Author: M

My Meetup group, Writing Journeys, is now live! If you’re in the SF Bay, come visit me at my events. The first meeting will be on December 3, 2019.

I am excited to return to offer my Gratitude and Catitude writing workshop at The Dancing Cat on 1.11.2020!

Start the year with me and the lovely resident cats on the 1:11 portal to prime your year with joy and gratitude!

Register here.

My heart is full from the privilege of spending a weekend retreat in the redwoods with an amazing group of women. This experience fills and fuels me.

I’m grateful for everyone who attended and brought wonderful warm energy to practice Gratitude Writing on 11.1.19. It was a grounding way to kick off a wonderful Women’s Wellness weekend with self-care, connection, nature, kindness, and new experiences.

On Saturday afternoon, participants at Write The Story Of Your Life thought outside the box about their life visions. I was grateful to witness and hear about where attendees were on their various journeys. It was inspiring to see what was important to each person and to share in new insights and awareness.

Celebrate creativity, writing, community, and young writers with me on August 4, 2019 from 1 – 4:30 pm at the Santa Clara University Recital Hall.

Along with a celebration for the newly published young authors (the winners of the Inklings Book Contest) in the 2019 Inklings Book, the afternoon will be full of inspiration and hands-on writing workshops.

RSVP here.

Experiences and perceptions have multiple levels.

The first level is the direct experience. In the direct experience, sensory input is perceived using the senses. (I feel cold. I smell salty air. I hear lapping waves. I energetically sense openness) Emotions are observed in the direct experience – calm, fear, sadness, anger, joy.

The second level is the thoughts about what is occurring. The thoughts may include stories. “I wish…, I believe…, I am…, I think…”

The third level is the emotions that arise due to the thoughts. (If I believe “I am weak,” I may feel sad, angry, or afraid. If I believe “I am strong,” I may feel joyful and expansive.)

We may not be consciously aware of the thoughts and beliefs (stories) we hold. This can lead to reacting to situations (and emotions) out of patterns.

Making a choice to respond consciously requires awareness of the pattern. Awareness is the first step. This is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness allows awareness. Mindfulness allows being present equanimously with the direct experience.

Once we become aware of the direct bodily sensations and emotions, we can understand which thoughts are stories, and which are actually reality. We can free ourselves from distress caused by unhelpful beliefs and thoughts from the third level.

In the direct experience, bliss, connection, and flow exist. Mindfulness is a key to the direct experience.

(We create our reality. The creating occurs in the second level. Read about creating empowering beliefs for more.)

Stories are thoughts and beliefs we hold. Stories are lenses to perceive the world. Coaching and journaling are tools to help become aware of stories which might limit or cause us undue suffering. Unexamined stories can be fraught with assumptions or cognitive distortions.

Creating empowering stories is a powerful skill. It can cause a shift from feeling powerless to feeling uplifted.

Consider this belief: “Life happens to me.”
Thoughts might include: Because life happens to me, it doesn’t matter what actions I take. The outcome is out of my control and I cannot change it. I don’t think I deserve what happened to me.

Consider these beliefs: “Life happens for me.” “I choose how I respond.” “I create what I desire.”
What thoughts do these beliefs support?

Which beliefs feel better?

Examining disempowering beliefs is a wonderful journaling practice. Becoming conscious of the beliefs and values we hold can shed light on why we react the way we do.