Do not berate yourself for past mistakes. Instead, learn from them. To live in the past is to miss out on today. The present is a present to you!
Mantra:
I focus on the present today.
And if you need a boost of energy, my present to you is three-time Grammy winner Lizzo. This will make you feel fantastic.
Before you dive into any endeavor, meditate on it first. Getting other people’s opinions about your new venture is fine. However in meditation…that is where you find the true answer to your question.
Mantra: I meditate before I act today.
“Lean not on your own understanding” means not to only trust what you perceive with your five senses. There is more to this planet than what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. Your understanding of life is increased by the gift from God: intuition.
This sixth sense is your Higher Power guiding you in the right direction. Intuition is always your first thought about a situation. The thought is usually quick and fleeting. Sometimes intuition is felt in your body, a la “I had a gut feeling about……”
Listening to your intuition is a skill to be cultivated in order for you to trust it. That’s why meditation or even quiet time with no media distractions is helpful. They both teach you to listen to your own inner wisdom.
Mantra: I trust my intuition today.
Carrot Smoothie
Add all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth!
I’ve been drinking this in the morning before breakfast. It makes a great coffee replacement. Carrots have a lot of natural sugar in them. I notice a boost in energy whenever I drink this.
All of the ingredients are to taste. If you want it sweeter, add more agave or another banana. If you want to make this smoothie more of a meal replacement, add the walnuts which adds good fat and extra calories.
Once I made the smoothie with water instead of milk. Yuck! Milk is definitely the way to go. I love this smoothie (I love all the smoothies I’ll share on my blog!). It’s an easy way to get vegetables in you. Also the kale (or any leafy green) is not noticeable. Try a couple pieces of kale instead of two cups if you are hesitant. I promise you won’t taste the “bitter greeniness” of kale.
A high-powered blender like a VitaMix or Ninja or Blendtec are preferred for all smoothies, especially for blending a tough vegetable like carrots. Use what you have in your kitchen now. Add more milk until the smoothie is no longer chunky (hence why it’s called a smoothie and not a “chunkie!”) Enjoy!
Like it or not, you are not separate from other people. Everything and every person on the planet is ONE. That’s why this world can never have too much love.
Can you tell I’m an 80’s kid? I loved that song when I was a kid. I was like, “What’s a Wang Chung?” Nobody cared because it was a Top 40 jam and it had a nice beat. (Which is what the kids always said on American Bandstand.)
Today’s post is inspired by music, specifically Soul Train. I was having a moment, not feeling too great. The YouTube algorithm magically sensed my need to feel better and up popped “The Best of Soul Train 1971-1979, Volume 6.” I didn’t even know Soul Train had a “best of” series.
Lenny Williams, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Ohio Players, The O’Jays, Donna Summer, The Pointers Sisters, the Soul Train dancers, and commercials for Ultra Sheen?! Are you kidding? The music of my childhood? The clothes, the hair, the attitude! I was IN HEAVEN!! Life is GREAT! Mama was singing and dancing her butt off.
What’s today’s message? SING, DANCE, and HAVE FUN. Put on your favorite music and shake your booty!
If you have access to YouTube on your television, watch Soul Train on the telly. And watch volume 5 to see Ike and Tina Turner singing live. It was great to be an Ikette for a few minutes!
Life’s choices start in the mind. Things do not merely “happen.” Pay closer attention to your thoughts and actions. Think and focus on what you do want in life, not what you don’t want to happen.
Mantra:
I pay attention to my thoughts today.
Hope is the last thing to die. When all hope is gone, that’s when people check out of life.
Hope is the emotion that keeps us hanging on even when we are bone tired. When the money is gone, there’s no food in the house, addiction has us in it’s grip, grief has us crying every night, children are sick, collection notices are in the mailbox, or layoffs just occurred, we continue to have hope. Without hope, we wouldn’t take a chance on love, bear children, or continue to live. Hope is the belief that life will get better and improve.
Hope is a sister to faith which is the evidence of things unseen. Faith is a cousin to compassion which is seeing the God in the other person. Love is the parent of all three. If your hope is fading, contact someone you love, or who you know loves you. Trust and believe love will lead you back.
“Life can only be found in the present moment. When you look at the beautiful blue sky, where is it? In the present moment.
In order to not miss the beautiful blue sky, you have to go back to the present moment. Because it is in that moment that you get in touch with the beautiful blue sky, the beautiful rivers, the beautiful trees…
Everything wonderful, everything refreshing, happens in the present moment. Therefore, running to the future, or getting lost in the past, you miss life. Breathing in and out gets you back to the present moment where you have an appointment with life.”
– Thich Nhat Hahn, The Art of Mindful Living
This is a follow-up to Mocha Angels Day 23: “I speak from the heart today.” A subscriber said to me, “Speaking from the heart can cause all sorts of problems. The heart is full of emotion both good and bad.” Our conversation led me to clarify the intention behind speaking from the heart.
I learned the technique from a minister. The exact mantra is “Allow me to speak from my heart center.” It’s to be said to yourself, silently or out loud, when you are alone, not in front of other people. You say it when you are alone because this is about shifting your energy. Saying it in front of others invites judgment, and that’s not what you want. If you can’t get away from other people, say it silently. It’s said before a tense conversation (or confrontation) in order to de-escalate the situation.
Be sure to say it before you open your mouth. The intention is to speak with love to the other person. When you do speak, love, compassion, and clarity will flow from your mouth. It’s almost magical. It’s simply a shift in your thinking. You go from “I’m right, you’re wrong” (the ego) to “I want to hear you and understand where you are coming from” (the heart).
The other intention of “Allow me to speak from my heart center” is to heal the relationship. This works for everyone and anyone with whom you want to have a positive relationship.
The challenge is to remind yourself of the mantra when you’re angry or fearful, or worse, consistently an asshole/difficult/brash/rude/selfish/self-centered, etc. I’ve been that person, on all counts. I had to learn, in the hardest of ways, that insisting that I’m right all the time was leading me down the wrong path of self-righteousness aka “why can’t people just act right?” I’m the one who needs to be checking myself. I don’t need for everyone else to behave.
There are times when it’s appropriate to fight and defend yourself, or to get out of a dangerous situation. You don’t put up with anyone’s toxic bullshit or abuse. I think the heart center mantra is a gentler way of moving through life because you are being guided by love.
Hatred never ceases by hatred but by love alone. This is an ancient and eternal law. – The Buddha
Ms. Mocha Angel 