You know that feeling of using your intuition in a situation and having it work out beautifully
Do you wish you could create that experience any time you needed a solution or direction?
Well, with practice you can! The steps to accessing your intuition are simple and easy. The key is to use them over and over again so you get comfortable with your natural ability to access your intuition.
Step One. Listen.
Take time to listen to your intuition with daily meditation. It can be a sitting meditation or a moving meditation. Having a time each day that you put aside to listen quietly to your deepest self is the lifeline of accessing you intuition.
Step Two. Trust.
Once you have heard that inner voice of wisdom, felt that gut instinct, sensed a intuitive nudge – it is time to trust it. Trust yourself. Sometimes this is taking a big deep breath and giving yourself permission to proceed. Sometimes it can be as simple as affirming to yourself, “I trust my intuition.” Sometimes it is taking a leap of faith into the unknown – that is a big trust in yourself.
Know this: You have the answer. You have the inner wisdom. You can trust yourself. You can trust your intuition.
Step Three. Follow.
Now go for it! You have listened to your intuition. You have decided to trust it. Now follow it. Take action immediately when you get an intuitive direction. It can be a small act or a large one. But make sure you deliberately do something concrete to follow your intuition. Whether it is a phone call, an email, signing up for a class or moving forward on a business idea.
If your intuition is directing you to not do something, be sure to validate that choice by saying aloud, “I am following my intuition by not doing this thing (phone call, an email, moving forward on a business idea, etc.)
The more frequently you use these three steps to access your intuition, the more natural it becomes and ready when you need it most.
Keep listening, trusting and following your intuition.
xo,
Kathleen
Move Your Body
Of course you know that daily meditation is great for you. But what about those times when it feels impossible to sit still? One way to enjoy your practice is through a moving meditation. This is ideal when you are just simply too restless to sit quietly and you want to cultivate mindfulness in a movement form.
Take a meditation walk and begin to let go of some of the excess energy and anxiousness. A meditation walk will rejuvenate both your body and your mind.
When you go on a walking meditation, be sure to leave your phone, music, errands and window shopping behind.
Have an awareness of where and how you are walking while you allow yourself to remain outside the busy activities of your surroundings. Walk at an easy pace and let your mind become calm as your body settles into the rhythm of your footsteps.
Other movement meditations can be anything where your body enters into a cadence or rhythm and allows your mind to eventually settle. Some ideas include swimming laps, folding laundry, rowing a boat, sweeping or raking leaves.
The key is to get a physical rhythm through motion which causes your mind to clear as the body moves with ease.
Having mindfulness while you are in a meditation walk or other moving meditation is an excellent way to develop mindfulness for the rest of your day .
Give it a try and Enjoy!
Kathleen
Complete Alignment
When you are in alignment with your truth, be assured you are on the right path in your life. Sometimes the road may be bumpy and difficult, but if it is your right path you will have a sense of calm. A benefit of being in alignment with your truth is that you lose that sense of comparing yourself to others.
You have a strong sense of being at the right place at the right time. It does not mean there are no challenges. It is just that you do not have to second guess yourself and every decision. You have a deeper sense of trust in the process and direction of your life, your work and your actions.
So how do you get in alignment with your truth?
It is something that you build over the course of time. So the sooner you start with it, the sooner you will be enveloped by the the benefits of being in true alignment.
Here are some steps you can take to tap into your personal truth.
1. Meditate Every Day
Of course you have heard me tell you this before. And you know how good it feels when you actually take a few minutes to stop rushing around and just breathe. Getting started on a daily meditation practice is a key step to being able to easily tap into you inner wisdom and truth.
The discipline that it takes to have daily meditation will extend into all areas of your life. It will buoy your efforts in other ways.
Start with 5 minutes a day. It is a short enough amount of time that you can manage it. Trust me, it will grow organically if you stick with every day. Want more support and ideas for your daily mediation. Check out Five Minute Meditation here.
