The Power Of Belief

Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy. ~ Brian Tracy

Funny how most of us take criticism to heart while we barely acknowledge praise. We can have one person disapprove and ten who compliment our efforts. What words do we hang onto and replay? We begin to believe those words. We wear it around our necks until it becomes a part of us.

We are each gifted immeasurably, yet many of us lack the confidence to use these gifts.

There is power in belief. The thing to remember is we also have the power to tear apart those negative self-beliefs. We have a choice in what we believe. We can reinvent ourselves simply by changing our attitude about ourselves.

Don’t dismiss the tiny voice who says you can do it. Listen in the silence. Hear the universe cheering you on. Know God created you with love.

Believe in the beauty of authenticity.

Believe in your purpose.

Believe you are worthy.

Believe you are loved.

Believe in yourself.

Believe.

The Lost Art Of Waiting

The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

 

Not long ago I needed to fill my car up with gas. All the lines were backed up with at least three to five cars waiting. I pulled into the nearest line and waited my turn. As I got out to gas up I heard horns blasting and a ruckus behind me. Apparently the guy directly behind me cut off four cars to get his gas, and the other patrons were irate. The guy behind him told him he was rude and called him an idiot. However, a guy in the next isle taunted him with names and slurs the entire time I gassed up. My Subaru was empty while the Mercedes who’d cut the others off only needed a splash of gas. The problem for him was this is the type of station that once you reach the pumps you can’t pull around the person in front of you to leave…you must wait. I’m not sure what this guy accomplished other than causing more irritation to himself and others. While I admit, it was in bad taste for the one guy to ride him the whole time, it allowed Mercedes guy time to think about what he’d done. Did he feel a sense of entitlement that he shouldn’t have to wait his turn like the other patrons? Did he not realize he was cutting others off? I didn’t see the actual offense, but only heard about it in the aftermath of accusations. The Accused never offered an apology or excuse. He totally ignored the hecklings while he pumped his gas. Perhaps that was the smarter thing to do though it did not earn him any points with the offended.

I often wonder about people who zip by in traffic and end up waiting at the same stoplights as everyone else. Speeding doesn’t get them where they’re headed any quicker when you’re in a busy city. Perhaps patience, virtue that it is, has also become almost a lost art.

Technology has birthed a “me now” society. People want instant gratification. They want results without waiting. The courtesy of taking turns has blown out with the wind. I do realize there are still many courteous and patient people, but I see less and less evidence of it these days. I mostly hear people complaining about how long something takes rather than how much they enjoyed reading/conversing/resting while they waited.

I try to remember the old adages, “Good things come to those who wait” and “Anything worth doing is worth doing well”. I know when I get hasty or take shortcuts, not only do I make mistakes but I also miss out on living right then and there.

It seems to me I’ve become much more patient as I’ve gotten older. Perhaps it’s one of those life lessons, or maybe practice has paid off. Or maybe I just don’t feel as rushed as I did when I was trying to juggle, home, work, kids, marriage, and a social calendar all at once. How about you? Do you feel you are more or less patient than you once were? What do you think has attributed to the change?

Slow down. Look around. Listen. You never know what you’re missing if you don’t take the time to be aware of life around you.

When We Gather Together

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. ~Khalil Gibran

Birds of a feather flock together.

As we begin our social lives we start in play groups and as we age we evolve into groups of the same intellectual standards, social issues, sports interests, and hobbies. We even group ourselves by political affiliation, financial status, occupations, and faith.

We depend on one another for company and support. We draw strength, inspiration, and knowledge from one another. We must never forget or underestimate the value of embracing the differences among us as well.

I have people I enjoy relating with about fiber projects, and others I bounce writing ideas and critiques with. Then I have those I can always depend on for a laugh and lift of spirit. And there are those who deeply know me and accept me just as I am. What a beautiful thing it is to have more than one flock in which to belong.

I enjoy my times of solitude, but I greatly enjoy my time with those whom I connect on many levels. Some, I feel are extensions of myself. If we must weather storms, who better to do it with than those of our own choosing.

Do you have a flock, several flocks, or do you prefer to always fly alone?

Here’s hoping you have a blessed weekend of love, connection, and familiarity.

Owning Up

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

Why is it so difficult for people to own their actions? A person who admits they’ve wronged another or made a mistake earns more respect than someone who points blame elsewhere.

