My Switchboard | Uncategorised

Abundance

started Oct 24th, 2007 in Uncategorised by comments: 17 last comment: Aug 3rd, 2008 by lavanyaa

In order to have 'more' of anything (or everything) we need to stretch our boundaries and our imagination. I invite you to adopt Abundance rather than Prosperity as an idea, as this aligns you with the possibility of having so much more.

When you embrace and understand Abundance as inclusive of prosperity, having 'more' means having more financial freedom, greater wellbeing, relationships that enhance your life, and abundant opportunities for expanding your joyful expression. So begin by honouring the Abundance that is always readily available to you - your breath. It's free, and life-giving. The breath infuses us with Life and creates an abundant flow as a life-giving stream. With awareness, we are able to draw more from the breath and, therefore, more from our lives. So I suggest you now take a few slow breaths as this will assist you to assimilate this bigger idea and anchor it deeply in your Being.

Infusing new information more deeply into your consciousness via the breath allows you to hold it more deeply. As you inhale, you enliven all your cells which expands your capacity to think. So - breathe, infuse, allow, use.

Then take a 'wide-angle lens' view of Abundance. This means speaking to your inner-knowing to support you to arrive at your understanding of Abundance which then paves the way for you to enjoy increasingly greater Abundance in every area of your life.

Abundance is the stage of integral wholeness where we are satiated with our own delight. It is the stage in our evolution as human beings where life ceases to be about external creation, and is about internal rapture - existing in an increasingly spacious container where we create worlds, within and without, that deeply nourish our spirit and make our hearts sing; where we live gloriously with ourselves and others. We are Abundant.

Abundance is not so much about what we have, but what we are and how we feel. When we live in 'what is right with me and my world' and not 'what is wrong with me and my world', we are beginning to awaken to this possibility. Appreciation for, rather than berating against, is an essential state of being we need to arrive at. Even the times that are challenging are gifts that we are able to harvest as great learning in order to gift ourselves with 'more' Abundance. Being awake to this core knowing is the essence of Abundance.

So, what does all this mean? When we recognise - or are willing to approach the possibility - that we are infinite, not as an oft-repeated hypothetical or 'spiritual' idea that has lost its meaning, but in a very practical and demonstrable way, we know 'I am the source of my experience'. Translated, this means that as I access my joy and inspiration continuously in the present, I create my Abundant Now and my Abundant Future.

Taking full responsibility for where you place your attention is a skill that is easy to develop. Being willing to notice the effect of your thoughts, is the key here. You may like to experiment with this for 5 minutes each a day. Just take the time to notice where you are placing your attention - what you are thinking about - and you will become aware of how you're feeling: whether you are feeling increasingly vibrant, or whether you're feeling depleted. You will then realise how much you may be keeping yourself restrained, tied to struggle of your own making.

This is where the magic happens: you now have the opportunity to play the game of increasing your Abundance, simply by changing where you place your attention. Remember: You are your greatest asset. Really know that. Cultivating a wondrous and deeply appreciative relationship with yourself is the vehicle that carries you forward towards your Abundance. When you are filled with the joy of exploring 'you' in ever-deeper ways, you create ripples that turn to waves of glorious delight, Cultivating a relationship with yourself that is founded on 'inner seeing' and reflection, holding yourself with gentleness as you plant seeds of new possibilities, and being excited by the burgeoning possibilities and the joy that unfolds, creates the flow of Abundance.

Abundance is a flow of new inspiration. New inspiration nourishes our imagination, and sets our boundaries free. The more boundaries we dissolve, the more restrictions we let go of, the more we begin to stand in our self-determined freedom. In this way we ignite our increasing passion, which creates wonder and this feeds our genius. Living in our genius, rather than our 'average' and 'good enough', is the launching pad from which we establish Abundance as a living reality. It is only when we feel BIG, brimming over with our self-generated joy, deeply nourished from the inside, and standing in our now and offering this as our gift to ourselves, our world, our families and our friends, that - finally - Abundance will flow outward and inward in ever-increasing possibilities.

The wondrous state of Abundance is an internally generated state of celebration that flows as a river in its fullness (from you) towards Life. This imprint of fullness, inspiration and joy is inscribed and described within your being, and imprinted externally. The action completes itself - Life completes this action - and you receive Abundance as a realised state of living where you are amply rewarded.

Abundance is now the flow of giving and receiving, from within and without, that we continuously exchange. Abundance is experienced as a state of deep nourishment. There is a rising heart-swell that embraces all in its vastness and you are 'more' and 'more' is yours.

Share this 'more' and feel the swell of Abundance.

