Which Voice Are YOU Listening To?

Listen to your heart? Listen to your head? Listen to your gut? Listen to those other voices that exist in that 'somewhere else' - out there? Listen to the voices from your childhood? Previous relationships? Ex-employers? Bullies from long ago? (or bullies from NOT SO long ago?)
Our days are filled with a constant barrage of voices. Some positive, some less so. Some, downright hurtful! The sad truth is, that most of the negativity that flies around in our minds is self-induced!
Although we may have actually heard those voices, speaking hurtful words, they probably do not exist in this very moment. But, we can hear them as though they're the loudest thing in the room. We carry voices with us all day. Some ours, some not. But regardless of whom they belong to, we have conversations going on in our heads ALL DAY and most of the night! Go ahead, try to have NO conversation in your head. Try it. I'll wait.

Over the past several months, my life has taken some pretty measurable turns. My attitude has changed, my happiness has dramatically increased, I've lost weight, I sleep better, my business has gotten much busier, and more successful, my friendships are stronger, and I have more of them. My outlook on life has widened, and I almost feel taller!
So I asked myself, what changed? What happened that created all of these wonderful and positive changes. My answer came quickly and clearly. I changed the voices that I was listening to. That's it. That one change in my thought process, resulted in every aspect of my life getting noticeably better.  Clearer. Stronger. Brighter. Healthier.

You know the image. The devil on one shoulder, and an angel on the other. Each one whispering their sound advice into their respective ear. It would be much easier if there were only 2 sources from which we get these voices! Trouble comes when there are SEVERAL voices, and we hear them ALL, and try to sort through them to determine which ONE we're going to listen to! "Yes", "No", "Maybe", "What if...", "How will I.."and the list goes on.  If only it were as easy as eenie meenie miney mo!
Do any of these sound familiar?
The Fear Voice. What if this doesn't work? What if I'm wrong? How many times do we have to 'start again' before you realize you're not going to accomplish this? You can't stick to anything. That kind of happiness, just isn't for you. You're better off not even trying, because you're not going to make it, anyway. You're not smart enough. You're not talented enough. You're just going to look stupid, so don't even bother.
The Doomed Voice. This is as good as its ever going to get. There just aren't that many jobs available, so be grateful for the one you have. Good enough is good enough. You're too old to get started on that now - learn to be happy with what you have. Its too late.
The "Yes You Can" Voice. You've got this! You're better off now, anyway! This is all you!

You recognize these? Well, I'm here to tell you that NONE of these statements is true.. Not one single one of them. We go into much more detail in the book, (The Perfect Cup of Coffee), but in short, here's the TRUTH. Not one of these statements is more true than any other.
"Whether You Believe You Can, Or You Can't, You Are Right" - Henry Ford
So you get to pick. You get to decide which voices you're going to listen to, and if you're in a place in your life where you're 'stuck' - you're listening to the wrong ones! Make another choice.
We tend to allow these voices (good or bad) to ring in our heads like the drips of water torcher, so you want to make sure you choose wisely! The "plink...plink...plink" of Walt Disney's quote, "If you can dream it, you can achieve it" is a WAY better way to spend your life than the plinks of "What if I'm wrong", agreed?
So, take inventory. Which voices are you listening to? Often the ones in our heads have the most 'outside influence', and tend to be 'thoughts of old'. Habitual thinking. The 'mind thoughts' tend to be the most stale. That's why you tend to get a physiological reaction when a 'new thought' comes in and resonates with you. Even your BRAIN gets excited to receive new ideas! (Again, more about that in the upcoming book, The Perfect Cup of Coffee). Our heart-voice tends to be pretty reliable, although it communicates regularly with the head, so there's some 'outside influence' in there, as well. Gut - that's a pretty safe bet. The gut keeps its distance from both the head and the heart, so it tends to protect itself from the outside influence. It also tends to answer most quickly, and over-analyze the least! "Gut-instinct", if you will.
Take your inventory, and be sure to evict the voices that tend to harm you the most. You don't need them. They certainly don't move you forward in your life.
I invite you to comment below - what voices are holding you back? What are you hearing, then repeating to yourself, that may be keeping you stuck? What voices do you hear that propel you forward? What can YOU do to only hear the ones that inspire you?
I look forward to your comments!
A beautiful, selectively thoughtful day to you!
Jill

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www.TheNaturalBodyWorks.com

NO, Your Past Experiences Do NOT Make You Who You Are!

