Begetting Change

Diva Note: Several big revelations reading this and not all of them good. I feel angry at myself, for knowing I was choosing some of the same choices and knew I would get the same results but did it anyway.

It is as if I was punishing myself for something and this was the perfect way to do it. Now that I see it from a different view, how to forgive myself and move past it, while finding the courage to make a different choice?  

Same Choices, Same Results

If our patterns of thought and behavior remain unchanged our lives will continue to unfold much as they have previously.
Repeated bouts of adversity are an unavoidable aspect of human existence. We battle against our inner struggles or outer world forces, and in many cases, we emerge on the opposite side of struggle stronger and better equipped to cope with the challenges yet to come. However, we can occasionally encounter trials that seem utterly hopeless. We strike at them with all of our creativity and perseverance, hoping desperately to bring about change, only to meet with the same results as always. Our first instinct in such situations is often to push harder against the seemingly immovable obstruction before us, assuming that this time we will be met with a different outcome. But staying power and stamina net us little when the same choices consistently garner the same results. A change in perspective, behavior, or response can do so much more to help us move past points where no amount of effort seems sufficient to overcome the difficulties before us.

Whether our intention is to change ourselves or some element of the world around us, we cannot simply wish for transformation or hope that our lives will be altered through circumstance. If our patterns of thought and behavior remain unchanged, our lives will continue to unfold much as they have previously. Patterns in which fruitless efforts prevail can be overcome with self examination and courage. It is our bravery that allows us to question the choices we have made thus far and to channel our effort into innovation. Asking questions and making small adjustments to your thought processes and behaviors will help you discover what works, so you can leave that which does not work behind you. To break free from those unconscious patterns that have long held sway over your actions and reactions, you will likely have to challenge your assumptions on a most basic level. You must accept once and for all that your beliefs with regard to cause and effect may no longer be in accordance with your needs.

Stagnation is often a sign that great changes are on the horizon. Courting the change you wish to see in yourself and in the world around you is a matter of acknowledging that only change begets change. The results you so ardently want to realize are well within the realm of possibility, and you need only step away from the well-worn circular path to explore the untried paths that lie beyond it. 

Find the True Meaning of Joy

Have you ever taken a test to measure your happiness? Curious to find out how you stack up? The Be Happy Index test will give you an accurate, on-the-spot happiness rating to let you know what brings you bliss and what areas of your life need a little love.

• Not sure how happy you are? Take the test!  
• Take action! 10 proven methods to increase your joy  
• 7 new ways to get happy  
• Anxious? Take your checklist of worries to the CEO of happiness  

Grieving over Hearing Loss

Diva Note: In my husband's case he has known for some time that he would eventually lose most, if not all his hearing. He watched his mother deal with it and was told it was hereditary.

courtesy of http://www.hearinglossweb.com/Issues/psych/grieve.htm

Fellowship with a Purpose

Diva Note: I have thought about having a women's craft/healing circle at my home maybe once a month. I have mentioned it in conversation a few times at the markets in the past and it met with positive feedback but alas have yet to put it into being. Food for thought I guess?

If you are feeling the need for community, why not start a group in your area with people of similar interests.

Human beings, by their very nature, love to gather. Yet as much as we crave community, the rigors of real life frequently interfere with our efforts to come together with likeminded individuals. For this reason, fellowship is crucial to humanity's wellbeing now more than ever. Most towns and cities play host to a variety of small groups that allow people to congregate purposefully, but that does not mean we should not consider founding our own. When people with similar interests, ideals, or aspirations come together as a group, a community is built that provides a new dimensionality to our earthly experiences.

The formation of a group is like an invitation welcoming all those desiring companionship and camaraderie into a circle of support. You may feel driven to found a group for women, healers, knitters, readers, writers, or political activists. Rules need only be a part of your communal experience if you find that level of organization appealing, and it matters little whether your group is large, goal-oriented, or structured. When you have a firm vision of the group you wish to bring into being, hang posters, reach out to acquaintances, and get in touch with similar groups to attract participants. Groups of likeminded individuals are to some extent inherently exclusionary, being that they serve as a supportive environment in which people who have something in common can gather. Yet such groups can also transcend the boundaries that might otherwise keep people apart, The group you create will likely attract people from many different ethnic, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds and if you make these individuals feel equally welcome, your group will grow and thrive as a result.

Try to ward off any discouragement you feel when those intrigued by your group's purpose are not ready to contribute actively. They are likely waiting to see how it evolves and whether you are truly committed to serving as its heart and soul. If the group you have founded is a positive influence in the life of even a single individual, it is well worth it. Your intention to bring people together will be the seed that develops into a source of nurturance and community that stays true to its purpose long after its initial inception. 

Voice of experience

“There is a voice we should more often listen to—a voice we know in our hearts offers sage advice that can help us through dark times. It is the voice of experience.”

The Smartest Pieces of Advice I Ever Got
Find out why Donna Brazile, veteran campaign strategist, starts every encounter by always "asking the turtle."
Plus 5 more rules to live by »

How to Find Your Passion
You want a life of purpose, but you're always bogged down by one excuse or another. Good news: Once you get in touch with yourself, living joyfully will be a lot easier.
The 3 Fs of how to get unstuck »

The 5-Step Plan to Set Your Heart Free
Feeling trapped? Not recognizing your options is much different from not having any. Life coach Martha Beck suggests getting the frank advice of an expert.
How to clear the way for opportunity »

Clinging to the Core

When Our World Falls Apart

When it feels as if your world is falling apart, know at your core that you are a strong being of light.

There are times when our whole world seems to be falling apart around us, and we are not sure what to hold onto anymore. Sometimes our relationships crumble and sometimes it’s our physical environment. At other times, we can’t put our finger on it, but we feel as if all the walls have fallen down around us and we are standing with nothing to lean on, exposed and vulnerable. These are the times in our lives when we are given an opportunity to see where we have established our sense of identity, safety, and well-being. And while it is perfectly natural and part of our process to locate our sense of self in externals, any time those external factors shift, we have an opportunity to rediscover and move closer to our core, which is the only truly safe place to call home.

The core of our being is not affected by the shifting winds of circumstance or subject to the cycles of change that govern physical reality. It is as steady and consistent as the sun, which is why the great mystics and mystical poets often reference the sun in their odes to the self. Like the sun, there are times when our core seems to be inaccessible to us, but this is just a misperception. We know that when the sun goes behind a cloud or sets for the night, it has not disappeared but is simply temporarily out of sight. In the same way, we can trust that our inner core is always shining brightly, even when we cannot quite see it.

We can cling to this core when things around us are falling apart, knowing that an inexhaustible light shines from within ourselves. Times of external darkness can be a great gift in that they provide an opportunity to remember this inner light that shines regardless of the circumstances of our lives. When our external lives begin to come back together, we are able to lean a bit more lightly on the structures we used to call home, knowing more clearly than ever that our true home is that bright sun shining in our core.

Top 10 DailyOM Courses:

1. Reinventing The Body, Resurrecting the Soul
2. Find True Love in 27 Days
3. Heal Your Money Karma
4. Overcoming Self-Sabotage
5. Feng Shui Secrets
6. Permanent Weight Loss with Self-Hypnosis
7. Falling in Love with Yourself
8. Heal Yourself With Ayurveda
9. Heal Yourself with Writing
10. 21 Day Consciousness Cleanse

Space in Togetherness

Healthy Barriers

Healthy barriers will give you the freedom to pursue your development apart from those whose approval you seek out.

As relationships evolve, lives gradually become entwined. We tend to have a great deal in common with the people who attract us, and our regard for them compels us to trust their judgment. While our lives may seem to run together so smoothly that the line dividing them cannot be seen, we remain separate beings. To disregard these barriers is to sacrifice independence. It is our respect for the fact that our lives exist independently of the lives of others that allows us to set emotional and physical boundaries, to explore our interests and capabilities even when people close to us do not understand our partialities, and to agree to disagree. Maintaining healthy barriers is a matter of recognizing the point at which our principles and those of our loved ones and peers no longer overlap.

Human beings must relentlessly fight the temptation to follow the crowd. Naturally, we want to be liked, accepted, and admired, and it often seems that the easiest way to win approval is to ally ourselves with others. When we assume that our standards are the same as those of the people close to us without first examining our own intentions, we do ourselves a disservice. The barriers that exist between us are a reminder that our paths in life will be unique, and we must each accept that "I" and "we" can coexist peacefully. Our reactions, our likes and dislikes, our loves, our goals, and our dreams may or may not align with those of others, but we should neither ask others to embrace what we hold dear nor feel compelled to embrace what they hold dear.

As you learn to define yourself as an emotionally and intellectually distinct individual, you will grow to appreciate your autonomy. However much you enjoy the associations that bind you to others and provide you with a sense of identity, your concept of self will ultimately originate in your own soul. The healthy barriers that tell you where you end and the people around you begin will give you the freedom to pursue your development apart from those whose approval you might otherwise be tempted to seek out. Others will continue to play a role in your existence, but their values will not direct its course, and the relationships you share will remain marvelously balanced and harmonious as a result. 

Why There's Nothing Wrong with Failure

The Hidden Value of Failure

• 
  
• How to turn any failure into a success
• Screw up. Learn from your mistake. Repeat.
• Why you should stop trying to be perfect

Letting Life Unfold

Present in the Progression

Try to allow your life to unfold like a flower rather than worrying and making predictions which cause stress.

Our lives are guided by natural rhythms that are particular to each of us and cannot be altered by force of will alone. Life itself is a journey made up of processes and events that manifest before us only to be swept away when time marches on. Whether we envision ourselves creating a career, building a family, or developing the self, we instinctively know when the time has come for us to realize our dreams because all that is involved comes together harmoniously. When the time is right, the passage of destiny cannot be blocked. Yet as desperate as we are to touch these beautiful futures we have imagined, we cannot grow if we are not fully present in the evolutionary experience. The present can be challenging, uncomfortable, and tedious, but life unfolds as it will, and the universe will wait patiently as we make our way into the unknown.

The fate that awaits us is not dependent on our pace, which was preordained before we ever appeared in human guise. Therefore there is no reason to rush through life to reach those pinnacles of development associated with the paths we have chosen. Enjoying and fully experiencing the journey of life is as important as achieving goals and reaching milestones. There are lessons we can learn during those moments that seem immaterial or insignificant that we cannot learn at any other time. Appreciating these takes patience, however, because human beings tend to focus on the fulfillment of expectations rather than the simple joys of being.

Like many people, you have no doubt longed for a device that would give you the power to fast forward through certain periods of your existence. Yet haste is by its very nature vastly more stressful than serene fortitude. When you feel yourself growing impatient because the pace of your development is deceptively slow, remember that everything that will occur in your life will occur in its own time. Quelling your urge to rush will enable you to witness yourself learning, changing, and becoming stronger. There is so much to see and do in between the events and processes that we deem definitive. If you are patient enough to take pleasure in your existence's unfolding, the journey from one pinnacle to the next will seem to take no time at all.

How to Nurture Your Soul's Support System

• 
  
• Surround yourself with your true inner circle of friends
• Connect with people who will fuel your life
• Open your heart to a soul mate

Resistance Equals Persistence

The Wisdom Of Surrender

We can’t get rid of something we don’t want by pushing it away. The more we push away, the more we get pushed back.

We all know the feeling of being repeatedly haunted by the same issue, no matter how we try to ignore it, avoid it, or run away from it. Sometimes it seems that we can get rid of something we don’t want by simply pushing it away. Most of the time, the more we push away, the more we get pushed back. There are laws of physics and metaphysics that explain this phenomenon, which is often summed up in this pithy phrase: That which you resist persists.

Resistance tends to strengthen the energies it attempts to oppose by giving them power and energy to work against. Additionally, resistance keeps us from learning more about what we resist. In order to fully understand something, we must open to it enough to receive its energy; otherwise, we remain ignorant of its lessons. There is a Tibetan story of a monk who retreats to meditate in a cave only to be plagued by demons. He tries everything—chasing, fighting, hiding—to get the demons out of his cave, but the thing that finally works is surrender. He simply lets them have their way with him and only then do they disappear.

Now, this wisdom must be applied practically. We are not meant to get ourselves physically injured. Instead, this story speaks of how, in essence, our demons are inside of us. What plagues and pursues us on an inner level has a way of manifesting itself in our environment in the form of people, events, and issues that appear to be beyond our control. But all these external expressions are reflections of our insides, and it is inside ourselves that we can safely experiment with surrendering to what we fear and dislike. It may feel scary, and we may find ourselves in the company of a lot of resistance as we begin the process of opening to what we fear. But the more we learn to surrender, and the more the demons that plague us disappear in the process, the more courageous we will become.

Top 10 DailyOM Courses:

1. Find True Love in 27 Days
2. Overcoming Self-Sabotage
3. Heal Your Money Karma
4. Permanent Weight Loss with Self-Hypnosis
5. Falling in Love with Yourself
6. Heal Yourself With Ayurveda
7. Heal Yourself with Writing
8. 21 Day Consciousness Cleanse
9. Two Hours of Rumi
10. Combating Emotional Vampires

How to Live in the Moment

"When we approach everything we do in life with a sense of nurturing, everything becomes new to us again as it is seen in a new light. Life's tasks become less mundane and more meaningful as we move into a state of being present with the task at hand."

How to Live in the Moment

• Embrace the beauty of now
• 3 words to make you more present
• Treasure the small things in life

Share Your Love and Generosity

Share Your Love and Generosity with Others

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• Be the biggest fan and the best critic of the person you love
• 35 little acts of kindness
• Got more to give? Become a volunteer

I'm willing

"Talk to yourself from the perspective of truly being willing to do whatever it takes rather than relying on the same old excuses that keep you from making those changes. You'll be thrilled with yourself when you adopt an 'I'm willing' attitude."

How to Stop Making Excuses

• 
  
• Take charge of your life
• Why you're in control of your destiny
• Make the shift to a life of real meaning

The present moment

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.”

How to Find the Place Where Life Happens
Best-selling author Eckhart Tolle teaches us all how to embrace the beauty of right now.

Why it's worth it »

6 Ways to Practice Living in the Moment
Learning to fully appreciate the present is easier said than done. Here, six visionaries share what it takes to seize the day.
Get a boost of inspiration »

The Way to Really Connect with People
Lovingkindness meditation gives you a new way to connect with everyone—even the difficult people in your life.
Find out how it works »

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Watch Life Coach Martha Beck at O You!
O columnist Martha Beck discusses today's rapidly changing social reality and the exciting new opportunities on the horizon.
Check out the video »

What does it look like?

"Write down the area of your life that most needs your attention right now, and then write out the details of your soul's vision for this part of your life. What does it look like? How will achieving your goal change your life? How will it change the lives of those around you?"

How to Get Focused

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• Make your to-be list before your to-do list<!-- How to Get Focused<br>--> 
• Get strategies to make better decisions<!-- How to Get Focused<br>--> 
• Don't let your emotions set you back

Never Give Up on Hope

In your deepest, darkest hour, you may feel powerless and all alone. But all you need to do is let go of the idea that you're in control of your life and pray. This small act of faith may give you the hope you're looking for.

• 
  
• What prayer really means   
• How hope can save lives  
• Miracles are happening every day on Facebook—read about one of them now!  
• Find certainty in uncertain times

Opportunity

"Every challenge offers the opportunity to think a new flavor of thought and feel a new flavor of emotion. The more varied the flavors of life you get to taste, the more interesting, layered, educated and world-experienced you'll be."

Turn Any Challenge into Your Advantage

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• Live an excuse-free life<!-- Turn Any Challenge into Your Advantage<br>--> 
• Strengthen your bond with faith again<!-- Turn Any Challenge into Your Advantage<br>--> 
• Discover the power of resilience<!-- Turn Any Challenge into Your Advantage<br>--> 

What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You

What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You

<!-- What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You-->
• How to start listening to your body<!-- What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You--> <!-- What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You-->
• The power of your intuition<!-- What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You--> <!-- What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You-->
• Use your mind-body connection for healing<!-- What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You--> <!-- What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You -->

Map for our lives

March 22, 2010

The Tools You'll Need to Get You There

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• The power of resilience<!-- The Tools You'll Need to Get You There--> 
• Live in the moment<!-- The Tools You'll Need to Get You There--> 
• Why subtle action is a powerful tool<!-- The Tools You'll Need to Get You There--> 

Physical Intuitiveness

March 16, 2010
The Body is Natural
Physical Intuitiveness

Who am I?

March 9, 2010

How to Live Your Life to the Fullest

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• Jane Fonda reveals her biggest fears and a life-changing promise<!-- How to Live Your Life to the Fullest-->
• Dare to step outside of your comfort zone<!-- How to Live Your Life to the Fullest--> 
• 10 ways to make the most of hard times<!-- How to Live Your Life to the Fullest--> 

When Love Isn't So Easy

Do you think intimacy is a tell-all,

The greatest gift

"The best way to move a mountain

March 5, 2010

How to Make Your Dreams a Reality

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• Ask yourself: What's really going on in my life?<!-- How to Make Your Dreams a Reality--> 
• Simple steps to pursue your passion<!-- How to Make Your Dreams a Reality--> 
• Becoming the person you were meant to be: Where to start<!-- How to Make Your Dreams a Reality--> 

Cause, Effect, And Transformation

Feeling Depleted

Feeling depleted is a wake up call to slow down, rest and fill your body with vital nutrients and light from above.

There are times in our lives when it seems our bodies are running on empty. We are not sick, nor are we necessarily pushing ourselves to the limit—rather, the energy we typical enjoy has mysteriously dissipated, leaving only fatigue. Many people grow accustomed to feeling this way because they do not know that it is possible to exist in any other state. The body’s natural state, however, is one of energy, clarity, and balance. Cultivating these virtues in our own bodies so that we can combat feelings of depletion is a matter of developing a refined awareness of the self and then making changes based on our observations.

A few scant moments of focused self-examination in which you assess your recent schedule, diet, and general health may help you zero in on the factors causing your depletion. If you are struggling to cope with an overfull agenda, prioritization can provide you with more time to sleep and otherwise refresh yourself. Switching to a diet containing plenty of nutritious foods may serve to restore your vigor, especially when augmented by supplements like B vitamins or ginseng. Consider, too, that a visit to a healer or homeopath will likely provide you with wonderful insights into your tiredness. But identifying the source of your exhaustion will occasionally be more complicated than spotting a void in your lifestyle and filling it with some form of literal nourishment. Since your earthly and ethereal forms are so intimately entwined, matters of the mind and heart can take their toll on your physical self. Intense emotions such as anger, sadness, jealousy, and regret need fuel to! manifest in your consciousness, and this fuel is more often than not corporeal energy. Conversely, a lack of mental and emotional stimulation may leave you feeling listless and lethargic.

Coping with and healing physical depletion will be easier when you accept that the underlying cause might be more complex than you at first imagined. A harried lifestyle or a diet low in vital nutrients can represent only one part of a larger issue affecting your mood, stamina, and energy levels. When you believe that you are ultimately in control of how you feel, you will be empowered to transform yourself and your day-to-day life so that lasting fatigue can no longer gain a foothold in your existence.

Top 10 DailyOM Courses:

1. Overcoming Self-Sabotage
2. Permanent Weight Loss with Self-Hypnosis
3. Heal Your Money Karma
4. Heal Yourself with Writing
5. Falling in Love with Yourself
6. A Year of Rumi
7. The Best Year of Your Life
8. Mastering Self-Hypnosis
9. Heal Yourself With Ayurveda
10. Healing Harp Meditations

Toss out old regrets

"This is a day to separate what does work for you from what is no longer needed. Time to toss out old regrets, useless feelings or past resentments."

How to Get Rid of Negativity in Your Life

• Why women are prone to feeling negative<!-- How to Get Rid of Negativity in Your Life<br>--> 
• Turn regret into a life booster<!-- How to Get Rid of Negativity in Your Life<br>--> 
• Try this 6-step plan to let go and start truly living<!-- How to Get Rid of Negativity in Your Life<br>--> 

Daily OM: When one woman honors who she is

The Dwelling Pulse

Energy Of A Home

Our homes and your belongings within them all contain energy. Tend to the energy of your home as you would tend to anything you love.

Our homes are filled with energy that we create and allow to flourish. In many cases, our relationship with the pulse of our homes is passive rather than active because we do not pay particular heed to the energy that has been established. It is only when we regard these spaces as unique entities that we begin to understand why it is necessary to take charge of the energy that fills our homes. Stagnant, inharmonious energy can find its way into our dwellings through many avenues. Previous occupants, builders, visitors, and the individuals who maintain a home leave a strong energy imprint behind. Objects and symbols can also have an effect on the energy of a residence. When we are aware of all that can influence the energy of our spaces, we are empowered to create harmonious homes that do more than meet our need for shelter.

Exercising care with regard to who and what we invite into our homes is one of the easiest ways we can ensure that the energy within remains loving and supportive. It is not always possible to keep potentially harmful people and possessions from entering our homes, but we can take precautions. Individuals can be kept from private spaces like bedrooms and meditation areas, while property can be purified through cleansing or smudging. During periods of remodeling or construction, Reiki symbols and other positive imagery can be printed on surfaces that will later be covered by walls or flooring. Though hidden, these will continue to attract good energy and cleanse the existent energy. Blessings can also be drawn in plain sight, where they remind us of how potently our home's energy can affect our own.

