What does having your own personal power mean to you?  

Does it mean doing what you want, when you want and how you want?  Does it mean having all the money you want with a great relationship and home?  Does it involve having a job doing what you love and enjoy so much that you would do it for free if you didn’t have to worry about money?

Why do you think you don’t already have all you want out of life?  

Is it possible that you are a walking contradiction?  Most of us have desires to be more than we are, and yet there was something that happened when we were in our formative years that made us feel that we were less than our potential; perhaps events that occurred in those early years were particularly unpleasant, which battered your tender psyche.  At that age, you are your emotional body.  The emotions that were created during the formative years are often the cause of your unsuccessful attempts at living the life of your dreams.  Physical and emotional abuse can result in feelings of inadequacy or worthless.  

How can you overcome those old patterns and claim your power?

The Key is observing what you really don’t want to look at; that which you have avoided looking at because of the pain it has caused you.  So, where do you begin … the first step is to observe yourself as you go

 If you begin to open your awareness about what you do out of habit, you will begin to see that some of the things you are create in your life are the opposite to what you want.  One of the reasons for this is that you have internal pictures that contradict with your dreams. 

One method used to open your awareness and watch your thinking process is to begin a meditation practice. 

I teach a style of meditation which is known as Creative Visualization Meditation or Running Energy. 

  With this process, you guide your mind to move energy through your body channels and energy field through creative visualization.  To begin, you create a connection between your body and the center of the earth.

After practice, you begin to see or feel where energy is not in motion and can clear out the blocks so that it is free to move again. 

When your energy is in motion, it generates good health in the body.  When it is static or slowed down by something, it can ultimately show up in the body as illness. 

Other times it will show up blocks around being able to have the life you desire.  It is here that you can begin to find your patterns. 

If you place your attention in the center of your head, you begin to find the neutrality that will aid you in observing your behavior without judgment. 

This is a great place to start the process of modifying your old patterns.  

Re-claiming Your Power from Talking Trash

I heard this somewhere a long time ago and have owned it for myself ever since.  I tell students and clients, “You Are creating your life, whether you are doing it consciously or unconsciously.  Now that you know that, which way would you prefer to do it?”

Have you ever stopped to think about how what you are thinking and what you are doing to create your reality?  Do you hear yourself sounding just like your mom or dad did when they argued or yelled at you as a child? 

 I work with people every day who are trying to re-adjust the way they think and act.  It’s not easy.  Sometimes it’s hard to catch yourself in the moment, let alone before you allow those ugly thoughts to surface, but as the light bulb goes off somewhere in that process of talking trash about yourself or someone else, that is a moment to push the pause button. 

Once paused, examine what you were just thinking or saying and ask yourself:  “Are these thoughts or words helping me become more of who I want to be or moving me away from my highest potential? “

It is in that paused moment that you have power.  You don’t have to become your mom, your dad or someone who was a role model in the past.  They were doing the best they could under the circumstances and it just so happens that you have outgrown their model of behavior.  You are looking for ways to be the conscious creator of how you think and act. 

Once you determine that the thoughts and actions are not working for your highest potential then you have several choices.  Awareness is the key to each of these.

·        Observe yourself in action as though you were a casual outside observer.

o   Once your behavior is observed from this vantage point, you will just allow it to fall away

o   You will gain understanding on how your thoughts and actions can undermine the results you have been shooting for

·        Allow yourself to transform the energy of the situation which has held you captive

o   Create a bubble, just like you do when you blow a bubble from a bubble wand

o   Allow the bubble to magnetically collect up all the judgmental thoughts and pop it

o   Meditate on the behavior if you realize it after the fact and use the tools above to assist

·        Forgive yourself for having those thoughts

o   You may have held some thoughts from infancy, hearing the adults around you expound them over and over

o   It isn’t easy to undo years and sometimes lifetimes of such programmed thoughts

o   You may have revealed a shadow side that sabotages you and if you forgive that part of you, it frees the thoughts up and allows you to let go

o   Someone else may have been gracious enough to have revealed an old programmed response within you that you can forgive and release

It takes practice, but with some perseverance, you will find that you steadily make progress toward becoming more and more of who you’ve wanted to be all along.  And you don’t have to do it alone. Meditation can help.   

If you find that you won’t look at how you are thinking and acting, someone can help you see the behavior.  Sometimes you are lucky to have friends that can be honest with you and other times you have to hire someone to hold you accountable.  

