Heart Work Checklist! 


_____Do you generally feel happy, but feel like your gifts are being underused or wasted supporting someone else.




_____Do you feel constricted in your body or mind at work or in certain professional relationships?




_____Are you beginning to worry that your childhood dreams may not be fulfilled if you continue of the road you are on?




_____Is your physical and mental health suffering because of your current job or related relationships?




______Are you in a pattern of go-go-go and then crash?




______Do you have a nagging feeling that there MUST be something more?




If you answered a resounding YES to 3 or more of these questions then you may very well be at a perfect energetic state to make a quantum shift in your life to live more joy, love and peace through creating your “heart work!” 




Woo hoo!  The world needs you!

1) Think about your financial situation.  Now breathe and scan your body…where do you feel constriction, resistance or density? This is probably where you are holding your beliefs and energy about money in your body.  (I held mine on my left side between my stomach and my heart…stuck between power/discipline chakra and love chakra!)  Bring awareness to this area of your body when you are dealing with situations involving money. Breathe into it and release it by directing healing energy towards it.

2) Write down all your beliefs about money and the people that have it (or don’t have it).  See blog entry Transparency and The Energy of Money for my examples. :)

3) Find a reason to be thankful for each of your limiting or undesirable beliefs.  What have they taught you and what is of value moving forward into financial freedom!

4) Align your financial freedom with what you TRULY VALUE!!!  If it’s time with loved ones…how will having money afford you more time with loved ones!  If it’s spiritual growth…how will financial freedom allow for exponential growth of spirit!  If it’s lattes and green smoothies made by someone besides you so be it! :) Begin to FEEL your inside world and outside world aligning!  Ahhhhhhh! Now smile. :)

I have hit my limit...literally!  I overdrew my checking account for the last time yesterday!  That's right folks, I'm laying out there for everyone to see because I'm so sick and tired of living this way (and I know many of you are as well)! 

I have spent the last decade meditating, learning, reading and writing about...honing and shaping my internal world and the last year helping others to do the same...BUT, I have strategically neglected, ignored, and straight up refused to look at my inner workings and beliefs around money!  Why? 

Because …

• You cannot be spiritual and have money!
• If you are rich, you don’t care about people….(just look at our world, right?!)
• I can’t relate to people who have money.
• To be poor is to connect authentically and empathize with people.
• If I have money, no one will have to “take care” of me anymore and my family will fall apart (ouch…that one hurt a little to write).

So there it is!  My inner blocks to creating a sustainable and desired income in my life! 

And here is the hilarious thing…I overdrew my account at the one time during the year I had and have PLENTY of money to pay for all bills plus some!  And still, I miss managed, ignored, neglected and refused to LOOK at my finances because as we all now know by my internal money thermometer…money (according to Leslie) is the root of all that is evil and wrong with people! 

Well all I can say (and this was my big aha! this week) is THANK YOU!

Thank you for moments of poverty for teaching me about what I really value in this life!

Thank you “pay check to pay check” for teaching me to consume responsibly and to live simply so other may simply live!

Thank you for the jobs that paid me a small percentage of what I and the job was worth, for you led me to search my soul for my true worth and passion.

Thank you to my parents and generations before them who unwittingly transmitted these beliefs, for they provided me with many opportunities to empathize with, acknowledge the dignity of and genuinely communicate with  people no matter how rejected and alien they may seem to society.

Thank you…and I now officially release all the struggling and scarcity!  I am ready to FULLY embrace a world of abundance and unlimited potential…not just within my soul but on the outside as well, in this incredibly beautiful, exquisite earthly realm! 

I’m ready to be able to

• educate my children in a manner that is worthy of their souls,
• travel, visit with and celebrate  family and friends I have been disconnected from through distance, 
• be able to buy a gosh darn latte whenever I feel like it :),
  
• invest exclusively in local farmers and business owners who value sustainability and
  
•  invest in my own learning and evolution and that of all those I am here to serve!

But especially, as a woman, a teacher, a healer and a mother…I embrace this outer abundance manifest as money, power and influence in order to redistribute the resources and wealth on this planet!

Now, don't worry, this hippie soul still looks forward to a the day (hopefully in my lifetime) when our gifts and talents are exchanged equally in community and we are valued just for being human!  A time when everyone has more than enough and enjoys enough inner and outer freedom to embrace the cycle of giving and receiving effortlessly

but...

until that day I will honor the place and time I was planted and accept any and all outer (and inner) abundance the Universe would gift me! 

I’m all in for love AND money $!

 Here in the southwest it is a time to get outside and enjoy the incredible warmth and vibration of blooming trees and twiterpated animals! Spring is here!  As part of my journey to stay spiritually “grounded” and my journey to “ keep a 3 year old and 1 ½ year old engaged and safe” we decided to dig a mudpit! J 

Okay, I must admit, at first I was at a loss…I had a picture in my head of those big pools of mud you see on TV for crazy obstacle course game shows or big lush pits of nurturing mud for those desiring a nourishing bath in the “black gold.” I looked at my backyard and felt overwhelmed.  Have you ever felt this way?  Like, “why couldn’t I  just wiggle my nose or pull on my ear and have a big ol’ pool of mud appear?” Maybe I watched too much Bewitched as a child?! J 

My point is…okay…well…I ADMIT IT…I just didn’t want to do the work!!!

I struggled with this for about a week (until the pressure of two highly energized little girls finally broke me down) and I realized…I just have to start with putting the shovel in the ground…

so I did.

Next, dig in!  So I did.  Dig a little deeper!  So I did.

Until I realized, I could start by digging a small mudpit and then see how that worked out.  So I did…1.5 ft in diameter and it was brilliant.  The girls loved it!

The next day, I dug a little more…made it a little bit bigger and a little bit deeper.  Then I watched…waited…even more fun! Sweet!  It’s like the energy of that first dig just propelled me forward!

My point  - are you having a hard time getting started on something? Anything?  Maybe it’s something you HAVE to do.  Or maybe something you’ve been putting off for a while, a long while!  Maybe it’s something you just KNOW your heart is calling you to do but you’re scared because you’ve never done it before (this is my first mudpit ;) ) or people will think you’re crazy (again, the mudpit example J).

Try not to get overwhelmed…keep the vision of the “big picture” in your mind and then simply put the shovel in the ground.  If that feels good, dig in!  The rest will practically dig itself!

Winter time…a time for getting quiet, going inside and nurturing the “knowingness” within.  What?  Did I just describe the way all of you spent your December?  Man, I am all for holidays…starting with a beautiful Hanukkah that came early this year, the advent and Christmas season and our friends even had a Kwanza party this year!!!  I love the traditions and rituals, celebrations and feeling of community this time of year brings but, holy menorah, with all the focus on external events and people I seem to have lost my grounding…and in a season when many of nature's creatures go underground, I definitely need to at least come in for a landing! :)

Moving into the New Year is an incredible time to set goals, make promises, craft resolutions and I hope all of you are at least paying some conscious attentions to purposefully creating your 2011!  This week, I want to make sure that these intentions are coming from an authentic place and not one of “have to” or “this is what I’m supposed to do” or based on others, society’s or cultural expectations!  Your goals and intentions for the New Year should come from that place inside you that is genuinely, whole-heartedly YOU!  This is the only way they will continue to hold any weight and be motivation to keep growing throughout the year and one the best ways you can find that quiet place of “knowingness” inside you is to pay attention to YOURSELF…to take care of yourself.  So as the external hoopla dies down, return to that place within, just like the winter creatures and find out what it is you really want for yourself, your family, your community and ultimately for your world this New Year.  Here are some suggestions that I will be using myself this week (Note my fellow perfectionists and OCD prone peeps - notice how I don’t have to get this all done by the Eve of December 31st…just use the energy that is present in this week and this season to get clear about what is in your heart for 2011 :)). Got it?  Okay, let’s proceed!

1)    Take quiet time for yourself – Seems obvious, but how many of us when taking time for ourselves FILL it with work, facebook/twitter stalking, reading, talking on the phone…let’s face it, many of us will find anything to not have to be alone with, well, ourselves.  But in order to HEAR your insides (intuition, heart’s desires, etc) you’ve got to face the monster and yes, BE with YOURSELF.  Sit, breathe, drink tea, go for a walk, do yoga, sit, think….breathe, meditate, drink coffee, breathe...I think you get it. 

2)    T-t-t-ouch yourself –Take a soothing bubble bath, give yourself a massage (foot, face, shoulders, whatever), file and paint your own nails, tickle your own arm (remember doing that as a kid J), put on clothes that make you feel safe and nurtured, brush your hair just because, rub lotion on your legs and really pay attention while you’re doing it.  Yes, it’s great to go to the spa, but doing these simple self care rituals for ourselves and actually BEING PRESENT while we’re doing them, often unlocks dormant desires and intentions that may not have been allowed to come to the surface.

3)    Have FUN!!!  Do something that makes you giggle, smile, dance, squeal, sing, twirl, shake with joy, really LAUGH OUT LOUD (not just LOL) and enjoy what your inner child and wisest self has to tell you about what you REALLY want!

Now quick, go write it all down before midnight and get to work! :)

Wishing everyone an inspired, joyful and purposefully productive 2011!

Isn't it amazing...the people we love the most are the ones who are sometimes the hardest to get along with.  I believe this has more to do with energy than the fact that we just "take things out" on the people that are closest to us.  I believe that these people, whether our spouses, partners, parents or children, are our closest companions because they are here to mirror back to us the things we most need to learn about ourselves.  The conflict or hardship we experience in these relationships is only a whisper from the Universe to look inside.  It is our job to transform the energy of conflict, frustration and habitual behavior into something our bodies, minds and souls can integrate more easily into our ever evolving self.  So how do we allow this learning to take place when we know WE ARE RIGHT? ;)

STOP TALKING AND BECOME AWARE
Since every relationship in your life is only a mirror of what is on the inside and the lessons you are here to learn, we can take every encounter with another, positive, negative or neutral in stride.  We can CHOOSE to be an observer, not of the other but of ourselves, since this is really the only person we have direct control over.  So, let's take a stressful or heated discussion with a loved one for an example (it is the holidays after all ;)). 

You have within your power to control the energy of the encounter should you choose to.  A little know secret is energy can be moved, transformed, manipulated at our will...I know that's out there for some of you, but bare with me.  So the encounter is getting heated...first, stop (talking) and be honest with yourself...you can FEEL once a conversation hits a certain point and it no longer serving the best interest of either party.  Be honest with yourself and FORGIVE yourself and the other person for, well being HUMAN and ALLOW and ACCEPT that fact!  We all let things get out of hand some :)  I know, tough first step for some of us...I know it is for me.

BREATHE...YES, BREATHE
Now this is where you might begin getting a couple of stares...but that's okay, because if you want to be at the forefront of nurturing conscious healthy relationships, you may have to FEEL a little weird. :)  So, after you've become aware of the situation...take a few deep, belly breaths (there's that breathing thing again).  Let the party goers around you are your kids look at you funny, in about 10 seconds, you're going to have more control over everything because you've shifted your OWN ENERGY by BREATHING....okay, better?  Now you can move forward from a place that is a little more centered (figuratively and literally...from your belly and heart to be exact).:)

MOVE...SMILE...LAUGH...TOUCH...
Once you are back in your body and out of your head (thank you beautiful breath), and this is where others may not notice but you may feel a little awkward, maybe even vulnerable (I know it's a dirty word for some of us;))... DO SOMETHING!  Stay committed to not talking, and move (away if necessary), smile (that's when you move both corners of your mouth towards your eyebrows), laugh (if the moment moves you) or touch, yes, touch the other person...give them a hug or a pat on the shoulder or if you feel they are still a little "prickly" give yourself a squeeze! :) You will be amazed at how movement, however small, will continue to transform the moment...our bodies are sooooo smart!  If the other person can't quite FEEL the shift in energy yet, I like to put my hands together (or hug myself if I'm feeling daring) and assure myself I have taken care of my own stuff through breathing, therefore getting back in my body and releasing the blocked energy through movement.  It's amazing how quickly the other person will come around once you've shifted your own energy!

So cheers to the amazing people in our lives who continue to bring about experiences that allow us to take responsibility for our own, ah hem, crap!  And cheers to YOU for beginning to breathe and move and laugh again!!!  You surely are changing the world one relationship at at time!  Namaste!