Blog Archives

I Am That, I Am

5/30/2017

I recently watched a documentary called The Moses Code. It was very intriguing and I would definitely recommend it. The documentary dissects the phrase "I am that, I am" from Exodus 3:14 where God reveals himself to Moses through the sign of a burning bush. Moses asks God what his name is and God responds, "I am that, I am".

I wrote a blog post on this subject back in July of 2015, but I wanted to revisit it and share with you some of what I learned from the documentary.

The phrase...I am that, I am...means that God is in everything. I am in that. I am that. Everywhere you see, you see me. It's God saying, I am every that, that there is.

We are the embodiment of God. The documentary suggests that there are 3 Keys to experiencing the embodiment of God.

G - giving

It is in giving that we receive. That which we give to the world you get back to yourself. We want to give as God gives...without expectation without wanting anything in return. Just to connect with another person.

In the documentary it states that, "If it is something that you feel that you lack then the very giving it to others is what causes you to realize that you've had it all along." Ultimately, giving and receiving are one. It is a cycle, the more you give the more you receive.

The documentary also discusses how the word service is often misunderstood in our culture. We confuse the term service with something negative, we look at it as servant or servitude. We consider it to be offensive and demeaning.

As Michael Bernard Beckwith says, "Greatness is your capacity and your willingness to be of service. Service to what? Service to love, service to peace, service to beauty, service to God, service to joy."

O - oneness

Per The Moses Code, "We are at one with God and we are at one with each other. People see the world through the filter of separation. Everything is connected. There is a unified field and we are all the embodiment of God."

When you live in the ego you live in a sense of fear and survival and competition. We live in a world of separation, a world of survival of the fittest. We compete instead of collaborate. We feel there is scarcity and that in order to survive we have to be better and do better than everyone else. We are taught to say I am not that.

The Moses Code says, "We have to be lovers of humanity and we have to be lovers of ourselves and even seek to love that with which your ego would say I can't love that. Go within and embrace it. You might ask yourself how can I embrace murderers and rapists. Ask yourself what might have caused them to be like that? What kind of person would be a rapist? They are wounded and maybe sick people. Go within yourself we all have wounds, we all have some sickness. We all have parts of our self that are wounded and hurtful and twisted. And even if we would like to fit into the egos ideal of being perfect, we are not, we are all that there is. When we can open our hearts and have compassion for parts of ourselves that might wound others and praise that we are both human and divine."

D - destiny

Destiny is about uncovering your calling, your purpose. Once you give and you understand your oneness then you find your destiny. It's calling you to a greater degree of service. The call to make a difference for good.

The Moses Code says, "Every time you say 'I am' you are creating a movement. The creative energy of God. When we enact creation we are emulating the creator and then we feel love, we feel good, we feel expanded. You know you are on track by the aliveness that you feel. It's the 18 inch journey from the head to the heart."

It's all about what you choose to focus on. Make sure that it's something that matters, something that is meaningful.

A powerful breathing exercise that you can practice is… Imagine what you want to be, do or have and then say "I am that" on the inhale and on the exhale say "I am". When we repeat things we encode them into our consciousness and begin the process of rewiring our brain. The goal is not to magnetize something to us, but rather to bring something through us.

Giving, Oneness and Destiny, experiencing the embodiment of God. God is in everything. I am in that. I am that. Everywhere you see, you see me. I am every that, that there is.

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What Is The Difference Between Praying And Begging?

5/23/2017

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My friend, Haywood Simmons, posted an intriguing question on his Facebook page. The question was, "What is the difference between praying and begging?" He received a number of thoughtful and insightful responses that I want to share with you in this post.

What is the difference between praying and begging? Here are the responses that he received.

-Being thankful first and foremost for the blessings you have been offered before asking for anything!!!

-I consider true prayer as a form of meditation. Since God lives within all of us, praying taps into our subconscious and guides us towards our true power/being.

-For me, prayer involves the wellbeing of all and is done without expectation. Begging comes with an expectation that if you ask enough times or enough people, you will get exactly the item you're begging for.

-For most, there is no difference. If your prayer sounds like it should be sent to Santa, even if it's for something that seems dire, there is nothing wrong with that and it may work. But fundamentally you are saying that you know better than God and that His plan is not as good as yours.

-Prayer and meditation is positioning to open your spirit and connect build oneness with God while acknowledgeing with adoration the many blessing he has already provided while listening how to better serve others as we are covered and served. Begging is positioning and making yourself the focus of request for your own gain that may not have anything to do with your purpose or his will for your life.

-Prayer is simply dialogue with God. It can involve petitioning, but it also involves praise, Thanksgiving, and simply discussion.

-Mindstate.

-For me prayer is more about listening than asking. If I ask, it is usually for guidance, insight, and protection rather than specific things. Prayer isn't about getting so much as understanding and aligning.

-Intention.

-Begging is asking for something now and in this world to fellow humans. Praying could be asking for something now, but it could be here after and its spiritual.

-Praying should be creating, begging is coming from a fear of lack.

-Expectation…when I pray I am confident that God will answer my prayers. Begging is hoping someone will hear your request.

-“Grant me my wishes” instead of “Thy will be done.”

I loved each and every response. So cool to hear people take time to put into words their thoughts on this topic. I've touched on a number of the ideas in the responses in previous posts. Things like gratitude. I begin all of my prayers with gratitude, acknowledging the many blessings that I have in my life.

The responses also spoke to God's will versus our will and surrendering the outcome. This is something that I also practice in my prayer and in life. I ask for my highest and best good and for the highest and best good of all others as part of this practice.

I hope this gave you something to chew on as you contemplate prayer, some additional guidance and inspiration. I would love to hear your thoughts on the responses and on what you think is the difference between praying and begging? Please drop me a comment or send me an email.

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Sometimes I Just Need A Pep Talk

5/15/2017

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Some days I'm on fire and I feel like I can do this thing called life and reach for my hopes and dreams. Then there are other days where it's kind of a struggle. I might be lacking motivation, or maybe I'm not feeling the greatest, or maybe things didn't go smoothly with getting the kids off to school or with an interaction with my spouse, or maybe I failed at something, or maybe it's just my silly old brain infusing some fear and telling me that I couldn't possibly do what I desire.

Whatever the cause, sometimes all we need is a good old fashioned little pep talk. A little you've got this! A little you go get it girl! An I believe in you, you can do this, you are enough kind of pep talk. I've found this little thing to be an important one for me. Every once in a while I just need a little pep talk. What about you, do you sometimes need a pep talk too?

Do you have people in your life who give you that pep talk when you need it? The people we surround ourselves with are so very important. It's been said that you are the average of the 5 people that you are around the most. We become like those that we hang around a lot. We talk like them, we eat like them, we take on similar habits and beliefs.

Keep around you people who love and support you and your dreams. People who challenge you to be all that you can be and more. People who will encourage you even when you may fail. People who are in tune with you and instinctively know when you need a pep talk. People who are also dreamers and who are aspiring to lead an extraordinary life. People who live BIG, live interesting, live extraordinary, create magic. People who will regularly give you that good old fashioned pep talk.

How are you at giving your own pep talk? Our self-talk is so important. Out of all of the people that we talk to in any given day, we talk to and listen to ourselves more than anyone else. What has been helpful to me is to catch myself whenever my self-talk is fear-based and negative to repeat to myself a positive affirmation. Something easy like "I am enough" works great for me.

Consider talking to yourself in the third person when giving yourself a pep talk. Research has shown that if you call yourself by the third person than you decrease your stress more effectively. For example, "Tracy we are going going to get over this hurdle" or "Tracy we are going to get through this." This quick little trick will help make your self pep talk even more effective.

This strategy called “self-distancing” can help us better control our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Increasing our self-control in the face of temptation to helping us reflect on difficult past experiences without getting stuck in a downward spiral of negative thinking. Giving us the ability to “step back” a little from ourselves.

Sometimes all we need is a little pep talk. For me, it's helpful to be in tune with myself enough to be aware of when I need a pep talk. Being aware of and recognizing your needs is the first step.

Sometimes all we need is a little pep talk. Ask yourself, does this IN-spire me or EX-pire me? If it IN-spires you, keep doing it. If it EX-pires you then it's worth figuring out a way to not do it any longer.

I would love to hear your feedback on this post. Do you find that sometimes you too need a little pep talk? What helps you to stay motivated on days/weeks where life feels more challenging? Please drop me a comment or send me an email.

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How To Optimize Your Brain - Part 2

5/9/2017

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How have you been doing practicing the tips from last week? Any noticeable shifts? Were you a bit more aware, a little more intentional? Remember to offer yourself a lot of compassion along the way, this is an on-going practice and you will get stronger and better at it the more you practice.

This week I will focus on some additional practical and easy to implement tips to help maximize our brain's daily output.

Our Brain Needs Breaks
Do you purposely give your brain regular refueling breaks? Caroline Webb gives an analogy of the brain and a race car. Race car drivers are driving an incredible machine and they intentionally and strategically plan out pitstops during the race to refuel, change tires, etc. Our brains are a lot like a race car, it's an impressive machine. The conscious brain gets tired and fatigued very quickly and easily. The more tired that your brain is, the less likely it is to make good choices. Strategic downtime, or pitstops, are necessary for optimal functioning.

How many times do we keep pushing ourselves past the point of fatigue in an attempt to be more productive? Skipping a break to take a quick walk, to eat lunch, to meditate, to sleep, just to keep plugging away at the task. Stepping away from the task is equally, if not more important, than actually doing the task. Even when you step away from the task your brain is subconsciously still working at solving the problem. By strategically giving our brain the rest that it needs we are giving it a chance to be as efficient and insightful as possible.

One way to intentionally give our brain a rest is to use the Pomodoro Technique. The Pomodoro Technique is a time management tool developed by Francesco Cirillo. The idea is to work for 25 minutes straight and then take a 5 minute break. The key is to pay attention to how you feel. Pay attention to the quality of your attention and know when you are getting tired and need a break. Maybe for you it's 40 minutes or 55 minutes and then a 5 minute break.

