I know that I do, but I also know that sometimes the thought of being extraordinary is overwhelming......I mean, where do you start? What does living extraordinary mean to you? At this point, to me living an extraordinary life would be one filled with freedom, love, happiness, integrity, authenticity, sharing my gifts, helping people make their lives their definition of extraordinary. Maybe after this event my definition of extraordinary may change, grow or intensify in all these ways, who knows, but I am sure excited to find out!
When the opportunity came to me to be a Blog Ambassador for theLiving Extraordinary event put on by the Conscious Divas, I was like, YES YES YES.......this is SO perfect for me!!! Here was an event that will focus on what I am always talking about and trying to live my life like........being more consciously aware of what is going on in your life and the world around you!
What would be better than sitting in a room full of like minded people, listening to 10 local luminaries, sharing their amazing experiences and insights on what it means to be EXTRAORDINARY? I seriously couldn't jump on this fast enough! And so should YOU!
So.......are you free on Oct 21st? Juggle your schedule, get a babysitter, PVR your fave shows, grab your best friend and get your butt down to the Imperial Theatre on Main St in Vancouver. This is a night for you to be inspired, enlightened, challenged and to raise your degree of conscious living.
We've all gone through challenges in our lives, some big, some small, some down right life changing. These challenges can leave us restless, wanting for more out of life, wanting to change our paths...at least I know that is what it did for me.....but when that happens, a lot of times we don't know where to turn. Who do we listen to? How do we take that first scary step? Here is your chance to listen to 10 people talk about what has gone on in their lives to help them raise their conscious awareness and be better connected with themselves. You never know what nugget you could walk away with, which story is going to resonate with you and who is going to inspire you to take that leap into EXTRAORDINARY.
So who are the Conscious Divas?
"We are a local organization dedicated to helping women (and open minded men) experience a more authentic, conscious and connected life. We are on a mission to spread ideas and possibilities that elevate consciousness and collectively increase ones state being in the world."
Don't think this event is just for women, it is NOT......this is for anyone and everyone that yearns for a life that is conscious, connected and beyond ordinary. For those ready to discover new ideas and concepts in living consciously, and for those that find it exciting to spend an evening with others who share your conscious ideology!
So who's with me?
Go to the event page HERE to check out the bios of the speakers and to reserve your ticket. If you use the PROMO CODE of "MYFRIEND", you will get 25% off the regular ticket price.......how can you say no to that?!
Connect with the Conscious Divas on Facebook and Twitter to find out more about this amazing group of women and what their goals and visions are.
Now say that 10 times really fast! Yes, I know what it ends
up sounding like, and you know what? It pretty well means the same thing!
‘Should’ is one of those words that needs to be banned from
our vocabulary. Nothing says JUDGEMENT more than adding the word ‘should’ in
front of an action.
·You really should lose weight
·You should have told him how you feel
·You really shouldn’t wear that
·Do you think you should do that?
The moment that word gets used, it puts the recipient of
that word on the defensive. No other word causes people to second guess
themselves, feel guilt, and feel judged more than that one does.
So what’s the problem with this word? The problem is that it
comes from the side of pain, it holds us entrenched in the victim mentality and
makes it sound like we don’t have control of our lives.
Right now, I am reading the book ‘Feel the Fear and Do It
Anyway’ by Susan Jeffers, and in one of the chapters Susan talks about the
importance of developing a Pain-to-Power vocabulary. “The way you use words has
a tremendous impact on the quality of your life. Certain words are destructive,
others are empowering.” Like Michael Losier talks about in his book “Law of
Attraction”, Words make up our Thoughts, which lead to our Feelings (positive
or negative vibrations). So if we constantly use these words that come from a
place of pain, helplessness, and depression, what do you think you are attracting
more of in your life? You are going to receive more situations where you are
going to use those words some more, causing more negative thoughts and
feelings. It’s a nasty cycle, but once you are aware of those certain trigger
words, you can catch yourself when you are saying them, and change them into
words that come from a place of choice, power and strength.
Here is the chart that Susan Jeffers uses in her book to
give you an idea of how to re-frame the worlds.
