RELAX!

I have been very busy and productive as of late and am excited about perpetuating and increasing the momentum. So, during a recent meditation I asked Spirit, “What do I do next?” I did not receive the marching orders I expected. What I got was one word: Relax. But, what do I do? Relax. Hmmm, but I like being busy and productive. Relax. Then I started to get a little sick. O.K. I will relax.

Part of staying in balance is taking that time to be quiet, still and to relax. It not only rejuvenates us physically it supports us in maintaining our connection to Source. Our society worships hard work and “doingness,” ….beingness does not seem to get very much credit. However, without beingingness the doingness can turn into busy work and be akin to a gerbil on a wheel moving really fast, but not going anywhere.

Being busy can become a habit and a gear we are accustomed to, but being busy can make us crazy! It can be the root cause of accidents, illness and disease. When we spread ourselves to thin, we lose our vitality, become ungrounded, sacrifice our ability to focus and are no longer present for the magic and miracles that occur every day.

As I take some time off, and allow myself to relax I am much more aware of the beauty and synchronicity, that I know is always around me. However, when my monkey-mind is buzzing hundreds of miles an hour, there is no space to take any of it in. Breath, relax, receive. Take a moment to acknowledge the beauty of your home, your relationships, nature and your breath! Consider for a moment what feeds your soul and do it!

Here is a wonderful quote from Abraham: "Leverage your time more by spending a little more time every day relaxing and imagining and a lot less time doing. Do a little more imagining and a little more less doing - until eventually most of what's happening is happening in the cool, calm, anticipatory state. Just imagine and relax yourself into the successes, and watch what happens."

So now, I am going to stop writing and I am going to go relax. I hope you are taking some time to relax and nurture yourself as well. Be in touch and let me know your thoughts and how you are doing!

Blessings of peace, joy and deep relaxation.

Courage

I am certain you have heard the saying, “if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got.” So, if you want greater success, more prosperity, be used for greater service, or a “bigger life,” you need to be willing to go beyond your current limits and stretch out of your comfort zone.



I remember uttering a prayer, something to the effect: “God, use me for your purpose, I want to be of service.” Shortly thereafter I was asked to do some volunteer teaching - I was panic stricken! I thought, I am not ready for this…then the next thought dropped in, “be careful what you ask for.”



Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to move forward despite fear. The root of the word courage is from Old French corage, from cuer heart, so the word “courage” can be literally translated to mean “Rage of the Heart.” I think courage is a vital quality if one wants to live a heart-based life rather than a head-based one. Further confirmation of that fact comes from the definition of courage in the dictionary: Courage - The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery. In other words…you have to be out of your mind!



I remember feeling paralyzed and afraid to move forward when some big opportunities started presenting themselves (publishing my book, teaching classes, an offer to host my own radio show). My mind said NO WAY, my heart said LET'S PLAY! The heart will encourage you to move forward and grow while the mind will keep you playing small. The mind will tell you: better the devil you know than the angel you don’t. The mind wants to “understand” and have control, the heart wants to expand, grow and give and receive love. I have found when the desire for love overpowers the need for control is when life gets really interesting, fun and exciting!



Love takes courage (what if you get rejected?), service takes courage (what if you don’t have anything to offer?), stepping out more fully into the world takes courage (what if people laugh?). If you want to uplevel and expand in your life, you will have to go through glass ceilings and be confronted with experiences, situations, and people that will take you out of your comfort zone and into unchartered territory. But it is sort of like the Indiana Jones movie, when you take that step in faith, the bridge shows up to support you. And if you don’t have the courage and don’t take that leap of faith, you may never find out that you can fly!

The Power of Intention

The power of intention is one of the most wonderful tools to work with to co-create the life of your dreams. A working definition for intention is: “To claim a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, or aim the heart at a goal or intended outcome.” If we lack intention, we can float and wander aimlesly or live a confusing and chaotic life. But if we consciously work with intention, the forces of the universe can align to make even the most impossible things, possible.

Here is a quote from Wayne Dyer that I love: “Intention is not something that you do, but rather a force that exists in the Universe as an invisible field of energy.” Ralph Waldo Emerson has also talked about the power of intention when he said: “A good intention cloths itself with sudden power.” When you think about it, everything around you starts with intention, every house or building ever built, a newspaper, a book, a car, a cup of coffee, a piece of art…this blog! The list goes on and on.

I start every day with conscious intention. If I have clients or classes my intention is that I am a conduit for Spirit, love, wisdom and healing. If I have a day off, I often set the intention for relaxation, grace and peace. When I paint a mandala or write, I ask for inspired creativity or revelation. We can use the power of intention for all things big and small: from getting in your car and driving safely to your destination, to having a sacred drama-free holiday season, to making a heartfelt fabulous meal - I even used a detailed intention list to manifest my amazing husband!

The power of intention is not necessarily like handing your wish list to God and expecting it to be fulfilled(although sometimes it does seem to work this way!) It is letting the Universe know your preferences and then holding them lightly in your hand. Then allowing God do with it what He will - and handing it back in a way that is for the highest good of all concerned. Sometimes, we may get something very different than what we believe we want…and often it is so much better!

I used the power of intention constantly when I was completing my Ph.D. and as I wrote my book “Manifesting Love from the Inside Out.” I set the intention for grace, clarity of thought, and easy execution. I also set the intention for it to get into the hands of those that it could support, help and heal. However, I had no idea what that would look like. Right after my book was published, I was asked to work with some women in prison, and I was invited to make my book part of the curriculum. This was not something that was on my conscious radar, but it was of great support to many wonderful women in a way I could not have anticipated, predicted or created all on my own.

When we set intentions, we invite the power of the Universe to join with us and participate in the creation of our lives. Really, what better partner could we ever have? I have witnessed so much synchronicity, miracles and grace through this powerful, simple practice. The hardest part is just remembering to do it!

So, what are your intentions for this day, this week, for the holidays and this New Year? Play with this powerful practice a bit and let me know how things go! My intention is to connect with those who receive value, have fun, and enjoy this fantastic intention-based-adventure! Sending you blessings of a happy, grace- filled, miracle-filled, holy-day season to you!

For more about the power if intention, listen to my interview with Rosemary Sneeringer on Empower Radio! http://www.empoweradio.com/home/shows/journey-to-center/377-Journey-Center-with-Tammi-Baliszewski.html

Giving Thanks

The Holiday season is now officially underway! With Thanksgiving comes the turkey, accoutrements, family, friends and hopefully many prayers of gratitude, appreciation and thanks. Giving thanks is a quality that everyone would benefit from weaving into a daily practice and a consistent habit. According to Abraham Hicks, gratitude and appreciation are the highest of vibrations, and more akin to the energy of the Universe than even love. I know my life dramatically improved when I made the practice of gratitude more prevalent than my practice of complaining – but really, I had so much great fodder for complaint! I had been dumped, I had no job, no friends, no money, and my health was compromised. Of course I wanted to talk about that. I wanted sympathy, understanding and some help! What I did not understand at that time was what we talk about and think about is what is coming down the pike.

As I was meditating one day, I asked Spirit why my life was not going the direction I wanted it to. I “got” it was because I was looking with regret at my past instead of being optimistic about my future. I realized with crystal clear clarity, I needed to let go of my story and start a new habit - that habit was gratitude. I read that Oprah kept a gratitude journal; I figured if it was good enough for Oprah, it was good enough for me. I went and splurged on a blingy purple and pink journal and sat with it every night to consciously consider what I was grateful for. Some nights I just looked at it with tears in my eyes, life was so hard, and so confusing, it was challenging to think of things to be grateful for. However, I was consistently grateful for the beauty of the magenta and glitter; somehow it soothed and comforted me.

As I made writing in my Gratitude Journal a habit, I started to think of more and more things to be grateful for - and slowly life seemed to move in a more positive direction. I thought perhaps it was a coincidence, but did not want to take a chance and stop! I felt like the lotus reaching up through the darkness of the mud, and gratitude was my lifeline to the Light.

I have been told by teachers I respect that a new habit takes 32 days to cultivate. Now when dealing with clients who are struggling, I ask them to commit to a 32 day process of gratitude. In every situation, their lives change positively and dramatically. Gratitude is a magnetic energy and the more we consciously focus on it, the more we attract things to be grateful for. It is a simple practice that just takes practice. Gratitude an energy that opens the door to miracles, synchronicity and Divine support.

