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What does Horton the Elephant have to do with spirituality and you?

3/28/2013

I just LOVE Dr. Seuss! I think his works are not only lyrical and fun; to me, they're also profound. Every time I've listened to our CD of "Seussical the Musical", I've felt so good! They're inspiring!

Like this part from the song "It's possible", when the young boy sings with wonder about a mere bath and everything else it might be connected to:

"This might be a pool,
Like I've read of in books,
Connected to one of those underground brooks!
An underground river
That starts here and flows
Right under this bathtub!
And then-
Who knows!
It's possible!
Anything's possible!"

JoJo and Horton love to have good "thinks", getting lost in their creative, unfolding imaginations:

"When your thinks have run dry,
In the blink of an eye
There's another think there!
If you open your mind,
Oh, the thinks you will find
Lining up to get loose!
Oh, the thinks you can think!"

I mean, talk about relaxing into your creative consciousness and allowing it to unfold! See what I mean by how profound he can be?

If you think about it, Horton is a pretty enlightened being. He sings:

"There are secrets on a leaf,
In the water, in the air,
Hidden planets, tiny worlds,
All invisible!
Not a person seems to know.
Not a person seems to care.
There is no one who believes a thing I say...

Well, I'm fairly certain
At one time or other,
Great thinkers all feel this way!"

He holds steadfast to believing in his experience of hearing the "Whos" in Whoville, on that small speck of dust, even when he can't see them, and everyone else challenges him on it. He has what we call blind faith. Until, finally, the Whos are loud enough, shouting "We are here. We are here. We are here!"

I wonder how the Universe might be shouting to us all "We are here", and we're not listening; so it has to shout louder and louder to get our attention.

So what does all of this have to do with you? Everything, my friend!

New Possibilities for YOU!

Horton is very connected to his heart. Did you know that researchers at the HeartMath Institute (www.heartmath.org) and elsewhere have learned that your heart has more neurons than your brain; and that it has its own intelligence? They have found it to be like a "receiver" for information from the Unified Field - the infinite field of energy, the source of all that is, that some call the Universe, some Source, some God, and so on. When we're connected to our heart and quiet enough inside, we can "hear" and receive this information. This is what we call intuition! We've all had this experience at one time or another.

Horton hears, and trusts and believes in what he's hearing.
Have you ever listened to and trusted your intuition, your inner guidance, and have it serve you? I'm sure you have, even though we too easily forget. Maybe it's a good idea to be open to this more often. You think?
Do you need to see it to believe it? I encourage you to let go of that need. Instead, try "when you believe it, you'll see it."
The next time you feel alone in the Universe, remember Horton. What if there are secrets everywhere, even if you can't see them? And, what if everything you can see is evidence of a greater creative Spirit?
Take a moment, and get quiet. Feel the quiet. And listen. "We are here. We are here. We are here!" You are never alone.

Remember, I am always here for you, as well. If you feel alone in the Universe, or stuck in impossibilities instead of possibilities, then let me help; so you can experience all the harmony, happiness and success you desire. E-mail me to schedule a complimentary happiness upgrade activation session to begin creating new possibilities for you!

Supporting you in greater ease and joy, with a warm heart,

Ann

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Moving Beyond Willpower and Discipline to Effortless Inspiration and Action!

3/15/2013

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A joy-filled, spring-is-on-the-way hello to you!

Does the thought of any of your goals pose issues of needing willpower and discipline for you? Feel like you don’t have enough or catch yourself too often saying, “I just can’t get myself to do it.” Sound a bit too familiar? Even though you want something, it’s too hard for you to get yourself to follow through on what’s needed. Then you take it as a personal fault or weakness.

The good news is that I’m here to tell you today that there’s nothing inherently wrong with you. You just need some “adjusting”.

You know how when your back is “out”, it’s harder to move? And, when it’s relaxed and aligned, you can then move more freely?

It’s similar with moving towards our goals. When you are fully in “alignment” with what you want or need to do, you don’t need to conjure up will power. You are driven to move like a well-tuned engine, versus one with some malfunctioning parts.

Here are some examples of how you can be “out of alignment”:

There’s some kind of inner conflict. One part of you wants –x-, but another part wants to –y-; and it doesn’t seem like they can both happen. One part of you wants to exercise after work; and another part just wants to relax.
You aren’t really connected to, or feeling the “why” behind the goal.
There’s a belief that gets in the way, or an inner narrative that does not support you. For example, I was really dragging about writing this newsletter, until I became aware that I had in inner story going on about it being hard. Once I became aware of that, I decided that it doesn’t have to be hard. I have ways of allowing it to be easier! And now here I am writing away.
You’re using ineffective motivation strategies, like talking to yourself like a task master. How often does telling yourself you “should” or “need to” do something really work? If it does, it’s usually not pleasantly.

New Possibilities for You

If your car were stuck, unable to move, it might not be too effective to just use willpower and discipline! You’d ask, “What’s getting in my way?”

Listen to and take care of those thoughts that get in the way of you being able to follow through on a desire, versus just trying to drive over them; because they will keep showing up and keep making it difficult.

