Untangle Your Bright Lights

Greetings to You ~

Have you ever had so many ideas going through your mind and not knowing where to start?  You're eager to begin but your thoughts get overwhelmed and sort of short-circuit?

Like a string of Christmas lights with the potential to be so beautiful.  No single light can shine if the entire string is tangled.

Have you ever tried to untangle the string in a hurry?  It often gets worse and you get more frustrated.  In the process of getting the task done quickly some of the bulbs even break.

We'd benefit from taking some time and patience to methodically think through the process.  Untangle the string.  Have everything laid out.  Have a plan on how we'll put them up on the house.

Your ideas are like bright lights and they too need the same care and attention.  We need to organize and plan what we're going to do with them.

Taking action to prepare for when it's time to flick the switch.  Ready and waiting for you to illuminate and shine your light onto others in the world.

Set aside some time and space for yourself to untangle your thoughts and ideas.  Do this when others aren't in need of your time and energy.

Walking out in nature is a wonderful way to shift our energy and virtually untangle our thoughts.  I recently took some time out to walk around a beautiful mountain lake.

It was interesting how the mind wanted to go there with a purpose.  To look for fallen branches and greenery to take back home and create an arrangement for the front porch.

It doesn't want us to slow down and allow us to take in the nature that's so abundant and present.  We have to consciously let go of having an agenda, other than to appreciate our surroundings.

Taking in the smell of the cedars in the forest.  Hearing the water rushing as it spilled over the rocks into a waterfall.  Crossing the bridge over a creek and seeing the heavy moss draped over branches like wet clothing.

Feeling the part of us that connects with all of that.  What is your way to connect to that part of you?

The part of you, the invisible energy, which will light up your ideas.

Carve some space out for yourself even if it's just one hour.  With absolutely no agenda but to be still and connect.

Notice how your thoughts untangle.  Shine on.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Nurture Your Overwhelm

Greetings to You ~

Have you ever wished that you could press the pause button on the outside world?  There's so much to do and you're feeling behind and overwhelmed?

Trying to work harder and faster seems to speed up the downward spiral and increase your stress.  We truly need inner peace for our outer actions to be effective.

Thankfully wisdom came through a couple of different people to validate my own inner guidance today.

Breathe.  Stop yourself from taking any action until you're feeling more calm and relaxed.  Press your virtual pause button on the outer world and focus on creating inner peace for yourself.

A short time-out for self-care and nurturing is essential if you feel like you're drowning.  Meditate for a few minutes.  Journal and release any frustration and lower level energies that are inside you onto the page.

What can you look at, listen to or visualize to bring you to a better feeling place right now?  Breathe.

Have you ever had anxiety increase when you looked at your do list?  The reminder of what didn't get done yesterday, last week, last month feels SO overwhelming.  Set it all aside for a moment.

Today an email came in from Heather Dominick, EnergyRICH® Entrepreneur Success and Master Coach, with the subject line "do you always feel just one step behind?"  YES.

She says it's not about finding more time but rather it's about our relationship with time.  Not to simply get more done in less time but to focus on getting the right things done first and faster.

What are your three most important and dire needs for the day?  Choose to focus only on those individual tasks...for now.  You want to flow into the feeling of "this is doable."  It may not take as long as you thought and then you can add the next most important task.

Build in enough breaks for yourself.  This is not a time to push.  You're bringing yourself back into balance while still moving forward.  Think of a child on a bicycle.  You wouldn't want them to ride too fast, too soon.

You may not see today's challenges as your opportunity for inner growth.  But they may be.

While nurturing yourself you can build inner strength and create harmony with your outer world.

There's no need to hurry to grow.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Inner Guidance and Making a Decision

Greetings to You ~

So you've asked the Universe to partner with you on how to fund your business?  You've actually released the need to do the work of how this will happen.

You've taken inspired action that came to you.  You sent that out and have become detached as to what happens as a result.

I mean you really detached, you haven't followed up, you haven't checked in, you haven't wondered why you didn't hear back about it.  Very good.

