My Journey of Gratitude - Day 22

"Woman thou art loosed."  That is the title of a movie that I have never seen, yet those were the first words I heard this morning as I slipped into gratitude. 

Powerful words within this state of gratitude.  An opening, a shift of something intangible but very real happened.  A strong sense of personal power flowed through me, very different than the personal power I carried within me before.  Something deeper, broader, higher.

And a new fire was born within me.

Not the 'fire in the belly' masculine power nor the gentle internal knowing of feminine power, but something very different.  As if the two came together and created something new.

This experience did not flow from the feeling of gratitude; this new sense of personal power flowed into the space that being in a state of gratitude opened up.

I began this journey 22 days ago as an experiment to experience the feeling of gratitude and how that would change me.  What I quickly realized is that while gratitude is a feeling--it is also so much more; it is a state of being as well. 

In this state of being called gratitude doors open, healing takes place and your greater self steps in to play a much grander role than before.

And that is what I experienced this morning.  My ego self felt loved enough to give way to my soul self.  While my wonderful ego self has definite ideas about what I want and how I should have it, my soul self has even higher, grander ideas about what is possible for me.  This morning that door opened and my conscious connection to my soul flowed through.

How do I describe the delicious feeling of my divine self stepping into my life and essentially saying "I'll take it from here" while my ego agrees?

The only words I have right now are "Woman--thou are loosed."

Today I am grateful for this feeling of wholeness and excited about the new beginnings this means for me.

In gratitude,

Bonnie

My Journey of Gratitude - Day 21

This morning's journey began with frustration.  Frustration because some things I'm working towards are not happening, or at least not happening at the speed I want.  So my meditation began with a bit of cursing the challenges I face.  Why me?  Why not me? What good is it to be grateful for my troubles and challenges?  That just smacks of my old religious upbringing to be grateful for what little God gives me!

So there I sat with my questions and gave thanks for them.  Even if I couldn't feel grateful for the challenges, I was at least grateful for the questions.  It didn't take long for the answers to move through me.

Gratitude must come from the inside.  When I look outside of myself to what I do or do not have, it is easy to lose that sense of gratitude because gratitude will never come from outside of myself.  It is an 'inside job' and that's where the powerful of gratitude lies--within each of us.  Not out in the world we experience, but within each one of us is the seed of gratitude.

'Challenges, problems, troubles, difficulties, not-enoughness'--are words we have assigned a negative meaning to and they come with energy that contracts us rather than expands us. 

What if I shifted my perspective and thought of them as 'opportunities'?  After all, isn't that what they really are--opportunities to take action, make a new decision, re-evaluate, let go, embrace, to say yes please or no thank you to situations in our lives.  How would that change my feelings about what happens around me?

An instant internal shift happened and I again slipped into that gentle warmth of gratitude.  Thankful for a new understanding; thankful that I asked a better question and received a better answer.  Thankful that by simply changing my perception of words I shifted from contraction into the expansive energy of gratitude.

So now I understand that the situations I face are opportunities for me to re-think and re-choose the direction I want to move on this journey that is my life.

That is a powerful understanding to receive!

And it makes all the difference in the world to me.  Instead of contracting into frustration and old patterns, gratitude expanded me into new ways of thinking about my reality.  How 'real' do I want this situation to be--and what do I want to be real for me instead?  Again--a better question yields a better answer.

I am grateful for the opportunities to succeed that are now open before me. I have some re-thinking and re-choosing to do today!

In gratitude,
Bonnie

My Journey of Gratitude - Day 20

The joy of gratitude! Yesterday I experienced my body taking over and releasing past painful events. There was beauty and grace in that experience and I felt much lighter afterwards. Releasing old stuff is always a good thing.

This morning's journey took me on a very different path--the path of joy in living. Because my childhood was full of chaos and pain, my focus for years was healing and creating a fresh start, and so I did.

What I often forget along the way--I think we all often forget--is that joy, love and fun are also part of living.

Flashes of happy times flowed through me, increasing and deepening my sense of gratitude and unleashing the joy that had been forgotten. The years and events flew by like watching a movie in fast forward as I remembered the good times and the people who loved and supported me.

The memory of joy that stood out the brightest was holding my first born daughter in my arms. I was a teenage mom and there had been plenty of drama around that. But when I looked at her and she looked at me all that faded away. For the first time in my life I knew what it felt like to truly love another without reservation. Until that moment I had no idea that I was capable of such love.

My memories flowed to the birth of my 3 other babies and how each time I wasn't sure I could be any more open to love, blessings and joy--I did.

Life has a way of getting in the way of gratitude and love if we stop paying attention. To have this experience today--to feel joy released and to remember how truly blessed I am is wonderful. It is a good reminder that the good and the difficult all exist around me and it is my focus that determines my experience and my reality now.

Today I am grateful for the journey of my life. A corner has been turned on this 20th day of gratitude and a new adventure awaits.

So today my Inner Chicken and I will ride the waves of this new grand adventure, feeling blessed to be alive.

In gratitude,
Bonnie

My Journey of Gratitude - Day 12

Gratitude was a bit harder to come by this morning.  Lack of patience though showed up in abundance.  That great yummy feeling that I normally slip into, that fullness of the heart, was a no show today.  I stuck with it though because this is, after all, a journey not a destination.  Just because I'm not feeling the gratitude in any given moment doesn't mean that I'm not grateful, just that I'm not in the feeling of it.

I'm imperfect.  Oh no--was that my outdoor voice!?  Parts of me were horrified at that admission while other parts relieved that I finally got it.  It really shouldn't have been such a big surprise--because we all know that no one is perfect.  But it was that sudden 'knowing' that took me by surprise.  You know that moment when you really get it--and once you truly know something you can never again unknow it.  Obviously some part of me thought my imperfections were a well kept secret, though I'm sure if you ask my husband or my kids they'd just roll their eyes and snort.

So I sat in gratitude with my imperfect self.  I sat with the shame that came bursting forth from that admission and continued to give thanks for this journey of getting to know myself in deeper ways.  I was really clueless that parts of me were still trying to be perfect--and successfully failing.  Trying to be perfect is just an old survival strategy from childhood that was waiting for an opportunity to be healed.

And like a dam bursting as the seams, the shame, blame and guilt bottled up inside came flooding out in a torrent.  Instead of being met with resistance or denial though, I allowed those feelings to flow up and out in a state of gratitude.  Because, really--who needs to keep those 3 feelings as a constant companion? 

To be honest--today was really uncomfortable for me; not the happy love-fest I experienced at the beginning.  But it was real, it was honest and it quickly passed, because I stayed in gratitude for the experience.

Every journey has its wonders and its trials.  There are days of ease and days of effort.  Yet with each step on this journey I move forward and each day holds something to be grateful for.  That is what I hold on to when gratitude is not so easy to find.

I am grateful for the gift of my imperfections for they remind me to love myself even more and they remind me that we are all just doing the best we can with what we've got.  Embracing my imperfections allows me to let go of who I think I'm suppose to be and appreciate the fullness of who I actually am.

And that, my friends, was worth the 10 minutes of uncomfortable gratitude this morning.

In gratitude,
Bonnie

Gratitude Experiment--Day 4

Here's what I experienced from my 10 minutes in gratitude this morning.

Being grateful for your life in this moment, no matter what your current circumstances, does not mean that you are content or ok with where you are.  By saying thank you for what is now is not the same as being satisfied for what is.  You are not saying "I'm grateful for this debt.  I'm grateful for this illness."  Or whatever is happening in your life now.  That is a common misunderstanding--or fear we often have about saying thank you for what is.

By saying thank you for the money that I DO have expands you beyond the fear of not enough.  Thank you for the love I DO have in my life opens you to even more.

Everything is energy.  What you think, feel and do is energy.  And energy either expands or contracts. Gratitude is an expansive energy and when you take the time to be grateful for even one thing in your life--your energy expands and flows in ways you may not notice.  But it does.

