The Power of the Pause

by Filip Van Houte -

Life goes fast. The speed at which the world is currently evolving is astonishing. The new digital age is bringing forth a lot of options and possibilities. There are endless new goals and activities to stimulate the mind.

Nowadays people seem to be too busy with being busy. We have to make an appointment to make an appointment. We want to control our control. We want to structure our structure.

In the past boredom was a problem. Now it’s not knowing what to choose.

But do we ever stop to enjoy the fruits of our labor? We have to be productive, right? Taking a break wastes time. We got to move forward. …. Or not?

A Tribute to the Pause and the Silence that Speaks so Loudly

There are essential qualities to the pause you might not know about. Maybe a pause is exactly what you need.

"Don’t just do something, stand there."

–Buddhist Saying 

Here are 7 unknown qualities of the pause.​

1. It cultivates meditation and reflection

Isn’t the pause the essence of meditation? Dealing with boredom and watching the thoughts arise that try to keep your mind occupied. The pause allows. It doesn’t judge. You become the observer. This allows you to see through your mental patterns. You gain insights from a different perspective.

The pause lets us face our deeper inner world. Our anxieties, impulses, gut feelings, dreams, passions, goals. It’s like a glass of muddy water. Once it’s still, the dust settles and things become clear.

Pausing withdraws us from the world outside and make us look inward. It throws us back on ourselves to clean out all the garbage and nonsense that is going on in your head. We develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and our habitual reactions to our thinking.

You break free from the conditioned addiction to thinking, planning and doing. We allow ourselves to be, let thoughts arise and float by without judging them.

"Meditation puts meaningful content into a pause."

–Rollo May 

2. It is vital for creativity

Pausing is the first cousin of creativity. It makes room and time for fresh ideas to arise. They were already in the background, but now they can come to the forefront. After a period of intense focus on something, you can set the thought free when you give it an open space.

Creativity comes not only out of our moments or hours or weeks of effort. It requires – and this is essential – the moments or hours or weeks of pause between the effort.

"The interval between events is not unimportant, just like you don’t hear melodies until you hear the interval between tones." –Alan Watts 

You had this before, right? You’ve been thinking about something for a long time and you have this sudden realization. It seems to come out of nowhere. But it was there all along, just under the surface, waiting uncover.

3. It is the prerequisite of wonder

A basic attitude in pausing is an openness to whatever happens. And this creates the opportunity to wonder. We can only marvel and wonder when we stop and take a break. 

Looking in the night sky at the stars, watch a beautiful sunset, experiencing your surroundings and possibilities. The pause creates a gap that fills up with new and fresh impressions.

We sacrifice the richness of wonder when we don’t stand still and look deeper.

4. It is necessary for any growth

Pausing often gets confused with doing nothing. But don’t muscles only grow when we rest? Isn’t that the essence of sleep? Refreshing, consolidating, healing, imagining … exactly what a pause allows.

It is a cycle of expansion and contraction. You need to spent energy to expand, but you need also need to recharge energy to build it up again.

Every growth process needs plateaus. Growth is never linear. When you climb a mountain you don’t immediately climb the next one. You sit down, enjoy the view and get a new perspective.

5. You get to the essence

A pause will silence the mind and silence will bring forth an opportunity to pause. We live in a loud society. There is so much communication, distraction and noise. It’s hard to stay focused in such an environment.

So sometimes you need to get away and figure out your essential needs. That happens when you take a movement to breathe and let it all sink in. And the less stimulation you have around you, the more you get down to the essence.

6. You get in touch with your intuition

Intuition is a non announced voice. It is an innate knowing that is absent of serious attachment to the knowing. Intuition does not compete like the ego does. The ego competes for you to listen to it.

Intuition doesn’t’ feel that need and it is quiet. Until we pause and silence our ego minds there is no way to get in touch with our intuition.

7. It reduces stress

People stress out by their overactive ‘flight-or-fight response’. That’s can be exhausting. We are in less physical danger than ever before, but our mind doesn’t make a difference between a real and a perceived threat.

Our mental preoccupations keep us engaged. In this digital age with more and more stimulation and distraction, we have to find ways to counter this. Pausing is a way to keep track of ourselves.

That is the power of the pause … the silence that speaks so loudly.

