Author Archives: upliftingthoughts4u
Perfectionism
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
Is there such a thing as a PERFECT WORLD? Somewhere, is there a UTOPIA? Or is it just an IMPOSSIBLE DREAM?
There are people who actually must believe that MISTAKES never happen. I do not think they know that erasers are still put on pencils because they do.
I have had to learn how to deal with my Perfectionism. I have had to modify it so I can live on this planet. I have had to come to peace in my mind that I need to soften my expectations. In my mind’s eye, I have to aim at an area the size of a washtub instead of a little tiny hole, which is the absolutism of Perfectionism, like in playing golf. I have to give myself some “wiggle room.” If one is dealing with a child, one expects a child to wiggle and get off course a bit. Yet we deny ourselves that possibility. Why is that?
Do we have an Authority Figure between our ears who dictates to us and beats us up inside if PERFECTION is not accomplished? Every single time? In every instance?
Yes, Perfect can be a possibility some of the time. But I need to remind myself that my goals need to be adjusted according to the requirements. If one is programming the course of a rocket or a space module, PERFECT is absolutely required with no room for error. However, for most things on this planet, CLOSE can work rather well.
For one thing, PERFECT takes a lot of time and effort. I have to ask myself if the goal is worth it. Sometimes, it is. However, most of the time, it really isn’t. I always try to do the best job I can, using as much effort as I can to do something right the first time. I don’t intentionally make mistakes that require something to be redone. However, as with all humans, sometimes it does happen to all of us.
The question is, do we want to become paranoid because we are less than perfect and may make a mistake?
That translates into fear, which incapacitates the mind and disables the functioning capability which is part of our innate system.
Life is like archery: one learns how to shoot the arrow the best one can, one takes aim, and then one releases the arrow towards the target, win, lose or draw. Once released, its trajectory cannot be altered unless it hits an obstruction, like a branch. The end results tell the tale. Once one releases the arrow, angst about where it will hit will not change the arrow’s trajectory.
Yet, in real life, we add the angst every single moment over every little detail. This angst is bad for our physical health, our mind, and our body. It registers as higher blood pressure, a sense of nervousness, the “fight or flight” message to our adrenal glands, etc. It can cause us to make poor choices of food and other behaviors, eating or smoking to calm ourselves down.
Are you willing to give yourself some “wiggle room?” Can you adjust your expectations so that you can opt for PERFECT or CLOSE, as needed? Can you forgive yourself for MISTAKES and move on?
Just a note in passing: Procrastination ALWAYS has an element of PERFECTIONISM in it, causing you to delay acting at all. That is worth thinking about.
You are the only one who is at the helm of your ship. How will you sail it? Where will you sail it? What is your destination? Are you enjoying your journey? Only you can decide these things.
God’s blessing be upon you!
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: angst, archery, close, effort, goals, golf, Impossible Dream, live, metaphysics, mistakes, New Age, New thought, paranoid, Perfect, Perfectionism, possibility, procrastination, thoughts, time, Truth, understanding, Utopia, wiggle room, wisdom
Light
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
Light has been of interest to mankind from the very beginning, before men ever wrote down a word. It has been a part of worship since that time. Every single tribe, kingdom, and religion has Light in it somewhere. You can see it in cave petroglyphs and pictographs around the world. In short, you can find it as a basic element of mankind’s history.
Light has even become synonymous with Wisdom and Understanding.
The Mayo Clinic has even researched it as a healing mechanism for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — a depression that occurs during fall and winter. Their recommendation is to buy light boxes/bright light therapy boxes and use them 30 minutes a day. Amazon and WalMart have models available from $70 to $300 for blue light therapy.
Ergo, light is a component of our physical health as well. Amazing!
Light, of course, emanates from the Sun in all of the above. Hence, the Sun and Moon becomes a part of the mysteries surrounding these stories.
From the Egyptian Ra, Norse Sol, Vedic Hinduism Surya, Greek Helios (Titan) and Apollo, Arabian Al-Lat, Australian Bila and Walo, Hittites Wurusemu, Babylonians Shapash, Cherokee Unelanuhi, Japanese Amaterasu, and Inuit Malina, it turns out that all of the world just has a different name for the same idea. Even Jesus Christ and Christianity is not exempt from it as demonstrated in the Bible as it exists today.
We are all concerned, in our own ways, with the words and meanings that we attach to our belief systems, to the exclusion of all others. Yet, even the Christ was concerned with Unity, including wisdom and understanding.
Perhaps we should be looking more to how we are all trying to get to the same place, even though it has a different name, instead of tearing down anyone who does not “think like us” or the “mini-me” concepts.
I have always wondered how each tiny division thinks it has the only answer and is the only “right” to be had. How could that be possible? How could a God, who created such individuality in every person, giving us the ability to make choices – and suffer the consequences of those choices – be so small as to make one sect “right” and the rest “wrong?”
Look at the differences in the Protestant religions alone. Even the Catholics are no longer just one religion. The Eastern Orthodox Religion, who possess the earliest known transcripts of the Bible, is different still. This does not include any of the names that I started this blog with. God made each of us like the snowflake, each of which is unique and not like any other.
In the Bible in John 12:35,36, Jesus said, “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” And in James 1:17, it says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
That is pretty clear to me. I like the sound of “children of light.” How about you?
In the New Age/New Thought/Metaphysics concepts is the idea that God appears to you within your own framework of your understanding. (See my blog archive on God Is A Chameleon.) That does not exclude the idea that Multiplicity is what it is all about.
Dr. Marcus Bach and wife spent their lifetimes, living with different peoples of different religions. He sought to learn how we are all really trying to get to the same place, just a different name. The below Mandala represents his life’s knowledge, which he made into a six-foot Mandala, in his home. Please consider this carefully as you look at it:
Dr. Marcus Bach Mandala
If you were to study this Mandala, it would be clear to you that, regardless of our personal beliefs, we are all driven by the same wants, needs, and desires. We cherish our loved ones, children and families. There are no political lines to be drawn, where someone on this side is right and all the rest are wrong. That is only a myth which drives the power of those who try to control and manipulate the masses, regardless of country.
John Denver sang the song, “One world.” It truly is.
If we are to be “children of light,” each one of us is responsible to make a difference by living the tenets of our belief system, whatever that is. Let us not be concerned with the division principle, but by the multiplication laws.
In Ken Keyes, Jr., book, “The Hundredth Monkey,” he very clearly documents the idea that: “When only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the consciousness property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness reaches almost everyone!” In his book, he talks about monkeys learning to wash the dirt off sweet potatoes, until it finally reached all monkeys everywhere due to the Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon. It has been documented by scientists for years that chimps, wild gorillas, etc., also demonstrate the use of tools for various reasons…checking the depth of a pool, opening nuts, etc. But it does not stay with just isolated groups…it spreads!
How about you? Are you willing to be that Hundredth Person to step outside your comfort zone, live by the beliefs you say you have, use them every minute of every day, and be one of the “Children of Light?”
Do you believe you, as just one person, can make a difference? Trust me, you can! Are you willing to try?
Posted in Uplifting Thoughts
Tags: Arabian, Australian, Babylonians, Bible, Catholic, Cherokee, Children of Light, choices, Christ, Christianity, consequences, Dr Marcus Bach, Egyptian, God, Greek, Hittites, Hundredth Person, Inuit, Japanese, Jesus Christ, Ken Keyes Jr, kingdom, life, light, light boxes, Love, mandala, metaphysics, Multiplicity, New Age, New thought, Norse, Protestant, religion, Seasonal Affective Disorder, thoughts, tribe, Truth, understanding, Unity, Vedic, willing, wisdom
Anger Management
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
A quote I live by every day: “Life is too serious to be taken seriously.”
I have had at least one person ask me what that means. I just responded, “Lighten up.”
When I was young, my temper would often get the best of me. Then I would dwell on the situation, only making myself more upset by the minute. Often it would take me days to get over some small incident.
Even if someone actually means to do something ornery to you, is a grudge the best way to handle it?
If someone cuts you off in traffic, do you react with anger? Are you still upset at your desk hours later? I figure that person who cut me off, nearly taking my fender with him, did not actually do it to me — it is a habitual way to drive which is a poor paymaster, eventually causing that person to damage his own vehicle and probably somebody else’s. I bless him on his way.
As I have aged, I grant others the ability to misbehave and make mistakes, knowing that they are doing the best they can at that moment. I do not take it personally. It saves me a lot of wear and tear on my heart and mind because I just do not want to get angry about the situation. When I get angry, I am leaving my center of peace and tranquillity and exchanging it for something that will not be worth the agony it causes. I have to choose to ACT and not REACT. If I have to state something clearly so that a situation is resolved, I do not have to yell or cuss to get my point across. Yet there is no doubt in anyone’s mind what I am communicating.
I took an Anger Management class many years ago. I learned that ACTIVE LISTENING is the key. You repeat back to the person who is yelling at you exactly what you heard. You keep it up. Soon, the volume decreases. People yell because they think you did not hear them. When you repeat what they say, they lose steam. The Anger flows away. You cannot rationalize with an angry person. He/she is not listening to you. You cannot discuss the issues if one person is yelling and not listening. You can even, eventually, agree to disagree and then set another time to actually discuss the issues if it is necessary. I personally had to deal with a very angry 300 pound man who was borderline getting physically violent. The active listening calmed him down until I could ask him to leave. So I know it works.
Anger, in some people, causes them to withdraw as a reaction. They crawl up into a little shell, which only increases the anger expression of whoever is perpetrating the situation. Obviously, that person does not know you are listening to them. Some people just try to get away from whatever is happening and just run away from the scene as fast as they can. Resolution never occurs.
Bullies love it. We admit that. They like to feel powerful and power-filled. They usually find someone to pick on that is smaller than they are. They win by intimidation. Some supervisors do that same thing. You cannot interact with them because they know they have POWER. But being quiet like a mouse does not work either as a response. They usually only get worse. Try Active Listening techniques. Perhaps it will help calm the situation.
When someone is angry, it raises their blood pressure, the adrenalin “fight or flight” response, and the wear and tear on the body. It is like a light that goes shooting out at the person or situation. When it is over, one feels empty and drained. If the anger is not expressed properly, however, it turns inward and becomes depression. That is a bad beast to have to deal with.
You can pound on pillows, write a hate letter and shred it, perform physical exercise, imagining that you are stomping out the problem/situation/person. There are lots of ways to exorcise the bad feelings without putting one’s fist through a wall, person, or thing.
I have had three accidents in my life which have impacted my body functioning and hampered how I can do many tasks. I have had to deal with anger over the losses to my healthy body. Life is not fair, and it will never be so. I had to work my way through the anger responses so I could deal with the pain and the situation. That is not an easy thing to do, but it is necessary because I choose to be a pleasant person with a smile on my face. Most people will never know what I have gone through and what is happening to my body at any moment. I do not let the pain or the anger control me and dictate what my interaction level will be with others. I choose to overcome it and share the best that is in me with my world.
We are like puppets of the memories we have, registered long ago when we were learning how to interact with our world. We learned how to deal with situations by watching those around us. If we did not have good mentors (and most of us had parents and others around us who are capable of making mistakes), we respond with whatever we learned, good or bad.
Most of the therapy that people pay for is so they can react and interact with their world differently than what they learned when they were small. They want to be able to be more functional. That is a good thing. It is never too late to change, using whatever tools you can find that work for you, be it a book, a good friend, etc.
If you find yourself becoming angry at something or someone, can you stop for even a second before you light that flame of destruction? Can you ask yourself why you are ready to rip somebody’s head off? Can you stop and breathe deeply, trying to calm yourself, your blood pressure, and your “fight or flight” response? That is the purpose for counting to 10, slowly.
Do you remember the scene in the Harry Potter movie where Ron was facing his fears, and he turned the spider into a clown, with roller skates on each leg? Do you know that anger can be dealt with in the same way? I quietly think about a scene from Alice in Wonderland, looking for the Mad Hatter, The Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit with the pocket watch yelling, “I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!” Anything that will add levity to the situation until I can regain my perspective. I don’t have to tell anyone what I am up to…I just do it.
When things gets crazy around me, instead of joining the craziness, I just calmly rise in my air balloon, looking at the situation as a spectator. If I choose to ACT, I can then do so. No hint of REACT is there. (Now, if I had a charging tiger to deal with, I would put my adrenalin to good use. But short of that, in real life, there are not many dangers out there to react to. It is the imaginary dangers that cause the damage, and most of them never happen. We just worry about it all, nonetheless.)
If have been told that I am a very positive person. I work at it. It is not something that happens by chance. I work on my calm attitudes because I want to be part of the answer, not the problem.
Each morning when I get up, I set my sails so that if some errant wind catches me, I can then adjust my sails so I can keep heading towards my destination, whatever that may be for the day. Lots of people can try to huff and puff, and blow me off course…all to no avail. Circumstances can do the same. I still press on with my hand on the helm, charting my course by my belief system and my faith. with prayers always in my heart.
Life happens. We all make mistakes. We have to continually pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again.
If you find yourself stewing over some situation and not arriving at a peaceful resolution, just know that you have lots of company. The only questions you need to ask yourself are, “Do I want to continue feeling like this? Do I want to change that?” Hanging onto your anger will not solve a thing. It only wears you out from the inside. Is it worth it?
Posted in Uplifting Thoughts
Tags: accidents, act, active listening, agony, anger, anger management, blood pressure, breathe, bullies, calm, crazy, depression, fair, fears, grudge, heart, levity, life, memories, mentors, metaphysics, mind, misbehave, mistakes, New Age, New thought, pain, Peace, perspective, power, puppets, react, resolution, sails, spectator, temper, thoughts, tranquillity, Truth, understanding, wisdom, withdraw
Unhappiness
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
A short definition of Unhappiness is something which you would wish to un-happen. In other words, you are not happy with the results/consequences of something.
Is this possible? Can history be changed? Are there regrets? Do you ever wish you had done something differently?
If it happened a second ago or years ago, history cannot be altered.
You can do things differently from now on, starting this minute. But you cannot undo what has been done. You can apologize perhaps. But you need to forgive yourself and others and move on.
The dictionary says the definition of Unhappiness is sad, wretched, sorrowful, ill-chosen.
I think we can all agree on that.
So what then? You must deal with the consequences, of course. But ruminating on the past can only get you the dictionary’s definitions of emotions that are not only unproductive, they are counterproductive. The more you think about something that has happened, the less you are in the present and unable to look forward to your future.
You need to ask yourself if you are Happy or Unhappy. If it is the former, congratulations! Keep up the good work! However, if it is the latter, regardless of the reason (no matter how justified you feel about it), you know you are STUCK.
It’s like Brer Rabbit and the tar baby. The more you fight with it, the more stuckered up you get!
Do you want to stay all stuckered up? It is your choice, after all.
It is like the vines that kept Harry Potter and his two friends all tied up — the more they struggled, the tighter they got. When Hermione realized what the vines were, she relaxed and fell through the tangle to the floor below, as did Harry. Hermione had to use light to get Ron freed.
We also need the light of understanding to free us from whatever we are stuck in. Seeking the light is the first step in the process. It will always come to anyone who is truly seeking it.
Bless you on your journey!
Posted in Uplifting Thoughts
Tags: apoligize, choices, consequences, counterproductive, emotions turbulent, forgive, happy, history, journey, life, light, metaphysics, New thought, productive, ruminating, struggled, think, thoughts, Truth, understanding, unhappiness, unhappy, wisdom
Balanced Living
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
There is a Divine Polarity to all of life. Magnets have positive and negative poles. Most of our learning comes to us in that manner. We find out what we do not want after we get it, and thereby learn what we really do want and need. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?
Some examples are:
Joy vs. Sadness
Truth vs. Lies
Peace vs. Chaos
Beauty vs. Ugliness
Life vs. Death
Love vs. Hate
Light vs. Darkness
Laughter vs. Tears
Good vs. Bad
Have you ever been in a relationship with someone, and, after it is over, said to yourself, “Well, I’ll never do that again! I will change my choices. I will ask more questions. I will be able to see that quality in someone else before I get involved.” Yet, sometimes history repeats itself?