A home can appear beautiful, comfortable, and stable while still serving as a dwelling place for negative or otherwise offensive energy. If you care for your home conscientiously and with great care, you will instinctively look beyond the surface qualities of your home when assessing how it feels. Since you actively guard your home against the intrusion of unwelcome energy, you will have the time and vigor necessary to cope with it constructively when should it appear in your midst. The spirit of your spaces will respond to your thoughtful ministrations, nurturing and supporting you for as long as you choose to reside within her walls. 

The Soundless Center

Diva Note; This one totally speaks to me I am gonna try n pay more attention to those silent moments!

Silence of the Heart

It takes a sensitive ear to tune in to the silence of the heart, it can offer us profound experiences if we listen.

We spend a lot of time attempting to put the feelings in our hearts into words, to communicate to others our passions, our emotions, and our love. Often we are so busy trying to translate our heart’s roar into language that we miss the most profound experience the heart has to offer, which is silence. Every poem arises from this silence and returns to it. When all the songs have been sung, the soliloquies delivered, the emotions expressed, silence is what remains. As each wave of feeling rises and falls back into the silence, we have an opportunity to connect with the vast, open, powerfully healing wisdom at the soundless center of our hearts.

Our hearts may seem noisy and tumultuous so much of the time that we do not even associate them with silence. It takes a sensitive ear to tune in to the silence of the heart, but it is there in each one of us, so close and so large that we do not even notice it. We can begin to become aware of it in the same way we become aware of the negative space in a still life, the background of a photograph, or the open sky that contains the sun, clouds, moon, and stars. We are accustomed to tuning in to objects and sounds that are one-pointed, solid, and three-dimensional. Seeing and hearing the apparently empty space that contains these sounds and objects takes a little practice.

We can bring our awareness into our hearts by simply breathing into the general area of our heart. The first thing we may notice is feelings like joy or sadness and physical sensations like tightness or tenderness. We acknowledge these as we continue to breathe and focus, listening attentively. We surround these feelings and sensations with breath and recognize that they are contained and held in an immeasurable substance like water or air, intangible, ineffable, but utterly real. This is the silence of the heart, and the more we listen for it, return to it, and accept it, the more we bathe and purify ourselves in the soundless center of our being. 

Oprah, Om, and other such places of wisdom,

Diva note repost: I post these pieces from Oprah, Om, and other such places of wisdom, not because I have reached these levels of  enlightenment and healing, but rather as a daily reminder and encouragement, even in the dimness of dark days, to keep on trying, keep on digging deeper into self to find....Enter post topic here.............

**********************

Each one has touched me, moved me to think react and work harder at becoming my authentic self........

When I write my notes at the top it is to share how the article touched me, or my thoughts on it as a whole, with the hope that should it spark dialogue, a further discussion of the topic and perhaps deeper enlightenment will follow.

I battle every day with my mental health issues, but not as much as I battle the preconceptions that reading or hearing those words often brings. 

Poor thing, she just has issues, take what she says with a grain of salt, [she has emotional baggage], 

That these issues do not impair my intellect or my ability to reason among many other things, often puts me in the greatest need to seek wisdom, comfort and hope, especially after being in the company of those who believe it does.

I know I know, we all have things to work through on varying levels..........

So I read these, so I can continue to grow out of the I am damaged mentality that has effected most of my life.

I post them as a way of sharing my path with others and also, so that I can come back, long after the email has been deleted from my in box and find all this wisdom on one page.

I gauge my reaction to them when first read and compare days, weeks, months, later when rereading them. 

What better monitor of my journey and the *Bonus*

I am not journeying to wellness alone!

Why Not Now?

Diva Note: I can't even leave a note, cuz I am still taking this in, but lemme tell ya it has my mind in a whirl, so expect a postscript soon!

Waiting for Someday

If today is the day you will take your destiny into your hands, you will soon discover that you hold the keys of fate.
The time we are blessed with is limited and tends to be used up all too quickly. How we utilize that time is consequently one of the most important decisions we make. Yet it is far too easy to put off until tomorrow what we are dreaming of today. The hectic pace of modern existence affords us an easy out; we shelve our aspirations so we can cope more effectively with the challenges of the present, ostensibly to have more time and leisure to realize our purpose in the future. Or we tell ourselves that we will chase our dreams someday once we have accomplished other lesser goals. In truth, it is our fear that keeps us from seeking fulfillment in the here and now—because we view failure as a possibility, our reasons for delaying our inevitable success seem sound and rational. If we ask ourselves what we are really waiting for, however, we discover that there is no truly compelling reason why we should put off the pursuit of the dreams that sustain us.

When regarded as a question, "Why not now?" drains us of our power to realize our ambitions. We are so concerned with the notion that we are somehow undeserving of happiness that we cannot see that there is much we can do in the present to begin courting it. Yet when we look decisively at our existence and state, "Why not now, indeed!" we are empowered to begin changing our lives this very moment. We procrastinate for many reasons, from a perceived lack of time to a legitimate lack of self-belief, but the truth of the matter is that there is no time like the present and no time but the present. Whatever we aim to accomplish, we will achieve it more quickly and with a greater degree of efficiency when we seize the day and make the most of the resources we have at our disposal presently.

All the joy, passion, and contentment you can envision can be yours right now, rather than in some far-flung point in time. You need only remind yourself that there is nothing standing between you and fulfillment. If you decide that today is the day you will take your destiny into your hands, you will soon discover that you hold the keys of fate. 

Dumbing Ourselves Down

Diva Note: I dumbed down my intelligence at an early age [especially around men]. That stemming from some archaic advice, that men don't like women who are smarter then them, or more capable.

 I could fix tv's and play a mean game of pool and because of the way my mother pushed social knowledge [she was a walking contradiction to be sure old fashioned mixed with womens libber it was confusing] I could hold a meaningful conversation and clearly state my positions. Hiding talents and other abilities  when I got older to maintain some friends you name it. deciding not to do that deciding not to hide my light under a bushel was not and is not easy.

Embracing yourself and refusing to be other than who you are, also brings a mixture of good and bad reactions to it, based less on who you really are and more on how others choose to interpret you.

The consolation is at least you are being true to yourself and those that truly accept you warts and all, will see past many things to the core of you.

Wanting to Join

There is a difference between shifting our energy to accommodate people we are around and dumbing ourselves down.
The ability to go into any social situation and sense the level of consciousness in that situation is a gift. It enables us to move considerately in a world that holds people of all levels of awareness. However, there is a difference between shifting our energy to accommodate people and dumbing ourselves down to a regrettable degree. Sometimes, when we get into a particular social situation, we may feel pressure to play it small in order to fit in. Perhaps everyone is drinking or smoking excessively, engaging in gossipy small talk, or complaining bitterly about politics. It is one thing to notice this and modify our expectations and another thing entirely to join in.

When we notice where people are coming from and acknowledge to ourselves that their energy is not in alignment with ours, we have several choices as to how to proceed. One viable option is to quietly endure the situation, keeping to ourselves until it is time to leave. In this way, we take care of our own consciousness and protect our growth process. Another option is to interact in a way that honors and pays respect to the people in the group, while gently attempting to shift the level of consciousness with our input. In order to do this, we must maintain our own vibration, which means that joining in by dumbing down is not an option.

