Tuesday Truth or Dare: It's a Joy Thing

Truth: Life is meant to be enjoyed. Happiness is a beautiful, creative state of mind. Happiness is strongly linked to PLAY! Just look at children playing, they're laughing, smiling and joyful.  When you sit and watch a group playing any sport or game, they are completely living in the moment.  And Living in the Moment is where you want to be living.

As adults, we have lost touch with play and that's sad.  Our lack of spontaneous laughter, movement and engagement with others has led to increased levels of stress and depression.  

Playing is holistic medicine and it calls for a daily prescription. 

Dare: Add PLAY to your day. Dance. Skip. Be Spontaneous. Swing. Get a group of friends together for a game of good old-fashioned tag or touch football. There are many ways to add Play to your day. 

Yesterday, Charley (my wee dog) and I went to the park and I spontaneously decided to go for a swing.  It was amazing!  I smiled as soon as I started to go higher.  The kids joined in and we laughed and challenged each other. 

For the rest of the day, I felt energized and couldn't help but smile every time I thought about swinging in the fresh air.

7 day Challenge: 

Wake Up and Smile!

Commit to adding Play time 

to your day.

Sing, Move, Play catch at lunch, Sit on the Swings 

 

Plan a "Play Day" at work or with friends and family!

Sign up for a sport you played as a kid.  Get out there and play.

Make it a Great |Day!

How will you add PLAY to your Day?  

Add your ideas to the comments and let's begin to play and have fun and Smile.

Tuesday Truth or Dare: It's a Should Thing

Truth:  Should is one of the dirtiest words in the English language.  It's only outcome is making you feel horrible about yourself, your abilities, your intentions, what you chose to wear today!  Oh, and shouldn't is equally as bad.  Must and mustn't or the older version - ought and oughtn't are the same. So don't even think about changing should for a must or ought!

Shoulding all over yourself creates a negative mindset.  Period. When you think you should do something or other, your immediate emotions are guilt and anxiety because you're not doing what you think you "should" be doing.

Dare:  Listen to your shoulds and shouldn'ts.  Write them down and change should for want or will or can.  For example, if you are shoulding about losing a few pounds, or quitting smoking, or having lunch with someone you really don't like, then change your words to:

I want to or will lose 5 pounds by the end of the month

I will cut down from 20 cigs a day to 5 by the end of the month

I will call her and we'll meet for a nice breakfast

7 day Challenge: 

Commit to listening for your shoulds and shouldn'ts!  

When you hear yourself shoulding, immediately change to a positive action word - want, will, or can!  

4-Steps to Breaking Up With Your Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs zap your energy and keep you stuck by telling you over and over again that you can't achieve your goals or that you're not worthy of acceptance and success.

The Top Ten Limiting Beliefs are:

• I'm too selfish/loud/shy
• I'm a bad.... (eg I'm a bad parent/friend/son)
• I will never be successful
• There is never enough money (or money doesn't grow on trees)
• It's too late for me to.... (change my career etc)
• I will never....(be successful, find love, travel etc)
• I always disappoint people
• I am not pretty/slim/clever enough
• I'm not good enough/I don't deserve...(happiness success, wealth, love)
• "I can't do it!"

In many cases, limiting beliefs are perceived as facts.  Beliefs are not facts.  Beliefs are your perception of the truth and perceptions can be changed.

Signs and symptoms of hidden Limiting Beliefs:

• You have negative thoughts or feelings more often than not
• Negative patterns keep repeating themselves - money problems, relationship problems, feelings of despair 

Breaking up with your limiting beliefs 

is the first step to a Baggage-Free Life. 
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The 4-Step Break-Up

Step One - Recognize and Acknowledge

Take a look at the top ten limiting beliefs list (top of post) and write down any that sound familiar to you.  Take a look at your list and jot down ways they are negatively impacting your life - money, relationships, career, goals.

Now that you have identified your personal limiting beliefs and acknowledged how they impact your life, it's time to change them.  Think of your limiting beliefs as your subconscious blueprint and blueprints can be changed so they reflect what you really want!

Step Two - It's Just Not True!