We learn by bumps in the road, apparently, as a species.
I love the Pushmi-Pullyu in the Doctor Dolittle series. I have found that life is not all one thing or all another. It is usually a mixture of both polarities. The questions is: Can you separate them out clearly enough to be able to change your choices?
Add in the idea that rarely is anything simple. Usually, it is some of each. Whether it be a job, relationships, raising children, or any other topic that comes to mind. I personally know people who stay in a bad relationship because they have become vested in it–stuff rules as do habits. So they stay in the same old toxic atmosphere year in and year out. You can say the same for a job. Vesting dictates because one cannot afford a lower wage or whatever it takes to make a change. Raising children has its joys and its heart aches because these are little beings with an idea of how they want life to be and seek it out at their level, which may not be the wisest course. In short, simplicity is difficult, if not impossible, to find. That does not mean that one should not seek it. It only means that it is a gem of great price and should be sought after with due diligence.
There are positive aspects of all the above. Having been in a bad marriage or relationship, one can then seek more wisely to find a mate who is more compatible. If one is unhappy with the workaday life they have created, for whatever reason, one can seek that which will make them happier. Some Wall Street workers quit that life style and go to the country, finding a different way to live. Some go to college so they can change their resumes. In short, one can seek that which will give him/her a more positive balance in living.
Life is not like walking a tight rope without a safety net. Mankind can learn, grow, and change at will. Fear keeps us from doing that. It has been said that Fear of the Unknown is the greatest reason for not seeking a better answer. What one knows is better than looking for a challenge. The sameness of daily living is secure, no matter what the Happiness Quotient is.
I have been fortunate because I have accepted the challenges and sought Change and Balance in Living. I know what I want my life to look like. I have had to learn Forgiveness of myself and others in my journey. I have never thought that I would rather live alone than try to find that certain someone who will be my Best Friend for the rest of my life, someone I could grow old with, and someone who will be on the other end of this relationship. After all, relationships are TWO-WAY STREETS, not one-way. If one person is giving all the time while the other is taking all the time, no Happiness Quotient can be found. I have said that relationships are like a waltz, and I would rather dance through life with my partner than have somebody who is out of synch and not on the same page. I have been most fortunate to find my Best Friend. I would wish the same for you.
I started this article with many positive qualities which I consider necessary for my life. I endeavor to achieve my balance with them in some way, every day. I look for them. I accentuate their presence in my life. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, which are also present daily, I look for some way to lighten the day with laughter and the other ideas.
How about you? Are you willing to look at your Happiness Quotient and seek new ways to find Balance in Living? You will find that it is worth the time and effort to think about, seek, and find. Even if your life is good, it can always be better. Are you interested?
May your journey be blessed in every way. 🙂
Posted in Uplifting Thoughts
Tags: bad, Balance in Living, Beauty, Best Friend, change, chaos, children, choices, dance, darkness, death, find, good, Happiness Quotient, hate, job, journey, joy, laughter, life, light, Love, marriage, metaphysics, negative, New Age, New thought, partner, Peace, polarities, positive, questions, relationships, sadness, seek, simplicity, tears, think about, thoughts, Truth, understanding, vesting, waltz, wisdom
Sense of Purpose
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
Life can be difficult. Circumstances can become seemingly unbearable. How can one’s spirit survive all the negativity that surrounds us?
I have a plaque on my wall that says, “Life is too serious to be taken seriously.” Hence, I find that, by lightening up, everything does get better. This is not a Pollyanna idea for it is real, and it works. I bring a sense of purpose to each day. Through this vehicle called blogging, I am sharing ideas to aid others along their paths. Perhaps it will help each one, enabling that person to arrive at a new perspective. This will bring about positive changes so that each one can live a more effective life. What a joy that would be! Based on thousands of comments, it is happening.
