Barack Obama and his Presidential Pledge

Hello everyone,

HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY!!!

Today the United States celebrates the birthday of one of its historic icons, Martin Luther King Jr. Many people come together to help volunteer and improve their communities in some way. A very special day indeed.

Here is a wonderful quote by a man I more then admire:

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tomorrow will be a day that Doctor King is inevitably very proud of. An inspiring day that will be witnessed and experienced by so many people around the world. The United States will swear in Barack Obama as their next president. I am more then proud to be experiencing this moment in my lifetime.

Today I saw a program that announced how Barack Obama is going to have a Presidential Pledge. This pledge will enable everyone to participate in a way that will encourage positive change in their lives and communities. A video was created by some celebrities to introduce this pledge and I would like for all of you to look for this video on either YouTube or on Oprah's website, as it will be coming soon.

I knew nearly immediately what my pledge would be and it is below:

I pledge to spread peace, by bringing peace into every interaction and encounter that I have.

Please think of what your pledge will be, and thank you for making the world a better place as a result.

Peace to all,

Shannon

Practicing being Transparent can bring more Peace to your Life

Recently a friend of mine had struggled with something that I felt was beneficial to share with many of you as you may be able to relate. This friend of mine spent a weekend with some relatives, where there happened to be a toddler staying. This toddler at times would get very excited and ran around and scream loudly. Every time the scream occurred, my friend would cringe inside and out. She wanted to say something, but was afraid to offend the toddler’s parents.

Many of us can relate and have heard a toddler’s vocal abilities, reaching decibels we swear are high enough to do permanent eardrum damage. There is an exercise that I would like to share with all of you that will help you to relieve any loud and un-welcomed sound you may experience. This exercise also can help bring a little peace into your situation and moment....*

All that you need to try to do is imagine that you are transparent when a sound is negatively effecting you. Specifically imagine that the sound goes through you, as opposed to you being a brick wall of resistance that the sound is hitting up against. When you envision the sound going through you, you may notice a weakening of the resistance that you were experiencing when the sound began to irritate you. In most cases, resistance can strengthen a negative experience. When we no longer resist, we become more accepting and more at peace with what is at that moment. When a sound bothers us, a couple things are going on within our bodies. The first is that we are hearing the sound through the gift of our ears abilities. Second, our mind’s then processes the sound and labels it as either a pleasant or unpleasant experience….*

Therefore, the next time you experience a moment with a sound that is leaving you feeling anything but pleasant, then imagine being transparent, and let the sound travel through you versus slamming into you.

* Please note, these are highlights from an entire article in Higher-Self Living Paychecks. For more information, please visit our website at www.higherselflifecoaching.com.

Being Non-Judgemental...a Priceless Practice.

Hello,

Recently I experienced the benefits of practicing being non-judgemental. This practice can be extremely difficult as we are bombarded with daily stories, people, and news who share information with us accompanied with their thoughts and opinions.

Thoughts and opinions are a part of the human condition....the mind to be exact. While this can be quite a gift, in most cases it is misused leading to judgements of others and ultimately causing a sense of separation among us.

I have been practicing being non-judgemental on a daily basis. The first step I took was just being aware of when I was judging other beliefs, people, and opinions. Once I had gotten use to being aware and recognizing my judgemental thoughts and attitude, I was then able to take the second step.

The second step was to challenge each of my judgemental thoughts. For example, I would ask myself why I had that thought, and more importantly, could that thought or judgement be wrong? Most of the time, I realized that my judgemental thoughts could be inaccurate or wrong, which left me feeling critical and harsh.

Once I was able to get familiar with challenging my judgemental thoughts, I was able to diffuse the hold that they had on me. In addition, I diffused the control they had on my emotions and resulting actions.

I realized the benefits of my practice when a recent event found its way into my life and my moment. When I was told of this event, not only was I free of being judgemental, but I was free of feeling any sort of negative emotions that could have resulted from one of my judgemental thoughts. Had this event happened to someone else, judgemental and fearful thoughts could have taken over and left emotions of anger, jealousy, and fear of rejection. However, I didn't judge the event and was able to steer clear of the negative emotions that could have resulted. I felt emotional free and at peace with the entire event and situation.

Now don't get me wrong, I still have moments every day where a part of me (i.e. my ego) still does try to judge and even react to judgemental thoughts. However I am much more aware of them now when they occur, and as time goes by, the judgemental thoughts seem to occur much less frequently.

I would love for all of you to try to be aware of any judgemental thoughts that you have and try to challenge them. Over time your judgemental thoughts will weaken and as a result you will feel much more mentally free and at peace.

