Create Positive Outcome
Create positive outcome by expecting positive outcome. You already know that if you continuously repeat negative thoughts in your mind about a situation, then you increase the likelihood of actualizing those very negative thoughts you fear.
Your mind creates your reality. Not in a vague way, but in a real and absolute way. Let me say that again, your mind creates your reality.
Your body trusts your mind and will follow it. So as you say “I always get a cold in November,” your body complies regardless of circumstance. In fact, your body will create circumstances ever appearing to be spontaneous to support your thoughts and words and intentions. So if you have spent your life confirming that you always get a cold in November and this year by Thanksgiving you have not yet gotten a cold, your body will mysteriously, yet reliably sit next to the one person at the table who is sick and will be quite pleased with itself as it fulfills the declarations of the mind. And then you can announce to yourself on that last Sunday in November with your best Eeyore voice, “See, it always happens.”
Instead of the loss and grief of creating a reality of your negative projections and mindless internal chatter, what if you switch gears and create positive outcome by expecting positive outcome. Tell yourself everyday in every way that you have exactly the outcome you desire, exactly the life want, exactly the challenges that best serve you, exactly the things you need.
I can assure you one of two things will happen. One, you will begin to see your life differently. You will begin to recognize all of the places and times and situations it goes well for you. You will begin to imagine that what you have really is what you want.
Two, your life will actually change inexplicably and you will find yourself in new situations and circumstances that draw into your life exactly what you want. Most likely a combination of these two possibilities will occur and forces within you and forces outside of you will coincide to fulfill your intentions and pronouncements.
Enjoy the tremendous benefits and experiences from the bounty of creating positive outcome by expecting positive outcome.
The Cat [video]
Here is an important reminder to stay amused even when you are building a meditation practice.
(Especially when you are building a meditation practice!)
It is only 16 seconds…
Enjoy
xo,
Kathleen
Easy Way to Start Meditating [video]
Here is a quick and easy way to start meditating every day.
You can do it!
Enjoy!
xo
Kathleen
3 tips for keeping your boundaries
Every day we are bombarded with a staggering amount of information, pressures and demands. Keeping your boundaries is key to staying grounded and centered.
Here are three quick tips to help you do this.
1. Say No
No to taking on that additional task that you do not have time to do.
No to trying to make sure everything is perfectly perfect.
No to unnecessary meetings.
2. Five Minute Meditation
Nothing says “I am holding my boundaries now” quite like taking time out to give yourself a much needed break. It will refresh you and revitalize it. It is a good way to clear your head and keep your space.
Stop. Sit. Set your cell phone timer for 5 minutes. Close your eyes. Breathe.
3. Have compassion for yourself
Let go of the guilt for saying no or not getting everything done.
Acknowledge and congratulate yourself for what you have accomplished!
Appreciate how amazing and vibrant you are!
Use these simple ideas to hold your space and keep your boundaries. You will have more time and energy for what is truly important to you.
xo,
Kathleen
Finding every opportunity
One afternoon during our spring break I was sitting with a cup of tea on the couch next to my three daughters. They were all reading books and with a couple of blankets over us, and we were snuggled and packed together.
One of the girls suggested I get a book too
But I realized that I did not want to pass up the opportunity to be present and relish this delicious moment.
“No thanks, ” I told her. “I’m just going to sit here and meditate.”
As I sat in meditation with the girls pressed in around me I simply delighted in the quietness and the sweetness of the moment.
There was truly no need to do anything.
It was a reminder to me that meditation practice does not exist just sitting on a zafu cushion.
Meditation can be right in front of you at any moment of the day. All you have to do is recognize it and take the opportunity when it comes.
You can incorporate meditation through movement, mindfulness and awareness throughout your day in many different ways.
When you notice the chance, take it and enjoy it!
xo,
Kathleen
Wizard of Oz
Last week my friend Rachel and I were in charge of over 130 costumes for two performances of the school play, The Wizard of Oz. We spent five months making the costumes and now the time had come for the shows!
