Manifesting Love 3 1

Celebrate Yourself!

I have heard it said, the most wonderful gift you can offer the world is to be authentically yourself. Most of us grew up hearing we need to behave in a particular way to get approval, we need to get good grades, we need to dress a certain way, be cool and do certain things to impress our friends and peers. So we learn to contort and conform in order to be loved and accepted.

It is easy to lose our authentic shape - it is easy to forget who we truly are. For many years I struggled with chronic fatigue. As I participated in a Masters program at the University of Santa Monica, entitled “Health, Consciousness and Healing” I got to the core emotional root of this debilitating health challenge. What I found was I wanted people to like me. I made myself smaller and smaller in order not to offend anyone. There is an analogy that one third of the world is going to love you, a third will be indifferent, and a third will hate you. I had a revelation! I needed to find my authentic shape and be who I really am so the right people will love me and the right people will not love me - so I decided to celebrate myself!

I started ask myself questions like: What do I really like? What makes me happy? What brings me joy? Well, I love high heels, I love the color purple, I love painting and creating and I love sparkly and blingy things. Shortly thereafter, my wardrobe changed, my makeup changed, and my attitude changed. I started feeling happier and I was lot more amused with life. I was finding my authentic shape. Perhaps there are some people who don’t like me…but I am so busy being happy, I don’t even notice it!

A big part of finding our authentic shape is getting in touch with our inner child. Often when we consider what brought us joy as a child, it is what will bring us joy as an adult. As a child I liked drawing, picking flowers and swinging, but as an adult I simply did not have time for that “silly stuff.” However, when we make time for the silly stuff, the stuff that brings us joy, the quality of our lives change, our vibration increases, and we begin to attract amazing opportunities and wonderful people into our lives.

Now rather than judge myself, my flaws, odd habits and idiosyncrasies I celebrate them. I see myself through the eyes of amusement, acceptance and love. As a spiritual seeker my goal is to learn to love myself no matter what. I no longer look to the opinion of others to determine my value. I look inward and upward to claim my value. I used to feel like a piece of a puzzle that was always trying to fit in. Now I am a piece of the puzzle who has found her shape and life fits in around me. Life works so much better from this perspective!

What can you do to celebrate yourself ? What brought you great joy as a child that you could take time to do for yourself now? Celebrate yourself! Do something to make yourself feel good! Then write to me and share your experiences, your learnings and your joy!

Do have a question? Is there a topic you would like me to address? Comment me or write to me at yes2miracles@aol.com I would love to hear from you!

The Inner Dragon

I had an appointment with a modern day shaman a couple of weeks ago. He told me I needed to access my Inner Dragon. My response was, huh? I told him I was aware of my Inner Unicorn but not my Inner Dragon. He told me I needed a dragon to protect my unicorn. Well, that at least made a little sense to me.

After I wrote my blog “YES” last week, I went to an art class where another participant took all my new paints and painted 9 paintings with them (I painted 2) by the end of the class, it was the end of my paints. I didn’t say anything. Alright…I think I get it, it can’t always be “yeses” and “unicorns,” I need my dragon.

The dragon can say NO, the dragon knows boundaries. Healthy boundaries are all about discernment, letting in the good and keeping out the bad. I have healthy boundaries in my relationship with my husband, who like me, is intuitive and sensitive. But now it seems I need to strengthen my boundaries in the rest of my reality. Boundaries are important in the physical world, and if we do not have access to them, we will inevitably be taken advantage of. It is important to be able to say: no; no thank you; or this does not honor me.

I talk about the need for boundaries in my book Manifesting Love From the Inside Out (www.manifestinglove.net) An essential step in successfully defining and expressing boundaries is the ability to communicate without blaming. We need to be able to take responsibility for our feelings, rather than saying “You make me angry” or “You make me sad,” a more responsible way of defining boundaries would be “I feel angry” or “I feel sad.” A formula for emotionally honest communication would look something like:

When you: take my paints
I feel: a bit confused
I would appreciate: if you would ask to borrow them, or perhaps using some other students supplies, so there will be some left for me.

So what I have learned is, if my dragon speaks up, I can stay in the loving energy of the unicorn. If the dragon does not speak up, I build up resentment, frustration and anger – then the unicorn, my sense of connection and my good feelings are gone!

Setting and maintaining boundaries protects our personal connection to Spirit and supports in making that connection a priority. Healthy boundaries create a powerful sense of freedom and safety within ourselves, in our relationships and in the world.

Are you clear in your boundaries? Do you have a healthy balance of the dragon and the unicorn? Write to me I would love to hear your stories and your thoughts!

YES! YES! YES

Mandala Monday – YES, YES, YES!!!

Joseph Campbell has a wonderful quote: “The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty YES to your adventure.” I was inspired when I read this, so I wrote a letter to God saying YES: Yes to my adventure! Yes I want to go deeper! Yes I want to reach higher! Yes I want to expand! And YES I want to awaken!

Abraham Hicks has said only 2 people out of 10 are really committed to being here - and I get it! It is HARD to be human! The majority has one foot in and one foot out of the earthly experience…this is why most struggle so intensely physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. I admit, for many years I was one or those people, and life did not work very well. As I have taken greater responsibility, and started to say yes, the tides have turned in a positive and powerful direction. It takes courage, patience, and faith to commit to being human, to commit to ourselves, to healing and expansion. You have probably heard the saying: Better the devil you know than the angel you don’t. The majority of people are afraid of change, and control is the biggest addiction we have as human beings.

There is a big difference between “getting old” and “growing older.” We have a choice, we can either expand or contract as we age. Unfortunately elders are not revered in our society, but there are the rare individuals who do not allow society to dictate who they are, what they do, their value, or their zest for life. Dr. Maya Angelou is in her 80’s and one of the most revered and dynamic elders of our time. I believe this is because she keeps saying YES to life, YES to learning, and YES to love.

My sister came to visit. I asked her if she would come to the studio with me, she said YES (yippee!) I asked her if she would paint, she said NO :( I knew better than to try to convince her. I have learned the hard way; you cannot force someone to go where they do not want to go. When we got to the studio, I asked her which color called to her, she quickly picked out a metallic bronze. Then I asked her which mandala shape she liked and she chose a powerful 6 pointed star. One step followed the other and soon my little sister was deep in the creative process. She kept saying yes to each next little step...and before we knew it, she had birthed an extraordinary work of art (which is featured on this weeks blog!) I am so proud of her, and I encouraged her to be proud of herself. It takes great courage to step out of one’s comfort zone, to surrender control, and do something they have never done before.

My sister inspired me to keep saying YES, YES, YES! Yes to Spirit, Yes to me, yes to being of service and yes to each next little step (even if it is scary or uncomfortable). And I promise to take the time to acknowledge myself and express gratitude for being on this amazing, crazy, fun-filled, human adventure!

Are you saying yes? Are you at least thinking about it? Share your thoughts, feelings and comments - I would love to hear from you!

Blessings

This morning I was feeling somewhat irritable. I decided to go sit down, be still and meditate. At the end of my meditation, I considered all that I have to be grateful for and started to create a “Blessings List.”

In the past, if I did not feel good I would attempt to run away from myself. I would do busy work, and like a gerbil on a wheel, I would run, but not really be productive or get anywhere. I have found out the hard way – outrunning anxiety or pain doesn’t work. In fact, I received a few speeding tickets and experienced a couple of fender benders while in this frustrated state of being!

As I created my list of blessings I felt my heart start to expand. As my list got longer and longer, I took a deep breath and began to feel more peaceful. I know this practice helps to calm me down, it increases my vibration and points me in a more positive direction in my day and my life. I also know this practice makes me a less selfish, more patient, and a more attractive human being! Instead of quickly running out of Starbucks with a frown on my face, I am more present and happily holding the door open for the next customer.

I believe our pain comes from our disconnection from Source. I also believe Source is the energy of love, compassion and appreciation. When we direct our focus on appreciation and our blessings, this helps reestablish our connection and line up with Spirit once again. Life ALWAYS works better from this state!

I went on to have a very productive day, I attracted wonderful people, had great conversations and manifested incredible support with some of my projects. Would this have happened if I was disconnected and grouchy? Maybe, but I doubt it. So, the next time you are feeling anxious, irritable, or just plain blue. Take some time to create a Blessings List, as you get into the groove, you may find your list getting longer and longer. You may also find that you are starting to feel better and better. Then give me a shout and let me know how creating a Blessings List worked for you!