READ: ENERGETIC REBIRTH By Cynthia James

We are living in accelerated times. Everyone is moving fast. The level of information that is bombarding us is staggering. My clients consistently talk about feeling over-amped and overwhelmed. As I began to think about these facts, it came to me that it is time that we consider “energetic rebirth”. That means that we are called to inventory how many places are draining our energy and find new ways to become vital.

There are a myriad of ways in which we become depleted. Some is due to our attachment to working way beyond what our body tells us is supportive. Many of us are energetically low because we eat the wrong foods, do not exercise and give our power over to people that drain us of vital life force. All of these things can be handled if we become conscious. Meaning, that we become aware of how we use and transmit energy. We can become “new again” once we decide that we are in charge of how we feel and become committed to healthy energetic recharging.

Here are some tips:

1. Make a commitment to enhance your spiritual practice. That could be prayer, meditation, visioning or time in quiet contemplation. The more you can be still the more energized you will feel.
2. Breathe. Become aware of how often you hold your breath when you are stressed. This stops the flow of energy.
3. Inventory your food in-take. Are you eating a balanced diet of protein, fruit and vegetables? If not, there are plenty of resources to help you get started.
4. Calendar work-out days that you will not move. That can include the gym, hiking, working with weights or tapes at home. It doesn’t matter how or when….what matters is that you do it.
5. Become aware of the people that drain or zap your energy. You are now at a choice point. You can stay in their company or begin to open to like-minded people that transmit loving and powerful energy.
6. Become a witness to your self-talk. How often are you speaking negative and disempowering statements?
7. Anchor your day in gratitude. No matter what is happening…give thanks. The more grateful you become, the more positive energy and gifts will come your way.

Take a moment to remember this:
I am clear that I am a dynamic vessel of energy. Today, I invite in positive, powerful and life- enhancing energy. Thus, I transmit light-filled energy wherever I am.

Cynthia James is a transformational specialist guiding thousands of people to make changes for lasting healing in their lives. Ms James is a speaker, teacher, performing artist and the award winning author of “What Will Set You Free”. Cynthia has facilitated hundreds of workshops, and keynotes; including Celebrate Your Life, Woman Arising, the Gift in Shift, Colorado Behavior Healthcare Council, the Women’s Success Forum, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Detention Facility, and many others. She is the founder of the Cynthia James Support Network; an online support community. Cynthia’s newest book, “Revealing Your Extraordinary Essence”, offers practical tools for self empowerment. www.CynthiaJames.net 

 

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Emotional Cleansing By Cynthia James

March is the beginning of spring and many of us want to move into a space of spring cleaning. We are obsessed with cleaning out closets, drawers, books and clutter. I find it interesting that we are not as excited to embark on a road to “emotional cleansing”. Emotional cleansing is about activating a willingness to look at the ways in which emotions run our lives. It is about taking the time to dissect old behaviors and patterns that keep us in a constant state of drama. The act of emotional cleansing requires that we slow down and clear out thinking that is not productive, negative self-talk and the clutter of past experiences that haunt us…

If You’re Not Here Then Where Are You? by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. John Lennon. Who said life would be like walking the yellow brick road, or that the human condition would be easy? And why is it so important to be here? What’s the big deal? It appears that the reason we’re not happy is because we long for things to be other than they are. We’re not satisfied being here. Not satisfied being with what is. We want things to be different, because we believe that if they were we would be happier. Therefore, we’re not truly present with our reality.

 

Technorati Tags: Cynthia James, Energetic Rebirth, inspiration, self actualization, self help, spiritual teachers, Spirituality, vivid life

READ: Get Out Of Your Head! By Patrick J. Ryan

Get out of your head; Get the emotions out of your decisions and go faster – override your body’s natural rhythm – You can do it…

I often hear people say to others or to themselves, “Get out of your head!” I for one love my head, our minds are a gift, a resource, an amazing source of cognitive genius that we humans have developed that supports us in analyzing, assessing, perceiving not to mention telling a story or two. I’ll keep mine thank you very much.

Here’s another, “Get the emotions out of your “business” decisions. Once again we are pointed towards cutting off an amazing resource of wisdom and intuition that could otherwise be harnessed and used for making better decisions. By getting our emotions out of our business decisions we effectively disconnect ourselves from a great source of wisdom. What if we learned instead how to use this emotional wisdom to make even better decisions?

