The 101:Day 3

I woke up Saturday morning feeling energetic and happy. It is so wonderful to feel good first thing in the morning. Most days, it takes me at least 15 - 30 minutes to make myself get out of bed. I have called myself the queen of the snooze button many times. I needed to get up earlier than usual because I had promised Ana the day before that we would make breakfast together. We were expecting people to arrive around 10 am for a children's class and Jr. youth group that are held in my neighborhood every Saturday. I supervised as Ana made waffles and eggs. I have to say I am very impressed with her ability to cook. She did an excellent job. I'm excited to be able to share more of these kinds of experiences with her.

I made it a goal of mine to spend at least 30 minutes of quality time with Ana per week. I'm excited to be able to share more of these kinds of experiences with her. It was nice to see how proud she was of her accomplishment. I think I'll continue cooking lessons with her since she seems to enjoy it so much. I also want to find some outdoor adventures to go on with her - just the two of us. I think I'll make a list of potential fun and new things to do with her.

My mother picked Ana up at 10:30 to take her to see UP. I was at home alone because Kahlil had spent the night at a friend's house and my two roommates were out doing their own thing. So, after the guys left to do the children's class and Jr. youth group, I took some time for myself and started on my assignments for The 101. The first thing I did was a meditation. This was a different kind of meditation than I have been used to. Steve, the founder of The 101 learned this technique from Sri Chinmoy (a spiritual teacher from India). It's called the Heartbeat Meditation because your point of focus during the meditation period is your heartbeat. It takes real discipline to be still and focused enough to listen to your heartbeat. The assignment was to meditate and listen to any voices that go on in the mind because they are likely the very thoughts that hold me back from achieving my goals in life.

During the meditation, I experienced a lot of chatter in my mind. I was thinking about the things I wanted to get done today; the 101 and how it works; the plans for my seminars; journaling the things I was thinking; noticing pain in my back and attempting to make corrections; remembering a time I used EFT to release back pain before meditating. I realize how much goes on in my mind daily. I am constantly planning, organizing, recalling, sometimes worrying and stressing about life. Much of the work that I need to do is kept in my head. I realized before that keeping everything in my head clutters up the space for my creative energies. When I get thoughts out on paper, especially tasks, I free up room to be more creative. That helps with coming up with solutions that are out of the box; writing music, seminar information, etc.; receiving inspiration for business strategies, new products and/or paths that can be taken to achieve my goals. Releasing the clutter makes room, essentially for my higher self.

One interesting thought that came through clearly was “I am fat”. That one was unexpected because I usually don’t associate that particular word with myself. I think I will do an EFT session about that and clear up any energy around that thought process.

Next, I did the 5 Tibetans. I decided to do these earlier in the day because I figured it would help me to get my metabolism rate up as well as raising my energy level so that I can accomplish more without burning myself out. I also spent 15 minutes doing aerobic exercises on the Wii. I felt strengthened and ready to go about the tasks of the day with focus and vigor.

I spent some time doing research into various healing techniques and chakra studies. I wanted to collect more information to help me with the seminar series I am working on. Then, I did a voice lesson with my good friend. That was a very exciting and inspiring experience. She is very talented and I've known for years what she is capable of vocally. Unfortunately her early childhood experiences caused her to feel afraid of opening up and sharing her voice. She recently did a lot of self work and now she is sounding better than I've ever heard her! Yet another reminder of the amazing power of the brain. When our thoughts and beliefs are out of alignment with our goals, they can be like prison bars keeping us captive as we walk through life on autopilot. When we become conscious of our negative self-talk and limiting beliefs, we can choose to chart a new course, despite the fear. We can choose to create different experiences that validate our self-worth rather than tearing ourselves down from the inside out. The mind is a powerful force! We definitely want to ensure that our minds are working FOR us.

After the lesson, I spent some time recording vocals for a music project that My-Key and I are working on together. We have written several songs and are in process of creating a few different CDs. One of them will include inspiring, thought-provoking songs to be used for the seminar series. One of my goals during this 101 days is to write and record at least 3 songs for the seminar. It feels really good to see my goals progressing!

All in all, I'd say it was quite a successful day!

Life is a blessing!

Day 2 of The 101

Yesterday was a wonderful day! I spent a lot of time taking care of myself and that was just the medicine I needed. I started off feeling funky, tired and emotional. I decided to shift my energy through EFT, mediation, prayer and connection to nature. That definitely did the trick. Afterward, I came home, took a long bath and then went about the tasks that needed to get done. I picked up my daughter, went to Wilder's to teach choir and then came home. At home, I did all the things I usually do... cooking, cleaning etc. The difference was that I actually had an abundance of energy and I was in a wonderful mood! So, I did my tasks joyfully and efficiently. This was a great lesson for me. I am used to cramming as much work into a day as possible and running myself until I have very little energy left. What I realized yesterday was that when I give to myself first, I open my energy flow up and then I have an abundance to get things done without wearing myself out. I am also much more fun to be around when I feel good too.

Last night, I spent some quality time with Ana. We played Gin together and watched a little bit of TV. (So funny that TV has come up in both days - I usually watch very little TV). Anyway, Ana seemed to be very happy spending time together. We have made a committment to each other to spend at least one night a week doing "family" things. I am certain that taking the time to build healthy, fun, connected relationships with my children will also lead to a greater energy level and more efficiency in my work. Gotta take care of home first right? I think that is a very undervalued idea in our society.

