6 a.m. in NYC ;-)

I didn't think I could (would) do this...

In about 12 hours I will be up in the air - leaving NYC to go back home to Austria (returning time indefinite!)...

It is 6am and I'm wide awake, reflecting on my NY-moments and writing the last blog post in my beloved city...

Was it hard? Yes! Did I feel lonely and missing my dear ones in Austria at times? Yes! Did I have fun? YES! Did I enjoy it? To the fullest! Did I learn a lot? YESYESYES! Do I have a hard time leaving NYC? Oh, yeah! Am I excited to go home? Hell, yeah!

My NYC adventure started with going to an intenSati workout for the very first time on my very first day (actually the day I arrived in NYC) - having already signed up for leader training, to become an instructor. Kind of crazy, when you think that while being in Austria, I have decided to become an instructor for a workout that I haven't even tried yet - that was pure intuition that I followed and excitement for a workout that strengthens the mind-body-spirit connection!

God, was I blown away by what I intuitively signed up for - this was beyond what I could have imagined it to be. So much fun, joy, sweat, tears, love, faith, empowerment and oneness in one practice that has become my companion throughout the past 7 months!

My gut and intuition were right... and they most of the time are. But you have to dare and trust to make the intuition thing work. Dare to dream and go for your dreams - don't hold back, when your gut keeps telling you DO IT, you may consider your option to DREAM!

What will come with it is faith, trust and action - essential ingredients to make things work! The truth is that we always have a choice... to be faithful or hopeless... to trust or to doubt (a decision, ourselves, others)... to take action or to cocoon in self-pity and the belief of 'it is so hard'!!!

You might think 'right, this chick has lived in NYC for a few months and now she thinks she is Ms. Know-it-all' (your choice, hehe) - I'm not saying this is easy... there are days filled with faith, trust in the process and power *yay* and there are days where things go 'wrong', but once you catch yourself and CHOOSE to trust the process again, meaning that 'this is a lesson I need to learn in order to follow through and pursue my dream' - THAT is where the magic happens!!! This is the miracle!

Last weekend (Feb, 16&17) I got the unique chance to be at the Hay House 'I can do it IGNITE' conference, where Dr. Wayne Dyer told the story about an orange:

What happens when you squeeze an orange? - Sure, orange juice comes out, because that's what is inside!

What happens if someone pressures or squeezes you? Is it anger, defense, fear, doubt OR compassion, love, faith, strength, ...

What comes out of you is what is inside! The neat thing is, you can choose what is inside!

Gabby Bernstein also said it right: Real change happens when you allow yourself to see your crap. You will be given a tremendous amount of assignments - which represent the greatest opportunity to change and rise!

Always ask: 'What can I learn from this?'

Looking back, I was not always asking this question in difficult situations, but I can definitely say that I learned from all of them. It is all about awareness and consciousness about that we have a choice!

I AM deeply grateful and moved by all the beautiful people that I have had the pleasure of meeting and calling my friends - I hope to see you all soon, back in NYC or elsewhere in the world!

I can't wait to see my family and friends again after all these months *sooo excited*

Life is a gift and I love it ;-)

I will 'see' you all soon here, on Facebook, in person, Skype, etc.

Lots of love and have an amazing day!

Xoxo (last time from NYC)

MayCauseMiracles - FORGIVENESS is running the show!

The F - Word!

Learning to forgive on Day 5 (Friday, in my case!)

Forgiveness is the bedrock of a life filled with love and miracles. Practicing forgiveness allows us to let go of our old fear-based past and center into the present moment.

~ May Cause Miracles

In past posts I have already begun to emphasize the importance of living and appreciating the present moment. One thing, I would like to point out is that most of my posts have always related to what is going on for me and what I'm currently working on. Sooo, I definitely practice on being more present rather than thinking about the future, which is usually very faithful, positive and exciting (sometimes a little stressful too, being totally honest) or thinking/obsessing about the past and my past experiences. As much as we can get energized and fired-up from lovely experiences from the past, we can detour into a fearful reality if we put our attention to negative memories. When we go into our past and unpleasant experiences it often has to do with things we have done or have been done to us, where we hold a lot of resentment, pain and anger within ourselves.

How shall we be present and live in the NOW, when we obsess about past resentment???

It is our task to forgive in order to become happy and present in the current moment! Forgive ourselves, forgive others, forgive the circumstances! Own your part, forgive and forgive the other!

This sounds like a huge task and it is challenging at the beginning - personal growth is like learning to play an instrument, play a sport, create a skill! Personal growth is like growing a muscle... you are training your soul, your brain and your mental abilities *yay* so, you are doing something great for yourself and others :-)

The moment you are able to say 'I forgive ...' is the best start! Even if it is hard to feel forgiveness at first, it gets easier over time! In Gabrielle Bernstein's 'May Cause Miracles' one day is dedicated to the F-word every week *aaawesome*

So stay in the F-game and be patient and the miracles will show up naturally :-)

Lots of Love&Miracles!

yours,

Alexandra

MayCauseMiracles - GRATITUDE is my attitude!