About Author: Filip van Houte is the creator of Tips for a Better Life. Writer, teacher, eternal student and alchemist of ideas. Loves to travel inside the mind and outside in the world. On a mission to discover the balance between activity and passivity, sensuality and spirituality, self-acceptance and self-development. Looking to create a strong, passionate community with meaningful relationships that helps us build a better version of ourselves.

tipsforabetterlife.com

Allowing the Unknown

by Jamye Price -

Time is a beautiful gift on Earth. It supports your understanding and your evolution into the future. It provides a platform for desire to refine into form. 

Life evolves, devolves, resolves and triumphs through the grace of time’s flow. 

The linear Earth experience of time is valuable and will be experienced as such for years to come as you integrate the truth of physicality into the truth of the non-physical nature of Life. 

Time is merely a vehicle of manifestation refinement. Manifestation has a focal point because of time. The past, known as it is perceived; the future unknown. Are you at peace with the unknown?

As you master your thoughts and feelings, you are creating a flow of energy that works with you, assisting your creations. 

It is not that you must think and feel perfect thoughts and feelings each moment, it is that you no longer allow thoughts and feelings to rule you, to control your access to inner peace. 

As you are well with what is, even while you desire change, you are opening access to a future that was previously unavailable from a state of vibration that could not harmonize with it.

Relax Into the Unknown

Your peace, your acceptance, your courage to change gives rise to new vibration emanating from you and thereby available to harmonize with a new frequency, a new future. 

To access this new future, relax into the unknown and know that Life is supporting you into your improvement. Life wants you to thrive. You are Life.

As we sit to Blast Allowing the Unknown, we are embracing the past as the perfect catalyst to improvement. We are peaceful in the present, knowing this moment is a focal point for choice that creates the future. 

We are a friend to time, knowing it is within us as well as around us; harmonizing manifestation between the inner and outer at the perfect pace. 

We are so strong in our Love that it is only details that are unknown, for the heart knows its ability to create a future of Love. That is the future we are allowing into creation. Blast on!

Jamye Price is an energy healer, channel, teacher and student of life. She channels healing energies in the form of Light Language, which are ancient and universal languages that your heart and infinite mind speak fluently. Her passion is Ascension - bringing people to the understanding of the truth of who they are; cherished, powerful and brilliant Divine Humans, interconnected with All Life. She feels humbled and blessed to be able to experience people in the truth of their glory and to share her path and perspective of reconciling the old way of being human with Divine Human Being.

crystallinesoulhealing.com

spiritlibrary.com

The Engine of Your Evolution

by  Dennis Merritt Jones -

Conscious Choice: 

"Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation." --James Allen

As a spiritual mentor, part of my job is to challenge the people I work with to consciously observe their BS (belief system) and challenge any current beliefs they hold that are keeping them stuck in a mental prison of their own making. 

The moment is quite interesting to witness when they discover that they, and they alone, hold the key that will set them free. 

The key, of course, is their ability to choose and then choose again if necessary. Awakening to the awareness that one can witness his or her own thinking, and then challenge the thoughts (and the beliefs that sponsor those thoughts) that are dis-empowering, nonproductive and self-deprecating, is the moment they step into a whole new way of being.

Recently, I upset a person I am mentoring when I challenged her to look at her belief system after she argued she “just couldn’t” do something I had suggested she might consider trying to fortify her spiritual growth. 

I encouraged her to begin to monitor her thinking and words, and each time she caught herself declaring, “I can’t,” to stop, challenge her belief, and then change the statement to “I won’t.” I explained to her that to say “I won’t” put her at choice, while to say, “I can’t” rendered her powerless.

This shift in thinking and words automatically moves us out of powerlessness and into a position of authentic power and choice. There are, no doubt many legitimate times when we may be unable to do something because we are not capable. 

As an example: I can’t fly a F18 fighter jet… I can’t give birth to a baby… I can’t lift 750 pounds over my head, and so on. However, too many of us rush to use the excuse “I can’t” because it is far easier than having to deal with the possible consequences of saying, “I won’t.” 

Notice how often we tend to sacrifice our authentic power and integrity just to gain or maintain the approval and acceptance of others. This is where we can choose to step into our truth. Consider in your own life how often you may use “I can’t” as a cop-out. 

Have you ever been asked by someone to do something or go somewhere you really did not want to do or go, and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t,” perhaps even fabricating some excuse rather than honestly saying, “No thanks, I choose not to.”

