Welcome at Flow of Miracles

Dear People,

When we are in the positive flow it feels like making changes is effortless. Also, getting great results helps us to stay motivated and happy. This cycle is extremely joyful when you manage to keep it flowing, so that's why today I'm writing about taking charge of changes in your life. No matter what you want to change, moving forward towards a happier, joyfuller and more fulfilled path is going to be great for you.

Change Busters
There are a lot of reasons why we can say we want a certain change (lose weight, exercise more, meditate more often, switch jobs etc.), but then we don't actually do anything to accomplish them. So if you want to stay in the positive flow, here is your work sheet to first on what not to do:

1. Overwhelm yourself. Don't think you can plan 5 times a week gym time if all you normally do is sit on the couch. Make sure your changes are realistic, by fitting them in your current life (taking into account your energy levels and time constraints).
2. Try to make multiple changes at once. Tackle one area first and and only when it has become routine and you do it 4 out of 5 times (or 9 out of 10), move forward towards something new
3. Make sure you really want to make that change and it's not something you think you are 'supposed' to do. A positive change is only positive if it gives positive results in your life
4. Your thinking shouldn't be: 'this is hard', 'this is never going to work', but instead should be this (small) step is worthwhile and I'm going to discover what it does for me

Making the Change Exercise
Plan first, work later, is my motto for a productive and joyful day, so that's why this exercise starts with a planning stage.

Planning Stage:

• Write down what you want to add or remove from your routine
• If it's something you want to add, check what should be removed or reduced so you have time and energy for the change you want to make
• If it's something you want to remove, check what need it fills so you know what it's present in your life and how you need to fill that need in a joyful and healthy way. 
• Plan when you are going to do that (day & time) and how often

Reflection Stage:

• Reflect on how your plan matches your reality. It's never going to match 100%, but see what happened and what you can do about it. If you didn't stick to it, was it because of time or energy issues (recharge first), was it becomes of lack of motivation (how much do you want this change) or was it because of outside forces (are your boundaries healthy? are you happy with what you did instead?).
• Praise yourself for every single time you managed to keep to your plan. Do a little happy dance, pat yourself on the back, celebrate with a cup of tea or coffee etc.  It's important to keep the positive flow going and the resulting joy flowing.
• Check if this change has become routine and if not, how much more do you need to invest in it. Adjust your plan accordingly. If it is, simply plan your next positive step or take a set time to enjoy your accomplishment.

Sample:
Suppose I want to mediate more to be more mindful during my day. I currently meditate once a month. So daily meditation should either be short (5 minute max) or I should plan a weekly meditation that last longer (20 minute max). Else, it will overwhelm me.

If I choose a weekly longer meditation, it's likely that I will pick the weekend for that, so then I need to see what I normally do in my weekend. Maybe I need to go to bed a little earlier and wake up earlier for a meditation before the kids are awake. Maybe I need to stop zoning out in front of the television and do an evening meditation before bed.

If I pick a daily meditation, I need to see where I plan that. Morning which means a better morning routine (can't hurry out the door after meditation) or evening which means a better evening routine (going to bed on time).

After a week or 3 it's time for reflection if you chose a weekly meditation. How did this choice work for me? Do I want to switch to daily or do I want to switch to longer meditation? How did it impact my life? Am I happier and more mindful? Is this change positive?

If you chose daily meditation after 10-15 days you want to check up on yourself. How many days did you meditate? If you did it, did you feel better that day and the day after? On days you didn't, what happened?

Have a change you want to make in your life? Post a comment on the blog, Facebook Fan Page or talk to me to make it happen.