Harvest

One of the very satisfying perks of summer is when you get to harvest vegetables and fruits in your own garden.  It all tastes sweeter, better, fresher right of the vine or tree.  There is nothing like a sun ripened tomato still warm and full of sunshine or a peach right off the tree.

As you tend to your inner garden, enjoy the satisfaction of a milestone achieved, a baby step taken, a new insight, the ripening of a new fruit or idea.  Just like you need to harvest the veggies and fruits make sure you do the same within yourself.  Reap what you sow and enjoy it!  :)

Darkest Before Dawn

It is always darkest before the dawn.  Always remember this when you feel like there is only darkness around you.  Close your eyes and find your light within.  Go into your inner depths no matter how dark it seems.  Open as many doors as you need to.  You are bound to find your light.

Your light is your haven, your safe place your sacred space.  Nothing else matters.  You are home.

Inner Selves

How many different selves do you have within you?  There is nothing strange in admitting this - we all have many different aspects within ourselves.  There is the Critic, the Dreamer, the Warrior, the Rebel, the Authoritarian, the Judge, etc.

Have you ever stopped to think about these different selves and to identify them?  Take some time over the next days, weeks or months and start paying attention to the sometimes warring voices within you. See if you can identify some of them.  Notice too which ones are more dominant and which take more of a backseat.  What triggers them?  

Taking time to do this will help you get to know yourself better.  It will help you to stop reacting to situations and start responding to them instead too.  

External Vs. Internal Focus

As you move towards living in your light, there is a juggling that happens between your old reality (how you relate and function in the world based on your old truths) and the application of your new truth to your current reality.

How do you change what you thought was life to the new potential of what life can be?  You, like many others, may have spent your life striving towards external gratification & financial security, striving towards social standards of success.  Feeling the need for a deeper meaning and are more wholesome experience you chose to look inside.

As you explore your inner world, your external world starts looking different.  It takes time and a lot of trial and error to change your focus from the outside to the inside and to then live your reality from that standpoint.  You will find, as you work through various iterations, that your level of commitment to yourself and your truth keeps increasing.  You will also experience new levels of understanding, self love and self care.  Finding your center will become easier and easier.

You will experience that there is no need to change the world around you.  The world will simply change because of your choice to live in your light.

Courage

What is courage?  Courage is when you believe in yourself and have your own back.  In other words, your female energy (that is your intuition) leads the way, while your inner male energy has you back.

When I need courage it helps me to see my inner female leading the way (and taking a deep breath) while my inner male is right behind her saying: "Go for it!  I believe in you and I am here to support you in your action."  This visual gives me a lot of courage and strength.  Try it and see how it works for you.  :)

Ends And Beginnings

When something ends, something new begins.  Ends impact your life and bring change.  No matter what your perception of it is, whether you think it is a good thing or a bad thing, it expands your life and gives it a new dimension.  

How you enter this new dimension is up to you.  Even if the end meant a loss, there is always a silver lining.  It is your choice to "make" your experience a good or a bad thing.

For example, when your vacation is done and you need to leave behind the beauty and bounty of Mother Nature in one form, it makes no sense to be sad about it.  Being thankful for all that was given and moving on to expect new experiences in different forms as you need them is a much better use of your energy.  You choose to be in the flow of life instead of blocking it.  

Do What You Love

"Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart."  by Rumi

This is why it is so important to do what you love.  You are here for a specific purpose and you are equipped to do it.  By following your heart and intuition you follow your path, whatever it may be, and you will live your life to the fullest.

Feeling Emotions Exercise

When you wake up in the morning before you get ready to get up, check in with yourself.  How you are feeling?  Are you sad, happy, rested, anxious, neutral, etc. Keep your eyes closed, breathe and feel. Mentally scan your body.  Go through all your different body parts.

If you find "positive" feelings, enjoy them.  If you want, see if you can expand the feelings through your aura and feel them all over.  Check in with these feelings throughout the day whenever you want to.

If you feel "negative" feelings, breathe into them.  Consciously acknowledge and accept their presence. Ask your Higher Self for clarity on the feelings.  Keep breathing into them.  Often times feelings are localized somewhere in your body.  Imagine your breath bringing positive energy to the area and taking away the negative.  Let it happen naturally if it wants to. Open yourself up to receiving an answer or answers.  Either way, this exercise will help start the process of getting energy moving again.

This is a great exercise to do too before you go to sleep and/or as often as you feel you want to do it.

