Amy Collette's Blog: Positively Powered with Amy Collette, page 12

I want it now!

Anticipation, Anticipation
Is making me late
Is keeping me waiting....
~Carly Simon

I feel like throwing a temper tantrum right now, because I want it now! My book, that is. You hear about those programs that sell “How to write your book in two weeks!” While that may be possible, it’s all the other stuff that takes a lot of time.

Writing is just the first part of the process. You can easily spill out a lot of thoughts on paper (or pixels). But it’s the time-consuming rewriting that molds your work into something that tells a story or helps someone.

And then there’s professional editing, which all good writers need. And the design of the cover and the content. Collaborating with a book coach, editors, and reviewers makes your book better and makes you a better writer. And as I learned, a professional designer took my book to a new level.

If you want your book to represent you and your mission, patience pays. Take the time to make sure each of those steps produces the results you want.

I’m at the end of this process now, with the second edition of The Gratitude Connection. The proof from the printer is in hand, and I was hoping that I would find no problems with it. But, there are a couple of small issues, so I need to make those changes and go through the proofing process again. I’m keeping my disappointment at bay by knowing that the final product will be as good as I can make it.

Writing your book is a dream come true for you. Approach it with enthusiasm and a sense of fun, as well as a large dose of patience.

Why haven't you written your book yet?
Let's talk about how to get started: 303-579-9907

Thursday Thanks: Positive Relationships

We all know the destructive power of unhealthy relationships - they can tear down our self-esteem and make us angry, unhappy, and stressed out. It’s easy to get obsessed with that nasty person at work or the annoying neighbor upstairs. 

But the positive people in our lives give us energy make us feel happy, hopeful, and relieve our stress. Positive relationships help us “show up” as our best because we feel safe and supported. They encourage us to be positive and loving to ourselves and to the people we connect with. Healthy relationships also let us see the best in others and lovingly support them. Positive relationships allow our light to shine brighter. 

Let’s take a moment to thank the people we have healthy, supportive, loving, and all-around positive relationships with.

Thank you!

Looking For Something?

One summer day I started off my morning seeing a black squirrel – the kind with long ears. It darted across the road and up a tree.

Then as I was driving, a huge bird launched out of a tree just ahead, and I followed it down the road. I sped up to get a better look and realized it was an owl! I’ve seen owls before, but only once in flight. It’s an impressive sight.

At lunchtime I went to my favorite spot on the creek. Red dragonflies were darting around, mating in mid air.

I wonder why I see so many amazing things in one day. I never used to. But then I started looking.

That’s really all it takes – awareness. And that comes with practice. I’ve developed a practice of noticing things I’m grateful for, and that has a way of attracting beauty and wonder. Try taking a few minutes every day to look around you. Find some beauty to appreciate – a sunset, a friend, a son or daughter, your partner, a tree changing colors. Breathe in the moment and feel it – breathe in again and let it settle in your body. With a third breath, set the intention to carry that feeling with you.

You'll be amazed at what you see.

Thursday Thanks: Let it grow

It's spring, and suddenly all the trees are budding. It's easy to be in a good mood when the season is changing to warmer weather and things are green. But in this part of the country (Colorado), winter is not over. It was 70 degrees yesterday, but it's forecast to snow today. People around here can get a little grumpy when that happens. 

But why should our moods be so affected by changes in the weather? Does the weather make us happy? Sure, blue skies make a difference. But a happy outlook has more staying power than the weather patterns - we have choice about how we feel. 

Happiness is a habit that we can sustain, no matter if it's raining or how grumpy the boss is. Looking through the eyes of gratitude makes the happiness habit second nature.

Then a snowstorm becomes beautiful, the rain brings flowers, and your boss' bad mood becomes her business, not yours. You can try to cheer her up, but her happiness is her choice. Focus on yours and let it grow.  

What Does It Mean To Be Whole?

I like to  “get out of my mind” enough to hear the whispers of intuition, the voice of Spirit. Some kind of practice like meditation or a walk in the woods usually does it for me.

But I never thought of mind and spirit being connected to the two hemispheres of my brain until I heard this amazing talk by Jill Bolte-Taylor.

Dr. Bolte-Taylor is a brain scientist who explains, step by step, what happened to her during a massive stroke she had in 1996. She describes the two sides of our brain as having “two very different personalities.” The right hemisphere sees life “as an energy being” and “connected to each other as one human family. We are perfect, we are whole, and we are beautiful.”

Our left hemisphere, she says, “is a very different place. It thinks linearly and methodically.” It says, “I am a solid individual, separate from the energy flow around me and separate from you.”

Through the experience of her stroke, she felt each side taking over her body and mind in turn.

What she glimpsed in those times when the right hemisphere took over was “Nirvana.” She says, “I pictured a world filled with beautiful, peaceful, compassionate people… who could purposely choose to step to the right of their left hemispheres and find this peace.”

Although it took her eight years to recover, she calls her experience a “stroke of insight.”

She wraps up her talk by wondering which side of ourselves we would choose to live in.

