Stop shaming yourself and others

Most of us have had experiences where we have kept our truth quiet or hidden because we were taught to do so as children or we've created beliefs about how we "should" be and are not living up to those standards. However by doing so, we unintentionally create shame around our truths. And, when we become shameful of our truths, we end up cutting off, discrediting, and devaluing a hugely important chunk of who we are and how we show up in the world. Today, it is time to stop shaming yourself when you feel as if you aren't perfect. And, just as important- stop allowing superficial people from shaming you when you aren't being the perfect person or friend. Today, it is time to reclaim your truth and value its power. It is time that you feel all your feelings and accept that you are not perfect and that is perfectly okay. And, when you begin to accept your imperfections, you will release energy, old shame, and subconscious blocks that may now be holding you back from living your life to the fullest. Today, reclaim your truth and value its power. When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.

Just for today, I am a beautiful, blessed child of the Universe-inside and out. I am important. I am valuable. I am loved. I am safe. I am enough. And so it is.

New Moon Intentions

Today, we have our first New Moon of the year, in Aquarius and it brings with it healing and hope. It has been a bit of an intense start of the year and you might feel as if you haven't had that "fresh start" feeling of renewal that most New Years typically bring. But, this New Moon will bring us all some surprising realizations, insights and awakenings-always in the name of freedom and making certain that change will happen. Change can manifest in a variety of ways, but it seems that this New Moon will be working on our emotions and triggering us to change the way we have been feeling about an event or our lives, in general. We all need to get better at feeling our emotions. We need to stop burying, hiding or stuffing our emotions and allow ourselves to move through the world with a little more emotional freedom. Today, by the light of this New Moon ask yourself what it is that no longer feeds your soul; who and what you can let go of that no longer nourishes your soul and what aspects of your work are no longer meaningful. Today, allow yourself to get real with yourself and let go of the people, places and things that serve no purpose in your life. And, in some cases they are using you and your energy, holding you back and keeping you stuck. It is time to let your true self shine. Begin today!

Just for today, I am willing to let go. I give myself permission to let go. I am willing to let go of everything that no longer serves any purpose in my life-people, places, beliefs and habits. I let go of all expectations and flow easily and lovingly with Life. I know only good awaits me at every turn. I let go of all childhood fears. I am now a secure, empowered human being. I am safe and I feel free when I let go of things. All is truly well in my world. And so it is.

Stillness

Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself. And today would be a good day for you to make time to be quiet and still so that you can hear the guidance and the answers to all the questions you have been seeking. Today, allow yourself to be still and quiet and ask what you can let go of and what intentions are no longer in alignment with your heart. Make a conscious effort to stop seeking what you need outside of yourself and know that you will always find your answers in stillness.

Just for today, I allow myself to be quiet and still and I amazed at what I discover. Life is just waiting to share its secrets with me. As I quiet down and focus on the beautiful things in my life, I open myself to up to my own healing powers.I am willing to let go of everything that no longer serves my highest good. I am safe and secure in my own world. And, everything is working out for my highest good. And so it is.

Slow down, calm down, don't worry, don't hurry -trust the process of Life!

This year is all about building new foundations and to do so takes patience, perseverance and daily attention and intention. This is not a race and you are in the process of learning lots of new things about yourself and the world around you. Today, do not push yourself to make things happen especially if you are not clear on the direction you want to go. Rather, focus on taking care of your body and spirit and your life will get better every day. Remember, progress has little to do with speed but much to do about direction. Today slow down, calm down, do not hurry, do not worry and trust the process of life.

Just for today, I will not allow noise, chatter or setbacks to distract me. I will allow purpose, patience, commitment and grace to guide me.I choose to feel good about myself no matter what others say, think or do. I choose to love and approve of myself no matter what. I am safe in the Universe and all Life loves me. Everything is working out for my highest good. And so it is.

Freedom

For the past month, our Sun and five other planets have been in the sign of Capricorn. Capricorn is a slow and steady sign but with all those planets in that sign, you could have ended up feelings stagnant and restricted. Today, our Sun moves into the freedom loving Aquarius. Aquarius promotes uniqueness and forward thinking-which we all could use some of that for sure. For the next four weeks, we get to enjoy that freedom inspiring energy. Today begin this next cycle by setting your intentions to recognize how free you truly are in every minute to create the life you desire. You have the freedom to choose in every minute how you respond and what you believe to be true about yourself. You have the freedom to not compare yourself to other people and, you have the freedom to let go of your past and live freely in this moment, when in truth, anything is possible. Today, celebrate your freedom and make choices that move you forward and that are aligned with you highest good. Today celebrate the freedom to be you.

Just for today, I free myself of destructive fears and doubts. I give myself the gift of freedom from the past and move with joy into the now. I am willing to forgive everyone in my life, I release them with love. They are now free and I am now free to move forward with love in my heart. I know that Life is really simple. What I give out comes back to me. I choose to give out love. I am safe. It is only change. All is truly well in my world and so it is.

You deserve to have healthy boundaries!

Boundaries are an essential part of self-care. They are healthy, normal, and necessary. And, they are something that most of us struggle with creating and maintaining in our relationships. In fact boundaries aren't about another person, but about ourselves because they help us to recognize our own needs. They show us it is perfectly acceptable to have needs and to take care of them. Always! On the other hand, not having healthy boundaries allows you to deny your needs through focusing on everyone's needs, through numbing behavior, such as: people pleasing, addiction, overworking, overspending, over drinking, procrastination, and unhealthy relationships. Whatever your personal preference, all of those behaviors allow you to disconnect from who you really are and how you really feel. The more you deny your needs, the louder they shout to try and get your attention through your resentments, so you have to keep numbing or rationalizing them away to quiet them down, and that’s no way to live. Today, is the day that you begin to become conscious of how and where you have the responsibility to set better boundaries in your life. You must establish boundaries to promote and protect your self-care, self-worth, and self-love. It is only from that place that you can truly take care of yourself, which in turn allows you to truly be there for others. Creating healthy boundaries means that you take responsibility for yourself, your time, your feelings, and your energy instead of allowing yourself to be battered around by everyone else’s needs. Boundaries allow you to take control of you rather than allowing others to control you. Today, recognize that boundaries are tools that enable you to feel safe, strong, and empowered in your relationships. As you get better at setting them, you’ll begin to feel more empowered by the truth that it’s not only your right, but your duty, to make the choices that are best for you. Today, dare to set boundaries and to have the courage to love yourself, even when if you risk disappointing others.

Just for today, I set healthy boundaries. I deserve healthy boundaries and my boundaries are respected. I am a master at setting boundaries that save my time, energy, creativity and emotional well being. I maintain healthy boundaries but remain open to the goodness of others. I am safe, divinely guided, protected and loved. All is truly well in my world. And so it is

Flexibility

"Whatever is flexible and living will tend to grow. whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die." Real power comes from flexibility, not rigidity or your dogged determination of reaching a goal even if you know that it just doesn't work for you any longer. Goals are good, but trying to constantly force your will is not only exhausting, but excruciatingly futile. Today, recognize that flexibility in thinking and action is what brings true happiness and use this day to allow yourself to let go of any intentions that might have felt good previously, even if it was last week. Today ask yourself if you can aim even higher than you have previously done before. Then, allow yourself to let go of those intentions that you know are not going to happen for your highest good. Today, be willing to change because Life never stays the same or never quite works out exactly as you planned. Today, be willing to be flexible and flowing; be willing to aim higher and be willing to change.

Just for today, I am flexible and flowing. My personality is flexible and flowing. It is easy for me to change. I am willing to let go of all that no longer serves any purpose in my life. I feel safe in the rhythm and flow of my every changing life. Life supports me in every possible way and out of this situation only good will come. And so it is.

Accept

Part of the real beauty of life is that it’s unpredictable. Nothing is permanent, everything changes; and of course, a lot of things can happen that will transform who you are and have an impact on your life. The problem is that you and I need to cultivate the ability to truly accept whatever comes our way and embrace it.We need to develop the habit of looking at whatever happens through a positive mindset instead of a negative, defeatist one. We might want things to be very different in the future, but in the present moment we need to accept things as they are. That’s the way we can make our lives flow smoothly instead of roughly. Today, stop fighting; wondering, worrying and lamenting about people, places and things in your life and accept them instead of constantly fighting to change them. Acceptance is a choice—a hard one most definitely, but a choice nonetheless. Acceptance is the key to convert momentary happiness to enduring happiness. It helps you move from feeling happy to actually being happy. And, practicing acceptance prepares you to live in this changing world, where you never know what’s going to happen next. Acceptance is like protecting yourself with your own shield. To clarify, acceptance is not at all related to weakness, and is definitely not a synonym of conformity or mediocrity. We all need to learn how to identify when it’s time to persist and when it’s time to accept. Today, begin to substitute your suffering with acceptance and with the belief that everything happens for a reason and that better things will always follow. It is hard to practice acceptance when you deeply wish things were different. But the truth is, sometimes you just can’t change our reality, no matter how hard you try. So instead of staring at the closed door in front of you, or getting tired and bruised while you try to break it down, today turn around and see how many other windows and doors you have to open. Today know that serenity that you seek awaits you when you trade expectations with acceptance.

Just for today, I now release all my expectations, knowing that Life will always take care of me. I let go all expectations and flow freely and lovingly with Life. I know that if I focus on what I do not want that is exactly what I will get more of. I focus my attention on loving and accepting myself. I am so much more than I give myself credit for. I accept what is. I let go of what was and I have faith in what will be. Everything is always working out for my highest good. And so it is.

Dive deep

We have been on an emotional roller coaster since the start of this year. And, although your feelings are intended to be guiding you on your journey, you may have been finding ways, usually unhealthy ways, to avoid those feelings. You may choose to remain silent in the face of confrontation instead of speaking out and defending yourself, or you might hide behind your anger instead of admitting that you are frustrated and scared. You may have chosen to return to old and worn out relationships, activities and habits that you clearly know serve no purpose in your life and now are being used to distract you from your truth. Furthermore, those avoidance techniques are in reality keeping you stuck and are stopping you from moving forward. Today, instead of looking for people, places, things, and habits to avoid feeling your feelings, why not make some time to tune into them and allow them to help guide you on your next steps. Today, ask yourself what you need to let go of in order to be happy and how can you begin to expect more from your life. Then, allow yourself to listen to your feelings and know that they will not go away until you choose to process them, no matter how busy you keep yourself, no matter how medicated you keep yourself or no matter how much your monkey mind tells you it's all okay to avoid your feelings, you will be forced to process them. Today, harness those feelings instead and allow them to help you make the positive changes that you are being guided to make, even if you've been avoiding them.

Just for today, I listen to my feelings and I am gentle with myself. I know that all my feelings are my friends. I am safe when I express my feelings. I can remain serene under all circumstances. I am willing to let go of everything that no longer serves any purpose in my life. I choose to belief that I am worthy of all that is good in life. I am safe and everything is always working out for my highest good. And so it is.

Life can be unfair...but you do not need to be a victim

There are many things in this Life that can be perceived as "unfair" and sometimes that is exactly what Life is. However, grumbling about injustice does not make things just, and the hostility and frustration that comes from holding onto all the injustices in your life doesn’t help you effectively address things that you are actually able to fix. Today, acknowledge that sometimes, Life is unfair and that you cannot create positive change from a negative mindset. Today recognize that you must stop seeing yourself as a victim if you want to access your personal power. Today acknowledge that Life isn't always fair and sometimes there is no changing it. And although you may not be able to change the injustice, accept that you do have the power to control your response to the perceived wrongs.Dwelling on unfairness doesn’t do anything to change it; it actually affects your ability to do that since obsessive thinking drains your energy, magnifies your emotions, and keeps you more focused on problems than solutions. Today accept that you cannot change mistreatment that happened in the past. You can address mistreatment that’s happening now. You can't change the behavior or the actions of another person. You can change how you respond to them.Sometimes there will be unfair things that you simply need to accept, and it might feel instinctive to fight that. You and I are only human, and we will sometimes give in to our emotional responses. But, today recognize that what is important is that you try to move beyond those perceived injustices, so you don’t let the things you can’t control take control of you. Today stop yourself from being a victim of your life's circumstances and your own thinking and become of master of your mind and of your life. If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.