Balancing Action And Being

Are you a person that is more prone to action or to being?  Are you someone who likes to be busy all the time or one who is comfortable sitting doing nothing?  Do you like to make lists, have schedules and agendas or do you prefer to go with the flow, see what the day brings?

Today choose to do the exact opposite of what you are used to.  If you are into action, choose to be quiet, listen to your inner self, sit comfortably and breathe, get in touch with your feelings.  If you are more into being, take action today, be physically active, organize something, go out and meet new people, do something new.

The more you practice this the more balanced you will be.  :)

Inner Vision

To become a clear channel/open to your intuition you need to become comfortable with all your emotions. That means that the more aware and acquainted you become with them, the better you can start identifying when you are communicating with your Higher Self vs your fears and doubts, the masks you have built and the protective mechanisms that are in place.

The clearer you are with yourself, the clearer the subtle energy differences and shifts become, the clearer your inner vision.  The more you choose to see, the more you will see.

High To Low Altitude Training

Want to feel really good about yourself?  Try going from training at a high altitude to training at sea level. Due to the higher amount of red blood cells in your system your endurance at low altitude is amazing!  Silly, but very satisfying!  :)  

Eventually your body adjusts to the low altitude since balance in nature is always key.  Nevertheless it is very enjoyable while it lasts.

200th Post

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." by Henry David Thoreau

Welcome to my 200th post.  A simple commitment of posting a daily insight in hopes of reaching others 200 days ago, has had a deep impact on my own development, one I didn't anticipate.  It is true, your actions will mold who you are and who you become.

By organizing and expressing thoughts, processes, and ideas on "paper", you create internal structure, deeper understanding and clarity, in addition to reinforcement & refinement of ideals/ideas/concepts within yourself. It also leads to the the everyday integration of these concepts in a conscious manner.  And after all practice is the key to integration.  :)

Sunsets

For the last 6 days, I have watched the sun set every evening over the ocean.  Though the process was always the same, that is the sun went down, each sunset was uniquely magnificent.  Each sunset had it's own nuances, different cloud manifestations, different colorings.  Even after the sun set, you could still see changes in the sky for the next hour.

I've taken so many pictures in an attempt to eternalize this fleeting beauty, even though you really never can. The magic of such an event is unique and lives in your heart and mind, when you are lucky enough to witness such a miracle.

Whether it is a sunset, a sunrise, a moon rise, a bird taking flight, a wave coming in or whatever strikes you as beautiful and unique, when it does enter your life, take it in and let it fill you.  Create a personal reservoir of such experiences/memories and tap into them when life seems not as bright.  There is so much beauty in the world.  Find it every day.

The Present Moment

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future.  Concentrate the mind on the present moment." by Buddha

The present is the only time you are living, the only time you can do anything, the only time that can create change and the realization of dreams/goals.  Practice being aware in the now.  Take this week to practice keeping your thoughts and awareness in the present moment.  How often do you stray away into the past or the future?  When you catch yourself being in either, gently bring yourself back to the here and now.  If either past or future keep claiming your attention, ask yourself what you can do now to move beyond/toward that manifestation.

Being A Friend

"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."

As discussed in a previous blog, you can't help people if they don't want to be helped.  Respecting their wish not to be helped is important.  Even if they aren't ready at that point you can still be supportive by checking in periodically and by letting them know you are there for them should they need you.  :)

Try Something New

When you travel abroad, one of the special treats to experience is sampling the local cuisine.  It does not only stimulate you palate, but all of your senses.  It also sparks your imagination and expands your cooking repertoire.  New possibilities emerge and life becomes a richer experience.

This is not limited to food.  Anytime you try or experience something new you grow.  If you want to spice up your life, step outside your comfort zone and try something new.

Moving On

Even when you do all your homework and prepare for situations as best as you can, that includes all physical and energetic work, the outcome may or may not manifest as you envisioned.  Trust that either way, the Universe and you are working towards the greatest potential.  When things do not manifest as you imagined, as disappointing, sad and/or baffling as it may be, odds are that the larger picture is eluding you at the moment or was never meant to be seen by you.

Feel your disappointment, release the sadness with tears if they want to flow, and then give yourself permission to let go of the "imagined" set back.  Realize though that it is only your current perception evoking these feelings and that there is another "truth".  Find strength where you usually regain it (for me it is nature and meditation) and move on.  Tomorrow is another day and every moment is meant to be lived to its fullest potential.

