December 6, 2013

Have You Found Your Niche Yet?

What has your experience of 2013 been? Have you been able to discover more about yourself? Have you been able to do more things in your life that support your health and happiness? Are you happy or do you still feel like something is missing?

If you feel like something is missing, then “The Law of Dharma” might help you kick start 2014 in a more focused and inspired way. The word ‘dharma’ simply means ‘purpose in life’ in Sanskrit. It’s a fitting time of the year to be discussing purpose in life, as the end of a year nears and the new year looms. What purpose and passion do you want to take into 2014? 

Chopra writes “According to this law, you have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world...” Do you know what unique talent you have to offer the world?

Don’t know what your deepest passions are? Think about what activities allow you to lose track of time and feel happiness and contentment? Don’t know what your purpose in life is? Ask yourself what you would do with your life if you had no limitations.

Your answers to these questions will show clearly who you are, what inspires and motivates you, and what things in life will bring you the greatest joy and success. It is these activities that not only come easily to you but also energise you. When you engage with your dharma you feel more alive, more joyful and more content.

Living your dharma is not just about doing the things you love. Using your unique talent to serve others is vital to “The Law of Dharma” says Chopra. “Everyone has a purpose in life...a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.”

How could you move into 2014 living more in line with your purpose in life and expressing your unique talents and helping others along the way? As I discussed in my article Loving Your Life, it is ideal to be in a career that that you know is your calling and which you find fulfilling, but sometimes this is not always feasible.

Sometimes you have to step outside of your ideal life and job to get by and to pay the bills. However, even if you are not working in your dream job, in order to be truly happy you have to be engaging with your deepest loves and talents in some way. For some they can do this through their hobbies, on weekends, or after work. 

If you neglect the activities that bring you happiness you do suffer for it. Often you don’t realise you are living a ‘half-life’ until you start to engage again in activities you love. You will then find yourself thinking “so this is living!” Living a ‘half-life,’ ignoring your unique talent and purpose in life impacts on your mental and physical health.

Psychological research has found people with a lack of meaning in their life suffer more from depression and suicidal thoughts. By understanding what your purpose in life is, you will be able to stay focused and positive even when life gets difficult. As Friedrich Nietzsche said “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”

It can take some time and life experience to realise what your unique talents are and what your purpose in life is, but once you understand the core of who you are and begin to live accordingly you will begin to feel happier, more energised and more confident.

What Can You Do This Month To Uncover Your Purpose In Life?

    • Notice anything you do where you lose track of time and feel happy. Do more of those things.
    • Write a list of all the things you would love to do if you had no limitations. Does this list show you something about yourself?
    • If you could achieve anything in 2014 what would it be? What are three steps you can take in the new year to bring yourself closer to living your dream life?
    • Try making a dream board

Creating a Dream Board

One thing I love doing is creating a ‘dream board.’ The way I create a dream board is to start with a bank piece of cardboard and a variety of magazines. I then flip through the magazines and tear out images or words that resonate with me in some way. I don’t think about what I am tearing out, and I leave it till the end to look at what I have picked. I then stick the images and words to the cardboard.

What forms on your cardboard is a wonderful and true reflection of your life at present. Your fears, dreams, hopes, issues. Seeing your life clearly in this way can be very helpful in thinking about how to move forward in the future. You can hang your dream board up where you can see it or put it away to bring out later as a reflection tool.

Bring your dream board out 12 months later and reflect on where your life is at. Often you will find that many of your issues have been resolved and your dreams realised. Being aware of what you want in life and what is holding you back, and setting those intentions on paper is powerful. It’s a wonderful reminder to follow your dreams and to also trust the process of life.

This was the last in the series I have been doing on Deepak Chopra’s book “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.” I hope, like me, that you have found them challenging and inspiring.

I hope that 2013 has been kind to you and has provided you with opportunities to expand your knowledge of yourself and what makes you happy. Life doesn’t run smoothly all the time for anyone and you can find yourself in places you never expected.

With greater self awareness you will be able to weather those storms a little better, taking the lessons learned into your future. I hope that in 2014 you will be able to live just that little bit better, with more happiness, peace and contentment.

Xxx Jessica Stead xxx

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December 2, 2013

Yoga For Life: Discovering Hope and Healing

Out this week, Australian Yoga Life's latest edition, featuring my article "Yoga For Life: Discovering Hope and Healing." In this article I speak with three amazing women who have found life-changing improvements to their physical and mental wellbeing through yoga. Grab a copy at your local newsagents from December 5th or from Australian Yoga Life. Happy reading.

xxx Jessica Stead xxx 
 

November 22, 2013

Responding With Compassion

Yesterday, The Guardian, posted an article written (under a pseudonym) by a nurse who worked with asylum seekers on Christmas Island. Her article, “My experience as a nurse on Christmas Island changed the core of my being” was well written and shared the stories of asylum seekers she met while working there.

I saw this article posted on Facebook last night and felt it was a wonderful follow up from my blog post on Wednesday about my experiences with refugees. Everything she wrote resonated with my own experiences with refugees and the stories I too have heard. Stories of unthinkable suffering and violence…stories nightmares are made of.

However, like me, she was also struck by the presence of hope and the courageous display of resilience in those seeking safety on our shores. In her article she wrote;

“Surprisingly, my days spent in the induction shed were always the most desirable, because although you'd hear extremely sad stories, you would also be reminded of the strength of the human spirit to overcome tragedy and fight to survive. I often found myself in awe of the sheer tenacity on display. My "clients" were always so grateful to have made the boat journey, grateful to have a hot meal, shelter or water, and grateful to finally be safe from harm.”

It seems people are talking about refugees and asylum seekers at the moment, and it is great to see articles like this one. Sharing the stories of those seeking asylum will allow us to understand the human element of this global issue. Hopefully then we can begin to respond with more compassion and no longer out of ignorance or an uneducated fear.

Jessica Stead xxxx

christmas island Photo sourced from The Guardian (ABC/AP)

November 21, 2013

Are You A Worry Wart?

worry

I am posting this quote today because I needed reminding myself. I find that my modus operandi is often to assume the worst. I often completely forget to consider the best case scenario.

It’s not because I am a negative person, I just feel that in order to be responsible and accountable I need to try to make good decisions. I feel that part of that process is seeing what decisions may lead to negative consequences. So, by default I focus on the negatives. 

This is fine to do…up to a point. It’s necessary to think through your decisions, but it’s important for your health and happiness to make sure your analysis of a decision is balanced.

Spend time thinking about the worst case scenario and how you might manage if something negative happened, but then switch your brain over to thinking about the best case scenario.

When you fail to consider the best case scenario you miss out on imagining future happiness and fulfilment. Your negative fixation can stop you from making certain decisions which could be of great benefit to you.

Think carefully about decisions yes, but don't allow your brain to only focus on the negatives. In any situation there is always so much to be gained…don’t let fear hold you back.

Jessica Stead xxx

November 20, 2013

Hope and Resilience: The True Stories of Refugees

For those who read my work and know me, you would know that the topic of hope both fascinates and inspires me. Hope was not a word or idea I had ever thought much about until 2003 when I began visiting refugees in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre.

I was just out of high school, 18 at the time. My desire to visit the detention centre was sparked by what was known as the ‘children overboard’ situation and the riots at Woomera Immigration Detention Centre. Coming home from school I would watch the nightly news and hear that people were sewing their mouths shut in protest of the treatment they were receiving in Australia, namely the uncertainty of their lives and safety.

The media and politicians at the time were framing this issue as just something ‘these people’ did. Even at 18 I felt that this was absurd. I became determined to understand the real story behind the refugees being detained in Australia.

This determination led to a three year journey as I visited a group of Iranian refugees in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre each week. It was during the conversations I had there that I began to understand the complexities of why people are forced to flee their homelands. I also came to see first-hand the distress people experience when their futures are uncertain and they are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.

This week Four Corners aired their story Trading Misery which documented the great suffering of families living in Lebanon, and those who lost their families when the boat they were travelling to Australia in sank.

To witness the situation they are fleeing from, and to see the raw grief those left behind are living with, it reminded me of how great the adversity and anguish is for so many people living around the world. It reminded me again of how very lucky I am to have been born in a safe country.

In honour of those who live in intolerable circumstances and situations, who with great courage and sacrifice, seek hope, safety and freedom, today I wanted to share a part of my personal journey with refugees. I would like to re-print a section of my honours thesis, a thesis which explored the role hope plays in the lives of refugees. This was the prologue of my thesis;
 
PROLOGUE
 
When you sit side by side with someone who is unsure of their fate, you are changed. When there is a very real possibility that their fate could include death, imprisonment or torture, you are left with a deep imprint which fills with despair, sadness and shock.  
 
Your view of the world changes as your eyes are opened to the way that others live. You come to see that the role of governments in people’s lives, both abroad and within this place you call ‘home,’ can determine life from death. You can’t help but ask questions of God, you can’t help but ask questions of yourself.
 
In 2003 I began visiting a group of Iranian refugees in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre and did so for three years until they had all been deemed genuine refugees and released. This period of my life I remember vividly with mixed emotions.
 
This time in my life was punctuated by deep sorrow and pain, as I witnessed the effects of a policy that was designed to ‘send a message’ not support some of the most vulnerable people in the world. It was also a time when I was confronted and challenged by the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit.
 
Once I had met refugees in person and heard their stories of courage and survival I could not bear to hear them being described as ‘queue jumpers’, ‘illegal immigrants’ or ‘possible terrorists.’ To me they were hope seekers.     
 
The refugees I visited had an infectious hope, a strong belief that tomorrow would bring some good news. They held onto the idea that their pain and suffering would not be forever. For some this pain and suffering lasted much longer than it should have. A few refugees were detained for up to six and a half years, but amazingly their hope remained.
 
While in detention I saw refugees work extremely hard to learn English and Australian colloquialisms, understand the Australian legal system and make Australian friends. These were people who were as actively involved in their lives as they possibly could be.
 
Their passion for life and their motivation did not cease once released. Once they were granted refugee status, they didn’t delay finding employment and getting off initial Centrelink support, starting businesses, getting their driver’s license, buying cars, securing accommodation, getting married and starting families.
 
Before circumstances forced these people to flee their homelands, and take on the label of ‘refugee’ or ‘asylum seeker,’ they were people with histories, stories and achievements of their own. The reality is that anyone can become a refugee if circumstances in their country change. This reality should shape our response to refugees, allowing humility and compassion to dictate rather than fear and racism.  
 
Very little has been written which celebrates the courageous and hopeful spirits of refugees and all they have achieved and survived. My objective for this thesis, therefore, is to create something beautiful that not only acknowledges the hope that refugees hold onto as their life line, but to celebrate and encourage this in all of us.
 
 Photo sourced from Four Corners

Jessica Stead xxx


November 19, 2013

Switching Off

Last night power went out in my neighbourhood. It was expected the problem wouldn’t be fixed for over two hours. While I was keen to make some dinner, everything I needed to use required electricity, so I had to wait.

Instead, I pulled out my yoga mat, lit a few candles and enjoyed an hour of relaxed yoga and meditation. While doing yoga I enjoyed the quiet. The television was off, I had no music on and I could hear the sound of the rain falling outside. I had put my mobile away to conserve the battery, leaving me alone with myself in the present moment. 

This forced ‘shut down’ was just what I needed. The last few weeks have been busy and stressful, so I found switching off from the world calming and restorative. Coming back to the basic Earth elements of fire through the candle’s flames, and connecting with my body and mind, I couldn’t have been more grateful for the power cut.

When power did come back on the lights shone and the TV seemed to blare. It made me realise how much stimulus we surround ourselves with all the time. It is exhausting, even when we don’t realise it. 

It made me realise that I need to factor in more quiet time in my day and my weeks. The body and the mind needs time out from all the pressures, noise and information that makes up a usual day living in a major city. I hope you too can find some silence in your week to relax and give yourself a break.  

Jessica Stead xxx

candle 2

November 18, 2013

Remembering Loved Ones

This time last week my family said goodbye to a wonderful woman. My Nan passed away on the 4/11/13 at the age of 93. I have been thinking a lot about the sadness and grief we experience when we lose a loved one. It is a difficult process, often a strange mix of sadness that they are gone, yet relief that they are no longer suffering. 

Nan Manly
I was saddened today when I visited a blog by Jessica Ainscough, a fellow writer for Make The World Move, and read that she lost her Mum to breast cancer last month. She wrote a lovely post about it, Saying Goodbye to Mum, and I wanted to share it today in honour of all those who have lost loved ones.

Thinking of you Jessica and everyone today who are missing loved ones.

Jess A

Note: Picture sourced from Jessica Ainscough’s blog.