In fact, you need to recognize your limiting beliefs for the liars they are.  Then you will see that you can edit or completely delete your limiting beliefs.

Say to yourself, "it's possible that I believe some things about myself and the world around me that are not true."

Great!  You have successfully opened the door to let your new belief in.

Step Three - Everything is Replaceable

Time to replace the old negative limiting belief with a positive new enabling belief.

If you want to create permanent change, you can't just get rid of the old mental pattern, you have to replace it with a completely new one that will take its place.

Use positive words that focus your brain on possibility!

I Am - I Can - I Will - I Choose - I Am Willing To - My Potential 

There is never enough money turns to:

I Choose to Improve My Finances

It's impossible for me to be happy changes to:

I Allow Myself to be Happy

Say your new positive enabling belief out loud.  Does it feel true for you?  Not quite..change it until it feels fabulous.

When you say it, you want to feel confident and ready to move forward with a positive mindset. 

Step Four - Repetition and Reinforcement

Positive affirmations work by reprogramming your thinking to believe that what you want is possible, attainable, and already happening. 

My personal favourite affirmations are:

Every Day in Every Way, I'm Getting Better and Better

I Will Enjoy Every Minute of Every Day

I Am at Peace With My Decisions

I repeat these 3 times every morning before I get out of bed.

Write them down, say them out loud, sing them in the shower, know them off by heart so you can call upon them in a moment of self-doubt.

These are your new Positive Enabling Beliefs - Live Them!

Sign up for my Newsletter and get all the amazing details about my programs and Free Monthly Group Coaching Calls.  Next Call is March18th.

About Susan Ball:  Susan inspires her clients to live the life of their dreams with passion, joy, and love. Susan is an experienced international Life Coach helping people Live a Baggage-Free Life.

Learn more about Susan by visiting her Online, on Facebook

Your Most Important Valentine is You!

Valentine's Day is tomorrow and there is much talk and attention paid to our significant other or a special someone in your life.  And that's great, but what about you?

How do you treat yourself?  How do you talk about yourself?  Are you focused on the negative?  Are you extremely critical of what you do?  Or what you look like?  Do you compare yourself to others?

Do you realize that you spend 100% of your time with you?  If you aren't in love with your amazing self, then your time together can be pretty sad.

Wouldn't you rather spend time with someone who is supportive and appreciates just have awesome you are, warts and all?  

Of course you do.  This Valentine's Day fall in love with your amazing, audacious, gorgeous, unique, and wonderful self.

It's impossible to truly love those around you and your life if you can't love yourself.  So let's spread love all around you!

Step 1 - Stop all your nasty, mean-spirited self-talk!  Would you talk to a person you love the way you talk to yourself?  No.  Change your script.  Use uplifting and encouraging words.  Be your own best friend.

Step 2 - Embrace and Love Your Weaknesses - yup, we all have them.  When we love another person we accept them just the way they are.  We love their flaws and quirks.  Do that for yourself.  

Step 3 - Put Yourself on a Pedestal - you are spectacular and it's time to rise up and recognize all that you are because you're amazing.  

Step 4 - Treat Yourself with Kindness & Love - Say No to others so you'll have more time to say Yes to You.  Accept compliments with a simple thank-you. 

Step 5 - Celebrate You, Your Accomplishments, Your Value, Your Abilities and Your Gratitude.

Step 6 - Look in the mirror and say "I Love You, flaws and all".  Repeat frequently and with passion.

Fall in love with yourself.  Be your best friend.  Speak words of kindness and encouragement to yourself.  Be your Valentine.

P.S. - My new website and jam-packed coaching programs will be launching soon.  Sign up for my Newsletter  (old dreary website) and get all the amazing details about my Free Monthly Group Coaching Calls.  Next Call is February 18th.

About Susan Ball:  Susan inspires her clients to live the life of their dreams with passion, joy, and love. Susan is an experienced international Life Coach helping people Live a Baggage-Free Life.

Learn more about Susan by visiting her Online, on Facebook

Do This Daily for Maximum Impact

Each and every day gives you a new opportunity to make a positive change in your life.

It's impossible to live a positive baggage-free life when you are stuck in your negative mindset. 