Vacation

Everyone benefits from taking  a vacation.  Just like you need Inner Spa Days, it is good to simply wind down for a week or two in a completely different environment from what you are used to to recharge your batteries.

Since we live in the mountains, we like to go to the ocean for a change of scenery.  The ocean is a powerful, moving body of energy that is full of cleansing and regenerative properties.  The ocean breeze is a sweet caress to your subtle body, a gentle brush to your energy field.

The lush tropical vegetation is not only pleasing to the eye but pulsating with life.  The pelicans, turtles, other tropical birds as well as the occasional alligator bless you with their presence too.  The sunsets are breath taking and the thunderstorms majestic.

When you are on vacation be aware of all that surrounds you.  Let it all in.  Let yourself be pampered.  You deserve it!

Believe In Yourself Exercise

If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will either.  This is a very simple exercise to get you believing in yourself:

1. Determine what you beat yourself most up about, your biggest fear...is it: I am ugly. I am not smart enough.  I am a failure. I am powerless. etc.
2. Once you have pinned the fear, think about who it is tied to.  These fears are tied to experiences you have made where you were judged and/or perceived you were judged.  Maybe you even judged yourself?
3. Go into your center.  In this inner space cut the tie with that person/persons.  Instead of working towards seeming beautiful, smart, successful, etc to someone else, find your inner male or female (choose whoever feels right for you specific situation) and have him or her say to you: I am beautiful. I am smart. I am successful. etc.  Tell yourself all the things you have wanted to hear from someone else.
4. Repeat this as often as needed, for starters at least 3 times a day.  All that matters is what you think of you.  Support yourself.  It will also draw supportive people to you.  :)

Insanity

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." by Albert Einstein

I had to laugh when I read this quote today!  It is so true!  How often do you find yourself spinning your wheels and going nowhere?  When you do, it is time to step outside of the wheel and check out a different path.  Where in your life are you repeating the same thing over and over again?  What can you do different?

Speaking Your Truth

Are you reluctant to confront people?  Are you concerned about the consequences and how it will affect all around you?  Do you try to please everyone and project a million scenarios into the future to cover all bases?

The best thing to do in this type of a scenario is to:

1) Realize that you can never please everyone, nor can you predict outcomes and/or the future. 

2) Speaking your truth is more than likely one of your life lessons!  Take advantage of this knowledge and start working towards speaking your truth.

3) Know that the only one you can control is you.  It is important for you to say what you think and feel for your personal growth.  This doesn't  mean that you should blurt out whatever comes to mind first, but instead of playing out a million scenarios and wondering about others, think about what is important to you.  Feel into what the situation is teaching you and let your intuition guide you.  Do it with integrity.  

4) By speaking your truth you give others permission to do the same.  Whether they take that opportunity or not is their choice.  Either way you are shining your light and being a role model for others to shine their light too.

Take Action

When something is bothering you and you can't let go of it no matter how many different scenarios you play out in your head, no matter how many justifications you come up with, it is time for some action.  Ask yourself:  

What can I do to feel better about this?  What one positive action step can I take to shift my energy into peace and acceptance?

When you have your answer take the step and go into action.  You and all those involved deserve the chance to be at peace.  Make sure that no matter what the outcome you will have no regrets about your action step.  Make sure you are centered in your heart.  That type of action gives everyone the chance to grow.

The Male And Female Within

Everybody has a male and a female side within.  The female side embodies receptivity, intuition, emotion, sensitivity, nurturing, and vulnerability, while the male side has the qualities of strength, directness, action, and aggression.  Again both of these energies reside in each of us.

Just because you are a female, for example, does not mean that you need to suppress your male side and vice versa.  Quite the contrary!  If you do that you are creating an imbalance within, thus outwardly seeking the male qualities that are being ignored within.  Based on universal laws you will only attract mirrors that reflect your internal state of being.

When you start working your internal male and female energies in tandem, balance within is restored and your external reality will reflect that.

Turning Fears Around

Once you face a personal fear, how do you turn it around?  How do you work towards transforming it and growing from it?

Let's go through an example.  Let's say that you fear failure.  First face your fear by asking yourself the following questions (if you can't come up with answers right away:

1) Think of your life...how often have you succeeded in your life and how often have you failed?  Odds are that you have had far more successes than failures.
2) What is the worst that could happen if you failed?  Really, face your worst case scenario.  What is it?
3) What would happen if you fully succeeded?
4) Who is setting the standards of success?  Check in first with your mind and then with your heart.  How do they compare?
5) How will your life change would you succeed/fail?
6) Can you think of any alternative solutions to your fear?