Gratitude is more than a feeling.  It is a state of being.  The more time you spend in this state of being, the more it becomes part of your true nature.
Gratitude is the energy of 'even more'.  And you can certainly add that in your thank yous.

Thank you for the business I DO have.  I am so grateful.  And I open to having even more.  Thank you.

The Freedom of Gratitude--the 30 day experiment

Gratitude is a powerful tool for change and it is available to you in every moment of your life.


Last night I spoke to about 40 women at a networking group. My topic was the Attitude of Gratitude. Katie & I are teaching a teleseminar this month on the Freedom of Gratitude. It seems that the topic of Gratitude is in the air this month—and much needed at this time too.

Yesterday morning while preparing for my talk, I was guided to spend minutes sitting in gratitude. No asking for anything, no writing in a journal, no ‘doing’. Just 10 minutes of being grateful for what I already have. What an experience!

Now 90% of my life is amazing and running smoothly. That leaves 10% just not where I want to be. What I didn't realize until I sat in gratitude for 10 minutes that the past several months I was so focused on the 10% that wasn't working that I forgot about being thankful for the 90% that IS wonderful! Worry & fear wil do that to you--make you forget everything but the loss, the disappointment, the lack!

Within just a few minutes I felt such incredible warmth spread through my body & my heart opening in ways it never did before. As I became aware of my old negative thinking, it began shifting and changing—remember no ‘doing’ just ‘being’.

Suddenly I was shown every situation, time, event in my life where I had ALWAYS gotten what I needed and asked for. I mean EVERY time. I also realized that the limitations and trials that came with each opportunity were of my own making.

Even when I was receiving everything that I asked for—my negativity was limiting my experience. Everything showed up according to what I expected and what I allowed.

Wow! Talk about a total shift in consciousness and emotional healing! I view my past completely differently now. My whole life has opened up in new ways---just using the power of gratitude.

SO—I have committed to spending 10 minutes in gratitude for the next 30 days. I’m doing this because the past 2 days have opened me to so much more than I imagined existed.

The experiment is simple—10 minutes a day sitting in gratitude. Doing nothing—no journaling, no commanding—just being present to the presence of gratefulness in your life. That’s it. 10 minutes a day for 30 days. Come join me!

Every day I will share with you my experiences from my 10 minutes of gratitude. Ii'm excited to discover what lies on the other side of 30 days!

In gratitude,

Bonnie

We did it! WooHoo!

We did it!  Today our Brave Woman vision was successfully launched with our free teleseminar Command Your Courage-Unlock Your Greatness.  The vision that we have held so dearly and worked so diligently to bring into being is here and we are so very grateful for the hundreds of women (and men!) who registered to help us launch our dream.

And a special thank you to our Angels of Support--women we love dearly who helped spread the word about this new global community for women supporting women in living their greatness, their power and their courage.  We could not have done it without your encouragement and support.

Not only do you have this blog as a resource for support, we have created a yahoo group called The Brave Woman where you can connect directly with other women to discuss topics of interest, ask questions and share stories about living The Brave Woman Within.

To join the Brave Woman yahoo group visit http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/thebravewoman

Next step in the vision is the series of teleseminars we are offering design to
help you throw open the curtains and step into the Light of your greatness.

Set your calendar for October 22nd at 9:00 pacific time for
The Brave Woman:  Breaking Your Trance of Scarcity!

We are interested in what you have to say about being the Brave Woman in your life.  Where are you struggling and what do you need?  Where are you succeeding and how can we support you in even greater success?

Let's hear from you!  This group is for every Brave Woman.

We witness your greatness,

Bonnie and Katie

Hi - just in case you haven't heard - we have a terrific free seminar coming up for you on October 8th. It is a teleseminar so it is easy to attend either by phone or as a webcast, and if you can't attend - then sign up anyway and listen to the free replay after the seminar.

Most of you know that our free seminars are fully functional seminars - meaning - you learn real stuff AND you get into thrival mode with The One Command process and with one of Bonnie's brilliant meditations. All our classes are designed to be transformational on all levels of your life.

