“When you begin to think you have a problem, so too the delusion begins.”
There is only love,
Susan
Photo by Yoann Boyer on Unsplash
Tag: Fear
What Is It You Desire?
So often we focus on what is going wrong in our lives or our day… but how often do we spend time thinking of what we already have or would rather have?
I see way too many people focus on what is lacking, versus the abundance that already is, or the possibility of what is to come!
Take a moment to answer this question and don’t skip ahead 😉
- What are the 3 words that pop into your mind with this word: Job
Pause a moment
Pause a moment
Pause a moment
Pause a moment
Pause a moment
Pause a moment
Pause….
Ok, do you have your 3 words? How easy was it to come up with the words? What were the FIRST words that popped into your head before you started analyzing for the perfect 3 words?
You see, there are categories of words that reflect your own resonance with the word “Job”. For example:
- Words that are similar to: Sucks, 9-5, Ok, Annoying, Not Fulfilling, etc. tend to reflect all the things that are going wrong.
- Words that are similar to: Love, Thankful, Creative, Friends, Mentors, etc. reflect all the things that are enabling you to feel gratitude and the things that are going well.
This exercise is a great way to see in which areas of your life you focus on the lack rather than the abundance/desire.
You can apply this exercise to any word and you might be surprised to see what words pop into your head. And of course, try not to analyze or change the words right away. The point here is to allow yourself to be honest with what comes up so you can pinpoint what’s truly going on.
Do you see how changing your focus can make you see and feel things differently? How one word can change your enter feeling state toward something much more positive and healthy?
Give it a shot today, focus on what’s working or what you’re sure is coming into your life and see just how different the world looks.
In Abundance,
Susan
Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash
Friday Focus – 2/15/18 {What Truly Matters?)
Happy Lunar New Year! For those of you following the lunar calendar you know this is a special time. It’s the turn of a new year following the phases/cycles of the moon and many countries in the East has followed this tradition for years, and still do!
It’s a time, just like our traditional New Year on January 1st, of re-birth and moving forward.
Identifying with both American and Asian culture I loved celebrating this special holiday. It was a time to shed anything still lingering from January 1st, and it was an opportunity to take a second, hard look at what truly mattered.
And while this isn’t a practice that should only be done during the beginning of a new year, the Lunar New Year is another great opportunity (whether you celebrate it or not) to ask yourself – what is it that speaks to your heart? What truly matters to you at the end of the day?
These are the type of questions that really zing at your heart aren’t they? They allow for such clarity to arise so that what occupies the mind 90% of the day immediately falls away,…or at least begins to crumble.
So,what speaks to your heart? What truly matters to you? In this moment?
You may find it’s the simple things. The small moments of stillness, the moments of laughter being shared with someone you love, spending time with your furry friend.
Whatever it may be for you, take a moment to honor the Lunar New Year and do a little more of what it is that brings you closer to your own heart. As I’ve always said on the blog, the more we focus on what we want, the more it expands.
Happy Lunar New Year!
In wellness,
Susan
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
May We Love More
May we trust our heart more than our head.
May we smile more than we frown.
May we see the good more than the bad.
May we detach from outcomes and trust in the unfolding.
May we lean in to discomfort, only to find our own true capacity to love.
May we love…more.
In wellness,
Susan
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
There Is Only Love
Love.
I was having a heartfelt conversation yesterday and we were saying how the pain and joy in life all stems from one thing – people and our capacity to love.
Some of the hardest parts of our lives stems from our interactions with one another, strangers even! And yet, some of the greatest joys in our lives come from the very same source. Ironic isn’t it?
When we feel pain, oftentimes at the root of our suffering is the perception of non-acceptance, feeling unloved or even judged.
I say perception because the deep truth of it is that we all stem from the same Source, the Universe, whatever you like to call it. We are ONE, and yet we see each other as separate.
You see, all we want is to be loved at our core.
And here’s the bottom line – no matter what seems to be happening on the outside, recognize you are already love. Instead of looking out and the effects, look inside and recognize the truth of who you already are.
No one can take that away from you.
No one can say or do anything to make you less than what you already are.
All that needs to happen is to lift the veil so that you may recognize your own truth. Your own self.
When things do get tough I like to share a thought process Matt Khan speaks of called, “Thank you for teaching me”.
You see, when we turn the focus around from analyzing a false thought pattern of “what’s wrong with me” to “thank you for teaching me”, it allows us to realize there is nothing wrong with you, but it is an error in our way of perception of the person or situation. Thus, “thank you for teaching me” allows us to truly give gratitude to the person or situation and allow us to learn and build our very own capacity to give love.
Beautiful isn’t it?
So here’s to truly understanding our very own essence and capacity to love.
In wellness,
Susan
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
The Power Of Choice – Choosing Your Outcome
Neural pathways. It makes me sigh with how powerful, wonderful, and amazing our brains truly are.
Did you know that most of our actions, emotions, and even reactions are all due to our neural pathways?
