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LifeOhm Book Club – The Book of Joy

2017-05-14 By Monica 4 Comments

I’m starting a new monthly series here on LifeOhm where I can share some of my favorite books with you. This one, The Book of Joy, I actually read in January, but I loved it so much that I knew it had to be the first book I featured. I got this book as a Christmas gift (thanks Mom!) and am planning to gift this book to others.

The Book of Joy is the story about Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s trip to visit the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India to celebrate His Holiness’s eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others, and it truly is a gift.

Writer Douglas Abrams helped facilitate the dialogue and brought in some of his own research to support the concepts presented. The reader gets the benefit of the wisdom of these spiritual leaders, groundbreaking research on joy, and to witness the playful interaction between these sweet souls. [Read more…] about LifeOhm Book Club – The Book of Joy

10 Ways to Create Your Own Good Luck

2014-03-10 By Monica 4 Comments

Some people seem to have it all: a great career, lots of friends, good health, a great marriage, and plenty of money. How did they get all that? Are they just “lucky”? How can you be “lucky” too?

While good things and bad things happen to everyone, it’s the choices we make every day that determine our ultimate reality. Chances are if you really look at the “lucky” person’s life, you may find that she received some great opportunities. But the real deciding factors are that (a) she made the most of them, and (b) she helped create those opportunities in the first place by taking the right steps to prepare herself.

You have great opportunities waiting for you too, and you can help create your own “good luck.” Here are 10 actions you can take today: [Read more…] about 10 Ways to Create Your Own Good Luck

5 Ways You Can Stop Holding Yourself Back and Finally Achieve Your Dreams

2013-12-09 By Monica Leave a Comment

We all have hopes and dreams, ambitions for achieving more in our lives. We all want to do something new, or let go of something that no longer serves us. So what keeps holding us back?

Many times, we are the road block on our path to success. It is our own doubts, fears, and insecurities that keep us from doing what we need to do to succeed.

So how can you start getting out of your own way? Here are 5 Steps you can start today:

1. Take Responsibility for Your Own Life and Your Current Situation: This can be one of the hardest things you’ll ever do but it is also one of the most empowering. Everyone has their own “blame story” that they need to release: He did this to me, she won’t let me do it, they always make me feel like I can’t, he’s holding me back, I had this experience or that experience, etc. While these may all be valid events or situations, it is your response to those experiences that determines whether you’re really holding yourself back or moving yourself forward.

How to Create Success By Asking the Right Questions

2013-12-02 By Monica 8 Comments

I was on the phone with a friend of mine last week who was telling me about her car problems. “Why don’t things ever go right for me?” she asked. “Why is my life such a mess?”

I’ve heard her ask those same questions many times and have been encouraging her to change her perspective. Changing her perspective can be as simple as changing the questions she’s asking herself. [Read more…] about How to Create Success By Asking the Right Questions

What Are Your Anchor Habits and Why Do You Need Them?

2013-06-25 By Monica 3 Comments

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

An anchor is a device that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. When the vessel starts to drift away from its intended location, the anchor helps protect it by securing its spot and not letting it drift too far away.

When you think about it, some of our habits serve as anchors for us. When we start to drift away from where we want to be, there are certain habits you can start doing that will almost immediately help bring you back to your center and to your intended direction.

Activities or Practices That Help Anchor Us

One of my anchor habits is yoga. If I maintain a regular yoga practice of at least once a week (twice or more times per week is better, and daily is ideal), then it is much easier for me to maintain my other health and fitness habits of eating more vegetables, drinking eight or more glasses of water per day, maintaining a healthy weight, and relaxing more and being present in the moment. When I stop doing yoga, I tend to drift out to sea a bit, my healthy eating habits start to slip, and I feel more stressed and less like myself.

Anchor Habits At Home

Another example of an anchor habit that we often see in the home is keeping a clean sink. You will find if you are able to keep your sink clean, meaning the dishes are all washed and put away or in the dishwasher, it is easier to keep the rest of your house clean. Once a few dishes start to stack up on your sink or counter, it can be easy to begin to drift and before you know it, you have a much larger mess. Making the bed is another example. If you have the habit of making your bed every day, it’s easier to stay on track and anchored with the rest of your room.

Leave Negative Energy Behind in the New Year with a Burning Bowl Ceremony

2011-12-30 By Monica Leave a Comment

“Nothing is predestined. The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings. ” ~Ralph Blum

For many of us, last year was a bittersweet year filled with both triumphs and challenges. As we look forward to the new year, one powerful tool you can use to help bring a fresh start to the new year is the Burning Bowl Ceremony.

The Burning Bowl Ceremony is a long-used tradition in many new thought churches. It is a powerful way to transform those things in your life that are no longer serving you and that you don’t want to bring into the new year. The ceremony is often used at the new year but can be used anytime you want to create a fresh start. Some people perform the ceremony on a regular basis because it is so powerful.

The Burning Bowl Ceremony helps bring closure while also presenting optimism for the future. 2012 is still a blank page, now is the time to ask yourself what you want to create and who do you need to be to make that happen.

For this ceremony, you will need several small pieces of paper and a source of fire. You can use a fireplace, outdoor fire pit, or simply a fire safe bowl or dish in an open area.

Before you begin, take a quiet moment, breath deeply and connect with your heart. On the pieces of paper, write down anything that no longer serves you that you want to release. These can be specific issues you had during the past year or other larger issues. Be completely honest with yourself about what you want or need to release, no one will see your list.

Some examples include:

Health issues
Fear, jealousy, anger
Bad habits
Unhealthy relationships
Negative thoughts or emotions

Once you have your items listed on the pieces of paper, turn them over. On the back side, write down what you want to replace those items with, for example:

Good health
Love
Good habits
Healthy, loving relationships
Positive thinking

When you’re ready, focus your intentions on releasing the negative and welcoming the positive into your life. Carefully place your papers into the fire. The fire in the Burning Bowl is a symbol of transformation and helps shift the energy. If you’d like, you can end the ceremony buy burying the cool ashes when it’s complete.

What New Year’s Eve traditions do you have? Have you tried the Burning Bowl Ceremony? Share your thoughts below.

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