September 11th - I remember it differently...

I was on my way to work that morning, headed in to my job as an Environmental Program Coordinator for the City of Thornton, when I heard on the radio that an airplane had hit a high-rise building in New York. An accidental collision was the speculation at the time, because it had not occurred to anyone, that something like this could possibly be deliberate. Then the second plane hit, reports of at least 2 other planes being hijacked, and an order for the immediate grounding of ALL in-air flights was issued.
Dear God...this was not an accidental collision.
That perspective is probably the one that millions of people shared on that day....but within about an hour and a half, everything shifted for me, and I don't really recall that day as a terrorist attack, or the horrific event that will forever be ingrained in the US History books.
For me, the events of September 11th, (while yes, horrible, frightening, and heartbreaking), remain powerful - not because of the devistation, but because of the beautiful, inspiring and magnificent display of love, heroism, determination and strength that were released in such an 'explosive' way.
In that one moment in time - (which was truly hours long), people were given, and MANY took the opportunity to truly shine as human beings.
Todd Beamer, and the other folks on United Flight 93...there were approximately 20 people on board that flight, who stood up in the face of terror, and used a food cart to break down the door of the cockpit on that plane, overtake the 2 hijackers, and divert that plane from going into a US Government Building, to bring it down into an empty, unpopulated, open field in Pennsylvania.  The list of adjectives to describe the character of those people is endless, profound, and really leaves me speechless. THAT is the kind of thing I remember about September 11th. THAT is the kind of thing that literally brings tear to my eyes. The strength of character, level of commitment, and I don't even know how to describe the strength, integrity, and wherewithall it would have taken to perform such a task....truly blows my mind., touches my heart, and inspires me on a level that does not even HAVE words.
The gentleman who's name I never knew, who was on the janitorial staff in Tower 1...who helped guide an entire FLOOR of people down the stairway from the 12th floor. He took command of that floor, and guided everyone toward the stairway...many of them to safety. I heard his story on one of the shows that aired on the 5 year Anniversary of the event, and at that time, he was still living in New York, no longer working because of his injuries, but he visited the Tower 1 site every day. He said that he prayed every day at that site for those who died in that building, and prayed for peace for those who survived. This man had no emergency training to rely on. He had no 'practice drills' to refer to. He simply had his love of people to motivate him to guide others to safety. And that love of people, outweighed his fear for his own life. THAT'S what I remember about September 11th.
I remember how close this event brought everybody. Not just people in America, but people all over the world. Some people stayed (or went back) home from work when they heard what had happened. Many people went in search of their religious or spiritual beliefs and understanding.  Families hugged more. People prayed and meditated more. People truly reached out to each other from a place of love and compassion, in an attempt to comfort one another.
There were Priests who came in from all over the country, to pray over those people who were being pulled from the destruction. There were people...just plain people...untrained, non-emergency personnel who came in from ALL OVER THE COUNTRY to help in any and every way possible - with search and rescue, bringing in water and food, medical supplies and toiletries...people coming in from everywhere - bringing anything they could, just to help out.
September 11th brough about a world-wide outpouring of love and compassion, strength and courage, selflessness and sacrifice. THAT'S what I remember about September 11th.

It is with those wonderful memories that I sit in rememberance today of that event. The love. The strength. The courage. The bravery, love and compassion that surrounds and lives within us ALL to reach out to others in need. The inspiration to be better, to do better, to think better and to KNOW better. The joy of being alive, and being able to laugh with, love with and LIVE with the people in this world. That's what September 11th means to me.

In love, peace and compassion....I sign off for today.

Peace 'n Pieces

We're all searching for it. Peace. Not pieces of peace, we can find that sprinkled throughout our days and our lives. But Peace...lasting, calming, ever-present Peace. Here's what I've recently come to learn, thanks to a magnificent book writen by Joe Dispenza (e-mail or text me if you'd like the book title!):

If we're looking for peace, we aren't going to find it. Here's me:

When I have my own apartment, I'll have peace
When I graduate college, I'll have peace
When I get that GREAT job I want, I'll have peace
When I lose weight, I'll have peace
When I am debt-free, I'll have peace
When my son is happy - TRULY happy, I'll have peace
When I am out of this toxic, abusive marriage, I'll have peace
When I have my Lexus 350, I'll have peace
When I have a ridiculous amount of money, I'll have peace
When I get that raise, I'll have peace
When I lose weight, I'll have peace (didn't work last time, but THIS time...yes, this time, I'll have peace)
When I move to Colorado, I'll have peace
When I am re-united with the love of my life, and we live happily ever after, I'll have peace
When I get the basement cleaned out, I'll have peace
When I own my own business, I'll have peace
(shall I stop now? Do you get my point?, because there are plenty more examples if need be...)
I'll trust that you 'get' my message, and that is okay to move on to my point!
Feel free to substitute the words happiness or joy, (or any other word that feels more accurate to you) in the place of peace. That was just the word that showed up for me.
Anyway, we spend our lives...yes our LIVES in search of that emotion...or feeling of peace, happiness, joy...we spend our LIVES searching for it. Waiting for it to happen, show up, appear - whatever.

It ain't gonna. Peace isn't found. Peace, joy, happiness...all those wonderful qualities are not found anywhere. They are merely the ABSENCE of all the other garbage. Peace is our natural state. The way we are supposed to be...designed to live. But at some point(s) in our lives, we learn struggle, drama, judgement, anger, frustration, 'failure', inadequacy, jealousy, not-okay-ness, etc. When we learn those things, we learn coping mechanisms to help us 'get through' those difficulties. Once we've gotten through them, whatever they may be, we hang on to the fact that we experienced that challenge, so we are suddenly 'armed' for when it happens again. No peace in being armed.

My point is NOT to have you say, "screw it! I'll never find peace, so I may as well just throw in the towel!" - my point IS...get quiet, let go of the stuff you think is 'wrong' with you, or wrong in your life, and let Peace be.  Let Peace BE. If you let it be, it will. Once you truly are and have Peace, all those other 'things' fall into place.  It may feel hard to believe right now, but that's only because the other garbage is clouding your view of that peaceful place, and you have to squint or struggle to see it.  Peace is waiting for YOU...you needn't wait for it. All you need to do is clear away the junk that has accumulated over the years, and let Peace be.

Here's another point...we, particularly Americans, spend so much time, money and energy distracting ourselves, that we don't really allow ourselves to sit quietly long enough to BE Peaceful. There are phones, iPods, iPads, computers, stereos, video games, movies, books, plans, programs, events, activities...new and bigger "things" (homes, cars, TVs, etc), Facebook, Twitter....all these distractions that keep us from being quiet. Often times, I believe, its because it is in that "quiet" time, where we tend to suffer the most - hurt the most, cry the most...whatever the 'negative' emotion or experience is - happens most often and most profoundly when we are what we believe to be as "quiet".  But I suppose that whole self-aviodance concept is probably a 'whole other blog' so to speak. 

So in the space of quiet, REAL, honest quiet...that's where Peace, Joy and Happiness are. Just waiting for you to show up. Make that time for yourself, every day - and for as much of the day as possible, to be in Peace. And in that, Peace be with you.

As always, I would love to hear your feedback, and would love to hear what happens for you in that place of Peace. Please feel free to drop me a note, a text or a call...

Until Next Time,
Jill
www.TheNaturalBodyWorks.com
720-325-9886

Life Changing Experience...

Life Changing Experience....

We've all heard of those, right? "The day _______ happened." Now, we can fill in that blank with a bazillion examples of this statement, but for the sake of time and typing, we'll just go with the ones that pop into my head first.

