15 Things To Look Into When Changing Your Life

Has anyone ever asked you, “What will be different this time?” The answer to that question isn’t always so simple. That is why I have integrated this motto “doing things differently” into my life. Earlier today, I felt a sense of nostalgia in the air and thought, maybe I should pay closer attention to the present moment, live in the infinite moment. Henry Ford once said, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” Part of doing things differently is being able to point out the areas we need to work on and identify the patterns behind them. I always like to make lists and write things down because I can be forgetful and don’t want to miss out on any of this brain nectar.

First of all, what is my aim?

To change what I can, accept what I can’t. Well, the only real thing I can change is ME. These are a few ideas for a template to get you to start brainstorming your own agenda for “doing things differently”. The way I did it was I wrote down, for example, “thoughts” then I brainstormed all the thought patterns that I needed to dive deeper into. For example, I know I have terrible self-talk from time to time. The inner critic in me is just as bad as it is in you. Here are some other ideas of areas to pay attention to when you start to make your lists and brainstorm:

• Thoughts
• feelings
• perspectives
• emotions
• values
• beliefs
• wants
• needs
• the way I respond or react to situations and others
• my part in relationships
• work ethic
• the way I show up for my family
• my readiness to change or my motivations
• what I feed my brain; what am I reading/watching/listening to
•  anything else that you think of for YOUR list.

AWARENESS is the first step to CHANGE. That does not mean it is the easiest, in fact, I would say quite the opposite. That is why so many people choose not to acknowledge the areas in themselves that could use some work. Although it is one of the most rewarding parts of the journey too because here is where you get to brainstorm what it is you can do to change your old ways. Once you know what direction you are heading, so long as you take ACTION, FREEDOM is just around the corner!

Here are my five favorite ways I practice changing my negative self-talk. (Instead of saying, “I will change” I used the present tense). What that means to me is that I have made a commitment to these five actions and I choose my words carefully. When a commitment is made, completion is the end goal.

1. Affirmations
2. Meditation
3. Gratitude journal
4. Therapy
5. Yoga

-AMO 8.22.16

 

Soul Compass

I had all these ideas of how this time it was going to be “different”. How this time I wasn’t going to fail like I had in the past. So, I made a decision to let myself off the hook, no more judgments. Perfection is not holding myself to an unattainable standard, it’s accepting the me for me. It’s about the imperfections and the jaded perspectives. It’s about doing things no other way than my way with the understanding of a power greater than myself, directing and guiding me through the mist. Feeling the power of that intangible source run through me and knowing that it is the root of my compassion, enabling me to practice being selfless, teaching me how to love and being there when there is no one else.

I wanted to document this journey from ground zero to beyond. My awareness has been dampened by the need to have “the perfect” first entry when really this is all that it is. The alpha and the omega, from here all things are possible. From here – the wheels have been set into motion, there is no stopping it now. I am focusing on practicing self-care, getting a ritual going and reading to my hearts’ content and lastly, I have been meditating. Often times, falling asleep during the meditation but none the less doing it.

 

Best,

AMO

Acceptance

I’ve been working on myself lately and one of the issues that keeps coming up with me is this idea of acceptance. I’m learning that there is so much power in the act of simply accepting myself just the way I am. Why I want to talk about this issue is because I think it is important when interacting with other people, with relationships with other people and most importantly with our relationship with our self. It has taken me many years to understand concepts that are now being taught to children in elementary school, I mean basic social skills. When I was young, research wasn’t being done on bullying. When I was young people didn’t understand mental illness like they do today. Being bullied doesn’t build thick skins, in fact, often times it thins our skins out. I am happy to see that now there are resources available for people suffering from these things, though that doesn’t mean that the problem doesn’t persist and it doesn’t mean that we can now wipe our hands of these people.

Acceptance for me looks like being my own friend, taking a liking to who I am regardless of the flaws in my nature. It takes practice to approve of myself enough to not let others get to me and not too much to where I put people off or act as though I am better then someone. Acceptance of myself is gained through helping others and loving others just the way they are. In the process I develop compassion and understanding. I am able to grow and learn, seeing from another persons perspective.  I will never know what it is truly like to be a man, or what it is like to be Native and so on and so forth. Not in this life at least. I guess what I want to say is that I find myself in others and through human connection I learn to love myself and that’s all that I really need at the end of the day; love.

Let me know what you think!

This is where I begin.

1. May 9th, 2016

They say life is too short,  I’ve also heard that its the longest thing you’ll ever do. I just thought while I’m at it I might as well write about it. So here it goes, my diary that lies open to anyone who can get their hands on it as it sits on the windowsill next to the drops of rain melting down the glass that separates you from the rest of the world. I shall write an open book, cataloging the impermanence of life, continuously progressing through the setting suns and rising moons. Holding on to the delicate juiciness of whatever topics happen to fall into my vision. These are the lessons of life, the love of life, the time of life told through the eyes of yours truly; Marie Wilder. I hope you look for the similarities in your own life. I hope you are able to use some of what you read to your benefit. Most of all I hope you are inspired. This is where I begin writing the book of my past and living in the present.

I invite you to join me, leave comments, tell me what you think, start a dialogue with me or just sit back and enjoy! You will hear me talk about my experiences, some reviews, art, music, dreams, ideas, writing and just life in general.

Thank you for reading.