Lessons from the Sewer: Unblocking the "Clogged Pipes"

I am writing and there is a nasty smell in the air.  My eyes aren't as bright today as usual.

Yesterday I realized that something wasn't quite right in my house.  I followed my nose to the issue:  our basement was full of crap (I mean that literally).  For some reason there was about two inches of nasty gunk all over the floor. 

Fast forward to 11 p.m. last night.  I stand outside our house with a Roto-Rooter plumber watching as he investigates the pipes from the street and into our basement.  "A-ha" he says.  I got the clog.  It is gone."  I go in and flush the toilets and run the sinks and sure enough, it is fixed.

BUT, there was still a sewagey mess in my basement.  I could have gotten some professional help to clean this up but I did a bit of research on the Internet.  My husband and I fearlessly took on the mess ourselves.  And, it was DISGUSTING.  The good news is that we have cleaned it up. 

It got me thinking.  Too often we humans let our inner "emotional pipes" get clogged.  Over the years, there is a build up.  Rather than processing the "emotional waste" as we could as each situations arises , we tend to ignore the feelings and underlying issues. 

When the blockage gets too big, then there is a nasty overflow.  It is at these points that we can no longer ignore the mess and we must do the work needed to clean ourselves up inside.

Pay attention to your emotional flow.  Journal.  Write down your feelings each day.  Or, confide in a trusted friend.  Don't hold all the hurt, confusion, pain or despair inside OR - you may find yourself in an emergency inner plumbing situation.

Remember, some situations REQUIRE professional help.  Get that if you need it!  The mess might be stinky to deal with but once it is cleaned up, you will find a new, easier flow to life.

With relief that the mess is gone,
Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Let Yourself Feel

I challenge you this week to notice how often you feel an emotion and then judge yourself for it. I know that I still do this. I also see this in many of my clients. This week one of my clients told me about a very strong emotion she experienced when she was out for dinner with someone close to her. Rather than digging deep and getting to the reason she felt what she felt, instead, she told herself she shouldn't feel that way.

When we deny, suppress and push away our feelings, we miss out on valuable clues. Why am I so angry with this situation? What was it that made me feel so much despair just now? This type of question leads us to learning and growth.

We have built-in systems to guide us through life. We've been taught that it's wrong to feel certain ways...and to express ourselves.

I encourage you this week to allow yourself to feel however you feel about anything--yes, about anything you want! Give yourself permission to be yourself. As you notice your emotions, get to know yourself better. Ask yourself why this emotion has value for you and what you can learn from it. That goes for the positive ones and the negative ones too.

Follow your internal clues to your personal breakthroughs!

Honesty is the key to growth and healing.

Please join me on Facebook this week! Request me as a friend - my profile is under Patricia Omoqui. I will be distributing articles, videos and other special tips and hints through this venue.

Blessings and love to each one of you,

Patricia Omoqui

http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Expect and Enjoy Surprises!

Aren't surprises wonderful? For us adults, they bring out the joyfulness of our inner child. It's nice to see serious adults turn giddy when they receive something that touches their heart.
On the spur of the moment I decided to put together a small birthday party for Maggie. She turns six on December 15th. With her birthday so close to Christmas, it is always a challenge to find the right day to celebrate.

Even doing things at the last minute allowed for a fun celebration: several kids were free to come, a few games were organized, and cookies were baked for decorating with the kids during the party.

As we walked to her bus stop on Friday Maggie said to me, "Mom, is a special visitor coming to my party?" I said, "Some of your friends will be coming." She replied, "Mom, I am not talking about my friends, I'm talking about Elmo or Dora." I smiled, "Ooooooh. I understand. I think they are both busy and won't be able to make it this year."

After finishing at the bus stop I decided to hop on my computer and to see if I could get a last minute invite out to Elmo. As fate would have it, Elmo was free and committed to coming!
We kept it a secret. (Though I almost blew it a few times as I talked to my husband!) Maggie was very excited about her party and sat at the window for an hour beforehand looking for her guests. (see above picture). The guests finally began to arrive and the party got started. We played "Pin the Sunglasses on Santa" (a take off on Pin the Tail on the Donkey.)

Suddenly, Maggie looked out the window and saw a big, red friend walking towards our house! She began screaming at the top of her lungs and ran to the door to let Elmo in! What excitement, enthusiasm and pure joy!!! As a parent, I was so delighted to see my daughter (and her friends) so happy!

I tell you all of this to remind you of a few ideas that we can each use in our own lives. First, find the things that really excited your heart. What do you love? What do you want to experience? Take the time to connect to your desires. Next, ask the Universe to shower you with all that you want. If Maggie hadn't expressed her wishes to me, I never would have hired Elmo for the party. Because of her genuine, heartfelt request, I gave Elmo a call.

Third, ask KNOWING that you will receive. I recently read in Conversations with God about the difference between a prayer of supplication and a prayer of thanksgiving. There is no need to beg your Higher Power for what you want. Begging and pleading comes from an energy of fear and lack. Instead, ask knowing that your prayers have already been answered. Last, leave the results and the timing to the Universe. Trust. The Universe always answers our prayers but often in unexpected ways.

Take the time to make a list of everything you desire to experience! Clarify your intentions. Focus on the emotions you will feel as they arrive in your life. Have faith that at the perfect time these gifts will arrive.

I've been practicing this for several years now. The process works. Though, the Universe tends to surprise me with answers to my request that I could never dreamed of!

One last thing, don't forget to be a kid even if you are an adult. Here are some shots of me, my husband David and Maggie sitting with Elmo by the Christmas tree. (see blog below).

My love and prayers go out to all of you,

Patricia Omoqui
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Journal for Joy

(This picture is from my journal. Inside the letters JOY I've written the word NOW several hundred times to remind myself that if I stay focused in the present moment I can experience JOY all the time.)

Ever since junior high I've kept a journal. I'd frequently take time to jot down my thoughts and feelings. During my high school years my journal became especially important to me as I worked through the painful emotions of my parent's divorce. It became an outlet for me to express my feelings on paper, often crying and petitioning God for help as I wrote.

As I studied at Princeton and then played professional basketball overseas, I continue to write in my journal. It was a wonderful way to capture the exciting experiences I was having -- in travel, on the basketball court and in my relationships.

Once I returned to the U.S. from my years abroad, I stopped journaling. I'm not sure why this happened, but it did. As my inner turmoil grew, my need to write became important again so I started to use my computer as a journal. I'd sit down and write each day about my experiences. Again, the relief and refreshment I felt from getting my feelings onto paper was immense.

A few months ago I took a new approach with journaling. I had noticed my mom delving into art therapy. She would often sit with colored pencils and blank paper and create the most remarkable pictures. She told me that it was a very helpful exercise for her in processing her emotions and in understanding where she was in her life.

In May I was at Barnes and Noble (one of my favorite places to relax). I happened upon a beautiful journal there and it had blank pages (no lines). Perfect, I thought! Colored pencils happened to be on the adjacent shelf so I picked up a box and headed to the cafe. I am not an artist AT ALL (or so I had told myself all my life). I started by doodling words that were important to me -- Dreams, Expand, Fear focus, Joy, Peace. I am amazed what happened both in the page and in my heart.

Journaling in this artistic way became such a joy for me. It helped me to create a means to sit calmly and express my feelings again. Using pictures and words brought a whole new element to my journaling. By drawing and coloring I was able to connect with an even deeper level of who I am. Expressing my thoughts and feelings brought me joy and relief.

I've put a number of my recent drawings in the blog below so you can get a sense of what I'm talking about. I am finding that as I continue to allow my creative juices to flow and combine with my life experience, that magical things are flowing from my hand to the page. I NEVER thought I'd find such joy in this type of expression.

I'd encourage you this week to begin to express your feelings on the page. Do it in any way that feels comfortable to you -- writing in a traditional journal, doodling on a piece of scrap paper, coloring a mandala, sign-up for an online journal or type your thoughts into a Word document. How you go about doing this doesn't matter. What matters is that you provide yourself an outlet to release the pent-up emotions. Journaling is an excellent tool to assist you in healing yourself and expressing your joy.

A big hug to all,

Patricia Omoqui
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Become Self-Aware

I happened to watch another kiddie flick this past week called Monsters, Inc . It was the first time I'd seen it. For those of you who aren't familiar with the movie, the story centers around monsters who scare children at night in order to capture their screams. They capture the screams to fuel the electric supply in their city. Sullivan, the main monster in the movie, is the best monster in town when it comes to scaring kids.

In one particular scene Sullivan is videotaped as he scares a little girl. As he sees the playback, he is shocked to see how upset and scared the little girl was because of his behavior. He had never realized the impact of his actions on the children he scared each night. In that one moment, as he saw himself in action, he was changed.

This scene really got me thinking. We are often unaware of how we come across to others. It would be fascinating if we were videotaped all the time and could see playbacks of our interactions and the way people responded to us.

I challenge you this week to notice yourself in conversations with people in your life. Pay particular attention when you feel anger or frustration. Hear the tone and volume of your voice. Imagine the facial expressions you have. Feel the energy you are giving out. Watch the other person's response to you -- are they shocked? Scared? Upset? What is the impact you are having on others?

I have become aware of myself particularly in situations when my children are misbehaving. I do my best to keep cool but sometimes my anger builds and I erupt. Watching Sullivan in action last night caused me to look more deeply at my responses and give more thought to how I want to respond in situations where my "buttons get pushed."

Awareness is the key to great change. Become more self-aware this week. As you do, you can learn to consciously choose your reactions, gain greater control over your emotions and spread more peace and love in all your interactions.

With great love and great thanks to Monsters, Inc. for this wonderful insight,

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/

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."