You've shifted your old money story.  You wanted to see evidence.  Show me the money, show me the proof.

It showed itself in small ways that you do attract abundance.  Winning lotto tickets were given to you, and you won a door prize a few hours after you asked to see more evidence.  You noticed.  It increased your faith.

You've recognized that empowerment comes first and then abundance follows.  You know that you'll be shown the way.

Larger evidence in the form of opportunities have presented themselves.  You recognize that you played no part in making that happen.  Someone called you right out of the blue to offer you a job.

Rather than make a hasty decision you're aware that you should consider this.  Not sure if it's the right thing but it needs to be explored.  It's not stepping backward, it has interesting benefits.

A product and business opportunity came to you that you had never heard of.  You never would have considered this as part of your life purpose but it keeps showing up.  You wake up with inspired ideas about this even though it wasn't in your plans.

Now you want to make sense of all this.  Now the flow is blocked.

You ask, "Why has this come to me?  What am I to do with this?"

What will your decision be?  It's your choice.  There is no right or wrong, it's a path you will choose.

So your life purpose and love is Whisper Greetings.  That will continue but you're looking for a way to fund it, that won't take too much of your time.

What are your values?  What are the values of Whisper Greetings?  They're the same; connection, healing and hope.  Do either of your two options resonate with your values?

Yes, one does for sure. They both make logical sense but one resonates with your values.  Pick that one.

That's inner guidance.  That's Truth.

Last evening I came upon something on Oprah's website Finding Your Strongest Life Quiz by Marcus Buckingham and just looked at the answers again.

Wisdom from my lead role as Weaver.

You ask, "Who can I connect?"  You see the world as a web of relationships, and you are always excited by the prospect of connecting two new people within your web.  Your best quality is your genuine curiosity.  Always trust in your web of relationships.  Be careful not to push people together who shouldn't be.  Your smartest career move is any job where you speed up the connection between people.

Wisdom from my supporting role as Creator.

You ask, "What do I understand?"  You aren't immune to the feelings and perspective of others, but your starting point is your own insight, your own understanding.  Your best quality is your ability to find patterns invisible to others.  Always find time to be by yourself.  Be careful you don't think so long, you never do anything.  Your smartest career move is any job where you're paid to produce new content.

That makes so much more sense today than yesterday.  Feeling really good about one of the options.  Was the other one there to show the contrast?

Your choice is still feeling a bit uncomfortable because you're choosing the uncertain over the certain.

What is your inner guidance telling you about a decision you have to make?

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Invisible Inspiration

Greetings to You ~

Who are you on the inside?  How do you feel when you're at your best?  Do you express that side of yourself to the outer world?

We had our own unique interests and desires long before we became a friend, lover, spouse, parent, grandparent, worker, business owner or volunteer.

Where does that inspiration come from?  From a place far greater than ourselves.  It works through us to be expressed in the world.

The dictionary meaning of inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.  Another meaning is the drawing in of breath; inhalation.

The creative process feels mysterious.  How does a concept or idea just come out of seemingly nowhere?

It's amazing when inspiration takes you to a place that you didn't expect.  Whether you're a painter working on a canvass, a writer putting your story on the pages or an entrepreneur creating a business.

Holding an initial idea in mind and staying open to possibilities as it unfolds.  Even a mistake can lead to a discovery or something better than our original concept.

Always thought it would be interesting to have a chat with the creative minds you admire and ask them about their own creative process.  When and where does their inspiration arise?

Interviews, documentaries and books that feature people in history as well as modern day creative minds are interesting to study.  Learning about the twists and turns that paved their path enabling them to shine their genius out to the world.

Who inspires you?  What can you learn from them?

Has inspiration been whispering to you?  Let it guide you.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Moving Your Life

Greetings to You ~

If you've moved your residence you know what a huge job it is.  You're not just moving your things you're moving your life.

The place we live and the people we're with should reflect who we are today.  It should also support the vision we have for our future.  

