It Starts with YOU!

Oh, how I wish it wasn't true.

I wish I could take a magic pill and POOF! All the positive change I want in my life suddenly manifests. Yeah, I wish it worked like that.

After decades of searching, I am confident there is no magic pill. Bummer.

There is good news, however. What I discovered and have verified time after time, over nearly 30 years of studying mind, body and spirit, is that the power to make healthy change exists in each one of us. It's in me and it's in you. The message is clear. If you want to change anything in your life, it starts with you.

Want greater physical health? It starts with you. Financial stability? It starts with you. Want more joy and happiness in your life? It starts with you. Want better relationships? It starts with you.

This last realization was a real eye opener since I had held on to the belief that others in my life just needed to straighten up. Nope. The quality of my relationships, and everything else, start with how I think about them. My thoughts lead to my actions and how I interpret the actions of others.

That's right. The power to change starts with you and your willingness to think differently. I love this quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer:

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

So what are you willing to see differently? What change do you want to see in your life in the next year? Remember the good news...it starts with you.

Pivot

Did you ever have those times when nothing seemed to go as planned? That’s what’s happened for me the past few days…

Last week, my friend and I were scheduled to record a few episodes of a podcast, but Life had other plans. I used the same recording program I’d just used to successfully record a couple weeks ago but this time, nothing worked. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

I mean NOTHING. First, only half our conversation would record. Then I attempted to call and – while she was seated, waiting for my call – her phone failed to ring. I sent a connection link to her that never arrived. This happened over, and over again for more than an hour before we both agreed to walk away from the project for the moment. Time to pivot. We rescheduled.

I decided to record a meditation and struggled FOR HOURS this weekend to get everything to work. I’m still trying! I worked for a while, became frustrated and realized I needed to walk away. I learned long ago that when a project isn’t flowing, take a break. Pivot.

Outside events seemed to intervene on my plans as well. My husband was working all day Sunday, so I planned to get a fresh start on my meditation project before I left to attend a friend’s birthday party late in the afternoon. I was set! My perfect plan began…until I spoke to my adult son who’d been sick and needed to go to a doctor. He was too sick to drive and feared that what he thought was a case of food poisoning, was really a serious strain of flu. Off to an urgent care office we went and as I waited in the lobby, I texted my friend that I wouldn’t be able to make the party. Pivot again.

So what the heck was happening? Was it some weird energy, ancient curse or the dreaded effects of Mercury Retrograde? I don’t know about any of that, but I do know a couple things. While we all must make plans in life, we also need to understand when to be flexible (pivot) and when to choose another course. I’m not suggesting you totally give up. I suggest you connect to your own inner wisdom and ask for guidance:

• Show me what I’m not seeing here.
• Help me understand how to shift my thinking to execute this in the highest and best way for all, or the wisdom to know it’s time to abandon this project.
• Show me the lessons I can learn from this.
• Help me trust the process.
• Show me how to be the presence of love in this situation and allow Love to guide my thoughts and actions.

Every morning for months, I’ve had the same prayer before I get out of bed.

“Show me how to be love today.”

When battling frustration, I sure didn’t feel I was being love, but I do know I was able to recognize when to pivot, much quicker than I did in the past.

And I’ve decided to trust it’s all part of my path to love.

From Caterpillar to Butterfly...

Have you ever felt…stuck? Totally, utterly and without a doubt stuck?

Not much energy.

Waiting. 

Waiting. 

And no clue what you’re waiting for? That was me these past few months.

I felt like a caterpillar in a cocoon. It felt dark, scary and very mysterious. And not mysterious in a cool way. Mysterious in a “what the hell is happening” kind of way. I had a dim feeling like something great could be happening, but no idea what it could be. 

And it wasn’t comfortable. Not even a little bit. I didn’t feel settled inside the cocoon. As the weeks dragged on, I had a feeling of distant hope and maybe, just maybe, even trust that something deep within me knew what was going on. 

But I wasn't going to submit quietly. Oh no, I wasn't going to make this easy! I resisted. My ego fought the changes that I felt were coming.

What did I do?

I stopped resisting the “stuck.”

I surrendered to the process. I settled into the stillness. I asked for help. I waited some more. 

During the long weeks in my dark cocoon, I turned inward and sought guidance from my inner wisdom. I immersed myself in spiritual teachings, meditated and listened to hours of personal development lectures. 

I imagined, just like the caterpillar, that while I didn’t fully understand the transformation taking place, I would eventually emerge better for the experience. After many fights with my ego, I learned to trust that everything was for my highest and best. 

Then, one day. I felt a shift.

I realized I was out of my cocoon!

I’m experiencing a new clarity…about everything. I feel refreshed, happy, on purpose and more excited about my work than I’ve been in years.

The best part? I really like my new wings.

Got Me Again….

                                                                               Bigstock.com

My husband loves to point out situations where my words don’t match my actions. He finds this highly entertaining and endlessly amusing. I do not.

While this doesn’t happen often, I appreciate his insight. Eventually at least. I fully intend to “walk my talk” and I’m disturbed when I find I’ve missed the mark in some area.

And that’s what happened. I missed the mark. I didn’t follow my own advice and trust that everything was happening for my highest and best. I didn’t take an action that I’d committed to.

I put something off, procrastinated, masterfully avoided and side stepped an issue. And I did it for months. I know better. This is exactly what my clients pay me to stop them from doing.

What was the potential foe I was so afraid of?

Upgrading a stupid computer program.

Yeah, I know it’s crazy. My husband had upgraded and was delighted but one friend had experienced a big issue that lost her several days of work. I was scared.

And I put it off. Again and again.

I signed up for the free upgrade as my husband suggested, but I ignored prompt for the upgrade the multitude of times it was offered.

I got little pop-up screens saying “We’ve got your upgrade ready! Start now…” but I didn’t. Finally, after months of prompting, I got a notice stating “Upgrade will begin Wednesday at 11pm.”

Hmmm….guess even my computer gets tired of being put off. Although I was beyond hesitant, I followed the directions and allowed the upgrade to take place. The result?

Glorious! I freakin’ love this program!

What the heck was my problem?

Oh yeah….I remember.

Instead of “trusting that everything is happening for my highest and best” as I so loudly preach to others, I had allowed myself to get caught in the drama of “what ifs?”

“What if I lose everything on my computer?”

“What if the new program creates issues and I lose productive office time?”

“What if I don’t like the new changes?”

So this was the real kicker. I’ve spent the last six months telling friends, family and my clients that CHANGE IS GOOD.

I explained that the intelligent divine energy that created our universe is constantly seeking to expand, grow and create anew. Change is part of the plan. And, in retrospect, most of the time we can ultimately appreciate the change. We just have to get past our fear of the unknown. The unknown and the “what ifs.”

Maybe I need to remind myself of a couple other “what ifs.”

“What if this change is fantastic?”

“What if I love the result?”

OK, Universe...message received. I’ll go wipe the egg off my face now.

At least my husband is amused.