Daily Tools
Welcome to the Daily Tools area of the Garage. Here's where you'll find what you need to navigate everyday concerns with greater skill and implement new, whole-brain approaches to problem-solving.
Don't take on too much at once, and please remember that the most highly developed humans are also the most lighthearted (have you seen the Dalai Lama lately?). Every morning ask yourself, "Do I want to use all of my old tools today, or can I give myself permission to try out one of my brand new Soul Garage tools and also allow a little playfulness into the mix?" You will experience life differently as a result.
"It's Time To Use Our Whole Brain"
"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."
- Q: What does intuition contribute to my brain power?
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A: It contributes the following:
We need a tool that is able to cut through the increasing amount of data we are expected to process, and to do it quickly and accurately. Intuition is built to do this.
It provides answers when we are blocked by leap-frogging over analysis to sudden revelation. The "Aha!" experience.
It is an inner adviser, a guide, and our inner voice of wisdom when all around us is in chaos.
There is a direct correlation between following our gut instinct and living the life we want.
How many times today do you say or think or act from the stance of "I should" or "I shouldn't?" Keep a running tab and consider bringing more awareness to your personal "shoulds."
Ask, "What thoughts and impulses am I ignoring today?" Our gut reaction is meant to be a practical teaching tool. Practice giving an "unofficial" impulse a chance. Start small. What happened as a result?
Pay attention to your inner self-talk throughout the day. How much negativity do you direct at yourself, even in small ways? Can you begin to treat yourself a bit more as you would a friend?
"How Letting Go Creates Peace of Mind"
Lacking faith, we grope for certainty, the one thing life does not afford. What if we were to approach life with the assumption that nothing can be controlled? That we can't know which outcome is best for us in the long run? What if there was a gold nugget within every outcome – a chunk of wisdom from which we are meant to benefit, even if it seems counter-intuitive at the time?
We tend to equate acceptance of how things are with giving up. In fact, the ability to allow life to show US the next step is a master life tool.
Try starting your day by saying, "Today I choose to let go, remain open, and allow for the best possible outcomes to occur." Repeat as needed. Don't underestimate the power of this simple statement; it will move mountains by switching your default setting to "highest available option."
Choose one thing or person that you normally fight against, if only in your head. For today just let go of the struggle, even if you can only sustain it for five minutes the first time. That's OK. It's the allowing that counts. Saying, "It just IS – I can't change this so I choose to allow it" each time is the master tool.
"How To Create What You Want: The Basics"
- Q: How do I begin to create what I want in life?
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A: By
- seeing it clearly
- enlisting the help of your inner guidance system and
- taking action.
- Q: I've tried to follow these three steps but get stuck each time on number two. Please help.
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A: You are certainly not alone. This process can easily break down at the point of utilizing our inner guidance system. Why? There are a few reasons – the most common being that we would rather go with the direction we receive from our ego mind even when we know in our gut it isn't the healthiest choice. It seems easier and we don't trust our hunches.
"You have to do all your homework, but then you have to go with your intuition without letting your mind get in the way."
The drawback in letting only our ego guide us is that even when a choice seems obvious we may still be lacking necessary data – data that can only be accessed intuitively.
We often need to set a few minutes aside for the purpose of hearing the messages from our inner guidance. Getting quiet and sitting with our thoughts or taking a walk when our day is pulling us in five directions can seem too low a priority, even impractical. Quite the opposite is true.
Today notice how often you worry about some possible future occurrence. Interrupt it by saying, "Wait – I don't know that. I can't know that. I'll just take a wait and see attitude for now." Each time we expand our comfort level to include "not-knowing" we accelerate our journey toward well-being.
Today ask, "How often am I giving my power away by saying and doing things I don't really mean in order to win approval or impress?" Just noticing will bring more awareness to your behavior. Then see if you can begin to cut back on the self-sabotage.
Top 10 Life Mastery Rules
10. Redefine "practical" to include your gut reactions
9. Take nothing personally. Whatever is thrown at you belongs to the belief system of its owner, not you.
8. Stop thinking you can control outcomes. This is just a stress-inducing illusion.
7. Find gratitude during the worst of times – see how much less you suffer.
6. Measure success only in terms of lessons learned. In the end, this is all that matters, isn't it?
5. See chaos as a neutral cue to stay centered rather than as a threat to your safety.
4. Seek out those who reflect your potential, not your limitations.
3. Focus on the now. Our inner guidance is unavailable when we are preoccupied with the past or future.
2. Repeat hourly: "I am worthy and lovable exactly as I am." Then ask, "Do the choices I am making in this moment reflect that belief?" And the number one Life Mastery Rule:
1. Spend more time allowing and trusting than fighting against and trying to figure things out. Each time we trust and allow we are choosing to expand rather than contract. Peace accompanies expansion.