05.25.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 12:24 pm
Today’s trick is a quote from a wonderful book that explores the rituals and practices of Reiki. Christopher Penczak believes (as I do) that the secrecy that surrounds the practice of Reiki is unnecessary and it’s time to share the ideas and customs with everyone.
“In the end, whether we are engaged in ritual, prayer, or even day-to-day action, every thought, every word, and every deed is an act of magick. Our whole life is a prayer. Our whole life is magick. Those who understand this take responsibility for their thoughts, words, and deeds because they know the power and responsibility we all have in creating reality. Everything we do affects everything else. We are all connected in the magickal web of life.”
-Christopher Penczak
Magick and Reiki: Focused Energy for Healing, Ritual & Spiritual Development
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05.23.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 12:22 pm
Today’s trick is about being nice to yourself! Treat yourself the same way you would treat a three year old–with tons of love and compassion. Don’t forget the fun and games!
Today is a perfect day to be kind to yourself. That means looking at yourself in the mirror with love. That means taking breaks when you need them and asking for help when you can’t face doing something by yourself. That means eating dessert and reveling in the way it tastes with total harmony and joy. That means choosing to do what is good for you with every decision and blessing all of the challenges that come up to day as opportunities to heal and grow. Remember that you deserve and draw happiness, joy, and peace to yourself with every breath. Celebrate the wonderful bounty that is you in your completeness!
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05.22.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 12:22 pm
Today’s trick explores an idea that I’ve written about here before: gratitude. Here’s a quick trick for you: Gratitude is the secret to happiness. Easy to say, hard to do.
One of the fastest paths to bliss is gratitude. If we can be grateful for the things in our lives right now, few things seem out of place and we are that much closer to a state of Allowing. Thanking God or the Universe for a meal is called “saying grace” for a reason–when we are grateful for what we have, we are in a state of grace. What things in your life can you say grace over?
Here are some suggestions: your favorite mug, your soft sheets, the smile from a stranger, a bit of synchronicity that made your life easier, awareness of energy flowing in your direction, a kind word just when you need it. Take a moment today to notice these things and be grateful for them.
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05.21.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 11:39 am
It’s spring and that means it’s time to clean house! Cleaning your physical house is a great opportunity to clean your mental and spiritual houses too.
Spring is a time for clearing and renewal. People naturally gravitate towards mentally and physically clearing away the old and affirming the good because the earth is in a cycle of renewal and rebirth as well. What can you bless and let go of in your life right now? Is it that foot high stack of catalogs? Is it an old story about the way you used to be? What can you bless and affirm in your life right now? What brings you joy? What’s going right? (Hint: The answer is never “nothing.”)
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05.18.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks, Website News
at 7:46 am
I’ve had fun playing around with creating an Uncover Your Bliss gadget for your personalized Google homepage. I call it the Uncover Your Bliss Quick Trick for Happiness gadget (sound familiar??) I will be updating the gadget several times a week with resources, tricks, and messages of love and happiness. Here’s what’s on the gadget right now:
You cannot give from an empty cup. Fill your own cup today by making sure you’ve seen to your own needs before worrying about the needs of others.
What have you done today to take care of yourself first? What could you do in the next hour that would bring you some joy? If you have to say no to someone to do it, do it anyway!
If you would like to add this gadget to your google homepage, click here.
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05.03.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 12:36 pm
I didn’t say “quick trick” this time because the beginning of this process isn’t exactly quick, but once you do the basic work you can do quick “tune ups” when needed. So anyway, I was at an acupuncture appointment this week and part of it was going over my life back from childhood and talking about what it was like to be me and if I had suffered any trauma. 
And I’ve thought about my life story many times and told it several times, but this time the experience of remembering was completely different for me.
A transcript of the story probably wouldn’t have yielded any surprising differences (except for a few things that had different emotional pulls than they used to)–what was different was how I was experiencing the story. Because I have been questioning the thoughts and beliefs I have, I was able to come to completely different conclusions about how and why the events of my life unfolded. Because I was coming from an assumption that I am a whole person (rather than a screwed up one), the events of my life seem like building blocks rather than stumbling blocks.