For the next 6 weeks, on Thursdays I will indulge in a full day of GRATITUDE!

I have picked up the attitude of gratitude as a daily practice a while ago - upon waking up I usually say 'Thank you' (for a new day, a new perspective, for the chance to do and think differently) - I picked that habit up from Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Wayne Dyer :)

Gabrielle Bernstein emphasizes the following in May Cause Miracles:

The ego loves to seek problems and focus on what we don't have!

When we focus on what we don't have, how can we possible be happy? How can we live freely with dissatisfaction with what is?

Dedicating one day of the week to become consciously grateful for the things and people you have in your live will free you from your ego beliefs and is a genius practice. Thank you, Gabby!

Today, the miracle worker is challenged to revisit the fear list from Day 1 and to acknowledge the learning and experience to be actually grateful for. Additionally, another gratitude-tool is the great gratitude list - What are the things you are grateful for in your life at this moment? (List 10 things!)

It is very powerful to see and understand that without the experiences, that you have perceived as fear and have created resentful beliefs, you wouldn't be where and who you are today!

All problems offer us the opportunity to strengthen our faith in love. It may be difficult to see that opportunity in some problems - but be willing to see growth and opportunities in all difficult situations. ~ May Cause Miracles

So, I challenge you, my dear readers to make a list of things you are grateful for in your life! And how could you turn one of your fears around and see love and learning instead?!

Thank you, my dear readers! You are on my list, by the way ;)
Love & miracles
xoxo

MayCauseMiracles - Only LOVE is real!

Hello my dear readers,

for the next couple of days I will be back in writing with you (instead of video-blogging) - I caught the flu and therefore I'm covered in sheets with tea and tissues! Enough of the whining - I'm the sneezing warrior^^

It is Day 3 of the May Cause Miracles transformation journey and I have taken or prepared you well for this piece (as I said I'm reading one chapter one day at a time!)...

Today it is important to acknowledge and really get that fear is only false evidence appearing real and that ONLY LOVE IS REAL!

There is always a choice to make - ask yourself, will I see this (situation, problem, feeling, ...) with love or fear? 

Let me assure you that there is always a loving perspective - even if you simply keep saying to yourself 'Love did not create this!' or 'I consciously choose love instead of this!'

If you go through your day and you manage to remind yourself about these few words a.k.a miracle mantras, you are in a great place to move towards your desires and goals! Because you cannot create from a fearful, doubtful and resentful place!

This passage of the chapter really got me:

Our fear-based minds believe that change is tough and self-reflective work is difficult. But let's face it: being consumed by fear is far more difficult than showing up for love - we're just tricked into thinking fear is "easier" because it's more familiar! ~ May Cause Miracles

So get your love-mind ON & expect miracles :-)

Love, health and light!
xoxo

MayCauseMiracles - Choose LOVE instead of this!

We always have this choice...

... I choose LOVE instead of this ... <3 ...

Lots of love,
xoxo

MayCauseMiracles - BE the witness

I am willing to be the non-judgmental witness of my fear!

FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real... do I need to say more!?! ;-)

Love & miracles!
xoxo

Happy 2013 :-) new year, new style, new challenge!

**^^**HAPPY NEW YEAR**^^**

Hope you all had a great start into the new year :) 

Have you made some thriving resolutions for 2013? 

I personally looove setting goals, especially when the new year starts - it is like a new beginning, a re-birth! You can decide to do something totally new, with a new attitude and the power of a new-year's intention! Remember... your intentions create your reality, as Wayne Dyer says very wisely!

And I have decided to get one step closer to my goal and I signed up for Robbins-Madanes training to become a Strategic Interventionist! Master coach Tony Robbins and well-respected psychotherapist Cloé Madanes joined forces and created this amazing education for people who strive to become a coach and much more! Yay, coaching career... I'm getting there :-)

You might also notice that the design and style of my blog has changed - I find hummingbirds adorable and they have a glorious symbolism too <3 hummingbirds are known as messengers and stoppers of time, due to their incredible speed. Also the smallest bird in the world is known as a symbol of love, joy, and beauty. It is able to fly backwards, which symbolizes that we can look back on our past, but we must not dwell on it; we need to move forward. The hummingbird teaches us that we should savor each moment, and appreciate the things we love.

If you follow me on Facebook you might have noticed that I have picked up a new book from  one of my great inspirations - Gabby Bernstein's "May Cause Miracles"

Since this book is a 40-day guidebook with wisdom and ah-ha moments for every day, I decided to start a video blog about the journey!

I'm thrilled (and nervous) to present you my very first video blog... tadaaa... daddaaaaa...

Hope this received you well and let me know what you think in the comments below :-)

Love & miracles!

Xoxo

Reflections on expectations!

One could say expectations have been a loyal companion throughout my life. Where ever I could find something pleasant (!) to expect I did and I became really good at creating fantastic illusions around these expectations, be it in relationships, career, you-name-it... Of course, I was on a super-high when everything worked out, happy, strong, faithful, etc. 

But guess what happened when it didn't - crazy-town was the next destination. My ego/inner-mean girl would be supported in her strong belief 'You are not good enough' or 'If you would have done it this way, you would be happy now!' 

But what if you could be on that super-happy party of feelings all the effin' time!!! Note: if you CHOOSE to do so! Release your expectations - and here is why:

I personally had a hard time understanding why having expectations is bad; and then I found the answer by experiencing being expected to be or work a certain way myself. 

The truth is that the person, we put expectations on energetically feels that they do not act the way we want them to. But who are to tell the other person how to BE!?

Usually when we do that we come from a place of lack ourselves - we are unhappy with a certain situation or we want more than we currently have. The important thing we have to realize is that we are making the other person feel that they are not good enough, if they cannot meet our expectations.

Have you ever heard: 'You deserve better!' - Yes, you had some high expectations there!!!

 

Essentially we should be grateful for the presents the person gives us in the present (I love this beautiful word game^^). Of course, we appreciate the great feeling that we have of meeting someone or finding a new job or co-worker, but we crave for more, it's like sugar. We crave more and more and more and develop this story/illusion in our head, until we realize we have put our health (relationship, job, -self) at risk, because our ego's expectations might not correspond with the other person's plan or personality. And then we feel hurt, angry, not loved or resentful against the other person for not making us happy, while we know that HAPPINESS IS AN INSIDE JOB :-) read on...

Another thought why having expectations will not lead to the super-happy feelings is, there are things in this world that we have no power of controlling them. It is simply impossible to have full control about WHAT happens in our life - and here comes the biiig BUT, we can choose HOW we see and think about the things happening to us and what we will focus on. 

Rather than focusing on the future (projecting new expectations), focus on the NOW!!! 

I have to tell you this is a great challenge for me too because I have to say good-bye to my year long companion and invite the faithful dreamer in, who is able to handle situations and people from a place of gratitude and power over negative emotions.

The very good news is, life has become very light - my new companion is a really freeing and uplifting fellow :-)

I hope you all have a reflective pre-Christmas time, without having expectations - BE happy and grateful & watch miracles occur!

Lots of love,

xoxo

Giving is fun - Join The Great Give project!

Nur noch 15 mal schlafen dann kommt das Christkind!

This is what I used to say when I was a little girl, waiting for Christmas day to come - counting the nights that part me and the greatest night of the year ;-)

And today we are close to Christmas day, which I have to spend (physically) apart from my family for the first time in my life this year. This is a great challenge for me because I'm a great family-person and madly in love with the tradition of Christmas as being together with your loved ones and grateful for the great gifts we give each other (not necessarily of material nature^^) everyday.

My mother is the best in the world (to me and my sister^^) - she has sent me two beautiful boxes with Christmas decoration and the obligatory Adventkalender (actually there are 2 of them) ...

My favorite Austrian Christmas traditions have been sent to me *yay* Thank you!
I wanted to share this beautiful gift with you, but my greater intention for this post today actually is the following: A project that I joined today and would like you to participate in as well! It is about GIVING something to someone everyday!
Most of the time we come from a place, where we say 'What can I get??' rather than 'How can I give or serve?' Without realizing one important thing: the more you give, the more you get! And this is true for all areas in life - love, relationships, truth and wisdom, job, money, etc.
When the holidays get closer we get reminded of this more intensely... greater reason and opportunity to take action ;-)
Let's be honest, giving and making others happy feels good - and let's admit something else: WE ALL WANT TO BE HAPPY! Think about it...
When you genuinely give more, you will also receive more! 
So here is 'the Great GIVE' project, which was started by Abby Allen, intenSati lover, ad exec, yoga teacher, urban goddess warrior, who is on a mission to spread the magic of giving!
The challenge is to give something to someone everyday - whether you give heartfelt advise, a smile, a donation, a compliment, an expression of gratitude - just something that serves someone else and brings joy to their life! And report your great givings on this website: greatgive.us

Here's what I've been experiencing since I started participating in this amazing initiative:
The opportunities of giving are infinite if you pay close attention!!! This is very much related to my realizations about miracles ... It is great fun and joy to be able to say to yourself (or/and on the great give's website^^) 'Yay, I just gave something to someone' and recognize how it feels! I'm pretty sure veeery good :-)

Let me know if you are in - I'd love to share the giving all over the world! Tell your friends - make it a fun and engaging project and watch miracles occur! Christmas time is the time to share love <3

Have a wonderful week!
Love & Joy
xoxo