At a lecture with Og Mandino, he gave the following story:
“There is an old Japanese legend that tells us that, may thousands of years ago, in the central part of Japan, there was a mountain with a flat top surrounded by dense jungle. The mountain was called, ‘The Place Where You Leave Your Parents.’ As the legend goes, if one’s parents were still alive at a certain age, their children carried them bodily through the jungle up to the top of this mountain so they could leave them there for the gods.
One day, a strapping young man was fighting his way through the underbrush, heading right for the mountain, carrying on his shoulders a wisp of an old lady. As he fought and pushed his way through the dense jungle, heading right for the mountain, he noticed that she was doing something with her right hand. Finally, he turned and looked up at her,
Half in anger at himself for what he was doing and half in anger at her, he asked her, ‘Mother, what are you doing?’
The old lady looked down at her son with tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks and said,'”Son, I’m just breaking off a few branches and dropping them to mark a path so that, after you leave me, you will be able to find your way back home.’
I would like to break a couple of branches for you so that, if you have lost your way, you might be able to find the path again.”
So, I now say to you, let me break a few branches off for you so that you, too, might find your way to a better choice.
In the helter-skelter existence we live in, filled to the brim with noise, chaos, confusion, conflicting priorities, lack of money, stress, etc., how does one begin to make even a little sense of it all?
As I have stated in other blogs, you must begin with yourself, living your life from the inside out. Finding a sense of purpose is part of that process. Take a closer look at you so you can appreciate the assets you already have. Each of us is like a snowflake, unique, different for all others. Only you can make a difference in your life by the way you express your ideas to others around you by living your life in accordance with that inner vision.
Author Richard Bach has said, “There is a golden web of others out there who connect with us. As we reach out to others from the best that is in us, we find our extended family, not of blood but of spirit.”
We all need to find that family. Together, we are stronger and better than when we thought we were alone, which connotes helplessness and inability to deal with life constructively.It is so overwhelming.
An example that I saw in the movie, “The Straight Story,” the main actor states, “If you try to break one branch, it is very easy. But if your put more branches with it and bind them, it is impossible. We all need somebody.”
As we reach out with knowledge and understanding, we plant the seeds for our tomorrows and others as well.
Let me take this opportunity to thank all those who have shared this blog, for sharing is the highest form of praise. It has been a joy to my heart to see my own golden web forming. May you find yours as well. God bless you on your journey!
Posted in Uplifting Thoughts
Tags: chaos, choices, confusion, dense jungle, knowledge, life, metaphysics, New Age, New thought, Og Mandino, purpose, Richard Bach, seeds, Spirit, stress, thoughts, tomorrows, Truth, understanding, wisdom
I Believe
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
Several singers have done the song, “I Believe,” and have done it beautifully. It speaks to my heart, and I believe it is one of the songs that always cheers me up and is always inside of me. The words are:
“I Believe”
“I believe for every drop of rain that falls
A flower grows,
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night
A candle glows,
I believe for everyone who goes astray,
Someone will come to show the way,
I believe, I believe.
I believe above the storm a smallest prayer
Will still be heard,
I believe that someone in the great somewhere
Hears every word,
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,
Or touch a leaf, or see the sky,
Then I know why,
I believe.
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,
Or touch a leaf, or see the sky,
Then I know why,
I believe.”
The words are simple, but their meaning is worth pondering. It is truly the “staff of life.” It is the motivator for seeking personal growth.
Have you ever actually asked yourself, “What do I believe in?” I mean the word that resides at the very basic level inside of you, not at the surface.
We get so caught up in the sounds of war drums inside of us that the music cannot be heard. Demands from outside of us badger our mind for our attention. The music that I hear pouring with a deafening din out of the windows of the car that is waiting for a light, for instance. I often ask myself, “How can that person think?” Perhaps that is the key. Maybe that one needs entertained so badly that he/she does not care if his/her own hearing is being damaged, as well as those who are unlucky enough to be close enough to hear it. Is life so shallow that extremes must be exploited constantly? How about the electronic games that take up so much of everyone’s time? Is it worthwhile to sit and look at a beautiful sunrise or sunset, or pause and smell the flowers? Would taking a walk outside to just enjoy the warmth of the sunshine be out of the question? (Of course, I am ignoring that a lot of the nation is currently caught in very cold weather, snow, and ice storms.)
