Advice or Guidance

You know I’m often told I’m good at giving advice or guidance, but I often struggle with accepting it, even from myself. Often times I’ll know that the reason I’m in a certain situation is because of my current thought patterns, however there are times when I struggle to change them. See, I don’t have a fear of digging deep inside to get to the root of my problems, it’s more so that at times I just forget to do so. That sounds ridiculous, you say? Well maybe.

There are a lot of things I’ve noticed about living in this physical reality, and one huge thing is that change takes time. We are often so submerged in the drama of our own lives we have a hard time taking an objective view to the experiences happening to us. In other words, it’s a hell of a lot easier to look into someone else’s experience and point out where and possibly how the change needs to happen. On the other hand, when we are in the midst of our own emotions going haywire it’s not so easy to pull back and analyze the situation with a clear mind.

I’ve noticed that I can also be guilty of looking outside of my own thoughts and behaviors for reasons why things aren’t going right. Though, I know (because experiences and research have shown me) that I am the only one who can create within my experience, I still have moments when I fall into the trap of looking outside of myself for verification of my desires or worth. Of course since no one can ever provide this validation for me, because they aren’t me, they “disappoint” me every time. It is only after I breakdown and enter my careful introspection that I’ve realized I’ve yet again forgotten to follow my teachings. I don’t beat up on myself about it though. Since I am living in a physical experience, that is submerged in endless emotions, I just remember that I can always pickup myself back up, and get back on the perfect course for me if I chose. It is so, because I make it so.

Quote of the Week

"Excellence is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never ends." Brian Tracy

What a simple yet powerful statement. I find this idea to be valid regarding all aspects of life. Often we tend to think of excellence or greatness as something to be completed and achieved, like a class or a lesson in school. We often feel that we have to conquer some great obstacle and once done we’ve completed the task of reaching excellence. But really, excellence is the drive that pushes us harder and further to do better and better. Excellence is not the end goal, but rather the ongoing desire, that pushes us to be all that we can… and more.

Allowing Others To Be Who They Are

I know some are already saying, “I already do that.” But do we? We are all governed by our beliefs, whether they are moral, spiritual, political, etc. And pretty much everyone likes to believe that their POV is valid or right. So in our humanistic way of thinking sometimes we fall into the trap of believing that if our beliefs are right then someone else’s must be wrong. And then we feel that we want to do the right thing by helping others change “the error of their ways” by bringing them over to our way of believing or thinking.

Often I see others who are living lives that don’t seem to benefit them or serve their highest good, but nevertheless they seem to be hooked into their way of life. It is very difficult to watch others (especially others that we care deeply about) travel down a path that seems to be harmful to them. To stand back and do nothing may seem wrong, but what if we’re not standing back and doing nothing, by attempting to not force our personal views upon them? What if our negative viewpoint about what someone else is doing, produces more harm than good all around? What if when we believe we’re providing enlightenment to someone, form a place of negativity regarding their behavior, we are actually hurting those we are attempting to help as well as ourselves?

We can never force someone else to into a pattern of thought or belief they don’t desire. To try to pressure them into “changing their ways” only creates negative tension between them and us. In all cases, the most we can do for people is to love them where they are and allow them to be which they have chosen to be, even if it’s in direct violation with what we feel to be right. No matter what, we can never think, live or create for anyone else and to try will only bring frustration and negativity to everyone involved. Though it may be difficult, the most we can do in these types of situations is to allow others to be who they are while doing our best to think positive thoughts for them. They are here to gain their own personal experiences from life as are we, and it’s not our job to cheat others of their experiences, even when we don’t understand or agree.

Quote of the Week

"Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the penthouse of existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being." David Steindl-Rast

Short, sweet and to the point. Some speak of spirituality as if it’s something you only work on one day a week or when you can squeeze it in, but truthfully (you know how I love the truth) it is a lifestyle. Spirituality (or even the lack thereof) is something that guides every action, every consideration, every thought, every reaction, etc. When a person is truly aiming to be one with who they really are (their source) then spirituality becomes a way of life.

Missing But Never for Long

So I’ve sorta been MIA. Shameful I know. *hangs head in shame* But in my defense sometimes you need to take a little break and hit the refresh button. Since I’ve been away (absolutely not slacking off) I’ve been thinking of the direction I would like for my life to take. Things in my life are far from bad and I am thankful every day for the opportunities that are presented to me. However things aren’t quite the picture I have in my mind of my “dream life.”

I know that a lot of people feel that living their dream life is nothing more than a fantasy, but you know me, it’s all or nothing. I’m not going to dream big if I’m not going to take a shot (or even multiple shots) at trying to attain them. Anyway, since I’ve been taking my little breather I’ve had time to really narrow down the type of lifestyle I’d like to have and I’ve honed my focus in on it like never before.

Recently I was presented with an opportunity that will allow me to have everything I’ve asked for and my inner being is yelling, “GO FOR IT!” So, even though I am absolutely scared as this opportunity is nothing that I’ve ever even tried before, I’m still going for it. What I won’t do is allow my ego to hold me back out of fear and a desire to keep me in the mundane and familiar. My soul is chanting, “Do it!” So I’m doing it! Wish me luck!

Quote of the Week

“If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.” Deepak Chopra

I love how this quote just spells it out. The ego (the human mind) thinks it knows everything, even though everything it knows has been garnered from the physical perspective. The human mind is forever threatened by change or that which it deems as different. As a result if we grow up being taught that the human mind is above all and kept ignorant of the guidance of the higher (spiritual self), our growth will forever be stunted. The ego (often) believes or accepts what society and those around us tell it. So we grow up believing that we have to work to gain others approval, when it is how we feel about ourselves that matters most, especially with regard to creating and enjoying the lives we want. The ego believes that its way has to be the right way and tends to judge others who walk a different path. The ego likes to try and control the atmosphere around it in order to feel superior, though in reality it will never be able to match the true wisdom of the spiritual self. When the ego is in charge everything is the hard way, it will do what it can to hold us back so that we do not try to change and grow past its limited vision. But, when we allow the true spirit within to be the beacon that guides us there are no limitations to how far we can reach. 

Spirituality VS Materialism and Sexuality

I’ve got an uncommon viewpoint (well so far from the things I’ve seen) regarding material possessions and sexuality in relation to spirituality. Now over the course of my life, I’ve seen over and over from those who are knee deep in some religions (not trying to start a war just telling what I’ve seen) and those who consider themselves to be just “spiritual” (whatever that may mean to you). I’ve seen an overwhelming rush of ideas that all express that in order to be spiritual you have to be above desiring material possessions and ignore or avoid being interested in sex. But my question is, why?

