emily downward – Emily Downward

Letting Go and Finding the Wisdom of My Soul

February 12, 2016emilydownward

A few years ago, my life seemed to fall apart. One by one, I experienced major losses in my work, my social support, my health, my relationship, my hopes for the future… At the bottom of it all, I was quite literally adrift, not even having an official address to call home. It was obvious I was in what we Martha Beck coaches call Square One, which is analogous to the caterpillar going into the chrysalis and melting down into goo. And I knew that Square One isn’t the best time to make decisions, so I gave myself permission to sit in the unknown: I didn’t know where I was going to live – not even which city. I didn’t know if my coaching practice would bounce back or when I’d be ready to coach again. I didn’t know how I was going to make money to support myself since the consulting work I’d been doing was gone. And I didn’t know how I was going to repair my health, or mend my broken heart.

I am fortunate that I have an amazing family and friend network that literally took me in during that time. For six months, I stayed at different loved ones’ homes, in different parts of the country. They fed me and housed me and let me grieve, as I tried to make sense of what had happened and why.

It was difficult for this “control enthusiast” to sit in all that unknown. My brain was spinning with all the questions, focused on all that I had lost and all that wasn’t certain. It was challenging to sleep because I couldn’t get my brain to shut it off. Although I had tried meditating before, it became a necessity now. I used guided meditations and mantra meditations just for the few moments of peace it offered.

“Wherever you go, there you are.”

I grew up moving around every few years, as the family followed my dad’s career in the airline industry. I’d continued the moving pattern throughout my adulthood, so I was used to relocating and creating my home wherever I lived. This time felt different, though, because I didn’t know where to move. And I had never been in a situation where I didn’t have a forwarding address.

As I was staying with different people, living out of a couple suitcases for months, I began to turn more and more inward. With so much having been stripped from my external world, I clung to what I did have: the love of family, the support of friends around the globe, my coaching tools, my resilient spirit.

When you lose everything (or nearly everything), You still exist. While I actively focused on healing and recovering, I began developing a stronger connection to my spirituality. As one of the healers at that time said, “It’s as if your life has been going along on a horizontal path. Now, it’s vertical.”

I also began experimenting more, trying different healing modalities and techniques to connect into my soul’s wisdom. I began hearing my inner wisdom stronger than I ever had before, and I learned how to trust it and use it to create my new life.

Following My Heart & Soul

The path to healing – for my heart, my body and my spirit – hasn’t been easy, but I have discovered the treasures my challenges offered. I’m a different person than the one I used to be…more Me now, more authentic, more peaceful and grounded in the truth of Who I Am, and more accepting and loving of myself.

The gifts of my healing process have been many, and I’m pleased to be able to share them now with others. One of the ways I’m doing this is through a private community I’ve built called HeartBeing. For years, I let my head lead my life, ignoring the yearnings and guidance of my heart. Now, I’m practicing letting my heart lead the way, and the community I’ve created nurtures and supports others who are courageously following their own hearts. (Reach out to me if you’d like to join us.)

SoulMsgs_OpenHeart I’m also in collaboration with my dear friend and colleague Jody Low-A-Chee in the upcoming Messages from Your Soul workshop. I have had the honor of knowing Jody since we went through coach training together in 2011, and her wisdom and immense capacity for love have often been a safe harbor for me during turbulent times. We have created the workshop to share several techniques for accessing the wisdom and guidance inherent in each of our souls, knowing the opportunity to gather together with others who are on the spiritual path of growth and discovery can accelerate and strengthen those connections. The workshop is scheduled for April 21, 2016 in the beautiful Umlauf Sculpture Garden in Austin, Texas. We are also in discussions to offer it in different cities later in the year. (Let me know if you are interested in bringing it to your area.)

If the woman I am today could speak to the past me, during that time of so much loss and uncertainty, I would tell her: “It’s all going to be okay. I know it’s not okay now, but it will be. And you, with your strength and your big heart and your resilience, you will get through the pain and find joy again. Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to your wounded heart. Find the places and activities that bring you peace and immerse yourself in them often. Take comfort in the fact that one day, you will wake up and feel so incredibly blessed and grateful for the life you are living. You are me. I am you. All is well.”

Gifts Found in the Dark

December 22, 2015December 22, 2015emilydownward

BePatient_Dawn-Rumi Yesterday marked Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, the day with the shortest amount of daylight. Over the last few months, as the days have been getting shorter and darker, I have been confronting some darkness of my own, in the form of some challenging health issues and the accompanying thought storm that enveloped it.

My first reaction to the extreme fatigue I was experiencing was denial. Denial is a powerful coping mechanism…for a while. It just isn’t sustainable for me. Pretending that I was okay and pushing myself to do, Do, DO wasn’t working: I was getting worse. I first had to admit to myself that something was wrong, that it wasn’t just me being lazy or lacking self-discipline. Stopping the shaming and blaming that was happening in my own head was the first step towards acceptance.

And a word about acceptance…When I speak about acceptance, or surrender, I am referring to the idea of dropping the resistance to What Is. It does not mean giving up things ever being different; it is just giving up the struggle against the reality of what is occurring. For me, it is about acknowledging the truth. It’s important to me to be specific here because I have many friends and colleagues who subscribe to new thought concepts and tend to deny anything negative that is happening, choosing to rather focus on only positive. That doesn’t work for me. I believe in being honest with myself about the current state of things and working through the emotions that come up. In this way, I can clear the feelings and shift my energy towards creating something new.

The second step for me was admitting to others that I wasn’t doing well. I needed help and understanding that I wasn’t up to my usual amount of Doing. This was difficult for me, to admit to people I love and respect, and whose opinion I value, that I needed help, that I wasn’t doing well, that [gasp!] I wasn’t perfect. (I know I’m not perfect. I admit I’m far from it. But there’s a part of me that still strives to appear pretty well-put-together.) So I cut back on work and social activities, and for a time, I cut out everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. In a way, this was very freeing, to have very clear priorities. I knew my health was paramount and that everything else was less important. Saying No became easier, and I also found I didn’t have the energy to pretend, or to hold on to anger or resentments. That was a gift from this challenge: recognizing the ease of being truthful about what is in my highest good.

My sensitivities have increased during this time, too. I already considered myself highly sensitive, (you can read more about highly sensitive people and Elaine Aron’s work here), and now it seems that my sensitivity has been raised even more. I’ve become acutely aware of which people, activities and foods bolster my energy, as well as those who drain it. It has become imperative to drastically reduce or eliminate those things and people that drain me. Self-care, which has at times felt overly indulgent and selfish to me, has become a necessity for my healing. So I found another gift, as I dropped the stories of being overly indulgent or lazy and respected my body’s needs for good nutrition, rest and silence.

Finally, I had to trust myself, as I was faced with disbelief and some disinterest from doctors who I hoped would help me. I became my own advocate and did a lot of research and reading, as well as talking more about what was happening with me and hearing from some caring friends who have had similar experiences. It was only through sharing what was going on with me that I got the information that pointed me in the right direction, as well as a recommendation to a physician who can help me heal. She is trained in Eastern and Western medicine, as well as being very intuitive and spiritual in her approach. She shared with me that she can see I’m on a spiritual path of surrender. I agree – I have found, especially in the past couple years, that I must surrender my ego, my small self’s desires, and my ideas of what “should be,” and trust in a higher plan. And then she shared that surrender happens in layers: first, on the spiritual level; second, on the emotional and mental level; and finally, on the physical level. She explained that my body is having challenges keeping up with the rate of surrender I am going through. I love the concept of this, and it has given me understanding, compassion for my body, and hope.

I share my personal story as an example of what a journey into the darkness of the time leading up to the Solstice might look like. I believe that by dropping the resistance to the dark, we can gain knowledge, insights and gifts from the process of going within. And I look forward to the light’s return, as the days begin to get longer, as a metaphor for the light returning on my own path.

May the light shine on your path and bring you hope and comfort. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be, and that all is well.

Permission to Rest

October 6, 2015October 6, 2015emilydownward

Sometimes, we feel like we need permission to rest.

Or maybe that’s just me. I feel like I need permission to rest, take it easy, not push myself so damn hard.

This seems to be a lesson I haven’t quite mastered. I’ve written previously about how I injured my hip from over-pushing myself and not listening to my body. But the lesson has come around again, so I’m getting to learn it at a deeper level.

For the past month or so, I’ve been experiencing a lot of exhaustion, and while I generally get a good night’s sleep, it didn’t seem to be enough. I had a check-up from the doctor, thinking perhaps it was hypothyroidism, but everything checked out physically.

