Category: Intuitive Tools at Home

Dec24

Harness the Untapped Power of Procrastination

by Cheryl Brewster

Do you find yourself running into perfectionism? Those debilitating stopping places where no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to bust through? Me too.  Instead of fighting procrastination,  the tendency to keep putting things off that I find uncomfortable, I’ve come to see it as an early warning detection system that I can use productively. In fact, procrastination can be saying that “it’s time for another adventure.”

  1. Procrastination shows up when I’m challenging myself, so yay me! It’s the confirmation and encouragement to bust outside comfort zones and the natural fear of failure inherent in change
  2. It’s the psyche’s way of inviting more creatively and authentically, not bound by old rules of perfectionism. This targets more focus and depth and I’m better able to drop the habitual “negative memory bias” of the primal brain’s need to protect at all costs
  3. Procrastination can be alerting me to low energy which needs to be rectified; it forces me to stop and ask the question; if I’m not in flow right now, what will help me get there?
  4. Procrastination can be interpreted as intuition’s call to be more present. By taking a “Mindful Minute” to check-in, I’m acknowledging and centering myself into a more nurturing state of acceptance. I get to enjoy this moment rather than dread it;  I get to change my focus from limitation to the quantum field of infinite possibilities.
  5. Procrastination is s a sure sign that it’s time to exchange judgment and self-recrimination for gratitude and appreciation, otherwise life becomes all work and no play; always striving but never arriving, and that’s not fun at all. In fact, the blessing in procrastination in many ways, is the call to more empowered states.

The research on gratitude, kindness and appreciation is astonishing and the antidote to procrastination and perfectionism. 

Thoughts of kindness and gratitude take us out of survival mode and into thriving. At the University of Zurich, a study demonstrated that when you display kindness or compassion, a hormone called oxytocin shuts down the survival centers in the brain’s amygdala. Since the amygdala is wired for four basic emotions: fear/anxiety, sadness/pain, anger/aggression and love/joy, oxytocin “cools off” the brain circuits that are wired for survival, leaving a love and joy for life. From this state, we’ve got access to expanded states of consciousness that invite flow, creativity and solutions we can’t see when we are in survival mode.

Gratitude and appreciation return us to logic of clear thinking and the ability to master unhelpful and destructive emotions.  As Nassim Taleb, a scholar on uncertainty noted, “real strength lies in the control or the domestication of one’s emotions, not in pretending they don’t exist.”

So the next time you go into the “spin cycle” of procrastination with its inherent subtle and not so subtle feelings, habits, conscious and unconscious programs, remember… every challenge contains within it, the solution. Even procrastination therefore, serves a productive purpose and the sooner we leverage it, the better we feel, the deeper we go into the joy of creativity, authentic living and the fulfillment of creative desire and accomplishment.

Call to action: the next time procrastination or fear of failure comes up for you, consider using it as your early warning detection system, alerting you to self-kindness, appreciation and gratitude to birth something new. You’ll be glad you did.

If you enjoyed this article, let us know! Share your insights and experiences as you “harness the power of procrastination” to live more creatively and authentically, with better results and greater joy.

Oct29

Stay Alive All Your Life! – Part 2

by Cheryl Brewster

What makes you come alive and stay that way, even when it’s hard; when you feel yourself shutting down and it takes pure grit to stay true to your integrity and dreams? How do you keep growing to improve personal effectiveness? Author and expert on world mythology, Joseph Campbell knew this one well:

“Suddenly you’re ripped into being alive. And life is pain, and life is suffering, and life is horror, but my god you’re alive and it’s spectacular!”

I love this!  Are you like me? I don’t particularly feel spectacular in the middle of the pain, suffering and horror that’s part of life. But I have been through it enough times, to know that indeed, there is always an equal or greater benefit; something spectacular that occurs through the process, onto the other side. It takes great courage and tenacity to live this way. The results are priceless: Mind mastery and learning how to hold our ground in the face of uncertainty. With an eye to our personal and spiritual development, instead of feeling overwhelmed and beaten, we begin to emerge with skills and mindsets that turn great suffering into great victory.

It takes time, great self-compassion, guts, and the willingness to trust and develop our intuition, to feed our resilience, and to keep the faith, even when it appears counter-intuitive.

As Campbell emphasized:
“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. That’s what it’s all finally about…”

Ahhh, what it’s really all about… the rapture of being alive! Business and spiritual leader, Marsha Sinetar, agrees: “It’s the “burning desire to be or do something that gives us staying power – a reason to get up every morning or to pick ourselves up and start in again after a disappointment.”

The rapture of life can only occur with a burning desire for it. How do we keep the fire stoked when it’s hard?