I unloaded my minivan of bags and boxes and costumes and accessories and shoes and makeup and props through the back stage door.
The hum, excitement and anticipation of the upcoming day surged upon me like lightning.
As I parked my van and walked back towards the theater, I had a moment of feeling completely overwhelmed.
There was still much to do in preparation for our first show. The children were thrilled, delighted and way too loud for me at just that moment.
I paused and was unable to go inside the door where I knew I was going to be met with questions, demands and jitters from the young actors.
My first thought, “I’ve got to take a Five Minute Meditation break.”
My second thought, “No, that is too long to be gone during this hectic time.”
My third thought, “It will be fine to be gone for 5 minutes.”
My fourth thought, “Rachel needs me now more than ever.”
My fifth thought, “The best thing I can do for her is get myself grounded and fully present for the day.”
My sixth thought, “There is no way a Five Minute Meditation is going to make a difference.”
My seventh thought, “Kathleen, are you kidding?? This is what you tell people to do all the time.
You tell them the busier you are, the more important it is to take a quick break. Five minutes seems like it will not make a difference, but it does.
Stop complaining and stalling and go sit down for a Five Minute Meditation!”
My eighth thought, “OK! I’ll do it!”
I went to the back of my minivan, sat down, set my cell phone timer for five minutes, closed my eyes, and took a luscious, deep, calming breath.
Ahhhh…
Five minutes later the timer went off and I was ready.
And amazed at the complete transformation the Five Minute Meditation brought to me (again!)
When I got back stage to the costume dressing room, I was grounded and calm. Rachel and I were able to completely support each other for the entire day.
The children were wonderful and the shows went on with delightful success.
I know I’ve said it before, but that Five Minute Meditation works! Especially when you need it most.
Believe it. Trust it. Try it today. And let me know how it goes.
xo,
Kathleen
Deep, clear, easy
The more often you trust yourself, the deeper that trust becomes.
The more frequently you follow your intuition, the more clear your intuition becomes.
The more you meditate, the easier it becomes.
That’s all.
Take loving care and have compassion for yourself
With much love and light,
Kathleen
Get It When You Need It Most
Good Luck Favors The Prepared
Good luck favors the prepared.
Surely you have heard this saying before. Well it also holds true for intuition.
The ability to follow your intuition will be more favorable if you are prepared.
How can you prepare yourself for intuition?? Isn’t intuition something that just pops up randomly?
Actually, intuition can seem to appear out of nowhere, much like Good Luck.
But in fact there are things you can do to increase the likelihood of it showing up for you when you need it most.
Listen
First, listen to your intuition. (I know this sounds obvious.) In order to follow it, you have to hear it first.
Sometimes your intuition will be a small voice, other times it will be a booming warning sound.
Either way, first listen to it. Acknowledge it. Recognize it.
Trust
Second, trust it. When you hear that intuitive voice inside, there may be a hesitation to trust it.
A slight second guessing within yourself. That’s ok.
Just notice that you have a little tentativeness and move past it. Take a moment to trust your intuition.
If you do that, you build the trust within yourself more readily for the next time.
You are more prepared.
Follow
Third, follow it. Do the thing that is nudging inside of you. Take action and make it happen.
Each time you follow your intuition, it is like working a muscle that gets stronger.
Your intuition increases every time you use it. You are more prepared for it and it will show up for you more frequently, more easily and more favorably.
Every Day
What else can you do to increase your intuition?
Meditate every day. Daily meditation gets you in the habit of taking time to listen deeply to yourself and tapping into your inner wisdom.
Daily meditation cultivates intuition.
Good luck favors the prepared. Deep intuition favors the prepared.
Next time you hear that nudge, little voice or feel that gut instinct, follow it. You will be so glad you did.
