Inner Peace Quote: Cicero

The beauty of the world and the orderly arrangement of everything celestial make us confess that there is an excellent and eternal nature, which ought to be worshipped and admired by all mankind.

-Cicero

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“New Year Creation: 2012″ by Mary Allen

Below are five related processes for a clarifying your 2012 vision.  Since each of us is wired differently, it's useful to find the most effective visioning strategy for you.  Some people LOVE to write goals, others avoid the process. Some love details, while others are bottom-line. Some people LOVE visualizations, and yet others do best in verbalizing their dreams to others.  Which style or styles resonate with you? The most important element in crystallizing your vision is finding a medium that allows you to connect "emotionally" to your vision.  We often identify goals intellectually, yet find ourselves disassociated and not compelled to achieve them.  The juice, inspiration and magic unfolds when we are "emotionally engaged" with our visions.  If you've set goals in the past with disappointing results, this may be the missing link. Being able to see, hear, feel and fully associate with what you DESIRE most, is the KEY to magnetizing it to you. If you desire an amazing relationship, how would you FEEL if that partner was already in your life?  How would you treat them?  What activities would you enjoy together?   If you desire a thriving business, what activities would fill up your day?  Who would you spend time with?  How confident and decisive would you be?  If you desire a fit and trim body, can you imagine yourself eating healthy foods and looking forward to visiting the gym?  What would it feel like to be 15 pounds lighter? ENGAGING the SENSES in your VISION 1.  Treasure Mapping - Creating a collage is an excellent way to engage the senses.  This process involves finding pictures and words that capture your vision or visions.  Magazines are great resources since advertising is designed to engage us emotionally.  A picture says a thousand words...and at least a dozen emotions.  A picture of a man and woman holding hands at the beach may embody feelings of romance, magic, love, connection and fulfillment.  What body-type are you striving for?  Where would you like to travel?  What kind of home would you like to live in?  Find the pictures that resonate with you.  Look for words to embody that will support you in achieving your goals - in business or personal - such as "integrity", "confidence", "creativity", "value" or one of my favorites "joy".  Create your own visuals when necessary with personal photos or Photoshop. In 2004, I created an awesome treasure map, and nearly EVERYTHING on the poster came true.  I "made-up" the concept of "Conversations with the Masters" that year...and interviewed three of the authors I had cut out pictures of - Byron Katie, Dr. David Hawkins and Wayne Dyer.  I also had a picture of me and a wedding dress (I met my now husband in 2004).  I also created a mock book cover, and something shifted in me when I saw "by Mary Allen" on the cover.  It was August 2004 when all the pieces came together to get my first book published!!   I also cut out an Oprah Magazine cover and created a headline and put my picture on it.  In August, I was noting all that I was manifesting and thought, "I wonder how this is going to happen (meaning Oprah)."  About three days later, I received a call from The Oprah Winfrey Show. I've done several Treasure Maps since then, with comparable results! Use "treasure mapping" as a fun, creative way to expand your vision of what's possible.  Doing this with a group is also inspiring.  The visual creates an emotional connection that creates magic. 2.  The Written Word - From listing out 10 to 100 Goals in bullet format, to describing your vision in a paragraph with lots of juicy details...the written word is highly effective at engaging the senses.  Write it down.  Don't underestimate the power of taking a passing thought and giving it life on paper.  The more you describe your vision in detail the more REAL and associated it becomes in our nervous systems.  The secret here is finding the language to elicit the emotions in YOU.  I'm a big fan of writing down my top 25 goals each year.  And, I like to challenge my clients to write a "vision paragraph" articulating their most important goals.  You may include descriptors of the end result, including how you and others feel.  