I think that our challenge is to choose to live in both sides of our incredible brains. To me, that’s what it means to be whole. Most of the time we live on the left side – we’re rewarded for being logical and smart and accomplishing great things. But what do we get for growing spiritually? For choosing the flow and oneness of the right brain? In modern society, we don't get external rewards for that kind of growth. The rewards are internal, even though they affect our everyday lives. Focusing on the right side helps us see connect to our spiritual,  creative, divine selves. That connection can lead to deep, long-lasting happiness, peace, and satisfaction.

Dr. Bolte-Taylor describes it beautifully. When we’re in our right-brains, “…we are brothers and sisters on this planet, here to make the world a better place.”

A lot of us struggling to integrate these two sides of our brains. We love to be smart and accomplish goals using our brains, our technology and gadgets. We're also looking to deeply connect with ourselves, each other, nature, and spirit. 

So how do we do that? We can start by acknowledging that both sides are equally important and valuable.  And since our left brains are so smart and developed, we can afford to spend a bit more time and energy developing our right brains. Just getting the left side to be quiet is a big job - it's used to getting all the attention, after all. But you can calm down that busy brain with breathing and meditation. Then your neglected right brain gets to shine. Your intuition and wisdom can start talking to you. And you can start listening to that side that connects to "Nirvana." Who knows what amazing insights you'll find there!

Want to know more about quieting your noisy left brain and tapping into your right? Find out more at: Unleash Your Superpowers and Wild Grace Meditations

Thursday Thanks: Break the “Oh, *%*#!, I’m late!” habit

I'm late already!

How often do you bolt up in bed in the morning, look at the clock and think, “Oh, no! I’m late!” Then the rest of the mantra starts, “gotta rush, too much to do, where’s my stuff, I should have, I’m never gonna get it all done…”

That kind of panic pops you right into “fight or flight” mode, setting you up for a hectic day where you’ll never catch up or finish all the things on your list. This habit’s got to go if you want more peace and less stress.

It’s hard to just stop a bad habit. Trying to “not do” something all the time feels bad, as if you’re just waiting to feel guilty when  you slip up. Much better to replace an old habit with a new one.

Try this: For a week, set your alarm for 15 minutes before you really need to get out of bed. Spend a few moments of your extra time focusing on three things you feel grateful for. For each one, take a deep breath, put your hand over your heart, and really feel your gratitude.

(If you tend to nod off, you might want to sit up when you do this, or set the “snooze” button so it nudges you awake again…)

When you start the day this way, you might gain a new perspective on all those little things on your list. Some are definitely more important than others. Like hugging your partner or kids. Like reconnecting with an old friend or taking a stressed-out colleague to lunch.

Let me know how morning gratitude works for you! Hopefully you start the day off with less stress. Notice how you feel and your perspective during the day. You might notice some things start to change...

Claim Your Superpowers

You know you have them - let 'em shine!

Superpowers are just energies and how we choose to use them.  Sometimes we waste energy, sometimes we're not aware of the energy we have, other times we give away our energy to others by shrinking into  feeling "not enough" - smart enough, rich enough, good-looking enough, loving enough.

When you do that, you're showing up as a different person than you really are. You are unique in the world - no one else has your sense of humor, your wisdom and experience, or your quirky personality. What are you missing out on by not being who you are? And what is the world missing from you? You might not know until you decide to love and appreciate yourself enough to “go big” and claim the power within you.

Do something that scares you

I was recently invited to an exclusive luncheon - and I almost didn't go. I had to really fight the feeling that I didn't belong there - everyone there would know I wasn't "one of them" and I'd be snubbed. I knew that mental junk was just my ego trying to protect me, but the noise it created in my head was pretty loud.  I decided to claim my power and show up confidently. I wore something I felt good in, gave myself a pep talk, and walked in the room like I hung out with celebrities  every day. Once I did that, my focus shifted to the interesting people I had the opportunity to meet.

You can guess how it turned out: I had a great time. And I got a special treat - a mentor I had worked with years before was there. I immediately went up to her and re-introduced myself - and she surprised me by being just as thrilled to see me as I was to see her. We immediately reconnected and started to brainstorm ways we could work together again.  If I had let myself be defeated by the chatter in my head, I would not have had that wonderful experience.

How are you doing this in your own life? You could be missing opportunities to connect,  and  to have greater success and happiness. 

For more on how to claim your power, see the  Unleash Your Superpowers Workshop Series

 

Extending Your Runway

I read a great quote from James Altucher about his motivation for making money. “My only goal with money is zero to do with buying things but everything to do with extending the runway to enjoy the other pursuits in my life.”

I love the runway metaphor. Making money for money’s sake is an empty endeavor. But living a full life is vital. Combined with your personal energy, money is the fuel for that life.

But think about all the baggage we carry around about money. The language we use: Mean green, money is the root of all evil, filthy rich, fat cats. Even the term “saving” money has a negative connotation. It implies denying yourself immediate gratification for your future good.

All that negative thinking about money is another way of giving your energy away. At the very least, these thoughts about money lower your frequency. Just try this experiment: instead of saving money, decide that you will “build wealth.” Does that feel different?