Enjoy,
Kathleen
If you like it, share it. Thanks. xo
Going from crazy hectic to calm and still
Transition Into Stillness
In the Women’s Intuition class that I teach on Friday mornings, we always start and finish with a silent 5 Minute Meditation. There are a few reasons for this. The first 5 Minute Meditation is to make a simple and easy silent transition from the busy crazy hectic demands that occurred first thing in the morning on the way to class. It could be traffic, getting kids out the door, early morning meetings, email, conversations or errands. Any thing that happened before the class begins can be a distraction.
And, of course, that is the reality of life. Anything can become a distraction to our meditation and to listening to our intuition. That is the beauty of the first 5 Minute Meditation. Just a short meditation to make a transition into stillness.
So students want to know, “Is there anything I should do during this 5 Minute Meditation?” Nope. Just sit there. “Should I try to clear out all the noise in my head?” No. Just sit and let it all ramble on as much as it wants. Just sit.
Signal To The Body
This transition is a signal to the body that it is time to slow things down. Breathe. Start to settle into a quiet place. After that first 5 Minute Meditation, the class is ready to continue as we learn and practice how to listen deeply to our intuition. Because we took a moment to pause, to stop, to transition towards stillness, now we can better hear our profound inner wisdom.
At the end of our guided meditations, intuitive skills, healing exercises, sharing and learning we finish with another 5 Minute Meditation. This time our rambunctious chatter is gone. We gave it time to make a lot of noise and be wild at the beginning and now it has calmed down.
The 5 Minute Meditation at the end of the class is a time to settle in more deeply. Sometimes it is a time for reflection of the work we did together, sometimes it is a chance to just take the stillness we experienced earlier in the class to a little bit deeper place. Either way, it is quiet and easy and refreshing. And now we are ready for the rest of the adventures in the day ahead.
Powerful Tool
The 5 Minute Meditation is a powerful tool. Explore how it can be utilized for different types of meditation. Transition, stillness, deepening. Or just a break in the middle of the day. Try it out and let me know how it goes.
xo,
Kathleen
Monkey Mind and Distractions in Meditation
What to do when Monkey Mind and distractions arise during meditation.
Monkey Mind is that endless chatter that sends you round and round with thoughts that go nowhere.You know what I am talking about:
~I have seriously got to make that dentist appointment…
~Remember to pick up apples, milk and yogurt at Trader Joe’s on the way home…
~Hmmm, maybe if I moved the couch to the other side of the room and put the two chairs…
It can go on and on and on. There is no use trying to stop Monkey Mind, it will only escalate.
Instead see if one of these ideas helps you.
3 Tips You Can Try With Monkey Mind
1. Focus on your breath. When you feel the distractions interrupting your quietness, gently return your awareness back to your breath. No need to change how you are breathing, just take a moment to notice it.
Breathe in…breathe out. Repeat.
2. Imagine your mind to be like a river and each thought that comes up can become a fallen leaf that flows down the river. When a new distracting thought comes into your mind, allow it to become another leaf gently moving down the river, away from your place of stillness. As you practice this, don’t try to force the thoughts to leave, just guide them towards the ever flowing river.
3. Do nothing. Yup, that’s right. Do nothing. Eventually, the thoughts may just spin out and quiet down. Allowing them ramble on a while is a great way to practice letting go of having control of everything that comes up in life. Just sit there and do nothing.
Don’t fight it.
The key thing is to not try to fight it. Distractions are part of life and Monkey Mind is part of any meditation practice. Remember to be compassionate with yourself and your practice.
Daily meditation means that sometimes stillness comes to you right away and other times not at all. Just be present for it and keep at it.
Enjoy,
Kathleen
Do you see the humor in this?
Eventually it will be funny.
There are so many laughable things that happen during life.
Of course they may not be humorous at the time, but eventually they are funny.
I remember my father as a jovial man and raising 10 kids could not be an easy task. (Yup, that’s right, I’m from a family of ten kids. I’m the eighth one.) Although he had to often be stern and serious, you could see under it all he had a twinkle in his eye.
