Journey of A Spirited Strider

Let There Be Peace On Earth

2013-12-30T10:32:00.001-05:00

My desire for now and moving forward into 2014 is that we all find that peace within us. When we do, the world becomes a better place. This version of the song, "Let There Be Peace on Earth," is brought to us from the 5th grade chorus of PS22 of several years ago, right here in Staten Island. (If you don't know about them, check out their YouTube channel.) This video is several years old now and I still get chills and inspiration everytime I see and hear it. Very inspiring! These kids and their teacher really feel the music within their hearts. May we all feel the peace within us in this new year. Happy New Year, Everyone!

I Appreciate My Life

2013-10-08T07:09:00.001-04:00

How much and often are you appreciating YOUR life each day? I made this video to remind myself and others of the beautiful power of appreciation and love. EnJOY!

Busy is for the Bees--Not Me!

2013-06-07T02:55:00.000-04:00

It's been 7 months since I last posted here. My, how time flies by! I haven't been active here since I dedicated my time to other areas of my life during that time, and I admit that it hasn't been easy. I've been busy!

In fact, I was so busy I kept telling myself and others how busy I was and guess what happened? I just got busier!

For people that understand the power of our thoughts and feelings, it should come as no surprise that as I practiced the story of being so "busy," I kept getting busier and busier. For what we think, feel and speak about becomes our reality. That's the process of creation and I wasn't being very deliberate about it in my "busyness."

Suffice it to say that while I was working long hours and days and weekends during this time, I wasn't taking care of me very well. While I was busy as a bee, I wasn't making time for me. So then my story became how "exhausted" I was, which led to more exhaustion!

I reached a point of extreme contrast in this exhaustion that served me well in that I'd had enough. I got so tired of being busy that I made a conscious decision to shift my energy to better feeling thoughts and to make time for me everyday. These are things I know, practice, mentor and coach, but I let my "busyness" preoccupation get in my own way of self-care and self-love.

So this week I am taking a break from it all to reflect and relax. I've been reading Teal Scott's book, "Sculptor in the Sky" and came across this quote that served as a reaffirmation of how being busy does not serve us. She writes, "You must simply remember that constant busyness will not satisfy you. It is the reason for a good deal of suffering."

Intellectually and intuitively I knew this all along: I just got on a roller coaster of focusing on all the "action" of my days and nights and less on the "stillness" of the present moment. I can now reflect and appreciate the busyness for its reminder to make peace with where I am right now. Making peace and appreciating "what is" is an important practice in finding happiness and creating a space of where we want to be.

But the contrast can also be appreciated. Teal writes, "If there is no dirt, there is no flower." I appreciate all those circumstances in my "busyness" that allowed me to experience new things, meet new people, and to clarify my ideal working environment. I am very appreciative of these experiences within my busy days and nights and can truly say that without the bees, there'd be no honey for me!

So let's leave the "busyness" for the bees (and find time to appreciate that they do it so well), so that we can taste the honey sweetness of life! Find time to be still, relax, breathe, exercise, and appreciate what is happening in your life at this very moment: even if it's not the sweetest thing right now. There is always something, someone or some aspect in your current situation to appreciate. It's a practice that I intend to remember the next time that "busy story" shows up on my bookshelf.

P.S. I started a new space in Google Plus called The Appreciation Station. You're welcome to stop by and post there, and/or join to read the good vibes of others who post. Relax and rejuvenate in an energy of appreciation and joy!

Almost A Week Since Hurricane Sandy Came To Visit

2012-11-04T19:32:00.001-05:00

What a week it's been here since Hurricane Sandy decided to visit. A week ago, we were bracing for the incoming storm and hunkering down in our homes (or) evacuating in the mandatory evacuation areas. I lost my power around 8 p.m. on Monday and got it back on Thursday night. I've been posting on Facebook as best as I could, partly to pass the time, partly to let others know I was ok, partly because I wanted to journal in some way and social media was the easiest and partly because I wanted to find something - anything - to appreciate through it all. Today I got my cable and internet back up and running, so I thought I'd make a blog post and use this as my Facebook update for the day.

Yesterday I discovered a Staten Island Community Board on Facebook for both victims who need help and for volunteers willing to serve. There's a LOT of information there and it truly shows the value of social media in times like these. I had read they needed clothing, so I spent Saturday gathering up some things around the house but later read online that they didn't need clothing any longer. There was a post about a restaurant here in Staten Island that had a lot of supplies and needed help transporting it to one of the locations where some of the volunteer teams are stationed.

Since my gas tank is still rather abundant since I last filled it, I thought I could help out by transporting supplies from the restaurant to the volunteer area. I am blessed with and appreciate a fairly short commute to work, and especially by New York City standards.

As I made my way to the restaurant, I saw runners who had made their way from the Staten Island ferry terminal and were running along the road. They looked to be traveling/running together, but were definitely going at different paces in different groups. Now I'm not sure where they were going, as the shoreline where supplies and volunteers is not straight up on that road, but many looked liked they had supplies with them, by evidence of their plastic bags and also the people accompanying them with backpacks loaded down on their backs. Staten Island has a lot of hills so they were definitely getting a work-out this morning.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I saw that they had a truck there, so I wondered to myself if they still needed people to transport supplies in their cars. As I quickly learned and probably should have anticipated, yesterday's social media "news" is already "old," and they had delivered everything yesterday when the post was made. But they now have a truck, so I didn't need to spend my gasoline by delivering anything else. So I decided to go to the nearby CVS store and pick up some bleach and baby wipes: supplies I knew were on "today's" list. I imagine they will be on many "tomorrow" lists, too, as the clean-up will take a long time.

As I entered the store, there was a group of National Guardsmen sitting on the cement wall outside so I thanked them for their service on my way in.

With the bleach and baby wipes in tow, I made my way back to the restaurant where friendly young volunteers helped me load it into the back of the truck. It was there I learned they planned to make these runs all week - and for as long as is needed.

We began to talk about how people outside of Staten Island could help, as I've been asked that question from friends outside of New York and also through my posts on Twitter. One of the women there was having supplies sent to her from friends and family in other places and she is personally delivering everything when they arrive later this week. Both the NY1 channel (a local cable news station) and the community are saying the best way for individuals outside of NYC to help is with cash donations. They mentioned that for companies, supplies are better.

The next question is, to what organization or which way is best? I personally feel that people should follow what feels good for them. Giving is an act from the heart, so I believe that following your heart is the best way to determine how to give your love and your loving funds. With that said, I was asked by someone on Twitter in the #SpiritChat community to come back to Twitter and give my two cents about the best way to help.

The discussion here seems to be of two mindsets. There are many who don't want to pay the overhead of the Red Cross and want to contribute funds so that the maximum amount reaches the widest possible recipients. The Community Board initiative has recommended the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation. Please be sure to specify T2T for Hurricane Sandy Relief, if donating. I had heard about the foundation from the Tunnel2Tower runs and more recently, on a local CBS news report where the man was saying that the funds go directly to those in need - and quickly. In addition, a friend also reported that the foundation was mentioned in a CNN report.

