Success and Passion

It is New Year’s Eve day and many folks are preparing for the evening festivities. There will be parties, dancing, drinking, eating, laughing and sharing. There will be those who are also thinking about the traditional New Year’s resolutions that are traditionally made at this time of the year. If you read the statistics…well, let’s just say it is not great. But you can up your chances of being successful with these steps. If you PREPARE for your resolution, making sure you have the proper ingredients, equipment, knowledge and resources…you raise your odds of being successful.

If you are REALISTIC with your expectations, making sure it is achievable, understanding you will falter, and are willing to start slowly…you raise your odds of hanging in there.

If you have COMMUNITY to support you, cheer you on, share with you the experience…you are more likely to meet obtainable goals.

If you TRY and TRY again, and you are willing to stick with it, understanding that you will lose some momentum, face challenges, cheat or fail BUT are willing to start fresh and keep on going…you will see results!

More often than not there are no quick fixes, no magic bullets, no fast and furious to the finish line (whatever that is) so if you can be fair to yourself and understand that most of the changes we are looking to make have been with us for a bit of time, it will take a bit of time to make the changes. BUT that is what it takes…to do things differently you have to change how you do them.

I am launching a new website tomorrow, www.VegVitality.com. It is for those who are on or are interested in plant-based living. Dietary and lifestyle changes are big for the New Year. I have purposely created a website to offer people support, information, menus, recipes, and community…and I kept it as affordable as possible…

ONLY $8 A MONTH!

Why? Because it is a passion of mine. Making food a sacred act! Finding ways to help people honor their bodies like a temple. I care about our global food crisis, our environment, and all the living beings on the earth. To me, being a vegan is the only way I can be this effective in the areas that I care about so much! So if you are at all interested in this being a new way for you in the New Year, let me know! I have made sure to include all the necessary components mentioned above into the equation to create a successful opportunity!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012

The Powerless Victim

Being so close to the situation at Sandy Hook Elementary School and seeing the faces of the victims and their families … well, my definition of victim has changed. Witness tragedy and your perspective changes on many things. After witnessing this, holding this community and being in service to them I will forever and always be changed. And one of these changes will be whom I view to be a victim. I work with many different people who come from too many different backgrounds for me to begin to describe. Everyone has a past, a story, or a wound to share. I have worked with many people who view themselves as victims. But a true victim has no say or choice in their circumstances. A true victim has lost their personal power and is being held in full control by someone else.

So the next time you feel you are being victimized or wish to portray yourself as a victim, stop and think…where is your power? Are you doing it to yourself by allowing outside circumstances or people to hold power over you? We do not always have control over what happens to us, but we do have power over how we respond. Our power remains with us as we hold complete responsibility of our thoughts, feelings and of our reactions to the situation. As long as you have this power within, you are not a victim!

We met the people, or at the least heard of them, that have gone through incredible life challenges and yet they remain optimistic, they are positive, they live in the moment and most importantly, they are not looking for someone to blame for their life circumstances. They will not be victimized and give their personal power away. Steven Biko states, “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”

So I challenge you, especially in those times when you feel challenged by someone or something else, watch your thoughts, your reactions, your word choice. Are you really a victim? Or are you making yourself one? Check in with your power, it will reveal it all and you will quickly see who is in control.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Simple Gifts

Today I seek simplicity. Today I seek gentleness. Today I will wade into soft embraces of family and friends. I will relish easy positive conversations. I shall create ease and beauty throughout the day in act, thought and word. Life has been complicated with feelings, thoughts, and the inexplicable. Pain and shock has been present, stressors and stumblings have woven into the days, and health has been challenged as well. It is time for a pause; a much needed, well deserved and fully embraced pause.

Being of service to others is a calling that is never taken lightly. But just as with many responsibilities, the better I tend to my needs and balance, the better I can provide to the requests of my services, my time and my energies. I can feel the batteries running low. I can feel the inner light dimming. I know what I need to do and there aren’t any excuses to warrant my not.

Join me today, tomorrow or this weekend, but join me. Make time for you to rest, to pause and to regroup yourself and your energies. It is important we tend to our needs in this way. It is an act that we cannot delegate. We cannot ask for anyone to even share the task with us. It is fully our own doing to do nothing! And it is not easy, I know that. BUT if you don’t, are you willing to pay the price it will eventually cost you? The crash and burn will arrive at your doorstep. The demands will take their toll. You are too wise to think you can really get away with it. You have been here before!

So I welcome you to this gift to self! Take your time unwrapping it. Savor all its beautiful nuances. Drench yourself in the refreshment of it. Take a long sip of its cleansing tonic and allow your body, mind and spirit to do nothing but receive.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

The Truth of Thankfulness

Giving thanks is often a focus around the holiday season. The gathering of family and friends brings it to the forefront of our thoughts and in our hearts. When we hear of tragedy across the globe we often give thanks for all the blessings we have in our life. When we have faced a challenge and come through it successfully, we are thankful. And so on it goes. Yet, our ancestors would tell us quite plainly that we need to give thanks daily, for every step we are given on our path. We are to be thankful for each person who we meet. We are to be thankful for each lesson life gives us, for each opportunity to be of service, for every small act and connection we are part of, for our everyday life; thankful.

We are immersed in powers that support our lives. Some call it the love of God, others call it Spirit, others the energies of the Universe…but in times of thanks, all that matters is that we recognize we are part of a whole and for this our gratitude rises within us. We often forget our connection to each other, to community, to family and friends. And even more to be thankful for are the connections to complete strangers that bless us as well.

No random act of kindness should go unnoticed. No simple smile should not be mirrored back. No request for hope or compassion should go unheard. Random acts of kindness are prominent at this time of year and in response to life events around the world. It does our world so much good to express our gratitude for each other, to reach out in kindness and support and to be a part of the global community with awareness and integrity.

Our thankfulness is prayer in action, our gratitude restores some of the balance in life. Our connection to each other creates bonds that may never be broken. And the world becomes a better place.

Blessings ~ Lisa ©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade