Nicola Walker Coaching

Mindset Coach, intuitive clarity, purpose, joy

Loving Your Life

Thank Yourself for Being You

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woman meditating with her eyes closed, with hands in prayer position.

Thank yourself for being you. Often, we are so overly outer-focused that we miss the miracle of our own existence. You are here to discover and enjoy who you really are.

The more you appreciate yourself, the easier it is to feel and follow your heart’s wisdom. Your heart is your greatest navigational tool for life.

Are you at peace with who you are?

You can only ever be you, no matter how much you sometimes wish that weren’t the case.

One of the barriers to appreciating yourself is self judgment. When you judge yourself, you lose precious moments and turn down dead end roads. Self judgment is a habit, stuck in old neural pathways formed from past, painful events.

You can heal and transform the habit of being mean towards yourself and learn to see yourself in your true light. [Read more…] about Thank Yourself for Being You

Follow What Lights You Up

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Light your candle in the darkness. Follow what lights you up.The season of the light is here. At the darkest time of the year, I think of the quote, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” It’s been a tumultuous year in the world. Maybe you are experiencing personal challenges too, or perhaps things are going well for you right now. Whatever is happening, we have a choice to turn our minds to the dark view or find and follow what lights us up.

When we light our own candle, we can see better. We feel better too. I have a new affirmation that is fast becoming a belief. “Everything always works out well for me.” Recently, my car broke down in San Francisco. My check engine light was on and an ominous “engine power reduced!” message appeared on my dashboard. I switched off the engine, turned it on again. The car wouldn’t start.

I stared ahead frozen with disbelief and dread. What did this mean? Thousands of dollars in repairs?

I breathed deeply, calmed myself and reached for my phone to call AAA emergency services. “The tow truck will be 60 minutes,” I was told. “Everything always works out well for me,” I murmured weakly after I ended the call. I visualized feeling relief and hearing good news. A huge tow truck suddenly appeared before me in less than five minutes. I was so amazed I thought it must be for someone else but it was for me.

The amount of light we experience in life is largely up to us.

[Read more…] about Follow What Lights You Up

Self Care During the Holidays: Five Ways to Return to Peace

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Warmth of candle flame - self care during the holidaysEach year rolls into a whirlwind of light, dark, joy (for some) and overwhelm in the final month of December. Practice self care during the holidays and remember to love yourself. It’s so easy to get blown away from your wise center by the surge of activity pulling you in a myriad of directions at this time of year.

This is a time when we become extremely vulnerable to the sadness in our life as well as the opportunities for joy and connection. If you have lost a loved one, especially recently, the glaring gap that was once filled by their presence is extremely painful. If you don’t have family, a partner or friends to be with, it is easy to feel lonely and isolated.

As daylight contracts to its smallest offering and the sun is often blanketed by cloud, it is natural to want to give yourself some quiet time, your own version of hibernation. This is why it is always so important to know how to practice self care during the holidays and return to peace.

This dark end to the year is also the season of the light. Light is available to us all. We are made of light. If you feel like you have wandered away from the light, you can choose to turn it on again. Being with those you love, sparkling at parties and the warm glow of holiday gatherings is one way to light up your heart. However, it is good to know how to also find peace, love and light when you are alone, especially when you feel stressed, sad or lonely.

Here are five ways you can practice self care during the holidays so you can return to peace, light and love:

[Read more…] about Self Care During the Holidays: Five Ways to Return to Peace

You Are the Source of Your Joy

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Waterfall

Most of us have days, hours, or for some, extended periods of time when we feel burdened by life. Peering out from the weight of problems or just feeling plain pissy, we lose our bright, joyful self that is miraculously burden-free, watching our inner sparkle become a mere misty memory at best.

I’ve chosen to dedicate myself to my inner sparkle, to keeping my joy alive. I think it needs dedication because life never ceases to shower us with its gifts, then rock our boat. Part of the challenge of life, is that it is very easy to lose our joy.

How well do you know your joy?

Has your joy drowned in a sea of responsibilities, a swamp of seriousness, or is it tangled up in a thicket of gnarly obstacles?

Think of your joy like a mountain spring that continually sources fresh, sparkling clear water. You simply have to locate the spring again, each time you move away from it.

One simple way to get closer to your joy again that works for me is to be willing to drop everything, all my concerns, desires, worries and frustrations to simply be in the present moment. You become an empty vessel. It’s like clicking the “refresh” button on your computer.

How do you do this? [Read more…] about You Are the Source of Your Joy

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.

 

Nicola Walker, apricot top, head and shoulders

Nicola Walker is an Anything is Possible mindset coach, with over 25 years of combined life coaching and hypnotherapy experience. She guides people at a turning point in life, to navigate and fulfill their dreams and deepest desires.

Nicola is the author of the forthcoming book, Joy in the Middle of the Mess: An Evolutionary Adventure on the Quest for Success. One of her greatest joys is to walk and hike in the hills and along the beautiful California beaches, near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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