Change your attitude and you'll change your life for the better.  Your mental, physical and spiritual health will improve dramatically.  Let's get positive!

Start with your attitude shifting goal.   Start your goal with "I Want"

• to live with less stress
• to have more "me" time
• to let go of my junk filled past
• to improve my relationships

Write it down and give it a due date.  A comfortable due date works best.

Look at your goal and imagine yourself living it.  Are you happier?  Are you less stressed?  Have you added personal space and time?

What changes can you make every day to achieve your goal?

Write them down.  Are they doable?  You want your changes to be small bite-sized pieces.

Commit to one small daily positive change.  It can be as simple as

I will smile and say Good Morning to the coffee shop clerk or the bus driver or the office receptionist or people I pass on the street

  

I will commit to adding meditation to my day.  

I will work on my letting it go skills!

I will take the time each day to count my blessings 

I will............

Do it every day for one week. You will notice that your small change is now just a natural part of your day and you'll smile because you did it.

Now you can add a new positive change and keep building and growing.  Small and steady wins the race.

Wake Up   *   Smile   *   Make a Positive Change   *  Repeat

P.S. - My new website and jam-packed coaching programs will be launching soon.  Sign up for my Newsletter  (old dreary website) and get all the amazing details about my Free Monthly Group Coaching Calls.  Next Call is February 18th.

About Susan Ball:  Susan inspires her clients to live the life of their dreams with passion, joy, and love. Susan is an experienced international Life Coach helping people discover and live their ideal life through NLP, Mindfulness, and G.R.A.C.E.

Learn more about Susan by visiting her Online, on Facebook

How to Stop the Negative Practice of Coveting

I have blessed recently with the opportunity to immerse myself in the study of Gratitude and Mindfulness.  Both of these lifestyle practices are life and attitude changers.  When you begin every day in gratitude and take a daily 5-minute mindfulness break, you will bring positive changes to your life and mental and physical health.

How?  Simple - you will stop the negative practice of "coveting"!

That's it!

Coveting adds stress, depression, anxiety, anger, and many other negative moods to your day and life.

When you covet, you have unsatisfied, unquenchable "need" and "want" and "wish" for something someone else has that you believe you will make you happy.

"If I just had more money"  "If I just had a relationship like Bobby & Janet"  "If I just had a job I liked"  "If I just had a bigger house, a better car, a vacation, ............"

Change your coveting to gratefulness - love what you have in your life and then you will easily be able to build on it.

At the end of each and every day, write down 5 things you are grateful for in your life.  Close you eyes and think how blessed you are and smile.

Commit to a Daily 5-Minute Mindfulness Break.  Tiny mindfulness practices you can do to get started:

• Focus on your breathing.  Feel your breath flowing in and out of your body.  Feel how your lungs expand.
• Focus your attention fully on a daily routine task - washing the dishes, brushing your teeth - notice how it feels, smells, tastes.
• Focus on just being quiet and still.  Let your mind go quiet and your body go still. Do this in 30-second bursts.  

Bring Mindfulness and Gratefulness to your life today - you will be thankful you did

I Am, I Can, I Will - Shift Happens with Small Words

The lack of self-confidence is the most popular reason that clients seek my help.  Not having self-confidence impacts every aspect of your life:

• How you react to negative people 
• Whether or not you change careers
• Go back to school
• Leave a negative relationship
• Stand up for your authenticity and joy and happiness
• Actively participate in events, sports and with friends

Your self-confidence is your foundation and you build your life, success, happiness and pure joy on it.  If you foundation has weak spots, your ability to let go, chase your dreams and find pure joy in living, is significantly diminished!

To begin repairing your foundation, add these empowering statements to your daily routine:

  

Every day, twice a day, write empowering statements that begin with I am, I Can, and I Will.  I recommend doing this in the morning and just before bed.

These may seem like very simple statements but their impact on your confidence will be complex.

While you are writing your empowering statements, you are discovering all the great things about you.  And that will change your view of you and your life.  Start today and notice the shift.