I HAVE been doing a lot of inner work over the past few months: I hired a coach to work on some relationship challenges, I’ve been taking a training on Akashic Records that is fascinating and energetically taxing, and I’m in the middle of several books to help me deepen my spirituality, improve my thinking, and increase my business. Add to that some new initiatives I’ve taken on for my business, and some grief due to the deaths of friends and a dear family member…Yeah, I don’t know why I’m tired!

But my logical brain says, “You must keep working. You need to grow your business. Nothing is going to happen if you’re not working on it.” So even if I take a nap, or take a break to walk in the park, when I’m thinking these punishing thoughts, it’s not restful or rejuvenating.

So my body intervenes.

Last Friday, just after I awoke, I was gripped by an intense muscle spasm in my back. Thinking I had just tweaked it, I paused and tried to stretch it out. Unfortunately, nothing I did made the spasm, or the 10-out-of-10 pain, recede. The pain was so intense, I couldn’t think about much else. I cancelled plans I had for the day and only left my house to get acupuncture. That eased it maybe 10%. The acupuncturist recommended a follow-up the next day, which I scheduled, as acupuncture has helped me in the past with persistent muscle spasms. I also scheduled a massage for the next day.

Other than those appointments, for two days I just ate, slept, watched movies, slept again, alternated heat and ice, drank lots of water, and slept some more. I couldn’t believe how much my body could sleep!

Several hours after the massage, my back started easing up. It felt so good to be able to breathe without pain again.

So if your body is tired, or hurting, or if you feel like you need a break, I encourage you to take that break. This is your permission slip. You deserve a break! We are human BEINGS, not human doings. And sometimes we all forget that. Or, rather, I sometimes forget that.

Saw this on Facebook — couldn’t find the original creator, but I love the reminder.

The Fear and Thrill of Trying Something New

August 6, 2015August 6, 2015emilydownward

I’m often encouraging my clients to do things that are a bit scary or out of their comfort zone, in order to help them achieve the goal or feeling they want to create. We all get stuck in ruts, doing things and thinking the same way day after day until something causes us to change. Sometimes we initiate the change because we realize the way we’ve been doing things is no longer working for us. And other times we choose to do something different just to shake things up a bit!

As a Martha Beck certified master life coach, I strive to work and live in accordance with the core values from Martha. The first one is “Live it to give it.” To me, this means using the tools and methods I recommend to my clients on my own challenges and areas I want to improve.

I recently did a big shake up, doing something I’ve never done before: stand-up comedy. A friend of mine provided the opportunity and encouragement, renting a club for an evening and inviting me to do a sketch. I knew I had some funny material from some really bad dates (which I find make great stories!), but I had never done stand-up. I’m not one for tons of research, but I watched some videos of my favorite comedians and noticed how they put things together. The set up, the timing, the punch line, and of course, the delivery, are each critical. I wrote out my ideas, and I read through them to three different friends, making adjustments each time after I saw where the stories lagged or where people laughed or didn’t.

I was SO NERVOUS! I did what I could to make it easier on myself: In addition to my research and practice, I had written out a couple of note cards with key phrases to remind me of each story and joke, so I didn’t put the extra pressure of memorizing it on myself. I wore a black top purposefully, in case I sweated profusely due to nerves. And I invited a couple of friends for support.

As with most things, I comfort myself in what might seem like a strange way. I imagine the worst that could happen, and get my brain thinking through how I would survive or cope with that. For this particular scenario, I imagined 1) they might not laugh, 2) I could get booed off the stage, 3) I could offend someone who doesn’t like my style of humor, 4) I would embarrass myself. Actually thinking through these makes it seem less scary to me. It’s something about putting words to the fear that makes it seem less daunting or all-consuming. I decided I could live through any of these worst-case scenarios – just a bit of a bruised ego to risk – and with all the preparation behind me, the only thing left to do was leap.

Last Saturday, it was show time.

I’m thrilled to say it went well. (You can watch it here. Note: Does include some profanity, so not for children.) And as I left the stage to applause and laughter, I experienced a massive adrenalin rush. It was incredible, and although my hands were shaking more than I’ve ever seen, it felt better than any rollercoaster or other thrill ride I’ve experienced.

There’s something about trying something new, pushing yourself to the edge, risking a bit, that has incredible rewards. Regardless of the outcome, you learn something from the experience.