My point is a simple one: I believe at the very inmost level that life is lived from the inside of me outward, not vice versa. Yet I am surrounded in daily life by others who actually seem to think that the outside stuff/activities/whatever brings life to the inside. Hence, you have the thrill seekers, the ones who dance to everybody else’s music but never to their own, and the ones who are never satisfied with their lives no matter how much stuff they own.
As for me, I enjoy all my possessions, but they do not possess me. All of God’s gifts to me are sincerely appreciated. I love living my life every single day for there is something to look forward to doing. I do dance to my inner music, including, “I Believe.” It is a song of faith and hope. I want to believe that good things are unfolding for me, always.
My life has been less than ideal for most of my life. I have endured so many sadness-related occurrences that many people will have the good fortune to never see. Yet I would not let the bitter root enter, as from The Bible’s exhortations, for it consumes all one’s energy. How, you may ask? Because I believe that my beliefs are the driver of my life, not the outer circumstances that can wreck havoc and mayhem.
My question to you is: Do you believe? I am not talking about what the local minister is saying to you. I am asking you to look deep within you to the core of your being. Is life challenging to you? Are your days harried and impossibly busy? Perhaps you or someone you love is facing a health challenge. Is that all there is?
Hope, love, trust, and faith all go hand in hand. You cannot have just one of these. It must be all. If there is none, how can you hope your life will change? You cannot build a skyscraper without the right footing or base. What I am asking you to look at is your footing or base. You are the architect of your life. Are you willing to look deep within to see what your beliefs really are? It is your life, after all, nobody else’s. Are you willing? You can increase your personal power incrementally exponentially if you will but ask yourself what changes are needed. God’s blessings on you as you journey.
Posted in Uplifting Thoughts
Tags: awareness, beliefs, believe, Bible, bitter, change, circumstances, journey, life, metaphysics, New Age, New thought, personal growth, personal power, possess, possessions, prayer, thoughts, understanding, willing, wisdom
I Am There
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
Poet James Dillet Freeman wrote this some years ago. A copy of it is now on the moon as it was carried there on the Apollo XV voyage by Astronaut James B. Irwin and left on the moon for future space voyagers. It has always touched my heart and comforted me when I need it. I share it with you as it has been one of my guides for a long time.
I Am There
“Do you need Me?
I am there.
You cannot see Me, yet I am the light you see by.
You cannot hear Me, yet I speak through your voice.
You cannot feel Me, yet I am the power at work in your hands.
I am at work, though you do not understand My ways.
I am at work, though you do not recognize My works.
I am not strange visions. I am not mysteries.
Only in absolute stillness, beyond self, can you know Me as I am, and then but as a feeling and a faith.
Yet I am there. Yet I hear. Yet I answer.
When you need Me, I am there.
Even if you deny Me, I am there.
Even when you feel most alone, I am there.
Even in your fears, I am there.
Even in your pain, I am there.
I am there when you pray and when you do not pray.
I am in you, and you are in Me.
Only in your mind can you feel separate from Me, for only in your mind are the mists of “yours” and “mine.”
Yet only with your mind can you know Me and experience Me.
Empty your heart of empty fears.
When you get yourself out of the way, I am there.
You can of yourself do nothing, but I can do all.
And I am in all.
Though you may not see the good, good is there, for I am there.
I am there because I have to be, because I am.
Only in Me does the world have meaning; only out of Me does the world take form; only because of Me does the world go forward.
I am the law on which the movement of the stars and the growth of living cells are founded.
I am the love that is the law’s fulfilling.
I am assurance.
I am peace.
I am oneness.
I am the law that you can live by.
I am the love that you can cling to.
I am your assurance.
I am your peace.
I am one with you.
I am.
Though you fail to find Me, I do not fail you.
Though your faith in Me is unsure, My faith in you never wavers, because I know you, because I love you.
Beloved, I am there.”