‘Can’t’ is another BIG one! Lord knows I have used that one
WAY too often in my life! ‘Can’t’ implies that you have NO control over your
life, like there is some outside force that is holding you back from whatever
it is that you are saying you ‘can’t’ do. Think of your mind like a computer. When
your subconscious registers you saying the word ‘can’t’, it stores it in the
folder labelled ‘WEAK’. Like Susan says in her book, “Your subconscious
believes only what it hears, not what is true”.
In a lot of cases, the truth is you CAN do whatever the situation is,
but you CHOOSE not to, and instead of being truthful to the person asking you to
do something or to yourself, you throw in the word ‘can’t’, so you feel you’re
off the hook because that outside force is holding you back and you have NO
control over it.
We need to start calling ‘bullshit’ on ourselves more often.
If you change the ‘can’t’ to ‘won’t’, it shows that you are taking control and
responsibility for your decision and are acting from a place of strength. Better yet……..find a way that you CAN! There
is a solution for every problem, IF you are willing and choose to look for it.
At a recent networking event, I was introduced to this video
about a family that has brought up their children to NEVER say the word ‘can’t’.
What this girl has achieved is beyond remarkable! So whenever I feel the word ‘can’t’
starting to rise up, I need to remind myself of this beautiful soul. What a
freeing way to live, to know that you CAN do anything that you put your mind to,
no matter what perceived limitations are put in your path. This family is truly
an inspiration!!
The bottom line is that these ‘pain’ inspired words just add
up to EXCUSES!
What have you told yourself or someone lately that you ‘can’t
do’ or that you ‘should’ be doing? I challenge you to find a way to re-frame it
and find a way that you ‘can’ or ‘could’ do it!
What are your thoughts on these words, or others that you
find that take away your power? What are you doing to combat them? Please share
in the comments below!
Feel free to connect with me in the wonderful world of social media on Facebook and Twitter.
About one year ago, I met a lovely lady named Diana Ng, aka,
The Labyrinth Lady, at a women’s networking event. I remember her telling us about the Labyrinth
that she had built in conjunction with the city of Surrey, BC, and I knew
afterwards that it was some place I wanted to visit, but just never got around
to it.
Most recently, I have been going through some major personal
stresses, and I was really feeling the effects on my body and my mind. Each day was a struggle to keep myself in a
positive mindset and a lot of the days, I failed at it.
I happened to be in Surrey one day last week, and had some
time to kill between appointments in the area, so I was trying to figure out
what I was going to do with the 3 hours that I had to fill. I knew I wanted to
find somewhere to go and read my book, but I just didn’t want to sit inside in
a coffee shop. I just knew I wanted to
be somewhere outside. Then the thought
came back to me, the Labyrinth. I remembered that I kept saying that I wanted
to go, and here was the perfect time for me to go and find it.
So that afternoon, I made my way to Fleetwood Gardens at 160th
and 80th, got parked and then started the search of the gardens to
find the Labyrinth. Luckily it didn’t take me long, as I noticed a man walking
a pattern in the distance and knew that is where I was headed. Honestly, I had no idea what I was looking
for. The picture I had made in my head
was actually of a Maze done up with shrubs that you see in some English
gardens. At that point, I didn’t realize
that there was actually a
difference between a Maze and a Labyrinth, so I was
surprised to see that it was just a rock pattern in the ground. Have a look at the clips I put together below
of an interview that Diana did where she explains the difference between a Maze
and a Labyrinth, the significance of the switchbacks and some feedback that she
has received from people who have walked it.
From Diana’s website, she states “Labyrinths are ancient, transformative tools
found in cultures all over the world dating back 4000 – 5000 years. Its circles
and spirals meander into a purposeful path of centering symbolizing wholeness
and unity, change and growth. A powerful tool for reflection, discernment,
self-discovery, it enhances right brain activity. The labyrinth reduces stress,
quiets the mind, leading to balance and insights. It offers a place for people
to escape their pressures-filled lives, helps them find calm to open up their
hearts.”
At the entrance of the Labyrinth, there is a sign that tells
you more about the history and gives you instructions as to how to walk
it…..”quiet your mind and allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to
go. Become mindful of the sensation of walking. Continuous awareness of these
sensations develops the strong concentration needed in order to gain insight.”
