For many of us we have been diligently working on change–separating the signal from the noise to discover our true Self, what makes us happy, what inspires us and to have more moments of pure clarity. Clarity is such a beautiful thing–it is often fleeting but you know when you have it. You have clear thought, you feel light and you feel good about where you are and what you are doing.

As you worked through the year to understand yourself, find peace with your past and know it’s OK where you are right now, and launched new or refined intentions–along the way you might have noticed an interesting phenomena–where you are not only more focused and in the moment, but the constant noise is lessening. And you may find yourself in this “in-between” place where the noise and disruption in your thoughts and life are shrinking and your mind is now finding its own rhythm.  It may feel like when the noise stops there is no inner music to take its place.

This can be a strange place to be. You may struggle as you work through some lingering expectation that you have to be thinking or doing something all the time; that if you are not mindfully busy you are not making a difference. It can be challenging even frightening when you get to the point of turning down the volume of noise in this physical world of doing. It makes you question yourself and even ask if you reduced or eliminated too much.

When I think about this, I think we need to recognize that this too is part of the process of change, of discovery and growth–some may even say ascension. It’s getting yourself into a mind-set of separating the essentials of your core being from the non-essentials. It is a reaffirmation of the essentials of you that help keep focus in your mind, in your actions and in your soul.

This crossroads at noise and signal is part of the process of helping you filter your environment to improve the signal–signals of experience and knowledge and signals for grounded, genuine choices. When you embrace this, let the clarity in and linger, you focus on improving your quality of daily experience and you move from consuming, reacting, etc. to producing. In this state of increasing clarity, you can focus on your knowledge and its Universal source.

Enjoy this interesting place to be and create new music!

We all need time to reflect, contemplate, and to take a break; to rest, relax or recover. It nourishes the soul, lightens the heart, re-energizes, heals, and refuels us. It helps us understand ourselves, to discover new feelings and to grow. Being in-tune with yourself, listening to your inner voice and learning from all experiences–pleasant/ unpleasant, happy/sad, easy/hard, etc.–needs to be part of your daily life.

But sometimes life can get difficult, challenging, routine, boring, uneventful or confusing. You may lose sight of reflection time and what you have learned about yourself–your likes, passions and what makes you tick. And unintentionally (or intentionally) you jumped out of your life.

So how do you jump back into your life?  Lean on what you know, what you have learned and on your instincts. Keep that learning process going and have confidence that your instincts are your truth.
Stop waiting and wishing. Now is the time. Let go of the “should haves,” and the “what ifs.” Jump in for you–not for others, but for your true self. Don’t cut yourself off from your feelings

It’s OK to feel like you are not ready or do not know enough. Know that you know enough, and you will learn by doing–by experiencing and working in the unknown.  If you happen to fall down don’t let that stop you. Lose embarrassment,  judgement and expectation. Plug into what’s around you. Be aware of what’s working and not working. Build an environment that feeds and respects what’s important to you.

Know that there is beauty in simple things.  Work in inspiration and positive choice–and in the space of what’s important to you.  Choose to engage in things that matter to you.  No one has the answers but you. Stop waiting for someone else to give you the answers. to set your stage or open the door. You have the keys to unlock the door and walk through it. You have the ability to jump (back) in, and to enjoy the ride!

Your turn–share how you jumped back into your life!

We hear a lot about being empowered, being powerful, and taking our power back. But did you ever take a moment to think about this? What does this really all mean, especially if you start to feel like it’s some kind of movement, that you have been “wronged” or even worse–you feel defeated or lost?

What does it mean to “have (the) power”?

First, let’s start with a simple definition of “power.”  Power is the ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something. This is a good starting point for a perspective on power and taking back or not giving up your power–for embracing your power.

Now in thinking about why you feel that you need to take your power back or not give it up, this is where you really need to do some deep soul searching. What’s going on in your life, what are the things that are causing you to feel stuck, bored, frustrated, angry, sad (fill in the blank) and that are making you feel powerless. You need to be really honest with yourself on this one. If you start to blame others, past or current circumstances or events, etc., you need to go deeper.

