Additionally, we all have acquaintances, those who lives touch ours, brush against our reality, but who do not impact us so closely.
And of course, we all experience a range of relationships that span the gamut in between those two ends of the spectrum.
The challenge is to balance it all out, to acknowledge and cherish all of the above in the best and most sincere way possible. Clarity, contact and communication are what I think of as the “Three C’s” of a healthy friendship. These three aspects also need to be offered in an authentically caring, supportive and nurturing manner.
Most essentially, these need to be offered in a non-judgmental way, which is, perhaps the most difficult perspective to cultivate. Over the years, I have been learning to infuse my friendships with as much of this perspective as I can muster.
However, this doesn’t mean sitting back and accepting unhealthy or uncaring treatment from certain “friends” who may not always have your best interests at heart.
In the last few years, I have “lost” a few long term friendships which I never expected to be gone from my life. They were painful losses, but in the long-run, appear to have resulted in a healthier and less stressful aspect of my life experience. These were profound life lessons for me, and helped me understand how important it is to cherish, nurture and support those healthy friendships. I have also begun to distinguish between what I personally need from a friendship in order for it to be a strong, happy and beneficial bond.
Most everyone is familiar with the classification of “fair weather” friends — those who only stay with us when we are in a joyful, optimistic or positive stage of our life. These kind of friends seem to suddenly and conveniently disappear when challenges arise for us.
But I have also experienced that there are “foul weather” friends — those who might gravitate toward taking charge of us in our misery, drama or tragedy. They may feel the extreme need to be needed, thrusting themselves into that role of caretaker or life manager. They often DO serve a genuine role in assisting us through the hard times. However, when the turbulence is over for us, giving rise to more radiant days, these friends seem to suddenly relegate themselves to the background of our lives — or become completely absent.
The very bottom line is that friendships have to be genuinely sharing — an exchange and flow of emotions, talk and genuine concern (yes, even LOVE) for each other.
Anyone who is in a friendship that does not encompass these essential facets will feel slighted and even taken advantage of.
So it is important we set conscious intentions to feed and nurture those friendships that lovingly surround us in order to maintain them and help them grow.
Here are seven basic suggestions:
- Connect in person. In this age of a million technical communication devices, it is still key to connect face to face. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a blitz of text messages will do the trick. Spend quality and pleasurable time with those who are close with you. And do this regularly — or as often as both your schedules will allow.
- Stay in touch between actual visits. Sometimes nothing beats that old-fashioned phone call with a good friend, just catching up with what is happening in both your lives. And of course, emails and text messages here are a perfectly wonderful way to say a quick hello or give an update. Even using Facebook or Twitter to give brief updates to friends is a newer and far-reaching way to get messages out to a group of friends.
- Be bold and confident enough to share true sentiments and emotions. A friend will understand just where you are coming from and be supportive through all emotions, scenarios and challenges.
- Be a good listener — and a good ASKER. Cultivate the skill of listening patiently. And afterward or in between, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification, for more information about what your friend is feeling or how they may want to approach a challenge in their life. Everyone loves having focused attention on themselves, will know that you are listening — and will appreciate this.
- Express appreciation verbally. Let your friend know how much they mean to you in whatever way you are most comfortable. With a really close friend, you may be able to say “I love you.” On some verbal level, let the friend know that you DO cherish the bond. If a friend has gone over and above what you have expected, tell them so, gratefully.
- Let your actions speak for your commitment to the bond. Go the extra mile, particularly for a friend who is down or facing life hurdles – send a bouquet of flowers, a card (even an eCard) or make an in-person visit to help out, cook a meal or lend a shoulder to cry on — whatever will be helpful to a friend in need. Remember birthdays and anniversaries too!
- Know that friendships can ebb and flow over the years, and be understanding of this. If a relationship is truly unhealthy and severely negative, you will sense it and feel it in your heart. And if it continues in a prolonged way, you can always let it go as diplomatically as possible.
Friends exist at every level. I treasure my friendships — the full range of them — from those who are close in-person friends to those whose lovely and uplifting energies I have connected with on Facebook and the internet. Be open to all new friendships and possibilities. Let your life unfold with a heartfelt desire to joyfully connect with others who resonate with you, as this will definitely enhance your journey!
