What We Need...

We need people to encourage us.  We need to encourage others.  Always look for the positive - remember to support each other because we are all in this world together.  We all have hopes and dreams.  We all do things well and we all make mistakes.  We all want to love and be loved.  We all have emotions and fears.  And we all are the best we can be at this very moment.    Remember to look at everyone with compassionate eyes and encourage them on their journey.

You are perfect and deserve the best.  If I can help encourage you to follow your dreams and your passion, please leave a comment.  You do deserve the best and never forget it!!

Today is a new day

It's easy to get caught up in the same ol', same ol' every day BUT each day is a brand new beginning.  It's a chance to start all over and pursue all your dreams!  It's a chance to choose happiness.  It's a chance to look for the good in your life.  It's a chance to begin a gratitude journal and focus on all the things you have now, are experiencing now, or have ever had that made you happy.  Life is made up of all our experiences and we are programmed to look at the one's that aren't working to try to fix them.  However, the reality is that if we focus on what isn't working, we get more of the same.  If we focus on what is working, we get more things that are working as well as fresh ideas and ways to fix what isn't!!

Today is a new day!!  Make the most of it.  Treat people with love and kindness and you'll see it come right back at you!!  Practice compassion and know that if you see someone being less than nice, it's only because they are hurting inside.  Silently send them love and you will actually make a difference even if you don't see it.  Remember that all people have feelings and emotions and just want love and kindness in their lives.  We are all same at the core even though our experiences have us act and think differently.  But deep down, we are the same.

Today is a new day!!  Be kind to yourself.  Watch your internal dialogue and turn it around whenever it is not loving and supportive!! Remember to laugh and allow joy to flow freely in your thoughts and your life.

Today is a new day!  It's time to realize that we can achieve all our goals and they actually manifest more quickly when we also remember to be of service to others.  Helping someone who needs it benefits us as much as it benefits them.

Today is a new day!!  It's time to allow our dreams to come true!!

Namaste!!

What's Life About?

Sometimes we get so caught up in achieving more and more that we lose sight of what's really important.  Life is a journey.  Take time today to stop and smell the roses.  Enjoy your life!!

Remember that your life is made of all the little things that happen every day.  It's not only about the achievements.  Just don't let it pass you by!!  Enjoy every moment along the way.

Take a break today and just enjoy the moment.

Let me know how it goes and what you took the time to enjoy today!!

Loving Ourselves

One thing I found working with different people, as well as from my own experience, is that often we don't even realize that there's a part of us that really doesn't love and accept ourselves for who we are. That lack of love and understanding and acceptance are often what holds us back from achieving our dreams. That lack is also what often causes dis-ease in our bodies.

Today I'd like to invite you to say, "I love you and accept you unconditionally, ______!" (fill in your name) every time you pass a mirror. I want you to look yourself in the eyes and say it like you mean it. If you do this for 30 days, you will be able to see miracles occurring in your life. You may find that you see aches and pains disappearing. You may find yourself noticing miracles happening every day. I would love to hear how this works for you. The key is to keep at it even if it feels silly or if you think it's pointless. Just try it. Think of it as an experiment.

You may find things come up that you didn't realize. This may give you insight into what else is holding you back. Some limiting beliefs may emerge. Sometimes people see that even though they really thought they loved and accepted themselves, there's that time that they yelled that their parents, a coworker, a fellow driver, or their children and they still feel really bad about it. Let whatever comes up, come up and just acknowledge and accept it. Tell yourself how you love yourself anyway. Sometimes we have done things we haven't forgiven ourselves for yet.  It doesn't matter what you've done or who you are you deserve love especially from yourself! When you start loving yourself more you'll also notice that you feel loved from other people a lot more too.

Report back in the me know how it goes. In the meantime, know that I love you! You are wonderful and lovable simply because you exist! That is truth!

Love

Today I ask you to just take 5 minutes and think about how you can show love to yourself and others.  What random acts of kindness can you do?  How can you show compassion and understanding to others? How can you use what you are passionate about to be of service to others?

Think about it and take action.  Do something, even if it is small, and let me know how it made you feel?

Kindness

To continue our February focus on love and heart health, I need to talk about kindness which is way too often underestimated.

A simple smile at or kind word to a stranger may brighten their day.  It may help them to remember they are connected to others.  It could save their life.  I have heard several stories about people who were planning their suicide but a random act of kindness, sometimes from a complete stranger, changed their outlook on life.  That not only affects that person but everyone in their life that their suicide would have impacted.

Every interaction we have has a ripple effect and we need to be aware of that so we can have a positive effect.  When you are going through the line at the grocery or department store (or anywhere), smile and make eye contact with the cashier.  Ask them how their day is going?  Make small talk - ask them about their life and watch the change on their face.  Notice the change in their energy.  You have just made their day with a simple act of kindness.  They will in turn treat the next person in line differently and the ripple begins.

Just a quick note about "bullies".  People who are feeling love do not hurt other people.  If someone is playing the role of bully it is because they are hurting and need to feel loved.  Your smile or kind words may have a bigger effect that you know.  It's easy to get mad (rippling in the wrong direction) but feeling love and compassion for them will make a much bigger difference.

It is really easy to show interest and caring for another person and it doesn't cost any money but you will both benefit more than you can imagine.

I challenge you to do at least one random act of kindness after you read this.  You'll be glad you did.  Report back and let me know what you did and how you feel.

Patience - yep, again!

I know I talk about the importance of patience a lot but it's what I need to work on and I know I'm not alone.  So often we get discouraged if things don't go exactly the way we want when we want.  Let's put a stop to that today :)

If you have a goal, it may take time to achieve that.  As you may know, I have recently taken up running.  Okay, some people would call what I do wogging.  A combination of walking and jogging but I will get better every time I get out there as long as I'm consistent and keep at it. It's easy to get discouraged and say, I can't do a marathon that will take me forever and I don't have the patience to walk it - and perhaps not the muscle strength (however, walking is a lot easier than running!)  I am basing that on my present physical condition.  But guess what, I can change that IF I have patience!!  

The same goes for any goal - weight loss is a great example, too.  Often people look at a 1 pound weight loss as nothing when they have 80 more pounds to lose but the fact is, it's a step in the right direction and with every step - no matter how small - you are getting closer to your goals!!

So my goals for today are to really ask myself what I can do for me today to bring me joy and get me closer to my goals and then listen!  Often we ask the question but when we don't have an immediate answer, we stop listening!

Take time today to be patient with yourself and take note of any progress you have made toward your goals.  It doesn't matter how small.  Write it down and celebrate yourself.  Take another action step in the right direction and applaud your courage and determination.

Enjoy your day.  Be patient and trust that all is well and you can do anything!!

Shoveling snow is definitely exercise

I already mentioned that I really need to work on patience and accepting and loving what is!  Love that wisdom from Byron Katie!  So yesterday I really wanted to get running but after a shoveling heavy, wet snow for over an hour with dropping temperatures... I didn't.  And I'm okay with that :)  I did start using MyFitnessPal app, too.  I think seeing everything in one place will be helpful but since I've just started, I'll have to let you know.

If you have other suggestions on good apps for this, I'm up for suggestions.  I like to see as many as possible to see what works for me and what doesn't.

I'm going to create a workout plan and post it here.  Having a plan will definitely go a long way!!  Since I'm planning to run a marathon in 2015, I want to put in lots of miles but that doesn't mean in terms of training I need to do long runs every time I run.  In fact, if you look at any training plan, that's not what it consists of and since I'm giving myself a year - I think I can cut myself a little slack!