By Sharice Harris
“Let us move into the New Year with Dignity and Grace as we learn to accept how bitter sweet letting go of the past can be.”
As another cycle of precious time comes to a closing, we now find that we are faced with two choices: To gracefully move forward or to hold onto what could or should have been.
Walking along the soft and billowy sea shore, I spent the last few days of 2011 reflecting back on all of the profound changes which occurred and it was during my silent moment of reflection that it dawned on me that I had fallen in love with this year.
For me 2011 was a year of living miracles which seemed to flow into my life on a weekly basis and as I looked back feeling gratitude well up in my eyes, I couldn’t help but ask life: "What can I give back to you that is as great as what you have given me?"
That’s when I heard the words: 'Live everyday of your life in Mindful Thankfulness'. So, I gave back to life what I could, a list of reasons why I was and am so Thankful. I sat down on the shoreline, watched the waves rush in and poured out innumerable reasons. When I was done writing them all down, I picked up a piece of bamboo lying nearby and wrote in the sand one of my favorite affirmations by Louise L. Hay: “I forgive and totally release the past and all past experiences, and I am free.” No sooner had I finished writing the last letter, a wave came and swept my words away.
-Making New Year Resolutions Which Make Your Soul Smile-
If you are like most people, you may fall into the habit of making New Year Resolutions that you know you will never keep. Most of our New Year Resolutions often fall short simply because many of them are not soul based resolutions. To welcome the New Year with the Love and Respect it deserves, I decided to keep it simple, sweet and to stick to promises I know I can keep. So I came up with 3 New Year Resolutions that I know will bring greater Love into my life and positively affect the world around me!
My New Year Resolution List
1.) This New Year I will Enjoy as many Sunrises and Sunsets as possible!
The Natural Phenomenon of Sunrises:
If you are going through a particularly low energetic phase, you might want to make one of your New Year Resolutions to enjoy as many sunrises and sunsets as possible! Why? Because sunrises energize our soul's higher purpose in life, which is to live in harmony. Each day when the sun rises it carries within it a wise agenda that vibrationally and positively infuses our day with the unified and loving guidance we seek. Those who prioritize a mindful connection between themselves and life first are often pleasantly surprised to find out how much more energy life graces them with and how much more they get done! Meeting a sunrise is a very personal way of connecting with all of life and moreover it directly tells life that you are excited and Thankful for being able to live another day!
The Beautiful Strength of Sunsets:
This year there will be good days, great days, fantastic days and then there will be days when you reflect back on all of the above. Without this delicate fluctuation in life, we would never know what a great day was! Making impossible New Year Resolutions like this year is going to be better than the last year often puts you in a position of 'hoping' rather than knowing. However, I have discovered as many of you have, that there is a peaceful soothing strength at sunsets which allow us to sigh and make it through the toughest of times. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable position which you would rather not be in, mindfully allow yourself to give those feelings to the sunset. Sunsets have a powerful way of easing us into the wisdom that those times too will pass.
2.) Laugh More!
On my way back home from the sea, I decided to take a small path along the riverside and that's when I spotted a school of ducks leisurely wade by, honking in what seemed to be a comical tone! And it was during that moment that I couldn’t help but join in on the fun! Now to most people the sight of a lone woman laughing at a group of honking ducks strolling by might seem a bit odd but I couldn't help it, those ducks were funny! And that’s when I came up with New Year Resolution # 2
Now if you are wondering how any of these New Year Resolutions correspond to earning more money or even finding the love of your life, try looking at them from your soul’s perspective. You can’t take money with you when you die right? And when you pass away you are nearly guaranteed to exit by yourself. So what is really important? What is it all about?
When we stop forcing our desired material outcomes to occur, life has an incredibly powerful way of miraculously gifting us with exactly what we want and need. When we appreciate as many moments as possible and genuinely enjoy what life has given us thus far, we revel in how beautiful our Earth already is and occasionally you even try to mimic it! Remember the saying that the highest form of flattery is imitation? Well, that led me to my New Year Resolution # 3
3.) Romance!
Come on! Don't be surprised! It's everywhere in nature! That's why I get so confused when I hear that someone is looking to experience it with another person. O.k., now when most people think of romance it usually involves someone else, but did you know that you can experience romance anywhere at anytime? It's true! I have had more romantic experiences by myself than with any partner and to be honest, being in Love with life makes you a more attractive person and it enhances your relationship with your significant other. Our first relationship is with life and since romance is based on fondness and intimacy, we are capable of achieving a high level of romance anytime we choose to appreciate our present moments! Whatever they may be! When we live in the present moment, we come to see how beautifully perfect everything around us already is. And it doesn't matter who you are or where you live, everyone is capable of falling in Love with their life.
So fellow soul travelers! What are your New Year Resolutions? And why did you choose them? How do you feel they will improve the story of your life? :) I would LOVE to hear from you!
Wishing ALL of you beautiful souls a "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"
Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Who’s Running Who?
Who’s Running Who?
“Whenever I climb I am followed by a Dog called ‘Ego’ -Friedrich Nietzche
Learning how-to love and accept ourselves at any given time is a never ending course in self-mastery. With the ever looming super-ego spouting out more than 3000 adverts filled with subconscious messages of what our life ‘should’ look like each day, finding our authentic thoughts and expressing our unique voice can often be an overwhelming, chaotic and for many an arduous task. The term ‘ego’ is literally derived from Latin and translated into English means ‘I’. So if ego means ‘I’, why do so many spiritual teachers want us to get rid of ourselves?
Have we turned into a self-abusive culture who has now turned on ourself? Many popular spiritual movements blame the ‘ego’ for nearly everything negative that occurs in our world but what most people rarely talk about is the fact that our ‘ego’ or ‘our physical self’ has the capability and the power to make those detrimental changes we spiritually yearn to see manifested into the physical form. By blaming the ‘ego’ for all of our problems, we are essentially doing nothing more than giving up responsibility by becoming victims of our own reality and creating an inner duality which can only be mended by accepting those aspects we like and do not like about ourselves.
The main problem seems to be that the ‘ego’ or again ‘self’ always gets a bad rap but the ego only has as much power as you give it. You could easily choose to operate from your soul as well as your heart.
- The ego only has as much power as you give it.-
So how do you sort through the heaps of mind garbage to find out what’s yours an what’s not? Well, the answer may be a lot easier than you may have previously thought, yet it is the hardest thing for most of us to do. Take responsibility of your mind. Three Simple Ways to Quiet Your Ego If you are a person who loves to live life to the fullest, you may fall into the awful habit of leaving your mind on overdrive. Do you constantly find yourself thinking of things you have to do in the future? Or reflecting back on what someone else did or said to wrong you in the past? If so you are loosing out on experiencing the present moment.
Below are a list of three life rules that I use whenever I notice that I living on ego overdrive.
1.)Go Back to Nature. The ego loves to make plans but hates spontanaiety. One way to take back your power is to spontaneously get into action by going for a walk or cycling in a natural setting. Sponataneous trips into nature allow your ego the rest it deserves after planning an plotting all day. A healthy ego can be very helpful when you see something that needs defiant change and take action to make that positive difference but if you don’t get into the habit of turning off your motor, you ego like any other engine can and will burn out.
2.) Meditation and/or Hypnosis. If it were up to the ego we would be busy trying to get a million things done a day. The problem with ‘trying’ to do everything is that we rarely get any one thing mindfully done. Active and daily meditative practices allow our mind a peaceful break from the busy traffic flow of the 70,000 thoughts our brain produces daily. Learning how-to calm our mind is a wonderful way to fully experience the present moment. Regular meditative practices not only give your mind a peaceful break but they also lead you to the deeper realization that we are all soul’s having a physical experience.
