A Full Life, A Slower Day

Life has gotten fuller these days, busier and in some ways more complicated. Yet I do not feel overwhelmed or in a state of chaotic energy. I cannot help but think about times in the past when I was busy, but overwhelmed. Life was full and chaotic and I just needed things to sllllllloooooow down. SO what is different this time around. Surely, part of the difference is within me. I know over the past year I have changed greatly in how I am viewing things around me. I stand back and keep a purposeful difference energetically between me and the situation so that I can better assess it and find my truth. It is important to have a place of pause before we step forward into action. It gives us time to pull our wisdom and previous experience out of our back pocket and find what feels right, true and most meaningful for the moment.

So what else has changed? Applying this moment of pause means my decisions are better balanced. It means I have less wasted energy spent throughout my day. It means I have meaningful and enriching relationships with people around me and those are the relationships I nurture, not the unhealthy ones that bleed me dry!

Another thing that has changed is because I am living this way, it is being modeled to those around me and not surprisingly, being mirrored back. We are all each others teacher, so it only makes sense that when someone sees a positive shift in your life, they are going to take a look at what you are doing differently, and perhaps even try it on for size themselves.

So I move through my days a bit more gracefully now, I pause when I need to, I give myself permission to say, “I will have to get back to you on that” when I need to. It has had a very positive impact and I plan to keep going in this direction. There are still places on my daily path that have some stumbling stones I catch myself on from time to time. Now I have the space to work on those.

Life is good when you give yourself the time to notice!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

It Is A Good Morning

It is 4 am and I am wide awake. My day is about to begin and I am thinking of what the new beginnings will look like for me today. It is a Friday, what some hold as the end of their week, the beginning of their weekend. For me it is a day perfect for a fresh start. I can leave behind any baggage from yesterday, any unresolved expectations. I can bring fresh new energy into the day and take on any unfinished business with a clean slate, a beautiful new beginning and breathe new life into it. Being conscious means we are in a constant flow of change. Every moment affords us that choice. We can choose how we relate to a person in our life, a situation at our workplace or even our feelings over a task at hand. When I live like this it gives me the chance to let go, to release and to replace and renew. This is important to me. It means I don’t let drama fill my moments. It means I don’t have to be stuck. It means I have choices in life even in things beyond my control.

If I believe that I am a constantly evolving person, which I do, then it is important that I live this way. How can I evolve if I keep holding on to feelings, beliefs or reactions to yesterday’s news? I have to start fresh and leave room for the change of who I am and who I am becoming. My soul needs the room to grow. I need the space within my heart to expand and contract as needed.

I began today with a ritual I often do. I stood before my altar, a sacred place I have created for my personal connection to Spirit, and I visualize myself putting any unresolved or unnecessary parts of the past that I may be holding onto into a bowl of water I have on the altar. Whatever is not going to serve me here in this moment goes in the bowl. I trust that Spirit will point out to me things I need to keep close, that are still works in progress, things I need to address to move forward, but the rest go in the bowl. In the water they are cleansed, they are safe for the time being, for when I am instructed to go back and take another look, but I don’t have the burden of carrying them around with me. I can use my energies elsewhere!

This morning in a journey one of my spirit guides showed me a tiny seed from a flower, it had a bit of fluff attached that helped it to be carried in the breeze. The flower had released it, let it go, without worry. This seed may land somewhere and take root, it may be eaten up by a bird, or it may be lost in the wind and never reach the rich soil it needs. The flower does not hold onto this worry. It does not spend any energy towards that part of the process. It has sat in the sun and bloomed, soaked up the rain and grew, and when the time was right, released the seed…which no longer served it and trusted that part of the process. Life will take it from there.

SO whether it be a seed or a burden, I begin each day letting go, making room, with a clean slate and a fresh start. New beginnings flourish here. Newness is added to my world this way. Sometimes it takes courage, sometimes it takes effort to let go, other times it is with great relief. But always, it creates possibilities for the greatest potential. What a magnificent way to start a day!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

You Can Stop Caring

You can stop caring. Really it is o.k. The world will not come to an end. I promise. Stop caring about what, you ask? Well, for starters, let me share with you a few things that I have decided I will no longer care about. Let’s see if you agree. I have stopped caring about what everyone thinks of me. Other’s opinions do not matter so much to me anymore. I enjoy my friendships, my family’s love and relationships I have with others, but if you choose to say something about me and if you share your thoughts about me...it just is not that important to me. What has become important to me is what I think about myself. I have learned my thoughts can create my reality. So I pay close attention to what I am thinking about myself, how I am judging myself and if I am honoring myself.

I have also stopped caring about being perfect. It is an imaginary state anyway. Being perfect is impossible. Perfectionists also have a very difficult time getting anything done. It is hard to start new projects and even more challenging to finish them. Why? Because nothing is ever perfect or good enough. I have also discovered that I have some of my best life lessons when I mess up. Through my mistakes and shortcomings, I find my strengths or vulnerabilities. I learn who I am.

I have also stopped caring about things that are beyond my control. This is a fact of life I have finally come to terms with. It is the best thing I can do to prevent myself from wasting my energies or my talents. I have released the frustration and inertia that comes from being in this state! When I am faced with something that is beyond my control and I feel myself beginning to stress, I put my energies into shifting my perspective. Now, that I can take part of and care about. It leads me to a place of forward movement and helps me to decide what I will do next.

I have learned to live in the moment. To do that, I had to stop doing certain things before I could have new beginnings. These are just a few, but they were biggies for me. How about you? What can you stop caring about? How will your life be different if you do?

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Connecting to Source

How do you connect to source? Do you have personal rituals that you use to bring you from the busy-ness of the outer world to the calm and peace filled inner world? I have over the years found that my connections change as I evolve in my spirituality. But there is one constant that has always remained. I find my best connection to source is through my connection with nature. Whenever I step out of doors, my soul begins to resonate. My breathing deepens, my senses awaken, my step becomes lighter and more intentional as I connect to the earth. I find that during those times of confusion, foggy brain, or overwhelm, the best “medicine” I can give myself is a pause and a moment to connect with Mother Earth. Clarity returns, a calm enters my soul, and perspective shifts.

I have no favorite season, as some do. I find delight in the first neon green shoots that begin to show after days of mud forming rain. I am tickled with delight each summer as flowers magically bloom and awaken with the most vibrant colors. I am invigorated by the first frost of autumn and feel the celebration within me as I look back over the year at all the abundance in my life. And there is absolutely nothing more exquisite to me than a walk in freshly fallen snow under the stars and the moon; my soul sings!

I have learned so many of my life lessons from Spirit come through this connection to nature. I have learned to study the animals for their attributes and offerings of insight and how they can be applied to my life. Watching hawk, for example, has taught me that intention and keen vision are imperative to my path in moving forward with integrity. Observing spider has taught me the delicacy of strength from her web building as well as the importance of the energies of connection.

I have also discovered that honoring the plants around me supports my connection as well. Working in a garden, nurturing plants from seedlings to full maturity offers me opportunities to practice perseverance, to be mindful and attentive, to be appreciative of even the smallest bit of growth and to celebrate the harvest of my efforts.

My creativity awakens when I am outdoors. My mind becomes fluid with words and images. My voice longs to break into song. My body finds its grace and rhythm in every movement. My heart beats stronger and resonates to the pulse of the earth.

My spiritual connection is multifaceted and transcends what my everyday brings to me. I cherish this relationship. Much like the ways in which I have learned to respect my body temple, I have learned how to honor my connection with spirit. I do not take it for granted and I make a point of “checking in” daily to make sure that it is being nurtured, celebrated and valued.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade