Thought Changer

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Welcome! If this is your first visit or if you’ve been here before but haven’t had a chance to subscribe, would love to have you as a part of the Thought Changer community which has moved to Substack! Just sign up in the box to the left. You’ll get a welcome email from me at Substack. Don’t forget to click the confirmation link. Thought Changer looks at everyday life metaphors. We explore new ways to think about what we do, improve our mindset and live more consciously. And, if something moves you, please share! Thank you and enjoy this Thought Changer.

Do this one thing and it will change the way you live your life. And, it’s simpler than you might think. photo by Isabela Kronemberger I was going to be seeing some people I hadn’t seen in awhile, a couple of them with whom I shared some history. Enough history that I had some angst about seeing them. Enough so that I started rehearsing dialog in my head days before, playing out various scenarios – some good, some not so good – and rummaging in my closet to decide what to wear so that I looked more at ease than I felt. Ever been there? Sometimes it can take over and become another character in the room, the character that plays out the scenarios which stops you from being present with what’s really happening in the moment. Stops you from being you. At a recent women’s retreat I was part… Read more →

I’ve been wondering what our beautiful bald eagle has been thinking lately. Does she worry about her home? Is she afraid for her loved ones? Does she know her species is endangered? Has she had to reframe her sense of freedom? It’s been awhile since I’ve seen an eagle in person, but I recall how easily she took flight and soared, completely in charge of her own air. I imagined how she went about the business of being an eagle, creating the best world she knew how, protecting herself and her species, despite the downturn that continues to take place in her universe. I can relate. It got me thinking, again, about our own micro-freedoms, and by this I’m taking about freedom of thought, freedom of body and freedom of spirit. To my way of thinking, nurturing these freedoms is the starting point, like putting on your own oxygen mask…. Read more →

And, here are 8 steps to start leveling up in your life. By Cindy Yantis “Level up!” This was the attention grabber in a recent email I received. What is actually said was, “Level up, Libra!” It began the week’s horoscope full of “time for a mid-year reboot,” and “the new moon will bring a boost to your professional life.” Okay, I’m in! I love the phrase “level up.” Not only is it motivating, but it got me thinking about what that might look like in all areas of life. What does it mean to level up? Simply put, it means to improve your current station in a way that feels like a powerful shift. And, it starts with a change in thought, a shift in mindset, followed by brave action. And, the fuel that drives all of it is Passion. No sooner had I begun pondering this question when… Read more →

It often comes when you’re not expecting it. At least it did for me. Photo credit: Yoann Boyer It was the middle of the night. The year was 2002. I was tossing and turning, thrashing in and out of the sheets because I alternated between sweating and freezing. No, I wasn’t ill. No, I wasn’t having a hot flash. But, my breath was hot as I sighed, the weight of the world on each exhale. Dark Night of the Soul I’ve come to understand I was having what could be known as a “dark night of the soul.” The origin of this phrase goes back to a 16th century poem by Spanish Poet St. John of the Cross, where the poem narrates “the journey of the soul to mystical union with God.” Eckhart Tolle defines it today as, “…a collapse of a perceived meaning in life, an eruption into your… Read more →

What is a soul’s purpose? Contemplating that question takes a lifetime, right? When do I feel like I’m in my purpose? I think it’s when things feel easy. Things are flowing, like a river of motion, smoothly going from one moment to the next. Like when I put together the agenda for a recent Writing Retreat. I was looking for a theme to drive the agenda, something that would inspire creativity and would release blocks and procrastination which is something I’ve been struggling with, frankly something we all struggle with from time to time. I ran across an article where the subject interviewed mentioned “circadian rhythm,” which is the body’s natural alarm clock governed primarily by our secretion of melatonin (at night) and serotonin (in day). It also has value in gauging the best time for certain activities like meditation and exercise and optimal productivity. The top of my head… Read more →

By Cindy Yantis A day spent at the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena was more than I expected it to be. It’s arguably one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. I was there recently with my dear friend, Ferrell Marshall, who wanted to go for inspiration. She’s currently in the one-woman play “The Belle of Amherst” in which she brilliantly portrays Emily Dickinson. I joined her at the last minute because I had an inexplicable yearning to be outside in that beautiful nature. I felt like a bear reemerging after a long hibernation. Because of Emily Dickinson’s lifelong fascination with roses, we focused particularly on the massive rose garden enlivened with over 1500 rose varieties and hybrids, examples include the Passion Rose, Jump for Joy Rose, Exquisite Rose and the Marilyn Monroe & John F Kennedy Roses, which with a stroke of garden humor were placed next to each… Read more →

Man, did I have grand plans for 2017. I mean, I couldn’t wait to hit the ground running with a very full plate of flavorful projects waiting to be completed and/or started. Every day was Ready, Set, Go… Then, on Christmas Eve, seven minutes after I arrived at my sister’s for the family celebration, I stepped around the back of the couch to slip my gifts next to the tree. Unfortunately, the only things that slipped were my feet on the hardwood floor, clean out from under me as I fell and broke my wrist, broke it badly in fact, both the ulna and radius bones, which meant surgery, which meant a steel plate holding my wrist together, which meant wearing a cast for weeks (albeit one in a pretty color), which meant having to learn how to use my left wrist and hand all over again. Can you say… Read more →

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as the last Thursday of the month and from then on it was an annual tradition. His declaration was stated during our nation’s civil war and the underlying message is so apropos today. “It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise… And I recommend to them that… they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become… sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which… Read more →

There have been some renovations at my home recently and I was awakened early Saturday morning by the vibration of some power tools in the backyard. The foundation was literally humming and it quickly shifted my energy, making me want to get up and get something accomplished. It got me thinking about the impact of vibration on energy, thoughts and consciousness, particularly after the past couple tumultuous weeks. I noticed how ill I felt after days of reading divisive, combative and hateful posts on social media as well watching the increase of frightening actions based on hate and fear. You can feel the divisiveness in your mind, body and spirit. It’s splintering. So much so that I took a break from all media for a few days. After I posted this, I started thinking more about the power of raising our thoughts to raise the world. A few nights later… Read more →

And, How’s Your Foundation Reminders abounded for us to change our clocks to standard time again this weekend. And, always when that happens, I stop for a second to remember whether I get to sleep in an hour longer or need to get up an hour earlier. Then, I recall the old adage: In the fall you fall back and in the spring you spring forward. So we’re falling back into standard time. There’s a certain comfort in that, as if things are setting into the way they’re supposed to be, into the solid foundation of time. It got me thinking about my own foundation and how important it is to feel a solid base underneath, a smooth platform from which to create, to thrive, to live. I can tell when it’s not solid beneath me. How do I know this? I notice little things slipping, like home routines that… Read more →