Monthly Archives: July 2009

The Lushness of Life

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Here in my part of the world, it’s summer. Spending time outdoors in nature is a must at this time of year, at least for me, as everything is so lush and green and fresh. All the wonderful colours of flowers and shades of green. The warmth of the light. Little animals darting in and out of the high grasses and woods. The ability to go into the backyard and pick herbs and the freshest of vegetables. Our dogs exploring with joy everything that catches their attention. Yes! Summer is a great metaphor for the abundance of Life. Continue reading →

Anger Rising

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Anger is a feeling that is or has been a challenge for most of us to accept and express in healthy ways. Collectively, there seems to be lots of messages that we receive about anger being ‘bad’ or ‘negative’ or ‘wrong’.

The reality is that we all know that acting out anger can cause problems in our relationships. The persecutor within us who feels victimized and wants to blame others can be the driving voice of anger. We’ve been the recipient of anger that has left us feeling bruised, either literally or metaphorically, and/or we’ve been the one who has expressed anger and noticed a relationship dissolve because of it. Continue reading →

A Relationship Point of View

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An old friend of mine shared with me, “I marvel at what my friends teach me”. She wasn’t talking about learning how to garden or dipping into politics at a deeper level. She was addressing the emotional charges, the judgments, the highs and lows of relationships. Instead of making it about her friends, she takes fully accountability for herself. Continue reading →

The Power of Support

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When you’re in the process of transition, particularly a major transition, there arises an opportunity to claim your own life at another level. It’s during these times of change that we get to honestly look at all the areas that aren’t working for us. It’s during these times that we get to set new boundaries, put forth with clarity what we want, and accept even more accountability for our life. This requires courage. To have loving, affirming, empowering support during the scary times when we are stepping into the unknown is invaluable. Continue reading →

“I Want to Be Me”

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Through my years as a coach, I’ve heard this phrase voiced many times – “I want to be me!” This want usually includes – “I want to say no without guilt” and “It’s okay to do what’s right for me”. On the other side of the coin, there’s a pull to 100% agree with others, avoid confrontation, or do something that isn’t in line with one’s heart.

What is the path to being yourself? How do you follow your heart instead of what you think you should do? Continue reading →

Letting Go of Control

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‘Trying to control’ our own lives and the lives of those around us, especially those who are close to us, can be a common human trait. We want people to respond to us the way we want. We have expectations about how someone should be, particularly with us. We can get into thinking we’re right or that there is only one way – our way. We think that something must be wrong with us if our lives aren’t going exactly the way we think they should – and then strive or grasp or try to fix what we ‘think’ needs to happen so that we get on track. Continue reading →

Inner Certainty

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What is inner certainty? It is the place of knowing what action is to be taken without question – in other words, without any doubt. Inner certainty is beyond the mind and often shows up in the body as a relaxed state. When we experience inner certainty, we say that the choice we’re about to make “just feels right”.

We all have many decisions to make, some more important than others. Often, we can feel undecided or confused. We put pressure on ourselves to get it right. We’re afraid to make a mistake. Regarding a specific decision that’s up for us, the mind can be filled with various, opposing points of view which can leave us feeling ‘stuck’ and has us stop in our tracks. Even if we do take action, we’re impulsively acting to avoid the anxiety. Continue reading →