Amy L. Burns, CLC Filled with interesting and inspiring thoughts, quotes, and questions, this blog is intended as a sacred space where I explore and reflect on my personal spiritual experiences as they relate to coaching, and share my favorite tools and techniques to assist you in your own journey.

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Wednesday, December 24, 2008   Start Where You Are I was listening to Sonia Choquette's radio show on Hay House Radio and was very struck by some advice she offered a caller who thought she was following her path but felt she wasn't masterful enough to continue. Sonia's advice boiled down to the following: Stop trying to become a Master - it's too big, too overwhelming to take on. Instead, focus on becoming a student and teacher - you can do both right now. What struck me about this was how simple it is. It's so relevant to so many of us, and when I hear it put this way it's so obvious. I've noticed one of the things that often gets in a client's way of moving forward with their dreams and goals is feeling like they are not masterful enough in whatever endeavor they have undertaken or wish to undertake. This manifests in so many parts of their lives. * I'm afraid to sign up for that talent show because my singing isn't perfect. * How can I enter my painting into that competition when I'm not even a real artist yet? * I can't be a spiritual teacher when I haven't attained enlightenment. Somehow we have learned that in order for our work to be meaningful or of value we must already be masters or experts - we must already be at a level of "100 percent" of knowledge and skill and talent. This way of thinking leaves us with absolutely no place or reason to begin because it is virtually unattainable! As yourself [_fill in the blank_]: Is my goal to become a master of ___? If so, there is more to learn - keep going - it's a journey not a destination! And take time to define for yourself what it means to be a ___ master. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? How will you know when you've arrived? If your goal is other than becoming a master of ___, why let the reality of not (yet!) being a master of ___ get in the way of achieving your true goal or dream? What is your true goal or dream? What is at the heart of what you are doing? My personal goal is to help people create more satisfiying lives by accessing their spiritual truth and making choices in alignment with that truth. Nothing in there requires me to already have attained enlightenment, does it? No. I have plenty of valuable gifts, tools, techniques to share already - just as I am right now. And as I continue on my sacred journey of learning and teaching, I'm constantly adding more to that tool box. The truth is that no one is ever born a master. No one is ever born the best singer or artist on earth. No one is born a senator or president. No one is born a CEO, a mother or father, or an Iron Chef. No one is born with all the skills and techniques they need to be anything other than a student of life. And that is just how it should be - starting out life with all the potential of the world. Where you are right now is the perfect place from which to move forward in achieving your goals and dreams. You are already masterful enough for what you need to Be and Do in this moment. You've got everything you need and you'll learn the rest along the way. Labels: Articles, Exercises # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 12:39 PM 0 comments Wednesday, April 02, 2008   The Power of Acknowledgment Acknowledge – “to admit or accept that something exists, is true, or is real.” I want to acknowledge myself for taking such good care of myself. Wow - I really have. I have done such a great job noticing when I’m stressed or when my needs aren’t being met, and then being flexible, making changes, giving myself new choices, and creating my experiences. I’ve taken time off when I’ve needed it. I’ve been thoughtful about arranging my schedule, and I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone and taken healthy risks. I’ve been thoughtful about the foods I’m eating, trying lots of new foods, taking vitamins, and eliminated a few foods that seemed to disagree with me. I’m stretching twice a week for nearly an hour each time, I’m taking violin lessons, I’m creating art four days each week, and I’m taking naps on weekends! I am so pleased with how well I’ve been taking care of myself. Acknowledgment is pretty powerful stuff. Think about how great you feel when you are acknowledged by your peers, co-workers, boss, instructors, partner, parents, community, and other folks you love and respect. It feels pretty amazing when someone can see our truth. Often we tend to shy away from acknowledgments. “Aw, it was nothing.” “No problem, it’s my job.” Yet acknowledgments are a divine gift, and when we shy away from them we are not only telling the giver we don’t accept their gift, but we are not allowing ourselves to receive the gift. We are telling ourselves we don’t deserve it! Remember a time when you acknowledged someone for something they did or who they were being. What was their reaction? If they did not accept your acknowledgment, what messages did you receive from that persons response? If they soaked up your acknowledgment what message did you receive from that persons response? Remember a time when you refused an acknowledgment. What was that about for you? What would it have felt like to accept that acknowledgment, to embrace it? When I refuse acknowledgment, I am not in a place of receiving. I’m likely in a place of lack and not feeling very positive about myself or my contributions. If pressed, I will argue against the acknowledgment and even put myself down to prove the acknowledgment wrong. When I am in this space, I am doing a great disservice to myself and to the person acknowledging me. I am telling them to keep their gift, I don’t want it. And I’m telling myself I don’t deserve to feel good. Ouch! When I am open to receiving and I am acknowledged, you will see me open up like a sunflower in the sun. My body relaxes, my ears perk up, my posture improves, a smile takes over my face. My brilliance is being nourished and I grow, I feel safe. When I feel safe and valued, I take healthy risks more often, I learn better, and I notice how awesome everyone else is, too! There are really only two bits of etiquette about acknowledgments. *When acknowledging others, only speak to what is magnificent while being authentic and genuine. Only say something positive, and only say it if you truly believe it. Authentic positive acknowledgment is powerful stuff that really nourishes the recipient. *When receiving acknowledgment, take a deep breath in and really let it sink in – let it just soak right into every cell and nourish you. Give yourself permission to really feel it, and really let that smile take over your entire face. Beam. You are amazing! Make it a practice to acknowledge yourself, too. Acknowledgment from others is powerful, and acknowledgment from yourself is absolutely divine. Not only acknowledge yourself for things you Do, also acknowledge yourself for who you were Being while you did those things (what qualities were present). Yes you completed that project – AND you were totally creative, diligent, and full of integrity while you did it! Acknowledge yourself for trying something new or taking a risk, even if it didn’t work out. In fact, see how many things you can find to acknowledge yourself for in just one day, and how you feel by the end of the day! You can not acknowledge yourself too much – honest. By the way, you’re magnificent! Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 12:25 PM 0 comments Thursday, August 16, 2007   Managing Our To Do Lists Often we can become overwhelmed with the amount of things we think we need to accomplish in a day, a week, or a lifetime. Small tasks or big goals and dreams can take over our lives resulting in never ending To Do Lists. While there are many ways to go about completing these tasks, and systems to organize them for more efficiency and productivity, I’d like to offer you something better – a new way of perceiving and experiencing your To Do List. What I’ve noticed is that often there are things on our To Do List that don’t really belong to us, aren’t our responsibility, or aren’t even in the realm of our own control. These things are “shoulds” we’ve adopted from our parents, teachers, friends, religious / spiritual groups, society, and even things we’ve decided we “should” do/be/have/want for one reason or another. They are responsibilities that we take on which don’t belong to us – perhaps they are responsibilities belonging to another person (family member, housemate, friend, employee, etc.) or organization (government, activist group, etc.). Regardless of the source, these things are often out of our own control and we use a lot of our energy trying to control them in various ways – none of which create the result we desire, or lend themselves to a life of ease and joy. When something is out of my own control, I say it belongs to the Universe. It is the Universe’s responsibility or role to make it happen or to make sure it happens, not mine. Some people call this surrendering to God or Source. Part of what allows the Universe to create what we want is when we are very clear about what we want, and we commit to being/having it (this requires belief and trust that it is already ours). When we commit to an result (usually experience or specific goal), and this result is in alignment with our highest good, our true selves, and/or our right path, the Universe moves to make those things become reality. We don’t have to worry about the how, that’s the Universe’s role. Our role is simply to know what we want, commit to it, trust and believe it is ours now, and act only on guidance. One way to gain clarity about how much of the stuff on our To Do List actually belongs to us, and what belongs to the Universe is through the following process. THE PROCESS Separate a sheet of paper into three columns by drawing two lines from top to bottom. In the middle column, write your To Do List – all the things you can do today to create what you want for yourself. In the far left column, write the Universe’s To Do List – all the things you can’t control that you would like the Universe to take care of for you. Leave the far right column blank for now. As you consider the things on your To Do List, also consider the following questions: * How does this fit within the larger vision of what I want? * What is my role? * What are my responsibilities? * What belongs to me and what belongs to the Universe/Source/God? * Is there anything on my list that isn’t mine? * If so, can I release it or give it to the Universe to take care of? * What parts do I want to be responsible for? What part do I love to do? * What parts would I love to allow the Universe to be responsible for? Now, feel free to shift anything from your To Do List over to the Universe's To Do List. The far right column is your To Be List. Write what/who you want to be as you consider each item on your To Do List. You can use the following questions to guide you. * What qualities do I want to embody as I complete this task? * Who/what do I want to Be as I complete this task? * Who/what do I need to Be in order to do this task? The most important part here is not only to Be who/what you want to be while doing your tasks, but also celebrate each item you check off your list. Celebrate when the Universe accomplishes something for you, too. VARIATIONS You can create any number of