EMPOWERED TIMES BLOG — Empowered Times

Tolerating Ambiguity ~ The New SuperPower

“Never. Rarely. Sometimes. Often. Always.”

We are in the throes of such an ambiguous moment in time right now. The variation in people’s responses are not as simple as state borders or political divides. This is a subjective experience, evoking contradictory emotions and ambiguous loss. We yearn for what we cannot have right now— the ability to move about freely in the world, celebrating rites of passage together, the simple pleasure of walking into a market without fear. In recognizing the diversity of our experiences and honoring our emotional responses, we embody the super power to tolerate ambiguity.

Finding Connection in Chaos

We are in this together. I see it written in sidewalk chalk and on handmade posters in front of homes and businesses throughout my neighborhood. We are confined to our homes in our respective corners of the planet, yet we are more interconnected, more interdependent, more united than ever as a human community. As citizens of the world, we have suddenly found ourselves facing a common struggle. If we pause to recognize we are experiencing a significant moment in history, we might ask ourselves, how do we want to make it matter? How can we see this strange and stressful time as an opportunity to make it mean something?

The Cave of Self-Discovery

Life has been shaken up all around us, and we have been navigating a flurry of unexpected challenges. We are still adjusting but now, approximately three weeks into the “Shelter in Place” mandate, we may finally be settling into some semblance of routine in our “new normal” lives. In the absence of all the external noise that often dictates to us who and how we should be, we have the chance to look inside ourselves. Can we take this as an opportunity to curiously and bravely ask questions and explore the cave within? Five things to know before you begin your expedition…

The Power is in Our Response

The Corona virus and its far reaching implications have had an impact on each of us. Our routines have been rocked, and we have had to modify our lives in the face of unexpected changes as schools, restaurants, events, gyms, and places of work shut down. These disruptions can be disconcerting, especially considering we still don’t yet understand the severity or how long this will last. However, within this challenge, as we navigate the unknown, we also encounter an opportunity. An opportunity to deliberately choose how we respond. An opportunity to emerge from this moment more united and resilient. In our response, we discover our power.

Transforming Our Environment through Sensory Experience: A Season of Change

As the autumn leaves are turning colors outside, we have the opportunity to initiate desired transformation, inviting a new season into our own lives. Our internal and external environments are likely the most influential factors of our health and vitality. By tapping into the environment and manipulating our sensory experience in positive ways, we have the opportunity to bring about a refreshing shift in our perceptions, our belief systems, and our relationships with ourselves and the world around us.

Taking the Plunge: From Security into the Unknown

Making a major career decision is almost never easy. It is human nature to stay with what feels familiar. Yet, there seems to be a generational and cultural shift happening. Millennials are significantly more likely to experience multiple careers in their lifetime. As a Gen-Xer (the generation between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials), the dilemmas between security and risk, stability and change, responsibility and passionate pursuits, feel more complicated. How can we realize a deeper appreciation of all perspectives and achieve the best balance for ourselves when making decisions?

Weaving Together Women of the World

Nestled on the banks of the Mekong River, wrapped in fuchsia-colored bougainvillea and lush tropical plants, is a magical place called Ock Pop Tok. An integral part of their vision is to empower the local women by providing them with economic stability and leadership opportunities and increasing the value of the work they have done for generations. As I watch the women effortlessly and dexterously create intricate and flawless patterns on their complicated looms, I take a moment to reflect on the differences in the women’s movement in my own country.

Ready, Set... Let Go!

At times letting go may feel liberating. Other times it feels scary and involves considerable risk. It can be associated with fear… fear of the unknown, fear of loss, fear of powerlessness, fear of separation, fear of losing control. Letting go is a challenging skill which requires discernment, courage, and trust. Many of us have experienced holding on in a way that keeps us stuck or feels grasping, striving, and desperate. We may have held on to something at our own expense, to the point we end up exhausted and diminished. What causes us to hold on or hold back, and what might give us the confidence to let go?

Self-DiscoveryErin MasonJanuary 26, 2019letting go, liberate, possibility, opportunity, security, trust, confidence

Healing with Gratitude

Witnessing the destruction of the California wildfires over the last couple of weeks has given me pause to reflect. Although we weren't directly impacted, several close friends and family members were evacuated, and some experienced considerable damage to their properties. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes. Being a relatively nostalgic and sentimental person, I couldn't imagine losing everything…

People and RelationshipsErin MasonNovember 17, 2018community, current events, family, gratitude, healing, perspective, relationships

Lessons from Trees

One of my favorite things this time of year is to lie in the shade of a big, luxurious tree and look up through the lacy leaves at the blue sky above. Add a little breeze, and it’s like icing on the cake, with frothy, white clouds drifting by and the hushed sound of the wind through the branches…

Navigating BalanceErin MasonAugust 9, 2018aspirations, balance, exploration, healthy living, nature, strength

10 Ways to Realize Our Resilience

I can’t think of a better time to write about resilience than when I’m trying to rediscover it for myself. I’m realizing this must be a lifelong process. What allows us to be resilient in one situation, doesn't necessarily transfer to another situation at a different point in time. I continue to be reminded of this frustrating predicament, as I try to assure myself this is a fresh opportunity to grow, refine, and enhance my resiliency skills…

Self-DiscoveryErin MasonMarch 22, 2018courage, discovery, healing, inspiration, perseverance, resiliency

It's All Relative

Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the holiday season when we are often surrounded by family and friends (…or not), whether we like it… or not. Some attend large “Friendsgiving” dinner parties, others travel thousands of miles to sit at a dinner table with people they hardly know (beyond sharing the same blood)…

Navigating BalanceErin MasonNovember 26, 2017balance, confidence, discovery, exploration, family, relationships

Empowerment: Inside Out

Empowerment is a strong theme right now across the country. What does it mean and why is it so important? The prefix “em-“ is often used as a way to intensify the meaning of something. It indicates causing something to become, or happen to, itself. For example, if we are embodied, we are in our bodies, more aware of the sensations and experiences of our body…

Self-DiscoveryErin MasonOctober 26, 2017confidence, current events, empowerment, perseverance, resiliency, strength

Ashta Chandrasana (Crescent Pose)

Benefits:

Opens the heart space and promotes expansion of the thoracic cavity (lungs, heart, diaphragm)
Stimulates the thymus gland in chest (which is responsible for white blood cell production and optimum immune function)…

Cultivating WellnessErin MasonSeptember 24, 2017balance, confidence, fitness, flexibility, strength, yoga

Worth the Risk

"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit." ~E.E. Cummings

Words to InspireErin MasonSeptember 16, 2017confidence, courage, discovery, inspirational quotes

The Powers of Storytelling

When I was a little girl, I was a storyteller, able to weave tales together like a master. I would try to convince others my stories were true, often because the stories felt so true for me. It was an imaginary world, and growing up in a home with one…

Beauty Incognito

"A week is no more than a flower in disguise."~ James Russell Lowell

Words to InspireErin MasonJuly 27, 2017gratitude, inspirational quotes, nature, opportunity, present moment

When a Break-Up Means Heartbreak

Have you ever known intuitively that a relationship wasn’t right for you?… Felt resolved to end it at some point? (“Just not yet.”) Somehow, weeks, months, even years pass by, and for various reasons you still can’t seem to bring yourself to end it? I have…

People and RelationshipsErin MasonJuly 19, 2017breakup, heartbreak, love, relationships, resilience, separation

Courage to Explore

"Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what's waiting out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it." ~Pema Chodran

Words to InspireErin MasonJune 25, 2017courage, discovery, exploration, inspirational quotes

Don't Let Summer Pass You By!

Summer has officially arrived! Even if no one in your home is affected by the school summer vacation schedule, there tends to be a noticeable shift in energy level and attitude…

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