A walk in the woods

I love to take walks. It gives me time with Heidi, time with our two dogs & time to reflect on "things". We've been lucky because starting on Thursday the weather in Central Indiana has been nice enough to take a walk everyday. We live approximately 5 miles from a state park so it's always easy for us to just take off & go for a walk. The dogs really love to go. They feel the park is their park & they love to explore it.

I've talked often here about our connection with nature & for me personally that connection, many times, keeps me going. The past couple of weeks have been amazingly busy. Things keep happening all around me. I've been volunteering a lot with different organizations & people. Mostly I've written for them but in addition I've also helped with accounting/tax issues. I continue to help my friend with his business. It's been a few weeks now & things are getting to a good place for him. I'm always happy to help anyone I can with any of the talents I have. I've rarely turned down helping others in my life because I strongly believe in giving back.

So why am I writing & telling you about this? I think especially when things get busy in our lives we need to take time to reflect. Time always seems to get away from us & the busier we get the harder it is to take time for ourselves & to reflect on our life. I've discovered in the last few years that the time I take to reflect on the situations in my life & the time I take to reflect on where I'm at within myself is time well invested.

I understand that when you feel you have so many balls up in the air it can be difficult to find the time to reflect. But I challenge you to do just that, even if it's only a few minutes to just "be" & reconnect with your true self. You will find clarity in the time you take to reflect & your life going forward will seem easier & lighter.

So take a walk in the woods or just sit quietly even if it's just for a few minutes. Understand that in order to be a shinning light in your life you need to take time for yourself.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"The time you take to reflect on yourself & the "things" happening in your life will pay bigger dividends then you can imagine. Take time today!"

Confused

Are you confused in your life? Are you unsure of which path to choose? I think there are times in all of our lives when we all feel a bit confused. How do you get through these times? For me, I have learned a way to deal with the uncertainty of life. The path I take begins with patience. Patience is the most difficult thing to have when you're confused or uncertain & although there are times in life when a decision has to be made on the spot. Most of the time we can take the time that is needed to discover the correct path to take.

Why do I start with patience? I like to start with patience because most of the time the quickest & easiest answer to what's in front of us is an answer from the EGO. I've written often about the EGO & how difficult it is to remove it from the decisions we make in our lives. The most important thing to remember when we have life decisions to make is that the EGO wants the the easiest way & the way that will bring instant gratification. Patience can be a difficult way to begin but I've learned that usually it's the best way to start.

Along with patience I begin the process of narrowing my focus to really pay attention to the things in my life. As I've mentioned before God/universe will always send us the signs we need to know which path to take in our life. Sometimes these signs are very subtle & it's only through narrowing our focus & paying attention to the little things that show up in our lives that we're able to see a clearer path through these subtle signs.

The next thing I do when I'm confused in my life is to take a few minutes every morning with my vision board. One of the first blogs I wrote was on the creation of a vision board, take a look back if you're unsure of what it is. By taking time to envision the things we want in our life the path for our next step will become clearer.

Finally, I take time to reflect on the choices I have in front of me. Many times in my life if I clear my mind & reflect on the choices in front of me I can discover the correct path to take in my life. This reflection can lead me to a feeling which starts small but then becomes overwhelming. I believe this small voice is our connection to our soul & will rarely lead us astray. It takes time & practice to remove the noise of your life from your head & truly reflect on the choices in front of you. But I believe if you practice this deep reflection & truly listen to the small voice deep inside you the answers will be revealed.

Through these steps I have been able to guide my life along a more fulfilling path. I invite you to learn these practices & bring more joy into your life.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "When confusion enters your life it can be difficult to discover the path to take. Listen deeply to the small voice inside & discover the way to a more joyful life."


By TwitterButtons.com

Quiet Mind

I've always had a problem since I was a very young boy with quieting my mind. This "over active" mind has been an amazing help at times but also a great hindrance. My mind has always been very open & largely creative. I think in associated patterns where one thought can lead to another to another, sometimes taking me in a whole new direction from where I've started. In a creative environment I tend to be even more creative because by listening to others ideas my mind can create new thoughts incorporating the ideas of others. As I've grown I've learned to quiet my mind some but I've never been completely effective in quieting it completely.

I have tired various forms of meditation but they've never truly worked for me. I have learned to slow my mind down & I've gotten very good at focusing on the things that appear in my life. In fact most mornings when I sit down to write this blog I am very quiet & just allow ideas into my mind. Thus far this "free association" has worked well & something normally just pops into my head. I then take time to think through the subject & then begin to write. So why am I writing about this today? I believe far to many people never take the time to slow down at all.

It is in the quiet that we become the greatest observer of our lives. Slow down quiet your mind & pay attention to the things around you. Pay special attention to the things that keep reappearing in your life. For me things can come from many sources. I can hear a song on the radio, then meet someone at a store that says one of the phrases. Then I'll pick up a newspaper & the same phrase will be a headline or something like that. When I'm truly connected to my soul/source things continue to pop up in my life. The only way I know to see the things that enter your life is to slow down & quiet your mind. The time you take to be quiet & narrow your focus will be well worth it.

The other benefit of slowing down your life & taking the time you need to reflect & open up your mind is the connection to your soul/source. The only way I know to remove the EGO from your decision making is to take the time to quiet your mind & move beyond the noise in your head. The deep connection that can be felt when you move from your head to your soul is an amazing process.

Take time to quiet your mind, reflect on the things around you & find the connection to your soul. By doing this you will lead a more joyful life.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Take time to quiet your mind in this busy world. The time you take to slow down & reflect will bring you more joy in your daily life."


By TwitterButtons.com