DUI. Win the lottery. Hit rock bottom. Read an inspiring book. Met an inspiring person. Read a powerful, inspiring, empowering blog (tee hee). Fell in love. Fell out of love. Narrowly avoided a horrific incident/accident. Ran head-first into a horrific incident/accident. See, the list can go on and on, and I'm SURE that you have a million examples in your life, if you had time to sit down and list them. How many times have you heard someone say, "That experience changed my life!"? Too many, as far as I'm concerned. Here's why...
There is NO SUCH THING as a life changing experience! No such thing. Not to invalidate the impact of any of those possibilities (both listed and un-listed) above, but an experience cannot change ones life.
If one experience could change someone's life, then it would have to happen to everyone who experienced that experience, right? If winning the lottery was a "life changing experience", then everyone who won the lottery would have a "changed life", right? I don't know about you, but I hear WAY more stories about people who win all that money, then throw it all away, and end up just as 'broke' or sometimes even worse off than they were before they won!
I also know people who have gotten a DUI, for example. Scared them to pieces, so they never got behind the wheel intoxicated again! EVER! Also know people who have taken a different path, post DUI. I know 2 separate, unrelated people who had a CLOSE brush with lung cancer. One quit smoking on the spot, the other is still going strong at a pack and a half a day. The one who quit, said, "that was a life changing experience for me!"  Can't be. If the experience was 'life changing' then everyone who had that experience would have a 'changed life' right?
Therefore, it was not the experience itself that changed anyone's life. (OH...here she comes with the punchline...)
There is no such thing as a 'life changing experience"...there is only the experience of changing YOUR MIND, thereby changing your life. Your MIND changes your life..not an experience.
I had a very dear friend of mine make a similar comment to me, when we were talking about a trip I was getting ready to take, to Italy. He said, "A trip to Italy!? What a life changing experience!"  Now, I have had a fear of flying since I was a teenager, so for most of my life, flying to Europe has been simply out of the question. It took a "Mind Changing" experience, in order for me to get to Italy...it wasn't going to Italy that changed my life.  Do you see where I'm going with this? I had to change my MIND about flying, before I was going to be able to do it for 9 hours, in order to get to Europe.
Here's the good news - you can change your MIND about any THING, at any TIME, for any REASON. You don't need to wait for an experience: bad thing to happen, good thing to happen, meet the right person, meet the wrong person, the 1st of the month, or even the ever popular, "Monday"....you can change your mind, and change your life right this very minute! Right NOW!
Give yourself a minute to think of one thing. One thing in your life that you'd like to have different. You might only have ONE thing, or you might have 95 things...doesn't matter. Just pick one. 
Now take a minute and get to the bottom of what you believe about that one thing.
Change that...change what you believe about that one thing, and you will change that experience in your life. You have got to change your mind, before you can change your life. That is the absolute truth.
Go ahead...write to me all your examples of 'otherwise'. Tell me the list of examples that you have, that PROVE that there is such a thing as a 'life changing experience'. Bring it on. Know why? Because the idea for this blog hit me over 2 months ago, and I've been kicking it around, chewing on it, trying to dis-prove it to myself, searching for the 'holes' in this theory. Every time and every thing I tried, failed the test.
That's because the fact is, if you want to change your life...all you have to do is change your mind. Don't sit around waiting for that 'life changing experience', cuz it ain't coming!...make it happen for yourself.
The funny thing is, that since I've been trying so hard to disprove this idea, I have seen amazing things happen in MY OWN life, as I changed my mind, in order to try to punch a hole in this theory!

Its the truth. It just is. Something (the thought process) had to change as a result of that 'life changing experience' in order for there to actually BE a change. No need for you to wait for an experience...because you have the knowledge, that you can change your mind, and that will lead to a change in your life. You can do it, and you can do it right now. Right this minute.

As always, please drop me a note, or a text, or an e-mail...I'd love to answer any questions you have, or even help you form that mind-change! You can absolutely do it.

Until next time,
Jill

www.thenaturalbodyworks.com
720-938-5455

Magic Carpet Ride.....

Here's what I know to be true. WHO we are is not determined by what we have in our lives. Whether that be a Mercedes or a diagnosis of depression, neither good things/circumstances/conditions nor bad, determine 'who' we are. NOR do those things/circumstances/conditions determine what is POSSIBLE for us.

