Illusion of Fear

Greetings to You ~

It's easy to giggle and have fun on Halloween.  Why not be the same way when the illusion of fear tries to scare us?

What's the trick with handling fear?  Being playful with it.  Reminding ourselves it's not real.

The neighbourhood is decked out with witches, spider webs, ghosts and pumpkins.  Couldn't help to laugh out loud with seeing a stuffed witch who flew into a tree with a sign saying "don't drink and fly."

Our six week old baby cousin dressed in a pumpkin outfit arrived at the doorstep with his Dad.  Too cute!  Enjoy the little kids arriving at your doorstep dressed up and looking adorable.

Enjoy the silliness of the day.  Treat yourself and have some fun.

Celebrate your own inner child today and everyday.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Being In Stillness

Greetings to You ~

A short meditation break is so restorative.  Especially before taking action.

At yoga class last evening there was a reminder at the beginning not to force your breath.  Just begin to take notice of it.

That was so helpful.  Often when I try to take a deep breath right away it feels like I'm forcing it.  As we move from our busy outer world to become still, take the time that's needed.  Don't rush.  Start with awareness.

This morning I felt the need to connect outside rather than being still. Knowing my racing mind couldn't stop on a dime.  Rather than walking quickly it was time to slow down.

Last year I had an opportunity to learn a new meditation practice in a group setting.  Up until that time I used the Japa meditation practice following a CD.

The new practice seemed to go deeper and actually brought up uncomfortable feelings.  When you become still it can allow those feelings to surface.  A signal that you're ready to release them.

Our meditation teacher suggested to silently repeat some words gently as if we were speaking to a butterfly on the tip of our fingers.  It felt so much better.

When I was at the river today I was noticing the flow.  Some spots were flowing easily and other spots were bubbling up.

Meditation can feel calm and relaxing and other times "our inner stuff" bubbles up and begins to surface.  That's normal.  Just like the river, there may be rocks just under the surface that cause our flow to block and create a disturbance.

Noticing a few roses around the neighbourhood and a blossom on a rhododendron bush.  It made me think that it's never too late to bloom.  It's never too late to transform.

No need to force things, thoughts or feelings to be different.  Come to awareness and use our breath to shift our energy.

Thank yourself for taking even a short moment of silence.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Keeping Our Focus

Greetings to You ~

Feeling appreciation for experiencing clarity and focus today.  Yesterday I felt overwhelmed with a lack of focus.

Ironically I attended the Clear Focus Camera Club in the evening.  The guest speaker was sharing feedback with ways to enhance photographs.

It’s a great analogy for keeping focused with what’s important in our lives.  When there’s a lot going on in the frame, or our life, it’s hard to focus on any one thing.  It just looks busy and the impact is not effective.

These photography tips also apply to living our lives:

• Remove any distractions to keep a person’s eye on the subject.
• Identify your focal point and bring clarity and detail on the subject.
• Keep the subject in focus with no attention to what’s around it.
• A focal point is important to give your eye a resting place. 
• Once we have a focal point find a way to enhance it. 

The more interesting the focal point the better.  The more interesting our tasks and experiences are the better.

Just like the guest speaker who brought awareness of ways to make a better picture.  Raising our own awareness with what to focus on helps to reduce distraction in our life.

With focused attention came inspired action.  Working easily and joyfully through inspiration vs. perspiration.

Keep your energy on main focal points.  Secondary points of interest that are too strong can clutter and confuse the picture, our life.

Before you take a photo or take action in your life ask yourself, “What is my focal point?”

Let’s create a picture perfect day.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila  

xo

Believe

Greetings to You ~

There’s a time when inspired action takes place with no outward evidence of it leading toward your goal.  This can be a time filled with positive energy of hopefulness and positive expectation.

Even though you haven’t turned the corner there’s a feeling that you’re moving toward the light.  You’re on the right path even though you’re unsure when you’ll arrive at your destination.

It truly feels like you’re enjoying the journey regardless of the destination.  A feeling that something as good or better is going to arrive.

All of a sudden the goal seems less important because the present moment feels so good.

Abraham-Hicks teachings speak about this feeling of positive expectation but until now I never really felt it when there hasn’t been outward evidence to back it up.  It really feels wonderful.

I went to their web site just now http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php and read this quote:

"This incomplete place that you stand is the best place that you could be. You are right on track, right on schedule. Everything is unfolding perfectly. All is really well. Have fun. Have fun. Have fun!"

--- Abraham

Feeling so appreciative for moving ahead.  Feeling appreciation for whatever is around the corner.

