The approach to Christmas can be a challenging time. Not only is it a busy time for the person preparing the Christmas Day celebrations, but tension can run in families where couples do not agree on the style of celebrations. Do you recognise the scenario?
Lets look at some tips for the man of the house…..
Tip #1 Remember your partner is doing their best to make Christmas a joyous and happy time for all. A little encouragement can go a long way.
Tip #2 Rather than complain about the amount of money being spent, try to find some alternative treats or better still make or cook some.
Tip #3 Try not to be grumpy if the treats you want are not the same as those your loved ones want. Flexibility at least for Christmas Day will bring family harmony.
Apologies for these suggestions to the men who are encouraging, relaxed about the money being spent and flexible with doing what the rest of the family wants on Christmas Day……
3 tips tomorrow for women on surviving Christmas.
Balance in all you do is a key driver for enjoying your life. Many ask,
“How do I balance my work and home lives?”
Many of us struggle with this throughout our lives. Even in retirement, with the increasing trend of grandparents looking after the children of their working off-spring, balance can be a challenge.
Do you feel there is more to you than flesh and bones?
Well yes actually. I am more than my body. I have thoughts, feelings and dreams. I love my parents, my partner and my children even though they annoy me sometimes. Surely all of this is part of me as well as my body.
Your thoughts, feelings and dreams are all energy as much as your body. Have you ever felt your mother’s disapproval without her even speaking a word?
Well of course I have, especially when I was growing up.
You are an energy being and can sense and even read other people’s energy.
You are energy and according to the laws of physics, energy cannot be destroyed.
So what does that say about ‘Who I am?
Energy transforms itself when other forces are applied to it. For example; an acorn falls on the ground. A root grows into the earth and draws water and nutrients to enable a tree to grow. The acorn transforms this food into it’s first leaf which then adds energy to the plant from the rays of the sun. So the acorn grows into a strong tree with thick boughs and lots of leaves. Eventually the tree grows old and dies. The boughs fall to the grown but they retain the energy captured in the tree during it’s lifetime. Over millions of years the wood is compressed into coal. When you light the coal, it gives off heat, releasing the energy the tree captured over a million years ago. Energy transforms over time but is not destroyed.
Am I an acorn too?
You have chosen to bring your energy into a body for a limited space of time to experience a life. You are your body but you are also your soul, that inner part of you that experiences thoughts, feelings and love. Through your life you experience humanity from the perspective you have chosen by being born into this particular life. When you die you withdraw your energy from this body taking with you the memories and experience you have gained from that life.
Why would I do that?
In experiencing a life you are given the opportunity to learn and improve your behaviour, your reaction to events or how other people treat you. I like to call them life lessons. They are things such as the value of listening, defining your personal boundaries and holding them, being non-judgemental. As you learn these skills, they become your personal wisdom. We each have learnt a different composite of life lessons which is what makes each person unique.
That implies we bring into this life our personal bag of skills which then implies we have lived a life before.read more
Is Covid-19 creating a burning platform for change?
While it may not go away totally and we will have to learn to live with it, Covid-19 has forced us to change the way we are living and to consider what is important to us.
Loved ones are at the top of our prioritises – not unsurprisingly. Leading a simpler life has been a new experience for some and has made people question whether they need all of their ‘things’. Nature is valued more. Relationships and happy experiences enrich our lives.
Uniting with loved ones through a simple walk in the park or over Zoom has become acceptable.
Should we look at Covid-19 as our friend and work with it to facilitate change or should we regard covid-19 as our enemy and fight with it?
I have hotly debated this with my friends and we came to conclusion we should face our fears and step into our own power to work with the Covid experience to facilitate long term change for the good.
This does not mean we will be foolish. We will take all of the sensible precautions but we do not want to live our lives in fear or feelings of loneliness. Each of us are responsible for our own physical and mental well-being.
I have been surprised by some of my friends who I would regard as ‘non-spiritual’, now seeking out spiritual practices as a result of their Covid experience. They have learnt to seek within and have been pleasantly surprised by what they have found. All those external pleasures like
big houses and fast cars are not needed for a rich and happy life.read more
For Alison Wem, that realisation came in the early hours as, newly widowed with children and a demanding job, she confronted her anguish – and found a space of calmness and route to strength, love and guidance.
