A safe harbor where beliefs are respected and kindness prevails.

Becoming Soul-cial Part II

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give flowersNo act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. –  Aesop

So, how are you doing on showing up for humanity?  Have you taken the time to incorporate the practice of “Soul-cial Living”, being mindful of the life in and around you?

Being present with kindness and compassion for all beings on the planet can be a challenge at times.  We earthlings are far from perfect, sometimes any storm, big or small, can through us off course.

On January 9, 2014, I shared 14 ways to become more Soul-cial.  In case you missed it, click here.

Below are 14 additional ways to practice.  I’ll share more in my next two features.  You know the saying, practice makes perfect!

  1. Just be kind
  2. Invite a friend out for a meal
  3. Deliver soup and flowers to someone who is not feeling well
  4. Send a client a note or gift thanking them for their service
  5. Put money in a meter that has expired
  6. Say I Love you
  7. Bring treats to the Police and Fire Department
  8. Take a senior citizen for a ride through their old neighborhood
  9. Volunteer at a local animal shelter and bring pet supplies with you
  10. Buy the person behind you a cup of coffee
  11. Let someone in front of you in line
  12. Hug your family and significant other as soon as you them
  13. Give one genuine compliment to everyone you meet
  14. Open doors for strangers, with a smile on your face

Ready, set, GO!

14 Ways to practice Soul-cial Living

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(This is this first article on ways to practice Soul-cial Living in a series of 4)
“A life lived to serve others is the only life that matters.”  Ben Stein

love and kindnessOne of the most important aspects of “Soulcial Living” is giving back to the community.  I am the youngest of six children.  We grew up in a small town just outside of Detroit.  My father was the bread-winner and my mother was the bread maker.  Both came from humble beginnings and never missed an opportunity to teach us the meaning of “giving back to the community”.

We are all connected.  What we do affects everyone and everything on the planet.  To live “Soulcially” means we recognize that connection and honor all of life by doing what we can to serve.

Below are 14 ways to “show up” for your community and practice living a more “soul-cially” conscious lifestyle.  Over the course of the next six weeks I will include 42 additional ways to practice; 14 more ideas for each article, giving you a total of 56 different practices to incorporate into your life.   Some require a little thought, others include a simple gesture.

1.Talk less – listen more
2. Offer to do community service/Volunteer
3. Mentor a child
4. Shovel your neighbor’s snow
5. Offer to show someone your town
6. Pay a toll for the person behind you
7. Donate to charity
8. Recycle
9. Start a free book exchange
10. Smile at a stranger
11. Hug someone
12. Call someone long distance
13. Send a card to someone
14. Tell everyone you meet to “make it a great day”

Little things make a big difference, in your life and the life of another.  Challenge yourself by printing this out!  Practice one each day, make a difference and get ready for the next round.

The love and kindness of one friend can make the difference of a million! TMG

Soul-cial Living – A New Perspective

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red tailed hawk JAWMy husband and I are amateur bird watchers.  I say amateur because I know some folks who spend almost every waking minute looking at, and for, birds.  We are not quite that intense, yet!  My mother calls it an infatuation.  I like to think of it as recognizing the beauty that lies above!

One bird that I am particularly fond of is the hawk.  There are over 208 species of hawks around the world and at least 25 different hawk species in the United States.  My attraction to the hawk began long ago, when I witnessed one flying above then swoop down on a field mouse and carry it away.  A few minutes later, that same hawk flew back to the tree to simply view the world around it.

On the way to an event a few years ago, my husband and I witnessed the incredible migration of hawks as they traveled south. There were literally thousands of them.  We pulled over to watch in the nearest spot we could find, a cemetery.  In the silence, as we observed the mass migration in awe, it occurred to me that we can learn a lot from the hawk.

Hawks have an amazing ability to adapt and survive in almost any condition. As a shamanic practitioner and energy worker I have studied the various meanings behind the animals that appear in our lives.  Each culture has their own definition of the messages available when witnessing a hawk. Some include: seeing the big picture, empowerment for finding the positive, being awake and aware that you can achieve great things by persistence and strength of will.   It also can mean that you live with greater intensity in all areas of your life, strong intuitive and vision capabilities, and a clear connection with spirit

Soul-cial living is showing up in life with the perspective of living from your highest good and the highest good of all.  In many ways it resembles living like the hawk and includes taking in the big picture, being open to new ideas and outlooks, finding the positive, seeing the good in life, living life with awareness; awareness of our connection to each other and our connection to something greater, the spiritual world and the part of us that is our soul.

Our soul is the true essence of who we are, the collection of experiences that lead us to living from our highest and best self.  It represents the thoughts, behaviors, actions, and rituals that we embody to stay on the path of living for “the highest good of all”.  When we sit quietly enough to listen to our soul’s voice and follow her promptings we are living with soul-cial consciousness.

Today I offer you a new perspective, a new way to live – Soul-cial Living.  Step back for just one minute each day to realize how far your wings can span when you see through the eyes of your soul, the eyes of love.  When we live our lives from the soul’s perspective we begin to see more light where there is darkness, more joy where there is pain, more peace where there is anger, more love where there is hate.

Gratitude Habits

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twWant to get through anything with ease and grace?  Be grateful.

Two of my favorite words are Thank You! It always amazes me how wonderful it feels to say and hear those words.

When I say them, I know that something delightful has taken place in my life. In fact, I wake up every morning with “Thank you” in my head – “Thank you” that I am alive to live another day, no matter what happens.

When I hear them, I know that someone has simply received something – a gift, a thought, a smile.  It might have been from me, or it might have been in a conversation I had the honor of overhearing.  (Sometimes eavesdropping is a good thing.)

Like most of you, I’ve had my share of ups and downs.  Those who know me well, know the “back story” of my life, sometimes ask me how I did it, how I managed to get through it all and still have a smile on my face.  One simple word:  Gratitude.

Replace old habits with new ones to create an attitude within that focuses on what works instead of what doesn’t!

What’s a habit?

According to dictionary.com it’s an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary – a learned behavior that we’ve repeated so often we don’t even think about it, we just do it.

What we focus on multiplies!

When we focus on what we are grateful for every day, gratitude becomes a natural part of our life, like brushing our teeth.  All habits are formed by repeatedly practicing or living a certain behavior over and over again.

How to make gratitude work for you?

  • Open your eyes in the morning with “Thank you!”
  • Close your eyes at night with “Thank you!”
  • Be grateful for everything in your life – good, bad or indifferent.
  • ·      Be open to seeing something good in every situation. Sometimes you might have to look a little harder than others.
  • Recognize your blessings: the breath you take, even if it’s labored; a sunny day, even when it’s cold; a warm coat, even if it has holes in it; shoes on your feet.
  • ·      Say “Thank you” often.  Pay attention to how many times a day you say “Thank you!”
  • ·      Pay attention to how many times a day you hear “Thank you!”
  • Create your own ABC’s of gratitude.

How long does it take for a habit to form?  Who knows. There are too many variables.  It doesn’t take long though to know we want to be happier; sometimes we simply choose not to act.

Focusing on gratitude takes your attention off of the lack or negativity in your life and puts the focus on what’s working, what’s positive and joyful.  Remember, what we focus on multiplies, thus gratitude raises our vibration to our own place of joy.

 

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