Receiving Gifts From The Heart

In the last two days, I sat with my sister on the shore looking at the vast ocean and the horizon beyond. I saw a little girl listening to a live music performance and dancing across the room with her arms wide as if flying in the sky. I spoke with a warm, generous and strong woman about a very important question to ask oneself at all times. And all of these were moments were I witnessed and experienced presence, one of the truest gifts from the heart.

Yesterday, at an art museum there was a live music performance where I got to see beauty pour out through self-expression. A little girl of about 6 years also named Sophia, danced like a free bird floating in the sky. With here arms spread across like the wings of a bird, she would swoop around the room in full speed and in beat with the music. In this movement, she was dynamic and she was free. With her enjoying the music and dancing to it from her heart, she showed all of us there how it is to give of what you have, freely and with joy in the heart.

Today, sitting on the beach with my sister was simple and beautiful. She is an amazing young woman of gentle cheerfulness and kindness in her eyes. She makes conversation easy and flowing. She allows me to be who I am. Speaking of how the Universe conspired for her day to become completely free on the last minute, she invited me to spend time together with her. In a similar way, the Universe conspired for me too to have an extra free day as well at the last minute and so going to the beach is what we did. We giggled about sea gulls walking sideways and running quickly from an approaching wave. We pondered what it is like to live right across from the beach. We shared ideas about what makes one a yogi. And we sat observing the ocean in silence. It was just silence. And it was beautiful. We were each having our own communication with the ocean separately, together. And a sea gull joined in this conversation. It first looked at us. It was pretty close to where we were sitting. It stood there; feet firmly planted in the sand. After a few moments of two of us looking at it and it looking at us, it sat down on the sand and now all three of us were looking at the ocean. All three of us; communicating with the ocean. Separately yet together. I found a new meaning and a new depth of communication with no words. The three of us were communicating to the ocean, to each other and to ourselves that all is well in this moment, and we are just being here now. And in this way we shared a gift from the heart - a gift of presence.

What we most need always comes to us exactly when we need it. I had a conversation today with a phenomenal woman who has shared her kindness and generosity with me my entire life. Today, she gave me one of my biggest kernels of truth. She reminded me about giving up anger. She said that getting angry at a situation or a person means hurting ourselves exponentially. She said, if we are angry at someone, we hurt ourselves first and then it hurts the other. Then it reflects off of them and comes back to us. And like this it hurts us twice. I shared with her how I often go for a walk if something is upsetting me or when I am under distress. Immediately she replied that walking away means running away. We need to be present with what happens not run away. We must be with it and ask ourselves, “Do I want to be the king (queen) of my mind or the slave?” We want to be king/queen. So we must be cautious and on alert constantly about what thoughts or seeds we water in our mind. Are these thoughts of love and compassion and patience? Or are these thoughts of anger, irritation, annoyance, frustration or complaints? Her talk reminded me of what I recently read in the book, The Unthethered Soul: “Everything is fine, as soon as I decide it is”. This way of thinking completely shifts the focus from what we think is wrong in the world or our life to focussing on the thought that everything is fine because I choose it to be so. This is shapeshifting of the highest order. We transform the world around us by the predetermined thoughts about the world we carry within us. I am filled with so much joy, possibilities and empowerment everytime I come across this kind of thinking in people I meet or in the books I read. This outstanding woman is my aunty who shared her wisdom with me and in doing so she truly shared from her heart. She gave me today a life-changing gift of her understanding of the principles of life and successful living that is a real turning point in my life.

There are so many ways we are given gifts from the heart. It is a continuous flow of blessings. I am grateful for experiencing them and for being able to receive them fully and for the opportunity to share them with you. Thank you for reading this blog today.

From the heart,

Sophia
 

Introspection:

What gifts from the heart have you received in the last few days or even years. Take a moment to reflect on that.

Disentangling From Placeholders

By the end of this post, you will be compelled to delete this email (if that is how you are reading this). You may even be compelled to finally let go of something that you are holding on to unhealthily. You will become ready to embrace the new. You will learn how to be fully present with your friends and family, yourself and with life.

So be very present now. Take a deep breath. And be here with me, reading this.

I have begun deleting my emails. For far too long, I would keep them in my inbox for reading them later, even after I have read them. It is much easier to delete a message from a service company or newsletter subscription. But email from a friend or a family member - very hard to delete. The email may simply say, "Let us go of lunch". Or it may be a letter filled with a deep heart connection. I am learning to let go.

What I am realizing is that that email is always a placeholder for the connection I have with someone, not the connection itself. The message it carries goes beyond the words, it goes deep into my heart. I realize that if I can be fully present with that heart connection, with that deep feeling that I feel with a person, I will not feel the need to "hoard" the emails.

This same thing applies to every object we have that are actually placeholders. A vase that a friend gave us is symbolic of their love and appreciation for us. If you are using it and loving it, keep it. But if is the fourth vase in your house and it is starting to make your life cluttered, it is time to be with the heart connection and let go of the symbol of it. Somebody will be very happy to receive it as a gift or a charity will receive it with open arms as a donation. Your friend who gave you that gift would never have wanted that gift to become an emotional shackle for you or to clutter up your living space. Their intention was to enrich and enhance your life. But whether or not it does it, is something you have to determine. And so allow yourself the permission to let go.

This brings me to another very important realization that I would like to share with you. Because I think this is another dimension of the idea of decluttering your home or studio or deleting emails in your inbox.

This is about being with people and yourself fully.

There are times when we are spending time with a friend or family member but we are lost in space. We are physically there but not fully there. It is only later that we realize our real loss. People who have lost a loved animal companion or a family member or friend know this all too deeply. 

In February 2013, my husband's band was going on a music tour through the Northeastern US. This would have been a great opportunity for me to go on a road trip and to visit my parents in NJ, about 12 hours drive from our home in NC. The night before my trip, I had this intense feeling that I needed to stay back. There was no rational reason to explain it. I had made my plans, the bags were packed, parents were preparing to welcome me and everything was in place. But my feet felt solidly rooted in North Carolina. I just knew it in my gut that I needed to stay. I just did not know why.

That entire February, I stayed with my beautiful, loving cat Sunflower. She and I shared special moments of connection. She would climb and then curl up on my back while I lay on the floor reading. Or she would explore curiously in the yard on a sunny afternoon while I did yoga on the porch. She would sleep on my chest at night and keep give me heart energy healing. It was really a very beautiful time.

Next month, Miss Sunflower became ill, went through surgery and then on April 15th, she crossed the rainbow bridge.

Looking back at those moments when I had this gnawing feeling in my stomach that I needed to stay back, I now understand that this was a very precious time to be with my dear friend. A time that would never come back. Even though I did not understand it and even though I had to disappoint some by cancelling my trip, I am so grateful that I followed what felt right because I dearly miss my lovely cat friend and I have those special moments in my heart to soothe my soul.

This story reminds me to be fully present with the people I am with. When I am at Bele Chere (annual summer festival in Asheville, NC), with a friend I am going to be fully there with her. Because she may move to North Dakota. When I am chatting with my neighbor kids, I am to be fully present, because they are going to grow up. When I am with my parents, I am fully there for them because they are growing older. When I am with the trees outside my yard, I am admiring its beauty because the next day I come out of my house and see that it was cut down by the utility workers. I deeply enjoy the food I am eating because soon it will be digested!

And then, I remind myself to bring this presence to myself. I am deeply present with my dreams, my emotions, my desires, because they are transitory. They bring gifts that I must catch or else like bubbles they fade away.

All this does is help me connect with life with my heart. It helps me enjoy each moment fully. It helps me to listen more closely. It helps me to be living life NOW. And I disentangle from placeholders.

EASY ACTION STEPS

So now, it is your turn. If you are reading this as an email, click delete at the end. That action will be your message to self that you are absorbing the message but letting go of the placeholders. Then go on and do three things today:

1. Look at one item that you have that you are emotionally attached to in a unhealthy way. You will know that it is unhealthy when you sense a slight doubt or hesitation about keeping that item. Then decide if it can still go into donation or as a gift or shall it be recycled. Remember if it is from a friend or it marks a special occasion, that connection is already in your heart. No item can replace what you feel inside.

