JD LeJeune

Timely: As I grow with the new tools I have relearned, I experience more and more gratitude for what is and for myself!

Acknowledging Your Growth DailyOM

Since personal evolution is most often a slow and gradual process, it can be difficult to recognize the scope of the changes taking place in our lives. Yet it is important that we regularly acknowledge our ongoing growth and reward ourselves for the many wonderful feats of self-improvement we have accomplished. When we intentionally contemplate our progress, we need never feel that we are languishing between past achievements and the realization of future goals. If we look closely at our lives, we may see that much of what brings us pleasure in the present is representative of the ambitions of our past that we worked so hard to attain. At one time, the abundance we enjoy currently likely seemed like a far-off dream. Now it is simply reality-a reality we created through our diligence, passion, and unflagging determination. Whether our progress is fast or slow, we deserve to congratulate ourselves for our successes.

To remind yourself of the insights you have gained with time, temporarily adopt an outsider’s perspective and carefully consider how your life in the present differs from the range of experiences you lived through in the past. Creating a written list, in a journal or otherwise, of those strengths, aptitudes, and inner qualities you now attribute to yourself can help you accept that you are not the same person you were one year ago, five years ago, or 10 years ago. Your attitudes, opinions, and values were likely markedly different, and these differences can be ascribed to your willingness to accept that you still have much to learn. If you have difficulty giving yourself credit for these changes, think about the goals you realized, the lives you touched, the wisdom you acquired, and the level of enlightenment you attained over the past years.

Recognizing growth is neither boastful nor immodest. Evolution is a natural fact of life and becomes a potent motivational force when celebrated. Knowing that you are brighter, stronger, and more grounded than you once were, you can look forward to the changes to come. In acknowledging your growth, you build a sturdy foundation upon which you can continue to blossom well into the future.

By: Bill Harris, Centerpointe Institute

CHAOS IS A GOOD SIGN Chaos is part of the process of positive change, and the only way you can suffer during this process is to resist it. Resistance is nothing more than making internal representations of what you don’t want, and you can choose what internal representations to make.

THE POWER IS YOURS There is one thing in this world that you have total and complete control over, if you will exercise it, and that is how you focus your mind. No matter who you are, where you are, what your situation, or what has happened in the past, you can choose what to focus on. Luckily, this is what determines everything else.

THE PRICE YOU’LL PAY If you focus on what you want to avoid, the price you have to pay, and what you have to give up, here’s what happens: first, you’ll feel bad. Any time you focus on what you don’t want, you feel bad. In fact, ALL bad feelings are the result of focusing on what you don’t want, what you want to avoid, what you’re worried about, or what you’re afraid of all of which are really the same thing. Second, when you focus on what you don’t want you have to make some sort of internal representation of it. When you do that you give your mind an instruction to create or attract more of it which is the last thing you want.

INTENTION IS KEY Focusing on what you don’t want is THE cause of self-sabotage. Your brain takes what you focus on and makes it come true for you, and it doesn’t care whether you’re focusing on it because you want it or because you don’t want it. Your conscious mind knows you don’t want it, but the part of you that actually creates the result doesn’t. That’s just the way your mind works. It would be nice if your mind could tell the difference between a picture of what you want and one of what you don’t want, but the truth is, it can’t.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND? Everyday, all day long, things happen for you. One of the key characteristics of people who are happy and who are in charge of creating what they want is how they respond to these moment-by-moment experiences.

SURRENDER SAFETY Some people feel that it’s just not safe to change, and they let that feeling block them. Actually, if you don’t feel safe in the world, it’s a result of your current method of processing what happens. If you don’t feel safe right now, instead of blocking change, you must change. As long as you keep doing things the same way, you’ll keep getting the same results and, you’ll continue to feel unsafe.

Timely: well with the class I am taking right now, and the majority of my thoughts being focused on finding out what I am creating “by default”, I would say that this timely indeed! Exploring reality creation is quite an interesting journey for me. I’m finding out my deepest beliefs and welcoming them back into my being. Becoming whole!

Earthbound DailyOM

Striking the right balance between our physical and spiritual aspects is one of the most challenging aspects of existence. We are dual beings by nature, spiritual entities bound to earth by physical bodies. In our lifetimes, we are charged with the duty of nurturing and tending both with equal devotion and love. Yet while both aspects of the self are deserving of honor and respect, there is a tendency for people who are more spiritually focused to ignore, avoid, or dismiss their bodies. Similarly, many individuals are entirely ensconced in the carnal realm and pay no attention to the needs of the soul. In both cases, an adjustment is in order. We are whole only to the degree that we embrace both sides of our beings.

If the soul is the inward manifestation of our consciousness, the body is the living, breathing expression of that consciousness. The physical self provides the home in which the spiritual self takes root and flourishes. Just as we must tend to the seed of the soul to ensure that it grows strong, so, too, must we care for the protective shell that is the body to make certain it is capable of playing its role in our development. Though there will no doubt be times in our lives when we feel more comfortable focusing on the spiritual self or the physical self, denying the fundamental importance of one or the other can lead to ill health, emotional distress, and a sense of incompleteness. Both facets of the human experience play a vital role in our well-being.

The body and the soul are the yin and yang of our current reality. They are, at this point of human evolution, irreparably bound together, and many spiritual teachers agree that the body is one of the greatest vehicles through which to access the soul. In fact, many believe that our spirit has chosen to be embodied as an essential part of our spiritual development. Consequently, it is the responsibility of each person on the planet to forge a marriage between the two, so that these disparate aspects bring out the best in each other, creating a vibrant, dynamic, and workable whole.

Daily Wisdom from CoffeyTalk.com

“Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering. There’s a hole in everything, That’s how the light comes thru.” -Leonard Cohen (1934- )

A big trend in decorating right now is making things looked aged, worn, or imperfect. This adds a sense of history and comfort to a room. The theory is that when everything is new and perfect, it isn’t as relaxing to be in that space. Here we are, living in the space of our imperfect human form – let us see the beauty in our imperfections, that is where our souls shine through! -Lissa Coffey

Daily Wisdom from CoffeyTalk.com

“Perhaps the crescent moon smiles in doubt at being told that it is a fragment awaiting perfection.” -Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Our topic this week is perfection. I love this quote! Tagore has such a way with words. Imagine that moon, shining so brightly and proudly – knowing that it is what it is and that it is absolutely perfect just the way it is. Is there anything missing? Not a chance! Can we see our lives in the same light? They are perfect just the way they are right here and right now. - Lissa Coffey