CreativeCat's Blog

In less than 20 minutes, I have received two invaluable gems.
I just watched two videos featuring Ali Brown...the first was the Professional Success Show series with Ellie and Ali about why now is a great time to be a woman in business.
It was so simple, but such a great reminder as to why NOW is a great time and it gave me the courage to recommit myself to my own entrepreneurial endeavors.
The second video was in the Core Member videos and it's Ali's 5 Step Marketing Plan. I must say, the two went hand in hand so beautifully because the first video is the Why and the second is the How. The "how" is where I so often got stuck and I now feel I have extra tools in my toolbox to get this project going!

Thanks you very much Ali, for the great information and as always Elli...Thank you for the incredible resources!!

Proud to be a BH Woman!
Cat

Today's Lesson in Ease:

My future is no longer an extension of the past. I now ask to be led toward a destiny that outshines my history. I now realize that everyday I am given a blank canvas on which I can gracefully paint. I now surrender my human will to Divine will and trust that I will be led on a journey of becoming. That is indeed my destiny.

--Ellie Drake

This card has so many gems...

"I now ask to be led toward a destiny that outshines my history"-- that one simple yet profound sentence is one of the most amazing aspects/outcomes of attending a RELEASE with Ellie and/or Dr. Sugar. I truly can now embrace the fact that my destiny need not be attached to, defined by, nor limited by my history!

"I now realize that everyday I am given a blank canvas on which I can gracefully paint." Think about that! How often do we just slash and hash at the canvas because we are mired in the past, or too forcefully rushing towards the future? I know that I never used to consider "gracefully painting" it! It's a beautiful image--an idea of deliberate, conscientious yet loving action!

"I now surrender my human will to Divine will and trust that I will be led on a journey of becoming." Again, the idea of surrender, of knowing we do not know all but being attentive, open and willing to listen and be guided. I have grown so much and in ways I could never have even imagined once I surrendered and I am indeed on a journey of becoming!

Today's Lesson in Ease:

I know my desires; I have determined the outcome of those desires, and now embody the feelings that come from already having manifested them. When I embody these feelings, I will attract my desires much more effortlessly.

--Ellie Drake

Ahhh, the art, the power, the LAW of Attraction!! This law has manifested itself in my life in so many different ways. Last spring, for example, I was to join eight of my friends in Cancun for a week long vacation in a private villa. Mind you, I had been on a semi-permanent "vacation" already...no job and little money. But I was so determined and desirous of meeting up with them, that I literally felt it into happening!

My girlfriend had sent pictures of the villa. I imagined myself poolside, feet in the water, Corona in hand. I felt the joy I would have to be on the rooftop terrace watching a sunset while we cut-up over a buddy's London adventures. I truly felt the magnificence of hanging with my friends, my hearts, my familiars. 2 months later, I was on the plane on a free ticket, money order in hand to pay my stay and a few hundred dollars on my debit card. I felt it and the Universe aided me in achieving it with not much effort on my behalf.--That's not to say it fell in my lap, but it came much easier than I could have imagined!

I think the place we often fall a little short and end up wondering "Why didn't I get what I want?" is when we stop the process just before the "embody these feelings" portion. We hope, we wish, we even make plans but the feelings we hold on to are often doubt, fear that it won't happen or anxiety about how it will happen. Well guess what? The only things that will happen are things that affirm those feelings!!

Why not envision, right now, what it is you want...and go that next step?! FEEL yourself in that brand new car (not thinking about the payment!); FEEL the salty wind in on your face and the sun on your back for that island vacation; FEEL that infant's chubby hands grabbing your finger or that loved one's warm breath as they stoop to kiss you on your neck! FEEL IT ALL!!!!! Embody it and you will attract your desires much more effortlessly.

Today's Lesson in Ease:

I trust that the zone of comfort is seldom the territory of fulfillment. I am now in the process of becoming the butterfly I was metaphorically meant to be.

During this period of growth and perhaps discomfort, I now pat myself on the back and say "Good for me, I must be growing!"