The other way being mentioned is to hand deliver cash or cash cards (American Express, Visa or Mastercard) to the victims themselves, giving them the power to decide how best the money is used. Unless a person knows someone in the area who can deliver it, this method requires that people put their trust in someone to collect the cards and deliver them. If anyone who knows me wants to do this, please contact me at: barbara@spiritedstrides.com and I will let you know where to mail the cards, which I promise to deliver to the people who have organized the Community Board volunteer efforts.

On a final note for today, it was a very sunny day. It was quite beautiful, but cold. The sun was shining during the day, but the cold could be felt to your bones, especially if you don't have heat in your home.

Normally, temperatures in the 30's are not that bad, but without power and heat, it can feel frigid. There are still many people without power and heat and the forecast is calling for a possible Nor 'Easter on Wednesday. And while today there were "warming centers" open during the day by the city, I keep hearing reports that some people are afraid to leave their homes for fear of losing their possessions to looters.

And with that thought, I'm reminded that possessions can be replaced, but human life is precious. And animal life is precious, too. I can appreciate all the people and pets that survived, the efforts of the people in this community in responding to this force of Mother Nature, the people from outside of NYC who are here serving lovingly, the government (made for and by the people) who are providing much needed services, and I'm definitely counting my blessings from this week that Sandy visited. May God bless each and every one of us in remembering that it's the human touch that warms our hearts, that pets are also part of our families and it's the relationships that truly matter in life. No amount of "goods" can replace the joy of members of our family: our human and/or pet family.

Love in a Fortune Cookie

2012-08-12T17:27:00.003-04:00

We often order Chinese food in my job and share our fortunes from the cookies with each other. It's almost like a fun competition to see who chooses the best one. But lately, the fortune cookie sayings have been a bit negative with words of warning in them. It's been so noticeable that we've joked around how we could make a lot of money writing our own uplifting lines for Chinese restaurants.

But the Chinese place that I love that's in my neighborhood always has really good fortunes in it. On a recent purchase, here's the gem that was inside of my cookie:

"To love and be loved is like feeling the sun from both sides."

Isn't that lovely? Doesn't it just feel really good? Why is that such a "feel good" fortune? Because we all know how the sun feels warm against our skin, how the energy of its light makes things grow and to feel it around us from both sides warms our hearts - just like giving and receiving love.

But we don't have to wait to order Chinese food to come up with our own good fortunes. We can each do that ourselves by choosing our words carefully, selecting loving thoughts or by expressing beautiful affirmations that feel good. Or, we could just choose to BE love and that would do it!

What's your "feel good" fortune for today?

Finding the Positive in the Midst of Pain

2012-08-05T00:11:00.000-04:00

Editor's Note: This post was first published almost five years ago and our relationship survived. If you're a writer like me, you might find it helpful to go back and re-visit old posts for the insights and reminders they bring to look at a present situation in a "renewed" way.

Journey of A Spirited Strider: Finding the Positive in the Midst of Pain: When we are hurt and in pain because of a personal relationship, it may seem impossible to see the positive of our situation. After time, we...

Seeing 1, 11, 111 and 1111: Messages from Angels

2012-05-28T23:11:00.000-04:00

In Doreen Virtues' Angel Numbers 101 book, she writes, "Since angels give you guidance with respect to every area of your life, as your read the meaning of number sequences, notice your inner dialogue, as well as your thoughts, visions and feelings, because this is how your angels personalize their messages. So while you're absorbing the general meaning of a number sequence, your angels will whisper exactly how that message applies to you."

For well over two years now, I have been seeing the numbers 1, 11, 111, and 1111 consistently. I've also seen the same sequences with 2's, 3's and 4's, but more 1 combinations than anything else. It has gotten to be so regular that I now say to myself "Of course!" and smile.

All of this prompted me to buy Doreen's book from which I referenced in the above paragraph. I recently created a Pinterest board with the statement "I am," based on what I've studied and learned about the power of "I am" statements and more recently, what Wayne Dyer wrote about in his newest book, Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering the Art of Manifesting. When I looked today at my board, I saw it had 111 followers and that was my inspiration for this post.

According to Doreen's book, here is what it all means:

1: "Stay positive. Everything you are thinking about right now is coming true, so be sure that you're only thinking about what you desire. Give any fears to God and the angels."

11: "Stay positive! Your thoughts are materializing rapidly, so you want to ensure positive outcomes by focusing only on the good within yourself, others and this situation."

111: "This number brings you the urgent message that your thoughts are manifesting instantly, so keep your mind-set focused on your desires. Give any fearful thoughts to Heaven for transmutation."

1111: She says to break it up into sequences, so it could be 1 and 111 (or) 11 and 11. Either way, it works for me!

I get these "1" variation messages almost daily and sometimes more than once a day. I now use it as a reminder to do a "check" with what I'm thinking and vibrating and to focus positively on my desires, dropping all my fears and doubts and letting a hot air balloon take them away to Heaven. It's a nice image for me that helps me focus.

Even if you don't "believe" in these message or in the angels, I like to think that the reminder is a good one to creating a life of your dreams. And guess what? There are days in my world when instant manifestation DOES occur! I think about something and less than 5 minutes later, there's a message, a phone call, an unexpected visit, an unexpected letter, or the conversation turns to that subject (not initiated by me). And I smile, thanking my angels for the reminder to keep my thoughts in check.

So I ask you today what are you creating? What are you thinking and feeling? Are you paying attention to your thoughts and feelings? I am! I invite you to join me in creating an "I am" board on Pinterest. It's a wonderful way to visualize and remind ourselves of staying positively focused on our dreams. To learn more about the power of "I am" statements, check out my "I am" store on the tab above in this blog. Who knows - maybe you'll begin seeing all sorts of variations of the number 1, too!

And I as wrap this post up, I look up to save it and my computer reads: 11:11 PM! What else?

Feeling the "Mega" in the Millions of Moments

2012-03-31T18:15:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks, the "Mega Millions" lotto game jackpot continued to rise to last night's $640 million dollars- the highest ever in the world. The excitement in the past week across the nation made headlines, national TV stories, and people everywhere were talking about how their lives would change if they won the jackpot.

Last night, as I went to buy a ticket with my own numbers at a local deli, I was struck by the energy of the people around me. People were smiling, laughing and conversing with one another. I heard things like, "Everyone has to have a dream," "Visualize," "I'm going to spread the wealth with everyone," and "You gotta be in it to win it!" One guy joked to his friend while I was completing my card, "Use HER numbers." LOL I left that deli, giggling and smiling and everyone around me was doing the same. The energy that was flowing was one of joy, anticipated excitement, and fun. Everyone was in a great mood, with an excited anticipation about great things to come and sharing personal details with complete strangers. What a great feeling!

Want more abundance in your life? Cultivate good feelings like that! When you focus on these high vibing positive emotions and use your imagination, examples of abundance will show up in your life. The exact "feel good" emotion might be different for everyone, but if it feels really great to you, that's the way to aligning with the energy and to attracting more "good stuff" into your life. Whether abundance shows up as winning the "Mega Millions" jackpot, attracting a new friend, getting a promotion at your job, entering or strengthening a great relationship, success in your career, a diagnosis of great health, or even finding a penny in the parking lot, celebrating and appreciating the feeling you believe you'll have if you were to win the lottery jackpot (or whatever else it is your heart desires) is the key to attracting more abundance in your life.

