Posted on

The “not-good-enough” slump


You know that experience of feeling “not good enough” compared to other people?

Maybe it sneaks up on you when you read about someone else’s success.
Maybe it happens if you wake up feeling low.

Whatever the reason, it can be pretty tough to shake off.

Here are 3 ways to get out of that slump:

1. See the good in others. When you validate other people, you take your mind off your problems. It also helps you see more of the goodness inside yourself.

2. Be of service to someone else. Immediate change of perspective comes with helping someone. It can be a small gesture, like holding the door open for the next person. It can be calling up a friend in need and offering to make a meal this week.

3. Express gratitude. Count your blessings. Say Thank You!

Try any or all of these to get out of the “not-good-enough” slump.

xo,

Kathleen

Posted on

Third step to access your intuition [video]


Imagine you could access your intuition any time you needed it! Well, you can. And it is easy when you follow three simple steps.

Check out the video to find out what those three steps are and how to develop more in the third step to access your intuition.

What are the first two steps? Find out more here. First step to access your intuition and
Second step to access your intuition.

Posted on

Second step to access your intuition [video]


Imagine you could access your intuition any time you needed it! Well, you can. And it is easy when you follow three simple steps.

Check out the video to find out what those three steps are and how to develop more in the second step to access your intuition.

What’s the first step? Find out more here. First step to access your intuition.

Posted on

First step to access your intuition [video]


Imagine you could access your intuition any time you needed it! Well, you can. And it is easy when you follow three simple steps.

Check out the video to find out what those three steps are and how you can start today with the first step to access your intuition.


Posted on

Stop, wait a minute…


How do you use your intuition when you are busy? When you are in the heat of a moment trying to make a decision or trying to make choices that are thrust on you?

Well, the answer is to stop. Take a minute to say OK, let me just think about this, or let me just look at this, or let me just listen to myself for a minute.

The main thing is to stop what you are doing, turn off the music, close down the computer or at least turn your back on it for a few minutes and just listen.

This process of listening to yourself does several things right off the bat. First it gives you a moment to catch your breath and not be stuck with reacting to a situation.

It also puts you in control of the situation because you are setting the boundaries – you are saying, OK, my terms, I am going to take a breath and collect myself.

The stopping to listen to yourself also gives you a subconscious message that you trust yourself.

You are taking time and effort and intention to seek council from the one you respect and consider wise in the matter – your inner self, your deepest self.

And when you trust yourself and listen to your inner wisdom, you will find that you will be able to tap into your intuition easily and have confidence knowing what to do.

Enjoy.

Kathleen

Posted on

That Pesky Monkey Mind


Ahh, you finally got seated for your meditation. Maybe you were looking forward to it, maybe you were dreading it, but either way, you made it.

As you settle into that sweet moment of quietness you take a deep breathe in…and out. No sooner than your second breathe, it begins…

The Monkey Mind.

The Monkey Mind is that wild, chattering, screeching endless loop of thoughts that go on and on, over and over in your head. It can be exhausting!

No matter how many times you have meditated, no matter how many years you have dedicated to your practice, Monkey Mind can catch up to you at a moment’s notice.

And when it comes to you during meditation, simply smile. Smile and relax and breathe.

And keep sitting.

Find it amusing if your entire meditation practice for that day was filled with nonsense. No need to judge yourself or worry about it.

Even if it Monkey Mind bothers you every time you meditate, just keep sitting. Keep sitting, every day start anew.

When Monkey Mind comes, laugh at it and enjoy the moment for what it is. Breathe. Eventually it goes away and leaves you to your peace and quiet.

Remember that there is no perfect meditation, just daily meditation.

Best blessings to you,
Kathleen

 

Posted on

Gratitude brings healing and miracles

gratitude badge

Gratitude brings healing and miracles.

Take a moment to express your gratitude and enjoy the benefits of a lighter heart and easier flow in your life.

Posted on

Find the “right” answer


You know those times when you have to make a decision about something – its not a big deal, but until you make your choice its holding up everything else. You need an answer and you need it now!

Well here is a super quick and easy trick you can do to find out your best choice.

Flip a coin. 

Yup – that’s right! When you are trying to make a fast decision about something, determine heads to be one answer and tails to be the other.