Be kind to yourself and find that person if you can’t make progress on your own.

A Life of following your Own Inner Guidance (Part 3)

I hope that you have had a chance to answer the questions below so you can get ready to look at the last question.

First, I asked you to look at and write down:

 “What would it take for me to be perfectly happy?” 

Secondly, I asked you to write down: 

"Where is it that I am not perfectly happy in my life; in other words, what are the situations in my life, and who are the people in my life that I am not perfectly happy with?" 

Today, we are going to take a look at where you have been in the past that has been happy and rewarding.  The third question to ask is: 

“When I look at my life as a whole, when have I been happiest?  Where was I?   How old was I?  Who was with me?  And lastly, what was I doing that made me so happy?”

When you reminisce and write down what you recall, you will start to unlock the emotional keys to your happiness.  You might notice a theme.  You might notice that it is the people you were with that made you feel so good.  It might be the places you were that brought happiness to your soul.  You may have been doing something that satisfied you down to the core.

Whatever you notice, how does that fit into what you wrote for the first question?  Do you see similarities in what you desire now and what made you happy in the past?  

 Answering these questions could help you to develop wisdom, courage, and foresight to organize your life in a new and different way.  And that could lead to your becoming a much happier person.  The happiness you experienced in the past can flow into your life now if you consciously make that choice.  

Now that you have given yourself some of your own answers, what can you do right now that will point you toward your happiness?  Everything that you do that takes you closer to your happiness will be rewarding in and of itself.  It may take time, as I mentioned in part one, to fully realize the life that you visualize, but taking one persistent step at a time will bring you closer and closer, making the journey worth the effort.

What’s not to like about being more optimistic and feeling like you are in charge of your own life?

Give it a try and let me know what you notice.

A Life of following your Own Inner Guidance (Part 2)

Were you able to let yourself answer the question in the first of this series of posts:  “What would it take for me to be perfectly happy?”  

If not, perhaps you could give it a try now.  Writing it down often makes it real in the body.  Your unconscious mind doesn’t know that if it has or hasn’t already happened.  

You might even try this before bed and dream about it…you never know what awesome things you might imagine when given the freedom of your astral space, where anything is possible!

Now, the second question is a little more difficult.  Ask yourself, "Where am I not perfectly happy in my life; in other words, what are the situations in my life, and who are the people in my life that I am not perfectly happy with?" 

Really examine every part of your day, from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night, and write down every single element that makes you feel unhappy or dissatisfied in any way. Remember, diagnosing the problem is half the cure. In order to resolve a problem, you have to become aware of it first.

Once you compare your answers, think about what you can do, starting immediately, to move toward the things you want to create in the life which will allow you to step away from the things that you no longer wish to attract into your life.  

One thing to remember is that no matter how big that elephant (your goal) is, by eating it one bite at a time, you will get closer and closer to what you hold in your vision.  It does take time.  Focus on moving in a direction that demonstrates perfect happiness for you.  You will notice that as your focus remains on your own happiness, you will see that you become more optimistic and have a feeling of more control in your life.

A Life of following your Own Inner Guidance

I'm sure you've heard of Murphy's Law: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Well, there's a similar law that says that left to themselves, things have a tendency to go from bad to worse. 

So for example, if there is something that is making you unhappy -- for any reason -- the situation will tend to get worse rather than get better. So rather than engaging in denial, or pretending that nothing is wrong, or wishing and hoping and praying that, whatever it is, it will go away-- spend your time trying to face the situation and do something about it.

Many people become very frustrated after working very hard on a job, a relationship, losing weight, etc. It may help to separate from the frustration by getting a bird's eye view. Asking yourself a few questions can help get that point of view; the big picture.

 Ask Yourself this...

Today, I am offering the first of three questions for you to ask yourself. Write it down at the top of a sheet of paper, and then write as many answers to it as you possibly can.

1. The question is: "What would it take for me to be perfectly happy?"

• Be clear about what it would take for you to have your ideal life.  
• Write down every single thing that you can imagine that you would have if you were perfectly happy at this very moment. 
• Write down things such as: 
• health 
• prosperity
• loving relationships
• inner peace
• travel
• car
• clothes
• homes
• and so on. 