variations to this process to make it work for you – there is no wrong way to do it – all ways are right. You can focus on To Do Lists for categories, using one sheet to include some or all of the categories below, or using a separate sheet for each category – whichever works best for you. Feel free to create your own categories and category “definitions.” Finances - Your relationship with (giving & receiving) money, abundance Physical Well-Being - Your body, health, sense of physical safety Primary Relationship - Your being/not being in a primary relationship Relationships - Satisfaction with family, friends, associates Personal Development - Your process of growth and self-discovery Physical Surroundings - Where you spend time - home, office, car Rest & Relaxation - Time for regeneration, enjoyment, leisure Profession - Giving and expressing your unique gifts and talents I keep a 2.5 x 4.5 inch notepad with me most of the time. The first page is the Universe’s To Do List. Page two is usually my long-term To Do List, which I update monthly or quarterly depending on how messy it gets. Page three is usually my list for this week / today. I tend to use part of my To Do List page as my To Be List, or write who/what I want/need to Be next to each item. Labels: Articles, Exercises # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 8:53 AM 0 comments Wednesday, August 01, 2007   Acceptance in Relationships When we are in a relationship with another person, it can be so challenging to remember that even though the relationship between us is part of our life’s journey, we each still have our own separate life purpose, life path and life lessons. And we may not be on the same timeline for learning some of these lessons. This can be exciting and frustrating at the same time. Exciting because we often want to share our solutions and findings from our lessons – sometime we share these because we want to help them figure it all out and get through the tough part. Frustrating because when we share this information they don’t get it! Perhaps they just aren't there yet, or if we're wanting them to use what we've learned, it seems so obvious to us what they need to do to fix things or feel better – but they don’t see it, and when we tell them what we know, they don’t take action! It may help to recall times when we’ve been in their shoes and people have told us about their learning and how they figured it all out and how we didn’t listen because we needed to figure it out for ourselves, even if it took us 10 years to do it. And it may help to recall times when our loved ones were patient with us while we went through this learning without trying to tell us how to do it and letting us figure it out for ourselves while being an ear to talk to, a shoulder to lean on, and full of love and light. They let us experience our journey without expectations and judgment, and accepting where we were even if it didn’t fit with where they were or where they wanted us to be. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 5:52 PM 0 comments Wednesday, October 04, 2006   Bunny Lessons Sometimes it helps us put things into perspective when we use analogies and metaphors. Recently, while working with a client, we happened upon a great metaphor using forest animals, particularly bunnies. Condensed Version: Bunnies make mistakes and sometimes these mistake are painful. Bunnies don’t waste time beating themselves up or listening to other animals that say “hey, you’re blue when you should be brown.” Heck no. Instead, the bunny does it’s bunny thing - hops around and eats yummies. Bunnies call this self-care. Something us humans need lots of but often forget! Full Length Version: 1. Sometimes we hurt. Bunnies hurt, too. And sometimes other animals don't want to see/hear a hurt bunny because it makes them hurt. And hurting... hurts. And since it hurts to even imagine a bunny in any kind of pain, these animals avoid such imaginings. They also tell their bunny friends and family to stop hurting, stop talking about the hurt, and even to ignore the hurt. These animals may have temporarily forgotten how awful it feels to be hurting, and they don’t want to be reminded with bunny pain! They want the pain to go away as quickly as possible. They want the bunny to blend in. But bunnies know that it's important to feel whatever emotion they are feeling in order to move past it - to experience all the joys and pains of being a bunny. They even know that there are lessons in these joyful and painful moments! 2. We are all doing the best we can with what we know and have available to us. Bunnies know this truth. “I should know better!” Bunnies do not "should" all over themselves or each other. Sure, you can “should” all over yourself. And maybe you even did know better. But guess what? It’s all been said and done – and all you can do now is accept what is and move forward. So, spend some time accepting what is, release the need to change things, embrace the current reality and just experience your human emotions. Bunnies do not beat themselves up for eating the wrong berries. They don’t feel the need to be mad at themselves for eating the berries that made them poopy. They just have a poopy day and learn which berries make them feel poopy, so they can make better berry choices in the future. And, yes, sometimes it takes a bunny a couple rounds of eating the wrong berries to figure it out, but they usually do. 3. Bunnies know that every other bunny they meet comes from the same place and is forever connected to them through Spirit. Yup, bunnies are spiritual beings – you didn’t know? Each bunny is unique and has a very special purpose, but all bunnies are part of the same whole. Each bunny has a special journey. And bunnies, no matter how much they want to, can’t change another bunny’s journey. Bunnies try to remember that whatever bad or good stuff happens to one bunny, it’s all part of that bunny’s special journey of learning, and a higher purpose is always being served. All a bunny can do when they see another bunny eating the wrong berries is know that the poopy feeling it gets will teach it not to eat poopy berries. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 6:04 PM 0 comments Monday, August 28, 2006   Inspiration to release an attachment I've been stuck for a few days on one of the paintings I've been working on. It isn't "right." There is something missing, it's too flat and boring. It just isn't what I was going for. So, instead of picking up a brush, I headed to the beach for inspiration. To get to my favorite spot at the beach, I climb down a sandy-dirt path at the end of my street. There are big rocks below all along the shore to prevent erosion, and the water swings in, splashing up into the air and wetting the rocks. It's a remarkable sight to behold. Walking north, I noticed a beautiful rock sculpture had been built atop one of the boulders below. I stopped to admire this magnificent gift that someone left. The sculpture was created from various rocks and pieces of concrete found nearby, Each rock was a different color and shape - some long and thin, some round, others square with colors of red, green, brown and black. Behind the sculpture the waves crashed and splashed up foamy white, creating a most picturesque scene. Clearly a magical place, I decided this sculpture was an intricate doorway and home for the faeries. Continuing over a ridge, I saw half a dozen smaller rock sculptures! How exciting! Someone lovingly put great time and effort into making these special little creations, truly giving a wonderful sense of joy to others who happen travel this path. I felt so much gratitude for the beautiful treasures I had seen. I headed to a part of the cliffs that juts out into and above the water, finding a wonderful spot shaded by an upper rocky area. I rolled out my blanket and let my legs wander out into the sun. Lying back, I first just took time to soak up the view. The waves rippled in from the horizon, growing bigger and bigger until they folded into themselves or crashed on the rocks. Water washed onto the sand below, smoothing footprints and creating this little ring marks as it fell back into the sea. As the water crashed over the rocks below, beautiful white mist sprayed up, trickling back down into the ocean creating a tiny waterfall. After a while I closed my eyes, getting centered, and visualized my painting. What does my painting really want to become? What next? What colors does it desire? What shapes? The answer came to me in only a few minutes: If I don't like the painting as it is, then it I can release what I was intending it to be and be okay making changes. What a relief! Here I had started out wondering what I should do, what I could do to make it better - make it "right". And the essence of the message that came to me was - if it isn't right, don't try to make it right. Just do something else and see what happens. With this message, a new wave of inspiration hit and I headed home to paint. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 10:57 AM 0 comments Friday, July 28, 2006   The Importance of Play Over the last few months I have noticed a theme emerging in my life... "the importance of play." Each time I find myself experiencing stress, becoming irritable or getting frustrated it happens to be during a period of days when I haven't been practicing the best self-care. And for me, self-care must include playtime. Lately, I haven't really realize I've been stressed or grumpy - I am slightly conscious of it, but haven't taken the additional step of asking myself "what's going on here?" Yesterday, I took the opportunity to go to the beach to play and the results of this activity were incredible. I just love running around in the ocean, jumping and diving through incredible waves. After expending so much physical energy and just playing like a kid I felt a great sense of exhausted relaxation. Lying on my beach blanket just breathing and resting, and then it hits me... "Wow, I was really stressed." And then, "I feel so much better." Since getting that hour of playtime I've found myself being less irritable and more playful with my wonderful partner. My level of stress is much lower and I have a much clearer perception of what I would like to accomplish for the day. This is such a great reminder to me to build in playtime each day, as part of my self-care routine. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 11:25 AM 0 comments Wednesday, May 17, 2006   Confronting Fear in Meditation Recently I did a meditation where I confronted a typically fearful image or archtype, the Devil, and received some incredible insight. Below is a brief account of my experience and the insights I gained: The scene was set in a concrete cell, illuminated just enough to see the corners, two human figures and Devil but all else was darkness. As I looked around, I didn't feel frightened, I felt curious and watched to see all that was happening around me. The Devil steps down from his perch and sits in a pile of hay against a back wall. The man and woman are alive but motionless, indifferent. I approached the Devil and he rises to meet me returning to his perch. "Why did you call me here," I ask. "It was not I who called you here, but you chose chose to come," he replied. "You do not seem to evil to me," I say with curiousity. "Whatever people do not like in the world or in themselves they call evil. I represent that part which is feared and hated but am not evil or good." I notice a man and woman, appearing indifferent, although alive. He says, "I do not keep them here. It is their fears that chain them, bind them and keep them prisoner. Truly they are free to go at any time they choose." I sense the Devil speaks the truth. He is bored but his role, like a watchman, is to be in this space with those who come here. He gives me a tiny star, the divine spark of life. He tells me, "Divinity is within every person no matter how horrible they may be, and each of us is merely chained by our own fear and hatred. All the world is open to you if you release your fears. It is your divine right to have all you desire, and you can." I offer him gratitude for his openness and wisdom, and I exit. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 6:01 PM 0 comments Thursday, May 05, 2005   Self-Discipline, a new definition Lately I've been thinking a lot about "self-discipline." On dictionary.com discipline is defined as: self-dis·ci·pline, n. Training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for personal improvement. the trait of practicing self discipline [syn: self-denial] the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses [syn: self-denial, self-control] Wow, isn't this indicative of how we think? Self-discipline is equated in our minds with self-denial - with stopping a bad habit or even doing something we don't enjoy doing in order to improve ourselves. Using these definitions, I was having a really hard time putting my finger on the instances or places in my life where I am or have been self-disciplined. In fact, I was ready to admit to completely lacking in self-discipline and was in the process of seeking out advice and assistance from other people when another wonderful life coach I know asked me a powerful question. She asked me to think of self-discipline in a new way, a way that works for me and that I can relate to and that really is in alignment with my values and how I live my life. It's been just over a week but I've found that there are so many ways in while I have been self-disciplined through out my life, much of it getting me to where I am today. If we reconsider the definition of self-discipline and set it in a more positive and affirming light, we might prefer the following: self-dis·ci·pline, n.. Creating new and healthy habits in alignment with one's values and goals. Repeatedly taking positive actions over time, often involving overcoming obstacles and challenges, in order to create or achieve something important. With this new definition, I can really see how I have been self-disciplined in so many areas of my life and for as long as I can remember! In fact, I remember how much self-discipline was involved in learning to read my first book (The B Book by Dr. Seuss). And in high school when things at home weren't going very well, I remember doing everything I could in order to get to school each day. And more recently, I remember working very hard, learning as much as I could about running a small business, and taking difficult yet rewarding steps to become self-employed as a life coach. Talk about self-discipline! When we really want something badly, we will do anything we can to get it. That is self-discipline. And what it might just teach us, is that if something doesn't drive us enough to do what is necessary, then maybe we don't really want it after all. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 3:00 PM 0 comments Saturday, April 09, 2005   Being Fully Present It's amazing how being present and in the moment, not only impacts our own sense of the world around us, but it also impacts how others experience us and our relationship with them. I've noticed that during different parts of my journey in this life, I have experienced varying degrees of presence. Some times I was tuning the world out and being introspective, deep in thought. Other times I was so greatly intune with things around me, (conversations around me, bright lights, scents) that I couldn't focus on relationships with the people in front of me. And as I experience the people in my life moving through varying degrees of presence, I have come to understand how it feels from the other side of things. While spending time with others it can feel frustrating, lonely and dismissive to witness a friend's lack of presence with me, or hyper-presence with our surroundings. The most I can do is call their attention to what I'm witnessing, inquire if there is something underneath that they can express, and then be compassionate and loving while they experience this part of their journey, knowing it is not personal. I can also express the level of presence I need from them and ask them to make an effort to engage on that level, trusting they will do their best. I am grateful for this new awareness because it helps me recognize how important it is to honor myself and where I'm at, as well as honor where others are at in their process and journey. It also reminds me how important it is to my friends and family that I be truly present with them, and if I cannot be fully present, to make an effort to explain to them my current level of presence and how much I am able to give them at that time, keeping in mind they may not understand and may feel frustration or hurt. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 9:35 AM 0 comments Wednesday, September 01, 2004   Discovering Misalignments This past August I traveled to Seattle to visit family and friends. Much to my surprise, an amazing and unexpected thing happened. All of my stresses melted away. I felt so relaxed and at peace. Many of the anxiety-related behaviors and symptoms I experience in my daily life stopped. I stopped biting my nails and craving sweets, my back felt relaxed and loose, and I began sleeping soundly through the night. In fact, a few nights, I was even able to sleep 9 to 12 hours. A couple days before returning home to Boston I noticed the stress edging its way back in. Ugh. Then, upon returning home and to my part-time office job, all of the behaviors and symptoms magically re-appeared! What was causing all this stress and anxiety? I immediately saw an opportunity to learn something about myself. I took some time to consider the particular stressors in my life. What kind of stress did each present? Could I make changes that would reduce or eliminate the stress or stressor ? I found the most stressful and most changeable situation was returning to my office job. I love the environment and the company. But, the work is not in alignment with my life purpose and takes up time I would rather be using for activities that nourish me and support me as a whole person. In addition, I had planned on completing my service there by June, which had already come and gone. Once I made this connection it became clear to me that the “problem” or misalignment in my life is that I am doing something that does not support my life purpose or personal truth. It is a huge barrier to peace, joy, ease of life, and fulfillment. So, I know that right now is the perfect time to let it go. What an amazing learning experience :) Letting go is not always easy. But it is very freeing. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 7:00 AM 0 comments Monday, March 01, 2004   Toward A New Perfectionism When I think of perfectionism, my back tenses up and I feel a sense of dread. I think to myself, "Oh, no! Not that." There are two sides to this coin toss, and we either consider ourselves perfectionists or not. In either case, the P-word, although associated with doing things with utmost precision and skill, also has that side-kick negative meaning. This brings to mind Cynthia who graciously offered to host a summer party for 15 co-workers, their partners and children. I was baffled when she helped the children fill balloons in the kitchen of her gorgeous Victorian home during a water balloon fight. The baffling part? Dirt, grass and then mud formed on the porch steps and throughout the kitchen as the children ran from the kitchen sink, out into the yard and then back to the kitchen sink. In my home, growing up, water balloon fights could only take place outdoors. And, if it had ever occurred to me to come in the house, I had better have clean feet. If I did track mud into the house, I probably wouldn't have survived my mother's wrath. I expressed my amazement to Cynthia. I couldn't believe she wasn't concerned about her floors. With enthusiasm and joy, she merely told told me, "Floors get wet and muddy. We can just clean it up when we're done!" Floors get wet and they get muddy. We can just clean it up. Cynthia was not attached to having a sparkling floor, and she accepted that the floor would become dirty, and hence, need cleaning. So, by accepting that floors get dirty and can be cleaned, she was able to release herself from the burden of stress she could have experienced. Instead, she had a blast playing with the children. The children had a wonderful time too. What a refreshing perspective. How much weight do we give all of the little details in our lives, and how much do those details run our lives and consume our thoughts? We have such adverse reactions when we spill juice or coffee on the counter or floor. We feel inconvenienced. The experience is stressful and we become angry with ourselves, our children, strangers. At what cost is this to our health and our general sanity? Of course we want to do our very best and keep everything sparkling clean. Of course we want to outshine all the stars around us and be noticed for our brilliance and magnificence. But do we need such a rigid definition of perfection? Do we really need to get so upset when things do not meet our expectations of perfection? We can live more peaceful and stress-free lives if we release our definition of perfection (never getting the floor dirty) and are not in the constant posture of prevention. Similarly, we cannot undo what has already occurred, or change events that have already taken place. Getting upset does not fix the problem, reduce or increase the importance of it, or create happiness and fulfillment in our lives. When we choose not to become trapped in the need for perfection, and instead release our desire to control events and circumstances that are out of our hands, we choose ease, joy and fulfillment in our lives. One of the most powerful lessons I have been learning in this lifetime is the amazing truth of perfection. We, you and I, are already completely perfect. Everything we do, say, and have is exactly perfect for us in this very moment. It is exactly what we need at this moment in order to find whatever we need to learn to follow our life purpose. In fact, since life is a journey (not a destination), every day offers a new opportunity to learn a lesson, transform a habit or experience, and take the next step toward fulfillment. How wonderful is that? Because Cynthia allowed her floor to get dirty, she and the children gained a wonderful playful experience together. And then afterwards, they cleaned up. It was perfect. Like beauty, perfection is a matter of perspective. When something breaks, spills, or doesn't go "our way", it might just be perfect. It might just be exactly what we needed in order to make some other connection that helps us in our goals or life purpose. While writing this, I've decided that I am a new kind of perfectionist. As I learn to let go of my rigid expectations, and all of those rules imposed upon me by my friends, family and society, I am enjoying experiencing true freedom and joy. It has taken me many years to learn how to live a life of ease and joy. I know that there is more joy and ease to be had with every "rule" I release. Where I am at this moment is perfect. Labels: Articles # posted by Amy L. Burns @ 9:16 AM 0 comments