Believe that you can easily receive what you need.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila  

xo

Your Inner Desire

Greetings to You ~

The music that plays in your heart is really your inner desire or your dream.

What holds us back from playing the music?  Old stories related to fear and judgment. 

What if we died, and found out in heaven that we could have been anything we wanted to be. Would we want to come back and live our lives differently.

Sometimes we’ve ignored our inner desire for so long we forget what it is.  We may even think we don’t have a heart’s desire.  We all do.

“I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was” by Barbara Sher is a great place to start.  I  just opened up my copy filled with post it notes and see that I still have the ticket stub for when I attended her Living Your Dreams workshop in 2001. 

Barbara autographed this book, “For Sheila ~ Go for that dream ~ You promised!”

It’s a wonderful book if you don't know where to start.  She writes in the preface, "Not knowing what you want to do with your life is no joke."

It’s never to late to get started.

My brother used the analogy between living our life and dancing when he gave a toast at my wedding.  There are times that life feels like a jive or a polka…but we strive for an effortless waltz.  Let’s raise our glasses for us to play the music and dance.

My wish for every woman on earth is to play the music in your heart and dance like nobody’s watching.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila 

xo

Abundance Flowing - part 2

Greetings to You ~

Is it possible to do what you love and prosper financially? Determining our purpose, self-actualization and living our best life, requires that we take risks.

What IF you could do what you love AND make a fabulous living?  That would be living the dream.  Step one, the old beliefs need to shift.

Do you have an old money story that no longer serves you?  Mine is about having to “work hard” for money.  Paying off bills “wasn’t easy” so it created a feeling of holding on too tight, even when money flowed in.

The fear of losing what you have needs to shift.  It's not about how much money we have or don't have.  It's whether we have a limiting belief about our money.  There are those who think they don’t deserve to receive money. There are millionaires who are worried about losing what they have.

Once we have the physical and material necessities there’s a need for more meaning and purpose in our lives.  That’s the rub.  The old story doesn’t allow for investing in the dream.  The old story says it’s risky.  Why does it feel uncomfortable to invest in the dream?

I’m ready to shift these limiting beliefs.

·       People need to work hard to earn money.

·       I need to be careful with my money.

·       There's not enough to go around.

Show me the proof my ego mind says.  I began to list examples of regular women who started unconventional businesses.  So there’s evidence that it’s possible to do what you love and make a fabulous living.

What if it feels risky?  Fear of taking a risk is based on not knowing the outcome. We do have inner guidance and logical reasoning to help reduce the risk of making a wrong choice.

I love the five questions Ali Brown uses when making a decision:

1. Is this something I want with my heart?  Does this feel good to me?  Intuition.
2. Is this something I want with my head?  Does this logically make sense to me?
3. Does this align with my long-term goals and short-term goals?  Does this align with my path?
4. Does this excite me even it it's a little scary?  You want more "Woohoo!" than "Oh God."
5. Am I making this decision from faith and not fear?  From inspiration or desperation?

It has to be all yes for Ali to move ahead.

How’s this for synchronicity?  I just went to her web site and found the article, “Imagine Having the Choice…to be, do, or have anything you want.” http://www.alibrown.com/content/imagine-having-choice.  Read her story for more evidence that this can be done.

On a scale of 1 to 10 my own limiting beliefs have shifted in the right direction by one point.  As my EnergyRICH™ coach Heather says, “A shift is a shift, no matter how big.”

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila

xo

Abundance Flowing - part 1

Greetings to You ~

A group coaching call this week had us do a money exercise to bring awareness to how we’ve been treating money and our relationship with it.

I visualized standing on the shore of the ocean of abundance with a metal cash box and realized the lid was closed.  How do I put more in this container if it’s not open to receive?

Growing up my young parents didn’t have a lot of money but they taught us very early on to respect it.  Having a savings account at age six and taught to place bills in our wallet with the right side up, heads facing the same way.  It was organized and respectful.

Have you ever squirreled away money?  I used to hide some of my money as a kid and often forget where I put it.  I remember feeling delighted when it showed up later like surprise money.

Have you worked hard for your money?  I developed a strong desire to work and earn money early on.  Starting with blueberry picking, babysitting, retails jobs and eventually worked my way up earning a good wage at my corporate job.

The common denominator was that I never really enjoyed what I was doing for work.  The experience with having money was that it felt like “hard” work or having to work “a lot” to have enough.

Do you respect your money?  I didn’t always.

Around age eight, I spent some cherished centennial coins on candy at the corner store.  I remember feeling bad after the candy was eaten and the money was gone. 

