Month: May 2019

How to Discover Your Passion, Purpose and Shift Your Life

Posted on by helpingsoul

April Wright, M.A., LMFT

How to Find Your Passion and Purpose

Wouldn’t you just love to jump out of bed every morning filled with fire and enthusiasm? You have been searching for that something for years. Have you settled for a mundane life out of not knowing any better way? Maybe you feel that you have too many responsibilities to change course. You think you don’t deserve anything greater. You also fear the unknown. Finding and pursuing your passion and purpose can be a difficult journey. Consider it a passage, not an instant revelation.

Go back in time…

Consider taking an expedition into your past for starters. What life plan got you to where you are now? Did you even consciously have a plan? Did you want to be a dad or mom? Did you want to be a nurse or doctor? Did you wish to be a Firefighter or Indian chief? Did you become an accountant because it was lucrative or ‘Cool’? Was it to impress your family or friends? Did you choose it to pay the bills, or was it something you really wanted to do? Did you choose a life of hiding your talents and brains so people wouldn’t expect too much of you? Were you afraid of success or did you fear failure? What decisions did you make that brought you to your current job? How about your personal or family situation? What decisions influenced your hobbies? How do you decide what to do in your downtime? Take some time to evaluate how you got where you are now. This will help you understand how you have been creating your life.

Einstein wisely said: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” To discover your passion, you have to expand the way you think. You need to recognize what you wish to remove or change in your life. You must have the motivation to take action. Your current thought process has limited your options. It has provided you with a certain level of security and comfort. It has contributed to your survival. It has maybe given you a comfortable box to nest in, which you call “my life.”

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

You must rid your mind of all the parental expectations to discover your true purpose in life. Remove societal expectations as well. These have filled your awareness since childhood. Sort out what is significant for you.

To find your passion and purpose, recognize your gifts and abilities

Teaching, coaching, selling, painting, listening?

Figure out what are you good at and what you enjoy doing.

Define your interests!

What makes your heart sing? What have been your hobbies since childhood? What did your play look like as a child? What were your dreams as a child?

What have you been afraid to pursue because of money or other barriers that you always wanted to do? What do you love to research on the internet? What section of the book store grasps your attention? What magazines do you enjoy reading? What inspires you? Bring all of this to mind. Write it down. Then refine the list after you review it in a few days.

What have you fantasized about doing that seemed too crazy to pursue?

Did you ever have a dream that you never realized? Was it something like being a writer, journalist, or painter? Did internal self-doubt or fear prevent you from pursuing it?

Take another look at your life dreams! It is never to late to create your self anew. In twenty years, you still be in the same mundane life. Alternatively, you can start now to pursue your dreams. Regardless, in twenty years, you will be 20 years older. If you have an inhibiting belief that limits your progress, we have tools to help you. These tools help in removing the obstacles that cause a sense of being ‘stuck’.

Are you ready to find your passion, purpose, and create positive transformation in your life? Explore the roots of your self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors using the Expressive Arts.

April Wright, M.A., LMFT

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #96155) providing online therapy in California and Florida. I work with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, and life transitions. My goal is to offer a safe, non-judgmental space. In this space, you can explore destructive beliefs and heal childhood wounds. It will help you build a healthier relationship with yourself and others.

My integrative approach blends mindfulness, trauma-informed care, and compassionate insight to support meaningful and lasting change.

If you feel ready to begin, you’re welcome to contact me in the comments section. I respond within 48 hours.

The Power of Art and Yoga: Boost Employee Well-Being

Posted on by helpingsoul
Serene office space
Serene office space

The work environment has a large impact on priming our brains for focus and concentration, or not.

For example, as you enter a library, you are primed to be quiet, centered, and aware of your surroundings. The atmosphere is hushed. It is adorned with dimly lit green glass shade desk lamps. Smoky-colored book shelves add to the decor. Large tables are available to spread books widely across the surface. These symbols signify clarity, centered-attention, and mindfulness.

The same holds true for the office. The atmosphere, mood, and setting either instills chaos, rigidity, or harmony.

Two habits that guarantee a harmonious business is yoga and art. Yoga is commonplace at leading companies like Forbes, Apple, Google, Nike, and major sports teams. Art and the creation of art are exhibited at museums and galleries. They are also showcased at the Financial Services Roundtable in Washington, D.C., Wisdom Tree Investments, Inc., Cedar Sinai Hospitals, and other leading healthcare facilities.

Yoga is a Hindu mental, physical and spiritual discipline that includes breathing techniques, specific body postures, and concentration. Expressive Art is a practice using the five elements of self-expression. These elements include visual arts, dance/movement, music, drama/theater, and writing/poetry.