2. Walk Every Day
Even a short walk will be good for you. We spend so much time on our computers and devices as well as driving and working at desks. It is essential to get outside and take a walk. The benefits of even a 10-20 minute walk everyday are tremendous.
Walking, without your phone or music, will help you get I touch with your body mind connection. It gives you a chance to let your thoughts flow freely and it is a excellent way to release stress, fret and worry. This is a an important component in being in alignment it’s your truth. You have to be open and able to hear yourself think and feel without distractions. A daily walk will help significantly with that.
3. Eat Well
In a busy hectic life, it is easy to catch meals on the fly or to even skip meals and just snack through the day. Do the best you can to eat well. Make small lasting incremental changes rather than dramatic attempts to revamp your whole system. Think of one or two ways you can take better care of yourself with small improvements towards eating well.
Remember it isn’t just what you eat, but how you eat. Take the time to set yourself a plate of food and eat it without TV, computer or phone. Enjoy the meal and notice how good it tastes and smells and looks. Really enjoy it.
4. Sing Dance Laugh
(My favorite things) Some light heartedness can go a long way. Your alignment of truth does not need to be heavy or serious. It can be easy and delightful. So sing, dance and laugh your way to releasing the strain and distress of having to be perfect and know everything.
Just relax a bit and let it flow to you naturally. Even amid hard work, you will have an overall sense of ease when you are in alignment with your life and work in the world.
Enjoy!
Xo
Kathleen
Get Grounded
Get grounded – what does it mean and how do we do it?
Our body is grounded by the earth’s pull of gravity so that we do not drift into space. But what about our minds or our emotions? It is easy for our inner self to “pop-out” of our body, our outer self. Our language is filled with references that symbolize or imply some part of us leaving our body for one reason or another. Look at all the everyday phrases that suggest how we might leave our bodies.
When you are in a long meeting, “your mind wanders off.” You might snap back when your name is mentioned and say or think, “Oh, I was off somewhere else.” Maybe it was a daydream about Hawaii or solving a work problem. “I was off somewhere else” is a comment everyone understands.
When someone gets a terrible fright, they can be said to “jump out of their skin.” Regarding a traumatic experience, some people describe watching themselves from afar rather than feeling or experiencing the trauma. They are out of their body.
How about being in love? An old fashioned phrase is “fly to the moon.” Now that is out of your body!
Another phrase used is when you are late, you might describe it as being “in a hurry.” If you are in a hurry, it is hard to be in this moment. When you are out of your body you are not in the moment, and likewise, when you in your body you are able to be fully present in the moment.
Any time that you are “spaced out” or not able to focus, that is a sign that you are out of your body and need to get grounded.
There are many ways to get grounded – here are 3 types of them.
1. Physical. Any kind of physical movement can help you become grounded. Exercise is a great way to build endorphins and get you in your body. Movement is so primary – the first thing that comes to mind for getting grounded is to take a walk and get moving.
2. Stillness. Ironically, if movement gets you grounded, so does stillness. Stillness can calm your body, increase your awareness, help you clear your space and return your attention to your breath. All of these things will help you get grounded. When you are feeling out of sorts, even a five minute meditation can be restorative.
3. Nature. Being in nature. Want to get in your body? Step outside. Get some fresh air. Take a hike. Water is nature – even if you are completely bound to stay indoors, run cool water over your hands with the intention of getting grounded. This simple exercise is surprisingly refreshing and restorative.
Give these a try today.
Enjoy!
Kathleen
Got Stuck? 3 Ways to Get Your Energy Moving
If you are feeling stuck even the simplest tasks, let alone making your goals and dreams come true, troche can be rough.
It is possible to get “unstuck” and change your entire experience of your day with a few simple actions.
When you get your chi – your life force – moving forward and flowing easily, everything shifts and resistance begins to melt away.
Here are 3 simple actions you can take RIGHT NOW to move stuck energy. All of these can be done every day as needed.
