or mindfulness and can lead to a much greater sense of well-being and a happier, better quality of life.

If you continue practicing, in the process, you will find that you realize quite a bit about yourself and the way you work. Maybe the Owner’s Manual For Being Human’ does exist and maybe it is right inside you.

Exercise: 

The next time you feel agitated or upset with a head full of thoughts simply observe the thought, then shift your awareness into the empty space that surrounds the thought until you experience the felt sense of peace and open spaciousness that is truly you. Do this repeatedly until you can stabilize resting in the observer.

planetlightworker.com

The Essence of Expression

by Linda Gadbois, PhD -

Expression, like various forms of creativity can be used positively - to uplift, instruct, inspire, bring beauty into the world - or negatively - to belittle, demoralize, tear down and even destroy.

Expression takes many forms whether it's the spoken language, body language, a sermon, acting out in a state of emotional drama, any time an individual is active or doing something, they are "expressing" themselves.

Humans express themselves every moment, through every feeling, thought, word or the attitude they walk through life with . . . with the metaphors they use, what they reference as examples, the story they tell about things, about themselves . . every form of "action" is creative. Bringing an internal state into an external reality of some sort.

All we are capable of doing is projecting our "self" onto our environment. Every thought, meaning and perception is experience "through us" as us.

Our models serve as filters used to perceive the world as something unique and special.

This day and age, the "age of communication" we have lost the art of "performing ideas" - transmitting information by developing skill at expressing it. Yet, it is the emotional quality of the information that provokes action, that motivates us to do something, to act based on the "feeling quality" of the information we have been given.

This is the true art of "inspiring" people.

To inspire is to take a standard goal or desired outcome and perform it in a way that engages people emotionally in personally identifying with the goal in a way that compels them towards it, creating a desire in them to "do" something to make it come true.

To act in a fashion that supports and creates a physical reality motivated by the "feeling quality" of the idea as it was communicated.

We all seek to be apart of something that is greater than ourselves. The greater the emotional quality of the expression, the more clearly we relate to being apart of what's being expressed.

If, by relating to it, I feel . . . "courageous, powerful, able to serve, compassionate, caring, sexy, valuable" etc. - whatever the feeling, if it feels good, it will attract people who have that "desire" inside of them that is being provoked into reality by the emotional quality of my communication- which creates a path for expression. All great artist, communicators and leaders understand this.

To be a great artist, a great leader, you must stir people's desire, touch them inside with emotions that compel them into action. 

Not because they should or it's the right thing to do . . . but because they must! Creating and transferring emotion, creates a powerful desire to do something as a result of your performance.

By activating the right "state of mind" you can not only influence people towards a common goal, but bring out peoples magnificence in the process. When people feel moved by something, usually the best part of them, the part that is passionate comes forth and becomes more apparent.

This passionate "presence" is what performs the action. 

When people act out of passion, they own and harness their personal power to self actualize. When you have the ability to trigger this response in people intentionally you literally bring out the genius in common people, at will.

What you see in them, they see in themselves.

What we reflect we are projecting.

When we become invested in the fun of exercising our power to bring out the best in other people, we simultaneously experience the best in ourselves. To empower others, is to experience yourself as powerful. In order to express it, you have to have it.

To bring beauty into the world by expressing it, is to become a conduit for attracting it, a channel through which beauty can flow. 

Focusing your mind on drawing beauty to you, filling yourself up with it to the point of exploding into existence - you become the living, breathing expression of beauty. Your cup runneth over. It becomes your experience, your common every day reality! You are, by virtue of your nature . . . beautiful.

lindagadbois.blogspot.com

Our Relationship with Circumstances

by Debbie Milam -

There are many of you who are climbing through circumstances in your life that appear to be undesirable. As one who has climbed many times in my life I know how much you want things to change.

What I have found though is that the only thing we can change is ourselves, our perspective and our relationship to the circumstances in our lives. There are so many gifts that can be gained through your climb.

I rediscovered this wisdom last week while doing a walking meditation. I was walking amongst the rolling hills at our health club, covered by the shade of regal Banyan trees I felt enveloped by the majesty of nature. The summer breeze gently kissed my cheek as I began my daily conversation with God.

On this particular morning I was exhausted and not feeling physically strong. I asked God why there was struggle in life. In the quiet of my heart his loving words flowed through me.

Dear child, Fulfillment and inner peace does not happen because life is perfect. It unfolds moment by moment as you embrace and appreciate the fullness of your experience. 

What causes struggle and blocks you from experiencing complete joy is your desire for people and things to be different than they are. 

I know it has been hard for you, but keep climbing dear one. For in your climb you have received an abundance of gifts in the past and there are more to come. I celebrate your strength and I honor your courage as I walk beside you.

As these words reverberated in my soul, I continued to climb up the hills. My legs ached and I was so tired. But when I got to the top what I saw took my breath away.

The sun glistened like diamonds on the stillness of the lake, hundreds of tiny butterflies danced on the dew filled grass and dragonflies graced the air with their presence. I was in awe of the beauty.