You need to look inward into yourself. You need to recognize your fears and take responsibility for your actions. You need to make peace with your past and where you are now and who you are now. You need to nurture the belief that anything is possible and that you can take action and make change. You can leave behind the blame and excuses and set intentions and goals and take positive actions everyday to realize those intentions. This is power–the ability to do or act,–and it resides in each and every one of us.

I like to think about power as the ability to create change in your life. Change for the better, where you grow and soar. It’s the ability to understand and accept who you are, what you want and not make any apologies or excuses for any of these things.  Power is knowing your worth and how special you really are.

If you are waiting for directions, have not set clear intentions, are not focused or resisting change, you are giving away your power. If you are having a hard time staying positive or optimistic–and in love with yourself–for more than one day, you are not embracing your power.

Lately I have been thinking more and more that there are many folks “sleep-walking” through life. They place a value on what they do and how they do it, but on someone else’s terms, fueled by years (actually generations upon generations) of expectations and “norms” that somehow along with the “third and fourth dimensions” got established as belief systems. A good chunk of the earth’s population buy into these belief systems so much so that they define what will make them happy or at peace, what will move them up in the work place, what will make them “more attractive” or popular to others—and what they “need to do,” “need to have,” or “need to be” to progress through life. (Note—everything you “need” you already have within you.)

They become judgmental of themselves and of others—and create negativity and doubt. They are unconscious! And forget that they always are at choice in what they believe and how they create their lives.  Think about it this way. If you are walking around thinking that life is a struggle and think you have no “control” over what happens in your life, you blame others, feel sorry for yourself or think by having more (fill in the blank—time, money, love, etc.) you will be happy or successful, you are sleep-walking. You may think you are awake, but you are going through life on auto-pilot and not really living YOUR life or being true to your SELF.

When you are going through life in this unconscious state you are stuck in your day-to-day existence and have a narrow or an attached perspective—and you can’t step back to see the bigger picture and allow yourself to have a detached perspective.  You are reacting to things that are happening in your life and “using” your memory or past experiences in how you react. You have lost sight that actually you created all these events and experiences.

Waking up will allow you to have that detached perspective and you will see how the choices you make impact what presents itself in your life.  This is quite powerful—not only to your being but to the collective. As more and more people “wake-up” this will have an amazing universal impact—change. It will evolve—if not turn on its head—the unfortunate current state of expectations, judgment, criticality and negativity in today’s world—so that we all can realize a more enlightened and joyful existence.

So you may say—how do I wake up? A first step is to remind yourself that it is not what you are “doing” that is important—but what you are “being.”  Stop defining yourself by what you do, where you work or study, who your “friends” are, etc., and be honest with yourself about yourself. Learn to accept yourself and love yourself—and stop living by others’ expectations.

Stop judging yourself and condemning yourself. Stop taking the words of others for defining bad or good or right or wrong about you.

Be honest about your motivations and instincts.

Let yourself be vulnerable. I know—this can be a scary one. But let go of the concept of control. Just be you and take chances. Try new things. Embrace what makes you unique. Give yourself permission to be you!

Be in the moment. Stop thinking about the past and worrying about the future. Meet yourself where you are at and be in that moment. Savor those moments—let yourself be happy, be sad, just be!

Try not to have regrets or have the mindset that all good things must end. For instance how many times have you just had a great day, spent time with someone special or were at a wonderful celebration—but when it’s over you feel sad. So try to smile that it happened and you had that experience, and you were in that moment vs feeling down that it’s over. Carry the good and joy with you—in your heart.

And be sincere about your intentions. Be conscious of your thoughts, words and actions.

So I hope today if you are “sleep-walking” that you start to nudge yourself to wake up. The world needs more of us in the awake state!

I have been having a bit of a run in my life the past few weeks where I’m feeling stable and grounded, been able to be more in the moment, and even when challenges or situations arise I have been moving quickly through them. You know that feeling of being on and in a “good head space.” I feel content and at peace and there are moments that I feel  . . . happy. (Wow—I just put that in writing.)

So enter the little nagging mental voice inside my head—which I’m keeping at bay for now. That cautionary voice that quietly sneaks in with its warnings of  “don’t get too comfortable, things can change any moment,” providing its subtle warning that this being OK with where I’m at and letting myself enjoy this place won’t last. There is sort of this inevitable looming cloud that will move in with its chaos, sadness, problems, etc., and that I should be ready for that when it comes. It’s not overwhelming or distracting me too much from the “good place” I’m in right now—but it’s definitely there.

