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top 10 ways to refresh

April 6, 2012 By 6 Comments


Whenever I’m feeling bored (another word for un-creative) by life, work or a relationship, I take that as my clue that I’m not playing nearly enough.

Play and its twin, Rest, are critical to feeling refreshed and rejuvenated allowing you to more readily access your creativity, which is a necessity to accomplishing anything in life. So for those of you who are serious about working hard and effort-ing to get where you want to go in life, you can consider the act of play to be very serious business.

Reframing the idea of play in this way will hopefully allow you to engage in play regularly without upsetting your workaholic view of yourself. LOL!

Now that that is out of the way, let’s get to your list of Top 10 Ways to Refresh. Below I’ll share mine, which I hope will spur you to create your own and/or highjack my list until you recover you’re creativity enough to create your own.

Here goes:
Yvette’s Top 10 Ways to Refresh

  1. taking a walk with my dog
  2. turning on my favorite song and dance around my office
  3. driving to my favorite store & window shop imagining owning any beautiful thing I see.
  4. walking out of said store without spending a dime, but being full of the joy of my imaginings.
  5. volunteering weekly at a therapeutic horse riding center for the disabled.
  6. walking away from my computer long enough to take in the beauty from my window or better yet…
  7. stepping out onto my front door step and basking in the sunshine for a few glorious minutes.
  8. making and sipping a cup of my favorite green tea.
  9. calling a friend, you know that one that you can always count on to make you laugh.
  10. closing my eyes, breathing and experiencing the silence for one moment.

Most of these can be done without spending a dime (except for the drive to the store & the riding center, which may cost several dimes, depending on current gas prices in your area), but you will be rewarded for your “play” in spades.

Try making your own list and indulging in one refreshing, playful activity each day and share your list and your results below…

Filed Under: Blog

what’s your plan for 2012?

December 28, 2011 By 2 Comments


Are you ready? What’s your plan? One of my favorite quotes goes something like this, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it, but only every time.”

What happened for you this year? Was it what you hoped for, dreamed of, planned around? In the book 9 Things Successful People Do Differently, Heidi Grant Halvorson’s numbers 1 and 2 “things” are:

  1. Get specific
  2. Seize the moment to act on your goals

If you’d like 2012 to be different in anyway from 2011, I say take Heidi’s well researched advice to

Get specific and Seize the moment to act on your goals.

And that moment is now to take stock, get clear and move forward in your life differently than you ever have before. As Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” So why not approach 2012 in a new way.

Whether you long to:

  • leave your job and follow your creative passions
  • move to a new city
  • find a career after being a mom for 20 years
  • OR just about any other transition you’re facing

let the power of the What’s Next? program show you the way.

I’m so passionate about making sure that no one “dies with their music still inside them,” that I’ve made this course insanely affordable! But truly, what value can be placed on creating a life that is happy, on point and chock full of exactly what you’ve always wanted?

Learn more and register NOW in 2 EASY PAYMENTS of only $387 at

What’s Next for you in 2012!

Looking forward to working together to create your most desired life beginning January 10, 2012.

 

Filed Under: wellness practices

creating inner calm

December 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Breathing deeply I view my thoughts as children running amok in the schoolyard and I gently call them to quiet and I watch in my mind’s eye as they slow down in their frenzy, then stop and sit, as I am, cross-legged on the earth and rest. These “children,” my thoughts, are at rest.

Today I happen to be sitting in front of my mediation cabinet that holds behind it’s doors a candle, my favorite sandalwood incense, poems, Bible verses and such. Not all my attempts to quiet my mind occur here in front of what some would call an alter of sorts and since I sit here not to worship, but to become still and listen, I call it my point of focus. But don’t be intimidated or put off in giving meditation a try just because you don’t have a special place to sit. The beauty of cultivating quiet is that eventually you can experience it ANYWHERE—when the kids are melting down at the grocery store, you & your spouse are “discussing” finances, or when your boss moves up the deadline by a week.

Yes, mental calm and clarity can be experienced anywhere at anytime, but I have to say when I open those cabinet doors, smell the lingering fragrance of incense within, and sit on my pillow, it is like stepping into a sanctuary, bringing my heart to a reverent state for the activity that I am about to begin. That moment of centering, quieting my mind and opening my heart to the Divine, to what God wants to share with me is an activity that has become a vital part of my day.

Messages are always being spoken, but usually our thoughts are shouting so loudly that our heart can’t hear. Again much like a child, poking her mom and talking over a conversation, insistent that she be heard and now, our thoughts are like insistent children who have not yet learned to wait their turn.  For both, there is a time to softly say, “Shhh, quiet yourself for a moment while I listen”—listen to God, listen to myself, listen to the voice within that is always, always providing the guidance we need to lead our best, most fulfilling lives.

How about you? Are you making time to listen to your wisest self? I invite you to shhh and to accept a most precious gift that you are being offered everyday—the gift of connection with your own soul.  Every moment that passes without you taking the time to listen for that still small voice within, is a day that you squander your best guidance for living the life you were meant to live.

Stop today if only for a second, breath deeply, quiet your mind and make a vow to live in connection with your soul beginning now. Do those same three simple steps everyday and it will be a transformative year, of that I’m certain.

3 Simple Steps for Creating Calm & Listening to the Messages of Your Soul

  1.      set a timer for 5 minutes
  2.      take a few deep breaths
  3.     quiet your mind, let go of thought, rest

How do you do it? Share a comment below about your ways of creating inner peace daily.

