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Current Issue |
One of a Kind News Table of Contents
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 1. Welcome Notes I want to extend a warm welcome to five new subscribers this week. If you would like to review past issues of One of a Kind News, click on Archives List. I'm back after three weeks of not writing. Much of my energy during that time was spent healing myself from a cold that settled in my chest and caring for my little "Me Too". Those of you who know me personally, or have been a subscriber for a while, know that "Me Too" and "Nugget" are my beloved canine companions. At 17 years old, Me Too is getting to be an old gal. She and I suffered through many sleepless nights in the past couple of weeks and at times, I thought she would never bounce back. But, she has! She has overcome this illness and is on the road to health once again! I am so grateful! Recently a client told me that what she really, really, really wants is inner peace. This got me to thinking about my own journey toward inner peace and what I've learned along the way. Those learnings led to this week's article "Love Your Self, Love Your Inner Peace" and is a continuation of my series on Loving Your Self. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 2. Love Your Self, Love Your Inner Peace LOVING YOUR SELF MEANS TAKING EXCELLENT CARE OF EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE. "There is a place in you where there is perfect peace. There is a place in you where nothing is impossible. There is a place in you where the strength of God abides." --A Course in Miracles" I've probably always been looking for inner peace; I just didn't know that was what I was looking for. I've taken many paths in my life. None of them ever led to inner peace until, in the spring of 1999, I discovered the joy of subtraction. Bankrupt emotionally, spiritually, physically and financially, I was looking for a way out of the mess I had made of my life. That way out showed up in the form of the Clean Sweep Program from Coach University. I don't remember how I happened onto the Clean Sweep Program and Coach University and it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that I took it to heart and decided to work it. That started me on a journey that has improved my life a hundred fold. The Clean Sweep Program is a 100-point checklist for cleaning up your life. It's not easy, in fact it's quite challenging. It requires that you take an honest look at every aspect of your life to see what's working and what's not working. This can be intimidating and scary to some people. It was for me and I decided to do it anyway. I would be embarrassed to tell you how low my initial score was. However, I am proud to tell you that over the past 3-1/2 years I have raised that score substantially. As my score has climbed, I have found not only more vitality and strength, which are the goals of the Clean Sweep Program, I have found a road to inner peace, joy and love and it's in subtraction, not addition. I have learned that when I'm not at peace, I need add nothing to my life; rather I need to subtract something. Whether we know it or not, we are all seeking inner peace. Underneath every desire we have, is the longing for inner peace. The problem is that we tend to look for it in all the wrong places. We look outside of ourselves for things or people to give it to us. We can spend a whole lifetime seeking "out there" for peace and never find it. Some people do that. Or, we can look where it is, at home inside of us. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz discovered "There is no place like home." At home, inside yourself, you are peace -- it is your essence, your core. There is nothing that needs to be added. Your core is "perfect peace" as the Course in Miracles calls it. If you aren't in touch with that place of inner peace, it's because it's covered over with layers and layers of stuff. What is that stuff? It's the "stuff" you have accumulated throughout your life. The erroneous beliefs you have adopted, the resentments and regrets from the past, the fears, anxieties and worries about the future, your unfinished business, your clutter -- internal and external, your unceasing mind chatter and your constant "doing" in order to "become someone." You might think of the road to peace as a road lined with garbage cans. Those cans are to be used to dispose of all of that stuff that covers up your inherent inner peace. The more stuff you throw in those cans, the closer you will get to your destination of inner peace. Accessing inner peace is a process of elimination, elimination of everything that robs you of your peace. Nothing "out there" will give you peace. You cannot buy peace. You cannot earn peace. No one else can give you peace. You cannot get peace "out there" because peace is inside you. Peace is who you are; you already have it. You are responsible for taking excellent care of it. Only you can clear the layers that cover over your peace. I had plenty of layers of stuff covering over my inner peace -- 50 some years of accumulation. Through discovering what they were and consistently subtracting them from my life, I have increasing periods of inner peace. When I started on this path, I would go in and out of inner peace. As time goes on and I continue to subtract stuff from my life, the time I spend in that place of inner peace is growing longer and more frequent. During those times of inner peace I have glimpsed Heaven on Earth. That feels like a very big and risky thing to say and it's true. I certainly can't say that I'm in that space all of the time, but what I can say is that I've been in it enough to know that I will continue along this road of subtraction because I will never again be satisfied with anything less. We all have the capacity to access that part of ourselves. Make it a goal to access your inner peace in this lifetime. In the Resources section, I've included several items that can help you on your way to eliminating all the stuff that covers over your inner peace. Here are some questions to reflect on: What are the things in your life that are robbing you of inner peace? What do you need to subtract from your life? What needs to be eliminated? What, if you eliminated it, would make your life more peaceful? Imagine having absolutely no clutter (stuff) in your life, inside or outside (my definition of clutter is anything and everything that does not enhance your life). What would you have? = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"The art of positive choices helps you to create the life you want. Positive choices help you to discover what truly makes you happy and realign your priorities. Life is a series of additions and subtractions. You control the calculator." --Gail McMeekin "We carry within us the wonders we seek." --Sir Thomas Browne "In Mathew 11:34, we read: 'For I came not to bring peace but a sword.' In order to experience true peace, we must cut away anything unlike peace." --Mary Manin Morrissey "Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." --Saint Francis de Sales = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). EFT is a tool for eliminating internal clutter. You can learn EFT by going to the following website and buying training materials: http://www.emofree.com and/or I can teach it to you. Either way, I believe this is a tool everyone should have in her toolbox. If you would like me to teach you EFT, email me at Sharon@sharondemarte.com and we will arrange an appointment to do that. The Clean Sweep Program. You can purchase this program for $25.00 on the following website http://www.coachinc.com/coachinc/search/default.asp?s=1 or if you would like to use me as your life coach, I am a licensed user and it's part of the coaching package I distribute to my clients. Lighten Up! Free Yourself from Clutter, by Michelle Passoff A List of 500 Examples of Tolerations. Tolerations are all of those pesky things we put up with. A toleration could be anything from a dripping faucet to a neighbor's loud music. Tolerations drain us more than we realize and eliminating them can be a huge step forward in creating a peaceful life. If you would like to receive this list of sample tolerations, just email me at Sharon@sharondemarte.com and I will forward it to you. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Until we meet again, remember to: Count your garden by the flowers, Blessings to you and yours, Sharon = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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