Sarah hamilton's Blog

This is where you'll find my musings on Gratitude, Inspiration, Stillness and Awe…. "Transform your thoughts, transform your life"

Allowing…. November 26, 2012

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I think of myself as a patient person.  I’m often even told on a regular basis that I”m SO patient.  That said I’m regularly tested on this front.  Whether I plan a phone call to discuss an important issue and the person is out of town or I have ordered a time sensitive package and it is late or  traffic is crazy and I think I will be late (notice these are time related for me?).  It could be any or all of these scenarios.  I’m not even going to bring in the health issues that can occur.  I regularly write, coach or talk about allowing. Even saying this word gives me peace.

The Webster definition of Allow is:  1. admit (an event or activity) as legal or acceptable  2. give the necessary time or opportunity for.  “Give the necessary time or opportunity for”,  This is my favorite part of the definition.  When buttons are pushed as they can happen even to the best of us.  How do you return to the start of allowing?  Where you don’t struggle or fight with your given circumstances?  I am a Huge fan of breath… for more reasons than the obvious.  It helps us to return to our natural state of loving.  Loving of self and others.  It centers us.  The breath is a mini meditation. The ability to stay in this state is a bit like being a child.  Most children are very allowing because they have yet to learn their ability to control their surroundings.  They trust.  Ah trust…. So much of what gets in our way is our inability to trust.  If we stay in a state of allowing the trust comes more effortlessly.  Now I don’t mean allow others to do to you anything they choose but allow life to have its grace and kindness that we all seek.

 

What will you do today to allow?  To remain at peace with yourself?  How will you stay connected to your breath?

 

Lots of Love!

~SHC

 

Gratitude…. November 22, 2012

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Thanksgiving is a time of year that always reminds me how grateful I am… And in the last few days there have been a few things that have happened to remind me even more of just this.  Today’s blog post I’m taking a moment to ask that you tell those close to you how much they mean to you and extend this love out to others that you come in contact with today. Being in a place of love not only is good for you directly but helps others in kind.  Here is a wonderful Shaker song that I simply love, love, love… Simple gifts!

Truly sending Love to you today!

And Happy Thanksgiving!

~SHC

 

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama: “Advice for Daily Life” November 21, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — sarahhamiltoncoaching @ 8:41 AM
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I posted a few days ago the October 18th lecture by His Holiness so I thought I’d post his second lecture as well.  It was on the following day at Western Connecticut State University . I also thought it was apropos after Monday’s post.  🙂 We could all use a wee bit of a reminder on living with compassion….

Energetically!

~Sarah

 

Noticing a trend…. November 19, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — sarahhamiltoncoaching @ 11:02 AM
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I’ve been noticing a trend on Facebook and Twitter recently.  People and pages will post status updates and the world responds accordingly… but… On the posts that are rather innocuous or even lovely, sweet and charming the responses are completely catabolic… unhealthy or negative.  I know that this is nothing new but it does seem to be escalating.  I am, to this day baffled at those who chose the catabolic response versus the anabolic or healthy response.  We choose or thoughts, reactions and feelings.  For example.: There was a picture of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sitting in a restaurant looking very loving and the caption was a conversation to exemplify a healthy marriage and the world started ripping apart the President.  No matter how one feels about our President the sentiment in the picture was really beautiful.  So my question is this Why does most of the world gravitate towards the negative when we know we can choose another way? Why do people find it easier to be destructive with their comments then compassionate.  It’s just not nice!  What we feel as a society that is ok to say to another has always flummoxed me.

Are we bombarded by this catabolic “stuff”, yes.  But do we have to choose it? No.  Compassion is the truly only way.  When we are confronted  by this toxic behavior it is our job to remind ourselves to be as compassionate as possible. I just keep thinking that if one is as hard as they are on others… How hard must they be on themselves….  I keep thinking about that age-old adage… “When you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all”

Sending Love and ease out to you all!

~Sarah

 

Thoughts on a Tweet from Deepak Chopra… November 14, 2012

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How do you want to be in the world?

 

 

 

I wanted to share this blog post…. but you have to listen instead.  Here are some thoughts on a tweet from Deepak Chopra… Another Podcast for my blog!

 

Energetically,

~Sarah

 

His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama: The Art of Compassion November 9, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — sarahhamiltoncoaching @ 10:33 AM
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About a month ago His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke at Western Connecticut State University in conjunction with Do Ngak Kunphen Ling: Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace which is located in Redding CT.  It was a remarkable day!  Here is the long awaited lecture for you. Enjoy!

 

 

Energetically!

~SHC

 

The language We Use November 8, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — sarahhamiltoncoaching @ 9:18 AM
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I was reminded of this post last night so I wanted to share it again….

I regularly post on Facebook and Twitter about language. My strongest coaching tool is helping my clients become aware of their self talk.   As we all know language has power and how we talk to ourselves can make or break our self-esteem.  That said, here is a list of words to become aware of in your speech.

Should:  The best thing to say about this one is, “Don’t should on yourself” When the word is used there usually is obligation places on the act on which you feel the need to follow through. Now here is a tough one… Only do the things that you want to do.  For example “I should go to work.”  Sure work is not necessarily great everyday but we want to make money to pay our bills.  Hence you want to make money so you go to work.  We get something out of everything that we do so I invite you to look at your motives and find the want in what you’re doing.  Then once you can find your want versus your should you are able to remove the obligation and guilt that comes along with the should.

Need: Listen to how often you use the word need…  When we need something we do not approach it with the same energetic strength that we would had we approached it with a want.  Again with the want 😉 We follow through with our goals when they are a want versus a need. Our obstacles block us when obligation strikes us. Look again…

But: ” I wanted to go swimming today but it was rainy and I thought twice about it.”  When you use the word but in a sentence you negate what is initially said.  So by looking at the sentence you really did not want to go swimming because it rained and you changed your mind.  In a sentence like this the but is really quite innocuous.  Though when used in a sentence like. “I thought your show was fantastic but in the second act…..” So you really didn’t think the show was fantastic. I simply invite you to look at what and how you are speaking to yourself and others.  Do you want your anabolic phrases to land on their own merit or would you rather land on the down note.

Can and Can’t: These 2 words are simple.  You are saying I choose to and I don’t choose to.  Now sometimes we are physically unable to do things and if we were able to choose we would. Like say for instance fly on our own accord. That said if you are, let’s say invited to a party it is completely ok to say you are unable to go due to a prior engagement but (and yes I just used the word but on purpose) if you can’t? No.  You are choosing to go to your prior engagement. Everything you do in life is a choice.  Be empowered with your thinking and choose how you respond.  Be the cause of your life not at the effect of it.

Again back to the shoulds, needs, can’ts and buts…. How do you want to approach life? Empowered and anabolic? To quote one of my favorite children’s poets Shel Silverstein:

 

“Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child.

Listen to the DON’TS.

Listen to the SHOULDN’TS,

the IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS.

Listen to the NEVER HAVES,

then listen close to me…

Anything can happen, child.

ANYTHING can be.” 

 

Listen to how you think….

Energetically,

~Sarah

 

Reminder that I am human… October 30, 2012

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I’m sure everyone is thinking that I’m going to bog about hurricane Sandy that hit the eastern seaboard the past couple of days or maybe even this contentious election campaign that’s going on right now… but no.  To start here’s a little back story about me.  As some of you may or may not know I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis over 11 years ago and to this date I have done very well with no true “Relapses” in all that time. It even stayed away from the stress and side effects when I went through months of cancer treatment.   Yeah I know I was spanked hard in a short period of time…..

That said I have had during this past month my very first relapse since I was diagnosed (I think).  I truly count myself very lucky… With all my meditating and lecturing on  living in the moment I believe I was as prepared as I would ever have been.  There’s more…I also live with migraine.  (I don’t say suffering because as we all know pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.)  My neurologists don’t think that there’s a connection but they can’t say that they’re not connected to my MS.  I have changed my diet, meditate, receive regular acupuncture, swim (due to back surgery 2 years ago), I’ve tried reiki, not taken meds and taken meds.  All this to say that if there is a healthy possibility that it might alleviate my pain, I’ve tried it or do it.  I finally gave in to Botox treatments after regularly living with about 20 migraines a month. (this is the condensed version :-))

Now put that on top of an MS relapse that takes its form of severe vertigo and nausea with excessive Restless Leg Syndrome.  My world has been tossed sideways. I haven’t blogged in a while due to these given circumstances.  I am reminded to be gentle, to keep moving forward. To say no to certain things And to say yes to others.

