Tag Archives: acceptance

21

Emotional

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How does an event or situation make you feel?

Research indicates when people are feeling physical pain, general malaise, and chronic weariness, the cause can be linked to unexpressed emotion.  As a society, and primarily as men, we don’t learn how to adequately express our feelings or even notice the message they are trying to send us.

Uncomfortable or painful experiences are often pushed to the back burner of our minds because it is more comfortable at the moment to ignore rather than deal with the feelings they cause.  Unfortunately, these feelings still exist in our lives, even if we ignore them.  Learning to process our emotions healthily will increase our physical health and well-being, spiritually and mentally.  A person can express themselves by learning how to use appropriate words and actions in reaction to their emotions.

Noticing Your Feelings

It is essential to take a moment and see the emotions you are feeling. Just because you are feeling a certain way doesn’t mean you have to act on it. It means that you need to start noticing these emotions are there. This recognition is the first step in not being overwhelmed.  We have become so adept in our society at glossing over things with distraction (gaming, computers, media entertainment) That rarely is there a moment of silence to recognize what your emotions are telling you. Take that moment and notice how you feel. Learn to express them appropriately through words and actions.

Reflecting on Emotions

Ask some simple questions.  From where is this feeling coming? Why am I feeling it now? What is this emotion trying to tell me?  Seeking honest answers will give you a clue about any underlying emotional issues hiding in the background. The more you understand your feelings, the better you can deal with life. Instinctually we don’t want to show the world that something is bothering us or we are affected by things. Inside we view it as a weakness, but the real gap comes from not understanding the message of our emotions.

Strength in Acceptance

Many situations in life do not occur from a conscious choice.  If you are dealing with death, loss of job, accident, illness, aging, or betrayal, these are complicated situations that lead us to fight back in unhealthy ways. Denial, escaping into fantasy, substance abuse, manic activity, or overstimulation can be standard ways to deal with the flood of emotions hitting you.  Until you accept a circumstance as accurate, it is impossible to deal with it in an emotionally healthy way. Taking something doesn’t mean you give up. It only means that you understand where you are and why. This action will give you power over your emotions and how to deal with them.

Using Your Power

Becoming emotionally and intellectually self-aware will allow you to create insights into situations that will make the decision-making process easier to process. This infrastructure will work in all aspects of your life because you are working from a platform of honesty.  Our feelings are there to help guide us, and when they get attention, you are proactive. You are starting to write your own story.

Here are some emotions and what they might be trying to tell you.

Bitterness- Showing you where you need to heal, where you’re still holding judgments on others, and, most importantly, yourself.

Resentment- Letting you know you live in the past and not allow the present to be as it is.

Discomfort- There is an opportunity for change right now. Pay attention to what is happening and try to do something different than you typically do.

Anger- Warning sign, which displays your passions lie. It will also show up when boundaries are crossed or when you see things in your world that you feel need to change — anger is an excellent guide to your inner workings but a poor creator of your behavior.

Disappointment- It can be hard to deal with situations that don’t work out. It shows you are above apathy and still care about people and things.  Disappointments in our past not dealt with and accepted will lead to apathy and lack of expectation.

Guilt- If you are still living in the shadow of other people’s expectations of you.  Mistakes happen, things get broken, other people are not always going to like what you do. That is their emotional baggage, not yours.  Accept responsibility for your actions, put them behind you, and move forward.

Shame- It happens when we internalize the expectations of others on how we should be or live or who we have been or have lived in the past. Time to reconnect with yourself and understand who you are and what makes you happy.

Anxiety- This is a feeling that stems from fear — usually fear of the past or fear of the future.  You need to come into the present moment and let the past be the past and the coming fall where it will.  Anxiety is a clear guidepost to get into the present moment. Identify the thought that is leading to a feeling of dread.

Sadness- There is a depth of feeling that brings on sadness. Sadness will display when we look at the world and care deeply about others their circumstances and situations.  Ask what is making you sad?

