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It’s very easy to get caught up in doing things and behaving in a way that the world expects you to. There is such a pressure upon us to conform to the majority’s wishes. But who are you? Underneath the persona and image that you present to the world, and to yourself for that matter, who are you really? If you ever watch a young child, you can see them playing and behaving without feeling self conscious about what anyone else thinks. They act and think perfectly well for themselves. Then they begin to learn the boundaries of what is “acceptable behaviour” and when “they are being silly”. It is then that they begin to understand being self conscious and conforming to those around them. It is natural for a child to learn from older people what things are safe for them to do or not – and that is a good thing. What is perhaps not so helpful, is when those around them force them to behave in a way that doesn’t feel right or bring them joy. Recently I was watching a film by Dr Wayne Dyer called “The Shift” (which is a brilliant film and well worth seeing). In the film, Wayne describes to a mother (who’s constantly on at her children because she’s terrified they’ll upset or annoy those around them) that he practices what is called “non interference”. He explains that each one of us has a compass within that guides us and we each need to learn how to use it to navigate through life. Children, indeed everyone, learns to use this compass at some point and does not need constant badgering and hassling from others to force them to do things the way the other person wants them to. As we grow older our Ego Self tends to get more of a grip over us, how we behave, and who we portray to others. This is not who we really are. We are not the responsibilities or the role that we force upon ourselves. We are Beings of Divine Source having a physical experience. Deep within each of us is the loving, patient, joyful, sharing, creating, expanding, powerful, and beautiful authentic self. We are perfect. Whole. Connected. Rather than trying to force others to do things and behave in the way we want them to because that would make us happy, better to connect with who we really are and then help others do the same. When we act from a place of centredness and connection with the Divine Source within, we understand that we are all connected and so do not try to force others to our will, or be negative towards them in any way. Becoming and staying centred is not something that can necessarily be achieved easily over night. However, with each passing moment, with each passing breath, we can use our intention to connect with our pure and authentic selves. If we find we’re disconnected and being grouchy or irritable because someone isn’t doing what we want them to, it’s then that we can remind ourselves to take a deep breath and reconnect with the Divine Source within. It’s all about choice and intention. Intend to connect with the Divine Source within you and it will become easier with time… to the point that you’re doing it without thinking about it. At the same time, when you’re interacting with others, intend to connect with their authentic self too. Aim to see past the illusion Ego Self and interactions can be a whole lot smoother and enjoyable.
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 What do you think of your body? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Do you think it’s OK? Do you love it? Take a few minutes just to think about your body. Are there bits that you like and bits that you don’t? What would you change if you could? And if you could change it, why would you want to change it? For yourself or to please others? Excuse my Socratic questioning to start this week’s musing as there aren’t really any right or wrong answer to those questions. However there are helpful and unhelpful answers in terms of how you think and treat yourself. In life, people tend to think about and treat us in a similar way to how we think about and treat ourselves. So if you don’t like the way you look then people around you will respond to that. I think many of us have days where we look in the mirror and think “do you know, I’m not half bad” and we go out feeling good. The response we get from others is typically the same I find. They smile and are much more complimentary about me. Now I’m not saying we should all go out looking for compliments – after all, at the end of the day what other people think about us and whether they think we’re “attractive” or not really doesn’t matter. The thing to remember is this, The All That Is (of which you are most definitely a part) created the body in which your Soul currently resides. Everything that the All That Is creates is perfect and beautiful. Therefore, you must be perfect and beautiful too. Think about it this way. You have the perfect body for what you need to achieve and learn in this physical experience you’re having right now. Another body would most certainly now allow you to learn what you need to learn as effectively.  Now here’s another take on it. Masuru Emoto, is a man who did lots of experiments upon water crystals and the effect that emotions, actions and feelings had upon them. He found that when you focused angry and negative thoughts at water, the crystals within it became malformed and unpleasant to look at. Whereas when positive, happy, and joyful thoughts were focused the crystals became even more beautiful and wonderfully formed. 
