Integrity and Energy

People step in and out of integrity. It is not always an easy path to travel. Our emotions, our ego, our pain and our fear can often cause us to misstep. I have found, though, that when I am not in my integrity I feel more strained than the effort it takes to stay in it. Energies, it keeps coming down to that. Have you noticed when you are in a bad mood it is so easy to think negative thoughts about this or that? And if someone does just one thing that is not in line with your intentions, your needs or your way ... well, enough said ... we know what kind of thoughts you will have about them. You step out of your integrity and think negative and ill intentioned thoughts. Integrity and energy.

Have you noticed when you do not practice good self care, making sure you are in balance with body, mind and soul that you begin to cut corners, make exceptions and rationalize your ideas, your excuses and your efforts? You end up wasting a good amount of energy to try to cover up your missteps, your mistakes and your misunderstandings. You lose integrity with yourself and the honoring of your body temple. Integrity and energy.

Have you notice when you are out of control, filled with angst, worry or fear, the drain it puts on you? You are exhausted by it. It becomes part of a daily struggle. It impacts your relationships and the energies that are a part of them. You find that the bonds that connect become weaker. You lose sight of the integrity that created your relationships, with the best of intentions and heart. Integrity and energy.

Learning the connection between your integrity and energy you can begin to pick up on the red flags, the warning signs and the identifiers of imbalance. You are being of immeasurable energy. Everything you do, think, say and are is a part of this energy. Your energies flow with the intention that you bring to them. If you are bringing negativity, fear, blame, shame, judgment or anger to them the end result will be an energy that mirrors that. This then shadows over your integrity. So if you are able to look for these early signs, you can bring yourself back into alignment. You may have to develop skills that will support that, but half the battle is won simply by seeing the energies shift.

What signals do you recognize in you when your energies are moving away from your integrity? Make note of them and when you start to see or feel the shift, check in with your soul, listen to your heart, talk to a respected friend, get quiet and listen to your truth...find a way to re-direct your energies so that this effort saves you from the enormity of undoing the wrongs that will eventually result. You are far more powerful than you know, and with these efforts, your path of good intention and your walk of integrity will be that much brighter and lighter.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

The Power Behind the Red Flag

We are such a mind oriented society. We believe the more we know, the better we can influence our course of direction, the better we can avoid failure and the better we can map out our future. But the truth of the matter is that we are in far less control of what happens outside of us than we want to admit. Fortunately for us, our souls and the Universe have an ongoing conversation. Because of this conversation we are often given signals, red flags, gut feelings and an inner knowing. We have to simply be open to receiving them and learn to trust them. This can be challenging because these messages that we get are often not based on any particular fact or theory, so our mind wants to try to negate them or brush them aside. Others, if we share with them these messages, may try to rationalize or question their validity. Our thinking gets in the way of our knowing.

Over time, if we practice following this intuition, we realize that we are given time to pause so that we can hear clearly the message, see the red flag and know that there is a warning coming through. This pause gives us time to reconsider. The Universe wants to support us in meeting our needs and to offer us protection from that which does not serve us. Now that does not mean that we won't have struggles, lessons to learn from or obstacles...but these are often gifts in disguise and will help us grow and expand into our higher good. But we are able to gain from the protective energies of the Universe to keep us safe or to keep us from wandering too far off course.

It is never wrong to take time to reconsider. It is always a good idea to pause to listen to that intuitive feeling. The more we do this, the more comfortable we become with it. We learn to dance around any expectations or pressures from others or their need for expediency. I have gotten really good at listening to this intuitive voice. I have practiced telling others, "I will have to get back to you on this," or "I need to seek some clarity first." If there is a request for an immediate answer and I am feeling the need to pause, I say "No."

I usually don't find myself in such immediacy. Usually people will give me the time to be in my pause. Their impatience is usually their issue and not part of the actual situation. Their need to know takes the back seat.

Trusting that when something feels off, when you get that hesitant feeling, when you feel your soul asking you to wait is an important skill to develop. In the long run, staying in alignment with the Universe's direction, listening to the whisperings of your soul and following the call of your authentic truth will allow you to engage in the life that is designed for you, with all its wonder, beauty and lessons. You will be feel and experience the difference.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Space

In order for things to change in my life, in order for there to be room to grow, and in order for there to be room for trial and error...I need space. Space to be creative, to be able to pause, to be able to dive in and explore. I have found this space when I step inside. I find this room for change and growth when I remove myself from the drama, the story, the excess and the noise of the world around me. Some say that I tend to be a loner, and that may be true, but for reasons that are far different from what they think. I need to find the blank canvas, the clear space, the empty page in order to find the intuitive guidance of my soul, the meaning of my truth and the creative energies that are longing to be explored. I find the answers to my questions in this space. I find the challenges to my growth. I find the wisdom of my heart. And I find the essence of my soul there. Looking outward has yet to provide me with the richness and abundance that I find within.

So how do I create this space? It is often found in nature. It is often found in claiming quiet time without the world's distractions. So much of my personal movement happens in this quiet. I breathe deeper. I see more clearly. Life becomes vibrant. Ideas explode. Truth encourages. And my soul dances.

Within this space I find more energy. I find a peace. I also find that I really am so comfortable there. When we become comfortable with our silence we are then open to the energies of the Universe. We hear the call to follow our passions. We connect with Source and open our hearts wide. Within this inner sanctuary I honor, celebrate and dream. It is a deep crystalline pool of wonder and inspiration that I can access at any time.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

How to Be True to You

I have a question that I have dealt with in the past and I feel as though I have answered it fully, to this moment anyway, as I still ask it each and every day now. Let me share it with you. Where are you not being true to yourself? It is a big question and the answers do not just lie on the surface. I asked it because I found myself at a point in my life where I felt my authenticity was slipping. Do you recognize that feeling? You know, you find yourself doing things because they are expected of you, you are in relationships that are not serving you and you are resentful of them, you are going through the motions and not living days of joy and beauty but instead mundane and ordinary. I felt brittle and paper thin in my truth. I wanted a full life, I wanted extraordinary, I wanted to bring my dreams into my reality...so I answered the question. Any kind of discomfort or blockages that I was experiencing were there because I was choosing to let them be there. I was pretending to rationalize them, excuse them, or ignore them. And I was not very successful. I knew I was not fully in my power. I knew I was not being truthful with myself and others. I knew things had to change.

Eventually, with lots of honest reflection, trial and error, failures and successes I began to align my true soul essence with life. I became true to ME. My thoughts, my feelings, my actions, my words began to reflect the desires and authenticity of my soulful awareness. My Being was an expression of my soul.

I began to develop a trust. A trust to believe in myself and my creative juices. I began to create my dreams into a reality. I made lists of things, ways, ideas, conversations and offerings that I wanted in my life and I spent time, diligently each day, to create this life. I still have many things on my list, but I discovered that working on this list, my HOT LIST, helped me to remain true to me. And so it goes onward. Some days easier than others and sometimes there is a pause. But not being true to myself was like wearing clothes that no longer fit. Once I found this authentic truth, I simply did not want to be any other way with myself. My soul was too glorious and beautiful to ignore.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade