Guest Post: The Power of Emotional Intelligence

This is a guest post written by my friend and client, Lorraine.  It's part of my mandate to promote heart-centred initiatives that my clients are offering, to show that kindness trumps cruelty.

Lorraine is the owner of Orange Hat Empowerment, a small business that is dedicated to personal and team growth through the use of emotional intelligence.  Below is an outline of how Emotional Intelligence can help you with ending procrastination and an upcoming workshop that she is offering.

***

Like most people I know the pain of procrastination! I put things off until the very last minute watching the deadline loom closer and closer. I knew it was causing me stress and anxiety and hurting my self-esteem. I had great intentions, set goals, made resolutions and regularly made “to do” lists only to match them with excuses why they couldn’t be achieved!

Was I lazy or needed more will power? I knew I didn’t lack focus or motivation. Well-meaning family and friends gave me advice on time management and planning but I know that wasn’t the challenge either.  Like so many people I sailed through some tasks with ease and other tasks caused me hours of delay.  Why did some tasks get pushed to the back burner, knowing it caused me wasted time, missed opportunities, stress and anxiety?

Through the skills of Emotional Intelligence I learnt that procrastination is a direct result of the emotional connection we have to the task at hand. I have been so lucky to learn this simple technique that can put an end to procrastination. I’m so excited and want to help as many people as possible put an end to procrastination.

Please join me for a very fun, interactive and engaging workshop – its only 90 mins long and the cost is only $10. Don’t’ make any more excuses J Register today or call 519 754 7199 for more details.

Monday Feb 13^th 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Harcourt Memorial Church, 87 Dean Ave., Guelph

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/stop-procrastination-now-guelph-tickets-31338843324

About Lorraine

What does it take to be fulfilled in your professional and personal life?  Over the last few years, I’ve come to understand that “success” isn’t achieved through academia, learnt knowledge or specialized skills. Fulfillment comes from an honest understanding of our authentic ourselves and the emotions that drive us. The ability to cultivate meaningful relationships with our true selves and those around us –comes from our Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence enables us to live with intention, purpose, and authenticity and affects the quality of our lives by influencing our behavior and relationships. Emotional Intelligence develops your self-awareness, self-management and helps to build meaningful relationships. 

I believe passionately that when we understand the emotions that drive us, we can achieve so much more in both our personal and professional life.  It is only by understanding our emotions, thoughts, beliefs and values that we can turn negative self-talk into positive goals and actions. I hope I can help you connect with your emotions and balance your head and heart thinking to bring you closer to the joy and happiness you both desire and deserve.

The Curiousity Cabinet: A Spirit Visit from Nana

When I was 15 years old, I fell into a depression. It was during a summer when I couldn’t find a job and I had no idea of the direction of my life or interests.  I felt like there was no hope in my life, and that I was just destined to be a cashier and work crappy jobs for the rest of my life. I didn’t have a sense of my interests nor mentors to help me cultivate them. My friends were at camp or had other things happening so I was alone with my parents at home, spending my days sun tanning in the backyard or reading books from the library.

One night during that summer, I had a dream of my nana who had passed away 7 years earlier of brain cancer. Many people in our family reported having dreamt about her, claiming that she would come to them during times of need and gave wise, appropriate guidance.

When she was living, she was known to have a bit of a witchy side to her, having read tea leaves with a prophetic telling of events, sensing things about people no one else knew, and quietly being thoughtful in special ways with others. She also struggled herself with depression, trying to find the balance with living between both worlds as a housewife, mother and smart, wise woman who could “see into the nature of things and people”.

In this dream I had, she showed me a cabinet.  She opened the cabinet but I couldn’t see anything inside. She said “Heather, this is the curiosity cabinet and it is up to you what you want to find in it.”  I was squinting and squinting but I couldn’t see anything. Then I woke up.

That next day, my mood had lifted. I had felt more hopeful and I got a part-time job. I felt like I had a life ahead of me that had wonder. I viewed the world more as an adventure and less of a “oh god, there is no future.” 

I believe this dream taught me that it is up to me to have the curiosity about life and to stock my inner cabinet with the interests that matter to me. 

I’ve carried this attitude with me and it has led me down many roads.  I look back at that teenager I was and see how far I have come in exploring my own world and self. 

I’ve lived a life that has been rich in experience, knowledge, relationships, mysticism/spiritualism, and creativity.  Little would I have known then that I would have lived in Toronto, Calgary and Mexico. That I would have learned art and written articles and poetry on topics of activism, feminism, sexuality, human rights and other things. That I would have started a small business helping people connect with those who have passed on. That I would learn Spanish as a second language and volunteer in Mexico to help streetchildren. That I would help my niece and nephew be born into the world.

Nor would I have known that I would have my heartbroken numerous times and lived close to the streets then recovered from deep trauma through therapy and meditation. Or that I would have written and published a children's book. Or that I would have seen and given miraculous healings and helped many people in the world to have more inspiration and clarity in their lives.  It is truly amazing what I have done with the 40 years of my life and often times I really can’t believe that it was me who experienced those things.

A year and a half ago I fell into a slump because of a difficult relationship. I went into grief and despair and couldn’t see the forest for the trees. I moved into a new apartment and wasn’t feeling safe in it.  I wondered why my life had to fall apart again and I didn’t know if I had the strength to re-build it.  While I was laying there, I saw the energy of my nana sitting in the rocking chair – her silver white hair and petite form – the way I remembered her when she was older. She just sat there quietly, while I was blinking my eyes in disbelief that she actually materialized in my living room. I felt a comforting presence from her which made me know that everything would be okay. 

I called my mom the next day and told her about nana’s spirit visiting me. She said that it was so appropriate because that was the anniversary of my nana’s death. 

I work as a professional medium and this was the first time I saw the spirit materialize in front of me. I wasn’t scared, rather amazed at how clear she was. It affirmed for me that working with the Other Side and feeling the spirits that are there to help us through tough times can do wonders for the peace and guidance we all need. And to know that life really does go on if we open to question what reality really is and to fill our hearts with life’s mysteries so we can all make our own personal curiosity cabinets.

I would love to hear some of your stories of those on the Other Side.

***

Heather Embree is a professional seer/medium who has served over 1,500 clients worldwide. For more information about her, visit: www.blossomingheart.ca

Guest Feature: The Mane Intent: Connecting People to Possibility With Horse Power

This is a guest post as a commitment to share good, heartfelt initiatives created by my clients, colleagues and friends. It is meant to show that kindness rules over cruelty and there are some awesome people making a difference in the world...

with love,  

Heather Embree

www.BlossomingHeart.ca

Life is Sunny With A Chance of Tornado

by Jennifer Garland

It started with a horse named Sunny, who walked into my life in November, 2011. Sunny is a beautiful palomino with a tremendous sense of fear which earned him the ‘barn name’ Sunny With a Chance of Tornado.

Sunny taught me to overcome my own fears. He taught me about being fully present and the joy that comes when you live in the moment. He also taught me to follow my heart.

When I entered my 5^th decade a few years ago, I was ready for a change. As a successful communications and management consultant, I could see the possibility of complementing my existing work with a horse-led initiative that created an opportunity for personal and professional development for others.

So I completed a certificate program in FEEL™ (Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning) and launched a new venture in 2014 called The Mane Intent. It’s a venture that represents a culmination of many life experiences – personal and professional – and one that makes my own heart blossom.

At The Mane Intent, we help people gain self-knowledge and personal coping skills required for a healthy and fulfilling life at home and work by offering a unique opportunity to work with horses as natural coaches. By engaging in ground work with horses in a controlled setting with the support of a professionally certified facilitator and effectiveness coach, our clients learn how our attitude, body language and intent impacts our relationships and the world around us. Our programming can prompt lasting change, enhanced effectiveness, and improved mental health and wellness. No previous horse experience is required and there is no riding involved.

Horses teach us to appreciate the nonverbal and verbal messages we share with others. Working in partnership with horses requires patience, gentleness, self-confidence, sensitivity, focus and keen awareness. Horses are large, but easily frightened prey animals whose survival has depended on becoming exquisitely attuned to body language, innuendo, and emotional tone, and to the position and movements of objects in their sensory fields. By reflecting back to us the signals and intents of which we aren’t even aware – much less aware that we are communicating outward – horses teach us to notice at all times the information that we convey.

Our horses offer sensitivity, perceptiveness and intuition without judgement in a safe environment for self-discovery and development. The essence of the experience is the unique heart connection between horse and human. The magic horses bring to personal healing and self-awareness is their ability to understand and intuit our emotion. In a very gentle way, they can evoke a human response that is often unexpected, surprising and powerful. It is in that moment that the gate of possibility opens and the path to healing or self-awareness begins. It is this natural ability to read our energy and connect to our emotions that makes horses powerful teachers and natural coaches.

Watch our video and follow your heart as it leads you to connect with one of our horses at The Mane Intent.

About Jennifer Garland

Jennifer Garland is the Owner/Program Director of The Mane Intent, offering Health and Wellness Workshops and Individual and Team Effectiveness Coaching. She has over 25 years of leadership experience in communications, cause-related marketing and change management. As a strategist, facilitator and effectiveness coach, Jennifer has provided counsel and support to senior leaders from all walks of life to build productive relationships, facilitate learning and to embrace change.