Daily Dose of Inspiration

''Sure I am that this day we are masters of our fate,that the task which has been set before us is not above our strengths; that its pangs and toils are not beyond my endurance.As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.''
 Winston Churchill

Let Go and Let Live

Let the old cynicism go

Let the negativity go

Let too much aggressiveness go. 

Be at peace with your self. Touch a soul

Do not live in the past, a great life lesson

Remember pain is a powerful teacher

Transcend the pain

Experience the pain

Let go and let live.

Ritual of Simplicity (Excerpts from the Book: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari)

This ritual requires you to live a simple life.One must never live in the thick of thin things. Focus only on your priorities,those activities which are truly meaningful.Your life will be uncluttered, rewarding and exceptionally peaceful.

Living simply means reducing your needs:stop wearing expensive clothes, you do not have to read six news papers a day,stop needing to be available to everyone all the time, eat less, maybe become a vegetarian.Stop picking up the phone every time it rings.Stop wasting time reading junk mail, spend more time with your kids, cut on the club membership,and reduce eating out every now and then, simple things that clutter our lives.

Lifelong happiness does come through striving to realize your dreams. You are at your best when you are moving forward.The key is not to make your happiness contingent on finding that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow rather enjoying the journey while at it.

Soul Writing

''Automatic writing or psychograph is writing which the writer claims to be produced from a subconscious, and/or external and/or spiritual source without conscious awareness of the content.''http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_writing

That is a deep definition.I came across this phrase from,http://www.thechangeblog.com/ and it intrigued.I am making an attempt on writing and I would love to tell my story,to inspire,to coach,to mentor and to transform the world.Every time I take my pen to write I realize the stories I tell more spontaneously are more expressive and deep.The articles written from the heart without  giving too much thought to writing styles and rules come out more forcefully.

 Reading the article How Writing Heals Me, Again And Again,brought clarity to me ,this kind of writing is what they call Soul Writing;telling a story or an experience authentically.passing on the real message from the heart not allowing self criticisms to detour you.This is how I want to tell my stories.It is the way I want to coach and mentor people to be real and authentic which will surely bring change to this world .

Here is an interview by Catherine Anderson in her blog;Listening for the Whisperings:http://catherineandersonstudio.blogspot.com/2010/11/writing-down-your-soul.html.She talks to Janet Conner;Author of the book Writing Down Your Soul.What better way to understand this style of writing.

 

Writing Down Your Soul   

There are certain books you discover that speak to you deeply and change your life. This has happened to me on three occasions. First, about ten years ago when I discovered God is at Eye Level: Photography as a Healing Art  by Jan Phillips.  Then about seven years ago when I discovered SoulCollage® by Seena Frost.  And now it has happened to me in the form of the book Writing Down Your Soul by Janet Conner.

I discovered the Writing Down Your Soul website where I was able to download the first chapter of the book for free and view videos about the deep soul writing process.  After reading the first chapter I immediately ordered the book. Reading it felt like quenching a deep thirst.  I think the world would change if we all used the deep writing process to connect to our inner wisdom.  This combined with my SoulCollage® process makes me feel like I have access to divine guidance. And it is as simple as sitting, writing and listening.

Then I registered for Janet's online teleclass. I loved Janet's authenticity and energy.  She shared so many of her personal experiences which brought the process to life.  I really wanted to share her deep soul writing process with others as it is a simple way to make a huge difference to your life.  This led to me ask Janet if I could interview her on my blog and I am excited to share her responses to my questions. Her answers really helped clarify some questions I had about "doing the process right".

Catherine:  Janet, how has your Writing Down Your Soul process changed your life and how might it change mine or the life of someone reading this interview?
Janet:  Catherine, the full answer to that question would take up a mile of your blog space!  The succinct answer is: COMPLETELY.  Deep soul writing has changed my life completely.  I don't even feel like I am the person I was before I picked up a pen.  Since I started soul writing in 1997, my career has changed dramatically from human resource consultant to published author-teacher-speaker.  My spiritual life has completely changed.  My relationship with God has changed.  My purpose has changed.  Pre-deep soul writing I didn't know why I was here;  I just got up and went to work because I thought I had to.  Now I am crystal clear about my divine purpose and I live it every single day.  My prayer life has changed.  But the most important thing that has changed is  my sense of trust. I trust this life now.  I trust that I am safe, guided, loved, and protected.  I trust that I am not alone. No, let me amend that. I KNOW that I am not alone.  And once you know that and you know that you know that, then life suddenly feels safe and even delicious.

Catherine:  I’ve always written in a journal, but felt I had to write neatly and slowly.  In Writing Down Your Soul you recommend writing fast.  Why is this?

Janet:   In deep soul writing, the last thing you want to do is write slowly and neatly. When you do that you’re giving way too much room on the page to all the old judgmental, critical voices you’ve built up in your head over the years—people like parents, old lovers, nasty bosses….anyone who told you life was hard, or you weren’t going to make it, or you weren’t good enough. It turns out that science can demonstrate that those old programs are real. They are actual neural pathways in your brain! (Who knew!) So when you write fast you get out in front of those old “tapes,” and give something new and wise and loving the opportunity to break through—what I call The Voice.

Catherine:   Is it good enough for me to just write in a journal whenever I feel the need, or is there a specific process that makes the practice of Writing Down Your Soul more powerful than simply writing in a journal?