"Mega" means enormous or huge. I thought to myself, "Isn't this great how we're all exercising our imagination with MEGA feelings and thoughts that can only bring more good things? Wouldn't it be nice if we put the "Mega" into our million moments everyday? Just imagine where we'd be and how we'd all feel! It's world-changing in MEGA ways!"

So to the millions who didn't "win" last night's jackpot, I'd like to suggest we all continue with this line of thinking and feeling. While I'm not suggesting that we regularly play the lotto, I am certain that if we celebrate and genuinely feel good about the people who've won in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois, we'll be attracting more abundance into our lives. (So if you're feeling jealous or judgmental about the winners, now is the time to get your feelings in check.) While you're at it, celebrate what is going right for you right NOW. Find ways to appreciate things and make it a daily habit. You can start by appreciating that you were "in it to win it."

Practice these habits throughout your MEGA millions of moments everyday and you'll see MEGA results! After all, we're all winners when we play the "MEGA millions of moments appreciation game!"

Get Happy: An Act of Self-Love

2012-02-13T12:17:00.011-05:00

I have a nice 3-day weekend from my day job and took advantage of the opportunity to schedule one of my "Giggle Fest & Manifest!" calls during the daytime hours (instead of night). Attendance "live" on the calls has been spotty lately. I guess that people are not seeing the value of laughing on purpose - for no reason other than to get happy.

Today's call was all about playing with the 22 emotions on Abraham-Hicks' Emotional Guidance System. While I've felt disappointment (#12 on the scale) in the past in not having a consistent attendance on these calls, particularly from the high-vibing community at GoodVibeUniversity, today really felt different. I'm not disappointed at all. In fact, I feel so good after my call that "disappointment" isn't even on my radar.

My purpose in doing the scale was to "play" with the emotions we often take so seriously. It was intended as an act of self-love, as making the decision to get happy on purpose is really an act of self-love.

So on the eve of Valentine's Day in 2012, I'm happy I cared enough about my well-being to honor my commitment to do the call alone by intentionally raising my vibe to one of joy, love, appreciation and empowerment (#1 on the scale).

How will you love yourself today?

To listen to the recording of this call or past calls, you can find it below.

Making Room for Abundance: Clearing Clutter

2012-01-29T19:12:00.000-05:00

For some time now, I have been on a de-cluttering mission. It is part of my personal self-development and my expansion as a creative soul. I've studied the psychology of it and started a private Facebook group about it. As you can see from this blog and my website, I also came cross a wonderful coach, Sue Rasmussen, and she has really made a difference in my life. (You can learn more about Sue by looking at the "Clearing Clutter" tab at the top of this blog.)

Sue has a monthly "Clear Out" day as part of her Streamline Your Success program. My work schedule rarely allows me time to participate "live," but I do get the recordings to listen to later and do at my own pace. So this weekend, I worked on the call from October (now THAT's a sign I have too much "time clutter!") October's focus was on the bathroom, linen closet, master bedroom and guest room.

I knew going into it that I wouldn't get to the second bedroom, or finish the master bedroom either and that was fine with me. I just needed to get started and I did make significant progress. My energy feels so much lighter now that my bathroom and linen closet have a lot of extra space. I threw away things that absolutely didn't delight me: expired over-the-counter items were especially pleasing to get rid of. People who know me, know that I rarely use the items anyway.

I've now got a basket full of toiletries to give away to people at work. I started that practice a couple of years ago, where I bring in things and quietly put them in a basket on the window sill of the women's bathroom. People clear that out in a heartbeat!

I've also some things packed up to give to charity. With a pick-up scheduled in a few weeks, it will give me a chance to go through more things between now and then. Although Sue recommends you take the items to your car or to the charity right away on a "Clear Out Day," it feels ok with me to take it out of the bedroom and set it out of the way until pick-up day.

"Tolerations" are things you put up with, but that drain your energy. In physical terms, they could be seemingly little things, but that have a huge effect on your psyche. (Examples: missing buttons, lightbulb burnt out, broken items you've been meaning to repair, etc.) The things in that charity donation bag were "tolerations" to a certain extent: I had been meaning to either sell them or donate them, but they hung around for months because I never "got around to it." Knowing that they're now temporarily occupying another space until a specific date doesn't feel like a "toleration." Had I not had the opportunity to live in a place where some charities come to your home for pick-up items, it would turn into a "toleration" as I'd probably never "get around to it."

With all that clearing of space, my energy is feeling wonderful and open to new possibilities. I'm excited for the changes that are coming and particularly as it relates to my bedroom space. Perhaps the biggest clearing path for abundant blessings I cleared was my broken bed. I've been putting off dealing with it, as I have other places to sleep, but this broken bed had become a HUGE "toleration" for me. And I believe I got to the point with myself where I'd had enough of putting up with it!

You could say I got fed up with it! So yes, I decided this week that I wanted my bedroom back! First, I worked on fixing the bed frame, only to discover that it broke again as soon as I laid down on it! So I dis-assembled the thing and took it to the garbage, while ordering another frame online. It should come this week and I can't wait to have my bedroom back!

After going through all of these emotions and feelings with the energy that I allowed to leave my home and the new spacious energy that replaced it, I find it interesting that my bedroom was an area where I had a huge toleration going on, given my recent relationship challenges. I know that by clearing the physical clutter and this toleration I am really paying more attention to my own self-care. And in doing so, I'm loving myself and that only means one thing: I attract more love to me!

Appreciating Contrast: Results from My Facebook Poll

2012-01-16T09:26:00.158-05:00

Last month, I asked a "Question" on Facebook designed for deliberate creators. The question was this:

"The fastest way to get what we want is to appreciate where we are right now. What contrast (something you don't want) is the most challenging for you to appreciate?"

The choices were:

World Events
Health
Money
Relationships
Other

I was surprised by the "results." Granted, only a dozen people answered my question but the responses are quite revealing: HALF of the responses said that WORLD EVENTS were the most challenging "contrast," with HEALTH and MONEY tied with 1/4 each of the votes and RELATIONSHIPS with ZERO (0) votes!

I personally checked HEALTH because I find it to be the most challenging for me to divert my attention from when I'm sick or my body aches. If what I hear from people or read out there is any indication of how people feel, I was surprised that RELATIONSHIPS didn't score any votes. MONEY is often a very common one, and I did expect that to have more votes. Of course, one could argue that what I'm "seeing" out there is a reflection of what I'm attracting, so I'm not going to elaborate on that.

Still, WORLD EVENTS coming in as the #1 most challenging? The good news is that's easy to shift to a better feeling place. I personally read internet stories where GOOD NEWS is reported. It helps to put a perspective on what's really going on around the world, as opposed to the overwhelming majority of negative coverage we see, read and hear everyday in the mass media.

Natural disasters happen and it seems like wars are always going on somewhere, but letting that determine whether I have a good day or a challenging day is not my cup of tea! Perhaps people are telling the story of "The economy is bad," too. I watch that coverage from an "observer's" point of view- IF I watch it at all! If it doesn't feel good, I don't watch or tune in. It's all speculation and I'd rather speculate that things are improving, that there are many people thriving, that we've gotten out of situations like this before and we'll do it again!

