Follow Your Intuition to the Big Bucks!

Intuition is an invaluable sense that humans have always had. Could it be that your intuition might help you find your best career or set a straighter course on the career you’re presently engaged in? Quiet your busy mind, reach inside, and see if you can reconnect with your intuitive messages.

Determine your issue. Need a change of career path? Boss not recognizing your talents? Are you wondering if you’re worth more money?

Calm yourself and focus on your issue. A peaceful meditation, a short prayer break, or your personal way of quieting your brain and spirit will help you see and hear your spiritual self.

Open yourself to information. Close your eyes, slow your breathing, and welcome any ideas that flow. Embrace symbolic messages. Keep an open mind and learn to recognize that everything we learn is not laid out in paragraphs. Just like we expect imagery when we read a good story, we should expect to make connections as we read our own future.

Putting the pieces together. How can you interpret those images? Trust yourself. If your interpretations make you feel good and positive, you’re probably correct. If you feel dark or uneasy, look for another answer.

Put it all together. Absorb what your inner voice tells you and reflect upon it. Turn it over in your mind and try it on for size. You’ll know, intuitively, when you have found the right path. All you have to do is take it.

Squelching your intuition and making decisions, especially career decisions, based only on what others think or say may take you far from your career destiny. It’s possible that you’re stifling your passions and have trapped yourself in the wrong job. Or you might be in exactly the right workplace, but you’ve missed cues that your intuitive self picked up on for advancement.

Long ago, people lived and died by paying attention to that subtle voice that combines physical, spiritual, and psychic input to create a system of internal warnings and advisories. These days, we attend more to technology and media, and maybe we disregard that helpful voice. Slow down and give a listen to your intuition — Grandma was right when she told you your heart knows.

Give Your Spirit What It Needs!

You feed your body every day. You give it food, water, air and sleep, all of the basic components to be alive. You know that feeding your body good food results in better health, more sleep increases productivity and so on. The body’s basic needs are met but what about feeding your soul? Have you considered what it takes to make you whole and healthy? Creating sustained health in your life doesn’t end with keeping the body physically healthy. To create total health, you have to attract positive, healing energy to every aspect including your mind and spirit.

These days the mind has become overactive with stimulus coming in from every direction. The healthiest mind is one that is the calmest even in the most extreme circumstances. My teacher once told me “so goes the breath, so goes the mind,” so start by doing some breathing exercises each day. Bringing awareness to full, expansive breaths over a period of even a minute or two will help quickly calm the mind. Inhale deeply into the upper shoulders ending with the belly and exhale starting with the belly then squeezing the last bit from just under your shoulders. This breath creates space in the body which is an energetic cleanser allowing for more good to come in. As you inhale, think of something that you’d like to bring into your life. As you exhale, think of something that you’d like to remove. Linking thoughts and breath allows us to be more fluid which in turn creates a healthy, calm relationship with our subconscious.

Meditation is a technique to link breath with intention and visualization to bring further awareness to inner thoughts. Practicing meditation for as little as five minutes a day will help you gather your thoughts and reset the mind to think more clearly, particularly if you tend to get easily agitated.

There are many energy centers in the body. Clearing them through visualization can help heal the body by bringing awareness to the areas that need the most energetic care. Start with the breath, inhaling in that which serves you and exhaling any negativity or toxicity. Visualize a ball of energy that’s bright and clear. Imagine that ball of energy growing bigger as you scan your body from the top of your head to your toes. As you breathe into the light, you release any tension and as you inhale, bring in healing energy. Aim to do this a few minutes a few times a week then increase the time and frequency. Make this a habit you can’t live without and something that you do to feed your mind and spirit.

Taking care of your spirit is simply about what makes you happy and supported. When was the last time you did something just for yourself? I don’t mean basic needs; those are already taken care of. If you’ve been neglecting doing something that you consider a luxury of time or money, this is the time to do it. Your spirit needs it. This doesn’t mean run out and feed your spirit every time you get the bug to go shopping, it’s simply doing something for yourself.

Read the book you’ve been meaning to read. Lay in the hammock just because you can. Get that massage without needing a reason. Meditate. Laugh. Go to lunch with a friend and take three hours to do it. Doing just a few things for yourself will help you become clearer, happier and more calm throughout your life.

You deserve to live a sustained happy life. You deserve to take the time to take the time. You spend your time filling up everyone else’s cup, now it’s time to pour a little into your own.

