Weekly Food for Thought - Coach Coach Where Art Thou :-)

Dear Friends,

I'd love to start this note, by saying how much I love exercising:-)!

Some days more than others...permission to be human, please;-)!

And as with many things in my life, when I do something for a while, unless I take it up a notch, or unless I introduce a dose of variety, I get bored:-)! The same happened with my gym routine:-)! I got bored by getting the same results, and decided to hire a personal trainer! I searched and I found:-).

Great guy, a professional athlete, and someone who knows his stuff! A real coach - he spurs me on even when I am beat and gasping for air:-)!

And while happily exercising and learning about the muscles I didn't know existed;-), I started thinking about the advantages and maybe disadvantages of having a coach or mentor!

Because, most times, we 'think' we know how to do stuff, and in so doing, we can create more damage to ourselves than good! When I train alone, a couple of millimeters in posture/standing/weights can make all the difference.

Being coached how to do things right is priceless, however long it takes to get it right! A word of warning though - we must monitor our progress carefully, and make sure that our relationship with exercise and a coach doesn't become addictive. If that happens, spontaneity out of exercising can be taken away, and a fun activity can turn into a chore!

I noticed this pattern developing in me. I noticed how, after a while,  I went and did the training even tough  I didn't feel like it! I noticed that other activities, especially tennis, were put on the back burner, there was no variety and what's interesting, is that I stopped enjoying going to the gym:-)!

So, I decided to break this pattern, and exercise with my coach a couple of times a week, and the rest of the week, I get to be my own coach:-)!

And boy, did I become creative:-)! And the results didn't stop because I stopped training with my coach 6 days a week! It was a great example of turning from being at the effect, in a way, to being at cause:-)! And the feeling is amazing!

So with this in mind, may I invite you to think about stuff in your life that you may be doing by default, where you are at the effect, and where you could easily turn it to be at cause:-)!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, and sending you oceans of love!

Lidija

© Momentum Strategies 2012

Weekly Food for Thought - Forgive and Keep Paying It Forward

‘Always remember the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.’?~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Dear Friends,

It took a little over a week for the feeling of anger and helplessness, that nested within moi, to disappear, or to turn from its original form into a different one:-)!

Anyways, ten days ago I was robbed and found myself in the middle of a relatively familiar ground, with no money, no credit cards, no ID, no driving license...What I had though was a company of lovely people, understanding policeman, and a choice of states, courtesy of many years spent learning from the best and with the best.

When I realised that my purse was no longer inhabiting my handbag, a sense of fear, anger, helplessness, took over. It didn't last long though! I called the banks, cancelled the cards, went into the nearest police station and reported a theft, and everything went smoothly.

I learnt a lot from that situation, and paradoxically, I learnt a lot about myself:-)! This event showed me that I had resources within me, that I wasn't even aware existed!

With hindsight, I see it as a test from the Universe. To see if all the years spent investing in myself were not in vain:-)! And you know what?! I feel like I passed the test...with flying colours!

I understood, forgave, learnt, and moved on...very very fast. Within hours of my purse being stolen, I got a phone call saying that my purse was found:-)!  With all my documents and, by this stage, totally useless credit cards, as they were all blocked. So with a recovered and slightly impoverished purse:-), a series of beautiful events started to unfold.

I was at a receiving end of Pay It Forward, as my beautiful and caring friends stepped in and were my 'sponsors' for the rest of the day. Suddenly everyone that I met after the event had the most amazing smile and came from the heart! A policeman who helped me, found a long lost colleague of his, when he had to dial a number and find out an information with regards to my documents...How beautiful is that?! He also gave me his phone number to call him if I needed help with anything else! The amount of kindness I experienced on that day was unbelievable!!! So the theft served its purpose:-)!

Even my insurance agent was amazing and super efficient! So everything is restored, money, cards, documents, and my faith in humanity and the principles of Paying it Forward have reached an all time high:-)!

Pay It Forward people and know that 'bad' things happen so that we can experience tons of amazingly good stuff!

Learn, love and forgive!

Sending you oceans of love,
Lidija

© Momentum Strategies 2012

Weekly Food for Thought - Keep on Searching, Baby :-)

'Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.' ~ Rumi

Dear Friends,

Whenever you feel there's something missing in your life, stop for a moment, and get an insight into your current situation, and decide to turn things into your favor!

The feeling that something is missing, can easily be flipped and turned into conscious awareness, and it is an expression of a strong inner desire to achieve that which you miss the most.

Think of it as a sign, a valuable and healing message that your unconscious is sending you. Nothing is missing, nothing is lost - everything exists within the realm of now… It is just that our potential should be awaken!

And in that awaken, moving and dynamic state the sense of fulfillment is being achieved, and the process of continuously pushing the barriers and raising the bar starts to bring results.

As a rule, that which we seek the most is already present in our lives…It’s just that it’s in the form that we don’t yet recognize. The moment we stop to so intensely look for it on the outside, we’ll find it on the inside, within ourselves.

With this in mind, may I invite you to continue the search for that gold key within you. At times it can be easily find, and at times the search may take longer… However, the important thing is to keep searching and to never give up!

I wish you a wonderful week and send you oceans of love,

Lidija

© Momentum Strategies 2012

Weekly Food for Thought - More Than Just A Game

Dear Friends,

On this historic evening, where London, my adopted home town for the past 22 years, is getting ready for the event that took seven years to prepare.

Isn't it amazing that the whole seven years were invested for 'mere' two weeks of fierce competition. It goes to show, that if we want serious results, we must employ serious effort. We must apply ourselves fully, in all areas, without leaving any space unattended.

This past week I've been thinking a lot about the importance of being always ready! In fact, this was the opening line of an interview I had with a journalist (interview will be published next week)! I'll keep you posted.

There isn't much fun in pulling our resources in the last minute. Too much energy is wasted, and very little space for a continuous growth is created.

I am inspired with this Olympic Spirit, not only with regards to physical strength, but also with regards to our spiritual, mental and moral virtues.

With this in mind, during the next two weeks, watching the Olympians compete, may I invite you to explore Olympian qualities within you! Where do you excel, and where the growth area might be!

Sending you oceans of love, and keep aiming for gold...this week and beyond:-)!

Lidija

Weekly Food for Thought - Self-Improvement and Self-Acceptance

Dear Friends,

To some extent, we all strive towards being better people.

And I believe that we all would like to be better, to be more. Yet, a handful of us understands the flow of interdependent vessels that are self-improvement and self-acceptance.

Self- improvement has to do with our intellect, whereas self-acceptance is linked with spirituality. Self-improvement is connected with mind, and self-acceptance finds its root in being. Self-improvement is a dynamic category, while self-acceptance is static. And what may appear as a paradox, at first glance, is that self-improvement, 'wastes' and 'speeds up' our time, while self-acceptance saves it and it slows it down.

Primary goal of each and everyone of us is to strive towards being better. However, in order to do so, first we must accept ourselves as we are, and from that very point aim towards self-improvement. When this kind of interaction is achieved, self-improvement will turn towards 'self'.

So, when you think of your self-improvement, look inside of your very being, observe your current position with great deal of kindness and love, look at your current potentials, resources, accept yourself...It is only when you are able to do so, the real self-improvement can take place.

It is important to note that self-improvement is not an external category that depends on our clothes, make up, etc. Its essence lies within the realm of our inner being. Self-improvement based on external factors can easily be noticed (mainly in the eyes and the look of the beholder), it is short lived, and what's important is that, self-improvement based on these factors cannot bring a long-term satisfaction and fulfillment.

With this in mind, I wish you a wonderfully improved and accepted week:-)!

Sending you oceans of love,
Lidija

© Momentum Strategies 2012

Weekly Food for Thought - Capacity for Uncertainty

‘Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don’t let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity.’ ~ R. I. Fitzhenry

Dear Friends,

My experience shows that we all enjoy functioning in the system where certainty reigns, where we swim within realm of familiarity, free from any turbulence. However, very often in life we encounter situations where we surf on the wave of uncertainty, unpredictability...

Through history, great scholars, like Winnicott, Keats, and such like wrote about the importance of capacity for uncertainty though. Uncertainty is a state where all of us have been and will be, and its main characteristic is anxiety and stress. At times, this state can last fairly long, and the importance of developing a robust psychology and a system to support it is vital.

In order to develop our capacity for uncertainty we must constantly endeavor to grow, so that our energetic potentials can grow too, and when this happens, anxiety is greatly diminished.

To start with, creating our capacity for uncertainty calls for a strong discipline and commitment from our part. However, as we become aware of our states in situations that are unfamiliar and uncertain, we learn how to function in them, without insomuch as a grain of anxiety or stress. We welcome them and appreciate them, as we learn a great deal from them.

Our capacity for uncertainty means letting go of all the energy that used to be linked to stressful and uncertain situations. Once that energy is released, it creates a space for joie de vivre, for creativity, for flexibility.

Even when there are no 'crisis situations' as such, thus created capacity for uncertainty serves as a preventative measure. It becomes some kind of a spontaneous filter through which earlier created frustrations, limiting beliefs, resistance, are released. And that's why having it (capacity for uncertainty) deeply engrained within us is of great importance.

With this in mind, I wish you a week of wonderful uncertainties:)!

Sending you oceans of love,
Lidija

Weekly Food for Thought - The Need to Be Right

Dear Friends,

I wonder if you were ever in the situation where you had to defend your way of thinking, acting, being...?! And if you did, how did it feel?! What did you notice in the process of having to 'fight to be right'?!

Letting go of the need to be right stands high on the personal development ladder. I believe, it is quite possibly one of the most fascinating victories over our Ego, over its need to be in charge. Once we release this need, gains could be manifold. Almost instantly, you could find that more resources are available to you, choices increase, and your attitude becomes refreshingly authentic.

By letting go of the need to be right, our communication skills improve, we become more attentive, we turn into better listeners, and become better at creating solutions for would be challenges.

For our inner growth, the need to be right is irrelevant and totally unimportant. That need is self-imposed and created to 'convince' others. By trying to convince others, we waste precious time and energy, that we could invest elsewhere, i.e. in us!

Paradoxically, when we relinquish this need, and when our thinking, acting, being become 'accepted', it won't matter anymore.  It won't be something that serves Ego's self-confirmation, but an 'aha' moment that will give you an insight into your own journey that continues to unfold and last.

Once this happens, creative juices start flowing, and all the previous self-imposed limitations vanish!

With this in mind, I wish you a wonderfully light and creative weekend!

Lidija
© Momentum Strategies 2012