Happy New Year!

Here's wishing you a blessed 

and prosperous New Year!

Friday’s Purposeful Question

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

It is said that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. So, what questions are you asking?

“What are you choosing to practice?”

“Practice is the best of all instructors.” ~ Publilius Syrus

Choose to Practice

“Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.” ~ Martha Graham

So, are you practicing?

Practicing what, she asks!

Practicing being, doing and having what it is you wish to be, to do and to have, naturally!

I wish to live a very easy and peaceful lifestyle. So, every single day, I do those things that will bring me ease of living and peace of mind. Since I have been doing it consistently – practicing – I am very good at it by now. My life is easy and peaceful. Yes, I still have challenges and trials. But if I didn’t, I would be dead!

It is because I practice everyday being peaceful that when those obstacles and challenges come to visit, I can handle them with grace and ease. They don’t rattle me because I choose to see them as growth opportunities.

Get the picture?

So, just for today, keep practicing!

Practice Small, Practice Great

“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” ~ Vince Lombardi

I am sure you have heard the old adage that practice makes perfect. Well, this is not entirely correct. What if what you are practicing is wrong? Then your practice only makes permanent, not perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect, as the saying goes.

When you begin any practice, make sure it stems from inspired actions; that it has value and merit for you. Begin small and see how it progresses. If you are satisfied with the results, then, as Epictetus says, proceed to the greater things.

“Practice yourself, for heaven's sake in little things, and then proceed to greater.” ~ Epictetus

The Habit of Practice

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

Aristotle also said excellence is a state concerned with choice. This is key. You have power – the power of choice. You don’t have to live forever instinctively. You can STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

“What do I choose to be, to do and to have in my life right now?”

Then, set about practicing that. There is the start of excellence.

“Ask yourself the secret of your success. Listen to your answer, and practice it.” ~ Richard Bach

The Art of Practice

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Here we are at the final week of 2010 and what do you choose to do with this week? As you come down from too much holiday shopping, cooking, eating and celebrating, you are still about to enter 2011.

My answer is to practice! Practice what, you may ask. I am glad you asked – keep asking good questions!

Well, what is it that you want your 2011 to look, sound and feel like?

What do you want to be, to do and to have in 2011?

What are you doing to make that happen?

This is what you practice. Now, the choice is yours. You can choose to bitch about your holiday bills and the weight you put on with all the celebrating. Or, you can do something about it. Practice is an action; it is something you do – consistently!

“It's not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it's what you put into the practice.” ~ Eric Lindros

Friday’s Purposeful BE Question

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

It is said that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions.

This question comes from my coach Kristin:

If someone approached you on the street and said, “Wow, you are so ________, ________, and ________”, which words or phrases would you love to hear?

These are your BE Words for 2011.

“You can tell whether a woman is clever by her answers. You can tell whether she is wise by her questions.” ~ attributed to Naguib Mahfouz

You Are Your Goals

“Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do.” ~ Neale Donald Walsch

When we set goals and intentions, they are not merely to achieve and receive the intended outcome; but to become a better and brighter person by the process. Every goal, every decision is about you and who you are becoming each and every day. Think about that one!

That is why we began with who do you want to BE in 2011 – this sets the tone of your goals and intentions, and it sets the tone of your year. When you know who you want to be, it is easier to make decisions because you make them from your beingness and not your current circumstances or your feelings. You also begin to see every event – the pleasant and the not so pleasant – as opportunities for growth and expansion.

So, just for today, STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK (again):

“Who do I wish to BE in 2011?”

Set Goals With the End in Mind

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." ~ Keri Russell

What do you want your life to look like? What do you want to be, to do and to have?

This is where you can begin your process of setting your intentions or goals. Envision what it is you would like your life to be. Make the decision that this is what you want. STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

What would it take to make that happen?

What small steps can you take every day to reach that desire?

Taking small, consistent action will move you towards your desired intentions.

“You cannot make progress without making decisions.” ~ Jim Rohn

Don’t Spit At the Wind, Adjust Your Sails!

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” ~ Confucius

When you set an intention or a goal, you don’t just dive head first into the goal. You must set action steps to receive your goal. These action steps must be small enough and inspired by your heart’s desire, or else you will not do them.

Chances are great that your goal is some lofty wish that you have not one ounce of passion about. Why is it that when you make New Year’s resolutions, you are so gun-ho for the first month and a half, then it all fizzles out? This is because you did not set your goal from your heart’s desire, and you did not break them down into smaller, inspired action steps.

So, just for today, take a look at your goals and intentions. See where you can break them down into smaller action steps. How do those steps feel to you? Are they manageable given your circumstances? Do they feel right to you? If yes, then go for it!

