Event this weekend!

 Come join the fun...I will be here this Saturday...
Artists Reception at Bliss Wine and Gifts in Wauconda.


https://www.facebook.com/events/429973523778657/

Frustration has a message.

We all get frustrated. It is a part of life as we all know. However, we can use our frustration to develop and grow.
 
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Internally-Grateful-Newsletter---Inspiration-for-the-Self-emowered--Frustration-has-a-message-.html?soid=1107361600166&aid=_MzIcXPCP7A

Love conquers all

All of you have heard the expression, love conquers all. I bet many of you, if not all of you, understand this firsthand as well.

You are among the fortunate ones. Not in a lucky kind of way, but in an empowered and grateful way. You choose to rise above adversity and take the high road. Even when other people fail to appreciate you and your good will, you act out of love. Why? Because you are wise and you know that love conquers all...
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Internally-Grateful-Newsletter---Inspiration-for-the-Self-emowered--Love-Conquers-All.html?soid=1107361600166&aid=Cu27bTrMsXk

You gotta have faith

 

No worry has ever added more beauty to life. No stress or anxiety has ever assured a solution. No fear has ever guaranteed a better outcome.

At some point in time, we began to believe that we could think our problems away. We began to judge life and expect it to be a certain way. We thought that it would be best to try and control life, to force life to unfold in a specific way. We set about to be a problem solver, a fixer, a controller of life. We thought it best to defend ourselves and protect ourselves from undesirable results...
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Internally-Grateful-Newsletter---Inspiration-for-the-Self-emowered--You-gotta-have-faith-.html?soid=1107361600166&aid=tdKrExojtEo

Free to be...

As you expand your consciousness, you become more yourself.

You act on what is important to you and build self-confidence as doubt and self-judgment diminish. You realize perfection exists, but only if you no longer care what happens and who you are.

You are free to be you, perceived flaws and all.

This is the perfection you are seeking. 

No actions you take could make you a better person than you already are.

No actions you take could make you a lesser person than you already are.

This is love baby--unconditional love!

Be at Peace

The absence of chaos is peace.

Peace is not acquired, attained or produced from judgment.

If you feel any type of anxiety, no matter whether you can justify its presence or not, peace lies just below it.

You need not worry about anything--nothing at all. 

Peace lies just beyond your fear.

There is no cause worthy enough to take away your peace of mind.

Peace is here, right now. I bet you can feel it as you read this.

Don't be fooled and get caught up in the chaos.

Be at peace.

Happiness

Dread is linked to worry. Procrastination is linked to fear of change.

We will never be happy when we fear or feel dread.

The key then is to diminish their presence in our lives.

Happiness is waiting to surface, however, you may block yourself from experiencing it.

Don't dread what is here nor what is to be.

Don't fear what may be coming nor anticipate what it will be.

Just be happy dear friend. You have the key!

Change

Change may seem difficult and challenging, however, you can perceive change differently.

See change as transformative, enlightening and enriching. Don't fear what is ahead, embrace it!

You are well equipped to dance through the changes that lie ahead. 

DANCE BABY, DANCE!

Internally Grateful Newsletter: Be in body

Our mind has a tendency to sweep us away from what matters most. We waste our time worrying about what lies ahead and what has happened in the past. We allow fear to control our thoughts. Essentially, we spend a great deal of our time in our heads.

Get out of your head and get into your body. 
This will allow you to feel and experience peace. 
A tremendous amount of peace!

Right now, take a deep breath, feel your body from head to toe.

Allow yourself to focus on what your body feels like, your internal sensations.

Imagine yourself opening up to the feelings that run through your body. Do this for a few minutes.

Just relax and feel--nothing else. If thoughts rise, let them pass on through, don't follow them or add to them. Relax and feel your body.

Be in body to let go of your mind...

Amazingly, feeling your body will allow you to expand beyond the confines of your mind.

It will connect you to and help you know the greater, all loving, higher power you have within. You can't help but to feel it.

We think our mind is what will help us attain peace. No, that's all wrong. Peace lies within us. You can feel it right now. Ahh, how amazing it is, YOUR body will take you to the place you long to be.

Love,

June

Internally Grateful Newsletter: Say No to Anger

Say NO to anger...

You can say "NO!" to anger. Here are some important tips that will help you ease your own pain and suffering. When you say "NO!" to anger that is exactly what you will do.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Internally-Grateful-Newsletter---Inspiration-for-the-Self-empowered--Say-No-to-anger.html?soid=1107361600166&aid=E1c-ljd_9Ik

When Pen and Paper Meet

When pen and paper meet, I feel my spirit rising. 
It is a form of surrender. 

I stop everything, take a comfy seat, turn off my brain,
and allow whatever needs to happen, happen.

No agenda, no judgment--a time to release and feel love.

The world doesn't matter, the fine details, the never ending to-do list 
falls off the face of the Earth.

It is just pen and paper. 