Like I said, I’m keeping that voice at bay—keeping it quiet and have actually been trying to make it go away and shutting it down (by replacing it with good and positive thoughts). I guess this is how we are wired as humans for the most part and based on our experiences we know there are ups and downs, good days and bad days and that to appreciate joy, happiness and peace we have had also to experience (and, yes, appreciate) sadness, loneliness, fear, unrest, etc.

So I find myself in this interesting place where I’m intrigued with making peace with the fact that I’m at peace right now, and to not let that little voice prevent me from being happy and enjoying where I’m at emotionally and physically. The warnings seem like roadway caution signs that say dangerous and curved roads ahead. You can’t let them freak you out. You acknowledge them but need to drive forward because there will be amazing things ahead. Simple concept—but not always easy.

This is especially true when you have been working through significant change and have been doing self- reflection and learning to accept and love yourself, to accept your past and all the experiences that have made you, well you.  To be in the moment and enjoying it, the cautionary road signs may seem a bit more ominous. Getting to this place of peace, happiness, calm and being grounded might have taken a while. You like feeling this happiness and you want it to last. And it’s ok to give yourself permission to feel this way. No strings attached.

Yes, this thing we call life does evolve and change. That is a constant. It brings people, places and situations into your world that are all wonderful—even when it may not seem so sometimes. This brings me to the point about letting guilt go and being able to experience life without fear—and to be empowered. Happiness is a moment-to-moment choice.

The process I have been on (and still on since continuously) that includes navigating through my emotions, finding my way through my likes and passions and renewing my faith in the Universe, has brought me to this wonderful place. Yes, there will be things that will happen that will make me sad, hurt me or even scare me. That’s OK too.

These things will keep adding to the fabric of me and I will be able to use the stronger foundation I’m on and that is within me because of my focus on change. Being in-tune with myself, and embracing change and all my experiences and emotions is a big part of this strong foundation. What you have and where you are will change. Your blessings will evolve and grow. They collectively make you a better you.

So being in this mindset of happy, content and at peace is a blessing and a choice. That little nagging warning voice is just a part of me that still has some remnants of fear. That’s OK too. Just something I have to keep working on. I know that the minute I start thinking of the past or future and let in fear and worry, that it’s only a thought of a thing, a thought that’s happening in a now—and a now that I’m missing. So today I’ll choose to be in the moment of happiness and embrace it. How do you embrace your moments of happy?

I have been having this debate with myself on when distraction is a good thing or a problem and a hindrance to moving forward. Does it cause me not to pay attention to my Self, my surroundings or people around me? And how do I know if “distraction” is meant to be and is part of my soul’s journey or is causing me to get lost.

Sometimes a little distraction is a good thing. It helps get you in a different frame of mind and can provide an escape—and maybe connect you to a discovery.  Sometimes distraction intersects with procrastination—where those little things that catch your attention become “big” things that side track you from getting the task at hand done. Sometimes distractions are side trips where you physically or mentally get to go to new places, see new things and meet new people.

It’s like searching on the Web. I start a search to find something or learn something—but before I know it I’m on this journey through information, ideas, words, pictures and sounds. And when I resurface I realize that the journey has sparked new ideas, made me re-think a concept or unearthed new connections—and I have learned something about myself. I have grown and become a better me.  But sometimes it can become noise as I go down nooks and crannies of the Net, get overwhelmed with information or get frustrated with not finding what I’m looking for—but somehow still drawn into this maze. So, distraction—bad or good?

I think distraction is multi-purpose. It can help us or hinder us. It can keep us from the bad and the good.  The key is how you relate to distraction. When you think in terms of distraction and look outward and have a negative reaction to external conditions, this can lead to judgment or blame. However, if you think of distraction and look inward, reflect and learn, you grow and evolve.

Distraction will always be part of our lives—however small or large—but it’s how we react to it that makes the difference.  When our minds wander we sometimes discover new perspectives, ideas and concepts. These can be gateways to new thinking or creating—unblocking or opening up new channels and using our imagination to manifest. When you feel distracted, ask yourself what is the distraction really about? What are you distracting yourself from and why?

