Clarity for the Holidays

I know you believe you understand what you think I said,

but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard

is not what I meant.

~ Anonymous ~

Jonathan Livingston Seagull flies over
Georgian Bay in this photo taken by my
husband, Chris Millington in 2001. Another
spectacular treasure from our kayak trip.

As the winter snows blanket the landscape, our
hearts long for the memories of warm sunshine and the relaxing sound of the water lapping the shore.

This peaceful sound echoes in the background of my Natural Stress Relief CD (now available as an MP3 download) http://tiny.cc/elf224

My voice can comfort and guide you into a very deep, relaxed state of mind. Enjoy the serenity and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Special 50% off - only until Dec. 31st. Code: holiday.

How Sweet It is to have Good Friends like You

Each of us has a hidden place somewhere deep within ourselves; a place where we go to get away, and to think things through. A place to be alone; to be ourselves.

This unique place, where we confront our deepest feelings, becomes a storehouse of all our hopes, all our needs, all our dreams and even our unspoken fears. It encompasses the essence of who we are and what we want to be.

But every now and then, whether by chance or design, someone discovers a way into that place we thought was ours alone. And we allow that person to see, to feel and to share, all the reason, all the uncertainty and all the emotion we’ve stored up there.

That person adds new perspective to our hidden realm. Quietly they settle down into their own corner of our special place, where a bit of he or she will stay forever.

And we call that person a friend.

Author unknown

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season. May your hearts be filled with joy, laughter and the company of good friends and family.

2010 holds great promise for all of us as we look forward to the dawn of a new year. If you've been thinking about change, now's the time to shoot for the stars.

Beginning January 15, 2010, there are openings available for two new clients in my Platinum Empowerment Program. This in-depth program is about personal growth, living on purpose and expressing your excellence. If you're truly ready to be your best, and live to your full potential, I'd be delighted to assist you.

If you are ready for a 'no excuses' approach to self improvement send me a brief email stating your goals and objectives: info@lifeforcehealth.ca before December 24th, 2009 or after January 6th, 2010.

Love and light,

Linda

Compassion

For as long as I can remember people have been drawn to tell me their stories; their sorrows and their dreams.

I wonder if the ability to be compassionate for another is the innate response of a kinesthetic being or if compassion can be taught. When one cares so deeply and hates to see anyone in pain, be it mental or physical it sometimes becomes difficult to separate oneself. However, if my ability to ‘listen’ in any way eases the pain of another’s heart then I will have served humanity in some small way. If a lonely soul can have a friendly shoulder when life seems overwhelming then I will give that shoulder willingl and gladly.

If compassion can be taught, then let us teach others so we may extinguish cruelty, mistrust and anger. If we are all ‘one’ then we must treat each other as we wish to be treated, with love, honesty and integrity. As Dr. Guy Riekeman (Chiropractor) once shared; " the problem is not that you don't know what to do, its just doing IT!

This picture was taken in 2001 by my husband Chris, during our 500 mile kayak journey

through Northern Ontario. It is called "Perfect Reflection at Owl's Head Rock".

Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul - and sings the tune

without words- and never stops - at all. ~ Emily Dickinson

A persons heart is like a stained glass window; its beauty is only

revealed when there is a light within." ~ Soni

Hugs

I came across this little poem in our local newspaper and thought it's simple, yet loving message was worth sharing. I hope you will enjoy it and share a Hug with someone special today and every day.

It’s wondrous what a hug can do.
A hug can cheer you when you’re blue.
A hug can say, “I love you, so”.
Or, “Gee, I hate to see you go”.
A hug is, “Welcome back again”.
And “Great to see you, where’ve you been”?

A hug can soothe a small child’s pain
And bring a rainbow after rain.
The hug! There's just no doubt about it-
We scarcely could survive without it!
A hug delights and warms and charms.
It must be why God gave us arms.

Hugs are great for fathers and mothers,
Sweet for sisters and for brothers.
And chances are your favourite aunts
Love them more than potted plants.
Kittens crave them. Puppies love them.
Heads of state are not above them.
A hug can break the language barrier
And make your travels so much merrier.

No need to fret about your store of ‘em;
The more you give the more there’s more of ‘em.
So stretch those arms without delay
And GIVE SOMEONE A HUG TODAY!!!!!

By - Dean Walley

BE

Today we have written another chapter in our evolution, today we have vowed to live ~ truly live each day to it’s fullest. Today and all the days of the rest of this life on the Earth plain we will be, just BE! Enjoy the journey; treasure the experiences along the path.