When we choose to dumb ourselves down to fit in, we not only sell ourselves short but we also lose a possible opportunity to influence the situation for the good of all concerned. Our desire to join in may come from our natural yearning to feel connected to the people around us. There is no shame in this, but being able to stand on our own, separate from the crowd, is a powerful milestone on any spiritual path. It can be difficult in the moment, but when we arrive on the other side, our integrity intact, we may find ourselves feeling positively smart. 

Get Real with Yourself

Uncover your shadow beliefs

• How to see your true self
• Oprah reveals why being honest with yourself will
•  help you tell others the truth
• 

Be a Conscious Eater
It's easy to eat mindlessly: in front of the TV, while on the phone. Geneen Roth shares 15 ideas to help you start a dialog with yourself to become aware of your eating habits.
Try these 15 conversation starters »

Feeling Overwhelmed?
Always checking your BlackBerry? Anxiously awaiting your next email? Stop what you're doing and reevaluate whether your actions are needs or wants…and what can wait until later.
Make more "me" time »

Go with Vinyasa Flow
Connect your mind, body and spirit with vinyasa yoga. Seane Corn shares the benefits of this spiritual practice.
Watch now »

-->
Let Loose!
Don't forget to let your hair down and have a little fun! Shake up your routine by calling on your friends for some creative adventures—no high heels required.
7 ideas for spontaneous fun »

The Brand New O Dream Board

The Brand New O Dream Board
What do you want in your life? Get clear about your goals, your hopes and your vision for your life. Turn your dreams into reality with the brand new O Dream Board!

• Create your O Dream Board now!  
• What do you want from life? Figure it out now  
• Are you heading in the right direction? Take the quiz!  
• Open yourself up to your life's purpose

To achieve your goals

10 Things Dr. Oz Knows for Sure
How is performing open-heart surgery like hosting a TV show? Dr. Oz can tell you.
Plus 9 more insights he's had »

Dr. Oz's 9 Numbers That Count
Every woman who wants to protect her health should be aware of nine key numbers.
What they are and how to improve them »

4 Myths About Antidepressants
Feeling down? Mehmet Oz, MD, explains why antidepressants aren't always the best answer.
Get his advice here »

12 Ways to Improve Your Family's Health
It turns out that simple things like not wearing shoes indoors and eating from smaller plates can have a big impact on your health.
Find out why, plus get more tips »

Week 1: Your Food and Body Image Shadow Beliefs

Do you stuff yourself with food that makes you feel bad? Have you spent years barely tolerating your body? This week, in The Shadow Effect Breakthrough Program, you will expose the shadow of your body and begin the process of finding true freedom to make life-changing choices.

• How your shadow affects your food habits and the way you view your body 
• What's your shadow food? Take the poll! 
• Listen as Debbie Ford guides you to take action to care for and love your body 
• How the birth of your shadow begins 
• Get book excerpts, watch videos and learn more about the plan 

All of Me

Little girl was out most of today.....I didn't even try to manage her, or submerge her, I just let her run free. So what did she do today?

She taped the kitchen for painting where she could reach and then, this evening when the hubs came home, she ran to him all excited because she taped the kitchen.

He of course, is an old pro at dealing with all of me and knew right away that it was her and not me. He smiled that smile and let her lead him by the hand, into the living room, so he could turn then look into the kitchen at her handy work.

As she waited he took it all in then said the magic words. 'You did good honey, well done, very good job!

Little girl puffed up with pride and launched into how she managed to do it all so neatly and 'even the windows are done right, right? She asked again. He nodded and kisses on cheeks and hugs reined supreme. 

She waited patiently while he opened the primer and set it in a handy spot for her to reach, after filling a paint tray..... 'Just paint the low parts' he said and she nodded...

Around 8pm, she finished the back splash and low areas on the sides of the cupboards behind the stove, [he'd pulled out before going upstairs]. She let the first coat dry then gave it all a second one,  while listening to dancing with the stars in the background on the small tv. 

........................................................................

I would feel bad that I let her do all that work, if it wasn't for the sense of satisfaction we both feel as we sit here writing this post.

Some times I guess you just gotta let your little girl dance!!

The same mistakes?

“I've noticed that people tend to make the same mistakes over and over again when it comes to losing weight and staying healthy.”

Are You Making These Health Mistakes?
Over the past decade, fitness expert Bob Greene observed that people tend to keep making the same mistakes when it comes to losing weight and staying healthy.
Find out what not to do »


Bob Greene's "Back to Business" Plan
Whether you're starting from square one or have landed back there, don't kick yourself. In just 12 weeks, you can be on your way to successful weight loss.
Get the diet and fitness plan »

"I Exercise Daily! Why Can't I Lose Weight?"
Q: I have done 20 minutes on the elliptical twice a day for three weeks, but the number on the scale hasn't budged. How long before I shed pounds?
Get the answer from Dr. Katz »


4 Mini Workouts
If you think only epic workouts produce results, think again. New research suggests that brief activity bursts can pay off big.
Reap the benefits for yourself »

Sex Drive: How Do Men and Women Compare?

By Susan  Seliger

Sex Drive-continued

That does not mean that men do not seek intimacy, love and connection in a relationship --- they do, just as women do. They just view the role sex plays in that relationship differently. "Women want to talk first, connect first, then have sex," Perel explains. "For men, sex is the connection. Sex is the language men use to express their tender loving vulnerable side," Perel says. "It is their language of intimacy."

Men and Women Approach Casual Sex Differently

Willingness to engage in casual sex "splits totally along gender lines," says Driscoll. In a University of Hawaii study, researchers had a good-looking guy and good-looking girl approach a student of the opposite sex and talk for five minutes. After five minutes, each student was asked one of two questions: When asked to go out on a date, male and female responses were identical: 50% of women and 50% of men said yes. But when asked to have sex, the answers couldn't have been more opposite: 75% of the men said yes and 0% of the women said yes, according to Driscoll.

Orgasms Are Different for Men and Women

While researchers find it tricky to try to quantify issues like the differing quality of male versus female orgasms, they do have data on how long it takes men and women to get there. Men, on average, take four minutes from the point of entry until ejaculation, according to Laumann. (Well, that's three minutes and 58 seconds longer than the average mosquito.) Women usually take around 10 to 11 minutes to reach orgasm. If they do.

That's another difference between the sexes -- how often they have an orgasm during sex. Among men who are part of a couple, 75% report that they always have an orgasm, as opposed to 26 % of the women. And not only is there a difference in reality, there's one in perception, too. While the men's female partners reported their rate of orgasm accurately, the women's male partners reported that they believed their female partners had orgasms 45% of the time.

The Number of Sex Partners -- And Affairs -- Varies by Gender, Too

For men, the median number of partners they report is six, according to Laumann's research. The median number of partners women report is two. Some 23% of men report having 5-to-10 partners; 20% of women report that many.