Again, this is not just something that I "believe to be true", it is something I KNOW to be true, and have seen in my own life, and the lives of others time and time again,
That being said, I invite you to join me on a magic carpet ride of sorts...come with me, even if just for a couple of moments, on a journey of magic and wonder. Not limited by 'if only I could..." or "If only I was....", "If only I had..." - no, this journey is completely void of any limitations AT ALL! Nothing can possibly hold you back!
On this journey, you get to wander into the farthest reaches of your imagination...and even beyond!! I'll fly the carpet, so you don't even have to worry about THAT! Just jump on with me, and see where we'll go!
Remember to let go of all your ideas of limitation and your yeahbuts ('yeah, but...'), just leave them behind, because there's no room for them where we're going!  Let's GO!!
So....wadda you say? You up for an adventure today??
Take as much time as you can spare...take a deep breath, close your eyes and hop on that magic carpet, and lets see where it takes us!
There's NOWHERE we can't go, NOTHING we can't do, and NOT A SINGLE THING we cannot accomplish! Absolutely NO limitations!
In taking this ride, we are allowing your dreams to become a reality, and your wildest imagination to actually come to life. On this ride, please take note of how you feel, what you see, smell and experience- and how everything around you feels - but most important is how YOU feel. What does it feel like to live limit-free, and where do you go??
Only in that free-thinking, free-living and free-being state, can we truly experience and BE WHO we are - and ONLY in that space can we truly see what is possible!!!
If you're up for it, try to write down what happens on this journey. Where did we go? What did we talk about? Who, if anyone, did we see, meet, find or speak with?
Please feel free to send me a copy of what you write. I always LOVE it when I get notes, emails and messages from you all!
Tell me all about what you experienced on our magic carpet ride! And...let me know any time you'd like to take another ride...I'll keep my schedule open :-D
Until Next Time,
Jill

www.naturalbodyworks.org

One step, One move, One Day....at a time

Short, simple...What is ONE thing that you can do today, that will contribute to the 'greater good' of the world. Just ONE thing, however large or small, is all it takes if each of us participates just a couple days a week!
There is an ENDLESS list of things we can do - each and every one of us, that will collectively improve the 'current status' of the world. ONE thing...we can ALL do, spare, afford, make time or space for ONE thing, can't we?!?
Just pick one thing, and get it done! You'll feel WONDERFUL knowing that you have made a difference.
Have fun with it and be creative!!!
Until next time,
Jill

http://www.thenaturalbodyworks.com/

'Chlorinate' Your Mind!

NOT your brain, as that would be toxic and horrible...but you CAN 'chlorinate' your MIND!

Clean it up...get rid of the mung and funk that lingers in there, like the crud on the bottom of a fish tank!

 

Walk with me on this for a minute, and you'll see what I mean. Much like a fish tank...your mind can be an "escape proof" environment. For example, you can't "unthink" a thought. You can have a negative thought, and re-direct your thinking away from that thought - but you cannot unthink it. Like trying to put toothpaste BACK in the tube...you can never get it ALL back in, right? SOMETHING gets left behind.

Same idea. You have a negative thought...and like fish poop that sinks to the bottom of the tank, that thought stays in your mind, on some level, in some secret little hiding place...only to be "re-introduced" to your conscious mind at an inopportune moment. Even if you tried to stuff the 'poop' back into the fish, some would get left behind. (please do NOT try this at home) Point being....you can't UNTHINK a thought, you just have to figure out how to remove its 'power'.

Which is where this 'mental chlorine' comes in.

It is said that one cannot become more than 'you think you can become'. (Bloggers Note: I, about 98% believe this...here's the other 2% - Following the 2012 Master's Cup Golf Tournament, winner, Bubba Watson was asked, "Did you rehearse this moment? The moment that you'd be sitting here, getting your green jacket?" To which he responded, "No. I never got this far in my dreams." - so while yes, I believe the above statement to be true most of the time...I do think that there are exceptions, which get filed under "this is beyond my wildest dreams") Anyway...onward!

So, lets go with the idea that you can only 'become' that which you truly believe is possible for yourself.  (feel free to substitute the word 'become' for such words as: achieve, acquire, give, receive, do, accomplish, etc.)  Your success, then, is limited only by that which you believe is possible, yes? Take a moment, and look at what you believe. How "far" does your current mind allow you to go? If your answer isn't clear, and to the reaches of 'your wildest dreams', then your mind needs a'cleanin'! There's too much 'poo" in your mental waters, and we must get to 'chlorinating' it! All the doubts, fears, insecurities, etc are little poops, floating around your mind clouding your vision of what is possible.

You are a vibrant, brilliant, wonderful and glorious being. Every SINGLE time you know and believe that, you are eliminating one little poop at a time (pun intended!). As with the toothpaste example, those negative/limiting thoughts and beliefs may not go away entirely, but you can 'blast' them out of your 'mental tank' to such a degree that they no longer exist in your belief of what is possible, and they just become a totally inactive, powerless poops - buried in the rocks at the bottom of the tank.