There are also 3 specific stages in walking a Labyrinth. Purgation (releasing): the act of
shedding thoughts and distractions enables you to let you of the details of
your life. This is the time to open your heart and quiet your mind. Illumination (receiving): At the
center, stay there as long as you like, sit or stand, meditate or pray. Allow
yourself to receive guidance. Union (returning):
To leave the center, follow the same path back out. There can be a strange
sense of strengthening and clarity. You become more empowered to find and do
the work you feel your soul calling for.
So, I started walking the Labyrinth, and it honestly didn’t
take long for me to start feeling the sense of calm. The concentration on my
steps and in walking the pattern actually cleared my mind of the troubles that
I have been dealing with lately. Upon noticing this, I actually tried to think
on the issues that had been weighing on me, but I actually couldn’t. It was
like my brain just wanted to rest. When I got to the center, I didn’t feel like
sitting on the ground, so I just stood there and closed my eyes. While standing
there, this big gust of wind came and blew through me, as if blowing my
troubles away. When the gust had stopped, I opened my eyes and walked back out
the Labyrinth. I exited the Labyrinth feeling calmer and more at peace. It was
at this time that I noticed 3 big red chairs directly across from the Labyrinth
and I knew that is where I needed to sit to spend some time reading. My mind was now quieted enough that I knew I
could sit still and just absorb the info in my book.
I definitely enjoyed my time in the Labyrinth, and wish I
lived close enough to it to walk it every day, but being that I know that I
will be somewhat in the area on a weekly basis, I am going to make a point to
visit it as often as I can, as long as the weather holds, and use the time
after wards to sit in the big red chair for some quiet contemplation and some
reading.
I left the gardens that day feeling refreshed and
rejuvenated, with my mind way more at peace. I will however suggest that if you
are planning on going, I would avoid walking the Labyrinth in the late
afternoon/early evening hours. In my
time sitting there, I noticed a ritual that happens with the people that live
in the area, the park turns into a meeting place with the women gathering at
one end by the parking lot, and the men gathering at the benches right by the
Labyrinth, in what my dad would call “hen parties”. The group was way too loud
to enjoy the meditative moment of walking the Labyrinth, in my opinion. So if
you are thinking of visiting the Labyrinth and enjoy the peace and clarity that
it provides, I would do it earlier in the day.
Thank you Diana for sharing the story and the power of the
Labyrinth with the world!
You can connect with Diana on Facebook here, and visit her website.
Have you walked the Labyrinth? What was your experience? I would love to read your comments.
Feel free to connect with me in this wonderful world of
social media
A while back, I remember catching a glimpse of a report on
the news (or some other show) about salt caves. Honestly, the only thing I
remembered from it was that they looked cool! Then last fall, I came across a
sponsored or suggested post in my Facebook newsfeed about the SaltWonder
Himalayan Salt Cave. The memory of salt
covered walls and floors was triggered and I figured I would look into a bit
further. At this point in time, I was
dealing with my chronic illness and trying to find natural remedies to help
with my gamut of symptoms, and I was interested in checking this out to see if
it would give any relief. For me, part of living a happy, positive life, is to
take care of my body in natural ways and reduce the amount of chemical and
pharmaceutical ways of treating ailments……and this looked right up my alley!!
Upon checking out the website, I learned how salt caves have
been widely used in Europe for decades, but they are relatively new to North
America. I also learned about how salt is considered a cleansing tool and that
they use a Halogenerator to disperse dry saline aerosol into the air for you to
breathe in and for it to come in contact with your skin surface. This excerpt
from their website REALLY caught my attention as to the benefits of Halotherapy………”our SaltWonder provides
sessions of “halotherapy” (salt therapy) that benefits one’s health, mental and
psychic well-being, as well as beauty. This procedure creates a curative effect
on numerous breathing conditions and symptoms such as chronic bronchitis,
sinusitis, shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughs, wheezing, respiratory
allergies, rhinitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, colds, influenza, smoke related
cough (secondary smoke symptoms). The sessions of salt therapy significantly
reduce stress, anxiety, regulate sleep patterns, enhance concentration capacity,
bring feelings of freshness, relaxation and satisfaction. The simulated salt
cave microclimate retards skin aging, smoothes out wrinkles, reduces
inflammation and acne.” According to that, everyone could benefit from
some time in the cave!!! I was sold…..I didn’t have any breathing issues, but I
liked the idea of reducing stress, regulating sleep patterns, increasing
concentration and the anti-aging!! At that point in time, there was only a
large public room, which worked out fine, as my friend and I had it all to
ourselves. Have a look at the video
below to give you an idea as to what the public room looks like.
