Season's Greetings!
I inadvertently took the month of December off from blogging, but am excited about getting behind the keyboard once again in the new year. I hope you will join me, and share your insights as well.
I'm looking forward to a new year of revelations, challenges, personal growth, and taking action to achieve my goals. How about you? What are some of the things that you are looking forward to this year? What are some things that you would like to manifest in your life? I'm not talking New Year's resolutions; I'm talking New Year's REVOLUTIONS! What transformational goals do you have, and what action steps do you have in place to achieve them?
Remember, the three keys to creating what it is that you want in your life are (1) intention, (2) gratitude, and (3) ACTION.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a wildly successful New Year!
See you in 2010,
Terri
Monday, December 21, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Personal Growth Compilation
Last weekend I went to a personal growth conference in Tampa. I’ve been going every year for three years now, and always find it to be valuable and spiritually replenishing. This week I thought I would share with you some inspirational quotes and words of wisdom from a few of the speakers:
Dr. Wayne Dyer was the main keynote speaker. Here’s some of what he had to say:
“Everything you believe to be true about yourself is your self-concept. How you interact with the world stems from your beliefs about who you are.”
“If you wake up and expect a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself.”
“Self-reliance is imperative. We need to be able to rely on ourselves regardless of the circumstances.”
“The only thing you have to help you create what you want is your imagination, and the only way you can change what you believe about yourself is through your imagination. If you can’t imagine what you desire then you are giving up the only tool you have to make a change.”
“The last five minutes of the day are the most important. Take that time to reflect on what went well.”
These next words were shared by Bruce Lipton:
“If you perceive yourself as a victim you have no power. The person who has the power in your life is the rescuer.”
“Our consciousness is creating the world. As we change our consciousness we change the world.”
“Evolution is driven by cooperation, community, love, and harmony—not by competition.”
Robert Ohotto said:
“In trying to connect with your purpose ask yourself, ‘What does the collective need from me?’ What are your skills? What is your grace? Grace is what you do to provide a healing energy to yourself and others.”
“Your destiny is not exclusive of serving others.”
“What do you do well, and how are you going to give it back to everyone else?”
And one of my favorite quotes was by Loretta LaRoche:
“Become the fun you are seeking.”
Have a great week!
Love,
Terri
Dr. Wayne Dyer was the main keynote speaker. Here’s some of what he had to say:
“Everything you believe to be true about yourself is your self-concept. How you interact with the world stems from your beliefs about who you are.”
“If you wake up and expect a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself.”
“Self-reliance is imperative. We need to be able to rely on ourselves regardless of the circumstances.”
“The only thing you have to help you create what you want is your imagination, and the only way you can change what you believe about yourself is through your imagination. If you can’t imagine what you desire then you are giving up the only tool you have to make a change.”
“The last five minutes of the day are the most important. Take that time to reflect on what went well.”
These next words were shared by Bruce Lipton:
“If you perceive yourself as a victim you have no power. The person who has the power in your life is the rescuer.”
“Our consciousness is creating the world. As we change our consciousness we change the world.”
“Evolution is driven by cooperation, community, love, and harmony—not by competition.”
Robert Ohotto said:
“In trying to connect with your purpose ask yourself, ‘What does the collective need from me?’ What are your skills? What is your grace? Grace is what you do to provide a healing energy to yourself and others.”
“Your destiny is not exclusive of serving others.”
“What do you do well, and how are you going to give it back to everyone else?”
And one of my favorite quotes was by Loretta LaRoche:
“Become the fun you are seeking.”
Have a great week!
Love,
Terri
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Power of Writing
Writing is an incredibly powerful tool that allows us to connect with ourselves and grow emotionally. Song writers often find healing through the lyrics they write. The same can happen for those who write plays, movies, books, etc. And for the rest of us, journaling does the job.
Do you journal? If not, why? Some people think it’s a feminine thing to do. Some think it’s corny. Perfectionists might cringe at doing it because it becomes a task to make sure everything is written perfectly. Some people choose to not do it because they fear others will read their journal (fear…it’s so intrusive and inhibiting, isn’t it?). Some don’t want to take or make the time to do it. And others avoid doing it as a form of resistance because they fear (there’s that bad word again) what they will find or the emotions they will feel. No matter how you label it, though, journaling is simply writing, and you don’t have to be a female to do it, nor does fear of any kind have to accompany it. It’s just writing!
