One thing that I do on New year’s is set my intentions for the upcoming year with regards to mind, body, spirit. Intentions feel less rigid than resolutions and can be revisited from time to time or expanded upon throughout the year…Starting with your mind, what could you intend for the new year? My intention is to stay focused on what I want and when my mind wants to tell me otherwise, when it is goes into fear and doubt, I remind myself that I have control of where I direct my thoughts and bring myself back to that positive place versus what I don’t want. I intend to be more clear in my life so that I am acting from a place of clarity versus confusion. Sometimes you don’t ask for what you want and hence it does not manifest. You need to spend the time to get clear on what you want. Consistency and persistence is key for me with regards to my goals. I want to trust more and believe that the universe is on my side supporting me to be the best that I can be. In terms of my body, I want to eat more variety in my diet. Every time I go grocery shopping I intend to put something in my cart that I don’t typically eat (eg. figs). That way I get more exposure to phytonutrients. I want to make all my sauces from scratch as they taste far better than store bought sauces if you take the time to make them. Gabriel Cousins book Conscious Eating is a good resource. I want to try different recipes and expand my culinary skills this year. I intend to continue drinking green smoothies daily and eat a more alkaline diet. I will emphasize good self care daily – regular exercise, H20, whole foods diet, sleep, breathing. I want to focus more on my skin – regular skin brushing to help with circulation/detox and moisturizing to restore. In terms of spirit, I commit to a daily spiritual practice -30 minutes- meditation and setting intentions for my day in the morning and a nightly spritual practice where I review my day (how did I do today – did I stay on track?, was I kind and loving for the most part or was my ego running the show?), prayers for myself and others and gratitude for the blessings I received that day. I want to open my heart more to the people around me and tell them how I feel about them on a regular basis. I want to continue to stay open to life, saying yes to new adventures and challenging my fears. These are a few of my intentions for the upcoming year. What are some of yours?

I went to the matinee yesterday and watched 127 hours. This is the movie about the guy who had a boulder roll onto his arm pinning it and thus him in the crevasse which he was traversing. This guy happened to volunteer for search and rescue thus knew the details of everything needed to survive in the unexpected predicament that he was in so he knew he was living on borrowed time..he had an engineering background and thus had the smarts to know that he was going to have to amputate his own arm and how he could do that. He had God given intution in that moment, a flash of insight in fact that would act as a catalyst, mobilize his strong will to live and give him another chance at life. Up to this point it appears that he had led a life with a big portion of his heart closed. I am speculating here and I may be off base but it appears that he was living a life for himself not thinking much about those around him rather feeling his invincibility (read ego). So when he became trapped where no one would ever be capable of finding him and had failed to tell anyone where he was going I would hasten to say that this was where…you may not get what you want but you always get what you need…

Watching this movie made me aware of many things…the importance of keeping your heart open and never missing a chance to tell people how you really feel about them…that time spent with another human being far surpasses any moment that you could ever spend on your own alone…how your life can change in an instant and never be the same therefore it is important to make the most of every moment…the indomitable power of the human spirit and what it is capable of even in the darkest hour if there is a strong will to live…this movie made me want to make more of my life…it made me want to call on my highest purpose to be delivered from the spiritual realms and to be given the blueprint with how to carry it out…because your life matters, every minute of it and how you choose to spend it…it always has a higher purpose. Aron Ralston needed to open his heart and let people in and I bet that he gets that message now loud and clear. I would guess that it is no longer just him climbing on his own leaving no records of his whereabouts anymore; I am guessing that he factors those in around him so much more since this incident because this is what spirit does…it wakes you up and helps you really see clearly how you are operating in your life and whether there is a need for change and what is the best way for you to get that message…never doubt that everything that is happening to you in your life is a gift from God…so he did not get what he wants (losing his arm) but he sure got what he needed (to let people in)…go see the movie and let me know how it affected you…

A few days ago when in conversation with someone, she said to me, ‘I sometimes feel like I am a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.’ I wonder how many other people share that same sentiment. I would guess many, many people. I know that I have often felt that way in my life. Look at my choice of profession… my choice to go to naturopathic medical school versus conventional medical school (which was the path that most people expected me to take) raised many eyebrows at the time and even some audible gasps of disapproval. It is not the norm to choose a different path than most.  It takes courage and the conviction to walk your path alone when it’s necessary. At this time, especially, in the world, we are being called to really be who we are. We are getting more in touch with what works for us as individuals in all sorts of ways. This same person went on to say that ‘she is tired of doing what other people think that she should do’ and that she wants to get in touch with what she wants to do. This time is about recognizing your own individuality and allowing your own unique personal essence to shine through the collective fog. Being who you are versus who others want you to be is a crucial step in self individuation. There is collective pressure to fit in yet there are a lot of people who do not fit into the collective whole and that is okay; in fact, that is fantastic! We need a variety of people in our lives who do things differently than us to make our lives more colorful, more enriching and to allow us to see other points of view that differ from our own. You do not have to agree with other’s points of view rather listen with detached awareness. Learn to stay strong inside of yourself but do not be too attached to own your point of view either…be willing to entertain other possibilities. But what if you aren’t sure of your opinions, your interests, or what you want to do?

You have been conditioned to follow the herd, fall in line, choke back your thoughts, feelings, or opinions so as not to rock the boat. Perhaps you have walked in others footsteps that have gone before you …the path well traveled one might say, footsteps that have been deeply entrenched…and you have no idea what other path you would consider taking if the footsteps suddenly disappeared. It’s perfectly normal to feel some trepidation in learning to stand on your own two feet and direct your path from a self individuated stance. Read The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell or The Road less Travelled by Scott Peck and draw the parallel in your own lives. This is a common theme for the human race as a whole. It often takes getting angry first about having not followed your own path and then subsequently finding the courage underneath to spark a small fire of desire for things to be different in your own life. The time is ripe now to know thy self, to know who you are and discover more about yourself knowing that self growth and evolution never end rather go hand in hand…So I say, congratulations for feeling like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. You have realized this now so your journey is going to get far more interesting moving forward…