Lessons From a Witness Tree

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Lessons From a Witness Tree

One of the things I love about living here in DC is that there is so much HISTORY all around us. Dean-the-dream and I have a list of “day-trips” and “weekend trips” we’re working our way through, and having a ball doing it!

Last weekend we finally made it to Gettysburg, where 160 years ago this week, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War took place from July 1 to 3, 1863. The details are gruesome and heart-wrenching, as all war-stories are.

Wait! Gosh, what a horrible way to start an email (gruesome?) – Stay with me I actually have an inspiring message, keep reading…

Amidst the weight of history, this beautiful little town has shown incredible resilience. It’s so clean, the locals are so nice, and many of them even dress in 1863 attire…just because they can (love that!).

During our visit, they had battle re-enactments. Hundreds of men and women from around the country traveled to play their part (for no pay, this is a hobby for them). And wow, do those “soldiers” and their ladies, (in their beautiful Scarlet O’Hara-ish gowns complete with hoop petticoats), know their history!

In the middle of this charming little town stands two very large, very old “Witness Trees.” A witness tree is a unique tree that has experienced history first hand. These two trees were there during those dreadful battles, and are a living connection to the past. Through the years, these trees have become guardians of history, quietly testifying to the events that occurred on this hallowed ground.

Witness Tree

As I stood next to one of these magnificent trees, (now literally between the cider house and ice cream parlor), I was overcome with a sense of awe. As I touched its rough bark, I imagined the stories this tree could tell of the struggles and sacrifices it had silently observed. It is a living testament to the power of endurance and the ability to weather the storms of life.

The sheer presence of this towering giant was a humbling experience for me. It seemed I could feel the strength and resilience running through its ancient trunk, and for a long moment I could feel a deep connection to the past.

The quiet strength I felt from this tree reminded me that we, too, have the capacity to provide the strength and stability others need while navigating life’s challenges. Life can get so busy, and we often forget how much our presence can mean to others. Sometimes all we need to do is stand strong and be present.

Like the Witness Tree, sometimes what our friends
and loved ones require is just our steady support,
and a reassuring presence to lean on.

We don’t always need fancy solutions or wise words.
In fact, in a world filled with noise and distractions,
our quiet presence can speak volumes.

What truly matters is showing up, listening,
and being there for the ups and downs.

Yep, I got all that from standing next to an old, wise tree in Gettysburg, PA.

So let’s take a leaf out of the Witness Trees’ book and be that kind of friend, bringing light, support, and unwavering love to those who need it.

You’ve got this, and your loved ones will be forever grateful for the refreshing shade you provide in their lives.

And I hope you have that support in your life as well.

Ready, Set, Receive - Group Call

PS: If you missed my Group Call earlier this week on RECEIVING good things in your life (including receiving supportive, steady friends), you can still purchase the replay here.

PSS: If you want to see more Gettysburg photos, plus battle videos, I’ve got a lot posted on my personal Facebook page here.

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subconscious

Let’s talk about your subconscious…

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Let’s talk about your subconscious…

You may not always be aware of it, but your subconscious mind is always working in the background. It’s sometimes called the unconscious mind, and it holds all of the stored information of everything you have ever experienced.

The subconscious mind keeps your body temperature at 98.6 degrees, regulates your breathing, and keeps your heart beat steady. It also keeps you thinking and acting in a manner consistent with what you have done and said in the past.

Because of that it influences how you react to things, negatively or positively. It’s the hidden but powerful part that affects things like why you may be fearful, resistant, disappointed in certain situations. And on a good note, why you are motivated, confident, successful, cheerful, hopeful in other situations.

Studies in the field of psychology on how the brain works indicate that the experiences we have shape the way we think and act, especially experiences in our early childhood. Although you don’t remember most of your life data, the unconscious data in your head influences 90 to 95% of your behavior.

A monk was walking down a quiet road when suddenly he heard the sound of a galloping horse.

He turned and saw a man riding a horse in the distance moving swiftly towards him.

When the man on the horse got closer, he slowed down just a bit and the monk asked,

“Where are you going?” To which the man replied, “I don’t know, ask the horse,” and rides away.

The horse in this story represents your subconscious mind running on past conditioning. And sometimes it seems we don’t know where that past programming will take us. If past experiences, conversations, perceptions are in your subconscious mind, running like like this horse, how do we change it when necessary?

Is there a way to update your “horse” with new, positive instructions?

