Tag Archives: Lifestyle

Inspiration

Pests or Purses?

PursesRecently I’ve spotted a couple scary looking millipede-esq bugs creeping around the corners of the ceiling in my new apartment.  These bugs aren’t new to me, they’re everywhere in Chicago.  I even had them in my old apartment, but they are relatively harmless and only show up one at a time.  As some of you might know, I have a history with bug infestation, and thankfully this is not one of those situations.  After living through a real infestation, the occasional bug isn’t too disturbing to me.  At least, that is what I have been telling myself.

The reality of the situation is that since I have seen a few of these bugs I now am looking for them.  I scan the walls to check if there are any creepy crawlers.  The law of attraction is a powerful tool, whether used consciously or not.  So how do I let go of this new, yet ever so familiar, neurosis?  Surrender can transform any situation, but the way I scan the room makes it clear that I haven’t surrendered.  Which is why I’ve decided to replace what I’m looking for.

Recently I’ve been attracted to metallic purses.  I made the decision, that every time my eyes drift towards the ceiling I’m going to replace the image of my many-legged nemesis with the image of a beautiful silver purse.  Yes, this sounds silly, but it is transforming an unpleasant situation containing the burden of past experience, to a pleasant experiment in manifestation.  Will my silver purse actually find its way into my life?  Whether it shows up physically or not, the living room of my mind is free of infestation and filled with beauty.

What negative situations are you unconsciously looking for?  Whether it is a worry situation, a negative self-image, or the oh so common “waiting for the other shoe to drop in times of joy” syndrome, see what you can replace with a positive image or thought.  Nothing will be lost by replacing these negative thoughts, which pretend to be all-important, besides the negative outcomes they create.  What can be gained?  The only way to find out is to give it a try.

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spirituality

Are you giving away what you don’t have?

GiftsYesterday I cited the old adage, “The more you give, the more you get.”  While this is true, it requires a disclaimer: you can only give what you have.  In concrete terms, this means that if you are giving away heaps of money on a credit card, money that you don’t actually possess, then you will not end up receiving.  Instead, that which you borrowed will end up being taken from you one way or another.  Part of the accumulation of financial debt is simply giving what you do not have.

This principle also operates in relationships.  If you are always trying to help others, give them advice and a shoulder to cry on, but never ask for assistance yourself, you are giving away what you don’t have.  I love the way Brené Brown put it when talking to Oprah about giving and receiving help: if you give help freely, but consider yourself a person that doesn’t ask for help, then every time you are giving help to someone you are judging them.  You are saying, “It is okay for you to ask for help, but not me.  I’m not the kind of person that does that.”  To give genuinely, you must first possess.

This also comes up in love relationships.  I’ve heard many times that you must first love yourself before you love others.  But what does that actually mean?  To figure that out I look at the way I treat myself.  When I forgive myself for making mistakes, have compassion for my shortcomings, comfort myself in times of grief, and let myself laugh and be joyful every single day, I can see that I am truly loving myself.  It is a lot easier to refrain from criticizing your partner for gaining a couple pounds, than it is yourself.  That is where the practice of loving yourself comes in.  The more compassion you can exercise on yourself, the more genuinely your compassion will be experienced by others.

Yesterday at the grocery store my thoughts attempted to gain my attention by worrying about the price of my groceries.  Worry is a common pattern for the mind.  But going into the grocery store I knew I had enough money in my bank account to buy groceries.  I knew that I wasn’t borrowing money from the credit card company that I didn’t already have at my disposal.  Of course, that doesn’t matter to the mind, which attempts to use any situation to place itself firmly at the center of your attention, often through negative reactions. So I allowed myself to enjoy the exchange of giving and receiving.

The first step in giving is to check your bank account.  How much love do you have in your bank account?  How much gratitude?  How much forgiveness?  Your funds will only be depleted if you are giving what you don’t have.  Start with yourself.  Practice gratitude and self-forgiveness.  If it is physical money that is an issue for you in the exchange of energy, create some savings; pay yourself before you pay everyone else.  Whether physical or spiritual, you can only give what you already have.  And once you have, and start becoming part of the exchange, there is no end to the growth of giving and receiving you can experience.

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Inspiration

Lighten Up!

As I stood in the line at the grocery store today I felt the tug of worry on my attention saying, “I wonder how much this is all going to cost.  What if it is more than I expected?  Will I be able to afford it?”  I smiled at the thoughts; they jockey so diligently for their position in my attention.

Smiling at yourself helps take away the seriousness of the constant stream of mind, which often turns to negative scenarios when left to its own devices.  I decided to choose a different reaction, rather than falling back on the comfortable pattern of worry.  I chose to be grateful that I was taking place in the exchange.

The more you give the more you receive; every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  So as I paid for my groceries I smiled.  Not only did the smile lead to a nice exchange with the man checking out the groceries, but it made me feel lighthearted and grateful to take part in the cycle of giving and receiving.  Lightening up leads to more joy, more reasons to smile.  I hope this video gives you as much joy and lightheartedness as it gave me!

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Inspiration

What are you looking for?

While this video originally served as a PSA for being aware of cyclists, and is absolutely hilarious, I found it to contain a great spiritual truth.  That is, if you aren’t looking for something, you are not going to see it.  When creating the reality you desire the first step is deciding what you are looking for.  Is it a compliment?  A deep conversation?  A Buggati?  Whatever it is you currently desire, look for it everywhere.  Don’t decide where the best place to look for it is.  Look up at the sky, look at the train passing by, look over your shoulder at the grocery store.  You don’t have to come up with the “how,” all you have to do is decide what you are searching for and go out there expecting to see it everywhere!

Thanks Marc and Angel Hack Life for sharing this video!

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Inspiration

Football as Spiritual Practice

Bears FootballThere was a buzz in the air of Chicago Sunday morning.  Football season had begun.  Yesterday was a great day for Bears fans. We won our game, and the Packers lost theirs.  Personally, I have never felt compelled by football.  That was until yesterday.

My boyfriend was so overjoyed all day, and I as I watched the multitude of fans on TV cheering from the stands I saw football in a new way.  Football has no utilitarian purpose.  It isn’t a necessity for survival. (Although I know some who would disagree.)  Football is a game.  And people love watching games.  They are full of joy.  While some describe it as an escape, I would venture to say that football is as real as any other aspect of life.  Humans brush their teeth, we eat food, we build ourselves shelters.  Games, art, creativity, and playing around are integral aspects to the human experience.  Our minds tell us that joy is not as important as survival.  This is because the mind doesn’t experience joy; you experience joy.  Meanwhile, survival thoughts are very real to the thinking mind, which thinks it has to control its environment to survive, that it has to fight and work hard.

Those thoughts are all very productive at providing momentum for the thinking mind.  Joy is not.  Often in moments of joy our minds become still, with all of our attention placed on the present moment experience.  These moments make being alive feel “worth it.”  Has the voice in your head ever questioned you when you decided to relax and do something purely for enjoyment?  Perhaps you sat down to read a book or listen to music, and your mind said something like, “You shouldn’t be doing this right now.  You have so much to do.”  Even though our thoughts are convinced those “other things” are more important than an experience of joy, we don’t have to buy into it.

I’m going to do an experiment, and I invite you to join in with me if it speaks to you.  Be alert the next time you do something just for yourself, with no end goal or purpose besides enjoyment.   If the voice in your head attempts to sabotage that joy, see what happens if you don’t take it seriously.  Maybe even smile or laugh at the thoughts trying to convince you there isn’t enough time for enjoyment.  After all, you cannot waste time.  Past and future exist for us right now as thoughts in our heads.  The only moment you’ll ever have to actually live through and experience is the present moment, right now.  And you have all the now in the world.

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