Rewiring for Positivity…

Our journey ahead is, or can be, FULL of amazing people and adventures.  AMAZING!  For some, it starts that way, it’s that way through the middle and can be that way at the end.  Many, though, they never see it that way.  They see their entire journey as a struggle; a burden.  No doubt, at times, it can be.  Still, some people thrive on chaos…drama…trouble.  They create it, take no responsibility for it and try to foist it off on others.  Truly, too, some of us have been dealt some nasty cards.  There is no denying that.  I’ve seen it.  It’s sad to it’s core.  My dad used to say, “No matter what happens in your life, there is always someone who has it worse than you,” and, for the majority of us, he’s right.

Even for those of us who don’t have it that bad, we can find ourselves caught in a downward spiral.  Maybe it was through no fault of our own, or maybe it was a series of choices we made.  Our choices can center around jobs, money, friends, significant others, strangers, where we live, how we entertain ourselves, politics, religion, well being…any number of things.  These choices can give way to thoughts of unhappiness, and pretty soon, we find ourselves drowning in disturbing thoughts about our life choices.

There are outside forces that we must reckon with.  Advertising agencies make good money making us imagine we can’t possibly be happy with the choice we’ve made.  We NEED a new car, house, appliance, clothes, shoes, furniture, next new book, game, game console, whatever.  They shape our thoughts in ways we don’t even realize…we aren’t religious enough, we aren’t attractive enough, we are too tall, too short, too fat, too thin, too dark complected, too pale, our hair is too curly, too straight, too light, too dark…it goes on and on.

Then, there’s religion, the news media and the government…yes, even they help shape our choices and thoughts.  The religion we choose shapes our views on other religions, death, life (ours and others), life issues, our place in society, who’s going to Hell (EVEN though Our Creator told us NOT to judge!!!). Depending on who’s in office and which party is in control of Congress, our media and government try to control how we think about gay rights, gun issues, reproductive issues, personal rights, personal responsibilities, what we eat, war, religion, freedom as a whole, government and religion…All of this, in turn, helps shape a set of societal norms that squelch individuality in both thought and creativity.

The truth is, with all the information coming at us from every angle, we’ve become lazy about thinking for ourselves.  Even our friends help shape our thought process, and thus our choices…We are bombarded from every angle.  So…what can we do?  Is there, or can there be, any way out?  Is there a way to reshape our thoughts so that we can fix our present, overcome our past and have a better future?  Maybe their is.  Maybe we can relearn to think for ourselves.

We need to learn to do is question everything.  Even those with good intentions can make us rethink our choices.  Weigh everything you are told.  Especially if it’s from ads, the media or the government…and maybe even a few friends…research out important information.  Once you’ve done that, you might just find loads of other info about the very subject…then, compare what you’ve found with what you already thought you knew.  You might come to different conclusions!

Realize that if something is too good to be true, it usually is.  Likewise, if something seems too bad to be true…it usually is.

Understand that just because something is right for someone else, it might not be right for you.  The world is not black and white…there are MANY shades of grey…as well as other colors…use them wisely.

Follow your gut, for truly, your gut is usually right.  If it seems wrong, it probably is…whether it’s an opinion about yourself or someone else.

Get plenty of rest…when you are tired, your judgment is cloudy…

Likewise, eat healthy food…

Be patient…yes…be patient…

Look back on the bad things, and the good, and appreciate the fact that you lived through it all…you are still here…

Our Creative Forces had a genuinely good reason for compelling us not to judge.  Know that you only walk in your shoes…no one else’s.  Do not judge other people based on what you feel, think or experience.  You have no idea what they’ve been through or how they got where they are…Hind sight is 20/20…until you are in the moment, you truly do not know how you would react, so do not judge…

If your situation sucks, seize the moment and change it…and then grasp the knowledge that if it still sucks, you can change it again…and again and again and again…until you are in the best place possible for you…

Be thankful for what you do have…there are MANY who don’t have even a portion of what you do…

Here is the most important part…Learn to love EVERYONE…including yourself…

Believe it or not, you now have the tools rewire the way you think.  If negativity pops into your head, stop, realize it for what it is, turn it around and rethink it…It can be about yourself, another person, a particular choice, decision, situation, anything…whatever it is, turn it around into something positive.  Remember, whatever is going on, whatever your situation, whatever you are thinking, most all of it can be changed!

