An Affirmation for Today

I have knowingly and unknowingly placed limitations upon myself.
I choose to see the limitations that I have placed upon myself with the intention of removing them.
I choose to see beyond the constraints of my narrowed mind and see life differently.
I choose peace and love.

Fear Not

This is the best advice that I can give today...
FEAR NOT.
Follow it and make your day much more peaceful and pleasant.
After all, what good will your fear do?
NO good at all.
Let your positive, loving thoughts be stronger than your fear.
Give yourself permission to feel love instead.

Trust

- Trust that you will get it done.

- Trust that you will be okay.

- Trust that you will know what to do.

- Trust that you will find your way.

- Trust that you will learn what you need to learn.

- Trust yourself with all your heart...

Trust is your motto for today.

Feel Good Today

Here is a challenge for today: feel good. Make it your mantra. Keep your thoughts positive. If negativity rises, shift. Allow yourself to create this reality for yourself today, all day. When you sense some anger or frustration coming on, take some deep breaths and recall your mantra for the day.

This will exercise your muscles of self-control. Building those muscles will teach you that you are in control of how you respond to life. Sometimes we forget that we choose what we think, say and do. Or, we get sucked in to our own drama and let it lead the way.

Not today. You have better things in mind. Feel good.

Worry-not Warrior

Are you tired of worrying? Are you unnecessarily thinking about potential worst case scenarios and how to deal with them? Do you waste away precious energy imagining how difficult life will be once this fantasy situation comes to fruition? Do you spend more time experiencing anxiety about what might happen instead of enjoying what is happening? Do you feel that you are stressed more than you really should be?

How much time have you spent worrying about things that have never happened? What positive impact has your worry had on you and your life? What negative affects has it had on you emotionally and physically? How has it impacted your choices? How has it limited your perceptions?

Sure, we benefit from acting responsibly and taking care of ourselves and others in a caring way. We benefit greatly from looking at a situation head on and determining the best course of action to take to solve problems and make life better. These are all positives until worry comes into play. Worry does not have to be part of our internal process. Worry sometimes becomes a part of the process, but it is not a requirement.

Knowing these things, which many us of do, doesn’t necessarily help us stop worrying. Sometimes worry just takes over. Our stomach starts getting queasy and our heart starts speeding up. Then our worrisome thoughts take control.

Soon we start believing our worrisome thoughts and, before you know it, another worrisome thought rises, and then another, and another. After a while, depending on how fearful we feel at the time, the thoughts eventually subside. Shortly after, we start to feel a bit better.

Often we feel great frustration with ourselves because we know that worry really isn’t necessary. We just can’t figure out how to stop it. On some level it just seems inevitable and a normal part of life.

Here is a suggestion to help you beat worry. Adopt the attitude of a warrior. Imagine that you are capable of winning all the battles that are coming your way. Picture yourself wearing full armor. Imagine that you carry all the weapons needed to handle the situation at hand. See yourself as being capable and courageous, and readily equipped with an endless arsenal of solutions. Look your worry in the eye and move past it with confidence and strength.

Take a few moments and let yourself vividly create this new reality in your mind. Take some deep breaths and make a commitment to win the battle against worry. Visually see yourself winning the fight; fending off worry as you move through the day. Picture yourself with the confidence and determination of a warrior, winning all your internal battles against worry. Imagine yourself taking your sword and striking your worries away. See the pictures in your mind and let it flow into your reality.

Abide by a new strategy: perceive yourself as a victor and settle for nothing less. Put your vision to action and make it happen. Give yourself the opportunity to become a worry-not warrior and feel victorious during the battles that ensue throughout your day.  

Raising the Bar (follow up to Survivor or Thrivor)

Raising the bar is reaching beyond what you currently know and possibly fear. Being in a state of allowing and putting your limiting thoughts to the side and doing your best to silence them. It is not an easy feat to go into the unknown and it may feel unsettling. However, it certainly does not mean that you should turn around and fall into old habits.

We have many bad habits and one of them is judgment. Sure, judgment has a place in life, but very often we use it in a way that stunts our growth. We use it in a way that limits our perceptions. We see the past instead of the bright possibilities of the present moment and future. We are judge and jury and we are viewing life through a veil of fear.

Life would be much more peaceful if we just dropped the judge and jury mentality. If we just felt good about what lies ahead and trusted our abilities to do what we will need to do each moment of the day. As you know, sometimes it is easy to transcend judgment and other times it is not. Sometimes we just feel good no matter what and that all is well. Sometimes we spiral into a bit of a frenzy and get caught up in our judgment and fear.

Believe me, I know. That is when you need to just let it go and shift to a more loving perspective. This may require that you go boldly into the unknown. That you hold your head high and trust the loving voice that tells you that you are really fine. You surrender to raising the bar....yes, surrender. You let your guard down and raise that bar. You give yourself the opportunity to rise to the occassion and push yourself forward.

You become you own advocate. You help yourself out. You let the past fade and be in the present and listen to the loving voice that will guide you forward into the unknown. The loving voice will always be there to see you through and provide you with wisdom that will enable you to do whatever it is that you need to do.

Today, raise your bar. Combat that feeling that is keeping you where you are and listen to the loving voice instead. Think about what thriving means to you personally and take action to make it your reality. Go a step beyond survival. Allow yourself to do even better than you have in the past.

Survivor or Thrivor?

Are you a survivor or a thrivor? You have to pick one. Yes, one. Which one overall describes you the best? Read on after you pick one.

A survivor is a person who has dealt with adversity, difficult circumstances and has lived to tell about it. Survivors can handle what life throws at them and come back for more. Survivors fight the battle and end up being okay after it is over. When the next battle comes about, they do what they need to do to get through it. Yes, they have scars, but they made it and are ready to do it again.

A thrivor has a slightly different approach to life. Yes, they too have dealt with difficult circumstances and rise above adversity; however, they go beyond being okay. One could say that they raise the bar. They find ways to make life easier, more fulfilling and satisfying. Thrivors want what is best for the situation, and take their wellbeing into consideration. Many thrivors are former survivors.

If you are a survivor, be thankful for your ability to cope and get through battle. Be grateful for your scars and what they have taught you about life. Know that your courage is an admirable attribute and it has helped you through many difficulties. Feel good about yourself and what you have done.

If you are a thrivor, be thankful for what you see. Be grateful for your wisdom and the love that you possess. You have realized what matters in life and practice it openly. You have an understanding that many do not. You are gifted in ways that others are not. Feel good about yourself and what you have done.

Now ask yourself which you would prefer to be: a survivor or a thrivor.

If you are a survivor, you may want to become a thrivor; make life easier and more fulfilling, allow yourself to get more out of life and feel even better. Learn to do what is best for your wellbeing and come to understand what matters most in life.

Thrivors, I am sure you like where you reside and that is understandable; however, you can raise the bar even higher and get more out of life and feel even better. You can embrace life in a bigger and more loving way.

I have been a grateful survivor and I am thankful that I am learning to thrive. Thriving certainly makes life more satisfying and fulfilling to say the least; however, the bar can always go higher. So I raise the bar once more today and will do it again tomorrow.

What about you? What are you going to do to help yourself move past survival? How can you thrive instead of survive? How are you going to raise the bar today? How about tomorrow?

See yourself as deserving a life filled with total peace and joy. Keep moving forward each and every day.

Monday Morning

It's Monday, a new week is upon us. Mondays can be a very difficult day for many people. The weekend has ended and now back to the grind. Unfortunately, the dread of Monday often creeps into Sunday evening...a bit of apprehension sets in as Sunday comes to a bittersweet end. Yes, I know the feeling.

I have a challenge for you on this beautiful Monday morning...go ahead and guzzle that coffee of yours first or eat something that will get your body going...Are you ready?

Take three breaths...slowly and deeply. Ask yourself why you should feel miserable today and what it is that you hope to accomplish from feeling this dreaded way. Seriously, ask yourself.

Did you come up with an answer? If you did, take note. This answer is reason that you are not feeling good this morning. You may have a good reason for feeling bad today. Or perhaps you are just sulking wishing things were better.

Either way, try looking at life differently this morning. Ask yourself instead why you should feel good this morning and what you would accomplish if you did.

The Inner Critic

Have you ever taken the time to step back and evaluate your inner critic? Do you know what an inner critic is and how it impacts your day?

An inner critic is a voice that plays in your head that tells you how unworthy you are and how you are a failure on some level. This critic will sabotage you every chance it gets. Even people with good intentions can be swayed by this destructive force. An inner critic has one mission in mind: to destroy good intentions.

I have a strong feeling that you know exactly what I am referring to and that you may even have more than one lurking in that beautiful mind of yours. It seems that inner critics are part of life. Perhaps they are inherited and/or developed during childhood. Maybe we are suppose to have an inner critic of sorts to keep us balanced and in check, but somewhere along the lines of evolution it turned ugly on us and tipped the scales toward self-sabotage.

Regardless of the reason for its existence, it would be best for you to learn to ignore your inner critic. Take notice of its presence and turn the tables. Sabotage your inner critic. Tell your inner critic that it is ignorant and is the one with the problem...not you. Stop listening to it and see its ramblings as false and meaningless. Take back any power that you unknowingly gave it and feel love instead.

Each and every time you hear your inner critic today, shut it down and feel love instead.  

More on Fear

Well...I think that I need to write a bit more about fear. It is a subject that I happen to know a great deal about. Too bad it isn't something like gourmet cooking or the structure of atomic particles...nope, fear. When you encounter something on a daily basis, you can't help but become an expert of some sorts. The irony is that you may not even know that you are becoming such an expert. You can live for decades and be unaware that you are extraordinarily skilled at living in fear. I was one such expert for many years. Now, however, I am an expert at letting go of fear.

Believe me, I had plenty of fears to work with to develop my skills and strategies. I became very creative because there was soooo much to work with...I say this in jest but it is true. It became a special mission of mine: Let go of fear! I spent every day looking at what was motivating me and shifted gears each time that I realized that fear was involved. It was quite the exhausting process at times and I cursed myself on more than one occasion for deciding that fear should be eliminated from my life.

Over time, it became easier to do and I felt better all the time. Fear became less overwhelming and diminished. I am grateful for all the times that I worked hard to feel better about life. I am even more grateful that love rises now instead of fear. I am not a love expert yet, but I think that I will be someday. I like the sound of that much better anyway.

So hang in there and keep letting it go...it will go if you keep at it. I promise and you won't be disappointed.

The Fear Factor

The following question has been asked by countless individuals:

Is man innately good or evil?

My life experience has shown me that man is innately love—good, but easily overcome with fear—evil. This fear is an “evil” of our minds, an ill that causes all of our self-destructive behaviors that steer us away from love.

Ironically, this fearful state is recognizable, undeniable and identifiable. So, what gives? What motivates us to change our lives for the better? What causes us to fully recognize our own self-created, self-destructive behaviors that we continuously repeat throughout our lives?

You and I, as individuals, give way to every moment we each create as human beings living on this planet earth. We are here to create life: the life that we each choose, as individuals, for better or for worse. Each day, we make countless choices that determine the direction of our lives. We, as individuals, have the ability to choose whatever we desire for ourselves. Each day provides us with new opportunities to grow and learn, and we all can make choices that will improve our world beyond measure.

Heal Yourself:

This week pay attention to what motivates your thoughts and actions.

Is it fear or love?

When fear is motivating you, step back and take on a loving perspective instead. Ask yourself how you can be motivated by love and allow yourself to understand the benefits of this fresh perspective.

At times, you may find yourself choosing the same actions, but your motivation will be different. Your thoughts will be based on love. This will create a peaceful dynamic within your mind that previously did not exist.

We are creatures of habit and unaware that we react from our past. Changing your motivation to love will bring about a welcomed state of healing; a shift to a better way of life. You will feel the difference and be amazed at how good you can feel.

Unconditional Love

I have been thinking about the subject of unconditional love lately.
Defining unconditional love was of value and it helped me move forward. 

Unconditional love - love without judgment, expectations and fear; love no matter what; no conditions required to experience love

Love no matter what sums it up for me.

How do you define unconditional love?

Choose Consciously

We are each given the opportunity to choose what we want for ourselves. We choose what direction we go in, what we think and feel, and the words that leap from our lips to name a few. We choose our attitude and how we interact with other people. We choose all day long whether we think about it or just react out of conditioned behaviors. We may be aware of our choices or simple just let them happen.

The power that you uniquely possess can be hidden from your view. You may not realize that you are making choices all day long that determine the next moment that seemingly comes about without cause. The power that you possess internally, your inner wisdom, can help you see what you are missing as an opportunity to move in a direction that you would prefer for yourself. Very often, we merely allow life to come about by chance with no intent in mind. 

Taking the time to connect with your inner wisdom via reflection, journaling or a dialog (questioning yourself and allowing the answers to surface) will enable you to make better choices for yourself. It creates the opportunity for you to move in a direction with intent, toward what you would truly prefer and with your well-being leading the way. You see, your inner wisdom naturally moves you toward well-being and self-love. Both of these ingredients are likely lacking to some extent in your daily existence and making room for their expansion will bring about welcomed opportunities for a more desirable lifestyle and peace.

Your discontent can be remedied whether it seems eminent or not. You do have a choice on where you go from here, but you may not know it. Exercising your ability to move in a direction through conscious choice adds a new dynamic to your day; it empowers and brings a new reality into your view. You can see life in a whole new light; a light that leads you where you prefer to be. Let you next choice be one that gets you where you want to be.

    

Creating Yourself

I am sure that many of you are very familiar with the famous following quote (author unknown):

Life is not a about finding yourself. It is about creating yourself.

I always love the use of the word creating. It appeals to the artist in me and I love the power that it suggests; the personal power that we all possess. It is comforting to me.

We are not lost although we may feel that we are…we are simply here, living life. So with this in mind, if we shift to a perspective that engages creativity as a means of living the life we desire, a whole new dimension can emerge.

If we ask ourselves what we want to create, we open the doorway to do just that...create what we want. 

What shall I create? Ask yourself and start creating. See what wonderful moments you can experience as a result. Do it on a small scale and then let it expand…and expand…and expand.

Today is a New Day

Today is a new day. What do you want for yourself? What do you no longer wish to perpetuate? There is no reason you cannot stand strong and do today what you were unable to do yesterday. Don’t allow fear to dictate your life. Don’t allow your self-doubt and weaknesses to overcome your inner wisdom. Just stand strong one minute at a time if need be.  And, as each moment comes about, give yourself the chance to hang in there and stand strong. 

If you allow yourself to approach life one minute at a time, it is less difficult to move through. The moment at hand will seem far less difficult. It may even seem pleasant much to your surprise. I have made it through many difficult moments and with far less effort when I think this way. We truly make life far more difficult than it needs to be.  

When I stopped expecting the outside world to change for my benefit, my stress levels dropped dramatically. For some reason we think that when we engage in spiritual growth the world will become more peaceful…WRONG. You become more peaceful and are able to cope more easily because of your growth. The outside world will likely remain the same but you will be different. Don’t fight what is happening; embrace it and bless it, and look for how you can rise above it. Stand strong and know that you have what it takes to get beyond the obstacle you perceive before you.