If it sometimes feels as though something is missing in your life, or you want more joy and less stress, perhaps it is time to make a shift. It is time to focus on the possibility of creating the life you truly want by attending to all aspects of yourself—mind, body and spirit, which are all interwoven and impact each other.

A good place to start in creating the life we long for is by identifying our core values, which are attributes that are highly important to us, and are related to all three aspects. These are the values that are critical to living a fulfilled life, and they are different for everyone. Examples are authenticity, integrity, freedom, creativity, harmony and stability. There are many lists, some with close to 200 choices, which can help in identifying our core values. Start with the top 10 values and then narrow down to a top five. It’s not easy, but we can learn a great deal about ourselves if we are honest about it. We can then use our core values to make decisions on what we want in life and what we can start to let go.

Mind
Making best friends with our mind can help us shift our way of perceiving who we are. We all have limiting beliefs about ourselves that we created as we were growing up. These are stories we told ourselves based on experiences we had as children.

For example, if our mother didn’t give us much attention during a critical period of our lives, we interpreted it to mean something negative about us and decided right then that we aren’t worthy of love and attention, and this belief influenced all of our relationships as adults. In reality, our mother was going through a rough time that had nothing to do with us. Once we recognize this thought as a limiting (and erroneous) belief, we can do the work necessary to change the message to a true one that will empower, not limit, us.

We can learn to hear the negative self-talk for what it truly is and replace it with positive and true affirmations. Professional coaches can help uncover limiting beliefs and assist in forming new, empowering beliefs that will allow self-love to guide us in everything we do.

Body/Emotions
Our physical body is also important to focus on. It is vital to respect it and keep it healthy in order to minimize stress and increase an overall sense of well-being.

Ways to do this include: eating nourishing food and not eating food that depletes our resources such as sugar, white flour and other simple carbs; exercising our body every day; getting adequate sleep on the rhythm that our body is on; spending time in nature and connecting with it daily; being authentic by expressing what we are feeling and not holding it in; and releasing energy that is not serving us.

When we experience emotional and psychological pain as we grow up, these experiences stay with us in the form of energy that can get stuck in our bodies if we don’t release it. This stuck energy can recreate the original emotional pain when we are triggered by something in our current lives. There are many energy healing modalities available to assist us in releasing old, stuck energy and patterns, and it is important to do so.

Spirit
Since we are all spirits having a human experience, it is important to live in concert with our Higher Self, and have a strong connection to something larger than us. Whether we call it God, Great Spirit, a Higher Power or the Universe, it is paramount to acknowledge that there is something larger than ourselves that created us and wants the best for us. This allows us to feel the unconditional love and support that is available to us. Developing spiritual practices to connect with our Higher Power increases our sense of belonging and oneness with humanity and the Universe.

There are many practices that are helpful in creating that vital connection to Spirit, so finding some that work for us is a good approach. Examples are meditation, yoga, chanting, prayer, labyrinth walking and drumming. Meditation is a good way to listen to the heart and intuition, rather than the chatter in the mind. Selfless service is another way to bring more fulfillment into our lives, and there are numerous avenues to serve others. Being around people who are healthy, growing and evolving allows us to raise our vibration and keep moving toward creating a happy and fulfilled life.

Katie Augustyn is the Spiritual Head of Transformation Center CT, in Westport, which offers group workshops and trainings, as well as individual sessions, for those seeking healing, spiritual growth and personal transformation. She is also a Transformation Coach, a Shamanic Practitioner and the host of the cable TV show, The Katie Augustyn Spiritual Connection Show.
Connect at TransformationCenterCT.com. See ad, page 2.