This was my gift. I would not have been able to see these wonders from the vantage point of the sidewalk.

It was only when I had the courage to keep climbing that I was able to see the magnificence of the moment. 

Throughout my life, the gifts that have arisen from my climb have been extraordinary. It is the contrast of my experiences that have given birth to my inner strength, my connection to God, a deep appreciation of life and a profound level of fully present joy.

Do not be afraid of your climb, embrace it, be present in it and find the gift in the blessings as well as the pain. 

Then allow your emotions to flow with ease. As with everything in life these emotions will come and go.

What remains the same is the inner strength and peace that lies beneath these feelings. When you allow your emotions to arise, accept what is before you and ask God to bring only good from it, a new awareness begins to emerge.

It is an understanding that all is unfolding for your highest good in this present moment.

As you climb you have the choice to experience it as life enhancing or suffering.

If you choose to enhance your life through it and make peace with the circumstances you are experiencing undoubtedly something extraordinary will come forth.

May you find the strength, peace and courage to allow the highest good to unfold now and always. Peace and love to all.

bestyoucanbe.org

Enjoying the Transition

by Declan Kerr -

This article is about the transition we are going through and the changes that we are experiencing. You may sense this as the coming of a new consciousness. You will be aware of time speeding up, of new energies and connections with spirit and you may feel like you've been twirled round a few times and you're not sure of your bearings.

The external symptoms we can see in the internal fissures in our institutions - finance, politics, health care, religion - and these serve us, for increasingly we are looking for transparency, honesty, simplicity in our lives.

Changes that are coming - it feels as though we are about 10 to 12% of our way along a collective journey - are also bringing a fresh sense of community, a wider environment, a lighter vibration and a new sense of what it is to be. Here are a few thoughts about going beyond surviving the transition.

Enjoying the transition, in ten simple steps:

1. Declare an amnesty and make peace with yourself. 

There is nothing missing. You have not missed the bus. You did not take a wrong turn 5 years ago. You are perfect as you are. You have everything you need. It can help to write out your amnesty and be specific about what you will forgive about yourself.

2. There is so much more to you than meets the eye. 

Find a place and time where you can close your eyes for 5 minutes. See before you a road going in one direction with two lanes. In the inside lane, the left-hand lane, put all of your thoughts. Everything.

Notice how the right hand lane, the outside lane, is free. When you are ready, drop into the right hand lane. Sink into it. There. In this space ask to know more of yourself.

3. Develop your inner resourcefulness and take all opportunities to do so.

Take responsibility for your life and for your choices. Now that your life is your responsibility what will you do, how do you choose to be? Seek out and use the light of your truth. If something does not feel 'right' then hold it up to the light to know how it serves you.

4. Dissolve duality and dissolve fear.

This way of thinking can take a little while to accommodate. It may help to think of duality as a tool by which we get experience. Something is too hot or too cold, tall or short, there is plenty for everyone or there will never be enough.

To get the experience of too much or too little we are also in the position of observing this one thing or another. So there are not two things going on but three, and the third is how we experience, by observing or taking part.

For instance, we persuade ourselves that love is conditional yet the conditions we place on love are of our making. You are in control of how much love you choose to experience.

5. Where is your energy? 

Sit and close your eyes. Do cords of energy which attach to you go from you to somewhere else? OK, where do they go? Are they attached to the past, a place where you feel safe because things there have already happened? Are they attached to the future, a place where you feel safe because things have not happened? Choose one cord and follow it to where it is attached. If it feels right unpick the sticky fingers of the cord from the attachment and bring your energy back.

Once you know how to do this, direct that all of your energy return back to you for your highest good. Now see two large rock faces and between them, in the centre, a gap. Walk through the gap into the light and space. You are now in the moment.

6. Appreciation is such a powerful ally.

Absorb life. Soak up the glorious sunset, the aching beauty, the inspiring emotion, the wonderful person, the care and love, the laughs, the catastrophes: appreciate, and you will not miss them.

7. When we meditate we communicate with the part of us and the part of everything else that is not seen. 

If you meditate you will know that you can send healing, open yourself to abundance, heal and change issues and situations in your life. We close our eyes to meditate because with our eyes open the brain engages and we begin to think.

Within the transition it will become increasingly possible for our brain to operate in both left and right hand sides simultaneously: things we do in meditation we will be able to do with our eyes open. This is co-creation.

8. Journey into the spaces. 

Increasingly we are moving into an understanding and appreciation of the spaces. The beauty of a flower may appear in the form and colour of the petals for instance and this beauty is made possible by the spaces which hold the form.

A quick way into this space is via your breath. Your breath is prana or life-form. Allow yourself to become more conscious of your breathing. Breathe in light. Next breathe in love. Now breathe in consciousness.

9. Born here on earth you were born in the same way in spirit.

You are a child of the earth and you are a child of the universe. You may access earth energies, these are your birthright, and being a product of feminine and masculine conception you can bring in the energies you need. The same is true of spirit: you are created of divine feminine and divine masculine energy. Being a child of earth and spirit you are a bridge between spirit and matter.

