Back to School...

I love fall and all that I see...the leaves...the angle of the sun...the smell in the air...the little creatures collecting their stuff for the winter.

But mostly I love the idea of back to school...back to learning...a reminder. I enjoy the openness...the possibilities...the freshness...of new ideas and thoughts. Then, I enjoy the sensemaking of it all...trying to fit what I learned into context of everything else.

Learning should not be stressful, it should enjoyable. If I feel stress about learning, I need to look at the human overlay - what expectations are creating the stress? Time? Perfection? Challenging my ego?

Time to reflect on that...otherwise, enjoy the ride and be in that wonderful space of an open container, to be filled with knowledge.

What is versus what it SHOULD be!!!

Stress comes from judging and believing "what should be" versus "what is." It is about feeling right and needing others to acknowledge it...forgiveness comes from knowing that the self-care of personal peacefulness is more important to our health than being right. Need creates need, creating stress. Clarity creates clarity and peacefulness.

I know that being right in my mind for my health based upon my values is what matters. When I am clear about what's important, clarity surround me and all of my activities. And I also see that, compared to what's right in my world, there is very little wrong.

"You can never get to peace and inner security without first acknowledging all of the good things in your life. If you're forever wanting and longing for more without first appreciating things the way they are, you'll stay in discord." --- The HeartMath Solution, Doc Childre and Howard Martin

Flexibility of the Willow Tree (Latin: salix)

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." --- Unknown

The willow tree is very meaningful to me - flexible but firmly rooted. Being flexible enough to be conscious of my environment and to note the information I detect - same or different?

"Same" means I do what I have been doing if it is working for me.

"Different" means a change...in my routine, my paradigm...not out of fear but in adapting to what's new and different. It is not personal, it just needs a d different "answer" from me...a new path...the Salix Path, grounded in who I am, my values.

Well-Being

The Well of Well Being
by Bob Tschannen-Moran, © 2007

Well, being as how
well being
eludes so many of us
well beings,
it would serve us well
to go to the well
of well being.

To the well of well being
in our soul.
Where body, mind, and spirit
Connect
To the deep well of life
Ever stirring
Ever striving
To be well.

To the well of well being
in our relationships.
Where thought, word, and deed
Reflect
In the deep well of life
Enough patience
Enough grace
To be well.

To the well of well being
in our world.
Where work, rest, and witness
Protect
The deep well of life
For one
For all
To be well.

Yes, being as how
well being
eludes so many of us
well beings,
It would serve us well
To draw from the well
Of well being.

Celebrate What's Right with the World

This video by DeWitt Jones, continues to inspire me, even though I have seen it hundreds of times. here is the key: when you celebrate what's right, it gives you energy to fix anything that is wrong...so start with inspiration, the rest comes more easily. It is about "priming" your body for the road ahead. Celebrate, then go!

Inside Success leads to Outside Success

"Success is predictable and it begins inside you." - Brian Tracy

Life is an inside job, and there is nothing coming to save you but yourself...you will be the one to make the decision to have a more meaningful life without any regrets.

I heard once that guilt was an outcome of not living our values - I like that! Your personal values are your core essence - what are they? Can you name your top 5? If you can, you are on your way to the awareness of how you are doing - do your days reflect those values?

If we are living inside out, our values are what we manifest in the external world, no regrets...but it all started at its source within.

Eight Best Ways to Exercise Your Brain

8. Smile
7. Stay intellectually active
6. Consciously relax
5. Yawn
4. Meditate
3. Aerobic exercise
2. Dialogue with others
1. Faith
(How God Changes Your Brain. Newberg and Waldman, 2009)

Finding Serenity - three main interconnecting principles: intention, relaxation, and awareness.

More to come...mel