1. Sing!
Sing out loud! Feeling a little sheepish? Sing in the shower. Crank up the radio and sing in the car. Start singing a little ditty from childhood or even a catchy jingle from an ad.
The act of singing brings movement and energy into your body. A jaunty song will perk you up and get the chi flowing in an easy way.
2. Dance!
The companion to singing is dancing. Not worrying about choreography or steps or anything. Just get up and shake it! Best if you can put on some music and get the flow going.
Maybe other people in your household would like to dance with you – you won’t know unless you try it. Even if you are the only one in the mood – surely there is a place with no one looking that you can dance around a bit.
Movement moves energy. When you are emotionally, mentally, energetically stuck – get up and move.
3. Say YES to life.
A day full of “no” can be long and hard. Find a way to say YES to more situations, possibilities and experiences. They can be small things. Saying YES gets your mindset and energy flowing and moving towards making things happen instead of closing down opportunities. Use discretion, of course, and increase the incidents when you say YES to love, life and adventures.
Try one or even all of these today!
Enjoy,
Kathleen
3 steps to change old habits
Feeling resistance? Trying to change an old way of seeing things and doing things? Want help to create new habits and patterns for your life?
Here is the three step process for releasing old patterns and habits.
1. Acknowledge
This step is what I call the “hello” moment.
When you first realize that you have an old pattern of thinking that is getting in the way of moving forward, and there is a tendency to want to change it immediately. But this quick rush to “make things better” doesn’t acknowledge the complexities and value of your old patterns.
With this first step, acknowledge your pattern, just say hello to it. This is a time to be free of judgment for yourself about why you keep repeating a certain undesirable habit or way of thinking.
Just notice it and acknowledge it.
2. Thank yourself
This is the deep opposite of judgement for why you behave in a certain way or habitually think old thoughts that no longer work for you. This is the deep opposite if beating yourself up over old ways of doing things and thinking and patterns and habits.
Rather than get down on yourself, this is a profound and unique opportunity to validate yourself. Recognize that the choices you made come from a place of taking good care of yourself, protecting your space or maybe it was the only way you knew how to do something.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say you grew up in a household with parents who were afraid of change. Every time something new happened in the neighborhood or community, your parents would get angry with anyone else in the family that supported the change or made any changes themselves.
Wow! Can you imagine how hard it would be to be to make change in your life if this was the case for you. Keeping things quiet and at that the status quo would be an excellent strategy for maintaining a calm household growing up.
Just take a few minutes to step back and look at your situation to have a deeper understanding of your current habit you wish to transform.
Now actually thank yourself for taking on this pattern. If you consider the example, thank yourself for resisting change, for wanting to keep things calm and stable by maintaining the status quo. Thank yourself for holding onto this pattern so faithfully all these years.
Feel how different this is from trying to yank out, excavate and rip out old habits and patterns. Feel how different this is from blaming yourself for not changing before this.
This method gives you permission to view yourself and others with compassion and validation.
3. Release
After you have said “hello” acknowledging your habit you want to change and thanked yourself for initially taking on this habit because it served you well many years ago, now is the time to release it.
Give yourself permission to let it go so you can move forward.
For each of these steps, actually say it out loud. It might sound like this.
“Wow, I just realize I continuously resist change. Hello Resistance.”
“Thank you to myself for taking on the habit of resistance to change. I now see how it helped me have a calm and stable home growing up. I must have been quite a smart person to adapt so well to my situation.”
“Now I am ready and free to let go of this resistance to change. I release it now and move on to new and exciting opportunities.”
Picture yourself letting go of this habit. There will be times when you feel the resistance to change. When that happens, acknowledge it, thank it again for helping you in the past and gently but firmly give yourself permission to let go of it and move forward.
TAKE ACTION: Create a new pattern
An important part of changing an old habit is to take an action in the new direction you seek. So if the pattern of resisting change is what you are releasing, the new habit would be trying something new – something that might make you feel slightly uncomfortable as you move out of your comfort zone. That is an excellent way to re-pattern your behavior and habits.