One would hardly think it could be so freeing, liberating, intoxicating and filled with wonder. Ah, but it is!

Your intellect is shut down, the judge in your head is nowhere to be found, and fear has no place in your life when the pen and paper meet.

There is nothing quite like it. It surpasses any teacher, book or classroom I have ever known.

Wisdom and truth appear before my very eyes. A simple and profound way to be is revealed and all the steps required.

What was once unknown becomes common knowledge and common sense.
What was once feared becomes less feared and eventually feared no more.

I consider it miraculous when my pen and paper meet. 
It heals, reveals and makes me complete.

It is the content of our thoughts that cause us trouble.

The lies that we tell ourselves and the limitations we perceive.

A new kind of thinking is in order. No more lies and no more limitations.

No more lies and no more limitations...Sounds like a good way to think, right?  

Of course, but we get fooled frequently, so perhaps your mantra should be...

 I am wise enough to see my lies and great enough to exceed my limitations.

 

After all, you are very wise and have the capacity to do great things!

Defensive Reactions

Today observe your defensive reactions. Take note of other people's defensive reactions as well.

Two important points to remember, a defensive reaction is a choice and the reaction
belongs to whomever is having it. 

Don't take other people's reactions personally and don't react defensively toward others. 

Love does not need defending. If you feel the need to defend or react adversely to another's defensive reaction, allow yourself to see love, to feel love, to be love.

Internally Grateful Newsletter: Note to a friend

This is a note I wrote to inspire a dear friend.

I think it will inspire you, too...

True spiritual growth can be far different than we imagine. You obviously are finding this out.


http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Internally-Grateful-Newsletter---Inspiration-for-the-Self-empowered--Note-to-a-Friend.html?soid=1107361600166&aid=1mkpe4EPHGU

Internally Grateful Newsletter - Inspiration for the Self-empowered: Stop Interfearing!

Your empowering mission for the week is to stop interfearing.

   

Often in life, we think the best route to take is to jump in and take control of a situation or circumstance. We think that we should give our unsolicited opinion with vigor and zest. We should fix the problem at hand in our own way.

Sometimes it is the best route to take, however, at times it is not. Sometimes we are just plain old interfearing. Yes, I spelled interfearing incorrectly to make a point...fear is influencing us quite often when we interfere.
 

What we fail to realize at times is we should allow other people to figure out what to do themselves. Micromanaging children, spouses, coworkers and friends can be a very bad idea. We stunt their growth, and for those who are a bit pushy with their opinions and meddling, sometimes a fair amount of damage is done to an important and valued relationship.

Stepping back and allowing someone else to lead can actually be more helpful than grabbing the wheel in certain instances. It can be hard to do, but it can be very effective...

When we give a person an opportunity to have an impact on a situation, we open a doorway, we give them a chance to solve it. We give them a chance to grow.

I have learned a great deal from my mistakes. I rarely learned from following orders. When we give someone growing room, it allows them to grow. When we trust someone, we build a better relationship. And, when we step back, we show that we care about what the other person thinks and feels which will be missing when we rush in and interfear.


http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Internally-Grateful-Newsletter---Inspiration-for-the-Self-empowered--Stop-Interfearing-.html?soid=1107361600166&aid=be3G1hVBqwU

Internally Grateful Newsletter: A change will do you good!

Very often in life we don't make changes because we think it is not possible.
Actually, this is rarely true. We think we can't change, or we don't see the options before us to enact change, simply because we are focused on what we cannot do...
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Internally-Grateful-Newsletter---Inspiration-for-the-Self-empowered--A-change-will-do-you-good-.html?soid=1107361600166&aid=y1QZAAdwPNI

We suffer, regret, fear and betray ourselves...

Within ourselves is an absolutely amazing power that we neglect to realize exists. It is with us always and available to us at all times.

We were born with it, and we will die and go beyond with it. It elevates us and gives us courage. It will lead us successfully through all challenges and difficulties in life, all the while bringing us comfort, insight, peace, wisdom and love.

This power is beyond no one and a child easily engages it. It is beyond our mind's beliefs and common knowledge, our fears and perceptions.

This power is charged with love and my words can surly do it no justice. My mind does not conceive of its brilliance. But thankfully, my experience reveals its sweet and magnificent presence.

The power lies beyond our suffering, regret, fear and self-betrayal. These states will block you from knowing it fully. Say a special prayer today or an affirmation to remove the blocks that keep you from experiencing this power. Give yourself permission to know love.

This will open the space required and allow you to know it personally.

The Nasty Voice

Action for the week:

It takes on many forms... 

 

An inner dialog that can sink all your hopes and dreams in a mere moment.  

Our self-judgment that persuades us to doubt our goodness and our abilities to create the positive that we would prefer to experience within our lives.  

The negative thoughts that manage to creep in while we are sleeping soundly and wake us instilling fear.

(This list could go on forever, so I am stopping here.) 