As an adult I accumulated credit card debt as I accumulated things.  It was not a financial situation that I felt proud of. 

Around the year 2000 I came across a PBS television special talking about money and being in a place of power.  I had never heard of Suze Orman before then but became a big fan of her guiding principles, “People first, then Money, then Things.” 

From that day forward we tracked everything we spent in a little pocket calendar which kept us honest and on track.  It wasn’t easy but we paid off all of our debts and started receiving more abundance with unexpected increases and bonuses.  We came to develop a habit of mindful spending by listing our wants and needs and avoided impulsive purchases.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to choose to live from a mindful, abundant mindset?  You are.

Years ago I came across the work of Lori Bamber, a financial coach who shares a lot of wisdom about money. http://www.financialserenity.com/about-lori-bamber/

I love Lori’s calm energy in this interview clip.  I feel more relaxed just listening to her.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkMDl5veeRw

Anxiety warns us not to move, not to grow, not to reach toward our potential.

• Money does not cure anxiety
•  Our money must serve our dreams

Is it possible that the ocean of abundance really is unlimited?  When we honour our life energy doing what we love and mindfully consider how we spend our life energy, will it continue to flow? 

The ego mind says show me.  My higher self says have faith.  Are we making decisions based on faith or fear?  Lori says, “Any decision made from a place of anxiety (a place of fear) is likely to be a bad decision.”

Do you have an old money story that you want to shift?  I'm going to explore mine in the next couple of days.  Please join me to see if I can change it.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila

xo 

Compassion as we Detach

Greetings to You ~

Remaining unattached to people, places and things came up in a big way this past week.  Not just for me but several people I spoke with were experiencing significant events that were shaking their foundations.

Feeling compassion for when we do our best and are faced with challenges.

 

• A multi-million dollar contract falls through that jeopardizes a business
• A person’s past comes back to haunt them even though it’s not relevant today
• A stock market trade results in $30,000 personal loss
• Feeling insecure after losing a job or starting a new venture
• Where’s the money going to come from to sustain a business or family
• Feeling lonely and unloved after a break-up with a partner
• Experiencing pain from health issues

Being detached brings freedom. My yoga teacher observed how older people become less attached to their physical possessions.  But how about our inner thoughts and attachments.  The seemingly smaller stuff that keeps us from feeling free.

Freedom to express our thoughts and opinions because you're worried about what people will think or say.  Detached to how our ideas will be accepted by others when we put them out into the world.  Detached from fear and scarcity that prevents us from living the life we dream about.

Ultimately, the big thing is that we feel free to be authentic.  Being able to live on purpose, take action and not be attached to any particular outcome.

Joseph Campbell spoke about the Buddhist philosophy that suffering arises from attachment to desires.  The big three categories involve to some degree attachment to love, security and self-esteem.  What if I lose my house, my business, my job, my money, my possessions, my lover, my looks, my health, my life.

My Mom volunteers at hospice and she has many stories of people who are dying but are in a state of grace and inner peace.   She shared this quote with me some time ago.

An Angel says, “Never borrow from the future.  If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn’t happen, you have worried in vain.  Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.”

How do we let go of our worries?  How do we get to a place of detachment earlier in life? 

One of my favourite books is “10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace” by Dr. Wayne Dyer.  He writes the following about releasing our attachments.

“The first secret has two components: (1) a mind that is open to everything, and (2) a mind that is attached to nothing.  Your attachments are the source of all your problems.  The need to be right, to possess someone or something, to win at all costs, to be viewed by others as superior—these are all attachments.  The open mind resists these attachments and consequently experiences inner peace and success.”

An analogy for detachment is having a bandage put over a wound and eventually it needs to be removed for the sore to completely heal.  Whether it’s a slow or quick process it usually stings for a bit.

Have compassion for yourself and others when we feel the sting.  A sign that we're coming back into wholeness.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila

xo

Healing Emotions

Greetings to You ~

Last week the topic of entrepreneurial fear was covered in the coaching program I’m following.  Not something that’s talked about much in other business courses and one of the reasons I was so attracted to the EnergyRICH program. http://energyrichcoach.com/businessblog/

This topic seemed to serve as an invitation for my gremlins of fear and doubt to show up.  Perfect timing as we learned tools to manage our energy and shift the old beliefs that no longer serve us.

It’s common to experience resistance when we’re making huge changes. The conflicting energy is to show us something and often occurs just before a break through.

My physical body was sharing wisdom that I had a fear of losing something.  One of my yoga teachers said it’s common for women to hold on to a lot of emotion in our second chakra.  I could even feel my creativity blocked last week.