So here’s a little background on my POV regarding these subjects and if you don’t agree…well that’s fine with me. Anyway, from a huge portion of what I’ve seen and read I believe that a lot of beliefs will agree that we are spiritual beings housed in physical bodies. Check. Also a lot of us believe that when we come here we in some ways lose touch with that spiritual part of ourselves and often have to work to get back in touch with that inner part of ourselves. Check. Some of us also believe that the spirit or nonphysical part of us communicates with us in one way or another (your mileage may vary on the technique you believe is used for this communication). However a tremendous amount of people also believe that we are supposed to spend our entire life times going back to being strictly spiritual beings, while still on earth and forgo our earthy desires of physical intimacy and desire for material possessions. Again, I want to ask, why?

Here’s just something that came to me when I was doing a bit of reasoning after a session of reading. If we came here to experience living in physical bodies, why are we supposed to forgo all the pleasures of living in a physical world? Clearly we can’t do it in nonphysical form or why would we need these bodies? So if our souls truly want to experience life in the physical realm why are we cheating ourselves of these experiences? Our souls/inner beings/source (whatever you want to call it) provide guidance that lets us know if the experiences we are having are for our highest good or not, why do we impose additional constraints on this already perfect guidance? I mean this guidance is from the source, it is divine and can never be “wrong.”

I believe that most of us are sensitive enough to realize when we are receiving our divine guidance so when we receive it we should pay attention, as it will never lead us in the wrong direction or a direction that would cause us harm. So if our guidance is telling us that an experience is going to be good, but we ignore it, why is that considered righteous? How is ignoring or going against something that feels natural and right down deep in your gut a good thing?  On the other hand why are we considered to be irresponsible, wrong, selfish (etc) if we decide to go with what feels natural and right? I don’t think it’s unspiritual to have and enjoy sex or material possessions, just as I don’t think it’s spiritual to ignore what comes natural. I believe that we know what feels right and what feels wrong and it’s a truly spiritual person that can interpret that guidance for themselves and except themselves as they are and follow the path of their desires to a fulfilling and happy life, whatever it may be for each individual person. Just a little something to think about.

Love, 

Quote of the Week

“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.” Ayn Rand

I think this quote is made of awesome fabulousness. I saw it posted a while ago and thought I’d steal it. I’m starting to believe that some of our competitive natures are actually hindering our ability to achieve and/or manifest our desires. I believe it’s one thing to participate in healthy competition when in contest or playing a game, but when everything in life starts to become about beating someone else or being better than someone else, I think we are playing a dangerous game.

The way I see it, competition is (for the most part) about comparing yourself to someone else. What do I have to do to get ahead of, beat or be better than this person?  When your whole life becomes about comparing your accomplishments to someone else’s I believe that is setting yourself up for failure. Someone else may do something differently or faster but that doesn’t mean they do it better and vice versa.

Wouldn’t it be better if instead of looking at someone else’s life for guidance we looked to our own true inner selves instead? What if we decided to look into our own hearts, acknowledge the things that truly make us happy and strive to create those things in the best manner for our own wellbeing and desires? Perhaps if we used our own lives, experiences, progresses and feelings as a gauge for how we’re doing instead of someone else’s we might actually appreciate the strides we’ve made toward our goals. Instead of caring more about comparing our journey to someone else’s, I believe it would be much more beneficial to just enjoy the one we are on and appreciate our own precious achievements. Self-love, come on let’s get with it.

Comfort

There are times in life when we all need a little comfort. As much as we all want to be strong and positive all the time, sometimes we just get down… and it’s okay. But what do we do to pick ourselves back up? It’s one thing to fall, but it’s another to stay and wallow in the dirt. Wallowing only allows time for more negativity to sprout and grow roots within our minds. Though there may be many things that have the potential to get me down, there are also many, that have the potential to lift me up… if I allow them to.

One of my favorite and most effective methods of getting my mind right, is to clear my mind as much as possible. If I’m not focusing on anything in particular, then I can’t be focused on anything bad. I’ve also noticed that my mind and body both feel more at ease when I ease up on my focus. Even when we are focused on something good, if we press to hard we can focus the fun right out of it. Sometimes we just have to let go of the control and go with it (whatever it may be). If clearing my mind doesn’t work I find something else I love to do like playing with my kids, calling a good friend, listening to music, watching or reading a nice romance (happily ever after how can you go wrong with that), learning to cook a new dish from scratch (talk about something to consume your mind) and there is always retail therapy. So the next time you feel a little off or down try distracting yourself with something you like or even nothing at all and see how it goes. You may be surprised at the results.

Love,

Quote of the Week

"Faith is to believe what you do not see the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." Saint Augustine

Nicely put, sweet, simple and to the point. For many people, (sometimes me depending on the situation) this simplistic yet powerful concept seems too easy or too good to be true. “You mean all I have to do is believe in myself and I can achieve anything, no matter how big or small?” Yep, that’s what it means. The thing is, even when many of us think we’re believing in ourselves, we aren’t. We’re busy worrying and doubting whether or not we can have something or are worthy of it. But who decides our worthiness? Well I guess it depends. Some of us allow society to tell us how worthy we are to have things. Do you have the right background, the perfect credit score, an agreeable attitude? And some have started to break that mold and decide that no matter what, they are going to have the things they want. Regardless, the quote doesn’t mention any hoops to jump through or anyone (or any being) we have to please before we can reap our reward. The quote just says that if you believe it then you can manifest it. I love it!

Truth

The truth hurts… or does it? I really just wanted to expand on this idea, more than I did on my facebook page. For as long as I can remember I’ve heard the statement regarding the truth hurting. But to me it’s never really made any sense. Then I decided to take my thoughts a little deeper. There are those who have no idea what the truth really is and there are those who know what the truth is but don’t want to accept it. I feel this to be the case regarding many situations, but to me the biggest case of denial tends to remain in the spiritual realm. I’m not speaking of the acceptance of various religious beliefs, but of self-realization and spirituality.

Basically, from birth I have been taught that my thoughts/attitude are what cause the creation of my reality. Over the course of my life, (though I am fairly young if you pay attention the numbers in my age), through experience and reading books such as: The Law of Attraction Series, Creative Visualization, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, just to name a few, I’ve learned that this is in fact the truth. However this philosophy implies that I must take full responsibility for my life, even the parts that I feel aren’t so great at the moment. I have come across many people who don’t like this philosophy because the prospect of taking that responsibility is daunting, discoursing, bothersome, etc.

The thing is, even when we don’t want to accept the truth it doesn’t stop the truth from becoming. Our thoughts will continue to create our reality whether we want to be responsible for them and the outcomes that they produce or not. So in essence when we are living in the dark (regardless of the reason) the truth of the way things exists will always come back to bite us (oh yes, with really big sharp teeth). So in that case, life or the truth will continue to hurt us if we continue to remain oblivious or live in denial. However when we accept the truth, that no one can create in our own personal existences, except us individually, and we become more aware of how the universe works, the truth takes on a whole new light. We know, that what we’re experiencing is a direct result of our thoughts and attitudes, thus there is no reason to be upset about life, and there is no reason to cast blame. We can from there, decide to wallow in the seemingly bad things we’ve created or learn from them, in order to create a happy, joyous experience in which the truth will only service to aid is in our wonderful manifestations. The choice is ours.

Love,

Quote of the Week

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
George Bernard Shaw

Holy cow! I’ve never viewed communication from this perspective before, but as soon as I read it, it resonated with me. How many times have any of us had a conversation or correspondence with someone, only to feel you’ve left off where you began, run in circles, made no progress, you get me right? How many times have any of us had a heated “discussion” about our personal views with someone who had opposing views? During these times, do you think we spend more time trying to find something of value to take away from the experience or trying to “convert” someone to our beliefs? I mean so many of us believe our beliefs are “right.” Come on, admit it, I know we’ve all been there a time or two and it sucks each and every time.

Well anyway, now I prefer to think that communication should be a dialogue between two or more people, where everyone is trying to find some common ground, actually hear what the other parties are saying and understand them. Even still, if you can’t agree completely, at least try to broaden your horizons, before condemning something you may not have known about or tried. So many want just their voice to be heard. So many just want to be RIGHT, when really, is that what’s most important?

If we take a chance on someone else’s point of view what exactly do we have to lose? What does it hurt to hear out someone else’s thoughts and opinions? Then have a healthy dialogue or even debate as long as you are actually listening to the other person, instead of only focusing on preparing your next argument, because there is no way their opinions could be valid for you? I think I’ll take heed to this quote the next time I’m in a discussion with someone of an opposite view point. It would be fabulous if I take away something of value from every interaction instead of just plane ole’ frustration. 

Relationship Issues

Oh yeah this is a biggie and what I have to say probably won’t make me any friends… but oh well here it goes. All (yes I do mean all) of the issues I know of or have heard of come from someone trying to impose their desires on someone else. I have come across way too many people who are looking for someone outside of themselves, to make them happy or whole. Right here, this one thing is an automatic relationship fail! Yes, it is absolutely true.

Here’s the thing. All of us that are aware and accepting of the fact that our thoughts create our realities, in turn have to be aware that we are the ONLY ones who CAN create within our realities. What does this mean? It means that we are the only ones responsible for our happiness by way of monitoring our thoughts. It also means that everyone else is responsible for their own happiness by way of monitoring their own thoughts. No one exists to create happiness for someone else, we are here to create it for ourselves, when we are happy with ourselves it is much easier to spread genuine happiness to others.

I want us to all take a moment and think about any possible issues we currently have with our significant others. Are we basing our happiness on their actions or reactions toward us? Does this not go directly against the belief system of creating our reality by using our thoughts? If we think it and believe it, then it is (or eventually will be if we continue to pay specific attention to it). So if all of your happiness, in any specific relationship, is based upon what someone else is or isn’t doing for you, then you’ve got a problem and you will ALWAYS have problems.

Instead of BLAMING (I talk about this blame thing a lot don’t I?) your S/O for what you feel they are doing wrong, why don’t you try to work the situation around in your mind until you feel better? One thing we will never be able to do is “control” what anyone else is doing. So maybe we should just stop trying to. It causes more stress in relationships than anything else. Too often we want to guide our loved one’s behavior by what makes US feel good, but we sure don’t want them to do that to us. If we can’t find a way to create some common ground, where we can learn to accept each other as we already are and still find a way to be happy in our own lives, then our relationships will never be at peace. Everything starts from the inside out, not the other way around.

Love,  

Quote of the Week

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein

Wow what genius! LOL okay I couldn’t help myself. ;) But really this statement is quite profound. Many of us create problems by continuing to pursue our current pattern of thinking. We use the things we’ve experienced in life to try and create excuses reasons for why our lives are the way they are. Consistently we create conflicts, issues and problems within our own lives (I am certainly no exception). Then we try to “fix” our problems the hard way while continuing to think the same poisonous thoughts that dropped us into the unwanted situations in the first place. Sounds a bit counterproductive doesn’t it?   

What I think the quote really means is, if we really want to solve our problems or move onto bigger and better we first must change our thoughts. We can’t possibly use the same patterns of thought that got us into our problems to now solve those same issues. Bit by bit, day by day we have the power to change our thoughts to something more positive and conducive to our much deserved wellbeing. And as we begin these changes we will see the results manifested within our own lives. Thus if we can change the way we think we can change the way we live on a dynamic level. Let's give it a try, shall we?

Love,

Selfish? Oh am I?

Countless people have accused me of being selfish or promoting selfishness… well, I guess it’s a possibility. Let’s do a little research on the word, shall we? This is how the Word English Dictionary defines it:

1.      chiefly concerned with one's own interest, advantage, etc, esp to the total exclusion of the interests of others 

2.      relating to or characterized by self-interest

Interesting, now how about some synonyms:

Self-interested, Self-indulgent, “Out for Number One” (yes I really did find that one as a synonym for Selfish), Prejudiced (what that has to do with selfishness I don’t really get, but whatever)

Now it appears to me that it’s much more “popular” in society to take the first definition and run with it. Selfish is damn near (oh yes I did go there) the worst thing ever, the root of all horribleness and evil in the world. Basically, it is popular belief that to be selfish is bad, bad, bad. But it is my belief that this is an extremist view point.

Personally, I am a believer in moderation and if one remains balanced in their thoughts and actions (which they will of they are always in alignment with source) then selfishness may not be such a bad thing… at least according to definition number two. “Relating to or characterized by self-interest,” to me, sounds pretty normal and even expected. To sum it up, it seems like this definition means that each individual person sees life through his/her own personal perspective. But how is this bad? Who else’s perspective are we supposed to use to observe life? It’s literally impossible to live life from the viewpoint of some else. We can’t experience life through someone else’s body, emotions or thoughts. Even if we can understand them, we still understand them through our own POV. That’s just plain and simple the way it is.

Also, who is going to take care of us if we don’t take care of ourselves? While others are out there sacrificing their very lives in the very name of “doing what’s right” (and what’s right is all a matter of personal perspective based on individual beliefs… so we all use a selfish point of view when deciding on what’s “right”) they are expecting in turn that someone else is going to take care of them. Even worse, they are angry when someone else won’t, and then want to call others “selfish” for not doing for them what they should be doing for themselves. Just keepin’ it real.