  1. Science proves it: “high vibe” thinking feeds the flame
    Our brains are hard-wired with a “negative memory basis” to notice potential threats and protect us from harm. Studies done by John Cacioppo, Ph.D., (Ohio State University, and University of Chicago), demonstrate that the brain reacts more strongly to stimuli it deems negative. There is a greater surge in electrical activity, meaning our attitudes are more heavily influenced by negative rather than good news. Research has also shown that a specific ratio of five (five “high-vibe” thoughts to balance out the “one low-vibe thought”) is the magic formula to balance out this negative memory bias.  Worth remembering!  Working “with” our physiology rather than judging ourselves for habitual negative thinking is empowering. It course-corrects us into the extra energy of inspired action that we need for true change and growth to occur over the long-haul. As ancient wisdom reminds us, it is our continued commitment to choose “higher vibration” thoughts to feed the flame of desire that feeds our intent, which in turn feeds our will, which feeds our behavior, and ultimately, feeds our destiny. This leveraging of our negative emotions/memory-bias into holistic, focused, resilient, “alive,” possibility thinking becomes automatic over time. And that’s huge. Now there’s hope, encouragement and something to look forward to, even when life is very hard and hasn’t turned out the way we thought it would.
  2. Give yourself credit and re-energize past successes
    What are some of the toughest times you have been through?
    What helped pull you through? What belief, inspiration or process did you use?
    How did you become a better person through this difficulty? How can you apply that to current circumstances?

    3. Have enthusiasm and clear intent moving forward
    Begin and end each day with vision, re-charge throughout and end it in reflection: spend time in the morning in visualization, prayer or meditation to re-stoke that burning desire and pre-plan how you will “Create Your Day.” It takes just one minute of mindfulness several times throughout the day to keep coming back, to build focus and follow-through. In the evening do a review; celebrate wins and also identify where you can improve. Apply the 5-to-1 ratio to rehearse how you will do things differently tomorrow…. by getting excited about our improvements, now course-correcting becomes more positive, more enjoyable. We have something to look forward to, feel more resilient and capable. Now true change is happening, so that even in the midst of our hardest challenges, we have something to hang onto, a reason to keep going, a grit, tenacity and energy that feeds us, that feeds the rapture of being alive!

Call to action: on those tough days; dig deep – bridge the gap of where you are to where you want to be by applying the 5 -to-1 ratio to this very moment… right here, right now. From this viewpoint you actually are where you want to be, only now you get to enjoy the ongoing journey as a way of life, not just sporadically. To paraphrase Campbell…. my god, you’re alive to your innermost being and reality…. and that’s spectacular… that’s what it’s really all about! Draw on the power of intuition to keep feeding the sacred flame within you – that’s its job and you can trust it to help you come alive and stay alive all your life.

 

Mar15

How to Live Your “Calling”

by Cheryl Brewster

Do you have a “calling“? That deep sense of purpose or urge within you that “must” be explored.

Are you:

  • Feeling a shift coming; a hint of something new that hasn’t quite arrived yet?
  • Already working on your passion with great enthusiasm but results are taking longer than expected leaving you with a feeling of stagnation?
  • Feeling that your life is in the doldrums… not much is happening and you’re not sure what to do?

These occasions can be very unsettling and we can begin to:

  • Doubt ourselves and the bigger picture of our lives.
  • Give up hope and slip into confusion or despair.
  • Romanticize about the good old days before we followed our passion.
  • Feel anxiety about our future, regret decisions and condemn mistakes from the past.

In short, when things get difficult or seem to have run their course, we get scared and shut down. But we need to do the opposite; we must keep our hearts open.

Gregg Levoy in his book entitled “Callings” describes this ebb and flow beautifully:
“We love to quote the philosopher and poet Goethe who said that “whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. But we forget that he also said, “To put your ideas into action is the most difficult thing in the world.”

And from poet Stanley Kuntiz: “The poem in the head is always perfect. The challenge comes when we try to convert it into language. This is especially so when we discover, as we often do that saying yes to a calling requires not just one act of heroism and risk-taking, but a prolonged period of action that can stretch into years.”

We must remember this when things get hard. We must continue to “take our stand” for our callings. Our callings have two fundamental features to them; they give great meaning to our lives… and they always come with a way through. But we must listen to that intuitive heart centre to find our way!  So how do we stay open to our callings and the new directions they take us in?

6 Simple Steps to Feed the Calling of Your Soul

1. Know Thyself!
Philosopher J. Krishnamurti reminds us that “the mind is the result of the known; it is the result of the past.” This past includes the limitations of a conditioned mind. In order to free ourselves from those limitations, we must be willing to see what’s ineffective in our thinking and release it. Observe yourself – watch how consciously or unconsciously you do things… as awareness and self acceptance increase, so does authentic personal power. These “aha” moments of, “oh, that’s what I really do” are life-changing when we follow through on them.

2. Practice Silence
An occupied mind is a busy mind, too full for anything new, original or creative. Mindfulness steeped in self-compassion keeps the heart and mind open to receive insight. Receiving equals energy – this is critical for those prolonged periods of action that our callings require. Practice silence by moving attention away from a busy, consumed mind, and instead, into the quiet, the stillness.

3. Practice “one-minute comfort breathing”
Risk taking and heroism arise from your bigger sense of self  – your “little I” will be challenged… expect that and be prepared for it.  A breathing exercise that brings immense comfort is “breathing in, I see the me that is uncertain.  Breathing out, I smile a hug into it.”

4. Use fear to your advantage
As Thich Nhat Hanh encourages, “we have the power to look deeply at our fears, and then fear cannot control us. Fearlessness is not only possible, it is the ultimate joy. When you touch nonfear, you are free.”  How do we touch nonfear? Accept yourself as you are now, while simultaneously dropping self-defeating thoughts. We tend to think we’d be free if we didn’t experience fear, but that’s just not the case! If you can be free even though you have uncomfortable feelings, then you really are free! Let’s face it, there’s always going to be something that challenges us, but when you’re not overcome by those uncomfortable feelings, you really are free. So now, we are giving birth to impertability – we begin to cultivate a mind that is beyond disturbance.

5. Practice “what if”
What’s that one thing you’ve been really wanting to do but you’ve been putting off? What will you feel like when it’s done? Just a few minutes visualizing that can free up the energy to take that one first step… and then another, and another.

6. Be strategic with intuition
What does your soul need to replenish itself? If you took just one mindful minute right now to ask that question… you would be tapping into the energy of your calling… you’d be cultivating the wisdom and strength required to do the most difficult thing possible… put your ideas into the world. And that is the joy of living your calling – Take Your Stand!

Call to Action:
Rather than judge your emotions as good or bad…. see them all as equally important. Enjoy experimenting with the steps above and share your experience with me… I’d love to hear from you. Or better yet, if you are new to my work, let’s book a complimentary 15 minute exploratory session. And if you are an existing client and it’s been a while since we’ve connected, let’s get you in for that one-on-one session or workshop to explore and rejuvenate your stand with complimentary 15 minute post session follow-up!

If you enjoyed this article, let us know! Individuals and organizations find Cheryl Brewster’s expertise as a Professional Intuitive, Transformational Speaker and Coach refreshing and timely. Her private clients experience greater clarity and confidence in taking action during transition. In her corporate workshops, Cheryl inspires focus and follow-through. To explore her work further, visit TheIntuitiveLife.com or email cheryl@theintuitivelife.com.

 

 

 

Jan05

Want More Fun, Prosperity and Peace?

by Cheryl Brewster

hand_writing_new_life_sign
It’s a New Month! More fun. More prosperity. More peace. Yes!
To ensure these goals, dreams and aspirations materialize, reflection is important: what worked yesterday, last month, last year? What needs to change to make this a stellar experience?  Having a plan and setting goals is just part of the process. Learning how to STAY connected to the energy, vitality and joy of that plan is essential.

How excited are you for the month ahead?
It can be difficult to feel enthused when we’ve encountered setbacks, disappointments, unexpected losses or perceived mistakes. It can be even more difficult when we don’t see an end in sight to ongoing patterns and problems. But challenge is a part of life’s refining process. Bringing “high vibration” attitudes to these challenges, makes the difference,  helping us see them as “sacred vehicles” that do make life more, fun, prosperous and peaceful if we’re willing to harness the power of their potential.

So what will you do differently today, this month, thi year? How will you ensure more vision, confidence and empowerment at home and at work? Both intuition and mindfulness are key and directly linked to fun, peace and prosperity.

3 things to remember about Fun:

  • Fun is important! When we’re having fun, we have access to incredible energy, ideas and creativity. But often, we can shoo it aside for “more important things.” Uh oh, that’s where we can get into trouble. Why can’t “fun be the way we do the important things?”
  • Fun is not actually dependent on things outside of one’s mind although it can appear that way. The more we enjoy being in our own skin, loving and appreciating ourselves, the more confidence and fun we have in life and with others. Did you know that the pituitary gland releases more hormones to activate other parts of your brain when you’re truly loving who you are? Attention to loving ourselves actually changes the brain, giving us more access to our inner genius! Fun then, is  an important commitment… it allows us to access higher states of consciousness, directly impacting intuition, healthy self-esteem and self-image.
  • Fun is the result of an inner harmony always available and seeks to express itself in enjoyment of the present moment,  creativity, humour, relaxation and activities that feed the spirit. It’s contagious!

