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Beliefs

Letting Go of Accumulating Stuff on Earth Day

Ever since we are born, we seem to be accumulating stuff. We began accumulating toys, clothes, books, pictures, crafts and movies. We witnessed everyone else around us accumulating stuff too — everything from purses to cars, from jewelry to decorations, and from games to tools. It seems like stuff was always a big big part of life.

Buying stuff and seeking new stuff to buy has become a hobby or a habit that many don’t consciously realize they have. Always waiting for the new ads to come out to see what’s on sale. Yearning to replace something for something better — like a smaller TV for a bigger one or an old car for the newest model.

a constant flood of consumer goods can baffle the heart st fraoncisWhenever you watch TV, scroll around social media, or listen to the radio you are faced with a constant barrage of manipulative ads that are trying to encourage you to buy something. They use means that make you feel small, unworthy or unattractive unless you have this product or that one. Even news stations, both radio and TV, report with excitement the newest products that have been recently released.

These is so much emphasis on STUFF that we are actually manipulated to be a part of the accumulating society. We feel the pressure from friends, social media posts, family and even the government.

With all this focus on things every since we have been children, it’s easy to understand why we are in the state we are. It’s become a part of us. When something is a part of us, it is very hard to let go — especially it’s a part of almost every area of who we are. Stuff has become a part of our daily thought process, our emotional state as we become emotionally attached to our stuff, our worth, and so on.

Think about how hard it is to let go of your things. It’s draining! You have to talk yourself into it, deal with your emotions, deal with others not understanding why and then if you do get rid of something you are wanting to replace it with something else.

All of this stuff has been robbing us of so much and we don’t often realize it until its too late — if we even realize it at all.

  • Think of all the time you have to work to buy your stuff. All of that time could have been spent with your family, friends, helping others or doing something else that makes you feel good deep down.
  • Think about all of the money you spent on your stuff. What else could you have done with that?
  • Think about all of the times you used stuff to make you look better, when you really wish that people recognized who you were as a person instead.
  • Think about how stuff is used to make others feel worse than others. “Mine is better than yours” simply divides people instead of bringing them together.
  • Think of all the time you need to take care of your stuff. Cleaning, maintaining, and repairing. This time could be better spent in some way.
  • Think about some of the items you cling too and they bring back miserable memories that make you feel sad or angry.
  • Think of how long you study about a product instead of learning about a new friend.
  • Think about how rich you are making big corporations while you are struggling day to day.
  • Think about how much trash all of this stuff creates.
  • Think about all of the pollution that is caused by all of the stuff that is produced.
  • Think about how much time you spend looking for the person outfit, phone, car, jewelry, or something other item. How much time throughout your life have you spent doing this. This time could have been spent learning, helping, bonding or experiencing something amazing about life.
  • Think about how this stuff does not care about you.
  • Think about how this stuff takes up so much space in your dwelling.
  • Think about this: Would you rather someone admire you because you are excellent at doing something or because you own something really cool? Think about this deep down, not on the surface level.
  • Think about how less you would feel stress.
  • Think about this: All of that stuff you have spent so much time and money on buying — is that the stuff you would want to write a book about to share with your grandchildren one day? Or would you rather share them stories of experiences in your life. Would you want to create a movie showing others your stuff or your experiences?
  • Think about how all of this stuff takes you away from the dreams that you have in your heart.

Of course, stuff is nice and does have a place. There is nothing wrong with having beautiful furniture, nice clothes, great books, pictures, and other items that bring us some joy and comfort. It’s when this stuff takes up too much of our time, focus, emotions, money and other resources that can be spent in better ways that will bring better fulfillment in our lives.

If only we were trained to be more aware of our connections with others instead of desiring more things. Imagine how the quality of our relationships would improve. Imagine how much less tension we would all experience.

Think about your relationship with stuff and be honest with yourself. If it has been and is taking you away from a better life, it’s time for a change. Changes, of course, can be challenging. But you can certainly do it! Sometimes you may need help. So ask a friend, a family member or you can ask me. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for tips that only my newsletter subscribers receive.

It’s time to invest less in stuff and to invest in yourself!!

invest in yourself

 

#inspirechat

Who Are You? How Do Labels Affect You? #InspireChat…

Whether it’s at a networking event, a party, a business event, a stock trading seminar, at a conference, the grocery store, the park, on vacation or anywhere else I find it interesting to meet someone new and to get to know them. It does not matter where you first meet someone, when you introduce yourself, of course, you state your name and in one way or another, you are being labeled and you are labeling. The more you communicate together, the more labels you have. This makes sense because we label everything. We label food, cars, clothing styles, homes, neighborhoods, stores, movies, music, schools, materials, chemicals, plants, animals, jars, drawers, weather, eras, wars, and so on. We have been doing this since we were toddlers. So, it’s seems only natural  that we also label ourselves and others. We are trained to do so by society and the people closest to us.