If you would print this off and post it in a prominent place where you would see its message often, you would ponder its Truths. Then you could begin to find ways to make your life more worthwhile, change your perspective, which would then effect positive motion in the right direction. Answers would come more readily as you seek them. Happy Hunting! May God bless your every endeavor.
Posted in Uplifting Thoughts
Tags: alone, assurance, assurance fail, awareness, beloved, change, faith, fears, feelings, God, good, James B. Irwin, law, life, Love, metaphysics, mind, New Age, New thought, oneness, pain, Peace, pray, stillness, Truth, understanding, wisdom
Lung Leavin’ Day
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
Following is an email I received from Cameron Von St. James. It is a story of strength, facing fears, and the joy of being alive. I want to take this opportunity to share it with you. The interactive page on the bottom is neatly done and well worth your time to click on. The blog, http://www.mesothelioma.com, is well done. Enjoy!
“Hi there!
My name is Cameron Von St. James and I was wondering if you’d be willing to help me with a cause that means a lot to me!
Eight years ago, my wife Heather was diagnosed with mesothelioma; a rare cancer that kills most people within 2 years of diagnosis. She had just given birth to our daughter Lily, and was only given 15 months to live. After a life saving surgery that included the removal of her left lung, LungLeavin’ Day was born. On February 2nd, we celebrated 8 years of Heather being cancer free.
The purpose of LungLeavin’ Day is to encourage others to face their fears! Each year, we gather around a fire in our backyard with our friends and family, write our biggest fears on a plate and smash them into the fire. We celebrate for those who are no longer with us, for those who continue to fight, for those who are currently going through a tough time in their life, and most importantly, we celebrate life!
This year, we asked bloggers to participate and spread the word about LungLeavin’ Day. We created an interactive page mesothelioma.com/heather/lungleavinday that tells the full story of our special day. Although the day has passed, we hope you will still check it out and share it on your blog. It would mean so much to Heather and I. Let me know what you think.
Thank you so much,
Cameron Von St. James”
http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/cameron/
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: awareness, fears, life, Mesothelioma, metaphysics, New Age, New thought, thoughts, Truth, understanding
Having a Pity Party?
Posted by upliftingthoughts4u
Pity Parties prevail, unfortunately. There are so many reasons to stay in one permanently. Would that do any good? Not likely.
In one of Og Mandino’s lectures, he said, “When I feel sorry for myself, and I don’t want to enter the world…I open the paper to the obituaries to see how many would trade places with me if they only could.”
Now that is definitely something to ponder.
He also said, “Never treat time as if you had an unlimited supply. No one has a contract with life.”
If you were to take a census of your prevailing attitudes, what would you say they were? If they center on a Pity Party, you have to know that direction will lead you nowhere. Are you willing to take a close look at the words you speak, the emotions you feel, and the ways you act? What is your body language saying? Can you look into a mirror and look closely at your eyes and your facial expression? What story are they telling you?
When you are depressed, one of the harder things you can do is to look into your eyes in a mirror and gaze upon your countenance. Why? Your eyes are downcast, for one thing. You are sad, your shoulders sag, and your head hangs down.
Did you know that depression is actually unexpressed anger turned inwards? Note I said, “Unexpressed.” I don’t mean you need to put your fist through a wall or hit something or somebody. There are many constructive ways to work on anger, such as working out, hitting a pillow, writing it all down on a sheet of paper and then shredding it, releasing it.
The point of a Pity Party is that you want to feel better. So, if you stay in one long enough, you should feel better, right? Nope, never going to happen. It perpetuates itself.
The only way to get out of a Pity Party is to change your focus from whatever is driving you crazy. You need to find something else to think about. Hopefully you will find something beautiful to contemplate, look at a rainbow, or listen to music. Many things can lift your spirit, from a good massage or warm bath to a quiet walk in nature. You just have to find something that works for you.
Again, it is in your capable hands to find a different way to express yourself. Are you willing to try that?
Posted in Uplifting Thoughts
Tags: anger, attitudes, crazy, depressed, depression, emotions turbulent, eyes, focus, metaphysics, New Age, New thought, Og Mandino, Pity Party, ponder, reasons, think, thoughts, Truth, understanding, willing, wisdom, words
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