Enter the silence of the dawn!

Feeling pulled in every direction; children, schedules, husband, work, school, business, church, other groups? You may ask, "How do I find time for me?" or "How do I find me in all of this?" Feeling overwhelmed? Feeling stretched? Doing the juggling act? You've come to the right place. Find rest.

As a mother, it is true, you carry many hats. But here and now is your time; time to enter into the silence of the dawn, time to fill or refill your inner tank.

Quiet time

Quiet time for mom is essential in order to maintain mental and emotional stability. You've been giving of yourself to your children, your husband, your career, your job, your school, your church and everything else you're involved in. It's in your nature to nurture others, but who nurtures you? When do you stop to take time out for you?

As a mother of 7, things could get pretty noisy around here at times. It is my entering into the silence of the dawn daily that allows me to smile, keep a level head and not fall apart 'at the seams'. This is my protected moment and I cherish it.

Benefits of daily quiet time

Your quiet time scheduled at dawn, the early part of your day, sets the tone for the rest of the day. Here are 7 reasons why this is so vital:

1) Develop clear thinking - as you sit in the silence, releasing of the days problems or activities, you allow your mind to become clear to accept a new perspective on your situation.

2) Inspiration comes - as you are relaxed, inspiration comes, insight comes, and wisdom comes. If you are dealing with an issue with the children, you are now opened to receiving wisdom in dealing with this situation that you never thought possible.

3) Instructions - steps to take in ordering your day comes to you naturally. At this point you're not pulling your hair out but you're able to flow with ease.

4) Refreshed, energized - once you rise from this place of silence you become energized with new vigour to engage in your day's activities.

5) Discover you - here is where you find yourself. Away from all the hustle and bustle, you can go deeper into the heart of you. Become acquainted with you. Not you, the mom or you, the wife, or you the group leader, but you. Your true inner desires, dreams, longings, successes and perhaps even failures. Failures or disappointments are also important because they hold within them key lessons of life that you, in turn, teach to your children.

6) Connect to the Source of your life - your soul, that secret place reserved within you where Divine Intelligence dwells, awaiting your presence and your attention. For there lies the heart of God, the power and sustenance you need to abound in all areas of your life. Your absence denies you the connector you need to activate and fully experience the treasure which lies richly within your inner being.

7) Who nurtures you? If you're relying on external comforts to give you the satisfaction you need, forget it! It's only temporary. But in this quiet place, as you connect to God, as you turn inward and become one with the Creative presence that lies within you, you draw life from the eternal life that dwells in you. Your light becomes illuminated from within, changing and transforming you from the inside, emanating outwardly.

If you've never taken the time for quiet time or the busyness of life has overtaken your time, it's time to return. Reshuffle your schedule and make time to enter the silence of the dawn.

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Sticks and stones

Getting my body back - Day 42

You know the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words would never hurt me."

Words are very powerful. If used correctly, they can heal and change the world, but if used maliciously, could seriously destroy a person's life. Words have been used to uplift and inspire, and they've been used to tear down and discourage. Consciously or unconsciously, words have been used that caused an effect.

Remember the proverb, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue?" Let's examine this closely.

Death - that which destroys, that which draws life from, that which no longer exists
Life - that which empowers, that which rejuvenates, that which lives
Power - that which rules over or controls
Tongue - words spoken

Let's put it all together. So if the words spoken has within it the power to destroy or draw life from, to the point where is no longer exists, and the power to empower, rejuvenate and give life, then we must be extremely careful with the words that we allow to escape from our lips. It is therefore better, then, that we choose to be quiet if our words are not going to uplift another.

But what about words you speak of yourself? Are your words full of life and empowerment? Are you building up your life, your body, YOU? Or are you pulling YOU down? Does this sound familiar? "I'm such an idiot?" What! You probably wouldn't say that to someone else, so why are you destroying YOU by the words you say?

Choose LIFE, choose LIFE! And in choosing life, you choose LOVE and love will always uplift, empower and build you up.