He used to whistle around the house when he came home from work.
Sometimes when one of us got in trouble, he would ask us, “Do you see the humor in this?” Although technically we were supposed to be getting scolded, I always felt as if he, in fact, did see the humor in the situation.
Once when I was a teenager, I snuck out of the house to hang out with a friend. Not much happened. She was a neighbor girl and we ended up just walking around the block a couple of times before we got bored and both went home.
When I came back, I climbed onto the roof to sneak into my bedroom window. But getting up to the window, I found it locked! What? I was in disbelief. How could the window be locked? Did it latch itself when I closed it? No, I was careful to leave it slightly open. Perplexed, my mind raced to figure out how I was going to get back into the locked house.
That is when I heard my dad coming around the corner. “What are you doing up there young lady?!” he bellowed.
No, this can’t be! I was SO busted.
“Get down here right now!” Clearly he heard me sneak out and locked the window before I could get back in undetected.
Shaking like a leaf, I climbed down the roof and with my head hung low, marched into the house. As I made my way up to my room, my father said, “Your punishment will be given to you in the morning.” Then he went into his room and closed the door.
No way. I was tormented imagining all the possible punishments that awaited me. Oh, what a long night this was going to be.
In my bed staring up at the ceiling, the entire house was quiet except for one sound. My dad laughing in the other room.
What? I was incredulous! This was not fair that my suffering was such a source of amusement to him.
But you see, after raising so many kids, this little episode was actually no big deal compared to the antics and trouble he had already seen. I am sure the look on my face and the sharp shocked intake of breath when I realized I had been caught had been very amusing indeed to my dad.
The next morning my punishment was given. To tell you the truth I can’t even remember what it was, but knowing my parents it was probably extra work around the house for a week. I felt embarrassed for my stupidity and kept a low profile for a while.
For years I cringed when I recalled that stomach dropping sensation of getting caught.
And then, of course, one day it was funny.
Long after having moved out, I was sitting around one night with my brothers recalling the various times we had gotten in trouble and how dad always pretended to be more mad than he actually was. We all started laughing at my incident and I could finally see the humor in it.
What seemed like such a big deal at the time turned out to be quite amusing later.
Now it’s my motto and I remind myself as often as necessary: eventually it will be funny.
Feeling like something is just too much right now? Give it some time and you never know, it just might be a delightful source of amusement to you later.
Remember to not take life too seriously and to not take yourself too seriously.
xo,
Kathleen
44 ways that daily meditation helps you
Daily Meditation helps you…
1. respond to situations instead of reacting to situations
2. get grounded
3. be more centered
4. increase your confidence
5. make decisions more easily
6. carry out decisions
7. express your true nature
8. connect to your own genuine opinions
9. have the courage to speak your truth
10. increase your peace inside
11. become deeply settled
12. be less wavering and simultaneously more flexible
13. be open to new ideas and new ways of seeing things
14. create the opening for innovation
15. allow new ideas to percolate and expand
16. cultivate a neutral mindset
17. increase productivity
18. be deeply connected to your integrity and personal power
19. make your mark on the world
20. be more mindful
21. retain and increase your internal calm
22. reduce anxiety
23. bolster your inner brilliance
24. bring ease in your life
25. reinforce your will power
26. have a template to create what you want in your life
27. get into “the zone” that allows you to do your best work
28. with difficulties, pain, grief and distress
29. get through the darkest storms of life
30. be more gracious
31. transform your health and well being
32. tap into a place of being able to thrive
33. access that place of courage
34. be less fearful of the unknown
35. increase the capability to make changes easier
36. experience a greater place of acceptance
37. have a chance to catch your breath
38. tap into your inner wisdom
39. cultivate your intuition
40. form a greater sense of being solid and secure
41. on your path to mastery
42. with the chance to be more open to love
43. become increasingly generous of spirit
44. become more patient
pretty good, huh? Meditate Every Day
xo,
Kathleen
44 ways daily meditation helps you
How to keep from falling asleep during meditation
Falling asleep during meditation?
