Joyce Lee Life Coaching Moment

I got a letter from a woman who asked me how to go about finding Spirituality.

She said she thought her life would be greatly enhanced if she believed in a Higher Power but she didn’t know where to start. She admitted to having reservations based on negative experiences in her family of origin.

Dear Marie Claire,

Don’t worry because you haven’t fully discovered your spirituality yet.  If you are ready to explore, you will find your very own, intensely personal relationship with the Beloved.

There is no right way or wrong way…  there is only your way.

Take your time, create your own pace.   I am excited for you.  You are about to embark on a wonderful journey.   Who knows what you will find?  Your Spiritual understanding is bound to be as unique as you are.

All around you are wonderful examples of people with deeply satisfying spiritual relationships.  The flavors and textures are as varied as the people themselves.  The book stores are filled with Spiritual teachings from our culture as well as other cultures around the world…. and there are churches of varied faiths in every community.  The internet is rich beyond words with people gathering in fellowship to practice and explore their spirituality.

Once you open yourself to the journey,  you will find divine inspiration everywhere that will keep moving you along.  The important thing is getting started.

So, if you would like to start your Spiritual Quest, I offer the following thoughts and questions for your consideration.
Reflect on what each means to you.  Go into as much depth as you are able to.  Think about it, talk about it…

• What was the spiritual environment like as I grew up?  What messages did I get from my parents? My community?
• Do the messages still fit me?  Would I like to say “No, Thank you” to any?
• What is my understanding of Higher Power?
• How do I want to feel when I am spiritually connected?
• What are some of the spiritual belief systems that I might like to explore?
• What words am I most comfortable with when referring to my spirituality?
• What is my current spiritual practice?
• What are areas that I would like to explore and develop in my spiritual relationship?
• What spiritual lessons am I currently involved in?
• What are the questions I want to ask about faith and spirituality?
• Is there anything that makes me uncomfortable when I think/talk about Higher Power?
• What spiritual support do I have access to?  Which friends might enjoy spiritual conversations?
• What topics might I like to examine with a friend?
• What does the term “Spiritual Awakening” mean to me?

These prompts are designed to take you deeper into your understanding of your own personal relationship with Higher Power.
The more time you spend exploring this relationship, the better your understanding of self and purpose you will gain.  Your life will take on an inner glow and you will cherish the opportunity to spend connecting with your Beloved Creator.

Please remember that this belongs to you…

I intend that ‘Happy’ is the way I want to go through this one and only life as me. From the spirit of happiness, all manner of wonders appear… feeling happy feels good.

I used to think that happiness was something that ‘just happened’ randomly… but in the past years, I realize that I have complete control over my happiness because I have complete control over my thoughts…

With my internal compass set on ‘True Happy’, I notice and even bring out the best in ever situation and person I meet.  Each moment is another opportunity for me to choose happy or not happy…With each encounter I can choose:

• to point out the flaws or point out the blessings
• to stew about problems or think about solutions
• to listen to my inner critic or listen to my higher self

This isn’t fluff stuff… with this mindset, I have lost and kept off a tremendous amount of weight for over 3 years, enjoy each and every day, have a great relationship with my Higher Power,  the woman in the mirror, the man in my bed and the whole world in general… as my mom used to say: “the proof is in the pudding.”

To that end (happiness) I am willing to resolve, settle, forgive, heal, let go of anything that keeps me stuck in ‘unhappy‘.

What about you?  What do you think?

It occurred to me that I am busier now in my supposed ‘retirement’ than I ever was when I was working outside the home… I have several major projects on the go at the present and I can easily get off balance and over focused on them…

just be here now...

Then… something as simple as my very demanding cat jumping on my lap, insisting on my attention, makes me stop, and set my thinking aside and just be… just enjoy…

My cat… Gracie, was a foundling… well… I found her as a baby wondering around by our local college, far from any houses… much too young to be navigating the streets alone… and I scooped her up and claimed her as mine…

My family says that’s the definition of stealing… that she is ill gotten goods… I say… “whatever… she’s mine now”… or rather… “I’m hers now”… she has been running our lives for 10 years… Everything is about her… she wants what she wants when she wants it… she even tells me when it’s bedtime… we are merely heated furniture…she keeps us around for her convenience…

The sound of a cat purring has been likened to the universal sound of peace… I agree… that sound… resonates with me… when she is laying on my chest, her face close to mine, purring… I allow myself to close my eyes and connect with it… just be…

I  breathe… center… re-balance… breathe… listen to the purr…

Often I am inspired to go for a walk… where I make sure to stop and just be part of the landscape… listening to the birds, enjoying the breeze on my skin… feeling part of the big picture… just being present in the moment…  being one with the universe… connected, awed and very, very grateful…

Ah… t’is a gift to be simple isn’t it?

Namaste

Joyce   “Your Life Empowerment Coach”

The Body/Temple:  Our Body Is A Gift

So many of the women I talk to struggle with body image issues.  There is a lot of collective angst about the wrapping on the package.  Is it really that important what we look like?   Isn’t there a bigger issue?

Beautiful! So, What's Inside?

I have a life history with self esteem issues myself.  I understand some of the inner turmoil that accompanies a poor body image.  I am still trying to understand the obsession we have with cosmetic beauty.  I am very interested in your thoughts and  stories about it.

Like you, I want to look my best, but I’ve come to realize our body is so much more than what we look like…

Our body is a gift from our creator.  It is our temple.  It houses our Spirit and allows us to move about this life experience while we are here in this place and time.  Such a gift deserves profound respect.

How well do we look after our body/temple?

• Do we tend to it lovingly?
• Do we have a spirit of gratitude for the physical health that we enjoy?
• Do we appreciate the gift?

We are beautiful regardless of age, wrinkles or thigh size.  We are beautiful because we are women.  Silky hair, long legs and perky boobs are bonuses…

We bring softness and light to the world… We are connected to every other woman… It is part of our job to help her feel beautiful too… Our daughters are watching us… We are showing them what is important… now that’s a divine assignment…

Have a beautiful day,

Joyce   “Your Empowerment Life Coach”

“Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep….”
When my day comes to an end, I reflect on how closely I followed my morning intentions.

I think back over all of the opportunities I had to practice gratitude, to behave the way I would like to as I walk through my life.

I appreciate growth, notice any manifestations of the law of attraction.

I go over my personal energy readings from the circumstances of the day, decide if any correction needs to be made in the future in my thinking or my behavior.

I reaffirm my commitment to moving forward towards increased personal wellness and spiritual enlightenment.

A time for quiet contemplation.
Breathe deeply, close your eyes and let your awareness scan the events of the day… Scan the day without judgment.  You did the best you could.  Keep an attitude of self-acceptance and approval.  Look for areas to become a better woman tomorrow.  Smile, say your prayers and sleep a gentle sleep, knowing that all is well… (sigh)…

For your journal, for your thoughts…

• Where did you practice love, gratitude and acceptance?
• Where were the challenges?
• What can you put in place tomorrow that will better equip you
  to move through your experiences with increased piece of mind?

My mom has been gone for 15 years… I still think of her every day… In fact I carry her in my awareness much of the time, wondering… wondering…

She died about the same time that I began my inner journey of health and wellness.

There are so many things that I would love to talk about with Mom now.  I often wonder what she would have thought of some things…  We didn’t speak the language of inner growth in our relationship… not because we were resistant to the concepts, more because we hadn’t been exposed to them.

I don’t think she ever had an opportunity to listen to Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Maya Angelou, Marianne Williamsom, Abraham-Hicks, etc.  Her world was about raising 6 kids and being the center of our family wheel.

I think Mom left much of her unfinished business unfinished,  her unresolved places unresolved.  I believe she would have welcomed the journey of inner growth and wellness had the access been there.

Mom would have enjoyed journaling because she loved to write… she would have loved Marianne Williamson and Maya Angelou because she loved to read flowing romantic novels.  She would have enjoyed exploring and reflecting because she was brave and curious.  She listened to German singers with rich, vibrant voices … she loved the melody in words… I just know she would have loved Abraham-Hicks.

So, for what it’s worth, I made a decision long ago to dedicate my growth as a woman to my Mom… and her Mom and her Mom before her.

I love you Mom, always have, always will…