Evolve, Health, Lifestyle

Begin your year with an energy of love

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Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

by Julie Kolb

I am blessed to be a woman who studies energy, especially the energy of love.

We are the creators of our own existence through our intent and our energy. But how often are we taking the time to look at our experiences and break them down into the energy of our creation, especially when it comes to love?

Love does not just refer to romantic love, but the energy of love for all things. Most are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient, love is kind….” Break that down into energy. Are you approaching that which you love – whether it be a parent, a child, a sibling, a romantic partner, your career, your home, or yourself – with the energy of kindness and the energy of patience?

I was recently reading a book, The Path of Empowerment by Barbara Marciniak, and it talked about how if something in your life is not going according to plan, look at it, take responsibility for it, and then begin again. I had a situation about a week ago that deeply hurt and angered me. Through closer contemplation, I realized that I had not been in the energy that what I wanted mattered in my relationship with the person who upset me. I had allowed this person to continually think that what they wanted mattered more.

To begin again, I revisited 1 Corinthians 13: “Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” How many of us can say that we truly function in life this way? And again, this is not just with love of others, but includes love of self. Is there something you are beating yourself up about in regard to choices you may have made in the past? Past words spoken? Let it go. Love keeps no record of wrongs and that includes holding onto things of the past you regret or wish you had done different. There is no wrong turn – all of it lead us to this moment right here today and you are exactly where you are supposed to be. There are so many beautiful energies in the world, and they are all yours to be experienced.

As you move into 2023 think about what you want the year to feel like. What energy do you wish to experience? Know that you are capable of creating it and worthy of all of it.

Would you like to learn more about Energy Coaching? Visit our website here.

Are you interested in writing a guest blog post for my blog? Contact me at TylerVLayne@gmail.com

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Evolve, Health, Lifestyle

The journey to joy, part 2

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by Jolie Kolb

It’s 6:41pm on Wednesday the night before Thanksgiving, and I am in tears. My son is 15 and my step-son is almost 20 and home from college on break. The two of them just left with another friend to go pick up a friend from the airport. Then they are going to go to that kid’s house to spend the night and we will catch up again tomorrow for dinner at my mother’s. In this moment the silence in the house is so loud. Gone are the days of little boys running around my house watching holiday specials and making Christmas lists off the Black Friday commercials. Having children is one of the best and yet hardest things on the heart. I am so grateful they are so close and spending this time together, but I miss them and their craziness just the same. The holidays and the heartstrings do not always play nicely together.

My boyfriend will be over in a bit, and I am grateful for his presence. He is older than I am and has already gone through this kid transition, so he has empathy for my moments. I work off the Buddhist principle “Be Here Now” not “Be There Then,” so I take a breath and try to refocus. One of the quickest ways to adjust your energy is to move into an attitude of gratitude. In this moment everyone I know is in a good space. I am in a good space. For those things, I am grateful.

A big part of navigating the energy of the holidays and being in a space of joy comes back to embracing change. The only constant in life is that it is always changing. So much of navigating change comes from our perception and the story we tell ourselves about what is taking place. Change your words, change your story, change your energy. I think of my boys and the laughter and memories they are creating tonight with their friends, and that makes me smile. My boyfriend texts me that he is leaving his house and will be here soon, and that warms my heart. A girlfriend sends me a text with pictures of a guy she’s out on a second date with that’s going well, and it makes me happy to know she’s having a good time. The loudness of the silence of the house fades away into the hum of the heat kicking on, the rattle of the dryer running in the basement, and the gentle snoring of my three dogs. The phrase from the Christmas carol pops into my head, “Good tidings of comfort and joy.”

Joy is not always a big, in your face, overwhelming feeling of happiness. In this moment, joy is the soft, warm feeling that comes from the comfort of those little things like my snoring dogs, the sounds of my home, and the gratitude of knowing that in this moment, all is well in my world and with the people I love. If the journey to joy is done from the heart, then part of this is recognizing that it is not felt in just one way. It can be big and felt through your whole being, or that small, soft knowing that makes you smile. However it comes, embrace it, bask in it, truly and deeply feel it, knowing you are worthy of all the warmth, love, and peace it brings you.

Join us on Thursday, December 8 at 7:30pm for an online seminar about Finding Joy, not just during the holiday season, but every day of your life. Learn more & sign up here.

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Evolve, Health, Lifestyle

The journey to joy

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Learn more about our new Energy Coach, Julie Kolb, here

by Jolie Kolb

Earlier this week Tyler sent out a list of seminars the Evolve team would be doing during the month of December. As I reviewed it, December 8th we are speaking on finding joy during the holiday season. This sounded like an awesome idea; the only problem was, I was finding it difficult to find joy myself. How am I supposed to help others with something I’m not sure I can accomplish myself?

This time of year is a challenge when it comes to maintaining positive energy. My boyfriend and I had already gotten into an argument about Thanksgiving plans, the bills are due and somehow there needs to be money for holiday shopping, everyone’s stress level is higher as we try to accomplish all the things, and then there are the ever-lingering memories of holidays past and the reminder of how things have changed which tug at the heartstrings. Yet this time of year is to be about the energy of joy. If I was going to speak about it, first I had to find it for myself. So I set out on a journey to find joy.

I started in the most logical place, asking my friends. This led to some interesting discussions about how it has to be in the little things and in things that don’t have anything to do with other people. This seemed like a conundrum since the holidays are supposed to be about friends and family. So now I’m looking for things that have nothing to do with other people, in a season that is about other people. At this point I did the most logical thing I could think of and booked myself a one hour salt float. Perhaps some time alone floating in a pool of salt would give me the clarity that I needed. My energy shifted with excitement as soon as I hit the “confirm” button on my float reservation. The relaxation time would definitely bring me joy.

If you have never floated, basically the way it works is that you get into a giant bathtub filled with salt water that has enough salt in it that you automatically float. The bathtub is in an enclosed pod. The doors close and eventually all the lights go out, although you can turn on lights if you choose. I settled in and began to float, eventually the lights went out and it was pitch black. I lay there for awhile trying to relax my mind. At some point I decided I wanted to turn the lights on, but in the darkness, I could not find the switch. I began feeling my way around the tank, unable to find the door or the switch, panic began to set in. It was completely dark and I couldn’t see anything and I knew that no one could hear me. I continued to frantically feel around the walls looking for the handle to the door. Eventually I found it, realizing that I had gotten turned around so that everything that had been on my left was now on my right. I opened the door and let in some light and found the switch to turn on the lights inside the pod. Settling back down into the water I began to reflect on this experience. I was here to relax and find joy. Why did I feel it necessary to look for a way out? Why when I couldn’t find the light switch could I not just relax knowing that in 50 minutes the lights would come on anyway? Why couldn’t I surrender to the experience without having an exit strategy?

After my float, feeling much more relaxed, I sat down to contemplate this journey to joy. It seems to me that if I am going to find joy this holiday season, and help others to do the same, then it has to be a path led solely by the heart. The minute my head gets into the mix, things go awry and it seems I self-sabotage my own mission. How many times are we our own roadblock to joy? I set the intention to get out of my own way this holiday season and to focus on following my heart on this journey to joy. Easier said than done? I have no doubt. But if there is one thing I have learned on the adventure of self-exploration, there are always lessons to be learned and obstacles to overcome. I am looking forward to taking on this challenge of staying in my heart space as we welcome in the holidays and can’t wait to share what I learn along the way.

Join us on Thursday, December 8 at 7:30pm for an online seminar about Finding Joy, not just during the holiday season, but every day of your life. Learn more & sign up here.

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