Hi Friends,

Substack is doing some cool things. They have AI-generated transcription, so when you post a video, the platform transcribes it if you want it to. For those of you not into watching videos, you can now read what I say in the videos I post. The writing isn’t as refined, but it does sound like my speaking voice, because it is. I cleaned it up a little bit, because I say Right? way too often.

Before sharing the transcription below, I wanted to make you aware of several upcoming offerings. Just click on the underlined events that interest you for more details. To avoid Eventbrite service fees, you are welcome to Venmo me your registration fees for my solo events. Just be sure to include your email. Venmo ID: @Scott-Stabile-1

Monday, January 15th: Sacred Bali Retreat Information call. If you’re curious about my May Bali retreat with David Gandelman, we’ll be talking all about it.

Thursday, January 18th: Live Breathwork Journey in Ferndale, Michigan. Come journey with me in person!

Saturday, January 27th: Enough as You Are Workshop in Ferndale, Michigan. We’re going to love the hell out of ourselves. Hugs guaranteed.

Sunday, January 28th: Inward: Writing for Self-Discovery Workshop (online via Zoom). Let’s get real with ourselves, together.

February 7th-12th: Sayulita, Mexico retreat with Jacob Nordby & David Gandelman. Counting down the days for this one. Bring on the fun and bring on the sun!

May 4th - 11th: Sacred Bali retreat with David Gandelman. Meditation, breathwork, self-reflection, community, all in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Okay, here’s the transcription for the video above:

Hey, what's up friends.

So today I've been thinking about awareness, about paying attention, and the power that lives in the act of paying attention to our lives and the choices we're making, and how those choices affect us, how they feel.

It can feel very easy to feel out of control, and like we don't have the power in our lives that we actually have. When we start to pay attention to our choices in a different way, and really check in with ourselves as we're doing something: How does it feel to do this thing that I'm doing?

Do I feel uplifted by it? Do I feel depleted by it?

If the answer is I feel depleted by it and this is something I'm continuing to do in my life over and over and over again, then there's the opportunity to stop doing it, right? To bring awareness to the fact that this thing I continue to do actually doesn't feel good, actually doesn't uplift me, it depletes me. It feels more harmful than healthy.

The more we bring awareness to our choices, the more active we can become in aligning with choices that actually serve us, that actually bring peace or joy or connection or meaning or whatever it is we're seeking in our lives. And the more we can start eliminating the choices that don't.

Of course, this doesn't mean we're always going to be perfect about it, or that we're always going to eliminate unhealthy choices. We're all making unhealthy choices. In that case, we can remember that we're human and part of being human is to make unhealthy choices. And we can be really gentle and loving with ourselves when we do, instead of choosing to shame ourselves and abuse ourselves and belittle ourselves because of the unhealthy choices we're making. We can eliminate that step.

But I think so much starts with awareness. It starts with a willingness to pay attention to our lives and understand that we are more powerful than we give ourselves credit for. Our power lives in our awareness, it lives in our intention, it lives in the actions we take, the words we speak, the thoughts we think, it lives in our willingness to align ourselves, as far as I believe, with love, with compassion, as often as possible.

And then we start to feel a little less out of control because we are taking control of the things we can take control of, which is essentially who we are, how we're showing up, the choices we're making, the words we're speaking. We don't have control over anything else out there.

Right? We see that over and over and over again.

As much as we want to control people, as much as we want to control the people in our lives and make them do and be the people we want them to be, we can’t. So let's take responsibility for the one thing we can control, which is ourselves. Let's bring awareness to how we're showing up. If we want to see more love in the world, let's be the love that we want to see in the world. If we want to see more compassion in the world, as we all do, let's be an example of the compassion we want to see. If we want to see more forgiveness in the world, how are we doing with forgiveness? If we want to see more kindness in the world, what choices are we making around kindness?

What choices are you making? That's what you have power over.

When I feel overwhelmed by what I'm seeing out there, it's a reminder for me to go within, to get back to my story, to get back to my choices, to get back to the power I have to be an example of all the things that I want to see in the world. Then I feel a lot less overwhelmed, typically a lot less out of control because I'm controlling what I can. And again, when I'm not controlling what I can, I'm being really kind to myself. I'm reminding myself that I'm human.

You're human. We're human beings with human minds. Human minds are insane. We're doing the best we can be doing. We don't have to shame ourselves. Shame's not a healer.

Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about.

I love you all and I believe in you. I believe in me. I believe in us. I believe in love with everything I've got and all that love invites into our lives. And I believe that love is the one thing that stands to create real healing in our world. So my commitment to love is as deep as ever and I love you.

Big, big love.

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