How to Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but if you use the right tricks, you can increase your chances of turning around any bad habit or addiction. Researchers have put together some pretty helpful tools to put a new spin on old habits. However, the best tricks will always be determination, commitment, and a driving reason to embark upon a different destiny. Let’s look at the proven steps for removing temptation, and creating a better path in your (or anyone else’s) life.

Make a Commitment

They say that admitting your problems is the first step. However, making a commitment to fix them, is perhaps the most important. Making a plan, setting small, specific, achievable goals, and not getting upset if you slip every now and then are very effective techniques. However, if you do happen to fall off the wagon, don’t go rolling in the mud, figuring you might as well enjoy yourself since the damage has already been done. If you eat a jelly doughnut, let it be, perhaps you earned it. Conversely, eating five doughnuts, and passing it off as having already ruined your day, is just an excuse to fall back into old habits. This will only make it more difficult to resist the next time.

Find Out What Got You Into the Habit in the First Place

It is hard to understand why you do the things that you do, unless you ask yourself, Why am I being self-destructive with my own life? The reasons could range from a legitimate addiction, to a self-hate that is subconsciously trying to sabotage your happiness because you don’t think you deserve it. Regardless of what the answer is, your action should almost always be the same, and that is to practice loving, and doing right by yourself.

Face Reality, It’s Going to be Hard

One of the worst things some fly-by-night programs have done, is convince people that change is as simple as reading one article, or taking a pill. I’m not going to lie to you. The body grows comfortable with what it’s been doing, and leading it to a new path is going to be damn tough. The important thing is that you are honest with yourself about that. Studies show that when you’re realistic with the difficulty of a task, you will put in more effort, persist longer, have more patience, and forgive yourself for any momentary setbacks.

Get Plenty of Sleep

When you’re tired or stressed, you are less likely to resist your greatest temptations. Research suggests that you only have so much willpower reserved each day, and if you weaken it by a lack of sleep, you will be twice as likely to lose self-control.

Join a Group Making the Same Change

There is strength in numbers. If you’re having a difficult time making a change, yourself, perhaps it’s time to ask for help. Many addiction groups mix successful addicts who have been dealing with the problem for years, with people who are just trying to regain control. This is because people gain inspiration from the success of others. In addition, by letting friends and family know your goals. They will be able to help you stay on track.

Create New Habits

One of the tricks to avoid a bad habit, it to distract your mind with other stimuli. This is a common practice in smokers who replace cigarettes with other oral fixations, such as chewing gum. However, be careful not to replace your habit, with an equally harmful addiction, such as overeating or tobacco chewing. Another benefit of most addiction programs, is they focus on making the structure of the program, just as habit forming as the addiction itself. This helps ensure you will stick to it over the long haul.

Monitor Your Habits With Ruthless Fervor

Out of sight, out of mind, does not always work, and with most habits, research suggests you are better off aggressively monitoring our actions, which means constantly reminding yourself not to fall back in your old ways. The body has a tendency to revert to habits when you are not diligently monitoring it.

Remove All Temptation

Research suggests that temptation (sex, affair, gambling, alcohol, etc.) is slightly different than a bad habit, in that by reminding yourself not to do something, you are constantly bringing the temptation to your attention. However, by removing the temptation, such as not walking by the bars on the way home, or avoiding hotels that offer gambling when on vacation, you can keep temptation off your mind. You can also replace temptation with distractions, such as hanging out with friends, or joining a support group.

Getting Over Annoyances in Relationships

Every relationship has its minor problems, but some are just downright annoying. Does your partner nervously clear their throat way too often? Does your boyfriend leave his dirty clothes all over the floor? Does your girlfriend constantly nag you in front of your friends? These are some of the most common relationship pet peevesand many of them can be fixed to a certain extent with the promise of compromise. If you don’t take any action and do not apply any attention to these matters, feelings of resentment might come into play. Once resentment sets in your relationship could be set up for a major downfall. Here are the top 6 pet peeves in relationships.

The Nagger

Are you constantly nagged about your dirty laundry, not using the coasters and about household chores? Yes, of course we all need to do our part in a relationship and work together. But if you find that whatever you do to fix the situation never satisfies your partner, there is a nagging problem that needs to be addressed.

The Liar

If your partner tends to say a lot of white lies during your relationship to get out of uncomfortable situations, there could be a chance he or she is lying to you as well. White lies can grow until they become unacceptable and even compulsive. Ask your partner if they want to learn how to be more honest and work with them on it daily. It’s never too late to change.

