The Secret To Understanding How Your Dreams Can Give You The Edge in 2012!

December is a month of long night and shortened daylight hours.  The Winter Solstice is an ideal time to slow down and reflect on the year before moving into the holidays filled with celebrations of gratitude and abundance.  Reflection allows us to make peace with the past, gain clarity for the moment and build confidence in the future.  Taking a cue from Mother Nature, the extended hours of darkness, expand your dreams beyond limitation. Where dreams expand so does the heart, the mind and the soul making space for the new things we desire as the New Year approaches.

Mediation begins with listening to the noise that surrounds us and releasing it as easily as it comes. Begin reflective meditation by noticing all that is going on in the mind, allowing thoughts to come and go.  There may be thoughts that linger longer than others asking for more attention. There may be feelings in varying degrees of intensity that ride along with the thoughts. Notice all of that is connected to each thought or strings of thoughts.  You may choose to write them down at this time or simply take notice, however, be aware of the serendipitous nature of the process, desire for the whole self to explore, gather and sort the information into useful material.  

Using the process of exploration, gathering and sorting create a reflections page in your strategies journal (SMASH book) of those things that you found to be significant is similar to “kicking the tires” of your car before setting out on the road.  Becoming familiar with the quirks of a vehicle before you take a long trip, (or a short one), allows you to enjoy the ride by reducing perceived risk making the journey more enjoyable and less stressful. In life, understanding how you process events and sort information will help you to create objectives, strategies and tactics to meet your goals with greater success, less stress, and enjoy the journey.

As the mind becomes increasingly still there is a temptation to fill it with new thoughts. Take a moment to let the system rest and reach beyond your perceived limits to retrieve inspiration.  Listen to the breath of the body and the rhythm of the heart as your mind and body settles in and adjusts to the stillness.  Consider the quiet to be the gift of peace to the whole soul offering it with gratitude for a job well done. As inspiration reveals it’s self the imagination will expand it into a dream. Follow the dream and expand it in all directions until you reach the boundaries of the dream, and then push it out even more.  Experience the dream in as much detail as possible, interacting with the dream with all of the senses.  Deepening the experience sends the mind and body to the fringe of reality where it will return with endless possibilities from which to realize the potential of the dream. Record this information in your strategies journal in vivid detail.

Sort the information you have brought back from the dream into categories, such as;

1. Center/ Spirituality/ Self
2. Partnerships/Love
3. Creations/ Children/Homemaking
4. Travel/ Service/ Declarations
5. Work/ Career/ Activity
6. Information/ Knowledge/ Self-Cultivation/ Culture
7. Health/ Money/ Traditions/ Habits
8. Wealth/ Abundance/ Distribution/ Growth
9. Personal Power/ Security/ Longevity/ Integrity. 

This is a springboard list to identify objectives, build strategies and implement tactics that will move you to realize the dream. 

 

Touchdown! Fall Fitness in 6 Easy Steps #elleeyre #diet #fitness #fall

Fall is upon us and Americans are preparing for another October obsession. As much as I like football season I am not talking about an obsession with who will take the Lombardi trophy home after the final battle on the gridiron. I am talking about the obsession American's have with fat, too much of it around America's mid-sections, an obsession that stems from our cultural adolescence. With its growing pains, competitiveness, and clear desire for freedom to do what we want when we want, our culture tends to breed ideologies that are fresh and new that separate us from old ways of thinking. Hind sight is 20/20 and Americans are gradually catching on to the wisdom of ancient worlds.

It is natural behavior to take inventory of life in the Fall; early humans took inventory of food and supplies to prepare for winter months when these item would not be easily accessible.   The rhythmic pulse of the earth informed our rhythm or cycle. It was obvious to move with these cycles when we grew and hunted for our food. The earth gave us what we needed when we needed it and our behaviors followed.  In many cultures around the world they continue health practices that are in sync with the change in season. In a country where the year round availability of food and 24 hour gym access can mask the signals our bodies give us to transition our diet and exercise lifestyles with the seasons, it is vital to be aware of the body's natural rhythms and choose strategies that support the body.

The leaves are changing, its time to change our routines. As we calibrate our thermostats for warm days and cool nights, bring the sweaters, coats and jackets out of storage, winterize our cars, and usher in the season of football, hot drinks and warm socks, let's winterize our bodies as well.  To begin your lifestyle assessment define the difference you see between what you see in nature in the Spring and Fall to discover the clues nature provides about your body's needs for Fall.

Success in attaining any goal takes a simple formula that consists of:

• An objective.
• Strategies, and
• Tactics to support the objective.

Transform an obsession into a plan for success:

1. Define your health objective for fall.
2. Imagine life in fulfillment of the objective. Enlist all of the senses to build a three dimensional experience.
3. Identify strategies that support your objective, such as changes in diet and exercise routines, and an accountability partner.
4. List three specific actions that move you toward accomplishing your goal each week.
5. Assess your progress weekly, and
6. Reset your action list, rinse and repeat.

The quickest route between two points is a straight line. The cause of so many failed or slow to manifest desires is the winding path between the beginning and the end. Straighten the path to your desired results with a clear picture of the end result and decisive use of knowledge, skills, and talents. By using your imagination to create a three dimensional version of your outcome you are able to evaluate your plan, make adjustments and add resources where necessary before you begin. Enlisting all of the senses to create your mental model defines the desired outcome clearly and decisively to the mind and body. These two key elements increase the success rate of any goal. Football quarterbacks have greater success once they get into their rhythm on the field. Synchronizing your life rhythm with nature's rhythm quickly turns obsessions into healthy lifestyle habits that flow free and easy with a touchdown every time.