Life Ever After

Life ever after starts from within. 

It starts with a smile or silly little grin. 

Choose happiness and find your smile. 

Have an expressive kind of style. 

Be who you are and wear what you want. 

Strut around like a debutante. 

But remember to be nice to all that you meet. 

Love and affection will make you complete. 

Find the humor in all that you do.

Laughter is the best medicine for you.

Being silly starts with a grin

While life ever after starts from within.

Are you having any fun?


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Lucky Is What Lucky Does

                                              Photo courtesy of Sean Newhouse

If you believe you are lucky than luck will find you. If you practice then practice makes perfect. When you're perfect the stars will align and will shower you with wishes. When you wish upon a star then lucky you are.

If you believe in fate than your destiny will retrieve you. Your karma will catch up with you and serendipity will obtain you. Be open to the possibilities and you will persevere. When you wish upon a star then lucky you are.

If you believe in your course of action than chance will catch you. Your energy will guide you and your potential will be unleashed. Let your sensibilities heighten your awareness. When you wish upon a star then lucky you are.

If you believe in yourself than good fortune will rain upon you. Your good nature will develop your senses and your intuition will guide you. Welcome the adventure and give in to the joy. When you wish upon a star then lucky you are.

Don't you deserve a little luck?



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Power Vocabulary

“You can create the energy to turn your dreams into 

 reality by knowing what to say when you talk to yourself.”

                                                                 Shad Helmstetter, Author 

Need some self inflicted uplifting?  When we are in a place of personal power we are more apt to be open to the solutions needed to conquer the tasks at hand.  Most companies start the week with a Monday morning staff meeting.  Instead of walking into the day wishing it was still Sunday and the Laker game was just starting instead of having ended in embarrassing defeat, let's get into our power of intention.

When we take time to nurture ourselves we feed ourselves energy.  And energy can come from many sources (not just coffee).  We can use our own words to make us stand taller, breath deeper and keep a confident smile throughout the day.  When in a place of positive thinking and speaking we manifest the positive around us.  If we utilize our own means of lifting ourselves up with purpose, people will have to stand taller to greet us.

Words have power.  They bring happiness or inflict pain.  They give us hope or bring us sorrow.  They can keep us stuck or help us believe in ourselves.

Find a mirror.  Stand in front of it and take a good long look!  Smile.  Smile as big as you can and keep the smile until it actually turns into a real smile.  It might even make you laugh.  Good!  Then tell yourself how great you are.  I know it might sound silly.  It might even sound scary.  But seriously if I told you to go stand in front of a mirror and insult yourself I bet that would be no sweat would it?

Why is that?  Why is it so easy to believe the insults rather that absorb the compliments.  How many of you can actually take a compliment and say "thank you"?  If someone tells you they love your outfit, do you say "Oh, this old thing" or if someone tells you your hair looks good, do you reply, "Really, I didn't even have any of my good hair product left so it came out weird".

Can we snap out of it?  If we practice using our own power vocabulary we can change the way we think about ourselves.  I find using a quote or an affirmation works really well.  You can find them on-line or in your favorite book.  Write it on a piece of paper and keep it with you.  Say it everyday.  Learn it by heart and say it over and over until it becomes your reality.

I have even had times in my life when I have left little notes to myself all over my house.  On my bathroom mirror I had a post-it that said, "You are beautiful" and in my sock drawer I had a note that said, "You can go anywhere you set your mind too".  In my underwear drawer, I put a reminder that said, "You are sexy" and at my front door I put a large colorful memo that said, "Have a fabulous day".

Seeing these little reminders everyday made me mindful of cherishing myself as a human being and when we are in a place of purity we are more inclined to show our best sides and our love to everyone we come in contact with.

Practicing the art of power vocabulary can help us live up to our true potential and assist us in setting good examples to everyone around us.

One person really can make a difference.  If we are our true selves then we encourage people to be their true selves.  When we are all coming from a place of purity and personal power great things can happen for all of us.

What do you have to say?

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Some power vocabulary to play with

Love, Happiness, Accomplished, Prepared, Focused, Approved, Strength, Laughter, Joy, Completed, Supported, Huge, Gifted, Ultimate, Willpower, Truth, Unlimited, Attractive, Growth, Promising, Beautiful, Special, New, Excellent, Destiny, Terrific, Breakthrough, Informative, Unique, Strong, Rare, Valued

Here are some links to encouraging quotes

www.inspirationalspark.com

www.quotegarden.com

www.quotelady.com

Buyers Remorse

Is it possible to avoid regret?  Should we even try?  What if our regrets are necessary?

re•gret -  feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, esp a loss or missed opportunity)


Regret can be a very strong emotion and we need to be careful not to let these moments of guilt keep us stuck.  Guilt is a very strong emotion that can lead to serious illness if not nurtured and cleared.

When we are resentful toward other people because they have more than us, we risk living in someone else's shadow.  This type of thinking holds us back, leaves us feeling inadequate and can amount to us giving up on our own dreams and potential.

It's one thing to regret something we have done but we must be mindful that we don't become consumed by circumstances that we are less than proud of.  We can't give our misdeeds that much power.  

We also need to forgive ourselves.  We shouldn't be so hard on ourselves for not always being perfect.  Sometimes we make the wrong choices.  Sometimes our circumstances call for drastic measures.  Sometimes our fight against nature vs. nurture gets the best of us and we find ourselves in precarious situations.  

Is it weakness to give in or are we strong for wanting to get away from it all?  I learned to hide from the past.  Somewhere along the way I acquired a love for the night and all that it brings.  If I counted all the nights I have had the number of missed days would be staggering.  

With the missed days come many missed opportunities.  But I wasn't strong enough to face the daylight and look at myself in the mirror.  I was too busy hiding.  Hiding from my past and all that had been done to me.  I was also hiding from the things I have done to others.  I couldn't face them.  It was all too much.  But then one day you wake up and the payoff of regret isn't enough anymore.  You're still emotionally broke and crippled by the why me's of it all.

Regret can be healthy if we keep it all in perspective.  Go easy.  We shouldn't be so hard on ourselves.  Our lives aren't backed by buyers remorse.  We can't exchange those moments for new ones or give ourselves back since we weren't given a receipt to begin with.

Suck it up!  Take out a sheet of paper and fold it in half.  Label one column regrets and the other column outcome.  In the first column (obviously) make a list of everything you regret.   The other column should be a list of the things that have come out of the regretted experience.  And chances are there will be some things on the outcome column that will make you smile and that will quite possibly help you realize that we can find the positive counterpart in most everything we do if we take the time to be nice to ourselves and look deep within to that place of purity.  

If we take the time to nurture ourselves, forgiveness will come.  If we can make allowances for things we got wrong next time we will get it right.  

My list is long. I was harboring resentments I didn't even know I had.  I have been so angry.  But I was also in serious denial about how angry I was at my parents and my upbringing and all the horrible things that have ever happened to me that it was hard to see what I was bringing to the table.   

I was so busy trying to be happy that I chased happiness for the moment, in the night, only to be left more bereft then when I started.  I've regained my composure and I have decided to make peace with my resentments, my regrets, and all the things I can't take back.  I'm being accountable and I am sorry.  Sorry to myself and sorry to those I have wronged or hurt along the way.  

I am thankful to have found the courage to persevere.  When facing the eyes of adversity I am making different choices now.  I haven't seen the midnight moon in a long time.  And my time spent in the sun has brought with it a courage I hadn't known before.  

Do I wish my past had been different?  Yes, I still do.  But who I am today is because of all the things that happened along the way.  The list of accomplishment is long.  Today, I can honestly say, I don't regret who I am now.  

What does your list look like?

Digging Deep

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

― Anaïs Nin      Seeing life through our own eyes is invigorating but it can also be misleading.  Our perceptions of other people are based on what we have going on in our lives at any given moment.  If we are in a bad mood we will project our feelings on others and the annoyance sets in.  If we are in a great mood, we might walk around complimenting everyone.      Projecting our feelings on others is easy to do.  But we must be careful in our exchanges for fear (and it is likely) that we find ourselves in transference.  Have you ever been in an argument with someone and then all of a sudden stopped to really listen and thought "what in the world are we talking about?  This has nothing to do with what started this conversation.  How off track can we get?!"  This is called being in transference.  Something triggers us.  We are reminded of a past event or different circumstance and we are having that same fight again but with a different person.      If we are truly honest with ourselves chances are we have said these same words over and over to just about everyone who means anything to us in our lives.  A parent, a sibling, a lover, or a best friend.  My mother, may she rest in peace, used to tell me to never lash out at anyone because you might as well be looking in the mirror.  Something happens in our psyche, something is triggered and it no longer becomes about the person you are talking to.  It becomes all about you.      This is a scary theory and if you are brave and want to get to the crux of your behavioral patterns, you should try this.  It is time to take stock of the things we say in an argument or misunderstanding with our loved ones.  This is going to take a very open mind.  Open like two double doors onto the botanical gardens kind of open.         Most phones now have voice recorder so you just discreetly press record on your phone.  And remember this isn't about the person you are having the disagreement with.  This is about us.  This is personal and is about our growth and our desires to rise above our patterns.  This is about being honest with ourselves and listening for the recurring themes in our lives.  This digging really deep into the subconscious of our past.  We don't want to be a broken record.  That means we are not growing.  It means we are still trapped on a vibrational level that threatens to keep us on the hamster wheel.  Argh.  Exhausting.      One of the things of I am learning in all this is the power of awareness.  It really can set us free.  It sets on a new yellow brick road of possibilities and opens us up to the wonders that come with growth.  Spiritual growth brings epiphanies, coincidences, and many aha! moments.  And those moments mean we are on our right path.  And when we are on our right path there is no room to go in circles anymore.  We must walk ahead.  One foot in front of the other.  Walk away from the past and the habits that threaten to keep us stuck and walk into the future where we are free to start fresh with every word we breathe and every smile we achieve. Are you ready to break the pattern chain?

Which is It?

         3rd check in.  The last couple of days have been really long hours but it was also fun and everyone was really happy with the outcome.  Today I am at it again but I had another cool observation and I have to share. 
         Fate, coincidence, blink moment?  Accident, chance, serendipity?  On my right path?  Gifts from the Universe?  Does it matter?
         I was supposed to be in edit this morning re-cutting my documentary teaser.  Yesterday I was asked to stay on through next week in my current job which would mean working today when I was supposed to be editing.  Of course without hesitation, I agreed to stay on the job.  
        This spontaneous turn of events caused a little bit of stress. I was left mulling over the fact that I am committed to my project and the importance of the teaser.  But my intellect argued that by saying yes I was not only honoring my commitment (important) but I would have more money to put toward my project.  Hmmm.  Good point.
        I fell off to sleep with these thoughts.  Just keep thinking forward, my intention is for a perfect outcome, this is all going to work out perfectly and effortlessly.  It always does.   
        Sure enough, I woke up this morning to a message that my Director/Editor had to reschedule for tomorrow at 11.  Seriously?  Perfect!  
        I love it when this happens, these moments of being in synchronicity with the world.  I've come to some conclusions.  


1.  We should try not to stress.  For the most part, the outcome is the same anyway.  
2.  If we put it out there unconditionally, for the most part it does comes back to us.
3.  Taking risks can help us get to where we want to go.
4.  If we leap the net will appear.
5.  If we know our what, then the how will work itself out.


Alice:  I was just wondering if you could help me find my way. 
Cheshire Cat: Well that depends on where you want to get to. 
Alice: Oh, it really doesn't matter, as long as... 
Cheshire Cat: Then it really doesn't matter which way you go. 


Which way are you headed?