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Manifest Your Desires: Reignite Joy, Live Your Dream

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May Peace Be With You – Your Heart Knows How

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Warmth of candle flame - self care during the holidaysI’m having a crazy, zany December, but what’s new? December is the most bizarre month of the whole year, and try as you might, it’s hard to make it any different. In this season of the light, I have been so busy I nearly lost my sense of light altogether. What with a sudden rush of work as well as early shopping to send gifts off to my family in England, making gifts, attending concerts, gatherings and parties, my need for quiet, reflective time flew right out the window.

Yet, feeling strung out is no way to live. In the end, something has to give. Last weekend, I had to cancel my plans to attend a couple of parties that were both a long drive from where I live and just rest! I struggled with the choice at first, because I really wanted to see this particular group of friends. Yet, on the morning I was to pack and get everything ready for going off to the parties, I found myself not packing. It seemed like my system couldn’t take any more stimulation, and the thought of a long drive just made me sit motionless in bed. I just wanted to stay close to home, sip tea and walk down to the beach. By slowing down, I found my heart, my light and gradually revitalized myself. I am continually amazed at the wisdom of the heart. Trust your heart’s wisdom and you find peace.

Are you listening to your heart, or resisting the knowing in your heart? What can you do to experience more light in your life? This is a good question to ask as you move towards the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

Where Does Fear Hold You Back?

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cobwebDo you have days when your mind becomes dull with brain fog and a mysterious paralysis strangles your ability to take action? Fear has crept up, weaving its insidious tentacles around you like sticky cobwebs. Once you become fear’s prisoner, then fear will feed you stories, none of them true, about why you can’t have what you want.

How do I know this? Because I’ve been there. Fear can still lie in wait for me when I get out of bed in the morning. I have to be alert so it doesn’t trip me up and make me captive. Even when I’m really on a roll, in the flow, without a care in the world, I can still, all of a sudden, without any warning, get caught in fear’s trap.

It’s interesting to note that the more I devote time to doing what I love, the more prone I am to fear because I am taking risks, putting myself out there, unsure of how people will respond to me, facing the unknown financially. Yet, I am also feeling strong and vibrant because I love what I do, which helps to keep fear at bay. The worst kind of fear is the paralyzing kind, that makes you avoid doing what you long to do. The kind of fear that makes you see closed doors, no options, vicious circles and danger signs everywhere you look.

There are a couple of situations that I have known intimately, that force you to face your fears. Going through life transitions is one of them. Going through divorce, death of a loved one, leaving a job, starting a business or new job, beginning a new relationship, ending a relationship, children leaving home, health issues or moving. Suddenly, you are not floating along or treading water. You are facing a brand new situation. Change is always an opportunity for growth. You either feel energized and creative. Or, you feel flattened with fear, prone to self doubt. Or maybe you flit between the two.

The other situation is finding your unique self expression. You know when you have a vocation or a form of creative expression inside you that you are trying to ignore or suppress. Again, the risks are great. What if you mess it up, make mistakes? How will people respond to you? Will you make money, lose money or forget about the money? Is it easier to just forget about it? The answer is always no. You’ll never be able to effectively forget about it anyway. Also, a part of you starts to wither and die, just like a plant that has been placed too much in the shade.

The longer you ignore any situation that makes you uncomfortable, the worse it gets. This goes for a business that is stagnating from a lack of unique self expression, or a relationship that’s undernourished, deprived of love, passion and creativity. Fear acts like a snowstorm falling on a rose. It freezes beauty, inspiration and growth.

So you have to face the fears that hold you back, shine a light on them, expose them for what they are. Fear doesn’t like the light. It thrives in the dark. So find the light of truth inside you. Your inner wisdom is stronger than your fear, and will lead you where you need to go for your greatest happiness and fulfillment.

 

Rediscovering Magic in Life: Part 3 – Speak to Your Challenge

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Center of pink flowerMagic is always present, all around you and in you, yet your attention needs to be alert to the magic so you can perceive it. When your mind is focused on your life challenges and worries, mundane concerns or emotions that you’re feeling, then the magic is, for the moment, lost. Of course, it’s just part of being human. We have lots to think about! But you also don’t want to get stuck in the swamp of whatever you’re grappling with so much that the magic is lost and each day is like a startlingly similar replay.

A most effective way to get momentum on moving through and addressing challenges in life is to speak to your challenge. Both the struggle with the challenge and the answer that frees you live inside of you. It takes focus and commitment to your desire for whatever lies beyond the challenge in your life.

