Solstice Full Moon and Positive Affirmations

The Solstice full moon beaming down over the cross at the top of the Basilique Notre-Dame Montreal.

It was an amazing and special sight to see.

There are NO limitations to your possibilities.
You create your own vision and so the promise of what life has to offer is limited only by your thoughts.

Negative thoughts draw more negative energy to you; however it is possible to create a healthier mind and body simply by changing the way that you think. Choosing encouraging and upbeat thoughts create a pattern of behavior that greatly assist you in creating a life that is healthy and a pleasure to experience.

Carry an affirmative phrase with you every day to remind you to stay optimistic.

Affirmations

My vision is clear
My positive thoughts create a positive image of what I desire for my life.
I love and accept myself.
I am in a constant state of fulfillment.
I am filled with energy to do all the daily activities in my life.

Creating Opportunities

To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.   Robert Louis Stevenson

Manifesting and Intending
As the end of the year approaches there can be a feeling of completion, the energy of withdrawal, or anticipation of what lies ahead in the New Year.
This is also a wonderful time to apply reflection and introspection followed by manifesting and intending in order to welcome what lies ahead with open arms.

There are NO limitations to your possibilities. With a vast array of promise and potential to choose from, ask yourself if you are shrinking from what you really want because you are making mediocre choices based on what you think that you deserve.

Reset your energy and use it to let go of preconceptions that hold you back and instead view the myriad of opportunities that exist as a turning point to achieve what you didn’t think was possible.
Finding true meaning and value in your life occurs by looking deep within, shedding what you are done with, and identifying your innate abilities.

Create a turning point in your life by using your inner fire to stoke your ideas and carry you forward with a passion.
Surprise yourself with what you are capable of achieving.

Know that you can dare yourself to overcome perceived obstacles and succeed by action. Fill your life with enthusiastic people who will stand beside you and behind you and encourage you to grow.
Live your life free from anger, doubt, and guilt and overflowing with love, happiness, and the wisdom of your past experiences.

The future is filled with exciting opportunities.
Make your thoughts as wonderful and extraordinary as YOU are, and see the transformation that occurs.

Affirmation

My life is overflowing with joy and peace

I am clear on my intentions and my goals

My ideas are flowing and opportunities present themselves

I have what I need to accomplish all that I desire

I love and I am loved

I delight in sharing

I feel wonderful

Meditation, Soldiers, and You

 Meditation is a proven method for inner peace

Meditation and Soldiers
According to the David Lynch foundation an estimated 30-35% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.

When an event is shocking and severe it can cause physiological changes in the brain. The trauma and stress is still carried around by the soldiers months and even years after their tour of duty has ended, with soldiers re-experiencing the smells and sounds of the traumatic event and creating stress that compounds over time.

Operation Warrior Wellness
Their minds are in a state of heightened activation, stress, and aggressiveness and while medication can alleviate some symptoms, the underlying stress still remains.
David Lynch’s organization is teaching Transcendental Meditation to soldiers in a program called Operation Warrior Wellness and the soldiers report experiencing “resilience, strength, and internal hardiness.”

Stress-Relief
Stress is relieved enabling individuals to talk about and cope with their feelings and to successfully get through their day without turning to alcohol, gambling, or other methods of self-medication that are used in order to escape from what is re-occurring in the mind.

Meditation is an evidence-based approach to provide deep relaxation that is deeper than sleep. During meditation, practitioners experience deep feelings of relaxation and relief from stress. Deep relaxation allows soldiers to sleep better, enabling their daily activities to be performed better. Moreover, it allows the individuals to return to an active and productive life.

During meditation, the mind withdraws from the information gathered from the senses permitting a fullness of relaxation.

Awareness of Self
The Self emerges and you realize that you are not the body, nor are you the mind. This realization of the Self enables discernment to emerge and with it comes heightened intuition.

Relaxation achieved during meditation is profound and the mind and body find the method so beneficial that it wants to keep repeating the experience. Research shows that even after the first session, there are both positive chemical and physiological changes occurring in the brain and that the experience is not merely subjective.

No one has control over your thoughts except yourself. Your hope, wishes, even your imagination are all within your own power to direct their energy in one path or another. The mind cannot discern between what it has actually seen and what it is seeing via your imagination.

Meditation is a simple yet proven method to attain release from acute and chronic stress, even severe stress as in PTSD.

Living a Happy Life
Life is not about what you think may happen in the future. Life is about enjoying the journey of daily creativity and loving experiences, of focusing on the beauty of life, of filling your life with positive experiences through books, music, and the right people who uplift you with their happiness and attitude.

Meditation is a unique practice that provides relief from stress and immediate benefits that will enable you to enjoy life to its fullest.

Releasing Barriers to Peace
Self-inquiry via meditation helps you identify barriers to peace and to see that they are dependent upon the senses for their fuel. You can release all obstructions by permanently taking away the energy source and putting a permanent damper on the obstacles that threaten to ignite when the environment is right. So, what lies buried beneath the ashes in your life?

Affirmations

My thoughts are creating the reality that I desire

My imagination creates what I believe

My affirmations are creating habits in keeping with my objectives

I am now achieving my goals

Breathe Deep! The Power of Your Breath

Power Of The Yoga Breath
A 2006 study on the effects of pranayama (yoga rhythmic breathing) in patients with severe COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) examined forty eight patients randomly divided (24 each) into two groups.
The study group patients were trained to do pranayama daily, six times a week, for 3 months for at least half an hour duration and both the groups were allowed to continue with their usual physical activity and medications.

Pranayama consisted of six breathing exercises: Bhastika Pranayama,'Kapalabhati Pranayama, Vhasya pranayama, Anulom-Vilom pranayama, Bhramid pranayama and Udgeedh pranayama.

Lung function tests, spirometry, and blood gases were taken and compared with the control group.

Amazing Results
The results showed that there was improvement in the lung function parameters in the study group which in turn had an overall positive effect on the patients. “Patients had reduced symptoms, became more actively involved in their own health care, more independent in performing their daily activities, increased exercise tolerance and therefore were less dependent on family, friends, health professionals, and expensive medical resources. There was improvement in the psychological function of the patient with less anxiety and depression and increased feeling of hope, control and self- esteem.”

The researchers concluded that yogic breathing is a “noncompetitive, personal, inexpensive and enjoyable activity which can produce truly amazing results.”

Your Breath
Your feelings and emotions correspond to your thoughts and actions and the subsequent flow of the breath.

Yoga philosophy teaches that where the breath goes the mind follows and vice-versa, highlighting the distinct relationship between how you breathe and your individual physical and spiritual well-being.

The average body takes approximately 21,600 breaths every day, which equates to 15 breaths per minute. We are all breathing but all too often the breath becomes held, rapid, or uneven in response to events that either exist in the mind or are actually happening in the present moment. These events include, fear, laughter, and even stress.

Maintaining a full and steady breathing pattern not only benefits the mind and body by promoting a relaxed physical state and clear decision-making but there is also an abundant supply of oxygen to ensure completion of daily tasks while the cells of the body are nurtured and stale waste products are eliminated, ensuring better overall health.

Connecting with the flow of the breath is also a spiritual tool that draws you closer to the quiet place within while acting as a means by which to train the mind to maintain a single-pointed focus.
Conscious awareness is further strengthened by concentration on the rhythmic breath.

Simple Techniques to Practice
Awareness of each of the senses, and whether one is more active than the other, assists you in not only regulating the flow, rate, and rhythm of the breath, but helps you to make better choices in relation to the thoughts that you produce and their impact on you and your surroundings.

You can embrace the senses and the breath when you are walking outside, perhaps in a park, the beach, or the countryside. Synchronize each inhale and exhale with each step while noticing what you hear, feel, smell, see, and touch. As each step becomes linked with each breath, you can cease the awareness of the senses and draw closer to the rhythmic flow of the breath.

You can also link the breath and step with an affirmation or with each word of your affirmation.

Breath Affirmation
Affirmations are a proven and powerful method of changing the way the mind thinks and creating a positive (or negative) outcome.

1. Recognize what you want.
2. Create language that affirms what you want.
3. By repeating and believing what you have written, the mind will gradually replace the outdated patterns and images with ones that support you in achieving a new reality.

I fill my body with light

I release all impurities

I am free and strong

Or you can try the following method:

With each inhalation I breathe in ….(add a word)

With each exhalation I breathe out …(add a word)

Role of Pranayama in Rehabilitation of COPD patients - a Randomized
Controlled Study. S K Katiyar, Shailesh Bihari
Dept. of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Murari Lai Chest Hospital
G.S.V.M. Medical College, Kanpur
Indian J Allergy Asthma Immunol 2006; 20(2) : 98-104

Fallen Millie's Christmas Song "Want to Be"

Instead of the regular blog posting I'm so happy to share with you the following information on my niece Amy's band Fallen Millie.
Their first single is set for the UK Christmas charts and if you are looking for an uplifting Christmas story of hope that will put your faith back in teenagers, this is it.
A brief sample of their song is at the end of today's posting.
Here is their official press release and photograph from their single.

‘WANT TO BE’

 FITTING A CHRISTMAS HIT

IN WITH OUR GCSEs

Five school girls from North London are aiming for the Christmas No. 1 with a festive song.

'Want To Be (Under Your Christmas Tree)' by Fallen Millie was released on iTunes on 29th November.

It’s an unashamedly Christmassy and hopeful record. Recorded for fun because, as Fallen Millie say, “Christmas records should be about Christmas!”

From the stage that launched Amy Winehouse and Alexandra Burke.

Fallen Millie – Amy, Brooke, Franky, Tash and Yasmin – all met at ‘open mic’ vocal nights at the Bull Theatre in Barnet, North London. The same venue where Alexandra Burke used to sing and Amy Winehouse trained.

The girls are all still at school – aged 15 and 16 – and doing their GCSEs at the moment.

“We want to make records we love and to send out our own positive messages,” say Fallen Millie.

“We have unique voices and very different personalities, but somehow we all gel together. We’re not a girl band – we’re a band of girls who love singing together. And we’re having the time of our lives!”

‘Want to Be (Under your Christmas Tree)’ by Fallen Millie is available on iTunes and all good on-line digital retailers.

Fallen Millie are available for appearances and interviews.

Fallen Millie Christmas Song "Want to Be"

Contact Susi Earnshaw Management for further information or contact me and I'll have the management team get in touch with you.

Gratitude and Attitude

 The vastness of the Himalayas

“When you truly feel equal love for all beings, when your heart has expanded so much that it embraces the whole of creation, you will certainly not feel like giving up this or that. You will simply drop off from secular life as a ripe fruit drops from the branch of a tree. You will feel that the whole world is your home.”

Ramana Maharshi

Deep down, we all share the same common desires to have adequate shelter, food, and freedom from harm. This truth affirms our need to share in our commonality as fellow human beings and thereby work together to create a better society that brings about the internal and external peace that we seek.

We know we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we know we should feel compassion for all living things, and we know we should respect the challenges that we face without judgment, knowing that we are all at different stages on the journey of life.

The basics of life keep us busy and it’s often a challenge to remain calm and in control while balancing obligations to family and work. Challenges are everywhere, from the mundane to the major ones and living your life to its highest and greatest can seem especially difficult particularly when someone says or does something thoughtless to you or a loved one.

Having a life that’s overflowing with happiness, contentment, meaning, and purpose occurs when you take a moment to identify your priorities and look closely at what you are doing and whether it serves you best. It does take effort, but so does the alternative.

Share what you know and are grateful for with everyone.
Remember, what you give, you WILL receive back.

The following is a popular technique that I teach during workshops.
The next time that you are at the grocery store, try liking your surroundings and the people who are in the store too. Don’t focus on the way the other shoppers dress or style their hair.
Project feelings of happiness to them and to the world.
Notice what is good in your environment.
Appreciate what you have.
Smile. (Don't grin. Your smile is sufficient.)

Continue this method with family members and yourself. When folding laundry, take each person’s clothing and think about whom that item belongs to. Send that individual loving, happy thoughts. Think about some quality that you appreciate in this person. Do the same with your own items. What features and talents do you like about yourself?

Be grateful for all that you have every day.
Say thank you, until you mean it.
And if you say it long enough, you will believe it.

Here is a sample of what I am grateful for. These are not reserved for any one day. I am grateful each and every day and I wish everyone a life of love and light.

I am grateful for the love of family
I am grateful for the love of friends, old and new
I am grateful for the wonderful life that exists for me


In America, we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday November 25th. For all who are celebrating it, I wish you a peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving.

Inspired By Some Great Purpose

Patanjali

Today I decided to post this wonderful quote.

I hope you find the words as meaningful as I do.

"When you are inspired by some great purpose,

some extraordinary project, your thoughts break their bonds:

Your mind transcends limitations,

your consciousness expands in every direction,

and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.

Dormant forces, faculties and talents ... become alive,

you discover yourself to be a greater person by far

than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
Anon

Please note that some websites incorrectly attribute the above quote to Patanjali who wrote the Yoga Sutras. Many thanks to the scholars who have provided up-to-date information regarding this error. 

