Feeling blue?  Watch CNN Heroes.  This two hour special spotlights the good works of ten amazing, inspiring individuals.  These are ordinary people who saw a problem and were compelled to help – no matter their station in life.  From a hospital bed to absolute slums to a warzone to the aftermath of rape to the kitchen stove – each was drawn to serve, to lift up those around them, just because they must.

 If you ever thought one person can not make a difference, I challenge you to hear these people’s stories.  In the darkest of places, bright lights are drawn to heal, to inspire, to be angels walking this earth.  They bring comfort with their deeds and peace follows in their wake…  

Have no fear of the future.   Be Quiet.  Be Still.  And in that very stillness your strength will come and be maintained.   In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.   I am beside you to help and strengthen you. Wonders have unfolded, more still will unfold. Beyond your dreams, beyond your hopes.  Rest in Me. All is well, All matter of things are well.    

Please enjoy this guided meditation.  I wanted to provide you a way to quickly ground yourself and provide an easy pathway to peace no what kind of holiday kookiness is unfolding around you…Peace be with you.   

What is the difference between loneliness and solitude?  One is an experience of sorrow and the other replenishment.  Why?  Simply – you.  Yupe, it’s not pretty and you may want to rebel, but it’s true.  You create your reality through choices and the thoughts/beliefs you focus on each day. 

 But here’s the good news – you can make a shift.  Being alone doesn’t have to equal lonely.  Here are a few tips to help you connect to the rejuvenation found in solitude.

 1.       Rest.  I bet you are exhausted and you don’t even know it because you have always been this way.  Lay down on the floor or grass and feel your body supported by the earth.  Close your eyes and breathe in deeply.  Shift your legs gently from side to side – feel yourself really connected to the earth.  Rest.

2.       Read.  Not a magazine, a book.  Fall into another world and give yourself a break from reality.  Explore the world from your favorite armchair…

3.       Journal.  Write about anything and everything.  Instead of keeping your thoughts, fears and dreams locked within – let go.  Thoughts spinning in your mind can trap you into fear, but brought into the light – things can be hashed out. 

4.       Arts.  Draw, paint, play musical instruments – be creative.  When you participate in the arts, you allow your incessantly thinking mind to stop.  If you believe you can’t draw – get a coloring book.  Relax and play.

5.       Nature.  Go for a walk or hike and really examine the path around you.  Do you see any animals?  Are the leaves falling?  How does the ground feel beneath your feet?  Can you smell the changing seasons?  Sink into this moment with all your senses. 

6.       Meditate.  Meditation is a pathway to transformation – changing your thoughts does change your life. 

7.       Garden.  Nothing is more grounding or nourishing then hands in the dirt.  Just because the weather has shifted does not mean the growing season has ended – bulbs.  Plant bulbs outside for spring and indoors for beauty.  Try paperwhites and amaryllis in glass vases and enjoy the magic of new life unfold right before your eyes.

8.       Be still.  Sit by a window and see what is happening in your own backyard.  Does the yard need attention?  Are there any animals?  Birds?  How do you feel within as you look out?  What thoughts pop in?  Are they lifting you up or pushing yourself down?  Can you gently, kindly make a shift?

 Of course there are moments when we may feel lonely, but when these moments stretch into a way of being – unhappiness and isolation are the result.  It does not have to be this way…It begins with you.

Fannie Flagg creates another small southern hamlet that one wishes to fall into – hilarious and heart-warming.  On the outset though, if you don’t like little old ladies with all their quirks and habits, skip it.  Myself, I expect to be an outrageous little old lady one day…

 Elner, Verbena, Norma and Tot each bring their own unique perspective to all they encounter.  Whether in heaven or at the beauty parlor, each has a voice that rings true with the reader.  Who doesn’t have a friend who looks like a monkey?  Thereby forcing you to rethink the whole evolution thing…

 This book is delightful – and a perfect distraction during the holidays.  Enjoy!   

Today we are going to try a technique I call active meditation.  This technique guides you into total relaxation as we unlock your own unique gifts.  Discover real answers and support on your path to peace.  Come, let’s begin our journey… 

If you are struggling with where you are in your life right now – I invite you to examine your inner dialog.  What are you thinking about?  Are you worrying?  Are you what-if-ing your days away?  Are you flexible? 

 Maybe you’ve tried manifesting exercises before with what you thought was little success, but guess what?  I’m betting it worked – just not the way you wanted it too. 

 Manifesting isn’t about doing certain exercises or meditations (although they can help!) it’s about your inner dialog.  Are you lifting yourself up or pushing yourself down?  Worry attracts more things to worry about.  Positive thinking leads to possibilities.  Thoughts really do expand.

 Again I invite you to look at your own inner dialog – are you berating yourself for things left undone?  Are you patient?  Do you give yourself a break or are you a relentless perfectionist?  Are you complaining your life away?  Is it someone else’s fault?  Regrets?  Are you calling yourself names?  Do you feel good about life?

 Guess what?  It starts with you.  Somehow, someway you have to make a shift.  What is one thing you can do today to improve your inner dialog?

 Suggestions: 1.       Cues -  place words or pictures around your home and workspace to remind yourself of peace, trust, love…

2.       When you discover yourself complaining – shift your language without yelling at yourself, “Why can’t I do better?”

3.       Journal.

4.       Guided meditation – try I Meet Success or my free download, My Best Self.

5.       Laugh more – it’s a lot easier to be flexible when you are happy.  Connect to friends, watch silly movies (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe), read funny books (anything by David Sedaris) or simply, play.  What did you like to do as a kid and can you do that now?  

 Real change is not waving a magic wand or overnight decisions.  Real change is many, many steps.  It is not sexy or exciting – it’s breaking a habit.  Sometimes one of our bad habits is negative thinking.  It takes time to shift your language just because it takes time for a new language to integrate into your thoughts.  How many years have you been thinking in a certain way and now you would like a new way? 

 Relax, have patience with yourself – you are on you way…

For the next 24 hours try this exercise – speak your life into being.  Talk about your life as if the life you desire is happening right now.  For example, want a new job?  For the next 24 hours say to yourself, I have a new job – it’s fantastic.  I can’t believe it - just fell into my lap.  Feel this new job.  Think about the new office, maybe your desk is there – what photos are on the desk?

 Or maybe you are lonely and want a fuller life.  What if you began saying to yourself – people like being around me.  I get invited places.  People feel good when they are around me.  I have good friends.

 Or possibly you feel overwhelmed, stressed and are looking for support.  What if you said to yourself, support shows up, unbelievably when I least expected it.  Feel how good it would be to feel supported, feel a lending hand enter your life…

 Just give it a try and let the magic unfold – opportunities appear and doors open when you believe…What have you got to lose, but everything to gain????

Halloween is over and the holidays are approaching again.  Sometimes, during the transition into the holidays, your positive focus can be drawn back into old patterns and not enough worries.  Maybe you start worrying about money or impending family events.  Possibly your sleep is being disrupted with sleeplessness or nightmares.  It could be that your diet has shifted – either eating more or less depending on your own specific reaction to stress.  It could be that you are beginning to trigger into old ways…

 Ask yourself - are you too involved in the lives of others instead of what’s going on in your life?  Are you waiting for someone or something to act thus transforming your life or so you think?  Are you replaying scenes in your mind over and over of events to come or even of past events?  Are you spinning?  Guess what?  It’s time to get your power back by returning the focus back to you and here’s how…

 1.         Spend time alone.  Maybe meditate, go for a walk, clean-up the garden for winter, fish, go for a bike ride, take a bath, anything, just be with you, no computer, no making meals or cleaning up after anyone, just alone with you and your thoughts.  If you start spinning with too much in your head – try guided meditation.  This can lead you out of a harried place to peace – quickly and easily. 

2.         Acquire a new skill – what interests you?  Maybe you want to learn to knit, or try the Rosetta Stone and pick up a new language at home. How about learning to mountain bike or snowboard this winter.  Begin to expand into new frontiers.  Doing this helps you become more energetically solid from the inside out.

3.         Make decisions and set deadlines.  I have discovered the best way to get the universe to act is to start making plans.  Remember everyone does not need to know and/or approve of your decisions/deadlines.  Use discernment in deciding when and to whom to reveal your plans to.  Beware the naysayers.

4.         Live authentically – journal.  Sometimes your own worst enemy is yourself.  You can make yourself crazy with worry or simply avoid the truth staring you in the face.  Journaling helps you to release the ego and connect to your own truth – both good and bad.  It can take the heat out of your emotions and reveal your concerns, fears, even joys in a manageable way.

5.         Make time for your friends.  Friendships can get lost in busy lifestyles and unfortunately, you live less abundantly for it.  Good friends easily help you connect to your own true self again and who better to laugh with?  Go for walks, meet for tea, make some phone calls and connect to who you were before a busy life crowds in.

 Returning the focus to you, allows not only you to live more freely but allows others to be who they are as well.  When you are in tune with your own wants and needs, the agendas and pressures of others – even family – are felt less.  Help yourself through this holiday season by staying centered and balanced – listen to yourself.