Affirmations:
- I gratefully cherish all the close and caring friendships that warm my life.
- I make the time and effort to express appreciation to my friends, and I feel joyful!
- It is easy for me to listen patiently and supportively to others and I know that I will receive the same attention.
How is the good old Law of Attraction (LOA to those who are well-versed in this principle) working for you personally? Are you manifesting at least some of those magnificent desires that bloom in the wellspring of your inner thoughts and dreams?
When I get a bit off-track myself, my daughter (who is in her late twenties) admonishes me, “The Secret, Mom — use The Secret thinking.” Which of course refers to the movie that ignited the general public’s interest in this amazing universal law. Though I happily engage in LOA thinking often, it is certainly not 100% or anywhere near that much. My daughter can be very wise beyond her years at times and she professes that LOA thinking has enriched her own life dramatically.
It can enrich anyone’s life if you are ready to release limiting beliefs and embrace this powerful form of positive thinking.
Those times when you can sit in a meditation — or a peaceful state of anticipation — and realistically conjure up those visions of what you genuinely want to appear in your life need to happen frequently in order to bring the required attention to what you wish to create.
However, the first big step is to DECIDE what you do wish to create, and you must get profoundly clear on this. Being indecisive or wishy-washy (that is an old term, but fits here) is not going to move you in the right direction. You have to be specific in what you want.
Some of the well-known motivational teachers state that you must be extremely specific. For instance, if you want financial abundance, you should not just request “Show me the money” or “Bring me great riches.” Instead, say “I intend to manifest $10,000.00 by next month” or “next week,” whatever time frame you relate to.
But personally, I find that when I sit with an open heart and mind, and embrace the richness and abundance of the Universe, that abundance does seem to magnetically flow in. For me personally, this involves working with very powerful affirmations. And I find that though I am not always specific, I am quite clear on the emotions that I am feeling as I embrace the joyful sensations of what it would be like to already have what I am wishing for.
But the key is to really believe — and be in that state of receptiveness. You may need to experiment and find what feels right for you. Maybe that classic “vision board” resonates, where you paste up photos of what you are intending to attract. Or watching short inspirational videos that make you feel a rush of exhilaration and eagerness for what you are intending to manifest. Or just going within, and taking ten minutes to meditate on your wishes and goals. Try to capture very realistic mind pictures of what your manifested dreams will look like.
Part of this LOA equation is being able to focus. This means brushing aside distractions and really concentrating. Placing all your energy into the envisioning. And it means taking time every day to call forth that which you yearn to bring into your life experience.
And I do firmly believe it works.
For I find that when I have been lax with LOA thinking, my days become more stressful, less optimistic and I feel somehow diverted from my life path. So consistent thinking and making time to envision are essential.
However if you merely sit around and imagine all day, there is no guarantee that anything much will happen. You DO need to back it up with some real ACTION steps. But begin with the clear vision of your goal, and define exactly what you want and where you wish to go with it. Know you must take inspired action, but also know that if your heart is in it, you don’t have to do ALL the calculating about how to make it happen. Trust that if it aligns with your overall highest good, then the wise Universe will figure out exactly how to bring forth your desire in a way that is uniquely amazing and fulfilling for you.
Affirmations:
- I use my senses and inner guidance to clearly envision that which I wish to manifest.
- I am receptive to all the good, joy, and abundance that flows from a loving, supportive Universe.
- Each day, I awake with clear, optimistic intentions and take inspired action steps toward these goals.
The Vibration of Love – Your Core Essence
By · Comments“Love is the answer and love is the way
Love is in knowing just what to do and what to say
Love is the reason, love is the why
And love is in heaven right here on earth and peace inside.” ~John Denver
Do you find yourself more often in the powerful vibration of love, as in “heaven right here on Earth and peace inside” as the song says? Or are you constantly challenged by fear-based beliefs?
Some people live their life in a state of worry, chaos and disconnection. They may not enjoy living in that place (“worry” is not an exit on the highway that anyone would willfully choose) but perhaps they lack the awareness of their power and capability of making other choices. They don’t realize that there is an alternative to negative thought patterns. They remain stuck.
I do believe that some individuals are comfortable being the eternal victim. (“Nobody loves me” or “everything bad always happens to me.”) Joyful moments are rare, and their lives are in a perpetual downturn.
