Self-Empowerment

by Judith Onley

I love communicating with Jill about articles for her online magazine and want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to her for all the time and energy she puts in to offer support in SO many ways to her contributors, as well as her readership. Thanks for doing what you do Jill. You are a dedicated "business woman" and that is a great gift to all of us out here.

Jill gave me a choice to write for the October issue focussing on Small Business Week or the Nov./Dec. holiday issue, and it was so timely and synchronistic that I would write for the "business" issue, seeing as that is what the last few weeks of my existence has been totally immersed in - taking care of business.

For the past two years, I have been traveling throughout Canada, United States and Mexico, and have just recently settled into a place in Sechelt, BC. As much as the "free Spirit" in me loves the traveling and adventures that ensue, it feels great to be in one place for a few months to be able to take care of some business and much needed administrative things like website updates, promo material and bookkeeping - the things that create the infrastructure to be able to do what we love to do, whatever that may be for you. For me, it is to empower people to believe in themselves. When I work with clients I help them balance their energy to be more centred in what they are doing and in their life in general.

With all the chaos in the financial world, politics and just the external world in general, it is very important for each of us to stay centred, grounded and in our own empowerment. And as I write these words, I hear you saying - "And how exactly do you do that?" By having some way to connect inside yourself, with your own Spirit - that place deep inside of you that knows the truth, that is connected to the Universe. That little voice or gut feeling that guides you - your light from within, your spark. There are many ways to describe it and many ways to connect with it, the most important one of which is to BREATHE. Sounds a little simplistic and maybe even a "duh", however, for many people, breathing gets very constricted when you are busy and under a lot of pressure to accomplish.

I notice it particularly when I am at the computer and really concentrating and all of a sudden I realize I need to take a deep breath because I have been hardly breathing at all and have to remind myself. Not only has it cut off the oxygen to my brain, it has cut of that connection to my life force energy, or Spirit - because as you all know, when you aren't breathing, you aren't living.

Breathing allows you to relax and go with the flow - now I KNOW you have heard that one many times and are probably rolling your eyes. Is it possible to have many things going on at once and not let it overwhelm you? Only if you consciously choose it. Just yesterday, I was having a challenging experience with audio files on my computer and just could not find a way to solve it no matter what course of action I took or who I tried to connect with for help. I am usually pretty good at staying centred and not letting it get to me, however, by the end of the day yesterday, I had HAD IT! I spent so much time on this one particular thing that nothing else had gotten done and I allowed myself to get really frustrated (notice I did not say "it" frustrated me because I was well aware that "I" was making the choice of going to the frustrated place).

So I walked away from the computer, took lots of breaths, and watched a movie to give my mind and my emotions a rest. It is important to do something that changes your perspective. After I did that, I chose to focus on all the things that were working in my life, rather than that one little thing that was not, and it shifted my energy. This morning I woke up feeling energized, inspired and grateful, not only for all that I have, but for ALL that I AM. And that is a good way to start the day.

Just having celebrated the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, I am sure most of you are aware of being grateful for all that you have. Now, how about being grateful for ALL that YOU ARE. It is the greatest way to self-empowerment - more valuable than all the self-help courses you could possibly fit into one lifetime and it's FREE! Now there's a great deal. Take out your pen and paper and write them down, and then just keep adding to the list. I think you will be surprised at what comes out and how it supports you and empowers you - more power to ya!

I do a monthly newsletter with an inspirational message, so if you wish to sign up for the newsletter, please email me at judith@dancewithspirit.com.

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