After an hour in there, I felt soooooooooooo amazingly
relaxed. I couldn’t believe that I was
actually able to sit still for that long, and actually I couldn’t believe that
a whole hour had gone by. Some of you might be thinking……..how do I know that I
was actually breathing in the salt air?
Well, I licked my arm afterwards, and I was definitely salty! So there
was definitely lots of salt in the air! In the public room, there is a play
area for kids, so this is a therapy for all ages.
Recently, I saw that the owner, Nuca Stoica, had built a
private room where you lay on a heated bed of salt, so of course, I had to try
that out. There is a lot of pain involved in my chronic illness, so the thought
of laying on a heated bed of salt would definitely give me some increased
relief, not to mention being a private room, you are able to expose more of
your skin surface to the salt aerosol for even greater benefits. As you can see
in my video
below……..this was such a relaxing experience!!
In expanding the benefits of going to the Salt Cave, Nuca
has also invited people in to do some yoga, meditation and sound healing
sessions within the cave. Keep an eye on the website for when those special
events are available, On July 19th, a Nebulization room has now been
opened for an even more concentrated therapy in only 20 minutes. Check out this
most recent interview that Nuca did with Shaw TV about the salt cave.
If you or a loved one suffers from any sort of breathing
issue, skin inflammatory issues, or are in need of some relaxation, with
anti-aging properties thrown in, give Nuca a call and book an introductory
appointment in the cave……..you won’t be disappointed!! Right now Nuca has some summer specials going on, so definitely take advantage of those. You can find them on his website or his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/saltwonder
SPECIAL OFFER!!! Call Nuca and tell him that you read all
about his Salt Cave on my blog, and you will get a 45min session in the large public room for ONLY $19 (reg price $45)!!!
SaltWonder Himalayan Salt Cave
940 West 16th St.
North Vancouver, BC
604-971-5220 www.saltcavebc.com
When I did a search to see if I could find anyone who talked
about this, I came across some works of the Dalai Lama and the ‘Art of
Happiness’. Where he stated that even though our happiness is influenced by
what we have and what happens to us, the source of long term happiness in
mental. Being that it is mental, the most effective way to seek happiness is by
training our minds, which is a gradual, life-long process. “The practice ofDharmais a constant battle within, replacing
previous negative conditioning or habituation with new positive conditioning.
... Through training we can change; we can transform ourselves." [page 43]
The ‘Death’ involved is the death of limiting beliefs, thought
patterns, behaviours, things that we have always done in the past. We all have
a certain method of operation that was developed along this journey of ‘growing
up’. For the most part, it has served us well, as I assume that we are all (for
the most part lol) well-adjusted members of society. We get dressed, go about
our days, do some work, feed ourselves, have relationships, take care of our
loved ones, provide for ourselves and compared to some areas of the world, we
really have nothing to complain about. But are we truly Happy?
I like to people watch, whether I am in a restaurant, in the
park, walking down the street, in the grocery store, on public transit or wherever…..Observation
is one of my strongest skills (has been since I was a kid), and I like to watch
how people conduct themselves and relate to those around them and I have to
say……..the majority of the behaviour and interaction that I see is NOT that of
a Happy society……..and I used to be right in the middle of all of that.
When you think about how the path of your life has been
going up until this point, I can’t help but cue up Dr. Phil with his famous,
“How’s that working out for ya?”…….when I actually took some time and looked at
how things were going in my life and asked myself that question…….it wasn’t
working out that great. Sure I had a career, I survived a failed marriage, I
had friends, I had a decent relationship with my family members, I owned my own
condo, paid my bills, did volunteer work……..but at the end of the day, when I
came home at night, when I was truly honest with myself…….I wasn’t happy. I
felt empty, alone, unfulfilled, desperate for change, but what? When I allowed
myself to feel those feeling, then I would get that part of my mind nattering
at me, “what are you complaining about? Look at all that you have! There are
people around the world that would kill for what you have.” So I would feel
guilty for thinking that way, and push it aside and continue with my regular
M.O……..and I think that most of us get caught in that trap.
