Some Things I Believe

My writing class assignment asked me to create a “Passion Profile”.  As there are so many things I am passionate about, I was challenged!

I refined the profile for my class to what I hope to write about, as this blog grows and develops–and as I integrate my values more deeply into my life, one step, one habit, one ritual at a time.

Here is the list I came up with this morning:

I believe we can discover a new sense of identity, find our passion, and re-imagine our lives–as well as support the healing of loss or trauma by:

1) Practicing mindfulness meditation and yoga.

2) Writing from the heart.

3) Having at least one safe, compassionate person to attune/resonate with, who can assist us in integrating healing insights and change.  (If we have been traumatized, this person should be a mental health professional who is an expert in healing trauma).

4) Taking ourselves out of any existing traumatic situation to a place of safety.

5) Practicing self care and self compassion.

6) Connecting with and helping others.

7) Pursuing an art form/creativity.

8) Discovering/developing a passionate life pursuit/hobby.

9) Developing insight.

10) Cultivating new habits, one at a time.

11) Discovering the unconscious patterns that keep us stuck.

12) Cultivating healthy boundaries.

13) Utilizing the new research into the Mind and the Brain, which shows that our brains are “plastic” and can be re-wired.

14) Pursuing travel as a path of introspection, adventure, expansion of our horizons, and development of self confidence.

15) Connecting deeply with nature.

16) Loving and caring for an animal companion.

Comment flow:

What do you believe about re-imaging your life,

Discovering your passion,

Healing from loss or trauma?

XOXO,

Mara Rose

You might also like:

Some Things to Love about September

Savoring Autumn–Self Care, Compassion, and Mindfulness

Disclaimer:  This blog is written for educational and inspirational purposes only, and should not replace competent medical or mental health care.

Savoring Autumn–Self Care, Compassion, and Mindfulness

Many of us, women especially, do not shine at self care.  We are programmed for care-taking.  Nurturing others is our identity.

We scramble to fulfill the expectations we place on ourselves–ours, and those of others–while taking care of ourselves last.  Or not at all.

Until we become burned out and exhausted.

I am working on improving my self care, one habit at a time.

Recently, I spent an afternoon on self care….

Walking through town, enjoying a brisk Fall day, I discovered a flower shop, bright colors spilling over onto the sidewalk, reminiscent of the flower stalls of Paris.

I entered a quiet bistro, where I knew I would find savory-sweet heirloom tomatoes, served with ricotta and basil, savory balsamic vinegar, my Autumn obsession.

And a fresh-baked peach, lush, fragrant, still warm, floating on vanilla rice pudding.

Pure, organic produce, locally produced, beautifully prepared, and utterly delicious.

When I was young, I would never have taken myself out to eat alone.  Maybe for a snack, but not something special.

Now that I am older, I’ve discovered I love dining out by myself.

For an hour, I set my distractions aside, and lose myself in pure enjoyment.

I eat quietly and slowly, savoring each morsel.

I am learning to savor good food again, as part of my ritual of self care.

I have discovered that savoring a good meal is practicing Mindfulness.

And practicing Mindfulness is woven into self care.

We are no good to anyone else, unless we take good care of ourselves.

Without solid habits and rituals of self care, our attempts to help others eventually lead us to burn-out and resentment.

When we don’t take good care of ourselves, we approach taking care of others from ego, rather than from an open, compassionate heart.

When our self care is poor, we stop listening.  We fall into going one-up and giving others unwanted advice–to make ourselves more comfortable.  We become judgmental and critical.  We forget that true compassion doesn’t keep score.

When we practice self care, we find compassion is limitless.  We begin with compassion for ourselves.  We discover room in our hearts for everyone.  We serve from love, rather than “should”.

I believe self compassion, self care, and mindfulness are interwoven, and are essential to genuinely serving others.

What are your rituals of self care?

Where do you fall down, and where do you shine?

Comment Zen:  I would love to hear how you take care of yourself.

XOXO,

Mara Rose

You might also like:

Some Things to Love About September

Some Things I Believe

Some Things to Love about September

The languorous warmth of Indian Summer.

Autumn crisp evening air, seductive with possibility.

Fields of sunflowers.

Rows of freshly mown hay, curing in the sun.

Lush, almost-purple heirloom tomatoes, layered into ricotta and leaves of fragrant basil, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.

Corn on the cob and fresh-caught salmon, grilled to perfection.

The Light, glowing soft and hazy.  Luminous.

The preciousness of warm, sun-lit days.  Reveling in each moment, as Summer bids farewell.

The excitement of those who are returning to school.

Making changes, moving on.  Difficult decisions to finalize before the rain sets in.

The ebb and flow of Life, framed naturally by the Seasons.

Clarity.  Energy.  Movement.

A time for new projects and refreshed motivation.

For you who are curious about meditation, or would appreciate support as you start your own meditation practice, I am planning a series of posts about how to begin meditation….

How you can ease into meditation, making meditation a beloved habit, a  ritual, an essential part of your daily routine.

We’ll also explore the many benefits of regular meditation practice–for your physical and mental well-being.

Many great tips and resources, coming soon!

I hope you’ll join me.

This blog will soon migrate to a new platform.  There is nothing you need to do–you will be automatically be redirected to the new site, MaraRose.com, when it is complete.

Stay tuned!

And, thank you so much, every one of you, for your kind support and warm encouragement.

Much Love,

Mara Rose

You might also like:

Kindness to Ourselves, the Heart of Healing

Ask, and You Shall Receive

Contentment in the Rain

*Photo of fresh garden produce, courtesy of  M., the best farrier ever.

Moments of Connection and Healing

We sat in the glorious afternoon sunshine at a sidewalk table outside Chipotle, my lovely German Sheperd puppy and I.  Izzy had her usual bowl of rice and pork.  I sipped a Margarita with my tacos.

Izzy’s beautiful kind eyes and inquisitive puppy face draw people in–anyone who has ever been “owned” by a German Sheperd wants to meet her.  She is adorable.

A woman stopped to greet us and we fell into conversation.  She has a Sheperd very much like Izzy.

We connected as we shared the deep joy our dogs bring us.  The comfort and sense of safety.

Our dogs came into our lives as we faced the aftermath of violation and trauma.

We created a beautiful moment of connection and healing, trusting our stories to the safe container of shared experience, empathy, and non-judgment.

Our human brains are hard-wired to connect with others.  And yet, so often in our hectic lives, we neither listen, nor are we heard.  We don’t truly see each other.  We rush through our days defended and defensive, judging and being judged.  Our hearts closed.

We all want to be heard, to be accepted for who we are.  And yet, to be heard, we also need to listen.  To quietly offer our Presence without trying to advise, judge, or fix the other person.

I am challenging myself to cultivate better habits of listening, to open my heart more and more.  To become more Present.  Will you join me?

XOXO,

Mara Rose

You might also like:

How to Know When It’s Time to Leave

Why We Gossip–And How to Stop

How to Know When it’s Time to Leave

Are you feeling stuck, unsure whether to stay in a less than satisfying situation, or whether to leave and find another way?

You are not alone.

Many times in my life, I have stayed in an unhealthy situation far too long.

I have blamed myself, and tried harder.

Or made excuses for the inappropriate behavior of others.  Something Buddhist Master Trungpa Rinpoche referred to as “Idiot Compassion“.   Otherwise known as enabling.

I have allowed fear of an unknown future to keep me frozen in an unacceptable present.

I have worried, ‘Out of the frying pan and into the fire’.

I have bucked up and taken the High Road.

And then I began to embrace Self Compassion and my own Worthiness.

I learned that while true self esteem is generated from deep within ourselves, our self esteem is also affected by how we are treated by those around us.

And even when we know we have done nothing to deserve bad treatment, even when we believe we are “Rising Above”, consistent exposure to toxicity is damaging to our sense of who we are.  And undoing that damage is challenging and time-consuming.

As I deepen my meditation practice and connect with the intuitive wisdom of my body, I’ve discovered another way to consider the question, ‘Do I stay, or do I leave?’

First, I ground and center myself.  I spend some time in meditation.  Then, I consider my present situation.  I attend to what I am experiencing in my body.  I notice I feel anxious.  My heart races, my chest tightens, my breath becomes short.

I am aware I now avoid the situation.  The energy field of my body shrinks and becomes dark when I enter into the situation.

I have tried constructive communication, and come away unsatisfied.  There has been gossip, stirring of the pot, scapegoating.  Violation of boundaries in communication.  Behaviors I do not want in my life.  Even though there are good things about the situation, the negative overshadows.

I have found an alternative situation.  I’ve spent time evaluating the new situation–asking questions, listening, checking in with the wisdom of my body.

I have weighed the objective criteria for each path, to avoid making a reactive decision.

Then, I visualize the new situation–and I feel my body opening, softening, expanding.  I experience a Lightness of Being.

And therein lies the essence of my decision.  I am moving towards the Light.

I engage this process more than once, on different days.  I seek Clarity, Spaciousness.

As move forward in my life, I know that embracing self compassion and my own worthiness go hand in hand with being treated with respect.

And when I am not treated respectfully, when there is a pattern of disrespect–when I observe the pattern of disrespectful behavior is also directed at other people–when my efforts to establish respectful communication are not met by the other, it is time to leave. 

With class and dignity, I walk the Goddess Walk.

Life is too short and too precious to waste on toxic situations.  No situation is perfect.  Life is never perfect.  But when the balance consistently shifts towards the negative, I choose to walk into the Light.

Perhaps you are at a crossroads in your life.

It is my genuine hope that you might find my personal process helpful, as you find your way.

XOXO,

Mara Rose

You might also like:

The New York Times Health Blog, Self Compassion.

Why We Gossip–And How to Stop

Ask, and You Shall Receive

Kindness Towards Ourselves, the Heart of Healing

Why We Gossip–And How to Stop.

I love ending the day with a quiet, meditative ride on my Arabian mare.  A few steps into our ride the other evening, we stopped abruptly.  A snake was in our path.  Thinking it nearly dead, I dismounted and gingerly picked the snake up with a pitchfork.  The snake began writhing around the prongs of the pitchfork, his little forked tongue flicking in and out.

I had been thinking about gossip.

Speaking with a forked tongue.  The snake in the grass.

Perhaps I need to define what I mean by gossip.  The hurtful words we say behind someone’s back are gossip.  Negative crap about others that comes to us by hearsay, gets repeated–and blown out of proportion.  Confidences broken.  Judgments proclaimed.  Unkind opinions spouted.  Criticism.

The snarky comment, the rolled eyes.  The stirring of the pot.

There are some who claim that gossip is harmless.  That gossip creates a connection between the gossipers and reinforces socially appropriate behavior.

I disagree.  Gossip is not benign.

We all know that someone who talks badly about someone to us, will also gossip about us behind our backs.

When we are honest with ourselves, we admit we do not feel “clean” after a session of gossip.

Gossip lends a false “intimacy”.  Talking about others is not the real deal.

We do not respect a person who gossips, even as we participate in gossip ourselves.

We excuse our gossip by telling ourselves the target doesn’t know about it, so they won’t be hurt by our negative words.  But the truth is, the person eventually figures out that things have gone awry.  Someone slips and says something.  The victim feels the cold shoulder, the sudden silence as they enter a room.  They hear the newly critical tone of voice, perceive the lack of empathy.

Gossip hurts.

Gossip is a way to avoid our own uncomfortable feelings of shame and unworthiness, by dumping them onto the person we are gossiping about.

We get caught up in gossip when we are insecure, when we seek approval.

Gossip is a way to gain power over others.

Gossip can be a form of social bullying.  Building a case against someone.  Piling on.

Gossip in the workplace can constitute harassment.

We all desire a safe, non-judgmental friend who respects our confidences.  When we become that person, we will attract others to us.

We earn respect and cultivate deep friendships when we become known as a person who shuns gossip and maintains discretion.

For quite some time, I have been moving away from gossip.  I really don’t like to be around it, and am much happier in gossip-free environments.

I have been deeply hurt by gossip.

And yet, I recently said something unkind and completely unnecessary about someone.  At the time, I used her difficult behavior to justify my words.  But I did not feel good about myself when I walked away.

I clearly have more work to do to banish gossip from my life.

How do we stop gossip?  Especially when criticizing others may be a strong element of our social environment?

Here are some steps we can take to stop gossiping:

*Begin by setting our intention to stop participating in gossip.

*Be direct.  State we are not comfortable with the conversation.

*Change the subject.  Erect a “Wall of Pleasant” (I thank Pia Mellody for that phrase–non-affiliate link).   Sometimes this works, but often, the gossiper is intent on venting her opinion.

*Offer a voice of support and compassion for the target of the gossip.  Often, the victim of gossip is in a vulnerable place in her life, and the gossipers are piling on and bullying.

*Walk away.  Find something positive and peaceful to do.

*Avoid those who habitually engage in gossip.  Sometimes that means stepping back from friends who live in a social culture of gossip.   And making new friends.

*Look within at our own motivation for engaging in gossip.  Ask ourselves the hard, uncomfortable questions:

*What are our real motives for repeating the gossip?

-Are we feeling insecure?

-Are we holding onto resentment?

-Has our self care taken a back seat?  Do we need to say “No” more often?

-Are we addicted to approval?  Trying to belong?

-Are we driven by envy or an addiction to power?

-Are we generating a false sense of self esteem by going one up and sitting in judgement of another person?

-Are we shifting our own shame and our belief in our own unworthiness onto someone else?

-Are we gossiping about someone who has hurt us?  I can get caught with this one, if I am not especially mindful.

*Consider the Golden Rule, and how it feels when we are the target of gossip.

*Embrace our own intrinsic worthiness.  Believe we are enough.  Because we are.

*And perhaps, most importantly, cultivate empathy and compassion–beginning with ourselves.

I know I feel better about myself, and my self esteem gets a huge boost, when I choose to travel the high road and avoid gossip–no matter what.

Will you join me on a 30 day challenge to stop gossiping?

XOXO,

Mara Rose

You might also like:

Moments of Connection and Healing

How to Know when It’s Time to Leave

Uncertainty–New Book by Jonathan Fields

I just opened an email from Jonathan Fields.  His new book, Uncertainty, is soon to be released.

Jonathan has created a beautiful and deeply moving trailer for his new book.  Here it is:

Uncertainty, the book.  Awesome.

Jonathan spoke about his book at #WDS World Domination Summit.  At the end of a long weekend, his powerful and loving presentation enchanted a crowd of 500.

Reflections on #WDS World Domination Summit

XOXO,

Mara Rose

Reflections on #WDS–World Domination Summit

Many thanks to our awesome and gracious host, Chris Guillebeau, for making #World Domination Summit a truly fabulous event.

I began the weekend thinking I would find ideas for something I might Do.

Instead, I discovered paths to deeper and more authentic Being.

Every speaker was riveting.  Some highlights for those of you unable to attend:

Pam Slim, Escape From Cubicle Nation, spoke of “the power within each of us”, reminding us of “the beauty of who we are”.  Pam used the four elements–Air, Water, Earth, and Fire–as metaphors for the individual strengths each of us brings to our community.   Pam stressed that we not forget protection, grounding ourselves in our physical bodies, rooting ourselves in love.

Leo Babauta told us how he once felt hopeless, helpless, and worthless–and failed many times to change his life–until he learned the mechanism of how habits are formed, and began by making one small change at a time.  He started by quitting smoking, and now writes Zen Habits, with over 200,000 subscribers.

Danielle LaPorte, White Hot Truth, on goals:  “How do you want to feel when you get there?  What do you have to do everyday to generate those feelings?  This puts you in the driver’s seat….Start radiating.”

Sufi Master Mark Silver, Heart of Business, opened and connected 500 hearts.  He said, “We are nothing, all comes from Source.  Our best work comes through us….Be a vessel”.

Karen Walrond, The Beauty of Different, described “Creating your own story”, as she held us spellbound with her warm humanity and striking photography.  “Making comparisons is a colossal waste of time.  When I compare myself to someone else, I am comparing my insides to their outsides”.  She suggested we “Curate” our lives.  “We don’t age because time passes.  We age because we stop looking for the wonderful”.

Jonathan Fields spoke about the research behind his upcoming book, “Uncertainty“.  He said, “The greatest creators are capable of consistent action in the face of uncertainty”.  He talked about how “our brains are wired to avoid being wrong and then being judged”.  He said when we want to create something, but know how it will turn out, it’s been done already.  Doing “great work”, and creating something new, is uncomfortable.  He talked about the role of ritual in the creative process, “leaning into fear and anxiety” and “creating certainty anchors to allow creative space”, practicing meditation and mindfulness to open up creativity.

I am so looking forward to Jonathan’s book.

A truly inspirational weekend.  “But worthless, if you don’t do something….Act on it in the next 30 days.  Take one significant action, and see what happens” ~ Jonathan Fields.

I’ve been doing just that, diving deep into change for the past 30 days, as new and good paths open.

XOXO,

Mara Rose

Here is Chris on the event he totally rocked: The Heart Attack of Awesome.

And the link to Chris’s Flickr master photos of #WDS:  Chris Guillebeau Flickr feed.

More on #WDS:  Bindu Wiles, World Domination Summit Roundup, and her WDS Photos.

Instagram Rocks

I love iPhone photography.  My iPhone is the camera that is always in my pocket.  When I am lost in stress or a funk, whipping out my iPhone to capture a moment is a great way to find my way back.

My favorite new photo app is Instagram.  Simple, easy-peasy, and you can link all your contacts, friends, and Twitter to your Instagram feed.  And the app and service are free!  Tweaking the color saturation is fun, and I love seeing the great creative photos other photographers post.

BTW, World Domination Summit was beyond fabulous!  YAY!  A true life-altering experience, which I am yet integrating.  I am working on the post I promised you, coming soon.  For now, I will say–I signed up for #WDS with the thought I might find something to Do.  I came away with a deep experience of Being.

Back to Instagram–Below are a few pictures that I have been playing with:

Comment flow:  What are your favorite phone photography apps?

Weekend of Bliss–#WDS

  Follow Your Bliss….   Joseph Campbell

At the last minute, I had the great good fortune to score a ticket to The Art of Non Conformity’s awesome and amazing World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon.  YAY!!!

I am so excited about meeting new friends and spending the weekend surrounded by creative, adventurous people who live outside the box and follow their dreams.

I know I will have much to share with you about the experience.  Stay tuned!

Comment Flow….

Will any of you be at the World Domination Summit?  If not, have you plans for an adventure in the coming weeks?

Photos:  Lobby at Urban Farmer, the Nines Hotel,

and The Park Blocks in Autumn,

Portland, Oregon.