2011: The Year of Expansion, Prepare Now!

By Jillian Maas Backman

We are quickly approaching upon the last 30 days of year’s end, 2010. This should be signaling your inner self to prepare for some good old fashion reflective moments. Unfortunately, that time arrives spontaneously around midnight on New Year’s Eve. Only then, it becomes a peer- pressured hurried task of index, file, and by default, repeat. We jot down the first “opportunities” that comes to our heads on what we want to create differently in 2011. With no sincere intentions of following through on our so-called “New Year’s Resolutions.” Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we all decided to break from this habit and do something out of the ordinary? For instance, start the process RIGHT NOW!

The greatest holiday gift you could give yourself this year is the gift of Proactive Contemplation. Literally, force yourself to detach from the barrage of holiday hustle and bustle. Seize the next 30 days to become selfishly insightful. Annex yourself from the culture- imposed expectations of gifting only to others. The cost for such a worthy present to yourself is minimal compared to the trade-offs if you do not. Potentially losing you in the expectations of pleasing others, it is so easy to push our needs to the bottom of the shopping list. However, there are eventual consequences from this type of personal neglect. Over time, our gifts become tainted by hidden negative attitudes. If you throw a sliver of self-honored gratitude in the basket for yourself among the gift buying, your entire way of thinking will shift immediately.

True proactive contemplation is about taking an intuitive stock of the last year and applying that same intuitive sensibility into the next. The way to figure out what that entails is by examining two energetic influences that affect all human beings. The first is always your own intuitive soul searching. The second is a bit more subjective from the outside world. It is the soulful energy of the year in passing and the year forthcoming. For our purpose, only two years in particular 2010 and 2011.

Every year contains its own energetic theme. It is widely understood there is some kind of energy surrounding all living creatures. Many refer to this as an energetic sphere. We have all felt some kind of strange sensation when intersecting with someone’s energy circle. This kind of energy is not exclusive to living objects. It applies to other items as well, and in this case, years. A good example of this right now is the enormous discussions about 2012. It is just a year like any other, but great conversations are being discussed all over the planet about the “energy” that goes along with this year in particular. In actuality, this kind of energetic essence applies to all years.

Year 2010 is a time of substantial transitions. A year filled with modifications, alterations, and changeovers of all proportions. Transitional years bring exaggerated highs, lows and leave behind a wake of uncertainty. There is a tendency to lose sight of accomplishments quickly because the awards are not immediately apparent. Thus, creating a life in “continuous limbo.” Social challenges remain unsettled and relationships evolve with undefined closures. The most obvious transitional unpredictability was the way in which the economic hard times hit many Americans personally. Even global indicators are signaling the identical patterns of an energetic shakeup. There was a cohesive political voice screaming for economic revisions. We were soulfully smitten by the engagement announcement of two significant world figures, Prince William and his lovely bride to wed next year. A subtle nudge from the universe to awaken our dormant romantic heart center within each one of us. All of these experiences designed to channel our energies towards achievements in 2011.

Do not be deceived by this transitional energy. If you were one that seized the last months to do the grit work, you will thrive with the energy associated with 2011. Keeping your head down, following the destined path with un-coached perseverance, you have insured success in laying the groundwork for the coming months. You will be very pleased that you vesting the time it took to lay this tedious track wisely. Your endeavors will expand three fold. On the other side, if you are one of those who stood back and watched your destiny track pass, there will be a few more challenges in the coming year.

I believe 2011 will be a year of expansion. A year jammed packed with intriguing contradictions. Expansion years pick up where they left off the year before. In other word, any personal, professional, or spiritual seeds sown this year will root and prosper in the next. If you are one of those people who dedicated efforts towards sincere goals, expect the process to open up. On the counter side, if you are in the group that decided not to partake in significant transitional work, expect expansion of a different kind. As the old adage goes: What you reap is what you sow. You can be the true judge of this in your heart for the coming year. Expansive years are known for bringing with it buckets of hopefulness. There will be barrels of new beginnings and healthy quarreless closures. Optimism will be available to enjoy and global confidence will begin to re-inflate slowly throughout the year. Personal soul work will continue to be at the forefront leading the pack ONLY if we choose it. Our pretentious veils will continue to shear away. Lovingly exposing the uncovered truth of who you are for everyone to witness. Take the moments we all have left in this year to prepare for the dawning of next.

This is not the year for categorizing everything into a strength or weakness.

For the most part, you will end up more frustrated with the progress than you originally thought. Many times people have a tendency to hastily miss-label both strengths and weaknesses. This is especially true for energies during transitional times. There is no way of gauging genuine success until enough time pass to compose a qualified assessment.

I want you to look over the past months as if you were playing a rousing game of chess on a chessboard. This game requires well thought out strategic moves for the sole purpose of winning the game. Apply this same logic here.

What transitional strategic moves did you open this year?

Break them down into three categories. Personal, professional, and most importantly soulfully. Rank all three in order by which you transitioned the most. From there, take each individual category and describe in one- line sentences the most significant experiences you consider unfinished business. I suggest no more than four or five key moves in each category. After you have completed that task, place the punctuation of a semi colon (;) at the tail end to every item listed. This symbolic punctuation represents in the literary world a continuation of the prior phase. Here we are using it to represent the continuation from the transitional year into the expansive year. How are you going to expand your individual efforts into the future? Go back to your original written list and add the 2011 expansion statement to every sentence after the semi colon. After you complete this task, you will feel energized about the work in progress. See the pattern develop before your eyes and an authentic plan of action for 2011.

My personal request for all of you.

While penning your list for the coming year please include one significant selfless expansive task you will in act for the good the universe.

“One can only achieve their greatest dreams with the assistance of others.”

Here is the good news;

You have been fore- advised on the pending year ahead. Those of you in despair and feel you need to adjust your visions accordingly to capture the essence of expansion you still have thirty day in which to do it. Those of you, who feel this year was filled with useless idleness, fear not. You might have simply over looked your transitional achievements.

In holiday grace, Jillian Maas Backman 

http://jillianmaasbackman.com

Vital Belief #3 for Achieving Success in 2010—Breathe

By Pamela Chapman

Here it is, April 26, 2010 already. I started out writing to you in January about five vital beliefs for achieving success this year. These last four months, I have had to hold on tight to those beliefs and also rely on the expert advice of friends, family, and associates because I’ve been in a state and a season of transition. So the advice I’m about to give you, I’ve been living. And it works.


Last year, I was introduced to a wonderful woman by the name of Ana-Christina Wadle. She is a quantum coach who has written a book called The Simple Tools of Hope. One of the tools Ana-Christina talks about is taking the time to breathe. I remember when I first read it I thought, “Breathe?” I smiled, taking her advice lightly. I forgot that one simple word of advice until I found myself totally stressed out and talking to a business coach who told me to do the same thing. “Pamela, you are working way too hard, doing way too much; you need to stop and breathe. And the bill is…”


The contributors to the Time’s Up! blog and subscribers to the Time’s Up! Searching Out Solutions for Victims are busy people: many are advocates, and many are activists. We take care of our families, clients, and customers, and we fight for our cause. “Transition and change” is our motto; healing is our calling. We take care of people during the emergencies of life. Oftentimes, we are so caught up with helping others and changing our world that we forget to take care of ourselves.


I’m sure almost every one of you has flown on a plane. You know that before that plane takes off, a friendly attendant tells you what you must do in case of an emergency. If there is a sudden loss of altitude, the oxygen masks will be released from the overhead bins. You are supposed to place the mask over your nose and mouth and pull on the yellow tabs to release the flow of oxygen. If you are traveling with a child, you should place the mask over your nose and mouth first. If you are a parent, this seems to go against every paternal instinct you have. 


Oxygen, or breathing, ensures that the brain keeps thinking, the heart keeps beating, the cells release energy, and the vital parts of our body function correctly. It is amazing how we breathe 24/7 without any thought about the process. It is also amazing how we breathe so badly during our conscious moments—so fast and furious that it is almost hyperventilating at times. Notice your breathing now. What is it like? Is it quick and shallow or is it deep and deliberate? Your breathing correlates with how you are feeling and how you are functioning. 


Stop right now with me. Yes, that’s correct, stop right now, and practice breathing. Take a slow deep breath, feeling your lungs expand to their fullness, then exhale, feeling the warm air flowing from your nostrils exiting into the atmosphere. Feel your chest sinking inward. You might go one step further and take a deeper breath, pushing out your stomach, expanding your lungs until they feel like they might explode, holding your breath to the count of three, slowing exhaling, releasing, and sinking in your stomach, and pressing all the air out of your lungs. 


If you are doing this while you’re reading, you will notice a sudden shift if you are doing it correctly. The room surrounding you will appear slightly different; you will have seemed to settle and be more relaxed and at peace. You might even feel a little lightheaded. If that happens, an actual physiological change has occurred. You will now be more focused, and your priorities will be clear. You will also feel energized, restored, and a little more balanced—able to make a greater difference in our universe or pursue your cause with more direction and vigor.


You may not feel like a happy-go-lucky, everything-is-beautiful person right now. You are under stress. Some of you choose your stress, but many of you are thrown into (dis)stress. If you remember to take just a few seconds to breathe correctly, once or twice during your hectic day, you will be more balanced, you will feel healthier, and you will certainly accomplish more. 

I believe if you want to be successful in 2010, making the choice to take the time to breathe correctly is vital. May the peace of God that passes all understanding guard both your heart and mind.


In love, light, and healing,
Pamela Chapman