Ritual for Moving into 2013

Yesterday I heard a wonderful service at Unity of New York and what stood at to me the most is, what am I bringing into the new year with me. Are there old thoughts and experiences that I need to leave in the past, instead of continuing to let them influences me in 2013. So for this New Year's Eve I will spend some time saying goodbye to experiences that I do not want to bring into 2013 with me.

I will:
1. I will make a list of all the limiting thoughts or past expereinces that I do not want to bring into 2013
2. Thank all these expereinces for the lessons that they have taught me.
3. Write out what I would like to create in 2013. Expreinces I would like to manifest, attitudes and beliefs I would like to embody.
4. I will do a creative exericise to capture what I would like to manifest, make a college, do a painting, write a poem or even a dance.
5. Celebrate all the beauty, joy and sucess that 2013 will bring.

Happy 2013!!!

Holiday Time

As we approach the holidays I can't think of a busier time. There is always some sort of party going on, friends and family to visit and people coming in to town to visit you. This can bring with it a lot of emotions, some joyous and others not so much. I myself try to focus on the whole picture during this time. Yes, I want my goals and what I'm accomplishing to always be a top priority in my life, but without taking a wider look I could let some really important things slip by. What is a life of accomplishing tasks without having supportive relationship that bring joy into your life.

 

Relationships go through phases, they are a living organism always changing, becoming stronger or at times moving out of our lives to make way for something new. There was a time when the holidays came around and I focused on the relationships that were no longer in my life, or the things that I did not accomplish during the year.  But I began to realize that this is a time for celebrating all that we have accomplished and all the lessons we've learned.

  

Not only should we be celebrating our accomplishments but it is also important to celebrate the people in our lives that helped us make it happen. I have a long list of family and friends who have supported me with starting my own business and have helped me through challenges. Some of those people are no longer in my life but I know that I can still celebrate the lessons they helped me learn. 

 

So during this busy time I plan to take some time out for me. To take a look at all the wonderful things that are happening in my life and be grateful. An attitude of gratitude not only brings joy and love into your life but also tells the Universe that you are ready and able to receive more.  I'm wishing you all a happy holiday season, filled with love, joy, gratitude and wonderful manifestations.

Labeling Failure

What is failure? Lately I've been thinking a lot about what it takes to make and not make something happen. I was feeling down because I was unable to hold a function at the time I had originally planned and I saw that as a failure on my part. I then got into a discussion with people in my life about what failure is, and is postponing or not doing something a failure. Is failure trying and things not turning out the way you like, or can you include not trying at all as a failure. I personally was including  not holding the event as a failure, for me not trying or not trying hard enough means that I failed. 

Thinking about it now I think failure is an interesting word, one for me that holds a lot of negative emotions and weight. According to Webster Merriam dictionary online failure means  "a state of inability to perform a normal function, lack of success". In the case of the event I had definitely failed to perform certain functions but in no way was there a lack of success. For one I beleive that I successfully learned some much needed lessons about what it takes for me to have these events. I saw the  kind of effort and support  I need to have in place in order to keep moving.

Furthermore what I try to remind myself is that there can only be a "lack of success" when you give up. We never know when or how success is coming so there is always a chance for it to show up. But more important words like 'failure" are labels that we give meaning to. Something can only be a failure if I deem it so, and so it is up to me to declare positive, encouraging words to all my endeavors. I get to look at my experiences as chances to learn and grow, realizing that it is ok to let things go that are no longer working for me or make the necessary adjustments to my time schedule.

Calling Out Fear

Right now I've started studying for an exam that I think will help me in my professional career. As I was studying a barrage of negative thoughts hit me. Do I have enough experience to pass, am I dedicated enough to commit to a rigorous study schedule? The negative thoughts eventually evolved to me wondering if the test was necessary at all. I began to go back and forth on whether I wanted to take the test and if that is truly where I wanted to put my focus at this time. 

This morning I was reading "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, I've just begun the chapter on Fear and it stated "Indecision is the seedling of fear! Indecision crystallizes into doubt, the two blend and become fear!" It was like the words were speaking right to my earlier conversation about whether or not I should take the test. At the base of my indecision and doubt was fear. Fear that I wasn't good enough, smart enough or dedicated enough to pass the exam.

I had a conversation with a coach recently regarding my fear and we began to take a look at all the goals that I've accomplished in the past. I was smart and dedicated enough to complete school, to switch industries and find a job at a non-profit and to complete a truck load of other significant accomplishments. We began to look at what it took for me to accomplish goals in the past. I began to remember how I put plans in place, set time aside and asked for support. I then began to look at the goals ahead of me now and figure out how I could use those same strategies that worked in the past. I won't say that the fear disappeared immediately but I will say that more and more my focus became my next action steps. Excitement started to build and although I knew it would be a lot of work I began to see myself taking action steps and visualizing the results I wanted. Soon there was no time to focus of fear. After uncovering what was really at the base of my indecision and doubt I knew that I couldn't let fear and self-doubt stop me for going for the big win.