Luckily yes! Because your subconscious doesn’t think or reason independently, it simply obeys the commands it receives from your conscious mind, your conscious thoughts and actions can reprogram it.

You can consciously choose to feed your subconscious with positive, empowering thoughts and here are some ways to do that:

1. Catch your inner critic in the act of saying something negative and ‘flip’ it to the opposite (but something believable)

2. If you want it fast and thorough, SimplyAlign can clean up and re-program thoughts lightening fast

3. Use AFFIRMATIONS to state what you want, who you want to be, and how you want to feel.

And…because I want to help with your affirmations I’m gifting you my ebook: 239 Affirmations to Lighten Your Life !

It’s a collection of my most used and loved affirmations that pack a punch (in a good way!). I hope you love it.

Go here: https://simplyalign.com/239-affirmations to download your copy.

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daughter

What my daughter taught me

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What my daughter taught me

Several years ago my daughter who was in her early 30’s at the time said to me,

“I’ve realized something that has made my life so much easier.”

She went on to say,

“It seems everyone’s life sucks about 30% of the time, and the other 70% is good. So when going through the 30% you just need to know that’s totally normal and you’ll get through it. And then make an effort to really enjoy and be grateful for the 70% smooth, happy times.”

daughter

Wow, I think that’s a great insight…and helpful.

In the years since then, I’ve heard other people teach that life sucks 50% of the time and is great 50% of the time.

As and optimist and a possibilitarian, that not-good-50% just seems WAY to high of a percentage for me.

In fact, for me, that seems a little depressing to think that HALF the time I spend here on planet earth will be unpleasant.

I much prefer my daughter’s pattern of 30/70. Because although life is great “above the line” (see my blog post about that here), it’s that 30% below the line that helps us really APPRECIATE the satisfying 70%.

I would take that one step further and say –

Even within your 30% difficult times, I bet you could find So Very Many other things in your life to be grateful for, which helps to make those ‘sucky times’ bearable.

And even in the 70% good times, there are always little bumps in those roads too.

I’m sharing this insight with you today because…

If you are going through a challenging chapter of your life, just remember, it’s temporary.

Keeping an ongoing gratitude journal (in your brain or on paper) will help you see solutions, appreciate the soul stretching, and give you a more hopeful perspective.

And, if you are living-in-the-70%-flow right now (or at least no major problems at the moment) be grateful for that. Again – it’s gratitude that will increase your awareness and appreciation during good times, and in that space you can inspire and lift others.

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Living Above the Line

Are You Living Above The Line?

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One of my favorite ways to explain about energy/emotions/frequency, whether I’m teaching a class or just explaining to one client in a private session, is to use the concept of living above or below the line.

This concept is used in a lot of different ways, but I talk about it referring to emotions.

We all get the “opportunity” to feel a broad range of emotions throughout our lives, throughout a week, or really it can be throughout one day!

Some emotions are heavy, and have a slower vibration. Emotions such as:

sadness / anger / fear / shame / doubt / anxiety / envy / disappointment / irritation / worry / impatience, and so many more.

Since these emotions are heavy and sluggish, they can literally make us feel heavy and sluggish when we are carrying them. These are what I call Below the Line.

On the flip side, emotions that make us feel light, lift us up, and feel so good are:

joy / peace / gratitude / hope / contentment / serenity / awe / relief / confidence / optimism / LOVE / enthusiasm, ETC. These I refer to as Above the Line.

Let’s say there’s an invisible line and all the negative emotions fall beneath it, and all the positive emotions float above it. With that visual it’s easy to see that we want to Live Above The Line. It feels so much better to live in the space of these higher vibrating emotions!

Living Above the Line

But let’s go back to what I said earlier, we all get the “opportunity” to experience all these emotions. So, yes our goal is to do what we can to live ABOVE the line, but it’s really ok if we occasionally sink below it while experiencing one or more of the heavy emotions.

After all…that’s part of this life’s experience. We’re not meant to only live above the line, but yes, life is much more pleasant when we pro-actively do what we can to live from the “up-side”.

Sometimes we carry heavy emotions temporarily while we’re going through some tough stuff, and sometimes those emotions get stuck in our tissues, in our energy, in our mind.

What SimplyAlign does is find the cause of the negative emotion and release it at its root.

You don’t have to remember the event or re-live what happened, often the energy just needs a witness…and a skilled practitioner.

The negative emotions we carry can be from situations we are currently experiencing, or can be stored and stagnating from years of layering these sluggish emotions without fully releasing and letting them go. Oh wow, that sounds heavy doesn’t it?