Set Passionate Goals

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes." ~ Andrew Carnegie

When setting a goal or an intention, make sure that it ignites your passions and draws out positive emotions. There is no point setting a goal that you are not excited about; or you won’t be happy when you have received it. Think about what it would feel like once you have your desired goal or intention. Get full of the feeling of being, doing or having it.

Just for today, feel your goal!

Friday’s Purposeful BE Question

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

It is said that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions.

“What are your BE Words for 2011?”

“What traits must you embody to BE?

“You can tell whether a woman is clever by her answers. You can tell whether she is wise by her questions.” ~ attributed to Naguib Mahfouz

To BE in 2011!

This is an exercise my coach does with me each year and I also do with my coaching clients. As you move forward to 2011, think of three BE words you wish to embody for the new year. Do you wish to be peaceful, compassionate, empathetic, courageous, prosperous, the list goes on. From the three BE words you choose for the year, all of the choices you make and the actions you take will evolve from your BE words. Your choices and actions will be congruent to who you are choosing to BE.

So, think about the characteristics you want to embody, and start being. Doing this will move your life in the direction of your highest ideals.

Being Before Doing

Incorporate your To-BE list with what you want your day to look like. If you want a peaceful and serene day, then you need to be peaceful and serene. If you want a creative and productive day, then you need to be creative and productive. Remember, before you can do something, you must first be something. When you are truly being, your doing will naturally follow.

Think about what you want your day to look like, then be the person who lives in that kind of day.

Make Your To-BE List

Before making your “to do” list, make your “to be” list. Before starting your daily activities, create your “to be” list and write down what you wish to express in this day. Do you wish to be generous, loving, patient, bold, light-hearted? Do you want to be orderly in your thinking, organized, and focused in your direction? Write this down on one list, and then write down what you wish to do on another list. This practice will serve as a rudder, directing your feeling-tone and attraction this day, and moving your life in the direction of your highest ideal. ~ Mary Manin Morrissey

I love this because we are not human doings, we are human beings! Before you do something, you must first be something. It is out of that being-ness that you will become inspired as to what you need to do.

So, just for today, create your “to be” list first.

Who Are You “Being” in 2011?

"If you want to be happy, be."  ~ Leo Tolstoy

This week, we will discuss your beingness for the new year. I have found that the best way to create the life of your desires is to begin with your “I AM.” Who do you want to be in 2011? Your “I AM-ness” is extremely powerful because what you add to I AM gets added to you.

I am sure you have said something like, “I am so stupid,” or “I am so fat,” or “I am such a retard.” Sound familiar? It is true that labels follow you wherever you go; but it is even crueler when the label is created by you. “I AM” is the name of God; and you are a divine expression.

I know many of you cannot see yourself as a divine expression because of past programming. Well, it is time to de-program and renew your mind to the truth of who you really are. When we fail at relationships, at jobs, at finances, at whatever, it is not because of the relationships, the job or the finances; it is because we are not being who we were created to be.

If you want to have a peaceful life, then embody peace. Whatever you choose to have, you must first be. Sound confusing? We will pull this apart more this week.

So, just for today, STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

“Who do I choose to be in 2011?”

Is it peaceful… more patient… healthy… prosperous… compassionate… loving… wise… fill-in-the-blank…?

"God has given you one face, and you make yourself another." ~ William Shakespeare

Purposeful Question for Spiritual Goal Manifestation

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

It is said that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. So, what questions are you asking?

“What do you truly wish to be, to do or to have in 2011?”

“You can tell whether a woman is clever by her answers. You can tell whether she is wise by her questions.” ~ attributed to Naguib Mahfouz

Day 4: Spiritual Goal Manifestation

“Write down the vision and make it plain.” ~ Hab 2:2

Very often, when we set a goal or an intention, we tend to think about it and do nothing else. Believing that the mere thought of our goals and intentions are enough to manifest, it continues to swim around inside our heads with all the other thoughts and things to do. This does not set the goal apart allowing us to work on it

God told the Prophet Habakkuk to write down the vision he saw on tablets and write it plainly. This is a perfect model for goal manifestation. Any goal, dream or desire we are wishing to manifest must be written down simply and plainly. In our heads, it’s only a wish or a fantasy – our ideal story. But set down on paper, it becomes ready for reality.

Something happens when you wrote down your desires. First, the action of writing not only engages the mind but also the body. Seeing the words on paper creates new images which create new neural pathways in the brain. Then reading your desire aloud brings in the auditory. It also makes it more real to you.

Your goal or vision must be plain, that is, it must not be confusing or cloudy. It should be understood by a six-year-old and long enough to be committed to memory and recited often.

So, what is your goal or desire for 2011?

Write it down, make it plain and read it often.