In fact, I'd suggest that people who are bothered by the contrast of world events turn off the TV and focus on something that feels better! And if sending in your donation to provide relief for someone who is less fortunate than you feels good, be appreciative that you are feeling good, celebrate the abundance in your life that makes your donation possible and send it in! Don't dwell on the "details" of how bad it must be for the victims. No amount of you feeling bad will improve the situation for them. In fact, law of attraction will bring more "feeling bad" to YOU if you focus too long on that!

Unless you're right smack in the middle of some awful world event, or you have a loved one who is, it seems to me that "World Events' contrast" is the easiest "contrast" for deliberate creators to control. You're not personally living it now, and you can control how much attention you give it by flipping the channel, turning off the set, and focusing on something that feels good instead.

While it doesn't matter what I think or feel about this, I would be interested in hearing your comments. If you didn't vote before in my "poll," feel free to add your comment here (or) go to my Facebook page and vote. My Facebook Page You can find the "poll" on the left by clicking on "Questions."

Irregardless of which contrast is the most "challenging" for us individually, we all know that appreciating the contrast is a useful tool in deliberate creation. So why not appreciate that we have so many types of contrast in our lives which allow us to fine-tune our desires and expand in beautiful, exciting ways?

Remember: With contrast comes expansion and often it takes a very creative form in our manifestations that we never before dreamed possible: if we allow it, that is. So pay attention to your contrast and if it's bringing you down because you've got the whole world on your shoulders, take that globe off! See if you can find ways to shift how you're feeling about it by choosing something different. It may be as easy as changing the channel on the remote!

When Things Suck: A Glimpse Into "Allowing" A Break-Up

2012-01-07T16:35:00.001-05:00

I know we've all had times in our lives when we feel as if things "suck." I'm actually going through that now as it pertains to my relationship with someone I love very much. We have apparently broken up. I say "apparently," because I'm still feeling shocked by it all and in disbelief. We had a great relationship. We always had so much fun! We loved each other passionately, joyfully, playfully and the feelings were alive. We could be who we are, without judgment, and allow each other the freedom to be ourselves and love, play, laugh and live life well! That was how I felt about "us." This is how God (or Source) sees each and everyone of us everyday.

Yet we're human, and neither of us is seeing each other as God would see us right now and I'm certainly not seeing myself as Source sees me. When things don't go the way we want them to in a relationship, (which recently happened in our case), it's easy to place blame, point fingers at the other person, throw out accusations about how the other person didn't act the way you wanted them to act, and judge. We judge our partner and each other. We judge ourselves. That is not a loving place to be in, yet why do we continually do this to ourselves? Why do we set ourselves up for disappointment by making what our partner does or doesn't do, says or doesn't say, the object of our happiness?-- Can someone say "attachment" anyone?

We set ourselves up for disappointment by buying into that "ideal relationship" that many parts of society paint (or at least the part of our head or heart that imagines the 'ideal' relationship) and what happens? --The other person always disappoints. They disappoint because we can't control other people: we can only control ourselves. They disappoint because we are different individuals who see and feel things in our own unique ways.

No one person is like you in every way! If I were involved with a guy who was exactly the same as me, I'd probably get bored really fast! So why would I expect someone else to act, be and approach the world in the same way as me? I don't. Yet, in relationships with a partner, we often do expect the other person to react the same as we would!

Differences can be a good thing: they keep us growing, expanding and exploring this beautiful world in which we live. So if you're complaining that your partner doesn't see things your way, be glad that you've got someone in your life who contributes to your personal growth expansion by providing you with another point of view! I'm very appreciative of this man in my life: he has enriched my life in so many ways, and often because of our differences.

Yet appreciating those differences can be a challenge during a "break-up," "a fight" or otherwise while not understanding each other so well. It's the differences in how we react to day-to-day things that often start disagreements and arguments in relationships. When that happens, things can really suck! We can spiral into a series of accusations, judgments, arguments and may use hurtful words. Then we run off to talk to our best friend and re-tell the story, over and over again, igniting the fire of the hurt, blame, judgment and sadness feelings even more. Now we're really on a downward spiral, because we keep telling the story over and over again. And if you're not one to talk to others, you probably have re-told the story over and over again in your mind, so your heart definitely feels it.

I'm reminded now of my all-time favorite quote from Abraham-Hicks: "My happiness depends upon me, so you're off the hook!" I love that quote and I know in my soul that it's true. I am in charge of my own happiness. I get to choose. I choose to appreciate this contrast (the break-up that I don't want) and use this situation to align with my inner being and have the best year yet!

Yet right now, my relationship with the one that I love very much sucks. Yes, it sucks! It sucks because I disappointed him, and then he disappointed me and now it apparently is over. You see? We both bought into that "You have to do ________(Fill in the blanks) to make me happy" mentality. In fact, because I didn't do ________, he wasn't happy with me and because he didn't respond to me like __________, after I explained why I didn't do _________ when he wanted me to ________, I wasn't happy with him.

See how ridiculously funny this is? Haha! Seeing it as a "fill in the blank" exercise illustrates just how silly we are to think we can control someone else. I can laugh about this but the truth is I miss him. I miss him because in our relationship, the love that flowed brought out the best in me: fun, caring, kind, loving, passionate, silly, playful, engaging, creative, inspiring, present and connected. That is worth appreciating.

Yet I'm not feeling that way about me right now. Can someone say "attachment" again, please? I have to "allow" me to be ME: all those qualities that our love brought up in ME. I have to allow those in again, without the NEED for the relationship. Tricky stuff.

I write this here because it feels good for me to do so (and I know that following my "feel good" is the way to aligning with my true self!) I intend that readers who are drawn to read my words will find benefit from it. While I am a person who helps others with tools and tips for living a more positive, joyful life, I am having a challenge being joyful about this break-up. It's not what I want, so I'm determined to use the tools that I know to get myself into a "feel better" place as I go through this. I am intending that I'll get so good at appreciating this contrast of breaking up, that I can love him and myself by "allowing" the break-up: no need, no attachment to outcome, and whether we reconcile won't matter anymore because divine love will be what I feel and appreciate in this situation. In other words, if I see myself, him and our relationship as God or Source sees us, then I've paved the way to seeing us as we truly are: magnificent beings living a life that's supposed to be fun and filled with love: with or without each other as a "couple."

What I know will serve me is this: releasing the need for this relationship in my life, the attachment to him specifically as my "way to happiness," the "need" for his love: and the more I can allow, the better I will feel! Will we get back together? Perhaps....Perhaps not.... But letting go of the attachment of our relationship as the key to my happiness IS the key to my own happiness! I can be happy by myself, thank you!

Abraham-Hicks says that when we are so conscious of "what is" and when "what is" doesn't feel good, it is helpful to get more generally negative about the situation to move ourselves into alignment to a better feeling place. So that's why I'm calling this post "When Things Suck: A Glimpse Into 'Allowing' A Break-Up." I'm moving my vibe more generally negative (as opposed to re-telling the specifics of what happened). So here's my rant:

This really sucks! I hate when things suck. It sucks to feel this way. This whole situation sucks. I don't like it at all because it sucks! Yet I've had other "sucky" situations before and they didn't stay "sucky" forever. Things did get better in the past so they can get better now. This won't always suck. Not everything in my life sucks. In fact, many things in my life don't suck at all! Eventually this situation will move from "sucky" to "hopeful." I know what to do - I've done it before.....but right now it sucks and I'm not liking it. My future is filled with all kinds of goodies and here I sit, sad about this situation. If only I could find my way to turn this sucker around! What if I knew exactly what to do with this sucker?

