Whenever we find ourselves in a tough spot, we tend to judge ourselves harshly. This, of course, does not help the situation. Not even a little. So, let it go. Love yourself silly instead. To help you do this, think of one of your favorite children – one of your own as a kid, a niece or nephew, a child of a friend, one of your grandchildren. Close your eyes and feel the joy and delight of simply spending time with this child. Notice your natural, overflowing love for this child. Allow that same love to wash over you. Give yourself the same unconditional love and acceptance you naturally give this child.
Previous – February 1
Melt Stress Now: Shift your attention.
Next – February 8
Melt Stress Now: Allow yourself to notice and embrace the positive.
Whenever we feel paralyzed by mistakes or the horror we feel certain will come, we must immediately shift our attention. Remind yourself that there is always another way or another miracle. Do not allow your brain to engage with, “What if . . .” "I could do this one more thing . . ." "How could I . . ." "If only . . ." Continue to be here now, surrender to what is and breathe consciously and deeply – shifting your attention to breathing acceptance into the present moment.
Previous – January 27Melt Stress Now: Breathe consciously and deeply.Next – February 3Melt Stress Now: Love yourself silly.
Then, we must begin to pay attention to our breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly, fully, consciously and deeply. Give yourself this enormous gift of life. As you breathe more deeply, you allow your body to relax and your mind to clear. With a relaxed body and a clear mind, you can gracefully handle whatever lies in front of you.
Previous – January 25
Melt Stress Now: Surrender to what is.
Next – February 1
Melt Stress Now: Shift your attention.
Next, we need to completely surrender to what is. Essentially we must accept what we have until now considered unacceptable. We choose to accept it now because the pain of not accepting it has become too great. We don’t have to like it, we simply need to quit fighting it.
Previous – January 20Melt Stress Now: Be here now.Next – January 27Melt Stress Now: Breathe consciously and deeply.
I have been a bit out of touch in the last couple of months as I am going through a huge personal transition. Thank you so much to all of you who have asked what I’m up to and inquired about the Thriving Coaches roundtables.
Last May, I co-created a huge dream come true when I met my beloved, Gary. In December, we started the process of merging our lives and households. I was a bit naïve about how much time and focus it would take.
I’ve since learned that moving is the number two biggest stressor, second only to the death of a loved one. What I’m also experiencing is that merging lives requires far more than simply moving to a new address.
To make both of these huge changes with self-awareness and loving kindness, I have chosen to step away from some of my business as usual activities. The other day, as I was organizing my new home office, I re-read one of the most powerful pieces I’ve ever written. I wrote this piece the last time I moved. That move also had an additional stressor of a fix and flip real estate investment that took a huge hit as the market changed in 2004.
I wrote the piece then less from my own knowing and more as dictation taken straight from Spirit when I told God, “I need some help. I cannot do this myself. What do I need to know and do to stay sane?”
I’d like to share the answers here with you – in case you, too, could use some stress-melting!
There are twelve parts to the original piece. I will share two a week with you – one each Wednesday and Friday.
They each take less than a minute to read. And, if you immediately begin the daily practice of using them, they will change your life . . .
Here’s today’s:
Melt Stress Now: Be here now.If we want to feel peaceful even when a situation seems upsetting, overwhelming or confusing, then we need to change our perception. To begin this shift, we must first bring our attention to the present. Feel the support of the chair beneath you. Notice the wind rustling the leaves of the tree. Breathe in the sweet aroma of your tea. Listen to the hum of the plane overhead or the whir of the furnace motor. Study the pattern of the grain in the wood floor.
Next – January 25Melt Stress Now: Surrender to what is.
As I sat down to write this piece, I remembered I wanted to take a picture of the foot of snow outside my office window to share with you.
My camera had other ideas. It gave me the simple message: "Recharge battery."
That is my gift to us today on this sacred day of winter solstice (in our northern hemisphere). I am going to now step away from my computer to sip a cup of tea and watch the snow fall. And, I invite you to take a moment now to consider how you might like to take a few precious moments on this darkest day of the year to hibernate a bit and recharge your batteries.
Thank you, Canon, for the timely reminder . . .
To your sacred winter solstice!
"The more at ease we become with the discomfort of change, the more we live fully and love our lives. The more we commit to what’s truly important to us and accept the discomfort of stepping up to that commitment, the more we feel fulfilled.
Committing to our Big Dream aligns us with being fully used for our purpose here on the planet at this time. Who we become on the way to our Big Dream is as important as, maybe more important than, achieving it.
We must learn to love and accept ourselves no matter where we are in the process. We must also learn to hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard – the standard of our Big Dream. It may seem almost impossible to be kind to ourselves while requiring so much more of ourselves. Yet, both the unconditional love and the abiding responsibility are essential to achieving our Big Dream.
Live fully. Even in the discomfort.
Love fully. Love yourself silly. Love yourself no matter what. Love those around you, even when they behave like crude cave–humans. Love your process as you become more of your Divinity to bring your Big Dream to reality. Love the messiness. Love the humanness. Love the Divine.
Live fully. Love fully."
– Excerpted from my new book, "Thriving Work: 90 days of daily practice for transforming you and your coaching, consulting or healing business."
Your Big DreamIf you are committed to bringing your Big Dream into reality in 2012 or if you'd like support in committing and then bringing it into reality, then you may want to consider applying to join my "Thriving Work" coaching program beginning in January 2012.
An intimate work group for only 8 fortunate people.
Pre-requisite: you have read the book, "Thriving Work."
If you haven't read it, you can order it here today:
http://www.annstrong.com/thriving-work-book/Next steps . . .To begin the application process visit:
http://www.annstrong.com/thriving-work-program/OR
If you'd like to have a conversation with me first, call me on my direct office line at 303.399.8737.
To bringing your Big Dream into reality (or into focus!),
Ann
P.S. If you aren't sure about your Big Dream, give yourself the gift of calling me. Let's talk about it. Don't push it to the side for another year . . .
303.399.8737
As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget
that the highest appreciation
is not to utter words, but to live by them.
- John F. Kennedy
With our US holiday of Thanksgiving upon us, I love being immersed in gratitude.
Thank you for being you!
From a broader perspective, I am thankful that you:
- Make time for your own growth and well-being.
- Are open to shifting your perspective to something that creates your life and work in a better way for you and those you love and serve.
- Are willing to take risk and try new things.
- Have an innate curiosity and love learning.
- Know you don’t have to "go it alone."
With gratitude for our connection here!
Thank you for making the world a better place with your presence.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Last week, several of my private clients mentioned challenges with the time change, colder weather and less hours of light. I love hibernation season, snowy days and the quiet of the night.
And, I know I tend to be in the minority. So I shared with them and would love to share with you my practices for embracing that which challenges me when we enter summer – the season of relentless activity, heat and bright light. You may then apply this to entering winter if that's challenging for you.
Two of my favorite things about winter:
gorgeous cloud formations and more time with the moon!
If you’re less than thrilled as we change seasons now, would you be willing to shift your focus? When I realized I did not want to spend a quarter of my life in sweating misery, I decided to commit to focusing on several things I love in the summer. I got up before the sun to enjoy the coolest time of day. I spent many hot afternoons on a blanket under a tree in the park. I took drives in the mountains and waded in the river. I enjoyed many jazz concerts in the park. I ate lots of sorbet and ice cream.
What could you focus on as we enter into winter?
- The simple, raw beauty of a tree without leaves?
- Bundling up for a brisk walk or jog?
- The brilliant moon?
- Skiing or snowboarding?
- Taking a drive around town to enjoy Christmas lights?
- The amazing clouds?
- Pumpkin spiced lattes?
- Catching up on your reading?
- Learning a craft – quilting, wood carving, knitting?
- Building a snowman?
- Getting more sleep?
- Enjoying the sun on a lunchtime walk?
- Joining a friend for a snowmobiling expedition?
Post your thoughts and experiences with shifting your focus in the comments section.
"The mind is given to you to use in self-expansion. But you do not channel it or capture it. It runs wild on old thought patterns and habits. If you cannot have the mind when you need it, it is useless. The function of mind is not just to spew out random thoughts! It is to fashion etheric elements into forms of energy that manifest through the earthly elements. A projected imagination that is guided is a fundamental power and gift of mankind."
– Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga
