I wish you peace, love and enough

For the mind…

As we get ready to say goodbye to Fall and hello to Winter, I want to wish you peace, love and enough. This month I am dedicating my newsletter to Melissa Etheridge and her cd “A New Though for Christmas”. Not only does she put a great spin on some of the classics, but she wrote a few new songs that speak of peace on Earth and how we as one can make that a reality. Yes, it will take work, but I believe that we have entered a new era of change and if we work together and do our parts, we can have peace. Peace in our hearts, peace of mind, and ultimately peace on Earth.

So what I thought I would do is quote a few lines of hers from some of my favorite songs and add my thoughts to them.

Here we stand in unity, making one choice to be free, every truth blends into one as we believe it can be done…

Here we stand as soldiers now, turning our swords into ploughs, there is not a nobler climb, achieving peace in our own time

I know peace begins with me, with all I feel and all I see. And I know it’s no easy task, removing our own fearful mask…

WOW! I just find those lyrics so amazing and I could write a book off of those but I’ll work on keeping it to just a newsletter for now.

I’ll start with the first line. Here we stand in unity, making one choice to be free. When I read that sentence I am reminded of the recent changes we’ve seen this year. We’ve seen the first black man voted to be President of the United States. We’ve experienced outrageous gas prices over $4.00 a gallon quickly fall to under $2.00 in a matter of day. We’ve seen the makings of another “depression”. Our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers are far away in another country fighting in a war. Not so bright and full of sunshine is it? So now I put a question out to all of us. What can WE, as ONE do today, right now, right this moment to bring a little more peace in our hearts, our minds and our spirits? How can we bring peace into our homes, our workplaces, our communities? What would you be willing to do today to start creating peace?

Here we stand as soldiers now, turning our swords into ploughs. As I typed that sentence above, my eyes welled with tears. I see us all putting down our weapons and picking up ploughs to pave the way for the children of the world. When I speak of weapons, I not only thought of weapons of mass destruction as bombs, guns, knives, etc. I thought that our words and actions can also be considered weapons of mass destruction and it’s time to lay those down as well. In order to bring about peace we need to not only stop fighting with each other but with ourselves as well. If we are to plough the way of peace for our children, we will have to come together to make sure that we create the brightest future for them. I believe that this starts with filling our own hearts, minds and bodies first.

And for the final piece of the song I’ve shared, I know peace begins with all I feel and all I see. And I know it’s no easy task, removing our own fearful mask. Boy could I relate to this one. This is what much of my coaching is based upon. Making peace with all of our feelings and thoughts and finally removing our masks of fear, allowing our real selves to be seen and even be vulnerable. How can we be at peace even when our hearts are being broken or on the days where we feel like we are at our wit’s end? Perhaps it begins with acceptance of ourselves as we are in that very moment, feeling and owning our feelings knowing that we are enough and that no matter what we carry peace in our body, mind and spirit. For when we are truly at peace, the things that trip us up in life, no matter how big or small, become stepping stones to our path of discovery, learning and adventure all showing us the way to our extraordinary selves.

I would like to end this section of my newsletter with a few more quotes from some of Melissa’s songs that touched my soul….

Light a Light….”Tis the season of change. The seasons are the contrast, the key to life and how it’s done. It’s time to let go of all our past, and let go of what’s to come.

Write down your excuse, and turn them into dust, plant the seeds of change and water it with trust..

It’s time we stop believing, that we are not enough. I know they said it on the tv, so turn it off, break the chains, step outside and feel the love…..


It’s Christmas Time….What if we all start spreading the news, there’s nothing to fear anymore, we are connected, one family of light, hallelujah..

It’s up to you now. Would you be willing to email me what one thing you can do this holiday season to put down your swords and pick up your ploughs in order to bring about peace in your body, mind and spirit? I would like to collect them and post them on my new website which will be launched in January, 2009!


For the body…

In terms of peace for the body this month, I would like to suggest that you don’t deny yourself of merriment this season by being on a “diet” or worrying that one, even two or three pieces of candy or cake or cookies or “fill in the blank” will mean that you are “bad” or that you are “cheating”. Deprivation gets us nowhere fast.

Something I did over Thanksgiving that helped me to stay healthy was to focus on family and friends during our celebration. I also tasted a little bit of everything, slowly tasting and savoring every morsel being thankful for the food instead of making it my enemy.

Another way to bring peace to your body is accepting and loving it every day. Instead of concentrating on the parts of your body you don’t like, try something new. Send those parts of you some love daily and thank them for being a part of you. As it was once said, “what you can’t be with won’t let you be”. By being able to accept and love your body exactly as it is right now will change your attitude and who knows maybe your waist line.

Remember to move your body as well. If it’s hard to be outdoors due to the weather, spend time during commercials doing a few simple yoga stretches or march in place. One of my favorite “workouts” lately is putting on lively music and dancing around while I’m doing chores or just hanging out. You can also try some relaxing yoga to balance out the craziness of your day. Check out this link for some great poses. Put on some mellow music and stretch. Even if you just have five minutes, your body will thank you for giving it the love it deserves.

For The Spirit

During times like we’ve been experiencing I thought some childhood youth and innocence was in order. This is the letter from Virginia O’Hanlon to the editor of the New York Sun, first printed in 1897.

Dear Editor:

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says “If you see it in the Sun, it’s so”. Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Dear Virginia:

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s are little. In this great universe of ours, man in a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We would have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest men, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love and romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus!? Thank god he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 year from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Self worth compared to net worth

I was watching Oprah the other day and she was interviewing her friend Dr. Oz about all the illnesses that people have been experiencing due to the economic crisis that the world is facing. Something struck me when Dr. Oz spoke of a person’s self worth as compared to their net worth. I was reminded of Debbie Ford saying “this is a microcosm or the macrocosm”, or as I would like to say “it’s a little picture inside of the big picture” or “a piece of the grand puzzle”. Yes, I’m getting to the point.

For years my self worth was wrapped up in my net worth or what I pretended my net worth was. I was living way beyond my means in order to feel worthy, be acceptable. My inner world was covered up with layers of fear, regret and anger and in order to make myself feel better and feel good about myself, I went shopping. I bought things I didn’t need as well as things that I thought I couldn’t live without; clothing, self help books, dvd’s, cd’s, etc. Money was spent on seminars and workshops and of course in the booths that are at these events. I was in debt and wasn’t sure what I was going to do to get out of it. I would hide credit card bills from my husband or hide things I had purchased so I wouldn’t be questioned about them. I wasted minutes, even hours of energy trying to figure out how I was going to get out of this mess I so voluntarily stepped right into.

One of the “staples”, in my opinion, about creating an extraordinary life for oneself is taking full and 100% ownership and responsibility for your life. I found it really easy coaching others on how to live in integrity and full responsibility, yet I couldn’t teach it to myself. Recently, after attending another workshop (hey at least this one was included in the full price of the education I’m receiving), it “clicked”. I knew that I would not be able to tap into my self-worth until I got real and cleaned up my net worth. This realization led to a few very difficult conversations with myself and my husband as well as a very humbling experience with a credit counselor that was a complete stranger to me. In the end, I am relieved and will be debt free sooner than I would have been if I would have tried to be the strong one and take care of everything myself without asking for help. I saved myself from drowning in a sea of debt and despair. I have begun to clean up my net worth opening up new space for my self worth to grow and prosper.

As you move through your week, remember that the best things in life truly are free. A hug from a loved one, a talk with a good friend, deep breathing and probably the most important, taking a few minutes every day to be grateful for all that you have.

Introducing my stubborn self

Bitchy Bertha
©2008
by: Mary Cunningham

Dig in my heels
Arms fold across chest
Go ahead and try
Do your best

Nobody can tell me
What to do
Not one soul
Not even you

I’ll do it when I’m ready
What a great excuse
There’s too much to give up
And too much to lose

Even though it’s not working
I’ll stand my ground
Put up my “dukes”
Ready for the next round

You sit and ask questions
What do I need?
Do you really even care?
Just another good deed?

It’s time to accept me
Just as I am
Use faith, trust and love
Be willing to surrender
Light as a feather
On the wings of a dove

Embracing Change

I recently attended a Women’s Journey into Wholeness workshop. The weekend was filled with loving embraces, beautiful tears and motivating and inspiring speakers. We were asked to write down what we were willing to give up in order to be the incredible beings of light that we are. My list was long and filled with words like fear, shame, judgment, excuses, etc. What I finally came up with was “I am willing to let go of the self I had created, I have known and been up until this moment in time.” As the negative energy was cleared from my body and I threw the paper into the fire, I felt that yet another part of my ego had died and another piece of divinity was created, making me whole. I decided from that moment in front of the bon fire, my motto would continue to be, “I am willing to let go of the self I had created, I have known and been up until this moment in time.”

One of the beautiful gifts we’ve been given from the Universe is free will. We are free to choose whoever and whatever we want to be. One of my favorite Ghandi quotes is “You must be the change you want to see in this world.” Ghandi also talked of sharing your passion and making a difference. My mission is to share my passion and make a difference, being the change that I would like to see in this world. By reading my blog, you will see that my focus is creating positive, powerful change in the world to bring more peace and sanity to humankind. It is my belief that if we can change who we are in our internal worlds, we can make a positive impact on the outer world.

Change isn’t easy for our egos, but it is inevitable. I recently changed my front page on my website along with changing who I was by sharing part of My Story. Some people fear change because it is about embracing the unknown along with being more open and vulnerable. We must learn to accept where we are in the present moment, not being terrified of changing our course in order to be who we are meant to be. I see many people, including myself, staying in their safe “worlds” because of the fear of failure or the fear of “if I change my course now, what if I’ll be worse off than I am now”. Our egos tell us “the grass is always greener”, “be happy with what you have now” and even “you are one of the luckier ones in the world.” This leads many of us to the question of “Who am I to deserve to live the fabulous, delicious life that I desire and dream of.” Most of the time, it just takes a shift in attitude and some quiet time in introspection to see what you need to give up or let go of in order to live a delicious, fabulous life being fully expressed and on fire.

So as we step into Spring, a good time for rebirth and renewal. I invite you to spend 5 minutes a day, sitting in a quiet place and ask yourself “What do I need to give up or let go of in order to live the fully expressed life that I deserve”. If you aren’t sure how to start with this, get a blank piece of paper and write “In order to live the life of my dreams, I….” You can start with writing down words, sayings, pictures, whatever comes to your mind. Don’t worry about grammar or what you are writing, just write. If it is easier for you to start with a blank document on your computer and type the words, go ahead and do that. If you are completely stuck or want to learn more about how to start living the life of your dreams, please contact me at 925-785-7452 or admin@life4ce.net.

Namaste’

Pro-Prosperity or Anti-Recession: Which Do YOU Choose?

Sure enough, I opened my internet explorer this morning and one of the headlines read
“Greenspan says recession more than 50% likely”. That is the last time you will hear me mention that quote in this article as I would like to keep my lunch digesting in the correct direction.

Again, it goes back to the ripple effect and how positive and negative thoughts can create more of the same. When you read a headline like the one above do you think “Yes! It’s going to be a stellar year?” or do your thoughts start reeling about how you’re going to keep your job so you can pay your mortgage, feed and clothe your family? Do you settle for this just being how it is and hope for the best?

If you have seen the much raved about “The Secret” then you will remember that thoughts become things and that if we focus our attention on negative thoughts and feelings that is what we will surely attract more of.

You hear about the War on Terrorism all over the news today, but do you ever hear any demonstrations of Pro-Peace? Instead of holding up signs reading"Stop the Drilling", how about holding signs made out of recyclable products that read "Let’s Work Together and Bring Back the Rainforest". I think you see my point here.

The title of my blog is Pro-Prosperity or Anti-Recession, which do you choose? They may have the same meaning behind them, yet are very different. Look at the words "pro" and "prosperity". Both are positive in thought and action. Now think of "anti" and "recession", both words have negative connotations. It is simple as choosing a new perspective on how to look at things.

Each of us thinks a million thoughts a day. You have the power to choose your thoughts. If thinking one positive thought a day would help bring the world more peace and abundance, would you be willing to do that? I invite you over the coming weeks to come up with one positive thought, just one a day, write it down. This is something you can do upon waking, while brushing your teeth or driving to work. Once you have the thought, say it silently or out loud, and send out those ripples. We are all connected. In one way or another, your positive thought will touch us all.

I’ll start it off with this blog. I choose Pro-Prosperity, Pro-Life, Pro-Love and have plenty of abundance to share with the Universe. Please share this with everyone you know and if you desire, respond with your positive thought to this blog starting the Yes We Can campaign.

What do you choose?

The Ripples Were Good

The ripples were good……

Excerpt taken from Joan of Arcadia (circa 2003):

Helen (reading suicide note from Adam's mom): Dearest boy, my Adam. I dreamed a dream, you and I facing each other in a tiny yellow boat on green water under a blue sky. Me and my son and a yellow boat. And we laugh, and the boat rocks and the ripples spread from the boat to pond to sea to sky and nothing can stop them, and nothing ever will. When you think of me Adam, know that in a world of pain, you were, and always will be my joy. Love mom

Adam: Thank you

Joan: The ripples were good.

In this world of negativity, I am pulled to look at how one person’s ripple effect can create a world of positive change. When I speak of the ripple effect, I speak of how one person’s actions or reactions can affect another’s (even without them being aware) and so on and so on and so on. We see this in the film Pay it Forward and in the much loved, but cancelled television show Joan of Arcadia.

Just the other day, I was approached by a young woman and the first words out of her mouth were “excuse me, I’m not a gang member, I’m not going to hurt you” and then she preceded to tell me the story of how she was stuck in my town of San Ramon with no way to get back to her hometown of Tracy. She had left her debit card at home and had no cash with her. I quickly reached for my wallet and took out every last bit of change I had and said “wait, I think I have a dollar in my car too”. Sure enough there was a dollar bill that had been sitting in the ashtray for months! Remind me to come back to that dollar, will you? I give the girl the money, tell her “when you have a chance, kindly pay it forward” and then ended with “bless you”. I think she was floored that first of all I gave her the money and then ended with a “bless you”. When I got in my truck to leave, I was thinking what her life must be like to assume that I am going to think she is a gang member and going to hurt me.

It’s been said that the outer world is a reflection of our inner world. The reason I don’t watch the news at all in the morning, afternoon or night is because you are immediately bombarded with all the chaos, confusion and negative energy that runs through the electrical wires with creepy energy and into your home. All you hear is who is to blame for what and why we need to be afraid. If this is 80% of what we see in our newspapers, television and radio ads, what must be going on in the inner world of humanity? More of the same?

The time is NOW for people to make a stand and say NO MORE! If one person could visualize what is available to them when fear and doubt can be overcome, imagine the ripple effect that would create.

And speaking of the dollar bill in my glove box, how LUCKY and GRATEFUL I am to be able to have that just sitting there for months and months. I am living in abundance.

Will you join me and the others who have bravely stood up to say Yes We Can?
(thank you to my good friend Scott who linked me to the video above)

We can be the change we want to see in the world....yes we can!

Will You Join Me?

I have created this blog site to discuss the ways that we (yes, all of us) can collectively connect with the Universal Energy to create the much needed change our world needs. Stay tuned for my first blog coming soon.

Peace and light to all mankind,
Mary