Happiness Is An Inside Job

Simple Joy

This is a picture I took when I first moved into my house last year.  I was so excited to see an owl on top of a telegraph pole.  Then I noticed that it hadn't actually moved while I'd been looking at it.  I went back a while later and noticed it still hadn't moved.  At that point I began to realise it wasn't actually real. 

Initially I was disappointed, but then it turned to joy again.  Someone had bothered to put a model owl on top of a telegraph pole.  They had climbed to the top and positioned it so perfectly.  

I thought what a wonderful place to live.  I felt like I'd moved to some magical place where people still cared . 

The simple things in life can still bring great joy - even a plastic owl!  I still look at that owl and it brings me the same pleasure every time - someone bothered to do it.

Remember Who You Are

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

In this busy world it is so easy to forget who we really are. Life can become one endless treadmill.  Get up, go to work, come home from work, eat, fall asleep.  Then start it all over again.  During all of these activities, there can be some sense of fulfilment, achievement, even a laugh or two but what really is difficult to hold onto in this busy world is the STILLNESS WITHIN.  This is the part of us that keeps us balanced, helps us to make positive choices, tells us when to stop, rest, go within, allowing us to come home to ourselves.

In this coming home to ourselves all the stress and strain can melt away, we can access a wisdom beyond our logical imagination.  Life just seems easier and the stuff that really doesn't matter can fall away.  Make a commitment to yourself to REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.  Make some quiet still time for yourself.  Breath deeply and slowly, bring your awareness inside the centre of your body, rest there, get to know your true self.  You are amazing.

Change Versus 'Better The Devil You Know'

How many of us remember the saying 'Better The Devil You Know, Than The Devil You Don't Know'  How many times has that held people stuck in life.

We fear change so much that we stop with 'familiar' how ever uncomfortable it may be. It amazes me the power of familiar, how it makes us feel safe even if we don't like it.  It's really worth being aware of this and slowly starting to dare to move away from it.   Moving out of our comfort zone may seem frightening but it's really worth giving it a go.  Who knows what wonders are out there waiting for us.   Someone recently said to me 'comfort is over rated' and it's true, if we dare to move beyond it we can grow beyond our wildest imagination.  So go for change, dare to live and watch your life transform.  Trust your inner feelings to guide you to take the right steps.  You deserve to be happy.

Blessings Retreat and it's not religious

Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire

I've just been away on a 'Blessings Retreat' in Derbyshire run by Pierre Pradervand author of 'The Gentle Art Of Blessing'.  It was a lovely experience and I've finally got the message, to be really happy we have to work at it, otherwise we are just at the mercy of life being thrown around by the circumstances of our life.

The good news is that the working at it is really quite simple.  All we have to do it send out blessings, kind thoughts, love or even just an intention, as often as we can, all day long.  As the saying goes 'the more the merrier'.  By doing this we are constantly putting ourselves into a positive energy and what we give out we get back.  The law of attraction, like attracts like. 

The really good thing about this is, even when you are really down you can do it and it will lift you.  Think of someone or something really special to you and send them/it love and notice how much better you feel.

The next step then is to send yourself blessings/love in the form of an affirmation :  I send love and blessings to myself in my joy of life, my vibrant health and vitality.  Send it in the positive as if you already have it.  You can add whatever you want.  It's so much fun and amazing how good you start to feel. 

At one point over the weekend we were sent off for half and hour on our own and told to notice everything around us and send it blessings/love/positive energy.  I found myself walking really briskly and being grateful for my body being able to do this.  I even had a little run to appreciate the fact that my body could run.  It gave me a sense of freedom and joy of the moment.  I then climbed a stile and saw 20 baby cows (I know they are called calves but I like to call them babies and I counted them).  They were all laid down in the sun and they let me walk amongst them.  I even touched one of them.  I stood amongst them for about 5 minutes and sent them love and blessings that they have a happy life and they are always treated well. I felt quite emotional at such an experience, their innocence and trust they had of me and their beauty.

I then walked back briskly enjoying being in my body, noticing all the wonders around me.  In Derbyshire there are a lot of wonders to see.

People sometimes associate the work 'blessings' with religion but really it has nothing to do with religion it is just a kindness.  When someone sneezes we say 'bless you', it's a good word that I think we should use more often.

I send BLESSINGS to you all that your lives continue to bring you happiness, health and wellbeing.  (Positive affirmation for you)

Stuff

What do we really want in life?  We think it's 'stuff', possessions, a bigger house, a newer car, a better job but what we all really want, is quite simply happiness.  All of the things that we want only actually give us a feeling.  When we get that new car we are so excited, we adore it, we feel proud everytime we walk up to it, but it doesn't last, soon it just becomes 'the car' again like the last one did. 

So why don't we just aim for the feeling of happiness, without the constant struggle to obtain 'more, bigger, better'.  If we can find that inner happiness then we are actually in the right vibrational alignment to actually attract all these lovely things we like.  There is nothing wrong with having nice things, it's when we 'need' them to feel happy to prove to the world that we are OK, we've made it, we're successful, then it's gone wrong.  We are all OK exactly as we are, right now, whether we have all the 'stuff' or not.  There is nothing to prove.  Take the pressure of yourself, relax a bit and enjoy life.  What anyone else thinks of you is none of your business, it really doesn't matter.  What you need to be concerned with is what you think of yourself, but not that ego opinion which one moment will tell you that you are great then the next moment it's knocking you down to the floor feeling unworthy.  Connect to the real you, that still quiet place inside of yourself.  This real you will always speak to you kindly, gently, lovingly, you will always be good enough.  What a relief, what a joy.  The battle and struggle is over.  All is well.  You really are good enough right now.  Enjoy the feeling, enjoy life, enjoy your 'stuff' but don't need it.

Bereavement

The pain of a loved one passing away can be excruciating.  I remember the morning my mum passed away, being shocked at the extent of this pain.  I remember making a decision there and then that I would get over this, I would do whatever it took to heal this pain, and I wasn't going to carry it around with me for the rest of my life.  She would want me to be happy again. 

I had just finished my training to be a Journey Therapist and thought this is the real challenge, put into practice what I learned.  No therapy can take away the grieving process, nor would it be right to, we need this to acknowledge the depth of love we felt for that person and to heal.  It just wouldn’t feel right to feel normal straight away.

I had learned that to heal and release pain we have to dare to really open into it.  Our natural instinct is to run from it, avoid it, keep busy, anything to stop us feeling it.  But if we stop resisting it, actually welcome it, and open into it, it can be a relief.  That running away can be as overwhelming as the pain itself.

So, as I lay in bed at 5am, after being up all night saying my farewells to my mum, I surrendered to the pain and I sobbed and wailed.  I few months later my husband actually mentioned that he was concerned that I probably woke the neighbours, but knowing I needed to do this, he said nothing at the time and hoped the neighbours would understand.

A few hours later I got up and realised we needed to go the supermarket, there was no food in.  I could have let my husband go, but I didn't want to be alone so I went with him.  Half way round the store the pain overwhelmed me and I sobbed in the aisle.  There was no one about and the moment passed again.  I managed to get through the checkout, but as I walked out of the store into the morning light, the pain and shock hit me again, even stronger.  As I pushed my shopping trolley I sobbed uncontrollably.  I became aware of people looking at me, very uncomfortably.  We have been taught as a nation to suppress our pain, hold it in, stiff upper lip, and don’t show yourself up.  As I dared to express my pain, I felt like it reminded people of their own suppressed pain that they hadn't dared to release.  I felt a sense of people looking at me as if I shouldn't be out, I should be hid away where no one could see me.  I felt sad about that too.

When at home I discovered if I dared to go right into the core of the pain, imagining myself stepping into it like a fire, and I stopped with it, eventually it disappeared and I was left with a deep feeling of peace.  Those feelings of peace were like a lifeline to me.  They may only have lasted a couple of hours, but 2 hours of peace were heaven to me, they gave me the strength to carry on and the knowledge that I could cope.

In a Journey process a client can be guided into their emotions and in a nurturing environment feel comfortable to open and release them, staying with whatever feelings come up until the wisdom and love within them takes them to that place of peace and stillness.  People often say they feel lighter after experiencing this, like a weight has been lifted from them.