Why am I telling you about this obscure Japanese Scientist? Well… think about your body again for a moment. It is made up of around 70% water. So…. If we take the principle that your thoughts and emotions affect water crystals in a glass of water, they will also affect the water within your own body. Ergo, the better you think about yourself the more healthy you can become. This relates too to how you think about other people. Your thoughts and feelings will have an effect upon those around you in the same way.
Now if you’ve spent most of your life telling yourself negative things about how you look “I’m fat”, “I’m ugly” “I’m not attractive” telling yourself the opposite can be quite challenging and end up being completely counter-productive. So why not try “Today I’m going to like myself more for who I am” or something one those lines. Or “just for today I’m going to love myself for me” or “I accept all of myself, deeply and completely”. Not only will this have a positive effect upon your physical body, it will also help to reprogram your subconscious mind.
Remember, energy follows thought – this has been demonstrated both by Mr Emoto, and other quantum physicists around the world. You literally “are what you think”. Final reminder – you are a beautiful being and everything about you is perfect right now. I’ll say it again – you have the perfect body right now to teach you everything you need for this physical experience. Love it and appreciate it for giving you the opportunity to have this physical experience. |
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 Who were you yesterday? Take a moment to think about the following: - who you were
- what you were doing
- why you were doing it
- how you were feeling
- how you were behaving
So what did you come up with? Did you find that easy or hard? To be honest it doesn’t really matter what your answers were to those descriptors because what does matter is who you will be today. We are not who we were yesterday. Indeed, in each new moment we are not who we were just a moment before that! We cannot be. Our bodies are changing all the time, as is the world around us. This means that our experiences, every single one of them, also affect us so that we are different from who we were previously. The reason for these rhetorical questions is to remind you that you can be who or whatever you want at any given time.  Remember when you were a child, you probably dressed up and “played” at some point. Perhaps you had a dressing up box too – we didn’t but I wish we did! Anyway, if you think back, or actually watch young children dressing up, they really take on the roles of who they’re pretending to be. For that few hours of play, that child really is “Superman” or “The Doctor” or “Wonder Woman” and so on. The thing about these roles as you get older is that the more you “play” at the role, the more you actually become it. You are teaching yourself to behave in a particular way. The thing with us as we get older and play out different roles is that forget that we can take off the particular costume and either be someone else, or just really be ourselves. By that latter statement I mean the authentic, loving, compassionate, forgiving, understanding, and lots of other positive “ings” – because that’s who we really are. Soul consciousness which is just a part of The All That Is. We also need to remember that the others are really not the roles they play – they also are Consciousness incarnate. The Ego would have us believe the roles we and others play to keep us in a place of stagnation and fear. You know that the little girl in the fairy costume is still the little girl you know and love even if she is “being a fairy” right now. So too are you the loving Soul underneath the role of “grumpy person” that you may sometimes choose to be. It’s important to remind ourselves that we can be whoever or whatever we want to be. Our past only restricts us if we allow it to. Knowing that you are not the person you were yesterday, who will you be today? What do you want to feel? What will you do to make yourself happier and more in touch with who you really are? You are Soul Consciousness – will you choose that or will you allow the Ego to choose a role for you? Whatever you choose, remind yourself that, in any given moment, you can always choose something different. |
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 We are all more than what we do and what we actually see. Bear this in mind the whole time you read this musing and, indeed, for the rest of your life. For it is true – we are more than what we do.
A few experiences have really brought this to the front of my mind recently and I’d like to share them with you.
I was watching a drama on TV recently about a group of forensic pathologists who work with the police to solve crimes (Silent Witness). A recent episode was about gang culture and turf wars around London – no so very far from where I live. I found it quite disturbing to watch groups of youths gang raping girls to initiate them into the group, and also the senseless violence of stabbing each other to show prowess and mark territory. Now whilst this was just a television show, this kind of behaviour can be borne out just by listening to the news.
