To be or Not to be?

That’s a question that has been asked since Shakespeare’stime, if not longer. Who do we say we are? Whom do we want to be? Are we reallymade up of our past? Can we change even if we are older who we think we want tobe?

As a mindfulness practitioner, I find our mind is so very powerful, even more so than our bodies and wills. We set ourselves because of how we think ourselves. We believe therefore we are. What beliefs do you have of yourself? And do you believe you can change them?

As I was listening to a Ted Talk by Dr. Joe Dispenza, all I could think of was the Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman and how in changing our behavior towards our spouse and/or family, we reap the rewards of  deeper, caring, authentic relationship with our loved ones. For me, Dispenza was talking about loving yourself to manifest the life you want. Pointing out that we must be aware or mindful of what our past tells to us so that we can change our future by living in the present. We can actually change the physical and chemical make up of our brain and body to create the vibrations that will attract what we want our future to be. We can change our minds (brains) by actively, mindfully changing our thoughts.

“Where you place your attention is where you place your energy.” Dr. Joe Dispenza

Stress is your body knocked out of wack. The Body is the unconscious mind. It believes what it thinks and cannot tell the difference between our thinking experience and our body experience. The reason why smells, memory or trauma can be relived. Our bodies are addicted to the emotions of the passed, because one of our brains when we have an experience that part of the brain releases chemicals which tell us how we feel, it may be fear or joy. When we remember many times we feel the emotions along with it. The old model of think is that there is a cause and effect but with mindful meditation, disconnecting form the environment our thought cause an effect. We don’t live it, we create it. We can retrain ourselves by using our mind to overcome the emotional addiction of the body. This can be seen through brain scans. We can see the brain changing, neuron pathways disconnecting and changing paths.

Intention is getting clear in what you want. It’s beingmindful of yourself, those around you and what effect you want to have orleave. Many of the schools of thoughts have exercises that have us look at thelegacy we want to leave behind. Stephen Covey, in one of his steps to SevenHabits of Highly Effective People, states “plan with the end in mind”.Being intentional with the goal and/or results you wish to attain.

When we place our attention to the greater good, when we are inspired by a greater purpose, we can be creators of our reality. I always find it interesting that people who are convicted are the people you cannot argue with because they do not budge from their stance until something rocks them off their foundation. Change is important to humans as we were created to evolve and grow; we were created to bring about  better world with each generation; we were created to bring about authentic love to this world. Can we do that if we don’t authentically love ourselves?

Knowing ourselves and knowing where we want to go is so important so that we can be attentive to the opportunities that come to us that will help in reaching our desires and dreams. Being attentive, we are open to opportunities to serve and give back for the greater good for our purpose. If we don’t know ourselves, do we really love ourselves? Christ said, “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” How can you serve others if you do not serve yourself in self-care?

“Energy grows where energy goes.” Lisa Nichols

Being aware and attentive of our needs is not selfish, it is being healthy. We cannot give what we do not have. Providing peace, when we don’t have it is difficult. That’s when we feel inauthentic. If we don’t love ourselves as we care for and love others, we cannot bring about the change we wish to create in our lives, lives of those we care for, the community at large and the world.

the Not Yet mentality lead to success

Watching Carol Dweck’s Ted Talk (Dweck’s TedTalk) on how using a grade of “not yet” verses fail helped students to be open to the possibility of later success was eye opening for me. She reported that students faced with a complex problem developed a mindset of loving the challenge or the process of finding the answer/solution to the problem, math scores were raised and students felt accomplishment instead of defeat.

Have you ever come across a response of No and stopped trying? There are time when people feel that they have failed and there is a tendency to give up and not take up the follow through needed to complete a task or advance towards successful completion. They believe the response of “No” is the end verses a time of review, reevaluating and revamping an approach. Statistics show that 20 percent of new companies fail in their first year, and only 50 percent survive through their fifth year. (article)

The whole idea of Not Yet appeals to me more than a No. I have found times when I wanted to do something and was faced with a “no” situation, questioning my God (or higher power) WHY? There has been a quiet Not yet in response. Either I was not ready to handle what I wanted or it was not good for me at the time. Changes were going to happen which I did not foresee that would make that want a can’t. Have you ever experienced this as well?
Now when I come across a “no” I ask, when? seeing the Not Yet for what it is, a time for learning, healing, preparing.
Have you come across a “Not yet” in your life? What was your validation of the wait in stored?

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