Follow 7 easy-to-do steps to create your soul map, a route to your ‘inner you’– your sub-conscious mind, higher self or soul, depending on your beliefs. Gain insight into who you are and where your life is going. Identify who is on this journey with you and how you are helping each other with learning life lessons.
You have already taken the biggest step, which is to find out about your ‘inner you’. You are now just seven simple steps from creating your own soul map, the route back to your ‘inner you’.
You have already taken the biggest step – deciding to find out about your ‘inner you’.
Humanity, of which we are all a part of, is being presented with an opportunity for change – hopefully for the better. Now is a great opportunity for development and healing at the personal, family, community, national and global level.
Yet here we are physically isolated in our homes, unable to share our thoughts, experiences and steer from our own soul or perhaps our guides.
‘Working-from-home’ or not working at all, has slowed the pace of life and given you an opportunity to reflect on what is really important in your life.
Well here goes, let me share my thoughts…..
I am taking sensible precautions with the virus, but I have not felt the fear many are experiencing. I am convinced there is a purpose behind this global pandemic.
I have been given the opportunity to experience fear in the last week. It affected me so much that I could feel my heart beat faster and my breath was fast, short and shallow. I could not stay still and was pacing up and down the hall in my small city flat feeling constrained.
It was not fear of the virus but fear of financial ruin. My income is from rental flats. I have spent the last year renovating them and building a new flat for me in the attic. I have had little income for a year, spent much of my savings and have a large mortgage to service. As we reach completion, we found the builder has made a mistake which he does not acknowledge and Building Control were refusing to issue a certificate enabling me to get some tenants into the flats. I was faced with no cash, empty flats, a builder refusing to take my calls or emails and no resolution until after the lockdown which is who knows when.
Fear is a terrible thing. I realised that even in widowhood I did not experience it. I was well loved and supported by family and friends. It is when you feel you are standing alone that fear is most rampant.
We are constantly bombarded by the media about the coronal virus. There are stories of people dying alone in ICU calling out for their loved ones and families not being able to mourn their lost love ones. For me these stories do not add value but stoke fear and uncertainty. I feel that in all of our interaction with others
hope, healing and change for the better
should be the basis of our conversations. Perhaps if enough of us practise it, it will ripple out to many more people.
My guide is asking me to consider the life lessons my builder is helping me with – defining my boundaries and holding them, communicating with compassion, remaining positive and holding onto hope. All of these are relevant to a locked down world of physical isolation in family units.
Perhaps you can consider what life lessons this new world is helping you to learn…..
We all have a tendency to feel sorry for ourselves. Nobody has everything. Even the rich and the successful have their challenges. If you followed them home there may be problems with infidelity, a sick child or perhaps fear of redundancy.
Matilda was from a successful family. She had become a successful teacher but the role had long hours and was burning her out and causing her problems with her boyfriend. She made the decision to change career. However to make the change she would have to take a salary cut. Fearful of telling her parents, she confided in her grandad. To her surprise he said;
We love you for who you are not what you are. All we want is for you to be happy and healthy.
After one false start, Matilda is now happily working in a new career and has a new boyfriend too!
I believe your back grows broad enough to bear the challenges you are faced with. You will not be given a challenge that you cannot cope with, even if it means making the decision and having the strength to walk away from it.
Find the strength to look your challenge in the face.
Frame it with hope rather than despair and you might be surprised with what you discover. Admittedly you might have to either;
accept the situation for what it is,
just let it go,
take action to move yourself to a different and better place.
By taking control of the situation and deciding how you will re-act to it will give you confidence in yourself.read more
Humanity, of which we are all a part of, is being presented with an opportunity for change – hopefully for the better. Now is a great opportunity for development and healing at the personal, family, community, national and global level.
We all have a tendency to feel sorry for ourselves. Nobody has everything. Even the rich and the successful have their challenges. If you followed them home there may be problems with infidelity, a sick child or perhaps fear of redundancy.
Find the strength to look your challenge in the face.