Day Four

Today was Yom Kippur.  Traditionally on Yom Kippur we fast.  My Rabbi says we fast to remind ourselves that we depend on G-d for everything. 

This is a particularly thoughtful theme for me during my 30-day experiment.  

When you are in survival mode, it’s easy to think that there is something that you can do to save yourself in the eleventh hour.  After all, you’re probably a “survivor” because of your clever thinking and the sheer determination of your will.  Right?

I like to think of it as having a back-up plan, in case G-d or the Universe or Source or whatever you may call it, doesn’t “come through” for you. 

Of course, there is a lot of funny irony in this equation. 

It’s not like it’s not all G-d anyway.  (But aren’t we clever at thinking G-d is this capricious Being somewhere “out there”?)

And, of course, G-d “comes through” for you every time, exactly the way you intended.

Our entire experience in this focused reality is a result of our intention and attention. When we hold a belief that we have to endure and struggle and work really, really hard to pull off a “last minute miracle” and we behave according to this belief, we EASILY manifest exactly what we have been focusing on.

Think about it.

What is hard to make it sooo hard?

NO. 

It was easy to struggle.  It was the expected outcome, yes?

The whole process of creation works consistently in a formulaic manner. 

Ask.

Believe.

Take Action. 

Receive.

Ask for what you want.  Believe you can have it.  Take guided action to get it.  Receive it.

And in the meantime, focus on all the good you have in your life and find constant evidence of your abundance in each moment.  (In other words, be happy.)

I must confess that there is a part of me that kind of likes chaos and disaster.  I like experiences that force me to stretch and test my faith in G-d. 

When I am surviving, I can get myself into such messes that I don’t have a clue how to get myself out of.  It is under these extreme circumstances that I have mastered the art of getting on my knees and surrendering to my Creator. 

When I don’t know how to fix a problem, the only thing I can do is turn to a power greater than me and let the Divine Plan find the most elegant solution.  (With, of course, the expectation that there IS a solution.)

I noticed this recently about myself.  I was facing an extreme circumstance that I did not know how to fix and I really ENJOYED the feeling of surrendering the outcome.

I felt closer to G-d in my moments of panic than I do in my every day life. 

I think that the difference between a “survivor” and a “thriver” is that a “thriver” feels closer to G-d in every day moments and understands that G-d is all there is and all there is is G-d. 

Therefore, a “thriver” is much more comfortable getting on their knees and allowing the Divine Plan to unfold on a moment-by-moment basis than a “survivor”.

As a “thriver”, each moment is sacred and an opportunity to allow for a more “elegant” unfolding of the human experience.

It doesn’t mean that I have to give up my will or my human actions.  I still have to “move the mud”, so to speak. 

But I do have the opportunity to listen more intently, appreciate more deeply, and honor each act (even the really simple ones…) as sacred. 

It also means that if I can realize that G-d can provide an elegant solution in my darkest hours, imagine what elegance is available to me on a daily basis. 

Perhaps, when I have ignored G-d in my daily moments, I have shut myself off from fulfilling a potential that would assist me in creating a truly thriving life.  And be of great service to my Divine Siblings.

What if I could truly embrace and act upon the sanctity of each moment of this very precious life I have?

I end my third day with a profound gratitude for the magnificence of each moment and the power, compassion and love that is constantly and consistently available to us. 

I am eagerly anticipating the adventure of living my expanded potential and celebrating the preciousness of each moment.

Thriving.

Love,

Karen

Day Three

One of the things I noticed about having been in "survival mode" for so long is that I missed a lot of details.  My focus has been on getting to the other side and while I was leaping valiantly (and desperately) to the finishing mark, I missed a lot of the juicy things that make this gift of life soooo precious.

It really hit me hard this summer as I watched my oldest son walk across the stage and graduate from high school.  I was holding my three week old newborn daughter in my arms and the perspective was so extreme.

In that one moment my son's life flashed before me, baby grins, a head full of blond baby curls, his first words, his four-year-old swagger ("I know everything..."), when he first started reading and how proud he was of the first movie he made....all that and so much more....and I realized I had missed volumes of his life.  

I mean, my body was there.  But, I was absent.  I was focused on the next thing I needed to survive to make sure that HE survived....

I don't want to miss any more of my life or the lives of the people I am so blessed to share this journey with.  

Yesterday my intention was to focus on appreciation and gratitude for everything in my life.  

As I started my gratitude list, I realized it was too long....more that I could ever complete in one day.....

So I decided to break the process up into smaller bites.  Each day I intend to focus my gratitude on one specific area of my life.  

Today I am focusing on my gratitude for the people in my life. 

I wish I could adequately express the huge swelling of my heart and the overwhelm of deep love and appreciation I am feeling right now as I offer my appreciation for all the people who have graced my life and for those rare, beautiful souls who bring me such joy and love every day of my life...even when our interactions seem mundane...their voices, their words, their love, their support...their smiles and laughs...all seem so sacred to me....                               

I pray that if you choose to complete this process for yourself, you will discover how deeply and truly blessed and loved you are.

Tomorrow I intend to focus on remembering that G-d is the Provider of Everything.

So Very, Very Grateful....

Love,

Karen 

Day Two

Day Two of my 30 day well-being experiment was full of opportunities to grow and expand. 

