In what direction are you heading?

In what direction are you heading?   This is a question that keeps popping up for me and has been on the forefront of my mind for quite some time now.  When I ask myself this question it forces me to consider the steps I'm taking on a daily basis to reach my goals.   First of all....I need clarity on that....what are my goals....... why are they important and am I turned in the direction of them.  When I reach for something I want whatever it is.... it is always oriented towards my  quest for feeling good.   When asked we can all come up with goals that we are all striving to achieve.  Some examples of  goals would  be needing to lose 2o lbs., managing ones' anger, lowering cholesterol, running a marathon, incorporating more relaxation into one's day, learning to knit and so on.   So at any given time you can stop and ask yourself.....in which direction am I heading?

Human nature is a funny thing especially  when things are going well and we're feeling tuned in, tapped in and turned on....we just revel in the good feeling of it all...but when things aren't going well, if we're sick, unhappy, disappointed, overwhelmed and all those harder feelings is what often brings us to our knees and forces us to pause and take time to reflect.   Thank goodness for the contrast because it literally propels us to change if and only if  we do the work. What is the work?

If you are like me I want this to be as easy as possible.....and I think in the long run it really is once we come to one simple realization and that is that there really is no easy way out and no quick pill to swallow, it does indeed take effort but half the battle is just accepting the work as opposed to being in  resistance mode.    The work is different for everyone.    So let's paint a scenario here.....you've decided that you haven't been getting enough rest lately..... you've come to that conclusion because you're feeling low energy, irritable, resentful of the family, the house needs cleaning,  you haven't had time to go grocery  shopping etc. etc.   You know you need rest and yet you just keep pushing and now you  have to rest because now you're really sick with a bad cough so all you can do is go to bed.  As an adult you know intellectually all the right things you should do to stay healthy and on top of your game but somewhere in there things broke down and you were led off course.....and that's when we're forced to look at the direction we're headed.

The bad news suddenly becomes  good news because now you have time to think and make adjustments to point you back in the right direction. Change is in the air once again and that's also good news.    A good exercise that I'm regularly trying to employ  is envisioning the end result of my goal.  For instance if I'm sick  obviously I'd like to be well so instead of wasting time worrying about the outcome .....I start seeing myself as a very healthy woman ....I'm visualizing myself strong and vibrant filled with energy for the things I want to accomplish.   During a  recent time of exhaustion and depression I remember  seeing every single meal I've yet to pay for, prepare and  clean up after and with that feeling came total despair and I was stopped in my tracks.   Today while contemplating this post I had a rather happy thought about the same subject but in it I visualized all the new ways I've yet to discover to pay for, prepare and clean up after meals.  This simple change of thought pattern created a very different feeling in my spirit.   Once I changed my thought process the task became easier.

The work is really about  being present, focused and consciously aware.  This exercise is simply asking yourself the question quite often.....am I heading in the right direction?   When you are in your car you are rarely just going out for a joy ride......driving around aimlessly......you usually have a destination and you are always oriented towards that and when you are going the wrong way you can usually tell pretty soon and then you simply steer the car back in the right direction.   Hopefully the intention of one's life should be like that .....always striving to go in the right direction....at least that's the idea.  As you're driving your car there are roadsigns and if we don't heed the signs we can pretty much count on getting in an accident or getting a speeding ticket, hopefully just a minor wake up call.  Does this sound familiar?   Sometimes we don't listen to the signs along the way and we crash.  This really is quite a good metaphor for life.

So you can use your inner compass and ask yourself at any moment......... is this thought I'm thinking, is this action, is this job, is this food choice bringing me in the direction of my goals? And then you make the adjustment necessary to get back on track.....whether it be.....meal planning, going for a walk, moving away from the computer, doing something fun or spending time with your loved ones for example.  Whatever it may be only you will know where and what is needed to get you there and if you don't know then consult a trusted friend, expert, or me and most assuredly you will turn in the direction of your dreams.

For a long time now I've been wanting to share this recipe with you.  I got this recipe from a book my daughter Gabrielle checked out of the library, Your Organic Kitchen by Jesse Ziff Cool. It was such a great book I ended up purchasing it used from Amazon. The recipe has become a standard and it's so easy I don't even follow the recipe anymore and they always turn out delicious.   They can be served as you would serve a typical burger or just with a melange of veggies which is how I eat them.  They are great leftover for lunch the next day and can even be made up ahead of time and frozen for later use.

Ingredients for Turkey Burgers:

1# ground turkey breast

1 small red onion, finely minced

2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine all 5 ingredients.  Shape into 4 burgers.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ingredients for Melange: 

1 red onion, sliced in strips

1 # mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp. olive oil

sea salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet.  Saute onions and mushrooms until 

caramelized, sprinkling with salt and pepper.   Remove from pan

and place in bowl.   Cook the burgers in the same skillet for 10 minutes,

turning once, or until no longer pink.   Serve with the veggies.

Enjoy the burger recipe and as the great poet Thoreau has said, " Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!"

                                                Lisa