Fulfillment

The dictionary defines fulfillment (the noun) as “the state or quality of being fulfilled; completion; realization” I then looked up fulfill (the verb) – that seemed more likely to give me the definition I was looking for – yes, it is better and more specific to what I’m talking about.

To fulfill:

1. 1. to bring about the completion or achievement of (a desire, promise, etc)
2. 2. to carry out or execute (a request, etc)
3. 3. to conform with or satisfy (regulations, demands, etc)
4. 4. to finish or reach the end of
5. 5. fulfill oneself: to achieve one's potential or desires

I understand how to achieve some desires – the physical state ones, at least. Namely, set SMART goals, and then work toward completing them. What I’m not totally clear on is how to achieve emotional fulfillment on the desires that aren’t physical as much as emotional and spiritual.

My questions are these – how do we know when we are fulfilled? Is there a switch that flips, one that changes the emotional landscape inside us? Is it possible to be fulfilled in some aspects of your life and not fulfilled in others? Once fulfilled, can that switch flip the other way and we become unfulfilled again? Is it possible to be satisfied with the landscape of your life but not fulfilled by it?

It may just be me, getting side-tracked by semantics here, but I’m also not clear on how we know that we have achieved our potential. How do we know what our potential actually is? Is potential a finite thing, is there some book in the cosmos that lists out each individual and the finite amount of potential that person actually has, or is a person’s potential infinite? I believe that potential is an infinite thing – that the human heart, mind and soul have infinite possibilities and potential, and that the heart, mind and soul of a human being can achieve anything, given enough time, strength, energy, patience and love.

I can see I’m going to be chewing on this for a while. I’m no closer to resolution in my thoughts than I was before I started. Fulfillment is still a mystery to be pondered.

With love across the waters,

Hypnotherapy?

A few years ago (OK, maybe a few more than just a few years ago) when I was living in Ontario, (a 1.5 hour commute each way from the office) working in a fairly stressful field (disaster recovery / business continuity) in downtown Toronto and trying, but not managing well, to manage my tension levels. I can’t remember if I was running regularly at the time, but think it probable that I wasn’t – so no exercise to help manage the stress.

I am also a classic “stress eater” – mind you, I also eat when I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m bored and when I’m celebrating – you get the picture. Anyhow, I knew I wasn’t managing my stress levels well because I was gaining weight AND I was having middle of the night anxiety attacks. You know the ones, where you wake up in the middle of the night, anxious about _______ (insert your current worry here) and then lie there, feeling upset and not able to get back to sleep because of it. Finally, you fall back asleep, only to wake less than 30 minutes later to your alarm clock.

I looked into hypnotherapy at that point in time to see if I could manage my stress a little more effectively. I also had a number of questions and misconceptions that I needed to work through before I was willing to even try. So Internet research done, I looked into Hypnotherapists in the town I was living in at the time & found one who I was able to work with.

Hypnotherapy isn’t what you see on TV (or on stage at the PNE) where they make you quack like a duck or do things you aren’t in control of. In a true hypnotherapy session you are totally aware of everything around you and feel as though you are in complete control of what is going on. In other words, you are completely safe and in the hands of a professional.

I had one session in Ontario - the impacts were almost immediate and the results were good and fairly long-lasting. I had been given some tools with which to manage worries and stress and I no longer woke in the middle of the night, anxious and hyperventilating about _________.

Recently I began looking into certified hypnotherapists here in the Comox Valley. I would like to tackle my challenges around food and the fact that I’m using it as a crutch instead of a tool. My goal here is to get some help with my over-eating (portion control? What the heck is that?), and perhaps see if I can work on setting up some “food aversion” feelings to some of my hot-button foods. I’m not saying I want to give up starches and refined sugars altogether… just maybe manage myself subconsciously a little better, with how much I consume and how often.

I believe I have found someone local I can work with – I spoke with her the other day and will be calling tomorrow to see about booking an appointment for later this week. The first session is usually a “getting to know you” session that takes a little longer – one in which the hypnotherapist sees what you are trying to accomplish, and how much help you might need in getting from A to B. I am told by the person I am going to try and see that she also likes to start with some hypnosis in that initial session to get the ball rolling.

I’m interested to see how this part of the journey goes for me. I know there are people out there who have had great success with smoking cessation hypnosis – and I read some statistics last week that spoke to the benefits of hypnosis as an aid and tool for weight loss. I guess we’ll see, right?

With love across the waters,

Feng Shui Consultation – Planning for Number 3

It is still February. The ground is alternating between frozen and sodden and most of the time the skies are cloud filled and less than bright or blue. Except Thursday. Except Friday.

Days like Thursday and Friday of this past week, when the skies are bright blue and filled with sunshine make winter days, no matter how cold or windy, feel as though spring is on her way to us. Some flowers here, tulips and crocuses mostly, are starting to push through the soil (when they can) and remind us that Spring, is really not all that far away any longer.

It is great. Sunny days in February make people’s sap rise. Spring fever starts (just before spring actually arrives) and we start planning our gardens and spring wardrobes. I start to plan my spring-related projects.

This spring I plan to review my back and front yards and perhaps plant with a little Feng Shui in mind. The back yard will be an interesting challenge since it is also Jasmine’s run around area when I am home and she’s been thrown outside so I can do something inside that requires no doggie footprints. There are two small flower beds - one of which is holding tree branches galore from the big cedar tree behind my unit – branches that ended up in my yard during one of the many snow or wind days we had this winter. The branches and 200+ downed pine cones will need to be disposed of first (not certain where or how at this point) and the grass, which was dug out to make a trench when the yard flooded into my unit on Christmas Eve will need to be re-seeded.

Terri Perrin (from Fine Art of Intention Feng Shui) is holding a garden Feng Shui workshop in late March and I intend to attend this session. Once I have some of that in mind, I’m thinking I will book her to come over and help me plot out what might work and what might not work in this yard.

For now, though, I am going to go downstairs into my living room, I am going to sit on my sofa in the morning light and drink coffee and start to plan out my own personal spring.

With love across the waters,