Harness Your Power: Small Acts of Love

In the words of Mother Theresa, “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”

Look around your community with new eyes. Are there any forgotten people around you? Take notice.

As you go throughout this week ask yourself, “What small acts of kindness, compassion and care can I do to help make my community a Great Community?”

Let us make sure that nobody is left behind on the train of well-being.  Let us translate our desire for change into doing “small things with great love.”

Is there a child in your neighborhood who needs some new clothes?

Does a poor family need a meal tonight?

Might your gift of mentoring change the life course of a young person in your community?

Will you lend an ear to someone who is hurting and needs someone to talk to?
It's time to translate our desire for change into visible action!

What will your part be in the week ahead?

With Love,
Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Write It Down!

I find myself continually suggesting to clients to put pen to paper and write down their thoughts.  Writing is a way to get the swirling thoughts that overwhelm us out of our head so we can see them in black and white.

Here are a number of exercises I regularly recommend:

Write down your FEARS!  Just today one of my clients was struggling with some intense fear.  She took the time to write all the fears down.  It helped her to see the fear with a clearer mind.  She started to see how extreme some of the fears were and was able to sit and study them more objectively.  She even began to question the fears and see if there were new perspectives she could adopt to help her feel better.

Write down your burdens.  If you feel heavy, weighed down by your personal burdens and the suffering of others, take five minutes and write a list of all the burdens.  Then, take this piece of paper and file it away in the "Universe File."  Give the burdens to God and walk through your day feeling peace and hope.  Trust.  If you find yourself starting to worry, remember that you already put your list in the biggest hands there are!

Take stock of all that you are experiencing.  Often my clients will say, "I don't understand why I feel so drained and exhausted."  I help them recall the many intense situations they are going through --whether it is an aging parent, a stressful situation at work, a financial challenge or a health issue -- these real-life difficulties can be intense.  Give yourself credit for all that is going.  Then, remember that when you have a lot of these situations going on at once, you need to take good care of yourself!  Get extra rest.  Eat well.  Pat yourself on the back for your courage.

Write your gratitude list!  Yes, please remember to write all the good things down that are going on in your life.  No matter how small the blessing, focus on the wonderful things in your life.  Generate positive inner energy by giving thanks.

Hope these are helpful exercises for you!  If you don't like writing, then I would suggest you draw it or find some form of creative expression so that you can process your inner feelings.  Don't stuff it inside or you will get "clogged up". 

I'm here to support, help and encourage you.
With Deep Love for You!

Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Heal those BUTTONS!

I sit here tonight writing this blog after getting rather angry-- someone just "pushed my buttons."  I didn't know I even had this BUTTON!  I certainly am aware of it now.  I am glad that I realize I have more of my own personal healing to do.

What is a button?  A button is a spot inside me or you that is sensitive and when touched by someone in our lives, causes us to react.  Often the reaction is quite strong and intense.

I often say when I speak to audiences that our buttons are quite an opportunity for self-growth.  I sit here looking at my button, my reaction and the deep beliefs I hold that caused me this inner (and outer) craziness.  Why do I over-react?  Why do I get so upset?  I am meditating on this and will be for the week ahead.

We want to blame others for our reactions -- "If HE hadn't pushed my buttons, then I wouldn't have reacted this way!  It was HIS (or HER) fault!"  I want to challenge this idea of blaming our reactions on others.

The illustration I often use is a wound on your arm.  If you have a wound on your arm and someone pours salt in it, what happens?  You would probably cry out in pain -- perhaps you would scream. 

If you DID NOT have a wound on your arm and someone pours salt on it, what would happen?  The salt would provide exfoliation for your skin and fall away.  There would be no pain. 

When we have these over-the-top reactions, it is because of what is INSIDE us, not what is outside.  If we begin to understand this then we have the opportunity for learning some incredibly beautiful lessons.

Off to heal my remaining buttons.  It seems that I find more and more.  I am laughing as I write this ...what interesting human beings we are, huh?  I have a long way to go and so much more to learn. 

I am happy for the learning.  I want to heal fully so that I can be truly peaceful, deeply loving and able to choose a response rather than give a knee-jerk reaction.

Healing with you...hope you will take stock of "your buttons" this week.

With Love,

Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Silence, Silence, Silence

Silence is rich.  I have been spending time in quiet, deep breathing almost every day for the past seven years.  There is nothing like a few minutes of breathing to calm my spirit.

I've realized that no mater how long I spend breathing deeply, there is always benefit.  In the middle of the day if I take a few breaths and stop my thinking for just a moment, I feel renewed.  If I sit for ten minutes after the kids have gone to bed, there is great reward in this too.  Longer periods of twenty to thirty minutes take me into a deep state of inner peace and joy.

When I need answers to my most pressing concerns, a few minutes in silence connects me to a Divine Wisdom.  I find that the answers I need more easily emerge when I am quiet inside my mind.

If you have a mind that races with fear, worry, guilt, shame and stories from your past, perhaps it might be worth your time to sit quietly and breathe deeply.  It may feel difficult at first because your mind will want to keep it's pace.  If you persist, you will find that your mind will grow calmer and your body will feel renewed.

When I attended a seminar last year we actually ate our meals in silence.  It made the experience of eating toally different.  Rather than exchanging stories with other participants, we were solely focused on enjoying our food.  They also encouraged us to spend one day of the seminar in total silence -- no speaking or communicating with anyone.  It was joyful to do this, in some ways'a relief to be with the group but have no pressure of interaction and no need to say anything.

This week I encourage you to spend at least a few minutes a day sitting quietly and breathing.  Just incorporate it wherever it fits into your day.  Let your cares go for that time.  Just focus on your breath and allow your body, mind and spirit to completely relax.  You may find that you hunger longer and more frequent periods of silence.

I am doing this with you.

Much love,
Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Do Something New!

This week has been filled with fun experiences.  Today, for example, I went sledding with my girls.  The weather was perfect for it.  With 12 inches of snow on the ground and a cold (but not freezing) temperature, we visited Valley Forge National Park for an hour of sliding down the slope. 

Yes, I admit it, I LOVED every minute.  I felt like a little girl.  I wiped out in the snow.  I felt the rush as the sled sped down the hill (somewhat out of control).

Saturday night as the snow was just beginning to fall, my husband and I went to an amazing concert at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.  The artist, Nneka, is a 1/2 German and 1/2 Nigerian woman.  She grew up in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.  This woman's music is REAL.

Nneka opened the concert saying, "I'm not here to entertain you.  I'm here to show you love.  Take it or leave it."  Her message is radical -- that we must learn to love not hate, that we must not overlook the obvious issues around the World.  We must wake up and do something about it.  (Check her videos out on YouTube...you'll get a feel for Nigeria if you watch the scenes...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXMTtOS-oKg  ).

I felt so alive after the concert. I was moved in my soul.  What a fantastic experience to re-fire my spirit and move me to do more with my talents and my love.

I share all this to say, DO SOMETHING NEW!  Get active and out of the routine.  It's just so easy to get comfortable in a daily existence and forget that there is new music to be heard, physical activity to be enjoyed and interesting people to meet. 

If life feels boring, shake up your energy and step out of your comfort zone.

Drive a new route to work.
Talk to people at the office you typically avoid and do so with an open mind.
Choose a new radio station to listen to.
Eat a type of food that would wake up your senses!
Those of you in PA, just fall on the ground in your neighborhood and make a snow angel.

We are here to L-I-V-E ON P-U-R-P-O-S-E. 

I visited my 85 year old grandmother for an hour this week.  There she sits in her chair all day long.  She is content to listen to books on tape.  She has lived her life.  We took time telling stories of the days when she chased us as little grandkids.  Then, when I was in college she would bake me and my Princeton bball teammates plenty of brownies, rice krispy treats and cupcakes (with hershey kisses hidden in the middle).  What a wonderful way she chose to share her love with so many people.

As I left her I realized again that NOW is my moment to live.  There is no reason to postpone happiness or enjoyment anymore. 

Loving life (yes, even these big challenges),
Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: Thinking Storms

Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed mentally, emotionally and physically when you begin to focus either on your fears or on intensely painful stories from your past?

I've decided to call these experiences "Thinking Storms."

I had a few today.  Some of my old financial fears were activated.  I sat and watched the mental patterns churn.  I noticed the sick feeling in my stomach and tension in my shoulders.  I could feel my breathing get faster.  The nervous inner energy translated into tapping my hand and wiggling my leg. 

A thinking storm was in full force.

What could I do?

I've learned the past few years that there are plenty of ways to move into the eye of the thinking storms.  Here's what I did today:  I moved into my Observer role and watched the thoughts, observing them in detail.  I observed the way it moved through the emotional and physical body.  I knew what was going on inside myself because this old pattern has repeated itself thousands and thousands of times.

I smiled as I saw it, even in the midst of the intensity.  Then, I began with affirmations: "I am safe.  I am supported.  I am guided in every moment.  I am blessed beyond measure.  (Then, I listed every blessing I could think of).  I am abundantly cared for by the Universe.  I am healthy, happy and whole.  Everything I need moves easily into my life. .." 

The old thoughts kept wanting to take over.  So, then, I moved into deep breathing.  I watched the mental patterns swirling.  I breathed and could sense an inner peace even as the thought storm seemed to intensify.

I just kept breathing and affirming what I WANTED rather than focusing on my fears.

My children entered the room.  I shifted my thoughts onto them, noticing every little detail of their lovely faces.  How beautiful they are.  How full of life.  I looked deeply into their eyes and saw the Spark of Life.  I felt a moment of incredible joy and fulfillment.

They left the room and those thinking storms wanted to restart.  I said a prayer and offered the mental burdens to the Divine. 

Before I knew it, the storm had passed and my energy felt refreshed.

I wanted to share this with you because I experience the challenge of old thought patterns.  I just deal with them in a much different way now.  The thought storms do not have the same power over me.  I can be calm as they happen.

Hope these ideas will be helpful to you!
They sure work for me and my clients.

Affirmations.  Breathing.  Gratitude.  Mindfulness.  Prayer.  Handing over the Burdens.

Excellent tools to help you feel safe in the midst of the storms.

With all my love,
Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/

Harness Your Power: We Are All the Same

I'm sitting here this evening unwinding from the week.  I have CNN's Tribute, Hope for Haiti, playing in the background.  I've been sitting all week watching the images of destruction and suffering from Haiti.  In each woman, I see myself.  In each child, I see Maggie and Skye.  In each man, I see my husband and brother.  We are all the same.  We are so similar. 

Too often we want to label and categorize, to separate ourselves by nationality, by skin color, by language, by religion.  Beneath it all our humanity joins us, beckoning us to remember that we are love in our essence.  We long for connection.  We desire a better future.  We wish for success and hunger for a sense of purpose.

As you walk through this week the challenge I offer us is to see the similarity.  Don't judge.  Join with others.  See deeply into their eyes.  Sense the energy.  Notice the pain points.  Watch the joyful moments. 

In the words of American journalist, William Allen White, “If each man or woman could understand that every other human life is as full of sorrows, or joys, or base temptations, of heartaches and of remorse as his own . . . how much kinder, how much gentler he would be.”

May our spirits expand with compassion.  May our minds focus on peace.  May we seek to help one another and see the best in each other.

Could it be that our sole purpose here is to serve humanity?  Could it be that we are here for love not material gain?  Might it be that we are here to find a new paradigm of relating and joining with one another so that we decrease the suffering on our planet?

Consider these ideas.  Meditate upon them.  Look within and find what your purposeful part is....there is a specific reason you are here, a profound reason you are walking the planet.  I pray you come to see how important you are to the whole of Life.

With my deepest love, a heart that melts and overflows with compassion and a desire to serve others,

Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com/