Friday, February 19, 2021

I Have No Clue What I'm Doing!

 


(French translation below)

Last night a Youtube video popped up on my screen that got my attention. In this video, Tony Robbins and his wife Sage were interviewing Michael Singer, the author of the incredible book "The Untethered Soul.

I was intrigued, because this is a book I have been giving to almost everyone I have worked with over the years - from people who have come to me for health and wellness coaching and counseling, to spiritual guidance, reiki and mindfulness certification training. I have given this book to friends and family members because it is so powerful and transformative, yet so simple to understand. Apparently, Oprah also gives this book to everyone she knows. 

I was curious to see the interaction between Tony Robbins and Michael Singer, which turned out to be really sweet, inspiring and empowering. At the very end of the interview, Michael expressed that the greatest thing he learned was to "let go and honor a force stronger than me, which is Life." He explained that his small self and his mind were much too limited to understand the full picture and that Life, on the other hand, could be fully trusted. "There's only one way to live your life, and that is Life, not mind." He asked himself "Am I ready, willing and able to let go of the parts of me that are resisting what is unfolding?" The result is that Michael Singer now feels constant joy and freedom. How beautiful is that?

Most of us believe that our lives will fall apart if we surrender to Life and just go with the flow. We are convinced that we are doing it all, that our minds are in full control and that "me" the person, is an undisputable reality. Is that really so? Sure, we can use our focus and intention to create or attract certain things in our life, because what we hold in mind tends to manifest, but is it possible that the perception of how much power we actually have over the life that is unfolding through us is a little misleading? Who is beating our heart right now? Who is regulating our blood sugar? Who or what is creating these incredible synchronicities in our lives that our minds could never have planned or predicted? Perhaps our minds could use a dash of humility at times.

I loved this interview because it was a great reminder that "I" (the small person) really have no clue what I'm doing. However, the Life force, or consciousness, is pouring through me like a river - especially when I keep my energy meridians open and clear, and when I allow my feelings and emotions to flow instead of letting them stagnate in my body. Consciousness is expressing itself through me, and IT knows what it's doing! It is a divine, benevolent, creative and infinitely intelligent power that is guiding my every thought, feeling and behavior. What happens when I resist what is, or when I argue with what's happening? I suffer. I feel uncomfortable feelings and emotions, physical pain or discomfort, and my negative thinking drains me of my energy. What happens when I align myself with this Life force and let it rush in? I feel joy, enthusiasm, inspiration, love, and my body begins to heal.

Our minds don't like this one bit. They are proud and argumentative. They want to remain in control. But the question is: do we want to feel happy, peaceful and free, or do we want to cling to this illusion of control? The choice is ours. Instead of constantly pushing away our feelings of discomfort, what would happen if we relaxed into them, allowed them to move through us and asked "What can I learn from this?" and "What is Life trying to teach me?"

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Lise Villeneuve

www.lisevilleneuve.com


Je n'ai aucune idée de ce que je fais!

Hier soir, une vidéo Youtube est apparue sur mon écran et a attiré mon attention. Dans cette vidéo, Tony Robbins et sa femme Sage interviewaient Michael Singer, l'auteur de l'incroyable livre «The Untethered Soul».

J'étais intriguée, car c'est un livre que j'ai donné à presque toutes les personnes avec lesquelles j'ai travaillé au fil des ans - des personnes qui sont venues me voir pour du coaching et des conseils en matière de santé et de bien-être, en passant par du coaching spirituel, le reiki et la pleine conscience. J'ai donné ce livre à des amis et aux membres de ma famille parce qu'il est si puissant et transformateur, mais aussi très simple à comprendre. Apparemment, Oprah donne également ce livre à tous ceux qu'elle connaît.

J'étais curieuse de voir l'interaction entre Tony Robbins et Michael Singer, qui s'est avérée vraiment adorable, inspirante et stimulante. À la toute fin de l'entrevue, Michael a déclaré que la plus grande chose qu'il avait apprise était de «lâcher prise et d'honorer une force plus forte que moi, qui est la vie». Il a expliqué que son petit moi et son mental étaient beaucoup trop limités pour avoir une perspective globale, et que la vie, d'un autre côté, pouvait être entièrement fiable. "Il n'y a qu'une seule façon de vivre votre vie, et c'est en faisant confiance à la Vie, pas au mental." Il s'est demandé "Suis-je prêt, disposé et capable de lâcher prise des parties de moi qui résistent à ce qui se déroule?" Le résultat est que Michael Singer ressent désormais une joie et une liberté constantes. 

La plupart d'entre nous croient que nos vies s'effondreront si nous nous abandonnons à la Vie et suivons le courant. Nous sommes convaincus que nous manipulons tout, que notre mental est en plein contrôle et que «moi» la personne, est une réalité incontestable. Est-ce vraiment le cas? Bien sûr, nous pouvons utiliser notre concentration et notre intention pour créer ou attirer certaines choses dans notre vie, car ce que nous avons à l'esprit a tendance à se manifester, mais est-il possible que la perception du pouvoir que nous avons réellement sur la Vie qui se déroule à travers nous est un peu trompeuse? Qui bat notre cœur en ce moment? Qui régule notre glycémie? Qui ou quoi crée ces incroyables synchronicités dans nos vies que notre cerveau n'aurait jamais pu prévoir ou prédire? Peut-être que notre mental pourrait parfois bénéficier d'un soupçon d'humilité?

J'ai adoré cette interview parce que c'était un excellent rappel que «je» (la petite personne) n'ai vraiment aucune idée de ce que je fais. Cependant, la force de vie, ou conscience, se déverse à travers moi comme une rivière - surtout quand je garde mes méridiens d'énergie ouverts et clairs, et quand je laisse mes sentiments et mes émotions couler au lieu de les laisser stagner dans mon corps. La conscience s'exprime à travers moi, et ELLE sait ce qu'elle fait! C'est une puissance divine, bienveillante, créatrice et infiniment intelligente qui guide chacune de mes pensées, sentiments et comportements. Que se passe-t-il lorsque je refuse ce qui EST ou que je résiste ce qui se passe? Je souffre. Je ressens des sentiments et des émotions inconfortables, de la douleur physique ou de l'inconfort, et mes pensées négatives drainent mon énergie. Que se passe-t-il lorsque je m'aligne sur cette force de vie et que je la laisse entrer? Je ressens de la joie, de l'enthousiasme, de l'inspiration, de l'amour et mon corps commence à guérir.

Notre mental n'aime pas cela du tout. Il est fier et argumentateur. Il veut garder le contrôle. Mais la question est: voulons-nous nous sentir heureux, paisibles et libres, ou voulons-nous nous accrocher à cette illusion de contrôle? Le choix nous appartient. Au lieu de constamment repousser nos sentiments d'inconfort, que se passerait-il si nous nous détendions en leur permettant de passer à travers nous et leur demandions "Qu'est-ce que la Vie essaie de m'apprendre?"

Je vous souhaite une très belle semaine,

Lise Villeneuve

www.lisevilleneuve.com


Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Perhaps I Fit Right In with the Radicals?

 


First of all, I'd like to extend a big warm, fuzzy HELLO, in alphabetical order, to...

Anna, (high five!)

Bruce, (hey chocolate-loving BFF!)

Guillaume, (chat va toi?)

Jenna, (yo girl!)

Kari, (hi, it's me again!)

Lucien, (je t'inclus même si Feedburner t'a refusé)

Nevena, (on va y arriver avec les médias sociaux!!)

Nicolle, (hey awesome cousin!)

Rachid, (salutations de l'Alberta!)

Rob, (hey stranger!)

Valérie (COUCOU ma belle!)

Yvon (the scale of consciousness...)

It feels truly WONDERFUL to write a blog knowing that someone will actually read it! This blogging platform (Blogger) is created by Google, you see, and ever since Google+ was cancelled, all the people who were following my blog automatically got removed, bringing my readers down to a big fat ZERO. How depressing is that?

This happened a while ago, I can't remember exactly when, and I was too discouraged to do anything about it. I didn't have the time or the energy to invest in troubleshooting this issue, and my blog didn't even have a "subscribe" button or a way for anyone to sign up for it. Despite all this, I kept on writing because I'm a blogger at heart, with or without readers. But boy oh boy, you have all given me a huge boost in motivation by signing up here. THANK YOU! 💝 

By the way, about a week ago, my daughter Emma and I did a photoshoot at home. Our cat Precious was VERY upset that we disturbed her nap on the couch! She is a little bipolar, but we love her anyway. And now, moving on to the subject of fitting in with the radicals...

Lately, I've really been thinking about the whole social media gimmick. Nevena, I think you summed it up beautifully in your latest email by saying: "il semble que les réseaux sociaux n'offrent que l'illusion de la connexion qui nous manque (personnelle, physique, spirituelle ou autre)." Translation: "It seems that social networks only offer the illusion of the connection we lack (personal, physical, spiritual or otherwise)". How true. The whole social media experience obviously doesn't compare to genuine in-person interactions, yet many of us feel this pressure and bittersweet desire to participate online. After all, we are social creatures wired for connection, so it makes sense to want to take whatever we can get!

There are obviously many benefits to social media, like staying in touch, gaining visibility, and let's not forget the "social voyeurism" that's part of the package, whether we like it or not. But how aware are we of the price we are paying by default when we use platforms such as Facebook and even Google. What's the cost? It's no secret that all our personal data is being collected and we are constantly being targeted by aggressive advertisers who track and record our online behaviours. As the documentary The Social Dilemma states, by using these platforms, "we ARE the product." We are nothing more than consumers being emotionally manipulated to spend as much as possible. It's truly a dilemma and everyone has to make their own informed choices based on what's most important to them. 

I recently decided to ditch all mainstream social media platforms and joined only one: MeWe. The design is very similar to Facebook, but they define themselves as "the social network built on trust, control and love." There are no ads, no spyware and no newsfeed manipulations. It's a lot less "happening" and busy than Facebook, and yes, this alternative platform has attracted some right-wing radicals, but this doesn't bother me because I don't plan on friending them or joining their groups. I think we can peacefully cohabit this cyberspace that includes people from all walks of life, cultures and belief systems. After all, we are all human beings just trying to do the best we can. 

It occurred to me recently that perhaps my pronounced interest in spirituality, consciousness and mindfulness makes me appear like a bit of a radical or an extremist to the mainstream masses? I'm OK with that! So far, I feel right at home on MeWe. It feels clean, fresh and genuine. I've had to dig a little, but I have discovered a few hidden gems already. Thanks so much for reading! Have a wonderful week!

Lise Villeneuve


Visit my website: www.lisevilleneuve.com

You can subscribe to my blog here:  https://www.lisevilleneuve.com/blog

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