And then toss the coin in the air. It does not matter whether the coin lands on heads or tails, because here is the secret:

Once the coin is in the air, you will naturally wish for it to go one way more than the other.

I’ve heard myself exclaim upon the result of the coin toss, “Yes! That is exactly what I wanted!” as well as “Bummer, I was hoping for the other one.”

Either way is perfect because your reaction points to your true desire.

You know the answer inside you. Have fun with this trick next time you need to make a quick choice.

Enjoy!
Kathleen

Posted on

Are you late?


Are you late? Sometimes? Or always? That was me – always late! Rushing, hurrying, frantic and on the go, go, go.

My old habit was to go faster, thinking that I could hurry to make up for lost time. But that never worked.

One day, I was sick and tired of living with the pressure, trying to squeeze one more thing into an already packed day. So these are 2 of the things I did to change that.

 

1. Slow down

As it turns out, slowing down helped me to stop being late.

When you slow down, you are giving your body the message that being calm is your normal way of life. You are teaching yourself to stay grounded and giving yourself the opportunity to enjoy more of each day.

Rolling through the stop sign, not quite stopping all the way? That is your reminder to slow down.

When you are “in a hurry” you are not “in the moment.”

Slowing down helps you stay present, get grounded and enjoy being in the moment.

Slowing down becomes easier when you have a daily meditation practice.

 

2. Get up early

OK, this goes completely against my natural inclination! But having trained myself to get up a bit earlier has made all the difference in the world.

Since everyone in our household is on a different afternoon and evening schedule, breakfast is one of our main family meals. We have a full hot breakfast every school morning together.

Easy to do? Not at first, but worth it. Once you get in the habit, it really is not so hard.

Getting up early gives you time for a daily meditation and the extra time you need to get ready for your day free of harried panic and rush.

One morning a week, my teenage daughter Talia and I get out of the house early for coffee and hot chocolate. We go to a tiny cafe by her school and sit at our favorite table. Because it is early, the light is barely streaming in from outside.

Sometimes she does homework and I prep my day. Sometimes we just sit and talk. I always get a small extra dry espresso and convince her to give me a spoonful of her rich hot chocolate – it makes a perfect mocha.

We both look forward to this morning each week and I treasure these moments.

 

Start today

You can start today bringing more calm into your life and enjoying each moment by slowing down even for a few minutes. And go to bed a bit earlier so tomorrow you can get a fresh start on the day.

Enjoy!

Kathleen

 

 

Posted on

Your Next Step is…Gratitude


Have you even tried to figure out what is your next step?  It can be frustrating when you are not quite sure what to do and that makes it even harder to figure it out.

Here is an exercise to try:

Your Next Step is Gratitude.

By being thankful, expressing gratitude or acknowledging appreciation you can see the good already in your life.

When you do this, your body and your mind both start to relax a bit.

You can breathe easier.

You can think clearly.

Ah, now you see how this works…breathe easy, think clearly. These are the things you need to clear your mind and see through the fog to what is your best Next Step.

It is so simple, try out loud “I am so grateful for… in my life.”

Or tell a friend “Thank you, I appreciate you.”

Best blessings,

Kathleen

 

Posted on

Short and sweet words of wisdom


Kathleen Bloom S&T This morning I decided to check in with my teenage daughters about intuition. We were driving in the car on our way to an early morning appointment and so I just asked them for any thoughts on why you should listen to your intuition.

Talia answered immediately,  “It feels good and gives you confidence.”

That is why you should listen to your intuition.

And she continued,  “The more you listen, the easier it becomes.”

It was completely obvious to Sarah why she listens to her intuition: “It’s the right answer, why wouldn’t you listen to it?!”

Really, need I say more? Succinct and clear.

Next time you might hesitate to listen to your intuition, do it anyways because:

It feels good,
gives you confidence
and
it is the right answer for you.
(Why would you not listen to the right answer?)

And remember,
the more you do it the easier it becomes.

Best to you,
Kathleen

 

Posted on

Create Positive Outcome



My Garden in Summer - sectionCreate 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.

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Five Minute Meditation
3 tips for keeping your boundaries

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Get It When You Need It Most