Monday, May 27, 2013

Are You Burdened, or Are You Blessed?


Today was discouraging to say the least, but I'm going to do my best to end my day with positive thoughts by counting my blessings. It always helps to turn the ugly depressing thoughts around by remembering everything that I am grateful for... the big things as well as the little things like today's cooler weather, and the adorable feral kittens I spotted curled up in a kitten pile, snoozing in the yard. 

Doing an inventory of everything you are grateful for, leads to the discovery of the many things you take for granted every day. Think about these...




Count your blessings, and you will find that your blessings far exceed your burdens. Isn't it so much nicer to end your day knowing how blessed you truly are? 


Monday, May 20, 2013

Victim or Victorious



"Every struggle, whether won or lost, strengthens us for the next to come. It is not good for people to have an easy life. They become weak and inefficient when they cease to struggle. some need a series of defeats before developing the strength and courage to win a victory."

Victorio,
Chief of the Chihenne band of Chiricahua Apaches


I recently shared this quote on facebook, which resulted in a few comments, one of which was:

"True in theory, but constant struggle wears me down."  

My response to that was, "Maybe that's why things come in phases."  It was at that moment that I had one of those Ah ha moments, and something just clicked.

Think about it for a minute... have you ever noticed that struggles seem to bombard you all at once, overwhelming you for a time, and then followed by periods of calm, kind of like the peace after the storm? Perhaps it is a part of the grand scheme of things.

I believe we are here for a divine purpose and that life's hurdles and road blocks are presented to us to strengthen and mold us into the person we are destined to be in order to accomplish that purpose. We may not understand it at the time, but each challenge makes us stronger, wiser, and prepares us for the next.

In between our lessons, we are gifted with periods of calm. The length of time of these calm periods vary, and give us time to reflect on what we have learned, to count our blessings, to rejoice in life, and to give us the rest we need in between life's challenges.

It is a cycle that repeats until our divine purpose is fulfilled. Don't let this thought overwhelm you; this cycle is life. Yes, it can be painful and overwhelming at times, but it can also be beautiful, and full of blessings. You will experience times when life is unbearably difficult, but you will also have times when life is amazing. Remember, you can't have a rainbow without the storm :)

Don't let life make you a victim; rise above your challenges and be victorious!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Good Things


I will not go into detail about my struggles, but I will say I have been struggling and like so many people these days, experiencing much fear regarding finances. We are living in difficult and scary times, and although circumstances might knock me down...

I REFUSE to to stay down!

I have been doing everything I can think of, from selling my artwork to looking for additional employment, praying for help, and trying like hell to fight the negative thoughts that are constantly flowing through my consciousness daily. 

I remind myself that I must stay positive, for my thoughts have power and reflect upon my life experience. My thoughts CREATE my experience. If I want more Positive, I must put more Positive out into the Universe. Like begets Like; my thoughts are a magnet that attracts more of what I think. If I think negative, I get negative in return, and vice-versa, and I am determined to to make this work in my favor. 

MORE POSITIVE PLEASE! Bring on the GOOD THINGS!


Thursday, May 9, 2013

Direct Your Sails!

You 

Are the Captain
 
of your 

Life


Take  
responsibility 
for your words, thoughts, and actions;

Re-adjust your sails 
to enable 
you to move IN the 
Direction you WANT to   
GO!


I just love this! Don't you? What a powerful and positive message! When you read the above statement, did you automatically put your thinking cap on?  I did! I thought to myself: 
"What can I do to adjust my sails so that I can improve my life?"           
                      






Friday, May 3, 2013

Panic Attacks


Ever since Mom passed away, I have been experiencing panic attacks, and lately they have been increasing in frequency, and I'm not liking them one bit; they are awful. I'm currently looking for affirmations and coping methods to help. Tonight I came across some articles: 

How to Stop a Panic Attack, the practice of telling your body that it has 20 seconds to complete a full blown panic attack, and no more. Interesting concept.

3 Self Help Methods to Stop Panic Attacks which instructs you to do the following during a panic attack: (1) Listen to your thoughts (2) Practice Relaxation Methods, (3) Consider Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognative Behavior Therapy for Anxiety which says if you change your thoughts, you change your life... in essence, changing your thinking patterns. Through further reading and watching videos on youtube, I learned that CBT  is thinking rationally in the present time by recognizing your irrational self defeating thoughts or beliefs, and changing them to more positive rational thoughts... changing your perspective, also known as Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy.


After watching this video the viewer is directed to check out the links below the video, one of which lead to a self help UK website which provides downloadable resources, including a 7-step self help course, MP3 downloads, and printable worksheets, etc. Click Here to visit the page.

Tonight's searching has lead me to interesting information; it has given me something to think about, and some new coping methods to try.  I don't know about you, but I'm glad I felt compelled to do a bit of research tonight, and now it's time to say goodnight, but before I go,  I thought I would share some humor and an affirmation.

Some Humor...




Affirmation...





Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Soul Coaching Day 28 (Earth)

Alas, today my Soul Coaching journey comes to an end. It's been fun, emotional, and sometimes tiring, but it's been a good journey and has manifested insights, as was the purpose. Perhaps I will repeat it someday.

Affirmation
"I give love deeply and fully.
I receive love deeply and fully.
My essence is love."

As you can gather from the above affirmation, today is about love... loving myself, loving life, and loving each experience that comes my way, for everything happens for a reason and for my highest good, even the hard times and the ones that hurt. The trick is to accept the experiences and know deep within, that everything will be okay, that I will remain safe and cared for, and that I am not alone in my journey; the Universe and the Divine are always with me guiding me through each step, no matter how scary or painful it may be. I need to remember to just breathe and focus on peace, knowing I am safe.

I began this day with a brief meditation exercise prior to leaving for another day of work. It was a visualization exercise which began with a clear Spring morning and a bright blue sky. I visualized being outside looking into the that beautiful clear blue sky and breathing in the fresh Spring air. From there I visualized myself inside a stone circle which vibrated and glowed with love and healing. The stone circle was surrounded by beings of pure Light who sent their Light to illuminate me until I too was glowing with Light, and had a glowing ball emanating from the region of my heart, like a mini sun. The Light surrounded my being as well as filled my entire body.

Today I was to imagine myself sending my Light to others throughout the day, but honestly, it was extremely busy most the day; at some points I felt like a chicken running around with its head cut off. I did however get a few quite minutes in the afternoon to visualize myself doing just that. Whew! I thought I wasn't going to get a chance to practice this one today, and I had some problems concentrating and holding the visualization for very long, but but mission accomplished, although brief.  


Earth has been my favorite week of this program, although I also enjoyed the creativity of Fire...hmm maybe it's more of a tie LOL . Air week was too much cleaning for this girl, and Water was much too emotional. 

Setting up an altar for each Element was also a fun activity. I'm not sure which of the altars was my favorite, perhaps my abundance altar, as it incorporated a little bit of everything that I hold dear.

Well, for those of you that followed my journey, I hope you you enjoyed it, or at the very least were inspired to try some similar exercises, and maybe it even compelled you to purchase the book yourself?  It's a great read, as well as experience; I highly recommend it.


Monday, April 22, 2013

Soul Coaching Day 27 (Earth)

Affirmation
"My future is filled with joy, love, and peace."

I find it amazing that the Earth segment of this program falls on Earth Day. How cool is that?

We are nearing the end of Soul Coaching; tomorrow is the last day. How fast these 28 days are passing!

Today I was to focus on creating my future and (1) visualize it (2) write a letter from my future self to my current self and (3) carry myself in a confident, peaceful manner, in such a way that I KNOW I am safe and at peace, my future is safe and I will be at peace and secure, etc etc.

After I was all ready for work this morning, I had a few extra minutes, so I spent them visualizing my future, and what a great way to start the day! The rest of my day followed suit... I was happy and confident all day!

The letter to myself from my future self had to wait until after work, but what a great (and fun)  idea!

I still struggled with remembering to hold/carry myself in a confident peaceful manner. Posture is hard for me, as I've had poor posture all my life and I'm now paying for it. My back and shoulders naturally curve forward now. It's a strain to force them straight and back, but my positive mood stuck with me for the remainder of the day and evening.

Today was an awesome day, and now that I've slowed down, I'm getting tired really fast. Tonight just might be an early night!

Before signing off, I thought I'd share more of my beautiful purple Irises for Earth Day...