We were not brought to this life to worry or struggle, we were brought here to love, to serve, to share this beautiful sphere we call Earth with the animals, the plants, and the people.

Seek joy not sadness, don’t just exist, thrive. Truly live every day to the fullest, for each and every day is precious. Every day is a new beginning. Every day is a new opportunity. Make it worthwhile! Carpe Diem ~ Seize the Day.

See the beauty that surrounds you

A few of my favourite quotations

"Within every mind that asks a question, there is a greater mind that holds the answer". Greatbearwoman

“The definition of happiness – getting everything you’ve always wanted
and still wanting it, when you get it”. Unknown

“Live your life as a work of art”. Da Vinci

“Make your dreams more real then your fears” Unknown

“Inner commitment to your own excellence is the stuff of which
miracles are made". Wayne Dyer

“Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and
suddenly you are doing the impossible”. St. Francis of Assisi

“Do or do not, there is no try”. Yoda

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things
that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do”. Mark Twain

“It is never too late to be what we might have been”. Unknown

Hope you are encouraged and inspired.
Linda

Don’t Just Set Goals – Achieve Them!

Recently we have heard a great deal about goal setting and the power of clearly defined and written goals. It is well documented that people throughout history that we view as successful have had written goals. Abraham Lincoln said “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing”.

We know that thoughts that are committed to paper are far more tangible and likely to be manifested than thoughts that are kept to oneself or held only in the conscious mind. The famous author of several books, Norman Vincent Peale said, “change your thoughts and you change your world”. Saying you are going to do something and actually doing it are very different. People constantly set goals and make promises to themselves and then break them almost right away – remember the New Year’s resolutions?

In the movie, The Secret, John Assaraf; spoke about creating a ‘vision board’ to help describe what you want in life. This is a visual representation (using pictures from magazines) of the ‘things’ we desire to have. For example a yacht, a mansion or an expensive sports car. However, when I speak of goals with my clients it’s not necessarily material possessions that I refer to, but rather personal achievements and the direction they want their life to take.

Sadly, a great number of people spend more time planning a vacation than thinking about what they want to create or achieve during their lifetime. When I work with clients; only part of what we discuss are their immediate goals – what they want to achieve in their program. But it goes much deeper than that. Often, clients will have realizations about their life. Perhaps dreams that they had let pass them by resurface, those lost opportunities to be more or do more with their life. Maybe they have been doing work for years at a job they don’t like or don’t believe in because someone said ‘you can’t make money doing that’ or ‘go to school and get a real job’! Don’t let anyone rob you of your dreams and aspirations. Be true to yourself.

Many goals are not achieved simply because they are not compelling or powerful enough. Set BIG exciting goals. Michael Gerber in his book, the E-Myth talks about BHAG’s, which stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Break out of your comfort zone. Set goals that will challenge you to grow and be a better person. Let your goals stir something great within you and then take the necessary action to make them a reality. Motivational speaker and author, Stephen R. Covey said “The more we use and magnify our present talents, the more talents we are given and the greater our capacity becomes”.

There is a power deep within everyone that holds unlimited resources, and that power is the subconscious mind. Many of today’s motivational speakers, their books and CD’s speak about the hidden power within. It is the subconscious part of the mind they are referring to. For it is that part of everyone that holds unlimited possibilities. Let me show you how to tap into those resources and utilize the force within you to magnify your innate talents and express your excellence.

Reduce Stress Naturally

Our world is changing with ever increasing speed and many people are finding it difficult to keep pace and cope on a daily basis. Although no one can control the world at large, individuals do have the power to be in charge of their personal world by controlling stress and their responses to it.

Of course a certain amount of stress, both physical and mental is normal (and healthy) for humans but too much can be fatal. According to a report on the Mayo Clinic’s website….”80% of patient visits to their doctors are stress related. Almost 60% of all employee absences from work are related to stress. The World Health Organization calls stress, a global epidemic. Over one million people (in the U.S.) die each year due to conditions/diseases related to stress. This includes obesity, lung cancer (due to smoking), heart disease and high blood pressure. Stress is also a contributing factor in arthritis, herpes, fibromyalgia, insomnia, migraines, chronic pain and infertility.”

The results of stress or the way it manifests in a person’s life is, in part, their reaction to the situation. Some of the ways in which stress ‘shows up’ are signals that need to be recognized, before more serious conditions develop. The signals may be physical, behavioural or emotional. A few of these are: Stomach aches, chest pain, fatigue, excessive sleeping or alcohol consumption, drug dependency tranquilizers), compulsive eating, anxiety, depression, low self esteem and impatience.

