Awaken the Genie Within

Moving Beyond the Fog

While driving on the freeway one evening, I suddenly found myself surrounded by a fog so dense, that it frightened me. I literally could not see anything in front of me, behind me or to my side. As fear set in, I chose to come to a complete stop.

Having no idea how long the fog would last, I sat there feeling trapped and powerless. I was really uneasy being stopped in the middle of the freeway wondering where other drivers might be in relation to my position. I wondered if they would come to a stop or try to move through the fog. And if they did, would I be hit?

About 10 minutes passed and there was no sign of the fog lifting. Tired of feeling powerless and more willing to take a chance now, I crept forward. After a few minutes of doing this, the fog became less dense and I could see about a foot in front of me. With greater confidence I continued on and within a matter of 5 minutes I was out of the fog and had a clear view. My whole body relaxed as I moved into gratitude and was on my way.

As we travel along in life, it's easy to keep moving toward our dreams when we see things clearly. But the moment something obstructs our view, it's just as easy to come to a complete stop. Coming to a stop, when your view is obstructed, is generally a good idea. It's an opportunity to get your bearings and consider your next plan of action.

The trick, however, is to not stay stopped longer than necessary. The longer you're stopped, the more difficult it can be to get going again. Continue forward even if you can't see exactly what's in front of you. Take it slowly until your confidence increases and you find yourself beyond the fog. At that point you're ready to move full speed ahead, once again!

Make a Difference

You don't have to reach hundreds of people all at once to make a big difference in the lives of many. When you reach out to just one person, the ripple effect of that one act of kindness can be enormous.
Please take a few minutes to watch this video before reading the rest of the blog. Oh yeah, you might want to grab some tissues.
http://www.makeadifferencemovie.com/

Did you watch the movie yet? I reeeeeally encourage you to watch it before reading on if you already haven't.

A teacher has such an impact on one student, that he becomes a doctor. As a doctor he now has the ability to make a difference in the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. The ripple effect is powerful. Never underestimate that in life.

Sometimes we don't always know the difference we make and that's okay. Just trust that your kindness will have an impact. How far that impact travels is anybody's guess. Go ahead, make a difference!

Your Words and Your Tone

Do you ever feel like you say exactly what it is you want to say to someone and they still resist what you said? This happened to me the other day with my son. It seemed no matter how I explained things, he was unwilling to hear me. Frustrating? Absolutely! Until he simply said to me, "Mom, you're lecturing me, you're not really sharing an opinion."

Wow! Chalk one up for the teenager! I stepped back for a moment, checked in with my emotions, and realized that he was right. There was a charge in me, and whenever there's a charge, the tone of my voice is not calming. I excused myself. When I felt calm about what I wanted to share with him, I did. The result? Better than I ever imagined. A teenager who actually took to heart what I said!

The tone you carry with your words can make all the difference how others receive you. When you express your thoughts while trying to force an outcome that you want, the result can be less then stellar. There's a lower energy you create in the moment and that is felt by other people, often putting them on the defensive.

When you're clear with what you need to say, and speak from your truth based in love, without needing a certain result, your tone will match your words automatically because the emotional charge isn't there. The payoff? You've now created the space for others to let down their defenses and hear you more easily.

I'm Just Happy to Be Where I Am

A girlfriend of mine is working on a very exciting project. When it's complete, her life, as she knows it now, will be forever changed. While sharing her latest updates with me, I was becoming more and more excited for her.

This is something she's been working toward for many years. And believe me, there's been plenty of bumps along the way. Actually, there's been plenty of boulders along the way! In spite of the setbacks, she never once considered giving up her dream. Yes, there were times when she came to a complete halt, not knowing what to do next, but her drive and desire remained.

I told her how proud I was of her and how amazing the next few months were going to be as this project continued to grow its legs. Her response was absolutely magnificent! She said, "You know, Linda, to be honest, I'm just happy to be where I am. I have no idea what's going to happen next, or how much longer this could all take. And if there's anything I've learned along the way, is to just be happy where I am."

There it is, my dear reader, in a nutshell. Yes, I know you've heard things like that a zillion times before. And now, you can make it a zillion and one times. Through my friend's entire journey, I am witness to the fact that the more genuinely happy and grateful she is with her project in the moment, the faster it moves forward.

