Empowered Alignment

"Once you remember who you are and once you deliberately reach for thoughts that hold you in vibrational alignment with who you are, your world will also fall into alignment ~ and Well-Being will show itself to you in all areas of your Life experience."

~ Abraham / Hicks

Remembering who you are can be as simple as letting go of who you are not.  Hmm, now what does that mean exactly? 

It is a matter of focus. We deliberately choose to focus within, engage in internal dialogue, listen for clarity and guidance from our inner voice, and then take action that “feels right” organically.

When we slow down to focus on being present we can hear our unique Spiritual voice. We are directed to take new right action and to trust ourselves in the process.

Every time we make a discovery about ourselves we are empowered. Each time we accept, rather than resist, we experience freedom.  There's nothing more fascinating than reconnecting with who you really are and manifesting from this source of truth ~ a Life of love and purpose.  

One thing I know from my own experience is this:  Whenever I turn my attention, thoughts, and actions away from myself and on to others and the external world, I lose my connection to self. I then stop making choices that nurture and love ME!  

When I experience feeling lonely, sad, or overwhelmed, I know I have moved away from the present - drowning in the woes of my past or frantically trying to control the future.

It is an old, familiar, deceptive technique of my Ego that creeps up on me and pounces ferociously on my psyche. Luckily, I have tools to help me realign my healthy focus of loving and accepting myself. 

The most effective and simple tool that helps me is deep,  Conscious Breathing. This allows the Ego energy to dissipate, opening us up to mend our connection to Soul. 

Stop right now! Take 3 slow, deep, and exaggerated breaths.

Think of your Conscious Breath as the” breezeway" between your head and heart. Breathing always fuels the heart, our highest self, and the truth of who we are.

As you re-engage in your inner dialogue, you become free to make choices and take action that are in alignment with your true nature. Next time you feel lost within yourself, take 3 Conscious Breaths to reconnect with your Soul.

In seeking a centered Self, you find alignment in your world!

PONDER THIS. . . 

What is one trigger you experience where stopping to consciously breathe could support you to feel empowered?

Share your trigger in the comment section below.

Honor Your Freedom

“For to be free is not merely casting off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” 
~ Nelson Mandela

Last week, I had the privilege of experiencing the inspiring and courageous, Malala Yousafzai. In a packed house at Denver’s Bellco Theatre, I sat mesmerized as she spoke passionately for the right of every child to go to school and for women everywhere to free their voices.

Malala was shot by the Taliban just 2.5 years ago as she travelled home from school. Rather than silence her, it fueled her unwavering dedication and brought a new world view to this oppression.

Malala began her crusade for the rights of girls to receive an education at age 10.  Her bravery, exceptional clarity and focus to the Freedom of others stirs awake something special within each of us. 

Every time we express our truth or take a stand for our belief, we send a ripple of Freedom out into the world.  When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to show up authentically, we claim our own Freedom.  With each personal courageous and impassioned act, we honor and acknowledge the service and sacrifice of others. We cast off self-bondage and move forward in truth and Freedom.

Just as Malala, we can lead by our example, elevating our own experience while enhancing the lives of others!

Ponder This:

Where in your Life have you taken a stand that has made all the difference for another?

Please share your own personal experience in the comment section below!

Teach Your Children Well

“Its not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It is our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.”  

~ L.R. Knost

Our Mother had this poem from Dorothy Law Nolte hanging in our home…

Children Learn What They Live

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.

If children live with shame,they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.

If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and others. If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Our Father use to tease Mother saying she wasn’t realistic and looked at the world through rose colored glasses.  I guess in a way that was true.  Mother was optimistic and always had something positive to say about everyone and every situation.  She was affectionately known as Smiley and conveyed her love and interest in others through her generous smile and focused attention. I remember hearing her tell our Father that it was her choice to look for the good. That whatever we look for in Life, we’ll find.  She probably wouldn’t have related her thinking to the Law of Attraction yet she certainly practiced positive purposeful living. 

Smiley also raised us by teaching her own rules and lessons:

"It’s not so much what you say, but how you say it that matters. 

If you can’t change the situation, change your attitude. 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. 

What lesson did you learn from this?

I may not like your behavior, but I always love you.

I am sorry. I made a mistake. I didn’t mean to hurt you.

Take responsibility for your actions.

Just because it’s different, doesn’t make it wrong.