Try this today – there are always old habits, beliefs, patterns and thinking we can release.
xo,
Kathleen
5 Ways to Make Sure You Meditate Every Day [video]
Want to meditate every day.. .
Here is a fun video made by my daughter Ashira with 5 quick and easy tips to help you stick with it!
you can also watch here
You Are Enough
We try so hard to make it in the world. to prove to the world and to ourselves that we are good enough, strong enough, smart enough and so many other things, too.
The truth is, right here, right now: You Are Enough.
In this moment, even without accomplishments, successes or proof – you are whole, complete, enough as you are. We can get caught up in the whirlwind and expectations of our careers, relationships and family. It is easy to fall into the trap of comparison and judge ourselves and measure ourselves continuously.
You can get out of that by seeing yourself as simply and wonderfully enough right now.
Here are a few tips to consider as you let go of the proving yourself to the world (and yourself) and see the truth about who you are.
1. Separate Who You Are from What You Do
Having success in your field or endeavor is wonderful – but it does not have to define you. Live your life with an open mind, extend compassion to yourself and others and stay in the present moment. This will support you as you recognize the truth that who you are is not what you do.
2. Express Deep Gratitude
When you the time comes of getting wrapped up in what the world thinks of you and feeling you “should” do more or be more, take a few minutes to write up a quick gratitude list. It is easy to do – counting your blessings is always in order.
When things a going great, remember to have gratitude. When things are going not so great, or even down right wretched, remember to have gratitude. It is a good way to get back into the present moment and see the beauty of your life and yourself.
3. Be of Service to Others
Service to others is a way to move the focus off yourself and your condition. It allows you to get out of yourself and share the goodness of your life force with the world. Be careful that being of service does not become a new way to define yourself, just do it to help others.
Want to know a super easy example? Next time you are out and about, hold the door open for the person behind you. It is such a small thing and people really appreciate it!
There are a hundred small ways that you can be of service to people in a day. These help you to get out of comparison, measurement and judgement.
Now its YOUR turn: Think about how you free yourself from feeling like you have to do more or be more? What acts of kindness and service do you love to do to help others? What are you grateful for right now?
xo,
Kathleen
Boldly Follow Your Dream
Yes!
It’s time for you to boldly follow your dream – you know the one, it might be a grand idea that has been in your heart for years, it might be that essential project that has been on your mind for months.
You have the dream and now it’s time to follow it and make it happen.
Want to know the surprising secret to following your dreams boldly in a huge way?
Small steps.
Small steps taken every day is the path to making your dreams come true.
Here are 3 tips you can use to make sure your BIG dreams come true taking SMALL steps every day.
1. Start at the end. When you know your goal, when you know what you want to achieve, take a look at the steps you need to take starting from the end (reaching your goal) and working backwards to the the very first action that needs to happen right now. This is called Reverse Engineering and the most successful people have been using this method for many years.
2. Schedule it! Now take a look at those steps and put them on a realistic schedule taking small steps every day towards your goal. If your next step is on your schedule, you have a much greater chance of accomplishing it. As Marie Forleo says, “If it isn’t on the schedule, it doesn’t exist.” Get it on the schedule = Get it done!
3. Plan to change the plan. Be clear about your goal, be prepared to do the hard daily consistent work in small steps…AND give yourself the flexibility to adjust as needed.
Put this into action and watch your dreams unfold into reality.
Dig Slash Clear Forge
You know how it goes when you are trying to figure out what to do next – everyone has an opinion for you. Really, pretty much everyone will offer advice, opinions and has what they genuinely think is the best plan for your life. It is just what people do.
But even those who are most gracious and genuine in their ideas for you are going to offer it to you from their frame of mind. This is fine for getting insight or assistance when you need a fresh perspective, but is ultimately not your strongest position for deciding how to live your life.
Consider instead of following someone else, someone else’s ideas, opinions, objectives and agenda – make your own path!