Becoming more positive makes us feel better…lifts us up…makes life more enjoyable.  The more you rethink things in positive ways, the more amazing things become.  Pretty soon, you can rethink things without even knowing you’re doing it…and, voila!  You have rewired for Positivity!  Congratulations!

 

 

 

 

New Years Introspection

I have often wondered why so many people love the ritual of making a New Years Resolution when they seldom, if ever, keep them.  Don’t worry, as I could never keep them, either, and stopped making them a long time ago.  This year, however, the idea of doing a sort of introspection instead of resolution popped into my mind.  Simply put, find out what does and doesn’t suit me, what I like or don’t, what I need to “make over” and what I don’t, and maybe this will help me make some changes.

Taking an inventory of what you do and don’t care for takes all sorts of honesty.  Why?  Because, in all honesty, we have become so settled in our way of thinking, we don’t pay attention to how we truly feel!   We are so comfortable with “the way things are,” we’d rather just continue down this path of fake tranquility, hoping that, at some point or the “right time,” things will change.

The truth of the matter is that we need to be proactive in our own lives.  If something doesn’t suit us, we need to do it differently.  If we don’t like something, we need to put the effort forth to change it.  If something needs to be made new, we need to be willing to make it over.  And yet, we aren’t…oh, and don’t worry, I am talking as much to myself as I am to anyone reading this.

There is much to like about “comfort” and much to fear about the unknown.   At least with comfort, we know what we are getting…even if it doesn’t make us happy.   With the unknown, we have no clue what might happen.  Could be good, or it could turn out bad…but if the comfortable is already unsatisfying, why wouldn’t we venture out into the unknown?  That new territory could hold such potential!  It could bring us everything we have ever desired…and maybe more…but only if we are willing to cross into the unfamiliar.

So, this year, instead of making a list of resolutions that have little chance of getting crossed off that list, why not do some personal exploration?  Observe what is going on within your own life and make an accounting of things that make you happy and things that don’t.  And, don’t rush the process…take your time.  Truthfully evaluate each thing you find.  Can you do something about it?  Can you change it?   Maybe there are other questions to consider…If we could really approach things candidly, what would we find out about what makes us happy and what doesn’t?  If we took the time to learn, would we possess the courage to pursue our happiness?  If the going got hard, would we be willing to stick it out?  If that proved to be intolerable, as well, would we be willing to make another venture forth into the unknown?  After all, that really IS all what matters.  Our own willingness to change our own lives…our willingness to go after what makes us truly happy…think about it!

Blessings to All

May the blessings of our Mother/Father Creators rain down on you today,
showering you with more love, peace, happiness and prosperity
than you can surely handle.

May your blessings spill over onto your family and friends,
granting them their blessings, in turn.
But let it not end there…

For there are so many people in need of positive energy,
healing energy…Divine energy, and it is, indeed,
in abundance right now.

Every moment we raise up our voices in agreement,
is another moment we work together
to solve the world’s problems.

Today, may we see clear to make a difference, not just in our lives,
but in the many lives with which we are joined,
One by one, we can do this.

As we join hands and hearts to enable this cosmic awakening,
may we be ever mindful of our place in this blessed universe,
for we truly are part of the Omnipotent I Am…

Visions of Happiness…

I had a “dream” one evening…I say “dream” because I was not asleep.  I had asked most humbly for the power to know what would make everyone happy, and them the ability to do it.  I reasoned, during my bedtime mediation, that if I knew what would make everyone happy, and could provide it, wouldn’t the world be a much happier place?

To my astonishment, I was “whisked away” to a room that went on forever, literally I could not see the ends, sides or top and bottom of this room.  It was a completely white place.  In this sterile looking place, there were vials floating in rows of five  about to my eye level, glistening in the brightness of the well lit white room, and I was standing in the middle of them.

