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Jan 24

reVolution not resolution

Celebrating 14 years here on Not Strictly Spiritual and gearing up for new adventures to come

Today marks the 14th anniversary of this blog. I launched it back in 2008 on the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers, not really knowing what would happen. Back then, I was able to be here daily, sometimes multiple times per day, a luxury I have not had for the past few years, but that’s about to change! I missed you all so much that I’ve quit my job so I can hang around here more often. Okay, maybe that wasn’t the only reason, but it really was part of it! This week, I will end my almost seven-year stint as Director of Communications for the Diocese of Albany so that I can return to what I love to do most: write, lead retreats, teach yoga, and finally get back to my long-abandoned podcast. (You can find the first four episodes of that HERE.)

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Dec 30

Why settle for a single resolution when you can choose a life-changing reVolution?

For those who frequent this blog, you know my annual end-of-year rallying cry has always been: ReVolution, not resolution! Why? Because resolutions don’t work. How do I know that? Look at any resolutions you have made and track whether you’ve made that same resolution more than once. When we make New Year’s resolutions, we often set ourselves up for “failure” and disappointment and a slippery slope that lands us right back where we started, or, sometimes, even farther behind. But, if we focus instead on a reVolution — of the heart and mind and soul — we are on the road to real transformation. So this year join me, and resolve to evolve.

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Feb 15

4 Comments

Cravings Tribe: Transition week has arrived

We started out on this revolution-not-resolution journey of inner transformation at the beginning of the new year. The plan was to bring some new habits into our lives — things that might foster peace, balance, and a sense of gratitude despite the craziness of the world around us. I can tell you that, for me, it was definitely a dance of moving forward a little bit, slipping back now and then, and standing still more than I would have liked. And that’s okay. After all these years of trying to make spiritual “progress,” I know this is par for the course, and I’ve come to accept the slowness of this work. This is not the kind of thing that can be rushed.

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Feb 1

Week 5: Connecting with nature, even a snow storm

Okay, so we skipped Week 4 here on the blog. I have to apologize. I was not taking my own advice and was allowing myself to sink into a bit of darkness and poor-me thinking. I couldn’t motivate myself to write or meditate or even do my personal yoga practice. None of that wallowing did me a bit of good, but you know how it is sometimes.

I think it’s important to share that with you if only to remind you that it’s okay if you stray off the path or pull into a rest stop for a few days. When you’re ready, dust yourself off and begin again. The only thing you should try to continue to do no matter what else is going on is your gratitude journal. But always, always continue to be kind and gentle with yourself no matter how this journey is going for you.

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Jan 18

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Week 3: be still, be silent, just be

How are we doing, gang? We are moving into week three already. Can you believe it? How is your 2021 so far? It definitely seems like it’s going to give 2020 a run for its money, so now more than ever we need to recommit to our revolution-not-resolution journey of inner transformation. We can’t control what’s going on out there, but we can control at least some of what’s going on in here (pointing to my heart right now).

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Jan 11

Week 2: A room — or corner — of one’s own

When I was thinking about what I would tackle during Week 2 of our revolution-not-resolution journey of self-transformation, I looked at the original blog post and noticed that setting up a sacred space was my #2 suggestion. Perfect. Last week we started on #1 — using a gratitude journal — so why not move in order and take a look at another simple and concrete thing you can do to make this plan easier, more peaceful and more beautiful.

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Jan 4

gratitude journal
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Week 1: Begin. Begin Again. Begin Always.

Hello, my lovelies! Were you wondering if I had forgotten about you and our plan to start a reVolution not a resolution? There is a method to my madness. As I said from the get-go, this is not a resolution that you make and, once you break, you give up until the next year. No, no. This is a daily decision. And I wanted to wait until we were a few days into this new year — past all the potential, “This feels like a resolution,” questions. Plus, I like the idea of a Monday post to jumpstart our week as we go. So expect Mondays to be the day you’ll see some new Cravings Tribe-ReVolution posts going up. There may be others along the way as well. Stay tuned…

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Dec 29

9 Comments

Why settle for a single resolution when you can choose a total reVolution?

For those who frequent this blog, you know my end-of-year rallying cry has always been: ReVolution, not resolution! Why? Because resolutions don’t work. How do I know that? Look at any resolutions you have made and track whether you’ve made that same resolution more than once. When we make New Year’s resolutions, we often set ourselves up for “failure” and disappointment and a slippery slope that lands us right back where we started, or, sometimes, even farther behind. But, if we focus instead on a reVolution — of the heart and mind and soul — we are on the road to real transformation. So this year join me, and resolve to evolve.

Read more