Tag: authenticity

Why We Need To Slow The F*** Down

Published 08/08/2015

Pardon the language in my title. But seriously. I’ve just finished a book (I read a lot of books sometimes) written by my partner’s aunt, called Have You Ever Had A Hunch?

It’s a book about the importance of creative thinking and being in tune to your inner creative intuition. It looks at all of the ways that we repress ourselves and how society blocks our creativity. But there were a couple points in this book that really stood out that I must share.

Living in a Hurry -Up Culture

We have become overstimulated and overwhelmed by all of the choices available to us and there are way too many options that stand in the way of deep examination.

“Political “experts” sell their pre-packaged thinking, financial analysts, theirs. Into whose interpretation of political events or economic eventualities should we buy? What commodity will reflect well on us? Which new fashions will enhance us? What cereal displayed in the rows and rows of cereals in the ultra-super-megastore should we choose? Which of the latest technological applications is best? How long will it take for it to become outdated? How do you keep up with the ever-changing future? How much more time will we spend trying to make choices? Will there fever be enough time to explore our individual creative desires?” ~ Have You Ever Had A Hunch?

It’s incredible! Because we are being bombarded with information, we rarely have a moment to sit and contemplate everything thrown at us, and we don’t take any time to listen to what our own souls are crying for us to do.

People who are removed from their own instincts about things become more and more confused by the multiple perspectives they are constantly being offered and become incapable of defining their own world view. And thus, we suffer from a loss of authenticity. This is something I can really relate to sadly.

Our poor kids today are growing up in a busy culture as well, and not having time to themselves to create and be imaginative.

“In the United States today, it is the age of the microwave child, many of whom have never kneaded dough, never watched a meal being cooked from scratch. The ingredients are not of importance; it’s the finished product that counts…a goal is achieved without the creative process, without the stimulation and sacrifice of work. Instead, there exists a need for instant gratification.” ~ Have You Ever Had A Hunch?

Our Lack of Solitude

“There might be a place inside your head where ideas dwell, but nowhere to bring these to fruition is a cruncher.” ~ Have You Ever Had A Hunch?

Creative people need a space for solitude in order to reach those depths within. But many people are afraid to be alone with themselves. But being alone allows us to really think, it’s required if we want to get to know ourselves, and not get distracted by the constant information out there.

But anyway, enough about that. I just wanted to share those nuggets of information should you be inclined to check out the book!

This week…

I didn’t end up biking to work at least 3 days a week (oops). I blamed it on not making enough time to ride to work. However, I have ran 5km twice this week to make up for it and I’m noticing a huge difference. I’ve done well with intuitive eating, BUT have not always made 100% healthy choices. There was chocolate birthday cake, and a wine and cheese girls night in there somewhere. This week I must do better.

I’ve been setting a few minutes everyday practicing feeling blissful and not suffering. I tend to whine and complain, so I’m trying to get over that.

I didn’t make any unnecessary purchases. Yay to that!

Last weekend I donated a cat tree to Katie’s Place. And almost took a cat home.

I tried to squeeze in important family/loved ones time but I could have done better here. I was having an emotional and hormonal week contemplating my life and career, so I think my attention was more towards myself. I saw my family on the weekend and had brunch, and did a road trip with my partner to Harrison Hot Springs though.

I asked my boss to work part time. The company is still my baby, but we aren’t as busy currently so it was a good time to see if I could focus on all my projects on the go. I’m torn between growing the role full-time, vs time on my projects. There’s a great opportunity there that I need to sort out.

And that is all folks! Nothing very exciting. I’d love to hear how your week went! Is anyone else trying to live intentionally?

Spark Essentials Women’s 2.5 Day Retreat Soul Weekend

Published 06/19/2014

“Creating inspiring and loving human connections!” – Spark Creations

Just this past weekend I was lucky enough to attend the Spark Essentials Women’s 2.5 Day Retreat Soul Weekend hosted by the lovely ladies, Lorie, Aileen and Michelle, at SPARK Creations.

Wow, what can I say. These women are doing WONDERFUL things. Helping people find their life’s purpose while creating loving human connections at the same time. These values deeply resonate with what I believe in so it was a blessing to attend this workshop.

Not only was it a mind and soul experience, it was also a place to relax my body. I really felt pampered, loved and taken care of. The weekend is all about you, and a very special place to take a break from the craziness of life, and get focused on the things that truly matter all in a very safe, open and calming environment. I left with a clearer sense of purpose and an ignited awareness of gratitude.