Why is writing so powerful? Well, for one, it helps you to stay focused on the topic at hand. It’s a wonderful and healthy outlet for pent up frustration or emotional tension. It helps you tackle issues on a much deeper level than merely thinking about things. When writing, your mind doesn’t get in the way and create multiple distractions. It brings the content of your mind into the physical world to be seen and challenged. More specifically, it enables you to extract important content from your mind which is often packed with all sorts of mental clutter.
Writing gives you an opportunity to explore what you really think. It often produces revelations (or what Oprah calls “aha” moments). It actually helps you to remember better, and assists with creativity. Writing as opposed to just thinking uncovers much more information, and it really does help to get you out of your head and plugged in to what is really going on in your life.
So, what do you say? Is writing something you’d be willing to give a try? It’s definitely a skill you have, so you might as well use it! You have nothing to lose, and if it's out of your comfort zone then that's even better! All growth occurs outside of our comfort zone. Your task this week is simple...journal about anything you wish once a day for five days, and have fun as you observe your thoughts coming to life before your eyes.
Have a great week,
Terri
Do you journal? If not, why? Some people think it’s a feminine thing to do. Some think it’s corny. Perfectionists might cringe at doing it because it becomes a task to make sure everything is written perfectly. Some people choose to not do it because they fear others will read their journal (fear…it’s so intrusive and inhibiting, isn’t it?). Some don’t want to take or make the time to do it. And others avoid doing it as a form of resistance because they fear (there’s that bad word again) what they will find or the emotions they will feel. No matter how you label it, though, journaling is simply writing, and you don’t have to be a female to do it, nor does fear of any kind have to accompany it. It’s just writing!
Why is writing so powerful? Well, for one, it helps you to stay focused on the topic at hand. It’s a wonderful and healthy outlet for pent up frustration or emotional tension. It helps you tackle issues on a much deeper level than merely thinking about things. When writing, your mind doesn’t get in the way and create multiple distractions. It brings the content of your mind into the physical world to be seen and challenged. More specifically, it enables you to extract important content from your mind which is often packed with all sorts of mental clutter.
Writing gives you an opportunity to explore what you really think. It often produces revelations (or what Oprah calls “aha” moments). It actually helps you to remember better, and assists with creativity. Writing as opposed to just thinking uncovers much more information, and it really does help to get you out of your head and plugged in to what is really going on in your life.
So, what do you say? Is writing something you’d be willing to give a try? It’s definitely a skill you have, so you might as well use it! You have nothing to lose, and if it's out of your comfort zone then that's even better! All growth occurs outside of our comfort zone. Your task this week is simple...journal about anything you wish once a day for five days, and have fun as you observe your thoughts coming to life before your eyes.
Have a great week,
Terri
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Patterns of Our Lives
Do you practice self-awareness? Are you aware of your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions as they are happening? Do you consider yourself to be a highly conscious person? If so, what percentage of the time would you say you are completely “plugged in” and in tune to what’s going on with you and around you, and what percentage of the time are you “in your head” and running on autopilot? If asked to describe your characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving would you be able to accurately identify your patterns? If not, you might not be as self-aware as you think.
Self-awareness is the prerequisite to personal growth. Without it we become disconnected from ourselves. So, think about it, what are your patterns? How do you react in novel situations? What do you tend to do when faced with a challenging task or circumstance? When thinking about a potential outcome what common beliefs or expectations surface? Do you tend to think positively, or do you more often than not focus on what could or will likely go wrong? How do you react when you receive constructive criticism? What does your communication pattern look like? How do you react mentally, behaviorally, emotionally when you’re in social situations, or when you find yourself in a situation where others may be judging you?
Speaking of judging, do you tend to judge others? Do you have avoidance tendencies? Do you look for and clearly see the good in others, or do you focus on what you perceive as their flaws? What do you spend most of your mental energy on? Are your thoughts consumed with your job, family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, the government, the weather? What moves you? Do you laugh a lot? Do you let yourself cry when the urge strikes? What do you do well? What things do you need to work on? Are you working on them? What are your hang-ups? What triggers you, and more importantly, why? Are you happy? If not, what role are you playing in that?
Spend some time this week thinking about and being very aware of you. If you don’t practice this regularly it’ll probably feel like you’re meeting yourself for the first time. Relish in the things you notice about yourself that you like, and honor yourself for being brave enough to take a close look at those things that you don’t.
