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Grace Soaked Grounded Soul

9/28/2021

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In an interview Oprah had with Shauna Niequist, author of the book Present Over Perfect, Oprah asked, "What are some of the practices we can all do to become a source of healing in the world?" Shauna Niequist responded, "When you bring a grace soaked grounded soul to any room that you walk in you are offering yourself as an instrument of healing." Don't you just love that? Savor it for a moment, bask in it...a grace soaked grounded soul.

What does it mean to be grace soaked? For me, it means living the essence of God. Living the true essence of who you are at your core. Acting with divinity. It's strength and empowerment to bring love and kindness and to do good works. 

What does it mean to be a grounded soul? For me, being a grounded soul means living with intention. Grounded and anchored with intention. Grounded in who you are, what your purpose is here, and what you stand for. Being able to fully answer the question, "Who am I?" Being centered in that answer and aligned with it. It's living from a place of integrity. It's living with faith. It's a place of practice and more practice. 

Can you envision how we could be an instrument for healing in the world if we were all grace soaked grounded souls? Can you imagine the amazing and powerful ripples that would be created in the world? Ripples of healing cast out into the Universe.

I believe that the world will be healed by the human spirit. By and through more and more of us rising up. By more of us having grace soaked grounded souls. By more of us being able to firmly answer, "Who am I?" By more of us speaking our truth. By more of us being curious and listening with empathy. By more of us finding our purpose. By more of us aligning ourselves with integrity and living a congruent life. By more of us offering up forgiveness. By more of us being brave, opening our hearts, rising up and creating ripples of healing change in the world. 

I invite you to ground your soul and soak it up in grace to help be a source of healing in our world. 
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Getting Out Of The Way

9/21/2021

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Sometimes we take things for granted don't we? It's easy to do, we get busy, make excuses, put it off until tomorrow over and over again. Maybe it's our health, relationships, finances, marriage, our dreams and goals, it can be easy to take them for granted and put it off until some random date in the future.

Sometimes we do this until we receive a wake up call, where we can no longer ignore or take it for granted. In what area of your life do you need a wake up call, a call to action? What have you been avoiding?


Here in Wisconsin the leaves are beginning to turn color and fall to the ground. The fall of the leaves can symbolize the fall of old ways. It can represent an out with the old and in with the new. As we watch leaves fluttering to the ground, we are reminded that the cycle of nature is also mirrored in our lives. Autumn is the time for shedding, letting go and releasing things that have been a burden. Letting things fall that are no longer in our highest and best good, that are no longer serving us in our lives.

Fall is the time to practice getting out of the way, of letting go and allowing Spirit to take charge of our lives. It's a time to fall out of old habits and bring in new healthier ones.


At this time of year, the day and night are equal. It is a point of balance between dark and light. As we make the shift from longer days to longer nights, let's take time to reflect upon what part of our own lives might be out of balance. What areas of our life that we were taking for granted, so we don't end up needing a wake up call. It's a great reminder to cultivate balance within your spirit, mind and body.

What is it that you need in this season? What things are no longer serving you? Are you listening and paying attention? What are those items for you? Maybe it's a story you've been telling yourself, maybe it's a habit, maybe it's someone in your life. I invite you to spend some time in reflection contemplating what's working in your life and what isn't. What might need shedding in order to make room for something that better serves you?
 


I invite you to slow down a little bit, to appreciate moments out in nature before the cold sets in, and to spend time being still in reflection while you watch the seasons change. Take time to sit back and reflect on the fruits of your own labor. Where were you a year ago today? How far have come over the course of the past year or even since the spring? Now is a good time to see how far you’ve come and to set goals to carry you through the winter months. The intentions you set this fall will stay with you throughout the winter and carry you into the spring.

Traditionally, the autumn equinox is also a time of harvest and for expressing gratitude for its abundance. As you reflect, take time to express gratitude for the fruits of your own labor. For your own accomplishments and growth. Give yourself a pat on the back for all of your strides forward, no matter the size, big and small. Celebrate the abundance.

As you are reflecting and setting your intentions, remind yourself that you are enough. As a matter of fact, you are amazing! Just the way you are right at this very moment in time. You are doing exactly what you are meant to do. Sure, we can all grow and improve and stretch and learn and do more, but this is not the woulda, coulda, shoulda game. You are enough right here and right now. You are perfectly imperfect!


Fall into whatever it is that your soul, your mind, and your body needs in this season. Maybe fall into a new habit, fall into a new story, fall into a new way of thinking, fall into mindfulness, fall into peace, fall into love, fall into joy, fall into forgiveness, fall into gratitude, fall into self-care. Whatever it is that you need, listen to it and fall into it this season. Let go of what you don't need and allow Spirit to take it over. ​
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Bring Fear Along On The Journey

9/14/2021

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What is your mindset around fear? Do you let it take control? Do you try to overcome it? Do you attempt to deny it? Do you become paralyzed by it?

Denying and attempting to suppress an emotion takes energy and, ultimately, doesn’t work. Trying to overcome it and, in essence, pretend as though it doesn’t exist is also not realistic.

What if we shifted our mindset surrounding fear to one of allowing it to exist without having control over us? What would that look like?

Elizabeth Gilbert in her book, Big Magic, speaks about fear in this way. Whenever she’s travelling somewhere to speak, fear arises. Rather than letting fear take control, she chooses to have a conversation with her fear. She invites it to come along with her … knowing that it’s going to come along anyway. She tells it that, although she’s inviting it to come, it is required to be silent and not make any decisions. She tells her fear, “I am in charge and will be taking control of making all decisions.”

She isn’t trying to overcome her fear or deny the fact that it exists, but rather allows it to be part of her journey … albeit only as a silent passenger. She acknowledges its presence, sets a boundary and brings it along. 

This is an empowering mindset. It’s accepting that fear is part of life and we can choose to acknowledge its presence without giving it power over us. This is analogous to being the captain of your boat and not relinquishing your authority by allowing fear to redirect the voyage.

Try inviting fear to come aboard, accepting its existence, but realizing you have the choice whether you allow it to take control or just be a passenger on the ride.
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Life Can Get Tricky

9/7/2021

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​Life can get tricky, it can be messy and seem to make no sense at all. It doesn't always smell like roses and look like rainbow unicorns. I feel like now is a time where life feels tricky and messy. It's a challenge to make sense of things that are going on in the world. During these times you may feel like throwing in the towel, thinking I'm done for now, I give up for now, I have no idea what I am doing or what's going on. Moments like this  can be opportunities if we have the courage to dig in and not look away.

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. September 11th is a tricky day for me as I'm sure it is for many. A day where I very much remember the horrific tragedy that we collectively experienced. It's also a day that served as a wake up call for me to stop running on the hamster wheel of life and to more authentically live.

It was the day that I decided to be brave and have the courage to step into my own unique magic. Especially on this day, I remember and honor those that have fallen, as well as my decision to learn from that experience and to live with more passion, more authenticity, more vulnerability, more fullness, to live whole-hearted. 

It's a reminder for me to reconfirm the choice to shine brighter, to sprinkle some magic, to throw a little glitter at the mess, to recognize that life can be tricky and messy, but it can also be beautiful and magical.  

It's a reminder to be brave and courageous and not shy away from the hard stuff, but to face it, offer it some compassion and do the hard work of discovery and healing. 
It's up to us to find our way through it, to not get stuck in the muck, to use our tools.

The Chopra Center once posted this on Facebook..."Every person has their own magic, bringing something into this world that no one else can. Trust that you are exactly who and where you are supposed to be and life is unfolding as it should. When things get tricky, turn to meditation. It's the best way to reconnect with your magic and align with the power of the universe." Meditation, gratitude and faith are important tools... especially when life gets tricky.

Our faith can be tested when we experience hardships, illness, disappointment and loss. It's at these difficult times that we can either rely on our faith or turn from it. By holding onto our faith, its possible to see hard times as part of the journey and not as a punishment. It's a belief that there's more to life than what's in this physical world. 

The door is opened for the best things to occur when you let go of your fears and hesitations and move forward with faith. I believe that everything is more powerful when it starts with faith and trust. Faith and trust in yourself, in your intuition and in a greater plan.

Faith is about trusting the journey, believing that there's a plan, within this plan there are lessons and choices. Faith is about being in a place of yes. Trusting your intuition and sense of knowing to keep you in the flow of life, not resisting against it. Letting go, surrendering control and fear, and living in a place of trust.

Life can be tricky, but stay in your magic. Stay in the flow and allow your faith, heart and intuition to guide you. And always sprinkle a little magic and pixie dust along the way. 
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