Sunday 21 April 2013

Collecting Moments of Joy


Wow, some moments in your life just make your heart swell with joy.  They come into your life and take right over.  Today reminded me that it was all about collecting those moments of joy.  Like picking up shells on a beach somewhere that the sunshine kisses your face. You are right there in that moment, fully present. Feeling the sun on your face and the sand on your feet, your heart feeling as expansive as the ocean that rolls up onto the shore.  You are here in the present - nothing less - nothing more.

I heard somewhere this week that the past and the future exist only in our thoughts.  Maybe I made it up.  Who knows.  But think about it for a minute if the past and the future don't exist...why do we spend so much energy on such a thing?  We can focus that energy on being present and engaged.  We could lead life joyfully in that precise moment collecting moments of joy.  After all - isn't that what life is about?

How much time and energy do you spend worrying about your actions from the past?  The person you used to be?  And how much energy goes into what you want from the future? The person you will become once the unit ships? The House sells? The Divorce goes through? You sign your next big deal? You lose that last 10 pounds?  You win the lottery?
How much of your life slips away while you are waiting for those things to come into fruition?

What would happen if you just relaxed and just let go?  What if you just appreciated the sound birds make as they sing outside your window? The sound that your child makes as she laughs at a joke her imaginary friend told her? The silence that occurs when no one else in the house is awake and you are able to read your book and sip coffee without any disturbance at all?

Spend time each day collecting these moments of Joy.  In the evening before you go to bed recount these moments and give thanks for them. Don't spend time worrying about the things you didn't get accomplished or what the future may hold. Be grateful for today. Make this shift in attitude and awareness and see how more Love and Joy flow into your life with ease.

Lead Life Joyfully,

Much Love,
Lisa


Tuesday 16 April 2013

The Way The Universe Works

I have had the pleasure of seeing my own examples of the amazing ways of the Universe.  We all have parts of our life that we are not proud of.  Things we have done or not done things that lurk in the deep crevices of our mind.  I have two of these. The mere mention of these two things can send my heart rate skyrocketing.  I get angry, defensive, short of breath and panicked.  If my Dear husband inadvertently even gets close to one of these topics he shields himself from me.  I don't blame him.  I morph into this person that closely resembles Medusa or something equally attractive.     This is now a conditioned response much like Pavlov's dogs.  Although my conditioning came from fear that exists only in my own mind.


I avoided these two subjects like the plague.  To the point where if a person was to bring them up I would physically flee the room, not caring about how this may look to others.  Recently a shift started to happen - albeit a small one.  My clients started to speak to me about this same topics.  I couldn't very well run from the room in the middle of a coaching session.  Not only was I able to listen to them speak of these issues but I was able to provide valuable feedback and solutions.  I would also start to share with them my stories.  Communicating that it was understandable that they were feeling the shame, discomfort, anxiety and fear associated with these situations.


The more that I talked about these things - the more people I realized were in the exact same boat. Those that were not in the same situation as me always had the same incredulous look on their face when I mentioned it.  A look completely unbelieving that I would let an issue so small completely overtake an area of my life. This made me start to realize something that I already knew but was entirely unwilling to apply to this area of my life.  Fear exists ONLY in our mind.


We as an individual feed that fear.  We spend time and energy on thoughts that feed this fear.  We lie in bed at night tossing and turning and thinking of the worst case scenarios that will come from this situation or circumstance.  What happens when you feed something - it grows.  Our response to the growing fear is to spend more time and energy on this fear - whether it is keeping us up at night or even just energy trying to avoid the possibility of encountering this fear.  The more we do this the more paralyzing it becomes.


We can find ourselves on this downward spiral.  Soon all areas of our life become affected. Work doesn't go smoothly, business goes downhill, relationships suffer, stress levels increase and health fails.  All of this because we are trapped in this cycle of feeding the fear.  When we give our thoughts and energy towards something we attract more of that into our lives.


It is possible to interrupt this cycle but it takes effort and energy on your behalf.  You need to adjust your thoughts - start focusing them in a different direction.  You will find that if you stop focusing on this fear and putting energy into the things that bring you joy, solutions will begin to appear.


The Universe provides you with exactly what you need at precisely the right time. An example of this happened just the other day with me.  Remember me mentioning earlier about one of my fears?  Well I was mentioning it to one of my clients/friends.  Told them that I was finally ready to deal with this situation.  That I had looked into one possible solution and that I needed to gain some momentum.  He immediately responded asking me if I was open to other possible solutions. I said yes even though I was wondering what alternate solution he could possibly have aside from fleeing the country.  As it turns out his Mom is an expert in this area and she was happy to help me out because it offered her a way to say thank you for all of my efforts assisting her family.  This was a huge reinforcement that life always turns out as it should. The Universe will provide you with exactly what you need at the precisely the right time the instant you are open to it.


To some of you this may seem like a coincidence or a froofroo idea but to me this is truth and I find comfort in knowing that by trusting in something larger than myself - All is well.


I wish you the very best that life has to offer you.

Lead Life Joyfully

Much Love,
Lisa

Monday 1 April 2013

Review, Revise and Reset if Required

Wow, can you believe that it is April 1st already?  The year is flying by.  A quarter of 2013 is already in the past.  Today I spent the early hours of the day reflecting on how I have spent the precious hours of January through March.  I have achieved some of my goals and have slacked off in other areas of my life.  I have taken time to travel, tried new food, laughed with friends and family, experimented with surfing, and drank more than my share of red wine.  I certainly cannot complain about how I have spent the first part of 2013.

I am approaching April with renewed focus in all areas of my life.  Carving out time in my days for meditation, writing, fitness and nutrition.  There are 89 training days left before my first race of the season and 27 days until my first football training camp.  I am challenging myself to go a MONTH without red wine and whiskey.  Business development is also a big part of my focus.  I would love to attract three new clients per business each month and grow my blog readership.  All of these are attainable if I am willing to put the work in.  Since I love what it is that I do...It is well worth the effort.

Have you reviewed your goals?  Are you where you want to be?  Further ahead?  Stalled out? Needing a hand to refocus? The first step is taking the time to examine where you are and reminding yourself where it is that you want to go.  The second step is making sure that is still where you want to go. The third is making sure that you have all the tools required to get to where you want to go. If you don't have the tools find someone who does, find a mentor, hire a coach.  Do whatever is necessary to achieve your goals and make a dream a reality.

Don't give up.  Don't make excuses. Lead Life Joyfully,

Much Love,

Lisa