2017, HERE WE COME (a little early, perhaps)
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Hotbed of Vigorous Star Formation (http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2016/hubble-hotbed-of-vigorous-star-formation)
Let’s prepare. Great challenges lie ahead. This world demands your full presence and engagement. We are being asked to pay attention. To care for ourselves and each other. I want you to join me on one path through the maze. You who experienced the unfathomable, are especially invited to be present and engage. We are all required.
Are you struggling with critical thoughts that cause you pain? Do you try to control your feelings toward your partner? Are you second guessing your decisions? Do you worry that you are wasting your life, not living to your potential? Are you living from your values? Do you see a purpose?
“An unexamined life is not worth living. ”
I want you to join me on a magical journey of discovery. I developed the 12 Stages of the Magical Mind Management System©, a series of approaches gathered from a lifetime of living, reading, practicing, creating, training, transforming, and coaching. Lessons learned from great teachers. From Pema Chodron to Oprah, Brooke Castillo to Martha Beck, Russ Harris to Thich Nhat Hanh, Brené Brown and Peter Levine, and many others. We are going to take it slowly over the next 12 months. One or two small bites at a time.
2017 will be our opportunity to clean up our acts, to get down to what ails us or what keeps us from taking responsibility for our lives. I call implementing these stages magical because in my own life, developing these skills of living, of thinking and of feeling have transformed my experience of daily living so radically that it feels like magic! Engage your brain, heart and soul while discovering who you are, what sparks your joy.
I offer you keys to a treasure box. Treasures are everywhere; we will search for them, examine them, play with them and keep what works and pass on what doesn’t. Your mind is where your thoughts reside, and your body is the messenger of feelings and emotions. Let’s begin to practice.
Stage 1 & 2. Do you know that your mind creates your world? Do you know that to access your thoughts, you need to be still?
How do you take actions to develop the skill of being aware of your very own mind? Here is an exercise that takes 9 minutes. You can do it in 3 minute increments. That could be 3 minutes today, 3 minutes tomorrow and 3 minutes the following day. Or you can blow through the whole thing in one sitting.
First, sit for 2 minutes with your eyes closed and do not think. Whatever you do, DO NOT THINK.
Write about your experience for 1 minute.
Second, sit for 2 minutes with your eyes closed and NOTICE what you are thinking.
Write what those thoughts were for 1 minute.
Third, sit for 2 minutes with your eyes closed and focus on your breathing. Breathing in, notice the air coming into your nose/mouth, filling your lungs and follow it as it exits. Do this over and over. When you notice you are thinking and no longer focusing on your breath, say silently, “congratulations” and come right back to focus on your breath again. Repeat until 2 minutes is over.
Write what your experience was for 1 minute.
You have now been introduced to The Watcher. I think of the Watcher as the part of me that is ageless because she has been here since the beginning and will be there to the end, and beyond. She notices what my thoughts are and she is objective. She does not judge.
The Watcher is your friend, not your foe. The Watcher has no judgement. The Watcher notices.
Stay tuned. Spend the next 2 weeks developing your practice of Watching your thoughts. Carry around a little notebook and write down your observations. If there are areas of disruption or disturbances, like strong or negative emotions, take special notice of what words are running in your brain. What are your thoughts while you are in a meeting with your boss or colleague? What sentences are running through your head when you are having dinner with the family?
Let me know what you discover. Send me an email or comment on Face Book. Let’s do this together.
Magical Mind Management System© 12 Stages – 12 Months
small, simple acts, shifts in attitudes and direction to take in 12 stages that will transform your life
- be still & connect with self
- be aware & write
- be curious
- be intentional
- be dynamic & open
- be kind & forgiving
- be inspired
- be brave
- be playful & creative
- be grateful
- feel your feelings
- be human
More to come....