Exactly Where You Need To Be

They say timing is everything. When it is time for a person to fulfill their life's purpose, a life task or to be a part of someone's life during a particular challenge or event it happens in its own time, without our forcing it or delaying it. Our personal timetable has little to nothing to do with it. We live in a time that thrives on day planners, calendars and agendas. We look to our clocks to determine when to eat, sleep, work or play. We have stopped listening to our internal messages and have lost touch with our own inner knowing of when the time is right for any of these.

This does not always serve us well. Our best of made plans will fail us, or we will find ourselves challenged by a life event we do not think we are well prepared for. But if we can find a place within us to look inward to, to stop relying on outside influences to tell us that it is time, we may recognize that all happens in its right time. We discover we are exactly where we need to be in the moment for a many reasons, and some may include the ones we hoped for.

Our plans do not always align with those of the Universe. Our sense of control can often get in our way. Our definition of success may not be deep enough. Our sense of direction may be in conflict with where we need to go next. Essentially, we need to step out of our own way, be open to our authentic truth and allow our path to unfold before us so that we can move forward with ease and grace. Now, of course, this does not mean life will be without its struggles. But, if we can adopt these practices into our sense of being, we will then be receptive to the lessons and the gifts of awareness found within those struggles.

It is not always easy to live this way. Our inner critic wants to judge our success, it wants to compare our progress to those of others, it wants to find fault in our struggles and be recognized for our achievements.

Finding the joy in our accomplishments and celebrating our lifetime milestones is a beautiful part of living a full and vibrant life. Trusting that we will move along in our days doing what needs to be done, learning what needs to be embraced, noticing the beauty, opening to the experiences...we find that all is timely and good and right. Yes, one less thing to worry about is a great thing for many who find themselves faced with the challenge of schedule and due dates.

Blessings, Lisa

The Love of Self

For many, the criticism and comments that are said in their minds to themselves would never escape their lips and be spoken of someone else. The inner critic has a sharp tongue. It cuts one off at the knees, it draws blood, it keeps long hours and it is the ultimate opportunist. If someone spoke to them the way they speak to themselves, they would leave the relationship. And yet, the inner dialogue continues. It does not like to let up and always knows the best time to strike, or perhaps that is the worst time.

The inner critic has the poorest opinion of you and you allow it. You allow the power of your thoughts to create these inner conversations and they influence your personal view of your body, your life, your choices and more. Your soul shrinks from its touch, your heart aches, your mind stirs with more negativity and your life suffers. You accept mediocrity.

The only way one can interrupt this cycle is to begin with small acts of kindness and self-love. Simple steps taken will eventually lead to major gains made. Start with a simple kind mantra that you can repeat throughout the day. Or perhaps a gentle cup of tea and some quiet time to think positive thoughts about yourself.

Keep a gratitude journal or a blessing jar. Make note of what you are grateful for in your life day by day or the blessings that shower upon you. With time your perspective begins to shift and the focus is far less on the negative and more on the positive. Life becomes a bit brighter. Finding beauty becomes easier. Embracing a bit of self-love is welcomed.

The only way one can find the love of self is by seeking it and welcoming it. There are enough voices and images, messages and lies as well as slogans and opinions that bombard our day that try to detract us from our love of self. We need to be committed to this act of self. It becomes a choice we make each and every day, but a very worthwhile one. With time, this self-love radiates out to those around us. We model it, we share it and we spread it. Love's energy is contagious and very effective. And it is cyclical. The beauty of loving self is that it vibrates out the the world around us and then opens us up to receive more back. What a wondrous and beautiful thing! All for the love of self.

Blessings, Lisa

So Much Is To Be Found In The Preparations

We prepare for many different things in our lives. Everything from the arrival of a guest, moving to a new location, a favorite meal, a special event, or even the ending of relationship. Preparations help us be more fully present in our lives. They help us move through painful memories or to engage in positive ones.

As I prepare for the arrival of family for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I am aware of the way preparations that feeds my soul. As I prepare the guest rooms for my returning family, I lovingly create a familiar haven for them to step into to feel embraced, welcomed and at home. As I prepare the menu for our family meals, I am sure to include favorites of my children to please their palates and tease their memories. As I give thought to the gifts for the following holiday season, I bring loving and appreciative energies into the gift choices, enjoying the anticipation of the recipients pleasure when they are gifted.

The preparations add to my delight, my connections and my intentions. My soul awakens with delight as I plan and create. My heart is full as I fix and fuss and enjoy the beauty about to unfold. My mind recalls memories of holidays past and is filled with appreciation and warm thoughts.

Preparations help us garner the energies for the moment. Sometimes those energies help us move through a difficult situation. Sometimes the energies help us to remember the important details. And then there are those times that the energies help us to connect to the needs of others and be sure that we tend to ours as well.

Preparations, an important part of living a full life. An important part of being present and open to the possibilities. When we are prepared, it is that much easier to embrace what the moment brings us. We feel complete, whole and empowered. We move with the flow and embrace the gifts in the moment. Even in times of loss or disappointment, we can be prepared enough to be present and in the discomfort, find our truth.

We never can really know all that we need to be prepared for, but if we move through our days seeking our truth, aligning our intentions, stepping forward in integrity and holding love in our heart...everything seems to flow as it should. Everything we need is to be found in the preparations.

Blessings, Lisa

Present and Mindful

Thich Nhat Hanh once stated, "When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love." When I read these words, my soul soars with understanding. I have come to a place in my life where I fully understand this. This is not to say that there are days when I find the challenge in the act of mindfulness. We all do.

But life changes when I live this way. The saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff" rings in my ears. There is no need to. Instead the focus is placed upon the moment I am in, not the one left behind or the one to come. In that moment, my focus sharpens and I begin to see life differently. Without projection I place all my energies into what I am doing now, who I am with now, what I am saying now, and who I am being now. When I do that the door of peace and grace swings open. Struggles do not seem so large. Solutions are easier to find. Beauty is obviously present and my heart sings.

The work of the soul is timeless. When I fully embrace this concept I recognize there is little to be gained in projecting my worries or having relentless regrets. My soul is able to  flow throughout the layers of my energies and my lifeline to blend the lessons and gifts and love designed for me. I simply need to be present and embrace. To open myself up to the potency and expansiveness that is found in the now.

Riding the surface in life is not an option for me. I want to dive deep, dig deep and breathe deep. I want to explore the layers and pull out the weeds, dig up the roots and uncover the treasures. I want my moments to be filled with joy, surrounded by peace, coated with acceptance and open to potential. The only way I have found to create this is to live mindfully and remain present.

Blessings, Lisa