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Weekly DSO Tips

9/26/2012

26. Where are you being overwhelmed? Do one thing to gain more control.

27. Everyone has a book inside them. What area of expertise can you share with others?

28. Take a moment to listen to your body: what is it telling you? Do it.

29. Reflect on your year so far. Where do you want to go from here?

30. Schedule any doctor, dentist, vet or other appointments for the next few months.

1. Take a break and walk outside barefoot. Wiggle your toes. Right now: connect to the earth.

2. Be gentle with yourself as you make changes to simplify one step at a time.

Stop It!

9/25/2012

In order to simplify your life, you might need to look at things you do that fill it up that might not be alignment with who you are right now.

Do Twitter and Facebook really enhance your life? Are you willing to give up TV? Does checking your e-mail every hour make you feel better about yourself?

Some activities are habits that you don't recognize as harmful, yet in reality they take time away from what you say really matters to you. Actions truly do speak louder than words and you need to look at the payoff versus the cost of anything you do without being mindful.

For me, I spend time on facebook sharing inspirational quotes and photos and quirky humor with family and friends I know. I try to keep my friends to a low number because frankly having too many facebook friends means too much information streaming by on a daily basis. I have family and friends all over the country and it is my way of touching and being touched by who they are on a regular basis.

To that end, I have cut way down on reading e-mails: I have unsubscribed from many lists I am interested in because it is just way too much data to process when you prefer simplicity. I rarely watch the news or read a newspaper: I figure if there is something I really need to know, someone will tell me. If I have a few moments I will scan headlines on my computer to keep up; if not, I won't.

If I want to know something, I'll research it. I have realized I only want to add new information in snippets; one might consider that less than intellectual but I am no longer in school so I don't have any "required" reading anymore. I cringe when someone wants me to "analyze" something. It's different if I am passionate about something, but you can't be passionate about everything!

It's time for a reality check, but please be gentle with yourself. There are only so many hours in a day: how are you going to spend them?

6 Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono

9/24/2012

I came across this process and thought I would share it with you. When you need to make a decision, it is helpful to view it from many angles and perspectives. A mixture of rationality, intuition, creativity and even resistance and negativity works best in figuring out the best possible outcome. Each 'Thinking Hat' is a different style of thinking as explained below:

White Hat:
With this thinking hat you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them.
This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data.
Red Hat:
'Wearing' the red hat, you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning.
Black Hat:
Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them.
Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties.
Yellow Hat:
The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.
Green Hat:
The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. A whole range of creativity tools can help you here.
Blue Hat:
The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, etc.

Next time you have to make a decision perhaps this tool will help you ...

Making Choices Without Guilt

9/23/2012

“Life is a sum of all your choices” ~Albert Camus

When confronted with the reality of too "so much to do ... so little time", slow down and look at your choices with a new filter to avoid feeling overwhelmed. There will always be demands on your time, both self-imposed and those coming from others. You don't have to join, read, subscribe to or do everything that crosses your path. There will always be plenty of opportunities and sometimes you have to look at the timing. Rather than cramming more into your already busy life, what will you be willing to give up in order to make time for something new? What is the life you want worth to you? Don't make decisions based on the easiest solution or out of habit. Don't do something out of a sense of guilt or obligation but make the decision based on how you will personally benefit. Are you passionate about it? Is it in line with your current priorities, values and goals? Will it help you expand your energy or constrict you? Will it make your life simpler?

All decisions aren't a matter of life or death; some just naturally matter more than others. All you can do is make a decision based on your current priorities and what you know now. If you procrastinate, the energy around the decision gets stuck. Do some research; make a pro and con list. The important thing is not to stay in analysis paralysis because then the decision gets made for you. Don't let your fear stop you. Once you decide ... take some action. Modify along the way: flexibility is important. Always remember: you always get a "re-do" if it doesn't work out the first time.

"There comes a time when the pain of continuing exceeds the pain of stopping. At that moment, a threshold is crossed. What seemed unthinkable becomes thinkable. Slowly, the realization emerges that the choice to continue what you have been doing is the choice to live in discomfort, and the choice to stop what you have been doing is the choice to breathe deeply and freely again. Once that realization has emerged, you can either honor it or ignore it, but you cannot forget it. What has become known can not become unknown again."
- Gary Zukav

You Want a Physicist to Speak at Your Funeral by Aaron Freeman

9/22/2012

Powerful so I had to share this ... everything is energy ...

HeartMath “Increasing Energy” Tip

9/21/2012

Look at life as an energy economy game. Each day ask yourself the following questions:

Are my energy expenditures — actions, reactions, thoughts and feelings — productive or nonproductive?
During the course of my day, have I accumulated more stress or more peace?
Where and when do I need to activate the power of my heart and intentionally choose sincere feelings such as appreciation, care and love?

The goal of asking and answering these questions is to help you learn to stop energy leaks deliberately and on demand, so you increase your energy reserves and ultimately spend more of your day at an optimal, regenerative level of energy.

How to Do Walking Meditation by The Silva Method

9/20/2012

Walking meditation is best done outdoors where you can walk freely (as opposed to indoors, where you would have to be aware of the limited space available and use conscious thought to remember to turn around and navigate in tight quarters).

First, find a level place to walk. Running tracks at schools are great; if none is handy, a paved or level dirt path is suitable; avoid rough terrain or busy locations full of distraction. Sorry, but leave the dog at home! It’s tempting to want to multi-task and walk Fido at the same time, but you can’t focus on walking when your attention is on the dog.

