The 3 o'clock wake up call?

I am what you might call a good sleeper. I maintain a regular sleep schedule and if I avoid sugar, caffeine and  alcohol, I sleep like a baby through the night. In our house, sleep is a precious gift that my husband and I both appreciate.
This summer we attended the I Can Do It Conference in Toronto put on by Hay House Publishing. The two day conference featured inspiring speakers who freely shared their wisdom, encouraging us to nurture our true spiritual nature and the unique gifts each of us has been given. Dr. Wayne Dyer is one of my favourite people and a fabulous, gentle teacher. In his presentation about manifesting miracles, he spoke about being awakened at 3:00 am. It is now habit for him to get out of bed at that hour and  work on whatever he's writing. He asked the audience how many people were awakened around that time and several people raised their hand. Dr. Dyer explained that it's a very spiritual time and being awakened is really being called to do this work in what is perhaps the quietest time of day. Of course it may not work for you if you have demands that require you to be asleep at that time but if you have flexibility, Dr. Dyer says that it's a powerful time and in order to maximize inspiration, he says to go for it and nap later.
This morning after about five and a half hours sleep, I was awakened and looked at the clock beside our bed. It was five to three and I thought what the heck let's see if this works. I came upstairs to my desk and two and a half hours later, I had accomplished quite a bit. It's a beautiful time of the day and now when I hear the subtle call of inspiration at 3:00 am, I'll answer.

A Happy Woman's Guide to Networking

Whoever gave birth to Marie Forleo thank you. This bright light is shifting women's' attitudes about business with her trademark enthusiasm, grace and a lot of wisdom for someone so young. This week Marie helped me to reframe my attitude about networking, a word I used to reject and now embrace fully.

While I have been in broadcasting for about thirty five years, the very word networking has always turned me off. I'm going to say up front that working on television has many advantages; one of the big ones is that people recognize you. So there's a bit of an edge when you show up at an event and don't know anybody. However you still have to follow through once the initial introductions have been made. Believe me I have met some fabulous people when I have had the courage to attend but I've always felt that there was somewhere I would rather be and frankly I felt that there was probably somewhere most of the people attending would rather be as well.

Until I met Marie...well we haven't actually met in person yet. I subscribe to her newsletter and watch her videos with great interest. I think we're cyber friends.

This week Marie offered eight tips, no make that rules for networking and I am excited to share my take on these rules. I just love them and I hope that you will too.

Rule number 1: When you go to a networking event go with the intention of serving others. As you meet people, think of what you can give to them instead of what you can get from them.

Rule number 2: Be present. Be with the person you're in conversation with instead of looking around or past the person in front of you, to see what other interesting people might be there. Be present. I love that one. I always felt that people were moving on before we even got started.

Rule number 3: Listen more than speak. Listen...now that's a beautiful gift to give someone right there.

Rule number 4: Think long term not short term. Think of getting to know someone for who they are and not what they can do for you. Amazing relationships can blossom out of this intention.

Rule number 5: Don't over commit. Don't feel that you have to have coffee with everyone you meet or dinner, or call them or get together on the weekend at your cottage. It's fine to have a nice chat and move on with no promise of "I'll call you later." No guilt either.

Rule number 6: Be honest. 

Rule number 7: Take immediate action. If you promise someone you'll look into something for them, do it and let them know. I have built a reputation on returning phone calls and emails promptly. I do it because my word matters.

Rule number 8: Only go to events that excite you. 

Thank you Marie Forleo for allowing me to paraphrase your wisdom and thank you for stopping by.

Believing is Seeing

It is absolutely true that it's not about the destination, it's all about the journey. What I really love about working with the law of attraction (I really love it usually in hindsight, I should mention) is that you really don't need to see very far in front of you. We need to be crystal clear about what it is we want and work to remove the barriers to receiving (see my Inspiration in Action: A Woman's Course in Happiness); we need to release the need to control and/or be attached to the outcome and voila the law of attraction has something to work with. Mainly we need to get out of our own way and enjoy the journey.
I started working on writing a book going on six years ago now. I was fortunate enough to meet several like minded women who were enthusiastic about meeting once a month for almost two years, to explore what are now the principles of my upcoming book Inspiration in Action: A Woman's Guide to Happiness. We brought open minds and open hearts to our monthly gab fests and left excited about our lives. We all learned from each other and we all taught each other something. It was an amazing experience that I cherish.
Once the meetings came to a natural ending, it was up to me to get the book written. I was working full time in a rewarding and demanding job as a television host/producer. I would approach the book when I had  the energy to give and I was practicing the principles, making sure that what I was writing about actually worked.
My plan for the book was to self-publish and do some courses and public speaking about the eight principles that now govern and guide my life. My secret fantasy was to quit my job in a couple of years, when the book was completed and take on the next chapter of my career. I was clear in my imagination about what I wanted and I don't remember telling a soul. I released the dream and carried on.
Nobody could have predicted how the opportunity to leave my job would show up. First there was a fire that destroyed our Newsroom and the television station I worked for was forced to relocate in a building that didn't have room for the production facilities for our program. So my partner and I worked with our editor in a rented edit suite in another part of town and I had a desk at home. Almost two years later, we were brought into the building just a few months before huge change in the company's business model. All staff members were offered a reasonably generous severance package and I accepted.
I am now happily writing and polishing my book, doing public speaking about the principles and in about a month I'll be teaching an eight week Course in Happiness. I'm also doing freelance on camera and voice work. I'm telling you this journey is amazing and I'm not concerned at all about the destination.

A Reason, a season or a lifetime

In a recent conversation with a freind about setting boundaries in relationships, Katherine commented that people are in our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. It was one of those cliches that resonated with me. I was ready to hear that it's okay to have friends in our lives for a specific reason, for a short amount of time or for a lifetime. I felt liberated in the face of the tough job I felt I had, setting healthy boundaries in my relationships.
I think the first thing we feel when we change the rules of friendship is guilt, at least that's how I felt. I was aware that in some way I was hurting somebody and that's not on the list of things I want. I think my need for peace outweighed the feelings of unease and in time I have learned to value the boundaries, so that I can enjoy the company of those people without feeling uncomfortable.
I have learned a great deal about compassion in this process: compassion for myself as I create space in my life to attract more peace, which is what I want; more compassion for other people both friends and strangers because we all ultimately want to feel loved, heard and valued.
I feel lighter in my life because I'm not carrying around the baggage of unfulfilled relationships; I can give from my overflow to those in need of whatever I have and I have created space for healthier friendships to show up because I recognize what they look like.
Mindfulness habits of gratitude and compassion release us from negativity and man does that feel good!

Kale Chips

So what is all the fuss about kale? Organic frilly green with a tough spine....looks like wrinkly swiss chard or very large wrinkly spinach leaves. I love to read recipies on line and recently I've noticed this green super food popping up a lot. It contains a lot of calcium and a whole lot of other nutrients, so it is described as a super food. I don't know, I'm a little afriad of the curly leaves and the one time I tried it in a casserole, frankly kale left me wondering what's up with that?
Oh baby, have I changed my tune? My husband and I have been inching toward a healthier diet for the last few years, trying a few vegetarian days each week with great success. We love tofu, my favourite is ginger tofu....yummy in a stir fry....but I digress....back to the green curly kale. About a month ago, I decided to give it a go and bought a bunch to add to a stir fry. I went on line and found a method where you snip the kale off of the tough stalk and par boil it before adding it to the stir fry. I did it and instantly fell in love. It's a more sturdy green than spinach or chard, so it holds its own in a stir fry. I let it saute with the other veges and the ginger tofu for a while until it got a little crispy. The flavour reminded me a little of broccoli, which I love too, so I was hooked....couldn't get enough of the kale. Had to have the organic kale!
Then I heard about kale chips! Oh my these are super special. I happen to love seaweed, growing up we lived near the Atlantic ocean and dried seaweed or dulse was like potato chips to us kids. The kale chips are just as tasty, low calorie and you're eating greens. Here's a method I found on line. Heat the oven to 350, snip bite size pieces of kale off of the tough stalks and toss with a tsp of olive or canola oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Into the oven they go on a non-insulated cookie sheet for about 15 minutes, turning half way. I made two bunches of kale chips yesterday and have made it half way through the lot myself.
Fair warning, one of my friends was stoked about making them too and did not like the result, which is a shame. I sent her the recipe I found on line to see if it might be helpful. Maybe it's just not for everyone!
I can't wait to try lemon and parmisan cheese, even soya sauce would be good oh yes and curry kale chips. Now I know what all the fuss is about! I hope you like them too!!!!!