The Drama Queen

This applies to both men and women. If your partner tends to make situations even bigger than they are and talk about it endlessly, you might have a drama queen on your hands. If they always need to be talked back off the ledge, you might be dealing with a drama lover. Drama lovers thrive on chaos and can even attempt to create when board of regular daily life. If you are with one, step back when they get like this and don’t add fuel to the drama-filled fire.

Promises, Promises

If you or your partner have trouble keeping a promise it could end up being a serious problem. If you or your partner doesn’t appear as though you can be relied on, what does this say about your future as a couple? Relationship pet peeves start out small and then have the possibility to grow into feelings of resentment. The next time you promise your partner you will do something, just do it. It’s as simple as that and it just may save any future complications.

Yes? I Mean No? How About Maybe?

If you or your partner have problems making decisions and if either of you constantly count on the other to plan, organize and make big decisions for the both of you, this is a pet peeve and problem. Once one of you is always making the decisions the other person has given their independence away. This can lead to low self esteem and loss of confidence. Choose your plan of action together as a team and make big decisions through consulting with each other.

The Green Eyed Monster

There is no harm in getting a little jealous when your partner gets glances from other people or is asked out by a colleague at work. Just because people are offering their attention doesn’t mean your mate will run off into the sunset with them. Take it down a notch. Your partner loves you for you. If they are however getting numerous texts, emails and other advances from another individual that is not their family member or general practitioner, you might want to address the situation. While they may not have any care in the world, the loss of trust can still ruin a good relationship. Be honest and address the situation in a calm and peaceful manner. There is no need for screaming and shouting just yet

Face Up to Conflict With Grace

Conflict is a normal interaction between living beings, including all humans. All people find themselves in conflict with others sometimes, even the best of friends,most amorous lovers, closest families, and the most cordial of business associates. Conflict needn’t be devastating, good outcomes depend upon everyone feeling as if they have been heard.

Conflict is usually defined as a disagreement in which at least one party perceives a threat to his or her well-being, their needs, or their interests. If we feel threatened, it’s tough to remain peaceful and open to new ideas. But with a little practice, you can teach yourself to set aside the fight or flight instinct and enjoy the opportunity toembrace positive change.

Try these tips for keeping an open mind when trying to resolve sensitive issues.

1. When conflict arises, get control of your feelings before you engage in discussion. You can’t hear anyone, or know what you think if you’re ears are flaming red and steam comes out from under your collar.

2. Gather your thoughts. Do a few Yoga breaths or some belly breathing to calm yourself and center the feelings you have surrounding the issue.

3. Carefully choose your battles and your priorities. Don’t dive in and fight about everything that ever happened between you, you won’t be able to take in real information. Decide what really matter to you and be willing, no, be eager to understand how the other person sees things.

4. Practice reflective listening. When the other person speaks, be quiet, clear impulsive replies from your mind, and take in, without judging, what is said to you. Then repeat it in your words, beginning with, “I think you said…” and ending with, “Did I hear that correctly?”

5. Count two beats before responding to anything. That brief time allows you to digest what was said to you. Again, eliminating those programmed, quickly hurled, automatic responses leaves room for you to understand another point of view.

6. Try to remain centered on facts and real feelings. In your mind, filter out what your opponent says that’s simply geared toward pushing your buttons.

7. Force yourself to reach out for the other person’s perspective. For a moment, actively block your own thoughts and look forward eagerly to hearing a new slant on things.

8. Allow all ideas to have merit. You needn’t agree with everything anyone says, but if you don’t hear them, you’ll miss opportunities to grow and learn. Whether you’re arguing with your lover or resolving issues in a staff meeting, reserve plenty of time for all parties to say what they have on their minds.

9. Dump the idea that the only right point of view is your own. If you’re willing to just consider another way of thinking, you might find something exciting coming your way.

10. Welcome diversity and teach yourself not to fear conflict. Some of the most important advances in our society have risen from conflict.

For normal, healthy people, fighting isn’t fun. We engage in conflict so that we can establish boundaries, rules, and customs. If you welcome an exchange of ideas without feeling threatened, and respect the diversity that makes us all valuable contributors, your open-minded attitude may help you learn new things and sometimes bring others around to your way of thinking.

Forgive and Let Go of Negative Emotions

Forgiving other people for their actions, mistakes and comments is a healthy practice. We may not realize how much holding a grudge can make us unhealthy. A long lasting grudge can keep an individual back in life and present stress-related health problems. By using the art of forgiving and moving on with our lives we can find the freedom we have been looking for.