It’s certainly easy to be a victim, to walk in the shadows and cling to the known discomfort of limiting beliefs.
Sometimes it takes a personal crisis — even a small one — to shift one’s perspective. Sometimes it is a quick and amazing epiphany. And often it just happens over time, or in response to the influence of someone or something else, or from pursuing new spiritual paths and studies.
Awakening of consciousness goes hand in hand with letting in the very light of love. Learning to turn away from the shadows and step into the light of our core essence allows those very shadows to dissolve behind us and fade into our past.
And it’s never too late to wake up to the realization that one can go from victim mentality to that of joyful, loving creator. Love is merely letting go of fear.
So today, in this moment, acknowledge that you are a being of love, one that comes from love. Tune in to the love that is strong in your heart. If you are already on the lively, exhilarating path of illumination, then re-affirm your steps along this road. We all have moments of weakness, as our human-ness sometimes causes us to have episodes of disconnection. Our lights feel dimmed. That’s perfectly normal. It’s okay to experience your human range of emotions, even while reaching for your soulful range of goodness, compassion, and understanding.
I do firmly believe that part of our life here in this physical plane is to learn how to truly experience and express love in human form — love in all kinds of relationships and on all levels including love of our planet and its creatures.
Extend the reach of your love. This extends the reach of your light. And it will brighten not only your life, but the lives of many others in a magnificent ripple effect.
Affirmations:
- I tune in to the love that exists deep within my heart, for love is my core essence.
- Compassion, tolerance, patience and understanding are qualities that I cultivate within myself.
- I allow the brilliant light of love to emanate from within and flow out to those around me.
It had begun in the morning, when I’d had a session with healing client. After the table session, we began speaking about being in the mindset of joy and how important it is to be in the present moment in a feel-good way. I say “we” began speaking, but it was really me. Suddenly I felt myself going into a joyful “rant” if there is such a thing — reciting all my favorite points and methods about my belief in free will and free choice and how it is better to make the conscious effort to choose positive thoughts. I spoke about The Law of Attraction, though I didn’t call it that, but just tied it in to focusing on positive aspects and attracting positive flow into one’s life.
The more I spoke about joy, the better I felt and I had this electrical surge of happiness just stream through me in one of those moments. And I found that my joyful feeling was contagious as my client began to smile and I could see her eyes light up, as if yes, she truly “got it.”
However, suddenly realizing that I had rambled on for awhile, I quickly stopped in my tracks, and apologized, “I’m sorry for the long speech.” But my client simply nodded and said “I liked the speech. I can use the encouragement.”
The explosion of joy within me during the session and then the “speech” stayed with me, more than I even realized… and showed up in very simple, but unexpected ways throughout the afternoon.
I had errands to run and I prepared myself for the most crowded, busiest of parking lots of the places I would be stopping at. After all, it was just after Christmas and right before New Year’s, so as I pulled my car into the first small, crowded shopping center, it appeared that there were lines of cars, no available spots to park, and other cars impatiently waiting. But somehow, as I pulled up close to the store where I needed to go, an SUV pulled right out in front of me, opening up a primo space that I pulled straight into — voila — like magic!
Next, I had to do a food shopping and I knew the supermarket lot would be like a circus, especially since the weather was so gorgeous and unseasonably warm. But again, even with the overwhelming number of vehicles, as I pulled up closer to the store, a car pulled right out, leaving an excellent spot for me!
The store was packed, but somehow my shopping just flowed as I happily wound myself through the aisles and around the clutter of many people’s shopping carts — in an unusually radiant and upbeat frame of mind! The appetizing counter — always a lengthy ordeal of taking a number and waiting, waiting, waiting — was like a dream. As I approached, a worker behind the counter looked straight at me and said “May I help you?” I couldn’t believe it — no wait — even though it appeared that there were quite a number of people up at the counter.
And even at the checkout counter, everything flowed smoothly and quickly.
What an amazing and pleasant shopping experience! Now I wonder how it would have played out had I not been in the attitude of exquisite joy that morning. I probably would have been bemoaning the fact that I couldn’t find parking anywhere…
Which just reinforces that lovely “Law of Attraction” thinking — the better we feel, the better it gets and life moves along more easily and harmoniously.
Affirmations:
- I bask in the mindset of joy, let it fill my heart and senses — and anticipate optimistic outcomes!
- I delight in simple pleasures and by focusing on them energetically, attract more of the same into my life experience.
- I adopt an outlook of positivity and expect things to go right for me!
New Year… New Moment… New Energy…
We are finally here in glorious 2012!
Though many of us feel instinctively that this is a special year, a happening year, a year of consciousness awakening and a year of dramatic SHIFT, most of us have no idea exactly how the energy of this much-anticipated annum will play out.
So we need to just sit tight, be open to exciting change and infinite opportunities and possibilities. Of course, by that I don’t mean to just sit there and only think about the upcoming year. You need to visualize, prioritize, “goal-ize” (I don’t think that’s a real word, but you get my meaning) and take some inspired ACTION! And if you put it together in that way, taking step-by-step forward movements, results will actualize in a quantum way!
But you have to believe in yourself and believe in your dreams. Set goals that are feel-good ones for yourself. Any doubtful or not-sure kind of plans are not going to manifest. We all seem to know that “Law of Attraction” principle, yet we still find it a challenge to set goals that feel joyfully right for us, ones that truly align with our life path and soul calling. Ones that magnetize our desires and draw them directly to us.
Though you have likely heard some of these suggestions before, I share them again here:
- First, celebrate your accomplishments and highlights of the previous year. When we spend some upbeat, feel-good time celebrating what we’ve done right or positive, it gets us in the high vibration of inspired joy. It is from that place that we can move ahead to create what we want in the new year.
- Commit your goals to paper. It is an established fact that those who write their plans down are more likely to manifest their goals and dreams. And do it with enthusiasm!
- Use your imagination to really feel what it will be like to attain and enjoy your success. This is where strong visualization comes in. Really immerse yourself in what it is you wish to create or bring into your life. Some people swear by “vision boards.” Do what feels right for you.
- Write some powerful positive affirmations that are meaningful for you. Say them regularly and get into the energy of what they actually represent.
- Take each larger goal and “chunk it down,” into smaller sections, to quote the highly successful Jack Canfield. Nothing is too daunting if we divide it into smaller, easier steps. So even if you tentatively place one foot in front of the other, you WILL get where you want to go if you keep moving forward, even slowly.
- Cultivate an attitude of perseverance! Know that some things will materialize fast and furiously — in a good way! But other things will take longer, so be sure to be in the mindset to stay the course. Tap in to your inner guidance system to bring up your personal strength and ability to persevere.
- Call a lifeline! Absolutely get some help if you feel guided to. This can be in the form of a friend, family member, counselor, life coach, etc. Just make sure it is someone who can be truly supportive and encouraging to you, someone who can help keep you motivated and focused.
So as we move into 2012, leave behind what hasn’t worked for you, what doesn’t feel right or uplifting to you, and get in the energy of the powerful shift that is in the air! Embrace the newness of the year. Inhale the breath of beginning brand new from the blank, waiting canvas of your life. And know — just know — that you are going to create the reality you desire!
Affirmations:
- I set intentions and goals that resonate with my heart, mind and spirit.
- I cultivate an attitude of perseverance to help me through trying times.
- I enjoy the support and motivation I receive from loving family members and close friends.
Self-Empowerment – Moving Away from a Victim Mentality
By · CommentsDo you often (or even occasionally) find yourself making statements such as “Everything always happens to me,” “I never have any luck” or similar comments that undeniably cast you into the role of victim? I see this as the “poor me” syndrome and unfortunately it is something that appears to be all too common. Let’s face it, there are times we all fall into that trap of playing the hapless victim in our ever-shifting life story.
Mostly, we know this is not a healthy place in which to wallow. But sometimes we don’t know. Sometimes we are so caught up in the drama of the “woe is me” outlook that we can’t see or think clearly, and certainly have no clue about how to find a much-improved and joyful path upon which to move forward.
I’ve written much about this topic, but was inspired to revisit this after someone wrote to me the following — and I am paraphrasing: “What about those personalities who thrive on and exploit the compassion of others? How do you limit the damage they can inflict on you?”
Take a good, hard look at that question. What is it about the way it is worded that indicates that the writer of this might be stuck in a victim mentality? (Of course, my question is rhetorical.)