I have five children.  One of them is a twelve-year-old daughter.  We are in a powerful co-creative phase at the moment where we are using a lot of contrast to help us redefine our relationship. 

I know that I committed staying in the flow of well-being.  And I know that in order to create the types of relationships that I desire, I have to focus on what is working and what I love and appreciate about the person(s) I am in relationship with.  

(I used to actually teach this technique when I taught “Parent-Teen Communication” classes.)

So, I have spent a lot of time these last 24 hours, looking at baby photographs of my 12 year-old daughter and noticing all the things I love and appreciate about her:

I love the way her face is gently changing into the face of a young woman and the brightness of her eyes.  I love the way she approaches everything with an unparalleled intensity.  I love her gentle, extremely generous heart and the way she wants to nurture those she perceives as less fortunate.  I love her quick mind.

I love the way she made me a beautiful bubble bath last weekend and babysat the baby so that I could take a 20-minute bath.

She is an amazing kid. 

I learned a couple of things these last 24 hours:

1.  There are some pretty dark, very quiet, consistent counter-productive thought patterns that seem to always be gently streaming through my consciousness.  I notice them when I am doing seemingly “mindless” things like drive. 

2.  It’s much, much easier now than it has been in the past to immediately shift my focus and energy to other thoughts, especially when I ask myself the question, “What would I like to be experiencing instead?”

3.  I have become keenly aware that I need to adopt a much more deliberate practice of appreciation.

4.  There are a lot of areas where I have emotional and mental “dead space” when it comes to knowing or even having an inkling of what I want.  

5.  In just about any given moment I have a choice to appreciate and grow into an experience that I intend or to experience contrast.  I thought the contrast would be less frequent and maybe with more intention it will become that way but today contrast happened every hour.

6.  I don’t have to blame myself or feel like I’m screwing up when contrast happens.  I just have to remember to gently shift my focus. 

Tomorrow I intend to continue on this journey.  My biggest intention is to spend the day deeply immersed in appreciation.  

I am so grateful for this knowledge and the adventure of remembering the power we all carry inside of us!

Love,

Karen

 

The 30 Day Program (For your personal invitation, scroll down to the previous post)

For the next 30 days try this:

1.  Stay focused on what you DO want in your life.

2.  Stay focused on what IS working in your life.

3.  If you feel stress, fear, anxiety or any other intense "yucky" emotions, ask yourself what you'd like to be experiencing instead and shift your focus THERE.

4.  Express your gratitude and appreciation for everything in your life.  If you need to, make lists of things you are grateful for.  This is especially powerful when you feel "yucky".

5.  If you want to know WHY you should try this 30 day experiment go here:

http://www.insidethebodyofgod.com

30 Days...Day One

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like I'm back-sliding on this "enlightened" journey that I keep intending to be on.

There is a distinct difference between surviving and thriving.  

I'm very good at surviving.  I am excellent at pulling a metaphorical "rabbit out of a hat" in the eleventh hour of any crisis.  I pride myself in saving my own butt at the last minute.

But, surviving seems to be taking a toll on me.  The thrill and the adrenaline rush of last minute butt-saving is exhausting, and frankly, I'm bored with the suffering in between all the eleventh hours.  

I want to thrive.  I want all those things I dream about but then get distracted from, because suddenly I'm experiencing crisis again, to become a part of my reality.  I'm tired of getting close to my dreams but not actually being able to fully manifest them.

I think, for the first time in my life, I am really ready to have it all.  

And I know that in order for me to truly experience everything I desire, I have to give up my addiction to surviving.

Think about it.  If where you put your energy and attention is where you get growth and results in your life and you are focusing all of your attention and emotions on the drama of surviving, what are you going to keep growing in your life?

More things to survive, yes?

Ugh.

I have read in many different books written by some of the most wonderful leading-edge teachers.  They all say the same thing.

This is an attraction based universe.  We attract to ourselves in accordance with our attention. In other words, what we focus on, we live out in our reality.

Many teachers say that if we would just focus on what IS working in our lives, what we INTEND for our lives and stay in a space of appreciation for what we already have for just 30 days, we would see RADICAL shifts in our reality.  

We would be thriving.

I'm ready to really give this a try.  In fact, I've been doing this for almost four hours now and I am laughing at myself because, even though the concept is so EASY, applying it seems so challenging.

Obviously, I am paying strong attention to the thoughts that are dancing across my brain and I'm telling you, folks, some of them aren't pretty.

And I can tell that some of these thoughts have been dancing around pretty regularly in my head...

Each minute I am recommitting to my 30 day program.

Since I like doing things with other like-minded people and I am blessed to have so many wonderful, amazing Light Beings on my mailing list, I thought I would invite you to join me on this 30 plan.

Here is my intention.  For the next thirty days I will blog daily about my 30-day experiment.  I invite you to join in and post your comments and experiences.  

I want you to share all the aspects of your journey.  If it feels hard on a particular day, then be honest with it and let's work together to stay on track.  If you're having an incredible day, then share it with us, too!  We'll celebrate together!

I've written the number "30" on the back of my hand with a black felt tip marker.  Having a physical reminder helps me keep my intention focused.  

I'm looking forward to hearing your stories and sharing your successes!  

Bring it on!  

Let's thrive!

Love,

Karen