The Rush

It is not the grand prize at the end that

is the prize at all.  The real prize is in the

slow progression to the finish line.

That is what makes us victorious in

our own time

                  

                              -Jennifer

It is difficult to look at our itinerary for the day and not think, how will I fit all of this in?  Is there really enough time in the day to get everything done?  I remember one of the physicians I work with saying to us one day, "When God made the week, why didn't he make it ten days instead of seven?" BINGO! That is it right there! We all have responsibilities in life, we can't escape that.  But why has it become okay in our society to bog our lives down so heavily, that the thought of just a day or even just an hour of that day makes us want to crawl under a rock and hide?

Have you ever rushed around in the morning while getting ready for work, jumped in your car, your mind racing the entire way there and you pull in to park your car and you don't remember the drive in?  How many people do you pass in the hall at work, the aisle at the grocery store, just in one entire day and you don't even make eye contact with them because your body is physically there but, your mind is far far away?

I get it, I really do.  I was right there just a little over a year ago.  I was rushing to get my RN nursing boards passed, I was managing my business and clients, I was working full time as an LPN, and I was emotionally and physically drained all at the same time.  What got me to slow down?  Very simply, life.  I was in the middle of my last semester in nursing and a client of mine said to me, " Jen, sometimes things happen in our life to simply slow us down.  If we don't voluntarily do it, it does it for us."  She was so right.  Have you noticed that in your own life?  We get almost to our breaking point and then something happens and boom, we have to stop.  Life happens and we are forced to regroup and try again. It's like pressing the reset button on our lives.  So can I ask then what is the rush?  Why are we in such a big hurry to get through life?  Life goes so fast on its own, why would we want it to go any faster than it has to?

Can this be a measurement of how in love we are with our own life?  This is not to say that we don't love our lives and what we are doing day to day.  But the big question is, how can we make our lives better?  By freeing up enough time to let ourselves breathe and unwind.  What is the fun factor of your life?  Are you having fun and enjoying your every day?  Life will bring stresses, know that much. That is just a part of life that pushes us to become better. But what are we doing to have fun?

Life shouldn't be a race to the finish. Think about how much we are missing when we are in the game but our head is way out in left field.  Think about how many things we could miss out on in just one day because we are too "busy" to even notice.

I am hoping with the community meditations that we can shed some light on the importance of slowing down, even for a matter of a few minutes and taking inventory on what is going on both inside ourselves and around us. Remember that a good barometer of what is going on inside of ourselves is to look at our immediate world around us. Our external world is a direct reflection of our internal world.  If we are stressed and unhappy, life will bring us more stress and unhappiness.  If we are in love with life and grateful, life will bring more of that too. 

Find something in your life that you can do that will bring stillness, calm and rejuvenation to your spirit. For me that is yoga and meditation. For you it could be something totally different.  The point is to find that very thing that can refresh your spirit.  Regroup and then come back to your daily obligations.  This mind shift will help you to be present more and more throughout your day no matter how busy you may be.

That is what is so brilliant about life.  It will force us to slow down in order to see what is in front of us when it is actually in front of us.  So again why the big rush in life?

Where could you slow down in your everyday routine?  What could you add to your life to bring more joy?  What could you take away from your life to bring more joy?  Share with us, we would love to hear from you!

As always with love,

Jennifer

Follow me on Twitter @jfremion.

Email me at jfremionfw@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

Copyright 2013. Jennifer Fremion. All rights reserved.

The Universal Heart Meditation

We cannot fast forward the present

to be in future tense. We cannot

set back the clock to predict

happenstance. Accept the present

for the here and now.  Live in stillness

as we take this bow.

                                         -Jennifer

Well it is Wednesday and we have all gathered for another community meditation and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining us. Because there has been such a warm response to our evening meditations, I am going to add a morning meditation as well. The morning meditation will start at 7am eastern/4am pacific and then again this evening at 8pm eastern/5pm pacific. Please feel free to join us for both. The power of meditation as one is purely magnificent. But the power of meditation as a community can change the world.  It is a very simple gesture that has such a grand influence on the world we live in.  If we can nourish our own heart's by connecting with ourselves and our source, as a community we can change the heart of the world we live in.  And we need that today now more than ever.  So let us gather and exude the very love we have in our own hearts and ignite our world with that very love.

Today's meditation is inspired by the interview I had with Rodney McCarter of Mathis Grey that I shared with all of you on Monday.  Rodney stated at the end of the interview, to follow your dreams because they can take you to places you have never been before.  So together let's have our dreams take us where we've never been.

If you would like, play soft relaxing music in the background.  Sounds of nature or the ocean are wonderful for letting the mind be at ease. My suggestion as always is to read through the meditation a few times before we start.  Close your eyes and sit in a comfortable cross legged position.  Relax your hands palms facing upward on your knees.  Breathe in and out slowly a few times to begin.

                               The Universal Heart Meditation (5 minutes)

                                                  by Jennifer Fremion

Envision your heart's deepest desire.  If your dream could take you

anywhere, where would you go?  In this space there are no restrictions, no worries.

In this space there are only infinite possibilities.

Sit in stillness and focus on taking long deep breaths.

Let the vision of your dream go out into the Universe.

Focus on your mind's eye (the space between your eye brows).

Just relax and let go.

By releasing your dream to the Universe

you have entrusted it will be taken care of.

Sit in stillness as long as you like.

Before opening your eyes take one last

long deep breath in your nose, and then slowly release.

You are at peace.  You are home.

Namaste



Where did your dream take you?  Share with us we would love to hear from you!!  Thank you for joining us!

As always with love,

Jennifer

Follow me on Twitter @jfremion.

Email me at jfremionfw@gmail.com with any comments or questions.

Copyright 2013. Jennifer Fremion. All rights reserved.

Our Highest Calling

Life is to be lived.  Life is to be breathed.

Life is to be loved. Though life should not be

taken so seriously that we aren't having fun.  But

serious enough to realize the preciousness

of each moment lived.
                    
                                            -Jennifer

Have you ever experienced a life change that seemed to come out of nowhere?  A change that seemed to fall out of the sky.  It was almost as if it hit you square in the face to catch your attention.  To let you know that change is here, that it has arrived, ready or not, it has come.

When you first experience change, whether it be a new love, a career, a relocation, or the end of something, this change is either met with joy or fear or maybe even a little of both. Depending on the day, week or even hour we can play topsy turvy with those emotions.  When we meet a new love for instance it can be met with exuberant joy, yet depending on our past experiences sometimes we can let fear creep in a little...or a lot.  We can start to worry about whether this relationship is going to work out or what if I like the other person more than they like me?  Instead of letting the unfolding happen, the fear factor can creep in and sometimes if we let it in enough, it can ruin a good thing.

On the other hand, we could have a devastating change.  Take my divorce for instance.  I got married thinking I would have the career I always wanted, I would have children and a loving husband.  Well, I got the career, but life took a huge turn and I left my marriage because I knew the second half of that dream could never be fulfilled by staying.  This change met me with the most deepening hurt and emotional pain.  Yet now, after time, I have the exact life I always wanted.  I am the happiest I have ever been and I mean EVER!  I live life now to love life and every moment that comes my way.  And my career, well I actually have multiple careers all in helping others live their best life. It can't get any better than that...or can it?

It's interesting how good things can turn sour, and devastation can lead to exhilarating happiness. Beneath all of these things we have our highest calling waiting for us.  We will make many mistakes in life.  We are human.  The point of this life is to live the lessons brought forth.  Relish in those lessons and let them lead us to our destiny.  From pain we can derive joy.  From joy we can derive pain.  But it's all in how we look at things.  These changes are all momentary shifts in time. So be present in them because change will keep coming and coming again and again.  Life is the ultimate surprise.  After all, if we knew what change was to come around every corner, what fun would that be?  What lessons could be learned?  It is the element of surprise that reaches us to our core and brings significance to each and every moment.  When we cherish both the fun and hard times we come out with a greater knowing. A knowing that we are being lead to our best life ever. We understand that our highest calling is behind each change and each challenge that change will bring.

We may look at the fun times with a pessimistic heart and await the gloom and doom that may or may not follow.  We could also look at the hard times and think that we are being punished or that we did something "bad" to deserve what has occurred or that we are having a bout of bad luck.  I can say this, after my deep hurt and years of struggling with that exact attitude, I can wholeheartedly say that my divorce was the best thing that ever happened to me.  It was the awakening I needed to crack through my heavy heart and shed the brightest light on my soul.  My divorce taught me that if I ask for better and do better with what I know, I will receive better.  Now when times get hard, I still my mind and allow myself to ask, what is this moment teaching me?  When I get through this, what will I have learned about myself that I didn't know before?  No matter how much we have evolved in our lessons we will continue to be met with challenges and tough times. What changes is our attitudes towards those tough times.  We can navigate them knowing that something better is awaiting us on the other side.  And more than not, it is a bettered version of ourselves.

For me, I've learned to breathe deeply and take in the fun times because in one swift motion they can be gone.  And in the hard times, to just hold on knowing that life is about to reveal something big.  This is not the time to cower, this is the time to show courage and exude your bravery shield.  It could be the battle of a lifetime, but by the time it's over you will be stronger and life will reveal its grandeur like you never knew possible.

We never know which way the wind will take us, but if we have faith in knowing it is for the greater good of our highest calling, we never have to worry, we never have to fret. Because we know the ultimate goal is this ultimate life that was intended for us to live, to shine, and to ignite our spirit.  And for our hearts to be wide open to receive the messages that are the calling of our lifetime.

What changes have you experienced?  What did you learn about yourself that you never knew before?  Share with us! We would love to hear from you!!

As always with love,

Jennifer

Follow me on Twitter @jfremion

Email me at jfremionfw@gmail.com

Copyright 2013. Jennifer Fremion. All rights reserved.

Starfire

Lyrics to Starfire

There is one last step I need to take

to be in your garden.

And that one step I need to take

is I need to be honest

and say I love you.

                                                

                                                - Rodney McCarter of Mathis Grey

Rodney McCarter is a singer/songwriter for the independent music label Crush House Entertainment.  Born in Fort Wayne Indiana, Rodney didn't always know he wanted to be a musician.  As a kid, his parents always played Blues and R&B music around the house but he didn't touch an instrument until he was older.  He grew up in a large family and is the youngest of eight kids.

It wasn't until middle school that music came into his life in the form of an instrument.  But not in the form you might expect from the kind of music that is in his life today.  He started playing the trombone in the school band.  Definitely wasn't his favorite of instruments, but he was able to learn to read music and play.  He realized years later that he was actually really good at it. He didn't write music back then, but he started writing poetry which he stated he really liked to do.  It was an outlet of sorts for him but at the time he said he didn't really know what to do with it.

Life took a turn for Rodney in his late teen years.  He said he could remember it like it was yesterday. He and his friends were in the parking lot of Walmart when Metallica's song "One" came on the radio.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  This was the beginning for him and his undying love for music. This prompted him to go out and buy his first guitar.  He said at one point in the interview, "I still remember the feeling of buying that guitar.  It was electric, which is totally different from what I play now.  I think about sometimes what my life would be like had I never bought that guitar.  I can't imagine doing anything but what I'm doing right now with my music".

After buying his first guitar he started his first band.  Rodney and a few friends got together and started a garage band.  He said, "It was really loud and really awful (laughter) but it was a lot of fun.  Our bass player never learned how to play bass and we just never really got it together.  We played one show and it was in the garage of one of my friend's and her mom was our only audience.  But we had fun with it".

Rodney then switched to a softer sound that is much more comparable to his sound today.  He took classical guitar lessons at Indiana-Purdue University. "This helped me get really comfortable and familiar with playing the guitar.  I stopped the lessons and kind of went out on my own when I knew I wanted to write my own music".

He started playing small coffee houses and restaurants.  His first show was at the restaurant Laguna Grill.  There was no PA system so he had to sit on his amplifier as he played for his audience. He said, "I can still remember that.  It wasn't ideal but it was good enough. I think I walked away with $25 that night".  He knew this was exactly what he wanted to be doing. This was where Mathis Grey, his stage name was born.

When asked if he got nervous playing in front of an audience he said, "I get more nervous playing in front of people I know.  If it's an audience of people I don't know I'm not nervous at all.  Not really sure why but that's just how it is".

"It hasn't been easy trying to jump start a career in music," stated Rodney, "but, I couldn't imagine doing anything else. There is just something about writing and creating something that is so personal and then getting up and playing it in front of an audience.  Even if my music connects with just one person at a show that is good enough for me".

Rodney's major musical influence right now is Grant Lee Phillips.  He also listens to classical music and R&B.  "Everybody loves music.  That's the really cool thing about it.  There isn't one person in the world that doesn't like music. It might not be the same kind of music but they love it all the same.  I like to listen to all types of music. I just love it".  Mathis Grey's style of music has a soft, slow driven melodic feel.  Rodney is very much into storytelling through his lyrics.  He says the lyrics are the heart of his music.

Fourteen years later, life is much different now for Rodney. He is touring across the country with other musicians with his label Crush House Entertainment.  "We just finished a tour going from Indiana all the way out to California.  That was the longest tour I've been on.  It's interesting to play shows where people don't know you or your music but by the end of the show they are connected and really getting into the music. Our second leg of the tour which will be out East will start this Fall". 

Rodney's favorite show so far was in Chicago at the Hard Rock Cafe.  "It was the coolest place I've played.  The audience was great and things just felt really real to me at that point.  I've been doing this for a long time now and I just feel like now is my time. It's happening I can feel it".

I asked Rodney at the end of the interview for advice he could give to anyone who has the desire to fulfill their dream.  These are his words, "Just go for it. And DON'T give up.  When people tell you that you can't do something, and you love what you're doing, do it anyway. Just don't give up. Because when you start doing what you love, it can take you places you've never been before".

I am so grateful Rodney took the time to share his story and his journey.  Anything is possible in life if you love enough and are determined.  Follow Rodney on Twitter @MathisGrey.  You can also find him at http://mathisgrey.wordpress.com/ or http://m.soundcloud.com/mathisgrey or http://mathisgrey.bandcamp.com/. Look for Mathis Grey's new single "Starfire" to be released this Tuesday, May 14, 2013 on iTunes and amazon.com. Join him in Chicago this Thursday, May, 16, 2013 as he plays another show at the Hard Rock Cafe at 10pm!


As always with love,

Jennifer

P.S. Follow me on Twitter @jfremion.
Email me at jfremionfw@gmail.com with any comments or questions.

Copyright 2013. Jennifer Fremion. All rights reserved.

The Power Course

Powerlessness is a lie told to our inner most self,

that will finish any and all opportunities

before they even begin.

                                   -Jennifer

To begin anything we need to know and understand our own inner powers.  Our power of word, our power of thought, and our power of action.  Losing a battle with powerlessness is the easiest way of letting go of our own purpose.  The very thing we were sent on this Earth to achieve. 

There are certain things that we can let go of that will increase our power.  Letting go of past hurt, past anger, and past fear.  Working through these things can increase our heart power thus catapulting us into seeking and fulfilling our life's love.  Letting go of our own power to appease fear, or possibly someone else's fear of our expansive powers will only set us into a tailspin of discontent and regret.

Giving up our power to someone else is one of the biggest tragedies in life. This is a disappearing act we perform on living.  We jump down the rabbit hole without hesitation, only to find out the worst case scenario is never getting out. We can so easily walk into a situation that may appear appealing in the beginning but veers off the road often times after we have our heart's invested. Then the sense of powerlessness kicks in and we dizzy ourselves with conflicting thoughts between the known and unknown.  We lose our sense of intuitiveness, or so we think.  We set boundaries for how we think others should live, and then we cross those very same boundaries to delve into something that peaks our curiosity but strips us of the very power that is deservingly our birthright.

So once we have given up our power, how do we get it back? By connecting.  In order to become powerless we have to voluntarily give up our power.  Even if at the time and during the process we didn't realize it was happening.  It is an emptying of sorts of our spiritual connectedness we have with ourselves and our loving source.  When we become disconnected we become confused and our inner compass never seems to settle on one sure fire direction.  So we become lost with where it is we are to be going and how exactly we are to get there.

If the answer is connection, how do we reconnect?  We reconnect through stillness.  We sit in stillness and talk to our inner most self which is ultimately connecting with our source.  By asking for help in making any decision if we sit in stillness long enough, the answer will come.  The answer funny enough will come in the source of power.  Truth be told we never completely give up our power, we just forget how it is that we use it.  When we reconnect, the circuit is no longer frayed, there is no bad connection or static fuzzing the message.  We hear loud and clear.  The next step is then taking action and trading old habits for new habits that expand our power not confine it.

The truth is, we have everything we need inside ourselves.  We often times look outside of ourselves if we feel something is missing in our life.  When the fact is, it has been inside us all along.  We just have to know how to reach it.  We must know that we are protected by universal code.  Universal code is our guide and if we work in harmony with it, we will be led expansively into infinite possibilities.  If we choose to go against it, we then have sticky feet that hold us down and create a sense of panic stricken confinement.

The beauty of knowing the power of power is being able to use our words, thoughts and actions to create a loving world.  One of support and encouragement.  A sense between hearts that we always have a shoulder to lean on, we always have a hand extended to help, and that we always have the power to truly hear another's heart beat. Taking the power course in life builds momentum together through a quantum shift, in order to achieve miraculous giving which ultimately leads to miraculous living.

How can you celebrate your inner power today?  Share with us! We would love to hear from you!

As always with love,

Jennifer

P.S.  Follow me on Twitter at @jfremion

Email me at jfremionfw@gmail.com with any questions or comments.  Sign up for automatic emails to live inspired everyday!  Join me Monday May 13, 2013 when I post my interview with singer/songwriter Rodney McCarter!

Copyright 2013. Jennifer Fremion. All rights reserved.



The Beauty of Struggle

If we are taking steps toward our dream,

we are already walking in our dream.

                                   -Jennifer

I've talked a lot about going after our dreams in life. Whether it is career, personal or just for fun, being able to step beyond the fear of vulnerability and breathe, is key to not hesitating and just doing what it takes to fulfill that dream.  I haven't talked a lot about the beauty of the struggle however.  I don't know anyone, and I mean anyone, who is living a life of success and utter enjoyment by following their heart who has said, "Oh yeah, this process was a piece of cake!"

The beauty of the struggle is the tests and lessons that hide behind it.  Questions like how bad do I want to do what I love?  How great is my love for what I'm doing? What am I willing to sacrifice right now to make my dream a reality?  What we need to remember when we are in the midst of chasing a dream, is that actually we are already living it.  This is all part of the journey.  We realize that we are doing what we love for the love, not the accolades. Because at the end of the day it is the love that brings on the accolades.  And when the applause die down, all we are left with is the love for what we are doing.

Now don't get me wrong it is always nice to be given a compliment.  But with the compliments we have to take the negativity as well.  This again is all part of the process.  Although because the love we have for what we are doing is so personal, it is hard to separate our self from that "thing" that we love.  We have to realize that we are not defined by what we do.  That "thing" that we are doing isn't who we are.  It is what we love, but not a billboard advertisement for our defined self.  Remember that the negative comments although may be directed toward you, are not about you at all.  They are about the other person.  The other person could be scared of what you are saying to be true about them so they try to slander you.  Or just simply that the message of your dream isn't intended for them, so very simply, they just don't get it.  It is the other person that doesn't realize that everyones purpose is different and that not everyone has to be the same.  If someone is criticizing your dream, it more than likely is because they are not living their own.  Struggle exists when we are reaching success and it exists even after success has been reached. It is in those lessons we learn along the way that keep us going and inspire us to reach even further.

The struggle prepares us for both the hard times and the fun times if we are paying attention to the lessons as they come our way.  The struggles teach us to get right back up when we fall or get pushed down.  Dust ourselves off and proceed full speed ahead.  Think about what it was that brought you down and why.  Give yourself credit for having the strength and resiliency to get right back up again and push forward.  It is in those answers that the bigger meaning of the journey reside.  This is the beauty of struggle.

What have you come across that has been a struggle for you?  How did you get passed it? What did you learn from it?  Share with us we would love to hear from you!!!

As always with love,

Jennifer

P.S. Follow me on Twitter @jfremion

Email me at jfremionfw@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

Join me this upcoming Monday for my Spirit Launcher interview with singer/songwriter Rodney McCarter.  Live inspired!!!

Copyright 2013. Jennifer Fremion. All rights reserved.

Step By Step

How do we create an everlasting love?

Live with passion, breathe through the pain,

and live in the knowing of the

heart of consciousness.



This week as you may have already realized I have focused on the heart.  The heart of life, the heart of pain, the heart of learning, and of course the heart of spirit.  I am so in love and intrigued with meeting the heart of consciousness and how each step we take opens us to the only life worth living.

The life I used to live feels like an old friend with whom I've grown apart. I felt every step I would take was leading me against the grain in life.  Anything that could have gone wrong did.  And that happened because that is all I expected to happen.  I didn't realize that thoughts create reality. I didn't realize that our external world was a direct reflection of our internal world.  I don't despise that old life by any means.  That old life was one of my greatest teachers.  It brought lessons to me that at the time no other way could have reached me.  Now it's a constant reminder of how life doesn't have to be. It brought me back to me.

We can sometimes be changed by our life experiences and get away from our original self.  The original spirit that was deep seeded in us at birth.  As I found in adulthood through my life experiences my spirit was buried.  It was never completely forgotten but it was buried so deeply it took years to uncover. It was my original spirit that gave me the fight, the determination to uncover what had been silenced.  It is that constant whisper that is loud enough to shake you to your bones.  The exact thing that will shake you back into living an everlasting love.

When you meet the heart of consciousness you step out of the darkness.  Your light source ignites and you come out of the world of black and white and live in full color. Life starts to happen. But you may be asking how do we get there?  For me it was learning that I am not alone.  That I am connected with my source.  That I am a part of something so much bigger than I could ever imagine made life for me make perfect sense.  To know that my source sent me here with a mission and it is my purpose to fulfill that mission.  I started doing deep meditation in order to connect with my source. I have found that for me 40 minutes of deep meditation a day works best.  I didn't start there however.  You could easily start with 2 minutes and over time you will feel a difference.  It is that moment in time that in complete stillness you connect with the heart of consciousness and the answers to life come.  My answer was giving my spirit in service.  Asking my source everyday "how can I help"? The greatest love that I found was in helping other people.  Whether I'm working with clients or working with patients every day I find someway to help someone.  For me there is no greater joy than that.

I am now living in the heart of consciousness.  This life still does have its struggles.  Just because we start to see and live through the light doesn't mean we don't falter. It is in our faltering we are reminded we are human. We are progressive beings no matter how long we have been living.  The only thing that matters is that we do better each and every time.  After awhile life gets easier not because it's getting easier, but because we have an understanding of everything that happens and why.  We know we are being given lessons to increase our heart's capacity to live our fullest most beautiful life possible.

How do you connect with the heart of consciousness?  What makes you feel connected to yourself and to the world?  Share with us we would love to hear from you!

As always with love,

Jennifer

P.S. Follow me on Twitter @jfremion

Email me at jfremionfw@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

If you or someone you know has a Spirit Launcher story you would like to share email me. You could be a featured story of the week!

Copyright 2013. Jennifer Fremion. All rights reserved.