Regardless of what your motivation may be for using the “I can’t” escape clause, I encourage you to be conscious of the power in your spoken word. The universe takes what you affirm about yourself very seriously — it conspires to support you in your deepest beliefs. 

You may end up more powerless than you would care to be. Think before you say I can’t because every choice you make moves you closer to or further away from your authentic power. It is also how we spiritually evolve with conscious intention. 

In his seminal book, The Seat of The Soul, Gary Zukav states: 

“Choice is the engine of our evolution … if you choose unconsciously, you will evolve unconsciously. If you choose consciously, you will evolve consciously.” 

Suffice it to say, choosing to evolve consciously is much better than unconsciously and most often far less painful.

Trust me… been there — done that.

As you begin to make conscious choices, your life shall follow the trajectory of those choices even as your shadow faithfully follows you wherever you go.

The power of choice is the greatest gift you have been given, second only to the gift of life itself. Use both of these gifts consciously. In so doing, you will be stepping into your authentic power. 

If you could use a little help, as a mindfulness practice consider doing this: Place a rubber band (not too tightly) around your wrist. Listen to your words and self-talk for the next few days. 

When you catch yourself saying, “I can’t” when, in actuality, you know in your heart you can, snap the rubber band. Then step into your power, making a choice to use words that reflect the awareness of a conscious evolving being. 

To say, I choose not to, rather than I can’t, brings an amazing amount of authentic power and freedom with it… AND as a happy result the welts on your wrist will begin to subside.

About Author: Dennis Merritt Jones has been involved in the human potential movement and the field of spirituality for the majority of his life as a teacher, author and keynote speaker. His most recent award winning book is “The Art of Uncertainty ~ How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It.” Jones is also the award winning author of “The Art of Being ~ 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life” and “How to Speak Science of Mind.” Dennis writes a free weekly MindfulPurpose E-Message available through his website, DennisMerrittJones.com and is a regular columnist for the Huffington Post.

dennismerrittjones.com

A Radical Way To Grow Spiritually In A Relationship

by Lissa Rankin MD -

As you walk a spiritual path, do you ever struggle in relationships with those who are not in the same place in their personal/spiritual evolution as you might be? In his online program Integral Enlightenment, spiritual teacher Craig Hamilton breaks relationships into three categories:

1) Those who have no interest in your personal/spiritual evolution or their own
2) Those who are curious and interested in personal/spiritual evolution, but who aren’t as committed as you to the spiritual path
3) Those who are totally committed to doing their own work and growing with you in an active partnership (what he calls “evolutionary relationships”)

Evolutionary Relationships

So what is an “evolutionary relationship?” Craig teaches that an evolutionary relationship need not be about romance or sex at all.

In fact, that dimension can often complicate things. He says many of us have sense that there’s a potential for an extraordinary type of human relationship, marked by an unprecedented level of intimacy, vulnerability, authenticity, and transparency, essentially being with each other without any boundaries or barriers, being together truly beyond ego.

Many have sensed the potential to be in a relationship that’s always moving, not getting stuck in old patterns, but always vital, dynamic, and thriving, resisting the urge to rest on familiar, known ground.

You may have tasted this kind of dynamic in a relationship, but it’s challenging to stay on this edge, to keep moving forward without sliding into destructive patterns, which might leave you thinking this kind of relationship isn’t possible.

Very few relationships will ever evolve to the third level. How will you know the people willing to go there with you? And what would a relationship like this be like?

Craig teaches us how to be proactive about cultivating such relationships. To do this requires essentially establishing a sacred contract, setting up what he calls “an evolutionary partnership”, which can be governed by the following radical principles.

PRINCIPLES OF EVOLUTIONARY PARTNERSHIP

1. The very context and organizing principle of the relationship is conscious evolution beyond ego.

This is the very purpose of why we’re in the relationship. Instead of organizing around comfort, survival, mutual benefit, comfort, and connection, in this kind of relationship, we explicitly commit to coming together for a higher purpose.

That’s the “why” of the whole thing. We have a shared agreement for why we’re here.

Instead of colluding together to protect and preserve the status quo of the relationship, we’re willing to put the relationship at risk, to constantly challenge the relationship, as a way to evolve spiritually together, as a way to avoid falling into stuck, habitual patterns that lead the relationship to go to sleep.

