Illumined Life Leadership

I can’t believe that it has already been one year since I began my blog—Being En Pointe. It’s appropriate, I guess, that I stumbled upon this realization during Thanksgiving weekend in one of my most cherished locations—the Florida Keys. There is so much to be grateful for, and two of the many things that I have given thanks for this weekend include the opportunity to spend so much time in the Keys, and the meaningful “aha” moments Being En Pointe has created for me and for others.

Many people have asked me how I decide what to write about. And I can honestly say that I don’t have a process. If there were one, I guess I would call it “Inspired Blogging.” It’s almost like I notice that “it’s about that time” to write my blog again, and all of sudden (and I mean sudden!) a thought comes to me, or I read something that motivates me to write, or someone says something that kind of kicks me in the gut (in a good way), and there it begins.

I kind of like it this way, because it takes the pressure off of “having” to do something. I don’t blog because I have to. I truly do it because I want to. It heals me, and I know that it has helped to heal others who have read it as well. I am grateful for this gift and look forward to continuing it in 2010.

This month the process is no different. When I am surrounded by nature my inspiration just seems to be turned up a notch. My thoughts have been focused on gratitude and love for others this weekend. But,  then, I listened to a seminar on my laptop while consumed by nature that turned my attention to loving myself. Selfish you may say? I say not.

To further confirm my desire to share this important skill with all of you (and practice it myself), my eyes gazed upon a book in my mother’s kitchen in Tavernier—Love Thyself: The Message from Water III. “Interesting,” I thought to myself. How crazy (or wonderful!) is it that I am thrown into the thought of self-love and here is this book staring at me that’s exactly about the topic. Gotta love it! I’m feelin’ it!

So I flip open the book and it so poignantly states: “The title of this book is Love Thyself. First you must shine with positive, high-spirited vibrations, and be full of love. In order to do that, I think it’s important to love, thank, and respect yourself. If that’s the case, then each of those vibrations will be sent out into the world and the cosmos, and the great symphony of that harmonic vibration will wrap our planet in waves of love that serve to cherish our Heaven-granted lives. This is the message from the water.”

Wow…I’m sold! I do realize that there is so much more to this book by Masaru Emoto that meets the eye, and so, I feel it is my responsibility to take the time to read it from cover to cover, and I am committed to doing so. But, I am so smitten with this very brief description that I set my eyes on and took in. In fact, the simple fact that I’ve been surrounded by one of the most beautiful bodies of water this weekend perfects this total experience for me. Maybe the water, coincidentally, has a message for me.

So, without getting to deep, I have one simple request for you. Love thyself…even if only for five minutes each day. How would your day change if you took only five minutes to give thanks to you and all you do? It seems we are constantly seeking the approval, love and gratitude of others that we may not get, so why don’t we just give it to ourselves? Why does loving ourselves have to be a bad thing, and why is it defined as arrogant to love and thank ourselves? Can’t this simple act just be a part of taking personal responsibility for ourselves and how we choose to feel? I am smiling right now as I imagine embracing myself with love. I feel all warm and gooey inside, just like the delicious chocolate chip cookies I baked for Thanksgiving dinner. I can get used to this feeling (and it is calorie free!).

The thought of taking personal responsibility for giving myself love; nourishing my soul, and being grateful for ME really makes me feel good. Unfortunately, we live in a highly critical world where we not only frequently judge others and their actions (or lack of), but we also are very self-critical. This is a learned behavior that is not too easy to curb. But things can be different, and it can start by being kinder to ourselves. Do you have five minutes for yourself? Let’s try to curb this nasty habit together. Let’s begin today.

Emoto describes this self-love in the form of energy—high, almost contagious vibrations which begin within us when we love and respect ourselves. How can we truly share this fullness of love with others when we don’t feel worthy of giving it to ourselves?

This holiday season, give yourself the very best gift you can—

• give yourself the love that you deserve for all that you do;
• for being the magnificent person that you are;
• for taking new steps every day, whether large or small;
• for making decisions, whether they are judged as good or bad;
• for simply living, breathing, and being you.

After all, there is only one YOU and that’s pretty darn unique!

Give it a try—a REAL College Try! Thank yourself and love yourself for five minutes each day (minimum!). Take the time to identify three things each day that you would like to thank yourself for and feel good about. And, please, don’t judge your actions, just love them. Tell me how taking this small step affects you and your energy. In fact, I’d love to hear what kind of high-energy love you begin to get in return. Remember, as Emoto alludes to in the passage above, like attracts like, and our love of ourselves will create a ripple effect all around us and touch those we cannot even see, hear or touch. That’s powerful. That’s love.

I am starting today! I hope you join me.

With love for myself (that’s right!!),

Monique