One by One, Thought by Thought

We are all one. There's no denying it. Quantum physicists will tell you about the field - God, Source, The Universe - that responds to, not only everything we do but from everything we think. You've all had that experience of thinking about someone and then they call. Spiritual teachers will tell you that we are spiritual beings living a physical experience and that we are all connected at the level of source - much like the waves upon the ocean - we are all the ocean. Everything you do or think not only effects you but also effects your world. For some fascinating research read Lynne McTaggart's The Field or the Intention Experiment.

The most important thing you can do today is to find your own peace, which will naturally radiate to others. Let go of the buzz, the chatter, the voice of dissent in your own head. Change the internal racket, change the story that has you stuck in living out the same patterns. As the masters have said, 'We are the architects of our own fate,' begin by changing one simple thought about yourself today and then watch as a new path begins to unfurl.

Enjoy this video, which is a perfect example of people connecting at the level of the heart through music.

I've Been Thinking...

"There is no more self-contradictory concept than that of "idle thoughts." What gives rise to the perception of a whole world can hardly be called idle.  Every thought you have contributes to truth or to illusion; either it extends the truth or multiplies illusions . . . There are no idle thoughts. All thinking produces form at some level." -A Course in Miracles

The laws of the Universe or of creation are as indiscriminate and powerful as the laws of physics. They don't care who you are, they just work. Gravity doesn't discriminate, it applies to everyone. Every thought you think, every emotion you give power to and dwell upon has power. The good news is that you can change the course of your life in an instant. Don't like your life or the circumstances you've created? - Change your thoughts. Start by concentrating on things that make you happy and feel good. We have thousands of thoughts each day - it's just the ones that we focus on, make a story out of and give power to that become habitual ways of thinking. Feel your way into a better feeling thought by focusing on what's going right, what's working and imagining your dreams as being true right now. It takes a lot of work to lead an effortless life, in the beginning, because you are training your mind. It gets easier because you become more mindful and because it starts to feel better. Release the mind chatter and the underlying thoughts that make you feel bad - the little day to day annoyances - and choose a better feeling thought right now. It will change your life.

Choose Again

I've been thinking a lot lately about fear and reaction; especially in light of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Granted the news is not good, but so many people seem to be running around hysterically buying into fear, fear and more fear. Earthquakes predicted in California, tsunamis, tragedy, nuclear annihilation and despair. This kind of thinking does nothing to help the cumulative consciousness, nor does it foster inspired action, which actually does help promote the common good. We must now be even more diligent of mind chatter and fearful thoughts that erode our good and rob of us of our personal happiness.

All the upset we're now experiencing in the world is bringing invaluable lessons with it. It gives us reason to be even more diligent with our thoughts in order to bring more light into our own lives - it has an exponential effect - it serves everyone. I'm reminded of someone who lived in the most horrific of times and circumstances and who refused to give into his mind's agreement of pain and despair;  Viktor Frankl. He was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, as well as a Holocaust survivor.  One of his most famous quotes is, "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Even while he was being tortured in a concentration camp, he held on to the truth that he was still free in his mind - no one could take that away from him. 

The world has, for many people, become a very scary and hostile place. And while I by no means downplay the tragic circumstances the Japanese are now facing, I want to remind everyone that holding on to a higher truth and being even more mindful of our thoughts is of utmost importance. We are all connected; there is no distance in the heart. If we are freaking out in the safety and security of our homes and buying into all the dire predictions, we are of no good to ourselves or others. Remember the acronym for F.E.A.R - False Evidence Appearing Real? Viktor Frankl had all the evidence of physical horror and yet he refused to let his mind fall into agreement. He knew that that would certainly seal his fate. He remained free, and so can we.

We are so powerful. Every thought we think lays the groundwork for our future. We must be hyper-vigilant of our thoughts, especially in these fragile times - it serves to engender peace in your moment, sets up more of the same for my future, and lends itself to inspired action. All action taken from a place of peace acts to serve everyone - it's for the highest good for all concerned. Listen less to those thoughts of fear, listen less to the news, and subscribe to those thoughts that bring peace and joy so that it might be extended to others. Your prayers for the victims will be more powerful, your donations or any inspired action that you take will be compounded when it comes from a place of peace. My husband, who is an avid information gatherer and listens to all kinds of news, has been coming to bed at night with inspiring stories of heroics, generosity and love coming out of Japan. You will not hear those from your nightly news. Look for those stories. They will give you so much hope for the future, as well as inspire and encourage you.

Look for the good news stories; stay away from predictions and admonitions that leave you scared and feeling hopeless. Let's adopt Viktor Frankl's advice to choose our responses. Let's be inspired instead of scared so we can be effective in our own lives and in the lives of others. 

These times are helping us shed old skins - skins of shame, guilt, fear and separation. It's time to let go of those false beliefs about ourselves and really understand the truth of who we are so that we might live more joyfully.  


I remind you, once again, of all the teachers and tools listed on this page. They will help you let go of the past so that you might move boldly into the future you desire. Each one of those teachers are wonderful and offer special gifts. Choose the one that pops out at you - they will have the very thing you need for this moment. Don't stop reading, listening and marinating yourself in the positive information your soul longs for.

One teacher that especially comes to mind at this time is Daisaku Ikeda. He is a Buddhist philosopher, peace builder, educator, author, poet and President of the SGI Buddhist lay organization. He currently lives in Japan. I leave you with his words, "Nothing can destroy the treasures of the heart. Every adversity is but a trial for us to overcome so that we can attain eternal happiness. Nichiren Buddhism, our practice of faith in the Mystic Law, enables us to transform all poison into medicine without fail."
 

Tidings of Comfort and Joy...

I've been thinking a lot lately about something my friend, Jacob said. He said, "Create a new fiction about yourself and it becomes true." I can't stress enough how important our inner dialogue is. The way we describe ourselves, the story we tell ourselves about our past, the words we choose and use every day create our lives. We are powerful beyond measure to guide our lives in the direction of our dreams and yet we mindlessly fall into habits that keep our lives the same - and then we wonder why things are not changing.

Jonas Chong, a clinical psychologist at the Sonaviv Medical Institute, tells us that we have, on an average about 60,000 thoughts a day - 87% of those thoughts are negative and repetitive. 97% of all negative thinking is a gross misrepresentation of reality. We are making it all up according to the stories that we continue to tell ourselves. Then we gather evidence that those stories are true and call them beliefs. It is a downward spiral from there and we find ourselves unhappy. The questions is, why do we always make it up on the downside? Why so negative?

I bring you tidings of comfort and great joy this season by reminding you that the changes you seek are not up to any force outside yourself. They lie within you. It's the best secret ever but it requires mindfulness. It requires diligence and attention because we're being asked to turn away from habits of thought that have become familiar. They are so ingrained in us that we don't even see how insidious they are. How many of us especially in this the busiest time of year, harp on how we're lacking in time, energy, money and resources? We dig the ditch of poverty in so many areas by constantly affirming what we don't have. Words themselves are not as powerful as the meaning we ascribe to them. It's how we think about what we say that's the most important. Use words like I can, I have, I'm happy about, I'm grateful for, I appreciate, and then watch even your body's posture change. Our bodies respond to the thoughts we feed it, as much as it does to the food we feed it. We have given certain words powerful meaning in our life. You know which ones they are by the way they make you feel. Stop using the words that make you feel bad. They make your moment unhappy, while at the same time becoming the blueprint for your next. You are the architect of your life. Start building a foundation for joy and happiness, rather than lack and despair. Let's stop arguing for our limitations. Listen to your words, what you say, how they make you feel and then stop the cycle. Don't let your mind chatter be as predictable as the seasons.

If there is an area in your life that is particularly lacking, grab onto an affirmation and as, Jacob goes on to say, "Say it until it becomes your truth and then look for the evidence of it." Look for evidence everywhere that your words are making a difference because you will find it. And then, give thanks for that evidence. Milk it for everything its worth. We talk about the bad things that happen ad nauseum, why not do the same for our moments of good? Your focus on the positive, even smallest of changes, will bring more of that into your life. Christiane Northrup talks about affirmations - words that affirm our good - as follows, "Affirmations don't make something happen, they make something welcome." If affirming that you are rich, when in fact you are struggling with your finances, is too hard for your mind to wrap itself around, instead try, 'Wouldn't it be great if...' Create scenarios in your brain for your life that feel great . Have fun with it. It becomes an attractive vibration. My husband likes to say, "The thing I like about that is..." He mines a situation for any good he can find there. Whether we act out something in our life or simply in our head, our brain does not discern one over the other as reality. Our thoughts create. As Napoleon Hill, author of Think And Grow Rich said, "Thoughts have the peculiar quality of becoming their physical equivalence."

Joy and happiness have been highly underrated in our society. If you're happy, you've been perceived as simple, not series or significant; seeing the world through rose colored glasses, Pollyanna-ish. But in fact it's the opposite. Joy is not some airy-fairy, silly concept. It is the basis for creation. It is what is at the depth of our being - the very thing we crave in our lives and try to obtain through so many faulty avenues. Joy is an ever present state, which can be found even at the depth of sorrow. It is not about avoiding challenges, grief or sorrow. It is about shedding light onto those experiences for their value, for their gift. Look for that joy in everything you do today and when you find it, when it hits you, you will have experienced indescribable happiness and peace.

Do not be addicted to the struggle that keeps your life the same. Stop the negative affirmations that sound like, "I never, you always, my luck, holidays are always like..." Change the dialogue, change the beliefs behind the words that keep you stuck. Remember, a belief is just a thought you just keep thinking. Betsy Otter Thompson, author of the insightful book, Walking Through Illusion says, "we don’t take our beliefs with us when we leave here, we take the love we found from having them." 

Have the courage to imbue your life with more joy and then watch everything change. Create a new fiction about yourself and you will attract the life you seek. It's one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself this holiday season. 

I leave you with a video about a young man who chose not to believe in the story of poverty for his life. He dreamed a new story for his life and then became it.  

Finally, as we wrap up this year, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for you. I have such appreciation for each and every one of you who read this blog and take this journey with me. I applaud you for the work you are doing to change your life. It is contributing to the world in ways we've yet to imagine. You are all so very precious to me. Be comforted in the knowledge that on this journey, we are never alone and we are deeply loved. 

Joy, Not Just for Breakfast Anymore!

I've been thinking a lot lately about something Christiane Northrup said in her immensely inspiring CD, The Power of Joy. While many of her points are so insightful - I cannot recommend this CD enough - the words that struck me the most were, "Everyone's going to die, but not everyone is going to live."

In a world where we run around with to do lists as long as our arm, trying so hard to achieve everything, we have left little room for an actual life. We've become too busy to enjoy our lives. We run around multitasking and trying to, "have it all," until we're just too damn tired to remember what the "all" was. We jam more into one day than our Grandparents did in a week until we end up running our cars into a pole because we're texting and driving at the same time.

Christiane Northrup goes on to say that if we don't make room in our lives for joy, it will be demanded of us in other ways. We will re-route the pleasure that we seek into a behavior or pattern that is far less nurturing like addiction - drugs, sex, food, work or the more subtle one, the busy adrenaline high. Even in our down times we find it hard to do just one thing. Our leisure time has been co-opted by multitasking. In a world where technology has delivered social networking to the end of our fingertips, we've never been so isolated. People walk down the street with their eyes riveted to their social devices barely looking up to acknowledge that another person has passed. We have walled ourselves off into a private space that defeats the desire that it initially strove to fulfill - interaction with another.

We've put pleasure on the back burner in order to earn enough, to do enough, to be enough in order to enjoy that pleasure that we seek. When all is said and done the most gratifying moments are the ones that we've had all along, time with our friends and loved ones. That interaction is so gratifying that we vow to do it again soon so we pull out our Blackberry's to try to fit it into our lives. At our fingertips is the love, joy and closeness we seek but we put it last on our "to do" list. How did we ever think that being busy would buy us those times we cherish the most? As Abraham explains, you cannot get to a happy end through unhappy means, it defies law. It's faulty problem solving at best and yet here we are. What now?

We were born to seek joy and we simply must build more of it into our days, our moments, our lives. We don't want to come to the end of our lives, and none of us knows when that could be, and say that we were too busy to enjoy it. It's like that old adage about how we're not going to regret the fact that we didn't spend more time at the office. If we make a small effort to include moments of joy into our lives, it will pay huge dividends. That time we set aside, even to laugh, becomes very attractive in the world of vibration. We will begin to attract more moments like that and then our aspect, as Buddhism would say, shifts and we are different. When consciousness shifts, even the slightest bit, we have set off a tsunami of change that will change us and our world. It's worth the small commitment. It's worth the time. It will be the most enjoyable effort you make. Make time to laugh, to connect with another, to offer a kind word or compliment, to smile at the stranger that passes you on the street. Joy is what we seek. Make time for it. It will pay big dividends when we put it at the top of our "To Do" list.

I leave you with a brilliant rant from the women who inspired this post, Dr. Christiane Northrup. "Every thought you think creates a cascade of biochemical changes in your body that are measurable. And every cell in your body communicates instantly with every other cell in your body; and, believe it or not, communicates with every cell in my body. And I'm thinking that the energy shift we do tonight (inciting joy) is the best hope for the war in Iraq, peace on the planet, cleaning up all kinds of pollution - that's what we're doing...this is the only thing that will change anything."

Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of divine right action - action that is inspired from within instead of being dictated from without. When our actions are directed by providence instead of deliberate force, our lives fall into place and we are happy.

So many of our actions are initiated from the outside in. We think that if our lives change as a result of our actions and efforts we will be happy - outside in. If we win the lottery we will be happy. If we get the boy or the girl or the job, we will be happy. It requires so much effort! It's exhausting. I don't know about you, but I have enough on my plate without having to continuously manage strategies for every area of my life - 6 steps to your best life, 5 easy ways to get the man of your dreams, 10 top tips to get the career you crave. Yikes!

We manipulate, plan and scheme. We initiate a plan before we prepare our inner landscape for change. It's like planting a garden in soil that has not been tilled. It is nearly impossible to get anything to grow and then if by chance it does, it usually doesn't last. My friend and I used to joke about the next relationship we were going to have. We'd say, "this time we're going to force love to work!" It's not unlike what we do in our lives.

It's been said that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Excuse me Deity, I realize you're busy keeping the planets aligned, but I have a good idea about how you can get me that thing that I want. All the anthropomorphizing aside, it's time for us to give up the control that is keeping us stuck. It's time to trust all the work we've done to change our lives and allow Divine Right Action to dictate our next indicated step. The guidance that we subscribe to, that which we call divine or God, our Buddha nature or the universal law, guides our lives from a perspective that is much grander than we can ever even conceive of. I'm sure you've had events happen in your life that were so synchronistic and were choreographed in such a way that you could have never devised - that is the perspective from which our higher selves lead us.

Let's work more on allowing and opening up our lives to receive all the good that awaits us. It's time. Our work is to bust the negative voices that hold us back and replace them with appreciation and gratitude; to change the habits that keep us, "creating with monotonous regularity the patterns of our past." Let's go within and love ourselves with a vengeance; forgive ourselves and others with a vengeance; release any shame - remember, these are all just habits of thoughts that only stay alive with our permission. Let's give ourselves the permission to live the life that we want, the life that we deserve, and we will effortlessly usher in the next move. It is our best thinking that has gotten us this far. It's time to let our divinity take over. As Abraham says, "You were meant to enjoy with action that which you created with thought."

I leave you with a wonderful rant from Oprah, which I think says it all, "It all boils down to one thing. It is your relationship to the Source. And that relationship to that which we call God or don't call God or don't even know is God, is all that matters. When you surrender and stop resisting and stop trying to change that which you cannot change but be in the moment, be fully open to the blessings which you have already received, and those that are yet to come to you, and stand in that space of gratitude and honor and claim THAT for yourself. And look at where you are and how far you've come and what you've gotten and what you've accomplished and who you are; when you can claim that and see that, the literal vibration of you life will change. The vibration of your life will change." 

The Art of Storytelling

I've been thinking a lot lately about the mantra that my old Science of Mind Practitioner would use when counseling...well, just about everybody. She would say nonchalantly but emphatically, "Not a word of truth in it, not a word of truth in it." Most of us would find that so hard to take. It was very disconcerting, especially if we were full into a story that was making us miserable. How could she be so heartless? Her tempering words, however, had a profound way of bringing us back to the truth, which remained, you are so much greater than the story you are now characterizing yourself by.

Not only do we tend to frame and characterize ourselves by these stories of our lives, we tend to keep ourselves stuck in a place that no longer serves our needs or desires by continually recounting them. It's time to let go of the stories that we keep telling - over and over again. Some are funny, poignant, disturbing, even salacious. Don't we love those! - We of the MTV, VH1, TMZ, reality generation. We love the titillating stories that spread virally faster than the newest disease on the block. The old newspaper mantra was, "If it bleeds, it leads." And it's never been more true in our exploitation of life that we've come to know as "Reality TV." In fact, nothing is further from reality than these shows that are edited to create the most surreal moments one can imagine. They are edited to foster division, jealousy, and hatred. They are as untrue as the disturbing stories we tell about our lives.