Maybe if we worked on ourselves, and tried to have the best lives possible then we would be less angry with others, who don’t want to turn their lives upside down for our causes. Perhaps if we took better care of ourselves we would be able to contribute more effectively, not only to ourselves but to anyone else as well. If we are steeped in unhappiness, how can we pass on happiness? If we are broke and can’t pay our bills, how can we contribute to someone else’s worthy cause? If we are in poor health, how can we take care of our children and other loved ones effectively? If we don’t take care of self first, how can we have anything to offer someone else? Is selfishness a bad thing, well I guess it’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? Just a little food for thought.

Love,

Quote of the Week

"The man who trims himself to suit everybody will soon whittle himself away." Charles Schwab

When I first read this, I was just stunned at the simplicity, yet power of this statement. Too often, we spend our time trying to present ourselves in a way that pleases the people around us, instead of working to feel good about who we really are or want to be. We all do it on some level, it’s hard not to, since society often tells us it’s the “right” thing to do. Often it would seem society tells us that being ourselves isn’t good enough. Commercials boast of age defying makeups, quick weight loss scams… um I mean techniques or diets, tanning facilities and endless photos of perfectly airbrushed people. How is any of this conducive to self acceptance?

But, we don’t only try to appease our pears with our physical appearance; we also try to do it with our actions and personalities. Wouldn’t it serve us better to care more about how our behavior affects the quality of our own lives, than those around us? I think it’s a shame that trying to please ourselves is often perceived as “selfish” and heaven forbid someone have enough self-esteem to actually positively acknowledge they are good at something. Then we are just considered to be full of ourselves, self-important or conceited. Why are we supposed to be these humble people who go around down playing our accomplishments and talents so that others don’t feel bad about what they don’t have? I mean really?

When it comes down to it, we can only view our lives through our own point of view. So why not feel the best about yourself that you positively can. Letting others, in their own way, control how we act and behave isn’t serving us or anyone else. When we live up to our full potential and are in alignment with our true selves (inner being, soul, source, take your pick) then we are at our best and have the best potential to help not only ourselves but others as well. Our inner being only sees us a pure, radiant love energy and that’s how we should all work to see ourselves as well.

The Victim Mentality

This is a topic that upsets A LOT of people. When we feel someone has wronged or hurt us in some way we want to lash out. We want to dump every bit of the blame for the situation in their lap. This is a severe issue we have with blame. Life has taught us that to do something “wrong” or make mistakes is bad, bad, bad. When anyone ever does anything, wrong (especially if it’s something we perceive to be major) we as a society harp on it forever and ever and often publically flog people for their perceived wrong doings. So of course, when something bad happens to us it’s that much harder to take responsibility for our part in creating it.

When something “bad” happens to us, instead of trying to see the truth of how we created it and how we can learn to better create within our lives, we throw stones at the people we feel caused it. Since the only things that can manifest in our lives, are the things that we’ve created with our thoughts, it would make sense to reason that if someone has done some type of harm to us, it’s because we have somehow been focusing on that, which we don’t want and now someone has come along, in order to help us achieve it, by way of the law of attraction. Most people say, “That’s ridiculous, I don’t WANT bad things to happen, so what you say can’t be true.” But, I didn’t say that we only create what we want within our lives, I said we create based on where our thoughts are focused for the majority of the time. How many of us ONLY focus our attention upon things we want? I’m sorry, but the honest answer is, not one of us. Constantly, we focus on the things we’re afraid of, things we are against and things we don’t like. So, by focusing on these things we attract the essence and eventually the manifestation of them into our lives.

Let me make this clear. This isn’t a guilt laden post filled with “you are doing wrong by thinking about unwanted things” type of post. This post is about helping bring to light that fact that we are creating everything that happens to us. And, instead of placing the ball into someone else’s court and saying, “Fix what you messed up for me,” we can take the time to pay attention to the thoughts we consistently think and work to be more positive in our outlook toward life. This way, we will be able to place ourselves in more positions, to experience less of what we don’t want and more of what we do. By blaming someone else for the bad things that happen to us, we are focusing on that bad thing and reliving it over and over in our minds, which then draws more experiences that feel bad. But, when we take responsibility in the creation of our manifestations, through our thoughts, we can decide the path our lives will take. Possibly, we can work to avoid even having experiences that cause us to want to cast blame in the first place. A little food for thought. *wink*

Love,

Quote of the Week

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have."
Socrates

"Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings." Author Unknown

I usually only do one quote at a time but these were right on time.  They tie in together so perfectly. The first (to me) states that if we can’t appreciate what we have now, then how will we ever be able to appreciate the things we desire. A lot of us want so many things because we are unhappy with what we have… but as a lot of us know we only attract what we are consistently thinking about, always. We are always in our now, no matter how much we think about or pasts or futures. Our feelings, emotions and thoughts are telling us what we are currently attracting, so why not work to make every thought and every moment better.  If we have a feeling of discontentment about our current lives then all we are going to attract is further discontentment. Have you ever seen miserable people who are rich or seem to have it all or poor people who seem to be perfectly happy and enjoying life? There’s something about that and it’s called appreciation. The universe can always tell when we are genuinely appreciative of what we have and so can we, by the quality of life we appear to be living. Since life is always occurring right now, we can never live in the past or future, why not try our best to make the most of right now and appreciate what we already have?

So, the next quote helps us right along with that whole concept. We all have experiences we wish we could have avoided or that we feel have affected us in a negative way. Question, was it the experience that made us feel bad or did we feel bad first, which then caused us to attract the so-called negative experience? Everything about life is in how we perceive it. If we view something as negative then we feel bad, if we view it as positive then we feel good. So, what if we worked to view the so-called bad things in a more positive, beneficial matter.  What if we stopped stressing over the outside forces we can’t control and work to just do our part in creating a more positive and successful future and present? What if we did find a way to be thankful for our troubles, acknowledge how we’ve grown from them and accept them as the blessings and life lessons they really are. From experience, I can honestly say that my life feels amazingly better when I am working to be positive instead of negative. They both take work so I’ve decided to aim as much of my energy into being positive even when things initially appear to be negative.

Tearing Others Down to Uplift Others

Though none of us will want to admit it, I’m sure we’ve all done a version of this at some time or another. I have been a part of groups or settings where someone will take it upon themselves, to literally bash the hell (yeah I went there) out of someone else who’s the complete opposite of them, in order to feel better about where they are… but does this actually work? Seriously, I’ve seen overweight people bash skinny people and vice versa, I’ve seen men bash women and vice versa, I’ve seen dark skinned people bash light skinned people and guess what… vice versa. In all honestly I really want to know who this actually benefits?

