Day 21.

I can’t believe it’s been 3 weeks since I started this challenge.  Life goes by way too fast, which is why there’s no point in stressing, worrying, doubting, complaining, etc.  It’s all a complete waste of time.  Just think how different your life would be without doing all those things.  How different would your life be if you enjoyed every moment…if you took in all the little things that life offers you at that moment (good and “bad”) and were just totally grateful for it?  That’s what this challenge has helped me realize.

I’m understanding that what I consider problems or issues or stress or crazy situations is just my perspective of it.  When I shift my perspective to a more positive one, I get different results.  If I just shift my perspective to a grateful one, it changes the entire circumstance.

This challenge has made me feel better, and I’m so grateful for that because I know that feeling good is what it’s all about.  Don’t we all just want to feel good?  Doesn’t our life basically boil down to that one statement…I want to feel good!

When I would get irritated with toys strung all over the house, I would think how grateful we are to have all these toys.  When I want to honk & cuss at the car in front of me for not going fast enough, I would think how grateful I am for being safe and how grateful I am that I get to go wherever it is that I was headed.  When I had to make a choice, I was grateful that I get to make a choice and that I have options.  When I didn’t feel like making dinner, I was grateful that I had food to make, that I had a house to cook it in and clean dishes and gas to heat it.

This feels good!

This gratitude challenge has made me stop, take the time, and write about my gratitude.  I’m so thankful I did.  It puts things in perspective.  I realize more and more everyday just how great I have it, just how great my life is.  It has given me peace, and allows me to just relax and take it all in…to enjoy the now moment.

This feels good!

As you know (or maybe you don’t), I’m a HUGE believer in the Law of Attraction, where like attracts like.  When I have a feeling of appreciation it’s an energy that I radiate.  That energy is drawing to itself more energy of the same quality, so more things are coming into my experience for me to be appreciative of.

This feels good!

The challenge ends today, but I will never stop being grateful.  I will continue to write in my gratitude journal, and I will continue to be open to receive more good things in my life.

WOW – THIS FEELS GOOD!

(And thank you so, so much to everyone that reads my blog!)

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I was listening to 1310am The Ticket this morning (sorry, Honey!).  It’s sports talk with lots of guy talk mixed in.  They had a segment about men going through mid life crisis, but then the segment turned more into how they are so unhappy in their marriages.  There were tons of emails coming in about how these guys hate going home because all their wives do is bitch, yell, and complain.  I would hate to come home too if I had to come home to that, so I don’t blame them at all!

It reminded me of what a lot of my female yoga students have told me.  They’ve told me that their husbands really encourage them to come to yoga class.  Their husbands say they’re a lot more relaxed and just better after taking a class.  I can totally see why!

As women we’re expected to basically do everything, especially if you’re a working mom…that’s a lot of work!  There’s so much that goes on from the time “work” is over until the time we lay our head down at night.  Where is “me” time??

So there’s work stress and then all the stuff that needs to be done once you get home but don’t have time to do it.  You’re just happy with getting dinner on the table, kids homework done, and baths!  Not only does stuff pile up in the house, but “stuff” piles up on your shoulders, in your hips, on your back & neck, and in your head!

Stuff piling up for a little while is pretty manageable, but eventually you bust.  You bust out yelling.  You bust out bitching, you bust out your back, you bust out headaches, and possibly even bust out a heart attack.

Ladies, we need “me” time.  Seriously.  You have to make time for yourself.  If you’re not good, how can you expect to be good for your kids, your family, or anyone else that needs you?  I understand it may sound selfish, but it’s not!

I obviously think yoga is one of the best things you can do for your “me” time.  It not only gets you moving and exercising, but it is so unbelievably awesome for your head…your mind.  It’s basically a moving meditation.  It takes you away from your worries, your to do lists, your responsibilities, and your stress.  It gives your thinking mind a break, and in doing so, you’re more productive and you can creatively come up with solutions to your problems.  It may give you a different perspective and you may even realize that everything is okay.  It’s okay to not be perfect.  It’s okay to just let go and not be so uptight.  It gets you connected to your true self and makes you feel more confident.

It gets all that “stuff” out of your body and out of your mind.  At first it may just be temporary, which is great…a little relief before you go home to your kids and hubby, but the more you practice yoga the more the “stuff” stays away.

I can’t stress (no punn intended!) enough how great yoga &/or meditation is for your “me” time, but it can be anything from a pedicure, to a massage, to just taking a long, hot bath.  I know it can be hard to find time, especially if you’re a working mom, but this is a must.  I promise you…you will be more productive (mentally & physically)!

I would love to hear your feedback.  Do you currently do yoga &/or meditate and if so, how has it made you better?  Are you one of those people whose husbands (or wives) encourage you to go take a class?  What else do you do for “me” time?  Has your marriage or relationships improved once you started doing yoga?  Let’s talk!!

