Toolbox for 2014

"WE SHAPE OUR TOOLS AND AFTERWARDS OUR TOOLS SHAPE US."

 ~ Marshall McLuhan

I hope you enjoyed the first few tools and that you were able to begin implementing them. These ideas take practice and patience and perseverance but are concrete methods to improve how you feel and think on a day-to-day basis. Please enjoy the next three

 

DRIVE YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHTS: You can be the conductor of your train of thoughts  -  simply observe which way they are going and gently guide yourself back to the track that is most helpful to you. I have come to see that I have hundreds of thoughts every day and attempting to control them, judge them or deciding to believe or act on all of them can be an exhausting and self-defeating behavior, instead I gently choose the thoughts to follow and let the others pass me by.

 

 

HOW? First recognize that you are not your thoughts and that you can choose which thoughts to believe, endorse and act on. There are a few simple questions that I ask myself repeatedly: Which thought supports me, heals me and helps me? Which thought brings me closer to how I want to feel and what I want to experience?

 

 

GO IN, TO GO OUT: Meditation, stillness and space are so important that my heart is beating faster as I write this. I want to imprint on you how essential this time was for me. I also want you to know that sometimes it was just five minutes, other times it was an hour, but this principle is the glue to all the ideas that I am sharing here. For it was in this stillness, that fear and worry subsided and that I became present to the compassionate thoughts and more clear about the actions that would bring peace and increased well-being.

 

 

 HOW? There are hundreds of different ways to be still and to meditate. Begin in the morning with a few minutes before you jump out of bed, breathe and put your attention on your heart, listen to your heart and thank it for the work it is doing. Some of my favorites include: simply sitting and listening to my breath. I also like sound meditations – listening to music, chanting or nature sounds or going for a walk, coloring or even doodling (if you are a challenged artist, like I am!) are all ways to connect to your centre. Anything that you can do to become present with yourself is meditative. You do not need to sit or do anything in a particular way, simply make a commitment to find a few minutes to be still and re-connect with yourself.

 

 

VALUE YOUR VALUES: Know your values and understand what you want to feel each day. You are unique and everything you do is in an attempt to create a feeling. You choose activities, jobs and interactions with certain people based on how they make you feel. Having a clear understanding of what is truly important to you, allows you to steer you life in the direction of what matters. Your yeses and noes become clear and much easier to execute.

 

HOW? Working with a life coach can be extremely helpful in a supporting you as you discover what you value most. You can also ask yourself questions: What feelings do you most crave? What activities do you gravitate towards? In a perfect world, what qualities would every person possess? What do your answers  reveal about your values?

               “Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.” ~Rumi

 

Make this the year that you get to know yourself better - understand the power of directing your thoughts, get still and find your centre and begin to guide your life in the direction of your most fulfilling, must-have values.

 

Next week, I will share the remaining tools with you. Thanks for coming along.