3 things to remember about Prosperity:

  • From the Latin meaning “according to hope or to go forward hopefully.”
  • Not an outer condition, rather an inner attitude/state of mind/vibration in which you experience happiness, peace within and about yourself (which obviously, can’t help but end up in the outer conditions that match it… e.g., an inner attitude of abundance can’t help but creatively express itself in tangible, physical results).
  • In times of struggle, your faith or inner knowing must be stronger than your fear.

3 things to know about Peace

  • Each time we delay being peaceful (e.g., waiting until the money comes, we get the new job, partner, health improvement, lose 20 pounds, etc.) we miss being in the present which means we keep reinforcing the mistaken belief that peace is everywhere else except for here and now. We delay not only our peace, but every other good feeling… including prosperity and having fun!
  • When we say later, I’ll feel better later, we are strengthening self-defeating habits that lock us deeper into anxiety and unhealthy patterns. We needlessly give away our power, self-responsibility and inner-directedness; we miss out on experiencing the joy of our potential right here, right now.
  • The most important times to choose peace are when it’s the hardest to do so.

This is where understanding “high vibration thinking” is most obvious: whenever we think that peace isn’t possible right here right now, we are focusing on BECOMING peaceful rather than BEING peaceful – we keep ourselves in a state of wanting rather than being or having, which is what causes scarcity rather than abundance in our lives; we perpetuate a cycle of constantly needing rather than having. The same goes for fun. Imagine a guitar string out of tune…. when you pluck it, the resulting vibration in sound is discordant, not pleasant to listen to. The same goes for our thinking…. we must practice those ABCs of Intuition – Aware, Breathe, Connect to keep ourselves in tune, in alignment with the joy of life.

If all we did was bring more attention to where we are denying peace, we would see where we are also denying prosperity – we’d see where we are denying enjoyment of this moment.

Choosing peace isn’t always easy. But it is possible. The same is true for feelings of prosperity – whether it’s financial, in relationship, health, being organized or feeling more capable in times of uncertainty – it all begins in thought first. We must have the tenacity to begin practicing the feeling of peace, especially when it feels difficult or when we don’t want to. What we’ll find is that while it may take a while for the tangible results we want to appear, we can certainly have more ease (even fun), peace and feelings of prosperity right here, right now.  Imagine what each new day, month and year can look like with this continued mindset!

If you’re ready to begin having more fun, peace and prosperity in your life from a more intuitive/mindful perspective, I’m here for you! Just like your car needs regular oil changes, so does your thinking and that is my specialty! I help with intuitive guidance, coaching you in consistently accessing your own intuition and mindfulness for more clarity, self-awareness and self-trust!  In these exciting times of possibility, make me a part of your resource team!  Whether dreams, goals or aspirations, having support for more fun, more peace and more prosperity can make the difference from “I wish I could” to “I Did It!”

If you enjoyed reading this article, contact me to learn more or to book me for a private intuitive consultation, coaching program, lecture for your organization or staff training. Here’s to your best times yet!

May12

What To Do When Mindfulness Gets Harder, Not Easier

by Cheryl Brewster

None of us is exempt from change.
Some of it’s hard.
Some of it’s easy.
All of it requires awareness because change usually requires a different action.

When faced with that difference we can retreat, regress, resist…. Or we can be observant, compassionate and choose better feeling thoughts that free us from “judgement stuckness.”

As we continue along the Mindfulness Journey we’ll often have those moments when the “old (primal) brain” kicks in… it’s only job is our survival and if there’s even a whiff of danger, it’s worry mechanism steps in to stop (protect) us wherever it can.

I’ve begun to look at this “temporary amnesia” as a chance to reboot my system…. One of those reboots includes writing out my “I Did It!” list for the past week (or day). It always reveals an undercurrent of power and flow that the old, primal brain just doesn’t have the capacity to see. This step is important because the more we grow in mindfulness, the more the old primal brain will kick in… good to know so we can acknowledge that like a child having a tantrum when it gets scared, our brain is sending a signal that we can acknowledge but not become paralyzed by.  In fact science proves this!

Author/neuro-science researcher Mark Robert Waldman reports that the brain rewards itself with the pleasure neurochemical dopamine every time you savor even the smallest success, and that dopamine programs the brain to work harder and accomplish more goals. He says that “business success (and to a large extent, personal success) depends on the act of writing.  Studies show that when you think about a problem or a desire, your language-based centers in your neocortex go too fast for the more ancient parts of your motivational brain to respond to. Writing slows down your thoughts, and brief phrases will stimulate your brain to take action.”

