I’ve been struggling lately with “doing too much.” It’s kind of a cliche, isn’t it? Women who do too much? After talking it through with a good friend, I realized that many of my commitments were bringing no real value to my life and weren’t fulfilling their original purposes. I won’t bore you with those details; I’ll just say that I’ve been running on a hamster wheel and expecting to find connection, inspiration, enlightenment, and time! Oh, and by the way, I was forgetting to make conscious time for myself or my marriage. (!)

So I’ve gone through my schedule with a new consciousness and an eye for priorities. I’ve let go of some things that I can admit weren’t working.  And lo and behold, one of those things has actually started working a little better without my ironclad grip on it!

I’ve also revisited some decisions I’ve made and changed them. One of my favorite sayings is a Turkish proverb that reads: No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road, turn back. Funny how I make sure everyone knows this applies to THEM, and how I forget that it also applies to me. 

Another thing I’m going to do is take a break from this blog. “But Beth,” I hear you saying, “you haven’t written on this blog since your bithday. (Great post, by the way!)”

That’s true. (And thank you. ) So I guess what I really mean is that I’m going to take a break from feeling guilty when I don’t write on the blog. Every week, I have it on my list.  BLOG ENTRY.  Then when I don’t have it checked off by the end of the week, I feel like I’ve failed. So I put it on the list for the next week. Again, fail. So no more of that. I may write here, I may not. When I do, I’ll let you know.

You can always catch me on Facebook or Twitter.  And I’ll always have my schedule up to date here, so you know where to find me. And check out my  new nifty chat box, there on the left. If I’m online, it will tell you so, and you can IM me right there in that box. Cool, huh?

So you can find me if you need me, and I’ll post here when I can. In the meantime, I’ll be doing my best to build the life of my dreams, learning not to let things that are less important take precedence over things that are more important. It’s all important. I won’t forget that. I will be prioritizing much more skillfully.

Usually, when people ask me the inevitable birthday question, “So, do you feel different?” I  have to admit that, “No, I really don’t.” But this year is a big exception. Today is my 40th birthday. I have to say I’m excited to be 40. I feel strong, healthy, optimistic, and happy.

Looking back over the landscape of my 30s, I can see now how transitional those years were. Extremely transitional. I quit smoking, got married, lost weight, and started studying myself. A lot of my 30s became about forgiving myself for things I did in my 20s!  These are all good things, but of course, none of them are easy changes to make. They all take an extraordinary amount of love and commitment, and they take loads of support from the people around me.

Starbucks was giving away free pastries today with the purchase of a beverage. The team I work with in the office, mostly made up of Starbucks fans, decided to take a trip to Starbucks as a group outing. Our building is on the southwest end of downtown Fort Worth, so the closest Starbucks is only a short walk away. 

About 9:30, we stepped out into the sunshine, our eyes squinting against the welcome brightness. The strong breeze ruffled our jackets and shirtsleeves, and it was a cool breeze, but paired with the warm sunshine, it made for lovely walking weather. What a perfect moment. 

I got my tall decaf Americano with steamed soy milk and a petite vanilla scone. While I waited for the rest of the team to finish up their ordering, sugaring, and half-and-halfing, I held my coffee under my nose and inhaled the deep, earthy fragrance.  I thought about how much I love working with these people, and how much I love that they’re willing to have a spontaneous field trip in the middle of the morning for free pastries and coffee. Another perfect moment. 

On our way back to the office, the church bells at one of the downtown churches were ringing. Not just ringing, but playing a song. A long song! They were the most beautiful church bells I’ve ever heard! So there I was, walking through a downtown cityscape that I love, in the cool breeziness of early spring, warmed ever so slightly by a sun that’s just bringing its attention back toward our hemisphere, hot coffee in hand, listening to what seemed to me to be spontaneous church bells. ANOTHER perfect moment!

You know, the truth is, every day is full of perfect moments like this. The trick (is it really a trick?) is to be conscious of them.

As many of you know, I’ve been consciously practicing gratitude with the help of GratitudeLog.com. I have really grown to love this site. It’s been great support in this practice. If I don’t post for a couple of days, I get a reminder. The reminder I got today was especially thought-provoking, and I’d like to share it with you:

Did you know that there is an effective and
an ineffective way to express gratitude?

