Allowing Your Life to Flow

There is a big difference between allowing your life to flow and trying to "make things happen." In my experience the difference is that allowing life to flow represents a gentle, easy unfolding of life's experience. It means releasing the need to "figure it out" on your own and instead, allow the inner voice of guidance direct you one baby step at a time towards what you truly desire. It means letting go of the inner pressure and timetables and trusting the beauty of the twists and turns our paths take. It means relaxing into life -- enjoying every moment and expecting miracles (big, small, gigantic and minuscule) to appear all the time.

So many of the circumstances of life are NOT in our control. What we can control is the approach we take to our lives -- the thoughts we think about our life experience, about who we are as beautiful beings in this wonderful life experience. We can control the focus of our mind -- thinking upon the passion we have, the dreams that are in our hearts and the wonder of change that we can bring to our World. By focusing on our desires, we open up to allowing life to flow to us.

Life does flow to us. So not only do we need to allow the flow of life, but we need to be able to see that flow coming to us clearly. I realized this weekend that there is so much good flowing into my life all the time -- the question is, how much of this flow can I allow myself to receive? I can only receive that which I am open to and that which I have the eyes to see. Will I receive the beauty of my child's smile in the morning or will I focus on the rush of getting her on the bus? Will I receive the kindness of a friend offering to help me on a project or will I decide I have to do this on my own? Will I enjoy the money in my wallet and buy something my heart desires or will I be afraid that money may not flow to me in the future and hold myself back from buying something that is just right for me?

Will you take a new approach this week and release the need to make things happen? By allowing your life to flow easily from moment to moment, you harness your personal power -- no longer expending your energy and power on worry, the desire to control circumstances and fear. Flow with life moment-by-moment. Then, notice the miracles that come your way in all shapes and sizes. Next, open to enjoy and receive all these wondrous opportunities that flow your way.

Life is as easy or as hard as we make it to be. So, why not allow yourself an easy week this week? Refresh your spirit. Relax into the moment. Celebrate the grandeur of your spirit! Dance in a way that you haven't danced in a year. Be YOU on purpose and enjoy every second of this life experience.

With love, light and all blessings to each one of you,

Trish

http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Make Fun a Priority!

As we focus on creating the lives of our dreams, it is essential that we remember to make FUN a priority. My daughters, Maggie (pictured on the right, age 5) and Skye (on the left, age 2 1/2) have mastered the art of having fun. They remind me all the time that smiling is essential to life and that playing can be integrated into everything I do. (Just check out Maggie's hair -- if that's not fun, what is?)

As part of the life coaching process I suggest to my clients that they make a point to have fun as they are walking life's journey each day. Why not celebrate each day and make each day something special? Why wait until a future date or until a goal has been achieved to have fun? Each moment of our lives can be filled with laughter and enjoyment if we remember not to take ourselves and our lives too seriously.

Having fun should be something we plan into each day. Fun means different things to different people -- for some it means getting to Barnes & Nobles to read books and magazines for a few hours, for others it means looking around for wonderful treasures to find in thrift shops. Some of my clients schedule time to get together with a good friend for coffee and others try something new like Belly dancing, pottery or painting.

A client I have been working with since August forgot to prioritize fun during the holidays -- she got so wrapped up in taking care of her family, getting to Christmas parties and getting the gifts together that she forgot to schedule time for herself. As a result, she ended up feeling angry and resentful about her holiday experience. As she entered the New Year she took the time to reflect on why she was feeling out of sorts -- and it occurred to her that she had forgotten to schedule time into each day for having fun. She told me that taking time for fun each day, even if it is just a few minutes a day, has helped her to feel greater joy and satisfaction in her life.

I do my best to practice what I preach. I set an intention for 2008 to find a Hip Hop dance class in my area so I could literally and symbolically dance my way through this year. I love how the Universe conspires with us when we set our intentions. I went to the grocery store a week ago and there was an ad on the cart for a local School of Dance. It was an obvious sign to me that I should call them. Later in the week I called 411 to get their phone number. I called and left a message describing what I was looking for. That evening the owner of the school called me back and said, "Guess what? We have exactly what you are looking for!" They sure did -- and the best part of it all was that the time of the dance class was the perfect time for me -- it is the evening of the week when my husband watches the kids while I host my group life coaching call. Just after I finish that call each week I will head straight to dance class to feel the excitement of learning new dance techniques! The funniest thing about it all was that I told the lady how I had found her school. She laughed and told me that her school didn't advertise on those carts-- it was a different school in the area on the carts. So, 411 gave me the perfect # even when I didn't know who I should be seeking out.

Set the intention to have fun all day long. Why not set aside 5 minutes each hour at work to invigorate yourself -- play a practical joke. Stop by the cube of a friend you haven't spoken with for awhile. Do your best to make whatever work you do playful. Life is only serious if we approach it that way. I've learned that the hard way -- and I now choose to make fun my lifestyle.

Will you dance with me through 2008? Will you find time for fun? Will you stop your housework for a few minutes and tickle your children instead? Will you pick up a comic book or your favorite magazine and put your feet up and relax for 10 minutes this week?

Create the time for whatever feels fun to you. As you do, you will feel your energy return. You will feel young again. You will begin to harness your power with fresh, light energy.

With a laugh, a tickle and a smile,

Trish aka Thought Dr.

http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Create Space for Personal Healing

As I work with Life Coaching clients I see clearly how essential it is to create space and time in our lives for personal healing. In the hustle and bustle of our lives it is easy to put aside our personal healing -- in fact, many of us deny the way we feel or push those feelings down deep within our hearts in order to keep up the frantic pace of our lives.

Until we clear time in our schedule and create opportunities for personal reflection and deep understanding of ourselves, those core issues and deep wounds manifest themselves in our lives time and time again. In my life, my personal pain would emerge when I was most tired or stressed out. It usually came in the form of tears or inner suffering where my heart would be crying out for change and for some relief to come into my life. But rather than stopping my life long enough to understand the depth of my pain, I would move even faster -- staying in constant motion to numb myself and make the pain go away (at least for a short time).

As you move through your week I would suggest that you take inventory of how you are using your time. For one full day keep a "Time Journal" that notes what you are doing throughout the day. By doing this, you will take yourself off of auto-pilot and be able to consciously observe the ways in which you are spending your time. In doing so, you may just find that there are "filler" activities or "busy-work" you are creating for yourself that could be set aside to create space for focus on nurturing and loving yourself.

Just as those of us who have been on a diet before take detailed watch over what we put into our mouths -- looking for opportunities to shift our eating habits to get different results in how our bodies appear, so too this focus on understanding how we use our time can give us the knowledge we need so that we can find the time to look at our emotions and understand why we are feeling the way we feel about our lives.


The life you are living right now is no mistake -- in fact, as you observe yourself you may begin to see how unaware you were that the deep hurt and pain you've carried with you is having a major impact on the results you get in your life. This week one of my life coaching clients realized that for years she had become the "YES" person -- she would say YES to every request for help from her friends and family. She was doing this on auto-pilot -- it had become a habit to say yes and take the responsibility to help anyone around her who needed it. She did this to her own detriment and kept herself so busy with taking care of others that she never fully healed from the trauma of losing her brother and from having grown up in very challenging circumstances. She got to a point recently of feeling so unhappy with herself and her life that she decided to stop saying YES all the time and instead make herself and her healing a priority.

This takes courage. It takes courage to recognize that a change is needed. It takes even more courage to see your personal pattern and the impact it is having on your life. And, it takes even greater courage to consciously stop those patterns and create the space and time needed to move through a period of deep personal healing. Her courage will pay off in tremendous blessings in her life.

Will you take the time in 2008 to begin to heal? Why not slow your life down a little bit so that you can begin the process of personal healing? As we heal ourselves and our lives, we impact the World around us in profound ways.

Because I slowed my life down enough to heal myself, I now have joy, peace and extra energy to use in doing things I love to do. On top of that, I am less stressed and much more in tune with my husband and my kids. My choices for personal healing and growth caused a major shift in the stress levels in our house. It gave me the renewed energy to clarify what I really wanted to create in my life. And now, as I continue to focus on my growth, I have more and more love to share with my clients, the audiences I speak with and each person I interact with throughout the day.

I continue to take time for personal nurturing and healing -- this is an on-going, life-long process of honoring myself. I do my best to build time for this into my weekly schedule so that stress, negative emotions and "dis-ease" about my life does not build up inside of me.

Facing our pain head on is scary. But, the consequences of not doing this means we will not have the power we need to live grand, passionate and loving lives in the way our Souls long for.

If you have questions or thoughts on this matter I would love to hear from you: thoughtdr@patriciaomoqui.com .

Healing is self-love.
Self-love is key
To bring
Satisfaction,
Hope,
Joy,
Inner Peace &
More Personal Power to
Your life.

With love, light and healing thoughts sent your way,


Trish
www.patriciaomoqui.com
p.s. Keep watch for our next free Tele-class in the Harness Your Power! series. Details will be sent out soon to those on the Food For Thought email list.



A couple of affirmations for those of you who are ready to take the time for healing:

"I open to healing at the deepest levels.

I move through my healing process with grace and ease.

I create the space I need for my healing.

I listen to my emotions and to my body.

I hear my inner voice guide me towards greater personal wellness.

I am whole. I am healed. I am full of inner peace.

I honor myself."

What Sets Your Heart On Fire?

One important aspect of Harnessing Your Personal Power is to know what you are passionate about. If someone were to ask you, “What sets your heart on fire? What gets you excited about life?” How would you answer that question?

It is so easy to get lost in the day-to-day routine of life and get bogged down with the drudgery of our daily schedules. Yet, when we begin to connect with our passions, it totally transforms our lives – not to mention the way it can transform the World!

Several years ago when I was in my deepest personal despair, I would not have been able to tell you what I was passionate about. I knew what had made me excited in the past – traveling the World, learning about new cultures, working with kids, coaching. . .But, for several years I got so caught up in my personal misery, my worry and my fear, that I lost sight of how to incorporate these passions into my life.

In the past few years I have reconnected to my passion again. I wake up every day flooded with ideas, creativity and joy for the work I’m doing and for the volunteer work I am involved in. Now I can’t imagine what my life would feel like without doing those things that make my heart beat faster, my blood flow more quickly and get me smiling non-stop throughout the day.
If you are stuck in a rut in life, the beginning of 2008 is a great time to ask some new questions – if you probe your heart deeply and look for the answers, they will emerge. Please consider the following this week (pull our your journal and spend some quiet time with yourself):

• What do I absolutely love to do (or what have I loved to do in the past)?


• Have I ever felt my heart start pounding when I was about to do something I loved? If so, what was it?


• As a teenager, what causes or issues was I passionate about?


• Have I ever done volunteer work that brought me joy and great satisfaction?


• Is there an activity that I do or have done in the past that helped me feel “in the flow?”

While I was still in corporate America I began my quest to find more meaning. I got trained by the Montgomery County Mediation Association in transformative mediation so that I could mediate neighborhood disputes and other conflict situations. After that, they trained me on how to mediate Victim Offender Conferences. Each time I had the opportunity to do a mediation, I felt excited, purposeful and full of delight. It was a way I could use my talents to touch lives. It was also an opportunity for me to find meaning when I felt bored with my corporate work.

I have the pleasure now of working with some passionate people at the Book Bank Foundation (www.thebbf.org). One night last week from 10 pm – midnight we were on the phone strategizing about how to raise funds, find donors and do an even better job in 2008 serving the homeless. Though I am typically not a late night person, I didn’t feel tired at all during the call because I love talking about the ideas of helping others and because I was surrounded by people who are on fire with love and desire to bring about change in our World!

We can never truly be stuck in life – we are always a question away from finding something that excites us. Take the time this week to consider these questions and ideas. Jump out of the routine. Instead of watching TV, call an organization that you might want to volunteer for in 2008. Or, find a book that excites you so you can expand your mind and heart. Shake up your life in 2008! Why not do things that are out of the ordinary? Why not spend time and energy bringing joy to your own life?

The more of us who have our hearts set on fire for life, the more beautiful our World will become – for we will bring smiles, new energy and fresh creativity to each day! You will Harness Your Personal Power in a way you can hardly imagine if you connect to your passion this year.
Let’s BE THE CHANGE that we want to see in the World.

If you are smiling more, happier, more peaceful and joyful, you are sure to create that in your World.

Please email me with your thoughts and ideas on this subject! patricia@patriciaomoqui.com
If you are interested in helping raise funds, or get donations for the homeless, please email me and I can give you some ideas on how to help the Book Bank Foundation. Check out their website at http://www.thebbf.org/.

• Do you knit blankets? Would you like to knit some for the homeless?


• Do you bake? Want to set up a bake sale to raise some funds?


• Do you have extra sweaters, pants, coats and long sleeved shirts hanging around your closet? If you want to donate, please let me know.


• Do you have friends who would donate all their change (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters) towards helping the homeless?
  

If so, let me know!

My heart is on fire with love for you, for life and for bringing transformation to the World!

Trish

http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/