Another part of the Journey process is what's called the 'campfire'.  At this campfire you get to express anything to anyone, whether they are alive or deceased.  It can be such a relief, all the things you never got to say, can be said.  It can feel very real and have a huge healing impact.

Fortunately during my training I had had endless 'campfires' with my mum and told her how much I loved her and I felt her love returned to me.  We weren't the sort of family that said 'I love you' so for me it was an opportunity to say those words.  When she died I felt like all my affairs were in order with her, we both understood the depth of love we had for each other even though it was never said in person.  

Even though I did this healing before my mum passed away, it can also be done afterwards, it is NEVER too late to heal those wounds.  It is possible to feel at peace about any relationship by healing it within.

As the first Christmas without my mum approached, I felt an overwhelming feeling of dread.  Then I read a book called 'Ask and it is given' by Esther and Jerry Hicks and it changed everything.  Basically it said stop thinking about anything you don't wont.  So I stopped thinking about dreading Christmas and focused on the present moment.  Christmas came and on Christmas morning the card with just dad's name on, triggered the tears, but they came, I felt the sadness, surrendered to it and it passed. I was amazed, I actually had a nice Christmas day and all I could think is that is what my mum would have wanted.  She always tried to make Christmas special for us as children and adults and she still managed to do it after she had gone. 

Time has passed now and I did heal those wounds and I did get over it.  I can feel her love within me always, perhaps in some ways even stronger than before.  I still sometimes feel sad, but that's OK.  I don't ache, I don't long, and I don't hurt.  Sad is OK, but most of the time I feel happy because I know that is what she always wanted for all of us.  So the greatest gift I can give to her is to be HAPPY.

With love to my mum.

How the Journey transformed this lady's life.

Journey therapy can connect you to the JOY of who you really are.

The Journey - Brandon Bays Q&A with Lynne McTaggart

This is Brandon Bays, creator of the Journey process talking to scientist Lynne McTaggart on inner healing

Talk at the Mind, Body, Spirit Event Grimsby Auditurium, Sunday 30th January - 1pm

I just wanted to share with you that I am doing a talk at the Mind, Body, Spirit event at Grimsby Auditurium on Sunday 30th January 2011 at 1pm.  I will be sharing some of the teachings of Journey Therapy, discussing the importance of forgiveness for ourselves, not the other person, giving a 5 minute meditation showing how simple it can be to find inner stillness, and my client, and now friend, Debbie Roe will be speaking about her personal experience over the last 10 months with Journey Therapy.

Look forward to seeing any of you that live locally there.  Please come and say "hi" to me on my stand.  I will be there Saturday and Sunday.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone.  The New Year is a great time to wipe the slate clean and start afresh.  Set positive goals and hold the vision of them within.  The wonderful Abraham Hicks teaches about being in 'The Vortex' to manifest all you desire.  To simplify the Vortex, to me, it means being in a happy, positive place.  Like attracts like, so to manifest positve things we need to be in a positive place.  So why not fake it until you make it.  Try and think of anything that will make you feel better, whatever is going on in your life.

If you want to be fit, healthy and slender, then don't think about how unfit, unhealthy and overweight you are, because if like attracts like, you are going to get more of the same.  Think about how great it will feel when you ARE fit, healthy and slender, walking down the street with a bounce in your step, doing the things you do with a lightness. 

Before you go to bed set the intention to sleep deeply and peacefully and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and looking forward to the day ahead, ready to make positive choices during the day with great joy. 

As you wake up in the morning and still in that beautiful half awake, half asleep state, send positive energy ahead of you for the day.  Imagine it meeting you everywhere you go and with everyone you meet.  Imagine it being a really positive day whatever you are doing.  Joy within can be found anywhere, whatever you are doing.

During the day say positive affirmations to yourself, constantly programming your mind to stay in a positive place.  Examples are : I ......(name)....... am naturally healthy and slender, I easily maintain my ideal weight of ................   Today is a very happy day and I feel good.  I feel confident about my business suceeding.  Money comes from unexpected sources, I can trust the universe to provide for me.   You can make your own affirmations to suit whatever you are wanting to create/manifest in you life at any given time.

A little bit of effort in your thinking can have a HUGE impact on your life.  Go for it, give it a try and watch the transformation.