With your mind clear and your dreams in front of you - there is NOTHING...no, really NOTHING that you cannot do, see, accomplish, experience, achieve. NOTHING.

It is with knowing that to be the absolute truth, that I sign off for now.

Have a glorious and spectacular day, just as it was created to be -

Until next time,

Jill

www.thenaturalbodyworks.com

You Can't Start The Next Chapter...

At first glance, this is an amazing  

and incredibly accurate quote, yes? Very powerful the first time you read it. And really, quite easy to look at, repeat to yourself, say "Wow, that's cool"...then move on to the next 'thing' to look at.

But not me :-P no, no...I couldn't just take a glance, appreciate what the statement said, then move on. I've spent lots of time over the past few weeks, kicking this particular saying around in my head...intending to sit down and blog about it SEVERAL times, but not being able to find the 'bottom' of it! Every time I sat with it, I kept finding more and more times in my life, more and more examples of re-reading the last chapter, right in the middle of this one! So since I first read this statement, I've gone all the way into the deep end and back...many times...and I've come back to the place where I can actually look at it, and say "Wow, that's cool!" - so let's talk about it! :-D

Ya'll know that I am VERY into living in the now, staying present to what IS, and creating what I want to BE in the future. I don't tend to spend much time in the past, in terms of carrying baggage around and certainly not living with regrets. But after reading, then sitting with this quote, I realized how often we do refer back to previous responses to current conditions/circumstances.

Default thoughts, if you will.

"You can't start the next chapter of your life, if you keep re-reading the last one".

Imagine that you're actually reading your life. You're in, lets say Chapter 8. This happens, that happens, this shows up, that shows up...you deal with this, you deal with that.

Then time takes you to Chapter 9. A new job, lets say.

So, you're getting ready to start this new job...you get up, get yourself all prettied up for the day at the office...you get in the car, coffe and all...and head to work. Would you take the same route that lead you to your previous job? Probably not, because you're excited about the newness of THIS job. You'll be in a different office, a different desk/cubicle, different co-workers, different job benefits, perhaps different hours...maybe even a different career path! The similarity, is that they're both your job. Maybe you even have the same coffee cup and plant on your desk that you had at your previous job. But there is SO much that is different....making this a new chapter, rather than the continuation of the last one.

New chapters bring new circumstances, surroundings, people, opportunities, benefits and challenges. Whether that new chapter is a relationship, occupation, financial situation, geographic location, or any

number of other things, it is a NEW chapter, and should be tended to with a NEW outlook.

You don't go to your ex-significant other's house looking for your new one, right?

You don't go to your previous address, walk in the door, get in the shower and climb into bed, right?

You don't wear the same clothes you wore as a child, right?

These are all kind of extreme examples, but intended to give you the image of doing 'old' things in a new phase of your life. So often we drag the 'old' thoughts, actions, expectations, etc into new chapters of our lives.

As with a novel of any sort, you may need to reference actions or occurances from the previous chapter, in order to help 'lead' you to THIS chapter...but that's all it is - a point of reference. Not the recipe by which you must address THIS action or occurance.

Here's the BEAUTIFUL thing...the BEAUTIFUL gift of this life...EVERY DAY CAN BE A NEW CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!! Every day!

I watched a great video last week (which I will post on this blog at some point!) - and one line from this video was "Do you think that this is just another day in your life?" I love the quote, because the rest of the video is a beautiful journey through the things you can do every single day, to make a difference in the world.

So I offer you this....every morning, when you wake up - say to yourself, "This is NOT just another day in my life! This is page one of a new chapter" - and invite yourself to be brand new today. That doesn't mean you have to forget your past, or pretend something didn't happen - nothing like that. It just means that you're ready to turn the page, and have a fresh new chapter in your life begin right now.

Because you cannot read 2 chapters at once, and really GET the message from both, you will need to pick ONE and go with it. If you choose to re-read the last chapter, then do it. If that's where you want to be. If you're ready to move on and move forward and move AHEAD....then close that chapter, and start the new one - with all of your heart!

Here's to THIS chapter. TODAY'S chapter.

Make it amazing!! Please feel free to e-mail me and let me know what you're up to! Let me know what this next chapter holds for you - and if need be - constantly REMIND YOURSELF that you've started a NEW chapter <3

Until next time,

Jill

http://www.thenaturalbodyworks.com/

Live...Like Someone Left The Gate Open

A friend of mine posted this photo on her fp page, and I was totally overcome. It made me laugh out loud, and I just stared at the picture of this dog, and the expression on his/her face. Just look at the eyes...the tongue hanging out of his/her mouth - and how at least 3 of its legs are off the ground! This dog has places to go, people to see, and adventures to be had! Look behind it. Nothing but open space. Just imagine this joyful little dog running around the area - TOP SPEED just looking for whats next! Not cowering, or walking cautiously round, worrying or even fearing what may be around the next corner, or over the next hill. Just as happy as you please, investigating, experiencing, smelling, tasting, looking around - just thrilled to be alive!
This little pooch isn't worried about how he/she looks, or if other dogs think he/she is 'good enough', or playing the right way. It is just happy to be alive - happy to be exploring the world!

What if, just for a moment...someone had left YOUR gate open? What would you be 'free' to do, explore or investigate? Whatever your 'gate' may be, that which you believe is holding you back or restricting you - what if that was left open, and you had, right in front of you, a whole wide open world to explore?

What would you do? What would you explore? Where would you go? How would you feel? What would you see?

Spend some time with that today. Dig into your heart, your mind, or wherever it is that you 'store' your wildest imagination - and play in THAT open space for a while. The more time you spend there, and the more positive emotion you experience in that space, the happier you will become - AND (bonus!) the closer you bring that experience into your life.

You see, your vibration/energy literally changes (you'll feel it in your own body, if you're willing to pay attention), when you think about living your life without restriction. You'll feel it in your energy level, your happiness, your mood, your attitude, and your idea of what is possible for yourself.

Want proof? Right now, think about something freeing. Something that you would do with your day, your time whatever, if you had NO limitations. Time and money are not an issue. Physical strength and outside expectation are of no concern.  What would you be doing right now?
Then stop...think about bills that are following you around. Or physical limitations, arguments with family or friends. Debt. Sickness.
Feel the difference in your body? THINKING good just feels better, right? Thinking good ideas, dreams, plans, situations, opportunities, occurrences - that just FEELS better! If you want to feel better, think about good stuff! That'll change your mood, change your day, and possibly change your life!

So you see, thinking about negative, burdensome or 'bad' things, is what creates the illusion of your gate being closed. Yes, bills have to be paid, obligations need to be met, etc...but that doesn't mean that you can't live your life in joy, freedom, gratitude, excitement and curiosity.

Live TODAY as though someone left YOUR gate open. If it feels good - do it again tomorrow. And again the next day, and the next and the next!

Have FUN with this idea - and please let me know what comes up for you!
Until next time,
Jill
www.parkerschiropractorcolorado.com/

A Womans Got a Mind To Change

Okay, so first of all, I totally stole that line (the title of this post) from a Bacon Brothers song...thank you, Kevin...but it seemed to really fit the topic of today's blog, so I'm sure he won't mind....

We change our minds - quite regularly really, right? Go to a restaurant and have one menu item in mind, then for whatever reason, we decide to order something different. We get all dressed in the morning, and something just isn't 'right', so we change clothes. Hairstyles. Radio stations. TV shows. This flavor, no THAT flavor. How many times a day do we change our minds? I'm sure that there is a fantastic statistic on that somewhere (perhaps I'll look for it another time - or perhaps I won't! LOL), but we all know that we re-decide fairly often, yes? We have one idea, plan, intention, goal, 'favorite' thing - whatever...then at some point, we give ourselves permission to 'pick' something different, and it is absolutely okay...maybe even a great re-decision.

So, that being the case...why is it SO much more difficult to change our minds, when it comes to a thought pattern that doesn't work so well for us?? Lets say that way back, at some point, we decided that we were not _____ enough, or too ______. However, now, in our current enlightened state :-P we clearly see that we are most definitely _____ enough, or just the RIGHT amount of _______. Why is it so hard to change our minds, and really bask in that new understanding?