What has life been tempting you to do differently? What small, or large, risk can you take today towards living the life you want?

Finding Your Way Back to Knowing

July 7, 2015emilydownward

When I began my life coach training program in January 2011, I had no idea that the journey I was beginning would completely change my life. To be honest, I hoped it would change my profession. (And it did.) But I didn’t realize the profound effects it would have on everything else. And I also believed that the journey would be the length of the program, about 9 months. However, the tools and skills I learned to help clients, as well as the direction to “live it to give it” and use the tools on ourselves, has changed how I approach every frustration, challenge, set-back, accomplishment and opportunity that comes my way.

A client recently asked me to share how I got to where I am now, and it is difficult for me now to relate to the woman I once was. There was a time, about 7-8 years ago, when I was so cut off from my feelings, both physically and emotionally. I was afraid to feel the pain that I thought would be never-ending that I numbed myself to it all. Unfortunately, you can’t selectively numb just the pain. In numbing – whether you choose to do it with prescriptions, legal or illegal substances or just stuffing your feelings – you also lose the ability to know at a deep level what you enjoy.

“Does that sound crazy?” clients ask me. “I don’t even know what I want.”

No, it doesn’t sound crazy. I’ve been there. And there is a way out of that place.

There’s a part of you that does know, that has always known. It doesn’t speak in words, so it is often overshadowed by the inner voice in our head that maintains a constant dialogue. We place so much emphasis and credibility on words, that the wordless knowing goes unnoticed.

I remember, back when I was disconnected from my inner knowing, from my spirit’s wisdom, when I would hear people say, “You have all the answers inside of you.” That would make me SO angry and frustrated. “NO I DON’T!” I felt like shouting, along with some choice profanity.

Sometimes, it helps to have a guide to take your hand, show you where the path is and how to find it again when you wander off. It’s my great joy to be able to do this work with others, to reconnect them with their inner wisdom, to help them find their path, and to teach them new ways to navigate this world.

What’s Wrong with Your Job?

March 24, 2015emilydownward

I talk to a lot of people who are unhappy or frustrated with their work. I hear them say things like, “I hate my job. I can’t stand how my boss treats me/my employees are lazy/my colleagues take credit for my ideas…I’m bored with this work and dread going into the office…”

We are so hard-wired to look for the negative – social scientists call it negativity bias – because it’s a survival instinct. Keeping our senses alert for danger and “what’s wrong” has helped us live as a species.

But it’s also created a habit of focusing on what we don’t want.

Our brain can be a marvelous, useful powerhouse to help us achieve our goals and dreams…when it’s focused on where we want to go. However, more often than not, we fall into the trap of spending all our time and attention on what we DON’T want.

I recently coached a client who wants to find something else to do with her career. She told me all about how her job is draining, the parts of the job she doesn’t like, and how she feels like she has to do this to maintain her income and her lifestyle. I momentarily stumped her when I asked:

“What do you love about your job?”

It’s not that there aren’t parts she loves, or parts that are lovable. It took her awhile to answer because she hasn’t been focused on the good.

When you refocus your brain on “what’s right,” whole new possibilities open up to your awareness. This is critical when you want to make a change like a career move, because if you’re solely focused on what’s wrong and how things have been, you don’t even see new opportunities.

It’s important to acknowledge the bad – we can’t clean up what we don’t acknowledge – but it’s equally important to acknowledge the good. So if you’re in a similar situation, start making a list for yourself of what’s going well, what you enjoy. You’ll notice over time, this gets easier. As your brain gets focused on the good, it finds more and more examples of it.

Whenever you’re beginning a new pattern, a new exercise or a new way of being, it can seem small and insignificant and impossible at first. Keep at it. You build new patterns of thought with persistence.

Curious how coaching could help your career satisfaction? Schedule a free 30-minute sample session with me. You’ll get a taste of coaching and applicable tips and tools to help you on your way.

Tips for Dealing with Overwhelm in Feeling

March 10, 2015emilydownward

When you’re overwhelmed by feeling, such as grief, anger, sadness or frustration, it may seem like it will never end. We have a natural tendency to resist these feelings, to stuff them or avoid them, and we may turn to things like food or alcohol to avoid feeling them. As Carl Jung wisely pointed out, “What you resist persists.” Pushing those feelings away or stuffing them deep inside only makes them stick around all that much longer. So how can you deal with them?

