Guest Blogger, Ingrid King

I’d like to welcome Ingrid King, author of “Buckley’s Story, Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher” to Thoughts in Progress today.

Ingrid agreed to stop by and talk about how to “Choose to Live a Conscious Life.” However, before she begins I’d like to share some exciting news about “Buckley’s Story.”

America’s Veterinarian, Dr. Marty Becker, the popular veterinary contributor to ABC-TV’s Good Morning America, the author of several book, and the resident veterinarian on The Dr. Oz Show, recently commented on “Buckley’s Story.”

Here’s what he had to say, “Buckley’s Story is a true celebration of the bond between pets and their humans. This story of  “gimpy” little tortoiseshell cat with a huge heart who changed her human’s life in unexpected ways shows us how pets teach us universal lessons about living a joyful life, how caring for a terminally ill pet can deepen this special bond, and how to navigate the devastating grief that comes with losing a beloved animal companion.”

When asked how she felt about the comment, Ingrid said, “As you can well imagine, I am beyond thrilled about this wonderful endorsement.”

Congratulations Ingrid. Now tells us about choosing to live a conscious life.

It’s the beginning of a new decade, and our planet is undergoing a massive shift in consciousness. As a result, individuals are questioning the old ways of living and making new, more conscious choices about how to live their lives. But what does conscious living really mean?

The definition of the word conscious is “to be aware of one’s own existence, sensations, thoughts and surroundings.” It also means “being fully aware or sensitive to something,” “aware of oneself,” and “deliberate and intentional.” All these terms take us right to the heart of what conscious living means.

Being aware of our thoughts and emotions allows us to make conscious choices about everything from what we feel like wearing today to which career path we want to take. Thoughts are energy, and each thought has a vibration attached to it that sends a message to the universe to attract things to us that match the vibration of the thought we send out. We all have the ability to focus our thoughts, and when we deliberately focus them on what we want rather than on what we don’t want, we begin taking charge of consciously creating our lives. 

Being aware of our emotions adds power to this process – emotions are our instant guidance as to whether a thought moves us in the direction of what we want or away from it. When a thought feels good, we’re moving towards our desires. When it feels bad, we’re moving in the opposite direction.

Being fully aware is the first step to consciously living our lives. It is this awareness that allows us to tune in to our inner guidance, and the more we do that, the more we are able to become deliberate and intentional in choosing our thoughts.

Ultimately, conscious living means making choices that are in alignment with who we really are at our core. Using our emotions as guidance, we can make choices about everything from the foods we eat to the cosmetics we use to the products we buy for our pets. 

The more we make these conscious choices, the more whole our lives will become. Every choice becomes a conscious expression of our authentic selves in the world. The more we pay attention to what our inner self really wants and needs, the more congruent our lives become.

Be forewarned – conscious living is addictive. Once you live your life from that place of authenticity, you will have very little tolerance for anything less.

Some conscious choices people make can be as simple as eating organic foods, purchasing cruelty-free personal care products, using environmentally friendly products, and watching movies and television programs that carry a positive message, or as far-reaching as leaving a job that is not in alignment with their authentic self to start their own conscious business.

The important thing is to start somewhere, one small choice at a time. Make that simple choice, and watch your life begin to change.

Thank you so much Ingrid for stopping by today and sharing this informative and enlightening information with us. Ingrid will drop back by off and on today to speak with those stopping by to comment.

A little background information on Ingrid. She is a former veterinary hospital manager turned writer, she publishes the E-zine News for You and Your Pet, covering topics ranging from conscious living to holistic and alternative health. She shares her experiences with consciously creating a joyful, happy and healthy life for pets and people on her popular blog,The Conscious Cat (www.consciouscat.net). Ingrid lives in Northern Virginia with her tortoiseshell cat Amber. For more information about "Buckley’s Story" and Ingrid, please visit www.ingridking.com