Living with meaning and purpose goes hand and hand with recognizing what we value and what resonates with us from deep within. Sometimes we get sidetracked and spend our life conforming to societal expectations. We can miss out on taking a good look at what truly has meaning for us, that we can call our own. Being open to daily experiences and willing to enrich our lives to become fulfilled can give us hope and purpose to move forward with faith that our humanness is an asset for us. Letting go of old ways of being that are unauthentic (and a disservice to us) can make us feel worthy and remove the shame we may have felt when we may have “perceived” what we "thought" others expected of us. 

This is where ridding— even purging ourselves of unhealthy beliefs and changing our old story to a useful one, can free us up to progress. We then can rise far above our ego, that may put unfair and unhealthy demands on us. This can impact our emotional and physical health. In addition, being present in our mind to allow our emotions to air and honoring them with respect and grace, can heal us and make us feel more whole and unified with ourself, others, and our Creator. 

I welcome you to listen in to the insightful words of Rachel S. Heslin in Episode 63 of my podcast FILLING YOUR SOUL, to understand the importance of letting go of what’s not useful, to connect with with our gifts, and understand how we can proceed, as we continue to process ongoing experiences and information each day, to live with meaning and purpose.

Here’s to living life mindfully with optimism, courage, faith, and meaning.

If you would like to share your thoughts about any of this, feel free to reply to this email or make a post on my Facebook page.
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Leah

.Do you ever harbor anger toward others you believe have mistreated you? For many of us, letting go of this energy can allow us to utilize our energy in wise and constructive ways.  We can then focus on and become more open to additional possibilities. We can develop a vision and story of ourselves and hit the ball we have been slowly rolling back and forth, straight out of the park— making a home run to live our dreams. 

In his book, LIGHTS ALONG THE WAY, Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. addresses “Kaas” or anger and categorizes it into 3 stages. In the first stage he refers to “anger”, which comes to all of us naturally. The second phase he describes as “rage”, in which people act out in some way. The 3rd stage he refers to as “resentment” or the retention of anger. He addresses ways we can manage the last two stages. When we can work toward overcoming the last 2 stages, we can take accountability for ourselves and embrace love and compassion.

Dr. Michelle Robin shares her experiences and how she chooses love to move beyond the pain and take responsibility to find our best selves and to live with meaning and purpose.  I invite you to listen to her words in Episode 61, of my podcast, FILLING YOUR SOUL. 

Here’s to choosing love and and taking ownership to live with meaning and purpose,
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Leah 

Do you ever hang on to feelings of hurt and resentment from certain life experiences and toward others who have mistreated you? Even though we cannot always receive forgiveness from others, we can seek forgiveness from our Creator and those whom we may have slighted or offended unintentionally or even intentionally. We have the ability to become accountable and make it right, which can improve our connection with our Creator, ourselves, and others. As we seek to refine our character and improve ourselves, we can practice and acquire more self-mastery over our emotions and actions in the future. This can be an essential part of living with meaning and purpose. 
Then we can move forward, as we can have the energy and divine assistance (through prayer) available to discover what steps to take in order to find what is meaningful to us. We can create a vision and set a plan with set goals to take inspired action. This can fulfill our potential, our life, and allow us to be of service in some way that can fill us with love and joy. By checking inward and taking account of how we may have emotionally reacted in a manner that needs correction, we can change our character and open ourselves up to become renewed and fully connected to our Creator, ourselves, and humanity. 
In Episode 60 of my podcast, FILLING YOUR SOUL, I discuss these concepts. I hope you find this useful, so you can live your life with greater meaning and purpose to free yourself up to love and be grateful for your existence. 
Here’s to true connection, 
Leah  

Hello,
Do you ever wake up feeling uninspired to start the day? Why do you think so? Do you think it could be because your life is filled with responsibilities big time, and there is no place for you to carve out even a small piece for you?  
Are you sometimes excited to wake up, because you have a fun-packed day planned - like when you are on a vacation, going on a picnic, or something that is nurturing and meaningful to you. 
Each day we are blessed with the potential to make a difference for our tomorrows, when we have set a vision on what has value, meaning, and what we love to do.  We all can make the choice to carve out a teeny, tiny part of our day for ourselves. We can step into a place that awaits for each of us alone, to explore and enjoy. When we enter this space and find our true essence by journaling, drawing, playing that musical instrument, or whatever may move us, this can transform our life. 
I had such a positive experience interviewing writing professor and author Elizabeth Johnston. She speaks about how we can express our creativity, which she believes is key to living with meaning and purpose. Then she shares tips to go about acquiring our own creativity. 
Everyone can benefit from these words, as utilizing our creativity can make such a difference in our day, life and to others. Plus we can make our life more beautiful and joyful when we discover our inner world.
To learn more, listen in to Elizabeth on my podcast, FILLING YOUR SOUL, Episode 59, to learn more.
Please feel free to leave your comments by replying to this email, posting on our FB page, or commenting on our blog post.
Here’s to using your gifts to finding meaning and purpose. 
Creatively yours,
Leah 

Do you ever feel like your viewpoint on life’s experiences may bring you down, or do you sometimes think it would be better to see things from a more well rounded point of view?  Do you wonder if broadening your perspective, or doing an overhaul” on the way you see things may serve you better on your journey to living with meaning and purpose?

Being open to expanding our perspective by adding more distance, or perhaps transcending our circumstances, may help us see things in a different light. This can allow us to be more open and flexible—which can open doors to more possibilities! It can also save our precious resources, such as our time, energy, and money, so we no longer put square pegs where round pegs go. Instead, our resources can be used for what serves us best. It can even allow us to gain more insight, as we accumulate more knowledge, experiences, and awareness to learn and grow.

Isn’t this what life is all about anyways? Would we really want to stay fixed seeing things the way we did as a child? Isn’t it nice to know that we can evolve as an individual and become more conscious of what may really be going on, versus what we think is happening from a more narrow way of viewing things? This can help us to see a more clear  picture and impact us, as well as shine more light on the path we choose to travel. In turn, we can realign with our values, which can carry over to healthier attitudes regarding our self care, relationships, and work. 

Once we forge new pathways, we can become aware of habits that no longer serve us and gradually release them. Then we can develop new ones that benefit us physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.

Healthy thoughts bring peace, even during challenging times, as we accept what we cannot change. It’s always best to be proactive and accomplish whatever is possible to make the situation be the best it can.

Take close relationships, for example. We may think it’s best to “ fix” other people by criticizing and controlling them.  This can be counterproductive and may cause them to feel resentful. 

Instead, we may consider allowing our loved ones the space and freedom they require to take responsibility for themselves. If you need something done that is important, a good solution is to ask politely, “Can you please… (whatever it is you need to get done) in a polite and respectful way. It takes a big person to allow for other people to flourish, rather coming from a perspective of what is best for ourself.

With all of this in mind, I invite you to listen in to my podcast where I speak about Broadening Your Perspective.  Please feel free to share your thoughts here, on Facebook, or by commenting on this blog post.
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Here’s to broadening your perspective to serve you better,
Leah

Each of us has our own path to follow to find meaning and purpose in our life. This includes when we experience circumstances we least expect to occur, searching for the meaning we can, or the acceptance, after we have done everything possible to rectify the situation, if needed.

Exploring the process of finding meaning takes time, patience, and dedication; as well as respect, compassion, and true conviction in our abilities and potential. Staying on track can allow us to discover and utilize our resources. Time and energy are a gift we are given each day to utilize, by taking action toward living with meaning and purpose.

When we are mindful and appreciate our gifts, as well as all we have to offer others, we can bring joy to our daily actions and find the path to be a delight to travel, despite the growing pains and challenges. 

Being mindful of every thing we receive and do, great or small, can fill us with gratitude. Even taking delight in a piece of fruit In the morning by being aware of the unique flavor, it’s unique composition of nutrients and fiber, the way we may feel during and after we have ingested it, thankfulness to our Creator for providing us the money to purchase it by blessing our efforts, and our ability to see, smell, taste, chew, swallow and digest it. We have the choice to be mindful and grateful for everything and for each moment.
   
These little things in life cannot be measured. Being mindful and grateful for what we have, goes hand in hand with living with meaning. You see to me, life can be seen as an adventure. We are given free choice of what we do each day, and also the chance to receive experiences, with the ability to extract the beauty and essence as we gather messages along the way. We can be kind within appropriate limits and assist others, by being a source of strength, faith, and courage for those who are going through challenging times. Also, we can give others the benefit of the doubt and see people in a favorable light, while staying clear from ones who may be a source of distress, by provide the appropriate boundaries.   

Enjoy the wise words of Dr.Tracy Ochester regarding her perspective of mindfulness and living with meaning and purpose.

Please feel free to share your thoughts here, or by commenting on this blog post.

Here’s to your unfolding of your inner treasures, as you become all you can be,
Leah 

Exploring possibilities and having an open mindset can make a difference in how we respond to life emotionally, and can affect the larger percentage of our mind that is in the realm of the unconscious.  What our unconscious holds to be true, doesn’t have to be based on reality. Rather, it can be effected by our beliefs, mindset, thoughts, vision. etc.
Growing up, many of us, like me, may have been unaware of this concept. However, my mother, of blessed memory, was ahead of her time.  Having experienced tragic life experiences in her youth, despite the challenges and losses, her drive and willingness to be proactive and do whatever possible— made her even stronger and courageous. So, when any of my siblings and I complained about something that was hard to do— she would say, “Hard?  Do you know what’s hard?!?!?  If you swallow an umbrella and it opens in your stomach. That’s what’s hard.” Even having the blessing of such a special person as my mother, I found that parts of me found it challenging to take on and press through projects. It seems there is a part of us that can be our worst enemy. 
However, we can be vigilant, change our beliefs, and rewire our brain. We can honor our emotions and let then go, as we visualize a better tomorrow and a way to live with meaning  and purpose, as best we can with the circumstances we are given.  
I would love to hear from you if you want to share your thoughts about this with me or others, on this, or any other topic. Feel free to comment on this blog post, or on my Facebook page.  

In the meanwhile, enjoy some of my thoughts on my latest podcast, “Expanding Possibilities”.

I hope you find it meaningful. 
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Best wishes,
Leah