New Post on Freeing Ourselves

I just listened to a call from a course I’m taking. It’s pretty deep stuff. It’s all about consciousness and our interconnectedness and everything else like that.

Here’s the thing that stood out to me from the call: “We train others to see us a certain way– how can we be angry at them for that?”

I’ve been feeling this a lot lately. I’ve been feeling angry at people for not seeing that I know what I’m doing, for not recognizing that I know what I want in my life and who I want to be. But here’s the thing: I trained them to be that way! I said, ‘hey, you, treat me like this.’

I did it by actions and I did it by behaviour. Now, I’ll admit, I’m a little frightened to post this because it makes me vulnerable. It supposedly makes me vulnerable but in reality, it makes me stronger. I know who I am and what I want. I know how I want to treat others and how I want to be treated. There’s peace in that. There’s a beautiful peace and when I just let myself see it, everything else goes away.

Everything else dissolves into the beauty of possibility.

When we dive deep into ourselves and find the strength we have within, we are able to stand more firm than ever before. When we recognize our infinite potential– our capacity to love, to be loved, to be happy, joyful, expressive– we are the mightiest beings around.

Just for today, take a look around. Who have you trained to treat you a certain way? Since the only time we have is NOW, what can you do or how can you be (NOW) to make some change?

It’s that simple. Often, that’s all it takes. We make things pretty complicated sometimes, letting our egos run amuck and all over the place.

It’s simple. Be who you want to be NOW. Be it, live it, trust it.

There’s no other way to be!

Listening

Listening is an interesting facet of our lives. I found myself yesterday asking someone a question, then not listening at all.

There are a few types of listening as well. There is, of course, being fully present to what someone is saying. There is, then, listening through something like tone, body language, choice of words. But there is more than that too.

“It’s not what you say. It’s how you say it,” goes the saying, and it’s true.

Listen closer.

Listen deeper.

Listen to the stretch of breath that breathes and moves between each word. Listen to the energy infused in a sentence, a moment, an army of motion, moving and dancing beneath the words we say.

Listening takes more than just hearing the words. Listening takes hearing the sounds that call to us underneath. Listening takes tapping into a more knowing place of ourselves where we can hear someone’s cry for love, or their act of love, whatever the case may be.

Listening takes practice.

Being present takes practice, too.

We must listen to ourselves. Today, and always, we must listen to the voice inside us that tells us exactly what we need to do.

We must listen and, when the time is right, we must act.

If we don’t–

We must allow the music of ourselves to be heard.

We are beautiful, beaming, radiant beams of light. We are everything we came here to be and– when we let ourselves be exactly that– we can listen, and hear the greatest symphonies.

Join me. Practice. Take a deep breath. Listen to what’s in front of you. More importantly, listen to what’s within you. That’s where the gold lies. The true treasure.

Till next post, and with a beautiful appreciation for those who listen– and learning to listen better myself…

JMac

p.s. I’m reading The Magic and doing the exercises and the last six days have been full of a re-connection to gratitude. My friend and I have started a Facebook page, 28 Days of Gratitude, inspired by a beautiful and compelling conversation. Gratitude, I’m learning, or re-learning I should say, is the world’s greatest gift. It’s a gift to ourselves and a gift to others. Let’s give it today.

Work Less, Play More!

I spent the day editing yesterday, two brave new authors who have entrusted their work to me. I spent the morning on one book and the afternoon on the other.

The afternoon hit and there I was, reading this manuscript, the ‘book-experience,’ as it’s called (and I won’t give it away anymore until it’s being brought to the world, at which point I’ll divulge all the juiciness to be sent your way!).

So there I am. First dibs on this book. First dibs on another book, in my lap in the morning.

Here I am again, back at book number one.

It’s playtime. It’s absolute playtime, and I don’t understand it’s playtime until a moment when I sit back and think, oh! I feel guilty – I should be WORKING… 

But I WAS working! I AM working! This is what I get to do, and the word-nerd in me loves every single second…

Ah-ha!

When we find the freedom in our work and let it be play, it’s no longer work. When we let ourselves dive so deliciously into whatever we’re doing and let it be the sacred and beautifully awesome, amazing thing it is– the way work is meant to be, even the tedious and taxing tasks– then we can embrace a new paradigm. We can say, hey, this is what I do for a living, sure.

This is what I do for LOVE. This is what I do because it enlivens me.

It doesn’t matter what it is! It could be organizing if that’s what lights your fire! It could be making your work into a game and seeing how much you can accomplish in an hour! (That’s what I do with laundry, lol!)

Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter how many hours you put into your supposed “work.” What matters is your attitude, your approach.

What matters is whether you have joy in your heart and a lightness to the movement of what you’re doing.

What matters is that you’re happy.

So today, as per other days, I invite you to join me. Join me in working less and playing more. Find the sanctity in your work. Find the joy and delicious nuggets to get you through your day.

You have 86,400 seconds in your day. So I dare you: when you’re not spending some of those seconds sleeping, PLAY.