Staying Positive: The Way to Success and Health

Love is all you need?

Love really does keep you healthy.

The hormone DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is produced abundantly in the body from cholesterol and secreted by the adrenal glands. Once it is in your body, it impacts the body in multiple ways and can be converted into estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and even cortisone. It is also known as a cortisol antagonist; fighting the negative effects of stress and anxiety however it fluctuates according to your response to circumstances and decreases as you age.

High levels of cortisol have been associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and depression, as well as anxiety, increased stress, low energy and elevated blood pressure.
Studies indicate that DHEA protects from cortisol overconcentration, has an anti-depressant effect, enhances memory in young to middle-aged adults, and supports the immune-system therefore maintaining a steady level of this beneficial hormone is to be encouraged.


So how do you maintain the levels that you need?
Researchers have also found that meditation promotes positive emotional and physical states which, in turn, dramatically elevate levels of DHEA. Meditators allow feelings of peace and love to flow through their body and the multiple benefits support better overall health, outlook on life, and increased vitality.

The converse is also true; that people who harbor sad or even angry emotions and thoughts have less of the hormone in their system and higher amounts of cortisol which, over time, feeds illness and unhappiness.

Meditation does promote self-awareness, happiness, and feelings of love but you can continue to reinforce the benefits with your interactions with other people,your activities, and what you choose to surround yourself with.

Meditation and health
Meditation helps to rebuild your energy, enabling you to be inspired, at peace, and connected with the centers of your heart and mind. Without this, you risk leading a hectic lifestyle in which you feel emotionally and physically wrought and chronically exhausted.

It's more than just a relaxed feeling though and as you have seen from the brief information mentioned above it also creates positive changes to your physical and mental health.

A balance between rest and activity enhances productivity because you are able to focus, are more observant, and creativity can flourish. The difference between being tired or rested often translates into the difference between being overwhelmed with daily challenges or finding resourceful solutions to them.

Positive, successful peopleSpend time in the presence of positive, successful people either in person, in books, or online. Let them know what you are doing. Share your plans with those whom you now trust and can confide in at this point in your life’s journey. They won't be "nice" simply for the sake of it.  Successful people will be constructive and supportive, offering positive suggestions and encouraging you and you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner.

Eliminate naysayers from hearing about your aspirations.  After all, you know how they will respond.

What's your priority?
Meditate daily. Find the time. Make the time. Prioritize your time in order to meditate.
It is during your daily meditation practice that you will recognize and subsequently address self-limiting patterns of behavior and take the first steps that will release them.
Carry affirmations with you. Memorize them. They really do block out unwanted and pessimistic thoughts.

Affirmations
An integral part of any affirmation is to believe that it will happen.
If this does not come naturally to you, an easy way to learn this is to practice feeling as if it has already happened by imagining what it will feel like.
Follow up any affirmation with an expression of gratitude, whether it’s a simple “Thank You” or a more lengthy prayer or communication of thanks.

Today I choose to believe rather than hope.

Divine guidance is with me always.

There are opportunities for deeper insight in all of my interactions.

I am willing to grow. Love is my guide

Taking back your power: Positive affirmations list

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances but rather a person with

a certain set of attitudes. Hugh Downs

The following affirmations and positive thoughts are my own and I'm happy to list them in today's post.

If you choose to use them, please remember to credit my name.

You have the wonderful ability to think positively. It is a conscious choice to ensure that your thoughts and subsequent action are doing their best for you and for others. Whether you call it positive thinking or an affirmation, as long as you believe that it is working then it will have the power to make a difference.
Use whichever words best meet your own needs and purpose each day.
Here are three to begin with:

I choose to be kind
I choose to give love
I choose to be happy

Thoughts have their own unique energy and work for you or against you, but if you don’t monitor them by paying attention, then it should not be a surprise when situations occur that you don’t really want.

If you knew the real power of your thoughts, you would never have a negative thought again.

I have the freedom to choose how I will act, even when my first thoughts are not ideal.


Use the power of your words to create only that which is positive for you and will not do harm to others around you.

I am in a constant state of fulfillment.
I love and accept myself.
I am filled with energy to do all the daily activities in my life.
I choose to be grateful.

There is always a way to choose the right path, be it in words or actions and you are defined by the choices that you make.

The happier I am with people around me, the happier I am as a person.

The illusion of the world is very powerful and plays easily with the mind, if you let it happen, or don’t pay attention to what is actually going on.


Your thoughts and words reveal your innermost values and what you hold up as important.

Distractions caused by focusing on feelings or emotions of the past, or anticipation of what is going to happen or might happen in the future, draw you away from what is actually taking place at this moment in time.

Each moment of every day my life is filled with wonder.

Be grateful for all that you have every day.
Say thank you, until you mean it.
And if you say it long enough, you will believe it.

When you are exposed to a specific event, it is how your mind reacts that determines the response, rather than the actual event itself. When you are aware of the power of your intention and how it shapes yourself and the world around you, you recognize how uncontrolled emotions can keep you tied down in the very place you are struggling to get away from.

I am responsible for my life and have the power I need to have joy.

The past has no hold over me

I am in control of my thoughts and emotions

I make conscious decisions to follow one path or another

My life is brimming with bright choices and overflowing with joy and happiness.

Remember:
You are a wonderful amazing individual with no limits except those that you place in front of you.
Have confidence in your abilities.
Believe in yourself and what you are capable of and soar as high as you can imagine.

Increasing your optimism. There are No limits!

Concentration, Optimism, Success

The brain has an open loop system where we are able to pick up subtle clues that are emitted from one another. We can also anticipate the actions of other people and react accordingly and this amazing ability fires back and forth in split seconds between each person. For example, hormones are activated in 40 milliseconds while the sympathetic nervous system is activated in a mere 8 milliseconds.

There is also a cycle of "sacrifice and renewal" which occurs daily within the neurons and this cycle is affected either positively or negatively by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

It is estimated that 85,000 neurons are lost every day and if the SNS is activated more frequently and for prolonged periods, it actually promotes cognitive loss. This includes reducing the health of the immune system, increasing nervousness and fears, and stimulating stress.

The PNS has the opposite effect; promoting renewal and health including a better memory for details, increased positive emotions, lowering blood pressure, and arousing compassion.

Increasing optimism
Activities such as meditation, yoga and prayer have all been shown to promote renewal of neurons while also increasing hope, compassion and optimism.

Meditation affects your perception, your perspective on life, and by promoting a positive mental state enables you to be free from negativity that creates upset. It allows each one of us to move beyond the comprehension of what is occurring in the mind and body and to actually begin to feel the flow of positive emotions.

Mindfulness moments increase and effectively give the mind space to focus on what is positive and meaningful to you.

You begin to recognize what is dominate in your life and choose to develop new habits more in line with what you desire. This allows you to transcend the meditative experience and bring the benefits of meditation into your everyday activities.

So what will you do with the new-found attitude?

Let creativity flow
Wonderful things can happen when you channel your true passions into disciplined action and move beyond recurring thoughts and habits and replace them with positive ones through affirmations and a regular meditation practice and to actually begin to feel the flow of positive emotions. Don't compare yourself to others; simply do your best and encourage this in others,

Becoming active rather than reactive to situations fosters positive emotions, framing goals with hope for the future while also being able to see that negative events can “wake” you up to possibilities. This allows you to transcend the meditative experience and bring the benefits of meditation into your everyday activities.

There are NO limits
Be creative and inventive. Let your ideas flow and find what inspires you. Your horizon is as vast as you allow it to be and as tall and exciting as you make it.

Other people do not have your vision or your desire to succeed. There are no limits to your potential.
Your physical outer world is a reflection of your inner world and your energy is always radiating, flowing, and touching others. True change occurs from within and your positive inner dialogue helps elevate others around you even when you are not saying anything TO them; just thinking positive thoughts.

Affirmations

All that I perceive about myself is positive.

I face challenges with certainty that I will find solutions and overcome all obstacles

I am able to help and encourage people around me

I am successful in all that I set out to do

My life is filled with wonder.

 
In the 2008 University of Wisconsin study, “Regulation of the neural circuitry of emotion by compassion meditation: effects of meditative expertise” the researchers found that compassion meditation increased the practitioners capacity for empathy, which has both clinical and social importance.

Earlier studies showed that two people can share the same emotional responses or elicit the same activity in their brain when one actually experiences pain or pleasure, and the other person is either a visual witness, or hears the experience taking place.
This illustrated that humans have a foundation for empathy.

In the study mentioned above, two groups were studied: one who were experienced meditators and the other who were learning the technique.
Measuring brain activity to sounds such as a woman in distress or a baby crying elicited emotional responses in the groups such as a negative, neutral, or positive.

Brain imaging showed that meditating on compassion elicited reactions in the brain in both groups; however the experienced meditators exhibited a greater reaction, especially when someone was experiencing difficulty or distress.

Meditation increases compassion by helping you to focus on affirming thoughts, rather than problems and attune yourself to the needs of others.

Meditation
Meditation has been used for thousands of years for self-reflection, self-awareness, healing, and enlightenment. Today’s technology enables us to see the physiological and chemical changes that occur throughout the whole body.
People who meditate regularly are clinically shown to have fewer overall symptoms of stress, fewer cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms, less emotional irritability, and cognitive disorganization.
As the study mentioned above also shows, compassion increases, not only to others, but also to yourself.

Meditation draws your attention away from a particular problem or illness to a place of overall knowledge and feelings of inner calmness and peace. It helps you to concentrate less on individual set-backs or issues and provides you with a tool that promotes inward focus, enabling the mind and the body to experience a profound state of restfulness. In turn, the brain becomes balanced, while the mind and body move beyond thinking, to simply being.

Affirmation
You have the wonderful ability to think positively and compassionately. It is a conscious choice to ensure that your thoughts and subsequent action are doing their best for yourself and for others. Whether you call it positive thinking or an affirmation, as long as you believe that it is working then it will have the power to make a difference.
Thoughts have their own unique energy
Promote clear and positive images by seeing yourself as confident and compassionate in all that you think, say, and do. Use whichever words best meet your own needs and purpose each day.
Here are a few to begin with:

I choose to be kind
I choose to give love
I choose to be happy
May you and I be safe
May you and I be loved
May you and I be happy

What Thoughts Are You Carrying?

The immune system is not an independent self-directed system; rather it has an actual connection with the conscious mind and the effect of thoughts upon the body.
The brain produces chemicals called neuropeptides which affect the immune cell receptors in specific ways according to your emotional state.

The interaction between your mind and your subsequent behavior affects the immune system of your body, resulting in either health or illness.
People who expect the worst and see everything as half-empty may already be half-way to an early grave. With illnesses ranging from colds and flu to heart attacks and cancer, pessimists do live a shorter and unhealthier life.

Do mind-body techniques such as yoga, meditation or repetitive prayer affect the way the body deals with the activation or repression of genes which can result in cellular damage and consequently disease?
A study by MGH MBI and the Genomics Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center shows that following an 8 week period of meditation, participants’ genes were positively affected demonstrating that thoughts can and do affect the body at a cellular level.

Food and drink contain energy that can work with or against your body.
However, health does not only come from what you consume or apply topically. It stems from the internal and meditation is one of the easiest methods to promote healthy thoughts.
What habits do you keep repeating?
What feelings and fears keep intruding?
A diet of positive thoughts detoxifies the mind and improves your quality of life.
You are what you think.

Affirmation
Negative thoughts draw more negative energy to you; however it is possible to create new and better pathways within your brain with far-reaching consequences. Carry an affirmative thought with you every day to remind you to stay optimistic.

I choose to be grateful I choose to be kind

I choose to give love

I choose to feel joy

I choose to see the good within

I choose to be happy

Finding Your Self: This Is Who I Really Am

Sometimes what we perceive is a mirror reflection of who we are.

Do you like what you see?

As always, thank you to everyone around the world who follows my writing and thank you again for forwarding the blog link to friends.

Happiness and friendship is never diminished because it is shared.

Margaret

Finding Your Self
In the early 1980’s, Dr Richard Schwartz, Ph.D. worked as a family therapist. During his sessions with clients, he began to notice that some clients, those with eating disorders, would have internal dialogues with a pessimistic part of themselves that was either urging them to eat or purge the food from their body. As he explored this further with one client called “Diane”, he discovered that he was not talking to what he perceived as Diane, but to a part of her that was constantly engaged in an on-going war with a pessimistic voice that was constantly telling her that she was hopeless. When he asked her to directly inquire why the pessimist was always saying this, it said that it was protecting her from taking risks and getting hurt. Diane felt that this voice made her life a continuous struggle.

As he explored further, he discovered that there was also an angry voice inside Diane that pushed her to achieve while the pessimist voice told her she was hopeless. He invited her to ask the angry voice to “step-back” and to tell him how she now felt toward the negative voice. He reports that Diane immediately responded gently, in a more relaxed manner and compassionate state, appreciating the negative voice for caring about her, for trying to protect her, and for having to work so hard to make itself heard.