November 13, 2013

Coffee anyone…?

Do you love coffee as much as I do? You might be surprised to learn that coffee can actually be good for you. Read why in my latest article "More Than Just Your Daily Caffeine Hit...? Discover the Hidden Health Benefits of Coffee."

Jessica Stead xxx

coffee

mtwm

October 31, 2013

Feel Like The Only One Struggling?

We don't always know what is going on for other people, but behind everyone is a story. At some time or another everyone faces difficult times. Read more in my latest article "Behind Everyone Is A Story"


October 29, 2013

Living Hopefully

Knowing how to stay hopeful in times of difficulty is the most important thing you can learn. Read more in my latest article "The 8 Key Elements of Hope" in WellBeing magazine, out now in newsagencies. 
 

October 17, 2013

Embracing Uncertainty

How do you feel about uncertainty? Do you do everything imaginable to try to control what happens in your life? It’s not unusual to desire control after you experience unhappy or traumatic events in life. Desiring control can be an unconscious attempt to ensure that you don’t have to deal with any more negative ‘surprises’ in life. Control is often an attempt at self-protection. Sound familiar?

I knew this feeling well after losing my health through Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at age 23, and when my Dad passed away suddenly one night at the age of 61. The old saying of having the rug pulled out from under you is definitely how I felt. Despite knowing that I couldn’t control what happened in my life - as these two circumstances had clearly shown me - I still tried nevertheless.

Trying to control the uncontrollable, however, is exhausting. By looking out for ‘attacks’ or ‘risks’ that might undermine my current situation, I end up anxious and unhappy. In Deepak Chopra’s book “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success,” in the sixth law, “The Law of Detachment,” he explains that when we seek certainty in life, we are actually reacting to our feelings of insecurity and fear.

Chopra proposes that instead of seeking the ‘elusive’ sense of certainty in life, we should embrace the inherent wisdom of uncertainty.

The Wisdom of Uncertainty

Within uncertainty is the possibility of change. While change can be scary, it can also open up opportunities for new and exciting developments in your life. Change can also provide the opportunity to free yourself from your past, breaking cycles that no longer serve you.

When you resist change and stick with what you know you cease to grow as a person. Chopra writes;

The search for security and certainty is actually an attachment to the known. And what’s the known? The known is the past. The known is nothing other than the prison of past conditioning. There’s no evolution in that – absolutely none at all. And when there is no evolution, there is stagnation, entropy, disorder and decay.

Releasing your need for certainty, and unbinding yourself from your attached ideas about life, your journey will become more exciting, less stressful and more successful.

It’s worth remembering that there are always multiple ways to reach your goals and dreams. By attaching your happiness to one version of how your life should unfold, you limit yourself. ‘...If you have a very clear idea of what’s going to happen and you get rigidly attached to it, then you shut out a whole range of possibilities,” says Chopra.

“With uncertainty factored in, you might change direction in any moment if you find a higher ideal, or if you find something more exciting. You are also less likely to force solutions on problems, which enables you to stay alert to opportunities,” continues Chopra.

When faced with uncertainty most of us fail to remember how adaptable we are as human beings. When I was young my family moved out of the home I had grown up in. I feared that I wouldn’t cope with the change. Within a week of being in our new home, however, I had almost forgotten what it was like to live in our old home.

In times of uncertainty it can help to remind yourself that it is likely you will deal with change more successfully than you give yourself credit for.

“The Law of Detachment” teaches that by embracing uncertainty and detaching from specific outcomes, you can begin to live a life that is driven by adventure and curiosity, and less by fear and insecurity. There are many paths that lead to your hopes and dreams and embracing uncertainty encourages you to be more flexible, accepting and adaptable to the surprising nature of life.

How could you embrace uncertainty in your life at the moment?

Jessica Stead xxx

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September 25, 2013

Is Laughter Truly the Best Medicine?

Need some cheering up? Maybe it's time for a good belly laugh. You might be surprised to know there are many health benefits to having a giggle. Read more in my latest article, "Is Laughter Truly the Best Medicine?" at http://www.maketheworldmove.com/is-laughter-truly-the-best-medicine-by-jessica-stead-make-the-world-move/

mtwm

September 17, 2013

Releasing and Letting Go

Have you ever noticed that when you are looking to buy a certain type of car that is all you see on the road? Or maybe when you know someone close to you is pregnant there seems to be pregnant women everywhere? What you spend time thinking about and focusing on magnifies. In Deepak Chopra’s fifth spiritual law of success, “The Law of Intention and Desire,” he says “Whatever you put your attention on will grow stronger in your life. Whatever you take your attention away from will wither, disintegrate, and disappear.”

Where is Your Focus?

What do you focus on in your life? Do you spend most of your time and energy thinking about the negative things happening in your life, or the positives? Is the glass half full or half empty?

If you are like me, maybe you get stuck in the ‘glass half empty’ mentality sometimes. In every situation you have a choice about whether you will focus on the positives or negatives. If you are focusing on the negatives, however, you may be wasting valuable energy. Chopra says that 90% of our obstacles are only perceived, and the remaining 10% you can transform into learning opportunities.

Don’t believe this statistic? I came across the 90/10 spilt when I read Susan Jeffers’ book, “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.’’ Jeffers also said that 90% of what you worry about doesn’t happen. I thought this sounded outrageous so I chose to track my worries for a few months. When I looked back, I too found that about 90% of the things I worried about didn’t happen, and the 10% that did happen, I coped with and learnt from.

The lesson...? Don’t let perceived obstacles consume or distract you. By shifting your focus away from perceived negatives and by paying attention to the positives you free up energy and optimism to live a happier and healthier life.

Becoming Intentional

By also forming an intention about what you want to get out of your life, your life becomes richer, more directed and ultimately more fulfilling. Chopra says that while attention energises, intention transforms. So instead of just doing things in your life, reflect and think about what you might be able to achieve while doing those activities.

For example, instead of just going for a walk around the block, set your intention that during your walk you will think about all the wonderful things happening in your life. In that way your walk becomes an intentional act of gratitude and encourages a more optimistic outlook on life which will have transforming effects on your whole life.

Letting Go

Once you have identified your goals and desires, Chopra says you then must release them. Sound counter intuitive? Have you ever tried to hold water in your hand? If you hold it with a fist, the water seeps through. If you softly cup your hand you can hold the water. Like the water, when you try to hold on too tightly to your dreams and desires, you often lose the very thing you are trying to retain.

