I would like to start by thanking all of you who reached out with your condolences on the loss of my son’s friend. I am so grateful. The experience stirred something in me that took me by surprise. In my saddened state, I couldn’t help but fixate on the feeling that the world appears to be a mess. The opioid crisis is just one tiny part. Honestly, I think I had a crisis of faith because I started to wonder if the work I’m doing will have any impact at all. I lost focus for a couple of weeks because I got into my head, which means my thoughts were running wild telling me all kinds of negative things. But suddenly I was reminded of a prayer by St. Francis of Assisi that has gotten me back on track a number of times. I searched everywhere for the full prayer to share with you, but for now, the gist of it is, “Stay out of your head. Stay in your heart.”  

Living from the Heart

Staying in our hearts isn’t easy, because our head is constantly trying to run the show. But when we are living from our hearts, we have the power to change whatever we want—because we are not limiting ourselves with our thoughts.

There is no doubt that you are the most important person in your life. Loving and caring for you comes before loving anything or anyone else. Imagine what a beautiful world we could build if each one of us would love ourselves the way we love other people, our pets, our plants or wherever you focus your feelings of love and appreciation. You may be asking, “But how am I supposed to love myself when I know every one of my faults, every tiny imperfection, and every unloving thought that has ever passed through my mind?”

There you go again. Get out of your head! Those things don’t matter! As someone who has suffered some significant losses over the last few years, I can tell you that the only thing that truly matters in this life is love. Learning to accept your imperfections is part of your journey.

Outta My Head

Since 2008, I have been working with a wonderful group. Our focus is on personal and spiritual growth. At this point, I do a significant amount of counseling with the newbies, and I can say that close to 100% of the time when first-time participants arrive, they are living in their heads. It’s so much fun to watch their faces turn soft when they feel the sensation of moving the energy from their heads into their hearts for the first time. It takes practice to maintain it, and to be honest; I’m still working on it myself because I’m very analytical, but to feel it even for just a few minutes is incredible. 

I’m including the following song here because it makes me smile. It has a fun vibe even if it only has half the message. The singer is thanking her boyfriend for helping her get out of her head. What she doesn’t say directly in her lyrics is that by focusing on enjoying the positive traits of her boyfriend, she is living and feeling from her heart. I believe most of us know how that feels.

An Evolving World

Our world is changing. There is no doubt about it. You might think we are going to hell in a handbasket as my grandmother used to say. But I believe that with any big change, chaos is inevitable. If you take a moment to look around, I think you’ll notice that there are more coaches, mentors, and heart-centered businesses now than at any time in recent history. By doing your personal work, you can be part of a positive change.  Watch your thoughts. Stop them dead in their tracks when they say unkind things about you. Just say, “Hey little voice. I know you! You don’t have my best interest at heart. Go away!” By saying those words, you can redirect your thoughts out of your head and back to your heart.

Let’s work on this together. Have a great weekend, and let our legacy be love!

#love, #selflove, #behavior, #trauma, #letmylegacybelove