I played a trick on myself to change my thinking about money. My husband Tom brought home a rustic old traveling trunk and asked me if I wanted it. I loved its funky look, and knew exactly how I’d use it. The trunk was the perfect filing cabinet/table in my office. I began to think of the trunk as my treasure chest, holding all my important papers. Then I decided to make bill paying part of my gratitude practice. Yes, it was a stretch, being grateful to pay my bills every month. But really, I was grateful to have more than enough money to pay them, since I had been through a very scarce time. I’d sit down by my trunk, light a candle, and say a little blessing for myself and the people  I was paying. I visualized the flow of money around the world, including through me.

Changing my energy and my thinking about money also relieved the stress of paying bills. I look forward to it now as a ritual. We can apply the same shift in our thinking to building wealth by feeling grateful for the money going toward retirement, investment, or a college fund. Understanding the money we have as part of the abundance in our lives helps extend the runway to enjoy life.

How can you extend your runway?

See Amy's book, The Gratitude Connection,
for more on how gratitude can transform your life.

Blessing for the grieving

In this time of grief and remembrance,
In this time of sadness and celebration,
May you find a gift within your loss.
That gift is gratitude for the love you have,
The times you shared,
The memories you made.
May Spirit help you keep your eyes and ears,
and all your senses, open to a new connection.
It might come any moment-
On a walk, while you’re driving,
or when you hear that certain song.
It’s a flower, or a smell, or a butterfly,
A dragonfly, a hawk or a crow.
And recognition gently reminds you.
Your love will always be.Let it sustain you when sadness rises,
When grief wells up and overtakes you.
May you find healing and peace.

Talk to the animals

One day my brother was playing with Keetna, my black lab. He looked up and said, "it's almost like she understands English!" We laughed, but that's exactly what we expect of the dogs we live with - that they understand us on our terms and even in our language.

But what if we could understand them on their terms? We have some common ground besides words - touch, eye contact, body language. Humans and canines use these communication avenues every day. If you're a dog lover, it's hard to resist reaching out to pet a dog - that's usually our first impulse. Eye contact is another way of reaching out. I'm always amazed at the steady gaze of dogs, as if they're figuring me out. Many people are uncomfortable with prolonged eye contact, but it's rare to find a dog that will constantly shift his gaze like we do.

We humans have other options for communicating that we don't think about much - smell, vocalizing in ways other than language, and intuitive connection. Dogs use these tools all the time. Now, I'm not suggesting that we use our sense of smell in the same ways dogs do, I am saying that we can be more tuned in to changes that in our dogs that we can pick up through the sense of smell. You probably notice that sometimes your companion's breath is bad and sometimes it smells fine. Sometimes your pet can have gas from an upset stomach - which is hard to ignore! These clues can give you a starting place to figure out what's going on with your pet's health.

Dogs are also great at vocalizing when they want your attention - barking, growling, or "talking."  My dog would get all excited when I came home. She would jump and bark and bark. It was a happy bark that she just had to express. I understood this behavior as telling me about her day - any stress or excitement that happened during my time away. If I just let her get it all out, she would relax. If I didn't let her "talk" to me, she would be restless for the next couple of hours. Either way, it kind of drove me crazy, but the barking lasted just a few minutes, so I usually let her do it. Then we could have a mellow evening.

I have a beagle neighbor who is a great singer - he does this howling-singing out the window to greet me when I get the mail. I'd love to howl back at him - it just seems the thing to do - a kind of joyous "how are you?" But I don't, because my human neighbors might wonder what was wrong with me. Sometimes it's fun let go and howl along with our canine friends - it's a great way to release stress and connect with your wild side at the same time.

When you're stressed or feeling down, do you notice that your dog seems to know that something is wrong? Many dogs are very attuned to their humans' changes in mood or thought. When I was an angst-ridden teenager, I had a wonderfully intuitive Australian Shepherd mix named Yogi. He was normally rambunctious, but would sit next to me and lean all his weight against me when I was sad. Yogi would let me hug him and cry into his fur for as long as I needed. When I felt better, he would go back to jumping fences and running around. 

Caring for a sick animal can make you more aware of what they're feeling. Although most of your information comes from watching your dog, you are also getting information from other avenues you might not be conscious of.  My friend Denise's dog Amber was very ill, throwing up and feeling lethargic. At some point, Denise "got a feeling" that her dog's condition was much worse, even though the dog's symptoms had not changed. Denise rushed her to the veterinarian, who determined that Amber had a twisted stomach and might not have made it if she'd gotten there any later.

You can probably relate to that "gut" or intuitive feeling that you get about your pets. They are communicating something to you, and, because you're so close to them, you are able to be open and receive the information.

There are ways to increase your skill at communicating with your dogs and other animals. You can practice making your senses more acute by focusing more on animals and their behavior and preferences. Observe the way they touch things and what they sniff. You can use meditation and visualization to better understand their perspectives. All these methods require "getting out of your mind," as animal communicator Trish Scott says. This means putting your constantly spinning, thinking mind aside and getting to that primitive brain that all animals (including us) share.

Wild Grace is your connection with nature - including your pets. Amy's Wild Grace meditations and readings help you connect.