Life is like Coffee Movie - Inspiration for Happiness!

The message in this movie is wonderful and thought provoking.  Enjoy watching then grab a cup of coffee or tea or juice and focus on the richness and pleasure your drink brings you.  Use all your senses to explore your current cuppa and practice Living in the Present Moment.

Life is like Coffee Movie: Do you know people that just seem to be happier in general? Do you say to yourself, "I want to be more like them"? Often, the happiest people in the world don't have the best of everything...they just make the best of everything!

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How to Avoid Being Mr. or Mrs. Grumpy Pants

Today, I was host to Mr. Grumpy Pants who happens to be my husband.   He's a truck driver so he spends 4-days away from home driving around the Maritime provinces.

He had a particularly bad week on the road this time and he brought it home with him and infused our home with his negative mood.  How selfish of him to bring the "past" into the "present" in such a negative, grumpy, ugly way!

We all experience something negative during any given day.  It's what we choose to do with that negative experience that matters.  My husband's negative experience happened a full 2-days before he even got home!  Talk about dragging Marley's chains around with you.  I could smell his festering brain.

When you bring your bad mood, lousy experience, and  negative energy home, you contaminate your home and all the people and pets that live there.  Suddenly, the feelings and mood go from enjoying the moment to misery or arguing or resentment.

So what do you do if you have had a bad experience that lasted a few minutes and you want to remove the negative energy and feelings before it ruins your whole day?

Stop Reacting to the Stupid Stuff - Seriously!

The babysitter is 5-minutes late and so, you're going to be a grouch for the rest of the day and into the evening and maybe the next morning because you're anticipating she might be late again!!  You get cut-off while you're driving, oh my!  As events go, these are small, irrelevant, and inconsequential and you get to make the choice about how you're going to let them effect you.  Are you going to carry them with you and let them snowball into a huge, ugly mass of anger and resentment?  Or could you look at each individual event when it happens and simply look at it as a small mistake, a funny moment and then keep moving on with your great day?  To start feeling greater happiness and contentment, start by stopping to let the little things grow up to be huge and ugly.

Drop Your Irritation and Anger

When you find yourself feeling angry at someone or something.

Stop, Take a Deep Breath, then Let It Go!  

Just let it go. 

It isn't worth ruining your day, someone you love's day, your health and your general well-being.

Roll On - Your Life is Happening Now

It happened, it's over, move forward.  Living in the present moment, living life to the fullest is about moving forward.  Roll On!

Choose to Make it A Great Day!

For Your Health Choose A New Balanced Lifestyle

Choose Work/Life Balance

Finding your work/life balance is worth its weight in gold.  Working long hours, forgoing lunch, being tied to your smart phone 24/7, and getting home late are quickly becoming the norm for the majority of people.  Sadly, this is beyond unhealthy - causing stress, relationship breakdowns, illness, guilt and so-on.  In some cases in a workholic's personal dictionary "rest" and "relaxation" are synonymous with "irresponsibility" and "slacking".

When you continuously drive yourself to work, work, work, you will eventually begin to run on fumes and then you will get sick and then you will shut down completely!  All of this is preventable with a little balance.  Remember this:  No one looks back on their lives at age eighty and says, "Gee, I wish I'd spent less time with my family and friends and more time at the office."

Action Step - Spend at least 30 minutes outside in the fresh air during the work day.  It will rejuvenate you!  Set aside time in the evenings after work that is your "adventure time" and stick with it.  Once you have set your adventure time on the calender, do it.  Go for a walk, shopping, a play, or sit in a quiet space and read a book.  The activity you choose is less important then taking the time. 

Action Step - Summer is the perfect time to unplug from technology.  Leave your cell phone and tablet at home!  When you go to the beach, spend your time focused on enjoying the sand, water, family, friends, the book you're reading, just simply sitting in the breeze or playing with your kids.  When you're free of your technology baggage, you will be able to enjoy all the sights and sounds of your vacation..  Instead of waiting for the phone to ring (future), you'll be enjoying life in the present moment. 

Change the Channel

Just like on your TV when the picture is bringing you down, you can choose to change the channel and get a new picture.   Negative thoughts are accompanied by pictures of the things that are stopping you.  Focus on the negative image and visualize it turning black and white and getting smaller and smaller until it's a little dot.  Now pick up the dot and throw it over your shoulder so it's behind you.

What you think becomes your reality - the perfect reason to take control and Fire Your Negative Committee.

Imagine the possibilities when you free yourself from negative thoughts by choosing to focus on positive thoughts, choosing to visualize things going amazingly well, believing with absolute conviction that you will make it happen!

Living in the Present

Are you appreciating what is happening right now, right here?  Or are you focused on something that might happen (future, anxiety)?  Or are you focused on something that happened in the past (depressed, angry)?

When you live in the moment, there is no stress, no anger, no regret; just what's happening right now.  You will be focused on and experiencing the activity at hand.

The only moment you can control is the one that is happening right now.  You can't go back and change the past.  You can't predict the future.  The present moment is the only one you have, the one you can feel, hear, see and smell.  It's YOUR moment.