It’s why we feel a certain way most of the time. Whether it’s the moment you wake up, the route you take to work every day, how you converse with strangers, how you react in a fight, your natural food choices, etc.
It’s our brain’s way of making things easy for us.
You see, after we’ve settled on a core belief, our neural pathways do the rest of the work! Things become automatic because it’s efficient. It works.
However, what if you wanted a higher outcome? What if suddenly what has worked for you in the past doesn’t serve your higher good anymore?
This is where the power of choice comes in.
Oftentimes we think a certain situation presented itself in such a way the action was inevitable. But no, we have a CHOICE to go the other way; we have a CHOICE to stop and think about what it is we really want. How liberating is that?
It’s the understanding that most of our habitual thoughts and actions comes from a finely grooved neural pathway. It’s in knowing that now there is a choice to begin forming a NEW neural pathway.
The practice now is in the noticing. It’s in the moment right before reacting, the thought, the urge. It’s providing space for that moment to truly feel into what it is you want.
With mindful re-patterning there is a way toward higher choices. Over time you will find it easier to be habituated toward what was once “new” to you.
May we honor this time, the power of our thoughts, and be mindful of our own power to choose the very outcome we wish for.
In wellness,
Susan
Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash
Follow The Fire
Have you ever felt a calling within? A deep spark of inspirtation that left you feeling as if you were meant for that? A deep feeling of wonder as you contemplate whether or not you should follow that?
Whatever that is for you – follow it! Do your version of it. Maybe it’s wanting to take a few years off to explore teaching English in another country, or maybe it’s completely changing careers to a different industry, or maybe it’s experimenting with building your own business. Whatever it may be for you… follow the fire.
You see, oftentimes we’re afriad of the unknown. And we use this fear to keep us in our comfort.
But what if following the fire allowed you to recognize your own truth more deeply? What if following the fire actually showed you the “real” side of that and dropped the illusion of what you thought it might be? OR, what if following the fire allowed you to recognize a new skill and passion within your heart that leads you to a better, fuller life?
You see, we won’t know any of this until we follow the fire. We won’t know whether or not it was truly meant for us until we try.
Does it mean dropping everything to figure it out? No, it doesn’t have to be.
What it could mean is testing your idea out. It could mean interviewing people already in the industry; it could mean a work trade or unpaid internship to get a taste of that reality; it could mean taking a 3 month sabbatical to actually TEST and see if it’s really what you thought it would be.
Don’t get caught up in the fear and what if’s. Test. Play. Discover. Because until you do, you’ll never know what’s on the other side.
In wellness,
Susan
Our Finest Moments
“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by a discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our butts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”
~M. Scott Peck
In wellness,
Susan
Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash
Friday Focus – 1/26/18 {The I Should Have Syndrome}
It’s easy to look back with 20/20 vision and see what could have transpired; what you think would have been a better outcome.
But one thing is for certain – we can only look back as a function of learning and trust we are now using this knowledge and experience to make the best decisions in the present to build a brighter future.
Unfortunately, what happens more often than not, is people find ways to look back guilting, blaming, or shaming themselves for what they couldn’t have possibly knew.
Just remember this – you did the best you could in that moment.
The key here is to learn from yourself and the results as the necessary and appropriate steps to move forward and take action for a future you look forward to building; because when you get stuck in the past guilting, blaming or shaming you are only putting yourself in a painful memory lock. It’s function of learning no longer exists.
So remember, trust you did what you could and trust yourself to have learned the lesson.
Most importantly, love the part of you that feels the need to hurt. Love is the answer.
In wellness,
Susan
Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash
Following The Emotional Breadcrumb
Oftentimes it’s easy to run away from our emotions. In this day and age, it’s almost too easy to numb out.
Whether that’s picking up the phone and checking Instagram or Facebook, reaching for the bag of chips, or turning on Netflix and binge watch a whole season of GOT. The options are a many.
And while it may seem scary to actually face the demons, sometimes that’s exactly what we have to do in order to see what’s really under the covers.
Remember when you were a little kid and you ran into your parent’s bedroom saying you couldn’t sleep because there was a monster under the bed, or maybe in the closet? Then your parents (or heck, maybe you even did it yourself!) would walk you back into the room and lift the covers or open the closet? There was nothing there and you faced your demons, the so called monster.
Facing our emotions takes work, but it’s the work we must do in order to integrate ourselves fully.
When we turn toward our emotions and follow the breadcrumbs of this feeling and that feeling, we begin peeling the layers of the onion and truly understanding ourselves on a deeper level. We may discover the true reason for our emotion was actually something completely different than the situation itself! We may even discover a limiting belief causing such pain on an conscious level.
Can we trust and love ourselves during this time? Can we maybe turn side ways the first time and gently feel into it so that next time we can turn the whole way into the depths of our emotions?
And no matter the answer – may we trust and love, just a little more, where we are in this moment.
In wellness,
Susan
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash