Feelings Archives - SARA DOOLITTLE

Why You Want to Learn from Life Experiences through Journaling

You may find yourself wondering what you can do to feel a deeper connection to yourself, others, the universe, and higher energy. Or, that a deeper connection is showing up as a simple inquiry you have around life challenges. I’m beginning a series of posts around the benefits of creating a morning awakening practice, such […]

From Auto-Pilot and Non-Awareness to Creating Inner Peace

This is the first in a series of posts to discuss the benefits of a morning awakening practice. In this blog post, Sara speaks about the challenges of contrast in our very human lives. She speaks about how allowing ourselves and others to be who and how they are is a practice of self-awareness and ultimately self-care and self-love. It’s in the most challenging moments that afford us the opportunity to love ourselves in all moments rather than “try to be better”. Inner peace might be a result of perhaps allowing ourselves and others to be.

Help Yourself and the World During Chaotic Moments

Assist Yourself and Humanity During Chaotic Moments

Often it’s in life’s painful moments that offer an opportunity to practice. To practice becoming more conscious about your power to positively shift the energy on the earth. When we process something as being upsetting we can look at it as an opportunity. I wonder what will happen now? What will people choose? More importantly, what will I choose? And so we begin the practice of observation without judgment. That part takes extra practice. I know I’m still working on non-judgment. Though judging others is not to be confused with having opinions about the chaos or troubling incident. Experiences lead to opinions and opinions can lead to clarity. Judgment is not assisting anyone.

I Didn’t Recognize My Connection To Racism

All those times I learned of something horrific happening. The story of the moment faded away and I assumed things might be getting better. I told myself people learned, and progress was made. But no progress was made. An opportunity for positive change exists more often than we may realize. And I know that I and other white people can personally make a positive difference. But it means aware of our part in creating inequality and racism. And then we take action and truly stand up for what we care about. This is where I am today…

Being Busy or Efficient Doesn’t Equal a Meaningful Life

We’re the producer, director, and actor in our daily lives. As a producer, we create our life goals. As the director, we think about how we want to come across. How we want others to see us. Not as we are, but as we want to be seen. As the actor, we work hard to ensure we achieve our goals while looking good as we achieve them. Getting our life all ship-shape. Making sure it works this way or that way. Forcing everything into place.

It’s common to force productivity on myself for the sake of, “I matter because I’m busy”. And therefore I make myself busy to matter.

Calming Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

Mankind experiences crises in all shapes and forms to varying degrees. If you’re experiencing a crisis you never thought you would see in your lifetime, you’re in good company. You may be somewhat or very shocked. But how you process experiences is as individual and as unique as you are.

The crisis will end and mankind will have evolved. And you’ll now better understand how to effect a dramatic positive shift in your life. If you can step up to looking to yourself in challenging times, you’ll definitely be able to do this on an average day. This is you learning to stand in your personal power and create light in more and more moments. Even in the tough moments. Mastering your energy in terms of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, through your choices, patterns, and habits will serve you well. It will serve others well.

Do You Follow Blindly?

Every single human being has an opportunity to live their life according to what works best for them. That even includes all the bumps and detours we’re all entitled to experience. I will never follow anyone because I didn’t come here to follow. I came here to create.

5 Things I Learned On My Last Vacation

How I realized how good present moment living feels. We don’t need to go on a travel adventure to live more fully in the present moment. Our life is an adventure and offers us the gift of a present moment.

8 Things You May Not Know About Intuition

Intuition is within everyone. You just have to be you. Everyone is intuitive. Sometimes we can get in our own way and not allow ourselves to open to our intuitive guidance. Here are several things to consider.

What Fear and Balance is Teaching Me

Balance isn’t a perfect mix of work, play, health, and well-being. Balance and even success to me mean joy. Joy can show up as working or playing a lot or anything in between. There’s no right way or wrong way to go about it. There’s just whatever feels best.

When are We Being Spiritual?

How do you know, exactly, when you are being spiritual and when you are not? What makes for a spiritual moment?

Practicing Mindfulness on Vacation

Is it possible to bring mindfulness with you, even when something changes for the seemingly worse? It’s something to consider.

After the fun radio interview we took a selfie to remember the moment

My First Radio Interview

How exciting! I’ve never been on the radio before. My first radio interview was quite an experience. The more I stretch myself out of my comfort zone the more fun and interesting experiences I have. It also taught me to let go of trying to be perfect. First of all, that’s impossible. And, second, it would mean watering myself down for fear of saying something stupid. And then why show up at all? When I’m more genuinely me that’s when people tend to connect.

Allowing for True Gratitude

Funny isn’t it, that we human beings are in such need to be coached on how to experience gratefulness?

Teach Me I Could Be More

What I’m feeling when I attend those formal learning women’s networking meetings. I walk away feeling “I could be more” and that’s not how I want to feel.

How I Learned to Look to Myself for True Growth

I had to learn that I couldn’t get my spiritual mojo from others. I learned that spiritual growth comes from within myself. From my own experiences. But it took a brief meeting with someone to understand it’s not the woo-woo that counts. It’s how our lives feel.

Three Bears Experience in Finding Support

Finding the right people at the right time is a gift. I love connecting with people to support each other and share our experiences. Life is so much sweeter when we connect with each other as ourselves.

Winter Nesting Habits And My Fears

What happens when we hold back for fear of failure? I share how I was holding back out of my fears and insecurities. There’s relaxing for our own good versus using our relaxation time to avoid standing in our own power. We can experience nesting and moving forward and challenge ourselves.

I Recently Met Joy

Meeting a puppy on a trail taught me to allow more for joy in that moment. When we’re stuck in our thoughts we block the propensity for lightheartedness. Lightheartedness can, in part, lead us to our best ideas and inspiration. I think of that puppy a lot and what he taught me. To get out of my head and enjoy the moment.

We Contribute One Thought at a Time

We all make a difference in the world by how we are being. No matter how ordinary we may feel we have extraordinary power to contribute. Our thoughts, feelings, choice of words, and actions all have an effect on the collective consciousness. It’s possible to create and contribute more love in the world. How do you contribute? One beautiful thought at a time.

When It’s Time To Stop Trying So Hard

Stop trying so hard. Life is best when you let go and enjoy yourself. Your life experiences are created by how you are feeling. Perfection doesn’t really exist so it’s best to stop pursuing it. Have more fun and life will be more fun.

How a Horoscope Cheered Me Up

An example of when the universe knows you need support and encouragement.

We’re All In This Together

On the one hand, we’re all different from each other. Each person is wonderfully unique. However, we all share a common experience and that’s the experience of life. Everyone has their ups and downs. But on our uniquely individual paths perhaps we can remember to collaborate and cooperate with each other. Perhaps we can learn to be less judgmental. What’s that quote? “You can’t have compassion for someone you wish were different.”

When I Cringe I Pay Attention

Do you ever shrink from speaking up for your opinions? It’s almost comical how I hold back from being myself for fear of offending someone. Even in a business relationship where two people benefit from an honest dialog I find myself holding back. Here’s how listening to myself on a conference call illustrated just how much I put up a phony facade. Yuck! No more! It’s much healthier and more respectful to the other person to be our honest selves. Like me. Don’t like me. At least I’ll be genuine and you’ll like or dislike the real me.

Habits That Create The Best Possibilities

A sampling of ideas and tips you can practice every day. These are my ideas that work for me and I encourage you to find your own practices.

Thank you to all artists everywhere

This is a love letter to all artist everywhere. Without you, life wouldn’t be as colorful. You inspire us through sharing your humanity.

You Can’t Truly Make a Mistake

It’s not possible to make a mistake in our lifetime. It may feel like it but what we’re experiencing is growth. We take a step, sometimes we stumble, sometimes it’s a great challenge. But we’re evolving our soul no matter what. We’re in a dance with our experiences and with our self.

People Forming a Star with Their Fingers

Following Our Murmurations To Truly Live Well

Finding support sometimes is just a matter of listening to your intuition. Often we are dealing with something, wonderful or challenging, where a group may offer us confirmation or just an ear. Whatever you’re looking for there’s a community for you if you so choose.

Networking. Painful Lessons Learned.

The 60-second elevator speech and women’s networking luncheons are not everyone’s cup of tea. Ok, it’s not my cup of tea. But I learned to appreciate these women spending two hours connecting with each other to promote their business and help each other. Not my thing. I left my career to do what I’m doing now. Why waste even one moment doing something I don’t enjoy?

I Know More Now About Energy

Just paying someone a compliment can light them up. When we do something positive for one another it positively transforms the moment and touches all of humanity. Our energy is a valuable gift. We have a choice and can use it for beneficial purposes.

Trying to Resist Vulnerability

Vulnerability is nothing to be afraid of. When we look at it we can see our best parts. It’s what’s being human is about. I’d rather be human than tough.

Gracefulness of Air and Water

How air and water demonstrate beauty through gracefulness. It’s easy to be grateful for the small things that point out the simplicity of the beauty and gracefulness of air and water.

My window to feelings

All windows lead to perception. This morning’s exercise of looking out of my office window led to a feeling of peace and appreciation for nature.

Receiving My Loud Invitation to Enjoy

Joy is not something you have to work at but it may take practice to cultivate it in your everyday life. It’s always within you just waiting to be accessed.

Equisite Life Lessons

Spiritual transition and awakening can bring up all sorts of nuances in one’s life. Friendships are bound to change. Some friendships will grow and others will fade away. In the meantime, there may be ill feelings that creep in as we’re both standing in the same place but perceiving it very differently. No one’s at fault here. Take a look and decide how you can still be you and be in this friendship. If not, it’s a practice in letting go and that might be the kindest thing to do.

Celebrating Our Beautiful Humanity

The way I see it is we have basically two choices in life. One, we can live smaller and safely mainstream ourselves until we’re a watered down version. Two, we can try new things and take action on our ideas to create our dreams. The second choice is a worthy life adventure. All it takes is one perfectly imperfect step at a time.

We’re the Big Picture

Watching and hearing negativity for long periods of time does not allow for solutions to problems. It’s better to practice self-care and stay in a lighter headspace so that we can become more inspired. From inspiration, we have more of a chance to come up with ideas and solutions.

The Power of Coaxing Joy Along

Joy is the key that unlocks the power of my creativity. When I’m joyful, I feel creative, new ideas are born and I feel empowered to step up to act on them, however much I’m stretched. Though joy can be elusive. It takes a bit of focus to coax joy along. One way I coax […]

Authenticity Challenges and Heals Us

If I’m to feel delighted in my life then it’s time to be myself. Learning to step up to do my inner work stretches me in exciting ways. It’s also exciting and new. I choose to stand in my power, be myself unapologetically. Yes, to work on myself but also to love myself and to grow.

Allowing the Petty Moments to Fade

Learning how to let go of insignificant moments that irk us is worth the practice. Who wants to be annoyed when a second ago they felt good? If you’re human you’re served plenty of practice at this.

That Tingly Shiver Feeling

There are many ways to feel my connection with higher energy. At the time of writing this blog post, my strongest sense is clairsentience. That means that I feel my connection through my feelings. It’s these feelings that provide confirmation, serve to bring my awareness to what’s present, teach me what’s working and not working. There are numerous benefits. What is it? My connection is to my intuitive guidance, source energy, higher self, and so forth. I don’t get too bogged down to exactly what it is every time I feel it. I’m just aware and that offers me information and connection from within myself for my benefit.

How Connection Touches My Life

Connection touches my life in so many ways. We’re all in this together meaning what any one of us is feeling is felt by all. What any one of our actions are is felt by all. Truly it’s a network of energy and that energy is the collective consciousness.

Perfection Is Most Elusive

Honk if you don’t love parties. I don’t. I like them better than I used to but usually, I wish for a little scheduling conflict to show up so I can’t attend The Party. If it’s something I can’t get out of or have decided to push through my discomfort, I actually show up. There’s no telling how I might show up. I could be quiet, which is my old go-to. Or, I might talk a lot out of nervousness. When I used to drink socially I’d be sure to have one or two to get through the party. Sometimes I insert foot into mouth. Now that I’m more consciously intuitive I feel some people’s energy and that’s a whole new complication.

One of my life lessons and there are many, is to just be me and let go of concerning myself how others might process me. When that happens I find myself relaxing and actually enjoying the party. And if I’m not enjoying myself? I remind myself there’s nothing wrong with being an introvert and wishing I were home or on a woody path, or out on our sailboat for the night stargazing. I don’t have to apologize for what I like and don’t like. It’s time to stop feeling like I have to fit into what I feel society wants from me and instead just do whatever I want.

My Sanctuary Is Wherever I Am

My sanctuary is wherever I am in nature or at home. We don’t have to manufacture our most supportive space. You’ll know it by how you feel. Do you feel relaxed, joyful, peaceful, supported? Is this a place where ideas and dreams bubble up easily for you? Go to this place when you most need it or just as a practice every day. It will serve you well. Here are some of my most special places.

Luck Has Nothing To Do With It

Who knew that I could learn gratefulness from a landscaping experience? I also learned what positive thought does. It brings more gifts and what’s best for us. Practicing higher thoughts and gratefulness is us in our natural place of being. If we desire a lovely life it means cultivating lovely thoughts and gratefulness.

Rebalancing My Energy

Does change throw you off? Change can be beneficial but still challenging and stressful. Change is an opportunity to take on new experiences and evolve one’s life. My husband and my recent move brought up a lot of feelings and of course changes in our habits. Once I understood that I needed to rebalance myself energetically things the weirdness dissipated. Now we’re thriving from the recent change.

What Relationships Can Do For Us

If you want to move your personal and spiritual growth forward in a faster and more direct way, observe. Observe your relationships because they are the teaching ground for growth. Every single relationship in our life matters. It’s an exercise in exploring what’s showing up. Sometimes there’s pain, other times joy. But it’s always an opportunity for learning from your own experiences. The most direct and best kind of learning there is.

What Are My Gifts?

One question that just annoys the heck out of me is “so what’s your story”? Said with an emphasis on the word YOUR. I mean how do you even begin to answer that? Please don’t tell me I need to create and be ready with a 30-second elevator speech for that.

The second most annoying question I’ve been asked is “what are your gifts”?

Roadmap to Purposeful Work?

Discovering one’s purposeful work can take a minute. You may have come here with a plan but you will have shortly forgotten it. If we think of it as a fun game to uncover what we’re truly passionate about, it will show itself to us. Step by step we can discover what we’re meant to do. And we’ll know it by how we feel. Just as we’ll know what doesn’t feel good to us. It’s a process. We can’t mess it up. All roads lead there.

Living Intuitively Is Easy

Living intuitively sounds all woo-woo but it’s as simple as living with more self-awareness and from ourselves. The more we do this the more aware we become. We have our very own internal guidance system if we just listen to it. It will never steer us wrong. It doesn’t mean we won’t decide to take a different tact and wish we hadn’t. But we can get back on track faster by paying attention to what we’re being shown.

There’s a desperate desire for more love and peace in our world. But all it takes is deciding to be the vibe you wish to experience. Desire more love in the world? Be loving.

Being a Good Person

The word spirituality is such a loaded word. When I use the word I feel other people’s assumptions. It can even grate on someone’s nerves. To some, it equates to their religion. To others it’s more about how one is consciously choosing to be aware of themselves. Why does the word spirituality take on such significance and feel so loaded?

Whatever it means to you is fine with me. I like to say that we’re each unique individuals and so shouldn’t our spirituality and spiritual journey be as unique and individual as we are? It is what it is. And all too often it gets lumped in with being a “good” person. I don’t feel it has anything to do with how nice someone is.

To me, it’s simply about how I feel, at every moment. And the choices that I’m creating in each of those moments and how I experience those choices. Ok, there’s more but it has nothing to do with what exists outside of me. My experience doesn’t have to fit in with anyone else’s.

How Music Positively Transforms Us

Music is one of our most powerful and beautiful tools we can use for connection and healing. Our intuitive guidance can use it to connect with us and bring us supportive messages. Music offers us healing by transforming our mood just by listening to songs we positively resonate with. Our musical preferences are as unique and individual as we are. It can transport us to a daydreamy state and lift us to new heights. We lose track of time and go within to access its gifts.

“Adventure is not outside man; it is within”

For too long I lived a life in the way I thought others would approve. I moved to New York City and began my career in advertising. It didn’t take too long to realize that career would never fulfill me. And yet I stayed. Eventually transitioning to marketing and ending my career after being employed by several internet companies. While living in New York City felt like an adventure, my life still felt flat. I had to learn that true adventure, for me, comes from within. Now I’m pursuing my own dreams and ideas and acting on them to bring them to reality. That’s adventure to me. Taking vacations and traveling is nice but becoming more me, emotionally and spiritually, is my true adventure. Creating what I’m excited about, fulfills me more. That’s me setting off for parts unknown. And I don’t need a plane ticket.

Little Fox

Soon I’d be leaving my area and moving away. Before leaving, I wanted to visit all the places that mean so much to me. There’s a park that is quiet and offers both woodlands and water. The day my husband and I visited it we saw a beautiful fox that spent a little time with us. He was just as curious about us as we were about him.

Sparkles on My Lake

Our walk around my neighborhood lakes led me to feeling both misty and feeling a little vulnerable to what’s next. I know that change is good and it’s time for me to leave this home I’ve lived in for approximately 20 years. It’s time for my husband and me to look for a home we can both love. While I’m looking forward to this, we’re taking a walk in the natural areas near my current home to say goodbye to the benches I’ve sat on, the wildlife I’ve enjoyed, and my sparkly lake view.

Why I Love Painting and Writing

The point of life is to enjoy it. Yes, we’re evolving and learning and understanding with more clarity. However, none of that is worth it if we don’t enjoy and feel grateful.

Thank You

A wedding like no other. With a view of our sailboat in the background because that’s how we met. Sailing. We found the most perfect officiant and we wrote vows that came from our hearts. It was the perfect day.

Failure?

It’s early afternoon and I’m still in my pajamas. I can’t stop sighing while I look out my window at the season’s last (let’s hope) snowstorm. My repeated sighs have nothing to do with the thought of shoveling and everything to do with a personal challenge…

What It Took For Me

I had to look within myself at the crummy experiences I had in order to learn why I felt the way I did. On my goodness was that a great idea! That work was priceless and I’m happier in my life, have a larger perspective, and realize my value. I stretched myself by taking whatever necessary steps are in my best interest.
As I learned by considering my experiences I noticed patterns in how I thought about myself, others, and even how I perceived humanity.

Museum of Inspiration and Humanity

For a while now I’ve been wanting to offer people a positive way of honoring humanity and inspiring. I thought about creating a Museum, perhaps an online version. A museum unlike any other that I’ve been to. It won’t tell the stories of the world’s greatest atrocities but instead exhibit stories of love, generosity, and […]

Stepping Up To Public Speaking

When I began looking into what my purposeful work might be, my intuitive guidance suggested I speak to small groups. What?! This to me was a huge stretch. They never steer me wrong so I did. I started to speak to meetups and I joined a Toastmaster’s group for practice. Everyone’s advice and pep talks around this fear are pretty much worthless. P.S. you are not helping by telling me how confident you are as a public speaker. Just sayin’. However, when I look at why I have this fear then I can work on limiting self-beliefs and start to kick them to the curb. In the meantime, imaging the audience naked just does not work. Nor does winging it.

No News Is Good News

Human beings like things to be easy but expect big beneficial change to be difficult. That’s we get stuck in the same old paradigm of looking to political leaders to fix things. But how’s that working out for humanity? The news aggravates and accentuates humanity’s supposed divisiveness. It isn’t helping to be that kind of informed.

For most, it’s easier to watch the news and feel disgruntled rather than creating beneficial experiences. But sitting, watching, discussing, and bitching does nothing beneficial. It just contributes more doom and gloom. And, doom and gloom isn’t a great recipe to inspire positive action. It’s a motivator for more doom and gloom.

A better motivator is realizing one’s own unique and individual personal power. It may not come with a political institution attached to it but it’s powerful nevertheless. True beneficial change happens when each of us steps us to act in peace, practice compassion, tolerance, and patience to collaborate and cooperate.

It Can Be A Real Drag But People Are Great Teachers

My serving on my homeowners board is a microcosm of the larger political institution in our country. There’s politics, misinformation, anger, hate, frustration, distrust, paranoia. Did I mention misinformation?! I had to learn that I always have a choice. There’s no rule or law that says I have to stay in a horribly negative environment. I had the opportunity to walk and return to peace, joy, calm, cooperation, collaboration, trust, compassion, and patience. But unfortunately, I wanted to control the situation thinking that would make everything better. It didn’t. This was a lesson for me in letting go and allowing others to be who they are. At any point in time, I could have resigned and returned to where I’m experiencing something so much kinder and lovelier.

Just An Average Day

Some days and nights are not what I hope for. Just when an average day might become a headache it’s the smallest thing that brings me back to feeling grateful. It’s often the times that have the roughest edges that remind us how good we have it.

Coming Out About My Spiritual Journey

My spiritual journey involved leaving my corporate career to enjoy where my path takes me.

Thoughts, Words and Choices Matter

Some of my greatest life lessons are around learning to speak up for myself. To speak my opinions and not make myself small. However, there’s also the lesson in learning when to let go and choose peace just by walking away. For now, I’m choosing to try to fix things. A good or less than good choice?

Lightening Up

When I first began considering spirituality I wanted to “do it right”. That very desire actually slowed down my growth. I had to learn that lightening up is how I can access more of me and uncover purpose. Lightening up allows me to let the darker moments pass by without taking me down. There’s no downside to embodying a lighter being.