The lesson I have learned — and I am constantly continuing to learn – is that each of us has the power of choice. It is essential to begin to not just grasp this concept, but to profoundly embrace it with all your might and heart.
Well, you might think, we certainly don’t have the power to choose everything in life — and yes, that is a keen and true observation. But we have the power to choose a huge percentage of what happens in our lives. As for the rest, we have the power to choose our own REACTION. If something troubling happens, if a challenge arises, you can either meet it with fuming, raving and negative drama — or you can meet it with strength, understanding and perseverance. You can crumble under the weight of it, or you can take it in stride as a meaningful life lesson. Which outcome would YOU choose? (another rhetorical question that is a no-brainer.)
Another can only “inflict damage” on you if you allow it to happen. I’m not saying it will be easy to keep your cool and and stay in a mode of neutrality, but it is doable.
This is not to say you should enable a troubled or difficult personality or let someone walk all over you or abuse you.
As a powerful adult individual with free will and choice, you are capable of staying tapped in to your inner strength while holding the light of compassion in your heart.
You are capable of holding that peaceful, good-feeling sense of caring and surety within your being. You are capable of retaining a relatively harmonious outlook. You are capable of being peaceful and as neutral as possible when dealing with others who try to “inflict damage” on you. And did I remember to say “you are capable”!!!
It always comes down to doing the inner work to get to the place where you can cast off any vestige of a victim mentality and confidently take on the strength which all of us possess deep within. Sometimes it requires guidance or assistance from others (even a counselor or therapist) but it is certainly a positive path that we can all aspire to trod. Look within yourself — trust that your own personal strength vibrates powerfully in your heart. Genuinely make that commitment to tune in to the powerful, enlightened you that waits to come forth, especially in these spectacular, consciousness-awakening times.
Affirmations:
- I knowingly tune in to my inner strength and guidance to help me make decisions that are beneficial for me.
- Perseverance and patience are qualities that I consciously work on cultivating.
- I am a powerful creator and use my ability of choice and free will to design a life experience that is healthy and joyful for me.
If this season is supposed to be about peace and love, why is it that the hectic pace of life at this time of the year often leaves us feeling anything but peaceful and loving?
Balancing all the relationships in our lives, keeping our cool about our work life, trying to retain harmony within our over-scheduled days, refraining from getting caught up in the frenzy of all our blinking electronic devices that seem to make demands on us — these combine to create a substantial challenge in our everyday lives. And then add in all the increased holiday demands…
So how do we cope, and prevent ourselves from getting the stressed-out, burned-out holiday blues? Here are some suggestions:
• Put your main focus on the “big important stuff” meaning spending time with family and friends. This lovely up-close-and-personal time is so key, because isn’t love and caring an essential element of the season? So be sure to spend peaceful, unhurried time with those you love. Having fun and sharing heartfelt celebration with your circle of family and friends should be the priority on the list!
• Calendar everything! This time management skill is extra important as your calendar gets busier and fuller. Write it all down, and if you need to, add those alarm reminders on your internet calendar or smartphone for those things you may tend to forget. Those little alerts can be quite helpful!
• Make efficient to-do lists. Some people love these and some hate them. But the bottom line is keeping everything jumbled in your head can be quite difficult. So be sure to spend just a little time each day (or the night before) prioritizing and itemizing your daily tasks. If you know it is written down, even if it is nowhere near to being done, you at least have a sense of being organized about it and know that it will not slip through the cracks of your memory.
• Delegate as much as possible. Anytime a spouse, partner, child, parent, relative or friend can assume the responsibility of a certain task, let them. No need to be a holiday superhero and do everything yourself.
• Run errands that are in close geographical proximity. Try to divide your time up well and group those errands together — this conserves both time and gasoline.
• Focus on the now. Never underestimate the power of living in the moment! When your life is over-full, your thoughts and plans tend to get jumbled, disjointed and distracted. And you feel stressed out. By reigning in your focus and being truly present, you will feel more joyful with a greater sense of serenity and fulfillment.
• Practice authentic gratitude. If you have let this slip by, now is as good a time as any to bring this to the forefront. Consciously strive to be in appreciation of the many blessings that surround you — and verbalize your feelings to others. Aside from the obvious – showing gratitude to those close to you, go the extra mile and practice some random gratitude. (for instance, give extra praise or appreciation to your hairstylist, the person who holds the door open for you, the pleasant cashier at the supermarket, etc.) The recipients will be happily surprised and radiant. Gratitude will leave you feeling joyful!
