Manifesting my All In Energy

Don't you just love an epiphany?

That moment when you have a realization of a what it is you really really want. Then in the next breath you are deflated because you are uncertain how to fill in the gap between.  Ugh :( 

Recently, while deciding between which one out of two houses to purchase I had such an experience.

Here was the deal:

House #1: met 4 out of 5 of the criteria of my ideal house; plus needed immediate renovations.

House #2: ticked all of the 5 boxes; plus was move in ready. 

On paper it was a no-brainer, that House #2 was the one to pursue with an offer; yet the trump card was that House #1 evoked an emotional response within me and that "story" was impacting how I saw the on paper "facts".

Who doesn't love a good story, especially the ones when you get so emotionally invested in.  And I was invested.  

The story that House #1 was evoking in me was the feelings and the past experience of living in Europe.  

The style of the house conjured up our time living in Germany, and that was an exceptional experience.  The common denominator was that we, collectively, were happy to be there in all ways.  All of us loved our time there, the culture, the food, the people, the landscape, the energy.  We were going, doing, seeing, connecting, communing...We were living All In!

When I looked at House #1, and even though it didn't tick all of the boxes, and even though there would be the added expense of replacing flooring and painting, I wanted the house because it reminded me of that All In energy we had abroad.

The Sweet Story Crash

If you have ever thought...

If I buy that house, those shoes, that car...then I will be happy.

or

I will be happy when...I change jobs, cities or relationships.

Then to find that in the short term those things did bring a semblance of happiness but in the long run you were shopping to find other "things" or "changes" to re-energize that feeling.

It is akin to drinking a sugary drink to boost your energy only to crash after the initial rush has worn off.

My sweet story (albeit fiction) I had in mind was that buying that house would re-energize that living style and lifestyle we had enjoyed.  

The truth, the facts, the non-fiction version of the story is that if I want to feel that All In energy I don't have to look very far for it, because it comes from within, and not from buying House #1 or any else.  

I know this to be true.

Based on a True Story

Gratefully, although not without resistance, the offer was made on House #2, and we have been living here for a month.  Admittedly, I didn't completely release the story about House #1 until a couple days of being here.  

However the moment I realized it was a story and that the essence was that it wasn't the house I wanted as much as I wanted the feelings that it evoked in from memory.

I redirected my energy towards really feeling what I felt like in living in Europe, not in a living in the past kind of way, but the energy I lived with.  

I began to focus on what it felt like, 
What I felt like, 
What it sounded like, 
Smelled like, 
Tasted like...
engaging every sensory, emotional, and feeling I could in order to really amp up that All In Feeling.

And that energy FEELS GOOD!

Reverse Engineering the How

Getting to that All In Feeling, was easy, having had the experience to draw from.  

There was the potential to slip into the "poor me", "I don't have that anymore", "I miss that energy", but going down that path defeats the purpose. Going down that street is the opposite of feeling good.  Therefore I set my intention. 

My intention was clear 

"reflect on and feel the past All in Energy experience", 

and use that as a template to move forward.  

I want to manifest that All In Energy in my life, in our new home, in our still new to us city, and in our return to our home country. 

I want to manifest it...Right now in the present and going forward.

But How?

The great part of focusing on the end result is that you are opening yourself up to a host of possibilities.  I didn't generate a long to do list of how I would feel that All In Vibeage, I just continued to channel the energy, I kept the feel good pipeline wide open.

Many things have shifted and changed in the last month.  The biggest is that I'm feeling that energy being replenished, faster because I'm still deliberately creating it, everyday.

The choices I am making are founded in whether or not a decision supports my intention to feel All In.  Consciously I'm actively tuned in to whether or not this, that or the other thing is in alignment with my intention.

Inspiration to create opportunities to feed that energy is in abundance.  I didn't need a GPS to stitch my epiphany about happiness together, I felt it within and it is manifesting in my world everyday!

P.S.  I may even be writing a book, I'm so inspired :)

Free Books on Amazon TODAY!

Big Thanks to Cassie Parks, Lifeologist who let me know that these books are FREE today on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca (the only two amazon stores I checked)

Money Mindset for a Champagne Life

• I've read it and LOVED IT!