1. Feel them – Emotions are energy in motion, and they will pass through you if you allow them to. Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor noticed this when she was recovering from her stroke and no longer had the option of avoiding emotions. She felt each one pass through her and noticed it went through her body in about 90 seconds. When I’m in overwhelm in feeling, it may take me longer to process emotions than 90 seconds, so I try to find time when I can allow myself to fully experience what I’m feeling. And I like to remember Winston Churchill’s quote “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

2. Find ways to simplify – When I have experienced this kind of overwhelm, I have little to no ability to make decisions. Even the simplest decisions, like what to eat for lunch or what to wear, can seem overwhelming. To help myself create space to process my emotions, I simplify or eliminate the necessity of making small decisions. For example, I’ll make a large pot of butternut squash soup and eat it for lunches for the week, varying a side fruit or vegetable if I need variety.

3. Use music to soothe the soul – I am very moved by and affected by music, and I’ve found I can use it to help me get through overwhelming emotions. When I was going through a rough period of grief, I created a playlist I called “Recovery” that included songs that tapped into the sorrow as well as songs which spoke to empowerment. I also have certain songs I listen to (and sing loudly to) when I’m feeling intense anger or frustration.

4. Incorporate movement – As energy, emotions want to flow, and it can be helpful to incorporate action to help them move through your body. While some get significant release from running, others may find that the gentle movements of yoga or Tai Chi are more effective. Even taking a brief walk can help you to move stuck energy.

5. Give yourself loving kindness – The practice of loving kindness comes from the Buddhist tradition, and I love its simplicity and effectiveness. Loving kindness always begins with the self – sending yourself love, peace, wellness. From there it moves to those you love, and finally those you are in conflict with. One version of loving kindness is:

May I be safe. May I be well. May I be at peace.

May you be safe. May you be well. May you be at peace.

May we be safe. May we be well. May we be at peace

I learned a song version of this and recorded it to share with others: listen to the Metta Sutta.

If you’re currently in the throes of overwhelming emotion, I encourage you to treat yourself gently, and give yourself time to move through your feelings. The more you lean into it, the faster you get through it. And if you need help, consider scheduling a free 30-minute sample session with me for coaching.

Tips for Dealing with Overwhelm in Your Thinking

March 2, 2015emilydownward

I work with a lot of people who are dealing with overwhelm, whether that’s at work — trying to manage incredible pressures and responsibilities, not to mention that never-ending Inbox — or in their personal life — when everything falls apart and you don’t know where to begin to put the pieces back together again.

Overwhelm is defined as being overcome completely in mind or in feeling. It’s a state I’ve had quite a bit of personal experience with, and through experience and my coach training, I’ve learned some great tools to help me and my clients move through it. This blog post will focus on overwhelm in the mind, and I’ll share in another blog post about overwhelm in feeling.

Overwhelm in the Mind

When you are experiencing overwhelm in mind, or in your thoughts, it seems like your thoughts are racing and constantly churning. It may be difficult to sleep, to shut off your brain. When I’m experiencing this, here’s what I do:

1. Make a list of all the things on my “to do’s” – Getting all the things I have to or want to do out of my head and onto a list helps clear my mind because I don’t have to spend time remembering them. I also get satisfaction and a sense of completion when I can cross things off my list.

2. Prioritize – Looking at my list of to-do’s, I choose not only those which are the highest priority, but also those that will give me the highest return. Consider a 2×2 matrix of importance and urgency, which I learned years ago (attributed both to former President Eisenhower and Stephen Covey):

Obviously, the top right, those items which are high in importance and high in urgency are critical. But we tend to choose based on urgency, and often spend our precious resources (time and energy) in that bottom right corner (low importance, high urgency), when it would be better served in the top left (high importance, low urgency).

3. Meditate – It may seem like a waste of time to meditate when you already have lots to do, but I have found if I can take 15-30 minutes to meditate and still the racing thoughts, I end up with so much more clarity and focus that I’m much more productive afterwards.

4. Breathe – I know, it’s an automatic thing that you don’t have to think about, but when you’re in a state of overwhelm, you’re more likely than not going to be breathing very shallowly. The easiest and quickest way to get a little more peace into your body is to take three deep breaths. Relax your belly and breathe deeply and evenly. Do it three times, and your body gets the signal that you’re not in immediate danger. It shifts the chemicals in your body and mind and allows you to then access more of your creative brain.

