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Monday Morning Musings:

Muse Upon This:

"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves."

~ Thomas Alva Edison

Where in your life are you ready to live up to your capabilities? Are you ready to step up your relationships? Your career? Your parenting? Your listening? Your spiritual life? Are you ready to astound yourself? MuseKaren posted this one awhile ago. She ended her post with "I dare you." Frankly, it gave me goosebumps. (Perhaps it was the reference to elementary school -- not my brightest years! :-) )

So, what are you waiting for? I dare YOU!

monday morning feel good moment

Serious goosebumps here! I have watched it three times and still tear up! Let your dreams come true, too! Enjoy!

Monday Morning Musings: It is never too late

Muse Upon This:

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
~ George Eliot

I am deeply inspired by vibrant, older adults; people who continue living, learning, and experiencing life long past when others have stopped “trying”. My parents are two of those people. On the eve of their seventieth birthdays, they are currently skiing down a mountain in Colorado. Or, at least, they were until my mom fell and broke her ankle. I told her I was so impressed she skied hard enough to break an ankle!

Then there are the Delaney sisters. (Forgive me if I get this story wrong. It has been awhile since I heard it and I might not have it exactly right. The gist is right on, though, and that is the point.) They lived to be 104 and 107. One was the first Black American woman allowed to teach domestic science in NY and the other was the second Black American woman to get her dentistry license. They lived boldly in their younger years so it is no surprise to hear they went boldly into their later years. They took up yoga (now you see why I told this story!) in their 80s and were still doing it into their 100s, visiting each other’s homes to practice together. (Yes, they still lived independently.) Oh, and did I mention? They are both in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest authors. (Sadie wrote her last book at age 107!!)

How about a student I had who still inspires me. At age 72 she was considering doing my yoga teacher training because she had always wanted to be a yoga teacher. She is incredibly alive and vibrant. (She also said that one thing she did have to give up was roller blading. Not because of her age, mind you, but because her 82 year old boyfriend would want to do it with her. She then added, “I just don’t think he should be roller blading at his age!”)

Okay, so now let them inspire YOU! What have you put off? What do you feel it is “too late” to do? School? Run a marathon? Learn to cook? Travel? New career? To live more from love? Are you inspired yet?

monday morning feel good moment

While I think the yoga crowd might enjoy this the most, it is a smile for all! Enjoy!

Monday Morning Musings: Be Silently Drawn

Muse Upon This:

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of that which you really love.”
~ Rumi

Ahhhh...Rumi. One of my favorites poets. Interesting how thoughts from the 13th century can still resonate with us today. So, what do you really love? Do you know yet? (It is okay if you don’t. Just putting your thoughts on it today will help you get closer to discovering what “it” is for you.) Do you let yourself be drawn toward it? Or does fear keep you from exploring it more deeply? How can you be drawn toward it a little more, right now, in this moment?

monday morning feel good moment

This feel good is a gift from me. May your body feel good today! (By the way, it is 7 min long so it a bit MORE of a feel good moment than I usually send! :-) ) Enjoy!

Monday Morning Musings: Seeing the Miracles

Muse Upon This:

“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” --John Lubbock

Stop. Read the quote again. Do you see how it applies in your life? Are you currently focused on the 8% unemployment or the 92% employment? Are you looking for the 17 things your mate does well or the 1 thing that drives you crazy? Are you appreciating the love your kids send you? Or noticing the mess they left behind...again. Are you looking for the 98% of drivers who are polite? Or the one who cuts you off? Are you looking for kindness in the world...everywhere?

Today, let your meter be on the positive. What is going well for you? Albert Einstein said it best with: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Are you ready to look for the miracles? Take a breath and choose to see the miracles...

Please share with us where you will be focusing and what you see!

monday morning feel good moment

Here is an "awww..." moment if I ever saw one! Enjoy!

Monday Morning Musings: Brighten Another

Muse Upon This:

“We cannot hold a torch to light another's path
without brightening our own.”

~ Ben Sweetland

Lovely, isn’t it? Who’s torch in your life can you light? Who needs a quick email, a phone message, or just a loving thought sent to them? Who needs a gentle reminder that they are special, that what they do matters, and that you appreciate there presence on this earth? Let them know...light another’s torch today...

monday morning feel good moment

I have received so many "Feel Good" Links. Thank you! I look forward to sharing them all. This one I saw a few months ago and found myself revisiting it because of its power. It makes the world feel, well, smaller, and gives you a feeling of connection to everyone. How he got so many people to do that with him...kids, yes, but adults, too? Brilliant, Matt. Thanks, Jennifer for sending it to me! I think I needed another boost. Curious? Watch here.