I was not sure what to do there, just watching them glisten, when all of a sudden I got the urge to run my hand over the top of one…Instead, not thinking, I ran my hand over the top of several.  These vials, you see, held what people THOUGHT would make them happy.  It shocked me to “see” what several people thought would make them happy and I realized that some of the thoughts were those of people I knew…and I KNEW those thoughts would certainly NOT make them happy…As I realized what I was “seeing”, and all this registered with me, in shock, I yanked my hand back.

I have never, since, been able to revisit that “room.”  Maybe it was because I yanked my hand back, scared of what I saw.  Maybe I wasn’t yet ready for whatever I was asking…I may never know, but the one thing I DO know is that happiness, generally, does not come from “things.”   Many people think money can buy happiness.  Someone once told me that , hey, he sure is happy on a jet ski…in fact, he has never seen anyone frown while riding a jet ski.

In acquiring the things we THINK makes us happy, what are we giving up?  For most of us, those things would be nice, but they would also keep us working so much that we would loose site of what is REALLY important; our family, and by extension, our friends.  After all, in many families, it takes both parents working to pay the bills…which means someone else is raising our children…Or, both parents are working different shifts so they don’t need someone to watch their children, yet they never have time to spend together.  Is that really what makes us happy?  Is “stuff” worth that?  What has happened to our family dynamic?

Not only that, and I have seen this first hand, someone has something you feel is better than yours, so you go out and purchase something better than theirs, when what you had was fine…What happened to ” do not covet?”

Even at that, family is not the only thing we give up.  What about ourselves?  The more things we acquire the more stuff that has to be maintained, the more money that costs, not to mention the headache, the more bills, it never ends.  And, of course, these days, with most stuff, it becomes obsolete nearly the minute you purchase it, so we feel compelled to upgrade…which keeps us stressed.  What happened to living a simple life?

Also, people, whether men or women, who want to stay home with their children while the other parent works are looked down upon.  Why?  What is this urge to “be somebody?”  Aren’t you already “somebody?”  What happened to respect for self?

But there is more to it than even that.  To find true happiness, you must first be happy with YOU…that comes from inside, not from something, or someone, outside of you.  If you give someone or something power to “give you happiness,” what have you done?  You have given up control of a huge part of you!  Why would we even THINK of relinquishing any power over ourselves?

My challenge today is for you to give some thought to what would truly make you happy.  If you are there, with no stress, then, fine.  Stay there.  But, if you take a good long look and find you are not happy, with too much stress, then consider making changes for the better…and don’t let anyone push you into being something or pursuing something that doesn’t interest you.  Today, I challenge you to take charge of YOU!  Be mindful of who you are, a perfectly Divine creation, and be yourself.  After all, you will never know what happiness that will bring you until you try!

Taking Cues From Mother Nature

A cool front moved through here between Saturday and yesterday, leaving us with temperatures 20 to 25 degrees cooler for the past two days than most of last week.  As Summer fades into Autumn, the night breeze has a slight chill, as does the daytime breeze, and for some reason, overnight the air seems to be more crisp and clean.  It is a beautiful day here today, and even the sunshine seems somehow prettier.  As things have died out over the Summer heat, the plants that managed to withstand the brutal heat seem to be even brighter.

Our part of the earth is preparing to hibernate, as Autumn will surely give way to Winter.  Our area will be at rest, rejuvenating for the next phase, Spring…and the cycle will repeat…waking, living, resting & sleeping, waking, living, resting & sleeping…on and on it goes.

We tend to push ourselves to the breaking point every single day.  Most of us don’t have too much trouble with the waking part of our day, but we try to cram so much “stuff” into it that we ignore one of the most important thing we can do for ourselves.  Rest & sleeping…

If we pay attention to nature, we can get clues.  Take for instance the perennials.  They sprout forth their life, grow, start to wither and die, only to repeat the cycle, sometimes even bigger and better over the following years.  I’d like to use, as examples, two particular plants; Crape Myrtles and Pampas Grass.