The choices you make and the consequences that follow belong to you. When one continuously justifies their actions they will fail to clearly see their responsibility. In doing this they will continue the same path of behavior. When you stop making yourself a victim you will rise above the ashes.

Examine the situation. What can you learn from this? What part did you play in this? Did you provoke someone? Insult them? Did you take something that belonged to them? Did you invade their space? What is your relationship with said person? Do you have a long turbulent history with this person? Chances are slim that you are a random target.

Everyone has a dark side. Emotions often feed this part of us we fear or dislike. The bottom line is when we know the things we don’t like about ourselves it gives us the power to improve ourselves. It makes us more aware of the choices we make and the actions we take. We not only have the power to own our lives but we have the power to make the life we own as peaceful as we dare to be.

Peace cannot be found in the eye of the storm. When we change behaviors that no longer serve us we earn trust in our relationships.

Secure people own their actions. They learn from their mistakes. They conduct themselves in ways which enrich their relationships and end relationships that don’t serve conducive to peace and personal growth.

When you find yourself in unwanted drama, accept your position in it. Apologize for any wrongdoing or speak your peace. Let it go and move on. Until you let go, you will never move on. Until you move on, you will never find peace.

Getting What You Need

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.” ~Mick Jagger

 

These waters are anything but still. They hiss, gurgle, murmur, and babble as they bubble between rocks, push their way through walls of sticks and stones, and splash against the banks. This aquatic orchestra is solace to my soul. This bit of nature’s noise stills my mind.

Oldest and I spent some time at my mother’s house this weekend. We hiked the family land and collected a few rock treasures. I enjoyed the opportunity to share our family history with him.

Dirt Man and I often took our kids on family hikes, but it’s been years since I’d gotten to do this with Oldest. I did get to hike a few years back with Youngest and equally enjoyed that outing as well. It seems as our kids have grown up their lives have developed new interests which have paved a path distinctly their own. It was wonderful to reexamine roots together.

This hike wasn’t preplanned, nor was it something I thought I needed. However, it fulfilled me in a way I hadn’t expected. I suppose we connected on a level we used to, before life became serious. We visited the past, lived in the present, and pondered the future. Nature has a way of balancing life.

Here’s hoping your week is filled with unexpected pleasures, chance encounters, and finding what you need rather than what you want.

A Tangled Mess

In the midst of a beading project I lost my head. Oops, I mean my thread. I soon became a tangled mess. Thus began a life lesson knotted within the colored fibers and beads. And how many times did I misplace my needle? A beading needle is fine, just a sliver of steel which easily blends into whatever is beneath. Misplaced, it can lead to the pain of being pricked and left bleeding…that’s what happens when we lose ourselves in the midst of living.

It’s so easy to lose ourselves within the tangled mess of our lives, but this tangled mess is life. And it is this life that holds meaning and love. It is inside the chaos we find clarity. Messages arrive in the cluster of clutter. Whether we head the words we hear or discard them makes all the difference in the world. Perhaps those messages have the power to make our world.

Sometimes we must dive deeper into the twists that hold us together to find what ripped us apart. Sometimes we are a tangled mess. It is within this tangled mess we find ourselves. This is the place we wear our brave. This is the opportunity to exercise freedom, to challenge ourselves to step up our game. The act of surrendering is where we face our truths. We find ourselves in this place between what was and what will be. This tangled mess is a place of discovery.  And the discovery is just the beginning…for life can become as beautiful as we allow it to be.

The Beauty Of Pain

A writer’s heart, a poet’s heart, an artist’s heart, a musician’s heart is always breaking. It is through that broken window that we see the world… ~Alice Walker

The wound is the place where the Light enters you. ~Rumi

We are each broken. It is in how we choose to use our brokenness that determines who we are. Through this very vulnerability we develop compassion. When people learn to use their wounds to help others heal it becomes a gift of great beauty.

When we deny our wounds we are refusing to allow ourselves the growth of strength in those places. We can use what we know to empower ourselves, comfort others, and change the world. When weaknesses are accepted rather than scorned, everyone benefits. We become connected on a human level and united in love.

What others see of us is determined by how we channel our light. I know several hurting individuals, and my heart warms at the sight of them. One volunteers her time, energy, and compassion aiding those less fortunate. Another is a cheerleader, encouraging her friends. While yet another is stepping into brave, exercising her freedom to be herself. While each one of these women suffers feelings of alienation, detachment, rejection, and damage, the love within them shines in perfect splendor. Perhaps this is the beauty of humanity when one can take her own experiences and help another cope, hope, and rise above current circumstances.

