Why The Universe Is Your Bootcamp

Just when I think I've finally mastered a skill, the Universe steps in and says "Drop and give me twenty, rookie."   The issue?  Exercise and eating healthy.  My pants are starting to fit just a little more tightly than they should <ugh>.

It started with all of the travel I've been doing.  It's tough to stick with a program when I'm on the road every other week.  I'm not complaining because I LOVE to travel but I admit that I get lazy and choose to sleep in rather than hit the gym.

I also tend to enjoy my dining out options while on the road.   That means I typically eat WAY more than I should as well as enjoy an extra glass of wine or indulge in chips and margaritas at the bar for a nightcap.

Fortunately, I easily drop back into my workout routine when I'm back home, however, I've noticed that I'm starting to find reasons to eat out more and more.  I'm also noticing I'm not disciplined enough to skip the appetizer or eat only half my meal and save the other half for another time.

Where all this leads me to is the realization that eating is as much a spiritual practice as meditation and contemplation.  Just as I make a choice to spend time meditating until I've mastered the discipline to make it a regular practice, I must also make the choice to master my eating habits.

And, similar to meditation, that means slowing down as I eat, savoring each bite, being in gratitude for the delicious meal, being mindful and staying in the moment.  It also means taking a look at my food choices, eating out vs. eating at home AND questioning decisions like having an extra glass of wine.

It's interesting to look back at the practices I've developed over time.  I can see a pattern where a challenge in a certain area will cause me to dive deeper and become stronger.  That's certainly true of my prayer work and now, it's become true for my eating habits as well.

So, I'm enrolling in Bootcamp run by the Universe.  I'm taking on mastering my poor eating habits, knowing up-front it will take patience with myself if I'm too see improvement.  It will also take listening to the inner voice that knows what my body needs.  And, in that knowing of what needs to be done, the space is created to become stronger in working with the Universe rather than fight against it.

What area of YOUR life is the Universe telling you to step up and become stronger and more disciplined in?

Today, I set the intention to listen to my body and become mindful as I eat, knowing I am guided to the foods that will be best for me and the portion sizes that will be sufficient for my active life.

"Continue to declare that there were no mistakes, there are none and there never will be.  

There are no mistakes in the Divine Plan for me."  

~Ernest Holmes

"You cannot make your life move faster than it's moving.  

No matter how urgent your situation may seem to be, things are going

 to happen when they happen, not a minute sooner.  Be patient with yourself. 

 Be patient with others.  Be patient with life.  Patience always pays off."  

~Iyanla Vanzant

Affirmative Prayer:
In the stillness of this moment, there is only one Infinite Presence that I call God.  It is a love that flows through the quiet of the night and a brilliance that uplifts with the rising of the sun each day.  This Infinite Presence flows through me, reminding me that I am guided and I am guarded as Life experiences and expands through me.

And, just as an eagle soars to the greatest heights, so do I soar through my life with self-compassion and with a realization that I am worthy of the best of life.  I welcome the knowing that my challenges and my failures around my eating habits allow me to set new and perfect goals for my health.  There is an inner knowing of what my body needs to thrive and I willingly listen and make beautiful choices each morning and each night.  There is such an abundance of healthy foods and I savor each bite and affirm that my body delights in the experience of vibrants flavors and textures. In the bounty of life's gifts, I am directed to the highest and best choices for me, trusting that the Universe always has my back.

I am filled with gratitude for the amazing transformation in my life as I take responsibility for my eating habits.  And I am thankful for the power to say No when my body tells me it has had its fill.  Thank you, Spirit, for the depth of wisdom that tells me I have the discipline to make a change in my health for the better.

From this place of wisdom, I release my word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  I live from the truth that I am empowered in every area of my life.  And I let it be so.  And so it is.

Photo courtesy of Grant Frederickson/Flickr

Have a Wonderful Weekend

I just heard that this Sunday is Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.  That means each day gets a little sunnier - yay!  I'm grateful for the rain we're having in California but I love the sunshine and always count the days until spring is here.  What are you doing this weekend?  Hope its filled with the right and perfect activities for you.  And, here are a few fun and inspirational links from around the web....

Different kinds of difficulty - should you buckle down or despair?

3 things you need to stop doing to yourself when you work

Those things by which we get embarrassed 

This holiday drinking game made me smile

2 lessons that bring the joy back into giving

How writing a letter to Santa will make you more creative

7 ways to fall in love with life

10 priciest pooches to own


Besides loving the sunshine, I am also setting an intention this weekend to really focus on loving people exactly as they are.  I have to remember that it's not my job to change anyone.  Who we are is  between us and the Universe and the choices we make.

"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image.  Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."  ~Thomas Merton

Photo courtesy of Renatas/Flickr

Start Right Where You Are

With the changes happening in my career over the last year, I am being called to re-evaluate exactly what my livelihood will look like.  Taking small steps, I've kept busy with a part-time marketing role and have found that I really enjoy the work.

Last week, I was a bit sucker-punched when I learned that I may not be able to continue in that role.  Since getting that news, I turned it over to the Universe for some guidance and to prayer work to release any fears of stepping into the unknown.   There have been no big 'aha' moments, however, I am noticing an internal shift.

I am no longer holding back and questioning my abilities to handle a marketing role and develop a program.  Instead, I am breaking down walls that I have built which told me I didn't have the skill set or the background to step into a different career.

And, at the deepest level, I notice feelings of ambition that drive me to expand on what I'm doing currently.  Of course, I've set the stage so that, if I'm not the perfect fit, the programs in place can be transitioned to someone else.

