From the Reconnecting With Your Soul series -- Do you ever get upset about things people say, but you wish it didn’t bother you? Dr. Jeanine offers some helpful exercises for keeping your calm when people criticize you.

Here are 5 excerpts for you, taken from the course. Each one includes a short exercise that you can do:

Breathing is the Foundation of All Spiritual Endeavors

Pay Attention and Get Present

Doing Whatever it Takes to Come Between You and Dualistic Thinking

How to Embrace Flow and Stop Struggling

Letting Go of Forms Which Don’t Fit

If you didn’t already know, the course launches this Friday. If you sign up by Friday, you’ll get $25 off, and you’ll also receive a free life coaching or hypnosis session with me.

If you’d like to know more about the course, click here:

http://simplydivinesolutions.com/alma/

Warmly,

Jeanine

From the Reconnecting With Your Soul series -- Dr. Jeanine explains how to stop listening to what other people say about you and live your life “from the inside out”

Since that day I’ve been thinking more and more about the profound power of random acts of kindness. It’s truly amazing how waning faith in humanity can be completely restored by a simple compassionate act. The unconditional expression of love and kindness, no matter how small, can shift our entire experience of humanity. Certainly, when we offer kindness to others simply because they are fellow human or sentient beings, we benefit as much or possibly more than the receiver.

I’ve frequently contemplated why these random acts create so much positivity for us. Perhaps they take us out of our prescriptive existences and into the experience of true connection. These unexpected offerings of love give us a glimpse of the profound confluence we could be a part of daily if we were willing to lead our lives with a true generosity of spirit.

On the other hand, snarkiness, which is characterized by the Urban Dictionary as “Use of sarcasm or malice in speech” runs rampant in our culture. Increasingly and especially in the cyber world we can act out our hatred and malice by writing “hit and run” comments. We may not realize the impact that our nastiness has on others.

Several months ago, a young female celebrity called me. One of the most famous people of our time, it was painful to hear in her voice how she had been effected by the storm of unkindness that she lives with daily. Of course, most of the stories that had been written about her were untrue and most definitely unnecessary. These tales were written and read by people that never knew her. I saw how she had been affected deeply by random acts of snarkiness. We may be tempted to think our snide, snarky and unkind comments have little or no effect in the world, but often they pack a much bigger punch than we realize. If we really understood that we are all connected would this be how we would choose to use our energy?

Even attempts to align with one person or another when we sport a “Team” so and so shirt, just create further division. If we are for one person, must we be against another? The non-dual force of just being “for” and not “against” is a powerful stance in the world. In my 20s I was a liberal, feminist, vegetarian, metaphysical, social worker. Unfortunately, my inability to appreciate views other than my own made me seem to others very cartoonish, I am sure. My desire to encourage people to fight my causes was undermined by the literally unattractive energy of being against so many things.

The common adage that I was sharing with my children the other day “If you can’t say anything nice about someone, don’t say anything at all” is really about compassion. Too many of us are tempted to embrace the new mantra “If you can’t say anything nice about anyone, then sit next to me.”

Some of us have grown up in families where snarky behavior is de rigueur and we might not even be aware that we are still operating in this highly toxic fashion. Thank goodness we always have a chance to begin again. In order to make a change we may want to catch ourselves thinking kind things about others. Then, we may commit to cultivating the habit of expressing these supportive and loving thoughts as much as possible. When I observe something wonderful about another person I will often make a note to myself and then follow up when I have time. This antidote to snarkiness will literally give us an energetic boost (if you don’t believe me, try it for a week and see how great you feel and how much your life shifts).

If you feel effected by the snarky people in your community consider creating some healthy boundaries. A television personality I worked with told me she was highly disturbed by all the cruel messages she read about herself on the show’s message board. I personally found this disturbing especially because she is such a lovely, kind and sympathetic figure. The boundary she created for herself was to not read the message board. In fact, in my new e-course The Alma Answers, one of the steps to divine wisdom is to “Accept and love yourself just because you are-don’t depend on positive or negative opinions as reference points”.