LOL Ok, that made me laugh. :-) There's hope in this sucker afterall...

Celebrate 2011 and Into 2012 We Go!

2011-12-31T13:00:00.001-05:00

It's the last day of 2011 and a perfect time to look back at all of your successes, joys and celebrations of the year, while enjoying an excited anticipation for what's to come! I have a lot to celebrate this year but the most important items are my relationships and my health. I'm healthy, I'm feeling great and I love my kids, my significant other, my friends, colleagues, my Facebook and Twitter friends and everyone else who came into my life in 2011! This year has been magical in many ways and you all have been a part of that magic for me.

And to all the people who I don't personally know, but who have inspired me, I say "Thank you!" I applaud you! Today I had an encounter with an inspiring cashier I don't know in the Hy-Vee grocery store in Iowa City. The cashier was such a friendly young man (as many Iowans are), and when he told me to have a great day, I really could feel he meant it.

You know how sometimes people say things, but it feels like they're just hitting the "repeat" button and they don't really mean it? (That's always a sign for me that I need to slow down and be present.) Well today was not one of those days. In fact, I'd say that when I'm in Iowa, most of the time people in the service industry feel present, genuine and authentic to me. I love Iowa. I miss it sometimes and I'm celebrating that I get to spend 2011 into 2012 here!

This is not to say that there aren't authentic people everywhere in the world. I believe there are, and often I am delighted by friendly, helpful people who do kind, caring things in places that have a stereotype for not being friendly (e.g. big cities). We can find loving people everywhere: it really is a matter in how we choose to look at people and things. If we look for the positive in people, the positive will often show up. We get what we expect. So let's expect good things!

Since I was feeling particularly happy, joyful and relaxed, I attracted others of the same vibe. If people around me are not particularly happy or joyful and I can quietly "observe" them, rather than internalize those feelings, I know I'm on the right track to joy. And when I don't (and let others become the object of my own happiness), it's an opportunity for me to look inside at what I'm feeling, so I can shift those feelings into appreciation. When I do, it's easy to practice sending love and seeing others happy, joyful and relaxed, too.

So I encourage everyone to take a little time today and find those celebrations in your life! It just feels good and sets the tone for this next year. You'll be expecting celebrations, appreciating "what is" and attracting more of that back at you! And if you practice this everyday, guess what?- It might just make you happy!

Happy New Year, everyone and into 2012 we go! Woo Hoo!

Warmly,
Barbara

Make Everyday an Appreciation Day!

2011-11-24T12:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I just made some delicious banana bread that I'll take over to a friends for Thanksgiving. While I had planned on being with family today, it didn't work out. But rather than be sad that I won't spend this day with my kids, I'm choosing to appreciate all things and people in my life that fill my world with joy. My kids, my friends, my family, the cats that have made my back yard their home, invitations to spend Thanksgiving at someone else's home, the Iowa Hawkeyes, college football, my clients, other coaches who give so freely of their time and talents, the fact that I don't have to cook a whole lot today, the beautiful sunny sky, the fresh air, my car that is so reliable, my job, my home, and Laughter Yoga! And that's just a short list!

EVERYDAY is an opportunity to appreciate - not just today. So let's make everyday an appreciation day!

Imagine! Can you?

2011-10-09T18:48:00.000-04:00

Today I'm reminded that it is John Lennon's birthday. He would have been 71 years old. In what is one of my favorite songs, "Imagine," John envisioned a world that lived in harmony and peace - where the world would live as one - a brotherhood of man...

Can you imagine? I know I can! What dreams are you imagining and creating? Don't stop imagining! Imagination is such a beautiful and useful tool in deliberate creation. (And a whole lot of fun, too!)

The Freedom Within Us

2011-09-11T02:30:00.001-04:00

Today marks ten years since the 9/11/01 terrorist acts in New York and Washington D.C. While I had moved to New York earlier that year and could tell my story of where I was on that day, what I saw, how I felt, etc., that's not what this post is about. I'm choosing to focus instead on the freedom I have within me to just decide that I'm going to focus on the positive about this situation because I want to feel good today: especially today.

It's a bit challenging here in New York every September 11th not to re-tell the stories, see the images and feel the pain that people felt that day. The ceremony at Ground Zero is broadcast every year on television here, people talk about it around the city, and there are numerous reminders on a day-to-day basis about "remember 9-11" on bumper stickers, t-shirts, posters, newspapers, and the like.

But I don't want to remember the horror of that day. I can remember in a way that feels softer, more gentler, and kinder to me: as in looking toward the future, finding the positive that arose out of all of this contrast of that day. Did it make people appreciate their loved ones more? I think it did. Did it bring people together in ways they probably wouldn't have come together? It certainly did. In fact, even people who gather to tell those stories that I'm choosing not to focus on now are coming together in a way that connects them: and that's a good thing.

We all have freedom of choice about how we react to any situation, what we say, how we think and how we feel. That's liberating! Isn't it wonderful that the new tower is called the Freedom Tower? It's a perfect symbol of how we've re-built from the tragedy, creating a beautiful structure that symbolizes one of this country's core values as well as our individual freedom of choice.

I recently took a couple of photos of the new Freedom Tower last month with my phone, on a rainy day while passing by Ground Zero. I also had another shot on an earlier day in August from the Staten Island ferry on a more gorgeous day (on my way to a NY Yankees game!) You can see the Freedom Tower shining!

I decided to post those photos here as a reminder that we all have the freedom of choice: it's within each and every one of us. YOU have a choice in how you live each day. YOU have a choice on whether you see the glass as half-empty or half-full. YOU have total freedom of choice in how you feel. YOU have a choice in how you react to everything in your life, including how YOU feel this day. No one, no event, no situation can be the "cause" of how you feel. YOU choose. Granted, many of us blame others for our happiness, yet someone like Viktor Frankl who spent years in concentration camps recognized that his attitude was HIS choice in his Man's Search for Meaning: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way."

So when you look at the new Freedom Tower, can you smile knowing that you, too, can be just as tall, shining and brilliant as YOU choose to be? Isn't that liberating? That's freedom, indeed!

Following My "Feel Good," College Football, The Iowa Hawkeyes & Law of Attraction for Fans

2011-09-04T22:19:00.003-04:00

People who know me and/or who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know that I'm a huge college football fan and that I'm crazy about my favorite team: The Iowa Hawkeyes. While I've written about how I Love My Iowa Hawkeyes, I thought it was time to address a little football here, from a law of attraction perspective.

I normally don't pay too much attention to the news that's on tv, radio and the newspapers, unless it feels good to me. When it comes to news on college football, however, I'm an avid regular reader of blogposts, news stories, message boards, websites and viewer of football TV shows. I have a passion for my team and love the excitement of a new season, with all the possibilities it brings.