The science community is also getting on baord with the power of gratitide! It turns out, giving thanks is good for your health. A growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being. People who feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or substance abusers. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections. So, gratitude is good for us physically, mentally, emotionally, finacially and spiritually!


Here is a quote I LOVE from author Melody Beattie: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates vision for tomorrow.”

If you want more money, take time to bless and give thanks for the money you do have. If you want more love, be grateful for every drop of love you have ever given or received. If you want more miracles, be still and sit in gratitude for the miracle of your heartbeat and your breath. Meditating on the quality of gratitude, lines us up with the generous and prosperous nature of the Universe. Live with an open, grateful and receptive heart and keep your eyes open for magical and amazing things!

I now am living a life of beauty, wonder, amazing synchronicity, immense support, crazy opportunity and profound love - and I attribute it to the practice of giving thanks. Have you tried it? If you have and have a story to tell, get in touch with me and share! If you haven’t, give it a shot and let me know how it goes! Happy Thanksgiving to you and may you be blessed with grace, healing, wholeness, fulfillment, prosperity, Divine support and great love.

Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction is a powerful law of the Universe. Like gravity it is consistent, but unlike gravity we can choose to consciously work with this law - or not. However, if we DON’T work with it, we create our lives by default and end up feeling like victims.

As aspects of Divine Mind, we all have so much more power than we think. One way to start exploring this power is to create affirmations. It is a simple concept, but practice and diligence is necessary to get the best results. To put Law of Attraction in a nut shell water finds its own level and like attracts like.
You get what you put your energy and focus on, whether wanted or unwanted. The Law of Attraction is neutral.

All forms of matter and energy are attracted to that which is of a like vibration.

You are a living magnet.

Energy attracts like energy

"That which is like unto itself is drawn." Abraham-Hicks

I have been playing with affirmations and the Law of Attraction for a while. I have found I cannot have an attachment to when or how things show up. I seem to continually be surprised at the sense of humor the Universe has.

After I set the intention to be of service and be prosperous I was presented with several opportunities to do volunteer work, and other opportunities to make money. It all turned out very different than I expected.

Then I became aware that an aspect of me was still not satisfied. I was missing LA, dressing up and fine dining. So I revised my affirmation to “I am of service, I am prosperous and I am glamorous!” I didn’t really know how the glamour was going to show up, but I had fun imagining the possibilities and relaxed. Several days later I was invited to a red carpet event in LA and the following day I got a call from Vanna White. She wanted to by 10 copies of my book and invited me to the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills for lunch. As I was shopping for some new cloths, I laughed to myself and thought about how effective my new affirmation seemed to be!

Once you start to get it, the Law of Attraction can be great fun! Once you put your desires into motion and remove and dueling intentions, or blocks of unworthiness, you can sit back relax and wait for your desires to manifest.

So what exactly is the Law of Attraction formula? Here are the basic steps.

1. Ask and be clear about your desires.

2. Source says YES!

3. Relax, feel good, be grateful and graciously receive.

If inspiration “drops in” in regard to taking action steps, be prepared to do so. If something feels right, do it. Then just relax and expect great things. Feel good knowing you deserve the life of your dreams and your desires are on their way to you.

Don’t worry about if, how, when, where and what everything is going to look like. Let the Universe take care of the details and the method of delivery, when you will receive it, etc. RELAX and ALLOW. Although this may sound easy, it can often be the challenging part of the manifestation process. I call it the period of “patience and faith.” Eliminate any doubt; all you need to do is expect it. Get into the feeling state of already having it and BE GRATEFUL!

For more about the Law of Attraction and the other “Laws of the Universe,” listen to my interview on “Journey to Center” with life coach Roxy McAllister on Empower Radio. Here is the link: http://www.empoweradio.com/home/index.php?news=377
And if you would like, drop me a line and share your thoughts and stories, I would love to hear from you! You can leave a comment here or email me at j2center@gmail.com. May you be blessed with grace and ease as you manifest all of your hearts desires!