Nicola Walker Coaching

Mindset Coach, intuitive clarity, purpose, joy

gratitude

Gratitude is Who You Truly Are

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woman looking peaceful and grateful with hot drink in mugIf you want a quick reset, look for what you’re grateful for. Gratitude feels so good because gratitude is who you truly are. It helps you to open to life, rather than resist or judge it…

We all feel grateful when something wonderful happens, or when what we were dreading doesn’t happen after all. Gratitude is usually the last thing on our mind when the shit hits the fan. Our mental preoccupations and thought spinning brains lure us in and keep us  glued just like endless TV. Gratitude becomes a forgotten practice tucked away with pretty journals, crystals and aromatherapy oils.

I used to be that way, but I have become increasingly grateful for the power of gratitude. Gratitude can often be like a magic wand, transforming my energetic state and wiping the windows of my eyes, so I see beauty and notice what is good in my life. [Read more…] about Gratitude is Who You Truly Are

You Can Experience Miracles Every Day

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Close up of white flouncy petaled flower with yellow center. A playful quality.Miracles happen. Slow down the giddy pace of constant thinking and busyness. Breathe fully into the present moment with nowhere to be except now. Let time stop still and open your awareness to see differently from usual. You can experience miracles every day.

 

A miracle is “a shift in perception”, as Marianne Williamson says referring to A Course in Miracles.

[Read more…] about You Can Experience Miracles Every Day

Your First Step Towards Joy

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hands full of pastel colored rose petals

Joy is such a high emotion that many people think of it as belonging in the realm of shooting stars and giddy heights such as falling love or winning the lottery. Your first step towards joy is willingness to experience it, despite circumstances and conditions.

For a deeply spiritual friend of mine, joy wasn’t her word. Highs for her are peace, connection and contentment. Her traumatic childhood has made it harder for her to be fully in her body and soar into ecstatic heights of bliss.

Yet, this same friend dissolves into smiles and joyful laughter when she sees cute kids. Captivated, she often walks up to the parent, with exclamations of delight.

Could it be that we sometimes miss our moments of joy because our mind has ruled out the possibility of experiencing it?

[Read more…] about Your First Step Towards Joy

Making Peace with Now, Even When What You REALLY Want is Different

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Stepping stones across stream“You don’t have to have an ideal life, which appears to be the pinnacle of perfection. You are also not a failure if you don’t yet have the life you really want. You just want to be creating the life you really want.”

If you are focusing on what you really want, it stands to reason that you don’t have it now. So why pin yourself to the wall with an imaginary knife, twisting it round saying, “How could you have landed up in a marriage where you still feel lonely?”, “How could you have taken so long to be doing work that’s deeply fulfilling?”, “How could you be once again starting over, trying to find your way?” or “How could you still not be doing what you really want to be doing?”

Here are 3 enriching practices to make peace with your current reality, while creating what you really want: [Read more…] about Making Peace with Now, Even When What You REALLY Want is Different

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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