We did a lot of yoga postures to stretch the hips and help loosen up the toxins being held.  Walking out of the class there was the most gorgeous sunset with the sky lit up with brilliant orange, the colour of the second chakra.  Something must have shifted because I experienced a huge emotional release after that class.

Meanwhile a coach’s request was to have me use the belief transformation tool every day for 30 days.  It sounded like a lot of work and then Heather said, “You’re going to spend time and energy dealing with your lower energies anyway, you might as well use the time and energy to shift them.”  Good point.

Pretending everything is fine on the outside doesn’t work.  As the coaches at EnergyRICH™say, "You can’t fool energy."

We need to undo the old patterns that prevent us from moving forward.

A process to gain greater clarity and prepare us for quantum shifts.  Meanwhile you don’t need to make BIG shifts, just small ones.

I'd encourage anyone who's looking for a process that works with the inner and outer needs of building a business to learn more at http://www.energyrichcoach.com/

Triggers from the past kept showing up to test my commitment to the whole process. Honestly it felt like a messy, emotional time but in hindsight it was necessary to break up the limiting beliefs that I still carried.

I think about hearing comedian Jim Carrey say, “You need to feel it to heal it.”

As with any difficult time in our life “this too shall pass.“  And it did.  Last night realizing that I truly need to be independent of the good opinion of others.

It’s so important not to beat up on ourselves when fear and doubt show up.  Even when we’re not where we want to be, “love and accept yourself anyway.”

Bringing those emotional gremlins into the light helps to loosen their grip on us.  Until they eventually let go.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila

xo

Giving Thanks

Greetings to You ~

We just celebrated the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday this past weekend.  A time to shift gears and shift our minds to the simple pleasures in life.

Appreciating a deer standing on the front lawn of a home on my way back from the store.  Seeing two boys with big smiles on their faces as they walked toward the river carrying their fishing rods and tackle boxes.  An eagle flying overhead.

There’s something about a holiday that allows us to put everything else on hold for a couple of days.  Most of the weekend was spent shopping, preparing, cooking, cleaning and setting a pretty table. It was a welcomed change.

In keeping with family tradition we had turkey, gravy, veggies, cran-apple relish, apple pie and ice cream.  My husband changed things up by cooking the turkey on the barbeque and made an awesome stuffing recipe, which will be a new family favourite.

I’m grateful for the weekend of comfort.  We enjoyed easy company, good food, stretching out to relax with pillows and blankets.  Grateful for receiving twenty-five dollars from a Scratch and Win lotto ticket I was given.

The TV isn’t usually on much, but this weekend we watched hockey, Seinfeld reruns and Curb Your Enthusiasm.  Enjoyed seeing my husband and nephew light up watching a show that featured the engineering and design of Ferrari sports cars.  It’s all good.

Larry David and George Costanza are the epitome of showing us how hard life can be when fear and doubt run our lives.  Observing their insecurities and reactions is a funny reminder to lighten up and not take life too seriously.

Hanging out together with an easy way of being reminded me of my Dad who passed away a couple of years ago.  He made everyone laugh and I’m grateful to him for showing us the value of having a sense of humour.

Giving thanks for a weekend of comfort and laughter spent with family.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila 

xo

Authentic Living

Greetings to You ~

Recently I've experienced a creative block.  Being all focused on practical tasks and using avoidance tactics to ignore my creative work.

There’s a tool developed by Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way ~ A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity called the artist date.  Once a week you set aside a block of time committed to your inner artist without taking anyone else along.  An excursion you preplan doing something that is self-nurturing.

So, driving off to Fort Langley, a pretty little boutique town, I set the intention to purely explore, take in and enjoy.  Everyone I came across in the shops seemed to be living their life on purpose.  What they were doing was an authentic expression of who they are.

First stop.  A visit to Spacial Effects Design where I chatted with one of the owners Cathy who has a passion for design and the materials they use.  As a young girl she loved to collect beautiful stones.  That part of her is now expressed by working with beautiful, natural stone tiles, countertops and flooring.  Their showroom looks like a boutique with unique accessories you wouldn’t find in a big box store.  Just love the portable ethanol fireplaces.

http://www.spacialeffectsdesign.com/15129/index.htm

Next stop.  Met Catherine Farell, the owner of Bevy’s, a boutique with gorgeous clothing and accessories.  The quality and style of this place is off the charts.  Bevy’s is named after Catherine's Mom who passed away from breast cancer.  It’s like you can feel Bevy's presence when you see the beautiful photographs of her on the wall, even her favourite chair has a place of honour.

