Newsletter Archive: February 2010

 

Text Box: February 2010 Welcome to the Dare to Blossom newsletter If this has been forwarded to you by someone else, you can sign up for your own copy every month here. If you do not wish to receive future editions, please email me to unsubscribe. Everyone who is on the mailing list will be entered into a draw twice a year (at the end of June and the end of December) with a chance to win a prize of six free life coaching sessions. In this issue: -          Reflections: Repeating patterns, Cycles and Surprises -          Links to inspire and amuse! Reflections: Repeating patterns, Cycles and Surprises Today I find myself reflecting on repeating patterns and cycles: I have been extremely busy with my new work, my studies and all the other normal things that we all deal with in life. The starting point was recognising a repeating pattern of stress building up and reflecting on how/why I allow this to happen and how I can apply lessons learnt in the past to lessen the effects or better still stop it happening. I remember long ago reading a quote attributed to a wise teacher (though I do not have a name), along the lines of: “Everyone benefits from meditating for 30 minutes every day, except when you are especially busy, then you must meditate for 60 minutes every day.” And another one: “The time to relax is when you don't have time for it.”  Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris (from http://www.quotegarden.com) Both these remind me to take the time to sit back and review what is happening, if things keep repeating themselves there is a reason and I can take back control and change that if I choose. Also when I feel most stressed or under pressure, that is when I most need to do just that. For you: some questions to think and/or write about in your journal: Are there any repeating patterns in your life at the moment? Are they ones that you choose, or ones you have slipped into? Are they having a positive or a negative effect? Do you want to change anything about these patterns? If so what? Write some actions that you can take, and do one now! Moving on to other sorts of cycles, many of them seem fixed laws of nature, and so they are but even within those there are variations and even the potential for surprises. For example driving home yesterday in the early evening, I caught a glimpse of the full moon rising – it was low and magnified by the atmosphere and so large and extraordinarily beautiful that I gasped with surprise and delight at the sight. A few clouds drifted past as I caught more glimpses on my journey and the moon continued to change in size and colour as it rose. I later heard on the radio that this full moon also looks particularly large as it is closer to the earth than usual, so even those ‘fixed’ cycles of nature can offer surprises and delights when we take the opportunity to notice. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time (and with a clear sky) to see what is apparently the brightest moon of 2010, see more in this article if you are interested. If I studied astronomy for closely this would not have been a surprise to me of course, but even so it would have been a sight to savour. Spring will soon be coming in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the south, and connecting with the cycles of nature is for me one of the most effective ways of putting stressful events behind me. Getting out for a good long walk is a type of meditation, feeling part of the larger pattern of nature puts the ups and downs of daily life into perspective. There are always surprises to delight us if we take the time to really see: the flash of a bird’s wing, snowdrops peeping through the snow, green shoots of daffodils, the glorious colour of autumn leaves. Links to inspire… There are many websites, blogs and newsletters that can offer ideas on reducing stress and avoiding negative patterns, here are some suggestions for you to browse: How not to Hurry – from Zen Habits, many interesting articles here, including one on ‘Do Less’ The Mindfulist – ‘mindful’ living, doing one thing at a time, and doing it with full attention. …and to make you smile: Funny cat videos – you may have seen these before (many have been featured on TV in England), there is one that made me laugh out loud at about 4.43 minutes – look out for the cool cat putting on his shades! Thank you for reading, do email me with any questions, comments or suggestions, or feedback on particular items. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think may be interested. All best wishes   Mary Text Box:   Text Box:  



 

 

 

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Newsletter Archive

February 2010

 

 
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