During a time of transition it can feel awkward to make changes.  One foot in the past or one foot crossing the bridge toward the new.

The beauty is moving toward your future rather than moving away from your past.  Feel the joy and enthusiasm for what lies ahead.

When there's something we don't want in our lives we can still appreciate the past and see how it has served us.  Challenges have taught us something and showed us the contrast of what we don't want.

We just moved Mom into a new home yesterday.  It was a time to honour the past and at the same time celebrate and usher in the new.  Literally closing the door of one place and opening the door into another.

The family home is where we came together for over 30 years.  It made us think about the memories created there.

It's not the house that holds the memories.  We take those with us in our hearts and our minds.  It was still an emotional time.

Let go of the house but never let go of the love and affection that made it a home.

The house no longer serves Mom due to its size and the maintenance required and now it's available for a young family to move in.  We hope that the house serves them as a loving place to create their own memories.

Driving toward Mom's new home a radio advertisement spoke about "the collage of your life."  As you pack up and move your life, you really stop to reflect on that.

The items that were tucked away and forgotten now serve as touchstones to reflect and appreciate memories.  Having to decide if those items are still useful or seen as beautiful to you.

Keeping several precious items that were meaningful to Dad and letting go of others that will be more useful to someone else.  As you change and move forward in your life some items no longer serve you.  It's okay.

It's helpful to have a ritual to walk through each room to really feel and appreciate the memories.  Your time to look back on the past before moving forward.  

The past is the past and you've honoured it.  You're not running away from your past but decisively making a positive choice for the future.

What is your vision for the future?   Look around to ensure that your personal space reflects that part of you.

We don't always move our life as we move forward.  A few adjustments can still help:

• Keep only items that you see as beautiful or practical today.
• Remove clutter to allow space for new and better things to enter your life.  
• Change your furniture around and see how the energy shifts too.
• Add some colour that suits your personality.

We're always changing and moving, whether that's our inner self or outer circumstances.

Let's move toward something new and wonderful.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Business Balance

Greetings to You ~

This week the EnergyRICH® Business Boot Camp lesson was about business balance.

It came at just the right time.  It validated the need to take a break away from work.

Interesting to hear how the time we take to relax and rejuvenate helps us to hear inspired ideas.  The feminine energies of dreaming and creating can be heard.  Think calm and connection.

Have you ever noticed the difference between feeling passionate and feeling your ego's intensity to get something done?  We were asked to check in with ourselves every few hours as to whether we're operating from ego or spirit.

The ego creates urgency which is about fear of not getting things done.  When we're relaxed and in the flow we allow spirit to come through us.

We can then partner with the masculine energy of doing and taking action with inspired ideas.

More repeat messages this week coming across.  Listened to an awesome audio class with Juliet Oberding, the Lawyer to Healers, about "Heal Your Heart, Heal Your Practice."

She suggests we actually DO LESS.  Don't you notice many of us wear our busyness like a badge of honour on our sleeves?

Interesting how many excuses we come up with about not being able to take time off.  How many times have we heard or said we don't even have time to take a coffee break.

"But I have a deadline, I should get this done."

It's so restorative to take a short break.  Walk away from our desks, stretch a bit, take a walk around the block to get some fresh air.  Breathe.

A wonderful message on our group call was, "restorative energy regenerates."

The Artist's Way at Work  by Mark Bryan with Julia Cameron call them weekly time-outs.  For at least one hour, you take yourself on some small festive adventure.

The chance to explore or try something new.  The purpose is to awaken our sense of wonder, not self-improvement.

What would you do?  Where would you go?  Go ahead and give yourself permission.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Purposeful Shift of Energy

Greetings to You ~

It's a blustery Monday afternoon in November on the Pacific "wet" coast.  A day when the rain comes down sideways and your umbrella has a tendency to blow inside out.

Uncommon ideas have been percolating for the past few days and flowing forth.  Being in the flow and not aware of time as much as wanting to keep working.

Then there's a time when creativity just needs some space.  Time to sit and marinade.