I found it quite shocking not only because of what I saw but also the anger, resentment and hidden prejudices I found within me. The latter upset me the most I think. I found myself getting quite fearful about being attacked given how close all these (well known) trouble spots are to where I live – in spite of the fact that I’ve lived here for 13 years without any problems whatsoever! The anger and resentment towards these groups was quite pronounced and that I find disturbing too. It was then that I heard in my head a calm voice saying “remember, we are all more than what we do and what we see”. This calm voice cut right through the fear and allowed me to become centred again.
The Ego is a thing that would have us stay in a place of fear and stagnation – not moving forward and needing to put others down to a) get ahead and b) make us feel good about ourselves. We attack when we feel threatened and we learn behaviour from what we see around us. These youths on the program were clearly acting in a way that they had learned from watching those around them, and also because behaving in that way made them feel better about themselves. Whether or not we agree with what they did it is what we can find ourselves doing when we don’t know any other way of making ourselves feel better and safer.<br> <br> I have also witnessed a couple of arguments by people around me who have verbally attacked each other because they fear not being good enough and/or not being loved. This is the Ego in play again – making us believe that we need to behave this way in order to feel better about ourselves and to show others that we are worth more. When people are aggressive and attack all it is, in the grand scheme of things, is a cry for love.
 This all stems from a place of fear of not being loved and worth loving. Simple as that. Underneath the Ego, is the beautiful Soul-Self that is connected to everyone and everything. That is who and what we truly are. When we Know this it becomes so much easier to show compassion, understanding, and forgiveness. It doesn’t mean that what the other person has done was right – just that it is their Ego and no who they really are. This means that we can continue loving them for the beautiful Soul that they are, forgive them for what they have done, and allow the hurt, grief, and anger to dissolve away.
The key message from this really is: choose to look past the Ego of those you meet and interact with, and, using your intention, connect with the amazingly beautiful Soul that lies in the centre. Do this for yourself too…. For that is the true essence of who we really are.
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 “Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow.” ~ Dorothy Thompson Although we may not understand it at the time, everything in life happens for a reason. At the heart of everything that happens is learning, growth, and evolution. That’s such an important and key thing to understand that I’m going to repeat it “Everything we experience helps us to grow, learn and evolve”. Bearing in mind we are all a part of the All That Is, when we grow and evolve, so too does Collective Consciousness/The All That Is. What prompted me to write today’s thought was an excellent television programme I watched last night about Mo Mowlam. For those who do not know, Mo was an MP who became the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland back in the 90s when New Labour were elected as the British Government. This was the time when the IRA and Sinn Fein were still actively causing violence and destruction and Mo was sent over to Northern Ireland to broker peace – which she did. Relax now as this is not going to be a political broadcast I promise. At the same time, Mo was told she had a brain tumour and had to deal with the outcomes of that and the radiotherapy. Rather than just sit back and wait for the inevitable, Mo used the illness to drive herself and motivate herself to do what she needed to do. Some might say she was unscrupulous in her use of her wig to gain the advantage during the peace talks! However, pulling her wig off didn’t cause anyone to get hurt and, if she hadn’t lost her hair she wouldn’t have been able to use the removal of her wig to help break down barriers. Later on, it becomes clear that Mo may well have had her tumour for many years before it became known. Further, the tumour itself affected her behaviour and her personality – what she went through on finding that out was distress about knowing who she really was. What was really “Mo Mowlam” and what was really “tumour” in terms of her personality.  The point here is not about political leanings and views, but about understanding the key thing behind the story. If Mo hadn’t had tumour, would she really have been able to do what she needed to do? Who knows. The long and short of it is, she became aware of it, and dealt with it. Sure there were times when I’m sure she felt dreadful physically, mentally, and emotionally because of it, but that didn’t stop her. She used it to her advantage rather than just giving up and moaning about it.
This kind of story can make you think about your own life and the things that you’re dealing with. Are they really as bad as all that, that you give up? Or will you accept what is, try to change what you can, and keep heading towards the things that you really want? Hindsight is a wonderful thing if used correctly. It can help you see where in your life major things have happened that, at the time, were quite traumatic, but in the long-term actually benefited you, your life, and the lives of those around you in positive ways. It’s worth reflecting upon your own life right now and the things you’re dealing with. What is the learning for you? How can you use it to push yourself forward and be the best you that you can be? |
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 Think of a time when you met someone you really like and admire. It could be recently, it could be some time ago, but think back to that meeting. Think about how you were feeling when you spoke to that person. Picture it in your head if you can. What did they say that made you feel good? What did they do that made you feel good? It might just be that you enjoy being in their company and feel comfortable, safe, happy, and peaceful while they’re near you. It’s wonderful to feel like that because of being around someone else isn’t it. But here’s the thing…. All the other person is really doing, is reflecting back to you that comforting, beautiful light that you have yourself. What we look for in others is what we actually see in ourselves, whether or not we realise that. That’s why we sometimes get cross with someone – because we experience them doing something that, deep down, we can sometimes see in ourselves. What we look for in others is mostly an unconscious thing. Unless we actively choose to live in the Now (i.e. in the present moment) we float through life automatically looking for things in others that we see in ourselves. Like attracts like. The more we see the good things in others, the more they reflect back to us the good things we see in ourselves. Ultimately, meaning we focus more on the good things and magnify them, shrinking and dissolving the “bad” things so they no longer exist. There really are no such things as “bad” things – although I know there are some who will read this and completely disagree. Fear isn’t a bad thing – it’s just very unhelpful. Everything we do has different outcomes. Some are helpful, others are unhelpful – that doesn’t make them bad – just different. The more we love ourselves and shine our light, the more we dissolve the fears within us and our lives. Standing in our own power and light we see that reflected in those we meet for, remember, we are ALL a part of the same thing. Therefore, the beautiful Light and warmth you see in others, is also in you! It’s worth making a note of the things you notice in other people that you admire and that make you feel good. The more you notice them in others, the more you can notice them in yourself. Especially when you remind yourself “The people I meet mirror the beautiful Light within me – and so that is all I will look for”. |
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 When I was very young, my sister and I used to listen to a record (an LP… so quite a long time ago!) which was an adventure story about Noddy and Big Ears for children. The story was based on the lines of Noddy feeling self confident and being proud of who he was. However, he took it too far and became quite arrogant which resulted in his head swelling so much that his hat wouldn’t fit. He was rude to people because he wanted them to see how clever he was. His friends offered to help him but at first he ignored them and told them he didn’t need their help. Eventually he found that returning to school was the only thing he could do to learn that others were just as clever as he, albeit in slightly different ways. Eventually Noddy realised how over-proud he’d been and his head reduced to its normal size meaning he could wear his hat again.
I hope you enjoyed that little story ☺ Now the lesson here for Noddy was to learn humility and not be arrogant. There are also elements here of not comparing ourselves with others and judging them (and ourselves) negatively.
Whilst it is not helpful to be arrogant and overly-proud, neither is it helpful to be so humble as to disrespect all the things we have achieved. It’s OK to feel good about yourself and the things that you have achieved. As the quote by Marianne Wiliamson suggests, when we love and respect ourselves (honestly and without arrogance) we help others to see that they can do that too. If we keep putting ourselves down not only does it make us feel bad, and not only are we giving others permission to do the same to us, we’re also showing them that it’s OK to that to themselves too! Children watch their parents and guardians and emulate their behaviour. If we cannot love and respect ourselves how on earth can we expect those we teach, and those around us to love and respect themselves and us as well?
At the start of each year many of us make New Year’s Resolutions, or define goals, aims, achievements for the forthcoming year. As part of that process it’s good to have milestones in place so you can track your progress and see how far you’ve come. It’s also good to build in treats and rewards (or whatever you prefer to call them) as well. If you don’t honour yourself and the steps you’ve taken so, can you really expect to achieve what you set out to?
If you feel you’ve done a good job it’s OK to feel good about it. If you’re pleased with something you’ve achieved, or a situation you’ve handled, or someone you’ve helped, etc, etc, that’s OK! It’s even OK to talk to people about it… where it becomes unhelpful is when that’s the only thing you talk about and when you start thinking you are better than everyone else. It’s not a case of “being better than others”, it’s about loving and respecting yourself for the journey you’re on and the wonderful steps forward you are taking.
Be aware of how you speak to yourself when you’ve done something that, if someone else had done it, you’d have congratulated them. Remember, the more you love and respect yourself, the more you give permission to others to do the same for themselves and for you.
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 For many people, the New Year brought with it goals, aims, objectives, and dreams which they want to achieve by the end of the year and beyond. The first few days everything goes well with lots of “feeling good” emotions going on which provides the driving force to achieve what they want. However, we’re getting to a crucial time where the initial “drive” can begin to wane somewhat, especially when it comes to things like giving up smoking or losing weight.
Let me take you back to when you were learning to ride a bike or learning to swim, or even learning to walk! Have you ever watched a baby learning to walk? They just keep on trying – no matter how many times they fall over, they just get up and try again. Even if they get hurt falling over and have a cry, they still carry on trying. Why do you think that is? Partly to do with a hereditary push to walk, no one has told the child to stop learning or that it’s “too difficult so give up”.
As we grow up, we learn that there are certain things that we don’t have to do to live but if we did them we’d probably be a lot happier. At school we learned things because we were told to and because we knew that, if we didn’t, we’d either get into trouble or not get good results in exams etc. At work we do our work because we know if we don’t we’ll get told off or potentially fired. Do you see the link here? Very often in our lives we’ve done things and kept at them because we’ve feared what the consequences might be if we don’t. So when it comes to our personal lives there isn’t this fear and so it’s easier to “give up”.
So for the things you want to achieve, let us look at it another way. Do we really need to be motivated by fear to get things done? Can we not be motivated by other means instead? Such as feeling fantastic when we’ve done what we wanted to do? Such as feeling the relief when we see how our bank balance has improved? Such as feeling the joy when we can fit into that pair of jeans that have been sitting in the wardrobe for 2 years gathering dust? And so on.
Now is a crucial time for keeping on going. Results aren’t always necessarily obvious at first and that can be a bit disheartening. That’s why focusing on all the good things that will happen as a result of your having done what you said you’d do can really help keep you motivated. Every January I stop drinking alcohol for the whole month, and I also give something up during lent. Neither of these are particularly focused on anything religious or being healthy for me. In my case I do it to prove to myself that I can achieve anything I want if I just keep going.
So while you’re thinking about your aims and dreams for this year, start writing down what it will look like when you’ve achieve it. What will you hear said about you and what will you say? How will you feel? What will success taste and smell like? Keep this near you for those moments when you feel like giving in. Talk to others to help keep yourself motivated and so on. One last thing to remember, it’s just when we’re about to give up that things either get easier or are about to be achieved. As Kate Bush sings:
“Don't give up
'Cause you have friends
Don't give up
You're not beaten yet
Don't give up
I know you can make it good”
So believe in yourself, keep on going, and know that, at the end of the day, you are worth investing your time and effort into – never forget that. Oh and one other last thing… it only takes about 21 days to make something into a habit ;-)
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 There’s a line in Star Wars (Episode IV – or the first Star Wars for those of you who are old enough to remember it coming out in 1977!) where Princess Leia says to Grand Moff Tarkin “The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers”. Now I realise that there probably isn’t a Grand Moff amongst you reading this, or that you are trying to control Star Systems in the Universe! However, it’s quite a good metaphor for life, don’t you think? Have you noticed that the more you try to hang onto things the more they seem to be slipping away? The fear we have of losing things is just drawing the loss closer and closer. Remember the law of attraction – wherever you put your attention is what you attract more of. So the more you fear something, the more you give it your attention, the more likely it is that it will happen. Another metaphor here is holding sand in your hand. The more you squeeze your grip on