Use your whole brain – slow down, be mindful. Write!

When we add Mindfulness to the writing process we are reminded that as we switch gears from one part of the brain to the other, it really is safe to do so. It becomes “safe” to make change. This is potently true in goal setting, and by celebrating past successes, we are feeding future ones.

Take a minute…

Write out your “I Did It!” list for the past week…. You’ll be delightfully surprised… you’ll be seeing your life from another

perspective that feeds resiliency and present moment awareness. You’ll be building on your personal and business success because you’ll be feeding your brain (let alone your self-esteem).  Email us for your complimentary “I Did It! worksheet if you don’t have one yet! It goes into greater detail of how you can create an “Intuitive Storyboard” of your life that combines writing, vision-boarding, synchronicity and understanding how archetypes can both empower and impede your journey.

Are you in career transition, relationship challenges or some other change? Remember! You have the capacity to handle whatever comes your way. Just because you have a dis-empowering thought doesn’t mean you have to believe it. As Einstein said, we need to remember that the mind is the servant rather than the master and let intuition lead, THEN use the mind to support the process. As you are riding the wave of change, it may feel uncertain, even scary, but with mindfulness, the wave can re-framed. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, we can choose curiosity, creativity to find meaning. The wave is transformed to one that is teaching us mastery, filled with new ideas, inspiration and eventually, yes, even FUN!

I’m here to support you in your Mindfulness/Change Journey with personal and business intuitive consults and coaching as well as on-line and at your facility team training.
Here’s to your “I Did It! Moments!

Cheryl Brewster is a Personal and Business Intuitive, specializing in Mindfulness to reduce stress for peace, meaning and success in life and business. If you’d like to learn more about one on one consultations/coaching or group presentations, please call us at 604-781-4022 or email us. We’d love to hear from you!

Apr15

Goals are energy – are your “vibes” getting in the way?

by Cheryl Brewster

mindfulness affectionate attentionGoals are great – they give us a focus for getting things done. However how we feel about our ourselves is just as important as the goal itself. Why? Notice any goals/areas in your life that you have not yet been successful in accomplishing. If you felt better about yourself, would they be as difficult to accomplish?  Probably not!

Could it be that easy?
YES!
And we have our past successes to prove it.

Survey your past, and you’ll be surprised, encouraged and amazed by what you find…. your most gloriously successful, meaningful moments  occurred when you were feeling good about yourself, and made something great happen… even though the circumstances may have been difficult, when you trusted the “feel good vibe” in you – you accomplished amazing feats. You were in flow.

That’s what author Esther Hicks In The Astonishing Power of Emotions, really drills in:
“In your physical format, you tend to be action oriented; when you begin to approach your world in terms of vibration rather than action, in terms of thought rather than time/space/distance, your ability to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be will be much more efficient.”

She stresses that we must be a “vibrational match to our desires,” BEFORE we take action. This is a more “mindful” approach to goal setting because we take the time to “check-in” before-hand, rather than setting goals from a sense of duty or assumption – we tap into the evolutionary power within that is guiding us to the highest expression of ourselves. Goals like business planning, weight loss, getting organized, increasing sales, etc., become far less onerous and so much more inviting when approached from this perspective. We can meet any resistance with more grace and choose better feeling thoughts about ourselves as the inevitable resistance comes up.

3 easy steps to more mindful goals:

  1. Go inside.
    Recall a happy time in your life, when you felt confident and clear… align to that vitality and then ask…. What current priority is the most amazing to accomplish today  this week/month, etc?). Be present with the ideas, visions, intuitions that come forward. Really FEEL the great vibes, embody them. For example, sometimes it feels difficult to stay in a positive vibe, but if we recall our successful past selves, we have a proven image, and a feeling of determination – we’ve done it before (opened to flow) and we can do it again.
  2. Decide.
    High vibration thoughts generate high vibration feelings. There is no shortage of high vibration…. it’s the very life force within us… it loves, adores and appreciates us. We literally become love in action. When we “pay attention in a particular way, on purpose, non-judgmentally, to the unfolding of the experience moment to moment” (Jon Kabat-Zinn)  we are practicing high vibration living…. we are practicing mindfulness. When lower vibration/scarcity thoughts come in, they have no where to stick.  And if/when they do because we inadvertently let our energy dip by judging the experience, we simply notice, drop the judgment and put our attention back to flow.
  3. Visualize “I Did It!”
    No matter what comes up, stay focused on triumph. Just changing mindset from fear to focus is “an immediate I Did It Moment!” Consistent focus on the joy of completing our goals, over time drops old patterns and keeps us in the present moment…. we’re not hounded by fears from the past that are being projected into the future. How exciting to hold this consciousness now! What once potentially spelled dread can now spell anticipation – unseen perspectives fall open and we have access to wisdom and worlds we never had before. And that’s the joy of mindful goal-setting.. enjoying this amazing experience of creation. Mindful goal setting becomes a lifestyle, an inside-out approach to life that is far more sustaining than the “I’ll be happy when” seduction that promises but never delivers lasting confidence. Visualization is high octane to personal effectiveness and a powerful tool to reduce anxiety.