And finally how often do we power through a day without having a good lunch or taking a relaxing walk in the park – just because we have a stressful list of things to do and a world of pressure that makes it challenging to keep our heads up. Our bodies are always guiding us and we must learn how to include the body’s wisdom in our decision process; this is essential.

Ever have a “gut” feeling about something? This is another example of how the body is communicating with us. The challenge is to learn the body’s language, which is very different then that of our minds or hearts.

Imagine hiring someone to work with you and asking them to only use 30% of their talent or buying a computer and only using a third of its potential or buying a car and only using a third of its power or buying a new home and only using a third of its space. That is what we do every moment that we are not accessing all three of our intelligences to the highest degree possible.

It is interesting to note that even though we humans are gifted with these three sources of intelligence, mind, heart and body, we are not naturally good at accessing them all. We each specialize in one of these three, use another as plan B and marginalize the third by pushing it away.

If you’re curious to know how you can use each of these three intelligences more completely in your daily life, then listening into our *free* 3-part series, “Accessing the three Intelligences: Mind, Body and Heart” will be a valuable use of your time. During each of these 1-hour webinars, Patrick will teach you more about how to access these inherent parts of who you are. http://www.awakenedwisdom.com/Public/Coaching/FreeAudioDemonstration/index.cfm

By Patrick J. Ryan, author of Awakened Wisdom: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance, which blends Buddhist, Native, and collected wisdoms into a beautifully crafted healing message for our modern culture. Patrick is an executive coach, leadership trainer, vision quest leader, author, and former Buddhist monk. To order his newly released paperback, go to www.AwakenedWisdom.com

 

 

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Emotional Cleansing By Cynthia James

March is the beginning of spring and many of us want to move into a space of spring cleaning. We are obsessed with cleaning out closets, drawers, books and clutter. I find it interesting that we are not as excited to embark on a road to “emotional cleansing”. Emotional cleansing is about activating a willingness to look at the ways in which emotions run our lives. It is about taking the time to dissect old behaviors and patterns that keep us in a constant state of drama. The act of emotional cleansing requires that we slow down and clear out thinking that is not productive, negative self-talk and the clutter of past experiences that haunt us.

THINGS COULD BE WORSE … and, they will be by Janice Taylor

The thing about life is that life has a life of its own and you just never know when ‘life’s life’ is going to show up and where ‘it’ is going to take you. For the most part the unexpected twists n’ turns are a mere blip in your day, barely noticeable. For example: You plan on wearing your black jeans, but they’re in the wash, so you grab your blue jeans. You plan on going to a movie, but when you get there, it’s sold out. No biggie.

Technorati Tags: Get Out of Your Head, inspiration, Patrick J Ryan, self actualization, self help, vivid life

READ: How To Nail It By Dr. Jason Selk

A major league pitcher I work with was preparing for his first World Series game. He was overly excited and rightfully so, he had been dreaming of leading his team to a World Series championship since he was a little boy. However, the night before the game, I could tell he was a little too excited and I reminded him to focus on his Ideal Arousal State or IAS.

A person’s Arousal State is essentially how amped up a person is during performance. On a scale of 1 to 10, a 1 would be trying to perform while you are half asleep and a 10 would be trying to perform after drinking thirty-five cups of coffee. You don’t want to be a 1 and you don’t want to be a 10. The pitcher knew he pitched his best when he kept his IAS at a 6; a perfect combination of calm, aggressive and confidence. He also knew that keeping his IAS at a 6 throughout the game was probably the most important thing he could do to ensure success.

The next day the pitcher felt great going through his pregame warm-up, however he had forgotten to emphasize his IAS in his mental preparation. In the first few innings, his arm felt great but he struggled throwing strikes. As he sat in the dugout between innings, it hit him that he was not keeping his IAS under control and was performing at an 8 or 9. He promptly took a few centering breaths and could feel his flow returning. He then went out, pitched several more strong innings, and lead his team to a World Series victory.

Now, most of us are not major league ball players or actors on a stage. However, I want you to think of performance in broader terms. For each time you make a sales pitch, facilitate a meeting, or participate in a performance review, you are performing.