You know the phrase, "Our past experiences make us who we are today", right? Well, please forgive my frustration, but, that's an airy-fairy, overused 'feel good' line for trying to make someone let go of past bad decisions or perceived injustices. So many people use incidences of their pasts, and let them be an excuse for their present and future beliefs, actions and behaviors. I'm here to set the record STRAIGHT!
Contrary to 'popular cliché', our past experiences DO NOT make us who we are today. What makes us who we are today, is who we DECIDE TO BE! It is completely irrelevant, whatever has happened to you up to this very moment in your life! COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT! I don't care where you live, what you've 'done', what's been 'done to you', what you've experienced, how you experienced it, who loved you, who left you, what job you quit, what employer fired you, how many kids you have, or the fact that you can't have any. Doesn't matter how much money you have, nor how little. Doesn't matter where you grew up, and in what type of environment. Irrelevant is the fact that you were abused as a child, or were raised in a life surrounded by fluffy clouds and bunny rabbits. All equally immaterial.
That is one of the gifts of this BEAUTIFUL life! You get to choose, each and every day, who and how you want to be! You can choose to live your whole life, being a victim of your childhood. The victim of an abusive marriage. The victim of an illness, poverty or rejection. Its totally your choice, and you get to pick something different EVERY DAY, if you'd like!
The magic of the mind, is your absolute key to freedom!
So, here's a fun game that you get to play, if you so choose. Play with your past. Rewrite it. Make it EXACTLY the way you want it to be, and live your life as though every bit of it were the truth. Did you grow up in a castle? Did that relationship end because you decided that you wanted more from your life than that situation could ever possibly offer? Do you have the most perfect and ideal job, but you're just doing this one to see how 'the other folks' live? Open your mind to absolute creativity, and see what shows up. You get to own whatever it is that you want to, because your thoughts, your memories and your 'past' belongs to you. Do with it WHATEVER you want!.
Your 'past' is just a bunch of memories, all of them totally inaccurate to what ACTUALLY happened anyway, so mold those old memories like play-doh, and recreate them to make you who you want to be right now. If that 'you' stops being fun, change it up again!
Life is all about what's happening now, anyway, right? So redefine anything that 'happened before' that is slowing you down, or appearing as an obstacle, and get it the heck out of your way! That is NOT who you are.
Who you ARE is whomever you want to be. REALLY!!!
With that, I wish you all a beautiful, colorful, fragrant, LIFE FILLED DAY!!!

Until next time,
Jill

https://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectCupofCoffeeBook?ref=hl
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www.TheNaturalBodyWorks.com
720-938-5455

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Stop Struggling and LIVE!!!

 