Here are five steps you can take to move through your challenge:

  1. State what it is you want. For example, I want to have a successful business, or I want to know that I’m making the right choice about xxx, or I want to be in a romantic relationship with someone who’s a perfect match for me, or I want to know the right step to take in this situation. Feel the want inside you and make sure it’s strong. That it’s coming from a place of decision rather than a  state of endless wanting.
  2. Feel the struggle inside of you. Maybe you feel frustrated or sad, hopeless or overwhelmed. Notice where you feel this in your body. Often you feel emotions somewhere in your torso, such as your stomach, your heart, your solar plexus or your throat. Or maybe you feel a lot of energy in your head.
  3. Speak to the part of your body where you feel the emotion. Ask it to tell you more about what it’s feeling. What is it frustrated about or sad about? You might know already, but it’s good to hear its language.
  4. As you listen, you may well hear some limiting beliefs. You can recognize limiting beliefs because they just don’t sound right. They’re not really true. They sound weak, like an old tape that keeps playing, but isn’t serving you anymore.
  5. Write down the limiting beliefs. Then question each one by asking, “Is this really true?” Listen in your heart for the answer. You’ll know. Then write down what is really true. Listen and deep down you’ll sense if what you have written is true. Maybe you’ll get a rush of warmth, a sense of knowing, an image or an inner voice that tells you that you’re on the right track.

These five steps give you an example of what is possible within a very short amount of time. There are many ways to speak to your challenges. The key is to shift from life challenge to illumination. Your inner wisdom is always there to support you and guide you in your life. Once you feel reconnected to the peace and wisdom in your heart, the magic is yours to perceive.

I hope you enjoyed this three-part blog post on how to rediscover magic in life, when it seems to be elusive or just not there at all.

 

How to Rediscover the Magic in Life: Part Two – Feed Your Heart and Soul

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Do you sometimes feel lost inside your own life? Almost like being swept away by a river’s current, beyond your control? Maybe you’re feeling the challenges of change and transition, where life doesn’t seem the same anymore. You wonder what happened to the magic in life.

It’s important to find your feet in simple ways that restore a sense of balance: a connection with who you feel you really are. Then you can begin to take back the driver’s seat.

Appreciation is a wonderful way to open yourself up to seeing and experiencing a sense of magic in life. Think of simple pleasures, and do something that feeds your heart and soul each day. So often people focus on the big things that they think will help them to find happiness, when really the best way to find happiness is in the little things. The simpler your focus, the greater your sense of gratitude.

When you can find happiness in simple ways, the big things will come much more easily. And if they don’t, you’ll still be happy. You don’t have to look far for happiness because it is inside you — it is your innate being.

For example, one way I can always restore that sense of balance and connection within myself is to go on an appreciation walk. Genuine appreciation helps you to feel your heart and soul.

An appreciation walk can take 5-10 minutes or longer if you prefer. Either take your walk in your neighborhood or near your office if you only have time to just step out the door. Or stop off when you’re driving in a pleasant area and take a stroll. Look out for things to appreciate: flowers, trees, buildings, architecture, birds, the blue sky, clouds, sunshine or rain.

Just recently, I was walking down a favorite path through some redwoods by a creek. I saw one of those big floppy butterflies fluttering down the path ahead of me. I stopped to enjoy the sight. The butterfly then turned around and flew towards me, circled around me and then glided off back in the direction it had been going. I love butterflies. They are also very meaningful to me. I stood in joy and gratitude for this moment.

I wonder about the precious moments I have missed through being caught up in my thoughts and not really seeing what’s around me.

Give yourself time every day to get really present and find something to appreciate and enjoy. And take the time to do some of those things that really nourish your soul. When you take time out and truly let go of your troubles, it is easier for you to see the life choices that are available to you.

I’ll publish Part 3 of Rediscovering Magic in Life next Tuesday.

How to Rediscover Life’s Magic – Part One: How Present Are You?

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In my last post, What Happened to Life’s Magic?, I wrote about how I suddenly lost my sense of magic in life. Everything became very flat, and to my alarm, simple things that used to give me pleasure didn’t seem to do so anymore. Fortunately, I turned to my inner wisdom for help. The first thing that I was directed to focus on was my attention. Where was it?!

I realized that my attention was focused on my worries and concerns. The challenges and problem solving I was facing at the time led me to focus more on my concerns than simply being present in the here and now. My energy was caught up in my head, with my thoughts, instead of being present throughout my body.

It may sound like a subtle distinction because we all face challenges that we need to deal with. But all you need to do is set aside time to deal with whatever’s bothering you, then let go of it and return to enjoying the present moment.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself just to see if you do let go of your challenges:

How much time do you spend feeling flat and uninspired?

Are you someone who often replays past events, cringing because of something you said, or fretting about something someone said to you?

Do you sometimes find yourself impatiently counting the days, months or years until a certain longed for event happens?

When you focus more on the future than the present, or more on the past than the present, you have a strong sign that you need to put your attention on finding life’s magic again. Now.

Magic happens in the present, and you need to be present to enjoy it.

Here are three steps you can take to step fully into the present:

1.         Slow down and take some deep breaths.

2.         Feel your feet on the ground and feel the ground beneath your feet for at least a minute.

3.         Move your awareness into your body, your legs, your pelvis, your tummy, your chest, your shoulders, your neck, your head and your back and your arms and hands.

Notice how being present feels different to how you were feeling before you took this three steps.

When you slow down, you feed your soul.

You create your future from what you think and do in the present. So the present moment is truly sacred. To experience true inner happiness, you need to be present and to embrace the present.

In my blog post, next Tuesday, I’ll talk more about feeding your soul.