Peace and Stillness,
Shannon

Roll in the New Year with a New Dream or New Hobby

It is that time of year once again when many people reflect on the past year and set new year’s resolutions. Many new year’s resolutions that get set are often focused on either halting a bad trait or trying to begin a healthy new one.

Often time’s people tend to refrain from setting a new exciting dream to pursue or a new fun hobby to pick up. To start the year out on an adventurous note, I challenge all of you to create a new exciting dream or a fun new hobby to pursue. I further challenge you to set up a short and sweet schedule that would outline a few turtle steps for you to achieve that dream or hobby.

For example, as I reflected on the past year, I realized that there was a dream I had not yet pursued, as well as a hobby I had not untaken. My dream was to revise and submit a fictional novel I had written a couple of years ago. A new hobby I’d always wanted to pursue was learning to play the piano….*

When the new year approached, I came up with a couple small steps in order to work towards both my aspiring dream of becoming a published author as well as an amateur pianist. So, my steps included printing off my rough manuscript and spend just ten to fifteen minutes a day revising a paragraph or two. I also took some holiday gift money and purchased a Piano for Dummies book to begin learning about the piano and its history. Having taken just those first steps, has helped me to feel a sense of accomplishment and joy.

In addition to the joy these steps have already given me, a new adventurous journey has begun in my life. Taking simple steps to pursue something new can result in an amazing spiral effect and lead to new dreams and new accomplishments. Another example is a friend of mine who is a working actress. One role she had landed required her to learn to play a little guitar. As a result, she fell in love with the guitar and has now started up band that she loves doing more then acting….*

Therefore, if you have not already done so, please consider pursuing a new dream or undertaking a new hobby for the new 2009 year. Then watch a new adventurous journey unfold before your eyes.

* Please note, these are highlights from an entire article in Higher-Self Living Paychecks. For more information, please visit our website at www.higherselflifecoaching.com.

New Year's Resolutions, Turtle Steps, and a Poem

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and look forward to a fantastic 2009 year.

Most people begin a new year with new year's resolutions. I even have a couple of my own. Heck, it may even be safe to say that most people include some sort of healthier living resolution included in their list of new year's resolutions....and again, I am one of them. One of my resolutions is to incorporate some sort of regular exercise routine so that I can have a happy and healthy heart. Especially since that organ is vital to my existence.

While I was setting my new year's resolutions, I wanted to take this moment to remind everyone of the importance of turtle steps when setting new year's resolutions and sticking to them. Many people who set new year's resolutions will set goals that are essentially leaps or jumps. For example, one friend of mine said they wanted to lose weight this year, so they plan to begin working out 5 days a week. Prior to today, she didn't work out at all. That is what I consider a "leap" so to speak. To go from one extreme to another.

However, if you set resolutions or goals in the form of leaps or jumps, chances are you may fall flat on your face. And getting back up may be a little challenging. However, if you set your resolutions in the form of turtle steps, then chances are you will take one step forward, and then another step forward, without falling flat on your face.

I encourage everyone to look at any and all new year's resolutions they have set for 2009 and apply the turtle steps method. All that you need to do is take a resolution/goal and cut it in half. Then cut it in half again. Keep cutting the goal in half until every part of you (mind and body) says "yes, we can definitely do that and stick to it".

For example, my friend was going to go from zero days of working out, to working out five days a week. She cut that in half, which left her with about 3 days a week (she rounded up from 2.5). Then she cut it in half again and rounded it to 2 days a week. When she thought about working out 2 days a week versus 5 days a week, she realized that every part of her felt a sense of "we can do that". Some people might even cut that in half and work out 1 day a week, or even 1 day every other week.

Then once a turtle step becomes a habit, you can increase the steps gradually. As humans, more gradual changes are easier for us to incorporate in our lives then trying to make sudden changes. So please take a moment today and apply the turtle steps method to your new year's resolutions and enjoy your desired results unfold before your very eyes.

I also wanted to share a wonderful poem I read today:

Otherwise

I got out of bed

on two strong legs

It might have been

otherwise. I ate

cereal, sweet

milk, ripe, flawless

peach. It might

have been otherwise.

I took the dog uphill

to the birch wood.

All morning I did

the work I love.

As noon I lay down

with my mate. It might

have been otherwise.

We ate dinner together

at a table with silver

candlesticks. It might

have been otherwise.

I slept in a bed

in a room with paintings

on the walls, and

planned another day

just like this day.

But one day, I know,

it will be otherwise.

- Jane Kenyon

I just was so moved by this poem and wanted to share it with all of you. Especially since it helps to remind us to live in the present moment.

Peace to all.

Shannon