Make Yourself a Priority

So much of what we do is in the name of service ~ to provide for, to care for, to be in service to another.  In our own way, we contribute to a better world and create the future of planet Earth for our children.

Along the way, I have gathered and learned some sage wisdom.  One of them is to fill my own cup first, before serving another.  This practice is not one of selfishness, it is one of preservation.

One cannot serve from an empty cup, after all.  Giving on an empty cup is a path to burnout and resentment. 

If you feel overworked and scarce, stop.  Name one thing you can do for yourself today that will be nurturing for you, be it a walk, 5 minutes of breath, a pedicure, or just washing your hair!  

Make yourself a priority! YOU ARE WORTH IT!  Take care of YOU ... and take loving action (to practice self-care) today. <3 

What's your favorite self-care activity?  Share it with us as you are called! <3

Gratitude Changes Everything

In times when all seems stagnant, awry and unwell, remember to give thanks.

Remember:  Gratitude changes everything.

It has been over 6+ years since I lost my baby through a fetal miscarriage.  At the time, my experience of loss was raw, and I was in deep grief.  Life felt like a burden as I dealt with the experience of grief and deep sadness.  

I wondered if I would ever stand amid the light again as I laid in bed, wondering what and how I could have changed things.

Inspirational readings and spiritual know-how did very little to move the energy along. 

One day, in the silence of meditation, it dropped in like a ton of bricks.  Almost as severe as devastating loss, the practice of gratitude entered my consciousness like an Angel, giving hope and new life.

I started to give thanks and with each passing day, I felt slowly excavated from my stagnation and heavy heart.  

As my heart opened, new life began - so much so that we conceived another time.  

Today, this miraculous conceptions my daughter, who is now 4 years old.  One of middle name is Grace.  It is through grace and gratitude that my life has been forever altered.  For this, I give whole-hearted thanks!  

Did you Know that October is Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month?  Be a blessing: Find out more and learn how to help others through this experience.

What one circumstance in your life might you want to change? 

What of gratitude turns it completely around for you?  How might you give thanks (either by deed, action, or affirmation) to activate this change?

Turn Your Life Around

Whether hiking or life, once in a while, we might find ourselves caught in a place that we'd rather not be.

In the context of hiking, we might step in a mud puddle that we wish we wouldn't have.  In life, it might be a situation or a circumstance that we'd rather not experience.

Rather than to simply wish it away, I realize it does no good for me to struggle, complain or curse, for that matter!  In both instances, it truly helps to adopt a positive frame of mind so that any problem-solving abilities I might possess will come to the surface. 

Because I would personally rather be in a positive mood than a grumpy one, I stay open to how I might turn my mood from foul to free?

Through life transitions, especially those that seem to feel especially difficult, like grief or losses, I have learned to be present to what comes up. 

As I acknowledge where I am, I give thanks, knowing that whatever is unfolding is conspiring for me.

I dare to pour my faith into knowing and feeling grateful that all of life is FOR me.  As I do so, I loosen my attachments to the outcome of whats unfolding, and miracles unfold.

The practice of gratitude, continual thankfulness for whatever is, enables me to turn my life around.  

How and in which way do you practice that creates positive results? Please share as you are called. <3 Namaste

10 to Zen :: Practicing Surrender as a Path of Remembering

If anyone knows me and my sweet family, they'll know that we are upwardly mobile.  Every couple of years, we are on an adventure, and we live in a new state (body, mind, and spirit), allowing us to renew what we need and release what we do not.

Our philosophy that life is to be lived, embraced and experienced has given us the courage to relocate where we want, anywhere in the world.  This privileged lifestyle has paved way for us to meet amazing people everywhere we have resided, and we love it.

This gives way to clear out not simply the physical items, but also the emotional baggage that may have collected. 

One of the most amazing gifts about moving often is the opportunity to clear out what we no longer need.  

Intentionally releasing the item(s) frees the energy to travel back from wherever it came.  This list is part of our moving list now, and I'm sharing it in case anyone wants to join us in surrendering that which no longer serves ...  Aho!

Drunk ... On Gratitude

Who would have guessed that anyone can put the words drunk & gratitude in an inspirational message?  

Rumi was a genius in so many ways, with intoxicating words that lure my spirit into the courageous act of possibility!

No one says the practice of gratitude had to be controlled and tempered. 

Let's take a hint from nature - and change our way of being every so often...let's be grateful.

What would unfold if every ONE of us became totally overtaken and completely grateful for EVERYTHING?

The world would be a marvelous place of appreciation and our life would be an immersion of cherished experiences. 

Happy People & The Inner World

The power of the mind, coupled with the human spirit, is an incredible duo.  

There are two ways to experience life. 

The former is to look at our outer circumstances and allow our 5 senses to be the driver of our happiness, a measure of success and self-worth.  The latter is to allow our inner life to inform our degree of happiness, the measure of success and self-worth.

We've all heard of the saying: if you believe it to be true, then it's true for you. 

This means that regardless of fact, stats or story, if I believe something to be true, my heart and mind will align to make it so.  The brain, after all, has evolved to support this, even in the so-called objective data of observation. 

Our faith deepens what we will see, regardless of fact.  

I remember the times in my life when I was unhappy.  knowingly or unknowingly, I said yes to blame, shame, criticism, complaint, and judgment.  Just re-reading this post sentence makes me feel icky.  Why would I have chosen that?

Well, for starters, I 'm not sure if the choice was one of conscious awareness.  We all slide up and down the scale of conscious awareness (sometimes, taking many trips a day), don't we?  This is part of our human beingness.

As awakened individuals, our task is to be present to our own "icky."  Regardless of situation or circumstance, when we feel our icky coming on, our job is to be aware of and stay vigilant to our attitude.

We can stop ourselves from the rising negative tide by deliberately focusing on gratitude, and engage ourselves in the practice of counting our blessings.  This simple mindful process can lift the clouds and change the weather, raising awareness the good that surrounds us all.

Choose happiness today! 

Have you undergone such a practice to turn your frown upside down?  Please share the experience with us as you are called. <3