2. The next opportunity you have to be with a person, be fully present. Drop your digital toys. Drop your to-do lists. Just listen to that person fully. That is all they deeply want. You may not even need to say anything heroic. Just show them your presence. Easy way to do that is to breathe deeply while your ears are listening to the person speak. Breathing consciously will help you to be present fully.

3. Today, fully allow whatever you feel and experience to be just the way it is. Drop the need to resist it, or question it, or analyze it. Just allow whatever you feel to be like that. Like a mother embracing a child who is crying, not asking why or how come, just soothing and allowing the space for the child to be with their crying. Do that to yourself. It may be any emotion like frustration, irritation, doubt, overwhelm, anxiety, anger, resentment, impatience, jealousy, unworthiness and so on. Just be with it. Shine your loving light and be fully present, again, with conscious breathing.

Do this and let me know how it works for you.

Blessings,

Sophia
 

Introspection

The first thing that you feel is cluttering : LET GO

The first person you meet : BE WITH THEM FULLY

The first emotion that arises : BE WITH IT FULLY

How to Decode the Language of Our Inner Self

When there was an important task or project that you wanted to do, how often have you heard yourself say:

I do not have time for that.
I don't have enough time.
I am too busy right now.

Even when you knew that it was very important for you to do that task, your inner dialogue consisted of these statements:

I will do it another time.
When the time is right.
Later, not now.

And did that "later" moment in time ever come?

Recently, I found myself say, "Let me just do this, before I begin this." I also said, "Ah, that takes too much time. I rather wait until later, when I have more time." Rationally, this statement makes no sense. If I do not have time now, how will I ever have time later. Either I have time or I don't. But it makes complete emotional sense. The statement basically says, "I do not have the emotional energy to invest myself into this, right now. May be at another time, I will have the energy". It is not about time. It is about energy.

So what I am finding out is that anytime I am not wanting to do something right away, it is not so much about how much time I have, but how much emotional stamina or strength I feel I have in order to handle that particular task.

This is a very useful realization because now I know that any reference to not having enough time, at least for me, is a code that tells me that I do not feel confident that I can fully take care of a particular task to my satisfaction in that moment. This means also that my internal system is alerting me to get resources to help me before I can embark on that project. Too often we don't listen to that code message and quickly let that message flow over us and we "move on" to doing something else that may be emotionally "easier" in the moment. But this is very dangerous. Because by moving on, we really are not. We are neglecting, ignoring and hiding from what needs our immediate attention. By saying, "later", we are postponing our own sense of joy and peace. And if we learn to understand the code language and how to learn from and how to use it, we can actually bite into whatever we have in front of us, instead of superficially "moving on" to something else.

STEP 1. See What's Really Happening

So the first thing, like anything we do in our personal growth, is to become aware of what's happening. Just noticing it helps it to move from a nebulous, invisible phenomenon to something we can describe and put a finger on. For example, if there is a project that you want to start but are not able to begin, notice that. Notice if you are making excuses and what messages they contain. And whatever statement we are saying to ourselves, question it. For example, let us say this statement comes up: I will start that tomorrow. See if you can very gently ask yourself the question why. Why will I start tomorrow not today? And then let the answer come. I am too afraid of beginning today because...

I do not want to spend the whole day and still not be able to complete it
I do not want to start something which I am not sure how it will look when done
I do not know if I am fully prepared for it and what if I do not know all the answers
I am feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of it
I am feeling guilty that I have not yet begun it already and I should have 10 min, 10 hours, 10 days, 10 years ago
I am afraid that I will be successful and then I don't know what will I do
I am not sure if I can be consistent with it if I start now
I don't trust myself and I am afraid I will slack off or lose interest in it half way and then it will be incomplete

Basically, the code "I will start tomorrow or later" or "I don't have time now" is a message from your internal being that is saying this:

PLEASE HELP ME. PLEASE HELP ME RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO DO THIS BUT I CANNOT BEGIN WITHOUT SOME EXTERNAL HELP. PLEASE GET INSPIRATION FROM SOMETHING OR SOMEONE. PLEASE REACH OUT FOR HELP SO I CAN EMBARK ON THIS TASK WHICH I SO WANT TO DO BUT AM NOT ABLE TO. PLEASE HELP ME NOW.

STEP 2: Get the Help Your Inner Self is Asking for

So once you decode the message go on to Step 2 which is to get the help. Talk to a friend and just describe what you are feeling and experiencing. Then ask them to give you some advice on how to go on. It is always easier to hear such advice from another person when your inner self is asking for help. Then listen carefully to that advice. The other person will know exactly what to say to you because they will be divinely guided. Your guides are always helping you and when you ask for help, they immediately help you directly or through other people and circumstances. Another suggestion is to go for a walk, or take a bath or cook a delicious meal, or do something that will help you to relax.

STEP 3: Take Action

Step 3 is to implement the first piece of advice from the friend that resonates with you and you feel good about it. It may not be easy but you will feel that it is the right thing to do. And then do it. If you have gone for a walk, you will come back ready to embark the task you had hesitated or postponed before. You will be able to take action and that is what Step 3 is about.

You will find that already after Step 1, you feel much better. You are able to put a handle on the problem. After Step 2, once you have shared your situation with a good friend or journaled about it or gone for a walk, you may find that things seem much more possible. You feel lighter. And all of this prepares you for Step 3 which is to go ahead and do the thing that you most wanted to do but could not find time for.

There may be other messages hidden in these outward excuses. Excuses are our friend. They are codes and they give us hints to our internal emotional landscape. Let us not just used them superficially. Let us look deeper. There will be something underneath there waiting for us to be found. Learn to decode these code phrases and help yourself to move through obstacles. And of course please do share what you have learned from your own codes that others can learn and benefit from. Every little bit helps the puzzle. 

Here is to learning to understand the language of codes from our inner self. And to decoding them so we can literally move on.

Blessings,

Sophia

Introspection

Do the first step of decoding. Ask the question why to any surface statements/excuses that come up. Let that be your starting point. Ask why as many times you need to get to the core of the issue. Your inner self is waiting for you to probe so it can give you the answers.

Playing From The Heart

View fullsize

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend in the musical community who talked about playing from the heart. And I was intrigued. I was intrigued by what musicians have tapped into. When someone plays an instrument or sings or composes a piece, they are connecting with the life force, with the very essence of life that exists. They tap into it and through their heart, allow it to flow. Their hearts become the instrument both physically and energetically that connect them to their internal music. They become open to listening to it, removing judgments that come from the mind and then they let it happen.

This feels so fundamental to being human. Artists of any kind seem to know about it: writers, painters, sculptors. But the wonderful thing about tapping into this inner-flow is that it is not limited to artists. Scientists, architects and engineers have connected to it. So have teachers and philosophers and chefs. Leaders and managers have tapped into it. And so have mothers and fathers. It is available to everyone in every moment, at any time of night or day!

Children, we shall all agree, make it seem so easy; they are completely tapped in.

What is it that they are tapped into? Like holding a palmful of sand, I will attempt on writing about something so intangible yet so palpable. Children are tapped into a never-ending supply of ideas, inspiration and a flow that is beyond limits. They seem to step-aside and let "it" speak, let "it" express through them. Isn't that why when we look into a child's eye, we see purity, beauty, grace and deep wisdom and so much more that is indescribable? When we look into a baby's eyes there is curiosity and there is love, isn't it? When they have an idea, they do it. When they desire something, they ask for it. When they do not like something, they express it. And children seem to know intuitively, (because it seems no one needs to teach them this), to accept others as they are. They are not judging anybody for who they are, on the contrary, with ease they accept people and how they are being. This is a direct channeling of divine love that does not judge, that does not have opinions. They are playing from the heart.

I am asking myself, "how can I play from the heart?". The first answer that comes to me is to trust the voice that I hear coming from the heart. Allow it time. Allow myself all the time that I need to let it flow. There is no hurry for anything to happen. Moment by moment, I am learning to allow life to be just as it is. To observe the paradox of events. To realize that there is no assessment needed. All that is required is to be a witness to the flow that is happening through me and through others around me. In loving what is, as Byron Katie says, we are at peace.

I am grateful for reconnecting with "playing from the heart". Thank you so much for reading this post today.

To watch how playing from the heart feels and looks like, I invite you to watch some beautiful souls perform Native American Music for you. I can promise you that it is a heart-warming experience that lifts your spirits so high, you feel like you are flying with the angels.

