THE POWER OF WORDS

THE POWER OF WORDS

THE POWER OF WORDS

Have you ever not wanted to commit to something?
Do you say the first thing that comes to mind?
Have you ever regretted what you said to someone?

If you are like me, you are living life on autopilot. In other words, your responses are programmed. When I was discharged from Caron Treatment Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, I found it necessary to change only one thing; that one thing was everything!

That was a tall order! Instead of being overwhelmed, I broke it down into smaller steps. One of the first things I noticed that needed changing was my vocabulary, not only the words I was speaking but also the thoughts in my mind. So I began to remove words that didn’t empower me, such as try, probably, and hard.

Take the word try; it prevents us from committing. When we try to do something, we allow wiggle room. Trying means we aren’t devoting any energy to do something. It also provides us an excuse for why we didn’t achieve the results we wanted, letting ourselves off the hook when we fail.

Try to pick up a pen, glass, or anything for that matter. When you do pick up the object, try is impossible. You have picked it up. There is no try.

THAT’S THE POWER OF THE WORD TRY!

  • Are you trying to eat healthily —or are you eating healthy?
  • Are you trying to exercise daily—or are you exercising daily?
  • Are you trying to set boundaries by saying no—or are you setting boundaries by saying no?
Do you see the difference? When you hit a pause button, it will be an effort not to say the word try because you’re now dealing with another kind of power. You are going from “not committing” to “committing.” Feel what it feels like to say, “I’ll be over at one o’clock,” instead of, “I’ll try to come over.” It’s a different kind of power.

Nothing changes in a person’s life who uses the word try.  If you want to change, here are three steps you can take:

  1. Eliminate the word try from your vocabulary.
  2. Heed Yoda’s advice and decide to “do or do not.”
  3. Commit fully to the outcome you want.

Another response I encounter from many people who operate on auto-pilot is their reply to my “Thank you.” I almost always hear, “No problem.” No problem? Should it be a problem that you waited on me? That’s your job. But the more critical issue is that you’re sending out negative vibrations to the universe—and me!

Since the universe doesn’t hear a negative, when you say, “No problem,” it hears “problem.” And for me, you can keep that problem; I don’t want it, nor will I accept it. Instead, I ask, “What happened to ‘You’re welcome,’ or ‘My pleasure?‘”

If you’re not creating the abundance you want in life, take a moment and reflect—Am I choosing words that empower me or disempower me?

Choices have consequences. Your choices today will affect the rest of your life. Choose wisely.

A great book I highly recommend. It’s called “I Get To,” by Alicia Dunams. It helps you transform your world with words and empower you to harness the power of intentional communication.

 

Schedule your complimentary 15-minute Assessment to begin your journey of empowerment today!

A Prayer for Today

A Prayer for Today

A prayer I wrote this morning after my silence:

As I enter into myself
I become lost,
Immersed in ecstasy.
I feel a million points
Of light
Piercing love into
My soul.
Is it you, God?
Where are you leading me?
I am lost without you.
I hear your voice calling me.
But to where?
I tumble and fall
But you are there
Catching me in this
Unreal realm,
Putting me back into
Wholeness,
Guiding me from the
Unseen world to the seen,
So I have the strength, courage, and
Love
To hold my Center
In the face of humiliation and
Hatred, and become
Your servant to guide
Others out of their
Darkness
Just as you did for me.
Amen.

ARE YOU BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF?

ARE YOU BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF?

ARE YOU BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF?

What is being true to yourself mean? What immediately comes to mind for me when I ask myself that question, is authenticity, and was something that eluded me for years. It wasn’t until I was recovering from alcohol addiction at the Caron Foundation, that I fully understood that it meant to accept myself as I really am and didn’t have to hide behind masks anymore.

The revelation occurred in what I consider a miracle; images, that were received as spiritual downloads during meditation, appeared as faces with drama masks. The masks melted away the same morning it was my turn to participate in the Psychodrama Therapy, where another person represents you as a child.

After I identified my masks and began to remove them, the person sitting opposite me suddenly shouted, “That was your vision this morning. The masks melted away.” The therapist stood back, amazed, and said, “You’ve had a true spiritual awakening.”

It was an initiation for me; with the death of my egoic self and a rebirth where I called back my authentic soul. From that instant on, I didn’t care who thought what about me— I knew and God knew if I was living true to myself, and that’s all that mattered to me.

I was free—free to be the person I was born to be. Being true to myself means living with integrity, honesty, and unwavering principles. It means I didn’t have to worry about pleasing other people or caring what they think about me, which is none of my business anyway.

It means I know who I am and accept myself as that person; knowing my strengths and my life purpose, and then living in accordance with those truths. I live by Polonius’s words in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “This above all – to thine ownself be true.”

Suggestions on Living True to Yourself

  • Cultivate a deep and trusting relationship with yourself
  • Live and speak with integrity
  • Be congruent and authentic
  • Follow your own value system and beliefs, not others
  • Make personal choices for truth
  • Be completely honest about what you feel and value
Being true to yourself is a life-long practice that requires commitment as you grow and evolve. The answer to your truth exists at the core of who you are. You just need to give yourself space and time to listen. So, go within and begin living true to yourself.
ARE YOU LIVING IN THE PRESENT?

ARE YOU LIVING IN THE PRESENT?

WHAT DOES LIVING IN THE PRESENT MEAN?

