Celebrate and Live

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Once upon a time I had given my power away and forgotten who I was. I allowed myself to merge into the man I was married to as if we really were one in the same. Perhaps that sounds like a good thing for a marriage but in my case it was not. I forgot who I was. What was important to me faded away like so much smoke. I was married for 12 years; from the outside looking in we probably looked like a family who was functioning just fine. In reality we were not. I had lost myself.

Around the time of the divorce there was a song that was popular, Dynamite by Taio Cruise, which helped me reclaim my life. I would drive around with he windows down and singing along with the chorus at the top of my lungs, “I want to celebrate and live my life”! I found such joy in the process of discovering who I was. Reclaiming my power made me giddy with happiness. I feel that over the next year I came alive again. I was transformed by the process of respecting and honoring my hopes and dreams. I found ecstasy in discovering new interests and thinking for myself. It was the start of a whole new me. If the me I was when I entered that marriage were to meet the me I am now, I would not recognize myself.

By honoring who I was and how I felt happy living my life, I was able to shift so much. Even though I did not enter that marriage thinking it would end, I can see how it’s ending was such a positive thing for me. It allowed me to wake up to myself. I am married again now and my new husband gets the benefit of a wife who knows what she wants and who she is. I am able to be present in the relationship. I can respect our difference and hold the space for each of us to be individuals. We share many interests, because we both had a good understanding of who we were before we came together.

Are there ways you are giving your power away?
How can you embrace your life?
What do you want to celebrate?
How do you want to live?

If your friend had great stuff happening you would not hesitate to help your friend celebrate. Look at your life and find the reasons to celebrate. We all have them. Some may be really big deals. Some may be tiny accomplishments. Whatever the good is that is there for you, celebrate it. The more you celebrate the more your life will give you to celebrate.

Happy life my friends,
Stacy, Adventure Sister

What do Elsa and Anna have to teach us?

Could we learn something from a children’s movies? Could we learn to let go and love unconditionally? I have recently been reading The Untethered Soul by Michael A Singer. In the book he talks about letting emotions go. Just letting them roll through you, noticing them, and having no attachment to them. Years ago when I was first starting my spiritual journey I read the book, The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin. The idea is similar. It is about not holding on to those old emotions but rather letting them go.

All this talk of Letting go brings to mind the Disney movie Frozen. Could there be a spiritual message in this children’s movie? Well of course, spiritual messages can come from anywhere. In the movie Elsa has been holding on to all kinds of emotions of loss, self doubt, and hiding who she really is. Finally having enough she lets it all go and feels free. This freedom hurts the person who loves her the most. She has to learn how to repair the relationship with her sister. She eventually figures out that love is the only way to thaw the coldness between her and Anna.

As we let go of emotions, they will not effect us in the same way as they affect our friends and family, who are attached to their emotions. I remember in the Sedona Method Hale says how some people even have a sense of being “special” because of a bad thing that has happened to them. When I first read that, it struck me by surprise. Once I looked back at my life I could see how I was holding on to some of those traumatic experiences, because I was proud that I had gotten through them. This will make people more inclined to hold onto emotions, even ones that do not allow them to feel good. As we let go of these lower vibration emotions we will began to move out of the same energetic space as some of the people around us. With love we can bridge that gap. I feel a part of love is acceptance. When we allow ourselves to accept and love others in the space they are in, we are freed.

If you have more interest in learning about letting go of emotions I recommend either The Sedona Method or The Untethered Soul. I see the Sedona Method as more of a “how to” book, while The Untethered Soul is more of a lesson about becoming conscious. Both books have helped me along my journey. If you would like to comment more on either of these books or contribute, please feel free to comment below.

It’s not going to be easy but it will be worth it

I was walking in the woods one day and I came across a fairly large teepee structure. Near the structure there were several pages that had been torn out of a book laying on the ground. The heading on one of the pages said, “I am not telling you it will be easy, I am telling you it will be worth it”.
If we did not have to exert the extra effort we would not appreciate the blessing in our lives. I can compare this to Emy and my trips to the Boundary Waters. It was a lot of work to get there. Surviving while there was also a lot of work. It was not easy but in the end it was totally worth it. We were out in the middle of nature and hardly saw another human. We were surrounded by lush forests and clean lakes. There were no noisy motors to disturb our peace. It is an amazing place. The “work” of getting there and being there was not easy, but it was totally worth it.
Another example I have of this is my career. I have been blessed with opportunities to advance in my career. It has not been easy, it has required late nights and early mornings. I have had to work holidays and weekends. I have had to make choices about how to utilize my time. I have had to put in an amazing amount of effort and deal with stressful situations. It has not been easy but it has been worth it.
I think we have gut reaction when we see successful people. We think they are so lucky. This headline on a discarded page from a book, laying in the woods has caused me to rethink all of this. I was recently at a writers workshop. During the workshop they said it takes about 10 years to become an overnight success. With all the focus on the “Law of Attraction” we are lead to believe it should be easy. If we focus on what we want and keep our thoughts positive all of our dreams will come to us. I don’t deny that some people live very blessed lives. I also don’t deny the power of our thoughts and focusing on what we want. How these opportunities come to us may require us to roll up our sleeves and get busy to move our dreams into being. I have a friend who is an astrologer. I can remember him telling me that even though the planets may be aligned for romance, if I stayed in my house watching TV I was unlikely to find the love of my life. When the stars are aligned or the opportunity presents itself we have to be ready and willing to put ourselves out there and put energy into the project. I personally am ready and willing to dig in and put forth effort to make my dreams a reality.
What are your thoughts?

10 Ways to Find More Happiness Everyday

Smile ~ When you smile, others can’t help but return your smile. Mother Teresa said, “Let us meet each other with a smile, for a smile is the beginning of love”.
Compliment at least 3 times a day ~ When you compliment others you see genuine delight in their face. Be sure you give sincere compliments. They can be simple things like admiring a piece of clothing or letting someone know a color is nice for their complexion.
Remember the Serenity Prayer ~ The only thing we can control is ourself. Any control over others is an illusion. The wisdom and the peace comes from focusing on our reaction to things. That is where our control lives.
Be an optimist ~ The more you think about positive things, the more positive things will be drawn to you. “What you think about, you bring about.” – Rhonda Byrne
Embrace your inner Pollyanna ~ Have you heard of the 1960 movie Pollyanna produced by Disney? It was about a girl who could find good in any situation. There is good and bad in all situations. If you look for the good. You will find it.
Accept others for who they are ~ We all have quirks. We all have things that we are really good at and things that we struggle with. By accepting and loving others for who they are, we give ourself more peace. We cannot change them anyway, so we might as well love them “warts” and all.
Let go ~ When something happens that brings up feeling of frustration, anger, regret, sorrow, or another strong emotion, notice the feelings, take a deep breath, and let it pass through you. Resisting an emotion causes it persist. Acknowledging it and letting it pass through you will help you be able to move past it more quickly.
Get outside ~ Even if it is just for 10 minutes. Breath in the fresh air, notice if it is warm or cool. What does the air smell like? Is there sun to shine on your face or a blanket of fluffy clouds? Do you hear a bird singing or see a squirrel playing in a tree? Going outside will help reduce stress and help you feel happier.
Laugh ~ I heard once that laughter is inner jogging. Find the amusing things in your day, whether it is a co-workers story, a funny program, a corny joke, or the comics. Allow the laughter to bubble up through you.
Let a song carry you away ~ Music is a great mood changer. Listen to your favorite song or play some upbeat tunes on your commute. “Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens.” -Maria Augusta von Trapp