An interesting feeling when you know it's time to purposely distract yourself.  There's simply no value or enjoyment with continuing to work, even if it's the middle of the day.

It's not avoidance or procrastination but an intentional choice to shift your energy and do something completely different.

It feels like a day to do an activity that brings back happy memories from childhood.  A day to bake cookies.  Cozy and comforting.

In the book, The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron suggests a task for week six to bake something.  "Creativity does not have to always involve capital-A art."  Permission granted to take a break.

Activities like gardening, mending, cleaning or anything that keeps your body moving and your mind at bay are restorative.  Easy, repetitive tasks that allow the brain to take a break.

It's a great perk to work from home and do things in your own cycle.  Whether it's morning, afternoon or evening you can work with your own energy and creative cycles.

No commuting in the rain.  Choosing to wear fleece and slippers on a cold day.  Baking cookies in the afternoon.

What would you do to give your mind a break and allow yourself a moment of comfort?

The wind is howling, the rain is beating down.  The cookies are out of the oven.

Time out to relax.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

The Art of Expression

Greetings to You ~

Beauty is all around us.  I'm in awe seeing the creative work of others who are masters of capturing the essence and feeling of beauty in physical form.

There's a painting in our home by Danny McBride called "Sunflowers."  It's a woman wearing a big red hat standing in a field of sunflowers.  There's something about this painting that I connect with at a level that's difficult to put into words.

It sounds strange but when I look at her, there's a feeling like I've connected to my higher Self.  Wise and non-judmental, patient with a calm energy.  She's beautiful in her own unique and non-traditional way.

Laura Hollick's website http://www.soulartstudio.com/ has a quiz to understand what kind of a creative spirit you are.  She has her own very authentic approach to creative interpretation.

One of my favourite visual artists, Laura Harris, gives an inspiring description of her creative process in a short documentary video.  I can feel her amazing energy when I look at one of her original paintings.

On the video she speaks about walking out to the point on the beach with her dog in the morning and describes it as “an overwhelming sense of connection that I haven’t felt before and it’s actually moved me to tears some mornings.  I'm walking and crying in a really happy, happy way.”  Then she goes straight out to her studio and starts painting.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The graphic designer working on the Whisper Greetings branding asked me to brainstorm some ideas about explaining Whisper Greetings to someone in one sentence.  He's going to interpret feelings as well as practical values and the purpose of my business to form an identify, symbol or icon.

It sounded so easy.  A statement to describe your business to someone.

Recently in our coaching group, one of the members made a Freudian slip and referred to an elevator speech as an "elevation" speech.  I just love the thought of having an elevation statement.

So back to feeling frustrated with coming up with a single sentence to describe Whisper Greetings.  It's easy to be verbose and an art to succinctly express what you mean.

Heather, my coach, said we often move into our head with practical tasks like this.  She suggested to go to the heart and describe how Whisper Greetings began.

I told her the story and became overwhelmed with emotion.  A sign that it's coming from Truth and not my head.

What flowed from that was, "Whisper Greetings are genuine, digital, poetic expressions of connection, healing and hope."  That feels so right.  So real.

Funny thing is I had a half dozen different sentences and couldn't remember any of them.  This one is etched beautifully in my mind.

How will the visual branding capture the essence of Whisper Greetings?  Can't wait to see how it unfolds.

How do you express your creativity?  Through words, pictures, music, dancing, singing?

Creativity is food for the soul.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Remembrance Day

Greetings to You ~

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month each year we offer a minute of silence.  


In Canada we observe Remembrance Day or Veterans Day to honour those who sacrificed and lost their lives for a future of freedom.  

We must remember. If we do not, the sacrifice of those one hundred thousand Canadian lives will be meaningless. They died for us, for their homes and families and friends, for a collection of traditions they cherished and a future they believed in; they died for Canada. The meaning of their sacrifice rests with our collective national consciousness; our future is their monument.  

