Star Shining

Jan 18

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

This past weekend I took myself on a virtual retreat to Tuscany. For two days from the comfort of my home I saw the sites of that dreamy land I long to visit when we can travel again.

Via computer I did yoga, cooked delicious whole Italian foods and dipped into a deeper part of my being. Was it as awesome as being there? No way, but in these unconventional times we need to find enlightenment where and how we can.

One of the sessions during the retreat was about eliminating negative thoughts from your mind. Let’s face it, we have all been inundated with negative voices from the outside world more than ever these days. This is adding to the already unthinkable times of living through this pandemic.

What about the negative voices inside your head? Yes, that eternal roommate that lives in your mind’s eye that can get you all riled up and worrying about things that have yet to come.

You know, questioning if you are enough, worrying about money, concerned about your health and wellbeing, and the list goes on and on.

To assist you in bringing some peace of mind to yourself, here are some steps to remove the power that your most negative inner voices may have over you. And yes, we each have them no matter how positive you are because it is part of the human condition.

Step 1. Give that voice of your greatest inner critic a name. I named mine Missy.

Step 2. Detach from her or him. You are not the voice you are hearing. So, treat it like another person outside of yourself. Think of it this way… you would not put up with this negative voice from anyone else. Why should you put up with your own self?

Step 3. Start noticing when this voice shows up. What are you doing or not doing when it arrives? Is it a certain time of day or day of the week? What are the “what if’s” this voice is trying to bombard you with? What fear is it rising in you about something that doesn’t even exist yet. Or perhaps it does exist, does the negativity of this voice help in any way?

Step 4. Let the voice get all it has to say out and then tell it by name, carefully and clearly, thanks but no thanks, you are doing just fine without its input and have much better things to orchestrate for your life.

Step 5. Keep asking the questions that allow your own true inner wisdom to shine through. You have gathered so much wisdom since you were born. Use it and honor all that is good with where you have been and where you are planning on going from here.

We talk a lot about goals this time of year. Today on MLK Day think of the peace and understanding you can first give to yourself and how important it is to have that be job one. Then you will have the strength and mindfulness to bring that very peace into the world around you.

Here’s to balancing all that you need to … starting from your own mind leading straight to your heart. Think of is as star shining!