presence Archives

The Cycle of Being Inspired

Posted on August 30, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

Do you ever have that feeling that prompts excitement to take action in some way?

You might be in the cycle of being inspired.

How did I get in the cycle?

Maybe it began with curiosity and wonder. Being curious about an idea or something you see. Taking an action toward the curiosity and wonder because it is important to you.

It might even be a challenge that creates an intrigue to navigate.

Did you wait to be in the cycle or did you actively immerse yourself in your experiences and observations?

Did you accept the invitation?

When did I choose to BE inspired?

The choice to be inspired might have come from seeing new perspectives and new possibilities. The enthusiasm created an energetic impulse to take action. A readiness to transform the idea into something that unleashes your capability. A transformation of your unique creativity into a process of actionable sequences.

Was I actually ready?

Did the perspective or idea guide me?

The moment I created inspiration

What action was taken to create the inspiration?

Momentum was generated by a step. A small simple, intentional step.

It wasn’t overthought. The focus was not directed at “what if” the action does not succeed.

Maybe the focus was an intention, “what do I want to create?”

Repeat the inspiration cycle

What allows the repeated momentum of being inspiration?

Taking action might feel like it needs to be constant. Sometimes responsiveness to “doing” softens.

It might feel like the momentum is disappearing. Maybe the cycle of inspiration is calling for something that isn’t about taking action.

Being intentional about inspiration also requires connection. This might include reflection or some type of organization of thoughts, feelings, or associated purpose to the inspiration.

The wave can be strong for a period, then slow gradually. Accepting the flow of the wave through the cycle of inspiration can be beneficial to maintain momentum.

The misconception might be to question if the inspiration is lost, or lessened due to the softened energy behind it.

When the intention is connected in fullness with inspiration, it is understood that the softened energy is part of the process.

The cycle continues in momentum through intentional energy, presence and connection.

Until the inspirational wave reaches its peak again.

Inspiration has an intentional purpose. It connects with a vision of importance.

The Transition From Worry to Calm

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

The mind can often construct distorted perceptions and stories in a state of stress. In this state, it can also seem difficult to begin the transition from worry to calm.

First, there is a focus on what is wrong, what isn’t right.

Second, shame or inadequacy makes it’s entrance.

Third, the pressure to initiate a “fix” for the moment becomes a strong incentive to comply.

What this often contributes to is a sense of not being enough.

In the moment, the reaction is to confront, resist, or navigate the fight-or-flight response.

Processing the Emotions

Being in the fight-or-flight response makes it challenging to step away from reacting. What if awareness were pre-intended beforehand?

A habit that builds within each experience. A powerful presence WITH the emotions.

Soon, the pre-intended awareness moves to the thoughts that trigger the emotions. You are no longer identifying yourself as the emotions. You see yourself as someone experiencing an emotion. It becomes two different ways of processing the emotions.

You stop to take a breath. To notice your breath and gradually slow it down. A feeling of calmness begins. You say to yourself, “I notice I’m feeling _________ right now. That’s okay to feel ____. I appreciate that I noticed it.”
The invitation for curiosity is presented. I wonder what is causing me to feel ______ right now? May I give myself a moment to be with this feeling.

A sense of peace returns. You see gratitude for the feeling that is trying to capture your attention. With each passing moment, clarity returns.

There is some space to settle with the feelings, without the obligation to force a resolution. You can let go of the need to fix something.

The Story That Supports The Worry

Worry is like an author who is actively writing a book. The antagonist is worry. It is the internal conflict. The obstacle must be identified to see the lesson that needs to be learned to let go of the worry.

Typically, the worry is an obscure fear about something that might happen if control is lost, uncertainty is not clear, and doubt persists in not knowing the answers.

The transition to calm is a deepening trust that everything will be ok.

Within this state of trusting everything will be ok,

is surrendering to what can’t be controlled
uncertainty can be safe
answers are in progress
belief of being enough in the moment

Maybe the illusion of our worry is rooted in fear. Our perception of safety will be disrupted because we aren’t sure how to control or stop it quickly enough.