When you look at someone else who’s different from you just for the sake of finding flaws, what is the reason? Is it because we just don’t like them or is it because we are so insecure within ourselves that we have to look for flaws with in other groups of people in order to make ourselves feel better… only to find that it doesn’t really make us feel better? No matter how many flaws you find in someone else, the things we don’t like about ourselves still exist, throbbing like an angry sore thumb in the midst of our existence. In finding negative things about someone else we activate a vibration of negativity and we begin to focus on things we don’t want. When we make note of someone else’s weight we pay attention to our own weight, when we pay attention to someone else’s gender it bring notice to our own and the same goes with complexion issues. When we notice something in someone else, it pulls our attention to that subject within ourselves, which usually doesn’t do us any favors.

When we pay someone an honest compliment, we activate a good feeling vibration within ourselves and it shows. In paying attention to the positives in someone else, we are more likely to pay attention to positive things within ourselves. When we are happy with ourselves there is no need to bring someone else down. We are shining with the light of our inner beings and exuding love energy all around. What could be more beautiful and uplifting than that?

Love,

Quote of the Week

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” Charles R. Swindoll

This is just plain fabulous! There are so many opportunities, so many of us pass on every single day, because we, for some reason, believe we’re not capable of doing them. Well guess what! According to Abraham-Hicks, “A belief is only a thought you keep thinking.” Say what? It means that if I think a thought, over and over again until I have embodied that thought it is now my belief.

So many times we see something that intimidates us or seems like it’s way beyond the scope of what we can do and we don’t even try. We’ve given up before we’ve even had the opportunity to start. But what if, when we ran into these seemingly overwhelming situations, we could work to train our thoughts into a more productive belief. What if instead of saying, “I could never do that.” We said, “Well it couldn’t hurt to give that a try?” It doesn’t seem like much now, but the energy of putting forth the effort is much different than the energy of being defeated.

In my own life, the opportunities that seemed so great, so vast, so intimidating have been the most rewarding. Just making the decision to try is empowering and then to actively take on said challenges can be life altering. You think I’m overselling it? Try it for yourself and see how you feel.

Let’s Talk about Forgiveness

In this society we talk a lot about forgiveness.  “Forgive and Forget.” How many times have any of us heard that most popular phrase? Many of us have been through some sort of ordeal where we feel someone has wronged us. We blame this person or these people for making us feel bad and sometimes go as far as to allow our interactions with them to mold future lives, experiences and reactions. We often say we have forgiven someone, but still harbor ill will or hurt feelings and continue to see these people in a negative light. But why?

When we continue to relive those things that have brought us pain, it doesn’t help. What it does is drag us back down to that bad feeling place and cause us to attract more instances where someone has an opportunity to wrong us again. In this way we give up our power. When we focus on that which we don’t want, we attract it to us whether we like that fact (yes fact) or not. When we say we have forgiven someone and we truly haven’t we are only lying to ourselves, worse we are hurting ourselves. When we feel ill will toward someone else, we are not forgiving them.

The thing is, no one has the power to create within our lives. So in actuality no one can wrong us, unless we attract it, unless we allow it. And the consistent hurt we chose (yes chose) to feel afterward is a result of us continuing to wallow in those feelings and thoughts that harm us. As long as we are willing to accept that someone else can cause us harm, then we will continue to attract situations in which we appear to be the victim.

I propose that we learn to work on true forgiveness. Work to no longer wish ill upon those that have harmed us or feel bad at the thought or idea of them. I am encouraging all of us to get to a place, where we can wish these people well and see them with love in our hearts. Whatever we focus on whether we intend it for ourselves or others we tend to draw unto ourselves. So focusing positively upon others especially those we feel have wronged us, helps us take our power back.

Finally, we need to learn to forgive ourselves. We need to cut ourselves some slack for making mistakes and unknowingly putting ourselves in positions that have the potential to cause us harm. By acknowledging when we have done this to ourselves, we will better be able to avoid attracting harmful situation in the future. Sometimes growth can hurt, but if we can make it through the other side there is usually tremendous growth waiting for the taking.

Quote of the Week

"If true love has been eluding you, I suggest looking inside your self. The love - or lack of love - you see in others, is a direct reflection of the love you feel for your self." Gene Anger

What an amazing realization. I have heard through various resources, that we are only able to see in others, that which exists within ourselves. I can’t keep count of the amount of people I’ve come across in life looking for love… especially in the wrong places. Not only is this quote about love, but self love. I don’t think the majority of people I’ve met truly understood the enormity of self love. When we truly love ourselves we tend to be more loving toward others.

When we are bitter and/or angry about something, it’s usually because of something we’re lacking in our own lives. For example, when we get angry at a millionaire for “squandering” his/her money it’s usually because we are viewing life from a position of lack. We are upset that we don’t have the abundance that we feel the millionaire has and so we are bitter because we are not able to enjoy our lives as freely as they appear to be doing. I’ve seen the same thing happen with love or affection. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met, that hate public displays of affection. Now I will admit I don’t want to see two people practically humping each other in the middle of Wal-Mart, but a sweet kiss shared or the holding of hands isn’t something to be frowned upon, after all who is it really hurting? Why would we begrudge two people in love their experience?

Often people look to find flaws in their relationships (this is includes friendships). When we look to find flaws, what does that say about us? Are we looking for their flaws so ours won’t seem so bad? Are we trying to find something wrong with them first before they can find something wrong with us? If we let our guards down long enough perhaps we could take a moment and decide if we are looking for things that make someone else unworthy for us or if we ourselves are the ones who truly feel unworthy. When you know that you are worthy of only good things, then only good things will come, because that is where your focus will lie. All love starts within and flows out, not the other way around. We will never find someone to give us the love we need to feel whole. That power only lies within us and when we find it and cherish it we will notice how it shines through every experience and relationship we have. There is no love like self love. 

Held Hostage by Emotions

What we feel has a powerful impact on the quality of our lives. When we feel happy, life is grand and it’s easy to stay in a positive mindset. When we feel down, life seems bad and it’s much easier to keep ourselves in the muck of sadness and depression. Though our feelings are powerful enough to sway our thoughts about life one way or another (or is it the other way around and our thoughts are what’s swaying the feelings of our lives) it’s important to remember, the way we feel is temporary.

When something bad happens, it is a choice to dwell on that bad thing that has happened to us. We can choose to learn from the experience and uplift ourselves or stay where we are creating more of the same. Sadness is a choice, as is happiness. When we feel good it’s easier to keep a positive mindset, but not so much when we feel bad. It is at this point that we have a choice to make. We can build a bridge from bad feelings to good feelings so that we can uplift ourselves to a more positive experience. I won’t even go into the alternative.