After answering these questions work on creating an affirmation for yourself (check earlier blog post on how to do this) based on your findings.  Keep it short and simple.  For example:  "I trust in myself."  or "Everyday I do the best I can." or "I embrace my path however it unfolds."

Keep this affirmation close to your heart and repeat it to yourself daily. All of this will help your healing.

Biggest Fear

Do you know what your biggest, deepest fear is?

When you are on a path of self-discovery you become aware of your strengths as well as your weaknesses. While it is beneficial to focus and build on strengths, you can also vastly gain by knowing your weaknesses. Knowledge is power after all.

Your biggest deepest fear will feel very raw, vulnerable, and primal when uncovered.  Every time you utter the fear out loud it will move you to your core.  Odds are you will cry too.  You will feel it in your center, in your heart.

The mere fact that you recognize this main fear will start the healing process.  Also, once you know what it is, you can start taking action towards transforming it and growing.  Other fears you may have will start ebbing too as you work on the primary fear since they are interconnected.

The Guru Within

All the answers you would ever want are within you, are within your grasp.  There is a guru within you at all times.  The trick is a) to know he is there, b) to believe he is there, c) to find him and d) to hear what he is saying and e) to accept the wisdom that is given.

We are all the captains of our ships.  It is up to each one of us to embrace that leadership role for ourselves and to live this life to its fullest.

Food

You are what you eat!  A well known saying that is definitely worth repeating!  Here are some simple tips you might want to consider:

1. Eat as fresh as possible.  There is nothing better than picking your own food and eating it right away!  If you have any space to plant veggies and/or fruit, take advantage of it during the summer.  When this is not an option find a reliable source of fresh produce.  It is worth it!

2. Process your food as little as possible.  Nutrients get altered when food is cooked and processed.

3. Balance is the key.  Your body needs a little of everything.  It is not beneficial for your body to be deprived of fats for example.  Make sure you eat a balanced meal.

4. Quantities do matter.  Pace yourself and get a feel for how much your body really needs.  It is probably less than you think.

5. Drink lots of water throughout the day.  Keep yourself hydrated.

This week pay particular attention to what exactly you are putting into your mouth.  Is it good for you?  Does it vitalize you or make you feel heavy and sluggish?  If you are what you eat, start looking at the food that way: Is this (fill in the blank) what I am/who I want to be?

Inner Spa Day

Every so often it is beneficial to take a day off from all responsibilities, commitments, decision making, etc. Take a day to truly rest and be mindful of yourself and yourself only.  Find your inner sanctum and stay in it. Feel it and listen to what comes to you.  Stay away from external busy work and dedicate the day to you.

When you are in that inner space pay attention, if needed, to anything that doesn't feel balanced and see it for what it is. This is not the day to fix it.  Simply acknowledge it and accept it into your expanded state of being.  Merge it with the peace and joy of your sanctum.

Call this day your Inner Spa Day.  Let your soul nurture you.

Master Something New

There is great satisfaction in mastering/learning something new, even if it is something simple such as cleaning out the sprinkler system's filter.  Anything you have never done before is a mystery to you and an untackled challenge.  :)

See if you can find some small chore in your life that you haven't done before, tackle/do it.  It always feels great when you learn to do something new.  This is a small way to grow your self-worth and to increase your sense of accomplishment.

Sending Love & Light

Do you ever have interactions with another humans being that feel uncomfortable, where the other person seems to be unfriendly and even hostile for no apparent reason, but you have to work with them anyway?

Today an Internet tech came to fix our Internet.  Though he said and did all the right things, he was short, unsmiling and gave off a very unfriendly vibe.  While he was replacing the modem, I decided to send him Love & Light in abundance, visualizing it surrounding and nurturing his whole aura.

By the time he was getting ready to leave he was friendly and even smiled!  It was an astounding change.  

Next time you find yourself in such a situation, instead of taking it personal, center yourself and focus on sending Love & Light to that person.  Whatever issue(s) he faces are not yours, but he (and you) can benefit from a little energetic boost. It really works!

Electronics

Today I am thankful for all electronics. Our internet is down so I am using my smartphone to blog today. In addition it is very, very hot day in Utah and I am thankful for air conditioning.

All of this reminds me not to take things for granted and to appreciate the conveniences we have (electricity and indoor plumming included!). Take some time today to notice all those little things to take for granted and be grateful. :)