From that point on it was easy for Diane to handle the pessimist and to deal with her situation.

Dr Schwartz conducted on-going research into the inner voices with many of his clients. Upon reaching the calm, compassionate state they all gave, in their own words, the same response;
I am not like those other voices,
This is who I really am,
That’s my Self.

For the next twenty years, he has refined his research into teaching clients to reach their Selves. Likewise, he teaches therapists to also release baggage and perceived agendas and to get in touch with their real Self through his Center for Self Leadership (CSL) which has trained over 10,000 people in this approach since 2000.

Self-Awareness
We have all heard the inner voices that Dr Schwarz identified; the ones that discourage, ridicule, or worse. There are several clinical methods that can be used to declutter the mind from the constant static and to heighten awareness of the Self.

Just as research into the Self is now accepted and funded in America, meditation has also been researched with even deeper research examining the effect of meditation within the DNA of cells. Today’s technology enables us to see the physiological and chemical changes that occur throughout the whole body.

Self-Reflection
In many cultures, the Self was already known and spiritual and philosophical ideas arose through the practice of being in contact with the Self.

Meditation has been used for thousands of years for self-reflection, self-awareness, healing, enlightenment and connecting with the Self. It draws your attention away from a particular object or illness to an overall knowledge and feeling of inner calmness and peace. The mind concentrates less on individual problems or issues and settles instead on promoting an inward focus, enabling the mind and the body to experience a profound state of restfulness. In turn, the brain becomes balanced, while the mind and body move beyond thinking, to simply being.

Yet many people live their life following the same routines and habits, sometime without remembering why, and don’t know why or how to begin making simple changes that will bring positive transformation to their professional and personal lives.

Meditation
Meditation allows a heightened state of awareness to evolve and with this newfound clarity comes an understanding of needs, purpose, and the ability to implement change with confidence. Thoughts lessen as the mind develops inner vision and learns how to develop single-pointed focus. Like most things in life, meditation takes practice but it can easily be learned bringing with it the rewards of purpose and self awareness.

This increased level of awareness helps practitioners make subtle changes in diet, activity, and other lifestyle choices while improving interactions through enhanced empathy, understanding, and greater perception of life situations.

Affirmation

Affirmations are powerful statements about what you want to create in your life.
Balance your actions with awareness of thoughts and clarity of vision.
Noticing how and when you respond to situations gives you the ability to choose your thoughts and subsequent actions.
Envisage a clear and positive outline for your future by retaining only that which is positive and beneficial to you.

With each inhalation I breathe in ….. (what you need)

With each exhalation I release …..(what you don’t need)

I pay attention to why I think what I do

I pay attention to why I do what I do

I pay attention to how I affect the world around me

I am filled with love and happiness

Is Your Attitude Contagious?

 When the lake of the mind is still...... Ahh, Bliss!

As always, thank you to everyone around the world who follows my writing and thank you again for forwarding the blog link to friends.

Happiness and friendship is never diminished because it is shared.

Margaret

It’s now an accepted fact that stress not only affects how you feel, it impacts you physically. What’s less known is the cumulative consequence of long-term stress.

Many studies clearly show the link between stress, challenging work-related issues, and disheartening living conditions as heightening the risk for heart disease which are compounded when other aspects like smoking are factored in.

A 2005 study by The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine looked at 892 men with no-known cardiovascular disease and who felt they had no support or control of their working life. The findings showed that the men had increased markers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, which are linked to heart disease.

Staying In The Flow
Stress also creates an increase in the production of cortisol which in turn leads to further inflammation, raising blood pressure and inflammation.

Staying in the moment, and recognizing what you can change while accepting what you can’t, helps you to stay in the flow of life and use your energy wisely.

Meditation balances the chemical arousal while enabling you to reduce stress levels. You learn how to reframe what is happening instead of internalizing it and use the breathing and meditation techniques to relax and regain control.

Natural Rhythm
The findings of this 2005 study are relevant to both men and women regardless of age too. When you feel chronic pressure, as opposed to short-term acute pressure, it compounds the stress that already exists, and increases your likelihood of developing high blood pressure, irregular breathing patterns, cardiac problems, and other health risks.

Change is everywhere and there is a natural rhythm to the world. As we enter a new season, we are reminded yet again of the ever-changing flow of life that surrounds us. We know that seasonal variations cannot be stopped and are a wonderful part of life to be embraced, rather than struggled against.

Breathing Techniques
There are previous postings on my blog page which give guided meditations as well as simple breathing techniques that you can integrate into your daily activities.  Simply browse the list on the right hand side of the blog page (not the email page, if you receive the posting in your in-box).

Balance your life energy by replacing erratic breathing and random thought patterns with a calm and steady flow of energy that permeates throughout every cell of your body. This elevates your consciousness not only of the world around you, but of your own needs, and those of other people. Accepting change enables you to transition effortlessly with the twists and turns that occur on your life’s journey.

Is Your Attitude Contagious?
Optimism is a state of mind that can be developed and its many benefits include helping you to realize your goals and ambitions. It creates an upward cycle that is both contagious and powerful because it affects not only yourself, but those you come in contact with. Other people feel your positive and confident energy and this energizes them too.
The opposite can also be true.  Most of us know the phrase, "misery loves company."  These are the individuals who always find something wrong, whether it's the weather, what they had for lunch, or what someone is wearing.  They are often gossips too.  Hang around these people too long and it's draining.

Personally, I do not permit negativity to bury it's way into my life.  It saps time, energy, and other resources.

Remember though, it is a different situation when you recognize that someone is ill, sad, or grieving and in need of comfort, support, or even the gift of a smile; and you give freely. This is an example of using your energy wisely.

When life is frantic, people are angry, traffic is hectic, and the world seems to be getting crazier,

how do you respond to this?

While most of us are well aware that “remaining calm” or “love is the answer” are appropriate choices, putting them into practice is another matter entirely when you find it challenging to monitor your thoughts, keep them in check, or even reign in actions that you really don’t want to pursue.

"A chaotic life is often a reflection of a restless mind."

What Is Important?
Meditation restores peace to both the body and the mind and puts you back in control of what you think, say, and do. You are still aware of external stimuli but no longer affected by them.
You become able to filter the tug and pull of what's going on around you, making it easier to see all that is happening around you with greater detail and able to process the information with clarity. No longer pulled in different directions, you can discern what is important and retain connection to the source of peace that resides within you, free from the constraints of habits, desires, and boundaries.