How do we build that bridge? We do it by finding thoughts and ideas that allow us to have a feeling of wellbeing. And it’s not so much the situation itself that causes issues in our lives, it’s the way we view the situation. So if we are in the midst of a bad situation then the object is to find a way to think a thought that allows us to feel better about it and distract ourselves from the thoughts that make us feel bad. You may say, “But this is avoidance.” Well, why don’t we view it from another angle? We create what we focus on and if we continue to focus on the negative aspects of something we draw it to us. So, it benefits us to focus only on the positive.

This is easier said than done in the beginning, but with practice it can work. The idea is to, not let our emotions weigh us down and wallow in bad feelings. Instead, when we feel these bad feelings, we should take the time, find out the cause of the bad feelings, work to no longer focus on them and instead find something we appreciate, love, or feel good about to focus on instead. In this way we can stop attracting things we don’t want and learn to align ourselves with that which we truly want. It works, if you work it!

Love,

Quote of the Week

"All of man’s problems stem from his inability to sit quietly with himself."  Pascal

I found this quote to be most interesting considering I have the hardest time keeping my mind quiet. My mind always seems to be constantly going (well… it is) and when I was younger, it used to be busy enough to give me headaches. A busy mind means busy thoughts. Busy thoughts can often mean clutter and/or confusion. We have so many thoughts going through our minds at any given time it can be dizzying. I think part of it comes from our busy (boy I’ve been using the word busy a lot in this post) lifestyles, which seem to only be getting busier and busier.  Instead of focusing on ways to calm things down, we try to figure out ways to cope with our overbearing lifestyles then spend time complaining about how busy we are. After all, there never seem to be enough hours in the day.

But, I have noticed that when I find a quiet space of time, where I’m not in the midst of some activity, I tend to feel “bored” and go looking for something to fill my time… but wait, hadn’t I just been begging for some peace and relaxation? Through my reading, I’ve come to realize that, at times, I have been unappreciative. The universe would provide what I’d been asking for, only for me to find away to ruin it (I’m sure no one’s ever done that before *wink*). As I moved further in my studies, I also realized that I didn’t spend enough time listening to the wisdom of my inner self.

Shortly after I had these realizations, I remembered that I already had the key to obtain what I’d been wanting. There is a very prominent meditation, practiced widely through many groups, that helps to clear the clutter so we can really listen to the voice within. I can’t say if it has a specific name, but the purpose of the meditation is to clear the mind of all wandering thoughts, constantly clogging our thought process so that we can learn to just be in the moment… in a sense.

Here’s how it’s done. Find a comfortable chair or resting position where your back and spine are straight for comfort. Then gently close your eyes and breathe deeply in and out through your nose. Your breaths will begin to slow and your body will relax. At this point lots of thoughts may still be coming in and out of your mind. As a side note, we often follow our thoughts and they build and build until we’ve daydreamed an entire scenario based on these thoughts. The idea here is to not allow your mind to focus on any one thought long enough to allow it to grow and get bigger. Just let the thoughts flow in and then out never giving any one thought your specific attention. There is no specific time length for this exercise. I just do it until I feel a tangible sense of relief.

This meditation is by far the hardest meditation I’ve ever tried, however it has always helped to provide the most clarity. When your mind isn’t cluttered with a bunch of random or unhealthy thoughts, the true guidance from within can be heard with much better clarity. When we follow the voice of our true selves only good can come to us and we are able to focus much easier on that which we truly desire instead of that which we are currently living.

Other People’s Opinions

From personal experience I know that a good deal of us (maybe all at one point or another) spend a lot of time viewing ourselves from the viewpoint of someone else. You disagree? What about our parents, significant others, bosses, even our children? Do we not do things to keep them happy? Do we not look into our actions to see if they would be acceptable to others? And what about the idea of respect? Is it more important to behave in a manor that we think will earn us respect from others or in a manner that is, more aimed toward self respect… and don’t say both. What if the opportunity arises where it has to be one or the other, how would most of us choose?

Yes I do realize we live in a world with other people and we want to give some consideration to that knowledge, but how much? I have seen too many, live life practically looking over their shoulders. “I can’t behave in this manner, because someone else won’t approve.” And most of the time these behaviors won’t cause any harm to us, or the others surrounding us. Still, we refuse to follow what we want because it’s unpopular or frowned upon for who knows what reason? Should the opinions of others matter that much that we stifle our true selves under a blanket of false security? “If I behave this way then people will like me or respect me.” Well, excuse me if I’m inclined to disagree.

If people really want to, they will search until they find a reason not to like us. Worse, there is nothing we can do about it. We can bend over backwards trying to make ourselves into an acceptable person according to other people’s standards, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll like us. Moreover, why does it matter so much? If we truly love ourselves for who we are, then wouldn’t we spend more time trying to be the people we think we should be, instead of what someone else thinks we should be? If we truly cared about our own personal wellbeing wouldn’t we nourish and care for ourselves in a manner that’s best for us? When we really take a moment to think about it, what is the true reason we care so much what other people think? Is their opinion really that important in the grand scheme of things? Can they live our lives for us? Is someone else to be the judge of what’s best for us when they can’t even walk in our shoes? There is a fine line between taking healthy advice from others who care for us and letting someone else run our lives for their best interest. Just a little food for thought.  

Love,

Quote of the Week

“[I] can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it.” Morpheus (The Matrix)

One of my favorite quotes of all time. This quote is (in my opinion) a statement of responsibility. Over the course of our lives we have many teachers who appear to us in many forms, parents, school teachers, spiritual guides, friends, etc. Most of them try their hardest to relay to us messages that on some level we have been asking for. Often I have realized that teachers are challenged to give their students information they don’t like or want to hear, even when the students know it’s valid and applicable to their lives and wellbeing.

Often when things are difficult for us we try avoid those things that cause us discomfort. The bill collectors, calling for the money we don’t think we are able to pay them, the significant other making demands we don’t feel we can fulfill, the expectations others and we have for ourselves that seem too grand to measure up to. I have seen time and time again where people (myself, first and foremost) have tried to avoid things they thought they wouldn’t be able to handle. We often, unknowingly, try our best to avoid that, which could give us the most growth, while at the same time asking how we can obtain more growth. Interesting, doncha think?

We go to people for advice all the time, but usually what we are hoping for is reassurance that what we are currently doing is enough. So, it causes conflict when our guides or teachers once again bring to light that which we have been trying to avoid… then when we decide to see the truth of the matter (usually after much of life’s poking and prodding) we say, “Well why didn’t you tell me this sooner? It would have saved me a lot of headache.”  I just usually laugh. It is not until we are ready to take the plunge, that we start to, consciously, make the necessary moves to get us going in the right direction.