With that said, I have noticed that lately I wasn't feeling so good about some of the writing and press that surrounds college football. I'm sure that it isn't just unique to college football, but since that is the sports news that I've been following, that's what I'm writing about today. I write this to provide perhaps a different perspective when looking at college football: one that emphasizes the positive, appreciates the fun, and looks forward in excited anticipation (as opposed to looking back on past 'mistakes'). I know in my soul that following your "feel good" creates more to feel good about! What you focus on, grows and what you resist, persists. So here goes...

Pre-Season Predictions: When the pre-season favorites are selected by the various media folk, coaches and fans, I have these observations:

1. Everyone has a favorite.
2. Most people don't predict the teams accurately.
3. There's a lot of emotion wrapped up in the predictions.

From a law of attraction perspective, there are interesting analogies from these 3 statements:

1. Everyone has a favorite = setting an intention for the outcome you want.
2. Most people don't predict the teams accurately = The intention didn't manifest, so there was not aligning to the "feel good" about the situation and allowing the success in.
3. A lot of emotion = a lot of passion for the outcome, which means you really, really, really want your team to win. This can show up as "resistance" because all those emotions get in the way about how badly you want your team to win (e.g. disappointment, fear, worry, etc.)

Many fans will say that pre-season predictions mean nothing as there are usually so many changes from the beginning of a season to the end. Yet, pre-season predictions abound in the college football sports world: from fans, expert analysts, sportswriters, bloggers, and probably from your next door neighbor! Emotions soar, tempers rage and frustration abounds when one's team isn't "picked" in the pre-season favorites. Expectations rise, confidence abounds and pressure mounts when one's team is picked to finish high. There's a lot of emotion wrapped up in those pre-season predictions! (And I admit, I love reading who the favorites are!)

While the "experts" like to think of themselves as predicting accurately the outcomes of the games each season, I don't think there are many (if any), who actually get it 100% "right." And while it's not important to get it "right," I do find it amusing that many "experts" get paid a lot of money to give their opinions and to provide expert analysis of the games---all for OUR entertainment. When their predictions don't line up with what manifests in that week, they come up with a new set of predictions (and explanations as to why it turned out the way it did).

From the way most of the sports people report, write and convey their predictions, .I bet they love their jobs! That's great if they do, because it doesn't matter if they get it "right," as long as they're happy. Now THAT'S my idea of ideal work!

The fans are something else! Depending on where their team is picked, fans complain, rejoice, speculate, stew, argue and boast about the experts' predictions. If it weren't for the fans, the "experts" wouldn't have jobs! Fans are what makes the passion in college football so sizzling hot. Fans are fun to observe and fun to be! Yet I am surprised at how many college football fans actually intend for their favorite team to fail. If you were to ask a fan of any team, "Do you want your team to fail this season?" I'm sure all would say "No!" And they would think that I've asked them a very silly question, too! Of course they don't want their team to lose--that's why they're a fan!

But if asked how they think their team will perform this season, one finds all kinds of responses: undefeated, one or two losses, 9-2, 6-5, lucky to have a winning season, they're "worried" about a particular game, etc. are sample responses I've read way too often. To all fans out there, I ask you, Where's your faith? Where's the expectation that your favorite team can rise above the "experts" predictions (which are usually wrong in many cases, anyway)? Do you think that the players have these same expectations? How would you feel if you knew the players on your favorite team felt the same way? It wouldn't feel good, would it?

Does it feel good to you to consciously intend for your favorite team to fail? I bet it doesn't! So why not intend more deliberately? It certainly will feel a lot better! And it might produce better results, too! Wouldn't it be nice if we could all have the childlike optimism about each and every game: because we know that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE? In the game of college football, anything is possible! In life, anything is possible. You get to decide what's possible when you set your intentions for your favorite team! Does it feel good to predict your team to lose? Heck, no! BELIEVE! All will turn out "right." Let's choose our emotions that feel good. Even if your team doesn't win, you will have had fun in the process and it won't really matter. (Because it doesn't really matter who gets it "right," afterall.)

I have a lot more tips, techniques and examples I could write about this (afterall, I AM passionate about college football and the law of attraction)! But in the intention of making this a blogpost, rather than a book, I'll conclude right now, as I write from Iowa City, Iowa - home of the Iowa Hawkeyes (who are now 1-0!). I realize that my post is typical as a Hawkeye fan: optimistic, hopeful, excited about the season and loyal to my team- win or lose - but always with the excited anticipation for a new season, each Saturday, a bowl game and more! Why not? Anything is possible! Go Hawks! May the force of "feel good" be with you!

Preparing for Hurricane Irene "Just in Case" & The Law of Attraction

2011-08-27T16:15:00.000-04:00

As I write this on Saturday afternoon, some hours before Hurricane Irene will reach here, I'd say I'm ready. I've listened to what one needs to do to prepare for a hurricane. Having never been through a hurricane before, I admit I was a bit nervous. As someone who understands how the law of attraction works, "nervous" is not a vibe I intend to keep for very long, so I knew I had to figure out a way to shift my vibe surrounding this whole experience (or I would end up creating a whole lot of things to be nervous about)!

In the days leading up to today, "being prepared" felt like a "just in case" feeling to me. Our Mayor Bloomberg was saying, "prepare for the worst and hope for the best." That wasn't feeling so good to me because it felt like a wishy-washy vibration: a "just in case" feeling on the one hand, believing all will be ok and on the other hand, trying to control the way it goes--just in case (which isn't believing at all). Yes, it's a vicious cycle, which is what I went through yesterday wondering if I would go to New Jersey with some friends or stay here in New York. So I was a bit "stuck" and had little faith and definitely did not "know" what to do. I wasn't listening to my inner guidance but the contrast of it all definitely helped me pay attention.

While that is how I was feeling, for others, the "just in case" feeling might be a feeling of relief, so that would work very well for them. When we reach for a feeling of relief, we move up the vibrational scale and we're on our way to better feeling thoughts, feelings and situations. Yesterday I wasn't in that place and nothing was feeling very relieving so I knew I had some work to do. So it was time to shift how I've been feeling about this hurricane named Irene who may be visiting.

In thinking about being prepared, I was reminded about my days of being a Girl Scout, as our motto was "Always Be Prepared." Thinking about my experience with Girl Scouts was a better feeling experience. So prepare is what I've done! I listened and read about how to prepare and have done the best I can. And I've shifted how I'm feeling about it. It's not a "just in case" feeling anymore, but one of feeling more relaxed in the knowing that I've got all that I could ever need. It's also a feeling of appreciation for my government officials, offices, the media and family and friends who've offered suggestions on how to be prepared in this situation. It's wonderful there are so many resources out there to assist me and others who knew nothing about preparing for a hurricane. I do appreciate each and everyone of them!

Remembering the Girl Scout days had me thinking about camping, friends, playing the guitar and singing around a campfire and eating S'mores! What great memories! That led me to inspiration of "preparedness a la Spirited Strider": in addition to the usual stuff, I added extra phones in case my battery on my current one runs out (I do love to talk!), 2 iPods for listening to music and meditations, plus a journal and pen to write or doodle if I feel so inspired!

So now I've found myself chuckling a bit. And I know THAT is a very good thing! So am I nervous? Nope. I'm good and I know all will be well with me.