Here are mine from this morning:

I Am Grateful * I Can Write * I Will Start Today

Confidence building is worth the investment - www.susanballnlp.com

I Broke-Up With My Daughter

and I feel free, fabulous and authentic.

It was a difficult relationship and I often felt that my soul was being dug out with a spoon every time we engaged with each other. It was time for a change!

Relationships can be wonderful, loving and mutually beneficial or they can be draining, stress-filled and grossly one-sided.  The relationship with my daughter was the latter.

It was one-sided, demanding, overbearing and she felt no compassion or remorse.  Kind words and gestures were way beyond her scope of understanding.

I hung in for a very long time.  Why?  Simply because there is societal pressure to continue a relationship based on family connection, blood or a specific set of labels.  In our case, our labels were mother and daughter.

I felt more like a doormat and an instant ATM.  My punishment for not behaving as she expected, banishment from my grandsons.  Do it mother or you will not see or speak with them.

The day came when I'd had enough and I was at my lowest point and I decided to break up with my daughter.

The words came easier than I thought they would.  Actually, once I said it, I started to feel amazing and that great feeling has continued to this day.

When you think of your "relationships" and your labels, is there one that you would like to break up with?  Yes, indeed!

Now imagine the peace and tranquility that would invade your being if you sent that person packing?  You feel amazing, calm and look forward to your day and life.

It can be done!  I know I did it and everything about my life has improved.  I will love my daughter forever.  Liking her is a whole other matter and I don't.

Healthy relationships are not defined by labels.

Connect with me and schedule your 30-minute complementary session.  It's simple Visit my website  or send an email

Say "YES" to Yourself and Create Your Best Relationship with You!

Best advice. Think about all the times you say "yes" when you really wanted to say no. Say Yes to Yourself and create your best relationship with you!

To create space for success and happiness in your life, it's important to make time for you.  How?  By saying no to others and yes to you.

Grab your copy of my Yes-No Worksheet and really explore your yes vs no options.  The worksheet will show you what you're missing when you say yes to stuff and then more stuff.

Start easy with 2 yes items that you want to change to no right away.  Write down a variety of ways you can say no (no maybes!).  Play with the words but always be clear that your answer is no.  Then choose the wording that feels right and practice, practice, practice.  

Once you have gotten your first no out of the way, you'll feel so much better, less stressed and you won't grow a huge wart on your nose!  The next no will be easier.

After you say no to something else, say yes to you.  Use the time to do something you "want" to do and not something you should do.

Have you scheduled your 30-Minute Free Consultation?

Get in Touch

Endless Possibilities in 2014

I want to wish you a positively successful 2014 and say thanks for allowing me into your life.  I have learned so much from the clients who have shared their journey with me and I'm looking forward to the endless possibilities, opportunities and adventures that await.  

An exciting and wonderful new year is yours for the taking when you:

Remember to practice daily positivity and gratitude.  

Wake up and embrace the new day.  

Sit back at night and celebrate your accomplishments.  

Have real conversations and smile frequently.  

Laugh and share laughter.  

Encourage your inner child to come out and play.  

Choose adventure and wonder at the world around you.

Stress Awareness Week - September 8th to 14th, 2013

Stress is such an unnecessary part of our lives. Stress Awareness Week gives you the opportunity to learn and try new things to help understand, manage, and remove stress in our everyday lives.

Join us in September for the first annual Stress Awareness Week. There are all kinds of free classes and information sessions for you to take part in from JTW, the Cumberland YMCA, Hatha Yoga Room and more. As well as some great workshops

Schedule of Free Events

When What Where

Sunday Sept. 8th (1pm) - Sensory Walk (Susan Ball NLP) at Downtown Amherst
Sunday Sept. 8th (4pm) - Laughter Yoga ( Wallie Simieritsch) at JTW 
Sunday Sept. 8th (6:50pm) - Zumba (Jen) at the Cumberland YMCA

Monday Sept. 9th (8am) - Guided Meditation (Susan Ball NLP) at JTW
Monday Sept. 9th (12noon) - Reconnective Healing (Hazel Coates) at JTW
Monday Sept. 9th (6pm) - Group Hypnosis (James MacDonald CH) at JTW

Tuesday Sept. 10th (12noon) - Reiki (James MacDonald/Kim DiStatio) at JTW
Tuesday Sept. 10th (6:30pm) - Power Pump (Shawn) at the Cumberland YMCA

Wednesday Sept. 11th (8am) - Guided Meditation (Susan Ball NLP) at JTW
Wednesday Sept. 11th (12noon) - Reflexology (Kim’s Goddess on the Go) at JTW
Wednesday Sept. 11th (6:30pm) - Cyclefit (Jen) at the Cumberland YMCA

Thursday Sept. 12th (12noon) - Kangen Water (James MacDonald) at JTW 
Thursday Sept. 12th (5pm) - JTW Open House: Meet and greet with our practitioners

Friday Sept. 13th (8am) - Guided Meditation (Susan Ball NLP) at JTW
Friday Sept. 13th (7pm) - Gentle Yoga at the Hatha Yoga Room

Saturday Sept. 14th (10am) - Drumming Circle (Gretchen Smith) at Victoria Square


Workshops at JTW Natural Health Guidance Centre

Tuesday Sept. 10th: Authentic Self Workshop (Susan Ball NLP)
Time: 6pm Cost: $20

Wednesday Sept. 10th: Feng Shui: Clear Your Clutter, Clear Your Mind (Wallie Simieritsch)
Time: 6pm Cost: $20

Friday Sept. 13th: Authentic Self Teens (Susan Ball NLP)
Time: 3:30pm Cost: $15

Saturday Sept. 14th: Communicating with Children (Susan Ball NLP)
Time: 1pm Cost: $20


For more information or to register for any of these great events and workshops, please contact Charlene at 667-1119

Presented by: JTW Natural Health and Susan Ball NLP Success Coach

In partnership with: Cumberland YMCA, Hatha Yoga Room, Wallie Simieritsch, Gretchen Smith, 
Devine Meditations, Hazel Coates, Kim’s Goddess on the Go, Dianna Stewart

Patience is a Virtue

Recently, I fell and broke my wrist.  Result - an enormous, clunky cast that leaves me typing with one finger!  Slow and awkward.

Through this experience I have learned the value of patience and that staying positive on this journey is the key to a successful outcome!

I will be writing and preparing for exciting programs real soon.

Be Patient - It Will Be Worth It!

Note to the Monday-Haters Club - Stop It!

What is with all this hating on Mondays?  I open my Facebook on Monday mornings and see a litany of cartoons bemoaning Monday.  Some even have dogs hiding from Monday!  There has been a song written based on a serious crime committed because the shooter hated Mondays.

When you stop and think about being part of the Monday-Haters Club, what are you really setting yourself up for?  Will you be bright and bubbly and happy?  Off to work or school with a glowing positive healthy attitude of gratitude?

No, No, No!  You will be creating a day filled to the brim with negativity.....period.  How could your day be anything but negative if you wake up and the first thing you say or moan is "I Hate Mondays?"  "Mondays Suck"  "Monday Again"

Is that how you want your day to be - filled with negativity?  I can't imagine that would make you happy or less anxious or depressed.

Note to the Monday-Haters Club - STOP IT?!?

It's time to change your attitude toward Monday.  You will be grateful and open up a wonderful world of possibilities. Mondays are a gift to you in the present.  They are wrapped in possibilities for creativity, exploration, happiness, and enjoyment.  Monday marks the beginning - what will you begin?

I love Monday and all days that are gifted to me.  I open my "presents" with a smile, a sense of curiosity and gratitude.

After all, Monday is "My Day" and it can be yours too when you change from hating to loving.  You will open your own world of possibilities.

No matter what day of the week it is,  Choose to Make it a Great Day!

________________________________________________________

t's time to realize your full potential and create lasting, sustainable positive change. Explore your potential and focus on your dynamic future....
NLP Success Coaching Works!

Take the first step to Living Your Life to the Fullest

Book your Free Consultation?

Your Journey to Wellness Begins with a Question

Today, I'm going start a regular Honesty Thursday series of posts.  I want to talk about how I have changed my way of thinking and as a result improved my lifestyle.