How to Live in the Present by Breaking the Habit of "Wandering"

Your mind has been trained to wander through the past or think about the future.  When you start thinking about the past or the future, stop yourself by focusing completely on what you are doing right now.  Bring your mind back to the present moment.  Use all your senses to immerse yourself in what is happening in the moment.

Breathe and focus.  Find inspiration in what is happening.  Smile and enjoy.

It takes time and practice to break the mind's wandering habit.  Start by focusing on one action or activity at a time.  For example, walking - feel your feet touching the ground, feel your muscles moving, see the sidewalk or trail going by as you take a step, etc.  When listening, just listen,  When eating, just eat.  When drawing, just draw.

With practice, you will be able to stop your mind from wandering aimlessly.

Living in the Present will bring richness and awareness to your life.  You will appreciate the little things that you have probably forgotten brought you joy.  When was the last time you slurped the juice from a watermelon and tasted all of it's wonderful sweetness?

There is magic in the present.  

Repeat after me:

When I live in the present, I am Happy, Joyful and Free.

Do You Suffer From Anxiety, Fear, Panic.......

Then you are living in the future.  Worrying about the what-ifs and inventing negative outcomes to fulfill your desire to outline all the bad things that could happen!!

Anxiety is an emotion that sends our mind into the future. After all, nobody is anxious about the past, right? As human beings we tend to think in stories that are like mind-movies. Anxious mind-movies usually have a ‘what if?’ scenario.

So what winds us up into anxiety are particular thought patterns and stories. Take a look at the following list and see if any points seem familiar:

1. Self-doubts: Do you doubt your ability? Do you think you haven’t got what it takes, in order to succeed?

2. Wanting Control of the future: Do you want to control what happens in future? The truth is that even if we lay great plans, the unexpected can happen. Be flexible and flow with the change. 

3. High self-expectations: Sometimes we become our own slave-driver. Take time to step back and check out whether your expectations are realistic.

4. Fear of failure: Are you afraid to fail? The truth is that all learning entails failure. The greatest inventors in history failed more than they succeeded!

5. Not being present: This is a key factor of anxiety. When our thoughts dwell on the future, and we stop being truly present, that’s when we can become anxious.

These are all mental habits that can be changed in order to alleviate and transform anxiety into a healthy, positive mindset grounded in the present.

Anxiety is a natural alarm system that keeps us safe and productive. But when it becomes a chronic mindset, it will deaden joy and stifle creativity.  It will also lead to chronic physical illness, some of which can be life threatening.

Anxiety Busting Exercise

• Create two columns on a piece of paper

• Label the left column “fears”

• Create a thick vertical dividing line and label it “REALLY!!!!”

• Label the right column “fear busting thought”

I’ll give you an example:

I don’t think that I will get the promotion, sigh, stomach feels queasy because you're thinking about all the bad things that will happen if you don't get the promotion.

RESET = Shout STOP & take a deep breath (brain cannot think while deep breathing)

I have excellent skills to get the promotion and I will look into how I can improve those skills to ace the promotion.

Next Post:  Living in the Present....Til next time Recognize, Reset, Realize Your Potential

Where do You Live Everyday?

In the Past?  In the Future?  In the Present?

There is a famous quote that I love to share simply because it is the most valuable lesson you will teach yourself.

If you are feeling depressed, think very carefully about where you're living.  Are you mulling over the past?  Going over situations that occurred yesterday, a decade ago, last week?  Are you focused on how you were mistreated in some past relationship? Or some other "thing", "person", or "situation" that happened oh so long ago?

Be honest with yourself and really sit down and think about what you're thinking about.

Change happens when you realize that it's time to clear the clutter and release the dusty old things and make room for fresh new things.

Feeling sorry for yourself, angry toward others, guilty, or ashamed for getting the short end of the stick in the past will only continue to keep you from achieving happiness in the present and future.

How to clear the dusty clutter of the past:

The Past Isn't Going to Get Any Better:  That's right.  Recognize that you can't go back and change, fix, improve, or otherwise manage your past.  It's Over...It's Done and no amount of holding on to it, focusing on it, crying over it will change it.

Learn From the Past:  Look at your past and ask yourself - What Did I Learn?  How Do I Want To Apply The Lesson to My Present and Future?

Let It Go:  Hanging onto the past with angry and resentment and hurt feelings will do absolutely nothing to improve your present.  You are simply carrying a heavy ball and chain around your ankle everywhere you go.  Do you want to drag the chains of the past with you?

Choose Forgiveness:  Forgiveness is a conscious choice.  Forgive yourself and forgive those who have wronged you.  Forgiveness frees you to live your life, pursue your dreams, look forward with joy to the future, and enjoy every moment of the present!

It's easier to forgive others when you practice forgiving yourself.

As you reflect on your life, what could you forgive yourself for? 

When you have clarity on something that could be forgiven, say to yourself: 

I forgive myself for ________________     Then let it go. 

Next Post:  Living in the Future....Til next time Listen, Recognize, Learn and Forgive

Focus on What You Want

 The Question I Hear Most Often…

Why is it so hard to just get what I want, when I really want it?

