Virtue #5

Simplicity is straight-foward, not complex or complicated

It is possible for life to be this way, all you have to do is change your thoughts from thinking that all the things you do, need, and have, are stressful.  Don't think of life as stressful, when you say that you create conflict with in you.  Stress is a negative word.  When you think of life as a learning experience you lessen the negativity.  Simplicity does not remove conflict and problems it just helps us view them differently.  Creating simplicity will help us feel more balanced.  

Simplicity can be seen in our clothes, relationships, work places, and even diets.  The less we require our minds to think complexly about tasks the more simple doing things becomes.  Getting dressed in the morning, stressful, especially when you don't know what to wear.  Creating a more simple wardrobe means less time thinking about what to wear.  Telling your boyfriend you can't make it to dinner because you  once again overloaded your plate, stressful, especially if you do it all the time and he's fed up.  Honest, straight-foward communication means less time preparing a speech on why you are not going to be there.  Telling work you can do something you just can't do that extra thing, stressful especially when you are a people pleaser.  Once again a straight-forward 'no' will mean less time balancing every activity plus extra work.  Eating a meal of completely unhealthy items because you were too busy to remember lunch, stressful, especially when you know spending $10 on food you could make for $5.  Making healthy food the night or weekend  before work and packing it makes for a somewhat more simple afternoon (and guilt free!).  

Simplicity can come in every part of your life if you allow it.  Start noticing the beauty of simple thinking, maybe you will find that you are in a place in your life that is exactly where you are meant to be.  Life has its complications but you have to power to view them differently.  

Try and be simple today.

Virtue #4

I sometimes find myself lost in thoughts of past, present, and future.  I imagine these moments as moths caught in a spider's web.  Thoughts, especially mine, can do that to you.  They get you tangled up in something not worth focusing on.  Do you ever feel like every time you turn around something else isn't going as planned?  It happens.  We are, after all, only human.  It is easy to be quick to anger, fear, or worry when we are caught in our thought webs.  We feel the need to re-do failures to prove to ourselves we can conquer anything.  We avoid people and things when we don't get our way.  This year, I am trying something new.  I think that if just once I let myself accept the fact that I am not in control of all circumstances I might actually find peace.  

Virtue #4 is Acceptance:  To consider circumstances, especially those that cannot be changed, as satisfactory.

I won't write a negative list of "problems" that I have yet to accept as things I am not in control of.  I am simply going to say, life is full of ups and downs.  I fear that if we do not learn to accept some of those downs we may never feel successful, inspired, or clear-minded.

I am learning to refine my edges, part of that to me is learning to balance.  Learning when to accept "defeat" and when to keep pushing for "more".  What I do know is that there is an art to balance, we cannot always accept what we are given but we also must be aware that we cannot always control it either.

My hope for you today and this year is that you begin to see the things in your life you can accept.  In balance with that, I hope you are also able to see the things you want to continue to push towards a new outcome.  Acceptance will take practice.  It is almost as though you are retraining your mind to not feel the need to control.

Start your practice soon, before you forget!

Best,

Cordelia

Waking Up Inspired

Something exciting is happening over at Waking Up Vegan and I highly suggest you take a look. (or listen)  My goal today is to get you some Peace Love and Happiness!

So, go check out all the informational and inspirational things Colleen and her contributors have going on.  You might even see me there!

Happy Monday!

Virtue #2

Have you noticed how life moves like waves and tides?  One day you are here rocking back and forth.  Another day you are far out at sea and raging with anger.  Life is a process and constant growth and reevaluating.  It is always changing and moving like a dance.

Dancing is not really my strength.  Lets be honest, I wish I was a dancer, gracefully moving around like feet are not an object to trip over and that's  before adding heals. oh man.  Dancers are so flexible, they stop almost instantly before slowly beginning to float again.  

Life, to me, feels like that kind of dance.  A waltz that changes to a rumba for a second before slipping into hip hop brake dance number.  I could never successfully do any of those let alone combine them (do dancers really do that? doubtful but I'm just saying...).  Back to life point I am trying to make. Life is easy before it gets difficult. Then it's slow before it gets fast.  It's ever changing like a dance or the waves.  You are here or there, happy or sad, up or down... (I am starting to sound like Dr. Seuss with these opposites!)  But really! Life is never the same for anyone.

That is where Virtue #2 comes in:  Flexibility- adaptable, able to change to suit circumstances.

We must be flexible in order to not drown in the waves or get trampled by our dance partners.  Life changes on the drop of a hat (or dime or pin or what ever else you are dropping) life is changing quickly.  Being able to adapt to it will help us stay afloat.

If something changes your plan for the day dodge the anger that tries to take over. You think I am kidding? Literally dodge it, like the Matrix.  It will make you laugh and laughter fixes anger.  The next step is to figure out what to do now.  What plan can you make?  How can you fill the gap in your day?  Can you rearrange your other plans? I am a firm believer that there are many answers to problems.  All you need to do is drop the pride that tells you that there is only one way and change your answer.

My goal for 2011 (OK, one of them) is to not let daily change make me feel angry.  For example when people cancel on me or let me down I usually feel hurt.  Also when someone asks me to add another thing to my day to help them I use to feel "stressed out" like it is absolutely impossible to complete anything more than my things.  If I am flexible I can do it.  Better yet I can do it in a non-bitter way.  Learning that kind of flexibility will make my days easier to find gratitude*    

My hope for you today is that you learn to enjoy and love your wavy life, embrace it like you do a beach vacation and find some flexibility while you're at it.

                

Good luck with your life dance!
Loves, Cordelia

*see virtue #1