She has surrendered to the whole process in so many ways. No longer forcing an outcome based on her schedule. Giving up needing to know where the next financing will come from. And, she stopped allowing other's worries and fears affect her personal faith.

Even though I don't know what your dreams are, what I know for sure, is it's a much more enjoyable ride when you're just happy to be where you are!

Pay Attention to the Signs

Because I wasn't willing to pay attention to what my body was telling me, I reaped the consequences. A
pulled calf muscle forced me stay off my feet for 3 days and at day 4 I'm still limping around. Looking back I could have avoided this experience if I only listened to that voice within that clearly said, "Your calf muscle's been hurting for a while. Maybe you should ice it and take a break from exercising for a few days. Stretch before you exercise every time, not just when you feel like it."

Of course there was that other voice that said, "It's not that bad. I can work through the tightness."

Yep, it seems my Gremlin won out over my Genie. My Gremlin is so sneaky. She can seem like my greatest motivator at times.

Cut to, leaving my neighbor's house after borrowing some butter and suddenly having my leg collapse from under me because the pain was so bad. As I hobbled home, all I could tell myself was, "You should have paid attention. The warning signs were there for weeks. Now you'll have to stop exercising for a while."

I can absolutely be as stubborn as the next person when it comes to paying attention to the signs my body gives me. Now that I'm on the other side of the warning signs, there's a greater appreciation for them. Those signs are such a huge gift because they can assist us in avoiding serious injuries. Sometimes they're there to wake us up to any unconscious negative emotion we're holding in our body, manifesting itself physically.

If you're someone who tends to ignore the warning signs, I invite you to honor your body and what it's trying to tell you. Perhaps we can step into an energetic agreement together and pay attention to the signs with love and gratitude.

A Different Kind of Fasting

There are many people I know who do eating fasts. Some do it one day each week, while others fast for as long as 10 days every few months. It seems there are as many ways to fast as there are people.

They tell me they feel lighter and more energized when they've completed their fast. For those who fast for 10 days, they've shared it's a bit difficult at the start but then it gets easier and becomes as natural as breathing.

Although I've never done an eating fast, it got me thinking about another kind of fasting; negative emotion fasting.

What if you committed to a specific day when you don't allow yourself to participate in any negative emotions for the entire day? No matter how the day was showing up for you. (Okay, death and major medical emergencies not included.) Even if you're fired from your job, you can still fast just for that one day, from slipping into major upset. Afterall, you can go there tomorrow! I want to really encourage you to play with this idea and allow it to be fun to make a commitment to just one day of complete fasting from negative emotions.

As water will often replace food during the physical fasting, the negative emotion fast would have its own replacements. Faith replaces fear. Patience replaces frustration. Abundance thinking replaces lack. Intuition replaces confusion. Allowing replaces resistance. Flow replaces force, and so on.

I know at the end of a successful negative emotion fast, you'll feel lighter and more energized just like those who do an eating fast. How do I know this? Because I've committed to several days without participating in negative emotions and it was great! I just never thought of it as a fast until now!

If you choose to play I'd love to read your experiences in the comment section of this blog. You can get back to it by clicking on this blogs title under Recent Posts on the left side. If it's not showing, click on April 2007 under Archives.

Driving With Your Brake On

While driving my car the other day it felt like something wasn't right. The car just didn't have the same oomph it normally does. It required more gas to get it up to speed and when it was, it still felt sluggish. Ohhhh yeah! I had the emergency break on. How ridiculous did I feel! Once I released the brake the car performed perfectly.

Well, you know me. The metaphor started building as I was thinking about how often we go through life with our foot on the brake without even realizing it. When there's something we want in our lives around work, relationship, new career, schooling, anything at all, and we're a little apprehensive or fearing failure, it's not unusual to take action toward what we want but still have the brake on as a safety net.

Having one foot on the gas and the other on the brake, fools us into believing we're finally doing something to move toward our desire, but in essence, it keeps us from going full speed ahead because we don't fully trust that we can create what we desire. As long as that brake stays on, we're limiting ourselves from receiving whatever it is we need to fulfill our desire.

