by Christine Green | Apr 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
In her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, author Sheryl Sandberg shares that Forbes ranked her as the fifth most powerful woman in the world in 2011. Even though she was a CEO at Facebook, she felt embarrassed and self-conscious to be listed with such a powerful group of women. When anyone congratulated her, she told them the list was ridiculous.
Finally, her executive assistant took her aside and told her she was revealing her insecurity by not receiving the acknowledgement graciously. It was a wake-up call for Sandberg to recognize her doubts.
We all face doubts. Whether in the boardroom or on the assembly line, as a stay-at-home Mom or an entrepreneur, we all have feelings of fear and misgiving. Doubt stops us from moving forward and using our talents and strengths to their full potential. Doubt weakens us and takes away our power if we let it.
Here is the good news! Once we admit the doubt, we can begin to change it. We don’t have to be victim to it. We can recognize our fears for what they are, get them under control and take dominion over our own lives. We can build our faith.
As we develop faith we expand our awareness and realize we don’t have to walk the path alone. A necessary step in our spiritual growth is to practice placing faith in trust in God. In Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knows, the door will be opened.”
by Christine Green | Apr 18, 2013 | Spiritual Journey
I spent many years thinking that if I prayed hard enough I could keep everyone I loved under God’s umbrella of safety and they would be spared sickness and death. If I was good enough, perhaps I would be exempt from sorrow and distress.
While we can’t control the conditions that create our experiences of life, we can manage how we see, think and feel. We can choose to love those that are near and to send love to those we hold in our hearts. Love heals what is hurting. Love helps us find peace when we don’t understand.
My heart breaks for those in Boston that were injured emotionally and physically. My soul mourns the loss of life and innocence. I am humbled to witness the courage and strength for those who were present.
What I know now is that life is an extraordinary journey where we experience pain and joy, suffering and peace, loss and love. This life is our chance to hug, kiss, praise, and rejoice with our beloveds while we are together in this brief moment of time. This is the perfect time to send love and to share love. Give love. Be love. Love.
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
by Christine Green | Apr 13, 2013 | Spiritual Journey
If I blame and accuse others, I feel helpless to change the circumstances around me. I’ve given away my power and ability to take action. If I take responsibility for the condition or circumstances then I can begin to change what I believe and think and eventually how I behave.
Responsibility is not about blaming ourselves. Responsibility is the ability to respond. It is the freedom to take action. It is the power to change. When we take responsibility, we face our fears and take steps to move past them.
Affirm: I am willing to take responsibility for my actions.
by Christine Green | Apr 9, 2013 | Spiritual Practice
How do we forgive when we feel betrayed? The question came up in a workshop recently.
It is easier to forgive when we learn to reflect and not react. Reacting to the behavior of others causes stress and pain.
Forgiveness does not mean we condone the pain or suffering that may have occurred. It is an opportunity to let go. It takes a great deal of courage to let go. When we do, it is one of the most important processes that will bring harmony to life and peace to our soul. We are free to express love in the world.
Dr. Wayne Dyer stated it best, “How do you get world peace? You get world peace through inner peace. If you’ve got a world full of people who have inner peace, then you have a peaceful world.”
by Christine Green | Mar 26, 2013 | Spiritual Practice
I like to think of myself as a positive person. I try to find the highest thought in most situations. I noticed this week as I witnessed some negative energy and anger that my tendency was to run in the opposite direction. I had an insight that there is a powerful healing opportunity if I could just stand still and not flee.
Since our human nature is 98 percent emotional and 2 percent rational, conflict causes a physical feeling of anxiety and an emotional feeling of insecurity. When anxiety is experienced, we have a choice between reacting or reflecting. When we neglect to choose, our default mode is reactive.
Our reactive mode runs the gambit; do we fight or flee, struggle or surrender, attack or withdraw. The need to appease is part of the reactive mode. All too often I find that we often suppress or deny our true feelings in order to appease. We can change this pattern by speaking our truth using ‘I’ statements instead of ‘you’ statements.
There is a lesson in the Course in Miracles that invites us to focus our thoughts: “Peace of mind is clearly an internal matter. It must begin with your own thoughts, and then extend outward. It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises.” The lesson invites us to notice our fearful, anxiety-producing thoughts and offending personalities or events and repeat a new thought: I could see peace instead of this.
By choosing to see peace, we have an opportunity to observe and relate to the situation at hand in a new way. We may still be troubled by the conflict and still observe it with an intention for clarity. The practice engages our Higher Self and we are guided to a more peaceful solution.
Mother Theresa said, “If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.” We can learn to forgive when we are willing to reflect and not react. It takes practice and commitment and it is one way we can begin to change our experience of the world.
In her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, author Sheryl Sandberg shares that Forbes ranked her as the fifth most powerful woman in the world in 2011. Even though she was a CEO at Facebook, she felt embarrassed and self-conscious to be listed with such a powerful group of women. When anyone congratulated her, she told them the list was ridiculous.