What does living in the present even mean? Present moment attention focuses entirely on what is in front of you and what you are doing right now; this is how your life plays out. Too much of the time, we occupy our minds with past experiences or daydream about future ones, which cause us to lose sight of what is before us—our lives.

So many of us have lived our lives in our heads rather than through experiences. One of the points I stress in my yoga classes is to let go of thinking about how a pose should look and begin to experience how the pose feels. Noticing what a yoga pose feels like allows you to go within for the experience instead of looking outward, allowing you to be present.

The easiest way to discover how to live now is to visit your favorite park, river, woods, or another place in nature. Admire everything you see. Touch whatever is before you, feeling its texture: a gnarled tree, the smoothness of a blade of grass. Smell whatever scents there are: the air, the fragrance of flowers wafting, the earth.

Using your five senses brings you to the perfect present. Examine how you feel when you bring your awareness to the forefront and savor the beauty of God’s creations. Things you may have missed, such as the laughter of children playing, the birds chirping noisily, the warmth of the sun, or the brightness of a star, now penetrate your physical being, making you feel alive.

When you are more present, your body relaxes, causing you to release stress. Stress occurs in your body when you don’t have relief between continuous physical, mental, or emotional challenges and can lead to harmful symptoms or diseases. When you live in the moment, all thoughts of stressors are gone because everything is taken care of; you have no issues, worries, or problems.

Living in the present allows you to connect with people more fully by listening, letting go of past judgments, and improving your focus. They can sense when you are distracted by your surroundings and when you able to tune out interruptions, making them feel that you are listening.

The more present you are, the more energy and creativity you have. Meditation is an excellent way to provide you with a deeper level of intuition and creativity; it opens up the channels within you and comes from the space between your thoughts, rather than thoughts themselves. By calming your mind through meditation practice, you allow this space to be discovered.

If you are overwhelmed, stressed out, and don’t know what to do, breathe. Watch your breath as it enters your body, and watch it leaving. If you find yourself creating fantasies that haven’t happened yet, breathe. If you find yourself in a state of mourning, grief, or resentment, breathe.

Meditation is a practice, not a goal, and being more present in your life results from that practice. Set aside five minutes a day to start, then gradually increase a minute each day or two. Decide to notice new things in your life, especially using your senses. Remember, life is all about the journey (the present moment) and not the destination (the future).

For further information about how you can learn to live in the moment, schedule your free 15-minute Assessment today!

MANIFESTING THROUGH THE CHAKRAS

MANIFESTING THROUGH THE CHAKRAS

MANIFESTING THROUGH THE CHAKRAS

In February of 2014, I signed up for John Holland and Sonia Choquette‘s, “Awaken Your Spirit” cruise. Little did I know, my life was about to change dramatically ~ my intuition was about to explode!  

I boarded the plane home and took my aisle seat, barely noticing the man sitting by the window. Since the flight was full, I found it odd nobody was sitting in the center. Several minutes after take-off, the word “fish” entered my mind. I noticed it return several times and began to get annoyed at myself. The more I tried to stop it, the stronger it became. After fifteen minutes I gave up and turned to the man by the window.fish

“Excuse me, sir,” I politely spoke. “This may seem like a strange question, but do you fish?” “Why,” he replied. “Do I smell like a fish?” Of course not, I told him and went on to say I couldn’t get the word out of my head. He did say he visited his brother in the Keys and went fishing with him for two weeks. Hmmm…

We chatted the entire three hours to Philadelphia, and I soon discovered “fish” was the opening for me to help him become present. In short, he was worried about his adult children’s addictions and behaviors, and I mentioned mindfulness meditation might be helpful. As we landed, he asked me how he could find information on meditation. I smiled as I pulled out my new Mindful magazine and handed it to him.

What happened next is a beautiful illustration of how Go Within Yoga was manifested through my chakras.conceptionofanidea 

As I drove home, an idea was formed in my stream of awareness, (chakra seven) and it moved down into my consciousness. The thought was a yoga studio with the name “Go Within Yoga.” This is the conception of the idea.  Next, I needed to check if it was aligned with my life purpose. Discovering the domain www.gowithinyoga.com was available was proof it was congruent with my intentions.

This led me to give substance to that intention using my imagination (chakra six) to visualize what the studio would look like when finished.

Then I stepped it down to the realm of communication (chakra five) when I told Fr. Bill and a few close friends about the idea. Fr. Bill told me to “go for it” and my friends offered their encouragement with their feedback. This step led me to the realm of relationships (chakra four), where I connected with others to work with; the people who installed my floor, mirrors, and blinds, those who would become clients and potential clients.

Using my will (chakra three), I began to move toward my goal. I have specific deadlines for the painting and various installations, as well as what I need to furnish and decorate the reception area of the studio. I take action and when obstacles appear, I overcome them.

Now, results can be seen, which drives my enthusiasm (chakra two). I know what items I want, ask for them, and attract what I need. They appear in front of me whenever I’m out. It fills me with enough excitement to keep my momentum going. My dream is coming into reality.

After I complete all the steps necessary (chakra one), my vision has now manifested into physical form.  I have created a new business that is in alignment with my life’s purpose and serves others. In essences, I have given birth to Go Within Yoga through my chakras!

If you want to learn more about manifesting through the chakras, connect with me on Facebook under Events.

Some of the material included in this post came from “Creating on Purpose,” by  Anodea Judith and Lion Goodman under the “fair use” rule of copyright law.