My Journey of Gratitude - Day 14

"People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln

That quotes floats through my mind as I begin my time with gratitude. How happy am I allowing myself to be and what stops me from being happy all the time? Interesting thought to ponder and it opens many doors hidden away in my mind.

As I continue spending time in the state of gratitude I find that all that is not gratitude--all that cannot exist in this energy--is free to roll on up and out of me. My initial reaction is to stop and ponder each thought and each feeling; wanting to understand and solve. That's part of our human nature and the function of our conscious mind, that desire to know the 'why' of every situation.

But asking 'why' will only give you the story surrounding the situation; it will never give you the truth that lies within. For that you must sit within the middle of it all, giving thanks for whatever is. As a teacher of mine often says "Understanding is just the booby prize." Consciously choosing what you want instead of what you currently have--there is the power and the freedom to create change.

To be stand in the middle of your life situation and say "No matter what has happened to me in the past--this is what I choose today. This is how I choose to live today." That is true self-empowerment.

Gratitude comes in many forms and some days are easier than others to feel thankful. Today gratitude showed up as patience and trust.

Patience that saying 'thank you' in the face of doubt is enough, and trust that all is well regardless of what I see happening--or not happening--around me.

So today I am grateful for my doubts, my faith and my journey, bumps and all.

In gratitude,

Bonnie

My Journey of Gratitude - Day 12

Gratitude was a bit harder to come by this morning. Lack of patience though showed up in abundance. That great yummy feeling that I normally slip into, that fullness of the heart, was a no show today. I stuck with it though because this is, after all, a journey not a destination. Just because I'm not feeling the gratitude in any given moment doesn't mean that I'm not grateful, just that I'm not in the feeling of it.

I'm imperfect. Oh no--was that my outdoor voice!? Parts of me were horrified at that admission while other parts relieved that I finally got it. It really shouldn't have been such a big surprise--because we all know that no one is perfect. But it was that sudden 'knowing' that took me by surprise. You know that moment when you really get it--and once you truly know something you can never again unknow it. Obviously some part of me thought my imperfections were a well kept secret, though I'm sure if you ask my husband or my kids they'd just roll their eyes and snort.

So I sat in gratitude with my imperfect self. I sat with the shame that came bursting forth from that admission and continued to give thanks for this journey of getting to know myself in deeper ways. I was really clueless that parts of me were still trying to be perfect--and successfully failing. Trying to be perfect is just an old survival strategy from childhood that was waiting for an opportunity to be healed.

And like a dam bursting as the seams, the shame, blame and guilt bottled up inside came flooding out in a torrent. Instead of being met with resistance or denial though, I allowed those feelings to flow up and out in a state of gratitude. Because, really--who needs to keep those 3 feelings as a constant companion?

To be honest--today was really uncomfortable for me; not the happy love-fest I experienced at the beginning. But it was real, it was honest and it quickly passed, because I stayed in gratitude for the experience.

Every journey has its wonders and its trials. There are days of ease and days of effort. Yet with each step on this journey I move forward and each day holds something to be grateful for. That is what I hold on to when gratitude is not so easy to find.

I am grateful for the gift of my imperfections for they remind me to love myself even more and they remind me that we are all just doing the best we can with what we've got. Embracing my imperfections allows me to let go of who I think I'm suppose to be and appreciate the fullness of who I actually am.

And that, my friends, was worth the 10 minutes of uncomfortable gratitude this morning.

In gratitude,
Bonnie

My Journey of Gratitude - Day 8

My mind gets so impatient when it feels I'm not moving forward fast enough. It is always wanting more, more, more and faster. This impatience stems from an old belief that there is not enough, so better get it right now. And that was my experience this morning.

Impatience when nothing 'grand' seemed to be happening. I love those mountain top experiences. You know the ones where you feel on top of the world and everything is laid at your feet. Your energy is high and you are in the zone. I love that and truth is that there are many other ways to experience transformation as well.

Those gentle moments of gratitude are just as powerful--when I am open to noticing them. Like a warm gentle breeze blowing freshness into my home, so is that gentle, easy flow of gratitude bringing freshness into my life--and I am transforming.

This journey with gratitude is building a new foundation from which to live my life. My old foundation which was based on past pain was like a huge dam filled with thousands of leaks and threatening to overwhelm me should I not contain it all. What an exhausting way to live!

Today I have a new image. The dam has broken and I'm riding the waves using the energy released to fuel my new foundation, my new way of living in this world.

No longer afraid of being overwhelmed, I am now free to build anew. And I hear myself on that surfboard yelling "Ride the waves baby. Ride the waves."

Can You Believe.....

Can you believe we are in the holiday season - AGAIN!  It seems hard to believe that spring and summer are far behind and it is almost Halloween in the U.S.  Talk about being a Brave Woman - who in most cultures carries the holidays? In my family of origin and the communities that I grew up in, it is us - the women of the family. We tend to carry the traditions and responsibilites (and the blessings), of the holidays.

 If that is true for you please add your comments and suggestions to this conversation. Those of you who have known Bonnie and I for a long time know that we focus parts of what we teach to moving from survival to thrival in all that we do. We recognize your issues, but we put the power of solutions first in our own lives and in how we teach and coach.

In my own life, I 'lost' both parents on holidays - I mean the actual days! My dad passed on Easter Day and my mom on Christmas Day. They are certainly not 'lost' at all, I know exactly where they are, and it is good. So how do I keep the holidays good for me? I embrace time with my dearest friends. I serve meals at Shelters, I call my elderly cousin in Assisted living back east, I serve myself by loving time with others.

Helen Keller said, Life is a great adventure, or it is nothing at all. And I add to that Life is fulfilling and joyful, or it is nothing at all - and I am the one who decides how that happens. I make the choice to be happy or not.  And by the way, Abraham Lincoln said, People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be. So, I make up my mind to be happy.

Use the tools you have to keep yourself in joy, I use The One Command and Ho'oponopono and certain things I read everyday, like my own journal and TUT online, and other things that joyfully show up in my inbox.

The sun is out in WA state today - as much as I love the rain - the sun makes it a happy day.

Love and blessings, Katie

The Meaning of Life

I think the meaning of life means to be Free. What do you find is the meaning of life?

Being free means for me, not having excess baggage. I was always pretty good that way prior to my 50s. I embraced every neat job/career opportunity - from being a psychologist at UCLA, to teaching English and psychology in Japan, to starting my own businesses, and learning healing techniques all over the world.

I collected some ‘things’, gorgeous teak statues from Bali, a kimono and tea bowls from my Tea Ceremony training, batik from Malaysia – all neat stuff that I ultimately gave away. I thought I was missing all the ‘ownership’ genes.

And then I hit my 40s. My mom was ill and so my travels stopped, but I still started another new business and moved to another state for the excitement. And then I hit my 50s and not only was my mom ill, but I had a life-threatening illness – so I started seeking ‘safety’ outside of myself. I bought a house, property and started collecting things (guess what - collectibles are NOT such a good idea). The market of course dropped not only for collectibles but for houses and property as well – so my sense of ‘safety’ went down my new toilet.

What I found as my body-mind began to heal was a collectible that paid back – it gave me a way to access my greater capacity and pull together all the techniques I had learned all over the world. I found the missing link to everything I had learned and could bring together ho’ponopono, EFT, Reiki, quantum physics, etc. and provide the Core that holds it all together – it is called The One Command and it is really useful in changing my life.

When I go to the theta brainwave – the brainwave beyond alpha that actually connects directly with the subconscious), and I say I don’t know how I easily let go of emotional fear, I only know I do now and I am fulfilled, or I don’t know how I embrace my freedom and exuberance for life, I only know I do now and I am fulfilled.

Knowing from quantum physics and the study of epigenetics that we can change our DNA with our own thoughts and words has been tremendously liberating for me.

What works for you? What have you learned that finally makes it all work and finally helps you Witness your own Mastery?

Hugs, Katie

The Weight of Objects

The Weight of Objects
Clearing a Space for Change

From The Daily OM

We hold onto material objects because we think they make us feel secure, when in reality they are cluttering our lives.

In life, we tend to have an easier time acquiring possessions than we do getting rid of them. Just as we harbor emotional baggage that is difficult to let go of, our lives can tend to be filled with material objects that we may feel compelled to hold on to. Most people are not conscious of how much they own and how many of their possessions are no longer adding value to their life. They fiercely hold on to material objects because this makes them feel secure or comfortable. While it’s true that the ownership of “stuff” can make you feel good for awhile, it seldom satisfies the deep inner longings that nearly everyone has for fulfillment and satisfaction. It is only when we are ready to let go of our baggage and be vulnerable that it becomes possible to recognize the emotional hold that our possessions can have on us.

It’s not uncommon to hold on to material objects because we are attached to them or fear the empty spaces that will remain if we get rid of them. Giving away the souvenirs from a beloved voyage may feel like we are erasing the memory of that time in our life. We may also worry that our loved ones will feel hurt if we don’t keep the gifts they’ve given us. It’s easy to convince ourselves that unused possessions might come in handy someday or that parting with them will cause you emotional pain. However, when your personal space is filled with objects, there is no room for anything new to enter and stay in your life. Your collection of belongings may “protect” you from the uncertainties of an unknown future while keeping you stuck in the past. Holding on to unnecessary possessions often goes hand in hand with holding on to pain, anger, and resentment, and letting go of your material possessions may help you release emotional baggage.

When you make a conscious decision to fill your personal space with only the objects that you need or bring you joy, your energy level will soar. Clearing your personal space can lead to mental clarity and an improved memory. As you learn to have a more practical and temporary relationship to objects, positive changes will happen, and you’ll have space to create the life that you desire.

How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything

Take a look at your I Am today - in the TOC yahoo group we ask this question on the 6th of every month - this will give you a head-start. I am watching Julie & Julia again (for about the 10th time), it is running in the background while I work. Why in the world is it on my tv? Well, what I love about it is Julia Child's sense of self, her innate self-confidence, it would seem like her 'I Am' might be 'I Belong'. I Belong in the world and I go after what I want without a second thought. Another possibility of her I Am might be - 'Who Says!' Who says I can or I can't - other than myself.

As for Julie (and if you haven't seen the film - Julie started a blog about taking a year to make every single one of Julia's recipes, and making it as well as Julia would herself). Julie's journey started out quite differently than Julia's. Julie had a TON of self-doubt and misgivings and she seemed to have learned as much about having 'sense of self' as she did about cooking. It was a true Heroes Journey.

So what is YOUR I Am? Who can you honestly say you are today (and remember, this is mutable and changeable). The most meaningful and absolutely true 'I Am's' have to do with your character. No matter what you think your I Am is, your true I Am will always be linked to your character.

Bonnie and I work with people who really want to know who they are, who their I Am is, and how they find the true adventure of their lives. This blog is our way of tossing everything out to the universe - tickling the unified field and connecting with everyone on this amazing journey of the decade (and beyond).

Here's to life! Katie