"Extramarital relations are less prevalent than pop and pseudo-scientific accounts contend," according to Tom Smith in the 2006 National Opinion Research Center report, American Sexual Behavior: Trends, Socio-Demographic Differences, and Risk Behavior. "The best estimates are that about 3% to 4% of currently married people have a sexual partner besides their spouse in a given year and about 15%-18% of ever-married people have had a sexual partner other than their spouse while married." However, Smith writes, married men are twice as likely to have affairs as married women.

What Can Couples Do to Get Their Sex Drives in Sync?

It is only normal for sex drive to ebb and flow, and couples should not be overly alarmed to find that their sex drives do not always match up. However, if differing levels of desire is causing consistent unhappiness for one or both partners, it is important to resolve it. "You both have to be happy with your level of sexual activity," says Barbach.

1. Talk it over in a calm, neutral setting.

Start talking -- but not right after one person has just been turned down in his or her romantic advances. Wait for a neutral time and do it in a non-charged setting -- outside the bedroom. If opening the conversation feels awkward, get a book about sex and read it together. Look at the pictures, laugh -- break the tension. Let your partner know that you're open to making things better between you. That's half the battle.

2. Avoid name-calling.

He is not a "sex fiend" just because he wants more, and she is not a "nymphomaniac" if she wants more, or "frigid" when she wants less. If you are in a committed relationship, and you want it to work, you both have to recognize that it is perfectly normal for sex drives to differ. The important thing is for you both to enjoy the sex you have together -- however and whenever you do.

3. Both parties have to give a little.

Therapists seem divided about who has to try to adapt his or her sex drive to the other's. "Whoever wants more sex is the one who has to make the most adjustments," insists Driscoll. Other therapists say the opposite: "The general rule of thumb in sex therapy is that the person with the least desire has to figure out how to enjoy it more -- have more sex, come to a negotiation," says Pepper Schwartz, PhD, a professor of sociology at the University of Washington and past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. Clearly, the best thing to do is meet in the middle.

4. Allow for physical affection that does not lead to sex.

Go out of your way to touch each other in affectionate, but not explicitly sexual ways. Do not let a day go by when you do not say hello or goodbye with a kiss. Touch each other playfully as you pass in the hall. Cuddle with the clearly-stated agreement that this will not lead to sex so as to take the pressure off the less libidinous partner. Hug until you feel relaxed. These tokens of affection will build the bond between you -- and the electricity as well.

5. Schedule sex dates.

Knowing that on a designated day, you will be having sex, will bring relief to both parties. No one has to face the humiliation of being rejected, or the anguish and guilt of disappointing their partner.

Yes, you have to give up the notion that sex is only hot when it's spontaneous. But a sure thing can be just as satisfying. And the process of planning can build anticipation. Take pleasure in the details, from the mood music to the lingerie, and make sure there will be no interruptions for at least two hours.

6. Court your partner -- presents help.

"Men have to court women with gifts and good manners to get them in the mood -- every animal in every species does it," says Driscoll. Among chimpanzees, he says, "the male gives the largest share of the kill to a fertile female" so he can be assured of sex.

Though perhaps found less in nature, men like presents, too. Both partners need to remember how solicitous they were of each other when they first met and always strive for that kind of respect and generosity of spirit.

7. Try whole-body stimulation -- and take it slow.

For men, sexuality tends to be focused disproportionately on the genitals. Slowing lovemaking down and focusing on the other erogenous zones can give a woman the time she needs to become aroused and receptive, and can help ease performance pressures for men. Be pleasure oriented not goal oriented.

8. Surprise fuels sex drive.

Be imaginative and playful. Change rooms, try the couch. Take a look at some of the newer erotic literature and films that include female fantasies as well as male. Share your fantasies with each other -- acting them out only if both of you are comfortable with the scenario. A fantasy doesn't have to be anything more than imagining what you wish someone would do to give you pleasure. Start small ... and build.

9. Reduce Stress in Your Lives

Stress can be the ultimate sex drivesapper. Help each other play more and work less -- go for hikes, take long weekends away. Even if things are going badly at work or with the kids, try to separate those issues from what is going on between you as a couple. "Desire is a healthy form of entitlement -- when you don't feel deserving, you shut down," Perel says. And once you've helped each other relax a little, remember sex itself can be an excellent stress-reliever.

10. Get outside help

People go to golf and tennis clinics -- so why not sex therapy to improve your game in the bedroom? Also consult a doctor to see if there may be a medical reason behind your dissatisfaction with your sex drive. There may be alternative drugs for depression and other conditions that can have less of an impact on sex drive. And just as poor health inhibits male and female sex drive, good health resulting from increased exercise and improved diet can help restore libido.

The Power Within

One-Step-at-a-Time Changes You Can Make

• 
  
• Why is it so damn hard to change?
• How subtle action can be a powerful tool
• 3 anxiety-free ways to transform your life

What Is the Shadow?

Imagine there's a part of you that has the power to teach and guide you to strength, creativity and happiness. Imagine this part of you is just waiting to be seen, to be heard and to be embraced. But it's not all good. This is your shadow—the dark side that you'd rather ignore than face. Before Debbie Ford guides you along her six-week breakthrough plan to uncover your shadow, you first have to understand what it is.

• 
  
• Can you identify the shadow working in your life? Take the quiz!  
• How you can benefit from seeing your dark side
• Watch Debbie explain what the shadow really is

How to Be More Joyful and Optimistic

"You can use the infectious effects of a grin to jump-start an optimistic outlook in yourself by sending others what you want them to lob back at you. A kind word to the man behind the deli counter can get your day bouncing in the right direction."

How to Be More Joyful and Optimistic
Why being an optimistic realist is the best way to live<!-- How to Be More Joyful and Optimistic<br>--> 

• How to think your way free<!-- How to Be More Joyful and Optimistic<br>--> 
• 5 exercises to help train your brain for optimism<!-- How to Be More Joyful and Optimistic<br>--> 

Now this is an Anthem for Healing

Let this song lift you up and grant you wings to soar as you heal!

Shine On!

Shine On :

Mm hmmm
Oh yeah 

Life gives you the runaround you say
You wanna know
How much dues must you pay

Well, you can pay off what you want to
Where there’s a will 
There’s always a way

Keeping your eyes on 
That  mountain top 

one step at a time
Don’t ever, ever stop

Keep on when your mind says quit
Dream on ‘til you find your living it
I’ll be right by your side 
Yeah baby keep on
Don’t stop ‘til you win your prize
Lean on all the love that is in my eyes
You’re a diamond to me, yes you are 
Shine on....shine on

Well I know what you’ve been through
I see
But it’s time to leave it behind and let it be
Yeah

Hard-earned wisdom is something you can’t buy
It’s the wings of experience
That make you fly

Don’t look down and
Don’t look back
Don’t turn around
You’re on the right track

Keep on when your mind says quit
Dream on ‘til you find your living it
I’ll be right by your side 
Yeah baby keep on
Don’t stop ‘til you win your prize
Lean on all the love that is in my eyes
You’re a diamond to me, yes you are 
Shine on
Shine on
Keep on when your mind says quit
Dream on ‘til you find your living it
I’ll be right by your side 
Yeah baby 
Don’t stop ‘til you win your prize
Lean on all the love that’s in my eyes
You’re a diamond to me, yes you are 
Shine on
Shine on

shine on

bridge

ad lib

Baby you got to shine on

That’s what you’re born to do
Me and you
You got to shine on
Sparkle baby

Baby you got to
Shine on

Thrilled for life

“Give a person a fabulous room, and she'll be thrilled for about a decade. Teach a person to design her own fabulous living room, and she'll be thrilled for life!”