The theme written throughout the store is, “Live a Happy Life.”  That was the simple advice that Bevy gave to her kids.  What a gift.  Her fun-loving gracious essence is part of the experience you’ll enjoy at the boutique. To learn more about this woman and the inspiration behind the boutique go to http://www.bevys.ca/about.html. 

Had a great chat with Catherine and her friend about people wanting a unique, meaningful, authentic life.  We decided on the theme of living a boutique-style life.

Next stop.  Ruby Slippers Speciality Co. where I bought a couple pair of chocolate ruby slippers packaged in adorable purse boxes.  Loved the sign “Life is Sweet” that hangs inside the store.  The owner always loved going to candy stores and has such attention to detail that she wanted the colour of the chocolate slippers to coordinate with the ribbon and colour of the purse boxes.

The 5 principles of Ruby Slippers are so authentic:

1. Live passionately
2. Have a dream
3. Believe in yourself
4. Choose the truth
5. Do what it takes!!

Time for lunch at the Little White House at the Fort.  A heritage house with clothing, home décor, and vintage treasures in the front with the Salon Café located in the back where the coach house used to be.  It’s all connected together with an elegant black and white décor.

While sipping tea, writing in my journal, hearing French music, I sit back to admire the European décor with chandeliers and a touch of rustic charm.  This place has high quality food and pastries made from scratch, even an outside patio and tea garden.  Divine.

The essence is elegant and so is the owner.  Not knowing who she was I said, “This place is so you.”  Turns out Cheryl owns the property and the business is her vision.  Not surprised to find out that she has an apartment affectionately referred to as a “teacup of a place” located in Paris.

It was so delightful to meet her and to see her business clearly as an extension of her authentic self.  Can’t wait to go back for afternoon high tea.  http://www.littlewhitehousefort.com/

Last stop.  Nectar Lingerie shop.  The young woman working at this boutique was so vibrant and uplifting.  Sharing joy and wisdom that life is about the things in life that make you happy.  Do something that makes you feel good.  Have a happy moment.

How true.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila

xo

Radiance That Lifts You Up

Greetings to You ~

It’s a gift to spend time with an uplifting friend.  Norma was exuding radiance yesterday when I spoke with her.  Inspired action, compassion and beauty all coming together and shining the light onto others.

She had inspired another gal pal to start jogging with her twice a week. 

She had a conversation with another friend about not beating ourselves up for what we’ve already eaten.

She shared some beauty secrets from a book she picked up at the library.  One of the hints was to use a base primer with a shimmer.  Deciding to put that on instead of full makeup this morning I looked at the name, “Instant Lift and Radiance Primer.”

In a single day Norma’s radiance shined the light on so many.  Her uplifting energy inspired an idea for an Essence card.

            Radiance

let the light and beauty

shine on you today

what no longer serves you

will then gently fall away

Although I didn’t yet have a photograph to connect the verse I did have an image of the sun shining on autumn leaves.

A beautiful little synchronicity just occurred before I was about to write.  Krista Hearty from Yoga4Entrepreneurs.com mentioned a radio program that sounded interesting and I looked it up. 

http://www.everythingisenergy.com/ with Kristin and David Morelli.  They are dedicated to shining the light of truth with laughter and joy as they teach you to change your energy and change your life. 

Not only does their program sound amazing but the beautiful intro they have on their website depicts the radiance I had imagined as the image for this card. 

Whether synchronistic events are big or small, they feel magical.  Shine on!

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila  

xo

Infinite Potential

Greetings to You ~

It’s magical to witness the awe and wonder of a newborn child.  A perfect and beautiful creation that has come forth into this world.

Last year while visiting my friend’s baby boy, I remember being so moved when I held him and looked into his eyes.  There was an amazing connection to this little one.  I felt overwhelmed with a loving, joyful emotion.

It was interesting to witness a moment where we really connected, like he was sharing a secret.  A sense that I could feel his knowing of coming into this world with a purpose.  So full of enthusiasm and potential to grow and thrive.

My cousin recently gave birth to her first baby.  Family photos with their baby boy were shared with the perfect caption to describe him, "precious."  The dictionary meaning of the word is:

• An object, substance, or resource of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly
• Greatly loved or treasured by someone
• Used as a term of address to a beloved person

A baby’s spirit is so strong and pure yet at a physical level they are so vulnerable.  Relying on others around them to take care of their every need.  A complete state of allowing and receiving.

A part of us never changes from that pure and innocent state.  We still have an inner knowing that we came here to live on purpose.   The infinite potential to be all that we can be is still available. 

Let’s see and love ourselves as this beautiful creation.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila

xo