Are you choosing your thoughts?

Last time I talked about the importance of developing a higher level of consciousness.  This may still sound very abstract to you so I want to share a concrete example.  When I talk to people about managing stress or decreasing fears I often mention the notion that we choose our thoughts. So if we choose them, why can’t we choose thoughts that we want to have; happy thoughts, relaxing thoughts, positive thoughts? 

The easy answer is that we are on autopilot 90% of the time. This is normal, we learn certain behaviours and thus we don’t need to think about them.  This can be very practical except when you want to change those patterns or knee jerk responses. That is when you need to become conscious of your automatic reactions and as you increase your awareness you can actually slow things down and create a gap. A gap between the stimulus (someone yells at you) and your reaction (you get mad, you get defensive or you take a conscious breath and decide to stay calm and carry on)!
 
Even though it may not feel like it, the choice is always yours. We are all responsible for our thoughts and emotions.  It is by creating a gap that you can develop your ability to choose differently, to change your patterns and rewire your brain to new and more supportive responses.
 
Over the next week I invite you to be a keen observer of how you react to outside stressors and start to develop a sense of greater awareness of your thoughts.  See if you can consciously select your reaction. The more aware you become and the more you practice the easier it will be to create the gap and thus the opportunity to choose.
 
Here are some inspiring words from Victor Frankl:
 
Between stimulus and response, there is a space.  In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.  

Until next time, enjoy your journey to higher consciousness!

Jackie

What is life really about & why didn't anyone tell me?

Last time I talked about the game of life and the surprising deeper reason you are here.  You may think you are here to spread joy, make a meaningful difference in the world or share your gifts.  All these are great things to aspire to but there is something even more fundamental.  Something so meaningful that it supports and facilitates moving towards all you aspire to. 

Here is how I describe your deep reason for being here - to evolve to a higher level of consciousness.  I know it doesn't sound very sexy but as you become more and more conscious or mindful of our thoughts and of everything that is happening around you, you can get off autopilot and start making choices.  It is through these conscious choices that you start to become a co-creator of your life.

As I continue to explore other spiritual concepts (like acceptance, non-judgement and faith), I think the importance of developing a higher level of consciousness will be come more and more obvious.  
 
In the meantime time I invite you to really pay attention to your emotions this week and see if you can observe and name them, without judging them.  This simple exercise is a great first step towards being more conscious or mindful.

Until next time, enjoy the game and your increased level of mindfulness!

Jackie

Are you spiritual?

What does it mean to be spiritual? I have often thought about this question, as I am sure you have too.  I would describe my coaching practice as being spiritually-based so over the next few weeks I would like to share some of the basic spiritual principles that I explore with my coaching clients. 
 
One of the fundamental premises of spirituality is that we are spiritual ‘beings’ living a human experience and not human beings ‘practicing’ spirituality!  So I believe that we are here on earth to evolve and grow as spiritual beings through our human experiences and emotions like pain, suffering, joy, sadness, anger, love etc.
 
I like to look at our time on earth as a game – the real game of life.  A game that is better if played from a vantage point of evolving and not ‘winning’. 

Next time I will share with you my understanding of the somewhat surprising objective of the game, an objective that is not even on the radar of most of the players in the game!
 
Until then, enjoy the game!
Jackie