Amy Collette's Blog: Positively Powered with Amy Collette, page 13

Send the year off Scoop-style

It's easy to put a label on the whole year: "Glad that one's over, bring on a new one!" Or maybe it was a terrific year and you're a little sad to see it go. Either way, there were some things to celebrate. 

Here's a little ritual to send off this year and welcome 2015. You can do this by yourself or teach the whole gang at the New Year's party: Take a moment to think about all you're grateful for: the people in your life, the events that happened, the places you've been, your achievements, experiences, and successes large and small. Now imagine all the energy in your gratitude and scoop it up in your arms. Then, raise your arms over your head and let that energy go: share that positive power with the world.

Now keep your arms up to welcome the new year and everything it brings. It helps to start off the year expecting the best - that whatever takes place, you'll grow, learn, and love. Ok, you can let your arms down now .

Now that you know how to Scoop, you can celebrate every day of your year this way. It's an easy start to your gratitude practice! 

Here's how to do it: See The Scoop in action

Thanksgiving Every Day

Wouldn’t it be great to bring the feeling of Thanksgiving into your life every day? That's all it takes to have a gratitude practice - just a few moments every day to notice and celebrate what you love and appreciate.

Around the table this year on Thanksgiving, we took turns talking about what we were grateful for. I was touched by what people shared – especially the kids. Their total honesty and innocence inspired the adults to be less serious. The adults tended to be grateful for their families, their kids, and for living through tough times during the past year. The kids said some of the same things, but they were also grateful for a favorite food or for beating their uncle at table tennis.

So, let’s keep it going! With Thanksgiving still on your mind, it's a great time to start a gratitude practice and keep that positive power flowing. Just spend a little time every day to celebrate the good things in your life. Take a few moments to enjoy a sunset, notice a bird sing, or share a moment of love and appreciation. 

What do you want to celebrate today?

Mission Impossible: Stress-Free Holidays

The holidays are coming - time for good cheer, happy memories... and the stress of getting through it all unscathed. This time of year can be a lot of fun, and it can also be incredibly stressful. There's travel, family relationships, cooking, cleaning, cold weather, shopping, and any number of other things to stress out about. There's also the anxiety of "what if" that gets your mind spinning: What if my sister pushes my buttons? What if Fred gets drunk and hits on mom again? You know what I mean - the commercials make it all look perfect, but in real life it's a whole lot messier.

Before you get too spun up about all the things that could go wrong, take a deep breath and relax for 10 minutes with this guided meditation (below). You'll learn how to banish the worry and create a calm and peaceful place for yourself any time you need to. 

Here's to your calmest, happiest holiday season! 

I'd love to know how this helps, and what other stressbusting techniques you use. Please drop me a line or leave a comment below.

Next step: Connect with even deeper calm and grounding with the Wild Grace Fox meditation.

The Secret Power of Time

Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.
Sir Francis Bacon  - English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 - 1626)

I recently watched this brilliant presentation about different perspectives on time, called The Secret Power of Time. In it, Phillip Zimbardo talks about his research about how different cultures perceive time.

One finding is that societies are defined by how they understand and see time. In countries that have a predominant Protestant population, people tend to be future oriented because of the belief that hard work has its rewards in heaven. They tend to make more money and save for the future. In Catholic countries, people tend to be past or present oriented, so they look back and live today, believing that their fate is predestined.

The most interesting finding for me is that in a poll of Americans, 60 percent of people said they are busier than ever. Busy in the pursuit of success - at the cost of time with family, friends, and even sleep. Asked what they would do with an eighth day every week, most said they would use it to become more successful - they would do one more day of work!

I'm staggered by the conclusions of this study, but I have to admit that I fall into those habits sometimes. I have to convince myself sometimes that it’s okay to sit on the couch and read a book. There are a million other things I could or “should” do, but that's what I want to do and it feels good. So I occasionally allow myself that "lazy" pleasure.

Not so long ago - okay, a hundred years or so ago, it was considered "improving" to read, just to add to your own knowledge. But it seems now that self-improvement isn't enough. Our society and the nagging voices in our heads say, “What are you producing? Who are you helping while you do that?”

Is simply "being" enough?

It makes me think about how we define success. In our culture, it's material success, money, the way things look, being at a certain level of wealth by a certain age, job titles, cars, homes, kids' educations, and on and on.

You can take back your power and allow yourself to define what success means to you. It might mean something different from what your parents defined or what your neighbors are doing. Your superpowers lie in living out your dreams and ambitions, whatever they are.

The ultimate power comes with answering the question: what does it mean to practice being you? You might need to sit on the couch for a day to figure it out…

Emulate your superhero

Think of a person you know who really has it together - they're  successful, fun to be around, and seem confident in who they are. That  kind of person claims their power, and shows up big. That's what makes  them magnetic - the kind of person people feel drawn to.

I think of my friend Linda - she always seems calm and centered. When  I'm with her I immediately slow down - I know that she takes time to  consider what she says, so I do, too. I also feel a great love from her -  she loves herself and emanates that to everyone around her.  She's a  role model for me. 

A coach once told me that the things that I'm attracted to in other  people are qualities that I have myself. That idea stunned me at first,  but of course it's true. I'm drawn to that quality in Linda that makes  me feel like I'm the only other person in the room when I'm with her.  That she's giving me her undivided attention and couldn't be happier to  do so.

Is that a superpower? I think so. For me to claim that power in  myself means that I have to focus. Turn off the spinning that goes  around in my head all the time and be present right now. It's about  being in that quiet, safe place I go in meditation. Nothing else enters  my world except that connection with the person I'm with.

See: Unleash Your Superpowers class