Many people tend to understand each other based on these labels. From there, we decide whether or not we like them or not, want to be closer to them or not, and so on. We decide whether we can trust them or not, how we feel about them, we judge them, and put them into a little box in our mind.  Here are some of those labels:

The Labels:

  • Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Uncle, Friend, Enemy
  • Skinny, Fat, Ugly, Beautiful, Pretty, Hideous
  • Nice, Mean, Kind, Rude, Stingy
  • Actress, Model, Singer, Paparazzi, Reporter
  • Leader, Follower, Influencer, Hater, Authentic, Fake
  • Criminal, Cop, Judge, Lawyer
  • Banker, Accountant, Janitor, Engineer, President, Chef, Homemaker
  • Emo, Prep, Goth, Valley Girl, Foreigner, Native
  • Rich, Poor, Sleazy, Clean, Responsible, Irresponsible
  • City Boy, Country Girl, Suburb Guy, Beach Girl
  • Young, Old, Babyish, Mature, Immature
  • Healthy, Sick, Healer, Carrier
  • Hard-working, Lazy, Smart, Stupid

who are you and labelsThese labels are just a sample of what we label ourselves, label others, or others label us. We are so used to labeling each other and in many areas, it seems like an appropriate way to introduce ourselves, especially at work. For example in a hospital environment, if you are a Doctor, it is important you let your patient know this. Same thing goes for other hospital employees like a nurse, a technician, or a janitor. In addition, hospital visitors need to identify themselves with labels like mother, brother, friend, supplier, salesperson and so on.

Labels can have a positive effect in other areas as well. For example, when you are looking to connect with others like moms connecting with other moms, fitness enthusiasts with those looking for inspiration and responsible people looking to connect with other responsible people.

Unfortunately, some labels seem to have a positive effect at first, but then can lead to imbalances in life. For example, labeling a girl as pretty and never acknowledging that she is also smart can make her become so concerned with her appearance and using that to get her ahead in life. This puts a lot of pressure on a girl.

Other labels are simply outright discouraging, like ugly, poor, lazy, and stupid.

Sometimes labels put people into a box and create expectations from other people. For example, many people call me nice. But, I am not always perfectly nice. I make mistakes or may be nice in a way I think is nice — but not necessarily nice in a way someone else thinks is nice. When this happens, one may then label me a hypocrite — even though I did not label myself nice. Another example, is the label Mom. People put moms in a box thinking they are suppose to be a certain way and when they are not, people will be shocked and say something like, “Isn’t she a mom?”

These are just a few ways that labels impact our lives. I can not possibly give every example in this short blog article, but we can discuss this further on #InspireChat on twitter on Monday at 12pm EST on twitter. If you miss the chat, you can share your thoughts below and share some insights you have about labels and/or how they affected you.

This link here is one of easiest ways to follow and interact with #InspireChat  Here is a link to a sample of the questions that I may ask for this #InspireChat.

Inner Peace

Enjoy the Freedom of the Present Moment

“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.”  

This is a quote often tossed around regarding the present.

It essentially says that today is called the present because it is a gift.

embrace the present moment its a giftThe origins of that quote can be a bit mercurial but it is often attributed to Alice Morse Earle’s poem. It has been changed numerous times and is even featured in a cartoon movie.

Regardless of where this quote originated, the essence of it matters.

Each moment that passes you make an internal, often subconscious, decision regarding your life path.

Problems arise when you do not stop and enjoy the moment.

Each moment is an opportunity to be free and simply live.

It is this moment that counts.

It is this moment that matters.

It is this moment that shapes your eventual destiny.

Enjoy yourself and stop worrying about the things that you cannot change.

Do not worry about who likes you or dislikes you.

You are simply you.

Therefore, you have to be the best YOU possible.

That happens when you let go and free yourself.

Tomorrow will come to many.

And for many that post all of their hopes on tomorrow…it may never arrive.

But everyone has this moment.

When you let the baggage go, stop worrying about tomorrow, and simply living in the moment you are giving yourself a chance to breathe fully and deeply with life.

You are enjoying the tactile sensations of the air on your skin.

You are in the moment with the rush of blood through your veins and the deep silence of just being.

For some it is hard to stop their minds from constantly thinking about what is coming next or what was.

They worry too much about the external problems and forget that the greatest gift of all is the present.

You have a choice each moment that passes.

You can embrace that moment and simply enjoy being.

Or you can spend that moment worrying about something that has already passed or may come to pass in the future.

In choosing to worry, you burden yourself and lose that moment.

So take a deep breath, feel your environment and just smile.

You have as many moments as you need.

Enjoy your freedom of being in the moment! It’s a gift, cherish it and make the most of it!

Your turn:
What do you enjoy most about living in the moment? Do you find it hard to live in the moment? What is most challenging for living in the moment? Do you have any tips that can help people enjoy their freedom of living in the moment? Please share below in the comments.

I am passionate about showing you how to transform their thoughts because I know that your thoughts truly do matter for you to have happiness, success, healthy relationships and a vibrant body. When our thoughts are with the present moment, we make the most of our moments which create amazing tomorrows. For information about training with me to transform your mind and emotions one or one or to conduct an empowering seminar for your group or business call me at 267-266-6480 or send me an email at joannecipressi@gmail.com. If you call, make sure you leave a message and I or my personal assistant will be in contact with you shortly.

Joanne Cipressi, CHt, CNLP
Empowerment Coach, Speaker and Author

face fear, overcome fear, phobia Fear

Don’t Just Face Your Fear, Embrace Your Fear!

 

Don’t Just Face Your Fear, Embrace Your Fear!

I was Afraid to Appear Weak

When I was a young teen, I was so brave…or I pretended I was.

Basically, I think I simply hid what I really was feeling and masked it with appearing to be brave because I was afraid to look weak.

Truth Be Told

However, the truth was told as I waited in the tiny doctor’s room – you know those really teeny tiny rooms they keep you in for what seems like an eternity before anyone comes to see you – waiting for the nurse to come in to talk to me.

I broke down every single time I had to wait!

I could not handle being in that little, itty, bitty room all by myself.

I would peak outside the door and look down the empty hall in hopes to see someone.

I would pace in the room back and forth.

And, sometimes, I would cry, wondering what was taking them so long.

A few times I walked out of the room and stood in the hallway.

I was so uncomfortable!

I was petrified of small spaces – not just doctor rooms.

And, I knew why – but the “why” did not help me feel better at all.

Actually, when it comes down to it, the “why” does not matter at all – when needed to move forward!

Nope.

All I needed to know was that I was afraid of something that could not hurt me…at least not anymore. AND that I wanted to change!

It was so obvious that I was uncomfortable with myself. I really needed to learn to have a better relationship with myself so that I was able to tolerate being alone with my thoughts and emotions. 

Facing and Embracing My Fear of Small Spaces

face fearUsually, once I realize something is a problem for me, I face it.

I hate to have anything within my mind or body that is unsettled.

Facing this fear, was what I needed to do.

So, I went to extremes.

When I was 19, I took a trip to the Empire State Building and decided I would stand in that teeny, tiny elevator for all 102 floors!

I was never afraid of heights probably due to the freedom of being up so high with the sky being closer to me. Being up high is so spacious.

But, the small elevator tight with tons of people was another issue.

So, I went by myself. I bought my ticket. For some reason, the second elevator was closed, so I was only able to go to the 86th floor. This was a great relief for me.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Took another breath and believe it or not, I was completely fine.

But, the ride was so short–so I needed another test.

So, I decided to take a trip to Las Vegas from PA on the smallest airplane I could find.

I figured a small space for that long would have to completely cure me.

A month later, I was flying across the country.

I sat there and simply felt the fear.

I felt my nerves tingle, and my muscles tighten.

I felt as if my blood was boiling and my mouth was dry.

My head was becoming tight and my neck was tense.

I was hot, very hot.

My hands were sweaty.

Then there was a chill through my whole body. Then, more heat.

So, this is what fear felt like…

I embraced the feeling. I embraced the feeling of fear.

I allowed myself to enjoy the experience and to accept the fear.

From there, I was able to reason within my mind, while allowing this feeling of fear to flow through me.

I embraced this fear and welcomed it as a part of who I am.

I was learning to be ok with whatever I was feeling. Accepting. Loving. Being. 

You know what?

Magic happened! The fearful feelings completely faded away!

The rest of the ride was without any concerns, as well as the ride back.

Today

It was funny, on Tuesday, I went to visit a client who lives in a high rise building.

The friendly concierge greeted as he always does. But this time we warned me that someone got trapped in the elevator just four hours prior.

We joked about it and he said, “Hope you don’t get stuck!”

I replied, “Well, it would be an amazing meditation.”

He laughed.

I walked in the elevator and I wished that it would get stuck…so I could be just there meditating and feeling.

It is amazing how you change and your life changes when you face your fear.

You grow to trust and love yourself even more.

You grow to trust and love others and life even more.

 

 Your Turn to Share

What have you been afraid of that you overcame? What are you currently afraid of? Did this blog encourage you to face your fear? What is the strangest fear that you ever heard of?

 

Thanks for reading!
Joanne Cipressi, CHt, CNLP

 To reach out to Joanne for personal coaching, to speak at your event, hold a workshop, or for a transformational full-day immersion, call her at 267-266-6480 or email at Joanne@joannecipressi.com