Closing Exercise for 2008

Hi everyone - here is the exercise to complete in the closing of 2007.

In summary, part one is about reviewing the year. This is an opportunity to gain anymore insights or awareness’ possible at this time from the events of 2007. Part two is about releasing, forgiving and expressing gratitude for all of the events that made up 2007.

The exercise may take you from one hour to as much time as you need to complete.
You will need your 2007 journal, diary, day timer or agenda, (anything that will help jog your memory and help you review the year) pen and paper. Set yourself up comfortably creating a sacred environment for yourself. Light some candles, burn some incense and have some tea, wine or favorite beverage.

Part One
Review the events of the year and take some time now to gain whatever more you can from the experiences.
Starting with January of 2007 ask yourself the following questions and work your way forward to now.

• What were the key events of 2007.
• What did you learn as a result of these experiences?
• Who was involved in your life this year and in what capacities?
• What and who assisted in your growth this year?
• What obstacles have you overcome?
• What goals did you accomplish?
• What goals did you set and did not yet accomplish? Are you complete with this goal?
• Did you stretch beyond your perceived abilities - meaning do things you didn't think you could or would have done in prior years. (Yeah you!!)
• How were other people impacted by your contribution to their lives over the past year?
• Who are you now at the end of the 2007? Or how are “you” different from the you that was “you” in January of 2007?

If you are still feeling unpleasant emotions regarding the past events or the people who were involved, here are some methods to use in getting to the core issue.

1. Ask yourself what is still triggering you, what does the experience still have to teach you that you may not have yet recognized. See if you can now take a step back and look at the experience objectively, as if it happened to someone else. What might someone else have learnt from the experience? It may help to discuss the situation with someone who wasn’t involved.

2. Close your eyes, center yourself, take a few deep breathes, right from the diaphragm. Picture the person that you still have an emotion towards in your minds eye, or think of them and feel their vibration. Ask them “What other message(s) do you have to offer me?” Then go within and ask if there is a message you have for them. You may or may not feel to communicate this message to them prior to the end of the year. If yes - do so, by voice, in-person or by writing. If no, write it down and then tear it up or burn it.If you did get a message for them, ask yourself how this message could possibly assist you as well. (often the advise we get for others apply to us as well)

3. Close your eyes, center yourself, take a few deep breathes, right from the diaphragm. Go over the experience in your mind. Notice the emotions that are arising within you. Are you being reminded of any other past event? If yes, what are the similarities? Can you recall any events just prior to the one you are exploring? What you are doing here is making a connection to how you attracted the experience to yourself if the first place and possibly you’ll be able to recognizing a pattern you may be attracting. What you learn from the experience now, may assist you in not repeating the pattern again.

4. Write it out. Write out the experience and your emotions. While writing ask yourself questions to lead you to more understanding, such as; what does this emotion tell me about how I really felt? If I knew of another experience that had the same feeling connected with it, what might it be? What is it about the event that reminds me of a past similar event? How would I have interpreted this event without this feeling? Keep asking any questions that come up until no more answers come. If none of these work for, that is fine. It may be the divine time for you to be complete with the experience. Trust that and move on.

Part two
Once you have reviewed the year, you are going to acknowledge and record all that you are grateful for, and all you are ready to release and/or forgive. Include your accomplishments, goals achieved, growth stretches, and obstacles overcome.

Release
Start writing:
I bless and release my experience of these events..............I bless and release or forgive (name of person) Thank you for your active participation in my life.

Also take this time to release any outdated beliefs or attitudes that no longer serve you.I bless and release my past need to (name aspect you are releasing) I am grateful that it has brought me to this point in my life.

Gratitude
Start by writing:
I am grateful for........ (brief summary of event)I am grateful for (name of person) and briefly why.
I am grateful to have had (name the impact of your contribution) impact on (person, people or system you impacted).

Once complete, if you are able to safely do so, burn the papers. If you are unable to do so safely, you can shred them by hand. You have just created space within yourself, having released the 2007 energy and now have room to fill up with your dreams and aspirations for 2008!
May you be the conscious creator of your life in 2008!

Me and My Three Selves

Winter has arrived, and here the proof! This picture is taked outside my window last week. It truly is a beautiful site!

The December Issue of Tone is out and your's truly has an article in it. For those who don't receive the Tone Magazine, I've posting the article here. Read on.....

Me and My Three Selves

Different teachings and philosophies speak of the various aspects of the self: higher self, lower self, the inner witness or observer, mind, emotion, spirit, unconscious, preconscious, conscious, god self, little self, ego, id, super-ego… the list goes on. As you can see, regardless of which school of thought one follows, there are many dimensions to who we experience as our self.

To consciously create your life, you need to become aware of the various aspects of yourself. All dimensions of you make up the “you” who is the main attractor factor of your creations. While the law of attraction explains that we attract what we focus our attention on, our main attractor factor is actually the “who” we are, who is focusing attention.

Here is what I’ve been noticing about the various dimensions of myself lately.

I’ve become increasingly aware of my observer self who is often intrigued and fascinated with what goes on in my mind. It really helps me detached from the inner dialogue (sometimes drama) that is happening and it notices how the thoughts are affecting me. My observer self notices the difference between my other two selves and likes to direct me to my greater self (a.k.a. higher self, god self, Christ self).

This dimension of me is quite wise (no idea where she gets her stuff), often has enlightening perspectives to share with me and offers me the best advice. This self keeps me in the flow and feeling good! This is the aspect of me, I want creating my reality!

My third self – well, to be frank, leaves much to be desired and often grates on my nerves. It offers the worst advice, pulls me down emotionally, and says the nastiest things about me and others. In the past, it has tried to lift me up by inflating my self perception in ways that have led to humiliating experiences. It tells me how I can’t, won’t and shouldn’t even think of doing anything daring or risky that would be beneficial for my development. This self goes by various names like saboteur, ego, gremlin – I’ve been partial to the term gremlin lately. As I’m writing this, this aspect of me is telling me that I probably sound nuts right now while my greater self is telling me “they know what you’re talking about, keep writing” and I feel it is my observer self who is giving me these words to write.

My three selves: observer self, greater self and gremlin self – then there is me. Me is the one who is experiencing all of my selves (a.k.a. myself and I). I am the one who is at some level giving attention to the part of myself who is expression through me and as me. It is the part choosing, consciously or unconsciously, the “who” that I am, who is attracting to me. So there is me, and my three selves, all of whom are the creators of my daily life.

However you perceive or experience your whole self, as you become increasingly aware of the various aspects of yourself, you can consciously choose who you are at any moment. Having said that, having to consciously choose who to be in every moment is a tall order indeed and is an unrealistic expectation of yourself. Therefore, I offer you this prayer, to help direct all of who you are, who to be, as you consciously create each day.

Through Me (note to selves)

Through me see beauty
Through me see potential
Through me feel healthy
Through me feel joy
Through me experience prosperity
Through me experience freedom
Through me express kindness
Through me express authentically
Through me hear possibilities
Through me hear truth
Through me demonstrate faith
Through me demonstrate respect
Through me serve
Through me inspire
Through me live life
Through me love

Copyright © 2007 by Kim Barnwell – All rights reserved

Published in Tone Magazine December 2007 issue.

Are You Attracting or Repelling Your Thriving Practice?

I'm going to be the guest host on Thriving Coaches round table on Monday November 26, at 8pm ET (follow the link to register and receive the bridgeline number). I hope you'll join us!
Here is a little article I wrote to introduce the topic for the call:

Are You Attracting or Repelling Your Thriving Practice?

Are you getting in the way of your thriving practice? Has this ever happened to you: you wanted a new client or speaking opportunity, you receive the lead and then next thing you know the deal falls through or the new client cancels or postpones their appointment?

We create our experiences, mostly unconsciously, that is what the law of attraction explains. As our attention is focused on what we want, we attract and when we focus on what we don’t want, we repel - what we want! We are in the constant flux of attracting and repelling through our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, focus and feelings. The key is in knowing how it is you’re naturally doing both.

Once you’ve communicated with your new lead are you noticing how you’re probably not the best coach for them or how compatible you are? Are you thinking “they won’t be able to afford my fee” or do you assume they can otherwise they won’t have contacted you. Do you try to figure out how to fix their issue or do you automatically think of how inspiring their vision is? The more you start noticing what you think of or focus on automatically, you’ll start connecting the dots to how you are attracting or repelling your thriving practice.
The good news is that thoughts are never carved in stone. When you catch yourself in “repel” mode, you can make a conscious choice to think a more attracting thought, thereby redirecting the outcome. You may not be able to change history, however if you’ve repelled an opportunity or client, by changing your thoughts or redirecting your focus, you will attract new ones – attracting your thriving practice.

Conscious Change and Flow

When initiating conscious change, there is a balance to be struck between “going with the flow” and “directing the flow”. The universe is constantly receiving and responding to “you”, and what makes up the vibration of “you” includes how you express yourself verbally, mentally, and emotionally as well as your values and beliefs. Once you’ve decide to initiate a change, the flow will be your queue as to how aligned this change is to all of who you are.

When you instigate change that is congruent to the “You” of who you are, you’ll know. It will appear as though the whole universe is conspiring to help you. Everything just falls into place. As you remain open to receiving guidance from your inner wise self, you can direct the flow of your life, feeling yourself along the way.

When you try to force a change that you’re not truly aligned with, it feels like the universe is against you. Any effort feels really hard; synchronicities become rare and you feel like you’ve been striped of your manifesting abilities. This is what going against your own flow feels like, when something about the change you’ve initiated is compromising the core vibration of who you are. It doesn’t mean you have to abort the plan; however it is time to review it. Perhaps there’s a conflict with one of your values or beliefs, or it could also be that the timing isn’t right. You may simply need to slow down and wait for inspired direction.

Another time to lift your oars out of the water and let yourself go with the flow is when you notice yourself following the directive of your negative ego or saboteur. This will also feel like you’re forcing against the current. In those moments as you release your oars, invite your greater self to take over and the universe to show you what your next step in redirecting you to your flow is. Then breathe deeply, listen and notice. Remain open to receiving guidance, unattached to what it looks like or how it comes. When it comes, you’ll know – it’ll just feel right.

Enjoy the Magic!

Change and Trees

Have you ever noticed how peacefully a tree allows its leaves to fall from it every autumn?
You don't see the branches of the tree reaching out trying to force their leaves to stay. No, the tree gracefully allows the leaves to fall, courageously baring itself to the harsh winter elements. Then in the spring, the trees faith in nature is met with the blossoming of new buds - the natural order of life.

We are always changing - change is a constant in life. With every breath we inhale and exhale we are changing the oxygen in our body. Each time we move our eyes we change what we see and every time we change our mind, we change our focus. How often does that happen in a day? There are numerous other ways we change every day without even thinking about it.

Yet we resist change - not all change perhaps, however have you ever found yourself kicking and screaming in response to the news of yet another change that is about to occur? I know I have.

Just the other day, I walked over to the grocery store to buy my favorite cereal for breakfast and THEY WERE OUT!!! Every other Nature's Path Organic cereal was available in abundance except for my favorite one (Optimum Power Blueberry Flax Soy)!

As I stood there dazed and confused by the coincidence that they were only out of MY cereal, I became aware (and embarrassed) at how I was letting this affect me. Here I was, having gone through sooooo many more challenging changes in my life of 42 years and I was being thrown off balance because I was going to have to choose a different cereal. Get a grip Kim!

Can you relate to my story?

How is it that change is the most natural thing we do as humans, yet conscious change can be so difficult? Either the status quo has to become too painful, annoying or boring to endure any longer or the grocery store runs out of your favorite cereal so you "have to" try a new one.

Change is life experienced. Unconscious change results in life experiences that we may or may not like - recurring patterns. Conscious change results in creating the life experience we want! Forced change such as the fires recently experienced in Southern California shakes up the status quo and always leads to new - like it or not. Once we start recovering from the shock and trauma of such an event, we need to think about moving forward. The people who have lost their homes will spend time reflecting on their lives, gaining clarity on what is truly important to them. Some people will aim to recreate what they've lost. Others will let go of their past, either intending a new start or allowing themselves to be guided day by day. While for others, this will have been the disguised blessing they'll always remember as being the catalyst that lead to a whole new life adventure. Everyone will move forward in the best way that they can.

As for the vast forested area that was affected by the fire, it'll use this mass cleansing to its advantage, re-balancing that which needed re-balancing for its eco-system, in the way nature that knows best.

Attachment and Relationships

Saturday afternoon – wet outside.
Not feeling particularly focused to do any serious writing, so I thought I’d do some real blogging.
I notice that I’ve been more concerned about writing something worth reading rather that just writing what is going on or what I’m thinking about. I seem to be attached to what I put out there. So even though my horoscope says it isn’t the best time for me to write, I’m going to anyway. I feel like a rebel!!

Attachment and Relationships

What does being attached mean?
When it comes to relationships, when someone is attached it usually means they are in a relationship. Right?

Well, what if someone is in a relationship but not attached to it? Does that mean they aren’t attached and therefore available to pursue another relationship?

One of the secrets to consciously creating your life is non-attachment. Not in the sense that you’re not suppose to be in an intimate relationship, but meaning we are to release our attachments to how things happen and specifically who that relationship is with. We are to focus on our desired state and outcome and release attachment to how it happens.
Ideally.
Easier said than done when our attachment to having someone to love in your life is as strong as our attraction to the person who is attached to someone else.

I have two friends (and have actually heard of many others in this same scenario – so I could be taking about anyone) both in love people who are attached to someone else and both attached to having that person be in their lives, even though the one they love is already attached.

Now in both cases, the already attached person does reciprocate the feeling to the one who loves them and is non-attached to being attached to their current partners. Actually, I’m pretty sure if you were ask them if they were attached to their current partners they’d say no, even though they are still with them because in truth they are not attached to being with them.

However, they are attached to something they are getting in return from being in their relationship – both relationships. From their primary relationship they are attached to continuing to have a basic need met that is being provided by this relationship. This is clear in both cases and I bet in most similar cases. In their second relationship they are attached to having someone they are very attracted to be part of their life.

Can you be attached to two people at once, and be non-attached to the longevity of either relationship? Apparently so.

This is one of the current realities of our “new age” movement towards living in “non-attachment”. As people become increasingly non-attached with the relationships in their lives, they will eventually be comfortable not being attached to anyone. Then, maybe then, they can really get to know the one relationship they are truly attached to – the one with themselves!

Coaches - Law of Attraction Mentors

Here is an article I recently had published in the CTI online newsletter. Enjoy !

What do “Coaching” and the “Law of Attraction” have in common?

For starters, the law of attraction explains how it is that we can create the lives we desire, while coaches support their clients in creating the life they desire.

Secondly, they’ve both gained recognition in main stream over the past 10 years and even more so in the past couple of years, yet both have existed for much longer.

I believe that coaching and the law of attraction go hand in hand, that the expanding coaching profession is due to the growing demand for support and guidance from people who wish to consciously create their lives – as the law of attraction explains we can all do! It’s no mistake that coaching has flourished over the past few years, to accommodate the demand that is the result of society’s growing awareness of its ability to create a better life and world.

God bless “The Secret” and most specifically Rhonda Byrnes, whose sincerest intention was to spread joy throughout the world by sharing what she’s learnt about the law of attraction. Rhonda’s source of inspiration was a book that was actually written back in 1910 by Wallace D. Wattles, “The Science of Getting Rich” (it definitely worked for her). Mr. Wallace’s book certainly wasn’t the only resource available that provided instruction on how someone can create their reality. For over a century the New Thought movement, which includes Science of Mind and Unity, has included this information in their literature and practices. You can also find similar teachings in most of the religious texts including the Bible. The premise that within us lays the power to create our reality is not a new age idea!

Let’s take a closer look at the origins of coaching.

Back in the 1500’s, the term “coach” referred to a vehicle that took people from where they were to where they wanted to be (does that sounds familiar?). In the 1800’s this same definition was adopted by the athletic field. Coaches became the vehicle that supported athletes and sports teams in reaching their goals, getting them to where they want to be from where they were. Then in the mid 1980 this term was again adopted by business men who used the term to describe their leadership development models. Finally, in the early 1990’s, Thomas Leonard and Laura Whitworth converted the vehicle of coaching to being one that helps people get from where they were to where they wanted to be, in any and all areas of their personal and professional lives.

Many of the skills and techniques used by those who teach the attraction principle are the same ones used by both life and sports coaches. Imagining one’s desired outcome, visually and sensually; the use of incantations and affirmations, positive self talk, identifying and taking actions that lead to the results we want, aligning our values to our goals. Basketball coaches train their players to “see” that ball falling into the net! As a Life Coach, I ask my clients to see themselves achieving their desired outcomes. The law of attraction explains that what we can see in our minds, we can experience in the physical. As we see it, we ignite the movement of the forces and energy required to have what we’re envisioning to take form.

Those who are most successful at achieving their goals - including the athletes who win the trophies – at some level are aware of the attraction principles. They may not call it that, and there really is no need to call it anything, they simply know what works. Regardless of whether they know how it works, they believe and trust.
As coaches, we naturally help our clients become aware of how the law of attraction is influencing their lives. The more we align with the essence of how the universal principle of attraction affects our lives, regardless of what we call “it”, we become a stronger attraction force for our clients, supporting them in creating what ever they desire for themselves and for their world – our world!

Integrity is really hard to judge. Or is it?

I recently wrote and delivered a speech for my Toastmasters club - my 10th speech which meant I’d receive my Competent Communicator badge (Yeah!!)– and since integrity has been my topic of contemplation recently, I decided to speak about it. This isn’t the speech I delivered, it is a more clear articulation of the message.

I’ve been challenged at being able to discern if someone is being integral at times. Then, the more I thought about it, I realized it actually isn’t that difficult. Just because I can understand someone’s justification or rationalization, doesn’t mean a wrong becomes a right. I will express compassion and forgiveness for myself and others, and I will personally challenge and encourage, myself and others to strive for better.

On a recent flight back from England, the movie shown was "Freedom Writers" – which I highly recommend it you haven’t seen it yet – a great example of the need for people to choose and act with integrity.

The movie is set in 1994, at a high school in Long Beach, California. The student body is quite diverse, from varying cultures, who each stick to “their own”. Each culture has its own gang, and the gangs are at war. These kids are packing guns and each student has at least one friend who's died in a gang war. Students and teachers alike fear for their lives every day, never knowing when a gang fight will break out.

The story focuses on an English class, with a brand new teacher, whose mission is to have a life changing impact on the lives of her students. She strives to unite the students by helping them recognize that they have much more in common than they have differences. At the beginning of the movie, the students hate her and feel she could never understand them. By the end they are united and rally to keep her as their teacher.

Part of the movie shares the experience of a student, Eva, who witnesses a murder. The boy who pulls the trigger is from her gang. Since Eva has been taught by her parents to “protect your own”, she believes it is her responsibility to lie in court and pin the murder on a boy from another gang. Her teacher, who becomes affectionately known as Mrs. G., has such an impact on her, that by the end of the movie when it comes time to tell truth, the whole truth – Eva does. Even though she still believes in protecting her own, her definition of “her own” has expanded and it is no longer ok to do what is wrong, in order to meet this value. She knows she is risking her own life, however telling the truth takes precedence.

I was inspired by her commitment to do the right thing in spite of the potential repercussions. It made me think of how many of us (I include myself and strive to be better) choose to do the wrong thing for much lesser reasons. Some people will do what they know at some level is wrong to meet their need or desire for power, attention, dominance, the respect of others, to gain popularity, for money, for fame, to be accepted by others or out of pure laziness (when doing the right thing takes more effort) – not for reasons that are at all life threatening.

Conscious creation is not just about being able to create the reality you want. Conscious creation is also about making conscious choices - the right choice for the right reason, in alignment to your values and for what you know morally as right.
It’s about demonstrating respect; for the environment, for yourself, your purpose, your passion and your brilliance! By acting in a manner that demonstrates respect for all, including yourself, you automatically attract respect from others. When you attract respect from others in this way, you never need to do the unmoral to achieve your goals because the Universe takes care of “it’s own”!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Who's the most integral of all?

I don’t believe everything I hear just because someone wrote a book about it. I try it on, have my own experience and believe the results of my own experience, which often times will be a bit different than what the “guru” wrote.

A good example of this is the notion that everything around us is a mirror of us, or that all of our outer reality is a reflection of our inner world.
I believe this because I’ve experienced it.
What I don’t believe as some of the “gurus” suggest, is that it's always an identical mirror. I know that isn’t exactly true.

It has been my experience that my inner world is creating my outer experience, however much of it is in code. Why? Because I love and thrive on being able to unravel a mystery! So even the style of how I create my reality is a reflection of my inner passion of solving a mystery.

This makes my inner life very exciting as I decipher the symbolism in my personal world. Yet at times I would just like to see an apple being reflected as an apple if you know what I mean! I also value clarity, so there are times the outer experience is an exact reflection of my inner world. Sometimes it’s so confusing. I often have to ask myself, “Is this example a clear reflection that I’m having a hard time accepting, or is it a mystery symbolically linked to what is really going on inside?”. Ummm...... That was a question I had today as I was connecting the dots to a particular pattern in my life (remember – I’m the Pattern Buster!)

I have attracted many teachers who have knowingly been earning money using other people’s work without their permission, and often the work has a copy right protection (ha). I have even seen someone use someone else’s work and add their own label and/or signature to it.

I like being able to trust my mentors and trust that I am safe to following their example. Each time I’ve become aware of this, I’ve had to face acknowledging something that I didn’t want to acknowledge, that it is a mistake to trust anyone.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many of the people I’ve witnessed doing this. Each time it has been a short union, or one that never really took off, and each time I wondered what it was about ‘me”, that attracted not being able to work with these people. I felt rejected. However I always had to admit to myself that each time I was aware that I didn’t feel completely in my integrity with all of their choice of actions, nor with my inability to make the appropriate choice for myself after I did call them on it. Instead I would want to continue to try and understand why they do what they do and challenge myself to focus on the aspects I admired about them so that I would experience more of that part of them. It didn’t work. I had not recognized my own reflection yet.

Today, once again I took a stand for what I feel is right. We were jointly working on a project and now our partnership to do so has potentially come to an end, and I feel really good about it all – I finally see the reflections.

I’m not feeling rejected because for once I didn’t reject myself and my own truth. I’m also trusting myself, therefore I am demonstrating that I can trust someone – ME!

I am a bright, intelligent woman with a high level integrity. It is time I trust myself, stop rejecting my own truth and honor who I am. It is up to me to be the example I want to see in my community, in my world.

My desire for anyone who feels they need to go against what they know is right in order to get what they want, is that you recognize and have faith in your own inner brilliance! Believe in your ability to “Have it all” (quote from my friend Su Thomas ) in a way that honors all.

Remembering to "ASK"

Manifesting away from the norm – Part One


Daniel and I have recently returned from our trip to Ireland and England. Traveling is a fun and interesting time to practice conscious creation, which is the theme of these next few posts.

We had relatively loose plans for the trip – 6 of the 12 evening our accommodations for were booked. The rest we decided we’d find the perfect places once we arrived. And we did! All except for the first night, we ended up staying in the first place we inquired about.
We’d spent the first two days of our trip in Dublin, at the Marble Hall – the best B&B in Dublin owned by Shelagh Conway. Then we rented a car to visit more of Ireland.

The first couple of days driving were tense. It was our first experience driving in Ireland, on the left side of the road, from the right side of the car, all opposite to what we are use to in Canada. And their roads were very narrow. Many times we were amazed (and grateful) at how a transport truck could squeeze past us coming from the opposite direction. The shoulders are minimal to none and next to usually trimmed with stone walls. I felt very “snug” in the passenger seat coming very close to an intimate encounter with the “walls” many times.
So besides being mindful of not veering into the right lane as we are use to, Daniel had to put up with me squirming every time I thought I was about to kiss a wall.

The first day we arrived at Tara Hill just before it closed for the day. I had intended to spend a few hours taking in the energy of the “spiritual” site so we decided to stay in town that evening and return the next morning for a good visit. We asked a local resident for a bed and breakfast recommendation. He pointed to one down the road. We walked over to it, knocked on the door and even thought we saw a person through the window, no one answered. I decided to ring them on my cell phone (that I intuited would be a worthwhile purchase for our visit). The woman who answered, let us know she was full for the evening and directed us to her neighbor (where Daniel had thought was the first place we’d been directed to, turned out he was intuiting the B&B energy there – way to go Daniel). We walked over, and it turned out the woman was going to be leaving very early in the morning to go to the airport for a day trip, therefore wasn’t accepting guests that night.

This was very strange for me – to have two “no’s”. Not the natural flow I’m use to. I realized that my tension was affecting my flow and I needed to shift that fast in order to attract good accommodations for the evening.

I shook off the tension, did some conscious breathing and focused on deciding what I wanted for accommodations. I saw a comfortable bedroom, lots of room and a reasonable rate. As we drove into the next town, where we’d been directed to find another B&B, we drove past a hotel. In that moment I added to my list that we’d be a close walking distance to a good place to have dinner and drinks that evening.

We didn’t find the first place we’d been directed to, where the previous lady assured us we’d be quite comfortable, but we did find the other location which she couldn’t vouch for as she’d never been in it. It was more like a house hotel, with a breakfast room and vacancies! Yeah!! It was reasonably price and right next door to the hotel I’d seen earlier, which had a great restaurant where we ate that evening.

Conscious creation wise, this is what happened that day:
As we flowed through the day with minimal intention and expectation, we were creating unconsciously and falling into the “story” of the day; the tension from the roads, the challenge in driving, arriving at Tara Hill right when it was closing, the two first B&B’s not having any vacancies.
Once we realized we didn’t need to continue in this flow, it all shifted. We became clear as to what we wanted and flowed towards that. Had we tried harder (trying hard is not necessary) to find the first place we’d been directed to, we wouldn’t have been very close to a restaurant.
We ended up getting exactly what we wanted – once we remembered to ASK!

Natural Magic

Years ago I came up with this motto for myself:

When I live my life for me
Being the best me I can be
Magic happens naturally

Originally the last line was “The rest happens naturally” and just now as I’m writing I asked myself “exactly what do I mean by the rest?”
It means living a magical life! A life in which I naturally attract all I want to be, do and have by simply being me!

One way I’ve come to understand the law of attraction, or what I refer to as conscious creation, is through noticing that whoever I am being in the moment magnetically pulls to me, that which is like me (like attracts like). When I’m being way too serious, I tend to attract other people who are also being way too serious. When I’m acting like a child (the immature kind), I attract that quality from others. And when I’m being playful, I attract the playful side from the people I’m with. The coolest awareness has been noticing that as I change, the people I've attracted these mirrored qualities from, are the same people I was attracting the previous qualities from!

My boyfriend is a perfect example (I’ve been experimenting with this…. sshhh!). The other day I was feeling frustrated and noticed myself picking on these little things he was doing that were annoying me. The more I picked, the more annoyed I felt. As I became ever so painfully aware of this dance we were in, I took a moment to remind myself of all the qualities I love in him and like magic, he started demonstrating them instead.
I’ve manifested dinner, flowers, my choice of movie and other favors using this method with him.

I’ve experimented with the cashier at Loblaws as well. At the check-out the other day, I was about to be served by a familiar cashier who looked like her face might crack if she were to smile. I could feel the frown lines on my own forehead as I judged her for not looking happier! I decided we both needed cheering up! That thought turned my frown into a smile and inner giggle.
“Hellooo” I sang as she started scanning my items, which she reciprocated with a half-hearted glance and smile. As I started humming along to the song that was playing in the background, I recalled the many times I’d exchanged pleasantries with her. As I walked away she cheerfully wished me a good day. Somewhere between “swipe the card the other way” and “here’s your receipt” her mood had definitely shifted. Her whole face had softened and whatever had been weighing on her before was now gone.

If this is the impact we have on each other as individuals, by simply choosing to be happy, can you imagine the potential in your life and the lives of all the people you touch in a day?
Over the next month, I invite you to play with this. Start by noticing what you are attracting or how you are being (whichever is easiest) while in the presence of one or more other people. When the feeling isn’t optimal, decide how you would rather feel and behave, then do whatever you need to do to get yourself there. It has to be authentic, so keep going until you really shift yourself first. Don’t say a word about what you are doing or make any suggestions to the others to change, simply change your self and notice what happens.

I would absolutely love to hear feedback from your experiments! (kimcocreation@sympatico.ca)

My motto is an adaptation of Gandhi’s words “Be the change you want to see in the world”. When we are being the best aspects of our whole selves, we naturally attract that same flavor of experience in life. Now that’s what I call natural magic!

When Inspiration Falls Flat - What's up with that?

Have you ever had a “great idea” and then had it land flat? You’ve been left wondering why the inspiration came in the first place if the execution of it wasn’t going to be what you consider a success. What is up with that?

Over the past few years I’ve been inspired with so many great workshop ideas. I spent days creating the workshops, committed to running them, advertised them yet failed to attract the number of participants I wanted, sometimes attracting no one! This was very confusing, as it seems that I received the inspirations just to have myself waste my time creating a workshop that sometimes never happened. (Can you feel the energy of this frustration? And what do you think it attracts? You got it, equal circumstances.)

Well, recently I was participating in a teleclass where we were to connect and receive information from our higher/greater/god selves for each other, when as it often happens someone voiced this same issue for themselves. (I love how that happens.) So this post is the information I received from my greater self to our shared confusing frustration.

When we receive the first insight, we need to do exactly what we are guided to do. But what usually happens, in my case anyways, is that at some point my head gets involved trying to figure out exactly how it will all fit together. That’s when I start worrying about what people would want, what they’ll think and so on. Well this is what my greater self had to say about this pattern:

Less is best and "only needed" data is what comes through (spirit). Every question presents a new possible direction and then every answer, opinion or suggestion will lead to a new outcome - each different at the least slightly. This is neither good nor bad, it is simply how it works and it helps if we can understand this.

When an insight comes in to create a class, start creating it continuing with the "natural flow". Discern the "feeling" when the mind is scanning (this is a pattern/habit) (I interpret this to mean when the mind starts trying to figure out the details and come up with alternatives). When this feeling comes, breathe deep, go to your core/center and ask for guidance from within. Notice the different "feeling" then. From there, unless that feeling is associated with the thoughts being thought, drop it. Each project or idea will have a unique vibration which you will feel. Pay attention to the feeling associated with the idea when you get that first hit. Any "less good" feeling will manifest a less desired outcome. Any better or higher feeling will manifest a higher outcome. It (the vibration) will always change as you remain "open" to options and suggestions - therefore direct it "UP".

Whenever you downplay an idea due to fear – fear of failure, trying something new, rejections, whatever fear, then the downplaying redirects the current plan to a new outcome, an outcome that is of the same vibration the idea now holds. This isn’t a punishment for having a negative or fear based thought, it is simply how the law of vibration works.

It’s like adding a new ingredient to a recipe. Let’s say you wanted a banana milk shake. Then you decided to add chocolate, you now have a chocolate banana milk shake. Can you add chocolate and make a banana only milk shake? No. Once the chocolate is added, it is now chocolate banana and that is that. You could add loads more milk and bananas so that you can barely taste the chocolate, however it will still be there, is now part of the recipe or outcome – a chocolate banana milk shake is made instead of the original intent of making a banana milk shake.

This is how energy works, and everything about us is energetic in nature. We can not “taste” our own energy to determine when it has changed however we can feel it, sense it, hear it and sometimes even see it. When we feel our energy shift, we need to know that we are changing the ingredients therefore our outcome will now be slightly or greatly different depending on how our energy has shifted. This is neither good or bad it simply is.

Create magically -

Powerful Intentions

Well, my intention was to write on this blog more often, a reality I have yet to consciously create ;)

In December I flew into Toronto for a coach training weekend with CTI (The Coaches Training Institute). I took an early morning flight since the program only started at 10:00am; however this meant I needed timing and flow to be on my side. I had planned to take the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, which left the airport every 20 minutes. With the flight arriving at 8:10am I figured I'd board the 8:25 shuttle, giving us an hour to get to the hotel with the early morning traffic so that I’d arrive by 9:30. That would give me enough time to check into my hotel room early (I intended that it would be ready by then) and arrive in time for registration which started at 9:45am.

The flight arrived on time, first yeah! Now I needed to pick up my luggage and catch the 8:25 shuttle. I waited, watching other passengers from my flight pick up their luggage and leave the building. 8:20, still no sign of it. I speak to the attendant close by who confirms that the entire luggage from my flight is now on the carousel. Mine must be there or it’s been left on the plane going to Calgary. I choose not believe her. I walk over to the other attendant she directed me to in order to confirm all the luggage is off the plane. He looked at his watch noting that it had only been 20 minutes since the plane had landed; chances are they are still unloading the luggage. I walked over and told the lady attendant what he said. She stood her ground and repeated that she believed all the luggage was now on the carousel. I smiled and told her that I hoped the other guy was right.

It was now about 8:29 - the shuttle would have left 4 minutes ago. I knew I could take the 8:45 and would trust that the traffic would be fluid enough for us to make it to hotel in record time.
Suddenly, the luggage appears!! Yeah!!! I smile at attendant, gleefully clapping my hands.

It is about 8:32 when I purchase my ticket for the shuttle. The ticket lady directs me to the door marked B stating the bus is there right now! I quickly walk over to the bus driver who greets me with "We've been waiting for you, how come you’re late?" as he takes my luggage. Late??? Waiting for me?? How would he even have known I was coming? I hadn't told any of the people who had helped me that I needed to catch that shuttle.

Now I'm on the bus, in traffic, with no idea of what average morning traffic is like in Toronto. I still see myself arriving at 9:30.I'm wishing I had been able to carry water on the flight because I was thirsty and didn't know if I'd have time to purchase water before the start of the workshop.The bus arrives at the hotel. I give the driver a tip, walk up to the reception desk in the hotel, look up at the clock and it is (drum roll please) exactly 9:30! Yeah!

I ask if my room is ready - it is. Yeah!

The receptionist invites me to join a female traveler program to receive extra privileges. I accept. I now have the choice of receiving a calling card or gift basket. I gratefully accept the calling card. One concern I had earlier was about calling home and having to pay the hotel’s long distant rates. That concern was now gone – thank you! Then, she hands me a bottle of water – Yeah again!!I bring my bags up to my room, and then back down to the training room by - you guessed it - promptly at 9:45am just buzzing from the morning manifestations!!!Now let’s review to recognize what was really working for me; how I consciously created the flow of the day?

I didn't allow myself to buy into other people's beliefs that were in conflict with my own intentions.

I accepted what the first attendant told me as being what she believed to be true and held my intention of arriving on time, knowing that she could be wrong. I didn't tell her I hoped she was wrong, I told her I had hoped the other guy was right, therefore I was kept my focus on the result I wanted.

I intended to arrive on time without any conflicting beliefs about the amount of time it "should" take based on the level of traffic. This is a good example of when "ignorance is bliss". I had no idea of what good timing was, only a desire to arrive at a certain time. I also didn't feel any attachment to arriving at 9:30 because that made me plenty early. If I had intended on arriving at 9:55, that would have been so close to the start time that as I noticed the traffic along the way I probably would have felt anxious about the possibility of being late. With the intent of arriving 30 minutes early there was no fear of being late, therefore the intention was pure and without attachment.

By this time I'm emanating gratitude and in awe of how everything is flowing so beautifully, that of course I attract the water and calling card. Being in an energy that is radiating appreciation, I attract more of the items that I'd appreciate attracting.As I'm waiting for the workshop to start, I sit in awe of my morning experience, knowing with my whole being that I am in the perfect place. I felt so open and expectant of the miracles and learning that would transpire over the next 3 days. Well - was I in for a surprise! I never in a million years would have intuited what I was about to experience during that weekend. Nor could I have anticipated the transformations that would occur during my continued training weekends over the months that followed.

And the miracle creations continue!!!