Forge your way. Slash, dig, rake, build, clear your own path. This requires a few elements: courage, confidence and knowing your next step will be.
So here is the thing about all 3 of those things – you don’t need a lot to get started. You can get rolling with even just a bit of courage and confidence – just enough to take the first step.
You do not need to know every twist and turn and every step on the path – in fact that is nearly impossible and completely unnecessary. Just the next step, just what is in front of you now.
Taking that step will give you more courage and confidence as well.
So, no need to follow someone else. You can create your own path and follow your own truth. You will be so glad you did!
xo,
Kathleen
4 steps to kick fear out of your body
Have you ever faced a sense of fear in one area of your life and had it spill over in other parts in your life? Or maybe there is just this one thing that seems fearful to you but it holding you back from moving forward.
Either way, the fear is blocking your life force and keeping you from going to your next awesome place in life.
Because fear is something we hold in our body, each time we encounter fear it become a visceral experience.
Breaking the pattern of fear and getting rid of it happens when we create a new mind-body pattern instead.
Here are the 4 steps break the lock of fear in your life by creating a new mind-body experience. Choose it for anything that feels scary for you and it will spread to all aspects of your life.
1. Decide. Make a decision to do something scary. It can be something you just know you have to do of have always wanted to do. It can be skydiving, public speaking, approaching someone you have been eager to connect with or attending a workshop. Of course everyone has a different idea of what is scary. Once you figure out what is best for you – make the decision and commitment to do it.
2. Plan. If it is skydiving, plan the date and time, set aside the money and make the payment. If it’s public speaking, determine the venue or group, set the date and contact the people. Once it is on the schedule, its a real plan!
3. Prepare. This is an important part of empowering you to move forward. Before skydiving, you will need to know how to use the equipment, maybe have practice the steps for the jump and landing. You will need a level of preparation. For public speaking, you will need a speech – you prepare when you write it up and practice it. Preparing already removes some of the fear.
4. Ok, now do it! Get the support and encouragement you need from friends or family (or maybe you want to do it without telling anyone – that’s fine) and be sure to follow through. This is the part where you create a new pattern in your body for overcoming fear. You feel the fear, the rush and you proceed anyhow. You are changing the pattern of fear in your body and that will change your life.
Yippee! Go for it and then celebrate afterwards. Give yourself a pat on the back for facing your fear and getting rid of it.
Enjoy!!
Trust Yourself
Trust yourself. You have deep wisdom inside that will lead you to exactly the best answer, the best solution, the best course for your life.
Value, celebrate, honor and support your intuitive brilliance!
You know inside what to do. You know the truth. You know the answer.
You know.
And if your intuition and wisdom seem a little bit cloudy or foggy at the moment, don’t worry. That is easy to repair. Just take time every day to listen to the quiet voice inside you.
Listen to it and it will grow. Honor it and it will flourish.
Here are 3 ways you can hear your inner wisdom.
1. You can hear your inner wisdom when you are in stillness meditation. Taking time out every day to sit quietly gives you an opportunity to hear your truth. Your body-mind connection is especially powerful when you give yourself a chance to stop the busyness of your life and just sit still. Your body gets stillness, your mind gets stillness. Of course it does not happen all at once, but over time you will build the opportunity to experience stillness. So start now – you will be glad you did!
2. You can hear it in the shower. I love this one! You know how sometimes when you are in the shower or a hot bath you get all sorts of good ideas? Well that’s because your body is relaxing and your mind gets to flow freely – another example of the power of the body-mind connection. When you trying to figure out what to do and need your deep wisdom, get your body in a relaxed state – hot shower or bath – and give yourself permission to not have to solve the problem, but just relax and see what comes to mind. You might be surprised! Enjoy it.
3. You can hear it when you take a quiet walk. This time the body-mind connection comes from the rhythmic cadence from walking. It can be slow or fast, long or short. It does not matter. The key thing is to turn off the phone and music and just allow your mind to wonder. Give it time and space and you will discover new ideas and new ways of seeing your situation
I know exactly what to do!
