EMBRACING YOUR POWER

What a wonderful topic for me to have the privilege to share with you!  I recently turned 40 years old and now, more than ever, I feel as if I have stepped into an authentic power.  For me adding the word authentic is paramount and turning 40 was the catalyst for change.  However we can embrace authentic power at any age.

One definition of the word power is “a position of authority”.  Then adding the word authentic is about accepting the truth, which is that the only real authority we have is over our own lives.  We have authority over the actions we take, the words we speak and the thoughts we believe.  Possessing authentic power is about owning our personal Divine path…It is about stepping up to whatever it is you are called to do. 

What did God put you here to have authority over?  Whatever it is, it is unique to you.  No one else can be it, feel it, or see it like you can.  You can embrace it by choosing to live it without hesitation, limitation or fear.  Seize your power with the confidence of knowing who and whose you are!

One of my favorite quotes is by Marianne Williamson, “Our biggest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our biggest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”  I keep the full quote on the back of my front door.  It is there to remind me, before I step out into the world, to be all that the Creator has intended for me to be.  I am reminded that playing small does not serve anyone.  Each one of us is responsible doing our part in enriching the world. 

I believe that in the end, when we all return to the Eternal Spirit as One, the only truth that will matter is whether or not we did whatever we were supposed to do to uplift humanity.  Or were we too busy living in fear and playing small?

It is like this…If you had a beautiful bright bulb that could illuminate your entire house, but you never turned it on--then you would live in darkness.  Embracing your authentic power is very much the same concept.  It is like turning on your spiritual light for the world.  Yours might just be the illumination that brings someone else out of confusion, suffering, and darkness.  Hmmm…when you think about it like that it really seems almost selfish to not become your most powerful self, right? 

So wait no longer—Step up today and Embrace Your Power!

Namaste,
Imani Evans, MA

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January's Health Article

HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH

Here’s To Your Health: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Count

At this time every year, people begin making affirmations for a better life. All bad habits become Enemy No. 1 as we aggressively try to force ourselves into new life-affirming habits.

Gym memberships, weight loss fads, the smoking patch, and credit consolidations -- in the beginning; we are as vigilant as warriors about besting our foes! Then, over time, we backslide into oblivion.

By spring not only have we abandoned our attack, but many of us have forgotten our mission!

The problem is this: we know in our gut that these are things we MUST change to live our best lives. Obesity, diabetes, cancers – they are all linked to our diet and health regimens. Lung cancer is PROVEN to kill! And bad debt isn’t anything healthy!

Below are a few tips taken from About.com/Mental Health. These tips will help you examine your desire for change, and keep you focused when the going gets rough.

1. Examine your motivation for change. What is your motivation for change?
If you can't think of a better reason than the fact that you're uncomfortable at this moment, then you're better off not making promises to yourself that you probably won't keep. However, if you are realistic and accept the responsibility of discipline required for change, your motivation will be sustained long after the discomfort from over-indulgence has passed.

2. Set realistic goals. Habits and behaviors that are changed gradually have a greater chance of success.

3. Focus on the behavioral change more than on the goal. For example, if you decide to control your eating, your goal for the day is not to lose a specific number of pounds, but to stick to your program. You will gain satisfaction from making sensible choices several times throughout the day.

4. Learn to redefine physical sensations of discomfort. Whenever we restrict ourselves, we have both physical and mental reactions. For example, a smoker feels bodily sensations when his nicotine level drops. However, he has a choice as to how he interprets these symptoms. He can define them as extremely unpleasant, or alternatively he can interpret them as his body cleansing itself of the drug.

5. Make tasks non-negotiable. People who are most successful at implementing such changes are those who make their tasks non-negotiable. For example, if you debate with yourself at 5:30 a.m. whether you feel like getting up to exercise, you will probably opt for staying in bed for another half hour. But if getting up for exercise is no more negotiable than getting up for work, then you'll do it regardless of how you feel about it.

6. Allow for imperfection. No one is exactly on target all the time. In fact you should expect to falter every now and then. If you give in to temptation, do not use this as an excuse to abandon the whole program. Learn from your mistake and move on.

7. Do it now. If you're waiting for a more convenient time to begin behavioral change, it won't happen. It's almost never convenient to change ingrained habits. Now is just as convenient as any time. And if you begin now rather than later, you'll have a jump on a more satisfying future.

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December's Health Article

Dealing with Disappointment and Anger
--Ayanna Hunt, P2M Editor

Recently, I called a close friend to “vent” some of my relationship woes. In the conversation, I rambled on for 15 minutes about who knows what, and then I hung up just moments before entering my workplace, never once realizing that she had not really said a word.

Minutes after I got into my office, I got an email from that same friend. Apparently my rapid-fire vent had opened an emotional vein within her and she really needed some face-to-face girl time.

Over a bottle of wine that night, she shared her frustration and – lets face it – rage over a recently failed relationship. Boy was she angry, and for months, that anger had been eating her up and taking a toll on her emotional and physical well-being.

Unfortunately I could relate. When I first separated from my husband, I was a Mad Black Woman! My philosophy was – if you want some, come and get some! And I was taking no prisoners. Eventually, the anger began to control me and erupted onto those I didn’t mean to hurt – including myself.

I had to dig deep to find the roots of that anger. Who was I mad at? And why? Was what happened to me so terrible that I had to lash out like a whip on fire? Then I remembered something that my mother once said to me when I found myself alone, scared and vulnerable.

“Deal with your emotions. It doesn’t matter if you are hurt, angry, embarrassed or joyful. Whatever it is – feel it and own it. Then you can leave it behind.”

So I tried it. Instead of dulling my pain with alcohol, food or drugs, I just sat with it (well, me and Aretha Franklin.). I ached and my soul bled. But each day, I awoke knowing more firmly what lay ahead. The jolts of numbing pain became less frequent, because I had already claimed that pain for strength. I talked to myself rationally. Life is predictably unpredictable! And I reminded myself constantly that God has a much bigger plan for me than I could ever imagine if I open myself up to HIM.

It is easy to blame others for our pain, but it robs us of the physical and emotional healing that comes when we face our own delusions and shortcomings. This is long-term toxic behavior! Not only does the displaced anger rot within our bodies and souls, but it prevents us from receiving the mighty blessing of transformation in our lives.

When we accept and claim life’s lemons – of which there are many – we can be ready to turn that sour into sweet lemonade. We are not afraid to take another stab at life and love. And – just like the air that we breathe – dealing with disappointment becomes a breeze. 

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