Personal development has always been one of the most important things to me and I find it essential for helping me in my work and keeping me grounded. Through this work I have found joy, gratitude, and serenity in knowing what my values are, and living my life according to them. Transcendence was a new word I took away from this weekend and the SPARK ladies will help you get there.

So if you’re feeling a bit stuck, need some inspiration, and want to focus on what is really important in life, I highly recommend checking them out. I promise you will leave with a clearer mind, and a lighter soul. Anyway, I don’t want to get into the details of the event, you will just have to find out for yourself! They also have a men’s program and other programs if you’re interested.

More info about SPARK Creations below:

SPARK Creations is a heart based leadership and empowerment organization that provides highly interactive and fun experiential learning and development, strategic planning and people and culture programs for individuals, teams and organizations.

We create opportunities for you to connect with yourself and like minded individuals who share the same desire to reach their greatest potential and together we co-create the love and support you need to embrace your personal and professional development journey.

We will massage your heart, mind, and soul!

SPARK Values

Love – Completely
Connection – Build meaningful relationships starting with self
Fun – Make moments yummy

Start your SPARK now!

Please check them out at startyourspark.com!

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Breaking Free From Vices

Published 04/21/2014

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” – Joseph Campbell

Today’s blog post was triggered by an interesting and challenging experience I recently had and I felt like I wanted to share my insights with you. I was faced with a situation where in the past I would have gone to one of my vices in order to cover up fear and emotion, but I was able to push through it in order in order to gain a richer and more meaningful experience. I’m using this as a metaphor for this blog post on how we use things, or clutter, or bad habits in order to cover up something that is underneath.

Do you have any vices?

Any bad habits, negative character traits or reactions that are unhealthy for you? Shopping? Drug use? Alcohol? Dating? Sex? Over-eating? Gambling? Even habits like watching too much television or YouTube when you could be focusing on something more meaningful or productive? We do them because we think they will make us feel better, and they do but only for a brief moment. Just as soon as it started, the happiness goes away and we’re left with an empty feeling at the pit of our stomach and we need to fill up the hole with more of these vices again. And the cycle continues.

These vices are all forms of distractions keeping us away from a more focused, happy, authentic and meaningful life.

What we really need to do is get to the source of what is really upsetting us and leaving us feeling empty or afraid. What are we trying to run away from within ourselves? And what are the triggers? It is usually an emotional issue that we are trying to avoid and only when we come to grips with what we’re emotionally avoiding can we have the blissful and meaningful life we want (and deserve). We won’t need to turn to our vices to make us feel better.

Think about the life you want to live. Refer to this blog post to help you.

How to recognize when you are using vices as forms of distractions and get focused:

1. Become aware of your negative habits, write them down if you need to. It might be difficult to recognize when something is bad for you if it feels good. But if you are constantly feeling frustrated that things are not going the way you want them to in your life, (and it is happening over and over again), it is a good sign something needs to change. The first step is awareness.

2. Notice when you feel the need to act on your vice. How are you feeling at this very moment. Are you bored? Lonely? Depressed? Scared?

3. Face your issue head on. Stop for a moment, don’t head for the nearest shopping mall or alcoholic drink. Instead take some time to sit and do nothing and just feel your emotions. Nothing bad will happen to you.

When we are able to be comfortable with being alone with ourselves, we learn more about who we are. And to know ourselves brings us closer to authenticity and true happiness. It takes courage, but it is necessary if we want to have the life we want. When we can do this, we won’t need all of the old vices that we are used to going to. Also, don’t be afraid to talk openly and honestly if your issue involves other people, because the results may surprise you.

From my personal experience, when I made the conscious decision to fight against my go-to vice, I was finally free, like a ton of bricks had been lifted off my shoulders. I was free from being “stuck” in an old habit and being miserable and unhappy with the end results. I knew I had to stay focused on my life vision if I wanted to be happier. I grew so much from this and I want to make sure I am continuously growing and learning from these types of experiences and moments for the rest of my life. It’s basically ‘unlinking’ old associations, and creating new and more positive ones. Nothing could be better!

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

What are some of your vices? Do you notice when they come up? Let me know in the comments below or send me an email at lessoftheexcess at gmail dot com.

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What would your life look like if you had a Terminal Illness?