Here’s to your  “I DID IT!” moments  that will flourish as you get into the vibe that completes your goals with more ease.

As you incorporate this into your life, please share your insights with us!

In addition to leading workshops, Cheryl Brewster offers intuitive consultations for individuals and business, to enhance mindful goal-setting and  embracing change with more clarity, confidence and peace of mind.

 

 

 

 

Jan11

Inspire a Fresh Beginning for Better Results!

by Cheryl Brewster

Inspire a fresh beginning! Inspiration is defined as a good idea; a force or influence that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create.

Inspiration is a vehicle of intuition,  essential to personal development and successful business growth. It’s food for the soul! When we get stuck (which is a part of stretching comfort zones), the Power of Inspiration calms our worried minds, invigorates our pioneering spirit and fires our creativity. Inspiration is the door to infinite possibility, so let’s open it!

Are-You-Willing-To-Be-The-DoorwayIt’s downright SMART to make room for inspiration:
1. Inspiration feeds our goals – an inspired goal is far more likely to be completed than one that’s not.
2. Inspiration is the power of positive change:  if you’ve got something you’ve been avoiding or delaying, what would inspiration tell you? I guarantee some immediate answers you’d never have “thought of!”
3. Studies have shown that inspired people get more done and experience more purpose and gratitude.

To be inspired and stay inspired: sign
1. Inspiration cannot be forced… it “comes” to us… however what helps, is to make time for it…. unplug, relax, and for a few moments right now, take a deep breath and ask yourself, what inspires me?
2. Create an “Inspiration List” – in only a couple of minutes you’ll feel more invigorated and connected.
2. What does inspiration  invokes in terms of feelings and images and write/draw those too. Use the five senses to go even deeper… what song best represents this inspiration? Find it and play it. What body movement would honour this inspiration? Do it. Any sort of physical action helps to make a connection to the brain – to “lock-in” this experience, especially done repeatedly to strengthen new neural pathways.
3. Check your goals – do they inspire you? If not, re-evaluate. If however, your task must be completed, regardless of whether you feel inspired or not, ask Inspiration for its advice… what would make this task more palatable? By connecting with the feelings/images, you’ll find a greater capacity to take action.
4. Inspiration feeds commitment – rather than flash in the pan ideas, inspiration takes you through the long-haul… add an affirmation to the inspiration to fire-up commitment even further.
5. Inspiration is a component of integrity – it keeps us true to what’s important to us and shows us where we are/are not living our values – it helps us course correct and drop negative habits that have built up over time.

Inspire a fresh beginning! Whether personal development, relationships or business goals, inspiration is the energy of action, accomplishment and positive change. It keeps us in sync with the deeper meaning of life, aligned with our values and invites greater openness and flexibility. Essential to positive relationships, communication and common goals, inspiration is a key force behind successful business practices and inter-personal relationships.

 Action Step:
What would inspire you more at home and at work? What steps can you take this week to be in integrity with these possibilities? Inspire a Fresh Beginning, and engage faith, focus and follow-through to determine and accomplish the goals that feed the prosperity of your soul on all levels.

If you enjoyed this blog, please share and send us your comments!  TheIntuitiveLife.com is committed to inspired coaching and workshops that promote positive, powerful change, using Intuition, Inspiration and Imagination – for more information on Cheryl Brewster and her work as a personal and business Intuitive, Coach, and Speaker, email us at cheryl@theintuitivelife.com. Here’s to your Fresh Beginning!

 

 

 

Jul30

Mastering Change – Even When It’s Hard

by Cheryl Brewster

If you’re like me, you love change when it’s something that you really want or have been looking forward to for a long time.  The “other” change… you know the kind… the “dreaded” change; either the one you KNOW you need to make, or the unexpected ones that you don’t want and can’t control, what do you do with THAT kind of change?

From my own experience and in researching this subject with private clients and workshop participants, these tools are effective in mastering both wanted and unexpected change whether in life or in business:

1. Know Yourself
Even good change takes energy, so are you following the basics of self care to ensure your energy expenditure is going to the appropriate places? Are you re-filling your own cup to manage change… if not, what needs to shift to make this a priority? What habits serve you well, and which don’t?

2. Breathe!
We are creatures of habit… it’s natural to feel uncomfortable with change. Acknowledging stress without judging it is hugely helpful; of course you’d feel uncomfortable based on your past patterns….and…. what can you do in this moment to make it a bit easier on yourself? What helps the uncomfortable part feel just a little (or a lot) more comfortable? A simple practice of the ABCs of Intuition is super powerful…. Aware of what’s going on, Breathing into it, and Connecting to the heart, slows things down so we can feel our center again. Simple is effective!

3. Choose Empowerment – over and over again
Often our emotions can take over and fear or the need to control the outcome can send us straight into the “spin cycle” of rash decisions on the one extreme or paralysis on the other. Asking the question, what would empowerment do in this situation and then allowing ourselves to hear the answer and feel the feeling of empowerment are split second decisions that provide immediate relief and foster healthy patterns.

If you’re like me, knowing you’re making progress in navigating “change as the new normal,” is incredibly satisfying. It’s that rock solid, “in your gut knowing that whatever comes your way, you can handle it. It’s the courage to change, answering the call to to greater awareness, creative expression and living life on your own terms. It’s Mastering Change, Even When it’s Hard.

To be continued…. (or if you can’t wait, contact Cheryl to book a personal intuitive session)!

If you enjoyed this blog, please share! And for more information on private  sessions and live events with Cheryl Brewster of The Intuitive Life, email us or call at 604.781.4022. Cheryl specializes in working with “Conscious Changemakers,” those keen to develop and use their intuition for greater, more meaningful results in life and business.

 

 

 

 

 

Jun30

Self Love – The Courageous Choice for Results in Life and Business

by Cheryl Brewster

What builds or destroys your relationships at home and in business?
What totally transforms how you “do” life, especially behind the scenes where no one sees you or knows what you’re really thinking?
What is your foundation, touchstone or immovable center point during times of intense challenge, emotional “spin cycles” and piercing disappointment or grief?

The answer of self love is obvious… but it takes outrageous courage to truly practice it. Today’s message is that we can do it and we must do it! Yes, ongoing improvement strategies at home and in business are important, but the first one is self love…. without self love, it doesn’t matter how educated, talented or skilled we are, we’re not going to enjoy our experiences and it’s guaranteed, that those around us won’t either. Self love takes the whole idea of  prosperity to a whole new level. (How many super stars have bottomed out at the peak of their careers? Too many to mention…. without self love we can easily fall prey to influences that don’t have our best self interests at heart).

So what can we do to build awareness of this primary component of emotional intelligence?

1. Think of someone that is super important to you, someone you love… what are your greatest hopes and wishes for them? Are you allowing yourself those very things in your own life? If not, are you willing to slow things down to make room for this new mindset and follow-through with persistent, ” thought diligence”?

2. Again, thinking of this person that you love… what would make it easier for this person to live a happy life? Again, are you making those same choices for yourself? What old thoughts would you need to drop and what new thoughts would you need to employ?

3. In knowing what you need to do in your life… can you accept, allow and forgive yourself for the times you don’t do those things? Can you see how self love can be a strategy to free up the energy, to do the things you’ve been avoiding and make them more palatable? Can you begin with noticing current bad habits and understand the need they are trying to fill? Would you be willing to let them be filled in more productive/destructive ways?

4. What authentic leader most inspires you? How would they handle a current challenge you’re having? What self talk would they be giving to themselves?

Healthy Self Love is the ultimate effective business tool; you can “feel” the vibe when someone really loves themselves and what they do… you can also feel it when they don’t. Self loving individuals are the leaders that people love to work for, the parents that truly get what’s most important and come from those priorities. Self loving men and women are brave enough to make their happiness the priority; they’re grounded, strong, integrity-based visionaries. They help others see what they cannot see for themselves.

Self Love is the ultimate relationship tool; it heals the wounded parts in ourselves and others by making good use of the triggers that set us off so we can re-frame to evolve them.

Self Love says that no matter what’s going on, we’ll be able to handle it.
Self Love takes baby steps… it reminds us that Rome wasn’t build in a day and asks us why we insist that it was, when our adrenaline junkie takes over.
Self Love has the courage to face conflict, set healthy boundaries, speak up when it’s important, and stand down when it’s appropriate.

Self Love forgives the past and puts its attention on what’s most important… an empowered awareness of NOW.

See what you don’t like about your life… and love yourself anyway… it’s the only way to create the change you’ve longed for. Will you?

