Lighten Up with Lisa  

By Lisa Dawn Wax

Step One . . . Breathe!

I am very excited to be taking my maiden voyage as a contributing writer for Around Wellingon’s new column, Lighten Up with Lisa. My goal is to reach out to you, the reader, and motivate you with words of inspiration, encouragement and compassion as we all weather the choppy seas of living in today’s world of uncertainty and change. I welcome all your comments and questions with the hope that together we can feel a renewed security in knowing that we are all in the same boat and a renewed strength in a feeling of connectedness that can and will get us through our stormy times. So I invite you now to share in my journey and wish you all a Bon Voyage!

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism and author of Tao Te Ching.

          That was the motto of my high school graduating class. Of course, back then its meaning had little significance to me. Now, however, they are words to live by. Today we all bounce between the hustle and bustle of raising children, trying to make ends meet, taking care of extended family, trying to foster meaningful friendships and relationships, not to mention staying on top of endless emails or who’s doing what on Facebook. While juggling all of our responsibilities to others we often neglect our responsibilities to ourselves. Life often seems like nothing more than a balancing act between our “should do’s”, weighing us down and often tipping the scales, and our “want to’s”, floating somewhere off in the distance.

I challenge you now to change all that and ask you, “What one thing can you do today to feel a little lighter?  To breathe a little easier? To feel a little happier?”  Before you answer I’d like to remind you of a basic scientific principle. Energy is kinetic and one thing is all it takes to set energy in motion and build momentum.  Thoughts are a form of energy. They harness potential energy. If you can change your thoughts, you can start to Lighten Up and you only need to start with one thought at a time. It’s easy and you have nothing to lose by trying.

I’m not saying we can simply wish away bills that have piled up on our desks, wish our homes to be back to their 2005 home values overnight, or wish for a much needed 25^th hour to our days. However, we can think of new ways to pay those bills and we can create new thoughts and perspectives to appreciate the homes we have, the lives we have and the time we have.  This type of thinking has been called New Age or New Thought.  Well, we have crossed into a new millennium, a new age, which often requires us to think new thoughts that are unconventional and “outside the box.” Let’s not waste energy and time focusing on the problems when it is exponentially more productive focusing on the solutions. You can start right now.

Step One – Breathe

Take in a long, deep, healing breath and when we you let it out release the stress you are holding onto and affirm, “I want to feel better. I can create a more peaceful life for myself.”  (You can repeat this as often as necessary without any negative side effects.)

Step Two – Imagine

          I recently watched a PBS special, featuring Wayne Dyer, entitled Excuses Begone. Dr. Dyer asserts that our imagination is our greatest and most powerful gift. It is a place we can always go to in order to be where we want to be. He suggests imagining what you want and then noticing the feeling it creates within you because feelings help to manifest action. For example, right now imagine being in a better place, whether financially, physically or emotionally, and you will notice a sense of peace wash over you. When you later remember this sense of peace it will likely spur you to take action to sustain that feeling. This really is not a new principle. Madonna sang about it 20 years ago in her song “Vogue”. Remember this? It’s a good tune to keep in your head and affirm the positive so hum along.

“All you need is your own imagination, so use it that’s what it’s for.
Go inside, for your finest inspiration. Your dreams will open the door.”

Step Three – Act

          Don’t disregard or ignore the little voice of inspiration that comes to you in your moment of reflection. You are a co-creator of your life. Take that first step. Don’t think about it so that your rational mind has a chance to think of reasons why you shouldn’t do it. Just do it. Call your mortgage lender, credit consolidation company or financial counselor to discuss options available to you now. Start exercising, meditating, or dieting to feel healthier.  If you have the money, schedule a massage or an appointment with a therapist, reiki practitioner or life coach. If resources are limited, take a walk, chat with a friend, stare at the ocean, a sunset or your child sleeping peacefully. These are free gifts from the Divine Creator and can have enormous positive effects.  Personally when I have trouble falling asleep, because my mind is racing, I’ll go into my son’s room.  As I look at his sweet face I can’t help but smile and become consumed with the love that I have for him. I’m usually able to fall right asleep as I hold onto that feeling.

Well there you have it; a simple 3 step plan to initiate changing your life. Ok, I know I started by saying it only takes a single step. But, guess what?  You’ve already accomplished that by reading through this article. The momentum has started and now has the potential to carry you wherever you want to go on your thousand-mile journey… And speaking of Journey, I’d like to close with this song quote (I’m a big music fan) “Don’t stop believin’. Hold onto that feelin’.” Journey 1981.

Until next time, may your days be brighter and your lives be lighter!

Lisa Dawn Wax, aka Lightworker Lisa, has been certified in Massage Therapy, Fitness Training and Reiki Healing for over 15 years. In addition to being a born Lightworker she is a certified Angel Healing Practitioner; both of which basically confirm her intuitive abilities to help, heal and teach. Using reiki (energy healing) and intuitive readings, she has helped many people to identify the source of their pain, clarify current life situations, and successfully redirect their focus into positive channels.  If you are in need of affordable healing and/or life coaching with immediate results, please call her at 310-753-2010 or visit her website www.Youtopia.health.officelive.com for more information.

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