Word Count: 477 words, 65 characters per line

Thanks, Claudette Rowley ============

Take a Stand for Yourself

Maintaining balance in your life is a common concern these days, usually posed as an issue of work/life balance. People who seek work/life balance often want to work less and have more time and energy for family or for other interests. However, this month, I'd like to look at balance through a different lens.

At its core, I believe that maintaining "balance" means examining how fully we value and honor ourselves. And to fully value and honor ourselves, sometimes we need to take a stand. We already take stands for causes we believe in, we advocate for our children, and champion our friends as they go after their dreams. Yet sometimes we forget that most important person to take a stand for is one we greet daily in bathroom mirror.

Taking a stand means different things to different people. Here are some examples:

- In midst of a successful career and a growing family, your political consciousness is activated and you join in a protest about an issue close to your heart.

- You buck family expectation that you'll use your law degree in a big downtown law firm. Instead, you use your legal skills to protect environment.

- You're from a family of artists and writers, but you go to business school instead.

Word Count: 612 words, 65 characters per line

Thanks, Claudette Rowley ============

The Power of Presence

This month I would like to share with you a powerful way of being that I've practiced over past few months: being present in each moment. Being present means being aware or conscious of what's going on inside of you, and allowing it without judgment. This level of consciousness gives us full freedom to be who we are. It also brings a tremendous sense of inner peace.

How do you know when you're present?

You know you are present when you feel at ease with yourself. There's no underlying tension, your mind isn't chattering on in judgment of you or someone else. You are also present when you ALLOW a moment to be as it is. For example, you notice that you have a story in your mind about a situation. And you observe it as a story not as truth. Or you feel a negative emotion and you notice that without judging it. You stay in moment of whatever you are feeling.

What stops us from being present?

Reviewing past and projecting into future. Many of us spend half of our time ruminating about past and reliving our emotions about it. Then based on what we've experienced in past, we project into future about circumstances that may never occur. Our mind makes up fear-based stories that catapult out of present and into a made-up future. In other words, we end up resisting present moment in fear of what future might bring.