It's time to let go. I mean, really let go. We need to stop telling the stories that we think define our lives. Our words are so powerful, they create the container within which we create our lives. I think of Ernest Holmes insightful words when he said, "We create with monotonous regularity the patterns of our past." But we don't have to. Our past does not have to equal our future unless we let it. We must stop with the "yes, but..." argument and then launch into another story that gives evidence to this faulty thinking. We must let go, with a vengeance, in order to the live the lives we are dreaming of. In the words of the immensely talented and intuitive astrologer, Maria De Simone, "Get a grip, but first you'll need to let go!"

We are creatures of habit, there's no denying that. We tend to get into a rut or habit of thinking that we are not even aware of and yet it is guiding our lives. It's much like the tail wagging the dog. But the moment our awareness kicks in, when we shine a flashlight on our thinking, we will become blatantly aware of it. Marianne Williamson, used to say, and I'm paraphrasing here, that the moment we become conscious of a habit or a thought, we have changed it simply by virtue of our attention to it - it simply cannot be the same - ever. In other words our attention to something has already begun the process for healing or change.

Begin to notice the stories that you tell; stories about yourself and about others. You'll notice that we are attracted to re-telling disturbing incidents. Consider something that happens that really pisses you off - the jerk in traffic, your big mouth friend, a boss that will never understand what you do, or the roommate that drank the bottle of champagne that you were saving for a special occasion, only to throw it up on your new Flokati rug. You might tell and re-tell those stories for a week or more. If it has a good or funny twist to it, it might make the rotation of your top ten stories that you love to tell. Now consider how many times you will talk about the flowers that your husband gave you for your birthday - a week in advance! Just to commemorate the beginning of your birthday week! (Thank you, sweetheart. They are beautiful!) Why don't those stories have staying power? They are nice moments in our lives but more often then not, they fade into the background.

It's time to start mining the positive things that happen to us for all they're worth. Begin to collect stories of all the positive things that happen to you - remember what you focus on expands. Keep a journal of wonderful memories in your life - go back as far as you can remember. A surprise birthday party when you were 16 will not only be a treasured moment to look back on, but will also be the catalyst for future times of surprise and joy for you. Begin a gratitude list, of things that are happening right in your life. Appreciation is a powerful force for creation. Begin to move your thoughts in the direction of where you want your life to go.

I find comfort in heeding the words of a learned Buddhist and scholar, Daisaku Ikeda when he says, "There may be times when life seems gloomy and dull. When we feel stuck in some situation or other, when we are negative toward everything, when we feel lost and bewildered, not sure which way to turn - at such times we must transform our passive mind-set and determine, 'I will proceed along this path, I will pursue my mission today.' When we do so a genuine springtime arrives in our heart and flowers start to blossom."

Small changes will pay off in big ways. Don't think that you have to aim for perfection in order for things to change. Just put a wrench in your patterns and habits that keep you stuck. Baby steps have a way of accumulating and amassing momentum for change. Just change one thing this week. Catch a thought mid-stream and decide you are not going to let it disturb you any more. Realize how feeble it is on its own. Realize that on it's own merit, it falls apart. For example, a fear thought crossed my mind the other day about my career and I caught it. I ran it through my head again and knew that it was a lie. I replaced it with a strong affirmation that poured out of the center of my being. As quickly as that, I banished a thought that had taken up residency in my mind for years. Imagine my relief. Now that thought has no hold on me anymore. It is not directing my actions. I have changed it forever.  Immediately I saw the effect in my life, in subtle and not so subtle ways.

Here are a few more things you can do:

 - Check out The Work, Byron Katie's powerful method of questioning your thoughts.
 - Begin reciting the ABC's of powerfully charged words, advocated by the teaching of Abraham - A, appreciation; B, bliss; C, clarity and so on. Go all the way through the alphabet to Z and you'll see how this simple exercise will set you on a different course for your day.
- Check out Louise Hay's website where she offers a world of affirmations, books and CD's that will rock your world.

We are so much more powerful than the stories and thoughts we allow to define our lives. Simple exercises that interrupt our habitual mind chatter are powerful tools and they will change your life. You will begin to more easily let the things in that you want and it will begin an avalanche of change. You have begun to steer your life in the direction of your dreams.

This week, notice your words, notice your stories and make a conscious effort to let them go. In the wise words of Louise Hay, "What you think and what you believe will come true for you. Your thoughts create your life; it's that simple, and when we get that, we can make enormous changes."

I leave you with an inspiring video that my wonderful friend, Rachel forwarded to me. You will see how the man in this video has learned to defy his limitations and believe differently about them and his life. He personifies the words, "Not a word of truth in it."