Work less and, even when you’re working, PLAY.

Till next post!

JMac

*Inspired both by the ah-ha moment mentioned above, and by a Facebook post from my coach and colleague, Morgan B, who teaches ALL about PLAY! If you’re looking to infuse this type of PLAY in your life, I definitely recommend working with her. Morgan has helped me find the sanctity in my work, as well as opening space for me to own my calm and confidence as I blaze a trail that’s all my own.

Finding the PLAY in your day is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself, no matter what that means. Explore, expand and let yourself be who you need to be! Playful, joyful, overflowing as the amazingness that is YOU.

Moving Energy – The Soul’s Right to Breathe*!

Sometimes we haven’t a clue why we do something, why we say something, what that’s going to accomplish or where it might put us. It’s okay.

It’s important to move energy in this life and we don’t always need to know why. Sometimes it’s good just to get going!

Stuck in a decision? Do something about it.

Something rattling around in your brain? Make a move.

Seriously, it’s that simple. Sometimes the best thing to do is just DO SOMETHING. Do anything. Seriously, anything!

It’s doesn’t have to be that serious and it doesn’t have to be the exactly-perfectly-right-for-you, oh-my-goodness-life-changing decision you might think it’s got to be. It just needs to be a decision, or a step in the right direction.

Making things dance and shimmy is better than stagnating like a piece of mouldy bread. Who’s interested in mouldy bread? Not me. And I’m guessing not you, either.

So if there’s something you need to move on, join me. Take a leap. Make the jump. Trust that you don’t need to know all the answers right now, in this moment. (Here’s the cool thing: Whether you realize it or not, you DO know all the answers right here, right now!) But even if those answers aren’t surfacing, even if they’re laying dormant somewhere you can’t quite access them, it’s okay. Trust your process–enjoy your process–and make a move.

Movement is the energy of the soul. Movement is the energy of life!

Take a step, even if it’s teeny tiny. Teeny, tiny steps add up and suddenly you’re somewhere you never expected, somewhere miraclous, wondering how the heck you ever got there!

Believe me, and join me.

Wishing you a wicked awesome Wednesday!

JMac

*The Soul’s Right to Breathe… it’s a line from one of my favourite movies, Good Will Hunting. I can’t remember the rest of the words attached to this, but it moves me. Thinking of the energy of Matt Damon’s performance–Will’s determination and passion when he spoke these words–I consider the thought. “The Soul’s Right to Breathe…” What can we give our souls to let them breathe? How can we give them space and nurture them in the ways we need?

 

It’s up to each of us to find our way, but I encourage you and I invite you. Give your soul the breath it’s asking for. Let yourself light up. Let yourself live your joy, play with your passion.

It’s not just for one of us. It’s for all of us. All of us are meant to lead a life where our soul breathes and moves with complete beauty, fluidity. Movement breathes life. Life is the gift we get to enjoy.

It’s a bit of a tangent, but it just goes to show the power of words. The power of passion. One phrase and a performance that moved millions. Each of our soul’s have a right to breathe, so let’s let them–expansively and inclusively, with every bit of life force they need.

Word of the Day: Cultivate

As I explore this week and fly forward on many levels, my fears creep up. They rattle around inside me, coming out as different things, a change in the tone of my voice, a difference in something I say.

But here’s the thing: Sure, the fear’s there (apparently). Sure, we feel it and–

When we give it space and let it fill us on the inside, it radiates out.

Here’s what I experienced this morning though as I worked on some self-development stuff: It’s what we focus on. It’s where we place our energy.

I set some “Inner Self” goals this morning as well as some “Health” goals and the words coming out of me were brilliant! Yes, I’ll say it: Brilliant!

“Cultivate” came to me. The word “cultivate” rumbled through me, telling me to till the soil–my body, mind and soul– to continue to grow as a person. If I’m cultivating fear, I get more fear. But here’s the thing: If I cultivate everything else…

If I cultivate the radiance inside. If I cultivate the beauty. If I cultivate the joy and exuberance (yes! exuberance!).

When I cultivate these things, they grow.

When I focus on my calm, confidence, strength, beauty and joy, they will radiate.

When I nurture and nourish them, they will grow.

And here’s the cool thing: When we face our fears, we realize they’re not such a big deal. Here’s the even cooler part: When we take on fears, then dive into our passions — what drives us and moves us — there’s no room for fear. Fear dissolves as though it never existed because, as we’ve learned this week, it was never there in the first place.

I’m inviting you to CULTIVATE today. Cultivate a conversation with a co-worker that breeds ingenuity and creativity. Cultivate a part of yourself that needs nourishing, maybe taking 5 minutes for a peaceful time out, a tea to soothe you or a piece of chocolate to make you smile.

Cultivate beauty. See the beauty in a moment, a breath, a movement in your body. See the beauty in people’s differences and the diversity that’s dished out in this beautiful, beautiful world. See the beauty in yourself and cultivate it with everything you’ve got.