What we interpret as “not being quick enough.”

The meanings take their form, and worry evolves into an elaborate story of intrigue.

How will the main character navigate the moments of intrigue?

If worry is a form of protection, what would the intention of calm be?

The Blessings In Life

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

When we see the blessings in life, what allows us to see them?

If our focus is fixated on what we don’t have, what we don’t want, what is not aligning with our vision of possibility, what do we see?

If joy is overlooked in our lived moments, what is it being replaced with instead?

If our perspective is based on evaluating negative and positive outcomes, where do we miss seeing the blessings in life?

If love is our greatest fundamental value for well-being, what will bring us back to nurture its value?

If our intention is not held with conviction, what are we holding that is more important?

If living with an energy of connection is not chosen, what energy are we choosing?

If we believe that blessings happen only when we are worthy to receive them, when do we see them?

If gratitude is left unacknowledged, what takes its place to validate life’s experiences?

If our faith weakens, what happens to the perception of our world?

If being in a state of presence becomes unanchored, what happens to the details of our attention?

The Practice

What is the practice of seeing the blessings in life?

It starts with slowing down to appreciate. How we choose to appreciate is the repeatable practice.

It might be through actions such as acknowledging daily gratitude, journaling, meditation, and consciously reflecting more deeply into the challenges we face to uncover lessons or learning.

Maybe people don’t have the opportunity to see blessings in life because the repeated patterns disrupt how we function internally. Just like any habit, seeing the blessings requires discipline to repeat and create.

We may not know or understand;

How to embrace resilience
How to be present with our emotions
When to slow down
When to reframe and reflect

What prevents us from seeing the blessings in life?

It might seem ordinary to be distracted and consumed by our challenges and our suffering. To allow ourselves to think and feel isolated and alone.

Among these reasons are internal survival strategies that influence how we choose to think and feel in that state of being.

It is the misaligned choices of presence and connection that take us further from what we really want. They continue to keep us stuck and feeling unfulfilled.

Real life examples of seeing the blessings in life

Thankyou for…. or I am grateful for…..

I am grateful for the shelter over my head.

I am grateful for the food I have to nourish me.

I am grateful for my life today.

I am grateful for my breath in this moment.

I am grateful for the water available to me.

I am grateful for the functioning of my body.

I am grateful for the challenges I have overcome.

I am grateful for my family and friends.

I am grateful for moments of connection.

I am grateful for the lessons I have learned in my life.

I am grateful for the lessons I have yet to learn.

I am grateful for unexpected moments of pause.

I am grateful for the time I can rest my body and mind.

I am grateful for the kindness of others.

I am grateful for the opportunity to give and receive.

I am grateful for the availability of peace and calm whenever I want it.

I am grateful for the sunrise and sunset.

I am grateful for compassion.

I am grateful for the expression of love and caring.

I am grateful for having choices.

I am grateful for my faith.

I am grateful for infinite blessings.

What blessings do you see in your life today?

How we choose to see the blessings in life transforms our state of being. It is not forced or coerced into something imagined. It is real because it is honest. A true reflection of appreciation for the intricate mache of details in our life.

In the darkness, I get to see the light within myself. For that, I am truly grateful.

When Inner Leadership Overshadows Personal Growth

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

Personal growth is an important component in the continual process of developing knowledge and wisdom to expand one’s capabilities.

It is also important to be aware of the calling when inner leadership overshadows personal growth.

What is inner leadership?

Inner leadership harnesses personal growth through inner wisdom to regulate emotions and be authentic to one’s values. It is a dedicated focus of awareness for our intentions in the process.

The connected importance of both

Personal growth is usually focused on becoming better in some way, improving, or developing something that contributes to our overall well-being.

Inner leadership takes these valuable learnings and transforms them into actionable guidance. The learnings are used as tools to help regulate emotions and behaviours. There is a prioritized consideration for “being” the chosen intentions with a commitment to integrity.

The personal growth loop

The experience of continual improvement, combined with the feeling of growth, can become an obstacle to accessing our true potential. A personal growth loop begins to form because it becomes the only main strategic choice we are familiar with.

