Can you recall when was the last time you just surrendered to the moment and simply lost yourself in that moment; when you felt ageless, timeless—and there was nothing else in the world but right where you were?

These are the moments when you are deeply present where you are and what you are doing. These are the moments when you are in the flow and feel bliss, peace, energized and true happiness. You feel untethered and free.

For some these moments come when alone—when taking a run, turning up a favorite song on the radio in the car, meditating or having a hot cup of coffee in the quiet of the early morning. For some these moments are when in a crowd of people at a concert and being carried away by the music and the group energy of the crowd. For some these moments are when with friends or family.  And they are all unique and special to you.

They are truly precious moments and experiences as they show what we are capable of and provide us with the amazing gift of just being, and more so, of having higher dimensions of consciousness. When we surrender ourselves to the moment or experience, we relinquish our demand that the present be something other than it actually is and we foster a willingness to be present with what is.

We lose the sense of expectation, of worry, doubt, fear, anxiety and stress. We tune out all the noise and have an ultra focused high frequency—increasing our vibration. In this special place we transcend time and space.

These moments provide a glimpse into our ascension and we experience how it feels to be enlightened. They illustrate that time is simply a measure or coordinates. They go beyond being mindful and present to an experience of not being constrained by perception of time.

When we experience them it can seem surreal and like we are in a dream. We lose our self in that moment since we are vibrating at such a high level and identify with higher dimensions of consciousness that free us from the constraints of space and time. And here we are more fluid.

We should savor these moments and not lose sight of what they really mean. They are a gift from the Universe to show us our potential and ability to let go, be light and to have joy and peace.

By this time of the year it can feel like you have been running a marathon and you are at the last mile before the finish line. You have resolve and find the inner strength to push through to get that final project finished, get the last item checked off the 2017 “to do” list and to find your closure to the year.

Sometimes it is striking how we put ourselves in this mind set—the state of mind that we (per the Merriam-Webster definition of “finish”) have to come to an end or come to the end of a task or undertaking.

For many, this mind set is perpetuated by the work or school schedule, social norms and arbitrary expectations that get ingrained in our psyche. It seems that the years of our lives are approached as if we are in some race. But a race for what? A meaningful relationship, a career, a promotion; to take time off and rest; to be somewhere else, to be someone else? It is time to ask yourself what are you rushing from and what are you rushing toward—and why?

We tend to lose sight of the continuum of our existence. We get caught up in looking well beyond the horizon. We have this constant inner voice telling us that once something is done or checked off the list, once we go through a series of milestones, once we get to the next level that we will have time to rest, be content, try something different or be ready for what is next for us. 

But we do so in the mind set of endings—that something has to end before something else can begin. I think as most of us have experienced life is just not that neat and tidy and there is more of evolution then revolution. Life for the most part flows and blends, and often when we are so laser-focused on finishing something or getting to the next thing, we miss the beauty of that flow and the blending.

I recently got back from an intense week of meetings—full of wonderful opportunities. The week was full of preparing for the immediate next session and rushing from point A to point B. As I boarded my flight homeward bound, and sat in my seat and exhaled, there was a sense of relief and calm. I told myself that when I get home I will relax and take some time off—but then I quickly went into making a mental list of the things I will do to relax.

In reflecting on this, I realized all the planning leading up to the event and the intense schedule while at the event was worthwhile, but in running my marathon I missed out on enjoying just being there and meeting some amazing people; and admittedly was probably a bit cranky at times. While at the event, I drew hard lines between one session to the next and actually was checking the sessions off the master list as the days passed. I did not take the time to inhale what I had created and what I was part of, and I did not take time to exhale the stress or pace I put myself at.

This one week sums up how many of us function (at times or generally)—putting ourselves in the mindset of a race with an arbitrary finish line that we drew. Life is a continuum—with many paths for us full of new people and experiences. So as 2017 blends into 2018, remember to inhale what you have created and exhale so you can let your life flow.

Here we are once again in December and the year end rush is on. It is quite common to find ourselves feeling a bit stressed, overwhelmed and anxious. And it is not just the approaching holidays. For many it’s year end performance reviews, year end job attrition (layoffs) worries, final exams and papers—and the rush to finish the “to-do’s” that somehow accumulated throughout the year.

Plus, we start putting pressure on ourselves about how we will or should celebrate New Year’s and that post January 1 we will hit the reset button with all sorts of improvements and changes. 

That sure is a lot. For some of us, we push through and try to ignore our symptoms, and for others it can be a daily battle as things seem to pile up and feeling anxious or sad becomes predominant.  Either way, not healthy and time to take action.

As always, it is good to keep tabs on how you are feeling and why. If you are experiencing the following it is time to take some steps to reset and focus on yourself.

• Feeling restless or on edge
• Being easily tired
• Feeling sore or achy
• Having a hard time concentrating or staying focused
• Being irritable
• Having a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep
• Over planning
• Seeking assurance and answers from others
• Having anxiety attacks

Anxiety can take its toll and if it is really getting to a point where it is inhibiting you and your life, there is professional help and you should never feel embarrassed to seek and get help.

There are some holistic and natural remedies that can help.

• Exercise, even if a brisk walk around the block
• Get outside—sunshine and air make a big difference
• Limit caffeine and alcohol
• Eat healthier—fresh fruits and vegetables, good protein sources and less sugar
• Stay hydrated (lots of water)
• Find time to clear your head—give yourself some mental time-outs
• Deep breathing
• Explore herbal tools such as mint tea, chamomile or St John’s Wort (always talk to your doctor before you try herbal anxiety treatment)
• Learn to think positive—remember the old adage that you create more of what you think about more
• Explore a creative outlet
• Change up your routine
• Let things go—sometimes good is good enough
• Set boundaries and limits—your time is precious and your health and well-being even more precious

So if you are feeling anxious and stressed, don’t ignore it and think post January 1 it will all dissolve. Start to take some steps that can become part of your daily practice and contribute to your overall well-being.

We have heard it many times—that we need to take care of ourselves first (emotionally and physically). If we do not, it does catch up with us—from feeling overwhelmed, tired, stressed, less focused and distracted to name a few.  In short, our overall well-being suffers. And even though we may think this only impacts us, it goes beyond us. It also impacts those in our lives.

I often hear people say that they will try to stop smoking, eat healthier, exercise, go back to school, get grounded or be more in-the-moment for others (be it their significant other, children, parent or dear friend). First, this is putting the responsibility on someone else, versus you taking responsibility and ownership of the change you want to make.

An unhealthy expectation can emerge by you onto those for whom you say you are making change. When you do this you are not really getting in-touch with yourself and why you want to make change. Also, when you start out the “taking care of yourself first” journey from this stance, it can be difficult to see it through. Why? Because you did not start from you—understanding yourself. 

Yes, some people are looking for motivation or inspiration, and they look outside of themselves for this. But when you use others as the motivation or inspiration, it can be easy to find the excuse in those others when you hit a roadblock or a challenge. Taking care of yourself takes hard work, dedication and belief in yourself. Others cannot be responsible for that.

I came across a quote by Jim Rohn that says, “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” I think we can extend this to the mind, body and soul as they are all connected. Achieving anything in life starts here.

To get closer to the person we can become, we do not need to do it for others. We start by doing it for ourselves. It is about listening to your collective mind, body and soul and giving it what it needs to feel its best. It is about taking responsibility for your own life—no matter where you are at, no matter your starting point and regardless of your past. Excuses limit and prevent us from growing. Own your life—no one else will.

If you don’t start a change process for you from you, you dim your light. If you play small or shrink so that others around you will not feel insecure or look to others for confirmation or accolades for your progress, you are not letting your light shine, and the world will never benefit from what you could have achieved.

If you feel that you want to make a change do it for you.

Passion—any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling

Passion—a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm or desire for anything

Passion is a word that seems to be excessively used and confused with purpose and interestingly paired with work.  It has found its way into all sorts of environments—school, work, places of worship, neighborhood communities, etc. It has become a buzzword-like phenomena since we are told to constantly follow it.

We often hear people say that they are passionate about X or Y, but it always seems like the focus is on some external thing or force. I am pretty certain that if you asked a bunch of people what they are passionate about that you would get a bunch of varying responses. But most likely it would be about work, a hobby, a community, a relationship or an interest or call to something like music, art, learning, science, health, etc. Why does it seem that our passions are drawn to other things and people outside of ourselves?

You will not hear many people say that they are passionate about themselves. Maybe this is because it seems too self-centered or self-serving or just uncomfortable to say that we have a powerful emotion or enthusiasm for ourselves. It is just not in the “norms” of society. Maybe it is because we are not fully comfortable or accepting of ourselves or have not really spent time to know ourselves. 

Or could it be that through being passionate about things or people and pursuing those passions this contributes to our own well-being and happiness. It is sort of the training wheels for being passionate about ourselves. Through the experiences we have in being passionate about other things or people we learn to know how to be passionate about ourselves.

Common lore holds that when you follow your passion, bliss ensues. Which leads me to being passionate about yourself. I came across an informal poll online that asked people what they were passionate about. The one response that stood out for me was “my passion is having happiness within myself no matter what the situation.”

Being passionate about you is not selfish or conceded. It is being in-tune with yourself and thinking about and doing things (taking action) that fuels your soul. Being passionate about yourself leads you to discoveries of purpose, gives you fresh perspectives and new outlooks.