Just for today, I am not a helpless victim of my thoughts. I am a master of my mind. It does not matter what other people say or do. What does matter is how I choose to respond and what I choose to believe about myself. I choose to believe that I deserve the very best in Life and I lovingly allow myself to accept it. I am safe. It is only change and in truth all is truly well in my world. And so it is.

Are you true to you?

Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's real birthday. He is known for having a dream of justice and equality for all people and he fought relentlessly to achieve that dream. Today, honor Dr. King's memory, by being true to yourself and standing up for what you believe is right. The days of you being a chameleon and changing who you are depending on who you are with are over! Each and every time that you are inauthentic to who you are, you diminish you light and your existence. Every day in every moment you are asked to be true to you; to what you belief is right, even if it is inconvenient or rocks the boat of those around you. Being true to your self is a constant decision that you make daily. Today set your intentions to hold your dreams in your heart and take one step to act on them. Your choice will change your life and the world around you.

Just for today, no person, place or thing has any power over me for I am the only thinker in my mind. Life mirrors my every thought. As I keep my thoughts positive, Life brings me only positive experiences. I easily speak up for myself. I ask for what I want. I am good enough. I am deserving of my own love and out of this situation only good will come. And so it is.

Nourishment

“Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” It is amazing how easily we forget to appreciate the simple day-to-day luxuries that we are granted with our body. We assume that as we exhale, there will always be an inhalation to follow. We assume that when we lay our head down on our pillow at night, our heart will beat, our blood will flow, and we will open our eyes in the morning. We go on day after day, running around with a mile-long to-do list without taking a moment to check in with our body to acknowledge how it’s feeling today. As a result, our health and well-being end up last on that list of priorities. We pretend we are superhuman, existing on caffeine in place of adequate sleep and snacks from the vending machine in place of meals. Today is the day that you begin to make your body and physical self a priority. When you go-go-go without giving your body the nourishment and care that it needs to thrive, your body begins to give you the sign that it needs attention. Today, begin to listen and act on your body's signals that you need to slow down and give your body what it is asking you for. There is nothing you need to prove to anyone. You are worthy now. Who you are and where you are right now is enough. Today, nourish your body in every way you can. Prioritize your priorities by carving out the time in your schedule for the things that matter to you most. Multitask less, be present in the moment more. Life is so much more enjoyable when you are engaged and present versus on your phone texting, Facebooking-all illusions that you give your time, power and sometimes your well being over to. The more you practice taking really good care of your body, the more it will reward you with good health, tons of clarity, energy, and the ability to experience all the good that life has to offer you! Today, treat your precious body with love and kindness. This is your body—yours—and it’s the only one you’ve got. Today choose to treat it well.

Just for today, nourishing myself is a joyful experience. I am worth the time spent on my healing. I nourish myself by saying no when I mean no and yes when I mean yes. I know what I need and I do not have to apologize for it. I am so grateful for my healthy body. I love Life and Life loves me. I am safe. It is only change and everything is working out for my highest good. And so ti is.

Stop looking for love and approval in all the wrong places.

"When you do not seek or need approval, you are at your most powerful." Today the Universe wants you to stop seeking validation outside yourself and to start loving and approving of yourself instead! What people do, or don’t do, doesn’t determine your worth. Your value doesn’t come from another person; it comes from yourself. People may not encourage you, but you can encourage yourself. People may project their issues onto you. But, you do not need to accept them and make their issues your issues. People may not make you feel special, but you can make yourself feel special. Today, recognize and accept that your life will change completely when you stop needing other people's approval of who you are and what you do. You will have better relationships if you start validating yourself instead of becoming needy and waiting for other people to give you your approval fix. Today, begin to learn the principle of not relying on people for your worth and start generating your own approval and acknowledgment. The less you depend on people for validation, the stronger you will become and the further you will grow. Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years. Today try loving and approving of yourself and see what happens.

Just for today, I love and approve of myself. I am far more than other people's opinions. My opinion of myself is the only one that counts. I no longer wait to be perfect in order to love myself. I love and approve of myself exactly as I am. I reclaim my own power now and I lovingly create my own reality. I am safe. I am powerful and everything is working out for my highest good. And so it is.