--Ellie Drake

Throughout middle school and high school, I would experience discomfort and pain in my shins, in my chest/rib cage, and just above my knees. I remember once studying for a math test at my dining room table and suddenly being knocked out of my chair with an intense pain in my leg. These pains frightened me more than they would hurt me. When my mother took me to the doctor, he gave me a sympathetic grin, patted me on the shoulder and said "Kiddo, you're going through growing pains!" and proceeded to explain to me what they were.

Well, I'm not sure how many of you have experienced "growing pains" (and I do mean the physical ones), but those who have know it's not a comfortable process. Once I heard what they were though, it took the fear out of it and I recognized the pain for what it was-- the price I had to pay for being a better basketball player!

Kidding, but truthfully--the knowledge of what was going on in my body, that the discomfort I was feeling was just part of my transitioning (truly like the caterpillar into the butterfly) was comforting and quite exciting to me.

Now, I don't always know exactly what type of results will be delivered from the "growing pains" I feel these days, but I am still able to recognize them as just that-- the uncomfortable transition before growth and development (just like your muscles after a good workout).

So, for those of you wanting to stay in the "comfort zone"-- I encourage you to step out of it and embrace the discomfort. You'll her me in the background cheering you on: "Good job, BraveHeart...you must be growing!"

Cat

Today's Lesson in Ease:

Subtle changes made consistently along the way contribute to Momentum. Small subtle shifts in the inner hidden base of a snow-covered mountain create the necessary Momentum for an avalanche. I now choose to consistently create subtle shifts along the way.

--Ellie Drake

Many of the affirmation cards I wrote about previously support this idea, and the implementation of them are precisely the subtle shifts that will aide in creating the avalanche.

*Taking grounding and vagus breaths regularly.
*Checking your first thoughts and re-writing the script in your head.
*Not being a score-keeper and realizing that the interaction is really between you and the Universe, not you and another.
*Detaching your identity from what you "do".
*Trusting in your purpose.
And so many others!!

I am the agent of change in my life and subtle shifts have and continue to create the momentum which is allowing me to live my life purposefully and with much abundance, fulfillment and satisfaction. It did not require drastic action...simply subtle and consistent action.
"Avalanche!!!!!!!"

Cat

Today's Lesson in Ease:

I am now aware of my first thought when I decide to take action, move forward, commit and change. The underlying emotional current of this first thought is enabling me to create results with Ease.

My awareness of this first thought and replacing it when necessary offers the right ingredients and therefore speeds up the process.
--Ellie Drake

There are no coincidences...this is precisely the card I require today because the past week has been filled with negative first thoughts. And the converse is true...those negative first thoughts slowed the process and took some of the energy out of the momentum I was (and now am back to) creating.

I'm not always aware of the chatter that I have going on in my head. Every minute of every day, I am telling myself things that either support what I am doing and trying to achieve, or that get in the way of it. Each--either the positive or the negative-- creates more of the same. I must be aware of the messages I am sending myself and I choose now to replace any negativity with positivity and purposeful intention. I choose to rewrite the tape, to reword the monologue playing in my head and to have or create positive first thoughts for each action I take.

Getting back to writing this blog is a first step. And I shall continue...

Today's Lesson in Ease:

Detaching occurs when I no longer look to find my sense of identity within my accomplishments.
Detachment is not passivity, it is non-positionality.
I now Intend, Detach and Take Action.
--Ellie Drake

Ahhh, how many of us (used to) define ourselves but what we do, or in my case do NOT do? Detachment is a lesson I am still learning! For a long time, I didn't "know" who I was when I stopped teaching. I now am much clearer, and it is not simply because I am back in the classroom. As a matter of fact, until a few months ago, I was a very unsuccessful entrepreneur and unemployed for over two years. And that was just the last two years! (A few years before, some of my friends used to call me "Cole"--from the show Martin. He was the one with a job no one could define, but who always somehow seemed to have money. Ongoing joke that made me laugh but also pained me a bit...)

The interesting thing though is that during those two years of seriously accomplishing nothing (and having gotten out of an 11 year relationship in which I gave myself away), I got a great opportunity to define myself. I figured out what I truly enjoy (good music, a great laugh, impromptu moments in nature, quiet morning walks with my dog, salt water and the sound of waves, soul-to-soul connections with total strangers); what qualities I possess and bring to the table (I enhance most situations I am in, I can be diplomatic when the moment calls for it, I can hear what people are saying between the lines and address what they require); and what and whom I value, cherish and savor (my mixed culture and lineage, the fact that different languages can tap into different levels of what you mean to say; my incredible friends and the different roles they play, a child's laugh, a stranger's lesson; an incredible meal; the gift of creation.)

I learned all of this while I was spending much time supposedly doing nothing! Well, this required me to detach (if I hadn't, that would have meant "Cat=nothing" and I knew that not to be true!) And though I'm still learning all the nuances of detachment, I know for a fact I wouldn't be who and where I am. And where I am now is past the intend and detach...I now Take Action!

Cat

Today's Lesson in Ease:

I trust that everything will unfold in its own time. Trust is the nourishment for the seeds I plant. With trust, my seeds will turn into flowers. How the flower is made is out of the scope of my practice, I must plant the seed within that scope. Trust is the transition of one into another.
--Ellie Drake

In the past, I would never even plant the seed for I lacked the trust that it would ever develop. Well, I was right every time!

Now I say "Grow, baby, grow!!!"

Today's Lesson in Ease: Be Grounded

If I am not grounded, I may either be elated or depressed. To be grounded means to be in the moment, to breathe, to have gratitude for my life as it is today while I take steps in the direction of my vision. To be grounded is to be in the flow.
--Ellie Drake

The idea of being grounded has been very important and very useful to me over the past several years. I used to be one of those people who rode the pendulum to both extremes. The "highs" were very high, but in turn the "lows" were very low. I actually feel so much better now that I have learned to keep myself grounded, to stay in the moment and be in the flow.

When I first heard this I sort of thought to myself: "But "staying grounded" sounds like I won't feel the same level of happiness I did, if I'm not supposed to get elated!" What I have found though, is that by staying grounded, the peaceful sense of contentedness is actually prolonged and deepened--it is a more satisfying happiness, especially because it is not negated by the pendulum swinging into disappointment or depression.

I always considered myself to "go with the flow" (which is actually a bit reactive if you consider it) but now that I know how to ground myself and stay grounded, I am IN the flow.

Today's Lesson in Ease:

A loving breath is not a forceful breath. I now imagine allowing in a breath as if I were standing in the middle of a garden, observing a beautiful waterfall. I take in a breath of gratitude, love and ease.
--Ellie Drake

Just a reminder to allow ourselves many, many Vagus breaths daily! You've heard Ellie explain them and take them--it's just a matter of us remembering to do it regularly as well.

The key sentence is the first one...we don't force in the breath--this will activate adrenaline which is the male not female "power breath". We ALLOW a gentle, loving inhalation and a pleasant, vocalized exhalation which will activate oxytocin--the female "love-power breath"!

Why not go ahead and take a few now? I just did!

Cat

Today's Lesson in Ease on Surrender:

Surrender means letting go of the struggle to understand why things happen as thy do. It means being comfortable with not knowing the answers to solve things externally, yet remaining rooted in an acceptance within that says, "It is what it is".
--Ellie Drake

A year ago today, a college friend/former lover of mine passed away in a car accident. A year ago yesterday, my best friend's mother committed suicide. A year ago, I learned the meaning of Surrender.

For some reason, tragic and unanswerable as both of those situations were, it was the first time I didn't hound myself with "why?"s. Of course I asked myself, but I didn't focus on it. I truly did embrace the idea of surrender, the idea that I could not and would not be able to answer the "why" of their deaths but that I could learn the lessons of their lives.

I've experienced the passing of many people in my lifetime, 5 tragic ones before I even completed 5th grade. I've been to far too many funerals where parents are burying their child/ren. I've asked many, many whys and never gotten an answer--not one that ever felt adequate any way.

Last year was the first time that a certain stillness, an odd sense of peace filled me instead of the hollow, searching bitterness of "WHY??". It still hurts like hell, but it truly is what it is and instead of asking why, I now ask "What have I, or what can I learn?".

In the spirit of surrender,
Cat

Today's Lesson in Ease:
One of my deepest loyalties is to my vision. I am loyal to remaining patient while pursuing that vision. I am loyal to others who are inspired to be a part of fulfilling that vision. I now affirm that the essence of my loyalty is found in love, trust and the empowerment of others and myself.
--Ellie Drake

This card would have meant something very different to me a while back, but it's meaning is clear to me now. I understand it and I am exercising it! Ever since I moved from Miami to South Carolina at the end of August 2010, my purpose and my vision have been clearer to me. It is something I asked for, prayed on and required to clarify. My purpose here on Earth and my vision for my life, though still a little cloudy at times, are much clearer than they ever have been.

