5 questions to ask about your relationships
to help create
an incredible life.
1. In which relationships do you feel
fully alive?
This is
the number one question to ask.What makes these relationships and
what about them make you feel fully alive or what keeps you from
feeling fully alive when you are in these relationships? We attract
people who reflect ourselves.Maybe we are limiting ourselves or
maybe we need to make a shift in ourselves to feel fully alive with
ourselves and others.If we are limiting ourselves to be able to be
around others maybe we need to limit the time we spend in the
limiting relationship and seek out other relationships that are
fully expressed.
2. How does your "memetic"
environment affect your
relationships?
Our memetic environment is established when we
integrate what we've learned, both positive and negative, from our
families, friends, and society into beliefs, thoughts, ideas,
concepts, etc.This process can also be referred to as a type of
social conditioning. As we were growing up many of us heard "misery
loves company".? How many of
us now play the "ain't it awful" game with those at work, our
families and our friends??
How many people in your relationship environment play "isn't
it wonderful".Which game would make you feel fully alive? Changing
your thoughts, beliefs, ideas, etc. to benefit yourself and others
can lead to living an incredible life.
3. How is your relationship with
yourself?
This
question is hard for many people to answer.A lot of people (going
back to the memetic environment) were taught not to put much
emphasis on themselves.The first relationship we need to develop is
the relationship with ourselves.?
Do you like yourself?You reflect your feelings toward
yourself by how you take care of yourself, how you dress, what books
you read, what movies you watch, what and how much you eat, etc.You
must first like yourself in order for others to like or love
you.
4. How does your physical environment
affect your relationships?
Clutter in our environment can take away energy from
our relationships.Also?pay attention to?how your furniture is
arranged.I recently noticed when people walked into my living room,
they had obstacles to go around to be seated.There is plenty of
seating it was just not easy to get to.The area now has been
rearranged to make it more accessible and welcoming to others.Take a
look around at your physical space, if you were a visitor would you
feel comfortable?Arrange your physical environment so that people
will feel comfortable and welcome.
5. In what ways does your
financial environment affect your
relationships?
Do you operate from a scarcity point of view or do you
embrace one of abundance?
Successful people, having an incredible life,
associate with others who are able to have a dialogue with them
about good money managing techniques, investment strategies as well
as how they give back to their community and give to special
projects.? Generally those
who respect themselves also respect the value and possibilities
money brings to them.
These
questions help us look at our relationships and begin to learn what
is working and what needs change.When we strengthen our environments
we use less effort to create and keep an incredible life.Contact me:
Jo@theretirementenvironment.com?for a free
collaborative session to?create the incredible life you
want!
PS.Happy Valentine's
Day!
Wow, spring is
finally here!
It
depends on where you live if it really feels like spring, but even
if it doesn’t right now it won’t be long. Here, in Macon, Ga. we are starting our Cherry
Blossom Festival. Each
year we hold our breath to see if the cherry blossoms will be late,
early or right on time. There are some scouts peeking out to see if
the others will soon want to join. This year the rest will
probably start popping out at the end of the week just in time for
the finale.
The Cherry Blossom Festival represents many things to
each person and to the city as well as the county. Although the festival was
originally started as a way to draw tourists and their dollars it is
also a way for people to get back out in nature and enjoy all the
new beginnings. It is a way for friends and families to gather to
share time together, a way for people to learn about new
cultures-especially since people from all over the world travel here
and also because the cherry trees were brought to Macon from Japan,
it is a way for us to reconnect with all aspects of nature and it is
a way to celebrate life.
How are you planning on celebrating life and spring
this year? Here are
some questions to think about:
Are there changes you would like to make in your
physical space?
Do you share this time of year with friends and
family?
Do you have a network in which you can share
resources, strengths, and create new partnerships that will enhance
your life and business?
Is this spring a signal to you to start looking at
your finances?
Do you seek a deeper spiritual connection in the
spring?
Are your beliefs and values (memes) holding you back
or moving you forward?
Do you use enthusiasm, curiosity, commitment,
patience, generosity, etc. as attitudes you will use throughout your
day?
Is it time to schedule health check ups or restart an
exercise program?
How are you taking advantage of the changing
seasons?
Now is the time to start reconnecting with the world
and life. The blossoms
will only last about 2 weeks but the new beginnings you make now
will propel you to a forward moving future.
April 2005
What keeps you from getting what
you want?
"If you expect the best you will be the best. Learn
to use one of
the most powerful laws in this world; change your
mental habits to
belief instead of disbelief. Learn to expect,
not to doubt. In so doing,
you bring everything into the realm of
possibility."
-Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
Is there something you really want to do or something you really
want to
have in your life? What keeps you from doing it or
having it? Are you afraid
others will disapprove? Does some part
of you fear being successful? Do people
say that you are too
old? Did you learn from others you are inadequate? Do
you feel
insecure?
Many times we learn limiting thoughts from others mainly because
someone
taught them the same thing. When we believe our limiting
thoughts, we develop fears
and then our fears become a self
fulfilling prophecy. If we learn to take action and face
our
fears we find that there is abundance in the world as well as within
ourselves. Each time
we try something we learn from it even if
it doesn't produce the results we were seeking.
Sometimes the
results are better than we expected. Sometimes we find we need to
change our
course. By taking action even when we are afraid it
keeps us moving forward.
-So many of our dreams
at first seem
impossible,
and then, when we summon the will,
they soon
become inevitable.-
-Christopher Reeve-
Email Jo at: jo@theretirementenvironment.com
And make
sure to visit the website: www.theretirementenvironment,com
(C) Jo Caywood-2005
May 2005
5 steps in devloping a
vision.
"Since you are like no other being ever created since the
beginning of time you are incomparable." Brenda Ueland
We are in many ways like snowflakes, we are all different.
Different shapes, sizes, colors, ages, wants, needs, etc. As
children we develop individual personalites, then as we grow into
our teen years we strive to be more like the people that surround
us. As adults we move back and forth from being individual to being
like others. In midlife many of us start seeking our true selves.To
start this process we first need a vision. A vision is what you see,
feel or hear yourself doing in the future. It gives you direction
but also encompasses your values, wishes and dreams.
Start this week to develop your own vision. If developing a
vision for the rest of your life is overwhelming, start small and
develop a vision for the rest of the year.
1. Get a piece of
paper, a notebook,a journal, a voice recorder, or something you can
use to brainstorm ideas.
2. List,record or draw as many ideas as
you can. List,record or draw what you see, feel or hear yourself
doing,who is with you, where are you living, how are you living, are
you working, what are your recreational activities, how is your
health, and anything else you want in your vision. To think of the
ideas you may want to meditate, set intentions, keep a dream
journal, regular journal or any other technique with which you feel
comfortable.
3. Now look at your list, drawings or listen to your
recording. Have you left out anything? Is there anything you want to
delete?
4. Now develop a story (or drawing) integrating all the
ideas you have and that you want to keep as a part of your
life.
5. Go over this vision from time to time and see if it
changes.
Email Jo at: jo@theretirementenvironment.com
And make
sure to visit the website: www.theretirementenvironment.com
(C) Jo Caywood-2005
June 2005
Visualization
(Continued)
This month we continue the discussion on visualization
and integrating it into our everyday lives.Only you have the ability
to mainfest what comes into your life.Throughout your life paople
have told you what to do and how to do it. Now that you are older
you are in the driver's seat.
Part of what holds us back is what we learned from
others and helped us get through our childhood and to the point we
are at now in our lives. Now, though, we have an inner knowing that
we want more out of life. What we learned form others is a part of
our conditioning of how to be safe and get by in the world. Now it
is time to let go of the ideas, beliefs, and images that say we
"can't or shouldn't" do what we want to do in life.(There is still
one caution though, that what you want will come easier if it
does not cause intentional harm to others.)
Action Steps: Continue to work on
your visualizations.
Set Goals in you visualizations:
Your day has the same 24 hours in it that is available to
everyone else on this planet. Divide it into portions. Use the
following formula as a general guide but customize it to fit your
life and needs. You will automaticially reserve 8 hours for sleeping
so that leaves 16 hours for you to divide using the formula.
- 10 percent of the day is spent on planning for the future.
- 10 percent of the day is spent on educating yourself or
gathering information on information that is important to your
goals.
- 50 percent of the day is for necessities.
- 15 percent of the day is spent on personal things that affect
you: ie. a massage, a long bath, talking to friends, etc.
- 15 percent of the day is discretionary and flexible.
Create a visualization of each day.
- Journal each day about how your time is divided and how it is
spent.
- Journal about the feelings you have around how you spent your
time.
- Adjust your schedule accordingly.
- practice this for 6 weeks or longer.
- At the end of the 6 weeks look at how things are different.
- Keep doing this as a way of life and look at the visualization
of your day to make adjustments when necessary.
Please email me with the results of the exercise or with any
questions. I'm interested in how this worked for you.
Wishing you the best of your intentions.
Jo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Email: jo@theretirementenvironment.com Make
sure to visit www.theretirementenvironment.com and check
out the June classes.
(c) Jo Caywood 2005