• Let your creative mind run freely
• Imagine that you have NO limitations at all
• Write down everything, whether or not you think you have a snowball's chance in hell of actually getting it or not

By asking yourself this question, you will begin to delve deeper into yourself and your feelings. You may even begin to accept your own happiness is a legitimate standard for evaluating everyone and everything in your life.

 Use your happiness as your measure of what is right for you. It can help you begin to see a situation entirely differently.  You might find that in terms of your own happiness, the right answer might be to do something else, or to do what you're doing in a different place, or to do it with different people -- or all three.

Next week I will go to the second question.  Till then, see what you notice for this first exercise.  Let me know.

The Power of Clearing your Sexuality

I have been learning a lot of different ways to approach meditation, growth, and learning. Today I would like to discuss something that has been fun for me lately. I was introduced to Bob Proctor’s Six Minutes about 4 weeks ago and have found that it is not only fun, but has created a venue for me to find some of the programming around abundance and clear it.

Yesterday, I decided to take a look at the months’ worth of exercises I had done and noticed that there were a few exercises in the workbook that we haven’t actually covered yet. I decided to see what my first take on these exercises was and found that I was very provoked around the energy of sex. Yes, sex! I was blown away about the programming that I had regarding how I felt about it.

Now, for three sessions I taught a six month woman’s class, which dealt with some of this and thought that I had cleared the charge away from this topic, but here it was blaring in my face. It started me thinking about other women. Some questions came to mind.

· What is the first memory that you remember?

· When was the first time you recall really being turned on by someone?

· What happened after that?

· How did it progress?

· What did your peers think?

· What were the judgments of your father, mother and grandparents?

· Did you feel good or bad or were you judged to be so?

· Did you feel guilty?

· What is it that created your foundation for your memories?

· What is the Truth about your sexuality for you?

There are always a bunch of people in that space along with the pictures, that once de-energized can create a huge release depending on where you hold that energy in your body. It could be in the form of pain, like mine was in my left hip. You may not even know that this is what is causing the pain, like I didn’t, because I just wasn’t supposed to look at it. You might be very surprised to see just whose judgment comes up. I know I was. The relief I got was instantaneous, luxurious and absolutely freeing.

That kind of energy can make or break relationships and neutralizing it can be the beginning of a whole new world of wonderful relationships and renewal of those already begun.

I may teach a workshop on this down the road if anyone is interested.

The Power of Grounding yourself in your Life

Have you ever stopped and wondered what is different when you have those days where everything seems to go just as smooth as glass? When the traffic lights just seem to turn green as you approach? When people just move out of your path right when you need them to? Where projects seem to complete themselves?

Chances are that on those days you are grounded. Your life force is right around you and your have your intention set.

Then there are the other days that don't go so smoothly and you might find yourself scattered, flustered and irritated. I am willing to bet that on those days you are ungrounded and don't have much of your life force around you.

There is a simple solution that really only takes a few minutes, and after all, isn't it worth a few minutes to set yourself up for one of those awesome days?

1. Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
3. Notice your physical body and exactly where it is and just say "Hello" to yourself.
4. Allow yourself to relax and breathe into any place that you find stress or tension.
5. Send a Hello to the earth, after all, it does keep your body here on its surface.
6. Imagine that your body is attached to the Center of the Earth by a big fat line of energy. This line can be made of of anything: a tree, a waterfall, a gigantic barbershop pole, anything fun that you can imagine.
7. Allow that line of energy to have a downward flow.
8. Let yourself release anything down that line of energy that doesn't serve you right now, such as other people's problems or anything that doesn't relate to what you have to do in the next few hours.
9. Imagine that you are surrounded by a big bubble and expand that fat line of energy to include the bubble surrounding your body so that you can give yourself more room.
10. Again, allow yourself to release anything that you don't need to think about right now.
11. (Don't forget to breathe.)
12. Next, imagine that you have a big golden sun above your head. It contains your unique energy and you can just allow that gold sun's energy to fill in your body and your bubble so that your life force is surrounding you.
13. Set your intention for the day ahead and when you feel that you are ready, open your eyes and begin your day.
14. Have fun!

I have made recordings of this type of simple meditation that you can request and I will send you a link to download it if you like. Just fill in the contact form at my web site: www.guidinginspiration.com and ask for a free simple meditation.