What does harmony have to do with performance, you ask.

A harmonious workplace is one in balance between chaos and rigidity. For optimal mental health seven elements must co-exist:

Sleep

Sleep is important to give the brain time to rest, unify learning and recover from the days’ experiences.

Physical Activity

Physical activity gives the body time to move, to release endorphins, and strengthens the brain neural connectivity.

Focus

Deep connections in the brain form when time is given to bring focus on goal-oriented tasks. Reaching goals and overcoming challenges strengthens self-esteem and relationships with others.

Downtime

Relaxing provides time to allow for the mind to wander and recharge. Downtime is best practiced without any specific goals and is non-focused.

Play

Play allows for creative, spontaneous novel experiences that creates new connections in the brain.

Connection

Connecting with people in person and with nature, activates and reinforces the brain’s relational circuitry.

Reflection

Time spent quietly reflecting inward, focusing on images, sensations, feelings and thoughts integrates the circuitry of the brain.

Productivity flourishes at the workplace when employees take the time to practice all seven components every day. Executives and workers alike who have healthy minds and bodies lead corporations that run efficiently, effectively, and harmoniously.

Why Yoga? Why Art?

Studies show that yoga at work improves overall health and happiness. Employees learn new skills and reach specific achievements in their day. But other benefits are valuable to the business as a whole. 

Art increases visual cues, defines a company’s culture, values, and mission. It increases the feel good hormones that energizes and personalizes a workspace. The better an employee feels at work, the more productive they become.

Creative Expression and Yoga Promotes Healthy Employees

Working in an office usually means sitting in one position for long stretches of time. Sitting at a desk, in particular, is linked to several specific health concerns, including: 

  • Back pain, ranging from mild discomfort to chronic pain
  • Muscle weakness
  • Poor eye health
  • Wrist pain or syndromes including Carpal Tunnel
  • Increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic disorders

Yoga helps to relieve even severe physical pain. Crucially, it’s an effective preventative tool. It ensures that team members never have to experience work-related pain at all. 

As well as being very good for the people in question, this also adds value to the company. It means less sick days, higher productivity, and a more vibrant and energetic workforce. 

Art soothes chronic pain. Expressing the physical and emotional sensations of pain in an artistic project relaxes the mind. It externalizes the pain and eases tension to tight, sore muscles.

The Expressive Arts and Yoga Both Manage Work Fatigue

Studies show that sitting for more than 5 hours at a time harms health. This impact is like smoking 5 packs of cigarettes. Our bodies are made to be moving; we are not built to sit on chairs all day. 

Extended periods of sitting also reduce productivity — making you more to stare absently into space than work conscientiously. 

Adding yoga classes or any form of dance or movement into the working day helps to break up work hours. It adds some vital movement. This change offers a new perspective. More importantly, when people in an office begin to learn yoga from their teacher, they gain valuable tools. These tools they get are essential. These tools help them interrupt their own static hours. They will understand how to stand up. They will learn why to refocus their eyes. Every now and then, they can take a deep stretch. 

Artistic Expression and Yoga Reduces Stress

What do people complain about most often when it comes to their office life? 

Stress. It’s estimated that stress is the reason for 90% of all visits to the doctor. Persistently high levels of stress hormones in your system without relief can cause serious mental and physical health problems. 

Stress at work is down to lots of different factors; including pressure, dissatisfaction, and difficult relationships with colleagues. 

Play through art and movement using yoga techniques is incredibly effective at reducing the experience of stress. It acts directly on the nervous system, soothing body and mind. And it teaches actionable breathing and movement tools to manage stress in any moment. 

Additionally, art projects at work offer brilliant team bonding experiences. If your team is struggling to get along, conflict arises often. Difficult relationships hinder workflow. There’s nothing quite like getting them all in one room to focus on an artistic project. They can use their breath and move as a collective. 

Art and Yoga Boosts Cognition and Creativity

The focus and calm awareness cultivated during creative endeavors and yoga practices has a powerful impact on the brain. Researchers have found that yoga enhances cognitive abilities; improving concentration, memory, and creativity. 

Studies support that art stimulates cognitive abilities, motor skills, and executive functioning.

One study in particular was published in the journal Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience in 2018. It found that people who practice yoga regularly develop a different brain structure. 

The researchers used brain imaging technology. They examined the brains of 13 experienced yoga practitioners. This was in contrast with a control group of people who did not do yoga. The yoga group showed greater grey matter volume in the left hippocampus, and less activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. 

What does that mean? The yoga practitioners had better working memory and a greater ability to manage stressful situations. 

