Posts made in May, 2009

The Healing Power of Forgiveness

Posted on May 29, 2009 in health | 3 comments

The other day I had my first appointment with a chiropractor that my friend recommended. And to my surprise she talked about how gratitude and forgiveness are extremely important elements to our health. Right up there with a healthy, balanced diet.

This is the first time I ever heard a doctor say this. She even tossed in the power of visualization. I instantly warmed to her as she verified what I’ve been practicing for almost a year now.

I told her I get the gratitude and visualization thing, but what’s this about forgiveness? I know to let things go, water off a duck’s back, move on, don’t look back. But are there actual steps to forgiving?

She handed me this simple print:

Steps to Forgiveness

1. Forgive the other person for causing you the feeling.
2. Give the other person permission to forgive you for having the feeling.
3. Forgive yourself for any harm that has come from that feeling.
4. Wish the person well.

I instantly made forgiveness part of my daily routine. Anytime someone pushes my buttons, I turn around and forgive. At the end of the day when I’m recapping the greatness in my life, I forgive the not so great things. And sometimes I go way back to people who riled me years ago and I forgive.

Each time I forgive it’s as if a big bag of bricks is taken off my back. I feel lighter, relieved, and well, healthier.

What I love about the forgiveness steps is that I’m not just forgiving others for their actions, I’m also forgiving myself for mine. Something I failed to do before.

Imagine a world where everyone is filled with gratitude and forgiveness. To simple things that cost us nothing but a few moments time and some sincere thoughts. Yet powerful enough to change everything.

How to Create Time

Posted on May 21, 2009 in happiness | 2 comments

I’ve been meeting with my life coach for almost two months now. It’s a lot different than I anticipated. I thought it would be like reading a very insightful book loaded with plenty of “ah-ha!” moments that I would apply to my every day life. Instead, she’s asking me incredibly tough questions, pushing my boundaries, and really making me think.

I originally met with her because I was feeling overwhelmed and didn’t think I had enough time in the day. I wanted her to wave her magic wand and somehow create an extra 12 hours for me.

Then one day she sat me down and repeated everything I told her in our prior visits. “I have no time. I never see my friends and family. I’m working too much.”

It sounded awful and devastating. I instantly kicked back demanding “That isn’t me!” Well, if it wasn’t, why was I saying it?

Later it occurred to me that I’m feeling overwhelmed because that’s precisely the message I’m putting out in the world. I repeat it all day long in different forms “I have no time…” or “I wish I could, but I’m busy…” or “gotta rush…”

But what would happen if I simply told myself, “I have all the time in the world”?

I repeated this to myself anytime I felt rushed. Someone stopped me to chat, I had time. Working late, no problem. Caught behind a slow driver, I chilled and enjoyed the view. In the end it actually worked. I created time.

By sending out a new message “I have time” I’m relaxing, finding a new rhythm and living in the moment. I’m focusing on one thing at a time instead of ten different things. As a result, I get more accomplished, do a better job, and truly do have more time.

So if you constantly feel overwhelmed, ask yourself — are you really? Or is it just a conditional thought that you repeated so often to yourself, you believe it and live it? Just maybe you too can magically create time through your thoughts.

Listening to Your Inner Voice

Posted on May 7, 2009 in happiness | 5 comments

The other night I was watching Oprah’s Best Life Series РSpiritual Practice. At the end she asked each teacher for one parting question. Michael Beckwith presented us with this one:

What gifts are within us that I promised myself I would give and that I need to dust off?

I instantly wondered — how do we even know what our gift is?

The answer is within each of us. We have to listen to our soul — our inner voice. Listening to my inner voice used to come naturally. But somewhere between majoring in attitude in college then opting for the secure career, I sold out. Then gave up on myself.

Over time I eventually managed to shut out the outside noise and hear my intuition again. My life suddenly became richer and more meaningful.

I discovered there are seven habits I need to practice daily to keep me headed in the right direction.

7 Habits to Listening to Your Inner Voice

1. Visualize your ideal lifestyle. A vision board is extremely powerful tool. I write letters to myself describing my ideal day. The more details the better. This lets the universe know what to bring into your life.
2. Give thanks daily. My Gratitude Journal changed my life. Writing down everything I’m grateful for is a message to the universe to bring more of it into my life.
3. Meditate as much as you can. Clearing the mind allows for new thoughts to come in. Even just a few minutes a day makes all the difference. Sit in silence, go for a walk, or just take a deep breath and repeat a mantra.
4. Give away the exact thing you want to receive.This might sound silly. How are you suppose to give away what you don’t have. The good news is that we all have plenty to offer. If you’re looking for a new job, help a friend with an introduction. If you want to lose weight, donate your Twinkies to the food panty and a few hours of your time to a community garden. Giving is the currency of the universe.
5. Take care of your health. I changed my diet and lost over 20lbs. It also cleared my head and calmed my soul. I exercise daily, try to get plenty of rest, and take vitamins. My physical body is the temple of my gift, so I nurture and pamper it. A long, hot bath works too!
6. Be the real you as much as possible. As I write this, there is a girl sitting across from me in the coffee shop with a big pink flower in her hair. It’s a bold display of individuality and true spirit. Once you start letting your true self out, you’ll discover that life is far easier and far, far richer.
7. Go with the flow. Last spring I wasn’t selected for a very cool job. Of course I was crushed. But I just found out that role was made redundant, so I would have been out of a job anyway. Everything works out as it should. And the more I accept life rather than resist it, the more creativity and innovation blossom.
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