The Foundation for This Trick
Sit quietly and breathe for 10 or 15 minutes. Try and be fully present in your body and think about the things you’re grateful for and hold an image that makes you happy. Acknowledge but let go of any worry or stress that you have. Once you’re feeling happy and content in the moment, start writing down your life story starting from the earliest you can remember. (You can also say this out loud and you can ask a friend to be there with you to talk to if you’d like. You can do this in your head, but your old thoughts might get in the way and interrupt your story.)
As you tell the story, notice how the events in your life can have a new perspective. Notice how they shaped all the wonderful parts about yourself. Has your story changed? Have your thoughts about your story changed? What assumptions have you let go?
The Quick Trick
Whenever you talk about the events of your life, try and make them a full experience by noticing where you are in your life and acknowledging how all the good and painful experiences in your life have brought you to where you are now. Instead of falling into old thoughts about your stories, make a conscious effort to create new ones. Appreciate your new perspective!
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04.18.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 2:20 pm
Most of us live busy lives. We juggle making a living, family, friends, obligations, and our needs every day. Unfortunately, our needs often get pushed to the end of that list. It’s easier to deal with everything else first because most of things affect other people. Ironically, when we put ourselves last, we have less to give everyone else. Sometimes selfishness is good. If our energy tanks aren’t full, we don’t have any overflow to give the people around us. It’s time to put ourselves first and reclaim ourselves as #1 in our own lives.
Today’s Trick
As you’re going about your day and must choose between doing something that will make you feel better or doing something for someone else, deliberately choose yourself. If that means canceling a dinner with friends because you’re tired and want to veg-out at home, do it! If that means putting off some work so you can have some time for self-care, do it! If that means that someone else will be inconvenienced because you’ve decided you’re a bigger priority, do it! Today, you come first. Try having a day like this at least once a week to start. If life intervenes and you can’t swing this for a whole day, try doing it for a couple of hours.
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04.11.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 11:38 am
Here’s something while I work on my other big plans: I’ve run across an idea so simple and obvious and the fact that it didn’t occur to me sooner still amazes me. Why don’t we start motivating ourselves so we can feel good rather than to avoid feeling bad? (I told you it was obvious.)
If you’re like me, the follow scenario is an old story. There’s something you know you should do like paying your taxes or eating more vegetables or quitting smoking. You know you should do these things because the consequences of not doing them (fines, body issues, lung cancer & yellow teeth) are not something you want to deal with. So you think about how you’re going to do them and then make a vow that you’ll start tomorrow and then if you manage to start, you kind of grudge your way through it until, in all likelihood, you give up and go on with your life–or you do it and remember how hard and awful it was to do it and are therefore not inclined to do it again if you can avoid it.
Read the rest of this entry »
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02.27.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 3:10 pm
My house explodes when I’m feeling resistant or scared. Not literally of course, but it’s become difficult for me to deal with tidying up or the little routines I follow when I’m determined to keep the Clutter Monster at bay. I think the clutter is something I use to distract myself from what I’m resistant about. I think, “I can’t do anything while there’s so much junk on the coffee table or until the kitchen is spotless!” And then I procrastinate about cleaning so I can rationalize procrastinating about whatever I’m resistant to. Nice trick, eh?
When I’m being tenaciously resistant, I wait until I push through my resistance to the burning issue and then the mess bothers me so much that I have to do something about it. When I need to find ways to help me become less resistant, however, I start by cleaning.
Today’s Trick
Eliminate some mental and physical distraction and clutter. I live with actual clutter when I’m resistant, but different people have different coping mechanisms. If you’re feeling resistant about something, identify the ways you put off pushing through it. Do you start projects? Do you go partying? Do you blame others? Instead of engaging in your delaying behavior, spend five minutes taking some action towards facing your fears. Whether that means cleaning one room or one area of one room, thinking about something that makes you happy, or turning down plans that make you feel guilty–do something that feels like moving forward to you.
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01.30.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 1:14 pm
Screw guilt: Order Dessert
My birthday is coming up and one of the things I have traditionally loved about my birthday is guilt-free dessert ordering–because everyone knows that birthday calories don’t count. It occurs to me now though, that it’s important to have more than one guilt-free day a year! We all need breaks from our internal critics on a regular basis until we can put him or her on permanent hiatus.
Today’s Trick
Commit to ignoring your internal critic for a whole day. Instead of worrying about what the critic says or what other people will think, do what makes you happy. Wear, eat, and do things that bring you bliss. It’s ok to put yourself first. Try doing this at least once a week. And remember to order dessert!
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