Lessons to Learn from Lance Armstrong’s Confession

Posted on by Tammy

By Keri Nola, MA, LMHC

Lance Armstrong’s recent confession on using performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career, after denying this reality for years, is generating intense reactions in many people. The truth is, it’s often easy and more comfortable in these situations for us to stand on the outside peering in through a judgmental frame.

When someone shows us a glimpse of the human shadow through behaviors such as lying and cheating, we have a choice. We can take the ego’s default path of judgment and blame, or we can take the road less traveled and use these moments to journey inward and discover our own opportunities for growth and evolution.

Here are 3 Life Lessons we can glean from this situation:

1. Humans are imperfect. I am human. I am imperfect.

Let’s face it, we aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of acknowledging our imperfection, are we? While I can’t speak specifically to what led Lance Armstrong to make the choices he made, I can say that as humans we are all imperfect, and will face struggles with integrity. Whether to ourselves, to others, or both, we often avoid, justify and deny truths we aren’t ready to face, such as “my wine drinking is just social,” or “I’m not having an affair, we’re just friends.”

Armstrong’s public expression of humanness can help us remember our opportunity to discover where we may be lying to ourselves and consider welcoming truth into those spaces with love. Longstanding denial creates profound disconnection from ourselves and others, and often leads to more temptation toward dishonesty. It’s time to acknowledge your imperfection, forgive yourself and welcome the truth.

2. Humans need to feel needed, loved and approved of.

When we are not engaging in meeting our own needs, loving and approving of ourselves, we will often go to great lengths to get these needs met externally. Let’s allow our witnessing of Armstrong’s shadow self, to shine light on the places we are abandoning our own values in exchange for external love and approval. Where have you been willing to justify your behaviors and choices to be included, approved of and/or rewarded?

3. External power requires great internal accountability.

Whether it is power that comes from money, position, fame or some combination of these, it is easy for the ego to abuse privilege and power. It takes a significant amount of self-awareness and accountability to remain grounded and present to make choices that resonate with our highest, divine purpose rather than giving into the ease of taking advantage of our power. Be mindful today of what positions of power you hold as a parent, as a supervisor, a member of a privileged culture, class, race, age or gender. Consider how you can adjust your behavior to be more congruent with equality and connection as opposed to superiority and disconnection.

To raise the vibration of our planet at this time, I invite us to abandon blame while digging deep for the courage to go within to discover what we’re seeing in others that can serve as a reminder for us of our own humanness, and sit with ourselves there.

Keri Nola is author of “A Year on Your Path toGrowth: Daily Inspirations to Reconnect with Your Soul,” and founder of Path to Growth LLC, a Central Florida-based integrative healing center that blends traditional and holistic techniques for journeys to peace. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Nola provides psychotherapy and facilitates therapeutic retreats for those seeking to reconnect with their inner wisdom, particularly after trauma or loss. She also offers heart-inspired business consultations for healthcare professionals. For more information visit www.pathtogrowth.com, on Facebook and Twitter @pathtogrowth.

NOTE: Picture of Keri Nola by Monica Alfonso

Inside General Mills’ Mindful Leadership Program

Posted on by Tammy

For the past seven years, employees at General Mills have been practicing meditation and yoga in the workplace, which started as a side project by one executive, according to a recent article by FT Magazine.

“It’s about training our minds to be more focused, to see with clarity, to have spaciousness for creativity and to feel connected,” Janice Marturano, General Mills’ deputy general counsel, who founded the program, recently told the magazine. “That compassion to ourselves, to everyone around us – our colleagues, customers – that’s what the training of mindfulness is really about.”

Now known as “Mindful Leadership,” the program involves sitting meditation and yoga, and more than 400 executives have taken part, according to the article.

General Mills also researched the results of the program, and after taking the seven-week course, 83 percent reported “taking time each day to optimize my personal productivity,” which was up 23 percent from before taking the course, the magazine reported. Additionally, 82 percent said they make time to eliminate tasks that offer limited productivity value, which was up 32 percent from before taking the course.

There were also significant results from senior executives who participated in the program, specifically, 80 percent reported a positive change in their ability to make better decisions, and 89 percent believed they became better listeners, the article stated. Even the CIO of General Mills completed the program in 2007, and still meditates for 30 minutes to one hour three to four times per week.

“The premise is to be open to what is happening right now,” he told the magazine. “There isn’t such a thing as multitasking. What people call multitasking is really shifting attention back and forth between activities very fast.”

For the full article, visit FT Magazine.

