Monday Muse: Seven Inspirations for the Week

A Library Reunion, Tea, Possibly Flying and a Bordeaux Basement Bar

1/ The book I’ve been reading this week:

We all possess a power within us that we don’t use to the full. It’s a power that can change our lives completely and enable us to create the life we want to live.

This power is our subconscious or unconscious mind.

The book that I refer to and read over and over again is one I have mentioned before but it’s such a valuable book in terms of being able to change lives (it changed mine!) that I want to mention it again.

It’s The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy.

There’s a reason that I go back to this book again and again. I was in my late 40s before I discovered anything about an unconscious mind. I just thought I had a mind. I’d heard of the subconscious but didn’t really know what it was.

When I read this book it opened up a whole new world to me. I realised that I could control so much more in my life than I was doing at that time. A lot of my life had felt out of control and I just went along with it thinking that was how things were. But all of a sudden I found out that I could actually be in control, starting with my thoughts.

I realised why things had happened the way they did. That the way I thought about myself deep down had determined my outer life. For good and bad.

There’s a quote by Zelda Fitzgerald that goes: “She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt that's one of the reasons why they did.” Well, it works both ways.

Expect good, good happens, expect bad, bad happens. I’m definitely not saying this is 100% all of the time. As if all you have to do is think good thoughts and everything magically is perfect in your life. But it illustrates the point I’m trying to make that when we are able to use our subconscious mind in the correct way, we can change our outer reality.

The fact is that it just accepts whatever we tell it. It doesn’t have the ability to reject things like our conscious mind does. So it all comes back to our thoughts and what we dwell on. It’s so simple when we understand the power of this, but we do have to work to master it and it’s a constant task, not something we do once.

We monitor our thoughts. We make sure that the thoughts that stay in our mind are peaceful, harmonious, and constructive, and our life starts to change. Our outer world always reflects our inner world. It’s a fact. So if I want to change my outer world I have to change my inner world first, my thoughts and my deepest beliefs of what I think I’m capable of.

How do we change our thoughts though? It’s not like we have a switch that we can flip from negative to positive!

The first step is to actually become aware of what we are thinking. To notice our thoughts. We can’t change something we aren’t aware of.

Saturday’s post will talk more about ways we can change our thoughts so we can change our lives.

Subscribing shows me that you are enjoying my writing and I greatly appreciate your support.

2/ What I’m grateful for this week:

Today writing this at a place I haven’t been to for 16 years. It’s a place I spent many hours at with my daughters when they were little. It was our happy place. I’m at Dunedin Library.

The wonderful thing about this place and something I’m most grateful for is that as I walked in here half an hour ago, it was like whizzing back in time. Nothing has changed!

As I’m sitting here, the memories of times spent here with my little girls, fostering their love of books and enjoying all the art programs that the library offered, come flooding back.

Sixteen years ago I would not have imagined I would be sitting here as a published writer, a lifetime dream, my purpose, my calling.

I would not have imagined the changes in my life that have happened over the last 6 years and then the last 2 particularly and how I’ve changed and adapted to how different my life looks now.

So I’m grateful for the memories. Those memories that sustain us when the times are tough.

What I’ve discovered is that no matter how our life changes and is different than we imagined there are always happy memories that can remind us of the good we’ve had in our life.

It doesn’t even have to be big things. It can be the memory of a smile, a hug, something said.

It can be easy to dwell on hardships, sadness, and pain, but if we can switch over to thinking about happy times, there is a lightness and a feeling of remembered joy.

Dunedin Library. I think the only thing that’s changed is the colour and size of my laptop!

3/ My favourite quote this week:

“What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”

Erin Hanson

This is such a well known quote, so simple, yet so profound. Which is probably why it’s so popular!

Those two little words - What If? So many times we tell ourselves, what if I fall, but do we ever consider the fact that we may just fly?

I think it’s easier to stay in our comfort zone and limit ourselves as to what we can do. After all, flying means putting ourselves out there. It means having confidence in ourselves and being willing to fall.

Personally, I’d prefer to risk falling and potentially being able to fly, than just not doing anything.

To me, this quote speaks about having no regrets. At the end of my life am I going to be happy with myself for staying safe or for taking risks?

Because the thing is you can’t almost take a risk. There’s no in-between. You either do or you don’t.

So when I ask myself, Georgia, what if you fall, I immediately tell myself, yes, you may fall, but oh my goodness, what if you fly?!

4/ My healthy tip of the week:

Tea! This isn’t because I’m British and like my cup of tea first thing in the morning. What I’m talking about here are the wonderful benefits of herbal teas.

If I am just drinking a tea for the taste, I will use one tea bag or measure of herbs, but if it is to be used as a remedy then I will double it so that it’s stronger. So two teabags or two measures of herbs.

Here are my top 5:

1. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla): Known for its calming effects, chamomile tea can help reduce stress and promote better sleep. It's also great for soothing digestive issues.

2. Peppermint (Mentha piperita): This refreshing tea aids in digestion, relieves headaches, and can help alleviate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Its natural menthol content also acts as a mild decongestant.

3. Ginger (Zingiber officinale): Ginger tea is excellent for easing nausea, reducing inflammation, and improving circulation. It's a natural remedy for colds and flu, thanks to its warming properties.

4. Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea): Often used to prevent and treat colds, echinacea boosts the immune system. Drinking this tea regularly can help ward off infections.

5. Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis): Rich in antioxidants, rooibos tea supports heart health, reduces inflammation, and promotes glowing skin. It's also caffeine-free, making it a great alternative to conventional medicines for managing stress and anxiety.

5/ This is what I’ve been studying this week:

Did you know there are three different types of goals we can have? There are A, B, and C goals.

An A goal is something we’ve done before. We may have a goal like I did to come on holiday to see my daughter. It wasn’t easy. I had to go up to Paris to get a US visa and it’s the first time I’ve been back here without my husband. So many beautiful memories here, but still, it’s all different. However, I’ve done this all before. I know exactly how to do it. I’m not a stranger to travel and I’ve got plenty of visas before. So this would be my A goal.

A B goal is a little bit harder. It’s something I’ve never done before. When I decided to write a book and publish it, that was a B goal. Although I hadn’t done it, I had an idea of how it could be done. I’ve always been a writer, I just hadn’t written and published a book and made it my vocation before.

Now a C goal is a fantasy goal. Something that seems so far out of your reach that it can almost seem ridiculous. You have no idea how to do it. I have a C goal and everything I do is planned to get me closer to it, although I still don’t know how I’m going to get there.

Maybe you are a writer like me and dream of having a New York Times best seller, but haven’t even finished your book yet, or even started it!

Or maybe you have a message that you want to get in front of millions of people but don’t have the first clue on how to do it.

Those are C goals. Those are the goals that are worthy of you. Those are the goals that make you grow.

Not the A and B goals. There’s no personal growth there. We have to go for the C goals. The ones that terrify us.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

We do still need A and B goals to get us to our C goal. They are like stepping stones.

A mentor of mine, Bob Proctor said, “I often say that if your goal doesn’t scare and excite you at the same time, you’re going after the wrong goal!” So ask yourself how you feel about your goals.

Do you know how you are going to reach it? Or do you have a goal that is so huge, seemingly a complete fantasy, that it almost seems preposterous to think you could achieve it?

Are you excited and scared about what you are doing?

6/ This is what I’ve been listening to on repeat:

I was trying to remember if I’ve shared this artist here before. (I think I need to start a list of what I have, so I don’t repeat myself!)

I went to see this guy in Bordeaux last November. It was a funny story as my daughter and I had travelled to go and see him and were sitting at a pavement cafe sipping a glass of wine, as although it was November, the weather was still mild enough to sit outside. As we were sitting there she got a text to say there was an issue with the venue and the concert had been canceled.

The text also mentioned that he was looking for another venue so there would still be a concert that night.

About an hour later we found out that he was going to play in the basement of a bar right around the corner from where we were staying.

It was dark and crowded. I don’t know how many people were squashed into that bar, but it felt so intimate, the way a concert at a bigger venue never could.

The music was loud and Mr Waterhouse was just in front of us. It felt like he was playing just for a few special people and we were one of the chosen ones.

What a great experience.

7/ My favourite meditation this week:

This is a longer Yoga Nidra meditation than the ones that I have on my podcast. I used this quite a lot when I was finding it hard to sleep and relax after I first separated from my husband. My body would be so tense by the end of the day and sleep seemed impossible but by the end of this I often drifted off to sleep for a while, and it was a deep restorative sleep too.

I know it’s long but I highly recommend trying this at least once. It just seems to have the ability to take you completely outside of yourself and whatever is on your mind.

---

That’s it for this week’s Monday Muse. I hope you’ve enjoyed what I’ve chosen this week. They are all things that I have found helpful, and I hope that you too will find something here that resonates with you.

See you next Monday.

Love Georgia xx

P.S. You can read last week’s MM here:

https://georgiaclare.substack.com/p/monday-muse-seven-inspirations-for-426

---

Just as a little reminder I have a new home for my meditations - Serenity Streams Meditations podcast on here. As of July 1st, today, (my daughter’s 30th birthday!) they are for paying members only.

You can however take advantage of the sliding scale I have created for becoming a paid subscriber which allows you to choose what you’d like to pay, and starts from just €9 (approx $9.60) a year! There’s a link below.

Subscribing whether for free or as a paid member shows me that you are enjoying my writing and I appreciate that support very much. I believe that everyone puts different values on things depending on their circumstances so I’ve created a flexible pricing option to suit everyone. Please choose what suits you below.

• FREE Subscriber

• Full Supporter (monthly option available)

• Generous Contributor - 25% off one year

• Happy Helper - 50% off one year

• Community Builder - 75% off one year

• Pay It Forward - €9 per year / 91% off one year

Wholesouled Living