Vibe Your Way to Fit, Healthy & Hot

The Mother Within

Clutterfree Revolution

• Downloaded of course

Every time I Diet I Gain Five Pounds

Three Guys Walk Into a Bar

Its Not Rocket Science

Scale

Happy Downloading!!

Decluttering the Archives

It has been nearly a year since I’ve had all of my worldly possessions in one place, and out of cardboard boxes.  That is not exceptional following a relocation from the other side of the world.

Having recently purchased and moved into our new home, it has been a thrill to unpack all that has been contained for many months.  And it has been just as thrilling to unpack and purge some of the contents.  Of course I thinned things out when we were preparing for the move, however, the one area that I did not go through in detail was old stored documents.

Ahhh…..the past.

The tax returns, the receipts, the paper that we are recommended to archive for the magic number of seven years.

Many may dread going through the reams of stored and saved documents that I speak of, and while I am currently afflicted with self-diagnosed, “Nesting ADHD”, I could think of a million other areas of the house I would have preferred investing my time and energy to, however I consciously chose to make this a priority.

The significance of choosing to invest my time in this project served me three-fold.

1. It helped to create storage space - The Past

Anytime we can purge things from the archives helps to lighten the energy in a physical space, overall.  When we are dealing with documents that “define who we were back then”, like tax returns and business documents, we are letting go of who we were in the past. 

Having the parameters of anything older then seven years could be shredded supported a quick review of paging through rather than meandering down the garden path of the past.  I was excited to learn that I had roughly 2 years of documents that could be purged and my file cabinet and storage boxes were delightfully lighter!

2.  It helped support my alignment practise - The Present

Within the review of those two years of business documents I did veer slightly.  During my quick perusal I could easily conjure up all the classes, workshops and clients I worked with, and the empowering energy I garnered from being of service.  

This helps my “present” alignment practise by using those feelings as a template going forward as I build my coaching business today.

3.  It helped me Pre-Pave my intention - The Future

Even though my offerings are different today, then they were 8-9 years ago, the common denominator remains the same:  

My intention is to do work that is fulfilling in all ways.  

Be it offering Law of Attraction Coaching,  Feng Shui or Grief Recovery, my intention is to be of highest service and I know from my past work what that feels and looks like.  Taking the energy from my alignment practise and propelling it into the future in order to pre-pave the way to manifesting more of that empowering energy that I do love to give and receive.

In reflection, I can see where I have been, where I am today and can take what I want, shred the rest as I go forward, with gratitude!

The final step of any purge is to get whatever you are letting go, out of your space and dispose of it in the most perfect way.  I’m scheduled to get these documents securely shredded and I am so ready and excited to fill my cabinet with current and new business documents!

Peaceful Property Transactions

Buying and selling real estate can be a stressful time, while simultaneously being a very energetic and positive time.

The not so good energy around property transactions can be turned on by the reasons why you are selling or buying.  Perhaps its driven by a lifestyle or career change which has warranted the move, or grief and loss.  The feelings and thoughts may be charged around "having to sell".

The good energy can be related as a fresh start, new home, exciting change either upsizing or downsizing. The feelings and thoughts may be charged with the "want to" vibes which feels a lot better.

Selling or buying a home because you "have to" versus "want to" feels different.  The have to's may have you dragging your feet, literally or energetically, it feels forced, that the decision was made not by voluntary choice.  The resistance to the change, the move, the purchase is felt throughout and can linger after the ink has dried.

Doing things because we "want to" already pre-paves the road to easy transactions.  When we want to do something, well anything, our list of resistance is practically non-existent.  It makes for a more pleasant process and anything that pops up is viewed as fixable or negotiable, not a deal breaker.

"Have to" equals Resistance

When you move because you have to, it can be hard to let go of the home you left, especially when it hasn't been sold.   You are constantly reminded that you have left a house you loved when you are making two payments, double utility bills, and of course drive by and see the "For Sale" sign still there.

It makes it difficult to really settle into the place you are presently when the attachment to the other house as your home, makes the house you are in, just a house and not your home.

Just as I experienced switching over to my Macbook, making the move from PC would have been far easier to accept had my PC perished.  The same can be said about creating a home, if you are still feeling loyal to the other property, no number of practical reasons as to why you are no longer living there make it feel any better when the home you loved is still available.

This can be the kink in creating space for the most perfect purchaser to come forward.  Making peace with the reasons why you are having to let the property go and welcoming the purchaser can be deal changer.

"Want to" equals Flow

Having had the experience myself, living in another country while still having our family home, it makes for a unique challenge.  My daughters were open while equally resistant to making such a substantial change, however from the moment we arrived overseas it felt like our "home away from home".

My making the decision to sell was easy.  We had moved away and were moving forward, and the idea of returning to our family home did not feel good. Yet there was resistance in the knowledge that we "wanted to" continue moving forward but felt we "should" feel loyal towards keeping the family home.  A bit of a juxtaposition.

Letting Go with Love

I've written about letting go of clothing with love, and houses are hardly comparable in intrinsic value, yet the emotional value is still major currency.

The good energy of any deal you are making is when both parties come away from the transaction feeling good.  That process can start when everyone on your side is onboard before you invite anyone else to the table.

When the sale of my home, while we were living in Europe, was not happening as quickly as I had wanted, I began to look for where the kinks were.  That juxtaposition above kept coming up over and over.

The history of, the intention for and purpose of that home was infused with Big Energy.  We built it, intended for the girls to grow up there, intended to grow old there, it was our home in any and all senses of the word. 

Even when we lived there for the year after the funeral, the energy was shifting away from it being our home, to it feeling more of it being a house. Yes, the truth of the matter was that our not being there physically sped up the shift of it  feeling more like a house, rather than our home.

I set about releasing the lingering energy and attachment so that both, the house and us, could move forward with good energy.

Gratitude

I asked my daughters to write a couple letters...first one was to the house.  Yup, you read that correctly.  I believed that we needed to express our thanks to the house for having been our home.

I suggested that we thank it for keeping us safe, kept us warm in winter and cool in summer. That it was the home that held so many memories, hosted so many friends and family gatherings.  Loads of laughter, love and tears.  That the nine acres we lived on was so beautiful and how blessed we were to have benefited from regular visits from wildlife that we could observe.  That hills allowed for tobogganing and exploring.  That it was the most perfect house for them and I to have called home. 

The second letter was to the most perfect buyers.  Telling them how wonderful the house was, how much fun they would have starting a family or bringing a family there.  How the yard longed for active energy of a family and how much room they had to roam on.  How we were so excited for them to live there and begin to refresh and rejuvenate its essence.  And how happy they would be there.

I invited them to think about what it would look and feel like for another family to live there.  How even though it may feel strange, how nice it would be for them to have such an amazing spot to call and make home.

This process allowed all of us to let go of any residual guilt we had been feeling by wanting to let go of the house, yet feeling that perhaps we should not.  The activity of letter writing allowed us to focus on all the positive memories we had there and how perfect of a place it was for someone to create theirs.

Creating these letters gave ourselves permission to continue moving forward after glancing fondly into the past, feeling gratitude and love and letting the house go. Without regret.

Regret would have kept us bonded to the house, when we were not regretting being where we were, it was not a vibration we wanted to carry forward.

After the letters I completed a blank offer to purchase.  Filling in the details as concisely as if I were the real estate agent.  Ticking the boxes of what the house included, and most importantly filling in the price.  This helped me get the image into my head as to what it would look and feel like to receive the most perfect offer from the most perfect buyer.  It took me from wishing for a buyer but to feeling as if I had one.

We gathered all of our letters and burned them in our bbq.  Letting them go into the ethers.

That changed the emotional attachment to the house, that changed how we felt when we thought of the house and the sale of same.

Our activities cleared the path and welcomed the timely sale of our house, shortly thereafter.

Breaking Up With my PC

Break ups are hard.  
Break ups are not fun.
Break ups may be a necessity in letting go.

This may seem melodramatic but I need to find the courage to be the one to break up, with my laptop.