Fuelling words: I love my body. I love me. The power of Love and the Source of love lives in me. I am beautiful. Beauty flows in and through me.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Learn something new

Getting my body back - Day 39

When working towards your goal, being open to new ideas is essential for progress achievement. Reading information in the area you're working on gives you new and perhaps time-saving ways of accomplishing your goal. Use knowledge from others to jump start your own progress.

Even though I pretty much know what I should do to achieve my ideal weight, such as monitoring my eating habits and workout routine, I still find that there's so much more information available for me to try different ways to get the best out of my workout routine.

I read an article yesterday about a research that was done. Two groups of people were chosen to test the amount of time they spent doing their workout. One group spent an hour each day, while the other spread their workout throughout the day in 10 minute segments. The second group that spread out their workout actually showed betters results than the group that just exercised for the one hour.

Because of my schedule, I find it easier to just do the one hour and then I could focus on other things. Today I did things a little different. I decided to do my regular one hour workout, then I went out to the garden to get some gardening done, using the opportunity to workout other muscles that need special movement to get them going.

Other people's experience and advice could enhance your life and save you years of mistake. Make it a part of your daily routine to learn at least one thing new each day.

Fuelling words: I learn something new today, so I could be a better person tomorrow.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Protecting the garden of the heart - Part 1

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 19

Dad and our children put up a fence around the garden to protect it from deers, our dogs running through it and from our children when they're playing ball. We also plan on planting marigold around the garden to keep away the bugs and the deers, at least that's what we were told by other more experienced gardeners. After all the hard work that's been put into the garden, we definitely wouldn't want to see it trampled on.

Once you've made a decision to make changes in your heart and life, engaging in the groundwork necessary to effect and manifest this change, protecting what you've invested is essential for continued growth and success.

A proverb comes to mind, "Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it." Everything we aspire to be, whether consciously or not, flows from within us; what's within our hearts.

When you allow any and every thought to enter your mind and then your heart, you allow these thoughts to have free range. Negative thoughts intertwine and entangle your life, blocking the path of good that should be flowing freely into and through your life.

Ponder on the thoughts that you're engaged in on a regular basis. How are they adding to or subtracting from your life? How focused are you on these thoughts? Have they become a part of your belief system which inhibits you from moving forward or blockers of your good coming to you?

Take the time today to think about what your thought patterns are and compare your life to the way you're thinking.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 13

What kind of harvest do you want?

Determining the kind of harvest you want let's you know what type of seeds you should sow and what type of garden you're going to grow.

If you want a vegetable garden, you're not going to sow flower seeds and expect to harvest vegetables. Now, if you want a combination of a flower garden and a vegetable garden, you sow the appropriate seeds to harvest your desired outcome.

Similarly, you want to sow seeds in the heart that will bring you a harvest of love, joy, peace, health, prosperity and wholeness - a well-rounded life.

The seeds you sow into your heart come in the form of your thoughts and your words which results in the actions you're taking on a daily basis.

What are you thinking about on a regular basis? What feelings are these thoughts producing? Are they making you feel joyful, at peace or angry and frustrated? Your thoughts, producing your feelings, causes you to act or react externally.

Whatever you are thinking, which is directly affecting your feelings, is the reason for your reaction. The key to turning this around is to stop the negative thought right in its tracks and replace it with a positive one. Find the positive side in every situation. There's always light, even if it's just a glimmer of hope, move towards it. Replace the negative with the positive glimmer of hope. Focus on it, just as you would the negative thought. Feel the emotion and before long you will act or react in a positive way, producing positive results.

Your words are as a direct result of what you've been thinking. I recall a scripture which says, (paraphrase) "It's not what goes into a man (person) that defiles him because it does not go into his heart but his stomach. But it's what comes out of a man (person) that defiles him (makes him unclean). Because what comes out of a man (person's words) comes out of his heart."

You tell what's going on in a person's heart from what they're constantly talking about, which is the fruit of their lips.

Begin today to change your seed thoughts and your words and actions will follow suit to produce the harvest you need.

Changing Inside Out Now! Tending the garden of the heart - Day 11

A different take on Easter - Part 4

Easter Monday

We've come to the final day of the Easter celebration. Just as Jesus continued on in his path of love; visiting the disciples, comforting them and finally ascending to take his place, seated on the right hand of the Father making intercession for us, we, too, must continue to grow, following our own path.

We must allow our transformed life to continue to grow, seeded in the soil of love. Let the flames of divine love fill our hearts and burn away all that is impure, so we, in turn, could fulfill our life's purpose.

Love must therefore be cultivated in our hearts as the main ingredient where everything else flows out from there.

Every gardener cares for his garden out of the heart of love. A careless gardener will neglect his garden, therefore, resulting in weeds overtaking and choking out the crop, denying it of essential nutrients.

Love is the true foundation for growth in our hearts. Let the Easter message inspire us throughout the year that we may grow, be strong and bear good fruit.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 29

Need a kick in the butt?

Okay, yesterday I got a mouthful from my 10 year old daughter because I missed our workout time. I got caught up doing some work and she kept asking, "Mom, when are we going to do our workout?" I told her later. Later came and I was still busy. Yep, she gave me an earful. Talk about accountability. Yes. We did do our workout. It was quite refreshing.

Need someone who'd give you a kick in the butt, keep you on your toes and get you moving? Either enlist someone who's willing to accept the task or find a way to keep yourself accountable.

Recently, I was listening to a self improvement audio by Jack Canfield, and one of the strategies suggested to use to keep you from self-sabotaging your own goals, is to promise yourself that if you didn't follow through you would do this really terrible thing that you really don't want to do.

Think of something that you'd really despise doing as a penalty on yourself if you failed to follow through on your promise to achieving your goal.

I know I won't be able to miss a workout and I can't fire my daughter. So guess what? I have no other choice and Dad's backing her, too. And no, I don't want to hear another mouthful.

Fuelling words: I keep following through on my goal achievement promise as I'm kept accountable.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 28

Renewed energy

Once you've rested and renewed your energy level, you're ready to get back into the swing of things again.

With vigour, you implement your new strategies to achieving your success. Draw from the renewed strength within you and build up those areas still lagging behind.

Be thankful for the small changes. Small changes, one step at a time, over a period of time add up to great differences from where you've started to the progress you've made.

No one was born as an adult. Everyone of us started off as an egg, fertilized and developed into an embryo and keeps growing into a full term baby. After birth, small changes occur day after day, year after year until adulthood.

If you were to look at each stage of human growth, birth/infancy, child, teenage, adult, you could use this as the progressive stage to visualize the process of growth for achieving your goal.

Expressing gratitude for small changes opens the door for more healthy growth to occur.

Fuelling words: I am energized to engage in daily activity and appreciate small changes.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 15

Changing from the inside out!

The final achievement of your goal reflects the level of growth you’ve attained during the process.

When you first made the decision to go after what you desire, you may not have known how to get there. You finalized in your heart and mind that you would achieve what you set out to do.

The information you gleaned, the hours of research, the frustration that you came through were all a part of the growth process. The roadblocks which made you draw on your creative juices to find another way to arrive at your destiny. The failures that made you stop to think and regroup. The tests that made you re-evaluate the value and worth of your goal. The friends you met along the way to give you support. The information you absorbed from every book you read. Perhaps the countless hours spent dreaming, adjusting, hoping, praying were all part of your growth process.

You learned a lot more about yourself; your strengths, your weaknesses. You built up your muscles and were able to do things you never thought you could, when you first started off. Changes occurring on the inside of you produced the outward results of your final achievement.

Here you are today standing tall because you endured and persevered. Others admire your success and wish they had what you have. But, are they willing to pay the price to learn and grow? The learning process caused you to evolve into the type of person you have now become; a process which took place on the inside, where no one else witnessed but you and then manifested itself outward.

Every mature tree began very much the same way; a seed in the soil invisible to the eyes, but quietly changing and growing until it breaks through the ground’s surface. Much of its growth is taking place on the inside bearing outward witness of the inward changes.

I feel the changes that are occurring in my body, invisible to the outer world. Day after day, I learn and grow within. Listening to my body and becoming more in tuned. As long as I keep changing from the inside it will reflect on the outside.

Fuelling words: I’m changing from the inside out. I’m no longer settling for second best.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.