Oh sure, we may get a little help here and there that keeps us plodding along, but eventually, we're going to run out of gas before we reach our intended desire because we're sending a mixed message to the Universe, neutralizing our desire. When there's one foot on the gas and one on the brake, we're not sending out a clear intention. To the Universe or ourselves!

Take a look at what you're driving toward in your life and do an internal check to see if you're driving with your brake on. If you notice that you are, ask yourself a couple of questions.

What am I most afraid of if I release the brake?
What could I do differently if I did release the brake, that I'm not doing now?

Here's to driving full speed ahead!

Permission To Switch Your Thoughts

Sometimes when I'm facing a difficult situation, my thoughts can very quickly go in a direction that takes me down a really bumpy road. And what I've also learned is that switching my thoughts so I feel lighter or gain a better perspective can sometimes be more challenging than the difficult situation I'm facing.

This is true for many people. And with that said, there's only one way to deal with this. Practice. It takes practice to be aware of the thoughts you've established at the onset of something difficult in your life, knowing that you have the option to switch to thoughts that can steer you onto a smoother road.

There's nothing mysterious or magical about this process. It's as cut and dry as it comes. You notice the thought, pay attention to how you feel while having that thought, and then ask yourself how you'd rather feel in the moment. Then you create a thought that allows you to reach that feeling as closely as possible.

There's no shortcut that can be taken. The more awake you are to how your thoughts are making you feel, the quicker you can give yourself permission to switch your thoughts and create a new experience.

This is nothing more than recognizing the fact that your Gremlin is in charge and that you, in your truest form, are not your Gremlin. It's human nature to experience Gremlin thoughts very quickly after you've been side swiped. Be patient, loving and kind to yourself. This is exactly what your Genie wants for you. Once you've picked yourself up and brushed yourself off from the initial hit, that's your opportunity to move into phase two with your thoughts.

Through your commitment to spiritually waking up, you'll be back on your feet quicker than you have time to think about it.

Letting Go With Your Palm Down

I've been working on a project for my business during the past week and there was one part that I needed to complete that had me soooo frustrated. My mind would not let me relax to find an answer and I just kept trying to force an outcome. After about 20 minutes of this nonsense I decided to let it go and hand it over to my wonderful marketing consultant.

I sent her an email explaining my frustration and simply took the pressure off myself to be brilliant in the moment asking if she would do it for me. Once I hit the send button my entire Being shifted and I felt relaxed and satisfied knowing I let go with my palm down.

There's a difference between letting go with your palm down and letting go with your palm up. Play with this little experiment. Hold a pen in your hand with your fingers wrapped around it, palm facing up. Now open your fingers to let go of the pen. Even though you believe you've let go, the truth is, the pen is still in your hand, which still has you attached to what you wanted to let go of.

Now wrap your fingers around the pen and turn your palm facing down. Open your fingers. Voila! You've completely let go of the pen.

When you've truly let go of something that's been disturbing you on an emotional level, you'll feel lighter.  There's a sense of freedom, and sometimes that allows a solution from your higher self to show up.

Within 10 minutes of sending my email, the answer I needed came to me and my marketing consultant was off the hook. In that moment, I realized it was the ability to truly let go that allowed this to happen. The answer was always there, I was just stuck on forcing an outcome and that never serves us.

Play with letting go with your palm down vs. your palm up. You'll know the difference by the way you feel. And when you've reeeeeally let go, you'll no longer have the need to continue to think or talk about the issue.

The Way You Speak

Throughout your life you have the option to expand or limit yourself. And the way you speak plays an enormous role in that option.

Every time you hear yourself complaining about the things in life you're not happy about, you're building upon any limitations you may already be experiencing. The tone you take with others creates limitations in the way you receive something from another person. Whether that be a verbal response or the work they're doing for you or with you. When you gossip you're limiting your spirit making it more difficult to bring greater joy into your life.

On the other side of the coin is the opportunity to live in a state of ongoing expansion. The more you speak from what's possible for you, the more you'll find yourself inviting into your life expansive experiences. When you speak kindly and with the intention of love, you expand your heart and open yourself up to receive more of the same. Even your need to say no, when done with love and for the greater good, creates expansion.

If you're feeling limited in your life, pay attention to the way you speak on a regular basis. You may be very surprised to hear what shows up more often than not.