You see I was generously gifted a new MacBook Pro for my birthday in December and I have hardly given any attention to it.  

I've taken advantage of the support offered from Apple to learn how to migrate to the new platform, taken three different classes to learn how to navigate and still I'm typing this post on my well loved PC.

One of the geniuses at the Apple store made a comment that has stuck with me over the last month.  They said "The biggest challenge for those switching from PC to Mac is fear, being afraid of making mistakes."

  

I gulped back my desire to scoff at that remark and say, "What me afraid to make mistakes?  To take a risk trying something unfamiliar?  Not me....ugh"

But here I am on my Acer, comfortably typing, backspacing, scrolling with such unconscious familiarity while my shiny new MacBook lays in wait.

My PC laptop is old in technology years and has served me and my girls well.  Honestly, I've been saying for months that I need to shop for a new one.  It has a habit of pausing aka freezing amid multiple keystrokes and I hold my breath hoping it recovers and all that I had been working on is still in tact.

My laptop is the size of a refrigerator compared to my MacBook.  It's keyboard is bigger, which makes typing on the MacBook frustrating because I have to look at where I put my hands.  (First world problem)

My MacBook is like a bigger version of my Iphone.  No loss of contacts.  No concern about all my music. No repopulating my calendar.  Poof I simply signed into my Itunes account and magically everything was there.  No stress.  (I may have murmured showoff under my breath when that happened within 5 minutes of turning it on)

Then there is the Mac software that tries to pretend its MSOffice.  You mean to tell me that I don't need tabs of document formatting options that I very rarely use?  Don't even get me started on comparing spreadsheet software, Excel versus Numbers.  You are telling me I can not use complicated formulas that I used to use all the time?  (harumphing Amateur even while knowing I can buy MSOffice for Mac)

I realize that this may seem all very over the top.  I get that.  Converting from PC to Mac is like switching religions, there is an ingrained trust and tradition that has been built up over the years.  Being so intimately familiar with what to expect when I turn on my PC then waiting, waiting, waiting for it to fire up is just the delayed reaction procedure so I can have a couple sips of coffee.  Versus opening up my Mac and like a dog who heard you said "walk" its ready to sign in.  

Truthfully, I wish my laptop had simply froze and didn't recover; then the conversion would be easier, I'd feel less disloyal, I'd feel justified, I'd feel free to switch teams and never look back.  Yet I'm grateful that my laptop did not die, I'm grateful that I didn't have that stress of calling 911 or perform CPR so that I could get all of my files off of it.

Despite the evidence I've just shown you and confirmed for myself by writing out the differences.  I find that my resistance calls for something with more finality. Hence, the break up.

I've admitted that I am attached to my PC.  

I will admit that I'm attracted to the sexy new Mac, and when I do use it I feel like I'm cheating on my Acer.  UGH

I have to let go of my relationship with the old and embrace being romanced by the new laptop.  

Admittedly this is a bit foreign to me.  I've a longstanding reputation of being able to let go of physical things with peace, love and gratitude.  Why this situation feels different, while inherently I know there is no difference between this piece of electronics than the upteen bags of clothes, furniture, other things I've let go in the past.

So what is stopping me from moving forward?

Well I have to also admit that the Apple Genius was right.  I'm fearful of making mistakes on the new Mac, I'm a little resentful that I have to relearn what I already know by rote, I'm a wee bit sad that I no longer have to navigate circular referenced formulae in Excel.  I've changed, my computer needs have changed, and this change has me resisting.

And this was a great lesson for me.  

On Monday I had a One to One session booked to help to get to know my Mac even better.  The Apple Genius slash therapist, listened as I spoke about my resistance, he kept using phrases like "Let's do it this way to lessen your stress".  

In 60 minutes I had brought over a good chunk of my files and admittedly was  more confident in committing to my Mac.  His understanding helped, his sales pitch on why I will learn to love the Mac was valuable, his support and guidance has me typing the balance of this post on my new shiny laptop, in pages versus Word, whilst my PC lays dormant beside me.

I've not discarded my PC, there are plenty more files that I need to transfer over, however that session with the Genius helped me move away from the default.  Move away from the fear.  And moved me toward gratitude.

I'm grateful for the service my Acer provided.  I'm super grateful that it is still alive, well and functional.  My gratitude has superimposed that feeling of disloyalty.  Thanks to taking the step to learn more about my mac and actually bring my files over, that was the clean break I needed to let go.

I've accepted that this change is not only necessary but I've created the space within and welcomed it.  

Just like any break up, its hard to admit that the relationship isn't working anymore.  There is still that sense of mourning the loss of all the good times.  There is that feeling of fondness for how the relationship added value to my life.  However I do know that its time to let go and it feels better to do so in order to devote my attention to my new relationship.  

Mac sitting atop the PC :)

With Gratitude,
Sherry

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Self Love Bagua

In spirit of Valentine's Day I created an inquiry based Bagua for Self Love, asking how Self Love would affect the relationship to all of life areas on the bagua.

The Love and Relationships gua in Feng Shui encompasses all of the relationships in your life.  

You would find this area in your home by dividing your main floor into 9 equal areas, stand facing your front door and it would be at the back of your house the area to the right.

You can also lay the bagua onto each room to find where Love and Relationships would be anchored as it also has its own 9 areas.  Divide the space into 9 equal blocks, stand facing the door or entry of the room.

--------------Entrance or Front Door--------------

Relationships are not limited interpersonal, it includes all relationships starting with you and your relationship with your:  

• spouse
• children
• family
• friends
• colleagues
• career
• car
• education
• life experiences
• the world
• health
• body
• money
• spirit
• yourself
• etc.

You may have heard me ask/say this before, but it bears repeating.

1. If you were to list 5 people who LOVE YOU unconditionally who would they be?
2. If you were to list 5 people who YOU LOVE unconditionally who would they be?
3. Did you include yourself on either or both of those lists?

Self Love is not about narcissism, nor is it about ego.  Self Love is about loving yourself as others love you and you love others, unconditionally.

We tend to negate the need to express love to ourselves, as there can be a discomfort in doing so.  It may feel selfish, stupid and ridiculous.  There may be the belief that feeling and expressing love is something you feel and do for and about others not yourself.

So pick one of the 5 people you listed above that YOU LOVE unconditionally. Feel what it feels like to love them.  Think of the reasons that love comes out of you to them without conditions.  Think about how the love you have for them provides them with comfort, warmth and support in all ways.  Feel what that feels like.

Pick one of the 5 people you listed above that LOVE YOU unconditionally.  Feel what it feels like to have someone love you that way.  Think about how the love they feel for you comforts, warms and supports you in a multitude of ways. Feel what it feels like to receive love.

Think about what it feels like to be doing something you love, work or play. Isn't it effortless?  Work may not feel like work when you love what you are doing, play may feel like play to the tenth power when you love what you are doing.

Think about being somewhere that you love.  Vacation destination, your home, your favorite restaurant, wherever.  Feels good to be there.

The core of us is Love and we can learn how to invite those feelings into us and about us and our life by using our feelings from above as templates.

Starting at our core.  

  

Reflection (Knowledge and Self Cultivation):

I would ask if it would be possible to be able to look at the culmination of your life experiences and lessons with more compassion?  Would the good times feel even better and the bad times less bad?  When we use love as our filter perhaps we would be able to see our life with more objectivity.

Nurture (Health and Family):

If we approached nurturing our body, mind and spirit with the essence of love would it be easier to make choices that supported ourselves?  What would it feel like to make healthy choices from a love perspective rather than self-recrimination?  Is it possible we could be more successful in achieving a healthy status?  

Gratitude (Wealth and Prosperity):

Being and feeling grateful, while infused with love may allow us to see a broader picture of what makes us abundant.  Love may gift us seeing our lives as being wealthy and prosperous in a broader way.  Is it possible that gratitude and love are actually conjoined?  Is it possible that sending love to all the things we are grateful for in our lives could create even more prosperity?

Community (Fame and Reputation):

Loving the worlds in which gather may better support who we are and who we are becoming.  If we were to communicate with ourselves in a loving way would it be possible we would send and receive communication with others differently?  