We are but fragments in a universal shattering. As the light shines through us we become the stained glass of humanity…isn’t that a lovely image?

On Being Grounded

“To find the balance you want, this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it’s like you have 4 legs instead of 2. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead. That way, you will know God.”  ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

 

Have you ever watched a poised person? They conduct themselves with grace and exude confidence. They radiate a beauty that can’t be faked. They don’t play the blame game, stuck in the coulda’ woulda’ shoulda’s of the past. Nor do they focus on the when I’s (when I get a better job, when I get more money, when I lose some weight, etc…)of the future.

I used to envy those balanced people who seem to have it all. Then I realized I could be one, too. So can you. They really don’t have it all…They are appreciative of what they do have. They are in tune with life and open to the wisdom the process offers. They are at peace. They have chosen to be happy.

They surround themselves with people who love and accept them, and they love and accept others. These people practice and experience compassion and connection. They have found their place in the flow of now and generate a feeling of belonging for others. They don’t live in fear because they trust love to lead the way. For it is only in being grounded we are free to flourish.

How can we be like this? Drop the nomadic mind. Be here now. Instead of spending so much time searching for the light, be the light.

The First Step

“It is the small doubts of timid souls that accomplish their ruin. It is the narrow vision, the fear and trembling hesitation, that constitute defeat.” ~Alice Foote MacDougall

The things we reach for or dream of can seem as far stretching as the ground to the heavens. However, that didn’t stop the tree did it? Think of the beauty and comfort humanity would have missed out on had the tree given up hope.  Sometimes the longest mile is simply the first step. Sometimes the only obstacle standing in our way is ourselves. And sometimes the biggest fear is that we do not deserve the things we desire.

There are times in life we lose our way. We don’t realize what we long for is within reach. Or perhaps we know it’s possible but requires risk, a change in status quo. What appears elementary  to one is a daunting task to another.  Even though our heart tells us if we attempt this one thing it will put us nearer to the peace and happiness we yearn, we hesitate. Why? Because change is hard. It’s uncomfortable. There are no guarantees the choices we make will take us where we hope to end up. However, the one sure thing is staying put doesn’t get us any closer…

…and then there are those people who make us believe the tree really will reach its destination, and even if not exactly where planned, it will flourish. I’m not talking about the people who move mountains and lead revolutions, but those who stand up for themselves.

Stretch your limbs to the heavens and know you are the only one who can hold you back.

Surround yourself with people who love you enough to accept you for who you are.

Live your beautiful life with your heart guiding the way.

Embrace change for the gifts which accompany it.

Listen to the voice within to find your peace.

Choose happiness.

 

 

 

What If One Day…

“It doesn’t matter whom you love or where you move from or to, you always take yourself with you. If you don’t know who you are, or if you’ve forgotten or misplaced her, then you’ll always feel as if you don’t belong. “ ― Sarah Ban Breathnach, Moving On: Creating Your House of Belonging with Simple Abundance

There are times we feel empty, unaccomplished. We wonder why we feel stuck. Perhaps we only feel like we aren’t moving forward because our interpretation of our life is skewed.

Seriously, sometimes we look for the wrong things; therefore we don’t see what really matters.  We forget we have a better vantage point looking from the inside out, rather than being the stranger looking at us from afar. We are able to see within the origin of all that has come from us.

The truth is we felt the love, joy, heartache, sadness, and confusion.  We heard the voice that prodded us along. No one experienced what was sacred to us. They only surmised from the reflection we cast.

We have the ability to sift through our lives and find the beauty within. We tend to pull in our scattered petals; discarding the imperfect and pinning the unfurling flowers upon our shoulders. What will it take us to realize it is the whole of us that makes us beautiful and unique? And all the while we are questioning ourselves; we go on living, fulfilling the promise of life before us…and we don’t even realize it.

What if for one day we went about our business unconcerned with what others thought?

What if for one day we felt complete beauty, untarnished by shame or guilt?

What if for one day we were committed to only what truly mattered?

What if for one day we didn’t question but trusted our souls?

What if for one day we loved ourselves as God loves us?

What if for one day we embraced our uniqueness?

What if for one day we lived as if it was our last?

What if for one day we felt we truly belonged?

What if for one day we only loved?