The biggest reason you are not successful,  is….your THOUGHTS!

The problem is you will spend most of your time thinking about what you don’t want instead of what you do want. I will tell you..

“WHAT WE THINK ABOUT WE BRING ABOUT”

If you spend most of your time seeing a series of disappointing images in your mind, like the pile of unpaid bills, the bad relationships, the long line of medications, the endless amount of work, this is what will keep showing up in your life.

“WHAT YOU RESIST, PERSISTS”!

It's time to STOP thinking and picturing what you don’t want and START focusing and spending your energy on what you do want. See the money flowing in, see the intimate relationship, the health, the career, the joy. 

Focus on  what YOU WANT, because………

“WHAT YOU FOCUS ON, EXPANDS”!

And you want your life to expand with possibilities and opportunities?  Yes, of course, you do!

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Do it starting NOW - change your thoughts, change your outcome, change your life!

Let's get started

Close your eyes, take a deep cleansing breath and say:

I am always positive and prosperous-minded.

Breath and Repeat Several Times Each Day

for one week and notice how you feel, how you

have changed and how your life has changed.

Once you start you won't stop and your daily

affirmations and positive thoughts will grow

along with your potential.

Celebrate and Embrace Joyous June

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date" - William Shakespeare

The practice of Living in the Moment and experiencing Gratitude, is all about noticing, appreciating, and experiencing the simple joys of life.  Here are a few simple joys that will embellish your Joyous June.  What will you add?

• Lemonade - yummy!  Sit back and enjoy a tall, frosty glass of lemonade.  Homemade lemonade is fantastic.
• Strawberry, Strawberry, Strawberry!  Attend a Strawberry Festival and eat as many of these juicy joys as you please.  Pick your own with friends and family and then create jams, jellies, desserts, pies and plan to host a Strawberry Festival in January! In Ojibwe, the strawberry is called "odemin" and is known as the sacred first medicine. 
• Create a fragrant herb garden.  Plant lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, and lemongrass.
• Have a backyard camp-out.  Pitch a tent, bring out the sleeping bags, pack snacks, and pretend the bbq is a bonfire (for those who live within a town or city!)  Tell ghost stories, sing songs and sleep in the fresh air under the stars.
• Host a Midsummer's Eve Party to celebrate the Summer Solstice.  
• Go to the beach!  In the morning, stroll and collect shells and Mermaid's tears while enjoying the fresh morning air.  The beach in the afternoon is perfect for swimming, picnics, kite flying, or just sitting in the sun and enjoying life. 
• On clear summer's night, take time to stargaze.  Stargazing is as easy as grabbing a big blanket, a bottle of wine, friends and family and heading for the backyard.  Find a star to wish upon.
• Get out and experience a sensory journey in nature.  Your natural environment is teeming with sensory stimulation waiting to be discovered.  By simply listening, seeing, touching, and smelling, Mother Nature will nurture your well-being.
• Host a "drive-in" movie night in your backyard, or on the side of a local building.  Invite friends, family, community members and the public to sit outside and take in a classic movie.  Have guests bring a snack for a huge potluck "concession" stand.

Now that you're feeling inspired to have your own Joyous June, I would love to hear about your adventures or how you incorporated mine and had a great time.

Cheers, to a fun and adventurous June!

Meditation is a Journey to Peace & Healing

Over the past few months I have had the amazing privilege of leading a group of wonderful people through a series of guided meditations.  We have focused on healing, playing and your authentic self.  

In the beginning, deep breathing proved a challenge for many.  Placing hands on bellies to feel the rise and fall of their diaphragm, we practiced breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.  I watched as they became familiar with deep breathing and I watched their faces and bodies relax with each breath.  It was beautiful!  I could see their state shift from stress to calm and peace.

Meditation is a wonderful gift we can give ourselves.  The magic starts with your breathing.  Once you learn how to breathe for relaxation, you will be able to do it on the fly and calm your physical, emotional and mental state - instant meditation.

Let's Practice

Sit or lie down comfortably.  Place your hands on your belly and breath deeply.  When you breath in, your hands will rise up with your belly - that's a good breathe!  Focus on your breathing - deep breath in through your nose for the count of four (Mississippi's)  and out through your mouth for the count of four.  When you breath out, say the word "relax" quietly in your mind.  

Practice, Practice, Practice

When you have mastered your deep breathing and using the word relax, add "I Am" statements while you breath in - I am calm, I am confident, I am happy, etc.  Create I Am statements that work for you and use them.

Now, you are ready to enjoy the wonderful healing power meditation.  Do it daily - it will heal and you will gain a wonderful sense of peace.

To assist you on your journey, feel free to download my Healing Meditation.  

The Guided Meditation Series that I have been hosting will be taking a summer hiatus in a couple of weeks and I want to truly thank the group for allowing me to help them help while at the same time healing myself through meditation.

An Invocation for Beginnings - Brilliant!

Love the tu-tu reference - 2 fat, 2 slow, etc - shake off your tu-tus!

Absolutely brilliant and so well-said.  I will be watching when I need to and know that you will too!

Enjoy and share.  Let's get moving toward our goals.