Whatever your emotions are today, seeking to understand how they affect you is a move toward empowerment.  No matter what you do, your feelings will exist and continue to touch you. Either you can allow them to control your life, or you can use them to determine what they are guiding you toward.

“If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” -Daniel Goleman.

“75 percent of careers are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including the inability to handle interpersonal problems, unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict, or inability to adapt to change or elicit trust.”  -Center for Creative Leadership.

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” -Dale Carnegie.

“When our emotional health is in a bad state, so is our level of self-esteem. We have to slow down and deal with what is troubling us so that we can enjoy the simple joy of being happy and at peace with ourselves.” -Jess C. Scott. 

“The only way to change someone’s mind is to connect with them from the heart.” 
-Rasheed Ogunlaru

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”
 -Theodore Roosevelt

“Unleash in the right time and place before you explode at the wrong time and place.” -Oli Anderson.

 

21

F.E.A.R.

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Fear– an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

FearOne of the most challenging things that people face in life is fear. It is a formidable foe because it can rise in any area of your life at any moment.  Any experience in life can cause pain, and we are designed to avoid pain. So a traumatic experience at any age can cause fear to arise in your mind and affect your life. Fear can either be a motivator or a limiter to what you can and will accomplish in life.  Once you have been harmed, most people go to great lengths to avoid a repeat performance.  Raise your consciousness today, noticing the fear in your life. Look at where you are limited and the fear behind it in your thoughts, words, and actions.  By recognizing the fear and understanding its cause, the fear can be overcome and even eliminated. Try to be fearless. (See Video here)

Eliminate Fear

People often believe that the opposite of love is hate, but that isn’t true. Love’s opposite is fear.  All things seem to come down to a choice between love and concern.  To eliminate fear will, therefore, allow you to experience more love in your life.  Love should be your goal in all things. Not just the fearidealized version of attachment but the caring for others in the world, making your experience more positive.

The thoughts of fear are always in contrast to the ideas of love. Like two sides of the coin, they are there waiting for you to make a conscious choice of which one gets your attention.  There is a Cherokee parable about this battle in our hearts. Each of us has two wolves inside of us, fighting for control. One is love, and one is fear. Which one wins is the one you feed.

The thoughts of love are joy, peace, acceptance, hope, kindness, empathy, humility, and truth.

The thoughts of fear are anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, dishonesty, judgment, and ego.

Which one do you choose to feed? It is essential because overcoming fear will allow you to become a better human being. You are making your life and the lives of those around you a better experience only by consciously choosing the positive thoughts, words, and actions of love over those of fear. Be fearless.

Action Kills Fear

If you asked most people what they would like to do, they would tell you, but then follow it up with a list of reasons they can’t possibly do that right now. Lack of funds, time, freedom, acceptance, fearunderstanding are all reasons to keep dreams at a distance. These are all words of fear of talking.  The truth is behind the excuses is a fear of failure. A doubt has arisen in all of us since the beginning of our lives. But one that cane destroyed as quickly as all others.

The remedy to fear is action. Fear will kill your dreams, and work will open the doorway to achievement. Taking a vision from thought to action is scary because of all the things that can go wrong.  It is courage that allows you to move forward, take action, and see what happens.  No matter what happens, there are answers on the other side of action. Those answers will make your goals and dreams a reality or provide you with a roadmap of getting where you want to go.  Be brave and take action toward whatever it is you want to achieve. Be undaunted by potential failure. To do anything else is to cower in the darkness, hoping someone will stumble across your greatness.  Develop your excellence through action and defeat your fears.

Fear the Constant Companion

Fear is a constant companion in life. It is the brain trying to keep you safe.  But it is just a thought, and you have to decide what kind of life you will live. Life comes with no guarantees, and there are going to be situations that hurt you. That is life.  Learning to muster the courage to keep living fearfully, even though pain may happen, is how great experiences are created.  The only person who can be brave for you is you, so developing this talent will allow you to have the potential to accomplish anything.