2. We agree to be mutually accountable to something higher than ourselves.

In most conventional relationships, we’re attempting to negotiate between two people’s individual needs and desires. The personal self is the only context we have, so the relationship is the result of two isolated personal selves with their own unique agendas attempting to negotiate so they can be in relationship together without too much conflict.

Typically, we ask, “What do YOU want to do? What do I want to do? What are we both willing to give up so we can meet in the middle?”

in an evolutionary relationship, our #1 priority is aligning with Divine will, rather than focusing exclusively on our own personal desires or the desires of the person we’re in partnership with.

When a conflict comes up, we’re interested not just in both personal points of view, but in what’s the right thing to do from the highest perspective, in service to the highest good of all beings. It’s about not caring so much what you get out of the relationship or what the other person gets out of it.

It’s more about a mutual seeking of truth, of what’s right and whole and aligned. We ask, instead, “What’s the right thing to do to the best that we can discern it?” This way, there is no fundamental conflict. You both want the same thing- the highest good- rather than focusing on personal desires.

You’ll always find your way through when you’re genuinely prioritizing this outcome. There is no “winner” or “loser” because the highest good always wins- and you both want that.

3. We recognize that we have an ego, that we’re prone to error.

Because we acknowledge that we both have egos, we know that we are prone to misinterpretation of circumstances. I defined ego here, according to Craig’s definition, so don’t be mislead by a term that often gets misused. Read what I wrote about ego here.

When we both acknowledge our own egos and our potential for error, we come together with the commitment to try to see clearly, beyond the ego. This means we’re willing to call each other on unhealthy patterns and try to break those patterns.

It’s an exercise in mutual humility, acknowledging that we aren’t going to do it right, that our egos are going to screw us up, but that we’re mutually committed to trying to uncover what is true, in spite of being prone to error.

This way, there’s no compulsion to defend your point of view. You’re both committed to seeing what is true. 

It’s a radical act, to be willing to stop defending your motives whenever you are challenged. Because we both have egos, we must recognize that we’re prone to distortions and be willing to acknowledge that with humility.

4. Despite the fact that we have egos and are prone to error, we want to be accountable to our potentials, to our highest and best selves.

This means that even though both parties know we are prone to errors in judgment and distortion, we’re not using that as an excuse at all. We are acknowledging that we always have a choice in the matter. Our egoic limitations are not an excuse for not showing up fully.

We acknowledge that we have a right to expect this from each other, even though we have egos and tendencies for error. This only works with two people who are really committed to showing up in this way, wanting to be accountable and be held accountable.

It’s not about always getting it right. We’re going to screw up. It’s not about beating each other up for our tendency to be prone to error. It’s about committing to operating at a risk-taking edge, which requires a lot of trust and commitment to mutual accountability.

5. The context for our engagement together is about leaning into our evolutionary edges, where we’re growing and evolving, sharing a mutual interest in our evolving edges.

Rather than meeting in our limitations, fears, and doubts, colluding in how we’re failing to show up to our highest potential, complaining about what doesn’t work, we take a stand for meeting in service to our highest potentials.

Some relationships are based on sharing every that’s wrong or not working or where we’re struggling or fearful. This fifth principle is about making that off limits, not that there’s no place to talk about your limitations, but that the relationship is meant to lift up what’s possible, rather than to devolve into a shared bitchfest that drags both parties down.

The context for the engagement, therefore, is from a place of desiring to manifest our highest potential, taking a stand for one another’s higher potential, reaching for what’s possible, sharing what comes up as we awaken.

It’s a positive, uplifting context for engagement but a challenging one, because it’s a stretch and requires moving out of habitual patterns that tend to plague a lot of spiritually-minded or psychologically-minded relationships.

6. We agree to be mirrors for one another.

Rather than merely affirming each other’s self image, as most relationships operate, we agree to reflect to the other person things about who they are that might be outside of their awareness. We tend to see others more clearly than we see ourselves.

As evolutionary partners, we agree to lovingly and gently, without judgment, point out blind spots in each other to help illuminate what we might not be seeing clearly in ourselves. This includes mirroring back not only negative traits- things that need to evolve- but also positive things that we may not see within ourselves.

This includes mirroring back how we’re growing and where we’re making progress. We can not only help undo negative patterns; we can also mirror back the uplifting things we may not see in ourselves. This means being willing to challenge each other’s assumptions, really striving to help each other see ourselves more clearly.

7. We aspire to set an example for one another.

We are not perfect. We are not going to always get it right. But we are aspiring to model what it means to have an evolutionary and enlightened relationship to life, stretching vulnerably into the unknown.

We aspire to uplift each other through our own examples. This means radical transparency. In many close relationships, you devolve when you get comfortable. You let that person see your worst self. But in these relationships we aspire to be our best selves, not our worst self with each other.

About Author: Lissa Rankin, MD is a mind-body medicine physician, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute training program for physicians and health care providers, and the New York Times bestselling author of Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself. She is on a grass roots mission to heal health care, while empowering you to heal yourself. Lissa blogs at LissaRankin.com and also created two online communities: HealHealthCareNow.com and OwningPink.com. She is also the author of two other books, a professional artist, an amateur ski bum and an avid hiker. Lissa lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and daughter.

lissarankin.com

wakeup-world.com

Struggling To Open Your Third Eye Chakra? Avoid These 4 Common Traps

by Danielle Fagan -

A lot of people want to feel better, and experience some sort of “transcendence” or connection to other realms that might exist, but what many don’t realize is that you absolutely need to have balance in order for you to be able to maintain all of those very high frequencies.

Everything in life has a frequency or a vibration. The “higher” a frequency is, the faster it is vibrating and the more difficult it can be for us to see with our physical eyes.

When you’re looking to “heighten” your intuition, you’re looking to attune it to these higher frequencies so that you can “sense” metaphysical energies.

If you’re looking to “heighten” your intuition, be sure not to fall into these common traps:

1. Giving Up Too Easily

Just like you can’t expect to become a master painter overnight, don’t expect to be able to see orbs and archangels after your first meditation session. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night standing face-to-face with the ghost of your Great Aunt Millie. In the very early stages, this will scare the crap out of you.

If you want to sense metaphysical energies, prepare to embark on a beautiful journey of self-discovery. Take the time that is necessary to adjust to these frequencies and let go of the old habits that keep you at a lower frequency. Enjoy the process. It’s beautiful.

2. Holding On To Old Habits

Take a look around you. See any angels? If not, it isn’t because they aren’t there, it’s because there’s a “block” that’s keeping you from seeing them. That “block” acts like a blindfold. A “block” cannot take away your gift of intuition, only numb or hide it temporarily.

Some examples of common intuitive “blocks” are stuck emotions from the past, a toxic relationship, a chemical laden diet, or a harmful work or home environment.

If you’re looking to “heighten” your intuition, it’s necessary to take inventory and see what could potentially be hindering your extrasensory perception and let it go.

3. Taking On Too Much Energy

When you’re empathic, you intuitively pick up on the energies of others and your environment. You begin to feel energies all around you in addition to your own thoughts and emotions. This can get exhausting pretty quickly. When you find yourself in this position, you need to ground yourself.

For example, kids have intense spiritual energy. They are these pure, bright lights in the world. And what do they LOVE doing? Playing! Moving! Running! Hopping! Skipping! Jumping! They need movement as much as adults need movement.

When you’re pushing your body to play a sport or to swim, jog, or hike, you’re engaging and changing your physiology. Your feet hitting the ground, the sweating, the movement is a perfect recipe to help you release the negativity and “ground” any energy that can make you feel foggy.

If you are not grounded, you may find yourself subconsciously trying to ground through other activities like eating, engaging in conflict, scrolling through your Facebook news feed, watching TV, or reading. These are not effective ways of grounding.

In order to feel better and more rooted in the body and in the present moment, move your body. Try it every day for two weeks and see how you feel.

4. Getting Lost In The Realms

Make no mistake, there is a harmful way of meditating. There are a great number of spiritual seekers who are “seeking spirituality” as a means of escaping the everyday.

Your soul, angels, and spirit guides are already here. The goal is to become aware of them, not get lost in the metaphysical world (which is a lot easier to do than you might guess). I’ve seen people treat meditation like a drug, alcohol, or role playing video game addiction. They live “up there” and use otherworldly language where they discuss realms, councils, alien beings, and other things that have little to no practical value in the everyday.

