Heart-Full Moments – February 2019

These are the most impactful quotes I have read or heard this month that give me pause, or uplift my heart. Wisdom spoken in just a few words. They reflect what I’ve been reading or learning, or values I share, or what’s been going on in our world.

It’s been another very challenging month, and I know we each need some insight and encouragement to keep carrying on. I am happy to share these quotes – that speak to choosing how to deal with fear, acceptance of self and experience, finding happiness, showing up – with you. I’ve even included a five second practice you can do when you’re super busy and are trying to find some calm in this fast paced world. Take a moment to go through them and maybe highlight a few that speak to you. Enjoy…

• “Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.” – Charlotte Bronté
• “When my 1000 lb. horse under me does something skittish or dangerous, I realize I don’t have to scream. I can choose to not scream, even if I feel scared, and then I don’t make it worse.” – Sarah Fisher
• “Our ideal should be to create something beautiful that did not exist before us.” – Zapotec saying
• “Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.” – Elizabeth Bibesco
• “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”   ~Carl Rogers
• “Could a greater miracle take place,
  than for us to look through
  each others’ eyes for an instant?”
  – Henry David Thoreau
• “Our relationships are a reflection of the relationship we have with ourselves.”  – Iyanla Vanzant
• “If you argue with reality, you lose, but only 100% of the time.” – Byron Katie
• “Acceptance is not defeat. It is an acknowledgment of the truth. Once we accept where we are we can move forward with greater clarity, courage, and strength. It’s an opportunity to become unstuck, to experience well-being in the midst of our symptoms and beyond our symptoms.” – Claire Mardsen
• “Happiness is, after all, an inside job. It’s not about having perfect circumstances; it’s about making peace with what is and making the best of the hand we were dealt.” – Claire Mardsen
• “When you make the choice to be in your relationship, you get a whole lot of other choices, too. For example, instead of complaining that your partner isn’t romantic or sexy enough, consider how romantic or sexy you can make yourself. Actually taking that responsibility not only empowers you, it makes a space for your partner to move toward you in ways you might find surprising. When you choose your partner and take responsibility for your sexuality, you recognize that, ultimately, only you can make yourself happy.” – Alexandra Katehakis
• “The mind is a powerful tool for love and happiness. Just don’t use it as a judge’s gavel. If you look for evidence that your mate isn’t perfect, you will find it. The good news is that if you look for evidence that they are kind, funny, and take good care of you some of the time, you will find that too.” – Cheryl Fraser
• “Nothing in the world is permanent, and we’re foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we’re still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it.”  – W. Somerset Maugham
• ”I once heard from a kapuna (elder) that its through our wounds that we heal, we transcend.” – Shane Akoni Nelson
• “Being deeply loved by someone
  gives you strength,
  while loving someone deeply
  gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu
• “The key for me this past year has been emotional sobriety,” says Mike, who sees a psychiatrist monthly and a therapist weekly, and is part of a weekly mental health support group. “It’s about learning to be able to show up for my emotions regardless of how I feel. It doesn’t necessarily take away the shame or the guilt, but the level of awareness I have now has made it easier for me to manage things in life around the depression.”
• “Native American parable called “Two Wolves,” in which a grandfather tells his grandson about a great fight going on inside him. The fight is between two wolves, the grandfather says. One is evil and the other is good. It is a fight that goes on inside everyone. The grandson asks which wolf will win. The grandfather’s reply: “The one you feed.”
• “He who is most attached to a particular outcome has the least amount of power.”
• “Whoever believes in the good in people,
  draws forth the good in people.” – Jean Paul
• “The trick, it seems, is to be able to hold
  both things very close – the gratitude
  and the misery – and then,
  with a semblance of faith,
  to let them fly.” – Elizabeth Aquino
• “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”- Maya Angelou
• How to Adapt Mindfulness for Fast- Paced Companies: “My suggestion to clients is to do a short practice, take five seconds – to uplift their posture, open up and then settle, relaxing their shoulders. Instead of noticing the breath the way it is, I suggest they inhale as they lengthen their spine and as they exhale, they soften their chest and think of something that makes them smile. Thinking of something that makes you smile releases oxytocin, the connector chemical. You can try it now – inhale and lengthen your spine, as you exhale, think of something that makes you smile. Notice the feeling in your chest – you are activating a feeling of warmth. Clients can build up from five seconds to ten and then to twenty seconds. The idea is that they can do this in a meeting, on a conference call or before sending an email. They don’t have to close their eyes or find a quiet place.” – Wendy Palmer

So that’s this month’s short list of Heart-Full Moments that holds some meaning for me. I hope your month has been graced with beauty and sweet relationships.  And that you might take a moment of pause to connect with what consoles you and replenishes your soul.

I’d love to hear back from you…What are some ways misery and gratitude show up in your life? Just reply to this email.

If you or someone you care about is struggling to find moments of full-heartedness, please contact me for a therapy appointment.

For more ideas on how to bring more calm and less worry into your life, click here for a free email course on Mindfulness.