The Holistic Road

Another great method or tool that helps find oneself is reflection. I didn’t realize all of those great journals out there that can help one find topics to reflect upon. Some are called Life planners, performance planners, creative planners, etc…

However, just regular paper and pen will do. Or, if you want to save trees, there are apps out there too.

I took an online workshop this weekend that really helped me to reflect on who I am, deep inside. We all have titles: student, parent, mom, dad, sister, brother, daughter, son, artist, co worker, a specific title for work or type of sport you play. But when I am talking about YOU, those titles don’t really matter. I am really talking about YOU with all of those titles stripped away. Your biological sex stripped away, your wealth or lack of (doesn’t matter), your possessions, your appearance, all stripped away. This is about YOU! Your spirit, how you feel from deep inside.

I took some things that I found interesting from the weekend, and some things that I just reflect on from time to time to share with you.

Get something to write or draw with, some paper of some sort, and find a comfy spot to ponder. Turn on some tunes if that helps. This is about YOU! Hope you enjoy this. There is no wrong or right way to do this. You can write or draw whatever. I’m just giving prompts to help get your mind pondering.

• First thing to do is to write down who you are on the inside…loving, humble, friendly, forgiving, empathetic, etc. Write down as many adjectives that you can think of that reflects you.
  
• Write down words in which you value. Here’s a few: truthfulness, originality, happiness, loyalty, respect, bravery, fearless, health, vitality, family, friends, joy, spirituality, resilience, imagination, ambition, contentment, gratitude, forgiveness, balance, peace, boundaries, pets,etc… Come up with 3-5 values that you live by and rank them. These are your values and you can change them. However, believing in them and living by them is important for you. Establishing values in your life helps in making solid decisions. It helps to establish boundaries for yourself. You matter!!! What you decide for yourself, Matters!!! Coming up with your core values will help with this next part tremendously. So don’t go forward until you come up with those. Life happens and things change. So your values will change at different stages of your life. No doubt.
  
• Come up with a life statement about yourself. Who you’ve always thought yourself to be or wanted to be. Weave in those values. Write it in present tense, say it daily to yourself. Believe yourself to be living that way now.
  (I.e. I live my life in a truthful, caring, nurturing way. ) This is also called a Sankalpa in Sanskrit. It may change as you grow, or at different mile stones in your life. You have the power to change it whenever you wish. But it is important to try and live your life by this statement. It will help and inspire many aspects of your day to day life. Then, when you come across situations or people in your life, you can ask yourself if it or they fit with your values and your life statement. This great mantra we learned over the weekend; is when a anything comes your way that doesn’t fit, say, ” Return to Sender”. haha. I had to laugh. Many times in my life I allowed things that weren’t necessarily wanted and I didn’t “return them to sender”.

• This one is kind of fun. Grab some old magazines, colored pencils, pens, photos, or whatever, and paste, draw, write, all of those wonderful things that you want in your life. Some may already be there. But a new car, a new house, money, more time in nature, anything. These are your dream pages. Oprah once did an episode years ago about dream boards. Creating your life by picturing it. You can do this on a board, but creating your collage in your journal, and looking at it everyday, might add inspiration on a day to day basis. After you create the pages, you can reflect on them from time to time, but better yet, just throw it our to the universe and see what happens.

Many journals have prompts, meditations, mantras, quotes, and exercises that allow you to ponder and open your mind. The key is to open it! Peel of your layers and find YOU!

I attached a photo of one of my dream pages that I made years ago. Some of the things became reality, and some desires changed and I just don’t need them anymore.

Whatever makes you feel the sun from the inside out, chase that. – Gemma Troy

Visualize your truest self. Start showing up as that person.- author unknown

Live less out of habit and more out of intent. – author unknown

I wish you soulful thought, an open mind and the will to find YOU.

Stay safe.

Peace and Love, Dawn