A peaceful mind is the foundation for expanded awareness and a happy and stable life. Downbeat and pessimistic thinking is an acquired habit with its own internal mantra, and you can release yourself from thinking in terms of limitations, disappointments, and problems by first and foremost seeing all that is good in your life and being thankful for it.

Sow What You Want To Harvest
Affirmations help you to cultivate a fertile area in your heart where you weed out deep-rooted thought-patterns and sow seeds of love, ultimately reaping the rewards of peace and happiness.
Applying them every day helps you promote a better habitual way of thinking by inspiring you to grow only that which you want to flourish in your life.

Affirmation

The moment that I have right now is everything.

I visualize my desires and dreams and connect with them at all times

I find my bliss and keep it with me

Every thought takes me closer to my life purpose

I am filled with joy and enthusiasm

I love myself and others

I choose to do things that foster love

Creating the future that you want, now!

Paths take many directions and forms

What do you believe about yourself, your relationships, and the world around you?
Where does the information come from that enables you to form these beliefs?

All of your past experiences, and your perception of your experiences, create physiological changes in the brain in response to new information that is received. This occurs on a continual basis via images, words, sounds, smells and a myriad of other information that the brain constantly absorbs, including data received from your own thoughts and emotions.

Creating the right thoughts
In one Japanese study, children allergic to a poison ivy-like plant had a leaf of the poisonous plant rubbed onto one arm and a non-poisonous leaf resembling the toxic plant rubbed on the other forearm. The arm rubbed with the poison ivy-like leaf developed a rash while the other arm had no response.
However, the leaves were purposefully swapped resulting in the non-toxic plant producing a rash and the majority of children experiencing no effects from the actual poison ivy-like plant.

Researchers have also studied the link between unconscious thought and an individual’s environment which ultimately influenced their subjective view of themselves and their surroundings. This can also positively affect clinical depression by replacing a patient’s unhelpful and negative thinking patterns with ones that promote feelings of well-being, impacting the body right down to the cellular level.

Creating the right changes
Meditation creates neurological changes that help you during your daily activities. The changes are then reinforced each time you meditate, and each time you follow the new behavior.

During meditation, with the mind still and centered on the breath or your choice of focus, the brain works at keeping the breath slow, calm, and steady. As the breath slows, the mind becomes steady and less prone to random thoughts.

With practice and dedication, your chosen path become straight and clear.

Creating the right path
Over time, thinking positively becomes your normal way of thinking. You are able to catch yourself as each negative thought occurs, and change it quickly to a positive one. Eventually you only think good thoughts.

Constantly dragging the past or concerns about the future around with you keeps the body in a negative energy state. Applying the right thoughts, emotions, and behavior comes after creating space within the mind for new patterns to emerge. Aversions and preferences fade away until you remove the patterns of the past to create space for a new present to occur.


Affirmation
When you are exposed to a specific event, it is how your mind reacts that determines the response, rather than the actual event itself. When you are aware of the power of your intention and how it shapes yourself and the world around you, you recognize how uncontrolled emotions can keep you tied down in the very place you are struggling to get away from.

The past has no hold over me

I am in control of my thoughts and emotions

I make conscious decisions to follow one path

My life is brimming with bright choices and overflowing with joy and happiness

As always, thank you for checking out the blog, the hundreds of affirmations, and for passing the blog along to friends.

What Happens When...

I have taken a different approach to today's posting and I am sharing a story with you, rather than my own insights into living your best life.

I hope that you enjoy the message in the following story as much as I did.
As always, thank you to everyone around the world who follows my writing and thank you again for forwarding the blog link to friends.
Happiness and friendship is never diminished because it is shared.
Margaret

A teacher asked his disciples:
‘Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?’

The disciples thought for a while, and one of them said ‘Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.’

‘But, why shout when the other person is just next to you? Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you’re angry?’

The disciples gave him some other answers but none satisfied the teacher.

Finally he explained:
‘When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.’

Then the teacher asked: ‘What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small…’

And he finally said:
‘When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love.
Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.’

Boosting Your Happiness

The moment that I have right now is everything. Margaret Stockley

Have you ever seen or held a crystal up to the light and watched the way that it catches the sunlight? Many colors shine through it, their colorful rays spreading out in a myriad of directions.

In what way does the crystal change?

The answer is it doesn’t.

No matter the amount of light passing through the crystal, the intensity or color of the light, the crystal remains unaffected by what has happened.

Likewise, the part of you that does the observing also remains unchanged by what happens around and to the body.

Developing awareness in all situations, including your own feelings and reactions, enables you to take control of what you think and therefore do.

It’s up to you to determine what kind of reaction,

and ultimately reality, you're going to create.

You are not your thoughts, but they do impact you and others. Thoughts occur in the present moment so choose your present thoughts wisely and you will not be upset with the way that your future turns out.

Boost your happiness and confident outlook by honing your attention on your innermost thoughts and replacing any negative patterns that keep repeating themselves with a positive word or phrase. By making a conscious effort to change those habitual and troublesome thoughts you gain control over your life.

Affirmation

My inner glow is not dulled or discolored by what is happening around me

I am a beacon of pure energy radiating on the world, helping others

by the brightness and power of my light

Are You Living Your Best Self?

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark;

the real tragedy of life is when men (and women)

are afraid of the light." Plato

Life is always about choice and the outcome of choosing to live a particular way. The consequence of not living a life following your inner guidelines can lead to a life filled with anguish and unhappiness.

We know we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we know we should feel compassion for all living things, and we know we should respect the challenges that we face without judgment, knowing that we are all at different stages on the journey of life and are each of us doing the best that we choose to do. Living a life free from negative thoughts and behavior promotes love, thoughtfulness, and kindness for all things. Living in the light is possible for all.

Common Desires
Deep down, we all share the same common desires to have adequate shelter, food, and freedom from harm. This truth affirms our need to share in our commonality as fellow human beings and thereby work together to create a better society that brings about the internal and external peace that we seek.

Project What You Really Want
Meditation brings your complete attention to the present, to what is happening at this very moment, and helps you choose to behave in the appropriate way that puts into practice all your acquired knowledge.

This stills the soul, the mind, and the body enabling you to be a positive light in our own life and those you come in contact with. Because you are living in the present, you are always aware of the way people behave and of your responses toward them. You learn with intention to monitor your reactions and to project thoughts free from judgment, criticism, and hostility.

When you recognize who are are, and show it, you are on your way to living your best self.

The Choice Is Yours
Developing awareness in all situations, including your own feelings and reactions, enables you to take control of what you think and therefore do. It’s up to you to determine what kind of reaction, and ultimately reality, you're going to create.

Affirmations
You have the wonderful ability to think positively. It is a conscious choice to ensure that your thoughts and subsequent action are doing their best for you and for others. Whether you call it positive thinking or an affirmation, as long as you believe that it is working then it will have the power to make a difference.
Use whichever words best meet your own needs and purpose each day.

Here are a few to begin with:

I choose to be kind

I choose to give love

I choose to be happy

I am surrounded with loving, caring people in my life.

I am loving and accepting of others and this creates lasting relationships for me.

I trust my inner thoughts to lead me in the right path.

Are You In The Best Surroundings For Who You Are?

Are You In The Best Surroundings For Who You Are?

Habits
Neuroscience shows that your past experiences, thoughts, and actions are imprinted on the neurons of your brain.

Fortunately, the brain is pliable, like plastic, and is generally receptive to influences that can lead to change. Physically putting your new thoughts into action strengthens the sensory pathways, which activates energy in the area of the brain responsible for the activity. Then, the brain creates a memory for the experience which further reinforces the pathways and in turn perfects your skill or new habit.
Without awareness, you will unconsciously keep reacting in a specific manner, choosing habit over healthy behavior.

Who Sustains You?
If you want to thrive, rather than survive, your thoughts and actions are only a part of the big picture. You are also defined by who you surround yourself with on a regular basis.
Take a look at your own life.
Who sustains you?
Who provides you with love, laughter, and support?
Who drains you and brings you down?
Who makes you feel glad because you are in their presence?

Questions To Ask
Any decision you make, and the actions you take ultimately reflect back on other people that you interact with, and they in turn with other people. You make your decisions not in isolation, but as part of a two-way process that helps you to discover and confirm the right direction your life will take. Your actions ultimately impact others, demonstrating how inextricably bound together we are. By default, it obliges us to live responsibly and in doing so, create an environment that is conducive to behavior that is creative, not destructive.
Feeling good about yourself comes about by thinking less about yourself, and helping others more.
Ask questions such as:
“What do I need?” and “There is happiness when I…”

Choices
You are defined by the choices that you make. They reveal your innermost values and what you hold up as important.
Negative feelings hinder and prevent you from achieving positive change. Have you unconsciously given permission to downbeat thoughts and allowed them to influence your behavior?
Focusing on the positive things in your life means that you can alter your perspective on life. This has the effect of making you more constructive every day, while others are glad to see you because of your enthusiasm and affirmative action.
Make choices that honor who you truly are and you will create a lifetime of love and happiness.


Optimism
Positive thoughts directed to yourself and others help you to stay focused on what really matters. Mindfulness moments free your mind from preoccupations or any suffering you may have sustained through your life. The result is unconditional acceptance of who you are.

The breath has power not only on a physical level, but on a subtle level too. As you meditate every day, develop positive awareness in rhythm with your deep and steady breath. This will become your normal state of being.

Cultivate a state of optimism in all your thoughts by drawing this understanding to your waking activities.

Positive Affirmations:

Each moment of every day my life is filled with wonder

I choose my thoughts

I have abundant energy to complete all my tasks

I am filled with vitality in body, mind, and spirit

All aspects of my being are filled with love

Are Your Thoughts Creating The Reality That You Want?

The meditative mind reflects peace and clarity.

A 1995 report to the National Institutes of Health on alternative medicine concluded that "More than 30 years of research, as well as the experience of a large and growing number of individuals and health care providers, suggests that meditation and similar forms of relaxation can lead to better health, higher quality of life, and lowered health care costs…"

Fifteen years after that report, multiple aspects of meditation are actively being studied with the results raising further ideas for research as well as finding answers to health and wellbeing problems through the many benefits of meditation. Many of these studies have been highlighted in our previous newsletters.

One of the latest areas of research focuses on gamma waves produced by regular deep meditation. These gamma waves cause the electromagnetic rhythm of neurons to fire very rapidly in synchrony with each other, changing the brain in positive ways.

The thought-process becomes clearer while the ability to be the observer of your thoughts becomes sharper and immediate. What this leads to is a rewiring of the circuitry of the brain, resulting in stress-reduction, calmness, and improved interactions.

Your Powerful Thoughts
A balance between rest and activity enhances productivity because you are able to focus, are more observant, and creativity can flourish. Your mind requires meditative time to stay inspired and alert. The difference between being tired or rested often translates into the difference between being overwhelmed with daily challenges or finding resourceful solutions to them.

No one has control over your thoughts except yourself. Your hope, wishes, even your imagination are all within your own power to direct their energy in one path or another.
Studies show that the mind cannot discern between what it has actually seen and what it is seeing via your imagination.

The mind can be “tricked” into believing a memory that is simply created as though it has actually been experienced.

Use your imagination to generate a reality that is positive, loving, and all that you desire. This is not a make-believe type of imagining, but a means of creating more positivity and constructive actions that in turn generates affirmative thoughts and actions. Gradually, you develop the habit of thinking positively, seeing opportunities rather than obstacles, and being the type of person that people want to be around because they feel good by being in your presence.

You always have a choice about how you are going to react to the world. For example, take a look around you at the room that you are sitting in. What do you notice? Do you pay attention to the fact that it is comfortable and are appreciative of having a home?
Or do you choose to think about the chores that need to be done?

Try to pay attention and catch yourself mid-thought whenever you find that a thought has appeared that does not promote the environment that you want.

Affirmation

Use affirmations either as part of your meditation practice or carry them with you and repeat them throughout the day whenever you catch yourself thinking a negative thought.
Over time, your affirmations will have a positive effect and transform not only your behavior but generate an assuredness of self-worth and contentment.

My thoughts are creating the reality that I want
My imagination creates what I believe
My affirmations are creating habits in keeping with my objectives
I am now achieving my goals

What The Geese Taught Me

“What The Geese Taught Me”

“Next fall, when you see Geese heading South for the Winter, flying along in V formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way:

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following.

By flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going, more quickly and easily, because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone ... and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are.

When the Head Goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It's sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What do we say when we honk from behind?

Finally...and this is important...when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until it dies; only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.”
(Author Unknown)

How Much Effort Does It Actually Take To Live Mindfully?

The researcher Jon Kabat-Zinn writes the following about mindfulness; "The point is to pause in our experience long enough to let the present moment sink in; long enough to actually feel the present moment, to see it in its fullness, to hold it in awareness, and thereby come to know and understand it better."

How much effort does it actually take to live mindfully?
At what times during the day do you pause to think about someone or notice how you are feeling?
Noticing what you are experiencing and incorporating this awareness into all of your interactions begins when you become the observer of your life.

The hard way or the easy way?
It takes only a small amount of time to do something mindfully as it does to act without thinking. The consequences though can be very different as many people have regrettably found out the hard way.

We make conscious choices every day when it is related to an event that we deem to be important to us. Equally, not making a choice when you have the opportunity to make one is also a choice.

Learning to live in the moment begins with catching yourself in the moment. This instance of awareness includes observing what's occurring internally as well as physically.

Ask yourself the following questions:
What am I noticing right now? What's happening in my vicinity? What am I drawn to?
What am I feeling right now? What emotions and physical sensations are flowing through me?
What am I thinking right now? How do I want to react?

With practice, awareness increases and you quickly pick up what the body is feeling and what thoughts are flowing through the mind.

All this occurs in real time and gives you the ability to make appropriate choices that positively impact your present, your future, and the ability to sustain lasting change.

Affirmations

As always, choose affirmations that feel appropriate to you. Feel free to create an affirmation that's suitable to you by asking yourself the following question:
What do I want to ….?

This will help you to create affirmations that assert your purpose and therefore have special meaning to you.
It is important that the words you use are your own or that they feel comfortable to you.
Once you become familiar with using an affirmation, you can create your own ones, based on your specific needs on a day-to-day basis using language and content to better fit what is happening in your own life.

I have the freedom to find out who I am

I forgive who I was in the past

I accept what is happening and trust that all will be well

I know that I am a loving person and that I am loved

Why Do Happy People Do Better In Life?

Why do happy people do better in life?

A 2009 study from the University of Pittsburgh looked at the role of positive emotions and discovered that positivity was a powerful source of growth and change, predicting desirable life outcomes in many areas including resilience, coping resources, as well as life satisfaction. The researchers investigated why positive emotions were so significant and concluded that optimistic feelings actually helped people build lasting resources.

Encouragingly, the researchers found that negative emotions had weak or null effects and did not interfere with the benefits of positive emotions. So, if you were to experience positive emotions during one part of your day and negative emotions during another, their effects did not cancel each other out. The report highlighted this effect using the acute experience of bereavement as an example. Many people who were grieving reported some episodes of positive emotions amid their elevated levels of negative emotions, resulting in better psychological outcomes.

Change in resilience mediated the relationship between positive emotions and increased life satisfaction, suggesting that happy people became more satisfied not simply because they felt better but because they developed resources for living well.

What was also interesting was that it was not enough to simply express gratitude or appreciate your life in a general way, it was the “in-the-moment” lived experiences of joy and interest, rather than the more general positive evaluations, that started the process of exploring, learning, connecting, and building new resources and ultimately formed the link between happiness and desirable life outcomes.

A mindful, happy moment!

Savoring The Moment

Increase your own life satisfaction by fostering behavior that triggers a cascade effect of positive emotions, increases resilience, while providing you with tools that give you a constructive and optimistic outlook on life.
Savor the moment. Awareness of wonders, such as a rainbow after a storm, the giggle of a child, the sweet flavor and juiciness of a summer fruit all contribute to memories that not only make you feel good but you can later draw on during challenging moments to sustain you. Pay closer attention to what is happening around you. Think about creating happy memories from good situations, however small and transitory they may seem, and notice how quickly they build up.

Something Else To Celebrate

Altruism, empathy and acts of kindness not only make you feel good, but they make a difference in the lives of others. Your actions don’t have to be major ones; they can be as simple as a smile, opening a door, to something larger such as organizing a food drive or driving someone to and from the hospital. It’s the cumulative effect that makes you feel good about yourself and life in general while enhancing your connectivity to the world. As an added bonus, you will see your kindness reciprocated.

Isn’t that something else to celebrate?

Affirmation
Create a positive feedback loop and boost your life satisfaction through consciously monitoring and choosing your thoughts and actions. When you are aware of the power of your intention and how it shapes yourself and the world around you, you recognize how uncontrolled emotions can keep you tied down in the very place you are struggling to get away from.

The past has no hold over me
I am in control of my thoughts and emotions
I make conscious decisions to follow one path or another
My life is brimming with bright choices and overflowing with joy and happiness.

Be Kind to Yourself Too!

Integrating loving-kindness into your everyday life can provide quick results that benefit yourself, and others.
It's often easier to extend a helping hand or a thoughtful word to a friend or even a complete stranger, but what goes on in your head? What recurring thoughts do you have that you don't want and how can you get rid of them?

Loving-kindness directed to friends, family, yourself, and even strangers fosters self-care and improves connections while extinguishing doubts, anxieties, and even anger.

You can learn to express loving/kind thoughts and actions but it is also important to permit yourself to receive love/kindness in return.

A new perspective
This open-hearted way of living permeates all aspects of your life and interactions with the world around you; from what you eat, from your loving respect of animals, to caring about the environment, and embracing non-violence.

When you interact with another person, or even a group, your intention will show via your thoughts through the language that you choose to use, to your tone of voice. Building and living your life upon the strong foundation of love and kindness provides a steady stepping-stone to increase your well-being, happiness, and self-compassion.

When you catch yourself in the throes of another self-depricating thought, replace it with one or all of the following affirmations instead.

Meditation
The following meditation helps to bring positive changes to the area of your heart and can be repeated as often as you wish throughout the day.

When seated in your meditation pose you can focus on the phrases by repeating them.

If concentration is challenging, you may like to try repeating them when walking and synchronize them with each step that you take.

In addition, one or more of the phrases can be written down and placed where you can see them often.

With continued use, you clear away the clutter of thoughts and emotions that you do not want and act instead from a clear place of kindness that was within you all along.

May I be safe

May I be happy

May I be well

May I be at peace

Happy Thoughts: Affirmations to Love Your Life

A Public Display of Love

Neuroscience shows that your past experiences, thoughts, and actions are imprinted on the neurons of your brain. Without awareness, you will unconsciously keep reacting in a specific manner, choosing habit over healthy behavior.

There is always a way to choose the right path, be it in words or actions.

What's also interesting is that negative thoughts draw more negative energy to you; however it is possible to create new and better pathways within your brain with far-reaching consequences.

Your mind makes mental movies of both actual and imagined situations as though the brain is witnessing it for real: laughter, arguments, sad life events.
These images affect the whole self, thereby creating a reality that you choose, whether you are conscious of it or not.

Carry an affirmative thought with you every day to remind you to stay optimistic.

I choose to be grateful I choose to be kind

I choose to give love

I choose to feel joy

I choose to see the good within

I choose to be happy