Brave and Awake: - A Story of Authentic Becoming - Softcover

Molina, Beverly

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1504334108 ISBN 13: 9781504334105

Verlag: BalboaPress, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

Brave and Awake is one woman's story of truths discovered and lessons learned over a lifetime. The author, a fifteen-year veteran firefighter, offers her unique experiences and truths learned as a twenty-first century woman breaking social and personal barriers on her way to empowerment and freedom. The author's adventures, ranging from firefighting to dancing, from the ordinary to the mystical, capture the spirit of the modern woman-one who faces her fears, trusts her intuition, thinks for herself, and creates her own happiness. And while this pocket-sized gem offers helpful tools and insights gained from the author's own personal experiences, Brave and Awake ultimately invites and inspires readers to become their own best expert along the way.

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Brave and Awake

- A Story of Authentic Becoming

By Beverly Molina

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2015 Beverly Molina
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-3410-5

Contents

Acknowledgements, xi, 
Introduction, xv, 
Part 1 Cultivate a Positive Perspective, 1, 
Chapter 1 Trust — The Golden Key, 3, 
Chapter 2 Think for Yourself, 20, 
Chapter 3 Anything Is Possible!, 35, 
Chapter 4 The Origins of Happiness, 47, 
Part 2 Make Peace with the Past and Reside in the Present, 63, 
Chapter 5 We Can Never Know Anyone Else's Story, 65, 
Chapter 6 Feel Your Feelings ... Then Let Them Go, 79, 
Chapter 7 Sometimes Getting Lost Will Help You Find Yourself, 90, 
Chapter 8 Be Still ... and Breathe, 101, 
Part 3 Embrace Your Inner Mystic, 113, 
Chapter 9 There Is More to Life Than Meets the Eye, 115, 
Chapter 10 Who Are We Really?, 131, 
Chapter 11 Expect Miracles, 144, 
Chapter 12 Live Your Dance, 166, 
The Inward Journey to Authentic Becoming, 181, 

CHAPTER 1

TRUST — THE GOLDEN KEY

Close your eyes and see clearly. You have all of your answers inside of you.

— Helene Rothschild

You might think that, as a firefighter, I'd say one of the best compliments a fire captain could give me would sound something like, "Nice going on the hose line, Bev. Good job getting in there quick and finding the seat of the fire." Or, "Good work with the chainsaw. That ventilation hole was a big help to the fire attack crew below." While those acknowledgments have certainly felt satisfying and great, the best compliment I ever got from a fire captain was, "Glad you're going to be at our station today, Bev. You'll bring your positive energy, and you'll calm us all down."

I have always felt a sense of gratitude when my mostly positive perspective shapes and contours my day, and I most definitely feel appreciation when my outlook can make a difference for others. In fact, I have learned over time that cultivating an uplifting and affirming perspective is one of the most transformational and beneficial means by which we can begin to experience life with an awakened consciousness.

Most people would agree that being positive feels good. But some might suggest that being positive is just not realistic. Others may think that positivity leads to naiveté. I have found, however, that when my life stems from an affirming and positive foundation, I take a pivotal step closer to who I really am and the things I really want.

Of course, saying that you want to be positive is one thing. But how can you really live this way? Let's explore some tenets of positivity that can inspire and assist you in choosing a positive life experience on the way to wakefulness.

One of the cornerstones of experiencing life in an uplifting way is trusting yourself. When we trust ourselves in matters large and small, we make decisions and feel good about them, and our lives move forward. When we doubt ourselves, life can become a little more complicated. Without self-trust, it is difficult to make decisions. We might never make a decision for fear of not choosing the right option. Our lives may be on permanent hold.

When you do not trust yourself, you might call in the experts, do research on the Internet, or ask your friends for advice. Does that provide answers? Maybe. But how do you really know if something is best for you? Low-fat diet, no-carb diet, high-protein diet — which one do you choose? Life can get complicated when you believe that others have the inside track on what's best for you.

Why is it that so many of us have such a hard time trusting ourselves? For starters, most of us have been raised in an environment where we were taught otherwise. If you have been kicked down by people close to you, the journey toward self-trust and self-love can be very hard. Perhaps you were told that you were worthless, and you believed it. You might have been ignored, belittled, or worse. It's hard to trust yourself when your sense of self rests on such a shaky foundation.

Our modern society also influences us in ways that make us question our ability to trust ourselves. It overwhelms us with information about what we should and should not do. Commercials tell us what to buy, studies and statistics aim to influence what we eat and don't eat, and the experts tell us what is best for us. Are we are enrolling our children in the right schools? Are we are being good parents, making the right decisions? How do we know?

Whatever the cause, when we do not trust ourselves, we traverse vast deserts of uncertainty and skepticism, always searching through doubt and wondering if we've made the right decisions. With so many reasons to question our own judgment, it can seem as though the odds are stacked against us when it comes to trusting ourselves.

When I was ten, I knew I wanted to write a book. Where that came from I had no idea, except that it came from somewhere far, deep, forgotten, and unknown to me. I signed up as a creative-writing major my freshman year in college. However, I quickly abandoned that idea as my rational mind bulldozed that ridiculous thought. Write a book? Was I crazy? What was I going to write about — my collegiate partying experiences? I finished my freshman year with some great partying stories under my belt, transferred to another school, majored in a practical subject, and got a public-relations degree.

Cut to twenty-five years later, after a public-relations career, some major discontent, a radical career change, a love affair, a husband, two kids, two dogs, and some miracles ... and here I am, writing a book. Sometimes I wonder how life would have been different if I had trusted myself when I was younger.

There's no reason for you to wait that long and go through so many of life's ups and downs before you start to trust yourself. If you can make up your mind to try, you can start today.

How do you begin?

I have found that listening to your gut is a good place to start. Have you ever had a strong feeling about something you had no scientific way to prove, no logical means of explaining — but nonetheless, it was something you felt intuitively? Maybe it was just an inkling or a feeling about something, or perhaps it was an insight that came through, clear as a bell — something you really knew.

Have you ever had an experience in which the phone is ringing and you think to yourself, that is so-and-so — and then you pick up the phone and it is? With some excitement, you might tell your friend, "I totally knew it was going to be you!" That example might be an easy one for us to accept — no life-and-death decisions involved in that instance. I have noticed, however, that most of us tend to dismiss our intuitive insights when it comes to more significant events and decisions that cross our paths. We often say things like "trust your gut," "use your intuition," "follow your heart," or "listen to your inner voice." Sometimes we listen, and sometimes we don't.

Trust Your Gut; Don't Get Burned

Sometimes you might be faced with some not-so-subtle clues when it comes to trusting yourself for your own safety and well-being. For example, your gut might tell you not to get on the train or go to work on a certain day; you get a knot in your stomach as you pack your lunch and put on your work clothes. Do you trust yourself and stay home? I'm sure you have heard stories like those surrounding the attack on September 11...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: BalboaPress
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2015
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1504334108
• ISBN 13: 9781504334105
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 216
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: KreGa Onlinehandel GmbH; 4950000000000; info@krega-onlinehandel.de; ; Birkenweg 31; Brakel; 33034; Deutschland