After Ana went to bed, I still had plenty of energy, so I spent some time refining my goals and did the 5 Tibetans. These are similar to yoga positions and they are a daily part of the 101. If you are interested in checking them out, there are several YouTube video demonstrations.

Later, I did some reading. I am reading a very interesting book called "The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles". It is written by Bruce H. Lipton who is a cell biologist. The book is a scientist's explanation of how our beliefs literally affect all of our cells. I recommend this book highly.

Participating in The 101 has already helped me to make great strides in my goals, my health, my relationships and my general outlook on life. If anyone is interested in participating, it is being offered for free online. You can join at www.lifewrite.com. There are a lot of ways to connect with yourself and tap into the abundant energy source within you. I highly recommend finding one that works for you.

Here's to life!

Blessings!!!

The 101 & Let the Dead Bury the Dead

A friend of mine introduced me to a man named Steven Barnes who has created an on-line program called The 101. It is a 101 day program to a better "you". I'm not sure that's how Steven would put it. That's just the way I see it right now. My friend mentioned the program in a blog on Facebook and I signed up out of curiosity. I figured that since I am working on my program to help others find their voice, it would be worthwhile to be in movement myself and to experience a healing process from another person's perspective.

So, I am now on day 2 of 101. The first day, I focused on better understanding what the program entails and also did some g0al-setting. I looked at the goals I have for myself in 10 years, 5 years, 3 years, 1 year and 100 days. It was an interesting process for me. I was very clear about the goals 10 years out. I was also very clear about the goals for the next 100 days and the next year. Where it got muddy, was in the 3-year and 5-year area. It was a challenge for me to break the goals into steps in a way that made sense to me. I kept going back and forth and adjusting things until it made sense. Anyway, it was a good learning process for me.

I have decided to spend a lot more time with myself. I spend a lot of time helping others, enjoying the company of others etc. I very rarely give myself time. I have known this for a while and I have done better over the last few years. Now, I'm realizing just how much I really need that time.

Last night I began to feel exhausted, as if my adrenals were out of whack. I came home around 6:30 and went straight to my room to take a nap. I woke up around 8:30, still feeling tired. I didn't let myself sleep longer because I knew I needed to get dinner taken care of. So, I got up and made a simple, quick dinner. Afterward, I stayed up for a few hours talking with my roommates, playing around on the computer and watching a little TV. I went to bed around 11:30.

This morning, I woke up feeling tired. Once I got the kids up, I got into a conversation with someone about some things they discovered that are going on in America that sound pretty bad. As I was listening to what they were sharing, I started to notice my energy level going down drastically. I could feel my body reacting to the negative information!!!

Recently, I've been really connecting to the importance of being very careful about the things that I choose to focus on. I believe that there are two processes going on in the world. One process is the disintegration of old ways of living, thinking and being, which does not suit humanity. The other process is the building up of a new way of living, thinking and being, which is in alignment with the next stage of evolution for mankind. Both processes are necessary. Both processes are part of the Divine Plan.

What I'm realizing is that I can choose to focus on either of these processes (or both) and whichever process I put my thoughts and energy into will be accelerated, emphasis, made larger etc. So, I have recently committed myself to focusing on that which creates peace, harmony, growth and love. I choose that because those are the feelings and circumstances I choose for myself. I feel it is pointless to put too much emphasis on the crumbling of the old ways. I am not surprised when I hear about horrible things going on in the world because I am well aware that there is a process of disintegration going on. So, there is no need for me to belabor the difficulties of the world. I feel my energy is best used when I am contributing to the spiritualization of the planet; the healing of the world and it's peoples; the upliftment and inspiration of myself and those around me. I choose to see light in a world of darkness. I believe that this is the only choice that causes me to be healthy, strong, powerful and full of light.

Having said all of that, I can go back to the conversation about the world that I was having earlier. When I realized that I was beginning to feel badly, I decided to share how I was feeling and to end the conversation. Fortunately the person understood and the conversation ended. However, I realized that ending the conversation wasn't enough. I could feel my energy continuing to drain. I felt frustrated and emotional. That was when I realized I needed to take real steps to shift this energy.

I took about 15 minutes and did EFT (emotional freedom tapping) on myself. I released the emotions that I was feeling and re-established my feelings of joy, love and well-being. I then took a moment to pray. I felt much better, though there was still some residual negative energy from earlier. So, after I dropped my son off at school, I decided to go to Kenneth Hahn National Park and walk the trails. I knew that being in nature would help to ground me and get my energy level back up. It was quite a healing experience. I am thankful that I had the awareness and the tools to shift my energy.

I believe that it is crucial for all of us to set our personal boundaries. Define clearly what thoughts, energy, experiences, conversations and people we choose to have in our lives. I have decided to become very serious about protecting my joy. In order for me to be a light to my children, my family, my friends and the world, I must protect my own self. I must only allow for experiences that create joy, love, well-being and growth. I'll follow Christ's example and "let the dead bury the dead".

I'll continue to update my experience during The 101. If anyone is interested in checking it out for yourself, it is free and you can sign up at www.lifewrite.com

Blessings!!