It's also helpful to describe the process in which you achieved the goal.  What resources did you access?  What steps did you take? Was it easy or difficult?  Again, what feelings & emotions are present? Examples from various clients... WRITING VISION To organize and express my thoughts, feelings and experiences in a way that touches, inspires and empowers others to make new shifts, gain a better understanding of themselves & others, so they ultimately experience more abundance, love, energy, peace, joy and freedom inside themselves. To awaken lives to a higher possibility of themselves through books, articles and courses. To creatively pursue new avenues of expression, such as media, to get the message out to more individuals in an enjoyable, and effective format that touches their hearts. RELATIONSHIP VISION To deepen my soul connection with my life partner by enjoying, respecting, empowering and loving one another unconditionally. To share in open and honest communication, "seeing" and "being seen", listening intently, while expressing and receiving love. To experience the joys, adventures and challenges in life with ease and resonance. To inspire other couples of what's possible in an intimate partnership. To experience a passionate, sensual, spiritual intimate relationship that exudes ecstasy, love and nourishment at the soul level. To learn, grow and evolve together in a safe, nurturing, forgiving and loving environment, ultimately bringing out the best of each individual. To create a family together that exemplifies our love and provides a nurturing home to our amazing children. HEALTH VISION To create and live a lifestyle which consistently causes me to be at my physical and emotional best, exemplifying and inspiring high standards of vitality, energy and physical beauty. To create a lean body with beautiful definition. No longer doing things with willpower, doing them with energy and power to burn. Every day in every way fulfilling the ideal of health. 3.  VISUALIZATIONS - Using the power of your mind to cultivate and embody your vision is another powerful resource.  Again, the more detail and emotion you can FEEL and bring to life in your body, the more effective it is in eliciting the inspiration, creativity and action necessary to fulfill your goal or dream.  Clarifying and identifying the end result and associated feelings and emotions through any of these exercises is useful preparation, and well worth the initial time investment.  Spending even a few minutes each day to expand and FEEL your vision being realized is potent.  To help you with this process I recommend Shakti Gawain's book "Creative Visualization."  If you missed my interview with her last week, you can access it here. 4.  FINDING A THEME -  What is your theme for  2012?  This is not about your resolutions or specific goals with "do by" dates (though I recommend that too!). This is your guiding compass for the upcoming year. Your theme will likely encompass many of your goals, but maybe not all of them.  Last year my theme was SPACIOUSNESS...and indeed, my schedule opened up allowing more time for relaxation and we moved into a home with more space!  This year my theme is TRUST.  Trusting my intuition and inner guidance. Trusting my body to communicate its needs, and me to respond!  Trusting into Divine synchronicity, being connected to the right people at the right time.  Trusting the abundance of the Universe. In my group coaching programs, I've seen clients take on all kinds of themes.  JOY, Gratitude, Abundance, Extreme Self-Care and others. One client selected "The Year of the Donkey" to represent his commitment to losing weight, so he'd be below the 200 pound mark, and eligible to ride a donkey into the Grand Canyon. What do you feel energy and excitement around?  What engages your imagination and feels compelling?  What theme would serve as your best guiding compass for the year? 5.  New Year Creation Questions.  Years ago, my first coach gave me a unique set of questions to help create the New Year by engaging the senses in a non-traditional way.  Who said goal-setting needs to be a linear process.  You may use one or more of the questions below to stimulate your thinking.   You may want to create an inspiring atmosphere to do this exercise in - i.e. candles, music, nature, by a fire, etc. Have FUN with this process! Here are some additional questions to support your New Year Creating.

• If your vision were a piece of music, what piece would it be?
• If your vision was from nature what would it be? (Tree, ocean, brook..)
• What does it taste like?
• What does it smell like?
• What other senses can you use to develop your vision?
• What if your vision was a thousand times bigger? Describe what it would be.
• Use a metaphor to describe your vision.
• Are you forcing anything?
• Where can you ease off?
• What can you take less seriously?
• Are there any old rules you are holding on to?
• What can you eliminate?
• How would a six-year-old describe your vision?
• Ask yourself some "what if" questions. What if I ______?  (positive what if's!)
• Add one outrageous or wacky element to your vision.

Which of processes above resonates with you? You may gravitate toward one them, or try them all.  Each process engages the senses in a unique way.  The first step is taking the time to CLARIFY and REFINE your vision - and FULLY ASSOCIATING EMOTIONALLY with that vision.  That alone can be effective at creating unbelievable momentum throughout the year. Secondly, super-charge your visions by revisiting your treasure maps, written goals and visions, themes or spend time visualizing - CONSISTENTLY.  While you may utilize one of more of these processes in creating your vision, I recommend selecting ONE process to revisit on a regular basis.  Monthly, weekly or daily.  The more often you connect to your vision emotionally, engaging your senses, the more quickly you are likely to experience it reality. Try it.  Make 2012 spectacular! Filed under Inner Peace Practices, Inner Peace Strategies | Comment (0)

“Special Days” by Mary Allen

We have birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays to celebrate.  But, wouldn't it be nice to be honored on just an "ordinary" day?  It's fun to GIVE, and it's fun to RECEIVE.  The Mullin Family created a unique way to do this.  Last week happened to be Jim's "special day".    Here's how it works.  First off, the "special day" is a complete surprise to the "special one"...his wife and two kids did all the secret planning.  They organized the evening, selecting his favorite foods and activities that he would surely enjoy.  Sushi was the pick this time. The focus of the evening was "all about Jim", and making him feel special, loved and appreciated.  Everyone contributed.  When he got home, his daughter treated him to a foot spa and massage.  His son created hand-made a card that said, "What John appreciates about Dad".  Jim received a CD that he'd been wanting and a beautiful card of appreciation from his lovely wife.   They watched a favorite movie, and waited on Jim all night - asking, "Can I get you anything else?"  They were all eager to give, and Jim's only job was to focus on RECEIVING. The ritual is something they do randomly every few months or so, rotating among family members.  They note when someone has been working particularly hard, or just seems to need some extra love and nurturing. It usually involves everyone writing a special poem or letter stating "what I appreciate about ______ is...."  The family's focus is on GIVING, while the recipient's job is purely to RECEIVE.   Feel free to try this with those you love and cherish.  All ages are sure to appreciate this act of kindness. Filed under Inner Peace Moments, Inner Peace Strategies | Comment (0)

“Power of Kindness” Video

I once heard someone say, "If you teach your children the Golden Rule, you will have left them an incalculable estate." Truer words were never spoken. More than anything, the Golden Rule is about kindness. They improve your relationship with yourself and with others. It's not much in fashion these days to talk about the benefits of kindness, honesty and decency, but the benefits are there and they are valuable and worth the trouble. Copyright © 2005 - 2012 Simple Truths, LLC Watch Power of Kindness If you like this video clip, I encourage you to Share it with the world and join me on my mission to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe. At the end of this video you'll see simple instructions on how you can help. Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration & Empowerment one video at a time... and wouldn't you agree our world could use a little more "Positivity" these days! Together we can make a difference...
To Your Inner Peace,

Mary

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Inner Peace Quote: “Life Just Isn’t”

Life isn't about keeping score.  It's not about how many people call you and it's not about who you've dated, are dating or haven't dated at all.  It isn't about who you've kissed, what sport you play, or which guy or girl likes you.  It's not about your shoes or your hair or the color of your skin or where you live or go to school. In fact, it's not about grades, money, clothes or colleges that accept you or not.  Life isn't about if you have lots of friends, or if you are alone, and it's not about how accepted or not accepted you are. Life just isn't about that.

But life is about who you love and who you hurt.  It's about how you feel about yourself.  It's about trust, happiness and compassion. It's about sticking up for your friends and replacing inner hate with love.  Life is about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance and building confidence.  It's about what you say and what you mean. It's about seeing people for who they are and not what they have. Most of all, it is about choosing to use your life to touch someone else's in a way that could never have been achieved otherwise. These choices are what life's about. --Author Unknown

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“7 Keys to Transforming Thought” by Mary Allen

We've all experienced the popular notion that "our thoughts shape our reality".  When life is working well, it's easy to focus on thoughts that feel good and perpetuate success and happiness in our lives.  However, what do you do when you are attached to thoughts that clearly don't serve you?  Below are 7 Keys to making the shift. 1.  AWARENESS - Before we can influence our thoughts, we need to become aware of them.  How do you know there is a disempowering thought lurking in your mind?  Your EMOTIONS serve as signals to catch your attention.  These feelings may be subtle or extreme.  A feeling that "something is off", discomfort, anxiety or a mild sense of resistance or depression is worth paying attention to.  Some reactions are blatant and obvious, serving as giant clues that the mind has attached to a thought.  Become a detective and identify the thought or thoughts that are associated with the feeling.  Awareness is the first key.  You cannot shift what you are unaware of. 2.  Is it true in REALITY?  So often, the thoughts that drive our feelings have no basis in reality, leaving us attached to thoughts that are simply fantasy.  When an event happens, our minds instantaneously attach a meaning (meaning is a synonym for "thought") to the occurrence.  Separating the FACTS (what happened) from the MEANING or interpretation is one way to connect to reality.  It's important to recognize the myriad of ways that we distort reality. We EXAGGERATE or MINIMIZE it.  We DENY it. We think it SHOULD be different than it is. We ARGUE with it.  And, we FORECAST it.  Each of these results in stress or anxiety.  When the mind recognizes that a thought is NOT true in reality, it often simply releases the thought.  Getting in touch with the REALITY of the situation is the second key to shifting thoughts. 3.  Identifying Impact - Often times a thought that we investigate appears to be factual or true in reality, yet the resulting feeling is one of stress, anxiety, or sadness.  Death, accidents, unmet expectations, annoying sounds, flat tires, and deflating stock markets happen.   Some of the feelings associated with these events can become "addictive" in a strange way.  We connect with others through sadness or disappointment. The adrenaline rush of anger can also give us a sense of certainty or power.  When a thought is true in reality, but you're finding the result is not serving you -- it's time to identify the impact.  If you continue to attach to this thought, how will it make you feel?  How will you treat others?  How will you live your life if you constantly focus on this thought?  When the mind comprehends that there is more pain associated to a thought than pleasure, the mind often simply let's the thought go. As we discussed in last week, it's also helpful to identify the perceived PAYOFF.  Typically the benefit we unconsciously believe we're receiving, isn't REALLY giving us what we desire.  When the mind realizes this, it lets go of the thought more easily. Identifying the impact is another key to transforming thought. 4.  Willingness - In order for any transformation to occur, one MUST be WILLING to shift.  Someone can know they have a food, TV or alcohol addiction, but without a genuine WILLINGNESS to shift - NOTHING will disrupt the destructive behavior.  Such is the case with thoughts that one is consciously or unconsciously addicted to.  That authentic willingness works magic. 5.  Just Let Go - Sometimes unresourceful thoughts arise, and we can simply let them go because they don't serve us.  The inner critic may say, "Who are you to think you can do that?" or "This isn't going to work", or "What if you fail?"  Maybe the thought is trivial negativity or fixated on something that can't change.  The most powerful part of you can respond with a simple, "Thank you for sharing", and let it go. 6.  Redirect Focus - Our minds are like children.  Whatever you place in front of them becomes the focus of their reality.  When caught up in addictive thoughts, consciously redirect your focus on something more positive or neutral.  If your spouse is running late, embrace the beauty in your environment.  If you find yourself frustrated in traffic, focus on your breathing, music in the car or the opportunity to relax and slow down.  LANGUAGE is a powerful means of redirecting your focus.  Consider shifting your internal dialog.  Choose words that empower you over words that deplete your energy. 7.  SCRAMBLE the Thought - Tony Robbins and NLP practitioners know of this powerful tool, and it's simple for anyone to use by themselves.  You simply must be WILLING to try it.  If you've been embracing a negative mantra over and over in your mind, simply recognizing its impact may not be enough.  Let's take a mantra like, "I have so much to do".  To scramble this sentence, or any other, do the following.

• Say the sentence 5 times really fast in a MICKEY MOUSE voice (yes, I'm serious).
• Say the sentence 5 times really slow in a COWBOY'S voice.
• Say the sentence 5 times is your most SENSUAL and SEDUCTIVE voice.
• Say the sentence 5 times BACKWARDS (i.e. "Do to much so have I").

You must play FULL OUT.  If you're playing full-out, you'll find yourself laughing out loud.  Just continue until you've made it all the way through the 4 steps above.  When you're done, notice how you feel about the original sentence.  Most people experience the sentence as neutral or humorous after completing this exercise.  The addictive thought has been transformed.  Try it!! 8.  Replace It.  As you loosen the grips on the thoughts that don't serve you, it's important to replace them with something more empowering - so the thoughts don't have a home to return to.  Consciously choosing the antithesis of the original thought is a simple solution.  Another way to find a replacement is to turn the statement around. Identifying a thought that is "as true" or "truer" than the original statement.  Or it may simply align more with what you want to create or attract into your life.  In the example above, "I have too much to do", could be transformed into, "I'm on track", or "It's all going to get done".  As long as the replacement is more powerful that the unresourceful, you're on track.   Filed under Inner Peace 101, Inner Peace Culprits, Inner Peace Practices | Comment (0)

“What’s the Big Idea?” Video

Here's a question that has always intrigued me, What do successful companies have in common? As a lifetime entrepreneur, I've been blessed to be involved in four different startup companies...each becoming a leader in its niche. I like to think I learned a lot along the way.

Also, over the years, I've read many books, sharing the experiences of many men and women who launched successful companies; Howard Schultz (Starbucks), Fred Smith (Fed Ex), Debbie Fields (Mrs. Fields Cookies), Herb Kelleher (Southwest Airlines), Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay Cosmetics) and Ray Kroc (McDonalds)...to name a few. Again, what were the keys to their success? What did each company have in common? To discover the ten keys to business success, please enjoy this 3 minute movie and don't forget to share it.


Copyright © 2005 - 2011 Simple Truths, LLC
Watch What's The Big Idea?

If you like this video clip, I encourage you to Share it with the world and join me on my mission to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

At the end of this video you'll see simple instructions on how you can help.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration & Empowerment one video at a time... and wouldn't you agree our world could use a little more "Positivity" these days!

Together we can make a difference...

To Your Inner Peace,

Mary Filed under Inner Peace Videos, inspirational movies | Comment (0)

Inner Peace Quote: Dorothy Thompson

"And only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live in every experience, painful or joyous; to live in gratitude for every moment, to live abundantly."

-Dorothy Thompson

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Inner Peace Quote: Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Thoughts – Our Greatest Addiction !? by Mary Allen

Every thought we think creates a biochemical response in our bodies.  These reactions vary from negligible to intense. Science has known this for some time.  If we think about food, our saliva glands may be stimulated.  When we think of the person that irritates us most, our bodies constrict and tense up.  When we reflect upon our most fulfilling moments, endorphins are released in our bodies and we feel more relaxed and at peace.  Every memory, whether positive or negative, elicits an internal physical response.  When a sexual thought crosses our mind, well...you know what can happen biologically.  But, I'll keep this article G-rated...you get the idea.  With every thought, there is a bio-chemical response in our body. The impact of the thought on our nervous systems ranges in intensity, according to the level of "emotion" associated with the thought.  For example, reflecting on the death of a love one, is likely to create a deeper emotional response than remembering to buy toothpaste or noticing you stepped on an ant.  The more intense the emotion, the greater the impact the thought has on the physical body and the more likely we may become addicted to it. Thoughts don't require an external stimulus to be elicited, which means we can indulge in any thought repeatedly - at any time we choose. As human beings we experience and enjoy a VARIETY of emotions on a daily basis, yet we also innately seek FAMILIARITY...even if it's NOT positive.  The emotions we experience consistently become a part of our comfort zones and our identities...as they are habitually conditioned into our lives.  Until we get conscious about them we remain victims to these patterns. How CONSCIOUS are you in "choosing" your thoughts?  How conscious are you of the emotional patterns that are running our lives?  What thoughts and emotions are you addicted to?  The quickest way to evaluate this for yourself is to take inventory by noticing the emotions you experience repeatedly throughout the week.  These are the emotions your body has grown accustomed to experiencing...and unconsciously works to elicit. Anger, stress, anxiety, fear, depression, sadness, overwhelm, frustration, guilt, and worry may be a few of the thought/emotional patterns to investigate more closely.  Behind every emotion is a thought or set of thoughts.  This is how they continue to be conditioned. If stress is a common pattern in your life, you may have thoughts such as, "_______needs to be accomplished before I can relax."  Or, "I have too much to do." Or, "I can't get it all done."  If depression is something you experience, something as basic as, "I feel depressed" may be the thought feeding the emotion.  We may have one or multiple thoughts feeding an addictive pattern. You may also experience a variety of positive or empowering emotions also.  Love, joy, happiness, peace, excitement, pleasure, playfulness and a sense of purpose are a few.  Investigating the thoughts associated with empowering emotions is useful because we can learn to strengthen and intensify these, which gives us more fulfillment, power, results and connection. As we understand the nature of thought, and these unconscious addictions, we can begin to more CONSCIOUSLY strengthen thoughts that serve and empower us -- and reduce the impact of the thoughts and emotional patterns that are debilitating.

THE PAYOFF

One of the ways we can break addictions to thoughts and emotional patterns that don't serve us is to look at the "payoff".  We continue to overwork an emotional muscle because at some level we subconsciously believe that it serves us in some way.  A "payoff" is a perceived benefit we receive when we engage the emotional pattern. We may use ANGER because we notice that people pay attention to us more closely with this intense emotion, thus connecting with us and our ideas more.  We may connect to DEPRESSION because it may prevent us from failing if we try...or maybe it allows us to connect to others who share a similar story.  We may enjoy STRESS or ANXIETY because we believe it's what drives our motivation and we fear we'd be less productive if we eliminated it.  We may be addicted to GUILT because that means we care.  We may wallow in thoughts of ROMANCE because it gives us hope. Unfortunately, the benefit we subconsciously believe we're receiving, is generally NOT really giving us the FULL BENEFIT we desire.  For example, with ANGER...are people REALLY paying more attention?  Are they connecting with us and our ideas in the manner we truly desire?  When we're STRESSED and ANXIOUS are we really MORE productive or less productive?  Is GUILT, the most effective way to demonstrate that we care?  Does DEPRESSION keep us safe from failing, or do we experience a greater sense of failure in the state of depression.  With virtually EVERY dis-empowering emotion there is a false payoff we subconsciously connect to, and that keeps us locked unconsciously in this addictive pattern. However, if we slow down and question this logically, we'll quickly see that the payoff isn't really giving us what we're seeking.  When we do this, the mind has a way of releasing its grip on that thought.  Thus, creating room for a new emotional and thought pattern that can serve us better. SOULFUL Challenge:  Increase your AWARENESS around the most dominant thoughts that you experience throughout your week.  Pay close attention to the emotional patterns that aren't empowering you.  Identify the thoughts or set of thoughts that are driving the emotion.  See if you can find the subconscious "payoff" or benefit that allows you to indulge in this pattern, and see if it's REALLY giving you what you desire.  You may experience the pattern diminishing or vanishing completely. Filed under Inner Peace 101, Inner Peace Culprits, Inner Peace Practices, Inner Peace Strategies | Comment (1)