We are just about to celebrate Earth Day. What will you do to celebrate this magnificent home 🌍 of ours?
Every spring, I commit to ONE eco-activity to help me be a greener person.
How about you?
Here are a few easy ideas:
I admit it. We think the idea of life is to NOT have any problems.
But seriously, when has that ever been true for you?
There's always something, right?
So what do we do about this?
First (of course) we have to get past the feelings of “ugh, I don’t want this problem! I’ll just pretend I don’t have it, ignore it, push it away…
Then we have to acknowledge that the problem is lingering at the edges of our awareness, pressing in on us.
And finally make the decision to deal with it.
That’s when the fun really starts!
Giving up something for Lent?
The other day I heard someone tell me they were giving up judgment for Lent and I thought, now that is a great idea!
If you think about it, we can reframe Lent, and it really is like a 40-day challenge.
Right?
Let’s use this time, in between winter and the beginning of spring, as a way to shed something old, something that no longer works for us.
Have you ever had the experience that no matter how hard you work at something, you just don't seem to move the needle?
Yeah?
Maybe you're trying to have a breakthrough with work or school. Or striving to get to the next level with your art or sport. Maybe it's a block that simply feels insurmountable.
We've ALL been there - so rest assured, you are NOT alone.
The question is, what will help you finally have the breakthrough?
If you’re like me and want to start 2021 off right, here’s one of my favorite tools for launching the year with intention, guidance and inquiry - vision boards.
But this year I have a twist-
I created a new thing- a Soul Vision Board!!!!!
Did you download the free pdf? If not, you can right here. Or watch this quick video of me explaining a vision board on TV a few years ago, too!
Making vision boards is one of my family’s New Year’s Eve traditions. The fireplace is roaring, the Christmas lights (and music) are blasting, and I’m typically on the rug, ripping, cutting and gluing, making a giant mess!
Curiosity sometimes gets a bad wrap. You know that adage about it killing the cat.
It turns out, however, that curiosity boosts survival, happiness, learning, empathy, and more. It’s also considered a vital 21st century skill. Recent neuroscience studies have also shown that curiosity acts as both a primer to learning as well as making the learning more satisfying.
And let’s face it, a key way we’re going to get through this pandemic is, to quote Steve Jobs, “think different.” That requires curiosity.
I know you are a kind, compassionate person. You care about others and want only good for them. But these are hard times. And it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.
So what do we do when we fall into sacrifice or feel compassion fatigue?
Humans are actually hardwired to be compassionate. Neuroscience is proving it!
The anterior cingulate region of our frontal cortex lights up when we experience pain and it’s also activated when we see someone else experience pain!
Our amygdala, the part of the brain that warns us of potential threat is alerted when someone else is hurt. Makes sense, right?
I know you use affirmations - because as my friend Wioletta is always reminding me- we are powerful manifestors!
And the best, easiest, most focused way to do that is with affirmation, right!?!
Right!
A few years ago, I stumbled on this incredible format for writing affirmations in an Ernest Holmes book. If you are not familiar with him, he is a new thought leader and the founder of religious science, also known as science of mind.
I hope your seatbelt is buckled tightly, because this wild ride doesn't seem anywhere near finished yet! 😮
Which is why we need all the support we can get right now, yes?
Here's another tool for you - a breath to help release anxiety.
The breath is SUCH a powerful tool to bring us back to the moment, ground us in our bodies, and quiet the mind.
If we can remember, we can use the breath ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. It is ALWAYS available to you!
Wondering where you might be on your spiritual journey?
This might help.
It's a cool tool I recently stumbled on - The 4 Stages of Spiritual Development- outlined by Michael Bernard Beckwith, the founder of the Agape Ministry in Los Angeles. He is also a prolific writer, speaker and profound spiritual thinker.
Between the Covid-19 crisis and the Black Lives Matter protests, we are being called to recognize the pain and suffering people have been experiencing. And we are being asked do something about it, individually and collectively.
One way is by making the unconscious conscious.
This can be done for our own selves as well as for the larger society - as we acknowledge institutionalized racism and bigotry.
Finding yourself struggling with grief?
We all are. It’s collective, from this corona virus.
We're mourning the way we once lived – attending events, visiting friends, traveling, going into the office...
And we know that whatever happens next, WILL be different.
In addition to the weight of collective grief, many of us have had personal tragedies too. Loss of a loved one, a job, financial security…
So how do we manage this pain?
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ stages of grief can help. They are:
Resilience was a hot word when I was in social work school.
We often pondered why some people were capable of weathering all kinds of hardships and others were not.
Was resilience an intrinsic skill or something we could actually teach?
What about you? How is your resilience?
Take an inventory of your life right now. How are you holding up?
Could you use a few tips?
Resilience, like most things, is a muscle that benefits from strengthening.