Sept 24 Intention: Cooperate with' Competitors'
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"A flame loses none of its brilliance in igniting another flame”

This week’s intention is to reframe our thinking so that ‘competitors’ become comrades.  In corporate America being competitive, and even cut-throat, is often viewed as an attribute.  While there is nothing wrong with the desire to succeed, the concept that one can only succeed or be valuable by beating ‘the other guy’  assumes that we exist in a world of scarcity. Such thinking actually creates the scarcity, need and greed that we fear.

If we shift our attention to cooperation and abundance, ‘competitors’ become comrades.  Life is much more pleasant when we ‘win’ by embracing our commonalities and working together.  

Below are two stories to demonstrate how this concept works in ‘real life’.

The Race (story found on internet here, monique did not author)
In the Seattle Special Olympics, a group of big-hearted athletes demonstrate how to win through cooperation.

The race was the 100-yard dash and nine contestants, all with physical disabilities, stood ready at the starting line. The gun fired and everyone took off, not exactly in a dash, but all eager to win. All, that is, except for a little boy who stumbled and tripped, then fell to the ground and began to cry. Hearing him, the other contestants stopped running to see what had happened. Then one by one, they turned around and went back to help him up. Every single one of them.

When he was back on his feet, dusted off and tears dried one girl with Downs Syndrome had put her arms around him and kissed him gently, saying, .This will make him better.. Afterwards all nine children joined hands and the audience watched spellbound as they walked together to the finish line. Nine gold medals were awarded in that race and the crowd that cheered the winners on with a standing ovation learned something about friendship that day that they would never forget.

You’re in My Space
One of my regular students, Janice, told me a story about a time that she arrived to class and found a woman in ‘her’ regular spot.  Janice was peeved the entire class. In essence, Janice was feeling competitive with the other woman, whom she felt swooped in and ‘stole’ her spot. Upon later reflection Janice began to question her competitive attitude toward the other woman. She then realized that it was silly to be angry or upset at the other woman. With a gleam in her eye, Janice shared with me how her thinking transformed with a simple thought. She said, “I was so irked that she took my spot, but then I realized that we most have a lot in common. After all, we both want to see class from the same vantage point.” 

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For Web (for reprints ALL links must remain active)
Monique Danielle wants you to live a long and prosperous life. You have great gifts to share with the world. She can help you uncover these gifts through simple, natural concepts based upon yoga, meditaiton and holistic health.  You may Download this intention and print or save to your computer, then pass it on to a friend. 

OR

For Print, Radio and TV
Monique Danielle wants you to live a long and happy life. You have great gifts to share with the world. She can help you uncover these gifts through simple, natural concepts.  To learn more about how you can benefit from yoga, meditation and holistic concepts, visit easyflowmeditaiton.com and moniquedanielle.com.

Sept 16 Intention: Give More - Live Longer (read the quotes, then see notes and personal story below)
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Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

The Lesson
In giving peace, love, joy, pardon, faith, hope, light, console, understanding, and pardon we receive wealth beyond measure. Giving or service is known as karma yoga.  Are you strengthening your hatha yoga practice with karma yoga?

Action Item
What have you been wanting more of in your life? To feel loved? pretty? successful? good at your job? understood? Think of just one thing for the moment. The thing that you want most. How could others help you reach this goal?

Now set an intention that for the coming week you will give to others that which you want for yourself. For example, if you want to feel good at your job, this week show appreciation and encouragement to others. Let them know that you appreciate their good work. Encourage them in professional growth.

Or, perhaps you want to feel loved. This week show love and kindess to others. Go out of our way to tell people how important they are to you. 

'You reap what you sew' is an ancient truth. When you shift your energy to giving that which you seek, you will find yourself blessed many times over.

Helpers High – Give More, Live Longer
Dr. Stephanie Brown and her colleagues at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan conducted a study on the health effects of giving. Dr. Brown tracked 423 older couples over five years. The couples who reported giving no support to others were more than twice as likely to die during the five years of the study as those who helped others. The simple act of giving to neighbors, a spouse, relative or friends gave people a 50% better chance of living longer. 

Michigan researchers who studied 2,700 people for almost ten years found that men who regularly did volunteer work had death rates two-and-one half times lower than men who didn’t. In a separate study, volunteers who worked directly with those who benefited from their services had a greater immune system boost than those whose volunteer work was restricted to pushing papers.

Harvard researchers also conducted a study that showed how giving is such a powerful immune booster that it can be experienced just by watching someone else in the act of giving! In this well-known experiment, students looking at a film of Mother Teresa as she tended the sick in Calcutta—even those who purported to dislike Mother Teresa—got an increase in immune function.

Psychologist Robert Ornstein and physician David Sobel are well known for their examinations of the health effects of altruism. In their book Healthy Pleasures, they describe what they call the “helper’s high,” a kind of euphoria volunteers get when helping others—a warm glow in the chest and a sense of vitality that comes from being simultaneously energized and calm. They compare it to a runner’s high and claim it is caused by the body’s release of endorphins. Because of all these health benefits, as Stella Reznick says in The Pleasure Zone, “the one who ends up getting the most from a good deed may, ultimately, be the good Samaritan.”

Giving is good for your health! 
(some of the information in this document is excerpted from grandtimes.com) 

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All print, broadcast and electronic media may reprint weekly intentions  provided that the author bio and contact information at the end of each weekly intetion is included in your publication. A fee of $200 per weekly intention will be expected for articles published without the closing bio.

Author Credit/Contact Information:

For Web (for reprints ALL links must remain active)
Monique Danielle wants you to live a long and prosperous life. You have great gifts to share with the world. She can help you uncover these gifts through simple, natural concepts based upon yoga, meditaiton and holistic health.  You may Download this intention and print or save to your computer, then pass it on to a friend. 

OR

For Print, Radio and TV
Monique Danielle wants you to live a long and happy life. You have great gifts to share with the world. She can help you uncover these gifts through simple, natural concepts.  To learn more about how you can benefit from yoga, meditation and holistic concepts, visit easyflowmeditaiton.com and moniquedanielle.com.

Sept 9 Intention: Follow Your Heart (read the quotes, then see notes and personal story below)
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“Go not where the path may lead, but where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's."
Fyodor Dostoevsky
 
Notes and Thoughts
Imagine a time in your life when you felt strong, powerful, peaceful and centered. What were you doing? My guess is that you were following your heart.

When I speak of following your heart I am not advocating selfish or impulsive behavior.  To follow your heart means to have the strength, courage and love to embrace your highest nature, and to share that nature with the world.  It also means to tune in to your intuition…honoring your ‘gut reaction’ and inner voice over external expectations.

There are times when we do things for the wrong reasons… for money…for respect…for acceptance….for power… to live up to someone else’s expectations….etc. Ultimately all of these things stem from fear or need. Following our hearts stems from strength and clarity.

When our actions stem from fear and need, we fill the world with like energy. When our actions stem from strength and clarity we not only share our gifts with the world, we give others permission to do the same.

Personal Story
When I first started my marketing agency, DivaDesignWorld, I was filled with passion and joy. Within two years I became disillusioned. The primary source of frustration was that I felt ‘taken advantage of’.  I felt like nobody appreciated my work, and that no matter how much I gave it was not enough.

I was operating out of a position of fear and need. I was afraid that I wasn’t good enough, that my clients wouldn’t like me and that I wouldn’t get the ‘next project’.  So, I over-compensated, by giving too much, working ridiculous hours and under pricing my services.

I wanted to close up shop, but I feared failure. I didn’t want my professional peers to see me as a ‘failure’, my husband’s family and coworkers to see me as ‘just a housewife’, or my family to think of me as a quitter. For over a year I struggled, trying to figure out what path to take.
 
Then, I began to pray and meditate. Soon the voices of fear and pride were quieted. I was left with just one voice…my own.  In that quiet space I decided that it didn’t matter if people thought I was ‘just a housewife’. It was not important if people viewed me as a ‘failure’. What was important was to follow my heart.
So, I began to invest less time in DivaDesignWorld and more time into thinking about what I truly wanted.  Then one day, quite suddenly, I decided that I would become a personal trainer and yoga instructor. I wanted to feel good about my body and help others do the same. I also knew that I felt most balanced when I was physically active.

Within in one week I developed an entire plan to manifest my desire. Within a few months I was teaching a full schedule. 

During that transition I realized I didn’t want to close DivaDesigWorld. What I wanted was to give it less prominence in my life. I now only accept clients from a position of strength and clarity.  In doing so it has become much easier to draw boundaries and mange client expectations.  Since readjusting my attitude I’ve found that my clients are happier, projects go much more smoothly, and DivaDesignWorld is more profitable.

As far as the wellness career is concerned, it has brought me a tremendous amount of physical and spiritual wealth. Since becoming a yoga instructor my scoliosis no longer troubles me, I feel much more confident about my body, and I feel more connected to my community. The greatest gift I receive is from my students, who I love dearly. When they tell me how yoga improves their lives, I feel like the most successful person in the world. I feel like I’m living my highest calling and making a difference in the world.

By following my heart I not only ‘saved’ DivaDesignWorld, I started a new career that fills me with joy.

And, the adventure continues…. Next chapter in life….author and speaker……I hope....

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All print, broadcast and electronic media may reprint weekly intentions  provided that the author bio and contact information at the end of each weekly intetion is included in your publication. A fee of $200 per weekly intention will be expected for articles published without the closing bio.

Author Credit/Contact Information:

For Web (for reprints ALL links must remain active)
Monique Danielle wants you to live a long and prosperous life. You have great gifts to share with the world. She can help you uncover these gifts through simple, natural concepts based upon yoga, meditaiton and holistic health.  You may Download this intention and print or save to your computer, then pass it on to a friend. 

OR

For Print, Radio and TV
Monique Danielle wants you to live a long and happy life. You have great gifts to share with the world. She can help you uncover these gifts through simple, natural concepts.  To learn more about how you can benefit from yoga, meditation and holistic concepts, visit easyflowmeditaiton.com and moniquedanielle.com.

Sept 03, 2007 Intention: Kind Words
(read the quotes, then see notes and personal story below)

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QUOTES ABOUT KIND WORDS

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." - Mother Teresa

“ Our small efforts at kindness can change people's lives more than we will ever know. Since it takes so little time and energy to change the world for the better, why not make an effort to do it every day?" - Pat Williams

 "Kindness is like fresh-fallen snow; it makes beautiful everything that it covers." -- Anonymous

 "The kinder and more thoughtful a person is, the more kindness he/she can find in other people."
-- Tolstoy

NOTES AND THOUGHTS

Karma Yoga:  Each day this week find at least one person to give kind words to. Let your words be true and sincere.  Be especially mindful of giving kind words to someone who seems sad, lonely, angry, unhappy, or discouraged.

If you catch yourself using unkind words, stop, breathe, and think of how to rephrase your communication.

Personal Story:  I would like to share a story about a time in my life when words, both kind and unkind made a lasting impression. 

When I was six years old I lived in a neighborhood where all the children were of Anglo-Saxon descent. In a sea of fair skinned and light eyed kids, my dark complexion stood out. On the playground a few mean spirited kids would shout, “nigger…nigger…you’re a nigger…”   One day while I was on the playground two kids approached me and thrust a bar of soap into my face, “The reason you’re so brown is because you’re dirty. You’re brown and dirty. You need a bath.”  

That day I asked my mom, between sobs, “Am I dirty? They said that I’m dirty.”  My mother, who always kept me well groomed, was appalled.  She brushed my hair and said, “You’re not dirty. Those kids are mean and stupid. Some day they’re going to be burning their skin in the sun trying to get a beautiful brown tan like yours.”

Crushed by the cruelty of a few unkind classmates, I began to believe that I was ugly. A couple weeks later I fell asleep with gum in my mouth. In the morning my long, one-length hair was tangled with bubble gum.  To remove the gum my mother had to give me a haircut. I now had bangs – ewwww! I despised the bangs and felt even uglier.

At school I tried to hide myself. I felt icky and I didn’t want anyone to see me, especially Jason, a boy I had a crush on.  Around mid-day Jason walked by my desk, looked me straight in the eye and said, “You’re hair looks pretty.”

Wow – it brings tears to my eyes to remember that moment. Jason’s simple, kind words carried me through the day.  He’ll never know how much it meant for that sad, lonely little girl to hear the words, “You’re hair looks pretty.”

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All print, broadcast and electronic media may reprint weekly intentions  provided that the author bio and contact information at the end of each weekly intetion is included in your publication. A fee of $200 per weekly intention will be expected for articles published without the closing bio.

Author Credit/Contact Information:

For Web (for reprints ALL links must remain active)
Monique Danielle wants you to live a long and prosperous life. You have great gifts to share with the world. She can help you uncover these gifts through simple, natural concepts based upon yoga, meditaiton and holistic health.  You may Download this intention and print or save to your computer, then pass it on to a friend. 

OR

For Print, Radio and TV
Monique Danielle wants you to live a long and happy life. You have great gifts to share with the world. She can help you uncover these gifts through simple, natural concepts.  To learn more about how you can benefit from yoga, meditation and holistic concepts, visit easyflowmeditaiton.com and moniquedanielle.com.