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Running low?

“When we can’t access our inner resources, we come to the flawed conclusion that happiness and fulfillment come only from external events.”-Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

Good evening! (Running late today…. I don’t know about you, but I have made this mistake before. I have spent time continually looking for happiness in external events. The problem with that search is that our happiness becomes co-dependent. Instead of having a well to draw on from within, we require external events to “lift us up.” Not only is that unfair to the events or people we are relying upon, it is unfair to ourselves, because the happiness we create is conditional.

We all deserve unconditional joy and happiness within our own hearts. We deserve to have a sense of internal peace, regardless of what is happening around us. The intensity of that happiness might fluctuate with what our external world offers, but it is there nonetheless.

Sarah is very accurate in her assessment. When we can’t (or choose not to) access our inner resources, is when we look to the external to “fill us up.” Because we can’t figure out how to create the reality we need, we turn to others and ask or expect them to do it for us.

To break out of that mold, we have to access our inner resources. We have to learn the skills to turn our questions inward instead of outward. We have to accept responsibility that happiness begins right where we are, not somewhere outside ourselves.

How do we do this? There are many things in life we can’t or don’t control, but we do control our attitude and our perceptions. Once we accept this fact, we create a space in our life to access those inner resources. We create quiet time, reflection time. We engage in activities that promote self-awareness, self-discovery, and self-reflection. We feed our souls with positive affirmations and positive people. We turn away and don’t accept the negative into our thoughts and perceptions. We embrace that which nurtures us, and we reject the rest.

Your Turn: Get out your calendar and schedule in a space for self-reflection and self-discovery. Choose to look inward instead of outward in order to begin discovering lasting joy in your daily life.

Today’s Affirmation: Within me is everything I need to experience lasting joy.

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Affirmative Statements

Afirmative statements (or affirmations) are positively phrased sentences in the present tense. We strip out the “I should, I will, I’m going to…” and replace those words with “I am.” Let’s use the basic example of health to show how this process feeds the mind.

Example A: A woman is full of unhealthy habits that she wants to change. Month after month she says, “I want to become healthier.” When her favorite dessert is passed around at a dinner party, she takes some. Why? Because she wants to become healthier—at some point! Not today. She sees that in her future, not in her now. As long as that remains in her future, she won’t take any action toward it in the present.

Example B: The same unhealthy woman says, “I am a healthy person.” (An affirmative statement) At that same dinner party, when her favorite dessert is passed, she doesn’t take any. Why? Because she is a healthy person. She has already identified with it and become it, simply by affirming it. She’s not taking action tomorrow; she’s taking action right now.

The differences between this woman in Example A and Example B are very subtle. She didn’t go out and buy a membership to a club, or revamp her cupboards, or purchase expensive exercise equipment or diet plans. She changed her thinking, and her thinking changed her action. Isn’t it incredible to realize that the changes you desire are within your reach? The primary tool you need is your mind. Change is a matter of learning how to work with your mind, versus against it.

Also in this above example, that simple shift of mind did make her a healthier person. The person in example B is making better decisions both physically and mentally.

Attitudes are a lot like our hair! If not maintained daily we will get snarls and split ends! Brook Noel

Also in this above example, that simple shift of mind did make her a healthier person. The person in example B is making better decisions both physically and mentally.

That seems too easy… More »

Tags: affirmations, inspiration

Today is a tough day for me…

  “The longevity of our soul lies not only in the hand sof God, but in how we are remembered.”-Wendy Louise …a.k.a. my mom

 Good morning! Today is a special and bittersweet day for my family. On this day in 1970, my brother was born. We lost him tragically in October of 1997, from a fatal reaction to a bee sting. While every day without someone you love is hard, certain days are even harder-birthdays, anniversaries, etc. A bit later today I am heading down to my Mom’s house and we are going to have a slumber party and surely share laughs and tears as we have done for the decade of birthdays Caleb has celebrated in heaven.

Despite the sadness that radiates during this time of year, there are many joyful memories. It also serves as a reminder of how the world can change overnight-and there is no time like today to make today matter.

 Your Turn: Today, I ask you to share with me in celebrating my brother’s life. If today, each of us takes just a moment to let go of all of life’s minutia and spend some quality time with someone we love, I am sure Caleb will look down and smile. That is the birthday gift I would like to give him today…I hope you will partake in the party.

Today’s Affirmation: Today, I let go of life’s little stressors and instead engage in life’s true joy.

Let go and trust…

Of course there is no formula for success except, perhaps, an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings. Arthur Rubenstein

Good morning! Throughout thmy Good Morning inspirations, I share what I have found to be formulas for successful living. Each formula I have shared has contained, in essence, intent-action-belief - faith-and then letting life happen. Reread today’s quote several times and really absorb what the words mean. Remove “success” and try “peace” or “happiness” or “contentment” or “joy” in its place.

When I seek success in something, I first focus on what I want and why I want it. When I know that it matches my mission of helping women create more positive lives, I then make an action plan. After all that homework is done, I believe with my heart and soul that nothing will stand in my way from realizing the vision. And then I do something else that many people forget to do when chasing a dream: I let it go.

It might seem odd to let a dream or vision go, especially right after we take our first action steps. And, I don’t mean that I literally let it go and never think of it again. It means that I have faith and trust in the mystery of miracles and life. When we hold onto what we want very tightly, we don’t give it room to grow into what it might be. Instead, we mold it and twist it to match only what we can see and believe. Yet life often has wonderful things in store for us that we may not yet be able to envision or believe. We have to let go of our limited scope of seeing a result in order to let life meet us halfway-to transform a goal into a vision.

 Your Turn: Where in your life is letting go the next step to moving forward?

Today’s Affirmation: I let go and trust.

Stepping up to the plate…

 ”Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”-Ambrose Redmoon

Good morning! We often admire others we see as “courageous.” We admire their drive, their spirit, and their commitment. It is easy to wish we could live without fear and with such devotion.

I love this quote because I think it speaks an important about truth about courage. People are not courageous because they do not feel fear: people are courageous because they have found something that is more important than their fear. They have found something that awakens their heart, mind, and spirit. This “something” changes their perspective. The “something” becomes large, so their fear becomes small.

When we don’t have an important “something” in our lives-one that awakens mind, body and soul-fear will be overwhelming.

Your Turn: What drives you? What awakens your heart, mind, and soul so that your destination becomes more important than your fear?

Today’s Affirmation: I am courageous.