However, when we feel the need to constantly “fix” ourselves, the focus shifts away from the purpose of what we want to improve. Fixing is the narrative the ego suggests is important because of the feelings of not being good enough. There may be an absence of self-trust to lead ourselves through the challenges. What this means is that we are not able to manage our ego’s needs effectively.

The personal growth loop continues because we are continually trying to prove our worth and validate to ourselves and others that we are good enough and worthy.

The calling for inner leadership

In times of challenges, the focus might shift from personal growth and the “needing” to be better, to answering the call of inner leadership. Self-regulation may be more important for calmness in the moment while trusting the decisions being made in that emotional state.

When the desire to lead with authenticity becomes an important choice in the process, honesty and compassion help someone let go of the attachment to outcomes. In those moments, emotional intelligence is allowed to guide the experience.

Living our core values gives direction through resilience rather than reacting to external distractions.

External distractions, such as panic, anger, or people-pleasing, are instances when reactions control our decisions.

Sometimes we feel that our achievements no longer hold the same purpose that supported our inner security. We begin to question who we really are without the accomplishments and achievements. It no longer feels safe to operate in that way.

Another thought is, if we are constantly striving to be a “better version” of ourselves, where does gratitude get lost in appreciating the person we are now?

Most often, it is fueled by comparison, perfectionism, and the need for validation.

Inner leadership ensures that performed actions are inspired by value-driven, aligned intentions.

Inner leadership in your life

Inner leadership starts by asking, “Who is leading my inner world right now?”

The answer to that question initiates awareness. In that awareness is the opportunity to choose clear intentions for how you would like to lead yourself.

It is a practice that focuses on emotional regulation. A trust in our inner wisdom to guide us during stress without the reactionary dialogue that is conditioned for our inner safety.

Allowing our values compass to lead with aligned authority to our actions.

Inner leadership is a shared partnership with personal growth. To lead ourselves effectively, it is essential to understand ourselves and develop our inner resources through personal growth resources.

Being an effective inner leader means taking responsibility by being a valuable, giving contributor to the shared human experience.

Inner leadership is an invitation to act upon the full potential that already resides within.

A Serving Truth

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

What does a serving truth mean to each person?

It could be something that is believed with conviction. In the belief could be a choice of alignment to the truth.

In the context of a serving truth, “alignment” refers to what serves the greater good. To view it from the perspective of a positive, supportive truth.

The choice of a serving truth

A choice implies that there can be an optional truth. Perception and interpretation can distort the serving truth. What happens if there is a conflict of belief, and what could be the serving truth?

The deepest truths involve love, acceptance, and belonging. In those truths are various sub-truths, such as trust, worthiness, self-respect, and self-acceptance.

If perception and interpretation never change, neither will the serving truth.

When the serving truth changes

Sometimes growth, healing or being in a transformational phase is the catalyst for a truth that changes.

The change could begin with perspective. Then curiosity can help us see other perspectives.

Self-honesty offers an authentic lens to view from the connected self.

Self-compassion bridges the gap between reactionary distortion and connected awareness.

What interferes with the serving truth

Fear can be a common obstacle to aligning with a serving truth. Our inner fear instructs choices to be made that self-sabotage what we want to believe is true.

The instinctive habit of adapting to comfort makes it easy to accept a misaligned truth. Within that is the energy required to remain in that place of comfort. Then, it further amplifies the disconnection to oneself and what is most important.

Always coming back and maintaining

Integrity is what is required to continue coming back to living in a truth that serves you. It requires honest courage to say “no” when it means no, and “yes” when it means yes.

Being in the loving sanctum inside yourself is a daily practice of devoting a willingness to surrender and let go. It is consistency that ensures the actions align with the intentions.

There is a balance between a loving self and following a serving truth. The words that instruct the fellowship are meant to be compassionate and graceful. The actions that follow reflect a loving self.

A serving truth embodies compassion and love for persuasive belief.

Emotional Mastery

Posted on January 30, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

What is the true meaning of emotional mastery?