I’m not saying that there is no value in these experiences, but if you’re engrossed in meditation and you’re seeking a world to “escape” into, you will undoubtedly find a place. If you’re looking for information to entertain you, you will find information that entertains you. If you’re looking for big, scary energies that are threatening life on this planet, you will find these energies.

Try seeking beings that want to assist you in making your life a beautiful reality. Remember that you’re here for a reason. You are not on another planet or alternate reality. You are HERE. You don’t know for how long either. So why not make the most out of this experience? Use your metaphysical perception to add flavour and colour so that you can enhance and enjoy your reality instead of leaving it behind you.

Try out my FREE 5-Day Soul Purpose Training where you’ll learn how aligned you are to living your soul purpose, how to get clarity with 5 powerful daily tools and how to hear your soul’s language. Click here.

About Author: Danielle Fagan is an author, spiritual teacher and educator. She has worked one on one with hundreds of clients and helped them develop a healthier mental, emotional, and spiritual state. Danielle strives to empower others through her many workshops, seminars and articles and recently published book, Infinite Kingdom. Danielle is a certified practitioner of reiki, emotion code and soul realignment.

daniellefagan.com

collective-evolution.com

Who Me a Creator?

by Marie C. Barrett -

How can I be a real and intentional creator? 

This is a great question, but first let us get one thing straight. We are all creators whether we choose to be or not. Creatorship is part of who we are as spiritual beings playing in this physical universe. The definitive question is how can I create positive experience in my life more than negative experience?

The purpose of all creation is experience. 

My challenge is to become the kind of person I must be to have the diversity of experience I want; to be a person who naturally produces, deserves, achieves, and enjoys.

What I am really seeking behind the smoke screen of wonderful desires is to be a person who deserves such relationships and experiences.

I want to recognize myself as someone who is powerful enough to pursue my dreams until I experience them and wise enough to know these things do not define me, they simply deepen my self esteem and add to my experience of life.

In my life I can embrace all the colors and shades of experience possible to feel happy, to love who I am and how I am.  I can do so because I live in a world of polarity.

If I do not know what it is to be alone, how will I ever fully appreciate how wondrous it is to be in a deep and close relationship?

If I have never suffered through an experience of helplessness, how will I ever glory in being powerful and a winner?

Life offers a whole spectrum of choices within the polarities of wisdom, power, worthiness and love.

Creatorship is intrinsic to self esteem. When I believe I can be, do and have whatever I set my sight upon, when I really and deeply know greatness is my destiny, limits recede and I step up and into my role as powerful creator in my life.

I can create negativity and powerlessness if I live afraid of standing up and claiming my power to will, to focus and to achieve. Or I can create my life as a light in the dark, as a beacon in a storm, knowing that the experiences I choose can be mine.

It’s all about energizing my vision. 

I can learn to get up when I fall down and to persevere and never give up. I can embrace challenges as opportunities to grow and expand my capacity to exceed the limits my self-belief has previously imposed.

I am standing in my creator power when I trust myself to be wise, strong, generous and loving, no matter what. When my attitude to life is open and all-embracing, without judging others or condemning them or myself, then synchronicities start to point me in the right direction for more success, expansion and happiness.

The law of attraction, a profound and inevitable universal law, will send me all the experiences in life that correspond to my vibration.

What is this vibration? 

That attractor energy that fuels all the myriad of choices I can make for my life and that flows at the level of my choices.

We all make negative choices at times. These are part of the polarity of human experience and they can become stepping stones of learning.

When I make more positive choices than negative ones, my life will begin to offer a vibration that attracts joy, success, self- appreciation and love.

Yes, I am a creator. We are all creators of our life. 

The question is, will I deliberately make choices that help me grow expand my being? This is our challenge in the game of life we are experiencing.

Create your life the way you want it and love yourself into being an amazing and joyful experiencer of your wonderful creations. You can do it!

holisticwealthcreation.com

When the Shift Hits the Fan

by Tina Olivero -

Ever feel like everything is crumbling down around you?  Nothing seems to be working as you’d like?  There’s a lot money issues, relationship problems, people at work are bugging you, things seem overwhelming and there’s an endless list of obstacles in your way?

You’re not the only one!

In fact just about every day someone has a money issue concern, a relationship concern, a co-worker concern, a family problem or an overwhelming challenge to contend with. To be a human being is to have issues that require solutions.