Love (Love and Relationships):

What would it feel like if you were committed to loving yourself as you do other important relationships?  How would that affect your marital relationship, that with your children, family and friends?  How would that impact the balances you feel in relationship?

Joy (Children and Creativity):

When you are doing something you love to do, in a place that you love, with people that you love isn't that like a good vibeage trifecta?  Happiness and joy are commodities that having more of would be life changing.  Finding things that bring you joy and doing them is showing love to yourself!  Make a go to happy list, and do the things that you love to do!

Spirit (Helpful people and Travel):

If we needed help from others and loved ourselves enough to ask for it or accept it, how would your life feel different?  When offering help to others in the spirit of love would it be easier for them to accept and to ask?  Choosing to see that giving and receiving help is an extension of giving and receiving love. How would that perspective change your go forward?

Flow (Career):

If the flow of our life was buoyed by love how would you be moving forward?  If we chose to find a way to love ourselves and our life, in all ways would it be possible that we could be gentler when we are feeling stuck?  Would the possibilities be easier to see if we sailed the waters feeling love?  How could the momentum of your life be improved by adding love?

In each of the above life areas, adding love to the perspective or essence improves the texture of how we may look at our life overall.  Whether we are looking at where we are coming from, where we are at this moment, and where we are intending to go to in the future.

Practising Self Love is exactly that, a practise.  By doing so we recharge our selves from within, so that we can radiate love from the inside out.  

My favorite reminder is.

This reminds me to be more gentle, to be more mindful, to be more connected to myself and when I do so, everyone in my life, everything in my life benefits.

Happy Valentine's Day.

P.S.

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Building my Bagua for 2015

I've just returned from a four day retreat.  

Well actually, I never left my house, but my family did, and I opted to stay home and focus on recharging my batteries.  It was brilliant.

There was a hint of guilt in my choosing Me-time rather than family time; each time it arose I reminded myself why doing this was important to me, and a benefit for me and my family.

You can not serve from an empty cup and by the end of 2014 I was empty.  So choosing Self-Care and Self-Love by retreating was the best decision I could overall.

The first thing on my retreat list was to reflect on the past year, and specifically how the "Power word", I chose for myself served me.

I chose Fluidity & Fluid as my anchor for 2014, and I likened it to seaweed.  This proved to be most appropriate and very important for all that the year held.  By the end of December (as seaweed), I was water logged and ready to climb out of the ocean and onto dry land.

Using the inspiration and direction from Nicole Cody at Cauldrons and Cupcakes I settled in to find a new word and new energy to anchor the new year.  Last January I found that choosing a power word that encompassed my Bagua was a positive compliment.

I was quite attracted to the word she had chosen, "Build", however still decided to continue to journal and jot to see if that was the most perfect for me.

Words that came up were:  Voice, Plant, Passion, Bloom, Thrive, Communicate, Speak, Take Root, Share, Vocalization, Articulate, Express and finally I settled on Fluent.

At first thought it was perfect, then I was second guessing my choice because of it being so similar to Fluid and Fluidity.

So I sat with it, let it bounce around my mind as I went onto other things, then decided to see how it fit with my Bagua that I had created during November/December.

Starting at Reflection and working up and around the Bagua:

Reflection = Leadership = communication

Nurture = Go to the Breath = easy breathing

Gratitude = Courage =  No doubting self + ease

Community = Share = Being Fluent

Love = All In = Flows easily

Joy = Bram = Connecting to source of joy

Spirit = Dad = Helping others with my words and actions

Flow = Setting Sail = Going with the flow!

Credit: Dictionary.com

When I read the definition of the word, it really helped to make the connection even stronger to the word, and it began to feel like mine.

My imagery this year is being above the water, contrary to being below, and I am a big fan of easy and graceful.

I'm grateful for 2014, I've decluttered it, chosen what I want to bring forward to 2015 and let go of what no longer serves me.

I have a sticky note on my computer with the question, 

"How does it get any better than this?" 

And am trusting the answer to come from within, and am excited for what I will create!