Click the links to watch any of these LIVE + FREE shows.
http://vaughnlive.tv/jimtzu Sat 8:30 pm  EST
http://vaughnlive.tv/tahoelarry Sun 7:00 pm EST
http://vaughnlive.tv/raedent Sun 8:00 pm EST

With all my heart,
Sophia

Sophia Ojha Ensslin is the founder of Reflection Pond, Center for Meditation and Healing dedicated to helping people connect with their inner-self to live a fulfilling, joyful life using introspective media including music, films and books, e-courses and training workshops.

Share What You Have

I am humbled by the response to last week's blog post about simple awareness for embracing ourselves. Thank you for taking a moment to write me your personal reflection on that thought.

This week, we continue the theme of acceptance by extending it to sharing wholeheartedly the gifts of your heart and simply Share What You Have. We must begin now. We must begin where we are and with what we have. This means, no more waiting for the right mood, the perfect husband/wife, the x amount of dollars, or waiting when this is done and that is done. Say yes to now. Embrace where you are, who you are, what you got and begin sharing. I will keep the blog short and let you watch the video.

Please let me know which part of this message resonates with you. Do you have any uplifting thoughts on this? Please write me an email or do it publicly by commenting on the blog post. Thank You.

With Gratitude, Hugs and Blessings,
Sophia
 

Sophia Ojha Ensslin is the founder of Reflection Pond, Center for Meditation and Healing dedicated to helping people connect with their inner-self to live a fulfilling, joyful life using introspective media including music, films and books, e-courses and training workshops.

How To Use Simple Awareness To Embrace Who You Are

Last week's newsletter contained a video about remembering that we are beautiful and awesome and therefore, we can bring awareness to how we talk about ourselves to ourselves in our mind. In this way, we can learn to be kind in our thoughts towards ourselves as a starting point of being kind to others.

This week, I want to remind you to be yourself. I am learning that more and more myself. The YOU that is inside of your body, is vast and limitless. It is filled with infinite potential. You have within you the power to change yourself, to uplift others and to do good in this world. And you have been doing this all along. Remember that within you resides divinity. There are unlimited number of reasons to love and embrace yourself - and to respect who you are. It has to begin with you respecting yourself, loving yourself. And not just the nice parts of you but ALL of who you are, even the part that is judging a part of you as 'not nice'!

Without realizing it at times, we apologize for being who we are. There is no need to apologize for being you. Yes, we can apologize for causing hurt and pain with our thoughts, words and actions. We can apologize for neglecting a certain aspect in our relationship with another being. We can take responsibility for being unaware or insensitive or just too caught up in our own thing to have had the energy or sensibility to help another.

Yet, you do not have to apologize for being who you are. You are a beautiful gem on this planet, an angel helping and blessing everyone with you sheer presence. There is no one on this planet just like you. No one. And there never was and there never will be. You are a gift.

Begin to embrace that thought more. So that you can begin to love and respect yourself more deeply. So that you can begin to be kinder to yourself. This, you need to do, for all of us.

Allow your true, quirky self to emerge. Let no one make you feel small or insignificant. Because each one of us makes a difference with each thought, each word spoken and every action taken. If no one laughs at your jokes, you laugh. If no one admires your art, you admire it. If no one shares your thoughts, that's fine. Just let go of judging yourself. How? Simply notice when you do judge yourself. Or when you judge others, know that it is only because you are judging yourself in some way. It is not complicated. It is simple. Just become aware.

Where there is awareness, you shed light. And with light, you brighten up all that is. By becoming aware - simply becoming aware -  amazing things happen. You see reality in a new way. You are no longer in a mist, in a fog. You enter a new kind of clarity - clarity about how things are. And with this clarity, it becomes easier to be kinder. It is easier to embrace things as they are. It is easier then also to be patient and accepting of life. You are no longer fighting with life. You are no longer resisting. You are letting things be. And then you are feeling lighter, at ease, relaxed and joyful. You open up to allow joy to blossom within you. You love yourself. You love life. And your love is now felt by others.

This is what I am learning to do each day. And I invite you to do that too. This is one way we can bring peace in our world. Let us be at peace with ourselves. Be kind and loving and respectful to yourself, beginning with simple awareness of how you think of your own self.

