What’s Your Zapper?

Driving on an island at night, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, we searched for our lodging destination.  The further we drove, the road became narrower as the darkness and jungle vegetation encroached almost swallowing us up.  We questioned ourselves, could this really be where we’d be staying the night?  We didn’t have GPS and there were no towns or places to pull over and ask for directions,  so we just kept going.  Then, out of  the darkness we spotted a small white sign.   We turned into a driveway that seemed like someone had just cleared it with a machete.   At the end of the driveway, the lodge appeared and we sighed relief.  As we checked into this small “Yoga Lodge”, we each were handed a tennis racket contraption.   We were told this was a “zapper” to keep the mosquitoes away.  The instructions were simple; press the small button on the handle and wave the racket to “zap” the tiny vampires that would try to feast on us during the night.  And zap away we did in our little room in the jungle.

Sometimes we know what things are pesky in our lives and sometimes they are not so obvious.  It’s these more subtle things that can keep us in a coma of complacency or worse yet, convince us over time that we need them.  These things that deplete, keep us stuck, or are negative are zappers.  In Soul Coaching we identify zappers so you can open more to what brings you joy.  Soul Coaching founder, Denise Linn explains that “an energy zapper is anything that lowers your energy and thus decreases your life force”. It’s time to sit still with your soul and ask - what zaps you?  It’s important, because zappers hold you back from taking charge and living your life to it’s fullest.

Here are a few ideas to get you in touch with your zappers;

1) People - If you spend time with someone and leave feeling frustrated, anxious, or depleted, you’ve found a zapper.  If this person is important in your life, it’s up to you to  identify why your energy feels zapped with this person.  Then, create a communication plan to address it with them, asking for what you need.   This takes courage, however, this is where inner growth is and relationships deepen.

2) Doing - What tasks drain your energy? Is there a way to delegate or ask for assistance?  Or perhaps you are caught in the web of always giving without replenishing yourself. 

3) Food & Drink - Do you notice how you feel after eating certain food or drinking alcohol or coffee? Your body knows what it likes and needs, your job is to pay attention and replace the zappers with food that energizes or feels satisfying.

4) Media - Are there TV shows, internet news, movies that leave you feeling drained? Or are you watching too much TV?  Take inventory of your computer, TV, and print reading time and ask yourself how you feel experiencing them.  Replace your zappers with funny, joyful, meaningful media and watch your energy rise.

5) Environment - Scan your home/car/office in your minds eye.  Are there rooms you pass over or areas you ignore? These may be filled with clutter or unfinished tasks.  All energy drainers.  What task can you at least spend 15 minutes on to make a dent in?  Are there items you can get rid of or repaired?  Anything unfinished can be considered a zapper.  All you have to do is think about it being undone, and your energy can drop.

This list was created to assist you in identifying what is zapping your energy with the intention you won’t get bit by a pesky energy drainer.  So press that zapper button and zap away! 

This is my friend Nicole in front of the lodge we stayed at while  traveling the byways on one of the Hawaiian islands.  A wonderful adventure, mosquitoes and all!

 

Soul Quotes

Walk patiently through this troubled world, and you will find great treasure. Even though your house may be small, look within it! ~ Rumi

What’s Your Juicer?

“If someone or something juices you, then find ways to increase their effect in your life.” Denise Linn

I recently traveled on  a  short trip that took me through rural roads of southern Georgia.  On this trip I saw so many watermelons; in the fields, on flatbed trucks, at road side produce stands,  that on my way back I just had to buy some.  I guess I succumbed to the subliminal message I kept getting.  I bought a few watermelons from a farmer right off his truck and they were the largest watermelons I’ve ever seen.  When I got them home, I iced them and later opened them up to thoroughly enjoy eating this sweet treat.  I took the watermelon outside and allowed the juice to drip all over my face and hands and yes, I did spit out the seeds.  Eating this watermelon was playful and multi-sensory.  It was a juicer on many levels.

So, what’s been a “juicer” in your life lately?   What people, activities, places, elevate your internal energy reserves just thinking about them?   Then consider what your “zappers” are;  anything that brings your energy down.   Some zapper examples are; negative conversations, unfinished projects, not speaking your truth, distractions, or a messy car/room/garage/file.   Where are you spending most of your time? If you are focusing more energy on zappers, it’s time to take action and free up some energy.  Take inventory of your juicers and zappers by making a list of both, and being intentional about your life.  Your soul will shine through your juicers. 

I’ll hold the space for you to add more juicers in your life.   I see you with huge piece of watermelon with juice running down your smiling face!