One of the most productive methods of increasing performance success is learning how to control your Ideal Arousal State. A critical first step is to know your ideal IAS in advance of your performance. Your IAS will vary according to the nature of the task at hand, and some tasks will require a higher IAS than others. For example, you may want to be a 7 on the IAS scale to exhibit enthusiasm and positive energy when doing large group presentations, while an IAS of 5 may allow you to slow down and be more attentive during one-on-one performance reviews. There are many reasons why your IAS may change across tasks.

To get you started on learning how to control your IAS, identify what you consider to be your three most important work performances. Now identify your IAS for each of your three most important work tasks. To do this, recall a time when you performed really well for a particular task and locate it on the scale. Remember that a 1 is performing while half asleep and a 10 you would have been like running a million miles an hour.

Now that you know your IAS for the three most important career performances the trick is to learn to get yourself to that IAS state before each and every performance in the future. If you need to increase your IAS, use a specific memory from a time when you were experiencing the desired IAS number. For example if you perform your best during sales calls at an IAS of 6, then remember a time when you made a successful phone call while feeling the IAS of 6.

If you are too amped up on the IAS scale, take a centering breath where you breathe in for 6 seconds, hold for 2, and then exhale for 7 seconds. This will slow your heart rate and lower your IAS.

From now on make the commitment that you will put yourself in a position to feel your IAS before each and every performance. This will take a commitment on your part to take a few seconds before each presentation, meeting, or sales call, however, in the end your consistency and execution will dramatically increase by doing so.

Dr. Jason Selk LPC, NCC is the Director of Mental Training for the World Series winning St. Louis Cardinals and author of 10-Minute Toughness and the newly released book Executive Toughness, The Mental-Training Program to Increase Your Leadership Performance (McGraw-Hill, Nov 2011). http://www.enhancedperformanceinc.com/

 

 

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The Top 2 Challenges that People Face by Sheri Kaye Hoff

I have been surveying people for over a year by asking them for their top challenges. Consistently- wanting to feel peaceful and relaxed about money and finding inspiring work have been the top two challenges. Through a shift in perspective and practicing with inspirational tools, you can feel relaxed about money and inspired by your work.
You can feel peaceful and relaxed about money no matter how much money you have or lack of money that you have.

5 Keys to Increase Self-Confidence by Pragito Dove

Self-confidence is a deeply-rooted feeling that we are ok, that we are loved, that we matter…that what we say, do and feel…matters.
When we are missing this key ingredient, life can be hell. So, let’s turn the hell into heaven right now with these 5 keys that work to unleash your self-confidence, joy and creativity. And here’s the good news: your self-confidence is already in there, just waiting to be freed up and expressed.

 

READ: Emotional Cleansing By Cynthia James

March is the beginning of spring and many of us want to move into a space of spring cleaning. We are obsessed with cleaning out closets, drawers, books and clutter. I find it interesting that we are not as excited to embark on a road to “emotional cleansing”. Emotional cleansing is about activating a willingness to look at the ways in which emotions run our lives. It is about taking the time to dissect old behaviors and patterns that keep us in a constant state of drama. The act of emotional cleansing requires that we slow down and clear out thinking that is not productive, negative self-talk and the clutter of past experiences that haunt us.

Emotional Cleansing is an art form. It takes practice and a deep commitment to shifting. Just like the cleaning out of a closet, this kind of cleaning requires a sorting process; what to keep, what to release and what to give away.

Here are some tips:
1. Sit down and center yourself. Have a journal or a piece of paper next to you. In the quietude of the moment ask “what emotional responses do not serve me?” Do not edit the thoughts. Do not judge the answers. Just witness what comes in. Once you feel clear and calm, write down what came through.
2. Once the list is complete, take some time over the next few days to write how these emotions show up and what triggers them. It is important that you are clear about what “buttons get pushed and how”.
3. Next you will write a list of how shifting these emotional charges can support a more empowered life.
4. Now, create a set of goals (no more than three per issue) that you will begin to implement in the next six months. Only put down goals that you will commit to doing. You do not want to set yourself up for failure. Make sure you have on the goals how you are going to release unwanted behavior (Example: I will count to 10 before I speak when I am angry; I will call my prayer partner before I act out of an emotional place; I will take time to write down how a negative emotional response will not support me and I will choose another response)
5. Make a “win” list and every time you respond differently, document it. The more wins you experience and celebrate….the more there will be in your life.
Take a moment to remember this:
I totally and fully take charge of my emotional reactions. I clear out my negative dramatic tendencies and open to a life of magnificent joy!

