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Recently I was asked what my most important value(s) are. It was a great question and I had to say it was my word. I’ve written a couple pieces over the past 6 years that reference the habit of saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Or being mindful of your speech. What we say can be meaningless or hugely meaningful. It is a powerful choice we can make. The concept is referenced in the bible-‘in the beginning was the word’

In Buddhism, the concept is right speech. Right speech can be practiced by asking the questions of: is it true? is it necessary? is it kind? can it be heard?

Before we speak. This is a level of mindfulness that brings about compassionate communication that is bound to bring positive change to the world-

The past few weeks I have found myself giving the unsolicited advice of making sure to take time on a daily basis to take care of yourself by being around or doing something that inspires you. The literal meaning of the word inspire is to breathe in-when we take in ideas that come to us in sparks and act upon them, we can learn the path of our spirit. Day by day, step by step we live our true purpose. Being happy and fulfilled in life is a lot easier when we are fuelled by what really inspires us and live aligned with our spirit, as our true self.

I have social media accounts facebook, instagram and twitter. I have been meditating on what it all means for some time and I am drawing the conclusion that social media sets up unrealistic expectations for real life. Kim Kardasian is apparently an ‘influencer’, and that is hard for me to understand…it seems to me that she insidiously sells fashion or procedures of the moment and she makes being fake normal.

I have been off social media for nearly 2 weeks and I notice how much more time I have for myself and my original creative endeavours. I also notice that spending time on social media creates unrealistic expectations especially in terms of our appearance. Why is it that women are held to the standard of having no wrinkles and being a certain size??

I think it is important to reflect upon what standards we are holding ourselves to and the influences in our lives. I believe it is always better to follow our own path and live for ourselves to be who we really are.

This month, I found myself giving advice to a client to be sure she focuses on counting her successes/wins on a weekly basis rather than how far off she is from her ultimate goal. I named the practice positive accounting, as in counting the positives. Every day is a new day and we have the opportunity to choose our experience.

I need to complete 900 clinical hours in order to graduate from the program as a traditional chinese medicine practitioner. At first 900 hours seemed daunting, plus I set the goal of graduating in 2019. This month I started to focus on the steps I have taken and it just feels better. I am still a good distance from the end, however, I feel as though I am making progress all the time when I focus on the steps I am taking.

Positive accounting very much ties in with the gratitude practice I started in January. Accounting for the positives reminds us we always have what we need to keep moving towards our dreams, goals and inspirations. Not only are we on the right path, we are well on our way to where we need to go.

Having a gratitude journal has been in my consciousness for several years. In that time, I have practiced gratitude informally and inconsistently. A colleague and friend Erin Phelan encourages us all to have a gratitude practice at her spin class. I got more serious about the practice last year with her enthusiastic encouragement.

At the start of 2018, it became an intention and goal that I will note things I am grateful for each day in my journal. So far it has been an amazing experience. Taking a few minutes each day to reflect on gratitude is the perfect combination of meditation, reflection, positive thinking, prayer, humility, and spirituality. What are the effects? I am finding that the practice of gratitude helps me to focus on the positive direction I can take and to let go of various stressful events much more easily. It feels like contentment and the middle ground is becoming easier to find, which is great news in making life good!

2017 was a year full of discovery and growth for me with many highlights. A couple weeks ago, a client mentioned wanting to make New Years resolutions for 2018. I suggested that he reflect and take stock of all the accomplishments and positive experiences of 2017, make note of the areas that need improvement, which will guide him towards goals to work on for 2018.

Willpower is like a muscle that will fatigue, so when we approach any change of behaviour, it is best to align with what you really want rather than to resolve to change something drastically. Put in other terms finding unconditional acceptance and love for yourself will make any change possible.

I am practicing what I preach today by reflecting, taking stock with gratitude for all the accomplishments and wonderful experiences of 2017. I’m making note of the needs improvement areas and will meditate on and set goals for 2018. Happy new year to all!

Enjoy food and eat slowly is a line I saw on an Italian menu board. I have enjoyed a variety of delicious Italian food on my holiday in Tuscany. I am managing to stay in shape by exercising and choosing to truly enjoy food. I look for a level of enthusiasm I feel in the foods I eat. If I am not really enthused, I choose other foods to eat. For example, I am no fan of bread dipped in olive oil, so I skip bread most of the time here in Italy. I love pasta, so I enjoy that regularly. A daily dose of a small gelato is great. The cheese is awesome! I love desserts too.

So I believe the making life good secret to staying in shape while on holiday is to exercise and enjoy foods you love, plus eat green veggies daily.

I have tried to like hot oatmeal throughout my life. Hot oatmeal always seems like such a nice thing to have on a cold morning. What I noticed consistently was I would like the oatmeal and then become thoroughly tired of the taste and texture halfway through the bowl! I would not be full, just sudden loss of appetite for the slightly bland mushy texture.

My sister gave me a copy of Genius Recipes last Christmas. There was a recipe for oatmeal that caught my eye, which was half steel cut oats and half rolled oats. I finally made the oatmeal earlier this month and am thrilled to report this is a bowl of oatmeal I enjoy eating an entire bowl of. The secret is the salt. I tried to reduce the amount by a bit and found the oatmeal went straight back to bland icky despite copious amounts of maple syrup. The 1/4 teaspoon of salt per 1/2 cup of oats is crucial to deliciousness.

Serves 2-3, use 1/4 cup steel cut + 1/4 rolled oats as per person serving guideline

1/2 cup steel cut oats, rinsed

1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)

generous 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup non dairy milk of your choice

1 cup water

Maple syrup to taste

Bring milk and water to a boil with salt. Add steel cut oats and rolled oats, bring to a medium-low simmer, covered. Stir the oats occasionally during the 20 minute cook time. The oats should have a bit of chew from the steel cut oats and taste salty at first-add maple syrup to taste and create a salty sweet flavour. Enjoy hot topped with currants, pomegranate, blueberries, pecans, or any toppings of your choice.