• Make time, make time, make time for yourself! (Got the message?) Consistently doing and running and caring for others (such as buying loads of holiday gifts for just about everyone) can be more fatiguing than fun at times. Make sure to take time to nurture yourself — a special lunch or dinner out, a massage (or a Reiki session,) catching up with an old friend, a night out at the movies, or just getting zen with a relaxing meditation — give yourself the gift of something you personally enjoy.
So don’t over-schedule, focus on what’s meaningful — and be sure to have a loving, warm and magical holiday season!
Affirmations:
- I look forward to the holiday season with joyful anticipation and childlike wonder.
- By staying focused on the now moment, I feel happier, more centered and more peaceful.
- I make it a priority to spend fun and loving times with my close family and friends.
“See the light in others, and treat them as if that is all you see.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer
How do we hang on to our genuine sense of caring and compassion toward someone, when we perceive some of their deeds and statements as being quite unkind? We all face this scenario with people in our lives. And I am not talking about distant friends or acquaintances, who will fade out of our life if the unkindness and differences become too pronounced. I am referring to people who are fixtures in our lives and who we basically love and care about.
Not everyone sees things our way — it would not be a good thing if we were all clones of each other. Life is exciting and dynamic because of all the varied personalities in our lives.
However, sometimes we need someone to be a little more tolerant and supportive of us. For instance, in my own life, as an animal lover and occasional rescuer, I am trying to understand someone who is quite the opposite of that. Now it’s one thing to keep discordant thoughts (ones that you know might be offensive to a person you are conversing with) to yourself. But it’s another to come out with them in a context in which there is no ambiguity about them being of the tactless nature.
So I am trying to rationalize some of these comments over time (they are only occasional, not constant) and certainly focus on the brighter spots of this individual’s personality. But when these uncalled-for comments just spout forward, it is disturbing to me. Yet I believe it is essential to be able to brush my own feelings of discord aside, as it is healthier emotionally. But it’s not always easy to do.
As a Reiki practitioner, my initial reaction is to send love and light to this person, envisioning that it is going straight to their heart center.
However, you don’t have to be a Reiki practitioner to work with this imagery. You can surround this person with the light of compassion, however you may be able to imagine it. Visualize that a radiant cord of compassion flows from your own heart to the heart of the other person. This can be powerful healing imagery. It sure beats the opposite of becoming antagonistic or down on a particular person.
As I began to focus on sending positive energy to this person, I genuinely felt like I want to take the next step. My goal is to try to awaken the innate sense of compassion, caring and understanding that I believe lies within the heart of that individual. I truly feel we are all born with the ability to be compassionate. But it depends on many other factors — upbringing, family values, social interaction and more as to how much that sense develops over time.
Another suggestion for diffusing any immediate discord while an incident is still fresh and painful, is to make a mental list of the most obvious positive qualities of this person. Maybe he made a tactless statement, but is diligent and has a great work ethic and he is always punctual for events. He just needs to perhaps do some further inner work, or become a little more awakened to the compassionate side of life.
Do you have anyone who is close to you that presents a challenge in this way? How do you deal that individual? Are you able to let go of discordant feelings? Are there any special techniques you use to help you remain peaceful and tolerant? Please post a comment here and let me know…
Affirmations:
- I strive to remain calm and neutral in the presence of someone whose personality can be challenging to me.
- I imagine that an ethereal, healing cord of compassionate light can link from my heart to the heart of another.
- I do the inner work to become my most caring, understanding self.
Appreciation – Finding Gratitude in the Now Moment
By · CommentsDo you ever consider how good it can feel to truly embrace appreciation on a consistent basis? Personally, I have been in “appreciation mode” recently. Not that I am ungrateful normally, but I am feeling motivated about getting more deeply into the mindset of profound appreciation.
For those in the USA, we are soon approaching the traditional holiday of Thanksgiving so maybe that has influenced me a little. But it’s beneficial to remain in the joyful “attitude of gratitude” all year round. Feeling that brilliant optimism of appreciation absolutely raises your vibration. And then, more magical things happen — you feel better overall — your emotional health improves and even your physical health will improve!
