Tag: Mindfulness

Doing The Unexpected To Shift Perspective

Oftentimes when we find ourselves in a lower state, a mix of emotions that aren’t useful and have been in your mind space for long enough that it doesn’t serve you, we get stuck in a rut.

Why is that? Well, for one, all it takes it 90 seconds to lessen the stronghold of a particular emotion. It passes after 90 seconds. However, most people are so ardently focused on what’s wrong that those 90 seconds are far and few between.

So what can you do to shift your perspective? For one, change your environment. Get out of the house, take a 30 minute break from your office, and most importantly – DO SOMETHING NEW.

The most efficient way to shift your perspective is to do the unexpected.

  • If something happened in the morning, try taking a new route to work.
  • If something happened at work, try taking a break by ordering coffee at a new coffee shop you’ve never been to.
  • In general try visiting a new park and taking a stroll discovering new sights and sounds that nature has to offer.
  • Or go on a mini adventure doing something new (let’s say, visiting a pet shelter, trying stand-up paddle boarding for the first time, buying coffee for the person behind you, etc.) to shift your experience completely!

And the bottom line? The possibilities are endless and the power is in your hands.

So think bright my friends! You’ll be amazed at how the world looks so different when we do the unexpected and shift our perspective in a matter of minutes.

And of course, let’s not forget, if this is a deep and recurring emotion and/or situation we must address the root and do the work.

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Alejandro Alvarez on Unsplash

What You Believe You See

“The liberation of your mind comes from the following principle: reality always depends on how you perceive it. Learn to perceive it more usefully and your life will transform.”

~Owen Fitzpatrick

In wellness,

Susan

Image by Steve Coffey

How Does Your Life Reflect Your Beliefs?

“All that we are is the result of our thoughts.”

~Buddha

If our life is a culmination of actions and reactions we took upon ourselves, where are we now and do we like it?

If not, can we take an honest assessment of what we don’t like about our life and inspect what actions and/or reactions led us here? What was the underlying belief (or lack of) that initiated certain actions and reactions?

When we do the work to understand our self, we can begin to understand what needs to be changed and whether or not we are ready and willing to make that change.

This is how true desired change can occur. Most people desire change all the time and it’s beautiful how as humans we get to experience desire! However, without first understanding our self we cannot get to true desired change nor can we know whether or not this desire is good for us.

So here’s to doing the work and understanding ourselves at the deepest level so that we may up-level our lives for our highest good.

In deep wellness,

Susan

Photo by Miguel Salgado on Unsplash

You Are More Than A Label

It’s interesting how our whole world is into categorization. For example:

  • Man/Woman
  • Parent/Non-Parent
  • Expatriate/Local
  • Religious/Atheist
  • Job (and which job is huge)
  • Single/Taken
  • And the list can go on forever…

Hey, I get it, somewhere in our brains we need categorization so we can put this new data in the archives and go about our lives. But somewhere along the lines we got too involved in the story of all these labels – with others and ourselves.

We began to identify too closely with the so called meaning behind what it means to be X.

But who are you really and what does X matter?

Does X make you a better, happier person?

If being a doctor meant you would have success and happiness everyone would be a doctor. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. It doesn’t mean there aren’t successful and happy doctors but the truth of the matter is, it’s what’s INSIDE that makes you who truly you are and everything else is subjective – it’s someone’s personal experience and opinion on X and IT’S ALL DIFFERENT depending on who you talk to.

Regardless of the label and it’s seemingly endless meanings given by any one person, only YOU control what you ultimately feel on the INSIDE. No one can go inside and make you feel or not feel anything.

So for a moment pause and reflect. Ask yourself this question, “Who am I without X label(s)?”.

Perhaps it’s the first time you seriously asked or contemplated this question. The answer may come right away or it may come over several days – the form doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you started to inquire within and are taking one step closer to understanding your deeper, truer self.

And trust me, even if you’re well seasoned in your awareness of labels it’s always a good opportunity to reflect on the question above. After all, we’re all human 🙂

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash

Your True Light

“Only the light within us is real. We are not afraid of the dark without ourselves, so much as we are afraid of the light. The dark is familiar. It’s what we know. The light, the thought that we might indeed be good enough, is such a thread to the ego that it takes out its very big guns to defend against it. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…”

~Marianne Williamson

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Rhett Wesley on Unsplash

Friday Focus – 12/29/18 {YOU Are Your Own Best Guide}

I had an idea of what I wanted to share today; it was going to be about the New Year, and I decided to scrap it at the last minute because something else was calling me to write about a very powerful message.

You see, sometimes we need to seek answers and that is completely OK. We need to go through different teachers whether it be yoga teachers, therapists, astrologers, psychics, chiropractors, life coaches, massage therapists, etc. to obtain the information we need at that time in order to grow and move on.

The beautiful thing is we begin to learn what works for us. Does touch work as a healing modality? Perhaps talking things out without the other person’s judgement is a form of release. Or maybe specific movement patterns such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or Yoga seems to alleviate emotional and physical pain vs. the typical bootcamp or hard core spin class. Maybe typical meditation doesn’t work for you right now. Or you discover that talking to your best friend is the best therapy, and it’s free!