So, it is perfectly fine to have strong interests or emotions for something outside of yourself as these help you learn about yourself and contribute to who you are. Likewise, it is perfectly fine to be passionate about who you are—you—and not defined by those other things or people.

It is about half way through summer in the Northeast US as we are about to turn the calendar page to August. How did that happen? And where did the time go?  For many of us, the excitement about the upcoming summer and the things we resolved to do (or not do) seem to have have melted in the summer heat and humidity.

You know that list — take some time off, go to the beach (lake, mountains), read a good book, get together more with friends and family, have more BBQs or just in general kick back on some nice summer nights.  And here we find ourselves looking at August with the feeling of being a bit defeated that we have not really put into action some items on that list, and may even say to ourselves “next summer will be different,” and “I like the fall better anyway.”

Some of that excitement about summer comes from when we where kids and school let out for the summer—and we stood in front of about 10 weeks of no school commitments and a nice lazy summer. Some of our expectation on summer are also fueled by the fact that it is the popular time to take work vacations and/or it was when you went away with your family and friends when you were young.

With this, we have this built-in mind-set that we have to do something fun and go away in the summer—plus we do look forward to longer sunny days and all the typical traditions (and feelings) of summer. Regardless, we—like we do on 31 December when we make New Year’s Resolutions—set our thoughts, ideas and plans for what we will do or how we will modify our behaviors or routines over the summer. 

Then it happens. We really don’t do what we set out to do or we don’t follow through on our intentions. We get bogged down in work or extra-curricular activities. We get side-tracked or distracted. We let some noise in and may even make up excuses. Maybe our expectations are set too high. We have some over-inflated series of fond memories of special summers and we are trying to recreate them.

But it is OK. We can start right now. We can do a reset and take some small steps to work in the things we had envisioned for our summers. It is never too late and we can still savor the season.  You can make time and space—even if in small batches or sprints.

Maybe as kids we had the innate thrill of the uncommon or new that the summer gave us and as we got older that thrill somehow faded as we tied ourselves up in “grown up life.” But we can work to remind ourselves of that thrill of the uncommon by simply changing up a few things. Think about that feeling and do a few things that gets you in the mindset.

This can be as simple as eating dinner outside on your patio vs standing over the kitchen sink, stop for a cold sweet treat, find a place to sit even for a few minutes in the summer sun (or shade) or take that vacation day and not use it to clean your house. Go out to the park, the beach, the lake, the county fair, etc.  And while I’m at it, these little treats of the uncommon don’t have to be reserved for the summer or have to be so uncommon. We all can work it a little “summer vacation” into our daily lives!

Ambassador: a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment; an authorized representative or messenger.

As we go through life, especially once we hit adulthood, for the most part we get caught up in working for others and doing for others. This is fine, but in doing so we become brand ambassadors for others—our work, our school, our family, our friends—and we lose sight of our own personal brand and being the “authorized representative or messenger” for our sovereign selves or our individual sovereignty.

When countries speak of sovereignty it basically means their right to determine what goes on inside their borders. It is their right to exist as a self-determining, self-governing geographic area. When we speak about our own, personal sovereignty we mean our right to determine what goes on in our own lives based on who we are (our personal brand). It is not about having sovereignty over others—but being sovereign over ourselves, including individual empowerment and freedom.

As we grow into adults we increasingly take on more responsibilities, we conform to the rules and processes of institutions and systems and we get tangled up in an array of expectations. We begin to label or define (brand) ourselves by a check list of accomplishments or milestones that may not be truly ours. We begin to feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the world we navigate and find it easier to just go along with the masses, and inadvertently we stop defining ourselves. 

In a way, we get branded by the circles or environments in which we live. Some of us may over time even feel compelled (either consciously or unconsciously) to promote or advocate for others, but not ourselves. With deadlines, commitments and overall just “doing” we forget about our identities. We lose sight of our unique value proposition. We may have a false sense of what is really important to us.

In the business world a brand is defined as a unique design, sign, symbol, words or combination of these that coalesce into an image that identifies a product and differentiates it from competitors. Over time this image becomes associated with a level of credibility and quality.

Using this as a parallel framework for how we define our own personal brand, it would be the combination of our unique thoughts, words and actions coupled with our values, beliefs and intentions that identify us and which differentiates ourselves from others. This is what you take into the world everyday. This is what you have agency over and for which you advocate as the only authorized representative of you.

I encourage you to take some time to think about your personal brand, your identity and overall sovereign self. Ask yourself if you are letting others define you and your life. Think about how much time you may be spending on promoting or advocating for others and by doing so, are you losing sight of yourself in the process. If you want change and to redefine yourself declare your sovereignty and start to be the ambassador of you.