-
10 Easy Tweaks to Update Your Home
A gorgeous home doesn't require big bucks or long hours of toil; a few easy tweaks can bring the right balance to your space.
Nate Berkus shows you how »


Assess Your Mess
When it comes to creating a cozy and nurturing home environment, you need to strike a balance between the kind of order that enhances life and the kind that squelches it. Are you in your comfort zone?
Take our quiz to find out »

7 Home Improvements to Boost Your Mood
You know that candles or lots of natural light can alter the mood of a room and the people in it. But do you know the benefit of choosing curved designs over hard edges?
Household tweaks to lift your spirits »

feelings

“I realized that if I'm obsessing about my own feelings,

How to Silence Your Inner Critic
Everywhere we turn there are images of gorgeous women, constant reproaches to the reality of us, with our real bodies and un-Photoshopped flaws.
Advice to help turn off that loop »

Glee's Jane Lynch vs. the Cycle of Self-Blame
The actress had spent her life thinking everything was her fault, until a telling encounter forced her to "shine a light" on her issues once and for all.
Her eye-opening discovery »

Be Open

Embracing New Information

When taking in new information, always use your own intuition to see how the information feels to you.

Living in an information age, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the constant influx of scientific studies, breaking news, and even spiritual revelations that fill our bookshelves, radio waves, and in-boxes. No sooner have we decided what to eat or how to think about the universe than a new study or book comes out confounding our well-researched opinion. After a while, we may be tempted to dismiss or ignore new information in the interest of stabilizing our point of view, and this is understandable. Rather than closing down, we might try instead to remain open by allowing our intuition to guide us.

For example, contradictory studies concerning foods that are good for you and foods that are bad for you are plentiful. At a certain point, though, we can feel for ourselves whether coffee or tomatoes are good for us or not. The answer is different for each individual, and this is something that a scientific study can’t quite account for. All we can do is take in the information and process it through our own systems of understanding. In the end, only we can decide what information, ideas, and concepts we will integrate. Remaining open allows us to continually change and shift by checking in with ourselves as we learn new information. It keeps us flexible and alert, and while it can feel a bit like being thrown off balance all the time, this openness is essential to the process of growth and expansion.

Perhaps the key is realizing that we are not going to finally get to some stable place of having it all figured out. Throughout our lives we will go through the processes of opening to new information, integrating it, and stabilizing our worldview. No sooner will we have reached some kind of stability than it will be time to open again to new information, which is inherently destabilizing. If we see ourselves as surfers riding the incoming waves of information and inspiration, always open and willing to attune ourselves to the next shift, we will see how blessed we are to have this opportunity to play on the waves and, most of all, to enjoy the ride. 

Five Minutes to Happiness

Diva note: I post these pieces from Oprah, Om, and other such places of wisdom, not because I have reached these levels of  enlightenment and healing, but rather as a daily reminder and encouragement, even in the dimness of dark days, to keep on trying, keep on digging deeper into self to find....

A Reason to Smile

Devoting time each day for happiness will change your day and change your brain chemistry.

It can be so easy to get caught up in the rigors of modern life that we tend to forget that happiness need not come with stipulations. Happiness becomes something we must schedule and strive for—a hard-won emotion—and then only when we have no worries to occupy our thoughts. In reality, overwhelming joy is not the exclusive province of those with unlimited time and no troubles to speak of. Many of the happiest people on earth are also those coping with the most serious challenges. They have learned to make time for those simple yet superb pleasures that can be enjoyed quickly and easily. Cultivating a happy heart takes no more than five minutes. The resultant delight will be neither complex nor complicated, but it will be profound and will serve as a reminder that there is always a reason to smile.

So much that is ecstasy-inducing can be accomplished in five minutes. Alone, we can enjoy an aromatic cup of our favorite tea, take a stroll through the garden we have created, write about the day's events in a journal, doodle while daydreaming, or breathe deeply while we listen to the silence around us. In the company of a good friend or treasured relative, we can share a few silly jokes, enjoy a waltz around the room, play a fast-paced hand of cards, or reconnect through lighthearted conversation. The key is to first identify what makes us dizzyingly happy. If we do only what we believe should bring us contentment, our five minutes will not be particularly satisfying. When we allow ourselves the freedom to do whatever brings us pleasure, five minutes out of 14 wakeful hours can brighten our lives immeasurably.

It is often when we have the least free time or energy to devote to joy that we need to unwind and enjoy ourselves the most. Making happiness a priority will help you find five minutes every day to indulge in the things that inspire elation within you. Eventually, your happiness breaks will become an established part of your routine. If you start by pursuing activities you already enjoy and then gradually think up new and different ways to fill your daily five minutes of happiness, you will never be without something to smile about.

Top 10 DailyOM Courses:

1. Find True Love in 27 Days
2. Overcoming Self-Sabotage
3. Heal Your Money Karma
4. Permanent Weight Loss with Self-Hypnosis
5. Falling in Love with Yourself
6. Heal Yourself With Ayurveda
7. Heal Yourself with Writing
8. 21 Day Consciousness Cleanse
9. Two Hours of Rumi
10. Combating Emotional Vampires

Discover Your True Identity

Some nights, can't sleep, I draw up a list, / Of everything I've never done wrong. / To look at me now, you might insist / My list could hardly be long, ... My list, once started, continues to grow, / Which is all for the good, but just goes to show / It's the good who do not sleep.

Questions to Discover Your True Identity
What's in a name?

• What do you want to do with your life?
• Who are you really?

Transition

"Any transition serious enough to alter your definition of self will require not just small adjustments in your way of living and thinking but a full-on metamorphosis."

Strategies to Help You Along the Way

• 
  
• How to start listening to your body<!-- Strategies to Help You Along the Way<br>--> 
• 5 ways to be your authentic self<!-- Strategies to Help You Along the Way<br>--> 
• How changing your words can change your life<!-- Strategies to Help You Along the Way<br>--> 

Dreams into Reality

"What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for.

Turn Your Dreams into Reality

• 
  
• No more excuses! Why it's never to late to give up on your beliefs<!-- Turn Your Dreams into Reality--> 
• Imagine the inner life you want<!-- Turn Your Dreams into Reality--> 
• Shift to a life of real meaning<!-- Turn Your Dreams into Reality--> 

Practice Humility

We're [President Barack Obama and I] clear on the fact that we have to stay humble and prayerful. We have to dig down deep to our roots. When things come together, we know some of it is Barack, some of it is us—but a lot of it has nothing to do with either of us."

How to Practice Humility Every Day

• Let go of your arrogance<!-- How to Practice Humility Every Day--> 
• Stop nagging!<!-- How to Practice Humility Every Day--> 
• 5 principles to be your authentic self<!-- How to Practice Humility Every Day--> 

Reduce Your Stress with One-Moment Meditation®

April is National Stress Awareness Month—and boy, do we need it! Take control of anxiety before it takes control of you with Martin Boroson's 30-day course One-Moment Meditations to help you manage stress quickly whenever and wherever you are.

How you can start One-Moment Meditations   

• How stressed are you? Take the self-exam!  
• Can meditation be sexy?  
• Audio meditations to find inner peace

How to Live the Life You Want

"Life does not come with instructions on how to live, but it does come with trees, sunsets, smiles and laughter, so enjoy your day."

How to Live the Life You Want

• 
  
• Who are you meant to be? Take the quiz<!-- How to Live the Life You Want--> 
• Find out who you really are—start now!<!-- How to Live the Life You Want--> 
• Why you need to pursue your dreams<!-- How to Live the Life You Want--> 

Make Fate Work for You

How to Make Fate Work for You

<!-- How to Make Fate Work for You-->
• How to get lucky<!-- How to Make Fate Work for You--> <!-- How to Make Fate Work for You-->
• The art of perfect timing<!-- How to Make Fate Work for You--> <!-- How to Make Fate Work for You-->
• Host your own good luck potluck<!-- How to Make Fate Work for You--> <!-- How to Make Fate Work for You -->

Define Your Own Destiny

"What has made me successful is the ability to surrender my plans, dreams and goals to a power that's greater than other people and greater than myself."

Define Your Own Destiny

• 
  
• How Oprah figured out what she's meant to do<!-- Define Your Own Destiny--> 
• What the happiest and most successful women do differently<!-- Define Your Own Destiny--> 
• Martha Beck's 5 best pieces of advice<!-- Define Your Own Destiny--> 

Get in the Mood for Love

March 12, 2010

Get in the Mood for Love

• 
  
• 16 quotes to get you heart fluttering<!-- Get in the Mood for Love--> 
• Spice up date night with technology <!-- Get in the Mood for Love-->
• Open marriage—up for it?<!-- Get in the Mood for Love-->

Generate Your Own Patterns

Becoming Your Parents

We don’t need to become our parents, we can transform our lives and release all patterns and chains that bind.

Heredity plays a role in almost all human development, whether physical, mental, or emotional. We tend to look like our parents and are subject to the same sensitivities they have. We may even be predisposed to certain behaviors or preferences. As we grow older, we become increasingly aware of the traits that exist within us and the clear history of the traits of our mothers and fathers. Our response to this epiphany depends upon whether the inclinations, tendencies, and penchants we inherited from our forebears are acceptable in our eyes. We may honor some of these shared traits while rejecting others. However, there is no law of nature, no ethereal connection between parents and children, that states that the latter must follow in the footsteps of the former. We are each of us free to become whoever we wish to be.

When we accept that our parents are human beings in possession of both human graces and human failings, we begin to regard them as distinct individuals. And by granting mothers and fathers personhood in our minds, we come to realize that we, too, are autonomous people and in no way destined to become our relations. While we may have involuntarily integrated some of our parents’ mannerisms or habits into our own lives, conscious self-examination will provide us with a means to identify these and work past them if we so desire. We can then unreservedly honor and emulate those aspects of our mothers and fathers that we admire without becoming carbon copies of them.

Though many of the tempers and temperaments that define you are inherited, you control how they manifest in your life. The patterns you have witnessed unfolding in the lives of your parents need not be a part of your unique destiny. You can learn from the decisions they made and choose not to indulge in the same vices. Their habits need not become yours. But even as you forge your own path, consider that your parents’ influence will continue to shape your life—whether or not you follow in their footsteps. Throughout your entire existence, they have endeavored to provide you with the benefit of their experiences. How you make use of this profound gift is up to you.

Luck is preparation meeting opportunity

March 1, 2010

How to Be Prepared for Life's Changes

• 
  
• Oprah and singer Norah Jones on believing in luck<!-- How to Be Prepared for Life's Changes--> 
• The art of perfect timing<!-- How to Be Prepared for Life's Changes--> 
• 3 strategies to keep in mind when making difficult choices<!-- How to Be Prepared for Life's Changes--> 

Free

Please do not stay 

if you really must know

if it saves you from pain 

than I would rather you go

Yes, we'll all be fine

don't you worry bout me

And maybe someday

just to know you are free

will be all that is needed

will be enough you will see......

so please do not stay 

if it's only for me

Please do not stay 

I'll hold your hand tenderly

though I would like to hold on 

it would be selfishly

I can see that you need too

set yourself free and soar........

I can understand your reasons

don't take anymore......

so please do not stay 

if it's only for me

Just fly away, fly away

fly away home

be free

Breathing Space

Visit the ocean, the mountains and the countryside—all with the click of your mouse. 

• Browse 20 nature-themed photos from across the globe

Beating Shame

In this picture I was 305lbs, it was taken by wardrobe for scary movie 3. Today I say no more shame when it comes to body image! True there is less of me now, but I am far from the so called societal ideal.

But U know what? That isn't my goal! As I shave away the pounds, the goal is to walk faster, longer, breath easier, dance till the cows come home, play tennis, swim and...... that's just one weekend's worth ;-)

Focus on the Present

"Whenever you're tempted to dwell in the past, repeat this single word: forward. Brainstorm one positive thought and action to use to keep you moving forward. When you're tempted to indulge in a negative, regressive behavior, swap it for one that will move you forward."

Focus on the Present

• 
  
• Oprah on the joy of being fully present<!-- Focus on the Present--> 
• How to calm your mind<!-- Focus on the Present--> 
• 6 ways to stop obsessing and start living your life<!-- Focus on the Present--> 

Your life's work

“Your life's work accumulates everyday, every second you're around.”

Where the Soul Is

Finding the Place You Belong

Moving locations when you feel strongly to do so is a way of bringing your spiritual and earthly energies together.

There will likely be times in your life when your soul evolves more quickly than your circumstances. Your subconscious mind may be ready to move forward long before you recognize that you are destined to embrace a new way of life.

Your soul intuitively understands that changing habitats can be a vital part of the growth process and that there may be one part of you that is eager to move to another home, another state, or another plane of existence.

But the ties that bind you to your current mode of being can make moving into this next stage of your life more challenging than it has to be.

If you find it difficult to move on, consider that just as people in your life may come and go, your role in others’ lives may also be temporary. And many of the conditions that at first seemed favorable served you for a short time. When you are ready to match your situation to your soul, you will find that you feel a new sense of harmony and increasingly connected to the ebb and flow of the universe.

Moving on can be defined in numerous ways. Your forward momentum may take you from your current locale to a place you instinctively know will be more nurturing, comfortable, and spiritually enriching. Once you arrive, your misgivings will vanish, and you will know that you have found a sanctuary.

Similarly, subtle changes in your values, goals, or emotional needs can motivate you to distance yourself from one group of people in order to reassociate yourself with individuals that are better able to support you. For example, this could mean moving away from your birth family in order to find your energetic or spiritual family. The route you need to travel may not always be clear; you may feel inspired to change yet be unsure as to why or how. Clarity may come in the form of a question if you are willing to seriously ask yourself where your soul is trying to take you.

In a way, moving from one point to another when you feel strongly driven to do so is a way of bringing your spiritual and earthly energies together. It is a two-step process that involves not only letting go but also reconnecting. You will know you have found your destination, physical or otherwise, when you feel in your heart that you have been reborn into a life that is just the right shape, size, and composition.

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