Seriously, its time to stop all the 'struggling' that we've got going on and start LIVING! This life is not about 'getting through it' or, making the best of a bad situation. This  life is about living! Seeing, experiencing, growing, learning, understanding, loving, laughing and LIVING!
Here's the thing. Just the term 'struggle' implies that you're at a disadvantage. I don't care what it is that you 'struggle' with (well, of course I care, because your struggle is my struggle, as we're all interconnected - breathing the same air, moving through the same energy field, etc), but the 'what' that you're in battle with is quite irrelevant. Just the fact that you see it as a 'struggle' means that you're at odds with something, and that you're at the disadvantage.
It doesn't matter if you're 'struggling' with money, weight, drugs, family, loneliness, boredom, alcohol, religion, gambling, relationships, sex, smoking, proverbial 'forks in the road', depression, anxiety, or any one of a number of other issues. Just the idea that you are struggling sets you back. It puts you in a position of weakness. We ALL know that its much harder to 'get ahead' when we're starting from the back. So...today, we collectively start at ground level! We're all starting every day with an even playing field. Some of us have different tools in our toolbox, some different skills that we need in order to best express who we are. But starting out any day, project, conversation or mindset from the place of 'struggle', does NOTHING but add the need for battle during that day, project, conversation or mindset. Any situation that we go into with the understanding that it's a 'struggle', is going to get by us. We're going to miss something in the magic, the learning, the beauty of that experience, because we're so busy feeling that we're in a struggle, that we DRASTICALLY limit the possibilities that can occur in that situation.
For example, lets say you go into a situation wherein your first thought is, "I just have to remember not to _____. This is always a hard situation for me, so I just have to make sure I _____."  You've already missed out on SOMETHING, because your focus is on the 'struggle' rather than the event/activity/situation.
Lets say that you have told yourself (in the past!) that you struggle with smoking. You've been trying to quit for X number of years, but you just can't get it down. Today. Today is the day you quit smoking, right?! You've tried and tried and tried, and it just seems to be the ONE thing you can't let go of. (Here's a secret...once you DO quit, there will be something else that shows up, to become the ONE thing you can't let go of. As long as you have the mentality of 'struggle' you can bet your bottom dollar that smoking WILL BE REPLACED with something else! Bank on it!) Anyway, you've tried and tried...but today, yes today will be the day. Even just THAT thought process put you at the disadvantage. You suddenly became the underdog in your very own life! The victim of the smoking habit. Why? Because your thought is that you have something within yourself to beat. Something within YOU to conquer. Something from deep inside, that is NOT GOING TO GET THE BEST OF YOU! So, you're fighting already.
Same with weight. Same with money. Same with drinking, drugs, gambling. Same with deciding which religion to follow. Which direction to take in your life. Anything that you deem a 'struggle', is going to become harder.
Okay, Jill, so what do I do about my struggle with ____??? Pretend it doesn't exist?
No. LIVE. Live your life. Own what you want, and let go of anything that is a 'struggle'. So much of the beauty and magic of this magnificent life is lost, missed and overlooked, because we are so wrapped up in our personal struggles. Out to dinner with friends, and all we think about is how many calories we're taking in, and going to have to 'work off' later. Or how much money we're spending on said dinner. Or how we just can't wait to get home to have that internet time.
Mind you, I'm not saying we should ignore all these things, and just lives of gluttony. What I am saying, is that we need to pull the word 'struggle' out of our internal dictionaries, and know...KNOW that we are in total control over ourselves, our actions and our choices. We're not 'victims of a weight struggle'. We're not minions to a negative desire or habit. We are in control of our actions and thoughts. You feeling like you are losing the battle with depression. Go outside and wrap your arms around a someone who is hurting. Bask in that exchange of love and BOOM, you just beat depression. The idea of your "struggle" is over.
Feeling down? Feeling powerless? Feeling broke? Whatever the negative feeling, do something right in that moment to change it.  Live your life in your own power. You may not be able to make yourself a millionaire in a moment, but you can CERTAINLY stop struggling with the idea of being broke. Plan a vacation.
Feeling like you need a drink just to 'cope' with something. Go for a walk and take lots of deep breaths.
Feeling alone? Go to the mall, and start up a random conversation with one of the many people who ask, "can I help you?"
There is literally no end to the list of things that you can do, that will help you deal with the issue at hand, that DOES NOT INCLUDE making it into a struggle. Its just a thing. An idea. A situation. It is not a struggle, unless you label it so.
What is it that you feel like you are struggling with in your life right now? What can you do to look at that issue from a different angle, and dissolve it to just being one minute piece of this beautiful, vibrant, orchestra of light, sound, taste, touch, emotion and energy we live in?
Remember, we're all breathing the same air, wandering through the same energy field, so any 'struggle' you have, you're sharing with all the rest of us. So just letting go of one thing, one negative idea that holds you back, sets us all a bit more free.

With that, I wish you all a beautiful, colorful, fragrant, LIFE FILLED DAY!!!

Until next time,
Jill

www.TheNaturalBodyWorks.com
720-938-5455

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An Introduction to Your Own Worst Enemies!!

Holly & Harvey Habit.