Monday Morning Musings: Your Feel Good Moment

Muse Upon This:

Have a daily "Feel Good Moment"

Doesn’t take long to feel good (or, at least better). Just 5 minutes will make a difference. Really. So, today marks the start of another section of this enewsletter: The Feel Good Moment. Each week I will share a link for something to help you feel better. The link will never be more than 5 minutes and I will put it out on the blog, too, so you can access it anytime you want. Take a deep breath as you enjoy your first "Feel Good Moment". (And, no, I am not telling you what it is...you just have to click to find out! I love a good mystery!)

Feel Good Moment

Okay, so I need some help. Send me links of things that help you feel good. Videos on YouTube, podcasts, beautiful photography, good quotes, anything that you would like to share. Email them to me at: inspiration@muselan.com. I look forward to sharing YOUR inspirational moments!

Monday Morning Musings: Duck Index

Muse Upon This:

Keep Your Duck Index at 7 or Above

One of my favorite yoga teachers is Judith Lasater. She has a quirky sense of humor and a lovely way to describe being conscious in the world. She firmly believes we need to feel good about all we do so our actions are full of love. She has what she calls her “Duck Index”. (By the way, I am not sure why it is called the “Duck Index.”) Her Duck Index ranges from 1-10, with 1 representing not feeling good at all and 10 feeling fabulous. She says she never does anything unless she feels a 7 or above about it or either she will pay or she will make someone else pay... think about it. It is true, isn’t it? You resent doing something you don’t want to do so either you are miserable or you make someone else miserable. What do you want to put out into the world? A consciousness of feeling bad or good (God)?

Read my comment to find out more about how Judith uses her Duck Index. Her idea is fabulous and so usable! How and where will you use your Duck Index?

Monday Morning Musings: What I Like About Me

Muse Upon This:

What I like about me...

I wish I could say I thought of this gem...it is so simple and absolutely brilliant. It comes from Melissa over at “Operation Nice”. (You can read what she wrote about herself here.)

Here is your assignment: Comment below (or your own blog and link it to ours) what you like about yourself. Let us know! And you can read what I wrote about myself in my comments...

Monday Morning Musings: It's Time!

Muse Upon This:

If you want something to change, something has to change...

I am sure there is something in your life you are ready to change. Something that you know keeps you from having a life that you know you are capable of having. Maybe it is a habit it is time to release or one it is time to embrace. We often want things to be different; we feel ready to change and can see it in the future. But to do something today or even tomorrow...maybe not. In order for something to change, something has to change. What is one thing you will start doing differently, TODAY (why wait?) that will bring you closer to the extraordinary life you and I both know your are capable of having...

Monday Morning Musings: I AM...

Muse Upon This:

“I AM....”

What? What are you? HOW are you?
“I am always late.”
“I am disorganized.”
“I am waiting for _________ to be done to be content.”
“I am irritated by traffic.”
“I am afraid of the economy.”
These “I ams...” write the story of our life and, ironically, they usually aren’t ours. They are all unintended gifts from those in authority when we were kids. They are the “I ams...” of our parents, coaches, teachers, and revered peers. They write the story of your life. If you aren’t sure what your story is, look at your life. Your story is all around you. I can spend 10 minutes with you and let you know if your story about yourself is positive...or not. What do you want? HOW do you want to be? Make THAT your new I am statement!

Monday Morning Musings: Making the "Right" Decision

Muse Upon This:

Are you waiting to make the “right” decision?

In my coaching practice, I find my clients are often stymied in their life because they are searching for the “right” answer. What is the “right” decision? The one that makes everything perfect? The one that has NO problems or issues attached to it? Do you REALLY want that dull of a life? Really? Aren’t the bumps in the road what have made you stretch and reach? Given you more vibrancy? Made you come alive? In last week’s musing, I alluded to making a decision when you were feeling good rather than bad. (hmmmm...interesting, whenever I write “good” I always type “god” first...coincidence? OR, when you are feeling “good” are you feeling “God?”) If you are feeling good when you make a decision, you are making a decision more connected to your Spirit, your inner guidance. If you are feeling bad, you are letting fear guide you. If you felt good when you made a decision, know it is for your higher good regardless of what happens!