By releasing your attachment to your desires, it’s easier to stay grounded in the present moment and remain open to life. Rather than getting stuck in what has been or what might be, you can stay focused on what is happening now. You can live your life with more awareness, while also being more aware of new opportunities.

“Relinquish your attachment to the outcome. This means giving up your rigid attachment to a specific result and living in the wisdom of uncertainty. It means enjoying every moment in the journey of your life, even if you don’t know the outcome,” says Chopra.

Part of enjoying your life journey is being able to trust that everything will work out. Chopra encourages us to say to ourselves, “I will release the list of my desires and surrender it to the womb of creation, trusting that when things don’t seem to go my way, there is a reason, and that the cosmic plan has designs for me much grander than even those I have conceived.”

I’m in no doubt that releasing my hopes and desires into the Universe, and trusting that everything happens for a reason, is the best and healthiest way to live. However, it’s easier said than done, isn’t it? It’s not easy to relinquish control. When you realise, however, that control is an illusion, and that you don’t ever know what’s going to happen around the corner, it makes sense to go with the flow of your life, rather than to fight it.

So readers, what do you find the hardest part about embracing life’s uncertainties and releasing your hopes and dreams? Is there an area in your life where less rigidity may actually help you achieve your desired outcome?

Jess xxx

Release and Let Go

August 27, 2013

Could Failure Be A Good Thing?

Can you give yourself permission to fail in order to succeed? Too often we live conservative lives for fear that we might 'fail.' In the process, however, we miss out on some of life's most amazing opportunities and lessons. Read more in my latest article 'Failing in Order to Succeed.'  http://www.maketheworldmove.com/failing-in-order-to-succeed-by-jessica-stead-make-the-world-move/

mtwm

August 26, 2013

The Path of Least Resistance

Do you ever stop to consider how you use your energy? Would you be surprised to learn that how you think about your life, can either zap or generate energy? Following on from my last post, “Loving Your Life,” I will share with you three of Deepak Chopra’s ideas that will help you conserve and use your energy in life affirming ways.

In Chopra’s fourth spiritual law, “The Law of Least Effort,” he explains that to do this you must free and re-direct your energy by learning the art of acceptance, responsibility and defencelessness. By doing this you can live a life with less resistance and more joy.

1. Acceptance

When you get stuck on what could have been, and stress over what might be, you deplete your body of vital energy...it’s exhausting. You can’t change the past and you can’t control the future, but you can choose how you respond to your present moment.

Chopra suggests that the first secret to living an easier life is to accept your present reality. He explains that this means accepting that ‘…this moment is as it should be.” However, it doesn’t mean giving up on what you desire. “You can wish for things in the future to be different, but in this moment you have to accept things as they are.”

What are the benefits of ‘going with’ your reality instead of resisting it? Chopra says “Any time you encounter resistance, recognize that if you force the situation, the resistance will only increase.” Does this sound familiar to you?

Have you been in a situation that you tried to force, only to end flat on the floor, exhausted, and no closer to your goal? I certainly have. I think Chopra is right, don’t push back against resistance or you will only meet more resistance. You will have expended all your energy and will have nothing to show for it, except maybe more frustration than you when started.

Instead of resisting what is, Chopra encourages us to have patience and to trust. Just like a good gardener, Chopra tells us to plant the seeds of your dreams and desires, to nurture them, but ultimately to wait for the right season for them to bloom. Too many times, you become impatient and begin to dig up those seeds looking for shoots, killing off any chance of your dreams taking root and then blossoming in the future.

When you realise that life unfolds as it’s meant to, you free yourselves of so much anxiety, fear and stress. As the Bible says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything. In life there will be good times and bad times, times of success and failure, sadness and happiness, richness and poverty, health and illness. Understanding and accepting that this is what makes up life, you can begin to move through these times with confidence that you don’t need to resist the natural ebb and flow of life.

Free up vital energy by accepting your life as it is today, be patient and trust that good things will happen in the future, and redirect your energy in positive and loving ways.

How can you do that? Chopra’s next tip is to come to terms with your own responsibility in life and your own power to change how you feel about your circumstances.

2. Responsibility

Feel upset about certain events or how you have been treated in the past? It isn’t people or events you are reacting to when you get upset; rather, you are reacting to your feelings about those events and people, explains Chopra.

Want more control over how you feel about your life? Stop blaming anyone or anything else for your situation and begin responding to how you feel and change it, says Chopra. He encourages us to look beyond the issues you are dealing with to see what you can learn.

“All problems contain the seeds of opportunity, and this awareness allows you to take the moment and transform it to a better situation or thing…you will have many teachers around you, and many opportunities to evolve,” says Chopra.

3. Defencelessness

Lastly, Chopra’s third suggestion is to give up the desire or ‘need’ to convince others of your point of view. This is a major energy zapper and often has little impact. Not only shouldn’t you argue your point of view, Chopra encourages us to have an open mind explaining, “You don’t want to stand rigid like a tall oak that cracks and collapses in the storm. Instead, you want to be flexible, like a reed that bends with each storm and survives.”

If you are like me, then you will also need regular reminders that joy and peace aren’t found by resiting your life, but by embracing your life with acceptance and responsibility. You only need to look back on your life to see how true this fourth spiritual law is.

Recently I was resisting my life and getting increasingly agitated that things weren’t unfolding as I had hoped and expected. I was getting further and further into a hole, created by my own mindset and my gritted determination to ‘make it happen.’ Needless to say, nothing did happen. I was stuck in an utterly frustrating holding pattern.

It was only when I accepted things as they were, chose to re-direct my energy into new ideas and projects, and decided to let those other issues unfold as they needed to, that things began to really change.

Within a week the goals I had been pushing for months, were realised! Yes, it took longer than I had hoped, but it had happened. I sat back and thought “wow, what a waste of energy that was getting so agitated when things felt like they weren’t moving.” I hope next time I meet life’s roadblocks I can remember that everything unfolds in its own time, and not to get caught up in what I think ‘should’ be happening.

Do you need to accept your life as it is, and free up vital life energy to create new and wonderful things in your life?

Jess xx

Wait for your dreams to blossom

August 7, 2013

The Walking Wounded

This week ABC’s Four Corner’s aired a powerful episode called “Walking Wounded,” about a remarkable man named Giles Duley.

Giles was embedded within the U.S. army as a photographer in Afghanistan. In 2011 his life changed when he lost both legs and part of his left arm to an improvised explosive device (IED). However, Giles’ story is one of hope and resilience.