One thing I noticed as the clarity came is that many of my relationships changed. I don't have nearly as many associates as I used to, but the people I do have around me (be it geographically or just energetically/spiritually) are the ones I cherish and require. They are the people I am loyal to, that are loyal to me, and that foster a mutual support.

As a matter of fact, some of the folks I consider closest are people I have only recently met through BraveHeart! When I say recently, this could be since RISE in October or since my first release 5 or so years ago. Some of my other "tribe" members are folks I grew up with, who have seen the changes I have experienced in life, but who truly know the core of me. As they said in Avatar, they "SEE" me and I them.

The tribe I have created and that have invited me in are carefully selected, purposefully fostered and supportive. I no longer scatter my energy on people and things which do not fulfill or promote my vision. And I offer myself in order to do the same for them. We do indeed love, trust and empower each other and will lovingly and respectfully release each other if those elements are not being upheld.

Again, years ago, loyalty would have meant something much different. It is a wiser, more purpose-driven me that understands the meaning and truth of this vision-fueled loyalty.

Today's Lesson in Ease:

The Universe gives. I am now open to receiving the abundant resources available within the Universe. I am also open to giving for the sake of giving. I now trust that the exchange is really between the giver and the Universe and not between the giver and the receiver.
--Ellie Drake

This is a lesson that I believed I had learned but realized recently I didn't own in the core of my being. Let's see if any of you relate to what I mean...

There are times when I do things to "prove something" or to retaliate or even to "earn favor" with someone. I had never considered that even these actions go against the principle of Fair Exchange. When I speak about proving something, it can be to prove someone/thing either right or wrong.

My dear boyfriend, after a week of us eating wonderfully crappy meals (gotta love the holidays!) said to me: "We need to go to the gym!" Well, I had just spent the last month NOT going to the gym to prove he didn't control me when he made a comment like that right around Thanksgiving. The 8 pounds I put on as a result were making me unhappy. When he said it again this time, my reaction at first was "I'm still not going", but then the bulge at my waist made me modify my thought. So then I went to the other extreme: "Just watch...I'm going to get so fit in the next month and eat so right, he won't even know who I am!".
Wow, talk about going against "Fair Exchange"! Why wouldn't I simply want to be as healthy as I can for myself, not as a reaction against him in either direction (positive or negative?) After all, the exchange--once again, is between me and the Universe, not between me and him!

You may be saying "That's not what the card is talking about" but I implore you to think about it. We give of ourselves, our intentions and our actions. By me giving myself the best in food, activity and healthy choices the Universe will meet me--it's not to give him a beautiful, happy girlfriend! The beauty is, that is probably what he will get as the Universe provides her resources to me. If, however, I base all my actions on the exchange between him and me, one well-intended yet offhand comment like he made will make the exchange seem unfair or one-sided and tip the whole cart.

I now remind myself that the exchange is really between me and the Universe--and I'm open to receiving the abundant resources she will provide. The difference is this time, I'm not EXPECTING anything--just open to receive.

Cat

Today's Lesson in Ease: Breathe

I breathe into my Self. Breathing is the bridge that connects my Mind, Body and Spirit. I breathe not only to survive, I breathe to thrive! Breathing to thrive is not corrective breathing it is preventive breathing.
--Ellie Drake

One of the greatest gifts attending RELEASE has given me is my awareness of breath. I knew before attending about the power in slowing one's breath down when we are stressed, panicked angry. But that is all corrective breathing.

What I am referring to is the preventive breathing that Ellie and Dr. Sugar taught me over the two RELEASES I attended. I understood Ellie on a mental level when she explained it the first time, but as the process was expanded and refined, I really got IN MY BODY what they meant at the second RELEASE. Especially when it comes to the grounding breath.

The Vagus Breath and the Grounding Breath are the two corrective breaths that have literally given me a new life. As a matter of fact, this practice of pulling cards in the morning is reinforcing my breathing--to pull the card that I feel will truly resonate with my requirements for that day, I take two or three grounding breaths before I begin!

The breathing has been such a powerful, easy and simple tool that I've taken away from yet another BraveHeart experience. Ladies, it probably sounds like I get "paid" or compensated somehow to talk about and promote RELEASE and RESTORE. The compensation I get is the knowledge that anyone who attends will be changed for life...God granted me the gift when I required it and I feel it is my duty to let other people know! I've never been able to keep a good thing to myself.

Ahhhhh, (that was the sound of a big 'ole Vagus breath). I'm holding space for you ladies, I'm doing my preventative breathing and I'm encouraging any of you who have not yet attended to go to a RELEASE. The butterfly wants out!

Yours in BraveHeart,
Cat

Yesterday's Lesson in Ease on Manifestation:

I choose to see the Universe as though everything is a miracle.

How I perceive to see the Universe is how it will be to me, because what I think about eventually finds me. I am now open to manifesting miraculous results within my life.
--Ellie Drake

Manifestation goes hand in hand with the Lofty Dream affirmation. If we hold on the the baggage instead of carrying a light load, we are focused on the weight and negativity of the baggage.

However, if we release that baggage and choose to carry a light load, we are freed up to focus on the lofty dream. Energy flows where attention goes so the miraculous results will surely come!

Another aspect of this which I will delve into when I come across the card is the idea of Commitment before Clarity. Manifestation happens much more quickly once you have made a commitment to your dream even before you have clarity on the "hows?".

So much can be said about this...The Secret brought a lot of attention to it, but truth of manifestation is around us at all times. If you are wondering "where, how?...Give me an example!", just think back to the last bad day you had. When you got up that morning and thought "This is going to be a terrible day." or "I'm going to be late" or "He's not going to show up"...didn't all of that happen just as you imagined it would!

I won't belabor the point, but Manifestation is an idea we could all explore a whole lot more--we have such an impact on it and often don't realize it.
Be aware and manifest!

Today's Lesson in Ease on EQ: (Day 8)

The Emotional intelligence/quotient is about using my emotions appropriately. I am now an emotionally literate person who is like a parent and/or grandparent to my emotions. I acknowledge my child's requirements, love them and encourage them to be creative, yet manage them wisely when they act negatively. I navigate my emotions with ease.
--Ellie Drake

EQ is a great card for me as I require this reminder often! There are moments when I slip into letting my emotions rule me--thankfully they are coming fewer and farther... Growth is indeed happening though. For instance, with the knowledge that it generally requires 21 days for a habit to form, I was intending to write a minimum of 21 consecutive blogs with the affirmation cards as the basis.

I missed Friday and Saturday. In the past, that would have been the cue for me to beat myself up emotionally and ultimately probably stop writing altogether since I had "failed" myself.


Well, I still pulled the cards each day, so I got the message. And this morning I simply said to myself "Cat, go ahead and blog about the past two and do today's card this evening! That way you will be right back on track tomorrow."
Here I am, emotionally a little more intelligent!

Today's Lesson in Ease on A Lofty Dream: (Day 9)

Every morning I get up and have a choice. I choose to empty my backpack and move on, experiencing life with a lighter load. My willingness to choose a life of ease instead of a life of struggle will release the load that is no longer relevant to who I am today. A commitment to ease, then, is my prescription for realizing a lofty dream.
--Ellie Drake

There is a song by Erykah Badu that correlates to this thought. It's called "Bag Lady".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqN0jsSeqPo

*Bag lady you gone hurt your back
Dragging all them bags like that
I guess nobody ever told you
All you must hold on to
Is you, is you, is you

One day all them bags gone get in your way
One day all them bags gone get in your way
I said one day all them bags gone get in your way
One Day all them bags gone get in your way

So pack light
Pack light
Pack light
Ooh ooh*

It's hard to hold on to a lofty dream when our heads and backs are stooped to carry a load we no longer require! If you haven't already, it's time to drop the bags ladies! Empty that backpack. It may seem strange at first, the lightness--the freedom. But don't go filling that bag up again just to have the comfort of the burden you know and recognize. That freedom and ease will fit comfortably on you very quickly...and it will become EASE-y.
Dream-On with Free-dom!