Email bonnie@inner-resources.net or katie@commandingwealth.com if you have more questions.

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”

Tao Te Ching

We believe that every woman carries the seeds within her of true wisdom and true power. But the question is—Do you believe it of yourself?

Have you been sensing a:

• Restlessness that won’t go away no matter how much you ignore it
• Destiny calling you to something greater—but are afraid to answer
• Desire to share your values and vision with others—but don’t know how
• Need to step out now and just do it—whatever your “It” may be

Or are you tired of constantly Performing, Pleasing, Perfecting and Proving

to others that you are worthy and deserving?

This really is an exciting time to be a woman right now. Things are changing

and possibilities abound for you as a woman. You feel it, but you may not believe it yet.

Begin your transformation process of greater self-love, self-acceptance and coming ‘home’ to your body in new ways right now.

Using the simple, yet powerful 6-step process of The One Command, you let go
of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace, honor and respect your

Brave Woman.

In this teleseminar you: 

• Remember how good it feels to be a woman
• Find the courage to live as a Brave Woman
• Feel the connectedness with all women and the earth that nourishes you
• Experience the power of change with The One Command

Awaken the Brave Woman in you now.

Take this Journey of Courage with other women wanting what you want—to live an Authentic Life as the Brave Woman that you are.

Take the first step on your Journey of Courage now in this Free Teleseminar—Command Your Courage—Unlock Your Greatness.

Register Now for this free teleseminar

Invite your women friends to join you on this Free Teleseminar. We have built a support system for all women to gather together for encouragement, support, love and acceptance. And we’ll talk more about the many ways you can participate on October 8th.

As always, this teleseminar includes intensive belief work using The One Command along with a special meditation to enhance and integrate your healing.

Upon registration you will receive a handout with a brief exercise. Completing

this exercise before the teleseminar will greatly enhance your healing experience.

Can’t attend live? No worries! This teleseminar will be recorded and the

free replay made available to you the next day.

We are excited to see you there!

Bonnie & Katie

My mother, my Self

I was watching a tv show earlier today and heard something that struck me as really profound—at least for me and my relationship with my mother.

Mothers are responsible for us being here.  Like a bus they get us here.  The problem we run into is that we often spend our life trying to get back on the bus rather than living our own lives.

Now this comment was made talking about all of us—men & women alike.  But it got me to thinking about women and the relationship we’ve had with our mothers.  How in my life was I trying to ‘get back on the bus’, meaning living either my mother’s life or the life my mother trained me to have?

It didn’t take long to uncover that parts of me were still trying to live my mother’s expectations of what a ‘good’ wife, mother and woman is.  Growing up in the 50s & 60s with a mother who gave up all of who she was & was seriously depressed most of my life and a father who took a dim view on any female being an independent thinker, I learned that to be considered

‘good & proper’ as my mother put it, I must always put myself last no matter what I had to give up or how miserable I was.

I learned that ‘good’ women didn’t work, stayed emotionally & financially dependent upon the man, and that doing anything else was ‘bad’ and bad things happened to ‘bad’ women.  Because I grew up with an Italian father it was called the Madonna/Whore thing.  If you conformed to what a good woman was then you were a Madonna—pure, but helpless with no thought for yourself.  Anything else left you with just being the Whore…and we all know what society thinks of whores.  To this day I still cringe when I see or hear that word, but words have no more power to harm than we give them.  So I take back the power to live my own life on my own terms--and still be loved, accepted and successful as my Self.

Interesting dilemma that has put me in over my adult years.  And I was surprised to find that still part of my core identity even with all the healing work I’ve done over the years.  Yet, there it was—staring me right in the face and asking me what I was going to do about it.  Keep it and continue on the path I’m on or stand up as the Brave Woman that I know I am and say

No Way!  That is NOT me!

So I took some time to figure out what I wanted to believe about myself as a woman and about my life and commanded the changes.  That old feeling of conflict within no longer holds the power over my life.  Yes, I still feel some charge around that—and why wouldn’t I?  It was my early training and became an unconscious part of my identity as a woman.  So, yes, there is still

more healing work to do around it.  But the important part is that—now I see it and have looked that lie straight in the face and said—THIS is who I really am and THIS is how I live my life now.  I again awaken the Brave Woman that lies within and invite her to step forth and be engaged in my life.

So—how are you still trying to get back on that ‘bus’?

How are you living from an old, out-dated belief system that has never really been you?

And what do you want instead?

I witness your courage and your Brave Woman Within,

Bonnie

Breathing into your Brave Woman soul

To awaken and nurture that Brave Woman that lies within you, spend a few moments every day just being with her as you would your best friend.

As you invite her to be more active in your life, you will be amazed at the changes you notice within yourself and within others around you.

So your Brave Woman mantra for today is:

Breathe and be Whole in the joy of being You.

Five minutes to relax into your Brave Woman self

Take 5 minutes to sit back, leave the outer world behind and step into the
sacred space of your inner self.  Getting out of your ordinary reality and your
conscious mind for even a few minutes allows that Brave Woman who lives
within you to come forth and move you through the day.

Enjoy, relax and walk softly upon the earth today.

Beautiful Earth

www.youtube.com

It's not your beginnings that matter most!

I was drawn to see the movie Kung Fu Panda 2 today and I was curious what message it might have for me.  Anytime I’m drawn to a movie it’s because there is something for me to pay attention to in it.  And there was!

The movie was fun to watch, but here is the ‘gem’ I walked away with—and in a kid’s movie too.

Even though your beginnings weren’t happy, it doesn’t matter.  It isn’t your beginnings that make you who you are.  What matters is who you choose to be now.  And it is who you choose to be that makes you who you are now.

I felt much of what has been bothering me recently dissolve and resolve itself.  TODAY is what matters.  Who I choose to be TODAY is what’s important.  How I choose to feel TODAY; how I choose to behave TODAY—that is what makes me who I am.

Regardless of your beginnings, you have a choice to be or not to be, to change or stay the same, to heal or not, to use your voice or to remain silent, to stand in your courage or continue to be afraid.  There is great power in that message—It is who you choose to be that makes you who you are.

Today I choose to be a Brave Woman walking my Journey of Courage, using my voice for

healing and standing in my own truth.

Who do you choose to be today?

Falling Out of Love with My Drama

Falling Out of Love with My Drama

I have been fortunate to study with some of the most amazing teachers over the decades, and all of them have talked about letting go of the drama in your life.

It took me awhile to truly let go of it all and learn to live in the present, to be present with my own life and with everyone in it.

I found that I took myself through several steps to get to the Freedom I desired:

Step 1- Forgiveness

In order to start the clearing out process I realized that forgiveness was the key that would open the lock to all else that was within. Even though I knew better, it was still easy to get caught up in the idea that by forgiving the person, I was approving the act. And also that forgiveness was for the other person when it is really always for us and our own inner peace. Once I got myself past those old mind-sets, it was all downhill from there – simply a process of letting go.

Step 2 – My History

How many of us are ‘married’ to our stories. It is easy to believe that if we give up our ‘story’ we will no longer be ourselves and we will never be able to rectify what has happened and create something new. The truth is, it is your stories that keep you stuck and interfere with your capacity to create the new life you want. Once you choose to create what you want instead of what you have, you have no need for what was.

Step 3 – My Future

Finally I got to the point of looking ‘forward’ even though I am aware from quantum physics that there is no time – just ask Einstein.  For me this was sort of a way station. It was a place I lived for a while until I really understood that my future is right now. It was useful in the sense that at least I had separated out from my past.

Step 4 – My Now

This is where I want to live for the duration.  Staying in the present is so much more interesting than you might ever imagine. This is where your greater capacity lives and this is where your joy resides

In the present you are always fresh, new and available to every idea, opportunity and resource that your world is offering to you.

I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else.

Love and blessings, Katie