Sometimes you’ll find that it’s OK to have the distraction and it’s better to relax into the outcomes of your wanderings than to judge yourself or feel guilty.  You have the choice to direct your attention to positive distractions that help keep your mind away from negative thinking or circumstances and be in the moment of that distraction. Distraction can provide you the opportunity to have an outlet for the moment. And if you choose the right distraction, you may just find that you have learned something about yourself, found comfort or peace, reignited imagination and recharged. So when distraction enters your day, don’t let it be a rabbit hole. Let it be a looking glass!

I had a few interesting (and thought provoking) conversations lately. Well, more like encounters where small sound bites were innocently and unnoticeably spoken–and where then the conversation just moved somewhere else or just waned off, and we went our respective ways and doing our respective things. But they started to add up a bit–get connected. And they made me start to think (ok contemplate) why some people are so resistant to doing something–even if it’s something small–to make a change.

I have a good friend who just was not happy in her job. She is extremely talented, innovative–a true creative spirit (and mind). She was feeling a bit stuck in an over bureaucratized and negative work environment. But she was sticking it out until one day the negativity reached a peak, and coupled with a few unfortunate events (a bit of a perfect universal storm), got her to the point of saying “no more” and “I’ll be leaving.” Now you may think that the rest of this story will be about her, but it’s not. It’s about the reaction and responses of others to her decision.

So she decides to make this rather significant change (and done so in a professional, reasonable, logical, “just-knew” in her soul the right thing to do for her kind of way). She says to me in passing that some people were sending her “you go girl” type messages that went as far as saying “hey, you are my hero” and so glad “you got over the wall.”  Ok–who among us who have worked in some challenging environments and similar circumstances can say that even for a split second we never thought that? A bit of human nature at play–maybe . . .

And the question I pose is how many of us did something positive for ourselves when even for that split second we had those thoughts?

My friend moves on, but the people that sent her those messages are still there–most likely going back to their day to day tasks, feeling unappreciated, over-worked–thinking that they are the victim of the machine. Maybe they are scared, or don’t know where to start or maybe just are content being unhappy–of living in this state of despair. They have a lot of inherited beliefs, live in the state of “if only” or “when” (believing like there’s this perfect time to do something different) and fuel their own cycle of negative thinking.

Or they think that something will be given to them, someone else has the control and they just have to wait till it’s delivered to them. And I thought, how sad. And what’s even sadder is the collective energy of this negativity (the “misery loves company” adage), and not only that it seems accepted, but how it perpetuates negative energy, and more so a low frequency of functioning of the Self that has such a negative universal impact.

I’m not advocating that everyone who knew my friend and sent those messages quit their jobs on the spot. Indeed, accepting one’s current circumstances and acknowledging why you are where you are is a key step. But if those people who were sending (and feeling) such a movement-like passion could take that passion to look inward and examine why they are feeling such an affinity to my friend in this context and start to make change within themselves;  how that can change the dynamic–within themselves and in their environment.

There is such a “complaining” culture that’s kept alive because people do not take the time to work on themselves; to reflect, to understand themselves, to learn what makes them happy, to put out well thought out intentions and to be compassionate. Many live is a state where it seems easier to blame others and not take responsibility for how they feel and their circumstances. My friend’s decision was not rash–it was done with self-reflection and with a full understanding of her Self.

A few days after that brief conversation with my friend, I called up her to see how she was doing, and we talked a bit about those emails and calls that were lingering with her–not lingering because she had any second thoughts or felt bad for the people “left behind,” but because at that critical moment (of that universal perfect storm) she knew without question her decision was the right one for her. She felt sad that people were thinking that her decision was a visceral reaction and were viewing her as a hero for “rejecting the corporate machine.”

Over the course of a few weeks I had a few similar conversations, but in varying contexts–and I kept seeing this pattern. The pattern of what seems to be that it’s easier to complain or to live vicariously through someone else’s action versus taking a positive step forward and discovering one’s Self. So again the question–human nature or deciding to stay functioning at a low vibration? I choose functioning at a higher vibration!