So be conscious today and every day about the fears that are controlling your life. Where do they come from? What action will overcome it?  Become aware of your thoughts, words, and works around fear, and strive continuously to overcome it.  This conflict between your mind and your concern is the most significant battle we all face in life. Everything you dream about is on the other side of your victory over fear.

Questions about fear

What fears cause anxiety to you?

How do you deal with the emotion of fear?

What fears are most challenging for you to face?

How does fear help you in life?  How does it limit you?

Quotes About Fear

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.~Eleanor Roosevelt

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment. ~Marcus Aurelius

Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.~Japanese Proverb

Be Fearless

 

 

21

Attitude Adjustment

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Recently, I have been reminded that no matter how much you focus on the positive, there will still be moments when you are going to feel some negative emotions. They may be a rare occurrence, but they do happen in everyone’s life. Rather than be held hostage by negative emotions, I look for ways to leave that negative mood behind and move into a more personally valuable space. Accomplishing this is not easy because once you let the gloomy thoughts into your area, they tend to take over and dominate your thoughts, words, emotions, and actions, negatively affecting your life and all those in it. The great news is none of these thoughts patterns are permanent, and some simple things can help you find a better space.  Our moods are energy, and we have the power to shift our energy at any time.  Be assured that an attitude is as permanent as the thoughts you decide deserve your focus.  You can turn it around, and here is how.

Learn the Positive Opposite

One of the easiest ways to change your emotional state is to recognize the negative and focus your attention on its positive opposite. When a situation occurs and stirs up negative emotion, first, understand what is happening. You know that you feel anxious, angry, upset, worried, mean, or some other feeling on the opposing side. Once you identify the emotion, you will want to understand what is making you feel that way. Some situation has brought on negative thinking.  Understanding this will provide insight into what you need to work on for yourself and better deal with future problems.  Once you have pinpointed the negative emotion that is permeating your mind, immediately identify with its opposite. If you are feeling anxious, focus on things that calm you.

To be calm is a challenge because negative moods and emotions are much like quicksand; they suck us in slowly and inevitably and are not easy to escape. The quicker your action, the easier it is to remove yourself from the negative mess. If you sit there wallowing in it and thrashing about, you are only going to sink deeper.  Recognize the negative emotions quickly. Change your thoughts to the opposite of what is dragging you into the muck. The optimistic view is a sturdy rope that will pull you out of that quicksand. Just keep your focus and be willing to believe you can control how you feel and affect the world around you.

Emotional Shift Example

Let’s say you start to feel about anger coming on.  Something has happened to trigger it and make you think you have to express this anger.  First, understanding that anger is the face of fear helps because you are troubled, life isn’t going to meet your needs. But an immediate shift in thought to gratitude or thankfulness for all the things you have will calm this common negative emotion.

Knowing that life will meet your needs will often assure you that anger isn’t the right path to venture down. The same goes for the emotions of fear.  The opposite of fear is love. They go hand and hand, and love is a many-faceted emotion.  If you are experiencing fear of loss, change your focus to the existence of those who love you.

Judgments

Negative emotions, like the judgment of other people, can result in a negative, bad mood. Many of our decisions are created based on erroneous information provided by the media, movies, or, most often, inaccurate preconceived notions. Judging others limits you.   Acceptance is the opposite position that always is available when judgment comes into reality.  Look at the feeling of judgment, recognize why you feel that way. Let it go and allow people to be who they are.  We judge other people on things that are different from us. Usually, judging occurs to make someone feel better about themselves. Or sometimes, a flaw in another is something we see and don’t like in ourselves.

Acceptance is the opposite of judgment and comes when we realize we are all the same inside, and no matter who you are looking at or what they have done, you are connected by our shared humanity.  All people are just a different version of you. Who is to say what you might do or have done in different circumstances. Focus on spending your thoughts on accepting others as they are and making yourself the best version you can. Each moment spent judging the lives of others is a waste of energy and brings you nothing positive at all. Look to recognize the humanity in all people. Even if it pushes you to the depth of your being, try to see another’s humanity.