Many readers of this article will recognize themselves as people with far too much grace, decorum and reverence to be outwardly nasty with others. However, thinking unkind thoughts and making petty (or big) judgments about others also needs to be addressed if you wish to practice the Dalai Lama’s “religion” of kindness. Creating a mind discipline to think loving and forgiving thoughts about others is far worth any effort it takes. As the saying goes “It really is best to check yourself before you wreck yourself.”

From the Reconnecting With Your Soul series -- Dr. Jeanine explains how dwelling on your past can keep you from making changes in life

Chuang Tzu wrote, “Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.”

I always find I get the best results in my life when I am willing to hand over the reigns to spirit. When I try to make things happen in an attached way, I often end up with untoward results. I know for myself that when I truly go with the flow, the outcome is always better than anything I might have been able to create on my own. Mostly, it is a matter of getting out of my own way.

We may be asked by our employers, for example, to produce at a pace that feels unnatural for us. Often when we are harried and overworked we are often complimented by those around us for being so driven.

Going with the flow may feel counter to the aggressive tenor prevalent in the world that encourages us to overachieve and eventually burns us out.

I find that tangible reminders of flow are often useful. I have jewelry charms that say “trust” and “flow”. They remind me to trust the flow of good in my life. We may also choose other ways to create flow in our lives, like eliminating clutter or losing weight that doesn’t serve us.

Exercise 9d:

Begin to contemplate a more simplified environment in which energy can flow. When we eliminate things, we remove the blocks to the flow of good in our lives. We increase our time and overall abundance. Give away that which you no longer use or love. How might flow be reflected in your environment (home, work environment, handbag, briefcase and car)? What feels redundant? Take immediate steps to simplify to invite harmonious flow into your life. Spiritual truth: Flow is one of the most powerful keys to actualization.

When we are able to go beyond the dualistic struggle, we meet a certain peace, and we often find true liberation occurs. The 13th century Persian mystic Rumi said, “Out beyond the idea of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field; I’ll meet you there.”

Many of my clients come to me wanting to get a handle on their emotions. I am a proponent of feeling your feelings. I agree with Carl Jung’s statement that, “All neurosis is a substitute for legitimate suffering.” If we feel our feelings truly and authentically, we can move beyond our emotions and beyond our neurotic fixations. When we ascribe to dualistic thinking, which is neurotic by nature, the struggle becomes the focal point of our lives.

As soon as we become aware of a dualistic thought, we may want to have a higher thought at the ready. So for example, if we are fussing about a romantic relationship, we may want to think a thought that aligns us with God such as, “God, I turn this situation over to You so that You may guide all parties involved to our highest good”.

Exercise 6b:

Write your Divine non-dual intent. Usually this is something that is a golden thread of passion that pieces together what you’ve held dear for a long time. Mine is: “My Divine intention in life is to ameliorate the suffering of all beings.” If you are having trouble with this one, ask a friend or experienced life coach to help. Clarity here can be revolutionary in that it can help you embrace your life’s meaning, purpose and Divinity.

Most of us perceive our world by focusing on the forms we can experience concretely with our five senses. Many of us define ourselves by what our bodies look like, who our partner is, what education we have, how prestigious our job is, how much money we have, how our children are performing, what car we drive and what our homes and neighborhoods look like.

Many of us have experienced in some way or another that identities or forms can change radically, often on a dime. A Course in Miracles helps us to remember that peace does not lie in attachment to forms by stating, “Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists, herein lies the peace of God.”

Many spiritual and religious teachings remind us that what we essentially are cannot change. Buddhism teaches us that most of our suffering comes from attachment to forms. The problem of attachment is solved when we learn to enjoy forms but not to rely on forms for our happiness and well being.

Exercise 4a:

Make a list of all the forms that feel like they might not fit any more. This is a list that can be added to. Do not underestimate the power of this awareness