Feb 14, 2009
Feb 11, 2009
Happiness on My Mind
I have posted several things about being happy...because it is so important! Really and truly important.
One of the big lessons of 2008 for me was learning to allow myself to feel happy. To not feel guilty about putting my happiness first. (Something that I struggled with for many years in the past. It is easy to become addicted to feeling poorly, so watch out!)
Many people have talked about "The Secret" to creating and manifesting a wonderful life. I am going to share with you a secret that I don't think "The Secret" mentions.
How happy you are directly impacts whether or not you manifest that which you desire in your life and how well things work out...
The feminine mode of "be, do and have" demonstrates that the state of "being" influences the action and the end results. Our state of being matters! The happier you are, the more rich and abundant your life. (What is your natural state of being? What is your current state of being? How can you support your own happiness? How can you say "Yes!" to yourself and "Yes!" to your life?)
Choosing to be happy, to cultivate happiness, was the absolute best gift that I gave myself. I have had many people support my efforts. My dad told me to do whatever I needed to do to be happy. My children have allowed me the room to grow with them and to learn to be happy--I think that they have been my best teachers! Steve encouraged my pursuits. Marielle guided me on my path. My friends have contributed to all my wonderful wanderings in the land of being happy!
The more words of happiness, of love and of appreciation that are expressed for What Is in your life, the more you will experience greater happiness, love, joy and abundance.
Be well! Be Happy!
One of the big lessons of 2008 for me was learning to allow myself to feel happy. To not feel guilty about putting my happiness first. (Something that I struggled with for many years in the past. It is easy to become addicted to feeling poorly, so watch out!)
Many people have talked about "The Secret" to creating and manifesting a wonderful life. I am going to share with you a secret that I don't think "The Secret" mentions.
How happy you are directly impacts whether or not you manifest that which you desire in your life and how well things work out...
The feminine mode of "be, do and have" demonstrates that the state of "being" influences the action and the end results. Our state of being matters! The happier you are, the more rich and abundant your life. (What is your natural state of being? What is your current state of being? How can you support your own happiness? How can you say "Yes!" to yourself and "Yes!" to your life?)
Choosing to be happy, to cultivate happiness, was the absolute best gift that I gave myself. I have had many people support my efforts. My dad told me to do whatever I needed to do to be happy. My children have allowed me the room to grow with them and to learn to be happy--I think that they have been my best teachers! Steve encouraged my pursuits. Marielle guided me on my path. My friends have contributed to all my wonderful wanderings in the land of being happy!
The more words of happiness, of love and of appreciation that are expressed for What Is in your life, the more you will experience greater happiness, love, joy and abundance.
Be well! Be Happy!
Feb 10, 2009
Life...
I think that a part of life means having issues. Or stuff. Or baggage. Perhaps it is the stuff of learning moments. As I ponder my life, I realize that I started on the path to healing things in a conscious way the summer before I turned 30. I began to realize that I didn't need to be perfect...life didn't, and still doesn't, work that way. And I knew that somehow, I was meant to be happy.
I have been into self-improvement, metaphysics, psychology and whatever else resonated with me, all in some kind of attempt to understand me. My life. My stuff. (Isn't it great to know that the only expert on me is me? Just like you are the expert on you!) It has been a journey of self-discovery...and a willingness to constantly learn myself in a new way.
Just as an observation, most of us unconsciously absorb the standards, the ideals, the belief systems and the expectations of our parents or guardians, institutions, organized religion and society at large. This happens to anyone who has been or who is in the process of being both socialized and civilized so that they are fit to play (well) with others. The amazing thing is so much of this stuff is unspoken! And not all of it necessarily applies! (Do we ever stop to question any of these old belief systems? Oh, look! It is only B.S. ;) )
Was my process to understanding this messy? Oh, you bet! I didn't like my childhood experiences and I didn't care for the pain I experienced at revisiting the things that didn't work for me. (People are accountable and responsible for their choices...so, I am not discounting my own experience...I just made a choice to grow because of it. I chose to use it as my stepping stone rather than the stone tied round my neck.) I chose to undertake various forms of therapy, healing, energy work and alternative modalities to get clear. I have read many books~and then turned around to apply what I learned from those things, to the best of my ability, to my day to day life. It has only been by my own willingness to face my issues that I have become more and more happy and more and more alive in my own life.