Here are 3 ideas to help you out with that.
1. Meditate first thing in the morning, the earlier the better. Maybe even try 4:30 in the morning. This sounds rough going, but you will be surprised at how quickly you get used to it and in fact begin to love it. At this time of the morning, there are no phone calls, texts, emails to answer. No delivery packages to sign, no errands to run. Just sit. I like to make tea first and bring the hot cup into my office where I meditate. Once you get used to it, you are going to be delighted with this meditation time.
2. If you are falling asleep during meditation, you may be overly tired. Get more sleep. Go to bed earlier. Turn off the TV and the computer. Put down the book, the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook. Turn out the light and relish the sound your head makes as it hits that soft pillow. Ahhh.
Sometimes you might find that you can’t fall asleep at night, tossing and turning. Or that you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, subsequently creating a cycle of not enough sleep. I have a perfect remedy for that…get out of your bed and meditate. Trust me, you will fall asleep soon enough!
3. Make sure that the room where you are sitting is not too warm. There is nothing like a warm cozy room to persuade the body to fall into a slumber. Find the right temperature that allows you to be comfortable, but not so much that you want to nap.
Let me know how it goes and feel free to share if you have some tips or ideas that work for you.
Xo,
Kathleen
How to enjoy your meditation
Learn to let go
When you feel you are struggling with meditation, let go of your expectations of what it should be.
Often we may have an idea of what meditation should feel like. We can start to think that we are not doing it the right way. I know, I’ve had plenty of times when I thought I was doing it wrong.
But over the years I’ve realized that daily meditation practice is exceptionally personal. Your meditation is yours. No one else’s. Do it for yourself.
This is just for you
You have your reasons for meditating every day. Maybe it is for increased health and well being. Maybe it is part of your spiritual practice. Maybe you just want a break from the demands and distractions of the noisy world.
What ever your reason, it is your personal preference and your personal journey. That is one of the things I love about mediation. It’s just you and your practice.
So really, really let go of other peoples expectations of how it should be. Let go of even your own expectations.
Enjoy
When you let go of expectations, you can begin to settle deeply into a sense of ease. The pressure is gone and you are free to enjoy the benefits that brought you to meditation in the first place.
Stop. Sit. Breathe. Enjoy.
Best blessings,
Kathleen
Beware the one arm pirate!
Having spent years training in Aikido, it is inevitable that injuries occur. And when they do I am amazed by the story and lessons I get to learn.
For the last few months I have been nurturing a rather severe injury in my shoulder. It has limited my range of motion considerably as well as being a source of near continuous pain. The result is that I am not able to move as freely as usual and I am a bit cranky at times.
In our dojo, it is up to the injured person to decide the level of training that is safest and the partners agree to abide by those restrictions. Recently I got on the mat with my right shoulder wrapped tightly to my body to keep it immobilized and safe. On the surface it looked like I was unable to do much in the way of self defense.
Yet something interesting happened. Each person that I trained with discovered that I was not helpless, and in fact my throws were exceptionally potent from my one good side. It was a revelation and delight to be able to train both extra carefully and fully engaged.
One training partner after another came in with strikes, grabs and punches and I was able to manage them all with considerable and surprising ease. In the middle of throwing one of the young guys vigorously across the mat, someone called out playfully, “Beware the one arm pirate.”
So how does it happen that even in pain and with one arm strapped to my side unable to move, I can still throw a guy twice my size clear across the room?
Well, here is the thing. When we are injured we compensate for it in other ways. This situation forced me to rely on other skills, like clarity of my footwork, speed and agility. It also required that I place no effort into strength. Even on my best days, all of these guys are significantly stronger than I am. No, instead I had to look for the opening, the opportunity, the moment their balanced was compromised and then move in swiftly.
