As we’ve discussed in my previous blogs, November and December provide us with perfect opportunities to think about how we can center ourselves through mindful meditation, with music, or by just being. But during these joyful, yet hectic months, I find that it is always a great time to think about what we value most and to create ways to honor those values we hold dear. Why? The holidays themselves are a ritual, so why not evaluate how to strengthen this ritual as well?
Just recently, my husband and I had a conversation surrounding our family values. And we both agreed that this was one area of our life that we needed to pay more attention to. We decided that we wanted to introduce a few rituals into our week that would help us feel more united, provide our children with a deeper spiritual foundation, and mostly, to just enjoy each other’s company and be present, in the moment, with one another.
So, with only so many hours in a day, and the many stressors we deal with daily— like our busy careers, exercise, dinner, homework, etc., how do you introduce meaningful rituals into your routine? In my opinion, you do it slowly! Try one thing at a time, giving yourself time to evaluate if the new ritual is accomplishing the goal you had set out for it to achieve.
In our case, we decided to start by creating our Friday Night Family Night three times per month. Because we hardly ever eat dinner as a family, the one very important criteria of our Family Night is that we eat dinner together. The second and third criteria is that we have fun and laugh a lot, and that it is just the four of us. The kids are quite excited about it too, because each week one of them will choose what our activity will be, whether it’s the movies, the park, playing a game…and dinner of course! Maybe we’ll make home-made pizza, or bake cookies. The options are endless, and we love the spontaneity of it.
The second activity we plan to implement soon (again, the key is to introduce them slowly so as not to overwhelm yourselves!) is to set aside 30 minutes to read a short story (spiritually or values-based) with our children and to discuss its lesson. When do we do this proactively? Usually, we are teaching our children right from wrong after they have committed an action we don’t approve of. Or, we hope that by osmosis they will obtain this data during Sunday service. I really like the idea of having a short conversation with them, allowing them the opportunity to imagine what kinds of decisions they could make if they were involved in certain, perhaps tense or uncomfortable situations. Think of the power in that.
So, during this holiday season, which will seem to fly by, maybe you can take a moment to think of a value that is important to you, but is not necessarily reflected in your current activities. Would you like for that value to be more present in your life? How would your life be different if it were? How much time would it take to make that happen? Could 10 to 30 minutes make the difference? You don’t have to have children in order to live a more values-driven life. I would dare to say your life would be a bit more on purpose if you did.
And with purpose on my mind, I now wish each of you a purposeful and prosperous holiday season, filled with memorable rituals! May love and joy surround you and those you love during these special days and continue on in the New Year!
Monique
Monique@EnPointeCoaching.com
Helping you succeed in the dance of life!
http://www.AmbassadorsForLifePotential.com/MoniqueCatoggio
Showing posts with label meditating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meditating. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
You need music to dance!
You need music to dance!
Today, while listening to one of my new favorite songs, I actually tuned in carefully to the words instead of just performing my usual karaoke. I noticed how some of its lyrics moved me deeply and got me to feel certain things that during my normal daily tasks would not have “come up.” Can you believe that in a matter of minutes, just by focusing on what I was listening to, I actually made a shift—a common coaching term for coming to a realization, or having an “aha” moment? What a beautiful thing! I was so excited.
I then thought about what a wonderful tool music is for so many reasons. For me, music keeps me dancing. A friend once asked me, “Do you miss dancing? Do you think of it often?” And, my immediate response was “It never leaves me!" In fact, every time a song comes on—it doesn’t matter what kind of music it is—I see myself dancing in my head. And my soul feels it and benefits from it. So, music helps connect me to my life-long passion.
Another thing music does for me is to make certain tasks less painful. How many of you dislike doing dishes? Well, I loathe doing dishes!! And, since this is one of the only things my husband will not do (he’s amazing…he does so much!), I really needed to find a solution to begin enjoying dish washing. Now, when my husband sees me plugging in my iPod speakers in the kitchen he knows that I am doing my dish-washing dance! Yes, I blast loud, fun, dance music, and before we all know it, the dishes are done and my mood is high and positive! The kids get a kick out of it, too!
Yet another way that I’ve always used music is to help center me. There are so many ways we can meditate, but for some people, like me, finding the time is difficult. Some experts say that all you need is a few deep breaths, or 5 to 10 minutes of sitting quietly to get the benefits of meditation. When I combine these simple steps—a few deep breaths and 5 to 10 minutes of stillness—with music—that always seems to help quiet my mind, relax my muscles, and put a gentle smile on my face. I’m ready to conquer the world again!! For me, that singer is Josh Groban. Or, if I need to jump start my enthusiasm and love of self, then I listen to “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige. What music does this for you? How can music help you shift?
So, you probably want to know what my new favorite song is, and how the lyrics positively affected me, right? I would be curious too! The song is “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. Living in the “now” (through love and without fear) is something that I have been practicing intently. So, when I listened deeply to these words, the reason to live in the “now” was so much more meaningful to me. Perhaps you’ll see it too. Here are some of the words from “I’m Yours”:
Open up your mind and see like me,
Today, while listening to one of my new favorite songs, I actually tuned in carefully to the words instead of just performing my usual karaoke. I noticed how some of its lyrics moved me deeply and got me to feel certain things that during my normal daily tasks would not have “come up.” Can you believe that in a matter of minutes, just by focusing on what I was listening to, I actually made a shift—a common coaching term for coming to a realization, or having an “aha” moment? What a beautiful thing! I was so excited.
I then thought about what a wonderful tool music is for so many reasons. For me, music keeps me dancing. A friend once asked me, “Do you miss dancing? Do you think of it often?” And, my immediate response was “It never leaves me!" In fact, every time a song comes on—it doesn’t matter what kind of music it is—I see myself dancing in my head. And my soul feels it and benefits from it. So, music helps connect me to my life-long passion.
Another thing music does for me is to make certain tasks less painful. How many of you dislike doing dishes? Well, I loathe doing dishes!! And, since this is one of the only things my husband will not do (he’s amazing…he does so much!), I really needed to find a solution to begin enjoying dish washing. Now, when my husband sees me plugging in my iPod speakers in the kitchen he knows that I am doing my dish-washing dance! Yes, I blast loud, fun, dance music, and before we all know it, the dishes are done and my mood is high and positive! The kids get a kick out of it, too!
Yet another way that I’ve always used music is to help center me. There are so many ways we can meditate, but for some people, like me, finding the time is difficult. Some experts say that all you need is a few deep breaths, or 5 to 10 minutes of sitting quietly to get the benefits of meditation. When I combine these simple steps—a few deep breaths and 5 to 10 minutes of stillness—with music—that always seems to help quiet my mind, relax my muscles, and put a gentle smile on my face. I’m ready to conquer the world again!! For me, that singer is Josh Groban. Or, if I need to jump start my enthusiasm and love of self, then I listen to “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige. What music does this for you? How can music help you shift?
So, you probably want to know what my new favorite song is, and how the lyrics positively affected me, right? I would be curious too! The song is “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. Living in the “now” (through love and without fear) is something that I have been practicing intently. So, when I listened deeply to these words, the reason to live in the “now” was so much more meaningful to me. Perhaps you’ll see it too. Here are some of the words from “I’m Yours”:
Open up your mind and see like me,
open up your plans and damn you’re free,
look into your heart and you’ll find love.
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing,
we’re just one big family, and it’s our God forsaken right to be loved.
There’s no need to complicate, 'cause our time is short.
There ain’t no better reason to rid yourself of vanities
and just go with the season,
it’s what we aim to do, our name is our virtue.
Have a music-filled week!
Monique
Monique@EnPointeCoaching.com
http://www.AmbassadorsForLifePotential.com/MoniqueCatoggio
look into your heart and you’ll find love.
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing,
we’re just one big family, and it’s our God forsaken right to be loved.
There’s no need to complicate, 'cause our time is short.
There ain’t no better reason to rid yourself of vanities
and just go with the season,
it’s what we aim to do, our name is our virtue.
Have a music-filled week!
Monique
Monique@EnPointeCoaching.com
http://www.AmbassadorsForLifePotential.com/MoniqueCatoggio
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