5 Spiritual Children’s Books Recommended by Author Sanjay Nambiar

Posted on by Tammy

Author of award-winning children’s books, “Maybe (A Little Zen for Little Ones),” “Still There? (A Little Zen for Little Ones),” and “Remember the Stars (A Little Zen for Little Ones),” Sanjay Nambiar offers his picks for parents looking for more children’s books offering spiritual lessons.

Here are the 5 books:

“The Gift of Nothing,” by Patrick McDonnell — Even though the holidays have passed, this story about gift-giving is wonderful any time of year.

“The Empty Pot,” by Demi –– This is about a simple boy with a green thumb who tries to win the emperor’s flower growing contest. It illustrates the importance of humility, honesty and hard work.

“Chrysanthemum,” by Kevin Henkes
Henkes is a master storyteller and artist. In this book, he emphasizes the importance of acceptance and kindness, all through the context of an adorable mouse’s name.

“Flotsam,” by David Wiesner – Though this book has no words it creates a magical world and a compelling story about the journey of a special camera and the kids who discover it.

“It’s Okay To Be Different,” by Todd Parr – This book is about tolerance and diversity, illustrated with fun, multi-colored drawings.

For more information on Nambiar, visit www.alittlezen.com.

Four Tips for Actualizing New Year’s Intentions

Posted on by Tammy

Keri Nola, MA, LMHC

Ok, so we’re a few weeks into a new year and if you’re anything like me, now is usually the time when your passion, motivation and excitement about all those “good” intentions, resolutions and plans start to wane.

Don’t panic. This is normal, and I’ve got some suggestions on how to meet yourself where you are so you can still actualize your new year’s intentions in 2013.

If you are feeling stuck or unmotivated, ask yourself the following questions:

1) Am I forcing something that no longer resonates with me?
Check Your Intention. First thing is first. We have to be certain the intentions we set still resonate with us. Review your list of intentions and see if you still feel connected to them. Allow yourself to adjust, clarify or change anything that does not resonate with you. Many times we struggle to maintain or actualize our intentions because we try to force ourselves into doing something that no longer aligns with our passion and purpose. Let yourself change your mind. Be flexible. Go with the flow of your intentions. Let your intentions guide you rather than you directing them.

2) Are my intentions realistic?
Be realistic. It’s pretty typical to get rather over-zealous in our expectations and intentions when we initially establish them. Sometimes we become overwhelmed because we’ve taken a bigger bite than we can realistically chew. If you find you are overwhelmed, it may be because it’s time to re-write your intentions in a way that feels more manageable. Consider writing your intentions in steps you can take one at a time. For example, if your ultimate intention is to be in a fulfilling relationship, you may break it down into a few smaller steps: 1) Review past relationship patterns. 2) Identify what is keeping me repeating relationship patterns. 3) Clarify what fulfills me in a relationship. 4) Go on a date.

3) Are my intentions within my control?
Release. Sometimes we set an intention that involves another person, and we disempower ourselves. Be sure your intention is about YOU. We do not control other people’s life paths. For example, if you are having difficulty getting along with a co-worker at the office, you wouldn’t intend for that person to get fired or leave because that is not within your realm of control. You could, however, intend for there to be peace and harmony in your relationships at work and allow the universe to bring that about in a divine way, which may mean this person leaving the job, having a turn-around in behavior, or you getting a promotion or transfer. It’s important to remember in human form, our ego often keeps us from seeing ALL the possibilities. The universe can see possibilities we often don’t, so let the universal energy work its’ magic in your life by surrendering some control.

4) Am I being gentle with myself?
Be Gentle. Most importantly, moving forward with ease requires our kindness and compassion. Often times the uncertainty of doing something new and different in our lives brings about fear and anxiety. When we meet ourselves lovingly, acknowledging the fear, and encouraging small steps in the direction we wish to go, our path is usually smoother. Talk to yourself softly. Be mindful of your inner dialogue. Witness rather than judge yourself. Be curious about any pauses in progress and gently inquire within for information that can support you in moving forward.

Here’s to a year of welcoming more peace, love, and joy than ever before! How good can you stand it?

Keri Nola is author of “A Year on Your Path to Growth: Daily Inspirations to Reconnect with Your Soul,” and founder of Path to Growth LLC, a Central Florida-based integrative healing center that blends traditional and holistic techniques for journeys to peace. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Nola provides psychotherapy and facilitates therapeutic retreats for those seeking to reconnect with their inner wisdom, particularly after trauma or loss. She also offers heart-inspired business consultations for healthcare professionals. For more information visit www.pathtogrowth.com, on Facebook and Twitter @pathtogrowth.

NOTE: Picture of Keri Nola by Monica Alfonso

The Law of Attraction: The Emotions You Resist, Persist

Posted on by Tammy

By Sherry Winn

A general rule in the Law of Attraction states that whatever you resist tends to persist. If you have studied the Law of Attraction, you understand the concept that whatever you push against pushes back. It is why waging wars doesn’t work and why the fight against anything produces more of the same. It is an easy concept to grasp, but a difficult one to practice. We have been trained to push back, to fight and to struggle. We are complimented when we fight and told how strong and courageous we are. We are given medals, honors and rewards for being a great soldier, politician or athlete.

It goes against the fabric of our society to move toward things rather than against them, which is why the concept of allowing or surrendering seems meek, mild or even cowardly.

How then are we expected to allow negative emotions to pass through us? We are taught to fight them, and to push them away. We are told to “suck it up” or “just get through it” or even worse to “get back at” the person who harmed us. We are taught to seek revenge, to battle and to put our fists up in the air.

We have many coping mechanisms to extinguish our emotions: drinking, drugs, overeating, immersing ourselves in work and exercising. While exercising may be the most positive form of a coping mechanism, it can also simply be another method of running away or resisting what ails us.

When we feel heartache, we search for ways to push against it, to negate it and to not allow it to enter us. Have you ever felt a pain deep in your heart, felt the center of your chest start to squeeze as if it were in a vice? And what did you do? Did you surrender and allow yourself to feel or did you push against it, afraid of feeling the pain?

When we don’t allow the pain to enter, it is a form of resistance. We are, in fact, embedding that pain within our bodies. We are keeping it in our organs and our cells. The more we resist feeling something, the more it tends to remain within us. It has long been the practice of alternative healers to believe we house trapped emotions in our body. For instance, we keep anger in our liver and fear in our kidneys.

Think about the long-term effects of prolonged anger:

inflammation of the joints
headaches
diabetes
digestive disorders
heart disease
weakening of the nerves

When we resist our anger, when we keep it at the front and center of our thoughts, we are not releasing it. We are feeding it. We are increasing the resistance. We are creating a negative pit of emotions, which turn into dis-ease.

What would happen if instead of fighting an emotion, we relaxed into it?

Here are steps for allowing emotions to pass through us:

—- Breathe in the emotion, allowing it to move through the body without resistance. Sit with it. Simply notice it without any fear attached to the resentment, anger, sadness or despair. Continue to breathe it in.

—- Observe what the emotions feel like as they move throughout the body. Be there in your body and yet observe as if you are not there. Observe without judgment. Allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling.

—- After the intensity of the emotion reduces, give yourself permission to release the emotion out of your body, allowing it to flow through you and then releasing it gently.

—- Forgive yourself for your part in holding onto the negative emotion and for your part in creating it.

— Breathe again, slowly and gently. Think of expanding your heart. Opening it. Making it wider. Feel the possibility of love replacing the negative emotion you were holding.

Sherry Winn is an author, EFT Practitioner, Certified Law of Attraction and Master Life Coach and a motivational speaker, whose topics include “Making the Impossible Possible,” “Loving Challenges,” and “Catching Your Dreams.” As a former elite athlete competing at the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1988 in the sport of team handball and head collegiate coach for 23 years, she possesses a deep passion for helping others become motivated to reach their highest levels of success.

Winn overcame her fears and limitations when she contracted chronic pain at the age of 33 and was told by 17 different medical professionals there was no answer. Through books, meditation, mentors and Webinars, she discovered the power of healing through positive thinking.

To receive a free 50-minute Law of Attraction coaching session, or more information about Winn, she can be contacted by email at sherrymwinn@gmail.com, through her website at www.ucancreatesuccess.com or on Facebook.

VIDEO: “Jealous of the Angels” Song Strikes a Cord Worldwide

Posted on by Tammy

Anyone who has suffered from the death of a loved one can connect with the U.K. debut single of American singer/songwriter, Jenn Bostic, titled, “Jealous of the Angels.” Bostic was inspired to write the song after the sudden death of her father in a car crash, and both the song and video are touching people around the world.

“The first time I sat down at the piano after the accident, I shut my eyes and honestly felt my dad’s presence next to me,” said Bostic. “I poured my heart into those first few songs. The only way I could connect with him was when I played music. I still feel that way.”

Her father was a musician who taught Bostic and her brother folk songs like “Sunny Side of the Street,” and turned her on to musicians Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Rait. The video has already received more than 1.1 million views on YouTube.

“When I play ‘Angels’ and people come up to me and tell me a story about losing a loved one, how the song touched them and helped them heal, that means more to me than anything,” said Bostic.

The single is available for purchase on iTunes or Amazon. See the video below: