Spiritual Time

These past couple months I've been living on a completely different clock than I have in years. Before I moved back to Bemidji at the beginning of June, I was working full time and living my life according to the Monday through Friday work week schedule and at the end of each week hoping to find time to manifest my creative projects with the little energy and attention I'd have left. I found myself slipping further and further away from my creative spark - and for someone like me, that's not a good thing. I couldn't create the time necessary to let my creative muse express itself and I started to feel stuck.

So I made a change. I moved away from the Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm life I'd created and released my need to be on chronological time... I moved into the realm of spiritual time. To better understand what is meant by spiritual time I'd like to quote one of my favorite spiritual guides and a good friend, Jennifer Hoffman, with an excerpt from her recent newsletter:

"In your material concept of time each day contains 24 hours and you have limited time to do things. You fill your day with activities and things that you must do and often feel that you do not have time to do the things you want to do. There is no time to pursue your interests and dreams because of the obligations and distractions that fill your day. As you move towards greater spiritual understanding you will also move from material time to spiritual time. In spiritual time there are no limits on your time, no waiting or need for patience.

...Many of you are learning lessons in patience and you translate this as having to wait for the right time for things to happen. Yet it is not about time, but about the manifestation process occurring in spiritual time. When you are impatient you are experiencing fear and doubt and the passage of time makes you uncomfortable because you feel that nothing is happening. Everything is happening and you can be aware of this when you remove your focus on material time from the process.

...You are obsessed with the timing of events because you feel you are not in the right time or place. Yet you are always creating your reality in the perfect way. In order to work with the Universal energy you must also work with spiritual time, which does not recognize hours, days or weeks. Its energy flows according to your focus, requests and direction. Without the limitations of time you would be aware of how effortlessly things manifest for you. Spend a portion of your day in spiritual time and you will see how quickly the Universe responds to your requests. Remove the limitations of impatience and doubt and feel the flow of the Universe rushing to meet your every need. Step into spiritual time and into the age of miracles to manifest the reality of your dreams, and they will always occur at the perfect time."

(Read more about Jennifer, her books, and subscribe to her newsletter at urielheals.com)

Living on spiritual time has allowed my creativity to run free! I have been in the creative zone for the past month manifesting my dream to sell my photography and share my inspiration from the world, and it's been amazing how fast it's taken off. I wasn't sure how it was going to all work out, but I have just allowed the process to unfold by tuning in to my intuition and listening to what moves my spirit. The results have been astounding! I've been selling my photography books, cards, and prints at local art shows, coffee houses, stores and restaurants. What inspired my spirit is now inspiring hundreds of others. This, indeed, I could not have done unless I'd taken "time" to allow this dream to manifest.

Funny - even my friend Shawn realized my new reality and ended up giving me a watchband to wear, but has no watch--just a blank metal plate. It's perfect! Now I'm truly living on Universal time :o)

Even though moving away from a Monday-Friday full time job may not be a reasonable option for you, I challenge you to follow Jennifer's advice and spend some moments in spiritual time so you can allow your spirit to inspire you and manifest your requests. This is part of the creative process and plays an integral part of the purpose you are creating as you travel down your life path. Give yourself the opportunity to tap your creative potential by exploring your horizons and releasing your limitations.

May you, too, find your inspiration from the world.

Namaste,

The Ambassador

5 Tips for the New Year

As the close of another year approaches I wanted to take a moment to share with you 5 Tips for Finding More Balance--an excerpt from my web site, The Balance Factor.

My wish to all is a safe and happy new year, and make 2009 that year of change, transition and acceptance. Finding a better balance in your life begins with you!

Namaste,

Michael

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1. Organize

2. Simplify

3. Focus

4. Seek Opportunities

5. Appreciate

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Tip #1 - Organize

Life is busy. There are so many things to be done--we all have jobs, friends, families, and so many other responsibilities. Within your life space do you still have time for genuinely new ideas? Is your mind preoccupied by distracting thoughts? Do you worry? Do you find yourself with great ideas or solutions to problems, but they never come to fruition? Perhaps it's time for you to get organized!

While it often appears that our need for organization is mostly outside of ourselves (i.e., an organized home, office, calendar, etc.), it is important to keep the inside organized as well.

The exterior of your life is a direct reflection of the interior of it.

Sure, clean your house, your office space, your car, but also take the time to clean your internal clutter. By “cleaning house” on the inside, you create the opportunity to cleanse your mind, body, and spirit. This, in turn, will help to balance your energies and stimulate more creativity.

There are several ways to internally cleanse and organize, and since we are all unique individuals you must find out which method(s) work best for you. Here are some helpful ways to get organized:

1. Try to clear up any "emotional baggage" you may be carrying with you. Meeting with a counselor or therapist is an excellent vehicle for this activity as they have been trained to help you resolve issues from your past which are directly affecting your present.

2. Regular exercise is a vital ingredient for good health. Exercise revitalizes the mind and spirit as well as the body. Be sure to move your body several times a week (walking is great exercise!), and balance exercise with a healthy well-balanced eating plan right for you.

3. If you find that your mind is busy or pre-occupied much of the time, take a moment and write down those things which occupy your mind. Journaling is a fantastic way of doing this. Write down both positive thoughts (dreams, goals, creative ideas) as well as negative thoughts (feelings of anger or frustration, worry, personal problems). The important thing is to get them out of your head and into the 3rd dimension. This action brings forth two direct benefits: 1) you can "make room" in your mind for more creative energy (clearing); and 2) you can actually deal with your thoughts now that you've taken the time to identify them. If they are negative thoughts, take them to your counselor. If they are positive thoughts, create them into proactive goals for your life and make them happen!

4. If you feel like you need to get your personal calendar in order, sit down and set-up a weekly schedule for yourself and follow it; however, don't fill every hour of every day. Build-in time for "planned spontaneity" so that you can relax and just do what you feel at that moment. Flexibility is a skill that comes with practice. Weekends or days off may be the best time to block out for spontaneity.

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Tip # 2 - Simplify

Everyone wants to simplify their life. But how? Simplifying is not such an easy task. What "goes"? What "stays"?

Simplifying your life may start with your daily routine. A key to simplifying is to prioritize your activities based on what you can realistically accomplish today. Often, we will create tasks which are very complex and time consuming, when we can feel more progress occur if we simply accomplish the first step of a larger task - by taking "baby steps". Completing one step at a time is especially true tackling large projects.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

When we start to simplify, we often realize that much of what we actually need is far less that what we want. Our society is still largely founded on acquiring material possessions (stuff), and that is somehow supposed to measure our success. But remember, "He who dies with the most toys, still dies!"

If you have a lot of things, you need to keep track of them, manage them, move them, etc. More stuff creates busy, and busy creates stress. Did you realized that stress is the leading cause of disease and sickness in our world? Get rid of the stress!

How do you reduce stress? Simplify. Clean out your life and pass it on! Take that extra clothing and donate it to the nearest homeless shelter. Take those extra items lying around the house collecting dust and pass them on to someone who can use them. Take time to eliminate clutter. Simplify your choices; reduce your options; keep only what you really need. Living simply means keeping your wants balanced with your needs.

"Live simply so others may simply live." - Mother Theresa

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Tip # 3 - Focus

Maintaining focus in this busy world is not an easy task. By following Tip #1 (Organize) & #2 (Simplify), you are now better positioned to handle Tip #3 - Focus. To focus requires concentration, and concentration is easier with less distractions. Eliminating your distractions is a key to acquiring and maintaining focus.

When you focus your energy and thoughts on something or someone you participate in a process called intimate engagement. Intimate engagement allows you to focus on the details of a task, situation, event, or person. This focused energy allows your mind to calm itself and will often initiate a state of flow. If you are able to maintain flow, you will have a better chance of tapping your true creative potential since you will be connected to your truest and purest gifts.

Remember that when you focus your energy on something or someone, you cause an effect--and effects have results. Therefore, be sure to choose carefully those thoughts, things, and people which receive your focus and attention.

If you find yourself pulled between many ideas and thoughts at the same time, learn how to multi-task by prioritizing your ideas and forming them into “projects”. By creating projects, we focus on energy on a series of tasks or ideas that will manifest a specific outcome. This can significantly help you organize your ideas and support their coming to fruition. Plus, putting yourself on a self-directed behavior modification plan will help you give yourself guidance and support without judgment.

That which you pay attention to expands, so pay attention only to those thoughts and ideas which help you to grow.

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Tip # 4 - Seek Opportunities

Opportunity is a golden word; and often we equate opportunity with chance, luck, and happenstance. However, opportunity can come as a direct result of your own action. In fact, creating more opportunity starts with you.

By actively seeking opportunities, we open ourselves up to more experiences. Learning is a life-long process, and you can choose to embrace life and all its changes, or you can wait for your life to change you. Which would you prefer?

By being proactive in our approach to educating ourselves about the world around us, we give ourselves the freedom to experience more opportunities than we ever dreamed possible. Plus, the more experience we have, the more we will learn about ourselves and grow. Prepare yourself for opportunity--do the work!

Opportunity favors the prepared mind.

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Tip # 5 - Appreciate

When was the last time you thanked someone for just "being themselves"? It is important to take the time to appreciate people, things, experiences, and moments.

Appreciation may or may not come naturally to you, but you will find that if you stop and think about how important the people in your current life space are to your present existence, you may be surprised. Send a simple card, jot a quick email message, send a quick "Thinking of you" IM, or just give someone a call - tell them how much you appreciate them and how important they are to you. Have you ever had someone do that to you? It feels fantastic!

By expressing gratitude we bring more of that energy into our lives. Being thankful creates a spirit of genuine appreciation and an "attitude of gratitude". Feelings of goodwill always attract more of the same energy. It's the Law of Attraction!

Create a world of thankfulness and gratitude. Say, "Thank you," more often and appreciate what is good.

Appreciate every moment and every person, for each day we are making memories.