Do you use December as a time to celebrate all you have done this year + who you have become or as an opportunity to beat yourself up + numb painful emotions you’d rather not face?

The critical mind is a labeling machine, busy judging each and every experience, and often convincing us that no matter what we have done this year…

1. That we haven’t done enough.
2. That we should be further along by now.
3. That the choices we made might not have been the right ones.

As the year comes to a close and we take inventory of our lives + careers so far, all of this critical judgment can convince us that we are somehow not doing it all fast enough, good enough or big enough.

This way of thinking happens when we are living in our heads + not connecting with our hearts.

When we are heart centered, we ignite the light that is always within us + more easily tap into who we really are without labels + judgments.  Connecting to the heart is a sacred space that the mind cannot penetrate.  In fact, judgment ceases to exist here.  The fastest way to quiet your critical mind is through meditation.

When you take time this month to reflect on the past year from a heart-centered place, you can begin see the perfection of all that has happened to you.  When you connect with your own light, you can shift your perception.

As you gain more clarity, through quieting your critical mind, you begin to trust in life’s divine timing, even when the evidence of what you want has yet to fully appear.

Deepak Chopra explains that our truest self is always living in the light.  He reminds us that when clouds are present, the sun’s light does not come + go, that it’s light is steady + only appears to be darkened.

We can use this imagery to better understand the perceived dark clouds that may have appeared in our lives this year.

Deepak reminds us that “The sun’s support is always unconditional + constant, but our perception is clouded or not especially clear.  Perception is a powerful influence on us.  We  can perceive ourselves as we are weak, diiminished, fearful + unloved, but through the practice of meditation, clarity begins to dawn.”

Find time daily to quiet your critical mind + connect to the heart of who you are.  There is a knowing deep within you that can view every perceived challenge, failure, rejection, or heartbreak as a gift. and knows that behind every cloud, the sun is always shining.

5 Ways To Help You Quiet Your Critical Mind + Live In The LIght

1. List the light in your life.  Light a candle + make a list of every joyful moment that lit you up this year.  From bookings to friendships to just plain fun.
2. Take a walk in nature. Use nature to remind yourself of life’s divine timing, that well-being is all around you + that a flower doesn’t try to open – it just leans to the light.
3. Watch a sunrise.  No matter what challenges you may face, you always have an opportunity to begin again.  Allow the sunrise to serve as a loving reminder.
4. Meditate on your own.  As you breathe deeply, become a witness to the part of you that judges everything.  Simply watch as your thoughts come and go.
5. Listen to a guided meditation.  Take the guesswork out of meditating, + listen to my guided visualizations.

Whether you use my guided meditations or another method this season, I hope you find a way to gain clarity of your magnificence (no matter how many credits you’ve added to your resume this year or not).

You might also try using every twinkling light you see this holiday as a symbol or reminder to celebrate the light within you + all you are.

When you look back on 2015, from the heart, rather than the head, and allow the clouds of darkness + confusion to lift, you begin to ignite that light that is always shining within you.

When you are lit up, the world becomes brighter + you emulate the glow of a shining star.

Happy Holidays!

Love + Gratitude,

~Wendy

P.S. Leave a comment below + share your favorite method for quieting your critical mind..