Positive Focus

positive focusIn our lives, we always have a chance to focus our attention and energy toward the positive. Even when we allow ourselves to fall into a negative mindset, we can still shift it all around and salvage a day or even a situation. There will be some things that hurt us, and we have to react appropriately, but in everyday life, too often, people allow the negative to dominate their existence.  Sorrow and grief will enable you to experience loss, but when it is time to turn it around, you focus on positive things, triumphant situations.  With frustrations or disappointment, change the focus to patient understanding that all items are continually working, and we can’t see the result of any problem right now.

The positive is always available to you. It takes a focus and desire to move into a positive frame of mind continually.  Ask yourself, what kind of life experience do you want to have?  Remember always that life is a finite experience, and it will all be over too soon. You can choose to enjoy the ride.

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” Willie Nelson

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.”- Hans Selye.

 

21

Kindness

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2664d0e2789d58be9784c145b6b47963It is in our nature to judge others. We do it naturally, judging someone else’s behavior, actions, motives, or past. It is a biological need to do this because it will help protect you from harmful situations and people, and of course, this is important to your survival.

It really jumps out at you when you observe people being judgmental about the behavior of others. It seems that today the judgments of others are high, and the reactions to others are based on blind judgment and hate. It stands out and makes you wonder why it is that way. When you judge someone else in this manner, you define yourself, not them. I think it is important to remember this.

Judgments are Easy

It is easy to look at one action a person takes and judge their entire lives judgment 2because of it. The deed may be terrible and unforgivable, but does that void all the good that they might have done in their life? What were the circumstances that led to this event?  It is effortless to judge the behavior of others in a vacuum devoid of all the facts.  This is being done all the time, and most of these judgments lead to hate. It is important to remember that we are all human beings with an equal disposition for both darkness and light, and it is our experiences, intentions, and choices that move us toward one or the other.

When facts are learned and the whole story is revealed, humanity is often revealed by people that can be understood. Understanding is not acceptance; it knows that faced with different circumstances, you might make such a poor choice yourself and there but for the good fortune of your life, go you.  You can judge all of our lives in a vacuum, and you can be made to look insensitive, cold, and uncaring. It is a matter of perspective.

Acceptance Is The Cure

The opposite of judgment is acceptance. This does not mean that you agree with everything a person does regardless of morality. It means that imagesyou can accept that people make mistakes, do mean things, cheat, lie, or commit any number of sins in their lives.  Acceptance means that we understand that we ourselves have made poor decisions at times, and none of us want to be defined by our worst moments.

Each person has a moment in their life that is unquestionably positive. These actions and events have made the world a better place in even just the smallest of ways. It is up to each of us to show kindness to others as best we can. Show compassion and understanding to people who need it so that they will do the same when they have the opportunity.  You do not have to condone someone’s behavior to show compassion and acceptance of their humanity.

You have to have a little kindness in your heart.

“It is with our judgments as with our watches: no two go just alike, yet each believes his own.”   Alexander Pope

“Hesitancy in judgment is the only true mark of the thinker.”  Dagobert D. Runes

“In our judgment of human transactions, the law of optics is reversed. We see most dimly the objects which are close around us.”  Richard Whately

“One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty councils. The thing is to supply light and not heat.”Woodrow Wilson

“Men are often biased in their judgment on account of their sympathy and their interests.”

21

Challenges

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What would your life look like if you were more positive in your thoughts?

challengesNo matter how confident and successful you are, life has a way of throwing challenges at you that will push you to make decisions redefining who you are and your substance.  In everyone’s life, there will be events that force a constant expression of this experience and force you to take actions that will bring growth in your life.

In the end, even after facing a challenge,  I like to think that we have found a more galvanized understanding of who we are, and we hold on to this self-image with a more critical and realistic passion. Sometimes the challenges are so overwhelming that it takes quite a bit of time to find your equilibrium and look at things with a more open mind and accepting heart.  Will you find positivity at the end of a challenge in life? Only you can tell that for yourself. I have always thought I would. But recently, my life has taught me many things from challenges. I have experience loss, betrayal, poor judgment and found a perspective of forgiveness and, hopefully, positive growth in all areas of my life because of it.

Being Positive, When the World is Negative

Even though I have spent a lot of time learning about the power of being positive, I know positive thoughts produce positive energy. I have, on positive_redcoccasion, slipped into being judgmental and critical of others for no reason other than because I was experiencing something negative. When you are experiencing fear of any kind and are afraid of your needs not met, this can happen.

Being positive becomes difficult when you look at life and the people in it as things that affect you, rather than seeing them as people who are just doing the best they can to survive day-to-day.  All people have weaknesses, and from time to time, they are annoying and rub you the wrong way.  One of the biggest challenges in life is accepting these negatives and still supporting and highlighting the positives of every individual in your life. The things that annoy us the most are the weaknesses we see in ourselves. We are maintaining a focus on love, understanding, acceptance, and kindness, which can be a challenge, and the reward in accepting others is a better view of ourselves.

It becomes challenging to do this when an atmosphere of negativity engulfs you, focusing on the negative features of things like judgment, sarcasm, and just being plain mean.  That is when you have to work a bit harder to find the positives.  The best way that I have found is to look for the things that are going right and not worry about what is wrong with the job, community, or each other. Especially each other. 

Find Time For You

No matter how busy you think you are or what others believe you should be doing, it would help if you found time dedicated to yourself.  Scheduling this can be a challenge, but vital to allowing person la growth. Rather than get all wrapped up in the daily chores, problems to be solved, and performance, find time for you. Don’t lose your focus on pure kindness and courtesy; people should show one another each day.

One of my favorite ways to maintain a more positive focus is to spend a little time each day learning something new and digesting that information productively and healthily. You are never too old to learn, and growth is a lifelong process.  Learning about yourself makes you less judgmental of others and keeps the focus where it belongs, on your thoughts and ideas. Those who don’t find growth are slowly dying. Finding time to think and put your experiences into perspective will allow your life to have a much more significant flavor. Life is continually trying to teach you lessons. Your reflection is their chance to sink in and make an impact.

Focus Your Energy

All experiences are going to change your life in one way or another.  People often choose to let most of what happens to them be negative and spend time trying to overcome whatever life has given them.

focus expandsI think there is a better way, and that is to remove the labels of good or bad that are associated with experiences and label them all “Experiences.”  Changing our perspective can be difficult when things are personal, but in reality, everything that happens is just an experience that brings something to our lives that we apply value to, good or bad.  We choose to smile and take what we can or to frown and feel overwhelmed by things happening to us. We have a choice.

The choices we make in each moment will determine the path of our day, and our days discover the way of our lives. There are many great things in life we all experience each day, from pleasant weather to a good cup of coffee. We need to notice and appreciate them.  Being grateful for the positives in life will always take the focus and power away from the negatives.

What if you decided to accept everything that happens to you as if you chose it? 

What you spend your time and effort focusing on in your life will increase.

“Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see a shadow.” — Helen Keller.

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” — Willie Nelson.

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” — Lyndon B. Johnson.

“In order to carry a positive action, we must develop here a positive vision.” 

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!!

21

The Right Things

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How often do people take action without really thinking about the consequences? I am sure that I am called on to take action, speak, or make some other behavioral choice thousands of times in my daily life.  It would be challenging to be fully conscious of all choices. From what to wear to how you get to work, our subconscious handles many decisions.  But too often, we allow interactions with others to occur without our conscious participation.  These actions can come off without any caring or concern for the feelings of others.  For us to be present in these interactions, we can follow a few points of focus to make sure we are entirely present in the moment and with people that matter.

Honoring Actions

Each action we take involving others is going to affect them. It doesn’t matter the scope and scale of your activity. It will have a positive or negative effect on those that you interact with. More importantly, each step you choose to take will affect you as well.  If you treat somebody poorly, for any reason, it resonates with you and will determine your energy and experience.

The focus of your conscious thought should be on honoring yourself.  In all that you do and think during the day, make the first choice to accept yourself.  Even if you believe someone else deserves your scorn or ridicule, it doesn’t do you any good to participate in this. Let it go and focus on the positive things in your life.  Putting others down puts you down.  Make choices honoring you, and the world will acknowledge you.  That is the benefit of focusing on creating honoring actions.

Release Judgment

It is a simple choice. The judgment of other’s personal lives, heritage, clothing, physical appearance, or any other thing is never going to end well for you.  Our instincts have developed over thousands of years, and we identify with people similar to ourselves because it is safe to do so. In our ancestral past, our survival depended on it.  But that is not the case today. We find others’ judgment is addictive to us and allow us to prop ourselves up in self-esteem in some way, on the backs of others.

Release judgment from your mind and learn to accept all of those who are different from you. Letting others live how they feel comfortable will allow you to live as you feel comfortable with yourself.  Make the conscious choice to respect others and live with a sense of compassion toward them.  Your actions will come back to you in the end. To live in judgment is to bring judgment upon you. Respect and kindness will also come back to you.  It is your choice which energy you release into the world and receives back from it.

Acceptance

The more you choose love for and the approval of others and their situations, the better energy your life will experience. By accepting this path, you are deciding against fear and all of its negative energies.  Whoever you hold negative feelings about, let them go.  Those from another region of the world practice a different religion, are economically challenged, addicted to drugs, or just making poor decisions. Let go of your judgment.

Choose to be more conscious of your thoughts and the right actions you can take daily to make the world a better place.  Let go of the vision that you are in competition with everyone else and choose to see the positive benefits of cooperation between all people. You can make all interactions a blessing to yourself with your attitude.  Acceptance of yourself and others as they are on the path to doing this.

Work for Today

So focus on your thoughts and actions today and see where they are going to lead you.  Are they taking you down a negative path or a positive one?  Are your choices making the world better or worse for someone else?  Are your options honoring yourself? This action is the beginning of being more conscious about your effect on the planet and taking responsibility for that experience.

 

21

Mirror

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karma-card-front-12-copy

I was thinking about honesty today and wondering why we do the things we do and speak certain words. Am I sincere? Is that really what I think? Most people go through an entire day and never consider the honesty or value that their terms contain. Do you?

“I Love  the way you look!”

Thoughts come to us all the time, and we can’t control when they go and what they say.  The statement above, “I love the way you look,” is one that I just had.  It brings to mind the Law of Mirrors in karma.  It states that the things you can observe in others exist in you.  If it doesn’t live in you, then noticing that it exists in others is impossible, and it won’t jump out at you. How often do we find fault with others, and upon introspection, realize the same thing lives inside us? That is because they do.

Try a Little Honesty Inside

I challenge you to give this phenomenon a try in an honest manner, and I think you will be stunned by the accuracy of the Law of Mirrors in your life.   Notice all of your thoughts about other people you come in contact with during a day.  Evaluate them as they come. Some will be positive, and some will be negative, don’t judge, notice. Then look at yourself, and see if that thing exists inside you.

Sometimes the thoughts I produce each day are not helpful and can be overly Fotolia_21529305_Mkarma-law-of-mirrors-copymean and critical of someone else’s physical appearance, job, or family life.  I think that it is instinctual to judge others. That is how our ancient ancestors assessed danger and survived. What we choose to pay attention to is vital to the quality of the life we live and, in this case, in understanding ourselves.

When you look at the people you see from this perspective, it becomes increasingly difficult to be critical of others, and it becomes a lot easier to look for the good in all people.  This law is not negative or positive; it just is.  Just as the mirror you peer in to check your hair, the mirror has no choice about the reflection it sends back.  The same is right about your mirrorssoul.

Try to notice all of your thoughts and recognize the things within yourself that need to be improved or, more importantly, the great things about you that exist.  There are only two ways to go in life, and they are getting better or getting worse.  I know which way I want to travel.

Notice your critical or positive thoughts of others.

Understand that whatever you notice exists in you.

Accept it, change it, or let it go.

What annoys you or makes you happy exists inside of you!

What is it that YOU observe?

 

Life Lessons

Super Hilton

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Yesterday I had one of the most interesting visitors I ever experienced.  It was from my 10-year-old self and it was eye opening to remember how great that person was and even better to know that all of the great things about him

Super Hilton at a summer camp in the Maine, 1977. (back row 8th from left and right, dead middle)

are still there inside of me now 40 years later.

Today we live in a time where every moment is captured in pictures and posted on social media. It is difficult to fathom that events happened in our past which were never caught on camera and only exist today in our memories and thoughts. Over the years those thoughts get lost,  buried underneath the avalanche of experiences we have year after year. Positive and negative they work to change us.  I was a kid with hope and a kid who loved life and knew what a good person I had the potential to be. And I lived it every day.  I enjoyed people and the new experiences that every day brought with it.

Over the years those things that made us get lost,  buried underneath the avalanche of experiences we have year after year. Positive and negative they work to change us.  I was a kid with hope and a kid who loved life and knew what a good person I had the potential to be. And I lived it every day.  I enjoyed people and the new experiences that every day brought with it. At this camp, we did the usual stuff, archery, swimming, arts, and crafts, and in this case bible and Jesus stuff.

Here are a few of the lessons that he had me remember today.

Seek Your Joy

Enjoy each day………….. Or we should experience joy in each day, it is there for you. No matter what is happening there are things to be joyful about and allow yourself to embrace life.  Joy is in us all and there is an opportunity in every day to feel it through the things we do.

Occasionally, we look at the things we like to do and worry about what others think. That will rob from your joy. If you are functioning from the view of your true self, and nobody else is being harmed then don’t waste energy worrying about others judgments. It is none of your business and really of no consequence, what is the joy that you get from what you are doing. That is all that counts.

Be Yourself

Each of us is unique and that is what makes us great and identifies us as the one of a kind human beings that we are. Don’t apologize for it and don’t ask anyone else to be different than they are.  All of us have a light in us and when it shines, so do we.  Life has a tendency to cover the light with the shade of experience or the fear of not being accepted.

Let your light shine and those who appreciate it are welcome to visit and those who are negative toward it or you are unimportant and clearly, need to work on themselves. Let them do that someplace else.

Understand and Support Others

All people have their struggles and challenges. The experiences each of us have leave wounds and scars and fear of the pain they cause lead to behavior that is reactionary, mean and sometimes hurtful.  Don’t judge others too harshly because under that behavior is a light that is uniquely theirs and is probably seeking someone to recognize it, accept it and love it for the beauty that it provides.  Allow them the chance to shine when you can.  Some people are jealous of others talents and abilities. Don’t be one of these people.  There is more than enough darkness in the world and it needs light. The more people who are living up to their true selves the brighter and more exciting the world will be.

Just because you are kind doesn’t mean that you are weak. Never let other people dim your light because of jealousy, envy or because they don’t appreciate you.  Not everyone is going to like you and that is their problem, not yours.

Super Hilton

The signatures on the back of the picture. I am Super Hilton, written in cursive.

There is no doubt that as a 10-year old, I had a vivid imagination and really had a lot of confidence in what I could do in life. On the back of that picture, all of the kids in the cabin signed their names. I signed mine as “Super Hilton”. Since I just started to master writing in cursive, it was written in perfect 5th-grade cursive writing.  There was a confidence in that name I lost in life.  10 year old me has been living with me for the past 40 years and he has made many appearances, but only for a brief moment and not for nearly long enough.

It is my goal to bring more of Super Hilton into my life each and every day. Being more confident in who I am and what makes me happy. How to treat others and what behavior I accept are all the things this visit from the past reminded me.  I believe each of us has the ability to be great, and I feel sorry for all of those who have forgotten or don’t believe this about themselves.

In the words of Super Hilton, “I  am the man”.