the sand, more of it actually leaks out between the gaps. You could of course decide to get a bag and fill the bag up with sand and carry that with you but, in the end, the bag will become heavy and cumbersome and just weigh you down. Also, carrying that bag of sand around with you will inhibit your ability to carry other things that you’ll need later on. So if you let go of the sand, it leaves your hands free to carry anything else that comes your way. Another thing about this too, of course, is that if everyone went to the beach and took a bag of sand, in the end there’d be no sand for anyone to play with. So we’d all lose out. Better to have a day on the beach and have a wonderful time, with memories that you can take away with you, and leave the sand there for others (and for yourself) for another day. All these analogies and metaphors are like life – the more you try desperately to hang onto things, money, friendships, possessions, etc the more you are actually squeezing them out of your life. You’re also blocking the flow so you’ll stop anything new coming your way. As we move into December and the end of the year, it’s a great time to really think about the previous year and let go of anything you don’t need for next year. New Year’s Eve – the end of one year and the beginning of a new. Do you really want to be starting next year loaded down with a bag of sand that, really, has served its purpose already? It’s worth thinking about those things in your life that you’re gripping hold of where it would benefit you much more to open your hands and let them flow. Chances are that the Universe has something new and more exciting to give to you. You’ll also be giving others the opportunity of experiencing those things for themselves too – thus helping to make the world a better place. Let Go. Allow. Experience the joy of expansion.
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 The answer to that rhetorical question is: yes of course you are! One important thing for us all to understand about life is that it never sends us anything that we are incapable of dealing with. God/The All That Is/Source has a view and opinion of us that we are, we always have been, and always will be... good enough. It is just not possible for Source to create something that is not good enough - and that includes you, and me, and everyone else having this physical experience. And yet, we still question that don't we. As we go through life we experience contrast - i.e those little, and sometimes not so little (!), bumps and jolts that provide us with opportunities to learn and grow. However we have the propensity to see them as negative, too hard, and usually bloody annoying! It's all about perception. Remember, we came here to have this physical experience in order to take part in contrast. That's the whole point. As we learn and grow, so too does the All That Is because, like it or not, we are all a part of it and can never be separated from it. Separation from Source and from each other is just an illusion. A useful illusion in many senses because it allows us the opportunity of experiencing different aspects of the whole, such that we can learn from these interactions. No matter where you are on your own development path, you are always good enough. For many years I struggled with the notion that I am good enough to teach the people who come to me. I had this "thing" going on in my head that I needed "just one more qualification" or "just one more course" and I'd have enough to be taken as a credible spiritual teacher, mentor, and coach. The thing is, the more courses I did from this aspect, the more I felt there was always more for me to learn before I could be taken seriously. In some respects this was actually very true - there is always more for me to learn and not a day goes past without my learning something new. I also needed to learn that to be taken seriously as a teacher and mentor all I actually needed to do was believe in myself. Whether or not we see it this way: Every one of us teaches others; Every one of us is also always learning and developing; Every one of us will continue teaching and learning until the day we leave this physical world; Every one of us will continue teaching and learning after we leave this physical experience. The All That Is, is constantly creating and expanding and, because we are a part of this, so too are we. So no matter where we are on our own development path, we will always be good enough to teach those who come to us. Always. We may not end up teaching them what they initially came to us for but teach them we will. The key here is not to compare ourselves with those who are teaching us, or those who come to us for teaching. There will always be those who are further along their path than we, and there will always be those who are not. So cut yourself a bit of slack and love yourself for exactly where you are right now. Remind yourself that if someone comes to you to learn something, it's because they believe you can otherwise they wouldn't be knocking on your door. The All That Is, never gets things wrong, so learn to accept that it wouldn't have sent those people or challenges to you if it didn't think you were good enough to deal with them. Affirm to yourself "I am good enough".