Enjoy. Summer. Now.

Sit Back and Brew

If you are a coffee aficionado, what do you experience when the coffee is brewing?  Do you enjoy the smell of the ground coffee being saturated with hot steaming water anticipating the finished product with glee?  Or are you impatient, perhaps even getting a cup of coffee while it’s still brewing?   Perhaps you’ve done both, I know I have!

Brewing is a very important stage in the realms of creativity, life transitions, emotions, career, relationships… the list is endless.  For the sake of this blog post, I’ll be pondering the idea stage in relation to creativity.  The brewing stage is a time when you are receiving new ideas and yet not knowing the “how’s” just yet.  In our download, drive through world, we can get caught up in the idea that things need to manifest now.  And yet, that is not how nature, the Universe works.  The brewing stage asks us to slow down and receive. 

I’ve been experiencing the brewing stage this year as I find myself speaking ideas into my phone voice recorder, writing things down on pieces of paper (that drive my hubby crazy), starting some things and not finishing them.   I am in the brewing stage and I am learning to embrace this as a very important part of the creative process.  This can be an exciting stage because the possibilities are endless.  When you decide, you narrow choices down. 

If you are in the brewing stage, here are some helpful tips to support you there;

1)Name and claim that this is where you are. It’s takes the edge off striving and keeps the ideas coming.

2)Write, journal, collage your ideas and feelings.  This will offer you rich material to come back to and it may open the door to even more possibilities.

3) Share your ideas with a trusted confidant that will listen and hold the space for you to brew.

4) Attend workshops online or in person to keep your creative juices flowing.

5)Explore what other people are doing/creating in the realm of your ideas. 

Gather, sit with, honor, ponder and embrace the brewing time. You’ll enjoy the end product that much more when it arrives. 

 

 

 

This virtual cup of coffee is for one of the biggest coffee lovers of all time, Rev. Steve Bolen. With love  to you Steve!

Turning on Your Inner Light

 “Here comes the sun, and I say, it’s all right” The Beatles

Summer Solstice is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, occuring on June 21, 2010.  This is the longest day of the year, when there is more light than darkness.  The  sun is the fire element  which represents Spirit; your inner light,  energy, chi, and  movement .  Fire contains within it the ability to transform, changing something from one state to another.    It is times of darkness, we rely on our fire element, as it is our inner light (soul) and our connection to Spirit that can carry us through difficult times.  By relying on our inner light, we strengthen our spiritual muscles.  The Solstice is a great time to consider how the fire element applies to you.  

• Where are you in terms of goals you have set for yourself this year; the seeds you have planted?
• What goals, relationships, ideas need to be renewed or released?
• How much light are you allowing in to your life?  Are you being a good receiver?

The Solstice is a wonderful time to think about these questions and create a ritual to honor the day, your goals, your Soul.  Ritual is simply the physical act of a prayer or intention.  The following are some ideas for celebrating Solstice with a ritual and aligning with nature for harmony within;

1. Create a bouquet of flowers in bright colors in your home
2. Write a list of  what requires renewing, manifested, or released and burn it (transformation)
3. Pray, meditate, visualize abundance and growth
4. Play music and celebrate the fullness of what you do have right now.  Be in gratitude.

Fellow Soul Coach and friend Mary Dixon, has this suggestion for Solstice; “ send prayers for good growth for yourself and the plants, for passion and play to let loose, for your dreams and projects to become real and concrete. Autumn will become a time of harvest, review and heading more inward.” Check out Mary’s marvelous website at www.thirdeyesouljourneys.com; she is not only a gifted Soul Coach, but a gardener of lavender, Reiki healer, and photographer.

Take time to thoughtfully listen to your soul at this time. Rest, renew, and rejoice in the abundance  that surrounds you!

That Rainy Day Feeling

 

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”  ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It’s been raining for what seems like a week here in Georgia.   The rain is welcome as all the summer gardens have been planted.   All this rain has me thinking  about and feeling the water element and what it teaches us.  

Have you ever noticed how many songs are written about the rain?   Here are a few that come to mind right away:

Here Comes that Rainy Day Feeling Again, Rainy Days and Mondays, Purple Rain,  Rain on Me, and most appropriate for where I live, Rainy Night in Georgia.  If any more songs come to mind, please feel free to respond in the blog responder below.

What kind of feeling does a rainy day evoke in you?  Do you even notice a difference in how you feel?  For some people rain creates a sense of coziness, a nesting feeling.  For others, too much rain creates a feeling of dread, sadness, lethargy.  Pay attention to your feelings, they are sign posts offering you more information about you.   And the more you learn about yourself, you will be able to hear your soul more clearly.

