Choosing Love in Difficult Situations
I wish it was easy for me to choose love in every life situation. It’s not. Sometimes I want to avoid a difficult conversation or pretend I don’t get scared when I hear disturbing news. Even with a consistent spiritual practice, I can still get triggered by a harsh comment, chaotic world event or when faced with a difficult decision.
After practicing degrees of avoidance, dodging, pretending and the occasional “forgetting” for decades, I’ve remembered the truth. All these tactics are simply an ego dance that keep me feeling constrained, stressed, uncomfortable and in conflict.
The truth is equally simple.
Every time I go within and ask Love for guidance on a specific issue or ask for help to react from love instead of fear, something miraculous happens.
There’s a shift.
Sometimes subtle, sometimes more pronounced but a definite shift to a feeling of peace. The shift is physical, mental, and emotional. My shoulders relax, the knot in my stomach...
Life in Reflection...
“What you experience in your external world is a reflection of your internal world.”
I can’t remember when I came across the teaching above or who I first heard it from, but I do remember that I immediately resonated with the message.
As the years have progressed and I’ve studied the mystics, neuroscience, and many of the great thinkers of our time my understanding has only deepened. I believe that what I “see” in my external world is indeed a reflection of my conscious and unconscious beliefs. Oh, I believe it, but I still forget. Here’s a recent example.
I’ve been supporting a friend who is struggling with a specific challenge. She is the most organized person I’ve ever met and is prepared for anything.
Worldwide shut down due to a pandemic? Prepared. Emergency home repairs? She’s got that covered. Extra...
Freedom Through Inner Peace
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Viktor E. Frankl
This week my country celebrates July 4th as Independence Day. The holiday marks the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the 1776 Second Continental Congress when my forefathers declared our freedom from Great Britain.
While the last few years have been cited as the reason many in America feel oppressed, in truth, significant swaths of our population have never been free. At least not like it was described in the history books I studied as a kid.
I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom. And who, what or in what circumstances I truly feel free.
I realized something.
My freedom comes from an inner sense of peace. While laws, ordinances and Supreme Court rulings can restrict my actions, movements and outside choices, my freedom lies in my ability to choose my response. As...
Shower Messages
I find the most specific guidance, the clearest wisdom and undisputable truths often come through at weird times.
Like when I’m in the shower.
That’s where I was today when I realized I had been wondering how to be more effective in my business. Somewhere between the shampoo and conditioner, I heard it.
“Connect. Inspire. Lead.”
This is a message for all of us:
- Connect – All the wisdom we need to understand our lives, have healthy relationships, and enjoy our time on this beautiful planet ALL comes from our sacred connection to the Divine within. How? Connect in meditation, spend time in nature, listen to sacred music, read inspirational books and be mindful of the ever-present now.
- Inspire – Often when I tell someone they inspire me, their reaction is “Me? What’d I do?” Our society used to think proof of inspiration through influence came from bestselling books, social media “likes” or the size of an email list. Not...
The Secret to Aligning with Your Values
It’s that time of year when we once again seek clarity around our intentions and goals for the New Year.
Where do you want to be in 12 months? In a new home? A new job? Will you learn a new skill? Maybe travel?
What do you want your family life to look like? Relationships? Your health?
In the past, it was easy for me to come up with a list of “to do’s” and create my intentions but it didn’t always work so well. I’d use my head, my intellect, to figure out my best plan going forward. That’s when the trouble would start.
In retrospect, I realize my goals often weren’t aligned with my values. For example, a core value for me is listening to the Divine within and leading a guided life. If I have an intention to grow my business, and I consistently get up and start work without doing my daily spiritual practice, I’m out of alignment. I may feel “too busy” for my practice and my ego could come up with a multitude of reasons...