Mourning Change

Sometimes if feels like the affects of a change can hit you out of no where. I have been going through a change that actually started back in May but I felt like all of a sudden the implications of that change have really stuck out to me. Maybe for me it's a sign that I am finally beginning to let things and people go. Or maybe it could signal a bigger change that needs to take place in my life.

Change is a natural part of life but as we all know it can be hard. For me I feel like when the change is happening I'm so wrapped up in it that I don't have the time to mourn what I've lost. Even though I know that what I've lost in most cases is for the better, and is making room for something greater. There is still that since of losing what is comfortable and familiar. I am realizing that at times it is okay to be with my feelings around a situation. Not necessarily stay stuck but give myself the time and space to feel what I feel.  From this space I can better mourn what I've lost and make plans for what needs to happen next.

I think that putting plans in place around anything in our lives excites us to move forward. Hope begins to become the dominant emotion and that can replace that since of morning that may have originally been felt. Hope mixed with faith that everything is already working out in perfect order are what keeps me motivated to execute my plans and step into the next stage of my life.

Owning My Goals

This week the question of what am I passionate about came up twice. I had to come to grips with the fact that maybe i am not working as quickly on a project as I could be or giving it 100% because it is not something that I truly want. I see how it is a good idea and that was the reason that I began the project in the first place but when I truly ask myself what I want I know it's not it. And it shows in my productivity.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has taken on goals because of family pressure or because they sounded like a fruitful idea, even though their heart wasn't in it. Sometimes we want so badly at times to take on other people's goals for us and make them our own.  Just recently I met a man who started various construction companies because his family thought it was the best way for him to make money, which he did. But despite the money he still wasn't happy and it is now in his 50's that he is following his dream of feeding the homeless and less fortunate.

I want to follow my heart now. I know that making money is important but it's not so important that I want to risk looking back in 20 years and wishing I had followed my heart. I know that if I chase what my heart wants the money will come, especially since I will be putting  100% of myself into my work. A clear desire followed by persistent action will be my key to success.

My Quest for Patience

I have recently started a training with the wonderful Millicent St. Clair of LIGMO (Let It Go Move On), and I have been almost shocked with how many messages have come to me about letting things go. This Sunday I attended service at Unity of New York, and the message centered around St. Francis  of Assisi and not being attached to material goods. The pastor instructed us to let go of things and people that were not serving us. I immediately made a mental note of all the things in my apartment that I need to go through. I have clothes I don't wear, books I'll never read again and not to mention tons of papers and mail that can be discarded. I know that right now this is a time of release for me and whenever I forget the universe reminds me.

 

More then letting go of things, I know there are old ideas I need to release. One of which is my attachment to how I think things are suppose to turn out. I have been teaching a lot of classes on interviewing lately and the questions of "What is your biggest weakness" is always addressed. I have been thinking that my biggest weakness right now is patience. I get a clear vision of what I want and then I want it right now. More than just wanting it right now I get frustrated when it doesn't come in my timing, instead of letting the universe do its work. That frustration really does nothing but put negative energy out into the world and block my good.

 

I think that focusing on non-attachment will help me in my quest for patience. Knowing that everything is already alright and that I am in my perfect place in life will allow more good and prosperity to effortlessly flow into my life. This is not to say that I will stop working towards my goals, just that I will stop stressing towards them. I will move forward knowing that right where I am is prosperous, wonderful and filled with never ending good.

Staying True To Your Goals

Why do we want the goals we say we want? I know that I want to get married and have kids. Now that is not for everyone and I’ve had to examine where the need comes from for me. Is it me trying to outrun the stereotype of being single educated black woman? Is it a measure of worth? Yes, actually I believe for me, there is still a little of both of those concepts wrapped up in it. But more than that for me it is about starting a committed family. Raising children in a way that they feel most supported and safe and also raising daughters that know that they deserve to be in a relationship with someone who is 100% committed to them. Even if for them that commitment does not look like marriage.

I am also learning that you need to have people in your life who are on the same page with you. I recently went through a breakup because my partner did not want the same things in life as me. And as hard as that is I know that in the end it’s for the best. Neither of us should have to compromise what we want for our lives.

I’m not going to say I didn’t waiver, question what I want, fear that maybe it wasn’t in the cards for me. But I know that I have to surround myself with people, literature and messages that align with my thinking. With the thought that I have the power to create the life I want through my thinking, actions and by staying committed to my goals.

The Boredom Trap

What do we do to shake off that feeling of stagnation at work. Lately I've been feeling bored with the work I'm doing at my day job. I know that having a day job is extremely important for me right now and that I'm helping others, which is one of my main goals at this time of my life. But lately I've been feeling as though the day to day has become extremely routine and often times I sit at my desk feeling quite bored.

 

One thing that I am starting to realize is that I can't wait around for someone else to give me a project to work on or make the job exciting. I need to fish out ways to bring back the passion to my job. One thing that the job has going for it is that I am always around new and interesting people. Clients change on a daily basis and getting to know them as individuals and finding out how I can be of service to them is a great way to bring that passion back into my work activities.

 

Another thing that I want to start doing is listing every day something that I learned. Life is about growing and learning and quite frankly when you stop growing in a position it's usually because you've outgrown it. I'm going to start making a mental list of all the things I learn at my job, whether it be about myself, the work or people in general.

 

More than anything else I'm going to take these lessons and utilize them in other areas of my life and business. I know that the job I have is an important piece in my master plan towards building my own business. These lessons will aid me in dealing with others, learning valuable skills and inspire me to keep moving forward. I accept these lessons with gratitude and each day I try to remember that the only thing keeping me stagnated or bored is my own thinking.

Moving Past Criticisim

This has been a crazy week for me. I have gotten a lot of negative and positive feedback. Of course everyone loves when the response is positive, but how do we deal with negative criticism.

 

I recently helped put together a workbook for clients at my job on how to find employment.  One of the sections that I researched was how to deal with criticism. While creating a plan for dealing with criticism, I never thought I had an issue with taking constructive criticism.  Now that I have received a lot of it this week, I am beginning to really take a deeper look at some of those steps. A big one that is starting to stick out for me is to see what the motive behind the criticism is. Is it meant to help or to hurt. Sometimes criticism that seems harsh is actually there to help us grow as a person but all criticism is reflective of the other person's point of view. We have to take into consideration the other person's life experiences and where they are in their lives. It can at times be hard for others to be happy for our success when they do not feel like they are successful in their own actions.

 

So how do we let the feedback in without letting it discourage us from moving forward in our goal. Well one thing that I do is keep a support circle around me that is going to give me honest feedback, geared toward helping me advance. The opinions of these people are what is most important to me and I make sure to incorporate their feedback and learn from them. Another thing that I am learning is to avoid making it personal, which I admit can be hard.  All criticism will not be positive or constructive but even the negative criticism teaches you how to deal with situations. I am learning to take a deeper look at people's underlying circumstances and above all move past negativity and practice forgiveness and love.

Keeping up the Pace

Last week I was so busy, preparing for my workshop, meeting new people, and feeling like there was always something that I needed to get done. Now that the workshop is over I have some time to relax. But is relaxation really what I want?

Although I'm happy not to feel like there is always something that needs to be done, I want to make sure that I keep up that same momentum of accomplishing small goals towards my overall vision. I have had a habit at times of working really hard for a few months and then slowly down to a near crawl. Now that I've gotten my pace up I have to keep in step.

I think the best way to do this is to maintain a list of smaller weekly goals. When I go to my day job at the non-profit, I know there are things that I need to accomplish each week. I want to set those same weekly to do's for myself.

And bigger yet I think I need to start preparing for my next workshop. I know that the excitement that I feel about my workshops and being able to inspire others through art will allow me to get my weekly tasks done, while still staying motivated and having tons of fun.

Spring Clearing: Clearing the Path To the Life You Want

Spring Clearing: Clearing the Path to the Life You Want

Creative Expression Workshop

Use creative expression to clear the path for manifesting the life of your dreams.

Become clear on the fears and stumbling blocks that have stood in your way in the past and begin to let them go!

Use movement, journaling and collage to create a road map for your vision.

Honoring your past while moving into  a joyous and prosperous present.

• Participate in a ritual that honors past life lessons
• Take a deeper look at how your thoughts have influenced your outcomes
• Design a vision for personal life and career

Come prepared to move, have fun, and shake  up your creative spirit

Workshop includes complimentary

Lunch and Journals

Saturday, April 14, 2012

11am - 3pm

The Renaissance

130 Malcolm X Blvd.

Community Room

New York, NY

Earl Bird Special!

Register by April 1st for $30

Register at http://www.jasminebriggs.com/ 

Tickets are $40 after April 1st

Belief and Clarity

This week I have been thinking a lot about what I believe is possible for my business and my life. I am reading Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich and also listening to seminar's regarding starting socially conscious businesses.  I realized that the goals I was setting for my business were small and undefined. I began to see that if I didn't believe that I could achieve big goals now then I wasn't putting the right energy into the universe.

For me success was something that would be achieved at a later date, either when I was older or when I had more experience. These habits of always putting things off into the future were blocking me from reaching success now.  Today my focus is on knowing that anything is possible in this moment because belief is the first and most important step. We all know that how we think about a situation affects how we relate to it, the energy we give it, and the people and circumstances we attract.

Once we believe that we can have everything that we desire, it is also important to become clear about what it is  that we desire. Through this business seminar I realized that I need be clearer about what my business looks like. I am truly thankful for the success I have had so far but I know that more clarity will bring bigger results. It will allow me to shape the future of my company and bring my mission statement into fruition.

Within any aspect of our life I am seeing that clarity and belief are key ingredients for success. But for me it's not just about knowing but about doing the work. So this week I invite you to get clear about your vision for life, whether it be in areas of family, career or love. We never know what's available to us once we believe that all things are possible.

How To Create Transformation Through Collage

Great news!! I'm having another workshop in New York City and you're all invited. 

 

How to Create Transformation Through Collage workshop on Thursday February 2, 2012 from 7pm -9pm has been creating quite the buzz and if you haven't attended yet this is a perfect opportunity to tap into your creative intelligence and create exciting new goals that will support you throughout the year.

 

During this 2 hour workshop you will use

• Collage
• Guided meditation
• and Journaling

to set and re-commit to your goals, figure out what may be blocking you from accomplishing them in the past and begin strategizing on how to make your goals a reality.  These workshops are tons of fun and give you the opportunity to use markers, crayons and writing to take big steps in your career and personal lives.  For more information and to register please check out Skillshare at http://skl.sh/rbhaAV or my website http://www.jasminebriggs.com/

 

Giving

I have begun reading Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. I am only on the first chapter but what has already stuck out to me are these 6 steps. Decide how much money you want, when you want it by, what you are wiling to give, devise a plan, start immediately and read the answers to these questions twice a day. I love the affirmation aspect. Reading my plan and feeling and imagining like it has already happened.  Now what has me stumped is what am I willing to give. When I first read it, I thought I read decide what I am willing to give up and I began to think that I had to sacrifice something to get what I want. When I read it again and realized it said what am I willing to give, I was still at a lost. I thought well I am willing to give time, focus and energy to make my dream a reality. Is that enough, I don't know but I figure it’s a good start.

I asked my boyfriend what he was willing to give for his business and his first response was money. He then added work and time but he definitely thinks that money is a part of the process. And who's to say he's  not right. We have all heard "takes money to make money” or my new favorite by Meek Mills "scared money don't make no money." The book has yet to say anything about what to give simply that you must be willing to give something.

A concept that at first  baffled me now makes a lot of sense. It  made me take a look at my own attitude toward the term "give" and how I so easily saw give up. I want to shift my relationship to the word give. Some definitions of the word give that spoke to me were to contribute, to be warm and open in relationship with others. These definitions are the energy that I want to give when I give my focus, energy and time to my mission of growing my coaching and workshop practice and work.  These will not just be things that I do to reach an end but I will know that I am contributing to the world and relating to others in a way that is warm and open.

The Journey

For me this is a time to get real clear about what I would like to manifest this year, and work hard to enjoy every moment. Because as a lot of us will soon realize, 2013 will be here before you know it.

 

More important than just knowing what we want to accomplish in the new year, we also need to begin thinking about our action plan. In my own life, I have seen that the more time and energy I give something the faster the results. Yes hard work breeds results but more than that I believe that it is our energy and focus that gives our hard work that extra push. How we relate to the work is key.

 

For me a plan of action changes how I relate to a goal. Small accomplishments and a schedule make any goal seem manageable and within reach.What a lot of us tend to forget is that life is about the journey, not just the final destination.  So I propose that in the new year, we celebrate the small accomplishments and sticking to our schedule. Every task completed is another chance for us to pat ourselves on the back and re-commit to our goals.

 

There are tons of ways we can stay focused and dedicated on our journey. I love charts and I've also recently discovered Wunderlist, which is an online task management tool that also has apps for your phone and other devices.  I have used it to create tons of to-do lists, focusing on various business and personal goals. But for me it's more than about just checking tasks off as complete, it's about the positive energy and good vibes I give off when I know I've completed a task. And as I said before it's all about our energy.

 

So in 2012 let's get that good energy out there in the universe. That sense of accomplishment and  inner knowing will propel us forward in manifesting our dreams and help make 2012 a fabulous year.