Week 40 - Wisdom

Note: This weeks challenge is not about yoga and mudras but I want to share this with you first. If you prefer you can skip right to the challenge.

In yoga there are mudras, or hand gestures, that help to manifest an intention. When you sit quietly and use the hand gesture you do not need to 'think' about the intention. Instead simply sit quietly and trust that the quality (wisdom in this case) will expand. The mudra you would use for wisdom is called Jnana Mudra. Instead of re-inventing the wheel and describing it myself I will provide this wonderful link that you can go to if you'd like. http://derekosborn.accountsupport.com/thelibrary/id62.html

The Challenge:
In case you did not read the link let me first explain that it talks about ego as well. I believe the ego is opposite of wisdom. The ego considers self and wisdom is selfless. It's not that the ego is bad; it is a way of distinguishing self from other things. However when we see the world around us as "me" and "them" it can create problems. From here envy, judgement, criticism, hatred, prejudice, and cynicism exist.

This week I want you to focus on your habitual thought patterns. Find those that are ego based. For example you may realize when you hear good news for someone else you feel envious or judgemental. You may want to down-play someones success or say something like "they are just lucky".

After you have created some awareness around the ego-based thought(s) you have a choice that you did not have earlier. From here you can choose to be the same or you can choose to change. Remember it takes approximately 21 days to change a habit so this part of the challenge will take more than one week.

If you work on removing the habitual tendencies to feed the ego you will notice somethng wonderful. You will start to see the world as a better place. You will begin to notice the events that occur every day that are hopeful and heroic. You will become part of an amazing group of people that choose peace, love and happiness. In doing so you will be a creator of goodness and will profoundly change the world around you in addition to your own.

For those of you that accept this challenge; you are my heros. Thank you!

What I am working on:
In all honesty this challenge will take even more than 21 days; it's an ongoing commitment and some days I feel selfish. But my awareness allows me to regroup and try again and again.

Week 27 - Love

Feeling loved and accepted is extremely important so this weeks challenge will provide an opportunity for you to think about a few things.

The Challenge:
First think about your needs. Do you feel loved? If so then take a moment to be grateful for that feeling. With love it is easier to flourish and you have been given an amazing gift so use it well. If you feel like love is lacking in your life then your challenge is to think about how you can change this. You may feel like this is not in your control; that love is something to be given and you are right. So why not give it to yourself. Take time to think about ways you can show more self love. If you truly love yourself you may be able to attract love from others because when we do not love ourselves we project need and helplessness which will trigger pity at best.

Next think about the needs of others. How can you create more love in the world around you? Simply offering a kind word or smile does help. Stop trying to inflict your needs and wishes on others and think about theirs instead. In turn others will then be more thoughtful of your needs and wishes.

What I am working on:
This time of year is easy to reflect and when I do I realize how blessed I am to have a wonderful husband, family, pets, friends, community and so on. These are the best gifts of all and I am truly grateful. Therefore I have and will continue to dedicate my time to helping to improve the lives of others in both my personal and professional life.

Happy New Year!