Negotiate with your conflicting parts and find win-win solutions that address both of their concerns (i.e. in the example above, to be healthy and to relax)

Challenge your unsupportive inner stories and beliefs. They’re not necessarily as true as they seem to you!

Focusing on goals alone is sometimes like focusing on the route you’re taking to get somewhere. Do you get excited by thinking “I’m going to take the Mass Pike!” Or do you get excited thinking about where you’re going and fully imagining what it will feel like to actually be there? By imagining how your goal will feel when you’ve completed it, the journey there is just a logical step of the process that falls into place without much question; and it will be more fun along the way.

Here’s a surprising tip, as an example. If you want to lose weight, don’t think about the actual exercising and eating less! Instead, fully imagine how great it will feel after you’ve exercised instead of feeling lazy and sluggish; and how great it will feel after you’re done eating to feel light instead of overstuffed.

Focus on all the whys you want something, which is the vision you really care about, and you’ll act more through inspiration. There is so much more creativity and authentic power in that!

If you struggle with being able to figure this out on your own, then I encourage you to contact me for some help. There is no need to struggle. When you are fully aligned with your desires with effective strategies in place, as well, what you want will come easily without the need for willpower or discipline.

The Inner Way Weight Loss Program is a perfect example of this. By learning effective motivation strategies, resolving inner conflicts, and shifting ineffective inner stories and beliefs, participants (including me!) are easily moving towards their goals without deprivation or willpower.

If you struggle with your weight, please contact me to join us in our next group starting on April 2nd. If you know someone else who could use this program, please tell them about it.

Bathing suit season is coming up! How do you want to feel?

"I've been participating in this class and it's one of the best experiences of my life! I'm working out because I WANT to, I've virtually ended emotional eating, my clothes are looser and I'm really understanding that it's not about the food. It's about LOVE, acceptance, fun, joy, and compassion. Ann is an amazing coach, guide and all around wonderful human being. If you are struggling around food/diet/weight/health this is the class for you!" Annie J.

"The best part is that there has been absolutely no feeling of deprivation, as though I haven’t given up anything. And no feeling like I'm forcing myself to do anything, either. I feel instead as though I have been learning to increase my enjoyment while at the same time behaving in healthier, happier ways. The changes have been noticeable to my family, friends, and me. My energy level is better, too.” Joy L.

Here’s the link to read all about the Inner Way Weight Loss Program, the EASY way to a happy, healthy, lasting, naturally slender you, without deprivation or willpower: http://www.newpossibilitiescoaching.com/inner-way-weight-loss.html

Supporting you in greater ease and joy, with a warm heart,

Ann

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One of the most important and easy things you can do throughout your day

3/2/2013

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A happy, joy-filled day to you!

Do you sometimes get tense, stressed, or overwhelmed during the day? Well, we don't want that!

As I've probably mentioned before, but it bares repeating, this will trigger your brain into survival mode. Your body will actually respond like you're in physical danger, sending stress hormones into your body, overactivating your adrenals, and shutting down your more resourceful part of the brain. Then you won't even be as effective or efficient at taking care of all the things you're stressed out about! So worry and tension really do not serve you in any way.

So what can you do to relax and soothe all those thoughts taking over? Turns out you have a natural mechanism built right in. It's called breathing - only you need to breathe properly and deliberately just for a few breaths. Here's how:

When most people are anxious, they breathe from up high in the chest. If you breathe deeply from this place, you'll feel even more tense! Proper breathing takes place from down low. As you inhale, your belly expands; and as you exhale, it sinks back in. We call this centered breathing, and it brings you back to a more "centered" way of being, rather than "off balance".

The easy way to do this is by putting your attention just below your navel. You can even put your hand there. Now simply breathe! You might find that your whole body cavity expands. That's natural, too.

This will cue your nervous system that you're safe and okay, and it can relax.

New Possibilities for You!

Check periodically throughout the day as to how you're feeling. If you feel at all tense, take a "breather" - a few nice, big, centering breaths.
Want to get less tense in the first place? Then take centering breaths throughout your day regardless of how you're feeling.
Want to feel even more inner peace as you do this?
Rather than trying to quiet your mind, which can be hard to do. Put your attention where the quiet already exists. Right in the space around you there is stillness and quiet and peace. Even if there are people around you, or if there's activity or noise somewhere in your vicinity, between you and those things, there is that space. Feel for it. It's a glorious space that you can step right into and let it take over.

Join me in one of my guided meditation evenings, and you'll be sure to learn and experience this firsthand.

Try this out, and let me know how it goes or if you have any questions!

Hope to hear from you and see you soon!

Supporting you in greater ease and joy, with a warm heart,

Ann

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What does Horton the Elephant have to do with spirituality and you?

Moving Beyond Willpower and Discipline to Effortless Inspiration and Action!

One of the most important and easy things you can do throughout your day

Hope you enjoy my "Happy Moments" blog; because a happy life is just a series of happy moments. Feeling Good Matters!

Ann Ide

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