Cynthia James is a transformational specialist guiding thousands of people to make changes for lasting healing in their lives. Ms James is a speaker, teacher, performing artist and the award winning author of “What Will Set You Free”. Cynthia has facilitated hundreds of workshops, and keynotes; including Celebrate Your Life, Woman Arising, the Gift in Shift, Colorado Behavior Healthcare Council, the Women’s Success Forum, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Detention Facility, and many others. She is the founder of the Cynthia James Support Network; an online support community. Cynthia’s newest book, “Revealing Your Extraordinary Essence”, offers practical tools for self empowerment. www.CynthiaJames.net 

 

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Activating Joy By Cynthia James

In the past few weeks many people have come to me requesting information on accessing their joy. They have spoken about the challenges in their lives including divorce, lay offs, financial challenges and abuse from the past.  As I have contemplated their questions, I kept coming back to one thing.  Joy and happiness are states of consciousness. To experience joy, we must choose to activate that state.  That is not always easy. Especially when it appears that we are bombarded by so much information or in the midst of a life challenge

5 Tools for Spring Renewal By Kimberly Carroll

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” -Robin Williams
This week ushers in the official start of Spring! Yes, we all know winter is invaluable in the way it forces us into that place of deep inward reflection where…blah, blah, blah. Ok, I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough ruminating…I’m ready to kick winter’s butt to the door and start seizing the revitalizing energy of SPRING!

 

 

Technorati Tags: Cynthia James, Emotional Cleansing, Emotional Pain, inspiration, self actualization, self help, Spirituality, vivid life

READ: THINGS COULD BE WORSE … and, they will be by Janice Taylor

The thing about life is that life has a life of its own and you just never know when ‘life’s life’ is going to show up and where ‘it’ is going to take you. For the most part the unexpected twists n’ turns are a mere blip in your day, barely noticeable.

For example: You plan on wearing your black jeans, but they’re in the wash, so you grab your blue jeans. You plan on going to a movie, but when you get there, it’s sold out. No biggie.

There are the happy twists n’ turns. You go to a party and run into an old friend and marry him (not that night, but soon thereafter). You go on a trip to Chicago and unexpectedly connect to a gaggle of long lost cousins. (Best kind of family; little to no history but still family.) You permanently remove bucket loads of excess weight, create a website to share your experience and – holy cowgirls – a publisher asks you if you’d like to write a book. (All true.)

And then, there is the other kind of twist n’ turn; the type of twist that turns you inside out and upside-down and is not particularly welcomed.

Just as my husband, Peter, and I were making our final plans to spend a few open-ended months in Tucson without concern of a return date (a semi-retirement for him – my work is portable); just as I was incredulously saying, “OMG! This is incredible! We can go and come as we please. Can you believe it???”

Just as I bellowed from the deepest part of my soul, “Freedom” ala Mel Gibson in Braveheart (I forgive you, Mel, for your lame-brained remarks.), my fully independent, still living on her own, 95-year young mother fell, not once – but twice – and …

… The World of Elder Care came crashing down upon us.

Peter and I rushed to the hospital and when we found mom, whose name is – by the way – Harriet, behind the emergency room curtain lying lonely on the hospital bed, I asked, “Are you all right?”

Harriet replied in her usual witty and wry style, “Things could be worse … and they will be.”

We laughed. “Things could be worse … and they will be” is one of my mother’s signature sayings.

When I was five, Jimmy S. tripped me. (Intentionally?) My chin cracked open (I have the scar to prove it) and by the time I made my way home, my pretty-in-plaid kindergarten dress was bloodied up.

Mom said in a somewhat playful yet serious tone, “Ohhhh. Things could be worse” … followed by a sympathetic smile and a half-chuckle, “and they will be.”

When my 6 year-old neighbor decided to practice his barber skills on my favorite doll, Patty Playpal, and cut off her long locks much to my distress, mom once again said, “Things could be worse … and they will be.”

So mom fell, not once but twice, and ‘things’ surely could have been worse. Her elbow was fractured, the crown of her head was cracked open just a tad, leaving a small gash, and she was pretty much a bruised up mess. But she did not break her hip, no surgery was needed, and she still has all her marbles, which was a very good thing.