We can’t make changes unless we know changes need to be made. And the only way to know is to be aware.
Love,
Terri
Self-awareness is the prerequisite to personal growth. Without it we become disconnected from ourselves. So, think about it, what are your patterns? How do you react in novel situations? What do you tend to do when faced with a challenging task or circumstance? When thinking about a potential outcome what common beliefs or expectations surface? Do you tend to think positively, or do you more often than not focus on what could or will likely go wrong? How do you react when you receive constructive criticism? What does your communication pattern look like? How do you react mentally, behaviorally, emotionally when you’re in social situations, or when you find yourself in a situation where others may be judging you?
Speaking of judging, do you tend to judge others? Do you have avoidance tendencies? Do you look for and clearly see the good in others, or do you focus on what you perceive as their flaws? What do you spend most of your mental energy on? Are your thoughts consumed with your job, family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, the government, the weather? What moves you? Do you laugh a lot? Do you let yourself cry when the urge strikes? What do you do well? What things do you need to work on? Are you working on them? What are your hang-ups? What triggers you, and more importantly, why? Are you happy? If not, what role are you playing in that?
Spend some time this week thinking about and being very aware of you. If you don’t practice this regularly it’ll probably feel like you’re meeting yourself for the first time. Relish in the things you notice about yourself that you like, and honor yourself for being brave enough to take a close look at those things that you don’t.
We can’t make changes unless we know changes need to be made. And the only way to know is to be aware.
Love,
Terri
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Balance
Yesterday afternoon I attended a symposium at work, and our only task, aside from drinking wine and eating appetizers, was to discuss the concept of balance. It was interesting to hear the various ways people define balance and apply it to their lives, and I thought it would be a great topic to write about. As I share my perspective with you, I invite you to reflect on what balance means to you, and if you feel so moved, please share your thoughts.
Being in the field of psychology, the concept of balance is intriguing to me. It wasn’t until about four years ago that I started thinking about it on a much deeper level. I used to believe that balance was a state of steadiness where life felt good and all was well. I would exert a great deal of energy to get there, as if it were a destination, with hopes that once I did I’d be able to maintain that state from that point forward for the rest of my life! Need I tell you that didn’t work out so well? I learned that it was an idealistic but unrealistic goal, which set me up for failure and disappointment time and again.
Not too long ago I was taking a class in which the instructor blatantly stated, “Balance is an illusion.” I immediately had an aversive emotional reaction to his statement, and didn’t like one bit of what I was hearing. I stepped back and took inventory of my emotional defensiveness and realized that it was my resistance to the fact that his statement had some truth to it. The more I thought about it the more I could clearly see that balance wasn’t a destination but a continuous process that is comprised of the ebb and flow of life.
The very nature of balance is cyclical. You see this in nature, nations, society, cultures, families, and individuals. Life consists of ups and downs, rises and falls, successes and failures, peaks and degeneration, growth and deterioration, birth and death. There is constant movement in order to keep balance. Balance is not just the good stuff, and to me, that’s the illusion.
While teaching about the concept of balance in one of my classes I had everyone stand up and go into one of my favorite yoga asanas: tree pose. Tree is a balance pose, and when in it you become strikingly aware of the amount of movement that is involved with this apparently “steady” stance. At the symposium yesterday, one of my colleagues used the analogy of a waiter or waitress carrying a tray full of drinks. It’s not keeping your hand rigidly in one place under the tray that enables you to balance it, it is the constant movement of your fingers and replacement of your hand as the weight of the tray changes that allows for balance. The same applies in life. Balance, this illusion of steadiness, requires much fluidity and flexibility as we are presented with the positive and negative changes that accompany life.
So, just relax, go with the flow, and ride the wave of life. Finding...no, EXPERIENCING balance might be much easier than you originally thought!
Namaste,
Terri
Being in the field of psychology, the concept of balance is intriguing to me. It wasn’t until about four years ago that I started thinking about it on a much deeper level. I used to believe that balance was a state of steadiness where life felt good and all was well. I would exert a great deal of energy to get there, as if it were a destination, with hopes that once I did I’d be able to maintain that state from that point forward for the rest of my life! Need I tell you that didn’t work out so well? I learned that it was an idealistic but unrealistic goal, which set me up for failure and disappointment time and again.