People that are filled with hatred towards another person may suffer from illness early in life. The hatred grows and blocks the peaceful energy we have within our bodies and minds. It has been shown that people with hostility, anger and hatred suffer from cardiovascular problems, mental health complications and a general all over feeling of sickness. By replacing the hatred and anger with forgiveness we can release ourselves from the dungeon we have put ourselves in. Here is how you can practice forgiving and change your life.

The art of forgiving is just that; an art. It can be colorful, abstract and you can paint your own picture of forgiveness. Sometimes forgiveness does not have to be done face to face or with the person you hold anger towards. You can practice the art of forgiving by yourself and allow yourself to be free once again. Many people practice forgiving alone and still find the results beneficial. You can write down all of your feelings in a journal or on paper and burn it to allow yourself to be free of it all. Some individuals forgive others and move on easily. Others may find it extremely difficult if trauma or loss was involved.

Talk to someone you trust and care about. Share and vent your feelings about this person. Ask them to just listen and not to try and fix this matter. You will feel that the more you release out into the open, the more stress-free you will become. If you do not have someone close to you, try going to a counselor or therapist to work through your anger and hostility. You don’t need to suffer alone.

Why yell at someone? Or confront your villain? It could only lead to more complications and sometimes dangerous situations. If you feel the need to directly forgive the individual that has hurt you, you can sit down in a calm mature manner and say what you need to say. You can also write them a letter and have them read it in front of you if you find you cannot say how much they hurt you to their face. Let go of your negative thoughts and forgive. Allow your words to sink in and then try telling them that you forgive them for the actions they took. Both of you will be able to move on in a healthier state through your individual lives. You may not forget the pain, but forgiveness can break the wall that has been blocking you in life, providing you with more opportunities for love and friendship.

Channel Energy to Heal Your Chakras

There are times in life when emotions hit us hard. We often look externally for help when we need support however it’s those times that really require us to look inward. We hold within ourselves the ability to heal and calm our emotions by harnessing the energy that surrounds us. We have to trust that we have the power to do so and we have to have the right tools to access the energy. Energy flows through us and around us all the time. If we can harness that energy, we can heal our bodies and emotions.

Chakras are the body’s energy centers that correspond not only with different aspects of our lives (safety, truth, intuition, etc.) but they also have ruling emotions and their counterparts. Chakra literally means wheel but I think of them more as three dimensional spheres of healing energy. Harnessing the spheres takes focus and a bit of visualization. There are two emotions that cause the most trauma and heartache: grief and fear.

Grief

Healing grief can be tricky. There was a time in my life when I couldn’t even say the word without being reduced to tears. I had experienced so much emotional trauma that it became stuck in my heart in an unyielding way. When I started to say the word grief over and over—in an effort to heal—it felt as though my heart were breaking. I realized the only thing I could do was to create more love in my heart, something I was so fearful of. You can mend the grief stricken heart by releasing it to make room for more love.

Begin by visualizing a sphere of energy in front of you. The sphere is green on the outside and pink in the center, like the colors of watermelon. There are the colors of the heart chakra which is ruled by love and defeated by grief. Imagine putting your grief, every last painful bit of it, into a hole at the top. Now think of something or someone that makes you feel a great deal of love and happiness. Take the energy of love you feel and use it to close the hole and surround the sphere. Now send it away. Watch it float far away from you. As it floats away, you feel less grief and when it’s completely gone from your sight it’s now released for good.

Fear

Ever feel butterflies in your stomach just above your belly button? They are tickling your Solar Plexus chakra which is the ruler of confidence and the defeater of fear. Fear can cause you to act and react in ways that are often contrary to what’s best for you. There is a time when acting out of fear is useful—when a bear is chasing you—but often that fear depletes our ability to act with confidence. Healing yourself of fear and increasing your self confidence isn’t an easy visualization. Thoughts of doubt will come floating in and out. Just know that the more you practice this, the better you’ll become at quickly sweeping out any fears that creep in.

Begin by visualizing a bright golden light the size of a walnut in your solar plexus. Think about any time that you’ve felt fearful. It doesn’t matter when or what it was. Start to expand your bright light of the solar plexus as you repeat to yourself “I am” and think about a time when you were full of confidence. Expand the empowered feeling through the light as it completely pushes out any feelings of doubt or fear. Once the fear is gone, try expanding the light a bit further from your body as you imagine others seeing this rediscovered confidence. You had it all the time, you just needed to access it.