Temporarily Blinded

Ok, and NOT by the light. But I was wrapped up in something or other like a roamer in the night. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Ever have "one of those weeks"? Well I did recently. From communication mishaps to unpaid invoices and disappearing clients to the ground literally shaking below us on several occasions here in LA, things just felt "off" and a bit unstable at times.

The "big" part of me knows that every hiccup was and is an opportunity for growth and expansion. And I can see that. Now. But more challenging is to see it as it is brewing. Right? Ah, that's the juicy part of life.

Showing up in the moment can be very difficult when you are in the middle of a great inner dramatic act of blame, worry, fear or jealously. My act was very internal, but it certainly was going on momentarily.

Here's the good news. You CAN shift that reaction. And even more exciting is that by flexing your "awareness" muscle and becoming more and more in-tune each time a situation of stress arises, you can learn to not only manage that situation but actually understand your part in creating the conflict in the first place. Now that is enlightening.

Next time you find yourself feeling like you are being chased by a tiger only to realize you are actually caught in line at Fed Ex Kinkos behind a slow customer and your meter is running out, try this:

• Focus your attention on your heart. Yes, you can do this As you stand in that line.
• Breathe in and out through the heart area (of course visualizing this). Take at least 5 breaths here. Maybe count to 5 on the inhale and 5 on the exhale.
• Check in with your feeling. Did it shift a bit yet?
• If not, take a few more breaths.

Now, seeing that the anxiousness you feel in line is doing neither you nor any other customer any good, let's shift it.

• Still slowly breathing, shift that feeling of anxiety, fear, worry by replacing it with a feeling of gratitude, love or compassion. Find what works for you.

Perhaps you are grateful for your loved ones or your pets. Find something that sparks that feeling of love and gratefulness.

Focus, Breathe, Shift.

Yep, it's that easy. Congratulations, studies show that you have just alerted your immune system that it is safe for 5 hours.

Now that's what our bodies want to hear. Live longer, friends. With greater awareness.

And by all means, re-feed that meter!

Be kind to yourself and others,