(Heather Robertson, A Terrible Beauty, The Art of Canada at War, Toronto, Lorimer, 1977.)

One minute of being completely present.  One minute to honour what matters.

Remembrance is the action of remembering something, someone, even a memory.  

Take a moment today to stop and remember what you appreciate most.  Your life, your loved ones, your health, your challenges, your memories. 

Remembrance Day reminds me of my Dad who passed away almost three years ago and would have celebrated his 65th birthday yesterday.  I still appreciate his love and humour.

How about remembering who you are?  The ageless qualities and values that we appreciate and never change.

The part of you, your essence, that never dies.

Peace and Joy ~

Sheila

xo

Empowerment First

Greetings to You ~

A big realization came this past week that created an inner shift.  Empowerment comes first and abundance follows.

The analogy of an abundance train that needs a strong and empowered  engine to carry the load of all good things.  The engine is you.

If our inner energy is feeling really good our outer manifestations will also support that.   Sometimes our outer world speaks to us first to let us know that our inner energy is not serving us.

Stress, fatigue and negativity will not produce our desired results.  So we look after our inner self first.

My friend shared some brilliant wisdom from her Apache teacher.  It's important to stand on your own two feet and stand up for your beliefs.  It's not about overpowering people but rather standing in your own power and using your gifts.

The creative and practical aspects of business.  Can both be done in a joyful, easy manner?  Learn to allow this to happen.  Relax and take one step at a time.

The practical business tasks this week included laying down some business foundations.  It's important to be actively involved with contacting expert advisors you can trust related to banking, accounting and legal issues.

It's not an area of expertise or even interest of mine but it's important for me to understand the issues.  I always want to feel empowered with evaluating business options in order to make the best decisions.

Ask why you feel stressed or uptight with any specific task.  Is it just new territory?  Be authentic with everything you do and everyone you encounter.   You'll learn to enjoy yourself with the practical end of business too.

This process feels like another move forward to allow abundance to follow.  It is.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Possibilities are Blazing

Greetings to You ~

Feels SO good to be eager and enthusiastic with starting a project.  Not knowing exactly where the trail leads but it looks bright and beautiful.

Feeling passionate about possibilities.  Feeling happy to allow things to unfold.  Feeling joy to get started.

Where did all of this high energy come from?  Not sure, but loving it.  You finally let it in.

The dream is going to take physical form.  Thoughts, ideas and creativity that has come through me is going to have it's place in the outer world.

Collaboration is one of my favourite words.  The dictionary meaning is the action of working with someone to produce or create something.

How blessed I feel to work with a talented designer to help bring Whisper Greetings to life!  He offered great wisdom that success follows because of active participation.

So the right people, places and circumstances do show up when you take affirmative action.

We don't need to work in isolation.  Surround yourself with talented, supportive people.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo

Being Present

Greetings to You ~

Just love the book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.  It can serve as a permanent reference.

While reading it the first time I understood it on an intellectual basis.  He was saying a lot of the same thing that other teachers had written about.

Something shifted near the end of the book, it took on a deeper meaning.

Since then I read it numerous times, taking notes and feeling connected.  Always getting something new with each read.

You know what's really funny?  I had felt some angst and lower energy with a resentment.  Justifying why I should feel the way I was feeling.  Not even noticing that my ego mind had a firm hold on me.

Thank goodness I picked up the book again.  I'm re-reading the chapter on the core of the ego.   Eckhart Tolle writes,

"Whatever behaviour the ego manifests, the hidden motivating force is always the same:  The need to stand out, be special, be in control; the need for power, for attention, for more."

"Can you feel there is something in you that would rather be right than at peace?"

Dr. Wayne Dyer has a great quote, "When you have the choice to be right or to be kind, always choose kind."  It's the ego that wants to be right, wants to feel superior.

What a beautiful reminder that presence can free us of the ego.  With awareness comes the opportunity to dissolve unconsciousness with our presence.

No need to "do" anything.  Just be in the moment and breathe.

Peace and Joy ~
Sheila
xo