Keep the Faith

As I continue to explore what it means to be ‘spiritual’ I feel like it is important to talk about faith. When I refer to faith I am referring to a belief that the world is a loving place and that God (or Buddha or Allah..) or the universe is supporting, guiding and cheering us on every step of the way. 

A further belief involves the idea that we are all here to serve in some way, to make a contribution to the betterment of human kind, what I call having a life purpose. So if we put these two beliefs together, then it starts to make sense that when you face challenges they are not there to slow you down but rather to raise you up (up to new levels of consciousness). As we previously discussed every challenge, if explored, gives you something that you can use on our journey towards finding and living your life purpose. 

Here is a quote from Eckhart Tolle that I love:

One thing we do know: life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness.

Next time I will talk about how to not stay stuck in your struggle or challenge and how to see things from a new perspective, one that allows for a bigger picture view of the situation you or someone you know may be facing.

Please enjoy your week and remember when challenges arise (big or small) - keep the faith!
Jackie

Slogan Examples

At the beginning of the year I encouraged you to think of a short slogan or mantra that would remind you of what you wanted to focus on or pay more attention to in the coming year. 

I have a few slogans from people that I thought would be fun to share with you:

• Me first, living a healthy, balanced lifestyle
• Peace, love and joy
• Stay occupied. It sure beats.... preoccupied
• Joy, creativity, connection
• Be BOLD & Creative!
• Make it happen!
• Be bold, play big and shine bright!

If you have already created your slogan make sure you put it on some post-its and put them where you will see them everyday!  Remember to move them around once in awhile so you don't stop noticing them. 

If you haven't done your slogan, it is not too late! I have had clients that developed their slogan with a friend or family member and had a lot of fun brain storming together. The other benefit of this approach is that you will have some one to remind you to stay focused!

I want you to know that you are an active player, a co-creator of your life as it unfolds. I invite you to ask yourself everyday - how do I want my life to unfold? and then take bold action to start moving towards your dreams or goals with a knowing that they are within your reach and that every baby step that you take brings you closer, gives you more guidance and opens you up to the infinite possibilities that are out there for you to seize!

Jackie

An unexpected twist

I had talked earlier about acceptance. I think to fully accept your challenge a good question is - if my challenge never went away, what would it teach me?  So I asked myself that question – what if my challenge (of not falling asleep quickly at night) were to stay with me forever? What if that was just the way things were meant to be and no matter what I did it would not change the situation? I sat with that for a moment and then asked myself if that were the case, what is this challenge meant to teach me? I immediately heard a voice in my head say ‘patience, to slow down'.

Okay I thought, that resonates with me. I am often in a hurry, I want to get places quickly, get things done efficiently. What if my challenge was not at all about sleeping but it was about my lifestyle, my attitude and my ability to slow down and be more present in the moment?

Cool. Now I have a new focus, a new and exciting challenge, one that I feel motivated to work on and to experiment with. So I invite you to do the same exercise. Ask yourself if your challenge never goes away, what is it meant to teach you, how is it meant to guide you? You may get an immediate answer or it may take some time but I think the answer or guidance will come to you – maybe in a dream, maybe in a meditation, maybe some advice from a friend will resonate for you with regard to your struggle.

By using the complete acceptance exercise and some of the other exercises we have done, I believe you can discover what your challenge really about! So you could say that complete acceptance, exploration and openness to the guidance that follows will bring you a deeper truth and maybe a new focus or an area to pay attention to. Like I tell my clients - focus on what you want more of, so I am taking the focus off my struggle and putting it on slowing down and being patient.

I would love to hear how you do with this exercise. Feel free to respond to this exercise or leave a comment below or on my Facebook page.

Blessings,

Jackie