If you’re experiencing overwhelm in your thoughts, I invite you to try these tips for a quick fix. And if your overwhelm has become a persistent habit that you’d like help shifting, consider scheduling a free 30-minute sample session with me for coaching.

Choosing Your Focus

January 29, 2015emilydownward

Emily_Downward_Coaching-Fisherman in Seattle — This man is not bothered by the gray sky melding into the gray sea at all.

When I told people I was moving to Seattle, several of them said, “You’ll hate it there! It rains all the time, and it’s so GRAY.”

I would just smile and reply, “It’s not for everyone.”

And while it does rain quite a bit in Seattle (especially this time of year), and the sky can be a dreary shade of gray, there’s also something more.

Green.

There is so much green here, from the green grass to the bright-almost-neon green of the mosses, the blue-green of the blue spruce, the Kelly green of the ferns, and the deeper shade of green in the Western Hemlocks. (Not to mention all the blue and green around town in support of the Seattle Seahawks.) When I walk through the forest, I’m awestruck by the lushness and the beauty, the evidence of life in everything around me.

Yes, Seattle is often gray. And, Seattle is very green. I think it’s a perfect example of the power of our ability to focus.

Emily_Downward_Coaching-pic of Seattle forest Our brains naturally look for the negative – being on the lookout for danger is a survival instinct we’re hardwired for. However, we can shift our perspective by consciously putting our attention on the positive. And what we give our attention and focus to grows. Are you focusing on what’s wrong? Or on what’s right? Which do you want more of?

Seattle also has several large bodies of water. There’s the Puget Sound, the Salish Sea, Lake Union, and Lake Washington. And when the sky is gray, the water reflects the gray. But when the sky is blue, the water becomes a beautiful shade of blue. Sometimes, we are like this. We unconsciously reflect back what we experience around us in the world. When people around us in the workplace or in traffic are stressed and angry, it’s easy to get angry and short with them as well.

But there’s another option. You can choose to be like the green growing things that are found throughout Seattle. Choose how you want to show up, no matter what the weather is like around you. $Emily_Downward_Coaching-pic of fractals in plant$

An Intentional New Year

December 30, 2014emilydownward

Rather than New Year’s resolutions, I now prefer to set intentions. To be honest, resolutions only kept me toeing the line for a few weeks, or possibly a month or two at best. Intentions feel much kinder to me. I like the concept of intentions so much, I set intentions at the start of any new program or course, and even at the beginning of each day.

Intention is defined as an aim or plan. I like that concept, since resolutions tend to get “should-y” and make me feel guilty for not being good enough. (I now believe this is a fallacy – we are each worthy just because we are. The “not good enough” refrain that all our brains churn out is a dirty lie that keeps us unhappy.) Intention is more about how you want to BE and less about what you DO or accomplish.

As you approach 2015, here are some questions to ask yourself:

What worked in 2014?
What didn’t work in 2014?
What predominant emotion would I like to FEEL in 2015?
What are my intentions for 2015?

My brain so easily goes to the negative that I must consciously redirect it to the positive, such as with the question “what worked?” Finding what worked is also a great way to leverage your successes for other areas. By determining how you work best, you can recreate the pattern, such as capitalizing on the time of day you work best or what personal rewards are most motivating for you.

And it’s still helpful to look at what didn’t work, to determine where you want to make course corrections. When I think of what didn’t work this past year, I think about the times when I fought against reality (always a losing proposition), when I was reluctant to surrender an idea of how things “should be,” and when I spent energy and time worrying about things that [thankfully] didn’t occur. So I intend to do less of that, and more of putting my energy and focus on more positive and productive ways of being.

So often we get caught up in the concept of being reactive, thinking that external forces are the primary driver of our feelings. However, the truth is we actually have much more influence over our feelings with the thoughts we choose to focus on. I find that by identifying how I want to feel, I can then notice more clearly when I’m not feeling that and consciously reach for my desired feeling state.

For much of 2014, I have focused on the pursuit of peace. I know I have made significant progress in this area since I feel much more peace on a regular basis, and I have recently had several people spontaneously comment on how much peace I’m radiating. I want to continue to feel peace in 2015, and I’m also going to add an intention for joy.

Wishing you all a very joyful and prosperous New Year!