Art Induces a Positive Work Culture

Introducing creative projects and yoga helps officemates feel safe, improve their emotional state, and increase executive functioning and problem-solving skills.

By accessing a more steady state of health and brain function, people feel confident and engaged. They become empathetic and relaxed. They are also willing to accommodate the perspectives of those around them.

About

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #96155) providing online therapy in California and Florida. I work with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, and life transitions. My goal is to offer a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore destructive beliefs, heal childhood wounds, and build a healthier relationship with yourself and others.

My integrative approach blends mindfulness, trauma-informed care, and compassionate insight to support meaningful and lasting change.

If you feel ready to begin, you’re welcome to contact me in the comments section. I respond within 48 hours.

Posted in art

Positive Truths vs. Positive Affirmations: How to Change Your Beliefs Authentically

Posted on by helpingsoul

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” – Buddha

There’s a moment that often happens in life: you do everything within your control, you prepare, you strive, you visualize — and then you let go.

And strangely, that’s when something shifts.

When you loosen your tight grip on how things must unfold, space opens. Whether you call it surrender, faith, alignment, or psychological flexibility, something larger than control begins to move.

I believe there are no accidents. But I also believe our beliefs shape what we are capable of receiving.

The “Six Trees” Story and the Power of Belief

Years ago, while living in Baltimore, Oprah attended a party at her boss’s home — one of the wealthiest women she had known at the time. The house was large, but what stood out most were six large trees in the backyard. Oprah remembers thinking, “Rich people have trees. If I ever have money, I want six trees in my yard.”

Years later, standing in her own kitchen, she looked out the window while making coffee and saw six trees. She stepped outside to count them — and realized beyond those six were thousands more on her property.

She could imagine six trees. Life imagined far more.

Psychologically, this illustrates something powerful: we often limit our vision to what we believe is possible. Our nervous system, our conditioning, and our past experiences quietly define the boundaries of our imagination.

The work is not just to dream — but to expand what we believe we are worthy of.

You Don’t Get What You Wish For. You Get What You Believe.

Many people spend their lives hoping and wishing. But in therapy, we see this truth repeatedly:

You don’t get what you hope for.
You get what you deeply believe you deserve and can handle.

Beliefs shape behavior. Behavior shapes outcomes. Outcomes reinforce beliefs.

If you believe:

  • “I’m not good with money,” you avoid financial risk.

  • “Relationships never work for me,” you unconsciously withdraw.

  • “Success isn’t for people like me,” you self-sabotage opportunity.

Changing your life requires changing your beliefs — but not through denial.

Why Positive Affirmations Often Don’t Work

You’ve probably heard affirmations like:

  • “I can achieve anything.”

  • “I am wealthy.”

  • “I am confident.”

  • “I have abundance.”

They can temporarily boost mood. But if your internal experience contradicts the statement, your brain resists it.

If you have $300 in your bank account and repeat, “I have unlimited abundance,” your nervous system knows that isn’t true. The brain craves congruence. When affirmations feel false, they can actually increase anxiety and shame.

This is where positive truths come in.

What Are Positive Truths?

Positive truths are grounded, emotionally honest statements that acknowledge your current reality and your forward movement.

They integrate cognitive restructuring with self-compassion.

Instead of denying your struggle, you honor it — and pair it with agency.

Examples of Positive Truths

  • “I am frustrated with my income right now, and I am networking weekly and exploring new revenue streams.”

  • “I feel scared about launching my business, and I am building confidence by taking one consistent step at a time.”

  • “I feel lonely at times, and I am showing up, meeting new people, and learning to trust myself more.”

Notice the difference.

There is no pretending.
There is no bypassing.
There is honesty — and momentum.

From a psychological perspective, this works because:

  • It regulates the nervous system.

  • It reduces cognitive dissonance.

  • It builds self-trust.

  • It reinforces adaptive behavior.

Why Honesty Creates Real Transformation

Personal transformation requires:

  • Self-awareness

  • Emotional honesty

  • Respect for your current reality

  • Loving accountability

When you say something that is true, your body relaxes. There is alignment between your thoughts and your lived experience.

Positive truths are not about toxic positivity.
They are about grounded optimism.

They say:
“I see where I am. I respect it. And I am actively participating in change.”

That builds confidence far more than fantasy ever could.

A Practical Exercise: Creating Your Own Positive Truths

  1. Identify one area of stress (money, relationships, career, confidence).

  2. Write the honest emotional truth.

  3. Add one concrete action you are taking.

  4. Repeat the statement daily for two minutes, three times per day.

  5. Pair it with visualization — not of fantasy — but of the feeling you are cultivating.

You can also create a visual symbol — a collage, a painting, a written statement — that represents your vision.  The Expressive Arts is a wonderful technique to externalize your desires and create a visual reminder of what you are working towards each day.

