The most valuable question I know ...

Two full months have passed since I started this full time dive into my biz and all of the creative endeavours and adventures that have come along with it. The time has passed with lightening speed as I’m been fully immersed in the creativity, freedom and flow of it. Everything I need (and more) has come to me easily and effortlessly. And, to boot, the folks that I’m creating with are equally brilliant and fun at the same time. Sounds all great, right?

Well, a couple of weeks ago I noticed that I felt really tired! And it wasn’t just the unusual summer heat. I realized that I’d been working incredibly hard and yet felt as though nothing was getting done! Sound familiar to anyone? I felt impatient, frustrated and amazed at the snail’s pace that it felt like things were moving. How frustrating to work so hard and feel like I’m getting nowhere.

As soon as I woke up to this pattern, I did a little self-coaching! And I asked a good friend to help me with it too. I applied a simple and powerful tool for moving from fear to faith – a very powerful vibrational shift indeed.

First, I sat down with pen and paper, and answered the most valuable question I know. That is “Is it true?” Here’s how it works. At the root of my frustration and impatience was the thought “I’m working hard and getting nothing done”. So I asked myself honestly, “is that true?” Right away I knew that the answer was no – it’s not true. Okay, step one is now complete.

Step two involved the paper and pen. I reflected over those two months with the help of my friend and, together, we recalled all of the work that I had accomplished during those two months and I wrote it all down. In short, I recorded the evidence of work that had been accomplished. Wow. What a huge shift took place.

The list was so long and so big that my first reaction was amazement. But this time I was amazed at how much I’d accomplished, not the other way around. I felt greatly relieved and also grateful for the incredible speed at which things were coming together! In short, my vibration shifted from frustration to faith.

The other lovely gift of this short (20 min or so) exercise is that as soon as my vibe shifted back to faith, the line of communication from the Universe to me opened up widely and I heard the precious voice of guidance say “What’s the big hurry?”. A gentle and loving nudge to slow down some opened up the space for more play time for Lee. I just love those gentle nudges. Bring them on! It’s all good. It’s all for well being ... and anything that isn’t of well being is a story.

That’s my story today ... thanks for listening friends.
Lee
PS: Now it’s time to play and an air conditioned movie theatre, good movie and some popcorn sounds pretty fabulous to me. Afternoon matinee, here I come.

Thanking Angels ...

Hi wonderful friends,

Today’s blog is a big "shout out of thanks" to some angels sent by the Universe to join and assist me in this perfect adventure.

Fiona Milis of Fiona Milis Designs continues to eagerly share her tremendous skills with all things technical in the world of graphics and computers – and boy, do I need it! Her un-ending patience with all my questions is a true inspiration – I have so many questions. What do I do about this Fiona, how does this work, how does that work, could you do this for me? And the answer is always a gracious yes. Yes Lee, here is some help for you. Thank you, thank you, thank you Fiona!

And for JB, my dear friend Jessica ...you shower me with gifts. Gifts of love, encouragement, validation and yet even more things technical ... like taking a bunch of portrait shots of me for the new, improved POW Website (coming soon). You smile and give. I absolutely adore you.

And then there’s my mom. My precious, precious mom. She has come so very far in her life, my mom. I’m sure it’s the understatement of the year to say that I’d really need to write a whole blog on her to even put a slight dent in expressing her role in everything Lee and Power of Wellness. For now I’ll start with this short “shout out to mom”. Because even though the odds of her reading this blog without several direct prompts from me are slim indeed, I know that time and space can’t get in the way of you feeling my love and enormous gratitude mom. You are my biggest fan, and I am yours.

These are the angels I choose to share thanks with here today. More to come ... so many more to come. It sure feels good to give thanks.

Love and all green lights everyone! Thanks for listening!
Lee

Fun with Twitter & the Simplicity of it ...

Today 2 people asked me if I was having fun. I just love how the Universe guides us perfectly. "Time for fun" it says.
This is me posting on Twitter today ... part of the fun! Follow me at http://twitter.com/powerofwellness

Another Chance ...

The other day a good friend I hadn’t seen in a couple of years called and let me know that he’d love to get together for coffee or a walk on the beach – he said that he had something big to share with me. I couldn’t wait.

Something big indeed. First, let me say that he made my day before he even opened his mouth. As I approached him and our eyes met, his whole face just lit up, and he opened his arms wide for a hug ... we hugged a big bear hug and then he presented me with flowers. Does it get any better? I think not.

So we walked to the beach, found the perfect bench with the perfect view and out came his “something big”. Just a couple of weeks before, he’d taken a trip down to the states for a little time away. During his visit he felt something odd within his body; he didn’t know what it was but he knew it felt significant enough to seek help. He visited the E.R. of a local hospital and after X-Rays and several other tests, the attending Doctor told him he was just fine and could leave. And so he began to walk away – yet he felt an inner voice tell him that something big was definitely going on. He returned and told the nurse that he didn’t feel safe leaving. That inner voice and that nurse ended up saving his life.

The nurse convinced the attending Doctor to order a Cat Scan, even though the Doctor felt it was unnecessary – after all, my friend is young and very fit, and the other tests had indicated that all was well. Well, the Cat Scan was ordered and it revealed several large blood clots within both lungs; it turned out to be what they call a Double Pulmonary Embolism. Test results in hand, the Doctor spoke with my friend and said two things. One, you’re not going anywhere - we’re admitting you immediately. And two, you can thank that nurse for your life.

As we sat on that park bench and I listened to his story, I was mesmerized. Just stunned. It was hard to imagine that he had been through all of this on his own in a foreign hospital just days before. And then he shared the giant gift in it all.

He said “Lee, I know I why I survived that. I’ve been given another chance to follow my heart and do something that I’ve wanted to do for years. I’ve put it off and now is the time ... it was touch and go in that hospital at times and I decided that if I was given a chance, I’d make my dream come true.” And now he is.

He shared his vision with me and invited me to offer any thoughts or feedback that might help him along. And of course the Universe put us together that day to serve each other perfectly and we did. I gave him my absolute faith in his ability to make a positive difference for himself and the planet by following his heart, and I lent him an inspirational DVD that I intuitively thought would fuel his spirit. And he gave me so much. He gave he that big smile and hug, flowers, and a chance to re-connect with a dear friend who, when given another chance to live his best life seized it! He inspired me. And if you’ve been following this blog, you know how much I thrive on inspiration – it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Thank you for sharing dear friend – you reminded me that “Each new instant holds an opportunity for new beginnings”. I’m so honoured that you shared this precious life experience with me and I’m thrilled for you and your “dreams coming true”. You’re such a wise, strong and beautiful soul. Imagine Obama, me and all sorts of angels surrounding you, reminding you with great enthusiasm and faith that “Yes you can!”

Love and another bear hug – virtual this time – to all!
Lee

PS: I asked my friend’s permission to share this story on my blog and he simply said “if it will help anyone, absolutely”. If it helped you, please comment.

Happiest Moment Today ...

I love to spring clean and de-clutter, recycle, and generally breathe new life into my living space – what a relief and feeling of lightness comes over me. And I notice that it’s especially helpful when my intention is to allow new things and experiences and creativity to come into my life – letting of stuff creates the space for all things new, including fresh ideas. And the de-cluttering process also helps me to re-discover precious things I want to keep and use again.

Last week I re-discovered my “Happiest Moment” journal. I don’t remember where I got the idea but it sure was a gem. At the end of each day I would tune in and ask myself “What was my happiest moment today?” And I’d write down the date and the answer. I christened the journal on October 6, 2007 and I wrote that day that my happiest moment was “laying on my belly with acupuncture needles moving chi in my neck, shoulders and lower back; yummy heat pads had been placed on my feet and back and I laid there ... listening to my breathing, feeling the flow of energy and revelling in the care for my wondrous body”.

I kept writing daily “happiest moments”, skipping the odd day and, later, the odd week, until somehow my attention was turned to other things and I put the journal into a drawer. A drawer full of happiest moment vibrations! And as I review them now, I notice that 90% of those moments were simple, yet magical, connections with people.

On October 9/07 I wrote that my happiest moment was spending 3-4 minutes with a couple of second year students that I ran into on my walk near the college, between classes. They were sitting on the grass with books open and they called my name and suddenly we were given this precious moment to refuel each other with laughter and fun ... the three of us glowing ... I shared my excitement about something I was learning and they shared theirs about their Thanksgiving dinners.

On July 11, 2008 I wrote “Today, as I walked to a downtown appointment, on the sidewalk I approached what looked like a man who might have been homeless (standing by store with hat and sign). He asked me how I was today, with a big and clearly genuine smile on his face – I said “great, how are you?” and he said “I’m great! I woke up breathing and here I am!”. BIG genuine smile and a truly happy vibe. Amazing! It was just a few seconds – a brief moment but it stands out as one of the greatest gifts of my life.” What a teacher.

Writing these down and remembering them now helps me to honor the most important stuff in life. Every day I’m presented, as we all are, with constant choices to make. And this journal reminds me that I’ve waited my whole life to get to this moment. And then the next one. And the next. I waited my whole life to share those special 3 minutes with those two students and I waited my whole life to feel the joy in the eyes of the man who might have been homeless. Wow. The smallest of things are very big indeed.

I’m going to start recording those happiest moments again tonight and who knows what today’s moment will be, because I’ve got a lot of moments to experience between now and bedtime. Hmm. So far today, my happiest moment has been remembering the joy in the eyes of the man on the street and the love and fun connecting with those two students. Here it is, 1-2 years later and these people and simple moments in the span of a busy day continue to positively impact my life. It inspires me and reminds me that happiness is an inside job and that it comes more often in short moments here and there than it might in big events or after something we think might make us happy (ie: losing weight, buying a better car, etc, etc).

De-cluttering and seizing daily happy moments – exactly what was needed to move forward on my adventures today. And of course I wish for all of us the ability to awaken to the happy moments around us, more and more all the time. Because, as you probably know, not only is happiness an inside job, but it really is contagious, isn’t it. As the video in my first blog entry says “smile and you will make two people happy”.

What is your happiest moment so far today?
Thanks for listening and brightening my life.
Lee