Perhaps you've never been formally introduced to Holly & Harvey Habit, but you do know them...you know them entirely too well! They're the ones who encourage you to live tomorrow, EXACTLY as you will today, simply because its how you lived yesterday! They're the horribly stagnant couple who keep your life predictable and contained, status quo, if you will.
Today's message is about your life. What excites you...what makes you happy...what makes you feel ALIVE!!! In order to live that ALIVE life, you need to meet, acknowledge, then EVICT Mr. & Mrs. Habit!

Do you wake up in the morning feeling worried? Stressed? Anxious? Already bored? Or, perhaps do you wake up in the morning, WITHOUT the use of your alarm clock, because you simply cannot WAIT to get out of bed and be YOU for another day!?
My guess is the former. So many of us wake up in the morning, and our first thoughts are of worry, negativity, or 'dread' for the upcoming day. Some of us would lay in bed for hours on end if we were given the choice. Living an unexcited, uninspired life...just from one 'routine' to another. Waking up to an alarm clock that seems to go off earlier and earlier every day. Reporting to a job we don't even like, but that "pays the bills". Watching the same TV shows at night, because that's just 'what we do'. Making habitual, unconscious decisions all day, just waiting for the end of the day to come, so we can climb into bed, feeling relieved that the day is over...only to get an 'average' night's sleep...to get up and do it all over again the next day.
That doesn't sound like a very happy life, does it? Yet that is how over 80% of us "live" our lives Unconsciously.
Holly & Harvey Habit are the chains that tie you to your existence...and truly keep you from LIVING! The difference between existing and living is immeasurable, but about to become very clear.
You have a purpose. You have a passion. You have at least one of each of those. Something that gets you excited. Something that inspires and energizes you. (If that purpose or passion doesn't come to mind right way, take a second and think about something that you've EVER said, "I would love to do that...someday", or "if I had the time/money, I'd _____").  There's a spark inside of you that has never gone out, and (for over 80% of us) it is very alive, just waiting to be fueled. Many of these things you'll find in the form of a "Bucket List".
You have these energizers for a reason. These 'things' you want to do, see, become, give, understand or LIVE. We all have them, but those pesky residents in your life, Holly Habit and Harvey Habit, work very hard to keep all those wonderful attributes, activities and accomplishments at bay.
I'm here to invite you...to STRONGLY invite you to take your 'existance' BACK from the Habits, and choose your life! Become conscious and aware of what you love to do, and DO IT! Spend time EVERY DAY doing something that you love! ANYTHING that you love!!!  There is a reason that you have a passion for ____ (fill in the blank!). There is an undeniable, undefinable, profound REASON that you are drawn to that thing, idea, activity, behavior, or goal. The truth is, we are not all drawn to the same hobbies, professions, friends, activities, forms of entertainment or life goals. Yours are special to YOU. A seed wouldn't be planted in your head, if you were not meant to enjoy and partake in the growth and development of whatever it is that excites you.
We have to learn to put value in the things that excite and energize us, and value ourselves enough to make those things happen in our lives.
Do you like to travel? Study? Teach? Are you drawn to painting or drawing? Are you inspired by music? Literature? Dance and/or movement? Writing? Architecture? What is it that sucks you in, and if only for a moment, gets you really excited or inspired?
Spend some time, really day-dreaming about what things or activities really resonate with you, and really get your blood pumping. (Keep in mind Holly & Harvey are not going to like this, and you're going to get lots of reasons thrown at you as to why you can't have, do, see, accomplish or acquire those things - they want to keep you engaged with them...doing the same things every day, thinking the same way, stuck in the same ruts).
But, I invite you to stand up for yourself - stand up for your LIFE, and spend time engaging those things that are interesting and exciting to you. Your life is meant to be LIVED, in full Technicolor, HD and Surround Sound...not just 'gotten through'.
Do something TODAY that 'dabbles' in your interests, desires, passions, dreams. If you LOVE to travel, but don't appear to have the time, money or resources to do so...pack a lunch and 'travel' to the park for a picnic. 'Travel' to the corner coffee shop and sit for a minute and plan a trip for your future. Do something that engages your interest, and you'll feel a little more ALIVE! Change one piece, one 30 minute block of your day by including something that drives you, and you'll already start taking back your life.
There are countless ways that you can begin to evict the Habits from your life! Countless little steps you can take every day to move towards owning your life again. You can certainly take HUGE steps every day, but that can seem a bit daunting, so you may want to start with small steps.
Start with a list. Just a short list of things that you are interested in, or excited or inspired by. The list can include material things, activities, people, hobbies, areas of study, anything. Just what comes to mind, then each day, start by acting on one or more of those things.
But, definitely start with SOMETHING. Your life belongs to YOU...take it back, and LIVE IT! It is NEVER too late!! If the dream or desire is in there - FEED IT! :-D

As always, I'd love to hear what you're up to, so please drop me a line and let me celebrate YOUR LIFE with you!!!
Until next time,
Jill

www.TheNaturalBodyWorks.com
720-325-9886

The "Rut" Isn't the RUT, Ya Nut!!!

Okay, so you know the days....nothing seems to go right, nothing seems to make sense...you kind of walk around in a mental fog, when you question what you know and what you believe. Life is still going on around you, but you have this feeling of being disconnected from it all..as though everything for everyone ELSE is just fine, but you seem to be thinking, moving and living in slow motion. You know these days, right?

Well, I've had a series of them. About 8 in a row, to be exact.

So, I thought myself to be in a rut. Ruts happen to us all, and this one seemed to be a doozie! Lasted 8 days, and those days were loaded with knowing that my 'give a damn' was busted!

This morning as I sat, well, really SLUMPED on the couch and drank my coffee, it occurred to me, that this rut has GOT TO STOP! So I got myself upstairs to jump in the shower...and WHAM!!! It got me right between the eyes...this 'rut' wasnt my rut...the past several MONTHS have been my rut, and the last 8 days, have been the breaking point. Eight days is a LONG time to spend at a 'breaking point' but some of us really need to 'be' and marinate in the blech, before we are able to get out of it, I suppose. It takes a lot to drag me down, but once I get there, I'm SO there! :-D

Anyway, here's what I learned in my most magnificent shower this morning. When we get into a rut, or a 'slump' or whatever it is that we want to call it, we tend to look at that time as though IT is the problem. "I had a rough couple of days", or "I'm just having a tough time right now, but I'll get over it". What I learned this morning, is that the "rut" isn't the problem...the time BEFORE the rut is wherein the challenge sits. The 'rut' is the first step OUT of that problem! A downward slide started way before it showed up in your life as a 'rut' or 'rough patch', so the answer is NOT going to be in "why am I in a rut"...the answer can be found in the question, "What was going on for me just before I got into the rut?"

My bet is this...whatever the answer is, will show up as something that you're doing, saying, feeling or otherwise experiencing that is NOT genuine to your true self. It is something that you've said, thought or done, or something that someone else has said or done, that is taking you out of the flow that is "your nature", and causing a bit of a detour.

The key to 'rut-removal' is getting to the bottom of what that pesky little issue is, acknowledging it for what it is, and doing what you need to do with it. Sometimes its something that you need to put down. Sometimes its something that you need to hang on to and learn from. Sometimes its a new habit or thought process that you need to adopt, for your own personal evolution. And sometimes its something that you need to look at, and say, "seriously? all this over THAT?!?", then drop it.

Although each of those scenarios are a bit different, and there are a hundred more options for how to handle the 'issue' at hand, the key to getting out of a slump, is to realize that whatever it is that is out of balance, probably happened before your 'slump' began...so you may have to look back a little ways.

So often, we 'get over' a slump, then jump right back into the same old habits, thought patterns, perspectives and vocabulary...only to have to face the exact same issue again a little bit down the road.

Just something to kick around :-D

So if you find yourself 'stuck' on something, or struggling with something, take a minute and go back to just before that particular 'thing' became an issue, and go from there.

As always, I would love to hear your feedback, and would love to hear what happens for you as you practice your rut-removal process! Please feel free to drop me a note, a text or a call...

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

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