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Mind Pollution

From the book, The Yamas & Niyamas, by Deborah Adele, we read:

“Yogiraj Achala tells the story about taking his young son to the Mississippi River. The son, looking into the river, asked his dad if the river was polluted. Yogiraj responded that no, the river is only carrying the pollution, the river itself is pure. Our minds are like the river carrying things in it. If we identify with what the mind is carrying – thoughts, stories, beliefs – then we will think we are those things.”

Tomorrow is July 4th, the day Americans celebrate freedom. Take a moment. Breathe in deeply. Let it go. Continue to breathe long, slow, full breaths. As you do, take the spectator seat near your mind. Notice:
Continue reading “Mind Pollution”

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Are your gremlins running the show?

A gremlin is that voice within who makes a serious game of keeping us from appreciating our life and living our passion. The gremlin voice is NOT our deepest, truest self. Its messages include the likes of: “You’ll never succeed. You’re wasting your time. Why bother? You’ll look silly.” Learning to ignore the gremlin, move beyond its false messages, and “do it anyway” is a topic of many books and workshops! That tells me we are not alone in facing this “opportunity for growth”.  One delightful book about gremlins is:

GremlinBook

Early on, the author reminds us of the value in noticing vs. straining, striving, forcing change. Regarding gremlin taming, he paraphrases the Zen Theory of Change in this way:

I free myself not by trying to be free, but by simply noticing how I am imprisoning myself in the very moment I am imprisoning myself.

What is your gremin’s prison cell like?

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Into Action!

Coaching has a huge component of action in it. Change happens – not when we think about it, or hope for something different, or simply imagine – but when we take that next step and act on those dreams, goals, desires. We act despite our fear. We act, not concerned with the outcome but concerned rather with what it takes to act and who we will become in the process.

What action are you avoiding?
What impact will taking the action have on your life?
What action will you take today?

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Summer of Passion

Summer is upon us. This can mean a lot of things like vacation, longer days, more work, less work, kids at home, more joy, more chaos, …

Today, consider some visioning around the summer that lies before you. Step aside for a moment and ask yourself:

What vision will I create for this summer?
What do I want to see when I look backward on September 1?
What will make this a summer without regret?
What will make this a summer of passion?

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What is your best?

Let’s travel back in time to take special note of every success, every powerful step, every time you “moved beyond” and claimed more of your deepest, truest, amazing self. If it helps, close  your eyes and breathe. Walk through the years or events, relationships or jobs, or simply the every day moments on your life journey.

With the picture of you radiating in these “positive” situations, look more deeply at the human being who showed up as you. Get curious:

What qualities (courage, perseverance, compassion, …) did I exude?
What was my impact?
What is possible when I am at my best?