I just learned that the worst of Irene will probably start here around 10 pm, through the night and into Sunday morning. I'm intending a restful sleep while she visits. I'm ready and I'd be just fine if Irene decided to sleep, too!

On that note, I think it's time to sing! In fact, maybe I'll get my guitar out and personally sing Irene a lullaby to go to sleep and out to sea! Good night, Irene, good night! This is Johnny Cash's version. Go ahead and sing along! Let's serenade Irene to sleep!

Opportunities in The Midst of Political Chaos

2011-08-06T12:37:00.000-04:00

Photo Courtesy of www.pdphoto.org

I spent a bit of time this past week watching the news. I usually don't regularly watch the news anymore, as it doesn't always feel good to me. In fact, I'd say most of the time, it doesn't feel good: the stories of robberies, muggings, fires, and murders seem to escalate from one story to the next. Each negative "story" creates a bit of tension in my stomach, and often gives me a heavy heart. I take those reactions quite seriously as I know that energy is not good for me.

Granted, the news occasionally throws in a lighter story that might even inspire or make me giggle, but it's often sandwiched within the 30 minutes of making even the sports' news dramatic: with gossip, speculation, highlights of brawls and so on. And we all know how the weather report can bring us "news" of heavy storms, droughts, devastation and a long list of other possible scenarios. Yet I personally find getting out in nature as one of the most peaceful, conscious-raising and spiritual experiences.

But "the news" doesn't usually choose the opportunity it has to enlighten us, make us feel good, to cast the day's stories in a positive light and to make a difference in world at the same time. Granted, it's not their job to make us happy, as we each must make that choice ourselves. So we have a choice in whether we watch the news or not, how we choose to feel about what we watch and how we choose to react to all this negative and "alarming" vibes that are often communicated.

So this past week or so, I watched our U.S. politicians talk a lot about money, our debt ceiling issue and I saw: fighting, pushing against, accusations, pointing fingers, anger, pride, failed communication, rigidity, fear, and anxiety, to name a few things. (There were more!) It left me with a feeling of disgust and frustration. But it also reminded me that this was my opportunity to shift how I was reacting to it all and intend a world a whole lot better. After all, I know how the law of attraction works!

The world is not coming to an end as a result of all of this. We are all still here. That's a good thing. This is an opportunity to learn from this experience. Rather than worry about the U.S.'s new, lower credit rating and what that means, casting blame at how we got there, repeating stories of whose fault it is and creating a fear and panic about where we're going, this is an opportunity for us to unite toward solutions that feel better. We can do that by finding things to appreciate in this situation right now.

Is there anything to appreciate in all of this? Sure there is! For those who didn't vote the last election and to those who did, this is your opportunity to either continue to support your favorite candidate or choose someone else who is more aligned to the issues that are important to you. This is an opportunity to appreciate our democracy in so many ways: the freedom of the press, the fact that different opinions can be voiced at all publicly, and the freedom of a "checks-and-balances" system that is required before laws are passed. It's an opportunity to appreciate our relationships (and especially when we witness such contrast as in the extreme 'combative' behavior by our elected officials)! This is an opportunity to cherish our present moments with each and every person who is near and dear to our hearts. There are endless ways to appreciate in all of this extreme contrast.

I don't claim to have the answers to what you choose to appreciate or how to get to a place that feels better than this. I only know that I don't want to get "sucked in" to the drama of what feels like endless debates in politics and on the news. So I'm turning the channel again! Besides, I can't escape "the news." I hear it from people around me, when I sign onto the internet, from Facebook and Twitter notifications and I don't live in a cave! But I do choose not to internalize all of this: this is an opportunity for me to know what I really want for me, my life, my community, my country and my world.

So I'm recognizing the opportunity in this to set some "feel better" intentions on this topic: intentions of peace, harmony, prosperity, wellness, love, fairness, cooperation, hope and most of all--CHOICES. We all have a choice in this. The politicians have a choice in how they behave, interact, communicate and vote. This is our opportunity to make a different choice than the ones made leading up to this past week. I wonder if our leaders will seize this moment and see that they can start anew? I will intend that they do!

19,106 EMAILS!

2011-07-23T11:25:00.001-04:00

Have you taken a look at your email inbox lately? I have! Yesterday I had 19,106 emails in my GMail account and by the end of the day, I had reduced it to 11,664. While that number left may seem high, I am so excited and relieved to know that I cleared out 7,442 emails, all in one day! It feels really good to clear out a big chunk of that "virtual clutter," and now I've learned some useful tools to continue to clear away the rest.

What does clearing out emails have to do with spirituality and why am I writing about it here on my blog? Isn't it just an example that I'm disorganized?

A lot has been written about clutter and "getting organized." There are professional organizers who assist people in clearing and organizing their "stuff." There are shows on television that help people "get organized." (The hoarder shows are dealing with deep, psychological issues, so I'm not including them in this list.) If you look around, you will find many articles and magazines usually giving space to "getting organized" or "decluttering." So it's clearly a topic that most can relate to.

Yet when we buy into the idea that we are disorganized and need to "get organized," we run the risk of not loving ourselves. There is nothing wrong with becoming more organized, but too often I've heard people criticize themselves over their lack of "organization" of their physical clutter. So there's often a lot of self-hatred going on associated with clutter and the notion that we are "less than perfect" when we don't know how to "organize" it. So if you're feeling a sense of "I'm not good enough" (or) "There must be something wrong with me" associated with your need for "organization," that's a clue to be easy on yourself and more loving.

So I decided to share my journey with clearing my inbox publicly so that others can see that they are not alone: that there is nothing wrong with them that needs to be "fixed," and that the clearing process is really an act of self-love. Once you start to feel that shift toward doing this as a way to honor and love yourself, you can more easily shift and accept tips from "organizers," too.

One can be "organized" and still have "clutter" in their lives. What physically appears "organized" may actually be draining your energy if you no longer love it, for example. Clutter is not always about our physical "stuff," either. Clutter can show up in our relationships, our minds, our bodies, in our energy and in our inboxes! I've been learning a lot from Sue Rasmussen, a life coach whose motto is "Making Room for What Matters." As part of her "Clearing Out Day" for July (which is part of a larger 12-month program called Streamline Your Success), we focused on virtual clutter. I chose to work on my Gmail account.

It was my first Clear Out Day, so I was excited. I actually had organized many of my emails into folders and could easily find the topic and the email threads I was searching. Did I have time to read all that came into my email box? - No! Had I spent a lot of time lately not bothering to read most of what came into my email box? -Yes! So these were signs to me that my Gmail account was no longer serving me, I no longer loved it and the entire thing felt "heavy" and "overwhelming" to me, so I knew it was time to clear it out.

While I go to my Gmail account often and knew I had a lot in there, I didn't realize how "cluttered" it really was until I did this exercise. I felt a bit embarrassed to see 19,106 emails in there (and I wasn't even using the "archive" function!), but I quickly got over that, because I'm doing this for me: to make room for more joy in my life, to rid myself of background clutter that doesn't serve me anymore, to clear the energy so that I can allow more love and joy in. In essence, it is part of my personal development journey-part of my journey as The Spirited Strider and totally related to loving myself. In clearing clutter, I can more easily be me.