Published 04/16/2014

A dear friend lent me a book which I have just finished called The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield and it was life changing! If you haven’t picked this one up yet, I highly recommend it. It’s about breaking through the resistance that stops us from creating the things (and life) we are meant to do. I’ve read many similar books, but this one beats it into you and gives you a good kick in the butt and reality check!

Resistance will try everything to stop you from following through on your dreams through fear, procrastination, distractions, self medication, self doubt etc. This book lays out practical tips for overcoming these (and more), but also gets right into the heart and soul of how we can get past resistance in order to be a professional, as well as tap into our higher realm. It applies to not only artists, but writers and entrepreneurs – anyone who wants to create something. In fact, this is the book that got me to start this blog, something that I’ve wanted to do for a very long time now. The chapters are short and it’s an easy read, so there’s really no excuse!

Anyway, one chapter entitled Life and Death wowed me. It talks about Tom Laughlin (an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator and political activist) whose speciality is working with people who have been diagnosed with cancer. His findings are that,

“The moment a person learns he’s got terminal cancer, a profound shift takes place in his psyche. At one stroke in the doctor’s office he becomes aware of what really matters to him. Things that sixty seconds earlier had seemed all important suddenly appear meaningless, while people and concerns that he had till then dismissed at once take on supreme importance.”

Patients realize that working all those long hours in the office didn’t matter and they start to recognize that the people they care about are much more important, as well as the dreams and passions they once had earlier in life. They are faced with asking about the meaning of life. Tom Laughlin says that our consciousness shifts from the Ego (our everyday brain that thinks, plans, and runs the show of our day-to-day life” to the Self which is a greater entity (our dreams, intuitions, “archetypes of the unconscious,” and the “sphere of the soul.”)

Once we realize what is really important, “Superficial concerns fall away, replaced by a deeper, more profoundly grounded perspective.” Tom teaches his cancer patients how to live out their dreams, and when they do, by some sort of miracle, cancers go into remission!

I strongly believe that when we are ill, our bodies are trying to tell us something. Imagine having to be one way (ie. an accountant because your family expected it from you) that was inconsistent to who you really were (a painter), and how much stress (whether we know it or not) that causes on our bodies. Yikes! I think about this a lot. About the Deathbed. Sure, it’s a little morbid perhaps, but it’s SO IMPORTANT for our health and well-being that we live our lives and make choices that are in line with our values and who we want to be.

Please check out this amazing book! http://www.stevenpressfield.com/the-war-of-art/

How would your life change if you found out you had a terminal illness? Let me know in the comments below or send me an email at lessoftheexcess at gmail dot com.

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Who Do You Want To Be?

Published 04/11/2014

“Everything will line up perfectly when knowing and living the truth becomes more important than looking good.” – Alan Cohen

Before we can dive into living a meaningful life, it all has to start with who we want to be. Only then will we be closer to authenticity. Some of us spend hours, days, months, YEARS trying to figure out who we are. Through each new experience we slowly begin to learn what makes us tick, our likes, our dislikes, what to stay away from, who to surround ourselves with, the list goes on and on. And while all of that is really valuable, and important, I’d like to offer a new perspective.

Who do you want to be?

Close your eyes for a moment and take a few deep breaths. No really, try it.

Picture your future self. The self that is living the life that you have always dreamed of.

Where are you?
Where do you live? The city? Countryside? Ocean?
What do you notice around you? Look at the vivid details.
What is your home like?
Who is in your life? Do you have a partner? A family? Any pets? What about your closest friends?
Look at yourself, look into your eyes.
What do you look like? Notice the details.
Are you young or old?
What is your body like? Your health?
Notice the energy you radiate.
What kind of person are you? Creative? Technical? Nurturing? Intellectual?
Most importantly, how do you feel? Are you happy? Peaceful? Confident? Sexy?

These are all important messages that your body, mind and soul are telling you.

Does the life you live today mirror the life you want for yourself?

From this point forward, hold on to this vision you see of yourself, and every time you are faced with making a choice that does not line up with these images, take a moment to pause and make a mindful decision. This is something I learned to do myself, and remind myself everyday now. Nobody’s perfect, so don’t beat yourself up if you sometimes fail.

For example, you have a choice of eating an ice cream or sticking to your healthy diet. Remember your visualization and make your choice in line with that. Or you are pressured by your family to have a career you have no interest in? Make a choice that lines up with who you want to be. It’s important for living your life with a purpose. It’s essential.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the life you saw. Let me know in the comments below or send me an email at lessoftheexcess at gmail dot com.

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