The good news is that these reactions can be changed or ‘reprogrammed’. By utilizing positive suggestions and imagery a hypnotherapist or hypnotist, supports clients in making lasting changes by addressing their deeper (subconscious) mind. A deep, relaxing hypnotic rest is a very safe, pleasant and enjoyable process and stress reduction is a natural by product.

Many hypnotherapists around the world believe that assisting people with stress relief is so important, that they no longer see clients for anything else. If you would like to acquire the tools to reduce stress naturally, hypnotism can be highly beneficial. A professional hypnotist, not only guides clients through stress relieving sessions and offers suggestions for coping, but also teaches self hypnosis techniques which can be utilized throughout life. If you truly desire to make positive lifestyle changes, now is the time to learn more about hypnotism.

Three Ways to a Happier Life

As you begin reading this article and contemplating your own life, I'm sure you can think of many ways to create a happier life. What I'd like to share with you here are three ways that I've learned over the years. These lessons have not always been easy or (emotionally) painless but they have served me well and I hope in sharing they will do the same for you.

To create a happier life we must first understand that happiness cannot come from any source (person or thing) outside of ourselves. Our materialistic society along with clever marketing has given people the false belief that purchasing one more gadget, one more pair of shoes, a new car or just the right furniture will provide the 'fix' needed to ensure happiness. Of course, we've all tried this way to fulfillment in one form or another over the years but in the end our garages and basements that overflow with stuff tell us of the futility this path leads us to. Anyone that has been excited by the next 'bright shiny object' knows that the shine wears off quickly and the wanting, longing, yearning soon begins again.

The only road to true happiness is created within each one of us. This is the cause of many of people's problems; when they feel disconnected and lost in the vast sea of the outside world they don't allow themselves to be quiet long enough to be in touch with their own inner self, which is the only place where true happiness can come from.

The second way I've found (and am still learning in some ways) is that you can never please everyone, no matter how hard you may try. When the decision is made to release this 'need', life becomes much easier and runs far more smoothly. It gives a new sense of freedom from old patterns since this 'pleasing' is taught from a very young age. We must please our parents, our teachers, our siblings, our spouse, our children and our neighbors. We must please our boss, our colleagues, our clergy, the list goes on and on. Ultimately, the only person we can please is the one that looks back at us in the mirror. Don't get me wrong here, it's fine to possess honorable qualities that others respect, such as honesty and integrity but in the constant effort to please everyone else people usually end up displeasing themselves. I don't recall who spoke it but I heard a wonderful quote, "Betrayal of self is betrayal after all". In other words if we displease ourselves to benefit others we are in essence taking away from our own life's energy.

The third way to a happier life (in my experience) is to honor every one's path through life even if it's different than you think it should be. This is especially true for parents and other family members that may try to manipulate children to do what they desire (i.e. live vicariously through their children) rather than letting the child live his or her own life. Understand, that I'm not speaking here of people with young children. I'm referring to people with older teens, college students and even grown children with families of their own. This honoring of others paths also applies to people of different cultures, religious beliefs and social order. Until we walk a mile in another person's shoes we have no idea what their journey has been like, what struggles or trials they may have endured. Learn to be kind, compassionate and respectful of the path that others walk and that path will lead you to a happier, more peaceful life.

Remember the way we view our life and our own personal situation is always a matter of perspective and that perspective can always be adjusted and revised based on the choices we make.

Love and Light,

Linda

I'm on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/Greatbearwoman

Facebook: http://www.facebook/Greatbearwoman

Thought for the Day

No matter what your lot in life may be, build something on it.

Threshold

Today I crossed a new threshold. Today my spirit has begun to soar with the eagles, for now I know I am on the right path.

My purpose and destiny lie before me. I am now willing to let the Universe unfold its magical ways and be guided by my own inner light.

I am a healer, not only of myself, but of other souls that my spirit touches on this Earth walk.

I am an advisor, that I may guide others seeking their path. I am a writer of words and ideals that will help heal the planet and the people.

I am a teacher so that others may learn of my experiences.

Thank you Great Spirit for guiding me on my quest.

Control your Reactions to Stress

Our world is changing with ever increasing speed and many people are finding it difficult to keep pace and cope on a daily basis. Although no one can control the world at large, individuals do have the power to be in charge of their personal world by controlling stress and their responses to it. The results of stress or the way it manifests in a person’s life is, in part, their reaction to the situation. The good news is that these reactions can be changed or ‘reprogrammed’ by utilizing positive suggestions, affirmations, imagery and guided meditation. If you truly desire to make positive lifestyle changes visit my website at www.lifeforcehealth.ca and then let's chat.