Since I had so many emails, I decided to go with Sue's "fast pass method" which is a quick scanning of items and quickly making decisions about them. I wanted to feel better fast, so this worked for me. (I have become quite good at this lately, as I recently cleared out my mother's storage unit and had limited time to do so.) For the items that I couldn't make a quick decision about, I utilized Sue's filing system to label them to peruse later. I quickly realized that I was subscribed to way too many ezines and newsletters so I began by labeling them into a folder that I returned to at the end of the day. At the end of the day, I had 53 items in that folder, and went back to "unsubscribe" to 34 of them already. So that folder is now down to 19 items that I will make decisions on over the course of this week.

Deciding to unsubscribe from newsletters is not always an easy task. I have connections with many of the people, but honestly, I had way too much clutter to actually read their work! So I made a decision to only keep a few: those that I always read at this current time. I attracted Sue and her "Streamline Your Success" program into my life and her newsletter is one I'm keeping! While many of other newsletters I used to read, I had way too many to read them all now. I can always go back and change my mind again. I am of the mindset that if it is beneficial to me, it will come back to me and if I'm inspired again to subscribe to it, I will. Besides, by that time, I may find that my list of "newsletters that I always read" may change. But now I have the tools I need to feel good about my inbox and clear it more regularly so that it doesn't pile up like it had these past few years.

What was really revealing for me was the amount of emails I had from forums at my favorite online places to hang out: GoodVibeUniversity and Facebook. Most of those emails were notifications from forum threads I had "subscribed" to or from Facebook email notification settings. I had long ago changed my Facebook settings and this past week or so, I changed the GoodVibeUniversity forum thread subscriptions. What I had NOT done was to go back and delete all those emails, however. Thus, there were many, many emails in there that were easily cleared.

I discovered the easiest way to find these emails was to do two searches using "notification" and "notifications" in the "Search Email" tab on GMail. Hundreds and yes, thousands of emails appeared when I did that! You can quickly scan to be sure there isn't something you want to keep (as other notifications may appear there that you want to keep), but it was very fast and easy to clear when I realized it half-way through my Clearing Day.

When we clear the clutter around us and within, one can feel the energetic shift. While I felt a bit in shock at the initial site of 19,106 emails, I quickly shifted that to excitement that I was going to feel a whole lot better after this exercise--and feel better I did! I felt like a weight had been lifted and I felt quite inspired to share with others. This process is empowering!

I also found that I was really tired at the end of the day: not only because I was at the computer doing repetitive work, but also because I had cleared a lot of clutter energy that had been weighing me down. I had made some decisions to rid myself of virtual clutter that I previously I had no time for, yet had been very aware that it was there. So listening to my feelings about my inbox let me know that I needed to feel better about it by clearing some of that clutter out. In essence, that feeling of "I have to get around to reading that" was gone and that was a huge relief and I'm feeling excited to clearing more.

Abraham-Hicks knows the power of reaching for a feeling of relief to feel better. When we reach for a feeling of relief, we are moving up the emotional scale and raising our vibration. That's exactly how this process felt to me: each round of Clear Out Day felt like moving up the scale toward more relief, more relief, more relief...and then feeling really good about the day in general.

When we feel better, we attract more things and people that make us feel better. So while I have 11,664 emails to go, I'm feeling great about 7,442 that are gone and from what I've learned from this process. I now have the tools to work on the 11,664 that remain and can't wait to make room for more excitement and joy in my life!

Please feel free to share your own insights, comments and suggestions for others on this common type of clutter or how you regularly reach for a feeling of relief!

Beauty in a "Weed"

2011-05-15T14:06:00.000-04:00

I remember when I was a child, I used to love to pick dandelions and bring them home to my mom. They were beautiful flowers to me. I've never really understood why so many adults find them so annoying as "weeds" and why they use chemicals to kill them on their lawns. Herbalists consider dandelions to be very valuable, both for culinary uses as well as for medicinal purposes.

A few weeks ago, the dandelions were rampant in the college campus lawn where I work and I stopped to take some quick photos before going into the rest of my day. I smiled as I took them, remembering how it felt as a child to pick them as "flowers" even though I wasn't particularly fond of their smell. I smiled because I was reminded that I have a choice in how I react to them, as I do with all things, situations and people in my life. I appreciate these dandelions because they are beautiful for me, in their vibrant yellow splattering across green grass areas. It's also a lot of fun to blow away the seeds when they reach maturity, too!

In seeing the beauty of dandelions, I'm reminded that I like knowing that I have a choice. We all do. So I don't see dandelions as a weed, but I do see their beauty. It's just like seeing a glass as half-full versus half-empty, or to having a good day versus complaining your way through a bad one. It's all about the choice that we make and we have total freedom to decide how we experience each moment. Seeing dandelions as beautiful flowers feels so much better to me than seeing them as weeds. It's important for me to feel good so I'm sticking with my choice!

So I ask you: Do you see the beauty of these flowers (or) do you see a nasty weed?

Springing Forward and The Beauty of Spring!

2011-03-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

Here in most parts of the U.S., tonight we set our clocks ahead an hour before going to sleep. Many complain and say we're losing an hour of sleep, but we gained one last fall when we set them back an hour, so isn't it even? :-) I like to think of it as springing forward in anticipation for the beauty of spring!

So I'm posting just a few photos of flowers at springtime I took a year or two ago while spending a Sunday in the New York Botanical Garden. Can't wait to see all the flowers in bloom again soon!

2011 World Tapping Summit Begins Tomorrow!

2011-02-20T21:54:00.001-05:00

You've may have heard about the 2011 Tapping World Summit from others by now. Just in case you haven't, it really is a special event and it's free! Starting tomorrow night, February 21st, you can listen to free EFT audios online for 10 days from many different practitioners.

Last year 130,981 people attended this event without paying a dime and received unbelievable information. And this year there has already been over 200,000 new people register for the event which starts on February 21st.

EFT is a powerful technique that can have a life-altering impact on your life. These videos are worth watching! To learn more and to sign up, click on the information below.

Are You Happy?

2011-01-16T12:32:00.000-05:00

Are you happy? Do you know it? Are you showing it? I know I am! If you're not feeling so happy, then I challenge you to make the choice RIGHT NOW to feel happy for some moments with this song!

In the last two weeks, I've thought about this old children's song, "If You're Happy and You Know It." It kept coming up for me, so I've been singing it a bit here and there and it always brings a smile to my face (and often lots of chuckles)! While the song is "allegedly" for children, I'm loving it (and do remember singing this loudly and clearly as a kid).

It's playful, joyful, silly fun! And that means one thing to me: it's a FEEL GOOD song that can raise us up along the emotional scale toward happiness!

So here's my challenge: Listen to the two versions I found on YouTube and choose the one that feels like the most fun to you. If neither of them do, choose one anyway and MAKE THE CHOICE to try one anyway. Then sing along to the video and music and dance with it! Check in with yourself on how it makes you feel.

Are you feeling silly? Playful? Are you laughing? I know I am! Sometimes the simplest things can bring the greatest joy! Enjoy!

Love Begins Within

2011-01-06T11:19:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! Let's start the year off with some love, shall we? Here's my newest video.