3.)Give.The third way most effective way to exercise your ego in a healthy manner is to give! Find a creative outlet to exercise opening up your heart and feeling more from your soul! There are so many children worldwide who would relish in having loving and positive mentoring, seniors who feed off the warmth of another caring soul and even your next door neighbor might need someone to relate to. You don’t have to look far to see that the people who need you to be balanced the most are usually right next to you.
When you open your heart to compassion your ego is automatically silenced and you fill a void which no material object can ever replace. Integrating these peaceful, compassionate loving and practical routines into your day will energize your spirit and reaffirm what really matters most to you on your journey through life.
“Whenever I climb I am followed by a Dog called ‘Ego’ -Friedrich Nietzche
Learning how-to love and accept ourselves at any given time is a never ending course in self-mastery. With the ever looming super-ego spouting out more than 3000 adverts filled with subconscious messages of what our life ‘should’ look like each day, finding our authentic thoughts and expressing our unique voice can often be an overwhelming, chaotic and for many an arduous task. The term ‘ego’ is literally derived from Latin and translated into English means ‘I’. So if ego means ‘I’, why do so many spiritual teachers want us to get rid of ourselves?
Have we turned into a self-abusive culture who has now turned on ourself? Many popular spiritual movements blame the ‘ego’ for nearly everything negative that occurs in our world but what most people rarely talk about is the fact that our ‘ego’ or ‘our physical self’ has the capability and the power to make those detrimental changes we spiritually yearn to see manifested into the physical form. By blaming the ‘ego’ for all of our problems, we are essentially doing nothing more than giving up responsibility by becoming victims of our own reality and creating an inner duality which can only be mended by accepting those aspects we like and do not like about ourselves.
The main problem seems to be that the ‘ego’ or again ‘self’ always gets a bad rap but the ego only has as much power as you give it. You could easily choose to operate from your soul as well as your heart.
- The ego only has as much power as you give it.-
So how do you sort through the heaps of mind garbage to find out what’s yours an what’s not? Well, the answer may be a lot easier than you may have previously thought, yet it is the hardest thing for most of us to do. Take responsibility of your mind. Three Simple Ways to Quiet Your Ego If you are a person who loves to live life to the fullest, you may fall into the awful habit of leaving your mind on overdrive. Do you constantly find yourself thinking of things you have to do in the future? Or reflecting back on what someone else did or said to wrong you in the past? If so you are loosing out on experiencing the present moment.
Below are a list of three life rules that I use whenever I notice that I living on ego overdrive.
1.)Go Back to Nature. The ego loves to make plans but hates spontanaiety. One way to take back your power is to spontaneously get into action by going for a walk or cycling in a natural setting. Sponataneous trips into nature allow your ego the rest it deserves after planning an plotting all day. A healthy ego can be very helpful when you see something that needs defiant change and take action to make that positive difference but if you don’t get into the habit of turning off your motor, you ego like any other engine can and will burn out.
2.) Meditation and/or Hypnosis. If it were up to the ego we would be busy trying to get a million things done a day. The problem with ‘trying’ to do everything is that we rarely get any one thing mindfully done. Active and daily meditative practices allow our mind a peaceful break from the busy traffic flow of the 70,000 thoughts our brain produces daily. Learning how-to calm our mind is a wonderful way to fully experience the present moment. Regular meditative practices not only give your mind a peaceful break but they also lead you to the deeper realization that we are all soul’s having a physical experience.
3.)Give.The third way most effective way to exercise your ego in a healthy manner is to give! Find a creative outlet to exercise opening up your heart and feeling more from your soul! There are so many children worldwide who would relish in having loving and positive mentoring, seniors who feed off the warmth of another caring soul and even your next door neighbor might need someone to relate to. You don’t have to look far to see that the people who need you to be balanced the most are usually right next to you.
When you open your heart to compassion your ego is automatically silenced and you fill a void which no material object can ever replace. Integrating these peaceful, compassionate loving and practical routines into your day will energize your spirit and reaffirm what really matters most to you on your journey through life.
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