It took a catastrophic event for me to actually STOP and
realize that I could not continue down this path that I was on……..and I truly
hope that you don’t have to get to that point, as I wouldn’t want to wish that
on anyone…….but I want to encourage you to take stock of your life. Put aside
all the things that you have accomplished, all the material things that you
have worked hard for and accumulated, all the ‘trappings’ of life and just look
inwards……..what do you feel? Sit quietly, close your eyes and ask yourself,
“what am I feeling?”…..and then just listen….What are the first words that pop
into your head? Don’t force it….just let the words and emotions bubble up. Keep
going until you feel empty…….maybe even set your phone to record as you say what
each word is as it comes up, in case you really get on a roll! What were your
predominate words? Were there words that came up several times? Did the words
have emotions attached to them? After looking at that list, how do they reflect
what is going on in your life? Does your emotional world match or is it at
conflict with how you show up physically in the world?
If you cannot say that you are truly living a life of pure
happiness, in EVERY aspect of your life, then I would suggest that maybe you
want to take a look at that. Maybe you have some old thought patterns, limiting
beliefs and behaviours that are ready to be put to rest. Are you ready for those negative aspects that
have been controlling how you show up in the world, to be put to ‘death’? Are
you ready to see what life can be like after that ‘death’?
I have seen a lot of people say, “just BE Happy!”…….sure,
you can put on a happy face, and act like everything is perfect……..but what
does that prove? I did that for decades, and it nearly actually killed me.
Living a life of integrity, where what I say, do and believe are all in
alignment, is SO important to me now and I encourage you to do the same. Once
we deal with all the mental and emotional “stuff” that has accumulated over the
years, and do the work to release it, all that is left is Happiness…….as that
is our true essence.
Over the last couple of years, I have done a lot of personal
work on my own, and have had great results in changing how I think, believe and
perceive the world, but I know that I have some deeper limiting thoughts and
beliefs still holding me back, those programs that are constantly running in my
mind and I am SO ready for them to go to their ‘deaths’. So over the next
little while, I am looking forward to some mental and emotional ‘funerals’
happening, as I work with someone who is highly trained at helping people move
past their ‘stuff’ and discovering their Excellence. I cannot wait to see what
life will hold after these ‘deaths’ occur.
I am looking forward to the ‘rest of my life, being the BEST
of my life!’
Back in Dec. 2010, I went through a trauma that caused me to
completely change the way I thought and looked at the world. For the first year
after the trauma, I knew something had to change, but honestly, wasn’t really
sure what. Then in Dec. 2011, my lovely friend and chiropractor, Liz, mentioned
that she really thought that I would benefit from a 4 day seminar that was
coming up. I figured that I didn’t have anything left to loose, so why not.
That seminar was the catalyst for the journey that I have been on ever
since. I learned more about myself at
that seminar than I had in all the decades before. One thing that really stuck
in my mind was this story that our facilitator, Tim O’Kelly told us about an
experiment that he had read about in regards to plants. In the book, ‘The
Secret Life of Plants’, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, did experiments on
plants where they had a plant connected up to electrodes to measure if there
were any difference in electrical impulses when different stimuli were
presented. The part that really changed
things for the researchers, was at one point Peter just ‘thought’ about
lighting a match and putting it to one of the leaves, and at that exact moment,
the readings from the plant went off the charts! Here was an example where a
simple thought caused a physical reaction in another organism. The thought of
this stuck with me and nagged at me ever since.
Growing up in a Christian household, there was always lots
of talk of the power of positive thinking. The problem was, there wasn’t much
example of it. So, I always heard that I must think positive, but I couldn’t
really find anyone that was actually modelling it, so the belief system was put
in place that it wasn’t really an important thing to do. It was great in theory, but what was the
point? So, as I grew up, I never really gave it much thought.
Along with that, we have all heard the rhyme, ‘sticks and
stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me’. Well, again, great in
theory, but we ALL know that words DO hurt. They cause an emotional reaction.
Now people may then say, ‘oh, you’re being too sensitive’, ‘you’re too
emotional’, but the fact of the matter is, when someone says something negative
to me, yes I feel an emotional reaction, but a lot of times that emotion is
accompanied by a physical reaction as well. It could be pain, stiffness, upset
stomach, allergies, etc. It took me a lot of years to actually make that
connection that emotions always have a physical representation.