The good news is, we don’t have to carry them. There are ways to get to the root and clean it up, even if we don’t know the exact emotions, where they came from, or that they were even still lurking there.

Last week I worked with a new client and several times through the session she said, “I feel so light!” I told her, “Yes, that’s how SimplyAlign works.” That’s the statement I hear the most from clients, and it goes back to releasing the heavy vibrations.

So, here’s my invitation for you this week:

Pay attention to how you’re feeling. Check in with yourself during the day to notice what emotion you’re feeling at the time, and whether it’s ABOVE or BELOW the line. Of course the goal is to stay above the line, by keeping or shifting your thoughts to a positive state.

Just having this awareness will help raise your vibration. Yay You!

And if you’re ready to take it several steps further and learn how to use SimplyAlign to quickly and gracefully release heavy emotions (and oh so much more!) then click here to learn more about the upcoming SimplyAlign Training Oct 18-21st – all ONLINE

Having the desire to do this work is a gift, and being able to do it well is a skill.

I can’t give you the desire if it’s not there, but if it is, I can teach you the skills to help you live

ABOVE THE LINE more often and skills to help you help others live above the line too.

Shine On,

Near Death Experience

Do you believe in Near Death Experiences?

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Ahh, you saw the title and still clicked to open – I love that, thanks. I really hesitated to write this, but kept feeling a strong impression that for some reason it needs to go out. So even though this isn’t a topic I generally write about, I hope it touches you in a positive way. My intention is always to bring light and hope.

I’ve been listening to a certain YouTube channel a lot lately, not for any particular reason except that I find these stories so fascinating!

The channel is called “Heaven Awaits” and it features stories from people who have died (temporarily), gone to the other side, and come back. There are many similar near death experience channels on YouTube. I also really love the personal NDE stories told on Anthony Chene’s YouTube channel.

Personally, I’ve never had a near-death experience, but I know people who have, and they tell of the overwhelming love they felt there and how that changed the way they now want to love everyone around them.

Most of these stories tell of a life-review, where they not only see every thought, word, and action of their life, but they FEEL the emotions of others involved, and witness how each interaction created ripples for them and others.

For example, one man said he felt the pain of a girl he said unkind things to in school and then saw how that played out to change the trajectory of her life. He came back never wanting to be unkind again because of the pain it caused another (and him to watch and realize it).

Why am I telling you this today?

Well, I’m not sure except that someone must need it. I actually had another email written for this week, but my intuition kept pulling me back to write this one instead.

Perhaps you’ve recently lost a loved one and these stories will give you reassurance that they truly are in a safe and happy place. These stories tell of being thoroughly enveloped by unconditional love, being so happy and peaceful, met by loved ones, learning important lessons, even seeing colors that we don’t have here on earth, and so many other experiences.

And whether you believe in an after life or not, the invitation is to

live a life of love.

Hearing these stories inspires me to:

be more loving and less judgmental
soften my eyes and see what is really there
be kind -always
look closer for opportunities to help my fellow-beings
appreciate my own uniqueness
don’t look back – keep growing forward
forgive others
apologize and make amends where possible
make choices that create a clear conscience

and mostly, although these story tellers say they felt no
judgment other than their own…

I want to live so that I’ll be comfortable watching my life review
…not squirming.
(Eek, that felt super vulnerable to tell you)

I believe our knowledge, memories and love is all we take with us when we leave this life. Although it’s important to follow your dreams and live an expansive life (everyone has their own definition of that), these stories remind us that our time here isn’t about worldly success, but about: how much did you love?

Perhaps you’ll also want to listen to some stories from those channels, or maybe my simple reminder today to live a life of love is all that is needed.

Thanks for letting me share my heart with you today…

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Laughter

Summer Goals: More Laughter!

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Happy June! It’s summer here in the big city, and the humidity has begun!
Dean the dream and I had company most of the month of May and it’s been such a treat. Touring the monuments and museums here in DC never gets old for me, I love it!

I hope you have some fun summer plans, and I’m here to add one more thing to your summer agenda.

But don’t worry, it’s fun and free! I’m talking about making a conscious effort to laugh more.

We all love to laugh, right?

But every so often, I realize I haven’t had a big, fat, tear-streaming belly laugh for FAR TOO LONG.

Have you ever done that? Realized it’s been awhile since your last hearty belly laugh?