Filed Under: wellness practices

energize me

November 21, 2011 By 14 Comments


Think you’re in need of an IV drip of Red Bull? Think again! If you’re suffering from a serious energy drain, it’s time to kick some things to the curb—namely all those To Do list items that are filling your mental space and draining your energy every minute of every day. Why not try this energy infusion exercise instead? It’s quick and easy and offers results that impact your life as well as your energy level.

Follow these Steps below to get an instant boost!

Step 1: Make a complete list of everything that is running around in your head taunting you with, “you’ll never get to me, you’ll never get to me.”

You know, things like that plant that needs repotting, or the thank you note that should have been written weeks ago, or that pile of papers that must be filed before something gets lost.

Now at least it is on paper and out of your head!

Step 2: Apply the Bag, Barter, Better It plan (from Martha Beck’s book, The Joy Diet) to each item.

Bag It—simply cross off anything that in the grand scheme of things is unimportant.

Barter It—find someone to do it for you.

Better It—do the task ASAP and reward yourself during or after for getting it done.

Here’s the plan in action. Bag repotting the plant because if it needs replanting it is obviously growing and thriving just fine in its current pot. Barter the filing or pay your son to do it during his free time over the Thanksgiving holiday. Better the writing of the thank you note by doing it while enjoying your favorite cup of tea, listening to your favorite song, sitting in your favorite chair and writing on your favorite and most beautiful stationary.

Step 3: Take a deep breath and enjoy the surge of energy you feel because you just tackled at least 3 things on your list.

Step 4: Keep a notebook with you and when more To Dos pop into your mind, write them down. Again this keeps them from taking up your mental space and clear mental space always equals more energy.

Still have questions about how to boost your energy sans caffeine? Ask away. Leave a comment or question below…

 

Filed Under: practice what you preach, simple thoughts, wellness practices Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

tithing: take 1 or how this whole thing got started

April 20, 2010 By 3 Comments

Today I’m embarking on a new way to perform the spiritual practice of Tithing. This blog post contains an excerpt (in blue) from a form letter that I’ve created to accompany my tithe as I send it out into the Universe. It will hopefully explain to recipients of my tithe, just how this all works and I hope this blog post will explain…

How this whole thing got started.

Dear _________,

I’ve made a commitment to perform the spiritual practice of tithing as it is described in the book, “The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity” by Edwene Gaines. The practice consists of tithing 1/10 of any monetary income back out to an institution, organization or person that has fed you spiritually.

(At this point I will go into detail for the specific recipient as to why she/he specifically is receiving this particular tithe.)

As mentioned in the above letter excerpt, I’ve just learned about tithing in this new way through Lisa Sasevich, Edwene Gaines and Helen Kim.

Recently I began a marketing class with Lisa Sasevich, trying to learn a new way to get my message out about healing your life by going within. In listening to the first DVD of the course, there were several times when Lisa mentioned a book written by Edwene Gaines, “The 4 Spiritual Laws of Prosperity” and in particular the concept of tithing and how it changed her life.

Now let me just say that, growing up as a good Southern Baptist girl, I’ve been hearing about tithing since before I could walk! So I thought to myself, blah, blah, blah, I’ve been practicing tithing off and on for 40 some-odd years and I’ve never seen any particular magic from it, except that it made me feel good about myself. Not sure that was the point.

Needless to say, I thought I knew all the ins and outs of tithing, so I was ready for Lisa to move on to something that I could really sink my teeth into. It was not to be. Every two minutes it seemed, it was Edwene this and tithing that and well, you get the picture. But by now instead of being annoyed, I was intrigued and wanted to know more.

Being an avid reader I decided that I MUST get this book and find out for myself just what all the fuss was about. There were only two problems: 1. I’d blown my monthly budget on Lisa’s course in the first place and 2. I had more books in the “To Be Read” pile than I could possibly read in two lifetimes, much less this one. So as insistent as the urge was to get this information ASAP, I decided to table this idea for now.

At this juncture I need to tell you that this wonderful course that I am now taking from Lisa was recorded six months ago at a live event in San Diego. With that in mind, remember that I started listening to the class yesterday.

Today, I received in my inbox, a gift from Lisa of a recently recorded interview of, none other than Edwene Gaines talking about the concept of tithing! Come to find out, Lisa’s friend Helen Kim spent the last four weeks recording interviews with Edwene on each of the spiritual laws outlined in her book. So here was the very information I so desperately wanted, but could not afford and did not have time to read, given to me FOR FREE and in an audio format that I could take on the go!!! Talk about “Ask and it is given…”

This interview blew me away. It answered for me many long standing questions I’ve had about this concept of tithing and why it never felt joyful to me. For I had rarely reached the “…God loves a cheerful giver” feeling, except when I gave directly to someone or something that had touched my soul. Turns out, that was exactly the point! Now I can’t wait to tithe. I’ve already sent out my first “new” tithe and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

So today, as I’m outing myself and my new spiritual practice, I invite you to see if it resonates with you. Who knows, maybe we’ll create a whole new economy based on kissing the hand that feeds us rather than biting it!

Once again, to learn about tithing or any of the other 4 Spiritual Laws of Prosperity follow this link to access the interview mp3s or buy the book below.



See larger image

The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance (Hardcover)

By (author) Edwene Gaines
List Price: $19.95 USD
New From: $8.57 In Stock
Used from: $6.99 In Stock
Release date August 11, 2005.

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Filed Under: pay it forward, practice what you preach, uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,
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