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The other day, I was sitting in a room with people I hadn't seen for ages and something sparked a memory in me from my childhood which caused a negative reaction in me. It was something that happened when I was about 4 or 5. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and stepped on something and broke it accidentally. I remember that everyone in the room was cross with me, a couple of people shouted and I remember feeling quite hard done by. After all, it was an accident.
As I sat in the room, remembering this, I started to feel cross and hurt again as I replayed the event over and over in my mind. And then I heard this voice in my head saying, quietly but clearly, "it really doesn't matter any more Alun". It was like someone had switched on a light to help me see more clearly.
Now, rationally of course, I knew that it didn't matter at all. We all remember things in our own way and in accordance of our own model of the world. I remembered feeling angry and upset that everyone thought it was my fault when the thing shouldn't have been in the doorway in the first place etc. Other people in the room were probably angry because I came running in without paying attention and not being very apologetic at first when I did step on the thing. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. It happened. There's just no need to go over the whys and wherefores about what happened. Just let go of the negative feelings and bring myself back to the present.
It's funny, isn't it, how we can be walking down the street or doing something really commonplace when a memory like that just pops up and says "hello! I'm here! Time to get angry about this!". The great part of living in the present means that, if we choose to, we can look at those memories with detachment and say "it really doesn't matter". Why spend all that energy remembering something that caused us pain and reliving that pain and anger again and again? We have enough challenges to keep us busy right now rather than worrying about old challenges that a) keep us living in the past and b) renew thoughts of anger and negativity that make us feel bad.
Don't spend time thinking now about old negative stuff that you're still carrying around, BUT, do be aware of it when it rears it's ugly head. Then, take a deep breath and, as you exhale, let go of it and say to yourself "It really doesn't matter…." Make a point of being aware, as you go through this week, of where your thoughts are. Are they going over old situations that make you feel bad? If you do, don't be cross with yourself, just let it go in the way I suggested and bring your focus back to the present moment.
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 There are times in life when we feel incredibly trapped, bored, seem to be like a hamster in a wheel. "Aaaaaarrgh! " we say to ourselves "What's wrong with my life?!"
There have been days where I've felt like that it's true and what I tend to do on days like that is just get out of the house, go for a walk, and grab a coffee in the village. By the time I get back I'm usually feeling a lot better. However, if I'm not, which doesn't happen often but does happen, I think of something silly to do that I wouldn't normally - wear odd socks, walk backwards around the house or when I'm in the Park, stand in the middle of Blackheath Green and just shout.
Sometimes we need something so out of the ordinary to happen to us that shakes us up and helps us wake up again. However, we can't always rely on the world to do that for us, we also need to grab the bull by the horns and do something for ourselves.
I remember an email that was circled about 10 years ago called "Office Cricket" and for each thing you did on the list you scored runs. There were some really silly things on there which really made me giggle, like walking into your bosses office and switching the light off and on 10 times then just walking out (score 5 runs), or keep calling a colleague Fred (5 runs), (quite outrageous behaviour really) standing up at the end of the meeting and saying that it had moved you so much that you feel you need to sing the national anthem (50 runs) and actually singing it (100 runs!).
It's good to stretch our boundaries and do something out of the ordinary that others don't expect. Now, I'm not suggesting we do anything horrible to anyone else! Indeed not. Although I'm sure a stretch of hospitality courtesy of Her Majesty would certainly shake one's life up a bit! I'm also not suggesting you do anything that will get you fired from your job either! But doing something very different from how we normally do can really help us realise that we are alive and that we really do have control
So, this week, try to inject a bit of spark and outrageousness into your days. Walk to work a different way (or backwards!), smile at everyone you meet, wear a red nose on Friday  , eat in a different place for lunch, drink tea instead of coffee, walk naked around your house for a day (unless you normally do that anyway!). Give yourself some fun and really push your boundaries. Remind yourself that there is nothing you cannot be, do or have if you really set your mind to it. And, above all, HAVE FUN!
With love and blessings
Alun
Emerald Heart Practitioner Spiritual Life Coach EFT Practitioner Seichem Reiki Teaching Master NLP Practitioner
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