Laughter is a natural part of life. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born.
Sometimes we as adults get so busy with the ‘important’ things on our to do list, we neglect the LEVITY that is so much needed in our lives.
Laughter is vital because it triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.

One minute of laughing burns the same number of calories as 6-10 minutes on a treadmill.

And did you know, a good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension, and leaves your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after?

Yep, it’s true. So I say…hey, it’s summer -what a great time to add more laughter to our lives!

Laughter

So how do we go about doing that?

Here are some ways to start:

  • Bring humor into conversations. I love to ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?” I’ve heard some really hilarious stories just by asking this. Try it, ask someone that question today.
  • Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious.
  • Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter and like laughter, it’s contagious. A fun way to remember to smile more is to set up for yourself ‘smiling cues’ during your day. For example,
    • smile as you step out of the shower
    • smile every time you walk past a mirror
    • smile every time you pour yourself a glass of water (hopefully that’s a lot)
  • Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the good things in your life will distance you from negative thoughts that are a barrier to humor and laughter. When in a state of sadness, we have further to travel to get to humor and laughter.
  • Watch your favorite funny movie or search YouTube for Funny videos or Dry Bar comedy. And don’t forget funny cat videos, they’re great for a quick pick-me-up! (oh gosh, does that mean I’m an old cat lady now?)

Anyone can join the laughter movement. All it takes is a willingness to see the humor in things. And of course I’m talking about good, wholesome humor, not sarcasm that is funny to only some and hurtful to others. There’s more than enough negativity in our world. But laughter is contagious and something we want to catch and spread!

So this summer, keep it front of mind to look for opportunities to find humor instead of annoyance in daily situations because humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and even keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

Shine on my friend,
Carolyn

Consent

Don’t Consent to This!

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I’m here with a quick message today from my friend, Eleanor Roosevelt –

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”

I love this statement and have referred to it many times over the years.

Consent

(And isn’t it cool that our shoe color matches?)


The definition of consent is: permission, approval, or agreement.

We can’t control what anyone else says or does, but we can always choose how we’ll respond. We can let it roll off our back, or give those words and actions permission/approval to settle in.

The emotions we choose to “feel” about another’s comments are created within us because of our own thoughts about what they said.

I know that can sometimes seem like a hard concept, but it’s really so empowering to realize that it’s our own inner thoughts that create our emotions, because words spoken by someone outside of us (an external circumstance) can’t do that.

Keeping our inner thoughts positive lessens the chance of us “consenting” to feel inferior over someone else’s words or actions.

Here are 10 tools to positively fortify your thoughts:

*Limit time with negative people

*Set and keep healthy boundaries

*Always assume good intent

*Do more of what lights you up

*Create a list of personal affirmations -and declare them daily

*Keep a gratitude journal

*Live in alignment with your values

*Keep your word to yourself and to others

*Create good self-care habits

*Practice Self-Compassion

In today’s world we may not always find compassion, tenderness, and empathy, but we can be willing to give it to ourselves.

Pick one thing from this list that you can do more of this coming week.


Much love,

Carolyn Cooper
Peak Bloom - Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossom Photos @ Peak Bloom

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Happy Spring! (or Autumn for my readers down unda’ and thereabouts).

I want to talk to you today about “Peak Bloom” – what is it? And why should you care?

Here are a couple of the pics I recently posted on my Instagram (SimplyCari).

They’re from the Cherry Blossom Festival, on the day designated as “peak bloom”.

Peak Bloom - Cherry Blossoms

I love this huge MLK Memorial. It’s especially stunning when the blossoms are at peak!

Peak Bloom - Cherry Blossoms

Peak Bloom is defined as the point that 70% of the blossoms are open.

Not 90%, not 100%.

Only 70%…and as you can see these trees look exquisite!

Because 70% can be good.

 

I’m not one to tell you to lower your standards, or your expectations.

And as a Certified High Performance Coach I’d never tell you to stop striving for progress.

But I will remind you of two phrases I have to remind myself of often:

 

Progress over Perfection
and
Done is better than perfect.

 

This is where 70% can come in helpful.

Not everything needs to be perfect, or even 90%.

I know, I know it goes against the old saying: “a job worth doing is worth doing right.”

But let’s be real, some jobs really are worth doing at 70%.

Going in at 70% helps you overcome perfectionism, over-thinking, indecision, self doubt, and procrastination.

Because simply being in action brings clarity, which brings creativity, energy, momentum and growth.

Think of something you’ve been putting off for far too long – I’ll wait…got it?

Now give yourself permission to do it 70%. Remembering, done is better than perfect.

That allows you to just get started on it without worrying about the end result.

Peak Bloom for the Cherry Blossoms isn’t 100%, it’s beauty at 70%.

What’s your Peak Bloom?

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”.
Arthur Ashe

Have a fabulous weekend~

Carolyn Cooper

PS: I normally post my fun photos on my Instagram – including a lot of Washington, DC this past year -whee! I’d love it if you follow me there, and I’ll also try to remember to add more fun “sightseeing” pics to my emails, since that’s been requested by many of you!

Indecision

Indecision Steals Time, Don’t be a Squirrel!

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Today I’m on day 22 of my 26-day Detox. My body is happy, my head is clear….in fact, my head is buzzing with ideas! Gosh, it’s amazing how much space gets freed up in my noggin’ when I eat super clean, add tons of greens, and skip the salt and sugar for a few weeks!

I especially love that when my body is clean, I find it much easier to make decisions!

“Decisions.

We can think about things,
turn them over in our minds a million times,
play out possible scenarios,
but really when it comes down to it,
you have to go with your heart and move forward.
Maybe things will go well.
Maybe they’ll turn out poorly.
Every decision brings with it
some good, some bad, some lessons, and some luck.

The only thing that’s for sure is that indecision
steals many years from many people who wind up
wishing they’d just had the courage to leap.”

I didn’t write that, it’s a quote from author Doe Zantamata and I wanted to share it with you because I love the truths in it.

Every decision brings good and bad, or like I always say, “Every road has rocks in it.”

Just because you find your road rocky, doesn’t necessarily mean it was the wrong decision, just that rocks are on any road you would have chosen. Every decision has some lessons and some luck.

It’s a New Year, a new start for you. This is the year you get to leap! What is YOUR leap?
What’s that decision you’ve been sitting on, waiting for the right time?
What’s your next best step today toward that leap big or small?

We all know when you fail to make a decision…that IS your decision. To stay put or to stay stuck in the indecision. Like the quote says, “Indecision steals many years from many people.” Don’t let it steal from you.
Get the info, weigh your options, be still and listen, and go forward in faith.

In the words of Nelson Mandela, “May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.”

Because, when it really comes down to it, you have to go with your heart and move forward.

Much love,
Carolyn

PS – If you want to clear brain fog, lose weight, and be obnoxiously excited about it (like my first paragraph-haha!) Go here to watch a short video about the DETOX I love enough to do twice a year. (I’m very picky what I’ll promote, and yes I’m an affiliate for this program.)

She believed she could so she did

She believed she could so she did

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The statement on my t-shirt, “She believed she could so she did” is one of my favorites.

In 2001 at home with a newborn, I had the idea that if I could put my Tai Chi classes on video, I could still help people, while staying home with my kids, and also bring in a little income for my family.

I wanted to do something that could help others, give me the time at home to be mama, and do something that I really loved.

So…I did it! I created and filmed Tai Chi Flow – my video/dvd series.

I was often asked, “How did you know how to do that?”

The answer is…I didn’t know. But I believed I could, so I did.

A few years later, I began teaching my energy healing method, SimplyAlign (back then it was called Calyco Healing). I’d learned and created my own style of doing effective energy work five years prior to filming the videos, and my clientele was quickly growing.

And after many requests by clients to train them how to do it, I created a teachable program.

At that time most people didn’t know what energy healing was. There were very few people teaching about it at that time. I wasn’t sure how to do this as a mostly online business because I hadn’t seen it modeled. I had no examples to follow.

But again…I believed I could so I did.

Now, this makes a lovely story 20 years later. BUT…

like every road in life there were bumps and stresses, and a lot of clearing energy for myself to get past the inevitable insecurities that come up while building your own business -phew!

My point is…

You don’t have to be a genius

You don’t have to have all the answers

You can’t know all the outcomes of your efforts ahead of time

You don’t have to know for sure your idea will work

You just need to believe in yourself,
believe in your idea,
and take inspired action.

If you do that, I believe YOU can and I believe YOU will.

So…

What’s your next idea?
(taking a course, running a marathon, starting a biz, baking a soufflé,?)

What’s your next best small step?
(write it down, make it real – yep go ahead, right now, let’s do this!)

And remember, “Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve.” ~Napoleon Hill

 

 

SimplyAlign Refresher

Upcoming: The SimplyAlign Refresher – November 4-5th!

To see more details and register, click here.