“I know exactly what to do.” You know that situation when you are trying to figure out what to do and there are so many competing thoughts ideas and options that finding the best choice seems impossible? That can be crazy-making!
Here is an exercise for that situation. When there is a problem I am trying to solve or a choice to make, saying to myself “I know exactly what to do” actually leads me to the answer.
Here is how…
When I say these words to myself, “I know exactly what to do” the answer does not just magically pop into my head (OK, sometimes it does!) but what generally happens is that I set in motion an experience for my mind-body connection.
Hearing those words allows my shoulders to relax, my breathing slows down a bit and the spinning in my mind takes a pause. Having slowed down a bit, I can listen to the wisdom from my intuition as well as the knowledge from my intelligence.
The answer is within my reach and now I set myself up for success in solving the problem. Even if the answer does not come immediately, I know I can figure it out.
This exercise can work for you, too. These words give you a reminder that you can access the information. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you, other times it might come a little later.
You will experience some of the tension leaving your body as you relax and give yourself the chance to trust yourself and your abilities to figure it out.
Once you start to train yourself to believe in your ability to know what to do, you will create the success of working with your intuition and intelligence to get the solution that is best for your situation.
Try it this week. Next time you are spinning in your mind about a decision or a problem, say the words “I know exactly what to do” and notice how your body relaxes and you start to think more clearly.
xo,
Kathleen
Own your space
You know that feeling where everyone is in your space.
You are getting bombarded with so many ideas, agendas and neediness from others, you can’t even think straight.
And when you have few quiet moments to yourself, even then they move in on you and take over your quiet time – your mind spinning with all the thoughts about other people’s demands on your time and life.
Now its time to stop all that – and get your space back for yourself!
Your personal space is yours and only you get to say what is allowed in. This goes for all aspects – your body, your spirit and your mind.
Having ownership over your space means you are in charge of the influences and claims on your time and thoughts. Sure, you have obligations and responsibilities in your life, but that does not mean others get to encroach on your mental space.
So, what to do?
Here is an exercise with three simple steps to clear out your space of others. Sit in quiet place for a few minutes. Take time to feel yourself getting grounded and connected to the earth. This is a great way to make sure you are present in the moment.
1. Start by noticing all the “things” in your space. It might be people’s thoughts, someone else’e plan for your life, demands from responsibilities or the repaying of old conversations. Each of those represent someone or something that is in your space. Initially, you do not need to do anything with it, just notice what is there.
2. Begin to move everything out of your space. Use an imaginary tool to assist you. You can imagine a sponge coming along and wiping it all away. You can imagine a leaf blower coming and blowing everything out of your space. You can picture a magnet pulling all the distractions out of your space.
There is no right or wrong way to do it – the key is that you are putting your intention towards having your space, your mind, your thoughts just for you. Your intention creates the experience you will have.
3. Once you have cleared others out of your space, sit quietly and notice how much more room you have for yourself. Breath in deeply and feel the relief. Imagine your space being filled with a golden light that continues to bring healing to you throughout your day.
And enjoy it!
This exercise is easy to do. Here is the secret: It is like brushing your teeth – just because you did a really good job of brushing your teeth one day, you still have to do it again the next day. Clearing your space should be done frequently. People are always trying to get in, so just keep your boundaries by clearing and owning your space every day.
What is your magic?
There is something truly amazing that you have to offer the world.
It is your unique gift, passion, skill – its your magic.
When you are fully engaged in your magic, you come alive and feel excited about your life.
When you are living your magic, you are both energized and grounded.
When you are sharing your magic, people are amazed by the ease and natural ability of your skill.
What is your magic?
If you know what it is – shout it out! (Share with all of us here in the comments)
Discovering your magic can be delightful. It just needs a bit of reflection on your part and a willingness to see yourself as magical. Sometimes the mind does not see it, but the quiet mind, the subconscious, knows what it is. Here are some ideas you can use to tap into the awareness of your personal magic.