One definition could be; “Exercising the ability to understand, manage, regulate, and intentionally utilize emotions as a tool to shape one’s responses to life in ways that align with inner harmony.”

To master emotions, it is essential to understand where emotions begin.

The Response

There are parts of the brain that are triggered in response to situations or experiences. The relevance of their purpose is related to the response we choose in various situations.

The Amygdala is the brain’s emotional center. It is an important processor of fear, anxiety, and anger, while also linking emotions to memories.

The Hypothalamus controls the body’s physical reactions to emotions, such as increased heart rate. It also manages mood, hunger, and temperature.

The Hippocampus forms new memories, which are essential for remembering emotional experiences and their associated contexts.

The Prefrontal Cortex is located at the front of the brain. Its function is to regulate emotional responses, decision-making, and personality.

The stories and context that we associate with our experiences can sometimes feel uncontrollable, as they are interpreted as being re-experienced or relived. It can be difficult to acknowledge or see that the facts of what we are thinking about are from the past.

We can allow ourselves to know we are safe now and have the power to have safety in the present.

Complications such as long periods of depression add to the complexity of having mastery of emotions. However, the brain is moldable.

Emotional Mastery Tools

Regulating emotions can take on many forms. It could start with bringing awareness to the body through breathing, meditation, and muscle relaxation techniques.

It could be doing something practical to activate the frontal lobe, prefrontal cortex of the brain, which helps to manage and modify emotional responses.

Emotions can be addressed by talking to someone, journaling, or expressing yourself in a way that helps convey what emotions are being experienced.

Within awareness is the choice to reframe thoughts to help shift the story and perspective into a supportive view. This can useful to understand what situations or thoughts spark intense emotions.

Give yourself self-compassion and treat yourself with kindness. Acknowledging that the emotions you’re experiencing are valid.

There are supportive nervous system habits such as exercise, eating meals with balanced essential nutrients, and adequate sleep.

A helpful physical tool to reference is an emotion wheel. This can be useful for identifying what emotion(s) are being experienced.

What Emotional Mastery Is Not

Emotional mastery is not about focusing on eliminating emotions. The intention is not to label emotions as bad, negative or illogical disruptors. They can be treated as valuable messengers containing sources of information that can be processed as insights into our inner experiences. Acceptance and acknowledgement of the full spectrum of emotions is important to understand their display.

Controlling emotions is not realistic or supportive. It is more effective to manage and regulate emotions, leading to clarity about which emotions are not serving our best interests. They can help encourage setting boundaries that reinforce support for the emotions.

Emotion Traps

Emotions can form into habits that allow negativity to escalate. This could lead to stuck-ness, or self-sabotage. It can feel impossible to escape a situation, often driven by fears or shutting down internally. The focus is directed to unsupportive thoughts. In the emotion trap, many people experience physical tension, or unproductive behaviours that prevent growth in a situation.

In this state, it is powerful to be able to regulate and have awareness of what emotions are happening. There are thoughts behind the emotions, and the awareness of those thoughts becomes awareness of those emotions when they are happening. You can begin to understand where the emotions originate from. It means regulating them, being present with them, and having an understanding of one’s emotions. Sometimes the understanding isn’t there, but an option is to navigate to understand them with appreciation.

Mastering emotions is striving to be consciously present in each experience with valid acknowledgement and compassionate understanding.

Suffering In The Human Experience

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Kristin Larsen

What does “suffering in the human experience” really mean?

A person’s attention could be drawn to the emotional side of suffering. They could display such emotions as sadness, fear, anger, and shame. Thoughts could lead to behaviors that identify with despair, depression, anxiety, hurt, and pain. The anguish of suffering is often viewed as a negative experience. Obviously, unwanted, undesired, and unaccepted. Continually resisting, drifting deeper into torment and misery.

What is the purpose of suffering

Often, suffering is an invitation. It is calling our attention to healing. To resolve something that still requires processing.

The deeper part of ourselves wants our presence, care, and understanding. The logical part of our processing wants understanding or rationalizations of why. When those answers can’t be produced, the suffering slices deeper into the experience.

What is the invitation?

The invitation is not in plain sight. It requires some elements of nurture to view the invitation so it can be accepted.

The requirement is Presence and Compassion.

The path may not be clear through the suffering, but an important mission begins to unfold.

The calling of, “who do you get to become throughout the experience?”

The acceptance of healing guides us toward our truth- The transformation into the depth of empathetic awakening.

It is no longer viewed as a detriment. Accepting what is being experienced is part of the path.

What is revealed are the patterns and unprocessed wounds. An opportunity for resolution.

In the deeper truth, discomfort isn’t avoided. It is welcomed as an igniter for awakening throughout the process. An evolution of our being.

What prolongs the suffering

Being in control is often a common need to maintain a sense of stability. Without stability, it can feel scary when there is no commonality with what is known.

As time passes, the choice to remain in the victimhood of suffering enhances its familiarity. You anticipate its presence. You expect that it will last indefinitely.

Suppressing emotions and denying the invitation intensifies the suffering and prolongs it’s effects.

When is suffering viewed as “not suffering”

Through the lens of self-compassion and understanding the inner pain, suffering can transform into wisdom. A shift to introspection converts pain into purpose.

The unfolding question appears, “What is this experience teaching me?”

Although the purpose is not necessarily to create meaning, it begins to happen naturally in the process.

The energy in the suffering gravitates towards safe expression while honoring the space of healing that is allowed to occur.

It becomes a normalized experience of expression as an integral part of the journey.

Moving from a state of isolation into an intention of connectedness.

Suffering is a gentle reminder that compassion is asking for attention.

Letting Intentions of Our Being-ness Lead

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Kristin Larsen

In each moment there is a thought to how we would like to function. It doesn’t always mean functioning in the way we would like. An important factor in functioning in the way we would like requires letting intentions of our being-ness lead.

To allow intentions of our being-ness to lead means understanding what intentions are and what their importance is in day to day life.

What is an intention of our being?

An intention is an idea that you plan to carry out. In order to carry out the intention you must be committed to it’s action. To be committed to it’s action you must embody the true essence of the intention. The intention requires determination to follow through with accompanying actions. It has been conceived in the mind and becomes the focus of being. The being-ness of the intention is devotion to it’s embodiment within.

What role do intentions of our being have in our life?

Intentions act as our guide in life. When they are paired with our values, they form a powerful combination of navigating influencers that lead the way.

Anyone can have an intention. What makes the intention significant is that it coincides with the true way of functioning that someone would like. The epicenter of operation can originate from the intention. Life could be in chaos but living from the intention could be the difference between staying grounded and focused or letting anxiety and disarray be in control.

I feel that, “intentions are the backbone of operating in our reality, no matter what is occurring in that reality.”

Being your intentions

What will be required to BE your intentions?

A commitment, a dedication, being integrity to the desired intentions. An example would be if I choose to be compassion, then my thoughts and actions must originate from that intention. It could mean shifting perspectives or changing my focus from contexts that are happening that don’t align with that intention. It might not necessarily mean I agree with everything that is occurring in that moment. However, it doesn’t change the intention of compassion that I choose to be in that moment.

What gets in the way of being our intentions

In many instances our ego gets in the way. Feeling the need for safety in one or various forms. To affirm self worth, love or finding a feeling of safety in an experience. A need to prove or be validated is what the ego wants to regain control or feel it is in control of the experience.

Coming back to our intentions means comforting the ego when it feels threatened. Soothing it and letting the heart-mind to have a moment to heal and restore. Self compassion could be a door opening intention for that to happen.

Commitment to letting our intentions of being-ness lead

The commitment is a dedicated focus to being the desired intentions. It could be a daily practice that creates awareness. The awareness then forms a choice to follow through on the required actions to be the intention. In time, it becomes a habit.
Moments could arise that displace being the intention. Acknowledging the agreement to be integrity for the intention recommits to embody the intention again without much delay.

The dedication to live by a chosen intention is an embodied integrity, “to be.”