I have clients who will say to me I want to be like you to which I respond You Can with a little work and authenticity!  There is no magic pill, potion or spell that I can prescribe that will make you get up in the morning with a smile on your face looking forward to the day as an adventure in the making.  The prescription writer is YOU!

Not too long ago I found myself dreading the mornings.  I would wake up thinking yuck, another friggin' day, when will this end, what is the purpose of getting up!  I was dreary to say the least with absolutely no plans for the future and nothing to look forward to.  I was on the cusp of filling my prescription for anti-depressants. I was low and the few friends I had probably hated to hear from me.

I had no money.  I had a dead-end job in a big shiny corporate office.  I squeezed myself into a subway car at a god-awful hour of the morning to be surrounded by miserable looking lemmings.  I had a relationship that had run its course.  I had decided that my present and future would be lonely, broke, and defeated.

Sound Familiar?!?  I'm sure there are folks reading this right now who can relate to how I was feeling about life and you're wondering how did I turn it around.

It started with a good and true friend.  They are the friends who ask you the hard questions.  These are the friends you want.  Tip:  Get rid of the nodders!

We were having a coffee and I was doing my usual life is so rotten, I hate my life, blah, blah, blah.  She kept asking me one question:

So, What Are You Going to Do About It?

What a stupid, irritating question!  I was livid.  I wanted her to find the solution for me, NOW!  For some odd reason, my friend wouldn't cooperate and kept asking me that question.  I went home and decided I would not be friends with her anymore which of course, added to my Down on Life Story.  

A strange thing was happening though.....I couldn't get that question out of my head!  When I would think about my finances and wanted to wallow in self-pity, this little voice would ask "Well, Susan, what are you going to do about it?"  The question followed me everyday and everywhere. I wanted to answer the question just so it would go away!

To begin your Journey to Wellness, here are your first steps:

1. Honestly think about your friends and family and determine who are the "nodders".  Nodders will not help you in your journey.  Drop them from your friends list and replace them with true friends who will ask you to be accountable to you.
2. When you find yourself feeling down because you're thinking about your debts, or how you will never be able to travel to Australia, or how you will be stuck in your dead-end job forever,

STOP, take a deep breath and ask

"So, ____________, what are you going to do about it?"

When we get together next Thursday, you will have decided which friends will truly help you on your Journey to Wellness and you will have started to think about stepping out of self-pity mode into a I Can Turn this Around space.  And that's where we will pick up.....Setting Small Chunky Baby Step Goals.

I'm really looking forward to your comments as you move along with me.  It will be a sort of an e-course in a casual way.  I will provide worksheets, tips and tricks and how-tos.  The end result will be one Incredibly, Fabulous You!

Choose Gratitude

A grateful heart is a happy heart.  It's so easy to take things for granted:  the information your coworker sent you the fact that your car is running, and even the food you're eating for dinner.  The fact is, most of us have gotten into the habit of ignoring all of the good things in our lives.  Instead, we focus our mental and emotional energy on being upset about what's wrong and what we don't have.  Yes, cultivating an "attitude of gratitude" might sound cliche, but it is important to your overall health and well-being.  Studies have actually shown that thankful individuals are 25% healthier than their counterparts!  To start tapping into the power of gratitude, simply say "thanks" to the people who help you or smile at you or offer a compliment throughout your day.

Action Step - Find a wide-mouth jar with a lid and each day write down a single "I'm grateful for _____" statement.  Fold it and place in the jar.  At the end of the week, month or year, empty your jar and read all the things you have to be grateful for.  You will be pleasantly surprised!

Choose Gratitude as Your Attitude

________________________________________________________

t's time to realize your full potential and create lasting, sustainable positive change. Explore your potential and focus on your dynamic future....NLP Success Coaching Works!

Take the first step to Living Your Life to the Fullest

Book your Free Consultation?

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

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.

Cellphones, Email and Your Not-So-Well-being

In our age of technology, there are very few places where you can go and not see someone on the phone either texting or talking, studying their tablet, or checking their e-mail.  It is overwhelming for me to watch 90% of the population completely controlled by their electronic devices. 