Day 3: Spiritual Goal Manifestation

Once you have discovered, or re-discovered your heart’s desire – what you truly wish to be, to do and to have – then you must set about manifesting it. To make it a reality in your life, you need to begin with the end in mind. You know what you want your results to look like, so begin by creating your ideal day. What would an ideal day in your life look like if you were living your heart’s desire? 

Begin with how you would feel living your ideal day. Would living this ideal day make you feel excited, elated, peaceful, at ease, or fill-in-the-blank? Avoid saying you would feel less stressed or no longer fearful – use positive, high vibration emotions. The Universe and your subconscious mind do not recognize negatives.

Continue to create your ideal day – visualize it in the theater of your mind and write down what you see. If you don’t like some aspect, simply erase it and create it anew. Don’t focus on what you don’t want. Simply be with the images of what you would like to be, to do, and to have. The more you focus on it, the more you refine and fine tune your ideal day. 

Only begin with one day. Life is made up of single days; so take one day at a time. There is no need to rush through this; that only creates more stress and tension. You want this to be a “no tension” process; easy and relaxed. Soon, you day will follow this “no tension” process and flow easily and effortlessly.

Day 2: Spiritual Goal Manifestation

Are you dusting off your same goal from the last year, hoping to finally achieve it in the next year? If you are, you need to ask yourself some very important questions:

“What was the goal from last year that did not manifest?”

“Why do you think you did not achieve this goal?” (Answering “I don’t know” is not enough; you must go deeper. Did you lack the resources, the finances, or the information; was the goal to broad or too big? You need to get very specific.)

“What will you do differently next year to manifest this goal?”

Sometimes we pull goals or New Year’s resolutions out of the air because we are feeling a certain way and achieving that goal will fill the immediate need. Because we are in some kind of unpleasant space, we resolve to eliminate that unpleasant feeling. This is not how to go about goal creation. This is like going grocery shopping when you are hungry – you will buy everything to satisfy your immediate hunger and not what you truly need.

You must take the time to STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK yourself some questions. Begin with those mentioned. Be very honest with yourself. Then ask:

“What is it that I truly desire to be, to do and to have?”

When you get crystal clear with this answer, then and only then you will see everything else begin to harmoniously fall into place.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s exciting episode on Spiritual Goal Manifestation.

Manifesting Your Desires for 2011

“You have not because you ask not!”

Okay, so we are down to the final weeks of the year and I know you are holiday shopping and planning, but have you given any thought to your plans for 2011? What will 2011 look like? What do you desire to be, to do or to have in 2011? When January sneaks in, will you be ready to show up for it?

My experience working with clients and students is you will rehash whatever didn’t manifest in 2010 and turn that into your new goal for 2011. Well, if it didn’t work for you in 2010, what makes you think it will materialize in 2011? Especially if you approach it from the same limiting beliefs and mindset?

In order to manifest your desires, you must approach then mindfully and consciously. This is not how most people approach goal setting. First you want or need something to change in your life. Fine, but that is only wishful thinking and will only lead to frustration and aggravation.

There is a specific process to goal manifestation and once you learn the practice, you can do it to create all of your heart’s desires. Christian Scripture tells us that you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask for what you want. This is profound wisdom! Most of you don’t know what your heart’s desire is, so how can you create it?

In tomorrow’s exciting episode, discover how to ask for what you truly desire.

Purposeful Question to Love Yourself

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

It is said that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. So, what questions are you asking?

“What do you do to take extreme care of yourself?”

“How do you display love for yourself to others?”

“You can tell whether a woman is clever by her answers. You can tell whether she is wise by her questions.” ~ attributed to Naguib Mahfouz

"Love yourself instead of abusing yourself." ~ Karolina Kurkova

Love Yourself Self-Care

"If you must love your neighbor as yourself, it is at least as fair to love yourself as your neighbor." ~ Nicholas de Chamfort

As women, we are nurturers at heart and we have no problem taking care of everyone else. But when was the last time you took care of yourself? Taking care of yourself is not selfish, it is self-care.

This is why airlines tell you in the case of an emergency to put your own oxygen mask on first, then your dependents. This is pie-in-the-sky but sound advice and advice that we must take to heart in our everyday lives.

So, just for today, take yourself out on an Artist’s Date.

"You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy." ~ Author Unknown

Love Yourself and Love Your World

“Love is all around you. You search for love outside yourself when love is all around you. Love is everywhere, but you need to have the eyes to see.” ~ don Miguel Ruiz

Your world is a mirror of you. If you believe that life is full of limitations, scarcity and horrible people, then it will be for you. If you believe that life is full of abundant and unlimited possibilities, then it will be for you. As Henry Ford once wisely stated whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!

"It's surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you're not comfortable within yourself, you can't be comfortable with others." ~ Sydney J. Harris