March 2009 Newsletter
(Download an MP3 of this Newslettter)
Greetings friends! It’s so good to sit down and have a chat with all of you again. Trust me when I say that you are all close to my energy even when I’m not at my keyboard.
We are all living through interesting times and I hope all of you are taking this course correction our country is on as an opportunity to retool and rethink your own lives. In even the most pressing circumstances there are always opportunities for positive growth.
Recently, in Seattle a nasty little cold made a home in my energy! I am still melting it away with positive energy and lots of tea. Meanwhile, however, my voice has decided to take a bit of a vacation as well. It is amazing how not having a voice for even a day can inspire you to be more insightful. And of course, that got me thinking about this newsletter’s theme so here we go….
Choosing Words & Breaking Habits: 7 Steps to Living in Enthusiasm
Here in my lovely beach sanctuary I’ve been working on my coaching tools for my new program called 7Squared Coaching. I firmly believe that there is a process to living with and in enthusiasm. Understanding and practicing the steps can empower you to having a more fulfilling life. Choices are everything. This has been true for me and it is my privilege to help my clients do the same. The 7 steps are illustrated below (click on the image to pop up a larger version):
Everyone has situations or habits in their lives that vex them. Many of us desire change but don’t know how to approach the subject and so we stay stuck in ruts that even we know are not healthy for us. But it is also true that you can not change something that you do not understand. Understanding, insight and a commitment to making different choices can alter the trajectory of even the most difficult challenges that we face.
The Principles:
This process is based on several principles. They are:
1. Our choices create our lives. Uninformed, unconscious, habitual choices will not create a life full of present awareness and enthusiasm. Getting our choices into focus will enable us to make better, more informed decisions about what does and does not work in our lives.
2. Understanding the subconscious motivations for our choices helps us to be empowered. Much has been made of our parental programming, genes, natal astrological charts and the like. These are valid and valuable pieces of information about who we are, but they do not dictate our future. Understanding the patterns can help us have the power to make our own choices irregardless of the nature or nurture of our history.
3. Embracing our own empowerment allows us to choose differently to attain different results. Just deciding to make a change in an area of your life is a courageous act. I always find it amazing how people discount this simple fact. Embracing the affirmation that you are in charge of your choices is something to celebrate. Receiving the results of those choices will feel like icing on the cake compared to the freedom you can find in owning your own power.
4. This process can be an enlightening adventure that brings us closer to our true selves, our goals and our loved ones. Growth and change are not done for the sake of themselves. There are concrete results that come from this wonderful adventure. A greater sense of peace, fulfillment and closer relationships with people you value are just a few I can name from personal experience. Those results are in addition to the actual area of change you decide to work on such as career, health, relationships or parental / childhood issues.
The Process:
Each Step Enhances the Next: The growth pattern shown above is circular for a reason. Good choices beget better choices. Once you put yourself on the train toward a more fulfilling life you gain an invaluable partner in this process: momentum! Momentum, and its opposite inertia are two well established components of physics. Its always useful to work with these forces and not against them in any life project. Each phase of work naturally leads to the next because the process is built on the inter-related system of energy that surrounds us all.
You Already Know the Answers: In my work with clients it is my experience that each person has their own answers. I am only a guide to helping them discover them for themselves and find an elegant and useful way to put this knowledge into action. Confusion, inaction or fear are only blocks to be melted away with compassion, truthfulness and courage. My clients are only borrowing my objectivity, confidence and experience until they find their own! YOU are the most powerful person in your own life.
This process gives you a framework for developing an enthusiastic, fulfilling life. This process is a flexible method for enhancing a fulfilling situation or shedding behavior that is no longer serving you. It can be applied to any situation. In our world today embracing and managing change is a key skill necesary to create success.
Learning tools to help manage the process toward your desired outcome can give you courage & motivation. Have you ever tried building a house with only a hammer and a screwdriver? It wouldn’t work very well! The right tools for the job are a necessity. Writing, visualization, affirmation, service work, holistic health practices and meditation are all tools that can be utilized to enhance your life. A little goes a long way and yes you can do it!
Breaking old cycles with new tools is the goal. Gathering self awareness along the way is the reward. The beauty of life experience is the self awareness that comes with it. Self confidence, peace of mind and good relationships are all fruits borne from the same tree of knowledge of self. A spiritual life is a daily practice which helps us to objectively and compassionately understand the world and people who inhabit our lives.
The Work:
There is a great deal to say about each phase of this process and my upcoming newsletters & pod casts will be focused on sharing this knowledge. For now I will leave you with an exercise from Step One.
Step One: Current Reality – Objective Assessment
Download the Assessment Worksheet and review the questions it poses. Select an area of your life and answer the questions in relation to that subject. Pick the first area that comes to your mind. Remember YOU know your own answers and you know which area you might want to work on first. Answer the questions on the worksheet in writing in a private place that is just for you. Pen to paper please – not on the computer!
This writing exercise can be completed in 20 minutes or over the course of a weekend depending on how much you want to write. The purpose of the questions is to outline the current situation, what choices you have made to create it, and what you would like to change it to.
The “Havingness” section refers to giving yourself permission to having and receiving the positive outcome of this change. It is important to be able to see and visualize yourself in the new situation and identify any blocks that you might have to actually living in the new reality. Not everyone is familiar with that term so it was worth of an explanation here.
Next Time – Step Two!
Next time we’ll do Step Two together! We will focus on the unconscious habits that have created your situation and how to identify them. Each person’s situation is different so I will do my best to give some generic examples to help you along your way.
Of course, you all know that I am always available to help you one on one should you feel it would be useful. It is always my pleasure and how I stay living in enthusiasm!
Once my voice has returned I will be posting a pod cast of this article and will send you all the link! That way you can have Endless Magic on the Go!
Talk to you all soon! Peace & Blessings Always,
Karuana
Start Anywhere – Gain Momentum & Be Gentle with Yourself!
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