 You know those moments? The ones in the grocery store or at work when you say, "Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I say something? Should I let it go?"
I'm here to tell you, unequivocally, SAY IT. Right now! There's no time to waste. Those moments arise for a reason. They are here to say to us, "Connect with her! Brighten his day!" When you ignore the moment, you miss the opportunity to change someone's life. Whether it be the tiniest thing (like informing someone they have toilet paper stuck on their shoe) or something bigger (like supporting a mom who is handling a screaming child with, "You got this")... IT ALL MATTERS. You may not see it now. But I do. I see the person who changes their mind about committing suicide because you stopped to talk to them. I see the energy shift around the homeless woman who accepted your kind words and $5. I feel the emotional vibration lift because you smiled at the cashier who is struggling to make ends meet working 3 jobs. You matter. It all matters. Never underestimate the power of the moment. Use them for humanity's benefit. Be an angel. We'll be glad you did. You'll be glad you did. Live in love, Carrie
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 I spent some time yesterday at Panera between a meeting and a client appointment. Standing at the tea counter, I found myself doing a "happy dance," you know: wiggling around, singing to myself, generally exhibiting joy? I was excited to see my upcoming client, discovered that I had a new seminar to write and was anticipating getting started, happy that I had found steel-cut oatmeal with quinoa AFTER the breakfast menu had closed...
While engaging in this said happy dance, I glanced over at a table to see a lone woman eating a fairly messy cream cheese bagel. We smiled at each other and said hello, simultaneously realizing that we were both engaged in an awkward moment that the other had "caught." She said, "Well, we just had a moment." Yes, an awkward one at that, we laughed! I introduced myself and declared that I was going to write a blog about this awkward moment. I also shared that tomorrow's podcast episode was titled, "Random Acts of Kindness" and we joked that this was definitely a "Random Act of Awkwardness." After reflecting a bit, I realized how vitally important that moment was:
Please look for those connections everywhere you go. They matter. They are what keeps us healthy and thriving. Never be ashamed. Live joyfully. Connect on a whim. Be awkward, it's human. Laugh much. Thank you, Jennifer. Live in love, Carrie  Uh oh, NOW what do I have?
You'd have to be living under a rock (or without cable) not to miss the never-ending ads for every drug and disease under the sun. They conveniently list every symptom, specifically designed to make us mentally run down the list to see how many of them we actually have. A lot, right? Everything from COPD to dry eyes to heart failure... But there is something I absolutely, positively know you have and I don't need a list of symptoms to confirm. You have IT. And what is IT exactly, you ask? The power to heal. The power to heal yourself~ physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually~the situations you are in, and the world around you. We have been led to believe, for thousands of years, that we must rely on outside sources to heal our pain and suffering. But in this very moment, I am giving you permission to break that myth. My empowerment work teaches that nothing, absolutely nothing, is outside of you. That we have all been given the tools we need to heal ourselves and each other. Healing looks different for everyone: some physical, some mental, some emotional, some spiritual. I encourage you to look inside, really look deep down, and decide, right now, that you are in control. That you have emotional balance. That you will never again feel like a victim to (fill in the blank)... Go find your joy. Do something for yourself. Stop putting yourself last on the list. Connect with like-minded people who will lift you up and not commiserate with (or for) you. Focus on the health you have and not on the disease you think you own. Be kind to everyone. Embody the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Words carry energy and that energy matters. Break the chains. Start each day anew...no, start each moment anew. Live in the present, not in yesterday's "mistakes" or in tomorrow's "what-ifs." My inspirational messages through my podcast can help. Have a listen if you haven't yet: iTunes and SoundCloud. Use your intuition and pick an episode title that resonates with you. What have you got to lose (besides fear, anxiety and doubt)? You've got IT! What else do you need? Nothing, nothing at all. Live in love, Carrie  I received a message this week, a message that had far-reaching implications for many of us, much more than I knew in the moment...
I receive LOTS of messages, it's part of the intuitive work that I do! But this one was an actual text message. It was from one of my Reiki master students. She requested a Reiki team to gather asap to assist in the body, mind and spirit healing of a dear friend, and she needed us in person. Reiki can be sent long-distance, and I often get requests, daily actually, for sending Reiki energy support. But this request was different. She needed a team in person, quickly. Within 10 minutes I had 4 Reiki master/practitioners lined up and ready to meet. Unfortunately, I could not pay this team, and they know that. They know that the structures that we currently live in do not financially support energy healing, and as hard as I work at growing the Beleno Center and maintaining my schedule of 1:1 clients, I cannot afford to personally pay an outreach team. We were certainly not going to ask our requestor or client for compensation in such an urgent situation. And therein lies the paradigm shift that I am going to create. In the past, those in the "giving" or healing fields have had to resign themselves to the fact that they must "give from the heart." That they must go above and beyond regularly scheduled hours or family time because "It's what they signed up for" or "It's the right thing to do" or "God expects it that way" in their healing/service/ministry careers. But the world is shifting. People are demanding that body, mind and spirit be addressed in health crises, disasters, loss and grief. Patients are requiring that they be viewed as people, souls in human form, and not just as diseases. So I am here to bust the structures. Today, right now, I am asking you to click on this link and go to my Patreon page. Read my story. Share my vision. Join the collective in supporting our mission (and receive some special gifts)! Reiki energy healing works. There is scientific and anecdotal evidence. It balances body, mind and spirit so your body has the ability to do what it needs to do. It reduces anxiety and brings clarity to situations, and often a whole lot more than that. My 70+ master practitioners have dedicated much time and money to their practice. We meet daily, weekly and monthly, sharing ideas and energy, discussing how to raise the collective consciousness and ways to rebuild the crumbling political, economic, educational, medical and religious structures. We practice, we see clients, we hold focus and support groups, we offer guidance, prayer and support of each other, our families and our clients. We know that we are making a difference and we need your help. Thank you for considering sponsoring my Reiki outreach team and my messages of universal life truths. I'll keep you updated! Please Live in Love. Carrie  I've been searching for months now. Searching for the common denominator for why people hold fear, anxiety, guilt, remorse and anger. Certainly we don't want to hold these, do we? I mean, who in their right mind would enjoy experiencing these emotions on a daily basis?
So why is it that so many people are fearful, impatient, angry or frustrated for a good portion of their days? We see it in the grocery store line, in traffic, at our jobs and most especially on the internet. We are quick to bash another's opinion or post a negative business review (much quicker than posting a positive!). We immediately jump to: "They are wrong!" or "How could this happen to me?" and up flares the frustration, anger and fear. Lots of times we aren't able to let it go as quickly as it came up...we swim in it for hours or days, sometimes even weeks. Anxiety, fear, guilt and frustration are isolating. They make us want to retreat from the world. They cause us to believe that we are separate from each other, and separate from God. "I am right, they are wrong." Or worse yet, "They are right, I am wrong." And the root cause is...? We, humanity, have forgotten how to love ourselves unconditionally. We have forgotten that we are the creators of our reality and that everything that happens to us happens because we have chosen to experience it. We are quick to judge ourselves. We reprimand ourselves for not being good enough or strong enough or smart enough or healthy enough. We compare ourselves to our co-workers, family members and random strangers on Facebook. We have forgotten that we are OK just the way we are (no matter what our parents have told us, or our bosses, or our kids). We have forgotten that God doesn't make mistakes, and nothing about us is a mistake. We were given free will for a reason: To declare who we are and how we love. We aren't going to be punished for the decisions we make in figuring this out so there's no sense in punishing yourself. On a soul level, we have chosen our incidents and experiences as ways to show us what is important in life or as arrows for the next fork in the road. Do we make mistakes? Absolutely. Fix them and move on. You are human and that's part of the beauty of being human. We can reverse course, change our actions, change our minds. It's part of the adventure! Have your isolated yourself from the world? Do you know someone who has? Rejoin the human race. Give permission to someone else to rejoin the race. Because it's not the human race, it's the human walk. There are no winners and no losers. Everyone gets a participation medal and everyone crosses the finish line. That medal comes from YOU. It's not a stamp of approval from your family or boss or even God. It comes from within. It comes from knowing that you did the best you could with what you had to work with at the time. It's called living. And when you love yourself unconditionally, with all your flaws and foibles, you'll never want to harm yourself or another. Realize that you are the creator of your adventure and, Live in love. Carrie Having trouble finding love for yourself or your next great adventure? I can help. Please don't feel isolated any longer: Contact@carriebeleno.com.  I believe the human race is suffering from an epidemic of mass proportion.
An epidemic that permits us to live in fear, anxiety and guilt. An epidemic that was designed to keep us humble but in actuality keeps us depressed, sad, fearful, worried and angry. An epidemic that has allowed society to dictate who we are and how we love. We are suffering from an epidemic absence of self-love. Sounds really hippie, right? Bear with me. If you truly loved yourself unconditionally, 100% of the time, here's what would happen: ~You will never disappoint yourself. ~You will look back with hindsight and realize you did the best you could, in any given moment, with what you had to work with. ~You will allow others to just "be," knowing that they aren't smarter, prettier or braver, because you are OK just the way you are and there is no comparison. ~Jealousy will end. ~You'll stop the endless cycle of self-judgment. You won't have to hear the little voice saying, "That was stupid," or "Why did you do that?" or "I wish you were better" ever again. ~When criticism comes your way, it will be a moment for self-reflection: Can I choose differently next time? Is there something I need to fix? and you'll just do it. Action matters, and action is so much more satisfying than swimming around in your head all day long. ~You'll never again have to worry that you did something "wrong." You'll understand that there is no right or wrong, just your perspective. It's the only thing you've got that's completely yours. Own it. ~And best of all? You'll never have to wonder if you are being selfish. "Selfish" means to put the needs of yourself at the expense of others. I'm fairly certain you aren't withholding food from your loved ones just so you can eat when you are hungry. Putting yourself first, "selfirst" as I've coined it, simply means you consider your role in any situation first. ~They asked me to do __________. How do I feel about that? ~My job is overwhelming. What can I do about it? ~She says I am ___________. Do I need to apologize or simply realize it is her perception? ~My family expects me to ___________. Do I want to? Will it help me enjoy life or add to my frustration? ~My hearts says I'm just not into ____________. Be OK with it, it's your guidance system. Make choices from your perspective. Choose what will make you happy. If you must do something out of obligation, be kind to yourself afterward. No one is going to put you first better than you can. Nobody will love you like you will. And when you love yourself unconditionally, you will attract more people who love you unconditionally. It's the law of attraction and it works. Stand up for yourself. Be your best friend. You are a piece of God, a complete piece of God. God doesn't make mistakes. Live in love, Carrie  OK humanity, take a seat. I want you to be comfortable as I offer this information...
There's a lot going on in the world that is horrifying, no question. We must do something about the hatred and evil on Earth, right? But it's so hard, you say. It's everywhere! Yes, I agree that we must do something. But the solution is not hard and it's not what you think. It's really quite simple. Stop fighting. OK? you say. That's not a hard concept to understand, of course we need to stop fighting. Do you see what's going on "out there?" Bear with me. It's time to choose differently. Completely. We are at a crossroads in humanity, and August's solar eclipse was the "GO" signal. So when I say "stop fighting," I mean totally stop fighting. We must rewrite humanity's story and change its direction. Stop fighting means the obvious. But it also means: Everyone, give up the fight. Give up the battle against white supremacy, neo-nazis and racism. End the war on terrorism, drugs and cancer. Stop fighting crime, ignorance and bigotry. Fighting is fighting. War is war. Doesn't matter if you think it is "right vs. wrong," "good vs. evil" or "light vs. dark." It's still all fighting. Can you see that? Want to know what you CAN do to change humanity's story? Choose differently. Be the force you want to see in the world. Disturbed by the events in Charlottesville? Go knock on your neighbor's doors, introduce yourself and organize a block party. Disgusted with the government leader's reactions and responses? React and respond differently yourself. Don't criticize your daughter's boyfriend or your cousin's choice of career. Respond to them with understanding and acceptance. Declaring that you are "against" anything brings more of what you declare you are against. It's the law of attraction and it is powerful. So stop being "against" anything and be "for" what you cherish. Be for love, be for peace. Be for the light you wish to see everyday, everywhere, and act on it. It's the only way to move humanity forward and I, we, are all counting on you. I promise it will work if we all choose differently. Live in love. Carrie Do you want to move the world forward? Feeling anxious about what to do? Contact me, empowerment guidance is my specialty: www.carriebeleno.com. My podcast episode will help: The Great American Solar Eclipse.  Indulge me for a moment...suppose stress IS a myth? Suppose we created the entity of "stress" so that society had something to blame for the dis-ease of the world: headaches, heart disease, nervous breakdowns, insomnia, anxiety...?
These are real afflictions, make no mistake. These are not "it's all in your head" conditions. However, I found in my work and through the universal life truths that we no longer need to blame the mindless monster called "stress." After all, stress seems indomitable, right? I mean, who can stop stress? It's everywhere! You find it lurking at work, at the grocery store, at home, while driving, on the internet, at the doctor's office...all around! Let's put the monster "stress" in its place, shall we? Once and for all? The official definition of stress is, "a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances." But I offer, it's not the demanding circumstances that create the stress. It's the emotional imbalance that causes the stress. (One person's stress is another person's motivation!) Family calling you at all hours with their drama around "Aunt Sue?" It's not stress that is driving you nuts, it is the anger, frustration and sadness of their spewing or Aunt Sue's actions that are causing you "stress." Work demands bigger than you can handle and you're experiencing anxiety? Don't blame it on stress. Recognize that you are fearful or unhappy or frustrated. Here's why: Emotions are much, much easier to recognize and shift than "stress" is. Stress is bigger than us. Stress seems insurmountable. Our emotions are inside of US. They are part of who we are, and we've lived with them our whole lives. They are easier to identify and shift, and once you do, they lead to life-long peace and happiness. So in this moment, stop focusing on stress. Stop announcing that you have "too much stress." Determine what you DO have too much of: Sadness? Frustration? Guilt? Anger? Take steps to shift those low emotions. Play with your kids. Do something outside. Call a friend. Watch a funny movie. Hold hands with your partner. Detach from the drama. Stop owning what isn't yours. Stress will become identifiable and then you'll be able to take those baby steps to eradicate it from your life once and for all. Trust me, I see it every day. Live in love, Carrie PS: Listen to my episode on the emotional scale which will put emotions in perspective, and contact me if you need help dumping stress for good. Literally, for good. PPS: Wasn't that a fabulous full moon eclipse yesterday? That was our signal to release what no longer serves us. Are you ready to release? I bet you are.  You can look right into the eyes of a cat or observe their body language and figure out what they're trying to do or say. (Mine is looking for lunch!)
People are a bit more complicated. We've become really good at putting on a brave face, all while looking for... What? Looking for the right thing to say to make their partner understand them. Looking for the perfect job, more loyal friends, a mate. Looking for answers to their problems or health concerns. All in an effort to bring joy, happiness and love into their lives. Now don't get me wrong, these are all noble pursuits! We can feel joy, happiness and love with a partner that understands us or better health or a job we love. But if you are constantly looking, you will never find. It's the Law of Attraction at work: like attracts like. If you are putting emotional energy into "looking," it tells the universe that you lack "it." You will receive more lack of "it." Today, act as if you own it. Stop looking. Move through your day as if that job is already yours and walk through every door that cracks open for you. Approach your partner as if s/he already fully understands every word you say. Be grateful (out loud if necessary!) for each small step toward your big picture. Recognize that once your perspective changes, your reality MUST follow. In other words, everything you need to shift your world is right inside you. Has been all along...isn't that freeing? Live in love, Carrie Need assistance finding love, joy and happiness? Contact me, I can help: contact@carriebeleno.com Join the conversation in my "Chaos to Calm" Connect FB group!  Are YOU listening? I mean really listening? Or do you find yourself plowing through your day, flopping exhausted on the couch, wondering where the day went? The time has come to hone your listening skills. You've heard that before, right? We should all be better listeners? I bet you don't hear: "Stop and listen to yourself" very often. But you must. Right now. Here's why: Our soul, higher self, divine goodness~ whatever you may call it~ has a direct line of communication with us. In fact, it wants so badly for us to hear and connect with our physical body that it established THREE lines of communication (just in case you miss the first two)! One is through our heart feelings, one is through our gut instincts and the last is through our thoughts. Our souls know the "Easy Path," the ultimate destination of joy, love and peace...what will bring us profound happiness. And it wants us to achieve it. So it sets out to communicate the steps along the way of the Easy Path, giving us mile markers and clues to help us navigate life. They come in three forms:
Most of us know what makes our hearts sing (and if you don't know, please take some time today to identify what they are, you must find your joy!). We've all had gut instincts kick in as well, sometimes we follow it (I knew that was the right thing to do OR, dang, I wish I had listened to my gut). Thoughts are a bit trickier, because sometimes they are our intuition (there's a reason the third eye is located on the forehead) and sometimes they are our ego running amok. Here's how you can tell the difference:
How many times have you had a nagging thought or a gut feeling that you should:
Do yourself a favor: Stop, look and listen. Today. Notice what your soul is communicating to you. And don't be afraid of what it says. Remember, your soul knows the Easy Path. It knows the end destination to get you to happiness and it won't let you down. Will there be hiccups along the way? Sure. But that's the game of life we signed up for. Go play the game! Live in love, Carrie Need help listening? It's what I teach, contact me! www.carriebeleno.com Do you have a mission to move the world forward? Be a part of the "Chaos to Calm" conversation! Join us here! |