Giles made the decision to return to Afghanistan to photograph victims of IED’s. Sadly, most of the victims of IED’s are children and the poor of Afghanistan. Unlike Giles, the people he met did not have access to the medical care he did, and were often the sole breadwinner for their large families.

His story is a powerful reminder of the cost of war, the stark difference in opportunities between developed and developing countries, and one man’s drive to live a life of influence.

To watch the episode, check out ABC iview; 

http://www.abc.net.au/iview/?series=2303988#/view/41402

To see more of Giles’ photography visit his website;

http://gilesduley.com/

Thank you Giles for your wonderful inspiration, may we all embrace our limitations, use our talents, and make a difference in the world.

Jess xxx

Giles Duley

Photo sourced from: http://gilesduley.org/

July 29, 2013

Meditating To Get More Out Of Life

Would you like to improve your life in only 15 minutes every day? Read my latest article called Meditating To Get More Out Of Life, at Make the World Move.

In line with this article I have decided to set myself a 30 day challenge. As you will read, I have started and stopped a regular meditation practice over the years. As of today, I will set myself a goal to practice each day for 30 days. I am interested to see how I feel at the end of the month, and how my life and decision making processes may have changed.

Anyone want to join me?

Jess xx

mtwm

July 17, 2013

Loving Your Life

Does life feel harder than it should? In Chopra’s fourth law, “The Law of Least Effort,” he explains how you can “do less and accomplish more.”

By looking at Nature, Chopra encourages us to see how things can occur effortlessly. He explains that flowers don’t try to bloom, they just do, and fish don’t learn to swim, they just swim. In the same way, when you are operating out of your true Self, in harmony with your true nature, things become effortless…you can begin to “do less and accomplish more.”

So what does it mean to operate out of your true Self and to be in harmony with your true nature?

I’ve always enjoyed writing and playing with words and ideas. I loved university and really enjoyed my final year writing a thesis. One day I was speaking with a friend who has been a farmer all his working life. He said he would hate doing what I do. He cringes even having to write a letter or email.

When I think about the life of a farmer - early mornings, physical labour, long days - I also cringe. I know I would struggle to enjoy being a farmer and I know my friend would struggle to be a writer. It’s a beautiful reminder of how wonderful it is that we’re all different. It’s also a stark reminder that we find some things more effortless than others.

The secret to living a happy and healthy life is to do more of what you find effortless and enjoyable. This is what Chopra is referring to when he says you should live from your true Self. As 13th Century Persian poet, Rumi explains, “Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.”

Have you, or are you doing things in your life that are going against your true Self, going against your grain? When you spend your life doing things that aren’t quite right for you, life begins to feel like you are pushing a wheel barrow of wet cement up a hill.

Sometimes you have to do things out of necessity, be it for financial reasons, family commitments or a multitude of other reasons. Living too far outside of what you would like to be doing, however, can be a damaging way to live. Not only do you begin to lose a sense of who you are and what you love, but you become more stressed and unhappy, which can lead to serious health issues.

If you are unable to work in a career that supports you, then it becomes even more important to do things during your free time that help you stay connected with what you love. When you do things you love, your body responds to this and your stress levels decrease and you begin to feel calmer and happier.

As Johnny Carson, the host of The Tonight Show said, “Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.”

Are there things in your life you could be doing that could bring you more joy? Could you consider a career change that might be more fulfilling?

Jess xx

66

June 21, 2013

Karma: 5 Life Lessons

Do you ever wonder, ‘How did my life get to this place?’ In Deepak Chopra’s third Spiritual Law of Success - “The Law of ‘Karma’ or Cause and Effect” – he explores how the choices you make determine the life you live, and how you can learn to make wiser decisions. 

Lesson One: You Are Responsible For Your Life

Put simply, karma is the idea that the decisions you make have consequences; consequences that can be either positive or negative. Good karma is a result of good decisions, and bad karma is a result of bad decisions. “We sow what we reap” says Chopra.

Based on this premise, he explains “Whether you like it or not, everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the choices you’ve made in the past.”

Hmm...how do you feel hearing this? Offended? Proud? Depressed? Motivated? No doubt your reaction is dependent on how you feel about your life.

Reading Chopra’s statement, my first response was defensiveness.

For those of you who don’t know my story, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) when I was 23 – five years ago. According to Chopra, having CFS is my fault. I don’t like this idea. Putting my ego aside, though, and thinking about my past, I can actually see how my life choices led to illness.

You can’t push your body to extremes and not end up with some form of sickness or illness. While I wasn’t fully aware of this as a young person, it doesn’t change the fact that choosing to live in this way resulted in CFS.

The silver lining, however, is that by being responsible for your life, you have the power to make choices which can bring positive change. How then, do you begin to make wiser choices in your life?

Lesson Two: Becoming a Conscious Choice-Maker

Modern life is full of choices. A simple stroll down the dairy aisle at the supermarket will have you choosing from around 15 styles of yoghurt. Bombarded with choice and information, it can be hard to think clearly. According to Chopra, in order to make good decisions in life you need to make conscious choices.

Living a busy life often leaves you feeling there is no time to reflect on where your life is headed. All too often you go through life making decisions automatically, without considering the consequences.

So how can you slow down long enough, to bring awareness and consciousness into the choices you make?

Lesson Three: Meditating for Mindfulness

Getting in touch with your feelings and thoughts is much easier when you meditate. Ten to fifteen minutes of daily meditation can dramatically increase your level of inner awareness.

While meditation can include sitting quietly, breathing deeply, and imaging calming scenes: there are other ways to meditate. For some, spending time in nature helps to still and calm their mind. While for others, it could be painting or cooking. Whatever is right for you, make sure you have a place or activity that slows your mind down long enough to become aware of your feelings and thoughts.

Once you have inner awareness, there are two important questions you have to ask yourself…

Lesson Four: Making Decisions for Happiness

Chopra says, “When you make a choice – any choice at all – you can ask yourself two things: First of all, “What are the consequences of this choice that I’m making?”…Secondly, “Will this choice that I’m making now bring happiness to me and to those around me?”

When asking these questions, Chopra explains that the sensations in the body provide clues to the answer. Discomfort is a sign that you have not found the right choice. Using your body and your heart’s intuition, you can begin to make decisions that better support your health and happiness.

What happens though, when you get it wrong? What happens when you experience bad karma in your life from bad decisions you have made?