Many people fear their emotions and they run from them, or at least they believe they are running from them.  However, emotions don’t go away, they wait and surface again.  The water element encourages us to honor, acknowledge, and notice what we feel before trying to change it with a positive affirmation or happy thought.  These are both healthy things to do, following the acknowledgement.   Otherwise your subconscious will say to the happy thought “not true”.  

Consider what you do with your emotions.  Do you dump them on others by blaming,yelling, or gossiping?  Or perhaps the pendulum swings in the other direction and you swallow what you feel?  Neither way is healthy, neither way honors the water element.  Water is meant to move, and when you simply feel, information surfaces.  Then, the water element will carry you to the voice of your soul.

The Simon Factor

If you haven’t heard of Simon Cowell by now, he’s the tough talking acerbic judge on the hugely popular television show American Idol and his own talent show in England called the X Factor.  Simon is known for his callous comments which at times can be downright rude, even though he often preempts what he says with “I don’t mean to be rude…”.   So why do the contestants that are being judged seem to put so much weight into what Simon says?  Probably why most people wait to hear his assessment – he speaks his truth.   His communication style is not always constructive as he says what is on his mind without much editing, positive or negative.  And because he is so brutally truthful, that seems to make the praise he doles out worth it to those being judged. 

In the real world, how often do you speak your truth?  Do you withhold what you are thinking or feeling to protect others?  Do you speak your truth without editing to get heard?  Both are extreme communication styles. If you find it difficult to speak your truth to important people in your life or in business, consider how safe it was a child to express your feelings.  Were your feelings honored or ignored in your family?  If you find yourself in sticky situations because you blurt out your truth without tact, reflect on how you got heard in your family.  Perhaps you had to become loud to get heard, or your parents modeled expressive, degrading communication.  Whatever you experienced in the past has an effect on how you communicate and relate today.  

If you are at either end of the spectrum of speaking your truth, you can begin to change this dynamic to create the opportunity to be heard. If you are withholding your feelings, you’re not being heard.  If you are blurting out your truth without consideration for others, you are also not getting heard as others may not take you seriously. To move yourself out of the two opposite communication styles of passive being quiet and aggressive-being bluntly direct, you can express yourself in a clear, adult manner utilizing this easy three step process;   

1. When you__________ or this situation________ happens/happened
2. I feel/felt _____
3. I need you to/not to___________

If the recipient changes the subject or gets defensive, name that and repeat the three steps, requesting to be heard.  If you hit a wall, use the three step process to express your frustration, disappointment, anger or whatever you are feeling. The benefits of speaking up for yourself and your feelings in a clear, concise manner are immense.   When you are true to yourself, your inner sense of well being and self esteem increases because you are in integrity with yourself and your soul.  Speak clearly, get heard and take yourself from zero to hero, as Simon says!

Soul Quote

“Journeys bring power and love back into you. If you can’t go somewhere, move in the passageways of the self. They are like shafts of light, always changing, and you change when you explore them.”
~Rumi

Soul Quotes

                      ”The world grows green again and runs with gardens. Souls open, like suns, and link with one another” Rumi

The Earth Element & You

“There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet. ” ~Brooke Medicine Eagle

In the 28 day Soul Coaching© program that I facilitate, we move through four basic elements with the intention to clear the clutter in our lives and within ourselves, so that we can hear our deepest truth more clearly.  Many ancient cultures used the natural elements as a guide for balanced living and as a way to become oriented to their surroundings.  The four basic elements are air, water, fire and earth. Each element can be related to an aspect of yourself and your life; air/thoughts, water/emotions, fire/spirit and earth/body.  By bringing attention to each element, you become aware of where you are in or out of balance in your life. 

The earth is the element that grounds, earth IS the ground!  Earth is where we are rooted; it is our source for living.    Our physical self is where we express and experience all the other elements; our thoughts, feelings, and spiritual self.   Our body is home for all the elements combined. 

Some questions to ponder in regards to the earth element are; how well do you take care of your body?  What harmful substances do you need to remove from your diet to create a healthier fueled body?  What distractions or addictions take you out and away from your body?  How often do you spend time in nature or even notice it?  Where do you feel most at home?

During the 28 day Soul Coaching© program, the earth element is the last element we move through and experience.  This is because this element is home for all the other elements, it holds them.  The earth element reminds us to be present, be in the now, and experience who we came here to be through this growing, living element we call home.

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