Naively, I thought, “A few weeks of rehab and life will return to normal.” Boy-oh-boy was I wrong! The words, “Things Could Be Worse … and they will be” have taken on new meaning.

As the weeks passed, it became abundantly clear that we were looking at a ‘new and lesser normal’ and that the day had arrived. Mom, 95.5 years-young, who had lived happily in her Long Beach apartment for 31 years, was not going home.

Elder Care is a minefield of logistics and a roller coaster of emotions. As I stated, our scenario is not the worst ever, but nevertheless it is madly overwhelming.

Madly is defined as wildly, fiercely. Its synonyms include absurdly, crazily, dementedly, desperately, exceedingly, frantically, frenziedly, hastily, irrationally, passionately, psychotically, senselessly, unreasonably, violently … Eldercare is all that and more.

One way I have been channeling my emotions, processing the daily happenings and seeing the opportunity in this journey (yes, there’s plenty of opportunity here for personal growth, including but not limited to surrender, compassion and humor) is to fast and furiously send emails to my real and ‘chosen’ family.

These missives, which ranged from ‘three tissue reads’ to ‘side-splitting belly laughs,’ have proven to be an enormously therapeutic tool (for me), and the information and entertainment factor useful and even enjoyable for the family, which brings me here – to this page, and to YOU!

I know there are plenty of ‘us’ caretakers out there, and we are stressed! According to a recent study from the American Psychological Association, 55% of us caretakers are just ‘plain’ stressed, and 22% are ‘extremely’ stressed.

It is my intention to share my journey on these pages and to keep it real, which means telling the entire truth; not just the more sane and happier slices of it. I think the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me G_d, is necessary here.

This isn’t about me. True – writing to you all is a most excellent way for me to empty my mind and vent about the happenings in my life; but I am merely one of the very many boomers who are currently navigating (or will be soon enough) the strange, alien, frustrating and frankly, insane world of elder care. Skimping on the truth wouldn’t be helpful or fair.

So … Here ‘we’ go. I am reaching out to you for support and at the same time offering support. I am hopeful that you will seize this opportunity to empty your mind, tell your truth – comment below – so that we can, together, face this bitter sweet time and help prepare those who are to follow.

Keep an eye out for my next post, when “delirium” hits Harriet and these pages! Oy Vey!!!

For the best wellness and weight loss wisdom, visit Janice’s daily motivational musings on Beliefnet.com Our Lady of Weight Loss… for weight loss wisdom. And … join the Kick in the Tush Club! Join with Janice Taylor, your Life & Wellness Coach, at Omega: Our Lady of Weight Loss EnLIGHTens; Health, Happiness & Well-Being – Janice Taylor, Life & Wellness Coach, Hypnotist, author & 55 pound big-time-loser, is on a mission. She wants to make health and weight loss fun and create balance and harmony in our life. For more information about her life-changing workshop at The Omega Institute, our nation’s most trusted source for wellness and personal growth … READ ON!

 

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The Elder Care Blues: Waking Up ‘Down’ by Janice Taylor

There is a borderland state called hypnagogia. It is a place of transition; a space that is rapt with images, symbols and words that captivate the mind as they move you from wakefulness to sleep (referred to as hypnagogic) and, on the other side of the sleep cycle, give rise to wakefulness (known as hypnopompic).
Hypnagogia whispers to you as it gradually, bit by bit, lets go of or barely brushes up against your conscious mind. It is a process much like sunset and sunrise, which darken and brighten respectively, not in a flash, but slowly and mysteriously over the span of minutes.

Monday Matters – The Wilderness by Iyanla Vanzant

It happened suddenly. He was alone in his car, heading home to nothing in particular. He thought he might watch a little television or listen to some music. He knew he would eat leftovers. Cooking was not on the agenda. He wasn’t thinking about anything, wasn’t feeling any particular thing, when all of a sudden, BAM! it came upon him. He found himself immersed in an experience of confusion, fear and loneliness. He felt lost, hopeless and helpless. He put the radio on to occupy himself. It didn’t work. The music was annoying. He drove faster believing if he could just get home, what he was feeling would go away. When he did, it did not. The experience grew deeper and darker. Men are not supposed to feel like this but, he was a man who was feeling it. When I got the call, ten days later, he was desperate.

 

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