But now I have to admit that for the first time in my life when I haven’t felt well it was not just me.  There is someone else who is concerned for me.  I have actually felt that “what if…” What if he sees me sick and can’t handle me this way and leaves.  As untrue as I know that to be I still got a little scared.  I have learned to function very well with pain.  I continue to go about my day even though my world is in constant motion.  I am regularly, regularly reminded that so much about life is trusting in oneself. Loving oneself.  I do not live my life as a victim… you know what I mean… the “Why me?!” syndrome.  Or using my wound as the way I am defined…. I call that wound-ology.  My regular response to that is why not me on all fronts.  Why not have great things happen too! With everything it’s a question of choice and how you want to handle it.  There’s that topic again, choice.  I chose to trust and love myself an in turn I chose to trust and love another.  And trust that it will all work itself out in the end. Or right now if it so choses…

 

I know that there are only great things out there for me and everyone else too! So now that the hurricane has moved on… Let’s get back to our regularly scheduled life.

 

Lots of Love!!!

~Sarah

 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Danbury Connecticut October 20, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — sarahhamiltoncoaching @ 10:31 AM
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This thursday and Friday His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke at Westerner Connecticut State University in Danbury CT in conjunction with the Tibetan Center in Redding Ct, Do Ngak Kunphen Ling or DNKL. It was a remarkable couple of days.  I had received my tickets and was raring to go but then I came down with the creeping crud and felt that it wouldn’t be fair of me to go and sneeze and cough over everyone.  So I was given the opportunity to give my tickets to my boyfriends parents! Lucky for me pictures were sent all along the way.

Although disappointed that I couldn’t attend I was pleased to be able to share this with people who haven’t had the opportunity to experience the His Holiness speak before.  So Of Course I was glued to my laptop with tissues and water in hand to view the live stream.  It’s supposed to be up on youtube and when I can find it 🙂 I will have it for you.  But here is a wonderful article with his complete lecture on thursday about compassion.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

 

“My fundamental belief is that we are all the same as human beings. We don’t need an introduction when we meet because we are mentally, physically, emotionally the same. I find this is a very helpful way of thinking. Whether I’m speaking to 1000 people or 100,000, there are no barriers between us.”

His Holiness explained that when there are no barriers there’s room for trust. Trust is the basis of friendship. On a global level the time has come to develop a strong sense of the oneness of humanity. Then there will be no room for exploitation, cheating or bullying. If others are successful, be happy. Otherwise, if we a jealous, that leads to mistrust, which leads to fear and suspicion and ultimately loneliness.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking at Western Connecticut State University’s O’Neill Center in Danbury, CT, on October 18, 2012. Photo/WCSU

Everyone wants to lead a peaceful life, but a peaceful society does not evolve only from economic development, it comes about as a result of inner peace in the hearts of individuals. How can we develop such inner peace? Through prayer? His Holiness said that of course prayer has its place, but he feels a need to take action instead.”

 

As soon as I can find the 2 lectures I will post them! It was a remarkable couple of days!

 

 

Being Alone… October 7, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — sarahhamiltoncoaching @ 10:27 AM
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In the past few weeks the topic of being “alone” has been a big one!  There is a difference from being alone vs. lonely.  We all have moments through out our lives when we feel lonely but alone is very different matter. I’ve been known to say, “You can’t find the love of your life until you become the love of your life.” If we feel alone and do everything we can to avoid our own company we won’t be very good company for someone else.  And in turn if you are entering a relationship so that you don’t have to be alone then you are not at your optimal….  Which is 2 people coming together at their greatest so that they can grow together.  Because of this I am re-posting a blog post from 2010.

Here is a video that has recently gone viral on Facebook. I immediately feel in love with it!!!!! When I started to listen to it I recognized the voice as Tanya Davis’ who also created another über favorite of mine “ART”….. Take a look-see.

 

 

Lots of Love!

~S