If you enjoyed this blog post, you’ll enjoy learning more about Cheryl Brewster and her coaching program “Spa for the Soul” that takes empowered thinking to a whole new level. For your complimentary overview of how this can apply to current challenges in your life… contact us and quote “Self Love”

Mar31

Mindset – the Domino Effect- be Careful What You Think!

by Cheryl Brewster

As any business person will attest, our intuition is a highly attuned success mechanism. Napoleon Hill of Think and Grow Rich stressed its importance as a natural ability that’s right 100% of the time. However, have you noticed what happens  if you don’t  tend to your mindset? The weeds of distraction, overwhelm, worry and stress can skew your intuitive discernment, gut instincts, emotional guidance system, ability to think clearly and plan effectively.  The effects of unconscious thinking or emotional overwhelm can be devastating to business and personal life.

We all know that we can tap in deeper into our Inner Genius to create greater prosperity on all of life’s levels, so why don’t we? In one word…. mindset… especially when it’s charged with negative emotion.

Emotions are vibrational indicators as to how much we’re “allowing” our Inner Genius to lead. This same power is what Napoleon Hill of Think and Grow Rich, refers to as “Infinite Intelligence,”  the incredible force that holds vast galaxies in space, holds the solution to every problem there is, and is the source to all prosperity, available to us 24/7.  However, if we’re not feeling that great about ourselves, if we’ve gotten caught up in a cycle of worry, fear, or anger, we’re greatly restricting our access to the wisdom and guidance of this Master Mind. We’ve forgotten to turn the tap of our Inner Genius “on,” and we’ve certainly lost track of how to “keep it on.”

Hill describes this beautifully with a universal principle call Cosmic Habitforce:
Cosmic Habitforce is the law which makes every living creature, every particle of matter subject to the influence of its environment – it can work for you or against you. The choice is yours….  If your dominating mental habits are thoughts of poverty, then cosmic habitforce will bring about poverty in your life. If your dominating mental habits are of prosperity and peace, Cosmic Habitforce will bring them about. There is an endless cycle here…your thoughts are the only thing you can completely control if you decide to do so. You must control your thoughts to control your habits.”

So how do we get better at having our Cosmic Habitforce work “for us” and not against us?

  • Intentionally choose a better feeling thought… tiny, better feeling thoughts built on top of one another, creative a huge cascade effect in shifting our vibration from the negative to the positive. The domino effect of small consistent change is huge!
  • Here’s a great metaphor:
    In this video of the power of physics, the first domino is so small, that tweezers must be used to put it in place…. With the domino effect, this tiny, tiny domino in 13 short moves, topples over a domino that is 3 feet tall weighing one hundred pounds! (By the way, if there were 15 more dominoes here, you’d be looking at something the size of the Eiffel tower!)

Wow… there’s only 13 dominoes in this demonstration, yet two billion more times force is created! Imagine this as a metaphor for your thoughts and feelings and how they create Cosmic Habitforce! The tiniest negative thought can create two billion more times force (no wonder you feel stuck in your negative thinking)!!!! But on the same hand, a tiny, tiny, better feeling thought triggers another better feeling thought that can totally change the results in your life because of how GOOD you feel in this one tiny little moment!

Thoughts and feelings are energy – they comprise Cosmic Habitforce! The question is… if they’re such a powerful force… doesn’t it make sense to focus them in positive ways for GREAT results? 

Intellectually we know these things but if we’re not applying the Power of Intention, then:
a) we don’t really believe in the power of accessing our our Inner Genius, the Master Mind
b) we haven’t decided to yet
c) we haven’t practiced it enough to work effectively with Cosmic Habitforce to create powerful, meaningful results.

focusPractice makes Perfect! Here’s an experiment to try this week:
Pick an important project in your life… identify your desire…what’s a tiny, tiny, good feeling thought you can bring to it… and the next, and the next…. you’ll find that from this great vibe state, ideas or inspirations will arise and suddenly you’ll be taking an inspired action, that leads to another, and another, until your project is completed and you’ve developed positive habits to keep building on.

The power of this type of mindset and the willingness to practice it results in two very important things:
a) not only does the goal reach completion, but the process is more creative, dynamic, exciting, compelling and enjoyable
b) ineffective habits are replaced with more productive, healthier ones.

Intuition is a highly attuned success mechanism, but it like anything else, its application gets better with practice… and so too does the power of personal self mastery through emotional intelligence.  Self Awareness and Intention to strengthen that Cosmic Habitforce are key. Now what affects can this have in your personal life and in your business? Practice, practice, practice!

If you enjoyed this blog, please share it! To stay inspired and support in these practice tips, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and inspiring quote of the day at TheIntuitiveLife.com