No More Debbie Downer!

Maya Angelou is vigilant about the words people use around her. She calls negativity 

poison which gets into your mind, under your skin and into your life. So true! 

We create and expand our lives by what we think and feel in every moment. If 

you want to know what you've been mulling and cogitating with regularity look 

at your life. It mirrors your inner landscape. If you want to change something, 

be vigilant about the thoughts you think, the words you use and the things you 

let into your life. My husband and I watch far less news than ever for this very reason. 

It is sensationalized, overblown and likely to imbed fear and worry. As 

 Marianne Williamson said, "Nothing binds you except your thoughts; 

nothing limits you except your fears; and nothing controls you except your 

beliefs." Be mindful of what you let into your life today. You will feel better 

in your moment and create a life that is in alignment with your dreams.

Think Again!

Our Consciousness dictates everything - all experiences and everything we attract. Through Grace everything has already been given. It's only a matter of how much we are willing to receive. It is the unlayering of beliefs, resentments and painful stories that will enable us to usher in everything we want. It's like electricity, you don't have to beg, plead, pray or implore for it to come on. You simply have to flip a switch and allow it to flow. If you cut the cord to the outlet, the lamp will not light. Today, practice more allowing, more expansion, more of your authentic self. Move out of hoping and into knowing. It's been there all along.

Inside Out!

If you don't know Martha Beck, I highly recommend her work. She is inspirational while she delivers practical advice for one's life. Among my favorites of her books are Steering By Starlight and Finding Your Way in A Wild New World. In Steering by Starlight she says, "External circumstances do not create feeling states. Feeling states create external circumstances." It is our inner landscape that always directs our world, not the other way around. Go there to find your peace, happiness, joy, laughter and fun and then watch your external world reflect those very feelings.

Liar Liar No More...

I attended a lecture by the wise and wonderful, Tom Shadyac last Tuesday, hosted by a great group called "First Tuesday." First Tuesday is led by a remarkable woman by the name of Marcy Cole. Tom's claim to fame comes from movies like Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty to name a few; but his life's work, love and heart are realized in his documentary I AM (I highly recommend seeing this) and his insightful, new book "Life's Operating Manual." Dedicated to living an authentic life and reveling in each joyful moment, Mr. Shadyac is contributing to the movement of peace, that is proliferating this planet, by being that place of peace. One person at a time, realizing one's own magnificence, going for one's own joy is becoming a glorious viral movement like none other. Focus on that, speak of that and the darkness of this world begins to serve you by showing you the light. We are spiritual beings living a physical existence. We are more powerful than we know and it's teachers like Marcy Cole and Tom Shadyac that help guide us to that sweet understanding. 

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Worry Wart?

There are so many things that are elevating this planet's consciousness as our collective vibrations play into the whole. Amazing, mystical and magical events are transpiring all around us. As the darkness seems more profound with events like the bombing in Boston, so also does the light become brighter. As was said in that wonderful documentary, "Searching for Sugarman," "These are days of miracles and wonder." It's all a matter of what we decide to focus on. Will we go within and nurture our higher selves so that we might contribute more light or will we continue to complain, worry and fear for our future. As Abraham asks, "Whatever you're thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you're worrying, you are planning. When you're appreciating you are planning...What are you planning?" Dwell in appreciation and you will expand your own capacity for joy, as well as contributing to the well-being of this planet.

Happy Now...!

Let's get busy living happily ever after! I used to wait for happiness - like a reward, a long sought aftereffect of hard worked causes. I used to wait and wait until all those "ducks" were lined up perfectly - until I got my degree, succeeded in my career, married my perfect mate; as if those things weren't occasions for happiness in and of themselves. Then I realized that hard work and consequences were not the source of my happiness. They may have even contributed to forestalling it, much like that proverbial carrot and stick. It was not until I dug into appreciation as if my life depended on it that I realized how predominant my good was. Happiness was teeming in my life and I was pushing it aside waiting until...? Our lives are here and now, rife with joy - not tomorrow not after XYZ happens, but now.  If we just stop to notice all the good that surrounds us, we will ignite the flame of happiness. As my friend Esther (Abraham) advises, "Start living happily ever after right now!" 

Happy Where I am...!

Happy where I am, eager for more! It's such a perfect sentiment for living, as the Buddhists so wisely name it, The Middle Way. If you are happy in your present moment, appreciating your life exactly as it is, you are in a position to savor your life and live it fully. So many of us reach for a future that we hope will happen and bemoan the fact that it is not here now. Life is meant to be enjoyed. As you focus on all the good that dominates your life, providence sneaks in the back door to help move you toward your dreams. Let your hopes and dreams for your future thrill you while you love and appreciate your now. That is a life well lived.