29 May 2008

Are You Stopping ~ On Purpose?

I have noticed in the past several months that when I ask someone, especially women, how they are doing ~ the answer I get is either very busy or stressed! No one is just plain “Very well, thank you” anymore. We have defined our lives by how much we can cram into a twenty-four hour period. It seems that if we are not extremely overbooked, over scheduled, or over extended then we are not living productive lives. But there is a vast difference between busyness and productivity.

If you are merely busy, then it is time to stop and ask yourself what you are so busy about. If your busyness is producing the outcomes needed to achieve your dreams and intentions, then you are on the right path. Even in the productivity, it is wise to take time to just be. Develop a daily practice of stopping, on purpose, for at least five minutes. We all have five minutes to just stop and breathe. If you cannot find five minutes, then you really need to rethink your priorities, for a five minute breath break must be a priority for us all.

In addition to scheduling in time for acknowledging the things you are grateful for, include those five minutes to stop and breathe ~ just notice your breath and be aware of what is around you. This gets you in the present moment for at least five minutes.

Stop and breath, on purpose!
Coach Carolyn

19 May 2008

Living My Dreams ~ On Purpose

I spent this past weekend with about 60 other dreamers and Marcia Weider, America’s Dream Coach in the Create Your Future Now workshop. It was an intense weekend, 9-7 both days with lots of information, sharing, and dreaming. It was awesome to be in a SOHO loft with so many other dreamers and entrepreneurs.

Marcia, founder and CEO of Dream University, has certified nearly 600 Dream Coaches and travels around the world giving workshops, lectures and retreats on making your dreams a reality. In addition to authoring a number of books, she had appeared on Oprah a number of times, had her own PBS special and leads week long workshops on becoming an inspiring speaker and masters of manifestation. Marcia is the former president of the National Association of Women Business Owners and resides in the San Francisco area with her fiancé Patrick and her two puppies, Ciao and Bella.

This weekend, Marcia went through her 10 Dream Principles, with exercises and lots of questions to help solidify our dreams. We also discussed making, managing, breaking and re-negotiating agreements, which Marcia believes is one of the prime sources of suffering.

One of the principles is finding your purpose: “When all of your dreams are an expression of your purpose, then you are in alignment,” says Marcia.

“There are the dream we have for our life and then there are the dreams that life has for us.” ~ Marcia Weider from Dreams Are Whispers From the Soul

The most profound part of the weekend for me, besides meeting and sharing with new dreamers, was the piece on incompletions – something left undone or unsaid in our lives. These incompletions can trigger old memories stirring up disowned parts of ourselves, resulting in unrealized dreams. The process for getting complete is to first identify what is incomplete ~ asking how might this be impacting or inspiring your dream; and then determining what needs to be done to complete it. Completing what is incomplete puts you in an empowered position by reclaiming that part of you that was lost or disowned.

This was especially profound for me because it speaks of grief and loss, which is one of my passions. It indeed brought up lots for me to take away and meditate on further.

Marcia's 3-Step Process for making your dreams come true:
1. Get clear about what you want
2. Believe in yourself and your dreams
3. Take action on your dreams

I am a member of Marcia’s Amazing Dreamers online community which is a wonderful place to support you in bridging the gap between your reality and your dreams. The Amazing Dreamers community is nearly 5000 members and I invite you to join for support, tips and tools, including free e-books and audio on making your dreams come true. When you join, add me and Marcia as a friend.

It was a blessing to have Marcia back in her own home state for the weekend, and the New York Marcia shined forth.

Be sure to check out Marcia’s newest beautiful book, Dreams Are Whispers From the Soul. I have my very own personally autographed copy which will become a constant companion on my journey from living in reality to living in my precious dreams.

Live purposely in your dreams,
Coach Carolyn

16 May 2008

Spiritual Hiatus ~ Not on Purpose

Robert Fulghum once said, "If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you got a problem. Everything else is inconvenience."

How true that statement is. Having been forced into virtual darkness, not having a computer for about six weeks, I realized that it was extremely inconvenient and the timing sucked ~ yet, it could not have been more perfectly timed. I was literally forced into a hiatus that somehow turned into a spiritual time out. Now this could very well be because I live my life by outrageously spiritual tenets anyway. But I don't think it was that easy.

For anyone who really knows me ~ and only the Divine has that privilege, or burden, I am glued to my online work. It is one of my passions. Yet, it was strangely and unceremoniously ripped from me with no notice and no chance for backup. Another words, I had to surrender and let go. Gasp!

The lovely and shocking thing for me was, I thoroughly enjoyed the hiatus. It was surprisingly peaceful and I didn't have a major freak-out. I did have a couple of minor ones, though. I had to wait for new hardware for my laptop, so all I could do was wait. And wait some more! But in the waiting, I remained silent and still. It was like a six week artist date. I journaled, prayed, meditated, questioned, and waited some more.

I had plenty of offline activities in the interim, yet they contributed to the retreat time. Though this was a spiritual hiatus that did not happen on purpose, it should have. Then, would it have had the same impact? I suspect not.

So, in addition to my weekly artist dates, I will schedule in monthly spiritual retreat days. What's the difference, you may ask? The intensity. My artist dates last about three to four hours each week. The retreat will be an entire twenty-four hours of no phones, no emails, no Internet, no blogging (egads!), no nothing! It is in the silence that the Divine and I meet.

I have fallen in love with the feeling of letting things go. And you want to know something? Nothing fell apart! The sky is still where it always was. So I encourage you to do something special for your inner spirit ~ take a spiritual hiatus, on purpose!

So, glad to be back home where I belong!
Coach Carolyn