Stephanie Swafford
Keep in Mind / Take to Heart
Let’s take these two phrases and look at them a bit differently. We use each in their own right — however — if we’re willing to let them flow ...
Back to "Basics"
"Let's get back to basics"- so often said with a touch of nostalgia. Yet - I want to use this phrase as a jumping off point for a different way of centering Your Self.
Motivation
What is your motivation? This was an ongoing question we would all be asked as Drama Majors, while building our character’s back story...
Internal vs. External Structure
Let's explore this difference when it comes to Our Selves. One is supportive, ongoing and lasting. The other has a superficial, even...
How Do You Fear?
I've taken a common enough question, "How do you feel?" and replaced the last word with fear for a reason. So often when we're moving through a turning point...
Right Act / Wrong Arena
Are You doing the "right act" in the "wrong arena"? This is a great question that a dear friend of mine asked me years ago - long before I was trafficking...
Boundaries
Oh no! Not those - How often are we confronted with the practice - or lack thereof - of boundaries? The very word alone can stir up all kinds of emotions...
"Pull up a Chair ….."
Let's consider a different way to weather a well-worn situation - a long standing pattern that doesn't seem to budge, change, or heal. You know what I'm describing...
S/he is so very "_____".
How many times have you - have we all - made some comment that is dismissive, judgmental, shortsighted, incorrect, or...
Chattermind vs. Bodymind
Let's dive a little more deeply into Listening with the Bodymind, shall we? I'm often asked how to ...
"Martyrs"
Let's consider "Martyrs" - we've all known them, and perhaps some of us have one or two of them in our life right now...
"You Would Think"
I can't tell you how many times I've heard this phrase lately - "you would think" that he, she or they would...
"Triage the Moment"
Let’s begin with the definition of triage —to assign degrees of urgency to (wounded or ill patients) Triage is...
"Grip and Go"
Let’s play with a paradox — “Get a grip" / "Let it Go". "Get a Grip" -- Step back into reality, reel Your Self in, calm down...
Not Yours!
My father used to have a great phrase: “Let them screw it up the way they want to!” I call on this mantra often...
Heed Your “Dis-ease”
A couple of quick questions: Are you "shouldering" too much responsibility? Do you have a...
"Directions"
“Beware the Guru.” This is a mantra I return to often, especially when I’m with a friend, colleague or even a client...
Words & Actions
Here’s a very basic practice that will not steer you wrong when you find Your Self at the crossroads of Words and Actions...
Opt for the Opposite
Here's an interesting practice to do when you find Your Self in the place of what I call "less than". You know that feeling...
Great Expectations
The other day, I found myself writing this reminder: "Stop expecting to have your expectations met." Somehow, this...
The "Holy Daze"
Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday. “Black cyber giving” — it sounds incongruent with the intention of...
"Table Manners"
With the holidays quickly closing in on us, I thought it’d be a good time to review what I like to call “table manners”. We all...
Inform or Impede?
"What if something "bad" happens?" Ah yes -- the universal "what if?" Let's talk about what I call the past or future...
For Now / Not Forever
Let's consider the popular buzz phrase: the "new normal". It usually indicates a different pattern/way of being that...
Emotional Ambushing
"...why don't you love me?
Oh -- you do? I'll see you later ...."
(Stephen Sondheim / "Follies") Let's talk about what I call "emotional ambushes"...
Lip Service
How many people do we come across in our daily routine who have it all figured out for themselves -- and others? Yet -- their lives remain stalled, chaotic or...
On Hand
What if, the next time you want a particular item, you take a good look through what you already have. Chances are that what you feel compelled to "get" is...
“Trying” Times
Let's rewrite this proverb right now. Let's replace the word "try" with allow. It immediately shifts the energy of the intention and creates the possibility for...
Procrastination or Right Timing?
Let's take a different look at procrastination. How many times and ways have we chastised ourselves for not...
Dare to "Flail"
Let's dare to eliminate "failure" as a possibility, let alone an option, shall we? How often do we give ourselves only two outcomes for an event...
Altitude Sickness
Let's consider something I like to refer to as "Altitude Sickness" -- not the kind you get from traveling to places high above sea level...
"Yet here's a spot."
I'd like to connect with our Inner Lady Macbeth -- let's "dish the dirt", though not in the way we usually do. Instead, I'm referring to something I saw years...
"There's Always a Gift" -- Really?
I know, this is a popular buzz phrase and sometimes it gets to be a little much, doesn't it? However, I felt it was the right time to reconsider...
Move
"If it isn't moving, it's dying." ....one of the best distillations of wellness I've ever heard. Consider the fact that we are mostly water. Now consider all of the ways water...
Scrambling for the Feed
When was the last time you saw a new litter of kittens or puppies? Remember how they tumble all over each other -- "elbowing" or "pawing" their way to their mother...
Put Myself First?
"Self-Love, my liege, is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting." Though William Shakespeare said it more poetically, there is a modern version we've all encountered:...
The Practice of Immediate Reframe
Let's begin with a dictionary definition of the word "reframe": To look at, present, or think of (beliefs, ideas, relationships, etc)...
Allow For Your Anger/Grief
Let's consider "ANGR" -- and no, this is not a typo. A few years ago, I was in a medical bookstore, browsing the racks. I found myself drawn to a book on cardiac rehab...
Mirror, Mirror
Let's reframe "Self-Reflection" While catching up with a dear friend the other day, I found myself grousing about someone we both know...
"Watch your mouth!"
How many times did we all hear variations of this as we were growing up? Despite our protestations, there's something to be said for heeding this advice...