Lets take Sheila for example. She has spent YEARS telling herself that she's 'just not a morning person'. But now, she wants to start getting up early in the morning, so she can spend some quality meditation time...or time watching the morning news...or time watching the sun rise - whatever it is that she wants to do, needs to be done early in the morning. Why is the transition SO hard to wake up early? Isn't it just a matter of changing one's mind?

Dare I say YES! Yes it is simply a matter of changing your mind. Deciding differently or re-deciding. The mind is a most POWERFUL thing...but we so completely underestimate it! We can change EVERYTHING by simply changing our minds. We've all got examples in our own lives, where we had one idea, impression, opinion, interest, plan, intention, perspective, preference, (college major!), etc...and we changed our mind about it. We all have our own PROOF that you can change your direction, situation, circumstance, opinion, interest, plan, intention, perspecive, habit and on and on...just by changing the mind! Now...this may sound like an insurmountable task, changing your mind about something (or some things) - and I invite you to change your mind about THAT!

Lets play a game today...what are the 2 biggest challenges you face, right now in your life? Write down your 2 biggest (apparent) obstacles, and change your mind about them today. Change how you think of them, or change what they mean to you, or change the very foundation of those obstacles. Just change your thinking, and see how the 'challenges' themselves morph.

PLEASE take a moment and let me know what you're up to today, how you changed your mind, and how it worked for you. If you'd rather not post on this blog, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at Jill@PersonalSummitCoaching.com 

Have a spectacular day!
Until next time,
Jill 

If its broke....FIX IT!

So I was watching TV this morning, and there was a commercial with a heavy kid, and his heavy mom. They had just left a Dr. apppointment, wherein the doctor told the mom that the kid was in danger of becoming diabetic. They get in the car, and there's a sports drink, and a pop in the cup holders between the seats. The commercial then went on to tell how much sugar is in those particular drinks, and the mom says something along the lines of  "I didn't figure those drinks were very good"...
Then she looks at the kid and says, "We'll fix this. I wish I had known sooner."
My knee-jerk reaction was "how stupid! Everyone knows that sports drinks and pop are LOADED with crap!" But then I got present to the last line of that commercial, and how powerful it was...and how much easier our lives would flow, if we would just respond to concerns, problems, obstacles and challenging events, if we would just say, "We'll fix this. I wish I had known sooner."

We spend so much time, when we get bad news, or have an 'issue' to worry about or whatever the sitauation might be...so much time getting mad, or pointing a finger, or searching for the source of the problem, or worrying about how it happened, when it happened, or how unfair it is.

Why not just say, "We'll fix this."?
Financial problems. Communication problems. Health problems. Unexpected outcomes. Grades. Chores. Goals not met. All those things, and about a gazillion other things come up in our every day lives, and all too often, we get completely sidelined by them. Getting emotionally wrapped up in the unfairness of it all....or letting the fact that we didn't see it coming, totally knock us off course.
Fine, we didn't see it coming. Or...this isn't how we thought it would go. Or...we feel 'wronged' on some level.

Okay, fine. But NOW WHAT? Wouldn't it be amazing if we could just take the "we'll fix it" mentality, and get straight on making something better, rather than marinating in how 'wrong' or 'hurtful' or whatever the current circumstance appears to be.

The car broke down. Get it fixed. Or find another ride somewhere.
A fight with the spouse. Get it fixed. Clear the air. Get back on track.
Feeling 'blue' today. Get up, get showered, get lovely and go do something for someone else.
Didn't win last night's lottery. Go buy another ticket.
Going through a divorce. Pick up your pieces, re-invent YOURSELF. Find the things that bring you joy, and go do them.

The worst thing we can do for ourselves, and the people around us is to let 'things', events, or experiences get the best of us, and throw us into a funk. That doesn't mean that we cannot or should not let things get to us, but it does mean that when those things happen, FIX them. Don't wollow in something being broken, just fix it!

OH! Speaking of which....I've heard several people tell me that they have tried to comment on this blog, but have not been able to do so. Last night...I FIXED IT :-D Apparently there is a setting on my end, that would allow (or not allow) peeps to comment....and I had "not allow" checked. Apparently.
I think it is okay now, but please let me know if you find yourself unable to comment on this blog. You can send me a text or an e-mail or post on my fb page to let me know. If there's a problem, I'll fix it :-)

I'm running late for work, so I'm going to go FIX THAT, and jump in the shower.
Wishing you all a fantastic day!
Until next time,
Jill

If You're Happy And You Know It...Wag Your Tail!