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Awareness – I love this word.  For me it’s what has changed my life.  Well, not that my life has changed so much necessarily, but how I look at my life has changed.  Well okay, maybe it has changed my life!

Awareness has made me see things more clearly.  It’s the awareness I have of my breath and the awareness of what’s going on in my head that has given me the freedom to live easy.  It’s awareness that has given me the freedom to live stress free.  Yes, I said it…stress free!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect.  I do have moments of stress, but it’s just for a moment.  When I become aware that I’m stressing, I stop.  I realize what’s going on in my head (I’m making up crazy scenarios of what I think is going to happen but never does), and then I decide what to do.  I can either keep freaking out, or I can change my thoughts to more positive ones.  I can choose to shift my thoughts so I relax.  For example, I think about the love I have for my kids or all the things I have to be grateful for.   However, if the situation that is stressing me out has a really strong pull on me (I’m sure there’s lots of that going on in this “bad” economy…that’s another blog topic!), and I can only think of my loving kids for so long (haha) then what I do is I keep coming back – coming back to my breath, coming back to my happy thoughts, coming back to my awareness.  Eventually, you realize that the stressful situation is either out of your control or something that you can act on (when the time is right).  BUT, either way you must become aware of how that stress has a hold of you (how are you reacting to it?).

If it’s something that is out of your control, then that’s just it.  You become aware of that fact and then you let it go.  If it’s something that you can act on, then staying aware will keep you in your positive thoughts (if that’s what you choose).  Those positive thoughts are crucial because that’s what will give you the inspiration for your actions.

There’s also an awareness of how you feel.  Physically, you become aware of how your body feels (this is where I plug my yoga classes).  My body holds a lot less tension because I’m aware when I have my shoulders scrunched up to my ears, or when I’ve got worry wrinkles on my forehead.  But then there’s also this awareness of how you feel emotionally.  When you get down to it, there’s really only two emotions, good or bad.  So if you can always get back to feeling good (positive thoughts feel good), your life becomes easier.  Believe it or not, life really is simple!  It really is easy!  It really can be stress free!

It just takes practice.  Awareness takes practice!  It’s a continual remembering to be aware.  So the more you practice being aware, the more you remember to do it.  The more you remember to do it, the more it becomes a part of your life.  The more it becomes a part of your life, the better your life becomes.

If you want to live a stress free life like I do, awareness is one of your best friends!

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Think about this scenario for a moment…every month your bills are due, and every month you’re worried about not having enough money to pay them.  In your mind there’s constant worry.  Every time you buy something (lunch, gas, or a cup of coffee) there’s anxiety as you hand over the money.  You’re in a constant state of feeling lack.  This feels horrible, right?

Now, think about this…every month your bills are due and every time you write a check, pay online, or use your debit card you feel gratitude for having the money to spend.  You reflect back on what you’re paying for and have great appreciation for whatever it is (how great is it to have electricity, food, & water?).  You know there’s always a flow of money coming in and money going out.  You have a feeling of abundance and you know deep within that you’ll always have whatever it is you need at that moment.  This feels good, right?

You can always choose to feel good.  It takes no more energy to feel the second scenario as it does to feel the first one.  In fact, I would think the first scenario would take a lot more energy, and it’s such a draining energy at that.  The second scenario may take more discipline, but I would way rather be disciplined than have that negative, stressful, draining energy.

I think back to my younger years right after high school (sounds funny for me to say that as I still think of myself as young!).  I had a roommate who would always worry about how we were going to pay rent.  She had a hard time sleeping, and I know now it was because she worried so much!  Sometimes she would ask me if I’m worried about it and my answer to her was always no.  This would freak her out!  How could I not be worried??  One day I turned to her and asked her if we’ve ever gone without paying our rent.  Her answer was “no”.  I told her this is why I’m not worried.  We’ve never gone without paying our rent.  We always ended up getting the money (we both waited tables at the time).  I remember telling her that I had never gone without, so I just wasn’t worried.  I knew I would get the money somehow.  I didn’t always know how I was going to have enough, but I always did and that’s all that mattered.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE YOUR LIFE HOWEVER YOU WANT IT!  When we begin to understand that it’s all in our mind, we then realize we can live our life however we want.  We can live in stress, worry & anxiety or we can live in freedom from those things.

My husband always tells me “it’s sunny and 70 in Katland”!  He jokes with me about it, but I seriously take it as a great compliment (thanks, Honey!).  It’s your choice.  Do you want to live where it’s sunny & 70, or dreary & 48?  Do you want to live in constant fear of lack or in continual abundance?

There’s really nothing to worry about!  If you can keep your eye on what you want, if you can keep your mind in the light rather than the darkness, and truly believe that all is good then I promise you you’ll always have what you need (if not more)!

It’s all just a perspective!  You choose how you want to perceive something.  I’m choosing sunny & 70!!

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