My job was to move carefully but confidently, trusting what I have learned through years of training on the mat, years of falling down and getting up, years of being thrown across the room and figuring out how to do that with safety and elegance.
In an odd way, my injury provided me with a shiny moment of triumph. Which quite frankly, I accept and enjoy because the rest of the time it has been just pain and physical therapy and loss of movement. And none of those things feel very good.
So here is my question for you to think about, to ponder, to consider.
How can your injuries, that place where you feel vulnerable or pain, cause you to have an advantage?
Where in your life does it look like all odds are against you, but when you reach inside to your years of strength and skill and life’s victories, you find you have an over flowing well of personal power?
Find it, tap into it.
And enjoy it.
Best blessings to you,
Kathleen
Trust Your Self
Trust yourself.
Far more than you realize, you have the ability to know exactly what to do in any given situation by listening to your intuition. It will guide you to the answer that is best for you.
Your intuition is a powerful tool that you can call upon at any time. Maybe your intuition is a little bit rusty from being out of use. Maybe it’s a little bit dull from neglect.
That’s ok – it’s easy to get your intuition back into shape and tip top form. How do you do that? Here are 3 simple ways:
1. Each time you hear that small voice inside of you, whispering with insight, take a moment to acknowledge it. By this small act of acknowledging your inner truth, it can begin to increase and become easier to recognize.
2. Take time out of your busy day to sit quietly and listen to yourself. Even a daily 5 Minute Meditation will allow you to hear your deepest self more readily.
3. Take a walk. Walking, without cell phone and music, is a way to relax the mind and allow your deep intuition and gut instincts to bubble up to the surface where you can recognize them easily.
So next time you are wondering what to do in a situation, tap into your intuition for guidance and trust yourself.
Xo,
Kathleen
Take Time For Yourself
Take time for yourself.
Today’s life is busier than ever and way too many people are making demands on you.
Agendas, to do lists, meetings, phone calls, emails and mandatory this-and-that.
With the pressure rising to be more and do more,
take time for yourself and just stop the madness – even if only briefly.
What can you do?
5 Minute Meditation
You’ve heard me talking about this one lots of times.
Try the 5 Minute Meditation today – it is so easy.
Go Take A Hike
Walk, jog, run, skip, hike, skate, bike.
Get outside and enjoy being in nature.
Shake It Up!
Put on some music and dance and get movin’ and groovin’ in a way that makes you happy.
Pop Pop Popcorn
Make a big bowl of popcorn and curl up to a good movie or book
Sit back and relax.
Maybe you’ve got other another idea of how to find time for yourself – whatever it is,
do it and you will be rejuvenated and ready to bring your best into the world again!
Enjoy.
Xo,
Kathleen
I Ran Away And Joined The Circus!
I ran away and joined the circus!
At the point where so much of my day was routine errands and a long list of tasks needed to be completed, my creative work had become a chore instead of a joy and I seriously needed to shake things up a bit.
Every summer when school gets out, the kids can go to camp for fun-in-the-sun and hours of playtime. This year I decide that when school finished, I was going to camp. So I packed my bags and said “See ya’ later kids, Mom is running away to join the circus!”
I don’t know who was more surprised, my children or my husband!
Actually I had been trying to convince the kids for weeks to go to circus camp because it looked like so much fun. Finally they said that I should go since I was the one so excited about it – so I did!
When I arrived at circus camp eager for a change from my daily routine, it was a delight to discover exciting new chances to learn circus tricks, multitudes of costume changes and a week of continuous fun, games and laughter.
Of course I played merrily, but I also knew how important it was to take my experience home and apply it to everyday life.
Here is what I learned:
Say Yes
Having always seen stilt walkers in parades, I felt that this was something completely out of my reach (quite literally) and would never be able to accomplish such a marvelous skill. It looked dangerous and terrifying. But I was determined to give it a try. I got up on the stilts clutching the instructor’s hand and thought, “There is no way I’m ever going to do this by myself.”