Laws

Allow Abundance in Life

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There seem to be two different mindsets people have when it comes to abundance.  Either you believe there is enough of everything or you are worried there is not enough for everyone.  Each of these mentalities leads to a certain experience in your life one of plenty or one of lack.  We seem to experience in life, exactly what we believe in.  The law of abundance states that there is more than enough in the Universe and nothing is limited.  This is a very difficult concept for many to accept because we see perceived lack all around us every day.  But that is only a perception, the reality is yet to be discovered and lies deep in your attitude and beliefs.  How you choose to view things is going to dictate your feelings about abundance.

The Law of Abundance– There is more than enough in the Universe, nothing is limited.

Money is Our Issue

In today’s world, money is the energy that makes things go.  We look at collecting as much money as possible to provide relief, happiness, and freedom.  But so much of how we view money depends on what we were taught and experienced as children. Your attitude about abundance starts right there in your youth.  We learn our basic beliefs from our parents, relatives, society, peers, and others we have contact with when we are young.  These ideas will be formed by the time we are 10 years old and many of the beliefs we accumulate come from there.

As soon as you believe money is an issue for you, panic and/or fear that you won’t have enough run your life and no matter how much you have, there will be a fear that it is not going to be enough.  Money becomes the focus of everything rather than on what you really want. Most want freedom, time, travel, experiences, etc.  These things are not money, although it is perceived that we would be free to do all we desire if money wasn’t an issue.  But we are the ones who make it an issue.  Our attitude dictates our success with and around money.

Abundance and Joy

It is common sense to look at someone who has done what you want to do and emulate them. But when it comes to abundance and happiness, you need to learn to blaze your own trail.  If you do what someone else is doing simply to make money it probably won’t provide both success and joy.  Joy comes from within when we are pursuing our purpose in life.  Whatever that is to you.  Follow your desire and the money will follow.  Most who hear this statement immediately list a lot of reasons this couldn’t possibly work for them.  My favorite is “You can’t eat your purpose.”

When you approach something from that perspective, with a list of reasons you will fail, then most often you are going to fail. That is just too much negative energy to overcome from within yourself.  If you don’t believe in yourself and give your dreams a chance, nobody else is going to.  There is enough in the world to go around. Be grateful for what you have, truly in your heart and more will follow.

Abundance and Lack

Lack seems to be a man-made commodity. The world creates plenty of food, enough to feed everyone, but it isn’t distributed to others because we have a man-made system of commerce.  Food has a value and if that value isn’t paid there is a fear the system will fall down. So the fear of not getting all they can causes lack.  Greed causes lack.  As people look out for themselves and accumulate way more than they could ever need.  This selfishness leads to lack because many feel that other people are not their problem.

This could all be changed if as a collective human race we decided that all lives were of value. Not just a select few. The fact is that they are and it doesn’t matter where they are from, what version of God they worship, the color of their skin, or their age, we are all the same and have a value.  Abundance will come when we see the most valuable commodity in the world is the people. All people. Be Grateful for what you already have and more will follow. Money, love, freedom, creativity or whatever it is you want.

Abundance Mindset

To allow abundance into our lives we need to have the right mindset. That mindset is that anything is possible. Know what you want and believe that it is possible for you.  Not just in the realm of money but in all areas of your life. Want abundance in relationships? Believe that it can happen to you.  One of the most talked about forces behind abundance is the practice of giving.  To give freely without the thought of return increases your personal energy and takes away the feelings of desperation and fear that repel things from your life.

Look at your personal beliefs about having money, being rich, or just being successful.  Take steps to take any negative, limiting beliefs you are entertaining.  Your beliefs about the world dictate the reality you experience.  Building positive thoughts, emotions, words, and actions about having abundance in your life will bring it into your life. Stop listening to negative messages about yourself and recognize that you can achieve what you want. The abundance of money, relationships, and experiences can come your way.

“Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just money or things. Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just a lack of money or things.” –Eric Lutterworth

“To open to The Law of Abundance, we must be willing to become aware of where we focus our attention and what we believe to be true.” – Jennifer O’Neill

“Wealth flows from energy and ideas.” –William Feather