The Art of Expression

Happy Holidays Oh Lovely Ones!

I wasn’t expecting to write today but as I cycled home from work this morning, tuning into Tez Cadey's "Seve" (the slow version), with the cold coastal wind against me and the wild, grey Irish sea to my right, I found myself feeling deeply moved. It's a familiar feeling, one that often accompanies my runs or bike rides—tears flowing freely as I reflect on the gratitude I feel for it all. The pain, the sadness, the joy, and aaaall the magic of the little things; the precious moments.

As I carefully navigated the path before me, I got to see youngsters embarking on their inaugural rides on shiny new bicycles, puppies clumsily discovering their amorphous footing amidst the excitement of children, runners relishing freedom for a few fleeting moments—I couldn't help but contemplate the past three years.

I divide everything into pre-2020 and post-2020—The Year That Changed Everything.

Tears streamed down my face, yet a sense of relief washed over me—a profound exhale.

In my former life, I'd attribute the recent heaviness I've been feeling in my body to this time of year (and brace yourself for this revelation), and to it being a somewhat "satanic" period (insert appropriate emoji here—perhaps a facepalm, hands to face, eye roll, or wild laughter?). Geez. Talk about Ghosts of Christmas Past (get it? Hahaha…oh never mind).

* Now, however, I’m so aware of energy, I know that I’m susceptible to carting around the energy of not just my own personal stuff but collective energies. Energies of the monumental shifts and changes occurring globally (and as with any kind of birth or metamorphosis the pain and discomfort can be intense).  Energies of the pressure that so many feel in the lead up to Christmas. Energies the reflection of millions of people as we enter a new year and all of the thought processes that brings. To say nothing of astrological changes.

The relief I felt today felt universal—an audible sigh of accomplishment—even though my personal joy was simply heading home alone to my cozy blanket and the promise of coffee in bed.

For those on an emotional rollercoaster or experiencing random aches and pains, it’s worth asking, “Is this mine or somebody else’s?" If that feels lighter, it's probably not even yours. Affirm: "I return this energy with love and reclaim my own peaceful energy.”

* I mentioned I was thinking back to this time in 2020.  If I measured success by material gain or wealth in the last three years, I’d be left wanting.  What I do know is this: internally, the shifts, the healing, the forward momentum have been incalculable and immeasurable.  Even to myself, it’s hard to quantify the layers of residual mud worked through and cleaned. The 1000’s upon 1000’s of incremental shifts, pivots and clearings within.

What about you?

Even if we feel stuck or lost, we are still growing and expanding. The stuckness is but a storyline.

Success is an inside job.  For the most part it will be unseen, completely unacknowledged and without fanfare.   But boy oh boy, are you paving the way for the seen, the tangible and the ripple effect - and that too will be incalculable.

I noted 5 things I wanted to share on that cycle home this morning but I don’t want this to be a thesis. I’ll briefly pop up with the other 3 things on the morrow. But then again, I might not. T’is the Season, after all.😁

TTFN, Happy Holidays, however you are spending them,

Love you,

The Suze ♥️

PS.  As January kicks off, so will my training for April's London Marathon. I plan to share a chapter of my book each week, "Marathon to Freedom," in the lead-up. It may not follow the final order I envision for my book, but as they say, done is better than perfect (which could be a post in itself).

The book will explore the crossover lessons of training for a marathon and discovering one's soul's essence, especially if we've lived with a lot of self-suppression.

I’m thrilled to share.

Toodles.

What we can perceive, we can receive.

Every day I like to pull several Louise Hay Power Thought Cards, I then read them into the Parrot App, which then plays them on a loop so I can listen to them as I go about my day.

This ritual serves as a powerful tool to counteract any clunky thinking or negative energies that may arise, effectively rewiring my brain.

Once we start to become aware of just how negative our self talk is, we can begin to shift. We allow ourselves the possibility that we are the things we are saying we are not.

Discovering affirmations that resonate with us is key to this process.

When we find phrases that genuinely feel good, we establish a connection with the words. This, in turn, starts to reprogram the mind because the unconscious mind is very open to suggestion

Even if we don't fully believe the affirmations initially, embracing the feelings associated with them can work wonders. The magic happens through consistent and persistent practice.

The repetition of affirmations allows them to penetrate deeper into our unconscious minds, reshaping ingrained beliefs and thought patterns.

As I’m listening to affirmations that I love, I consciously exhale, recenter within my body and I experience a sense of lightness growing with each breath.

What are your favourite affirmations?

So, I invite you to take a deep breath, put the kettle on, and join me in exploring how not to do a podcast! 😁

Around two years ago, I had a 30-minute chat with Di Murray, a Resilience Practitioner (you can find her incredible work on her gorgeous website, Coming Up For Air). This conversation was part of a project that did not come to fruition.

Upon revisiting this conversation recently, I found myself struggling with so much self-judgment, particularly regarding my interviewing skills.

Moreover, what struck me profoundly was how unsettled my nervous system was. I rambled too much, posed leading questions instead of open ones, and I recall vividly how much I was stuck in my head rather than being present in my body.

It was enlightening to listen to and witness how much I've grown in the last couple of years, but goodness, listening to it was a cringe-worthy and uncomfortable experience.

The embarrassment almost dissuades me from sharing this, but the calm and grounded wisdom delivered by Di, her intuitive insights and knowledge are too valuable not to be heard.

In our conversation, the name of my former religion gets mentioned. This is something I purposely steer away from because my aim in life is to be the softness. I don’t have the desire to perpetuate yet more judgement into the world. Goodness, if there’s one thing the world needs more of is less judgement.

Last night, I stumbled upon this inspiring excerpt from Joe Dispenza. He spoke a truth that resonates deeply with me:

“There has to be extreme polarities before there’s a reorganization. And everything that is not consistent with a new level of energy or a new level of consciousness is going to spiral apart…every system in nature, before it evolves, goes through a period of chaos…Whether you’re looking at the environment, politics, economics, religion, education, journalism, medicine, all of those paradigms are beginning to unravel because they’re no longer consistent with a greater level of energy [that’s occurring].

So, how then do we face these challenges? This is the big question, because if we face them with fear, then it’s the very emotion that created them in the first place. If we face them with hostility and anger, then we are going to be reacting and recreating the same outcome. So we have to embrace this understanding, not in a separate way of, “You’re over there and I’m over here” because that’s the lie we’ve been taught [one of separation]…How then? …Love. Love and gratitude.”

Above all else, I aspire to learn how to love wholeheartedly from an expanded heart. Whenever I find myself passing judgment, I recognize it as an indication of something within me that needs attention and love. As within, so without.

In short, I hold deep love for those within my former faith. There are some truly beautiful individuals in there whose yearning is simply for a peaceful world.

The highlights of our conversation revolve around three elements of Resilience:

- Our capacity for change.

- Our ability to access our resourcefulness at any given moment (which is why NLP holds a special place in my heart).

- Our ability to feel safe in our body (more than ever before, it’s paramount we learn to find safety within the body and regulate our nervous system - which has often been wired for trauma response - that was certainly me…haha, you can even hear it in this interview).

Enjoy the wisdom of Di and do take a moment to drop a comment below - it really helps grow my publication here.

Sending love and warmth your way.

Ah, and the journey continues...

P.S. I’ve even left in the flapdoodle moment at the end. 🫣