Janet:    The scientific evidence shows that it takes a minimum of 30 days to build a new habit and the new neural pathway in your brain that supports that habit. So if you want the full benefits of deep soul writing (or any other spiritual practice or new habit in your life) show up every day for thirty days. Now, having said that, for heaven’s sake, don’t beat yourself up if guests come into town, or you have to work around the clock on an all-important contract, or some other time-consuming event pushes soul writing off your schedule for a day or two. Just come back to the practice. But at the outset make a commitment to write everyday. If you simply say, “I’ll get to it when I can,” you won’t. Not because you don’t want to; but because those old neural pathways are doing everything they can to push you away from this life-changing practice.

Catherine:   Do I have to write for a specific amount of time for the Writing Down Your Soul process to work?

Janet:   There is no magic amount of time. When I first started writing at the soul level, I was in the throes of a terrifying divorce and had LOTS to talk over with, “Dear God,” my divine Voice. So I wrote a lot. I’m sure there were days when I wrote for a couple of hours. Today, I probably write ten or fifteen minutes on average. When I have something big to talk over, I’ll drive ten minutes to my favorite sacred writing spot, St Michael’s Shrine in Tarpon Springs. I get major downloads on new programs and books sitting at St Michael’s. When I’m there, I write for a half hour or more. I think in the end, the individual soul writer knows on some level when to stop writing. It might be a feeling of completion, or a phrase might come through that indicates the writing session is over. For me, I know it’s time to stop when “TYG TYG TYG” comes through. That’s speed writing for “Thank you God, Thank you God, Thank you, God”.

Catherine:   And finally, I’ve noticed that your favorite poet is Hafiz as translated by Daniel Ladinsky.  Why do you find these poems so powerful and what is your very favorite Hafiz poem?

Janet:   A friend gave me a copy of Daniel Ladinsky’s Love Poems from God a few months before I started writing my book. Love Poems from God is a smorgasbord of 12 mystical poets from many centuries and traditions. I fell in love with it. And somehow it seemed that a few lines from a mystic were always the perfect illustration of a point I was trying to make in my book. Meister Eckhart, for example, has the PERFECT welcome to Writing Down Your Soul: “They can be a great help—words. They can become Spirit’s hands and lift and caress you.” THAT is the perfect description of the core truth of my book.

When my manuscript was complete, I asked for permission to quote from Daniel’s book. When he learned what Writing Down Your Soul was about, he not only gave me permission, he said I had to become best friends with Hafiz. And he sent me three books of Hafiz poetry: I Heard God Laughing, The Subject Tonight is Love, and The Gift. Oh boy, was Daniel ever right! From the moment I opened those books, Hafiz moved in! He’s now my best friend. I turn to him every time I teach, opening and closing my classes with words from Hafiz.

But a favorite???!! Oh, that’s SO hard. I love so many. But here’s one I read to everyone in my workshops just as they’re picking up a pen for the first time. I say, imagine the Voice sitting in front of you, smiling, and saying:

As soon as you opened your mouth

And I heard your soft

Sounds,

I knew we would be

Friends.

The first time, dear pilgrim, I heard

You laugh,

I knew it would not take me long

To turn you back into

God.

That takes your breath away, doesn’t it! It sounds so big, so amazing, but actually that’s exactly what deep soul writing and all profound spiritual practices do—they connect us with the truth of who we really are, divine beings. 

Catherine:  Janet, thank you so much for sharing so much of this amazing process.  I think deep soul writing will be something that I will always do as it feels like a very magical process of self-discovery and a deep way to access your inner wisdom.

Written and published by Catherine Anderson (http://www.blogger.com/profile/08522677325866101238)

The Ritual of a Congruent Character(The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari)

This is a tough one. It is about your character and the values you want to live and be defined by. I have been very low on motivation,a lot of distractions and bad decisions along the way and I realized that reading keeps me on check, so am at it again and I got to learn all the wisdom from Robin S.Sharma on living a magnificent life before I embark on the next read:As this ritual illustrates we got to build a character that leads us to our destiny.See the excerpts below, take the challenge,the insights and be inspired,it can be done!

 This is a ritual requires you to take daily, incremental action to build your character. Strengthening your character affects the way you see yourself and the actions you take. The actions you take come together to form your habits and, this is important, your habits lead you to your destiny. Remember you sow a thought, you reap an action. Reap an action, you sow a habit. Sow a habit, you reap a character. Sow a character, you reap your destiny.'

You got to live by virtuous principles some of which include: industry, compassion, humility,patience,honesty and courage.When all your actions are congruent and aligned with these principles, you will feel a deep sense of inner harmony and peace.Living this way will inevitably lead you to spiritual success.This is because you will be doing what is right.You will be acting in a way that is in accordance with the laws of nature and the laws of the universe.This is when you will start to tap into the energy of another dimension, call it a higher power if you will. This is also when your life will move from the ordinary into the realm of the extraordinary and you begin to sense the sacredness of your being.It is the first step to life long enlightenment.When you do the right things, act in a way that is congruent with your character, act with integrity, be guided by your heart, then the rest will take care of itself.

To have a congruent character;you must do little things every day to build your character. "Character is higher than intellect.A great soul will be strong to live as well as think." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.Your character is built when you act in a way that corresponds with the virtuous principles which leads to true happiness