So, if we have issues every day,  then how come we get snarly, act insulted or rejected, and often feel powerless in the face of our issues?  Why do we respond like this issue is the first time it’s ever happened to us?  Why are we so damned surprised – like this should never be happening to “us”?

The answer is CONTEXT!  

Yes, context.  Context in the way that we hold that issue or problem.  The context that that issue has in our lives and it’s relativity to other things causes all the heart ache, drama and suffering.

The reality is we have issues every day and we get through them.  

How do we know that?  Well you’re here aren’t you?  You’ve solved a zillion issues and challenges so far right?  And….you’re about to do it again.  In fact, every time there is an issue in your life…who’s always the person there….yes….you!  And every time your issues get solved, who’s always the person there?  Yes, you!

Issues and challenges cause us to suffer because we look at them like issues and daunting problems.  We believe in that moment that they have more power over us, than we have over them.  But it’s not true!

What if we changed the context of our issues and saw them as a part of life that gave us the opportunity to solve things, grow, be creative, find answers, discover, invent, and find outrageous out of the ordinary solutions!  That …could even be fun, right?

So problems have a CONTEXT.  When the context is bad, wrong or we don’t want it…it causes suffering.  When the context is turned around into another view…we gain insight, growth, momentum and solutions.

Let’s face it, this is the LEARNING PLANET.  

Nobody takes the ride of life without issues, challenges and great problems to solve. In the interest of being powerful with our problems, lets call them growth opportunities and when it’s all going to shit, lets turn it into SHIFT!  Ok how do we do that?

Let’s take money issues as an example.  

If you keep having the same money issues over and over, then likely the “SHIFT” is knocking to come in!  Repeating patterns are a sign….IT”S TIME TO ANSWER THE DOOR!

When you answer the door of new opportunity, look at it from many views.  

• Is this door a new avenue?  

• Is it a new opportunity?  

• Is there a partnership opportunity here?  

• How about an alliance?  

• How about a new coach or mentor needed?  

• How about a finance solution from a banker?  

• How about a meditation trip that takes you to a whole other view point?  

• How about a good chat with a mentor?  

• How about a mind map?  

• How about a focus group?  

• How about a team solution meeting? 

• How about a great BRAINSTORMING SESSION to sift through all the possibilities.

Your issues and problems show up for a reason.  

They call you to be bigger, to think bigger and to act bigger than you ever have before.  They request a sense of intuition, creativity and vision, to come into play.  They often force you to face your fears and get off the comfy chair.  They push you into greatness and they often require blind faith.

Did you ever notice that when you are taking definitive action and you’re getting new results it’s really fun!  Did you notice that when you play a big game, you may make a few mistakes along the way but it’s super exciting?  Did you ever notice that people in general are blaze and boring doing the same old stuff and super passionate when they are out there on the edge of their game?  

Why is that?

It’s because life is about solving problems, playing bigger games and creating a whole new set of results.  When that’s the context for your issues, that’s when SHIFT HAPPENS.  In the process of creative problem solving, you get wildly excited, you get moved by passion and you get momentum in your results.

Issues are your portal to greatness.  

So all I can say is….LET THE SHIFT HIT THE FAN!

transformwithtina.com

Transforming Loss into Creation

by Debra Reble -

Despite the pain it elicits, loss teaches us about the delicate balance, intensity, and richness of life. We cannot experience the pain of loss without first having experienced the joys associated with what has been lost. 

In the movie Shadowlands, poet Joy Gresham, in speaking about her impending death to author C. S. Lewis, expresses,

“The greater the love, the deeper the sorrow and the longer it will take to work through it. That’s the deal.” 

The heartbreak that wounds us most deeply eventually leads us to greater enlightenment, blessing our lives with a more spiritual depth of life.

As I deal with my dear friend’s untimely death this week, I feel a both a great love and a deep sorrow in my heart. However, that was the “deal” when I consciously entered into a pure loving partnership with her here on earth. 

Through our soul connection, I am reminded that our relationship transcends the physical level and energetically resides in the sacred space of soul and in me to transform my pain and loss into creation.

I can best love, honor and respect our connection by transforming my grief into creation. 

Moreover, I can channel the energy unleashed by her death putting her powerful light to positive use. One way is to let that energy as love pour out to those I love, whose friendships I cherish and to the betterment of humanity.

Acknowledging the positive side to loss doesn’t numb its pain for it is the pain itself that opens you to deeper love, trust and spiritual healing. 

The pain lets you know to take precious care of yourself, to sit with your feelings and release them fully before you just move on.

Time may ease the pain of loss, but it is being fully present with your heartache, rather than avoiding it, that is what self-healing is about and our path to transformation. 

Open Yourself

Be gentle, kind and open yourself to transforming your emotional release into a positive, creative force for a higher good. 

You will see that when you emerge on the other side of your pain, you are stronger and lighter for all you have experienced.

Transforming our losses into creation allows us to let go of the past, better appreciate the present and harness light energy to ride the crest of the tsunami in our consciousness toward a more positive future.

It opens us to embrace our natural life cycles, accepting life as a series of births, deaths and transitions that lead to personal transformation. 

It asks the question: “How will we live?” 

Embracing our losses permits us to face and experience the other side of grief, which is unconditional love and trust of ourselves.

The surge of light force energy emanating from this pure love and trust empowers us to let go and transcend emotional pain and create a monumental shift in our lives.

debrareble.com

Caught in the Perfection Trap?

by Claudette Rowley - 

Are you a perfectionist? 

Here's permission to stop pursuing perfection. Perfectionism is impossible. We're all imperfect. Perfectionism leaves a trail of wreckage on our psyches, careers, families and entire self-perceptions. 

Are you thinking, 

• Why should I change this? 
• What's wrong with striving for perfection? 
• Isn't it the best course of action?

Here's the perfectionism problem: 

Perfectionism pushes us to chase the unattainable. Then we chastise ourselves for never achieving our visions of perfection - sparking a cycle of self- sabotage and procrastination.

Along the way, we miss potential opportunities. It's hard to see clearly when we're focused on being perfect.

Perfectionism muffles our ability to hear our true dreams and desires.

Listening to our inner selves is critical to discovering life purpose, determining career moves and discerning feelings about the relationships in our lives.

Wondering if you're seeking perfection? 

These signals may say you are.

You:

• Find yourself procrastinating.

• Don't follow through on commitments.

• Feel stuck (feeling stuck covers a lot of territory, but can signal that perfectionism is an obstacle).

• Are unable to come up with a "good" idea.

• Are challenged to take action.

• Beat yourself up for a "transgression," based on someone else's comment or something only you have noticed.

• Have difficulty accepting compliments or giving yourself credit for your accomplishments.

• Make decisions based on fear or guilt.

Oh sure, there are moments that feel perfect, often known as peak experiences.

At these times, we're at our best, "in the zone," experiencing peace or amazement as our labors bear fruit. Perfectionism and a perfect moment are different. 

Peak moments and experiences are not born of fear.

They result from passion, joy, perseverance and a strong belief in yourself. Perfectionism, meanwhile, roots itself in the basic belief that we're never good enough.

Perfectionism holds us back with a fear that we are inadequate, not enough and somehow so flawed that we must reach for more.

Fear cracks its whip and we call back,

• How high should I jump? 
• Just tell me what to do and I'll do it.

Don't confuse perfectionism with excellence. 

Pursuing excellence includes an understanding that taking actions may also mean losing, failing and generally messing up. People who excel (versus those who strive for perfection) accept that they will make mistakes - and they learn from them. 

They'll examine a mistake objectively and ask themselves, "What could I do differently or better next time?"

Perfectionism can be subtle. It's often ironic - the quest for perfection makes us less perfect.

We hold back and get less of what we want. True - sometimes we make fewer mistakes but these fewer mistakes come at a great cost. Isn't holding ourselves back from doing and saying what we want the biggest mistake of all?

So starting today, let's vow to give up the pursuit of perfection. 

We're imperfect - always have been and always will be. 

Life is messy - always has been and always will be. 

So... Go have fun, do what you want, be yourself. Really. What have you got to lose?

A savvy resource: Taming Your Gremlin" by Richard Carson. This book is a classic and incredibly useful. The "gremlin" is the inner critic voice in your mind that fuels perfectionism. This book gives you tools and strategies for "taming" your negative self-talk. 

About Author: Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionals identify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781.538.6616. Sign up for her free newsletter "Insights for the Savvy" at metavoice.org.

metavoice.org

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