Listen to the Music of Your Heart

Living up to your dreams is a challenging duel between your spiritual self and your ego. We all have an inner voice, reminding us of how we aren't worthy or aren't enough for the task. Our spiritual voice speaks in soft whispers, while the ego projects it's message in a loud voice. Like meditation, it takes practice to hear the spiritual over the ego; we have to listen carefully.

What do you want to attract into your life? What is your dream? Is it peace, joy, abundance, success? Whatever your true heart's desire, the ego wants to have its needs met first. What does the ego want? Well of course it loves instant gratification, it loves to be right, to feel special or to feel miserable. If the ego is always working to get its needs met and its goal is not in line with what we really want, our job is to acknowledge its need and work to calm the ego so we can be more alert and available to listen to our hearts desire, ultimately attracting what we really want.
We become attuned to the sound of our true self when we accept the ego and recognize when it is taking charge. It happens to me hundreds of times a day; I have to consciously remind myself that it is the ego looking for its fix and work to calm that sometimes overwhelming feeling. How do you do that? By choosing another feeling, one that has a positive vibration, one that's in line with what you really want.

We are all connected in this way: we have our spiritual energy, our true self and we have our ego, which is our protector, that's the good news....the ego does want to protect us and alert us to danger. I am grateful for the ego in that way however I appreciate that its need is great, in fact we can never satisfy the ego. As soon as we give it what it's asking for, it starts again. Really it's a bottomless pit of need whereas the spiritual energy is an endless supply of joy, peace and abundance. The way I see it, our job is to focus more on the spiritual or right brain and less on the ego or left brain.

Say for example you were overlooked on the guest list for a gathering somebody you care about was having. How does that make you feel? Well your ego says "what the?????, why was I not invited?" You feel miserable and you need to be right in some way. So your ego scans the situation searching for some way to ensure that you come out on top. Even when you find out that it was an oversight, your poor ego can't rest. It needs feeding, so you find some way for the host to be wrong and put the situation to bed. How does that bring you what you want, if what you want is peace, joy, success and abundance? Have compassion for yourself, your feelings are hurt temporarily, you will recover and compassion will change your vibration from a negative judgement about the other person to a positive feeling about yourself. You can't know why that situation happened, you can only be in charge of your response to it. Perhaps you'll start with a reaction from your ego, it's natural; your assignment is to shift from that emotional knee jerk response to one that opens your heart. Compassion for yourself is more powerful than judgement of yourself or someone else because it lifts your energy instead of depressing your energy with negativity.

It's all a matter of what you really want: remember the law of attraction will always bring you what you focus on, so focus on what you really want.

Count Your Blessings

How many times have you heard someone say "count your blessings?" Usually we say it to one another, when we've escaped some awful circumstance or when we receive news that we expected would be worse.

How about counting your blessings to simply recognize how blessed you are! I know, I know, your first thought is what a silly idea but if you just think about it for a few seconds maybe your second visit with the idea will produce a kinder, gentler result.

Our mind is always working to distract our attention and lead us to something material, something sparkly that will interest the mind. The truth is that when we focus on material and superficial objects, we don't have a chance to acknowledge all of the fantastic gifts we already have. Our cultural mindset wants us to continue to acquire "things" instead of valuing what we already have.

Our ancestors valued family, the land and their creator for the most part. These were the simple values that built North America. Today our world is far from those values and the crash that we're experiencing is a result of moving so far away from what is truly important. We are disconnected, isolated and chasing after ideals that in reality do not exist. Not all of us can afford our own home; not all of us can afford to send our children on school trips to exotic countries, not all of us can afford to eat.

If we spend more of our energy counting our blessings, we will begin to grow into becoming the change we want to see for future generations.

Start by noticing five things in your day that you're grateful for; how about the fact that you can breathe, notice your breathing and be grateful for the breath. Be grateful for your lungs, your liver, your kidneys, your children or your parents. Be grateful for the lessons life is teaching you; be grateful for the kindness you have in your heart and extend it to someone who needs it. The exercise has turned my life around and now counting my blessings is what I turn to on a regular basis to remind myself of how precious this gift of life is and how much we truly have to share. There is no store that carries this product and no price that we can pay for it. The great thing is that you will always have more blessings than you can count!