10. Open your heart to love to receive, love for giving, and love to honour, and you are in the flow of life. 

As a three-dimensional being you are a portal for a new dimension and should you choose this energy will flow through your heart. The ascension of earth - when the consciousness shifts to another dimension - we will witness as a web of light around the world. Others will help this shift as they anchor the third dimensional base or starting plate. They too will ascend with the planet.

planetlightworker.com

Emotional Risk Taking

by Stefanie Miller -

One of my favorite sayings that I often reflect upon is: "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

I have often felt like the bud waiting for the right opportunity to blossom. I feel we are all going through various stages of blooming. We are all tender beings that yearn to grow and take risks but it can be very scary indeed.

When I really think about it, I realize I often take risks. If I want to do something, I just do it. I don't put too much thought in it and throw myself into whatever it is I feel drawn to doing. I don't mind taking risks as long as I don't have too much to lose.

In other words, if the worst thing that could happen, when I take a risk, is that things may not pan out exactly as I hoped for, I can handle that. I can expose myself enough to seize an opportunity to start something I really believe in. I'm all for that. I get an idea or find something I want and I go after it.

When it comes to taking an emotional risk, I tend to be much more cautious and reserved since there seems to be more at stake. It doesn't necessarily need to be this way.

Letting go of the fear surrounding taking a risk allows us to see clearly what the advantages and disadvantages we are being faced with.

Emotional risk taking is expressing our deepest needs, fears and desires and exposing our delicate, vulnerable self without knowing if the person we are opening up to will be able to meet and fulfill our needs.

I feel if we don't allow ourselves to be open, we never have the chance of actually having our needs met. If others don't know what we need how can there be a strong possibility that our needs will be fulfilled?

It is taking a risk to reveal ourselves and our needs when there are no guarantees and there is a chance of rejection or disappointment.

Taking a risk and revealing our authentic self can be overwhelming unless we really believe in who we are. 

When we are going after a job we really want and see ourselves qualified for it, it's hard to handle possible rejection. The person, whether it be an artist, writer, musician, teacher or healer, who is sharing their gift or talent risks that their work will not be appreciated or valued by others.

Another form of risk taking is beginning a new relationship and not knowing if the feelings you are developing for someone will be reciprocated. The blossoming can lead to opening up in beautiful ways but it can cause us to feel vulnerable, weak and exposed.

When I listen to my heart, the answer I get is to trust.

Trusting ourselves... our abilities, worth and capabilities. When we have faith in who and what we are, we can take that risk with more confidence. Of course, trust goes one step further, trusting in God.

Trusting that the opportunities we are being given are for our highest good and greatest joy. Revealing our talents, gifts and need for emotional intimacy are meant as a blessing.

My mother always tells me, "God doesn't give us more than we can handle." Trusting that we are indeed in the right place, at the right time, and everything is as it should be.

We are going through a very anxiety provoking time in our world. There is so much intensity going on around and within us. There are so many decisions to be made and risks to take. It's hard to decide what is the safest path to follow. I see there is the risk of losing our home, financial resources, job, retirement, investments, credit rating and the list goes on.

I had myself in a mental frenzy thinking about all of the decisions I needed to make and the risks I was taking. I experienced a lot of fear and anxiety. I finally stopped and asked myself, "What is the worst thing that could possibly happen to you?" I came up with all the possibilities; the worst of the worst, the best of the best.

Once I saw it all clearly, I realized that it isn't so bad after all. I will be safe and protected. I have everything I need. I discovered the risks weren't as bad as I thought they would be. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I know that once we let go of the fear and anxiety, the solutions and possibilities are there waiting for us. Worrying about what might happen in the future, if we take a risk, is preventing us from enjoying and appreciating what we have right now.

There are no guarantees in life as to what will happen. That doesn't mean we should stop trying. We miss out blossoming by allowing fear to stop us from taking a risk.

In the long run it is more painful to keep ourselves hidden and sheltered and not experience life. 

Life goes so quickly and opportunities come and go in the blink of an eye.

Whether we choose to take the risk is up to how deeply we want to grow and blossom. There is no reason to hold ourselves back when we realize how exciting the possibilities can be. What each of us has to contribute to each other and humanity is what makes being here so special.

I have found the worst thing that happens when I take a risk is that I am disappointed and sad that things didn't work out the way I wanted them to. I feel the disappointment and sadness for a while and then I move on.

I also take away with me all of the things I gained from the experience. The next time I take that same risk, I am much more confident, self assured and at ease. I remind myself of these things and then I continue forward.

I have also discovered that the best thing that happens when I take a risk is that I receive so many blessings, many more than I even knew were possible.

I achieve success in manifesting and achieving my dreams. I accomplish things, reveal my gifts and talents, experience love, find happiness, and go places I never dreamed I would go. All because I took a risk. So, when given a choice to stay tight in a bud or blossom, I choose to blossom every time!

amagicalworld.com