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Wants and Needs Part I

How often do you find yourself saying or thinking, “I need a …” or “I want that…”? We all do it. What I’d like to think about today is the distinction between wanting and needing. Beyond the  material, do I:

need time with a friend or want time with a friend?
need to know that or want to know that?
need acknowledgment or want acknowledgment?

Hear the difference? The next time you find yourself saying, “I need this …” which seems to imply that something bad will occur if you do not get it, stop. Dare to ask yourself:

Do I really want to believe this is a need?

If it is a want, consider the freedom in letting it go!

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Do you listen to yourself?

Okay – this is the last in the listening series – for now anyway! If you missed the first three posts, follow the leads backwards:

What is it like to be listened to?

Now:

Do you listen to yourself?

  • Do you ever just stop and watch your thoughts?
  • Do you ever just close your eyes, breathe in deeply, and hear your body’s needs?
  • Do you ever let yourself write about what is important to you?

What would you hear if you listened … to you?

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How plump is your orange?

I was talking with my coach recently and she shared an image that came to her:

I want you to squeeze all the juice out of me – I am an orange!

Similar to a quote about the unlived life and not wanting to arrive at death not having lived, she was reflecting on her desire to live, to give, to be fully used in this lifetime. She envisioned each of you drinking from a straw, drinking in her orange sweetness!

It occurred to me, however, that oranges grow on trees. I couldn’t help but see an orange tree with straws sticking out of big, juicy, orange fruit! In this vision, even as we live, give, and are used in this lifetime, we are continually nourished by the tree. We are the channel through which powerful life-giving juice flows. Rather than being used up by life, we can choose to be aware of the ways in which we are ever-renewed while allowing life to flow through us.

What is the juice IN YOU which nourishes others?
What is your “orange tree”?
How plump is the orange of you today?

What will restore its juicy, round fullness?

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Energy Leaks

What do you think of when you hear “energy”? Perhaps you connect with being tired or sick and having no energy. Or maybe you slept soundly and are filled with energy! Today, though, I invite you into the energy of your emotional and mental beings for a moment. Consider:

  • the energy to spin a decision around and around and around before actually deciding and taking action
  • the energy consumed by worry around what might happen
  • the energy spent avoiding the task you don’t want to do … but which will take a total of 15 minutes once you begin
  • the energy consumed by fear of the unknown, fear of how another will respond, fear of the amount of work ahead if you make “that” decision
  • the energy consumed as you try to hide your preoccupations, fears, worries

All of these are energy leaks, draining precious life energy from you. Only you can plug these invisible leaks. Here are just a few ideas:

  • Decide to postpone action until some later time, mark your calendar, then – let it go! Give it no energy until then.
  • Take a minute to notice how it will feel to have completed that 15 minute task, then set a time and when that time comes, just do it! Don’t forget to celebrate when you are done!
  • Talk to a trusted friend about the fear or worry you are trying to hide. Let the dam break open. Then revisit the situation.

What energy leaks are you experiencing now?
What energy would you reclaim by plugging the leak?
What now?

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When “I” am “We” – Part I

Lately, I’ve been bothered during my morning centering time with questions like:

How do I feel today?
What is moving in me now?
What is my priority today?

While the intention is to help me find focus for this day and to live a purposeful life, the emphasis on “I” was keeping me in thoughts of this physical plane, my body, my to-do list, my health, sleep, energy level.

So, I am experimenting with We. “Who is we?”, you ask. We is me (my human self: mind, body, emotion) and my soul. When I come from We instead of I/Me, I remember that each of us is so much more than this human experience, this human expression of the Divine essence. And I remember that the Universe, God, the Soul Essence that infills me – and you – has a much greater and broader vision than “me”. With We  in the equation, I ask:

What is the purpose of this Life?
What is mine to do in service of the greater whole?

I find that together, me and Soul, are a powerful team!