With Love and Blessings,
Sophia

PS: There is a new short video called: How to Be Confident When Meeting The Parents, for all of you who are anticipating meeting the parents of your beloved for the first time (or at anytime) and are wanting to be a bit more confident. Enjoy!

Goodbye Fat Talk. Welcome Divine Being. How to Speak Well of Ourselves.

A very happy new year to you! I thank you for being part of Reflection Pond in 2013 and for your kindness and generosity. In December 2013, I mentioned a series of videos that I was preparing for you. As we begin our beautiful adventure in 2014, I am happy to present to you the first video. It is designed specifically for the women reading this, but it is useful to all the men who have wonderful women in their lives, be it wives, friends, daughters, cousins, colleagues and just women in our society. Know that what this video talks about has affected and is affecting women and is for helping women think kindly of themselves. As a man, if you can help by genuinely appreciating the beauty and intellect and grace of the women in your lives, you will be making a big huge difference in our world.
 

So do please watch this short video and please tell me what you think.

With love and respect,
Sophia

How You Can Complete the Year and Welcome the New One With An End of the Year Introspection

As we conclude the year and welcome 2014, here is a suggestion for an end of the year introspection.

1. With your partner or friend, look back at 2013 and recount all that you are grateful for. What challenges you overcame, what blessings you received, what new things you learned, what joys you felt and so on.

2. Then look forward to 2014 and ask yourselves: "What is the one job or project that I would really like to get done in my life right now? When would I like to finish it by? What exactly will it look like if I am really successful at this task?"*

You can spend as little as 15 minutes or go in great detail for three days, adding meditation and yoga and other reflective exercises. Regardless of the time, it is worth the effort to close the year and begin anew.

Peace and Blessings,
Sophia

*This reflective question is from the book, Karmic Management by Geshe Michael Roach, Lama Christie McNally and Michael Gordon.

Find A Way To Relax During Busy Times

With the year coming to an end, projects coming to and end and the flurry of activity around the holiday season, it seems that everyone is busy doing something during December. There is a lot to do. To be able to accomplish all that you want to do and keep your physical and mental well-being, remember to actively relax. Actively? By that I mean, put relaxation into your schedule. A few minutes of closing your eyes and breathing consciously can do wonders for you. And then see how you magically whisk through all your to-dos. Watch this video I made a video to help you relax.

Take a moment to breathe deeply. Relax.

With Gratitude, Love and Blessings,
Sophia

http://www.reflectionpond.com Take a break and relax during the busy holiday season with this guided meditation.

How The Notion of Perfection Can Help You Manifest Your Dreams

View fullsize

Reflect on this for a moment:

There is a woman, named Savannah who loves to cook for people. She enjoys the process of cooking. She loves to see people smile when they taste her food. She also knows that she is still learning her craft. Sometimes the meals are not perfect as she had envisioned to make them. One day, she gets an opportunity to feed a hundred people as part of an effort to feed people who are in need of a hot meal. Savannah can and has previously made great meals for up to 20 people at a time but never for a hundred. This makes her nervous. She does not know how much time she would need to get such a large quantity of carrots and broccoli in the soup cooked to the right tenderness or what the right amount of spicing would be needed. She thinks that because of her inexperience, something may be off and her soup may not turn out to be perfect. Because she does not know if it will turn out to the highest standard she can aspire to, she hesitates and even considers dropping out of the project. She knows what a good soup should taste like and anything less is just unacceptable.

She goes ahead anyways, thinking,"ah, the people out there do not know her personally so will not judge me". With some help in the kitchen, she manages to prepare the meal. When done, she tastes the food realizing that it is edible yet slightly saltier than her ideal. Alas, it is not the perfect soup she wanted to serve! But it is too late. The people are already waiting for their meals. Savannah watched from the kitchen door as they are being served. There is utter silence. Everyone is eating. She dares to come out and watch on. Then she approaches a man who has tears running down his face as he is eats. She asks him, "Are you alright, my friend?" The man replied, "Yes, yes." He pauses and then says, "I have not eaten a warm meal in five days. And this is the most perfect soup I have tasted in my life". His tears were out of joy and gratitude.