Not too long ago I was taking a class in which the instructor blatantly stated, “Balance is an illusion.” I immediately had an aversive emotional reaction to his statement, and didn’t like one bit of what I was hearing. I stepped back and took inventory of my emotional defensiveness and realized that it was my resistance to the fact that his statement had some truth to it. The more I thought about it the more I could clearly see that balance wasn’t a destination but a continuous process that is comprised of the ebb and flow of life.
The very nature of balance is cyclical. You see this in nature, nations, society, cultures, families, and individuals. Life consists of ups and downs, rises and falls, successes and failures, peaks and degeneration, growth and deterioration, birth and death. There is constant movement in order to keep balance. Balance is not just the good stuff, and to me, that’s the illusion.
While teaching about the concept of balance in one of my classes I had everyone stand up and go into one of my favorite yoga asanas: tree pose. Tree is a balance pose, and when in it you become strikingly aware of the amount of movement that is involved with this apparently “steady” stance. At the symposium yesterday, one of my colleagues used the analogy of a waiter or waitress carrying a tray full of drinks. It’s not keeping your hand rigidly in one place under the tray that enables you to balance it, it is the constant movement of your fingers and replacement of your hand as the weight of the tray changes that allows for balance. The same applies in life. Balance, this illusion of steadiness, requires much fluidity and flexibility as we are presented with the positive and negative changes that accompany life.
So, just relax, go with the flow, and ride the wave of life. Finding...no, EXPERIENCING balance might be much easier than you originally thought!
Namaste,
Terri
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The World Can Wait a Minute
A few years ago I was sitting at a coffee shop when the man sitting across from me got up as if in a hurry, but then paused. He said aloud, “The world can wait a minute,” and then sat back down and enjoyed the rest of his cup of coffee. His words have stayed with me ever since. Whenever I feel hurried, stressed, or under pressure I remember what he said, and in a strange way it eases my mind and makes me feel better.
Last week for instance, I was feeling under the weather, but felt self-imposed pressure to get my blog written and posted. I had the choice of either accepting or stressing over the fact that it wasn’t going to get written that week. I decided that it was more important to tend to my health, and that the world could wait until the following week to read my blog.
Sometimes we just need to give ourselves permission to take a little break. Where might those six words come in handy in your life? Whatever the situation, it’s okay; the world will still be there when you decide to return.
Have a restful week,
Terri
Last week for instance, I was feeling under the weather, but felt self-imposed pressure to get my blog written and posted. I had the choice of either accepting or stressing over the fact that it wasn’t going to get written that week. I decided that it was more important to tend to my health, and that the world could wait until the following week to read my blog.
Sometimes we just need to give ourselves permission to take a little break. Where might those six words come in handy in your life? Whatever the situation, it’s okay; the world will still be there when you decide to return.
Have a restful week,
Terri
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Be True to Yourself
What does it mean to be true to yourself? In what ways are you true to yourself? In what ways are you not? Can you be true to yourself without feeling guilty for doing so? Can you care for yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually without buying into the label that you’re being selfish? Is it possible to be true to yourself in a manner that isn’t at someone else’s expense?
Being true to yourself…
…entails being honest with yourself about how you feel.
...entails being honest with others about how you feel.
…is when you speak your truth and stand up for yourself.
…often times requires courage.
…is when you view your needs as important.
…means nurturing yourself.
…means that you take action in getting your needs met so that you can give to others from a place of fulfillment.
…sometimes entails being comfortable with the disapproval of others.
…requires that you take care of you because what you put out into the world stems from your well-being.
…involves honoring all of your emotions.
…means giving to and caring for others without depleting or losing yourself.
…is when you see yourself as a priority in your own life.
What would you add to the list? What are you going to do this week to make sure that you are true to yourself, and how might you encourage others to do the same?
Best,
Terri
Being true to yourself…
…entails being honest with yourself about how you feel.
...entails being honest with others about how you feel.
…is when you speak your truth and stand up for yourself.
…often times requires courage.
…is when you view your needs as important.
…means nurturing yourself.
…means that you take action in getting your needs met so that you can give to others from a place of fulfillment.
…sometimes entails being comfortable with the disapproval of others.
…requires that you take care of you because what you put out into the world stems from your well-being.
…involves honoring all of your emotions.
…means giving to and caring for others without depleting or losing yourself.
…is when you see yourself as a priority in your own life.
What would you add to the list? What are you going to do this week to make sure that you are true to yourself, and how might you encourage others to do the same?
Best,
Terri
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