Keep in mind that decision fatigue, creativity fatigue, productivity fatigue is real. Be purposeful in giving your brain the breaks that it needs in order to optimize its output. Consider optimizing your body, mind and spirit during your break by connecting with nature, meditating, making a social connection, or by taking in some nourishment.

Optimizing Our Brain's Peak Energy
Do you know when your brain is at its peak energy? John Assaraf, CEO of NeuroGym and brain researcher, recommends that you take the hardest thing that needs to get done and do that in your peak energy time. Research indicates that from 9-11 AM is the most optimal time for the brain to be the most creative and from 11 AM-2 PM is the most optimal time for the brain to handle tough tasks.

It's typical for me to want to cross things off the list, so I pick off the least challenging, quicker tasks to do first, leaving the harder or more time-consuming tasks for later. It can feel somewhat rewarding to be able to put a line through a task on the list, but ultimately procrastinating on the difficult tasks only makes them more challenging for the brain. It is more optimal to break the larger task down into smaller more manageable tasks. That way it not only feels more doable, but your brain gets the reward of being able to cross it off as you progress through it.

Knowing your brain's peak energy time and completing your most challenging task during that time will allow you to optimize your brain's output.

Hope this information helps you to optimize your brain's energy! In future posts, I will share more information on the brain, productivity and stress, so stay tuned. I would love to hear your feedback on this post. Please drop me a comment or send me an email.

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How To Optimize Your Brain - Part 1

5/2/2017

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In last week's post I offered some suggestions on how to be more productive. This week I would like to focus more on how to optimize our brain's energy. Most of the information I'm sharing in this post comes from the work of Caroline Webb author of How to Have a Good Day and CEO of Sevenshift, a firm that helps people use insights from behavioral science to improve their working life.

In this post I'll share some general information on the brain. Next week, in Part 2, I will share some specific techniques for how to optimize our brain's energy. So, stay tuned for some practical, easy to implement tips to maximize your daily output.

Caroline Webb contends that our perception of reality is way more malleable then what we think it is. She believes that we can turn a cycle from a vicious one into a virtuous one. Here in lies the hope, we have more control over how our day proceeds than we might think.

She also states that whatever is top on your mind will dictate the trajectory that your mind continues to take and it will drive what we see. Our conscious mind can only handle so much information, but our subconscious mind is working behind the scenes and it is looking for whatever syncs with what's on the top of your mind.

Here's an example of how this works. If you anticipate that someone is going to be a jerk to work with then your brain will automatically search for things that prove that the person is a jerk to work with. The invitation is to ask yourself, "Where do I honestly want to put my intention?" You can acknowledge that this person has been annoying in the past, but then consciously make the decision to look for signs of collaboration for instance. Magically your brain will then look for options of collaboration. This is a much more optimal and productive mindset and will lead us to having a more positive day and interaction.

Our brain at any given moment is scanning the environment around us for any possible threats or rewards. Threats that we want to defend ourselves against and any rewards we seek out and want to discover. The brain is primarily about safety. It's not just concerned with physical threats, but also anything that speaks to our self-worth, sense of autonomy and harmony, or our social standing. Anything that gives us those things serves as a reward and anything that threatens to take them away serves as a threat.

You can be triggered into perceiving a threat when somebody interrupts you speaking, when you feel excluded in an email, etc. These perceived threats shut down part of our brain that is responsible for reasoning, for self-control and for planning. When under pressure it's very easy to become "dumber". When we are on the defensive were simply not capable of being the full version of ourselves, the best version of ourselves. It helps to know how to get yourself off the defensive, so you can bring the most sophisticated, the most thoughtful, the optimal part of yourself back online.

The emergency application to damper the threat response is to ask yourself a distancing question. Questions like..."What will I think about this when I look back on it in a years time?" "What would my wisest closest friend say about this?" "What would my best self say?" "In a years time what will I be glad that I learned from this?"

The next big thing that is helpful is to get your brain focused on the rewards of the situation. The more your brain focuses on the reward, rather then the threat, the easier it is to get off the defensive. Learning new stuff is deeply rewarding to the brain. So, say to yourself, "How fascinating, what can I learn from this?" This is super helpful because this gets you learning which is very rewarding to your brain. This does double duty because it reduces the sense of threat and increases the sense of reward.

If you are having a challenging interaction or an interaction that was supposed to be positive that is now turning negative ask truly curious questions and then actively listen to the response. Don't listen with the intent to respond, to debate, etc. simply listen with the intent to learn and to understand.

Interpersonal relationships and rewarding relationships are critical to having a good day. One tense interaction can sink how you may feel about an otherwise good day. That's why it's so important that we are intentional about how we look at people and interactions.

Marianne Williamson suggest that each morning we should meditate on and set our intention for every interaction that we will have, both planned and unplanned. Being intentional is truly a practice and can be a challenging one at times! It's a muscle that strengthens with practice.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this post. Please drop me a comment or send me an email. My hope is that this served in you some way. I will post part 2 next week.

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I Am That, I Am

What Is The Difference Between Praying And Begging?

Sometimes I Just Need A Pep Talk

How To Optimize Your Brain - Part 2

How To Optimize Your Brain - Part 1

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