October 20, 2007 | Mentor Meditations

I’m reading a book called Women In Overdrive (Isaacs), I thought this excerpt from it was very synchronistic with my current thoughts:

In my twenties I worked in a high-stress publishing job in Manhattan. I logged long hours, went to the gym after work, and then met friends for cocktails and late-night dinners. I didn’t realize how far out of balance my life had become until I started having panic attacks…

By age twenty-four I had experienced an exhaustion and burnout that women everywhere feel at various points in their lives… After some serious soul-searching, I realized I wanted to veer off the path I found myself on. I looked to my superiors - editors who still worked long hours and lived unbalanced lives thirty years after starting their careers. I didn’t want my life to become a series of promotions that felt meaningless and empty; I yearned for a richness and vibrancy that I couldn’t foresee myself experiencing in my current state.
– Nora Isaacs, emphasis mine

It’s amusing that last weekend I watched The Devil Wears Prada which is about doing the exact same thing as Isaacs is saying in this quote: looking at the people above you and realizing your actions today are leading you in the same direction. Synchronicity and all that. Maybe it’s synchronistic for you too?

-image-A Challanging Quote

September 25, 2007 | A Kick in the Butt, Mentor Meditations

I just finished the Creative Visualization book (Yea me! One down, only… never mind, it’s way too many more to go to be excited about it.) One of the last chapters was on relationships (see what I mean about neon signs?) and had a great quote I just had to share with all of you:

Our relationships perfectly refect our own inner process; they are wonderfully effective mirrors to help us see the next step of our own growth.
– Shakti Gawain

If your relationships are down the crapper at the moment then this won’t seem like a very comforting thought at all. Most of us prefer to hoist the blame for relationship issues on the other person, so this fact might be very upsetting indeed.

But, I hope you can look at it another way (once you stop being a little indignant about the whole idea), think of it as being empowering. If they are only reflecting your inner issues then you have the power to change them! All you have to do is work on your inner Self.

Now see… that’s an invigorating thought!

-image-Synchronicity and All That

September 20, 2007 | A Kick in the Butt, Do Something, Already, Mentor Meditations

If you’ve read Tuesday’s and Yesterday’s posts then you are all up to speed on my current topic of trying to make changes that stick in my life.

Tuesday, (before I went on my walk actually) I took some time to read a bit of Creative Visualization (Shakti Gawain) before I got on with my day. (Almost a month ago I said that I couldn’t buy anymore books until I had read at least half of my unread collection - that’s 36 to be read - and I’ve only completed one since then. As you can tell, reading is the other thing that’s been slipping in my life so I’m trying to make sure I read a bit each day.)

I’ve discovered that you can always tell (if you are caring to pay attention for these things) what the next thing you should be working on is because everything starts to point in that direction; it pops up randomly in all kinds of places and just won’t leave you alone. Synchronicity, coincidence, a giant flashing neon sign, God Winks - whatever you want to call it. I always find it to be very cool and exciting.

It seemed fitting to share with you what I read (seeing as I’ve shared everything else too) - I know a few of you are going therough the exact same thing as me so maybe it will be useful to you.

Accepting Your Good

If you find yourself feeling awkward, ugly, fat, skinny, too big, too small, or whatever, it may be a clue to the fact that you aren’t loving yourself enough to give yourself what you truly deserve - the best.
…

Creative visualization is a great way to work on any physical problems you may feel you have. For example, if you feel you are overweight, you could use two approaches simultaneously:

1. Through affirmations and loving energy, start learning to love and appreciate yourself more as you already are.

2. Through creative visualization and affirmations start imagining yourself as you want to be - fit, healthy, and happy. These techniques can be extremely effective to making real changes.
(Keep in mind that weight problems and many other physical issues often have deep emotional roots as well, and it may be important to reach out for help from a therapist or support group that specializes in these issues.)

Remember, you are a new person at every new moment. Every day is a new day, and each one is an opportunity to realize the wonderful, loving, and lovable person you truly are…

Timely….

-image-Beauty to Unveil

September 9, 2007 | A Pick Me Up, Mentor Meditations

I read the book Captivating at least a year ago and I loved it. It’s written from a Christian world view, but it’s a worthwhile read for all women, because we all need to believe that we have something to offer this world, some beauty to share, and we all deserve to live the lives our hearts are calling us to.

There is one thing that really stuck out to me from this book: Women are meant to be Beauty. We are meant to be Beauty in this world (not just beautiful, but Beauty itself is the nature of the light that women shine).

Sometimes I hear a teaching and something in my heart seems to ring out, to vibrate, like a string was plucked. This was one of those things that makes my heart sing and my stomach tighten in excitement. We are made to be beautiful.

Writing yesterday’s post is what made me think of this book, I thought, I bet Captivating has the perfect quote to compliment my thoughts on true beauty. And guess what, it did.

The essence of woman is Beauty. She is meant to be the incarnation - our experience in human form - of a Captivating God…

Beauty is what the world longs to experience from a woman. We know that. Somewhere down deep, we know it is true. Most of our shame comes from this knowing and feeling that we have failed here. So listen to this: beauty is an essence that dwells in every woman. It was given to her by God. It was given to you.
– John and Stasi Eldredge (emphasis mine)

Which makes me just want to sing:

This little light of mine…
I’m going to let it shine.
This little light of mine…
I’m going to let it shine.

-image-Roadside Wisdom

August 2, 2007 | Mentor Meditations

I’m not sure who’s changing the signs in front of the elementary school considering the school is closed for the summer, but I drove by this morning and decided that the tid bit of roadside wisdom that was currently up was deeply profound for an elementary school sign!

Be kind to unkind people; they need it the most.

Now there’s advice that will truly guide you through your day!