Gratitude Jar

Why can it be so difficult to be grateful for what we already have? We all know we should practice gratitude every day, but for many of us this can be difficult when we are not fully present. Admittedly, I am someone who is often future-oriented. I'm always looking at what else I can learn or do, and I'm often thinking, "Ok, what's next?" Advancement and being focused on your goals is key, but so is living in the present moment. 

There are times when being present is much easier. When I'm meditating, practicing yoga, or spending time in a sensory deprivation tank (you have no choice but to be present when you are essentially weightless, in the absence of light and sound!) -- it's easier to tune into the "now". It seems the challenge comes when we are in the midst of "daily life".

Many of us spend the majority of our time at work, running errands, and doing day-to-day things that may not seem all that glamorous. How often do we pause to reflect on the beauty of the present moment and recognize how grateful we are for what is?

There are those of us who spend our time in the past, while others are off somewhere in the future. What if we spent more time tuning into what is going on right now? 

Being grateful for what we have and being grateful for what is, opens us up to receive more wonderful things in our lives. We attract what we think about most. It's the same with gratitude. Gratitude creates abundance, while complaining or wallowing is restricting and cuts off the flow of receiving. I recgonize that for me, this can be challenging when it comes to goals. At times there are many goals I want to acheive and sometimes I focus so much on these goals and wanting them to manifest now, that I let the present moments slip by.

Perhaps you've come across the quote by Eckart Tolle, "Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make now the primary focus of your life." Recalling this quote and thinking about the challenges I have faced with finding the balance of staying present, while also focusing whole-heartedly on my goals, led me to create a gratitude jar.

My gratitude jar isn't fancy, although you could spend time crafting and creating a work of art in which to place your gratitude notes. I found a Ball jar and began writing on small slips of paper, things I am grateful for. I found it best to do in the morning before work to sort of "set the tone" for the day, but I think this would work well in the evening -- or really any time of day! Perhaps I'll start doing this right after a yoga class or meditation... I'm curious to see if I have a shift in my perspective after a month of intentionally focusing on what I am grateful for. 

Try starting your own gratitude jar "practice" and see if it helps shift those thoughts of lacking and not having, doing, or being enough, to those of gratitude, joy and appreciation for what you already have in your life.

Vision Board Class

This past Sunday I led a vision board* class with a small group of friends. If someone asked me to describe the evening in a few words I would say: awesome, vibrant, motivating, peaceful, joyful, and fulfilling. It created this wonderful sense of community in a room with only four people. One of my friends commented that it was so nice to work together in a group, but in silence. So rarely do we spend time in each other's company without talking, watching TV, looking at our cell phones or with an abundance of background noise. We had some quiet guitar music playing and talked every so often, but it was so cool to see my friends shift into a place where they could tap into thoughts that they normally may not allow themselves to spend too much time with. There was an excited, but peaceful energy in the room and by the end of the class I (and I think everyone else, too!) was so filled with joy. As the teacher in that moment, I was so happy for what my friends were able to create for themselves during our two-hour session. For whatever reason, at the end of class my natural reaction was to keep bringing my hands to prayer pose (in Sanskrit, Anjali Mudra) and thanking my friends for sharing their time with me. Anjali Mudra is a symbol of respect, gratitude and recognition of honoring the moment, which seemed quite fitting at the time. I love the following description and feel like it captures the essence of the feeling that was flowing through the room:

"This gesture signifies the potential for an intention to progress to greatest spiritual awakening. When done properly the palms are not flat against each other; the knuckles at the base of the fingers are bent a little, creating space between the palms and fingers of the two hands resembling a flower yet to open, symbolizing the opening of our hearts" (Source: Bodhi Surf School). 

In our jobs, we often think or talk about whether or not our work aligns with the company or organization mission -- and if it does, we know we're moving in the right direction. A few years ago, I realized my own "personal mission", which is to "help others live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives". You know something aligns with your mission when it makes you glow from inside out, when it challenges you in the right ways, and makes you feel whole. I can say with certainty that leading this class aligned with my personal mission. 

This has led to my next step... to create Soul Full Space Vision Board Workshops... coming soon! :)

Namaste,

* What's a vision board? Essentially, a collage of inspiring words, quotes, images and photos, which serves as a visual, creative expression of our goals and dreams. In my class we work through your values, goals and approach the process with intention. It's a fun, inspiring activity to help you manifest your dream life!