When you see it, pause. Breathe. Repeat your truth.

Consistency rewires belief.

Surrender and Psychological Flexibility

Here’s the deeper paradox:

You do the work.
You tell the truth.
You take aligned action.

And then — you let go.

In therapy, we call this psychological flexibility: the ability to commit to values-based action while releasing attachment to rigid outcomes.

You are not passive.
You are participating fully.

And then you allow life to meet you.

Final Thought

You are capable of making your dreams real — not through denial, but through honesty.

Honor yourself with truth.
Respect your current reality.
Take loving action.
Then release what you cannot control.

Growth happens in that space

About

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #96155) providing online therapy in California and Florida. I work with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, and life transitions. My goal is to offer a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore destructive beliefs, heal childhood wounds, and build a healthier relationship with yourself and others.

My integrative approach blends mindfulness, trauma-informed care, and compassionate insight to support meaningful and lasting change.

If you feel ready to begin, you’re welcome to contact me in the comments section. I respond within 48 hours.

Understanding Seva: The Art of Selfless Service

Posted on by helpingsoul
“The best Seva is helping someone understand this eternal nature of life.”

Seva originated from Sanskrit, meaning “string.”  The translation implies that all matter is connected as a thread of existence; to interact with another is to interact with the whole.  As such, to serve one is to serve all or the whole.

Today, the meaning of Seva is a spiritual practice of selfless service inspired by divine love.  According to Harrison Graves, MD from the Art of Living, Seva is service with no expectation of reward. Graves states, “…Seva is a way of life — an inner attitude of giving.” Seva combines the yoga of action, Karma Yoga and the yoga of worship, Bhakti Yoga. Thus it is action from love.

Seva ranges from giving up your seat on the bus for an elder to caring for those wounded in war.  Seva is a personal journey expressed through our own gifts and passion to help those around us.  It is a test of our unique altruism and spiritual knowledge put into unconditional action. In other words, nothing is expected in return.  Seva is a completely selfless action detached from any particular outcome.

Seva provides the opportunity to serve our family, friends, coworkers, and all those we encounter; even all our activities with a heightened sense of connection with God, which is the essence of Yoga.

Ram Dass explains seva beautifully: “Helping out is not some special skill. It is not the domain of rare individuals. It is not confined to a single part of our lives. We simply heed the call of that natural impulse within and follow it where it leads us.” (Ram Dass was a co-founder of the Seva Foundation. Seva is best known for their work restoring eyesight to over 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in places like Tibet, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.)

How Seva Can Help You, the Giver

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shares how Seva also benefits the giver:

To increase our joy we must share joy with others. Giving is essential for spiritual growth. A willingness to share what we have and to help others is called seva.
Seva connects us to others and makes them a part of us. The barriers dissolve that separate our happiness from their happiness. Lingering moods of unhappiness or depression dissipate when our focus is on helping someone else.

Seva can become complementary medicine for those who suffer with anxiety and depression. The stressful mind and negative thoughts about self quiet when we focus on selfless service.

How to Serve

There are endless ways of practicing Seva. Creativity and imagination ensures Seva becomes a way of life. If you are helping to mentor a son or daughter, that is family Seva. If you adopt a pet from the shelter, that is pet Seva. Anytime you willingly donate your time and love to help others, you are acting with Seva.

Service, whatever form it takes, is the flow of love from one human being to another. This desire to share is our basic nature. Sincere giving — without any expectation of return — breaks the boundaries of conditional love and expands our ability to love every human being unconditionally.  Perhaps the best Seva is helping someone understand this eternal nature of life.

Service is the expression of love. Serve in whatever possible manner you can. Set an intention of service every day.  Ask yourself, “How can I be useful to people around me, and to the whole world?” Then your heart starts blossoming and a completely new level begins. Otherwise we’re always thinking, “What about me, what about me?” It’s nothing! Ask, “How can I be useful, how can I give to the world?

Eva is our own inner joy pouring forth into action.

Make service a way of life — and be happier.

About

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #96155) providing online therapy in California and Florida. I work with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, and life transitions. My goal is to offer a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore destructive beliefs, heal childhood wounds, and build a healthier relationship with yourself and others.

My integrative approach blends mindfulness, trauma-informed care, and compassionate insight to support meaningful and lasting change.

If you feel ready to begin, you’re welcome to contact me in the comments section. I respond within 48 hours.