1. Grab some markers and a big piece of paper and write up as many things as come to your mind that you love to do, that gives you passion. Even if it seems like a small thing, write it down – brainstorming pulls all sorts of ideas from the back of your mind out into your consciousness.
See which of these speaks deeply to you. If nothing stands out at first, put your paper away and look at it tomorrow morning. When you wake, have the paper with all your passions and things you love placed somewhere you can see it easily. What jumps out at you? Which of those things catches your eye. That one word or phrase that speaks to you will point to your magic.
2. Take a walk and ask yourself at the beginning of the walk, “What is my magic?” and see what comes to you. Don’t try to force it, just let the ideas and thoughts flow freely. Begin the process of giving yourself permission to tap into your magic, your passion, your unique gifts.
As you walk, allow your body to relax and be at ease – this will help your quiet mind have the space to reveal itself to you. The key is to be open to imagining what is magical about you, to realize what is magical about you and to express what is magical about you.
3. Ask a friend. Sometimes others can see our magic before we even realize it. Maybe it is so natural to you that you just assume it is natural to everyone, when in fact it is unique to you.
A good friend will be happy to tell you what they see in you as your special skill, your passion, your magic.
Share what your magic is – sharing it makes it even more real and allows it to grow.
xo
Kathleen
Trust Me
When I say “trust me” I am actually not asking you to trust me (Kathleen) but rather to get you to hear your own inner voice that is saying “trust me.”
This comes from being willing to take time to hear yourself.
It is also a willingness to live life with a sense of trust instead of trying to control every aspect.
Clutching and gripping so you can have control of everything will cause a brittle life. Letting go of some of that tight hold will actually give you more freedom.
It’s never going to work out perfectly anyways, so relax and let go a bit. Ahhh. *Breathe* It already feels better.
Now, trusting deeply does not mean sitting around and waiting for something wonderful to pop out of thin air. It means taking the next right action and moving forward.
Do your work in the world as best as you can in alignment with what is true for you.
Here are 3 ways you can create more of a sense of trust in life.
1. Meditate (of course!) every day. This gives you a chance to breathe and let go of some of the gripping control. It also gives you the opportunity to listen to your deep wisdom voice saying “trust me.”
2. Before you get distracted with all the demands on your day, treatment ask yourself “What is the next right action for me to take now?” You may be surprised by what you discover. Sometimes the next right action is difficult, but just take it one step at a time. Trust that you can do it, trust that it will be ok.
3. Notice the times in your life where you have trusted your deep inner wisdom and it turned out to be exactly the right way to go. This is a simple step, but don’t skip it. It is important to take a moment to acknowledge how trusting has made your life richer and fuller.
Best blessings,
Kathleen
Take A Chance
Taking a chance on something new is scary! Thrilling and nerve wracking – sometimes getting butterflies or even cold sweats comes from taking that first step.
But it is necessary in order to move forward.
It’s exciting! Of course, when you take a risk, doctor you want to “get it right.” If it didn’t matter, you would never take a chance. None of us would.
There are things you can do to smooth the process of taking risks, trying new things and putting yourself “out there.”
Here are 3 tips for making it go more easily.
1. Tell a friend. The benefit of sharing your plan with a friend or partner is that it provides both support as you “go for it” as well as accountability in case of cold feet.
2. Allow for mistakes. Cut yourself some slack. Don’t worry if it’s perfect. Perfect is the enemy of good enough. If you wait till every thing is perfect – it will never happen.
3. Jump! Do it and move forward with your plans, hopes, dreams, ideas.
Enjoy!
Kathleen
The Sweet Spot
The path of least resistance is a powerful concept to keep in mind in life. It allows you to live without creating unnecessary struggle for yourself. It gives you the opportunity to go with the flow.