As we learn to intuitively feel into what we need, we begin to learn what works for us (and mind you that always changes as well!).

However, almost always there comes a time when we reach a point of the constant search. Soon, we forget what we truly needed in the first place. Perhaps we got what we needed and quickly developed a new need. Or maybe you are searching for a specific answer but you haven’t received it just yet.

Regardless of the root cause, if you find yourself ridden with anxiety in a constant search for X, I’m here to tell you to take a deep breath and pause.

No matter what you hear out there or what you learn from your guru, we are all human at the end of the day. I mean, can we really know all the answers? Is there only one answer? Aren’t we changing all the time, in every moment as well? Plus, there are new discoveries made in the spiritual and scientific realms every. single. day! There’s no way anyone can come to learn everything in this moment – possibly ever!

So what can we do?

Listen to the small, still voice inside of YOU.

Remember, no one has every answer, and no one is YOU. Only you know for yourself what truly clicks and what doesn’t. You are designed as uniquely as a snowflake and so is everyone else. If discoveries are being made daily, who is to say this one way is the way? Or that it even exists?

Take a deep breath and pause. Listen to your heart. Place one hand on your heart, and the other on the ground in front of you and listen for as long as you need to until you feel the strength and all knowing truth that is already within.

It’s ok to search. It’s ok to seek. We’re meant to grow, learn, and evolve. But if you’re beginning to feel anxious in hoping to discover THE answer, always remember this – the TRUTH is within.

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Jimmy Chang on Unsplash

Impeccability

“Impeccability is living with integrity from the still point inside us that is Authentic Being. It means being in charge in the swirl of events. It is manifesting Authentic Being through our personal ego, our impermanent self, without care for achievement, recognition, or gain.”

~Claude Poncelet, PhD

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by elora manzo on Unsplash

Friday Focus – 12/22/17 {Thoughts As Creation & Being Guided}

It’s about that time…. I can just feel the energy in the air as people are busily getting ready for Christmas. The last minute gift shopping, picking up dessert for Eve’s dinner, and so much laughter everywhere!

This week’s Friday Focus is going to be a bit random, but oh so important. There are two ideas that stood out for me over the course of this past week and I’ll dive right into them:

  1. Your thoughts as creation. According to the first Law of Thermodynamics, the energy of our Universe can neither be created or destroyed, but can manipulate its form (i.e., water to ice, fire as heat, etc.). So how does this relate to our thoughts? If even our thoughts are considered as energy then we have a direct correlation to patterns and behaviors (manipulated energy form) that have culminated in the past few years to lead us to where we are today. Pretty powerful isn’t it? Our thoughts have brought us to exactly where we are today! Whether that is good or bad is beyond the point, the point is we have the power of today to direct our thoughts toward a future we want. So tell me, what is it that you want?
  2. Being guided. Have you ever felt a nudge, an inquiry even, about a particular “thing” but never followed through on it until a later time only to realize it was exactly what you needed? Whether it was to apply to that company, pick up that book, call that acupuncturist, etc.? I call that guidance. Whether it’s from outside influences, your subconscious, your higher self, God, you name it… your guidance system is showing you the way at all times, and how wonderfully comforting is that? Now if only we can get quiet enough to hear the call… 🙂

Pretty epic am I right? Now to flip the switch – what recurring themes or ideas stood out for you this week? I’ve found that since starting Friday Focus it’s been a wonderful way to recap big themes and close out the week. I’d love to hear if there’s been anything on your mind in particular!

With that said, have a wonderful, long, joyous weekend leading up to Christmas. May you be filled with immense joy, peace, and love no matter who you are with and where you are in the world.

In cheer,

Susan

Photo by Robert Lukeman on Unsplash

How Your Focus Can Change Everything

We all have heard the phrase, what you focus on expands. But really, have you noticed the true effects of this phenomenon?

For example, you eat dinner alone because your partner has a work event. It wasn’t as fun or even satiating, and as you begin washing the dishes all you can think about is, “Well I ate dinner but it wasn’t that good, in fact, it didn’t even feel like a real dinner!”, and as you continue to wash the dishes you find yourself in a not so positive state. Funny thing is, if you keep focusing on that all you’ll end up doing is munching on one snack after another thinking it will satisfy you but oftentimes than not it never does!

Instead, what if you focused on thoughts that elevate you? “I have all this free time maybe I’ll take a bubble bath and light some candles” or “I think I’ll make some hot cocoa and finally pick up that book I’ve been meaning to read!”.

Notice the difference?

All of a sudden the food was just energy your body needed and you can now focus on what makes you feel good!

It’s all about focus.

Here’s another example. Let’s say you’re in the dating scene and It’s been one mismatch after another. Instead of focusing on that, what if you focused on the fact that one day this adventure will lead to a significant life partner (and a couple of funny stories to tell too!)

So remember, what you focus on is what you’re going to get. After all, there must have been a reason you stumbled upon this website and made it to the end of this post am I right?

Focus on the transformation; focus on the good just a little bit more and watch the magic unfold.

“By taking just a few extra seconds to stay with a positive experience—even the comfort in a single breath—you’ll help turn a passing mental state into lasting neural structure.”

~Rick Hanson

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Nine Köpfer on Unsplash