But soon enough, after a few tips and a half hour of practice, I was on my own – stilt walking and marching with astonishing ease. I can not believe the thing that seemed impossible to me for years was so easy after all.
Say YES!
Maybe there is something seemingly difficult, even impossible – say YES to it, give it a try and it very well may be much easier than you thought.
Another YES – The flying trapeze! Sure it was going to be scary, but no matter what else I did this week, the flying trapeze was absolutely required on my adventure list. It was exhilarating performing tricks upside down flying through the air!
There is power and thrill when you go way beyond your comfort zone.
Say YES!
Get Dirty
Part of trying new things is taking the chance of looking goofy or stupid. Not having it all together and polished. A great way to practice this state of glorious imperfection is to get dirty. After all, being dirty is the opposite of being polished. It’s hard to take yourself too seriously when you are dirty and you certainly can’t stay clean if you are going to play hard and have new adventures.
Since the entire circus camp was outdoors, there was plenty of opportunity to get dirty, messy and scruffy. Add clown make-up, arts and crafts, river games and sleeping in a meadow – I was ready for a serious scrub down when I was done!
Laugh
Duh! (It’s circus camp after all!)
Everything feels better, looks better, tastes better when you laugh! I met new friends and we laughed, chuckled, giggled, hooted, chortled, cackled, guffawed hysterically and endlessly. Often over nothing at all except the sheer pleasure of being alive.
Laugh aloud right now – even if it is goofy – you will amuse yourself just doing it.
So if you want to shake things up and get out of the ordinary, grab some vim and verve, say YES, get dirty, laugh a lot and you’ve got circus!
Enjoy, enjoy!
xo,
Kathleen
Keep Calm and Carry On
Keep Calm and Carry On
Every time I see that quote I imagine the Queen sitting quite properly on her throne while the citizens in her country are surrounded by chaos. I always chuckle at the incongruity of that picture in my mind, thinking that this idea of Keep Calm and Carry On is based on complete denial of reality.
Until today.
I recently had a situation that caused immediate and overwhelming distress. It turned out to be no big deal in the end, but it was a real moment of upset. Have you ever had one of those? Things are going along just fine and then some unexpected twist in a scenario or a rather unfavorable bit of news comes your way. The emotions rise, tempers flare, panic sets in and things suddenly seem out of proportion and unmanageable.
Well today my first impulse went to panic, frustration, irritation and annoyance. I could hear myself saying “Keep Calm Kathleen” and “Breathe” – all of those things that I normally count on to help me stay in the moment.
As I started to get up to take action, I heard my inner voice say, “Be Careful.” I have heard this voice before and am acutely aware that its time to settle down.
So I walked away and gave myself some time to cool off. Yes, breathe. Already it feels better. I reminded myself to Keep Calm. A moment to reassess the situation.
And the then, Carry On. The act of continuing my work that was initially at hand was key to changing this highly charged disagreement into a peaceful settlement.
By doing the “carry on” part of my day I was actually able to give myself and the situation space and time to let my creative subconscious begin to work out a solution to the dispute. It was not a denial of reality, but rather a chance for new ideas to percolate into a resolution. With relative ease and efficiency I saw my way through the heat of the confrontation.
When we gathered together later, I chose my words with care, finding out what each person needed and offered up options to everyone. At the end of the exchange, all the parties had most of what they wanted and were able to see the situation from the view of the others.
Whew, that was close. What could have been a wreck of relationships turned out just fine with each person going away feeling satisfied.
So what were the turning points?
Keep Calm – walking, breathing and taking a moment to pause.
Carry On – complete the work at hand to let the situation settle and allow the opportunity to generate a solution.
Hmmm, maybe the Queen is right after all!
When you find yourself in the heat of the moment, try it out. Keep Calm and Carry On – see if it works for you.
Xo,
Kathleen