Break through the resistance is another powerful concept to practice. When things get tough and you want to quit, keep pushing so you can break through the resistance and get to the other side.
So which is it? Each are embodied by opposing images – “going with the flow” in the very picture of lounging in a boat floating down the river. An image for “break through the resistance” that comes to mind is a weightlifter pushing those weights beyond what was thought possible.
Living in either of these states all the time is not ultimately conducive to a rich life, but there is that place in between…the sweet spot.
Every day, every project, every situation has a sweet spot where you can both take the path of least resistance as well as break through the resistance. So how do you find it? How can you live a consistent life in the sweet spot?
Here are 3 tips for life in the sweet spot.
1. Eat Well. Good nutrition not only affects the body, but it affects the brain and the ability to see clearly and make good decisions. Its such an obvious thing, but eating well is essential for your best life.
2. Meditate Daily. Taking time out every day to sit in stillness gives you the opportunity to see the world in a fresh way. You can take off the burden of being “on” all the time and sit back and breathe without having to accomplish anything.
3. Pay Attention. Notice the inner urging and nudging that changes with each situation. Is this a time to go with the flow and keep it simple or is this one of those moments when you have to bite down and be disciplined to get through the hard part? Listen to yourself and your wisdom to find out what to do. There is no one single answer, it changes continuously.
Best blessings,
Kathleen
Unglue your shoulders from your ears
Unglue your shoulders from your ears.
You know that feeling of being so stressed out, that your shoulders are all hunched and crunched – it is as if they are glued to your ears. Ok. Now breathe and slowly let your shoulders slide back down to their place. Ahhh. Want to keep that kind of stress from getting to you? Me too!
Here is what I am going to be doing. In a few weeks, my daughter Talia has spring break. We decided on one of the days we are going to take an ocean-to-forest hike in Marin. We are going to fill our water bottles, pack our lunch and lace up our hiking shoes for a day in the magic of the forest, ocean and nature.
I know for sure this is going to get my shoulders out of the hunch and crunch and allow me to be free of unnecessary stress. At least for that day and probably a few days after. It would be so truly awesome to take this kind of a hike every week.
But even without an ocean-to-forest hike, here are 3 things you can do today to release stress.
1. Open your heart. How to do that? Well the number one way to open your heart and release stress is gratitude. Actually say out loud “Thank You” and you will shift your perspective. Having gratitude for all the good in your life right here, right now will release blocks, obstacles, stress and strain. Try it.
2. Go swimming. Pool, ocean, stream. Not near a body of water? Take a bath. Wash the dishes in hot sudsy water. There is tremendous healing property in water and immersing yourself in it will bring relaxation and freedom from tension.
3. Get some extra sleep. Go to bed a bit earlier – you know how good it will feel in the morning to wake rested. Take a midday nap if you can sneak one in – lots of people profess the power of a 20 minute nap. Either way, get a bit more sleep so your body can release some of the strain.
Best Blessings,
Kathleen
Protect Your Confidence
When you are working on important project, trying something new or pushing towards a difficult goal, it is essential to protect your confidence.
This does not mean becoming puffed up with (false) confidence. This means staying grounded and centered.
Here are 3 ways you can protect your confidence.
1. Allow your confidence to grow strong by validating and acknowledging each success and accomplishment . When you recognize your accomplishments, you are giving yourself a chance to repeat the habits that build success.
2. Stop the pattern of self criticism. Often times we are way too hard on ourselves. It’s good to see the places where we need to improve, but a constant beating down on yourself will undermine your confidence. And continuous self criticism actually does not lead to improvement anyways.
See what needs to change and determine a single, simple step to shift the direction of your actions. Even a small step in the “right direction” builds confidence.
3. Resist the temptation to compare yourself with others. This is a big one, because we live in a world filled with comparisons and competition. To protect your confidence, keep your eye on your goal, your dream, your life – not someone elses. If it gets too overwhelming, a walk in nature can be a satisfying way to get grounded and centered.
Best blessings,
Kathleen