You know the nasty voice...    

The nasty voice tells us who we need to be...more perfect, better at pretty much everything, and what we are not...good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, likeable enough, etc. 

Essentially, the nasty voice never tells us who we truly are and what we are capable of being and doing in any shape or form. Just one dig after another. An ultra-negative nag that will go out of his/her way to make us feel bad. Right?  

 

Remember this to help quiet him/her down...the nasty voice is not who you are and will never suggest what you can do to help yourself. It cannot because it is pure judgment and NOTHING else. It is not truth. It is not accurate. It is not really you. It is judgment that has run amok. It has likely been unchecked many times so it may run wild some, if not much of the time. 

This week you are going to tame that intrusive beast, the nasty voice. You are going to lessen its grip on your mind. If you have been working on it, tame it even further. 

 

Every time the beast makes a statement remember the following:

 

This is judgment and nothing else.

This is not truth.

This is not accurate. 

This is not me.

Then interject some humor and love to get the nasty voice out of your mind.
Keep reconditioning your mind. Eventually the nasty voice will become a whisper and perhaps even undetectable at times. Maybe someday it will be totally powerless over your mind.     

Thoughts for the week:  

  

I am much more than a body and mind.
I am pure love.

Sweet Revenge

Action for the week:  

Most all of us have been betrayed, hurt, disrespected, taken advantage of and treated unfairly at one time or another. It is normal to get angry, sad, frustrated and/or upset when we are treated badly. It is a healthy response.

The desire for revenge can be an indicator that we have taken an unhealthy turn. We may feel on some level that it helps us to heal, however, focusing on revenge does just the opposite. It keeps us from healing.

Revenge is a desire for retaliation. It is a way to get back at someone who has hurt us. Revenge is a form of punishment. When we get hung up on taking revenge and see it as sweet, we are heading in the wrong direction. We are in fact punishing ourselves.

How do you feel physically and emotionally when you want to punish someone? Do you feel tension, stress, negativity and/or unrest? Do you feel anger, hostility and/or frustration?

Self-empowerment is about feeling good, peaceful and in control. It is a process by which you elevate yourself and make choices that help you. When we hold on to revenge, we hold on to all the negative feelings that come with it. We keep them with us and allow them to adversely affect us. Continuing to hold a grudge and harbor anger is not beneficial to our well-being.

Revenge does not solve problems. Revenge does not right a wrong. Revenge gives life to the problem and keeps you from solving it. Revenge is poison.

 

Sure, people have hurt us. Some have betrayed us and disrespected us. Some have done worse to us. Staying in the space of hurt and disrespect, feeling bad about what has happened, will keep you from healing.

Somehow you need to move past the event, situation, and/or the person's behavior that makes you feel bad. Sometimes it is matter of forgiving the past and letting it go. Sometimes it is about finding a solution and/or removing yourself from an unhealthy person or situation. Sometimes it is about not giving other people power over what you think and feel. And always, it is about favoring a loving perspective and empowering yourself.

When you feel revenge remember...

- You determine the direction of your life.

- You decide what you think and feel.

- You can think positive thoughts and feel better about life.

- You can solve the problem at hand.

- Your baggage is nothing more than useless weight, get rid of it--heal.

- Revenge is not sweet, it is poison.

You know all this, now put it into practice at all times so that your life can be sweet in the way that it is meant to be.

Thoughts for the week:   

  

I will no longer punish myself because of unwanted events or
the actions of others. I will reward myself with peace and joy.

The Blame Game

Action for the week:  

Empowered people don't blame. Empowered people take full responsibility
for all that they think, feel, say and do. It is that simple.

Empowered people decide what they think and constructively deal with their feelings and emotions. They take actions to improve their lives. They think positively and let go of fear. They do not allow other people and difficult situations to control their internal environment. They work from an internal place of power.

It isn't always easy, but they do it anyways. They do it because it enables them to experience peace, joy and love. They do it because it makes life so much better on many levels.

Our society reinforces blame. People love to blame. It is a destructive habit. I bet you cannot get through the day without hearing some type of blame hype from someone you know. If you tune into the news by radio or TV, in print or online, you will surly be a witness to the blame game and blame hype.

Blame hype is a story that reinforces blame. When we personally blame, we are creating or believing a storyline in our mind that keeps us from peace. It can be a simple and short story, or long and complicated one. Regardless of the story's depth and length, know that...

Blame never solves a problem.

Blame doesn't make us better people. 

Blame doesn't keep us from making mistakes.

Blame diminishes the power we have within.

Blame is an excuse, a false truth that keeps us from love.

This week don't play the blame game. When your blame hype comes to mind, recognize it for what it is: a self-created storyline that needs to end once and for all. Take back your personal power. Look for solutions, understanding and wisdom. Look for the truth and work with the love you have within.

Thoughts for the week:   

  

I am grateful that I am 100%
responsible for all that I think,
feel, say and do.