Before you begin, establish awareness of your body and your environment by noticing how you are standing – your posture, whether your eyes are ahead or downcast, whether you feel energetic (tall) or lethargic (slumped). What is the environment like? How is the temperature? What do you see, smell and hear? Is there a breeze? Are there clouds or bright sunshine? Take a few deep cleansing, relaxing breaths, and set your intention to become mindful of the experience of walking by saying, “walking!”

Begin walking. Focus your awareness only the sole of each foot and how it interacts with the ground; focus intently on how it feels to push off the ground, lift the foot, move it forward and step back onto the ground. When your attention wanders, gently bring it back, just like when you focus on the breath during sitting meditation. Let your mind’s chatter be nothing more than background noise and stay focused on the steps.

If you have trouble quieting the mind, stop walking, and mentally say, “thinking!” Pause for a moment, set the intention again: “walking!” Then, begin walking again. Don’t overdo this – it can get frustrating if your mind is particularly noisy. If that happens, become aware of your thoughts while you walk, don’t attach to them and just observe. Soon the chatter will quiet down and you’ll be able to refocus on walking.

Start with 15 minutes and work up to longer periods as your ability to hold your attention increases. Or, you can do walking meditation for 15-30 minutes and follow it up with a sitting meditation. This will bring balance into your practice. You can alternate walking and sitting meditation from day to day to enhance your present-awareness and keep your practice fresh and to develop your abilities.

Intentional Appreciation

9/19/2012

Appreciation is an emotional state that raises your vibration and shifts your perspective to what’s really important in your life. When your vibration is elevated you are able to attract more things to appreciate so it becomes a rising spiral of vibrational frequencies.

In order to figure out what it feels like, focus your breathing in your heart: see your breath go in and out through your heart as you think of someone or something you love. Know what that feels like because it actually changes your physiology and brings your heart and your brain into coherence and balance. During the process be sure to forgive yourself and remember to appreciate all of your accomplishments.

When you are faced with a challenge, you can remember and apply that feeling as you intentionally look for the good and the lessons of that challenge. This brings about a lightening and an expansion that helps you deal with the curve balls that inevitably come your way. The key is to be flexible and resilient and use all the tools in your toolbox to maintain balance in your life.

What I Need to Nurture Myself to Be My Best

9/18/2012

Spending more time "being" rather than "doing" ... quiet time for reflection and meditation ... listening to uplifting music ...

More movement in my day ... taking a break and getting up from my chair and walking outside barefoot to ground myself ... taking long slow breaths for expansiveness ... jumping on my rebounder at least 15 minutes every day ... doing my Chinese cowboy qigong routine ... spending time in my infrared sauna for detoxing ...

More restful sleep ... going to bed earlier ... doing my nighttime ritual even if I fall asleep on the couch ... using aromatherapy for a peaceful sleep ... so I have energy to be who I am ...

Playing with my friends at least once a week ... taking time to laugh and connect with friends and family ... nurturing relationships that bring me joy ...

Practicing 15 minute time bursts of organizing and simplifying activity daily ... dipping into my job jar to prevent resistance ... this enables a sense of peace to set in as I let go of clutter and the old me ...

Spending time blogging and writing in my gratitude journal daily as a form of focus and appreciation ... this satisfies my mind's need for productivity and growth ...

Taking time to cook and eat healthy foods ... more fruits and veggies ... fewer carbs ... and drink more water ...

Spending time being creative ... working on scrapbooking or mind movies or my mandala or writing ...

Practicing the word "no" ... whenever demands for my time overwhelm me and take me away from my priorities ...

These are the things I need in my life to be happier and balanced. Life interferes at times and we have a tendency to sabotage ourselves, but I try to go back to the basics as soon as I can because I know how easy it is to spiral away from this if I am not careful.

What are some things you do to nurture yourself?

Who Am I and What's My Purpose?

9/17/2012

Such a tough question and one that is never fully realized since we are constantly changing and refining who we are. Right now: I am ENOUGH. I am who I am in the moment based on the choices I have made, not all wise by any means. However, I am grateful that I don't waste time second-guessing my decisions.

I am older and wiser. As time speeds up, I counteract it by consciously slowing down. I schedule "down" time in my day because when I don't, I get snappy. I take things off my "to do" list instead of piling more on it. I am realistic about my boundaries and limitations.

When my daughter wants to talk, I listen and cherish those times. When my sons call, I am happy that our bonds are strong and confident that I gave them the necessary tools to create happy and fulfilling lives for themselves. When a friend calls, I stop what I'm doing and catch up or make plans <thankful that I don't surround myself with needy people so the calls don't consume my day>. When my cats want some loving, I take time right then to pet them and play with them.

I like my alone time; my hermit archetype allows me time to recharge for socializing time. I like peace and quiet and spend a lot of time in nature. I do have a streak of laziness in me and one of my vices is watching TV. I know it sounds crazy, but it helps me relate to a variety of personalities in real life and be more tolerant towards them. I have always been interested in figuring out what makes people tick in order to help them become all they can be.

I am an avid and diverse learner and I love to share what I know; I just haven't figured out a way to encourage people to pay me for my knowledge yet. I love to create order out of chaos and design systems and procedures that make life easier.

I may just be one of those people whose purpose is to just "be" ... and that's okay with me if my modeling behaviors encourages others to be themselves. I seem to be a spark for others to be more authentic and fun-loving because I love to have fun and play and laugh and be spontaneous, and they tend to do it more when they are with me. Raising the world's vibration, one person at a time!