When I lived in Texas, everyone grew Crape Myrtles.  One particular fellow had a fence lined with Crape Myrtles.  I passed his place everyday on my way to work.  Before I knew much about them (I still don’t know too much!), at the beginning of Autumn, he cut every single one of them to the ground.  I thought to myself, “What the heck are you doing, mister?” because they were beautiful…smaller, but beautiful.  The next Spring, after resting the Autumn and Winter, they came back with a vengeance!  They grew bigger and more full, and even more beautiful…that next Fall, he did the same thing…Cut them to the ground!  Yet, in the Spring, they came back and grew even bigger and more lovely…

My parent’s driveway is lined with Pampas Grass.  It is a beautiful sight when they are covered in full plumes.  People here, in the Midwest, grow them, as well.  What they do here, though, in Autumn, is cut them down and burn them off…If you know nothing about it, it sounds crazy, right?  Yet the following year, after the Autumn and Winter rest, they come back fuller and more beautiful.

The same goes for deciduous trees, as well…Ever seen a Maple Tree go through it’s cycle?  Another lovely tree with a similar cycle is the popular Bradford Pear.  Beautiful life emerges in the final throws of Winter and the onset of Spring as the trees flower.  Pretty leaves emerge (most are green, but there are other colors as well.  Japanese Maples are famous for their red or red lined leaves and are very popular ornamental trees!) and by Summer, they are covered with leaves.  In Autumn, as the trees wind down for rest, the leaves put on a SPECTACULAR show as they change color from green to yellow to orange and to red (sometimes having all four colors on one leaf!), as the tree gets ready to shed its leaves for the upcoming hybernation. It is an awesome show!

I have known many people who leave the trees to their own devices, once they are established, and they do alright.  I have also known others to nurture and care for their trees, and boy do they flourish!

There are a couple of things we can learn from Mother Nature…

First, we NEED our rest and relaxation to rejuvenate.  Sure, we can go and go and go all day long, deep into the night, crash onto our beds, get a few hours of sleep, get up the next day and do it all again, but that pace takes a toll on our body, and on our psyche.  Our bodies need proper rest, and nourishment if we plan to live long lives.  Lack of sleep leads to stress, confusion and moodiness.  Stress is one of the main sources for dis-ease and bodily malfunction in otherwise healthy adults.  Lack of sleep causes us to not “think” to our fullest capacity, causing us confusion, which breeds frustration, and then anger.  These are preventable things, if we nourish ourselves through proper rest and diet.

Second, Mother Nature can also show us the beauty of life and dignity in death.  As both the Crape Myrtle and the Pampas Grass and deciduous tree examples show us, we can live our lives in beauty and splendor, and at the end, if we do not fear our life or death, we can transition into our next great adventure, and be even more splendid at that.  Many religions teach us about life after death, reincarnation, etc.  So, as you watch Nature, you can see what happens after it appears to “die.”  The next “life” is so much bigger and more beautiful…and on it goes…

Take good care of yourself, respect yourself and don’t be afraid of what is to come.  Take time to “rest.”  There is nothing wrong with simply being still for a while!  Sure, you can take a vacation every year, but what about a little rest every day?  Take a short walk, relax in a warm bath, read, listen to music, take up a hobby, or yoga.  Get proper rest, and then be SURE to get proper sleep!   The things to promote rest do not have to take up much of your time, but the benefits of rest and sleep are unending!  I challenge each of you to take on your life, but treat it with respect.  Grow, live and nurture your life.   And, try treating every living thing with the same “respect for life” and see what you cultivate in your own!  Many Blessings!

 

Blessings!

About Prayer…

The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” and for many of us, we feel we have no time for that…The Bible also tells us not to ramble on when we pray, so, wouldn’t “praying without ceasing” be considered “rambling on?”

Let me just say, from my own experience, when you apply positive energy and meditative prayer to your daily life, and you just say fast prayers throughout the day, on a regular basis, you will find that you will catch yourself actually praying for others when you didn’t even know you were!

What a blessing…You are literally “praying without ceasing!”  How amazing is that!?!  AND, if you keep it short, it is really easy to send that positive energy to others throughout the day, training your subconscious to continue it!!!

SOOOO…with that being said, I would like to remind you that Our Beloved knows EXACTLY what everyone on this earth needs…and you can pray for EVERYONE by simply using a few words…this is just a suggestion;

Blessed Divine, Mother and Father to us all, Creator of all things, the people of this world are in search of help…You know what they need, You know what they are striving for.  May Your love, light and grace bless them where they are, and focus their attention on their intention…Thank You for Your guidance, understanding and, most of all, Your love and light in my life.  So be it!

You can find something as simple and easy that suits you…and viola…you are praying for the whole world!!!

If things don’t get better, don’t get discouraged, just keep sending that positive energy!  You need to remember one of the most important things about positive energy and prayer…people need to be willing to accept it!  It still doesn’t hurt to continue praying for everyone…Who knows when someone will “let their guard down” and actually accept someone else’s positivity into their lives!?!  And, their outcome is not up to us, it is ultimately up to them…But, again, it does us absolutely NO HARM to put the positive out there…NONE!  Ever heard “what goes around comes around?”  Yep, you put positive energy out there, and you will be blessed!

So…get to it!  Send out all the positivity you can…and may you reap the blessings of your own positive nature!

Seeking…

In silence we sit and mourn our loss,
even though we know not what’s missing.
Life passes us by while we try to keep up,
with those all around us who “worship” things.

They seem so happy, we think to ourselves,
so we collect what they have, and think we’re ok,
never understanding our greatest treasure
cannot be bought, sold or acquired.

It’s been with us all along…

Yet, we never acknowledge Its presence,
never hear Its cry for freedom.
It’s held in bondage as we seek
the material in a material world.

Our potential is there, but suppressed.
We never figure out that without It,
we will continue to silently mourn,
continue to struggle in vane.

And we struggle on…

Each of us must come to our own reckoning
of what truly frees our soul.
For that is where our truth lies…
That is where our potential will sour.

And we can then become what we desperately seek…
Happy!

Together…or not…

In times of strife and trouble, we can either stand together,
at which point we could achieve better results more quickly,
or, we can stand alone, face our fears alone, be alone.

The situation in the world, not just one nation, country, city or town,
seems dismal, dire, and distressing…and yet we stand alone.

Those who stand alone make desperate decisions
that have a devastating impact on their lives.

Some demand that others acquiesce to their demands,
even while offering help,
As if they, or their country, is more important…

In the eyes of the Supreme Creator, we are all equal.
No one is better, or worse, than anyone else…
A hard concept to grasp, but true none the less!

While we all make different decisions, thus have different outcomes,
it doesn’t change the fact that we are all still the same in the eyes of the Divine.

Today, look upon all people as equal…
Having the very same right to life, freedom and prosperity
as everyone else…
help them to become the very best they can be.
In doing so, you also help yourself,
for how can a planet where everyone becoming their best
be a bad thing???

Today’s Journey

Today’s journey is a new adventure.  During the adventure, strive to be a better conduit for positive change, for the work of Our Divine Creator.

Move throughout the day in reverence, humbleness, and thanksgiving.

Treasure each moment, for time is short and events can be changed.

Be aware of the energy around you, direct positive energy where needed.

Realize that events may have been foretold in Scripture like they were because Our Mother/Father Creator knew that humankind might choose the path of complacency, thus leading to the unfolding of pestilence, war, death and destruction.

As your journey unfolds, dare to make a difference, choose wisely, act with grace and diginity.

Approach all with a clear mind and a heart full of love – guided by Our Divine.

We can do all things if we believe we can!

An Affirmation for Today…

We all possess the wisdom and faith of Our Mother,
The courage and strength of Our Father,
and the beauty and balance of both.

We are not bound by anything or anyone in our past.
Nothing in our past and nothing anyone else has experienced
can shape our experience here today.
All, now, is open to our own interpretation.

Let go of all negativity and and all notions that do not serve our purpose.

Today, we move forward with confidence,
knowing there will be challenges
and it will be up to us to react in the proper manner.

Today we realize that we have to participate,
be fully present in our lives if we want it to be
spectacular.

Today is ours for the taking.
Face it head on.
Take on every task knowing
that nothing can stop us.

Truly, NOTHING is out of our grasp!

Blessings as we move through our day,
with respect and gratitude, knowing we were created for this day!