Issues can move us in the direction to heal. Pain can certainly be a huge motivating factor in healing. People show up--parents, teachers, friends, lovers, store clerks-to help us to learn, to grow, to experience and to heal.
The thing that prompted this post was having someone complain about the stuff in their life. Stuff is okay. Stuff is good. Stuff happens. Feelings just are--what we do with them is another story. Pain happens--to carve out space for joy and light--and suffering is optional. That, too, is a choice.
Healing is a choice...and if I can do it, so can anybody else!
I have always found this information from Stuart Wilde inspirational:
I have been into self-improvement, metaphysics, psychology and whatever else resonated with me, all in some kind of attempt to understand me. My life. My stuff. (Isn't it great to know that the only expert on me is me? Just like you are the expert on you!) It has been a journey of self-discovery...and a willingness to constantly learn myself in a new way.
Just as an observation, most of us unconsciously absorb the standards, the ideals, the belief systems and the expectations of our parents or guardians, institutions, organized religion and society at large. This happens to anyone who has been or who is in the process of being both socialized and civilized so that they are fit to play (well) with others. The amazing thing is so much of this stuff is unspoken! And not all of it necessarily applies! (Do we ever stop to question any of these old belief systems? Oh, look! It is only B.S. ;) )
Was my process to understanding this messy? Oh, you bet! I didn't like my childhood experiences and I didn't care for the pain I experienced at revisiting the things that didn't work for me. (People are accountable and responsible for their choices...so, I am not discounting my own experience...I just made a choice to grow because of it. I chose to use it as my stepping stone rather than the stone tied round my neck.) I chose to undertake various forms of therapy, healing, energy work and alternative modalities to get clear. I have read many books~and then turned around to apply what I learned from those things, to the best of my ability, to my day to day life. It has only been by my own willingness to face my issues that I have become more and more happy and more and more alive in my own life.
Issues can move us in the direction to heal. Pain can certainly be a huge motivating factor in healing. People show up--parents, teachers, friends, lovers, store clerks-to help us to learn, to grow, to experience and to heal.
The thing that prompted this post was having someone complain about the stuff in their life. Stuff is okay. Stuff is good. Stuff happens. Feelings just are--what we do with them is another story. Pain happens--to carve out space for joy and light--and suffering is optional. That, too, is a choice.
Healing is a choice...and if I can do it, so can anybody else!
I have always found this information from Stuart Wilde inspirational:
THE REALIZATIONS OF STUART WILDE
From Weight Loss for the Mind
If your personality were programmed to accept contradictions as natural, and if it did not react, you could not experience negative emotion or anguish.
The circumstances of life have no particular quality, either positive or negative. They are neutral. Don’t resist them, even the ones that scare you silly. When faced with adversity, buy the solution—not the emotion.
Teach that to others.
Don’t use emotion as a self-indulgent tool to attract attention or to make yourself and your ideas important. Instead, act powerfully and concisely. Be active. Create energy, give of yourself. Let others need you, rather than needing them and acting to win their approval.
All fear is nothing more than the ego’s expectancy of an upcoming contradiction. Most of it is not real. Dissipate its power by refusing to buy the emotion. Make fear your friend. Talk to it. Accommodate it as a helper and ally, and most of your fear will change or disappear completely.
To pine for an alternative past is a waste of energy. In the pristine world of your infinite spiritual self, there is no sin or negative energy. There is only compassion, learning, and unconditional love and forgiveness. Remind yourself and those around you of this fact. In the light of God, everything is healed and seen to be perfect.
Once you see that most anger is a theatrical routine, you can diminish it to the irrelevance it deserves. All anger comes from loss. All loss is a security issue. All security issues are various manifestations of ego. Understand that and most of your anger becomes unnecessary.
Confusion is a manifestation of an unsettled intellect. The intellect is dominated by the ego. So confusion is mostly the ego’s chatter harassing your life. Train the ego to ask fewer questions, and answer most of the others with, “I don’t know and I don’t care.”
Frustration stems from the hasty habit of allowing the ego to decide the timing and delivery of its desires. If you blindfold the ego with discipline and never show it the menu of life, it doesn’t bitch about the food—it is thrilled that you are eating to keep alive.
From Weight Loss for the Mind
If your personality were programmed to accept contradictions as natural, and if it did not react, you could not experience negative emotion or anguish.
The circumstances of life have no particular quality, either positive or negative. They are neutral. Don’t resist them, even the ones that scare you silly. When faced with adversity, buy the solution—not the emotion.
Teach that to others.
Don’t use emotion as a self-indulgent tool to attract attention or to make yourself and your ideas important. Instead, act powerfully and concisely. Be active. Create energy, give of yourself. Let others need you, rather than needing them and acting to win their approval.
All fear is nothing more than the ego’s expectancy of an upcoming contradiction. Most of it is not real. Dissipate its power by refusing to buy the emotion. Make fear your friend. Talk to it. Accommodate it as a helper and ally, and most of your fear will change or disappear completely.
To pine for an alternative past is a waste of energy. In the pristine world of your infinite spiritual self, there is no sin or negative energy. There is only compassion, learning, and unconditional love and forgiveness. Remind yourself and those around you of this fact. In the light of God, everything is healed and seen to be perfect.
Once you see that most anger is a theatrical routine, you can diminish it to the irrelevance it deserves. All anger comes from loss. All loss is a security issue. All security issues are various manifestations of ego. Understand that and most of your anger becomes unnecessary.
Confusion is a manifestation of an unsettled intellect. The intellect is dominated by the ego. So confusion is mostly the ego’s chatter harassing your life. Train the ego to ask fewer questions, and answer most of the others with, “I don’t know and I don’t care.”
Frustration stems from the hasty habit of allowing the ego to decide the timing and delivery of its desires. If you blindfold the ego with discipline and never show it the menu of life, it doesn’t bitch about the food—it is thrilled that you are eating to keep alive.
Feb 8, 2009
"There are Two Ways to Live Your Life.
One is stressed out. The other is...not." ~ Byron Katie
I think that this is a wonderful reminder to have each day. Stressing out is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Love is a choice. Peace is a choice.
I love this song, "Peace Today" by Faith Rivera. http://www.peacetodaymovie.com/
Right now seems like a very busy time for me, doing lots of things, learning lots of things and not as much time just "being." Just being is a very feminine thing, I feel. And it is very nourishing and nurturing for the soul. We all need this 'just being' time. It is life-giving!
"If the well is dry, the village doesn't drink."
Luckily, there is still a calm, still spot inside of me. I can find it when I focus on my breath, I can find it during meditation, I can find it when I am out in nature...and these days, I can find it when I stand at the window, looking out at nature. :) In all these moments, I can give water to dry ground and live juicy once more!
This busy time, this learning time, I believe, may actually be about letting go of things that aren't important so that I can focus on what is!
I think that this is a wonderful reminder to have each day. Stressing out is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Love is a choice. Peace is a choice.
I love this song, "Peace Today" by Faith Rivera. http://www.peacetodaymovie.com/
Right now seems like a very busy time for me, doing lots of things, learning lots of things and not as much time just "being." Just being is a very feminine thing, I feel. And it is very nourishing and nurturing for the soul. We all need this 'just being' time. It is life-giving!
"If the well is dry, the village doesn't drink."
Luckily, there is still a calm, still spot inside of me. I can find it when I focus on my breath, I can find it during meditation, I can find it when I am out in nature...and these days, I can find it when I stand at the window, looking out at nature. :) In all these moments, I can give water to dry ground and live juicy once more!
This busy time, this learning time, I believe, may actually be about letting go of things that aren't important so that I can focus on what is!
Adorning the Temple
Each day, so many things have pointed me in the direction of having fun! (Here is to throwing away all those old rules...and here is to having fun doing it!)
As a woman, there are so many ways to creatively express myself and who I Am...and to have fun doing it!
My friend Kathleen just got her hair done...now she has beautiful, "fun" hair. (You go, girl!)
My sister, Gilian, makes beautiful jewelry...some of it kicky, some of it definitely playful and all of it wonderful! (Check her stuff at Endless possibilities.)
I have been having fun with clothes...and for work, I can dress like a little yogi. (Never mind that I have only taken a grand total of 6 yoga classes!) How fun is that?
I cut my hair mostly off (complared to how long it used to be) so it curls up...and it wants to curl its own way. Usually, I fight it and try to make it behave. My new intention is to enjoy whatever my hair wants to do on its own each day, with no complaining. :) My sister is making me a new ring out of a gorgeous piece of peachy-colored tourmaline and I am going to enjoy every minute of wearing it. I am going to wear clothes that feel good to me, perform t-shirt surgery and make some stunningly fun new things to play with and wear...and I am going to take every opportunity to make my life fun!
I made the commitment this year to be conscious and "green" with personal care products. (It is more challenging than I thought!) I started eating mostly raw foods last year. I see that both of those commitments are also commitments to my health, to my creativity and to my life being FUN!
Saying "Yes!" to life means that it feels good, each and everyday. I don't always take the time or make the time to have fun. This is something I am working on...and it means owning who I Am~all of me, even when I want to hide the better parts of me. The sweetness, the softness, the warm and spicy bite of me, the juicy bits, the strength, the wisdom and the compassion. It sometimes feels easier to hide by trying to look like and act like everybody else.
The first step, for me, is to Adorn the Temple of my very own body. To embrace its strength and its beauty and its uniqueness. There are so many ways to do this...I am open to finding all of the possibilities that work for me!
How can you adorn your temple?
P.S. I saw this quote and loved it: "Ordinary things, consistently done, produce extraordinary results." ~ Keith Cunningham
Self-care is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Make it a habit! And find out what happens...
As a woman, there are so many ways to creatively express myself and who I Am...and to have fun doing it!
My friend Kathleen just got her hair done...now she has beautiful, "fun" hair. (You go, girl!)
My sister, Gilian, makes beautiful jewelry...some of it kicky, some of it definitely playful and all of it wonderful! (Check her stuff at Endless possibilities.)
I have been having fun with clothes...and for work, I can dress like a little yogi. (Never mind that I have only taken a grand total of 6 yoga classes!) How fun is that?
I cut my hair mostly off (complared to how long it used to be) so it curls up...and it wants to curl its own way. Usually, I fight it and try to make it behave. My new intention is to enjoy whatever my hair wants to do on its own each day, with no complaining. :) My sister is making me a new ring out of a gorgeous piece of peachy-colored tourmaline and I am going to enjoy every minute of wearing it. I am going to wear clothes that feel good to me, perform t-shirt surgery and make some stunningly fun new things to play with and wear...and I am going to take every opportunity to make my life fun!
I made the commitment this year to be conscious and "green" with personal care products. (It is more challenging than I thought!) I started eating mostly raw foods last year. I see that both of those commitments are also commitments to my health, to my creativity and to my life being FUN!
Saying "Yes!" to life means that it feels good, each and everyday. I don't always take the time or make the time to have fun. This is something I am working on...and it means owning who I Am~all of me, even when I want to hide the better parts of me. The sweetness, the softness, the warm and spicy bite of me, the juicy bits, the strength, the wisdom and the compassion. It sometimes feels easier to hide by trying to look like and act like everybody else.
The first step, for me, is to Adorn the Temple of my very own body. To embrace its strength and its beauty and its uniqueness. There are so many ways to do this...I am open to finding all of the possibilities that work for me!
How can you adorn your temple?
P.S. I saw this quote and loved it: "Ordinary things, consistently done, produce extraordinary results." ~ Keith Cunningham
Self-care is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Make it a habit! And find out what happens...
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