You are the Creator of your Own Reality

Yesterday I decided to re-watch The Secret. The first time I saw the film was in 2007, and to be honest, I didn't remember much of it. Some pieces may have stuck with me, but overall, it must not have been the right time for me to watch it. Do you ever feel that way? This seems to happen quite often in my life, that a quote or book I read, film I watch -- even ideas or dreams -- resurface weeks, months or years later, at just the right time (watch The Secret). 

I filled up four notebook pages of notes while watching. I'll admit, parts of the movie are a bit cheesy, but there are so many great messages delivered in the film. The underlying idea is that you have and become what you think about -- you are the creator of your own reality. I've known and believed this concept for a while now, but somehow, this time it really stuck. The idea that resonated with me most was that if you think about things that you fear and things that make you frustrated or angry, you'll get more of those things. One of the lines from the film I wrote down was, "Most people think about what they don't want and what their afraid of, and wonder why it shows up in their life over and over again." The idea is that everything that you have and you are experiencing in life right now -- including the things you complain about or are fearful of -- you've attracted.

This concept speaks to me right now as I move toward pursuing goals, but find fear standing in my way. Even with this blog, fear kept me from starting, which generated more fear and doubt, which eventually left me at a standstill. But, when I shifted into a place of pushing fear aside and moving forward anyway -- it became easier and ideas began to flow.

Watching the film also gave me the push I needed to move forward on another goal that has been clouded with fear. I set the intention to teach a vision boarding class sometime this summer, but fear and uncertainty kept me from creating a plan and setting a date. The more I thought about this fear and uncertainty, the more fearful and uncertain I became about moving forward, so I didn't. But after the film yesterday, I pulled out my own vision board and added some moving and inspiring images, words and quotes and hung it back on the wall in my office, where I'll look at it daily. I've started to draft a script for my class and I will run a practice session with some friends in a week. Then I'll set the date. Thoughts become things and if I shift to thinking positively about achieving this goal, moving past the fear will become easier and I will attract a positive outcome.

One quote that I pinned to my vision board -- which it was crazy that I unknowingly already had a quote by Joseph Campbell on my board -- was this: "Follow your bliss and the Universe will open doors for you where there once were walls."

Whether you agree with all of the concepts and ideas in The Secret or not, I think we all can benefit from the underlying messages. Open yourself up, act when you have inspired thought, focus on and visualize what you want, but be grateful for what you have. The next time anxious, fearful thoughts enter my mind, I will remember that I attract what I think about most.

Buddha print available here

Be YOU

It is the best feeling when you experience moments that align with all of your being. It is in those moments you are authentically you. When you recognize what your soul needs and you seek to nourish it, you feel whole. This is a feeling I'm sure many of us wish we could experience 100 percent of the time in our day-to-day lives, but sometimes there is a disconnect between what is going on in the outside world and who we are inside.

Sometimes rather than nourishing our souls, thoughts we have or things we do drain us or make us feel inauthentic. One of the most draining things is to live in a way you think others want you live, rather than in a way that is true to who you are. Sometimes we let outside influences or our insecurities take over, rather than just letting our souls guide us.

There have been moments where I lived or acted in a way I thought others wanted me to live or act. In these instances it watered down who I was and stifled my passion. But, over the last few years I made the decision to live in a way that felt authentic and nourishing.

Something that really helped me shift into this way of living was discovering I was an introvert, specifically an INFJ. The INFJ stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judging and is one of the 16 Myers-Briggs Type Indicators® (MBTI). "The purpose of the MBTI personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by psychiatrist Carl Jung understandable and useful in people's lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgement (Source: Myers & Briggs Foundation)." You can take a test and find out your type here.

Known as "Protectors" or "Counselors", INFJ's are one of the most rare types and make up one to two percent of the population. They are sometimes referred to as "outgoing introverts", and are often mistaken for extroverts because of their deep interest in other people -- it's just that they usually prefer deep, one-on-one discussion or small group gatherings, followed by ample time alone to recharge. They are sensitive, complex and may grow up feeling a bit misunderstood. They are often known to be "old souls." Some of the images below capture the INFJ quite well ;)

Ever since I discovered my type, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. It's as if I finally got permission to be exactly who I am. For a long time, I thought something was wrong or missing, but now I understand I was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. When you are authentic and true to who you are, it's a freeing feeling.

Take a moment to reflect on who is really inside you. Do you feel as though you are being true to who you are, or are you living or acting a certain way because you think it's what people expect of you?