In the meantime, my strategy is to keep pushing forward as if I am the Director of Marketing for the firm.  In doing so, I am discovering an internal joy that has me feeling as if I am exactly where I should be in the work I'm doing.  

I know that every situation in our lives is leading and directing us to create a life where we thrive.  And I trust in this feeling of being right where I should be because I am the only one who knows my truth.  It's in something as simple as starting right where we are that reveals our unique and perfect place in the Universe.

So, where are YOU making changes in your life because it just feels right?  

Today, I set the intention to remember that I am the creator of my life, trusting in my inner wisdom to guide and direct my actions, making space for my true talents and livelihood to be revealed.

"We are called, each of us, to discover our inner splendor and to express it fully in our lives.  

Every event in life is a call for something within to come forth into expression."  

~Rev. Dr. Jim Lockard 

"Do not compare, do not measure.  No other way is like yours.  

All other ways deceive and tempt you.  You must fulfill the way that is in you." 

~Carl Jung

Affirmative Prayer:
There is a joy in this moment that reveals the presence of the Eternal Spirit.  It is a feeling of grace, infinite and generous.  It is an Infinite Intelligence that is pure and whole, beautiful and wondrous.

This feeling of beauty and wonder reaches out and reminds me that I am one with this Infinite Intelligence.   I am the compassion and creativity that expresses in amazing ways.  I am energized and moved forward by a Source that knows only good and right and perfect for my life.

Diving deeper into this moment, a feeling of sweet happiness runs through me.  I celebrate the revealing of my unique gifts and talents, knowing that I have the skills needed to move into a new and amazing career.  Each day is filled with opportunity and success as life flows through me into perfect expression.  I am compensated well for my work and embrace the prosperity and abundance that comes from doing work that brings me joy.  I let go of any struggle and I accept where I am now as my right and perfect place.

I am filled with gratitude for the light that shines and guides my choices.  I am created to thrive and am thankful for the experiences in life that reveal that reality.  And I give thanks for the possibility of perfect work that is uncovered by taking one small step at a time.

Surrendering to the Allness of Life, I release this prayer to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  Life is filled with purpose and dreams.  And I let it be so.  And so it is.

Photo courtesy of LUZ-2011/Flickr

Jealousy

Jealousy.  For me, it's a feeling like the green-eyed monster has sucker-punched me in the gut.  And - that's what I'm experiencing right now.

What I can't figure out is where this jealousy is coming from.  What I do know is that I have felt less than successful in my work life.  Currently, I'm working part-time handling marketing for a small business.  The business is doing well and is continuing to expand.  I'm longing to be part of the expansion and contribute to its growing success.

What I also know is that my boss is looking for someone to take over a piece of marketing that I thought was an area I could handle.  To be fair, it's a new marketing skill and I would have a learning curve, however, I was ready to find a good mentor and cultivate my weak areas.

I had embraced this new position and ideas were running through my head, just waiting for the go-ahead.  Then, today, the search for the 'someone else' was moved up and I likely have 6-months until my role is reduced.

As I look at it, I believe I might be jealous of this new person who is not even a reality yet.  So, what do I do with that?  Is this somehow a sacred learning moment that I'm totally missing?

When I ask this question of the Universe, the answer that springs from within is to use this to create my own version of becoming a success in marketing.  That might be in my current role with my current boss or that might lead me to something completely new.

So, I feel mad.  And, I feel confused.  But, most of all, a feeling of uncertainty overtakes me.

Is this really the direction I want to take my career?

Is this something I can be great at?

What am I going to have to sacrifice to follow this path?

At this point - in the uncertainty - it seems I am being called to trust the process.  To sit and imagine and dream what success in this role would look like.  To take action steps and embrace the journey.  To be okay with the fear of failure and remain open to receiving guidance from Life.

And, in this moment of small revelations, I place my faith in the knowing that Life wants me to be successful.  So, I gather my courage and decide that I'm willing....

So, what area of YOUR life are you feeling uncertain or jealous or fearful?  And how can you use that to create something even better than you can imagine?

Today, I set the intention to acknowledge the feeling of jealousy and use it to help me create my own version of a successful life.

"Fear is the insidious belief that there is something that God cannot do or 

does not know.  Fear not!  No matter what you are experiencing, you

 cannot lose because help is on the way." 

~Iyanla Vanzant

"Listen - are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?"  

~Mary Oliver

Affirmative prayer:
Turning within, there is the recognition of Spirit at the center of all that is.  It is joy and peace in the stillness of this moment.  It is the Infinite Presence of Source that is everywhere, always, just as the sun rises and sets each day; a Presence that is guiding, guarding, protecting and directing.

I am one with this Infinite Presence that I call God.  There is nothing I experience that is not touched by the rays of peace and joy as they surround me, moving through me and as me.

Staying in the stillness and the pure feeling of love, I release any heaviness in my heart, any confusion and need to figure things out.  Instead, I welcome the strength that reminds me that success is my Divine birthright.  I say Yes! to success and affirm that the greatest version of me is still to come.  And in this knowing, happiness exudes from me as I allow myself to receive only the best Life is offering.

I give thanks for the Infinite Wisdom that shows me my good, each and every day.  I say Thank You, Spirit, as I share my gifts and talents and see the blessings flowing as effortlessly as water flows to the stream.  And I am grateful that I can follow my heart and see that my journey here is beautiful.

Rejoicing in these blessings, I release my word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  My good is right here, right now.  And I let it be so.  And so it is.

Photo courtesy of Kris Williams/Flickr