positive thinking
Work Through The Fear, Obligation And Guilt (FOG)
Reflecting on my life I have found how many of my early life experiences have subconsciously influenced me, mostly due to a lack of awareness that allowed fear, a sense of obligation and guilt to remain hidden.
These hidden influences mostly come from my formative years and became obstacles I had to repeatedly struggle with in my adult life with regards relationships, career, finances, family and community.
Once I discovered these non-empowering beliefs, it was time for me to get out of the FOG (Fear, Obligation, Guilt). In hindsight, several things I was unaware of in my family’s dynamics, were actually ‘seeds’ hidden beneath the surface that in time sprouted into personal challenges and self-sabotage.
Fear
Fear and insecurity are frequent visitors for many of us in all areas of life. I was constantly focused on the negative and worst-case scenarios. This is because our brain is wired this way for the purpose of survival. Much of it also depends on our upbringing. So, we must recognize this and catch ourselves early on, in order to shift our thoughts and emotions in a positive direction.
We must be cognitive of our behaviors and explore where in our life we have learned these negative, fear-based responses. Fear is a natural part of life, but can easily become a ‘whack-a-mole’ of frustration, anxiety, uncertainty and indecision, always showing up at the most inconvenient times.
Manifesting Meditation For Beginners
The practice of meditation is tremendously powerful and has impacts on both our spiritual and physical well-being, as well as on our reality. Creating a routine meditation practice can help to super-charge your ability to manifest your desires, has incredible health benefits, and believe it or not – it can actually be a fun experience!
The idea that you have to be able to completely clear your mind of thoughts to successfully meditate is probably one of the most common misconceptions. This is only one form of meditation and honestly, it’s quite challenging! For someone who has never meditated before, it would be like giving a kindergarten student a complicated math equation to solve.
As with anything, it takes some time to learn the technique and train your brain to comply with your spirit. The first thing you must understand is, you are not your brain or your thoughts. You are not your body, or your emotions. These are all things you experience. You experience the thoughts in your mind, you experience the sensations of the body and of emotions, but these things are not you.
So, what or who is doing the observing? The answer is Spirit. Your spirit. This understanding is vital. Once you can separate your Spirit, your Soul, from the mechanics of the body, you can begin to tame the voracious beast that is your mind.
Going back to stillness meditations for moment, these are certainly powerful and wonderful to experience, but our brains are used to running the show! Instead of trying to turn off your thoughts, I encourage you to begin by giving the mind something to do instead.
Take some time to think about what you want to achieve through your practice. At its most basic meditation can be used as a tool to help align your mind, body and spirit with your overall goals. These goals can be anything! Reducing stress or anxiety, improving overall vitality, enhancing mental function, boosting your mood, improving your sleep patterns, and so on. Creative visualization is a remarkably powerful tool for manifesting. If you have never tried it before, start with just one simple intention. As you grow more adept, you can expand your goals and wishes.
To Live Gratitude Is To Touch Heaven
One aspect of spiritual living too seldom addressed is our lack of true appreciation and gratitude for all the blessings in our lives, regardless of our circumstances.
Some spiritual seekers tend to be very keen on beating the drum of prosperity, and becoming fixated on the Law of Attraction and manifesting abundance, which is too often merely a thinly disguised obsession with material wealth and earthly comforts.
Most of us simply take too much for granted every day. We experience so many blessings of joy, beauty, forgiveness, protection and Divine grace, which we seldom acknowledge in our lives. We always have something to be grateful, or thankful for, no matter how difficult times may be. As a species we are very good at complaining about what we don’t have, but we seem to find it difficult to give thanks for what we do have.
We seldom express our gratitude and appreciation towards those we love and cherish, and we hardly ever remember to share what we have with those who have less – not because we feel obligated, but because we feel so much appreciation that we simply want to share our abundant blessings with others. Charity is not about lending a helping hand; it is about celebrating all that we have, and to share our joy and appreciation.
Research has demonstrated an indisputable connection between gratitude and spirituality. It is no coincidence that gratitude is regarded as a much cherished and valued quality by most world religions, including the Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu Jewish, and Christian traditions. When reviewing the large body of research done on the subject, gratitude seems to play a much more noteworthy role in our happiness and well-being than most other emotions and personality traits.
Several research studies in recent years have shown that people who have a tendency towards higher levels of gratitude also tend to report higher levels of psychological, emotional and physical well-being. People who are grateful have been shown to be happier, more optimistic and more content with their lives. They also appear to have lower levels of stress and depression, and they are more satisfied with their relationships and social interaction with others.
Dare To Weave Your Own Tale Of Abundance
Most people are familiar with the Charles Dickens’ 1859 classic, A Tale of Two Cities. Set in Paris and London against the tumultuous backdrop that lead to the French Revolution, the novel has been cited as the best-selling work of fiction of all time.
I reflect upon this intriguing work at this time, because the novel has been repeatedly referenced lately by the news media in an attempt to capture the spirit of social unrest and economic uncertainty that has disconcertingly become a global concern during the pandemic.
Over the last year, I have repeatedly asked myself the question, what is my personal ‘tale of two cities?’ Do I search for hope amidst the stories of the day, or do I succumb to the popular cacophony of dire warnings, fear-mongering, conspiracy theories and atmosphere of despair.
And so at this moment, I ask of you to take just a few minutes out of your day to ask yourself the same question. Do we place our own dreams on hold because of the apparent tensions that consistently threaten to chip away at our mind and spirit each day? Do we flounder, or do we choose to thrive, moving beyond merely just surviving.
Many years ago, I overheard someone say that while tough times don’t last, tough people do. I want to remind you that no matter how dire things may seem at the moment, trust that you have the power and right to create your own ‘tale of two cities.’
In my personal story, amidst the turmoil and uncertainty of the day, there is order and certainty. History has shown us time and time again that no matter how challenging things seem, there is always a silver lining, and a bright-shining, magnificent light at the end of every long tunnel!
My mother often shared stories of how her family survived the Great Depression. My grandparents had a large family of ten children, and they lived in a rural area on the outskirts of a metropolitan city. As the 1930’s ushered in severe economic and social challenges all over the world, many lost everything they owned, and many families became homeless.
Manifesting A Better Life Starts With You
Anyone can manifest what they want and need in life. It all comes down to energy because we are spirit energy in human form. The energy we put out; is the energy we receive back. It pretty much is that simple. But we also need to believe this, for it helps a great deal in bringing it closer to us.
So, how does this energy swapping process work? Well, it begins with focusing on something that you really want or need. Then think more on it, request it, wish it, desire it. This is called the process of manifesting or deliberate creating or cosmic ordering. You are putting your wish or desire out into to the Universe, and Universe, Spirit, God, the Divine receives this information and ultimately brings it back to you in manifested form as a gift or blessing.
Some people are more in-tune with the Universe than others, or more aligned with Spirit, and therefore able to manifest more easily and quickly. But while some of us believe wholeheartedly and have absolutely no doubt, others may be more hesitant or uncertain about what to believe, or not. Fortunately, no matter where you fall on the belief spectrum, you can still use manifesting to assist you in life, but your results will vary based on your faith.
One can manifest with positive thinking, prayer, affirmations or meditation, but I find that focused visualizations, creating a vision board, and writing down your wishes, seem to make it even more powerful! It’s as if the Universe says, “Wow, she is really serious about this, and asking so sincerely, let me reward her efforts!”
Sometimes manifesting can grind to a complete halt for us. We all have to grow, and learn, and evolve spiritually. If we do not do this, the Universe is not too happy when we repeat the same old patterns, make the same old mistakes, and show little effort to become a better person, or a more evolved soul. We cannot expect to receive spiritual rewards or gifts until we make the necessary changes. Successful manifesting goes hand in hand with personal growth and spiritual expansion. Continue reading
The Joy Of Being Your Authentic Self
Many people feel forever discontented, because they are constantly trying to find ‘happiness.’ However, like love, there is no real limitation to the experience of joy and fulfillment in our lives.
Joy is not something that we find outside of ourselves, but rather the unconditional expression of our authentic self. It cannot really be found through chasing ‘happiness.’ Joy comes when we are free from fear, worry, resentment, blame, guilt, criticism, and judgment – whether it is the practice of these things, or the fear of them.
True joy comes from just being yourself, which requires that you learn to accept yourself as you are, with all your unique quirks. Without this authentic expression of the self, we will always feel incomplete.
The Univeral Law of Attraction states that we attract our life experiences based on our state of consciousness and our energy frequency. Joy is a state of consciousness that is limitless, because your authenticity is unending and expansive. In other words, being joyful brings about more joy!
The trouble with chasing happiness is that it becomes a frustrating ‘wild goose chase.’ We try and manipulate circumstances, or we rely on chance, or other people, to bring us fulfillment. Neither works. Have you ever tried to change another person? How did that go?
There are two caveats to this. First, true joy does not mean that you are happy all the time. Yes, you experience happiness more often, because you are aware that whatever negative feeling you may be having is only temporary.
Some people try and feign happiness thinking that these universal spiritual laws can be tricked. There is no twisting of spiritual truth. There is no amount of ‘happy thoughts’ or positive thinking that can shift one’s inner reality. Only true authenticity brings joy.
How Sticky Notes Can Change Your Life
We live in a world where we are bombarded with negativity every day. Whether it comes from social media or the mainstream news, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in a sea of negative information and fear-based messages. And the more we are exposed to all this negative input, the more we internalize it, until it becomes part of our self-talk and general state of mind.
Fortunately, the solution to some of life’s most complex challenges can often be found in the most mundane. Enter the simple sticky note! By writing down simple, positive affirmations or slogans on a bunch of sticky notes, and placing them anywhere you will see them frequently, you can significantly change your inner dialogue from constant negativity and nay-saying to one of possibility, hope and optimism.
Choose simple, short affirmations that resonate with who you are, and what you truly want in life. Whether it’s something like, “I am worthy,” or “Love surrounds me,” or even, “I will get that dream job,” it will inspire you to change the narrative and negative self-talk each time you read one of these short statements out loud.
This technique always reminds me of the famous opening scene of the television cartoon, The Simpsons, with Bart Simpson writing a phrase over and over on the chalkboard. There’s actually some method in the madness of this old-fashioned way of disciplining schoolkids. When our brain repeats a word or phrase over and over again, new neural pathways are created with new associations. Saying something once or twice only, we’re just as likely to forget it. But if it’s something we repeat many times, our brain will literally change over time, and so will our patterns of thought, feeling and action.
It’s been shown that establishing a new habit, or making new behavior automatic, takes on average about two months. Try placing your sticky notes in those places you spend most of your time every day: in your workspace, your car, on the bathroom mirror, the kitchen refrigerator, or on your bedside table. The more you see (and repeat) the words written on them, the more you will start to transform your thinking.