Although there are "things" not to be happy about, there is no reason NOT to be happy! (its amazing, the things that hit me in the middle of the night!)
Here's the thing...we all have "things" in our lives that cause us stress or worry (or bad moods, or whatever), but none of those things really deserve the overwhelming attention that we tend to give them, by giving up our happiness and joy, in exchange for stress or worry.
I remember when my ex-husband and I split. SO many people said to me, "I never knew you were that unhappy! You were very good at hiding it!" Truth is, I was happy. I wasn't hiding anything! My marriage sucked, and my ex-husband was toxic and all that...but as a person, I was very happy. Happiness doesn't come from a spouse (although, my husband does bring 'happy' to a completely new level for me!), nor does it come from a job, a financial 'cushion', a flawless childhood, the 'perfect' body, the big house, or any other 'outside' circumstance.
There is no doubt that those outside circumstances (or lack thereof) can have an affect on us, but the bottom line is that we get to decide how BIG of an affect they can have. I know financial worries. I know relationship and parental worries. I know what its like to struggle with those things. But I have also seen, first hand, that one can be truly happy inside, even if all those outside things seem to be in chaos or upheaval.
We are NOT our circumstances. We are NOT our surroundings. We are NOT our current health, financial, relational, parental, mental, emotional, physical or spiritual 'circumstances'. We are SO SO SO much more than those things!  We are the creators of our happiness.  We are the ones who have the power to change our minds at ANY given moment, and take our energy, vibration, mood, or whatever you want to call it - into a completely different direction. No matter WHAT is going on around us, we can choose to be happy, and just wag our tails through whatever it is that is going on.
Shit happens. It happens to all of us. Nevertheless, WE are the ones who get to decide if we are going to give up our happiness and our joy, in exchange for the "stink" of what appears to be happening around us.
So, here's to standing TALL and standing FIRM in the decision to be happy.
Enjoy this magnificent day!
Until next time,
Jill

THIS is the day!

Okay, so here is a "challenge of the day" of sorts...
Start something NEW this day...create or follow up on a hobby, a book, a task list - something....just do something TODAY that makes THIS day different than your previous days.
Here's something that 'showed up' for me this morning, as I was sitting here, trying to narrow down my thoughts, ideas, and such for what to jot down in this blog...
So many of us decide to start something new - a new hobby, a new diet, a new book, a new task...or dropping something old - an old habit, finishing a book that just found its way under or behind something...whatever the case may be. We so often have our 'start date' or 'stop date'. I have a coaching client who is determined to quit smoking...on February 28th.
Why not TODAY? Why not get started TODAY on whatever it is that you want to embark upon? Now, I'm not one to promote "start this diet today", because I've been on this anti-diet soapbox for a while now...but I do think if you want to take your health, fitness, wellness, strength, vitality, balance, flexibility WHATEVER in a different direction - today is the BEST day to start! If you want to save for something, cut down your debt, or any other finanical 'change', do ONE thing today...a significant thing that will bring you closer to that goal/intention. If you have a friendship or relationship that needs mending, or nurturing...do ONE thing today that will bring you at least one step closer to that intention. We don't have to conquer everything in ONE day, but this IS the day to get started on something, or gain momentum on it.
Use today to start, finish or make good progress on something that you may be putting off - until Monday, until you have accomplished some other taks, or until February 28th. Jump in and make something great happen today!
Why?
Because its today!
Make this day spectacular, and please be sure to comment on this blog, and let me know what you're up to today!!
Until next time,
Jill

Here We Go!!

WELCOME! I suppose at this point, I'm just welcoming myself, but what better initial greeting?
I am starting this blog as a result of several friends and co-workers recommending that I do so, as I tend to get really excited, and talk a really lot about life improvement strategies, and concepts related to feeling better mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. This life is amazing, and FUN, and should be a terrific experience, yet so often, we get weighed down by the drama, struggles, challenges and (apparent) setbacks in life. My intention for this blog is to learn, teach, grow, share, express, understand, and inquire...I invite you to come along with me on this wonderous journey!!
Until next time,
Jill