If Not Now, When!

Toward the end of 2015 I watched a clip of Oprah Winfrey announcing she was joining Weight Watchers. Winfrey basically said that she was not going to dwell on any past failures because each of those “failures” led her to where she was today. Her decision was steered by one thought, “if not now, when?”

Pic from our family vacation, Malibu, CA

Since we are almost half-way through the year I ask that you take stock of your year thus far. Starting today, take notice of what improvements you’ve made--no matter how big or small. Leave behind any feelings of disappointment for all the things you haven’t yet achieved. But most of all, understand that if you tried to make a change and you haven’t succeeded yet, all is not lost.

Whether you can see it or not, progress was made. A seed was planted. Now it’s time to cultivate. Reassess your goals, set deadlines and make an action plan that will thrust you straight into seeing results. Furthermore, don’t discount the changes or the progress that you have made. Sometimes you don’t even realize how much progress you’ve made because you’re focused on the BIG goal. It is wise to sit down and begin to take note of all the ways in which your life has changed for the better. For example, if your goal was to get healthy, have you improved in at least one area? Say, are you now down from five sodas to one. In order to stay on track it is important to notice all the ways in which you are moving toward your goal.

In my own life I can see progress (I can see it because I’m looking):

Being healthy and active is now a regular part of my life, not something I wish for.

I traveled (got on  a plane again and didn’t let past fears stop me)

I completed my 2^nd novel, and got feedback from literary agents (this one, I’m especially proud of. I’ve only been writing since 2009 and when I send my queries out my heart is my throat. So when I finally get feedback, when they actually request my manuscript, words cannot express the relief and joy I feel at knowing that I am growing. I am changing. I am progressing.)

Had I focused on things like: well I’m still not working-out five days a week. Or I only traveled once this year. Or I still don’t have a publishing deal; I would be missing out on seeing all the good that’s happened. Focus is everything!

As I usually do, I will ask you to take the challenge of taking your life into your own hands. Take whatever steps necessary to reach your goals. Start by focusing on how great you really are: because if not now, then when?

Till Next Time.

My husband and me loving our time together at Malibu, CA

 

How to Feel ALIVE and BALANCED in Minutes

When something in my life is not exactly the way I pictured it would be, it throws me completely off. And when I’m derailed, everything suffers, including my health. I’m not sure about you, but when I get like this, I need to remedy it quickly. I am so uncomfortable that it feels like I can’t be inside my body. It’s like I don’t fit. I get constant headaches, and every single bone in my body hurts. So needless to say I search for ways to get out of it quickly.

The thing I have found that works like a charm is meditation! But wait, before you stop reading, you should really give it a shot. I know you’ve heard it before, and perhaps you’ve tried it and thought "this is not for me," but I disagree. Meditation is for everyone. There’s no way it can’t be.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m fairly new at meditating, therefore, I still need a little guidance, so I use guided meditation. I've had a really difficult month, and during my month from hell, I meditated every day, but in the last week, I didn’t just meditate, I listen to a Chakra Clearing meditation. And let me tell you! I FEEL ALIVE!!!

For those of you who don’t know anything about “chakras” here’s a brief explanation as defined by a Mind Body Green article “The 7 Chakras for Beginners,” “The seven chakras are the centers in our bodies in which energy flows though”.  When any one of these points is blocked, it could cause major problems in our bodies and mind.

So knowing this, I immediately turned to handy-dandy YouTube and searched for a “chakra clearing” meditation. And I found many, but I’ve been listening to this one Before Sleep | Spoken Guided Meditation | Chakra Alignment | Chakra Balance . And Wow does this work! After several days of using this method I began to feel better, not just mentally but physically.  During the clearing I was able to do things that I couldn’t do while I was “awake”.  I was able to send my troubles away by sending forgiveness.  

For me, this seems to be one of the things I struggle with the most: forgiving others who I feel has wronged me or someone that I love. But, in my meditated state I could see the amazing benefits of forgiveness and I wanted to reap the benefits. I wanted release from the pain and anguish. I wanted happiness again, and the weight to be lifted from my shoulders. I wanted peace. And in my experience, forgiveness is the only way to achieve this.  Forgiveness doesn’t have to be this difficult impossible thing to give, after all, forgiveness doesn’t mean that you accept what a person has done to you. Forgiveness, as I see it, means you no longer choose to carry the other person’s burden. Forgiving someone means you set it down, and move on with your happy life.

I hope my experience with meditation has sparked some curiosity in you and you try it for yourself. If you do and it helps, feel free to share your experience with me. I'd love to hear from you!

 

Till Next Time!