We were not allowed to tell anyone to 'shut up'  call someone, 'stupid', or use the word 'hate'.  And rather than I can’t…I’ll try."

If we said we were bored we were sent to the encyclopedia to look something up!  Or when we asked how to spell a word, we were directed to the dictionary to find our answer. My sisters & I often argued that this practice just didn’t make sense! 

One of the most important lessons we were taught was regarding sharing information we had heard from someone else. Before passing on this information, we must have a yes answer to these three questions. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?  

This May we celebrated our fourth Mothers Day without Mom.  Although there continues to be a hole in my heart for her physical presence, I felt her Spirit everywhere hugs were given and laughter flowed freely.  And when the sadness and heaviness of grief began to creep back in, I saw Smileys face and could hear her whisper in my ear, “Oh honey, don’t take Life so seriously.” 

Ponder This:

What is one thing you learned as a child that still serves you today?

Please share your experience in the comment section below.

Compassion Begins at Home

"It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start."

  ~ Mother Teresa 

The front page of The Denver Post showcased both the terrible unrest in Baltimore and the philosophical debate of the horrific massacre in a Colorado Theatre.  As I shielded myself from reading further, my heart sank and again I searched for some understanding in all this insanity. Then in the next moment, I experienced great sorrow for the devastation and loss in Nepal from the earthquake.  

Being aware and trying to process this heavy, tragic energy made me feel overwhelmed and powerless. I’ve learned feeling this way creates an illusion of being separate and lost without direction.  What can I do? How can I help or support those hurting?

Compassion is defined as empathy, tolerance, kindness ~ Love. Whenever I bring my focus back to the present, my ability to feel, express and be compassionate strengthens. The path for my contribution narrows and becomes clear.  

The quote from Mother Teresa reminded me that empathizing and practicing tolerance and kindness appears easier with the strangers of world. I can look past the pain and loss of the real relationships I have with my family, friends, and community.

Today I can take a personal inventory of sorts. I can choose to see who in my family is hungry, lonely or suffering.  Today I can refocus my attention, time, and compassion by bringing my Love home.   When I take that one small action and seize the opportunity to express kindness and empathy in the here and now, my heart breaks open and sings its song! 

Ponder This:

Take a moment to really look at your Life and the people in it.

1) Which loved one could be healed just by expressing your compassion?

2) What is one small way you could express your compassion to that loved one?

The Integrity of Bridge Mix

"Honesty is telling other people the truth.  Integrity is telling yourself the truth."

~ Dr Robert Holden

I must have been around 8 when I tasted my first lesson of integrity. I had a sweet tooth and was known to scavenge whatever candy or sweets might be available. Rarely were we allowed candy except for on Halloween or Easter. Even then our intake was closely monitored and sanctioned.  

When Mom hosted bridge was the only other time candy was in our house. It was always Bridge Mix and Butter mints; candy for the adults.  

My parents might have told this story differently and I am sure my sisters remember it in their own way as well.  Still, several days before the group was to play bridge at our house, I found the Bridge Mix in a brown paper bag on top of the refrigerator.  

I cleverly opened the bag and took out just a couple of chocolates thinking no one would notice. I prided myself with  being clever. I made several additional visits to the bag, each time being careful to quickly pull out a few chocolates before stealthily exiting the kitchen.

So when I heard my Mother shriek, “Who ate all the Bridge Mix?” I knew it couldn’t be me. 

I held that “position of denial” for most of the weekend long after the bridge game had come and gone.  My parents took turns offering me opportunities to fess up, to tell the truth, to just admit that I had eaten the chocolates.

There was a small voice within me that climbed to the surface several times. It desperately wanted to be honest, to relieve the heaviness that had closed in on me and made my stomach hurt. 

As I lay on my bed, curled in the fetal position from holding back the truth, I finally screamed out, Yes it was me! I am the one who ate all the Bridge Mix!  I don’t know what I expected yet my family seemed neither impressed or interested.  Only I experienced a profound shift. Only I felt this great release. I was the One who was free!  

Funny thing when I look back now at that experience.  I learned that telling the truth to others is really just a practice of self- preservation. When I am honest with others, I feel within me, an internal consistency. And that sense of being whole and undivided, is precisely… what sets me Free!

Ponder This:

What's an experience you've had where telling the truth set you Free? 

Share your reflection in the comment section below.