Lesson Five: Turning a Negative into a Positive

Life’s biggest lesson – learn from your mistakes. By asking, “What can I learn from this experience?” and “How can I make this experience useful to my fellow human beings?” you can shift a negative situation into a positive and life-affirming experience, says Chopra. This is how you transform bad karma into good karma.

I agree whole heartedly. Once diagnosed with CFS, I chose a career as a freelance writer in the area of health and wellbeing. I aim to encourage others to live a life of balance, creativity, hope, health and happiness. In this way I have transformed a negative situation, or my bad karma, into a new lifestyle that I love.

Learning from mistakes, by looking for that hint of light within the darkness, means you can always live a life that’s fulfilling and meaningful. Of course it helps if you can learn to make decisions which bring happiness and joy in the first place. As my boyfriend always reminds me though, “It is through mistakes and failures that we learn the most.”

So tell me readers, what do you think of the idea of karma? Do you agree that you are responsible for where your life is at the moment? Have you been able to turn negatives into positives in your life? I would love to hear your thoughts and stories. Have a wonderful weekend.

Jess xx 

 

Finding Hope in Darkness

June 4, 2013

Is Less More?

Do we need as much as we think we do to be happy? Check out my latest article, 'Less is More: Creating Room for Flow and Energy' on Make The World Move;

http://www.maketheworldmove.com/less-is-more-creating-room-for-flow-and-energy-by-jessica-stead-make-the-world-move/

May 28, 2013

The Law of Giving

When it comes to being generous it is easy to assume that we can only give when we have plenty, but what effect does this have on our lives? In this post I look at Chopra’s second law of spiritual success, ‘The Law of Giving’ and explore the surprising reasons why we should always be generous.    

There have been times in my life when I have had limited finances, energy and time. During those times I assumed the ‘responsible’ approach was to restrict how generous I was towards others in order to achieve what it was I was trying to accomplish.

The rationale being, that once I had more of everything- money, time and energy- I could give generously to others again. For a period of time I had chosen to put myself first and protect my interests.

I stopped shouting coffees and lunches when I was with friends and family, I stopped being involved in volunteer work and I pushed myself to be ‘productive’ all the time and didn’t factor in any time to unwind and relax.

There was a hidden cost to living like this. Not only did it fail to guarantee abundance of any sort, it also changed my personality and my level of happiness. Quite simply, I was unhappy and my relationships were suffering. While I may have had slightly more money and time, my life as a whole was much poorer.

By seeing my life through a lens of scarcity I closed myself off from the vital exchange of giving and receiving. To give and to receive is to enter into an exchange which promotes appreciation, hope, empathy and happiness. We communicate when we are generous, saying ‘you are important to me,’ or ‘this issue matters.’

When I read Chopra’s second spiritual law of success, ‘The Law of Giving,’ I was struck by his observations about giving and receiving. He explains that in order to create abundance in our lives we must keep energy flowing, by giving and receiving, rather than restricting and limiting the flow by hoarding and protecting.

When I assumed I should limit the flow of generosity towards others because I felt I didn’t have enough to go around, I was fundamentally wrong. Chopra explains ‘Whenever blood stops flowing, it begins to clot, to coagulate, to stagnate. That is why you must give and receive in order to keep wealth and affluence – or anything you want in your life – circulating in your life.’

The idea that we should always be generous no matter what we have, so we can keep the flow of energy moving in our lives, is radically different from the Western mindset of hoarding to protect and ensure personal abundance.

The premise of Chopra’s second law is very simple- give that which you also desire to receive. He says;

Practicing the Law of Giving is actually very simple: if you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation; if you want material affluence, help others to become materially affluent. In fact the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want.

If we want to be happy we have to continue to be generous no matter how much we have or don’t have. Chopra encourages us to be generous on a daily basis;

…make a decision that any time you come into contact with anyone, you will give them something. It doesn’t have to be in the form of material things; it could be a flower, a compliment, or a prayer. In fact, the most powerful forms of giving are non-material. The gifts of caring, attention, affection, appreciation, and love are some of the most precious gifts you can give, and they don’t cost you anything.

The attitude or intention in which we give is hugely important. Chopra says, ‘The intention should always be to create happiness for the giver and the receiver, because happiness is life-supporting and life-sustaining and therefore generates increase.’

Once I learnt the lesson that being ungenerous made me unhappy, I decided that even when I have very little I will work hard to find ways to still be generous and believe that by giving I too will receive and enjoy my life more.

Now I find lots of simple and easy ways to tell those around me that they mean a lot to me. By ironing work shirts, cooking meals, running errands, catching up for a coffee, sending a card in the mail, I am affirming the relationships I am in.

At the heart of Chopra’s law is the importance of relationships. Without other people we wouldn’t have anyone to give to and we wouldn’t have anyone to receive things from either. It is through generosity that we strengthen our ties and bonds with each other.

Studies have shown that the stronger a person’s relationships are in their life the greater their levels of happiness, well-being and health. Here Chopra offers us a wonderful way to boost not only our own but also others health and happiness by enjoying the vital flow of life energy that comes from giving and receiving.

How will you give generously to others today?

Generosity

May 2, 2013

Four Tips for Living a Peaceful Life

Following on from last week, where we looked at the importance of building our sense of self-worth from within, this week we look at four ways to make our lives more peaceful.

To access peace, creativity and happiness, Deepak Chopra suggests we adopt a daily habit of silence, meditation and non-judgement, while also spending more time in nature.

1. Silence

If you’re like the average person these days, you spend a good part of your day connected to the world through the internet, social media, and your smart phone. If you are like me, you find it hard to simply be or to wait for someone without grabbing your phone and checking your emails.

Simply ‘being’ has become an art form. When Chopra talks about spending time in silence he is talking about not only disengaging from the world through speech, but also stepping back from television, books and social media. It is a call to spend time purely with ourselves and our thoughts.

He does warn that at first our internal dialogue will be turbulent and we may feel anxious, but he reassures us that this won’t last. When the mind does quieten, we have a chance to experience stillness, and from stillness flows greater peace.

Chopra suggests spending an hour a day in silence, and highly recommends experiencing silence for a whole day or an extended period of time occasionally. In the same way that silence can bring us peace, meditation can bring us greater awareness of how our body and mind is feeling and coping with day to day life.

2. Meditation

Chopra’s second suggestion for living a more peaceful life is to meditate daily. Ideally he suggests we meditate thirty minutes in the morning and then again in the evening. While this may be ideal, even ten to fifteen minutes a day is enough to feel the benefits of meditation.