No matter how hard we wish it, no one else can live our lives for us, regardless how hard we want to avoid certain experiences. When we try to avoid something, out of fear or uncertainty, we tend to focus on that very subject we’ve been trying to avoid in the first place. Hmmmm, something to think about. The point is, no one else can do for us that which we need or want to do for ourselves. It just cannot be. If we want to expand, we must be the ones to take that first step and be willing to breach the “unknown.”

Minding My Own Business

You already want to hurt me, I can tell, but hear me out. In our everyday lives, we spend a lot of time with other people, family, colleagues, friends, associates, etc… But at times I feel we become too immersed in the lives, problems, drama, issues of others. It’s natural to care about others (well I think it is) and it’s natural to care about what happens to them, but when the events of their lives begin to have long term effects on our lives in a negative way, things need to be reevaluated

So often, we become so engrossed in what someone else is doing, we start to have intense emotional reactions. This is a flashing red light, a big fat warning, an indicator that we have started the process of attracting something to us we may not want. At this point, we should be stopping and taking a deep breath to analyze whether we are bringing something we want or something we don’t want. This is not to say, we can’t empathize with people we care about, (or people we don’t even know) but when we begin to allow their experiences to effect our points of attraction, we need to take notice and possibly action to insure, that while we are working to uplift someone else, we are not dragging ourselves down in the process.

Then there is the situation where we are “against” what someone else is doing. We take a stand, get all up in arms, feel the need to vent our anger toward that which we are against. Yet again, we must take a step back and remember that our thoughts (and only our thoughts) create our reality. So, in giving our focus to those things we don’t want, we are actually activating a thought pattern about it in our own experience and beginning the process of drawing these unwanted things toward us. Have you ever noticed how fighting against something you don’t like makes you feel bad? Sure, when we’re in the midst our self-righteous fight mode, going against this bad thing we don’t like, we think we are doing the right thing, but usually the whole ordeal contains a negative underlying tone, meaning I am immersed in something I really don’t like. Even if you are fighting against it, you are still giving your attention to it and filling your head with thoughts about it.

So instead of fighting against what we don’t want, I propose being for something we really do want. Do you sense a feeling of a relief as soon as you think that thought? I am going to direct my thoughts and energy towards something I do want. I am going to immerse myself in something I do want. I am going to encourage actions, thoughts, activities and events that are for what I do want. Instead of being against hunger, I am going to work to help people get the nourishment they need. Instead of fighting against disease, I will focus on wellness and perfect health. Instead of fighting against war, I will focus on peace. If focusing on what you don’t want only brings more of it, then why focus on it all? Instead, just place your thoughts in places and toward things that make you feel good and you will be surprised at the new ways the light is shinning upon your life. It’s been working for me so far. Just a thought. 

Love,

Quote of the Week

“Abundance is, in large part, an attitude.” Sue Patton

What an excellent statement of truth. I’ve come across many who claim to believe that their thoughts create their realities, but for some reason they seem to think the idea has limitations. As if our thoughts only create certain parts of our realities, but then we have to look to the outside world for the rest. There are some things that are just so far outside the realm of possibility for some of us that we often block ourselves off from what we are wanting. We delve to deep into what’s happening now, as if that’s the only “truth” that’s “real.” People often focus on what is, because they find it too hard to separate themselves from what is and move their focus to what they want. I’m not saying this process is easy, it often takes a lot of work to build a bridge from a belief that says I can’t have, to a belief that says I can have, to a belief that even says I deserve to have.

Our attitude or belief about something determines the outcome regarding that something (like that don’t you *wink*). This applies in every aspect of our lives including our wealth. And to me wealth isn’t just how much money I currently have at my disposal, but more so a quality of life. To have true wealth, I have an abundance of all the things I desire. I have an abundance of good health, love to share, love being shared with me by others, exciting and wonderful experiences and of course money. What good is money if I don’t have any one to share my life with, or time to spend it? Your flow of money may appear abundant, but your life really isn’t truly filled with abundance if you are finding your life lacking in many areas, is it? How can one say they have abundance if they are feeling as if they are lacking.

In order to have true abundance, we must reach for thoughts that cause our lives to be filled, with all that we love and desire. We must learn to center our focus on ideas and principles that allow us to feel good, relaxed and relieved that all is well. To feel abundant is to choose to have a good attitude about where we are now and where we are headed. To feel abundant is to live life on purpose, intentionally choosing what we want, so that we feel good about it. Abundance is to be filled with joy so that no matter what, we always feel hopeful in that we can have whatever we want, whenever we want. To reach for a positive attitude is to reach for an experience filled with abundance.

Fun!

What’s wrong with a little fun… or even a lot for that matter? Why do so many people feel, as they get older, life should be more serious (or less fun). Often I see “adults” marvel or wonder about children. “If I just had a fraction of that energy…” “Oh, to see the world through rose colored glasses…” “They’re such trusting little people.” One day as I sat and contemplated the universe (which I often do) I wondered, would it be so bad if we allowed ourselves to have more of a childlike view of the world?

Children have a unique view on life. For the most part they seem to be filled with unabashed joy and love. They are not embarrassed to be who they are. They are not ashamed to laugh when things feel good, even if they don’t appear to make sense to those around them. They are not afraid to share in their emotions when they feel bad. They are pure life-force energy, still fresh from the source of all there is. And then what happens? The “grownups” come and try to “teach” the good stuff out of them.

Oh some people aren’t going to like that I said that, but it’s true. We teach them not to trust in people, except the ones we (their parents, teachers, etc…) approve of. We tell them that they don’t know what they are doing and in the process not to trust the inner guidance of their feelings/intuition. The feelings we insist that they ignore are the direct communication from their higher selves and so they begin to learn to pinch themselves off from source. They go from being the joyous marvelous people they came here to be, to just a shadow of that greater self and we think this behavior is more “grown up” because it’s what most of us were taught. We pass these things on to our children, not truly understanding how harmful these teachings can be to their true sense of self.

But from what I’ve seen, it’s us adults that can take some direction from our children. All they want is to be happy and for those around them to be happy. The sound of a baby’s (or child’s) laugher is so pure, people always want to hear it. It’s free and clear and amazingly pure. They don’t doubt themselves, you can just tell that they know life is there for the taking and the sharing. Their smiles are so wide and lovely, contagiously joyous, so that everyone else feels the need to smile with them. They know they are source energy in a physical body and it’s easy to see if you look for it.

The very traits that make them “childish” (for the most part) are the ones we have denied ourselves in our attempt to “grow up.” Because of this training we also teach ourselves that life should be difficult and we shouldn’t entertain the notion of having “too much” fun or enjoyment because it’s irresponsible. Of course if one believes that their thoughts are responsible for their situations and experiences then it would seem irresponsible to avoid focusing on fun or enjoyment… unless one’s goal in life is to be miserable and or joyless. How can we expect experience joy (fun) in life if we don’t allow ourselves to accept and believe that we deserve it and that it is necessary? I can’t think of anything wrong with wanting to experience enjoyment (fun) over the course of our lifetimes.

When we came forth into these physical bodies our intent was to experience joy, love and happiness. The objective in life is not to avoid so called bad things or act like they don’t exist. It’s to learn to overcome them in the best way possible, to know that even when we experience things we don’t like, life can and should still be wonderful and joyous. Like children, we should learn to dwell more upon the things that make us happy than the things that make us sad and learn to enjoy life and have some fun.

Let’s focus on having some fun!

Love,

Life Should Always Feel Good

Over the course of our lives we begin to succumb to the false belief that life does not always feel good. Even worse, that we should except the "fact" that most of the time we will be forced to deal with situations that will be less than pleasing. Learning to accept and deal with the "fact" that life is "hard" or "difficult" is said to make us more realistic people. Just to be frank, I think this concept or idea regarding the "practicality" of life is total crap (oh yeah, I went there).

In my opinion this concept is accepted, because too many people are unaware of how the universe really works. Also there is this common misconception that being positive all the time is living in a dream world. I say, what's wrong with that? When we are young we dream big and we dream hard. The sky is the limit to what we can imagine with our lives. As we become older we let the dreamer in us fall by the side to make way for the realist (or more rightly the pessimist).

These "realistic" people will have you believe that the only reality that matters are the experiences that are happening right in front of our faces. But in the true reality, this couldn't be further from the truth. As we know, our own individual thoughts create our own individual realities. Whatever is our dominant focus becomes our reality. Whether we want to believe this truth or not, doesn't stop the process from happening in this very way. So, if we only spent our time focusing on the things currently happening in our lives we would only ever experience those same things. In order to change our experiences we must first change our thoughts and expectations.

In order for change to occur we need to change our focus. Because it has been ingrained in us, we spend our lives working to please others. Instead of making ourselves happy we work to please our bosses, our parents... our lovers. While we are living the experience of sacrificing ourselves upon the alter of pleasing others, we tend to put what's in our hearts on the back burner. While we are living our lives in service of others, when are we supposed to do anything for ourselves? My answer is now!

Right now, today, we have the power to lead the lives we have always dreamed of. Though we have spent our whole lives being told that we aren't worthy, or we can't do something, or we can't have something... just because, doesn't mean that we have to continue to live these unfulfilled lives. We have the power to work on our unhealthy thought patters and gradually turn them into healthy thought patterns. Those dreams we had as children are still alive and well and even possible, today. All we have to do is learn to expect the best for ourselves and from ourselves, and work to align our thoughts with those desires and expectations. Of course it will take some time, but how much time is up to us. We can live the loves we want, if we so choose.

      

Quote of The Week

"Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway." Susan Jeffers

Not only is this a fabulous quote, but a fabulous book as well. Susan Jeffers gives some lovely insight as well as valuable methods on how to acknowledge the fears we have within our lives, but learn to face them and move past them in order to experience and enjoy the things that we desire. However, since I this is not a book review site, if anyone is interested in reading this book I have provided the link to her website to learn more about the author.

What I do like about this quote is how it acknowledges one of the main things that holds most of us back from doing the things we want most. So many of us hold fear next to us like a second skin. We are afraid that we are going to “fail,” never mind that there is no such thing as failure only growth. We are afraid that we may get hurt, physically or emotionally depending on the situation. We are afraid to look stupid in front of our peers, and I could really go on, and on, and on, and on, but I’ll stop there for now.

For some reason we often refuse to acknowledge these fears. If we admit fear than we look weak, or like we are giving up. On the other hand some of us will admit we have them and then use them for an excuse to not do what we want and hide it under the guise of realism. “I can’t do this because it’s not realistic.” When we say this what we really mean is, “I can’t do this because I am afraid I won’t be able to handle the outcome.” Sometimes we feel this way even if the outcome, will most likely good. Some of us fear our own greatness, because what if we learn to become great only to have it blowup in our faces?

Well the idea of feeling the fear and doing it anyway is truly empowering. To me it means that yes I acknowledge that I am concerned or unsure (or whatever) about a certain subject, but I’m going to take a deep breath, gather my wits about me and push through it anyway. We as human beings have pushed past much more than fear. We have moved past pains of all types, deaths, struggles, perceived failures and more. So why should we let the potential of something going bad deter us from our goals?

If you ask me, fear consists of the “what if” something goes bad more so than the actuality of the bad things happening. “It is reported that more than 90% of what we worry about never happens.” – Jeffers, Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway. What does that say about our fears and our worries? We imagine the worst and the overwhelming majority of the time we never experience these horrible things we fantasize about or invasion, and so what if we do experience that small less than 10%? We can deal with whatever we set our minds upon! Yes we can! Even when we resist bad things and they end up happening anyway don’t we move on? Don’t we continue to live and make it through, day to day? Yes, we, do! No matter the situation we have the ability to make it through. Let’s not allow the potential of bad things happening keep us from all of the good things!

Soul Searching

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. The holidays are fabulous but it takes me at least a month to get back on track with life. Since I’ve been away, I’ve done a lot of deep reflecting on my experiences and the things I’ve brought into my life. Over the past year I’ve “dared” to do things the old me would have never attempted. Things I hadn’t thought I had the courage or talent to do… and I’ve really surprised even myself with how much I’ve grown. Though I still have a ways to go (because isn’t learning what life is all about anyway) I am feeling very encouraged in knowing that as long as I believe I can do something or know that I deserve something there is nothing that can stand in my way.

A lot of people feel as if they are not worthy of the things they want (I still have my struggles in this department as well). We often desire to have wonderful things and experiences but deep down wonder of we really deserve for the universe to give us what we are asking for. I am really not sure where this concept of unworthiness originated from, but that’s really not the point. The most important thing is to acknowledge when we have unhealthy or unloving thoughts about ourselves and our unworthiness and work to overcome them so that we can attract everything we desire! Trying new things can bring us far out of our comfort zone but in my experience that is usually where the biggest rewards are found. I strayed far from my comfort zone last year and the amount of growth I received in return has been immeasurable. This year I plan to go even further! Bring it on!

Love,