So what do I mean by the “appreciation mode?” This is feeling the glow of appreciation in the very now moment. Of course, it is not possible to hold this vibration all the time. But if you do this several times a day, it will impact your reality for the better.
Take the time to either look around or to look within and simply ask yourself “What am I thankful for right here in this moment?” And rather spontaneously bring to mind something that is particularly pleasing to you, something that inspires gratitude within YOU.
One personal example happened the other day. I took my senior canine to the dog park, enjoying his company and watching his happiness at being off-leash and able to wander freely. I just appreciated that animal/human bonding moment. And as we left the park in my car, I was just filled with appreciation for the beautiful tree-lined road with all the spectacular fall foliage colors. My heart was radiant with appreciation in that particular moment — and I felt so blissful. And it was such a simple time.
Today, my husband went out of the way to run a particular errand for me that will save me so much time and I am happily grateful for this thoughtfulness. Even though the rest of my day brought some of the normal frustrations of life — a minor plumbing problem, as well as a broken car windshield that had to be replaced — trying to hold myself in the light of appreciation helped not just salvage, but improve my overall feelings for the day.
Wrap your heart and mind around feeling gratitude. Be grateful for your unique life path and your own particular skills and talents. Be grateful for those close to you with whom you share a loving bond. Express your appreciation verbally.
Here is a quick gratitude exercise for you. Just bring to mind one thing that makes you light up with appreciation. Do it — just focus on it for a moment. How does it make you feel? Can it make your heart smile — even just for a moment or two? Being in this energy is empowering.
Have the courage to look into the mirror — be bold and confident and say to your own reflection “I appreciate you!”
Affirmations:
- Being in the mindset of appreciation brings more joyful aspects into my everyday life experience.
- Abundantly feeling and expressing gratitude helps move me up the emotional scale.
- I truly appreciate my own particular radiant and unique life journey.
Adaptability – Essential Skill for a Joyful Life
By · CommentsYou have most likely heard that metaphor of life being like a roller coaster — a veritable wave of ups and downs — mostly occurring in an unpredictable order. Can you relate to that — do you sometimes view your life as a dramatic series of twists and turns, highs and lows?
Unless you are a true psychic — and a completely accurate one — you can’t easily see what’s beyond the next curve of the road of life. However, you can embrace an attitude of stability, that can help keep you centered, grounded and in the peaceful flow of life, to more easily navigate your own personal “reality road.”
The concept of adaptability is so essential in dealing with life effectively and sustaining you in a more joyful place. Being adaptable means truly being flexible. Think of that strong, huge tree that bends in the high winds, but doesn’t break. If you can sway with the “gusts” of life, and keep your roots firmly planted in the ground, then you can weather any storm.
Those who face circumstances with an outlook of high-level resistance sometimes have the most trying of times. When you are filled with resistance in a situation that you have minimal control over, it can negatively impact both your emotional and physical health, especially if these feelings continue for an extended period of time.
To some, adaptability comes naturally. To others, inner work is needed to cultivate this positive skill. Through my own life experience I have learned some wise lessons about meeting challenges in an open-minded way and persevering by learning to tap in to my inner guidance. It took me a long while and some turbulent obstacles that stretched me to my emotional limit to finally awaken me to the knowing that adaptability was crucial to my mental and physical health.
You are stronger than you know. Though challenges can seem insurmountable and nobody willfully chooses them, they are always the harbinger of clear life lessons. But it’s no fun living through extreme discord. When you really learn and understand your inner strength, your overall life perspective is transformed. And when you’ve survived the tough times, smaller bumps in the road will not seem to daunting and be much easier to navigate.
The next year is foretold by many to be filled with potential upheaval in terms of shifting of consciousness and spiritual awakening and enlightenment. Ultimately, this should prove beneficial and healing for our planet, but meanwhile the ride along the way may be a little uneven and challenging at times. So if this proves to be your own experience, just hold on, tap in to your inner strength and know that the road will eventually become easier and more peaceful to travel…
Affirmations:
- Being flexible and peaceful with my world and its challenges helps see me through trying times.
- I am adaptable and open-minded — I flow peacefully with the ever-changing stream of life.
- I embrace the adventure of life and strive to find pleasure and appreciation in each moment.