Harness Your Power: Take Time for Refreshment

I spent time this week with my best friend, Carrie, who I met over 10 years ago. The Universe brought her and I together as friends through a friend I had at Princeton. His parents were missionaries on the island of Madeira (situated off the coast of Portugal). The three of us spent a summer together there helping his parents with camps and other work they were doing. It was a fun, intense learning experience. The most important thing I gained from the summer was a soul sister and life-long friend.

I had fun with her 2 year old daughter Keira. We went to the park together on a gorgeous, sunny day. When Carrie told Keira it was time to go home, Keira said, “No go home. Live in park.” She kept saying that over and over. It was so cute. It was so beautiful how Keira loved nature and felt connected to the animals, trees and sunshine.

Keira reminds me this week of getting back to the basics of enjoying the small wonders in nature. The night I arrived at their house Keira invited me outside to see a frog family that lived in the backyard. She was fascinated by the frogs. She also was excited by the beautiful fire her daddy built for Carrie and me to roast marshmallows and make S’mores. Keira was intrigued by the flames, amazed when the fire crackled. I regained a sense of wonder by observing her fascination with life.

Carrie and I sat in the dark after Keira was asleep. She lives in a small town in Connecticut full of apple orchards. It was wonderful to be under a starry sky listening to the noises of the night. I felt at peace in nature.

Earlier in the week I also had the privilege of visiting Rickets Glenn state park situated just outside of Scranton, PA. My mom was my guide as we hiked a trail to the most breathtaking waterfalls I’ve seen in years. She also introduced me to the Hemlock Temple, a virgin forest with trees hundreds of years old. We walked in total silence through this forest. I could feel my feet sink into the soft Earth beneath me. I felt so supported by the ground. We both felt intense energy, life pulsing in this forest.

Time in nature reinvigorates me. My energy tank had gotten really low the past few months with all the challenges I’ve been facing. I could sense myself close to empty so I finally listened to my body, mind and spirit beckoning me for a break.

I encourage each of you to take some sort of a break this week – even if that means ½ of a personal day to go to a local park or a few hours of “YOU” time where you can do something that boosts your energy. Why put this off? Why not purposefully schedule time for yourself ASAP. Your well-being is a priority!

After experiencing this week of refreshment I’m determined to schedule mini-breaks more often. I am a better mother and wife when I feel well. I’m more effective as a life coach, writer and speaker when my energy is high. It feels good to be in this space.

I beckon you to remember the importance of self-care. You won’t regret giving your body, mind and spirit what it needs.

With much love,
Patricia Omoqui
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

p.s. I think I may start living in the park like Keira suggested. It would be fun to make the slide my bed and use the water fountain to brush my teeth:)

Harness Your Power: Affirmations for You!

A wonderful friend of mine painted the picture you see here. She had a stroke 6 years ago and was able to paint this with her left hand (she was right handed before the stroke).

After her stroke she was unable to walk, talk or use half of her body. She never gave up and learned everything (walking, talking, reading etc.) from scratch. She is resilient and is an example to all of us that we can take our circumstances and become even more beautiful because of what we experience! Amazing, huh?

This week I'd like to keep the blog very simple and share with you some new affirmations that flowed onto the page after I spent some time sitting in silence. I trust these will be helpful to you.

Trust, trust, trust I trust myself to the remarkable hands of the Universe.

I release all past hurts and pains.

I choose to know that the past and the future have no connection unless I allow them to.

I choose to release the future to the hands of the Universe.

I know that my work is staying centered in the moment.

In each moment is love, peace and hope.

In each moment, I tap into the silent space to hear whispers of guidance and love.

I exude love.

I am light.

I lighten up so much that I float through my journey.

I am a fairy of love, fluttering here and there and dropping fairy powder, love potions on all those I encounter.

My mantra is NOW. I am now. I release myself to the present moment so fully that I literally float through life with ease and with little effort for the wings of love carry me wherever I journey.

My flow of finances is equivalent to the flow of love I encounter in the moment.

I release all worries and fears so that the flow of my desires can rush into my life, sweeping away the old and preparing the way for the new to arrive.

I am magnificent, full of possibilities.

I am miraculous, the very notion of walking the earth in a human body is intriguing to me.

I watch the dramas and situations of my life unfold in awe, with no worry or attachment for all is well all the time.

I choose to know this and live this truth

All is well in my life.

All is on schedule.

I need not worry. I choose to trust.

I relax, breathe and rest.

I heal within and without.

As I heal beauty exudes from my life.

I am beautiful in body, mind and spirit.

Beauty bursts through me in fantastic ways, ways I had never imagined.

The power of Spirit rushes into my life transforming all the old hurt into dynamic love.

Dynamic love is my nature, ebbing and flowing, constantly growing and expanding so that I join in greater part with the oneness of love that is reality.

I'd recommend that you choose one or two of these affirmations that strike you and write them down. Repeat them over and over to yourself until they sink deeply into your subconscious mind.

As we trust that each moment in life is perfect, that it is exactly what we need for our growth, we relax and begin to enjoy every aspect of life's journey.

May you experience warmth and growth this week,

Patricia Omoqui

http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Allow Time for Healing

Healing is not optional -- unless, of course, you want to carry wounds with you as you move forward on your journey.

When I was 16 years old my parents divorced. It was a messy situation. After the divorce my Dad chose not to be involved in my life for the 17 years following. That was extremely painful to me during those years.

I spent many days and nights during my college years crying and working through the pain of the situation. It was no fun experiencing such intense emotion, but after I moved through the inner healing process, I was certainly glad I had taken the time to heal.

This week has been a week of healing in our house. My daughter Maggie had her eye surgery on Monday. It was a short procedure. After the procedure her eye was blood red. It still is. Yet, I watch her each day and it is amazing how her body has been healing. She bounced back quickly from the surgery because she spent extra time resting each day.

I've been healing too. My knee was intensely swollen at the beginning of the week. I wondered whether or not it was going to heal. I listened to my intuition and decided to keep off my feet as much as possible to allow it to heal. It's good that I did. The swelling is going down and the pain is less each day. Had I pushed myself to be active, it certainly would not have gotten better.

I'm also moving through inner healing processes right now. It's actually a beautiful process to experience. I believe that in order for our lights to shine brightly in the World, we must allow the dark, heavy emotions we have in the depths of our being to bubble up. If we allow this to occur and we take the time to acknowledge our pain and work through it, then it transforms to beauty and wisdom.

There are no shortcuts to this process. One of my clients this week was feeling intense sadness. She didn't want to feel sad. She grew up being the "cheerleader" at home. For years she overlooked the pain in her life because it was uncomfortable. Yet, years later, she still has layers of sadness that are still inside of her. I encouraged her to allow herself to feel the intensity of the sadness. I suggested that she sit with the intensity of the emotions and watch herself as she moved through it. I reminded her that if she didn't heal now, she would continue to cycle through patterns of sadness until she finally healed. I assured her that the painful emotions would transform with time.

Our pain is not bigger than us. It is small in comparison with the grandeur of our Spirits. Our pain can only overcome us when we think we are the pain -- and when we allow the pain to become our identity.

I offer you the suggestion this week to allow any dark emotions that you feel to come up for healing. Shine the light of love on these emotions. Understand and feel the emotions deeply. Know that you are a powerful, grand being! The emotions need not overcome you right now. Watch the emotions. Observe yourself as you feel them intensely.

Simply allow yourself the time for healing. Ask the Universe to assist you as you heal. Then, relax and let love be the salve that heals your inner wounds.

Inner brilliance comes when we release these layers of pain. We become new. We are more alive. Our inner light shines brilliantly to the World around us as we release the heavy energies and lighten up.

May your week be full of beautiful, effortless healing,

Patricia Omoqui

http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Breathe Through Challenges

Those of you have been reading my blog know that the past week was quite challenging for me. On top of working through my daughter's health issues, I fell and hurt my knee badly. I spent the week using lots of ice, taking pain killers and keeping off my feet.

As I think back over the past week, I see the beauty in the challenges. I believe there are no accidents -- that each aspect of our existence is for the growth of our Soul. Because I hold this belief, moving through the difficulties on the journey is very interesting. My "bigger self," the part of me that watches me as I go through my own journey was fascinated by the situations I encountered.

The lessons I gained from this past week are many. I'd like to share two of them with you. The first lesson is that breathing is extremely powerful when feeling any kind of pain. The greatest tool I had last week was my breath. At one point, when I felt so much heaviness in my heart, I sat down and began to breathe. I closed my eyes. I opened my hands and cupped them together. I put all my sadness into my hands and then I closed my hands. I held the sadness in my hands as I breathed deeply. I then envisioned love surrounding the sadness. The sadness seemed to melt with the presence of love surrounding it.

I felt greater peace after breathing and quieting the mental chatter of worry and fear. My whole body relaxed as I did this exercise. It was powerful to shift my emotional state through this simple act.

The second lesson from this week is that injuries are a great way to gain new perspectives on life. I realized that my knee injury was also important for me right now. Being injured is always positive -- at least, if you can look at the bigger picture. When I was in high school I broke my ankle during the middle of my basketball season junior year. Sitting on the sidelines was SO difficult. Yet, as I sat and watched my team in action, I began to see moves I could be making. I saw the game of basketball with new eyes because of sitting out for a few weeks. When I healed, I was a better player.

I'm taking this injury in the same way. I've had to cancel many of my "non-essential" appointments so I could keep my feet up. I've had to relax and sit. Stillness is something I was being led towards prior to being injured. Stillness is what I was forced to do with the injury.

Sitting on the sidelines for now is good. I'm taking time to look at my life from new perspectives and it will serve me in clarifying more of what I want as well as understanding new ways to create it.

I'm still hobbling around. The doctor thinks it is only a sprain. The swelling goes down a little bit each day. I am taking things one day at a time. Really, that is the only way -- we can only live in the moment anyway. I guess situations like this make it more obvious that you just never know what the next moment might bring.

I choose not to fight life. Instead, I'm flowing with it -- even flowing with the emotional and physical pain. I have felt so much deep peace and love in my heart the past week. It's actually amazed me how easily I've moved through so much challenge.

I credit the ease to the mental training I've been doing the past few years. Five years ago, I would have been depressed, exhausted and emotionally fatigued by situations like this. I see the value in maintaining peace and calm no matter what circumstances present themselves in my life.

Suffering is overrated. Even in difficulty we can choose not to suffer. We can acknowledge the pain and work through it but the pain need not consume it.

I realize more each day that life is fascinating and beautiful. The dimensions that pain adds to life are incredible. It's as if each painful situation brings a new cut to the diamond -- and I am able to sparkle even more.

Each of us can deal with our lives this way. I am certain of it -- especially after last week.

May your week be full of peace no matter what circumstances you encounter.

With a heart full of blessings and love,

Hugs to each of you.

Patricia (Trish) Omoqui

http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

p.s. My daughter Maggie has an eye surgery (a simple procedure) at 10:45 this Monday. I appreciate all of your prayers for a quick, painless recovery for her.

Harness Your Power: Move Beyond Labels

As I sit here writing this blog there is a heaviness I feel in my chest. Maybe you can relate to this feeling. Have you ever received news that made your heart sink? That’s what I experienced on Friday.

I received news on Friday – or should I say, I was given a label for the syndrome that is the root cause of the health issues that my oldest daughter Maggie has experienced since birth. It’s ironic to have received this label on Friday. On Thursday I was elated because Maggie was able to point out all the letters in a word. She did this as we were driving home from school. I honked the horn for her and cheered really loud in the car. She smiled and felt so proud of her accomplishment. I felt relief – maybe things are getting easier for her.

Fast forward 12 hours. The pediatrician calls with the results of some blood work. She proceeds to tell me that the blood work revealed an underlying genetic condition. We didn’t think the blood work would come back positive. But it did.

Over the course of the next 24 hours I grieved, processed, and began to wrap my arms around this label my daughter has been given. How could it be that hearing this label would change the way I see my daughter? How could I begin to worry about the future again just because we have a new word to describe Maggie’s experience?

I sit here not knowing what this label means. Of course, I read all there was to read on the Internet to get a base understanding of what it might mean. On Monday I will see a geneticist and get a better understanding of this label.

The most helpful thing my mom said to me was, “Trish, Maggie won’t be limited by a label. Maggie is here on her journey and the experience she has chosen is going to be beautiful. Remember the speech you delivered last year – you told the audience that Maggie is perfect just the way she is. That hasn’t changed. Nothing has changed. You must live in the present moment and open to the tremendous beauty that will come from this situation. You can do this. You did it once already when she was initially diagnosed. You can choose to see her beauty and see the magnificent possibilities in her life.”

I believe that the only limits we have are those we place upon ourselves. The only limits we experience are those we “buy into.” It’s clear to me today that the labels we use to describe ourselves and our roles in life can be highly limiting. What if instead of allowing ourselves to be defined by labels, we began to define the labels ourselves? Must we buy into what society tells us a label should mean?

I had initially written a blog for this week entitled, “Moment by Moment Choices.” I am writing the same blog but from a very different inner space. As I move through this situation and come to understand it more deeply, I see clearly that I have a moment by moment choice of what I focus my thoughts on. Will I focus on fear and limitation? Or, will I focus on joy and love?

In situations like this I return to the principles I teach my clients:

• Live in the moment.


• Open to the unlimited possibilities of what you can create with your life.


• Choose to release all fear and worry.


• Relax.


• Release the fear and the heaviness to the Universe.


• Lighten up.


• Soar through life.


• Enjoy each and every micro-second of life.

It’s so interesting how life circles around back to the same core issues and challenges. Five years ago I was faced with the same thoughts, feelings and fears. I celebrate the fact that I have grown tremendously the last few years.

I don’t believe in the word “disability.” What does that mean anyway? Just because there are people who are different than the “norm,” doesn’t mean that they are limited. We assume people who are different are limited. Those with different physical bodies and different mental capacities have the chance to create unique life journeys. Why do we choose to label these people and assume them to be something less or something strange? I believe that these Earth Angels are here to challenge us to open our eyes and interpret life in new ways.

Watch yourself this week. Notice how often you label yourself and limit yourself with labels. Notice how often you do this to other people. Watch how you react when you see someone with a physical challenge. Do you grimace? Do you feel uncomfortable? Choose to understand these feelings more deeply. Choose to open your mind and celebrate what is different and unique. Choose to celebrate the amazing life journey these individuals are on.

There is still a pressure in my chest and many tears that are ready to flow from my eyes. I choose to be authentic and real as I move through this situation with my daughter. Is this hard? Yes, it feels uncomfortable and tense. I have learned that when I embrace these challenges, I grow and expand in ways that I didn’t even know were possible. I welcome this pain. I invite it in. I feel it fully. I realize that the more human experiences I move through, the more people I am able to relate to.

Life’s difficulties are rich. Am I abundant? Yes. Am I blessed? Yes. Am I thankful for this experience with this new label? Yes.

May we move beyond our labels and define who we want to be.

With tears, pain, hope, joy, passion and deep care for anyone who is experiencing challenge in their life right now,

Your friend and coach,
Patricia Omoqui
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/