Without taking time out to meditate, we rarely know how we feel. When we are detached from ourselves we often feel unhappy, anxious and unmotivated but without really knowing why. It can also be the reason why we become ill.

When we don’t know how we are feeling, we don’t know if the way we are living is supporting or harming us. By choosing to meditate each day we give ourselves an opportunity to gauge how well our life is working for us and we have the choice to re-align our values and actions if need be.

Some people find it easier to start with a meditation CD so they can be guided, rather than try to meditate purely in their own minds. If you don’t have any meditation CDs you can often find a good selection at the library or online, or alternatively you could attend a local mediation class in your area.

Meditation isn’t the easiest thing to do when you haven’t done it before. Our minds are so used to being active, especially with the excessive stimulus we receive from the media and life in general. The tip, however, is to persevere. The harder and more frustrating you find it the more your body and mind needs it.

The initial resistance felt when starting meditation is caused by our minds being too ‘tight’ and stressed. The more we meditate the more our minds loosen and the freer our mind is to relax, and to think creatively about our lives.

So if you feel resistance when you start to meditate just know that it means you are doing the right thing and keep going, it will get easier.

3. Non-Judgement

When I first saw this term ‘non-judgement’ I assumed Chopra was going to talk about not judging others, but surprisingly he was referring to not judging our own life and experiences. He explains that when we judge our daily experiences we are labelling them as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and that ‘When you are constantly evaluating, classifying, labelling, analyzing, you create a lot of turbulence in your internal dialogue.’

I was amazed at just how true this was when I started to noticed my internal dialogue throughout the day. I was constantly saying to myself ‘that’s good’ or ‘that shouldn’t have happened’ to events that were unfolding.

The reality is that things happen that are often out of our control, either positive or negative. Once these things have happened there is no point dwelling on them or judging them because it is done. All we can do is decide how we will respond to those events or circumstances.

By not judging our daily experiences it frees up energy to respond to our lives and to live a balanced and calmer life. When unexpected things happen that do throw us, Chopra’s suggestions of spending time in silence and mediation, will also help us to feel more grounded and more equipped to respond rather than react.

4. Nature

Lastly, Chopra suggests a good dose of the outdoors. He says, ‘Spending time in nature enables you to sense the harmonious interaction of all the elements and forces of life, and gives you a sense of unity with all of life.’

With so many people working in offices and at desks all day, it is not surprising that so many of us are disconnected from nature and from the outside world. We are disconnected from fresh air, sunshine and the seasons.

It is important to get outside and enjoy the elements as nature provides us with a powerful grounding energy that helps us find inner balance and perspective. We enter a beautiful life sustaining cycle when we spend time in nature as we exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen with the plants around us. It is a wondrous and vital exchange. It is an exchange that we so often take for granted and forget.

For some, spending time in the bush is their place of regeneration and peace. For others it is the ocean or their garden. The important thing is to spend some time in nature every day. Even if you work in an office, go for a run in the local park or sit in the sun when you drink your coffee instead of going back to your desk. Every bit counts.

By integrating these four tips into our day, we can move through our often hectic lives, feeling less frazzled and more energised and balanced.

Next week we look at Chopra’s second spiritual law of success, ‘The Law of Giving.’ Enjoy the rest of your week, and don’t forget to be silent, meditate, refrain from judging your daily experiences and go outside and enjoy the breeze and sunshine.

92

April 23, 2013

Women's Weekend Retreat

March this year I had the privilege to attend a women's workshop run by a good friend of mine, Sue Malliate. It was such a wonderful experience, including yoga, meditation, art and music sessions. I came home feeling invigorated, motivated, hopeful and happy. See my blog post 'Never Say Never' for more reflections on the weekend.
 
The great news is that Sue is running another women's weekend retreat in October this year. The details are below. Please feel free to contact her if you are interested in attending.

Venue: Rainbow's Reach Retreat, Wyee, north of Sydney
www.rainbowsreachretreat.com.au

Friday 18 October (from 4pm) to
Sunday 20 October, 2013 (2pm)
2013
Energy to Heal presents a women’s weekend of retreat, rest, relaxation and celebration. Set in the beautiful bush surrounds of Rainbow’s Reach, this retreat is all about you…

A Celebration of Me – Past, Present and Yet to Be!


You are a beautiful and unique being – come along on our weekend journey of honouring, discovery and celebration. Allow your true self – the love, light and beauty you hold within – to come forth. Feel the joy of just being you – with nothing to prove or change. Feel the relief of honouring who you are and create an authentic path for your life. You are amazing - enjoy being you!
 
Our weekend together will include:

· Yoga
· Wu Tao dance
· Grounding and energy balancing techniques
· 'Wisdom of the feminine' meditation
· Creativity through intuitive art
· Drumming, belly dancing
· Celebration ceremony
· Mindfulness walk
· Relaxing in a beautiful natural setting
· Plentiful and delicious vegetarian food
· Enjoying the company of like – minded people



Retreat cost: $290 which includes accommodation, all meals and retreat program. (*Early Bird: $270 if payment received by October 4)

If you have not yet experienced a retreat that honours the very essence of you - that celebrates you exactly as you are - now is the time!


For further details and to reserve your place at our ‘A Celebration of Me – Past, Present and Yet to Be’ retreat, contact Sue for further details...
Phone: 0413 644 489,
Email: sue.malliate@gmail.com
Or visit our website!
www.energytoheal.com.au

April 22, 2013

Eating an Elephant One Bite at a Time

'There are times in life when everything seems like it’s going wrong and you just can’t win. You can feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. It can be hard to keep striving for the things you want in your life. So what can you do to stay focused, calm and inspired?'

Check out my latest article on Make The World Move;
http://www.maketheworldmove.com/eating-an-elephant-one-bite-at-a-time-by-jessica-stead-make-the-world-move/

mtwm

April 18, 2013

A Journey Into the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

I recently picked up Deepak Chopra’s book, ‘The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfilment of Your Dreams.’ Each morning over a week, I read one spiritual law as part of my morning meditation. It was tempting to read this small book in one sitting, but I chose to allow each law to sit with me for the day.

I found such profound wisdom in Chopra’s writing. His ideas have been helpful in allowing me to feel more grounded, hopeful, happier and more motivated in my life. So I have decided for my blog posts I will explore each of his laws in more detail. I will look at the importance of meditation, spending time in nature, not judging your experiences, making conscious choices, gratitude, acceptance, generosity and so much more.