Touched, Savannah goes back into the kitchen, closes her eyes and lets out a sigh. She knew that today she experienced a pivotal moment of her life. Thinking back, she was grateful that she took on the 100 meal project although she was so close to dropping out. She realized that it is not about perfection and it is not about being evaluated as being perfect. It is about giving her best. It is about doing what she can do because she realized that that is where perfection lies. And that is all that was needed.

~ ~ ~

Last week, we discussed how an unfinished project or a project waiting to begun takes up our precious psychic energy. And that the remedy for that is to consciously decide which projects we would drop off our list and which one we really commit to. Next, we need to take the first step and then daily take one single action toward the completion of that project.

But, I know how challenging it can be to take that first step. There are so many mental and emotional challenges that we need to surmount before we can even take the first step. One of them is the internalized pressure of perfection. We may say to ourselves, like Savannah, "I know what a good job looks like and if I cannot accomplish that, why even start." This becomes such a huge hurdle that many magnificent dreams and solutions to our problems remain in our heads or on paper as ideas, never to see the daylight in physical reality.

But it does not have to be that way. And there is a way out.

Give Yourself A Break
If you are dealing with this sort of mental thoughts, first of all, give yourself a break. You are not alone in this. Everyone has at some point thought this way because these thoughts are not your original thoughts! They come to you from the collective consciousness. So get over beating yourself up for even having these thoughts and know that you are human!

Perfection Is About Just Doing It &
Knowing That Things Can Always Be Better
Second, we need to redefine what perfection really means. Consider this. The first time you do anything, it is very rare that you do it to the highest version ever possible. Although beginner's luck does help us with new projects. But, just look at a baby taking her first steps. She falls. She stumbles. She is just learning about balance. Her first step is perfect in the sense that the perfection comes from the fact that the baby actually took her first step. And we realize, that it not about how well she can walk, or how long she can walk or how resilient she is in her walk. It in that moment, it is not even about her picking herself up again. The perfection comes from the magic and beauty of her taking that very first step. Would it not be ludicrous if the baby said, "Mama, my first step is not going to be as perfect as I envision it. I know I can do much better than stumble and wobble. I know I have got it in me to walk with regal strides and in a graceful gait- just like a queen. But right now, I cannot do that; no, not during my first step. So, I am not going to bother taking that first step. It won't even come close to fulfilling my high standards! Let's just drop it, okay?". I do not know of a single baby who would say that, if they are speaking in full sentences already by their first year, that is! ;-)

The Only Way To Move Forward
And third, the reason you need to take that first step is because that is the only way you can move forward. Yes, you can have high standards for yourself. Reach for the stars, dream big. I am a big proponent of the big vision. But no, your first step does not have to meet your high standards or your big goals - not yet. What you do need to do is to begin; however small the step, however clumsy that step may be. Just begin.

One Little Action Towards A Great Dream Realized
So if your dream is to own a cafe one day, your first step could be learning about the coffee bean or to watch a video of a barista making great coffee, or you an talk to a cafe-owner in your neighborhood about how she got started. If your dream is to sell-out big shows as a musician, pick up the pen and start scribbling a song idea, or play around on an instrument or go watch a music show. If your big dream is to create a sanctuary for to-be-euthanized and homeless dogs and cats and educate people about a healthy life of these companion animals, connect with someone who also has that dream. In this case, just write to me as that is my big dream. And as I mentioned in the last blog, there will be invisible and visible help coming to you. We live in a miraculous world and you are being assisted in every moment. In this way, your big dream will become a reality.

You Have Done This Before
Fourth, take a moment to reflect. Think back to a time when you just went for a goal, not really knowing how you would accomplish it but it happened. People and opportunities and inspiration came your way. All you did was to make up your mind and help arrived as if from nowhere. Remember that story, and write to me how that was. You will realize that you have done all these steps before and you can do it again.

Remember there is perfection in you making the effort. So what is your next step going to be?

To perfection in all - as it is,

With Gratitude, Love and Blessings,
Sophia

Thank You For Being YOU

You are a Blessing!
A simple reminder today that I am grateful for you. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for sharing your smile with the world. Thank you for spreading your beauty and grace with all whom you connect with. May you, your friends, your family, wherever you are, continue to be blessed and loved.

With a heart of gratitude,
Sophia