I don’t believe in regret. Really. When I see all the good that has come from every “wrong” decision I have made, how can I see it as “wrong?”

So, today I encourage you to consider a decision you want to make. Are you searching for the right answer? Get yourself feeling really good and then go with what feels right to you in that moment. If you have a decision you have made in the past that you felt was “wrong”, is there another perspective you can have? Did you learn and grow from it?

Monday Morning Musings: Coming From Love

Muse Upon This

Never make a decision from fear...

Of course, the positive corollary is always make a decision from love. Think of how we feel when fear sets in and we rush to make a decision (or rush to avoid making a decision.) When you feel the specter of fear, stop, take three deep breaths and step away from the situation. Do what you need to do to feel better. You don’t even need to feel better about the situation, just better in general. Go for a walk, talk to a friend, eat something yummy, listen to inspiring music, sleep on it. The better you feel, the higher the perspective you will have on the situation, the easier the “right” decision will come up. I say “right” in quotes because I actually don’t believe in “right” or “wrong” decisions. (More on that in next week’s mmm!) Think of it instead as the best decision for your spirit rather than your fear.

So, what can you do to remember to make a decision from love? Know what I do? Read my comment...

Additional thought: If I begin to feel regret for a decision, I remember how I was feeling when I made it. Feeling good? Good chance it was a fabulous decision that is stretching me. Not so good? Good chance I rushed in with fear and the result is I will have a lesson in why I won’t do that again!

Monday Morning Musings: 1/19/09

Muse Upon This:

When you illuminate yourself, you give people
permission to illuminate themselves.”
~ Michael

What helps you come alive? What feels really, really, deep-down good to your core? Have you ever considered how feeling good at YOUR core affects OTHERS at THEIR core? This quote changes the paradigm around taking care of yourself. And doesn’t the word, “illuminating” seems so much more profound, deeper and more resonant with your Spirit? To be illuminated is beyond taking care of your basic needs such as getting enough rest, having enough free time, or exercising regularly. Illumination comes from a glow from within when you are connected to your Higher Self, knowing who you are and LOVING that person deeply. When you love yourself that deeply, you can allow others to let down their guard to illuminate their inner being as well. Now that is power I can support!

What lights you up? What gets you going? Not sure? Join us for some ideas and let us help you illuminate your inner self! Want to know what I love? I have some good ones to share...

Monday Morning Musings: 1/12/09

Muse Upon This:

Is it time to shape your life?

As the Buddha said, “As an irrigator guides water to his fields, as an archer aims an arrow, as a carpenter carves wood, the wise shape their lives.” Our life often seems to happen by “accident”, falling into one job or relationship or physical shape and just staying there out of habit. Where in your life are you still doing things by habit? Is it time to shape your life? What do you want to say you now are, do, or have on January 12, 2010 that you cannot say right now? It could be in the spiritual, physical, mental, or financial realm. Or maybe about your relationships. What do you want to be different one year from today? If you want something to change, set an intention to change it. Write it down. Tell others (like us!) Set action steps.

Let us know: What do you want for January 12, 2010? What one thing will you do in the next 24-hours to take yourself closer to your intention? I have something I have wanted and I am ready to publicly commit to making a change. Read it in my comment...

Monday Morning Musings: 1/5/08

Muse Upon This:

“What if you had no obligations?

Stick with me if your initial reaction was “but that is so irresponsible!” I am not saying get rid of your obligations, I am encouraging you to shift your paradigm around things you see as obligations. Do you know what some synonyms of “obligation” are? Duty, Task, Job, Onus, Liability, Requirement, and then this beauty, Burden. Can I just say, “yuck”? I had a yoga student (who is also a yoga teacher) recently say: "I want teaching to be a natural part of my grace." When she said that, it got me thinking. What if everything I did was a natural part of my grace? The root of the word grace is from Latin and means “pleasing and thankful.” So, what if we did everything from a place of gratitude and love rather than seeing them as a “burden”?

Okay, so what are some burdens you have? How can you reframe them? Here are some thoughts I wrote about taxes awhile back. I reposted the more important points in light of this musing. You can also read my comments to learn about a life-changing shift I made. What else are you ready to shift? Let us know...also let us know if you can’t see how to shift it. We’d love to brainstorm ideas!