Bringing the Power of Joy and Love to Your Life

Sometimes we get so caught up in getting things done that we need to accomplish; we don’t stop to find enjoyment in our day to day. Sometimes we have so many things that we are juggling; so many problems to care for that we lose sight of the things that make life wonderful. If you are caught up in the day to day right now, or find yourself there from time to time, I have a few suggestions.

Here are five ways to reclaim your power from those days and to bring more love and joy into your life:

1. Get outdoors. Take a walk and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. Spend a little time away from all the pressures and really look at the wonders and beauty that surround you. Don’t forget that you are an inherent part of that beauty.

2. Bring some nature into your home or work. How about bringing a plant or a bouquet of flowers to wherever you are indoors so that you can be reminded of the beauty of yourself and your surroundings. There is nothing like a living plant or colorful flowers to lift ones spirits and bring in joy. You are certainly worth it!

3. Take life extra seriously, NOT! Find your amusement and Laugh! Life cannot crush you when you are laughing it in the face. I have often fooled myself into thinking that something was funny just by pretending to laugh. It is even more fun if you find a way to make someone else laugh. You'll find that it is contagious.

4. Take a look around you and notice that there are others demonstrating love and joy all around you; perhaps you see a couple holding hands or new parents with their baby. Focus on their expressions and notice how it changes your attitude. Once your attitude has shifted, you will notice many more demonstrations of love and joy around you.

5. Notice how much fun you create in your own life. Take a lesson from a child, puppy or a kitten playing. What do you do for fun? My family likes to play ping pong. It may start out slowly, but no matter how reserved one might be to start, the momentum eventually catches and everyone is smiling from ear to ear before it’s over. So if you aren’t already creating fun in your life, it’s time to begin.

Any of these suggestions are helpful in stepping out of the grind for just a little while and once you gain that new perspective, things don’t seem so overwhelming or intense. When we shine our new perspective on ourselves we find that joy and love take a higher place in our consciousness. It’s the fuel to get us through our day to day.

We all need reminding that there is a lot about life we do enjoy and love. So don’t be afraid to just take a few minutes when you need it to find out what is fun for you.

Your Power and Resistance

I find it amazing just how easy it is to resist what is happening in my life on any given day. Some days there is a green light at every intersection as we go through the day and other days the red light looms at every crossroad.

I was meditating on my own resistance in general and pondered my power of observation at my resistance. I find it is sometimes hard to observe. As I meditate though, I can see it loud and clear. Resistance causes discomfort and many times anger and resentment. That is because things aren’t going the way I would like. As soon as I don’t care about controlling the source of my discomfort, I don’t feel it anymore.

Hmmm, I thought. If I try to control a situation and it becomes uncomfortable, I am noticing that I am in resistance. As soon as I let go of the need to control the outcome, things change. There might be something to this.

I would like you to notice for yourself. When you are uncomfortable, meaning that you are experiencing some kind of anger, depression, victim-hood or what you might consider a negative emotion, watch yourself if possible from the casual observer point of view and see if you can let go of the need to control the outcome. Notice if that changes the entire event happening before your eyes.

The Power of opening your heart

Not long ago, during a meditation, I finally figured out what had been in the way of having good posture all these years. My shoulders have been pushed and shoved into “proper” posture many times, but it has always felt wrong.

During the meditation, I realized that my heart chakra and solar plexus had been pushed back and were closed. I had shut myself off from who knows what? (I have numerous ideas.)

The idea was not new to me, as a friend of mine had mentioned to me the struggle of keeping the heart chakra open when faced with an argument or a difficult situation. She discovered that consciously keeping it open allowed a healing to occur.

I had pondered this for over a year. It was while I was consciously breathing the three part breath (belly, lower chest, upper chest) that I discovered that shifting my heart forward from the spine and opening my chest, made a huge difference in my posture. It not only opened up my chest, but also opened my heart chakra in a way that shifted my perception of everything miraculously!

I have since noticed what my friend pointed out a year or so ago. It isn’t easy to keep the heart open to all the stimulus the day brings with it. There are so many times that it wants to close down and not feel the discomfort/ pain/fear. That is where consciousness comes in.

Try this when you notice yourself closing down or ego trying to take over:

· Take a breath in and think “Accept.”

· As you exhale, think the work “Release.”

· “Accept”, “Release”.

· As you breath, notice if your heart is open.

· If not, you can consciously open it as you breathe deeply. And if it is open, congratulations! Keep up the good work!