At the beginning of this year, I came across an article
talking about a rice experiment performed by Dr. Masaru Emoto. When I looked
further into it, I found that Dr. Emoto was a researcher and alternative healer
from Japan that had done many experiments showing how words, thoughts and
intentions affect the physical world. He had also done an experiment showing
how the crystalline nature of water changed in regards to what words and
intentions were put towards it. I was fascinated by this!
This got me thinking. I didn’t have the equipment to be able
to re-create the plants experiment that I originally heard about, and I
definitely didn’t have an electron microscope sitting around that I could use
to see how the crystalline structure of water changed, BUT, I could re-create
the rice experiment. The thought of that created quite an excitement within me.
Here I had the chance to actually give myself PROOF that words and thoughts did
actually have a physical affect in the world.
As excited as I was about setting up my own experiment, a
part of me was resisting. What happens if I didn’t get any results? At one
level I do believe that words and thoughts have power, but if the experiment
didn’t work, would that mean that all that I believed would be WRONG? That
doubt kept mulling around in my head. About a month later, I was at another
workshop that referenced Dr. Emoto’s work with water. Again, that inner
prodding was poking me, ‘DO THE EXPERIMENT!’. In March I went out and bought
some of the things I needed, but again, I procrastinated in actually getting it
going.
Finally, at the beginning of May, I decided that I HAD to do
this. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that this was something that I needed
to do. So, I set it all up (realized afterwards that Dr. Emoto cooked his rice
first before putting it in the jars, but oh well!), and got ready to share with
the world what the results were.
I cannot tell you the amount of relief that I had that I
actually got results! That doubt was always there, but now, I could finally put
that to rest. I kept the jars going for a second month, and from the pictures,
you can see that the changes continued to intensify. Here are some things that
really stuck out for me while I was doing this.
Every day, when I looked at the Positive jar, I just sat in
amazement. I couldn’t believe how clear the water, to this day, remains. When
it first started, there was a little bit of colour change and particulate
matter, but as time went on, the water remained virtually transparent and
colourless. In the negative jar, on most days, I could barely stomach looking
at it. The Yellow colour of the water just kept intensifying and the
destruction of the rice kernels continues. I now equate that to how negative
words and thoughts end up causing the physical reaction in our bodies.
The human body is made up of about 70% water, so when I look
at how the water changed in the negative jar, to me when we speak negative
words and have negative thoughts, we are in turn poisoning our cells. This would make sense why those emotions in a
lot of cases result in pain and inflammation in our bodies. I imagine the water
that makes up our cells turning that bright yellow colour and how that must
inhibit the function of our cells and then I look at how clear the water is in
the positive jar, and want to make sure that my cells stay looking like that,
so that they can easily do the functions that they need to do each day. As for
the Ignored jar…….it started out quite milky looking, but now in the second
month, is now getting a yellow tinge. So even though no words were spoken to
it, it is still feeling the response of being ignored.
Dr. Emoto first did his experiments to show how we need to
be mindful when speaking to children, and how it can affect their physiology,
but I think we need to expand this to how we speak and think to ALL of the
people around us, and most importantly TO OUR SELVES!
Now more than ever, I am convinced that our Inner Dialogue
not only affects our mental and emotional health, but also our physical health.
Change our minds……..change our bodies.
What are your thoughts on this? I know that for a lot of
people, this may be thinking ‘outside of the box’, and I encourage you to do
your own experiment. When you see it physically manifesting right in front of
your eyes, it changes your perspective.
If you want to check out the articles about Dr. Emoto’s work
on the rice experiment and with the water (which includes a 1 hr documentary),
check out these links:
If we can just increase our awareness to the words that we
say and the thoughts that we think, and learn to control and shift them, we can
all live much happier and healthier lives.
Gorgeous old Barn, where some of the Fort used to be
Me and Amy!
What are some of the little things that you celebrate in your life? Post in the comments below and let me know. Sometimes we need to help each other in finding those positive things in our life, so then we know what to look for more of! Remember, nothing is too small to celebrate.......if it made you smile, that's all that counts!