I would love to hear from you about what these ideas may mean to you, how you are interacting with them, and how they are adding value to your life. I believe that it is through sharing our life stories, experiences and knowledge that we create a deep pool of wisdom that can be used by others for guidance and inspiration.

1. The Law of Pure Potentiality

Don’t be turned off by the wording of Chopra’s first law. While I don’t fully understand Chopra’s views on pure potentiality yet, the ideas he explores around this notion are very powerful, the first being how we regard our self and our innate value as a person.

How Do You View Yourself and Your Worth?

Where does your sense of self and worth come from? Is it from your job, your family or your hobbies? Chopra begins his book by speaking about the important difference between seeing yourself through self-referral versus object-referral.

When Chopra speaks of self-referral he explains that ‘…our internal reference point is our own spirit, and not the objects of our experience.’ Object-referral, however, is referring to how we see and define our self through the things we do, the people we know, the circumstances we are in and the possessions we own.

The problem with forming our sense of self on object-referral is that our lives are forever changing. As Chopra says, ‘Power based on object-referral, however, is false power. Being ego-based power, it lasts only as long as the object of reference is there…as soon as the title, the job, the money go away, so does the power.’

We are therefore left with a very shaky platform if we choose to base our sense of self on things that are outside of our control. I know this as much as anyone.

When I became sick with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2008 I was unable to do just about everything, from working, walking up stairs to cooking and washing my clothes. I had to explore who I was as a person separate from the things I could do, as I could no longer manage the things I used to do.

Before I got sick I would say that my sense of self came from object-referral. This is probably true for most people. I defined myself by the marks I got at university, the social justice issues I advocated for in my spare time, the friends I had and generally how busy and active I was. I had always felt that I was ‘Jess’ because of the things I had done and achieved in my life.

Admittedly, I had never thought about where my sense of self was coming from when I was healthy and my life was plodding along in the direction I wanted it to go. However, when my life was pared back to the bare minimum it was confronting and I had difficult questions that needed answers.

I felt a massive gap in my life because the standards I had used to measure my value were no longer applicable. I realised that I had to look at where my sense of self-worth was coming from and by what standards I would now measure myself. I have come to see that I am not what I do. I have realised that my identity and value as a person lay in the indisputable fact that I could give and receive love. It was not my first class honours or how many hours I volunteered that made me who I was or what gave me value, it was my ability to love and be loved.

When we understand that our identity and value as a person is not dependent on the things we have and the things that happen around us, it makes weathering the ups and downs of life much easier. Unless you can come to love yourself for your qualities and your spiritual essence, then you become exceptionally vulnerable to your external circumstances. And these external circumstances are out of your control.

As Chopra advocates, we need to build our sense of self from within, so that if we lose our job, lose our physical ability, lose people we love, or lose our financial position we can remain strong and continue to be confident in who we are. We can remain confident in our value and our place in the world.

In my next post, I will look at how Chopra recommends we apply the Law of Pure Potentiality to our lives by embracing silence, meditation and a position of non-judgement regarding the things that happen in our life.

April 10, 2013

Finding Happiness in Strange Places

Michael. J. Fox in 'Lucky Man'
'If you were to rush into this room right now and announce that you have struck a deal with-God, Allah, Buddha, Christ, Krishna, Bill Gates, whomever-in which the ten years since my diagnosis could be magically taken away, traded in for ten more years as the person I was before-I would, without a moment's hesitation, tell you to take a hike.'

March 26, 2013

Finding Hope

If you haven't read 'Man's Search for Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust' by Viktor E. Frankl you definitely should, what an incredible book. Frankl has a way of reminding us that in all circumstances in life we can find and hold on to hope. We always have a choice about how we will view our life and the attitude we choose to adopt. If hope can be found in the concentration camps than whatever you are facing today, you can also find hope.

 'We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that eveything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of all human freedoms- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.'

March 25, 2013

Moving Generously into the World

`Research has shown that volunteers experience better health than those who don’t volunteer, and even gain more benefits, socially and physically, than those they help. Volunteering helps to reduce stress in people’s lives and in turn reduces the risk of disease.'

Check out my latest article on the benefits of volunteering;
http://www.maketheworldmove.com/moving-generously-into-the-world-by-jessica-stead/

Never Say Never

I recently attended a women’s retreat run by a friend of mine. The weekend was about grounding yourself in the Earth’s energy and acknowledging the divine power within. We did some wonderful yoga, meditation, dance and art sessions. It was a lovely weekend of learning and sharing with a great group of women.

While the retreat was wonderful, it was something else about the retreat that impacted me greatly. My friend who organised and led the retreat has not had an easy life. She experienced Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for four years in addition to significant personal and spiritual challenges. She knows about the grittiness of life. However, she has worked hard and soulfully to find healing and peace in her life. 

What struck me on the weekend was her amazing transformation. When she was sick and literally crawling on her hands and knees to get up the stairs in her home, if someone had said to her that she would be organising and leading her own retreat she would have seen it as unfathomable, impossible and laughable.

By living one day and one step at a time, by honouring herself in that process and by doing things that she loved, she has been able to achieve and experience some wonderful things in her life that once appeared inconceivable. The retreat was not only a wonderful success but was such a tangible example of how far she has come in her life.

I have found great optimism and hope in my friend’s journey. Just like everybody, I have desires in my life that currently seem implausible. I can’t see how I will get to where I want to be in my life and it causes me anxiety, frustration and sadness. What I learnt over the weekend, however, was never consider something to be impossible. Never say never.

The lesson is if you live well, stay grounded, and live in the moment anything is possible. If you can trust in the process of life and your own transformation you will find yourself with a life that you had only dreamed about- a life of joy, love, happiness and peace.


heart

February 12, 2013

Make The World Move

I am excited to be contributing to a wonderful new website that has been pioneered by Clint Salter, called Make The World Move. Clint writes that, 'Make The World Move celebrates all aspects of life and inspires people from across the globe to lead extraordinary lives.'

It's a pleasure to be part of the website, providing inspiration to all those who would like to live their best life. I am also looking forward to being challenged and inspired as I read the articles that other contributors have posted. 

Check out my monthly articles at Make The World Move;

Embracing Your Limitations
http://www.maketheworldmove.com/embracing-your-limitations/

Taking It Slower
http://www.maketheworldmove.com/taking-it-slower/