It got me reminiscing about the "olden days".  I remembered how exciting it was when the phone rang and   you picked it up in anticipation of who was on the other end.  You were going to engage in a real conversation with a real person!  The phone could bring great news and feelings - a new job, a date, your mom's voice, a good friend.  It was there when you needed someone special to talk to and all you had to do was dial a seven-digit number and voila! a conversation was in the making.  There was no caller ID or voicemail, you either picked it up or you didn't.  Of course, when you didn't you wondered if you had missed the call of a lifetime!

The phone was magical and it allowed families and friends to communicate across the miles making separation from each other easier.   It brought news, good and bad and could be banged down when you were angry or disappointed.  The banging down of a phone receiver was cathartic.

The amazing thing about the phones of the good old days was You Would Leave Them at Home When You Left.  You went out to meet people and enjoyed face-to-face interactions.  You had a good time and there was no beeping, ringing and vibrating interruptions.  When you wanted to check in with your parents, spouse or babysitter, you walked to a payphone and dialed.  You spoke with the interested person, hung-up and went back to your socializing. 

When you went for a hike, or to the cottage, or on a vacation, you left your phone at home and you enjoyed new sights, relaxing in a natural setting, joining in with groups to discover new adventures.  You were free from attachment and free to explore without interruptions.  The best kind of exploration.  Healthy, encouraging, inspirational, natural, social behaviour is becoming a lost art and it is discouraging.

I have been in meetings and social environments where live conversation is interrupted by beeps and vibrations.  Inevitably, someone says, "Oh, Sorry, I HAVE to take this!".  Really?!?  Have to?  or Want to?  What would happen if you didn't answer your cellphone immediately?  What would happen if you left it at home for an enjoyable evening out?  What would happen if you gave 100% of your attention to the live conversation that is taking place?  

What is so life-altering that it is critically important that you relentlessly engage with an inanimate object - your phone?

Shut it down for a day.  Get out and talk face-to-face, take a walk in the woods free from your phone, play with your children and focus on them only.  

When you do this once, you will do it over and over because you will discover that the caller can leave a message, the text can be answered later, and the email, well, it could actually be left for a few days.  

You will discover a new style of freedom and happiness and it is worth leaving the phone at home!

Confidence Boosting

Confidence is a tool you can use in your everyday life to do all kinds of cool stuff, not least to stop second-guessing yourself, manage your fears and become able to do more of the things that really matter to you.  But not many people realize that their self-confidence works just like  muscle - it grows in response to the level of performance required of it.  Either you use it or you lose it. 

Confidence Boosting Tips:

Write a list of the things you’re tolerating and putting up with in your life, then write down how you can remove, minimize or diminish each one.  

Get crystal clear on the things that truly matter to you. 

If they’re not in your life, you need to bring them in

Stop playing different roles and squeezing yourself into boxes based on what you think people expect you to act like.

Learn to catch yourself every single time you tell yourself that you can’t have, won’t get or aren't good enough to get what you want.

Take yourself off auto-pilot – make deliberate decisions on what really matters to you.

You've got a whole bunch of out-dated rules that determine what you do, don’t do, should do and shouldn't do.  These rules limit your thinking and limit your behaviour.  Tear up your rule book and notice how free you are to make great decisions.

When you feel like stamping your foot and yelling “I deserve better than this!”, take a step back and say 

“I can BE better than this.”

Take a chance on something tomorrow.  

Anything, big or small, just take a chance.

You need to be around people who make you feel like YOU, so spend more time with the people who support and encourage you and less with those who undermine you.

Keep comparing yourself to others?  Stop it

You’re just fantastic as you are

If there’s something you've been struggling to understand for a while, stop trying to understand it.  Accept it just as it is, fully and wholly.

Don’t say “Yes” to taking on a task simply because you don’t want to rock the boat – you can politely decline requests you can’t meet and don’t need to create an excuse for it.

Still beating yourself up for failing or screwing up? It might not be a barrel of laughs but it’s not going to help you get through it.  Much better to recognize that everything, whether it turns out or not, is how you practice living a rich life

*****

Do one thing each day that makes you smile