Unfortunately, the ineffective way is far more common.
It is sort of the default form of gratitude that most
people fall into.  I was stuck here for a really long
time until I found a far more powerful way to practice
gratitude, one that moved me into perfect alignment
with abundance and greatly accelerated the Law of
Attraction.

First, let me talk about the ineffective way to express
gratitude.  This is gratitude that you express that is
related to what is happening in your life right now. 

It is closely related to the gratitude and appreciation
we learn to express as children (i.e. to say thanks) and
that is probably why it is often the default and why
so many people get stuck here.

Ineffective gratitude includes things such as:
* your health
* your relationships
* your material posessions
* your friends and family
* a nice vacation

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with this
form of gratitude.  All I am saying is that it is not
nearly as powerful as what I am about to show you. 

Often the problem with the above form of gratitude is
that it comes from a place of lack.  If you have ever
expressed gratitude while thinking “at least… I am
healthy, or at least I have a great family” then you
know what I mean. 

This form of gratitude is extremely week because it is
based on the present circumstances.  In other words,
this form of gratitude is conditional.  It makes it
sound that you are grateful “only if you have good
health, a great relationship, etc.”

Unfortunately, conditional gratitude fails to activate
the law of attraction.  The universe does not respond
to conditional requests.

The second form of gratitude is complete in that it is
a celebration of life itself, for all the experiences
you are having. One other key difference is this. 
Effective gratitude comes from an underlying attitude
vs. a temporary focus on one item or thing to be
grateful for.

With practice, this holistic form of gratitude can
become second nature.  When it does, the law of
attraction will flow far more easily into your life.

The more powerful form of gratitude includes items
such as:

* your life
* this awesome planet
* for being who you are
* for future events
* for problems, challenges, and hardships
* for your mistakes
* for your mind
* for your freedom

In other words, you become grateful for this amazing
journey of your life regardless of what happens and
where it takes you because you know that it is just
right for you and that everything is happening for a
reason.

When you are expressing effective gratitude, fear and
loss disappear. There is no focus on any lack and when
you reach this state, that is when abundance can truly
start flowing into your life.

Being grateful for what you have in your life (your
health, relationships, etc.) has its place.  But when
you start feeling truly grateful for everything that is
happening in your life and open your heart, you will be
amazed at how quickly the universe will start to answer. 

So, start creating these feelings now, even in the most
unlikely or unpleasant circumstances and notice how you
begin to attract whatever you focus on into your life.

With love and passion,

Mike

Makes you think, doesn’t it? Made me think. About all the challenges I’m personally facing right now and how they’re part of the journey that’s taking me toward my enlightenment and my true self. It’s hard to find a way to be grateful for those challenges, isn’t it? But I guess it’s the same kind of gratitude you feel for a really good medicine that tastes awful.

I’m learning a lot from GratitudeLog.com. You can join me there, if you want.

As we leave the old year behind and look ahead to the new one, it’s time to set intentions that will help make our new year joyful. I have four intentions for 2010: 

Season’s greetings, friends!

May you be well and live with ease this holiday season and beyond.

Got this from a friend today.  There is good information here.

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc.

Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all of you to know

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

I’ve been nursing an ugly spring cold for the last few days. These things always begin for me in my nose and make their way slowly toward my chest. They always take time for a rest stop in my throat along the way.

So I’ve been resting, first of all, which is hard for me! I’ve also found 3 great products that are helping me a lot during this bout with a cold.

1. Puffs plus lotion with the Scent of Vicks
   These are soft and gentle on the nose, and they are essentially mentholated. I thought the Vicks would burn my sore nose, but it doesn’t. These are not tissues to use all the time, but I think they’ll be great to have on hand in case of stuffiness.
2.  Breathe Deep Yogi Tea
   A yummy tea with licorice, thyme, eucalyptus, and basil. It helps to clear my airways and soothe my respiratory passages. A spoonful of honey makes it even more soothing for my sore throat.
3. Baraka Infused Salt Rinse
   This is a salt rinse for use with your neti pot. If you don’t already use a neti pot, I urge you to start! A neti pot is a device used to rinse the sinuses. It’s especially helpful for people who are prone to allergies. This Baraka Salt Rinse is infused with tea tree oil, palmarosa oil, and rosemary oil. Scientific studies have shown that these essential oils discourage the growth of pathogens. This stuff is great!

So these are my new favorite cold-care products right now. I’m going to continue using them for the next few days. I’m on the mend and hopefully I’ll be back to 100% soon!