Puree the flesh of 2 mangoes (about 2 cups), stir 1 teaspoon of baking powder into 225g (2 cups) almond meal, and gently beat five eggs in a bowl. Combine all ingredients, pour into a greased cake tin and bake for about 1 hour at 180o C.

Cool 10 minutes before turning out.

It is my experience that the more I joyously share, the more flows back to me. So, I offer you this divine recipe that a friend offered me. Enjoy the gifts of Abundance, and feel the increasing swell of giving and receiving delight. Enjoy.

Traveling with Your Camera

started Oct 24th, 2007 in Uncategorised by comments: 6 last comment: Aug 3rd, 2008 by lavan

Adult Cats are Fun Too - Adopt An Older Cat

started Oct 24th, 2007 in Uncategorised by comments: 8 last comment: Aug 3rd, 2008 by lavan

Teen & Parent Chat: 6 Ways To Communicate Clearly With Your Teen

started Oct 24th, 2007 in Uncategorised by comments: 2 last comment: Aug 3rd, 2008 by lavanyaa

Hi Parents,

How would you like to have a closer relationship with your teen again?

Your ability to communicate effectively with your teen is one of the most precious skills you can develop to achieve this goal.

When we think of communication, we tend to think only of the way we can express ourselves. While that is certainly important, listening is the single most crucial of all communication skills.

As a mother of two teenage boys, I know that it isn't always easy to communicate well with your teen.

It's particularly frustrating when they aren't talking to you. However, when I started applying these techniques to our lives, I found that we started getting along better almost immediately.wow gold wow goldWith less arguing between us, our relationship became stronger.

Make Your Teen Your Focus

Give your teens your full attention. I know that this is a toughie, because we tend to be so busy. It seems as if we are always multi-tasking. However, it is important in clear communicating that you make a point of stopping what you are doing and really listen to your teens (rather than just hearing him). wow gold

When you give your teens your undivided attention, they will know that you care, because you took the time to listen, thereby increasing the chances that they will listen to you.

Get the Details

Hear what your teen is really saying! Teens tend to give terse answers to questions,wow goldleaving out details that may be important. It's up to you to be able to get them to open up and draw them into a conversation.

Here is an example:

Teen: "I hate my teacher!" Parent: "Oh, you don't really mean that!" Teen: "Yes, I do. I double hate him!" Parent: "Well, I don't want to hear that kind of talk. I am sure you don't really hate him!" wow goldTeen: "Yes, I do so. I hate all teachers!" Parent: "Do you think hating your teachers is going to get you a good mark?"

And on and on the arguing goes….

Here’s an alternative:

Teen: "I hate my teacher!" Parent: "Wow,World Of Warcraft powerleveling World Of Warcraft powerlevelingyou don't normally hate anybody. What did he do to get you talking like that?" Teen: "A couple of kids didn't have their homework finished again today, so he decided to punish all of us by giving us a math test tomorrow!" Parent: "That doesn't sound very fair!" Teen: "No, it isn't fair at all. I wanted to go over to Rachel's tonight to hang out and listen to music. Instead I have to study for that stupid test. I am so mad at my teacher! He ruins everything!" Parent: (Just listening.)

This teen was able to express herself, and she felt validated by her parent.

You will notice that the parent didn't argue about the feelings the teen had. The parent listened and was not judgmental. You don't have to agree with your teen’s feelings. World Of Warcraft powerlevelingYou only need to acknowledge them. There is no such thing as a wrong feeling. We can’t help what our teens may feel. We should set limits, however, on behaviors that don’t conform to what we consider to be appropriate behavior.

Expressing one's feelings is a healthy thing; although negative expressions of one’s feelings should be avoided,World Of Warcraft powerlevelingsuch as screaming or name calling. A good way to avoid this is using time-outs--wait and continue the conversation when everybody has calmed down.

Open-Ended Questions

Questions can be crucial to communicating with your teens. Ask questions that they can't answer with only a yes or a no.

For example in the above scenario the parent could ask the teen, "What could you do to help your teacher change his mind about the test?"

Teen: "I am not sure. This guy is so stubborn!" Parent: "What if you talk to him and come up with better ways for him to deal with the kids that aren't doing their homework?" Teen: "Mmhhh, maybe I could give it a try."

Criticize Behavior, Not Your Teen

Moving from the listening to the talking part of communication, your focus shifts. When you want to see a change in your teens’ behavior, using the following structure can be very helpful. “When you______, I feel______, because I need______.” This wording (known as “I“ message) doesn't attack your teens’ personality. Instead it merely talks about an action of theirs that you'd like to change and why.

Here is a scenario you might relate to: World Of Warcraft powerlevelingThe chores were not done. Your teen went out instead. This example does not show the best way of communicating. It is a personal attack and makes statements you may not stick to anyway.

Parent: "You didn't do your chores! You are such a lazy slob! You never do your chores, and I always have to do them for you. World Of Warcraft powerlevelingNext time you don't do them, I am going to ground you for a week! Teen: (Feels pretty lousy.)

Now here is an example using the “I” technique:

Parent: "When you didn't do your chores before going out, I felt really mad. We had an agreement about chores being done before going out, and I need you to do your part of the chores, or I am stuck doing them for you.” Teen: (Thinking.) “I guess that makes sense.”

Remember when you start a sentence with “You are such and such,” you aren’t communicating. You are criticizing!

Let the Consequence Fit the Action

A fairly big problem that parents run into is looking for suitable punishment for broken rules.wow powerlevelingHowever, the penalty applied usually isn't related to the teens’ action. As parents, we need to show our teens that each choice they make has consequences, but the discipline needs to be appropriate.

Parents tend to punish their teens by taking away something the adolescent enjoys, World Of Warcraft powerlevelingfor example no TV for a week. Let’s take the earlier example of the chores not being done, such as the laundry left in a heap. It would be more beneficial to the development of your teen if you base the penalty on a natural connection between his action and the punishment. A good way of showing the consequences to his action in this instance would be having him do your laundry as well as his next time,world of warcraft power levelingsince you had to do his this time. When following such a step, you are practicing "silent communication". This means letting him experience the natural consequences of his actions. This technique speaks louder than any words ever could. It illustrates to all people that they will be held accountable for what they do.

As they grow, teens tend to receive more privileges from parents. It is important for them to realize that more responsibility goes along with the extra freedom.

Using Descriptive Praise

We all praise our teen sometimes. We tell them, "You are a smart kid.” Perhaps you might say, "You are a good piano player.” We mean well, but unfortunately this kind of praise doesn't bring the desired effect of making your teen feel good about himself. wow power levelingWhy is that? It is because what we are doing is evaluating their actions. With this type of praise, we aren’t giving evidence to support our claims, and this makes the praise fall flat and seem empty and unconvincing.

We need to describe in detail what they are doing. As your teen recognizes the truth in your words, he can then evaluate his actions and credit himself where he feels the praise has merit.

Here is an example with evaluating praise:

Teen: "Hey, Ma, I got a 90 on my geometry test!" Parent: "Fantastic! You are a genius!" Teen: (Thinking) "I wish. I only got it 'cause Paul helped me study. He is the genius."

Here is an example with descriptive praise:

Teen: "Hey, Ma, I got a 90 on my geometry test!" Parent: "You must be so pleased. You did a lot of studying for that test!" Teen: (Thinking) "I can really do geometry when I work at it!"

Describing your teens’ action rather then evaluating them with an easy "good" or "great" or labeling them with "slow learner" or "scatterbrain" isn't easy to do at first, because we are all unaccustomed to doing that. However, wow power levelingonce you get into the habit of looking carefully at your teen's action and putting into words what you see, you will do it more and more easily and with growing pleasure.

Adolescents need the kind of emotional nourishment that will help them become independent, creative thinkers and doers, wow power levelingwho aren't looking to others for approval all the time. With this sort of praise, teens will trust themselves, and they won’t need everybody else's opinion to tell them how they are doing.

Another challenging problem concerns when and how we criticize our teens. Instead of pointing out what's wrong with your teen’s actions, wow power levelingtry describing what is right followed by what still needs doing.

Example: Your teen hasn't done his laundry yet.

Parent: "How is the laundry coming? Teen: "I am working on it." Parent: "I see that you picked up your clothes in your room and in the family room and put it in the hamper. You are half way there."

This parent talks with encouragement,wow power levelingacknowledging what has been done so far, rather then pointing out what hasn't been done yet.

For more helpful information and examples on good communication with your child, I highly recommend a book by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish called How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So They Will Talk, published by Harper, ISBN 0380811960.

There’s a teen version of the book called How to Talk so Teens Will Listen, ISBN 0060741252.

"Parents need to fill a child's bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can't poke enough holes in it to drain it dry."

Alvin Price

Another great place to find stories that support and encourage your Teen is in the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul book series authored by Mark Victor Hansen and Debbie Reber.!

Wood Furniture Care – Looking After Your Wooden Floors

started Oct 24th, 2007 in Uncategorised by comments: 87 last comment: Aug 3rd, 2008 by lavan