Category Archives: Appreciation

Posted on

One Day At A Time

by

custom_dart_calendar_16634 “Always remember that the future comes one day at a time” ~Dean Acheson

It’s always interesting to me that something so simple and so true can be so elusive and difficult to embrace.

Why is it so hard for us to realize this? You hear all sorts of stories about unexpected events happening to people that totally change their lives forever and derail them from the direction they have been focusing on.

If we continue to live in the future without being happy and satisfied on a day to day basis, we may miss out on life as it goes flying by. Waiting for the future is a big mistake. This is not to say that you shouldn’t have goals or want to do something with your life that involves planning and working toward it. But, don’t wait until you’ve achieved it to start enjoying your life.

Don’t be thinking “when I lose weight, I’ll be happy”, or “when I get this other job, I’ll have enough money to do the things I want to do and like”. This type of thinking keeps you from living in the Now and actually enjoying your life, living it to the fullest. If you wake up every morning and tell yourself “I’m going to live life to the fullest today no matter what”, then you’ve set your intention and “paved your way” for the day.

So what does “living your life to the fullest” mean? Maybe you’re not at the weight you want or have the amount of money you want, or have the love of your life yet. But, you have your personality and the beauty of the outdoors and the moon and the sky and everything about nature. In addition, you have people around you that you can influence. You can smile at them, say ‘hi’, tell them they did a good job, be there for them. It doesn’t take money to do all that, you don’t have to be at a certain weight or in love to make the lives of others happy. It takes a moment, it takes desire and awareness and a few words and a smile. Can you do that? I venture to say that making a difference in the life of someone else would actually make you feel more fulfilled than the other things I mentioned (weight, money, love life, etc). Try it, I think you’ll like it.

When things aren’t going the way you want them to, you really should slow down and find out what it is you CAN do given your new circumstances. You’ve been derailed from the road you were comfortably marching down and all of a sudden you have to change gears. You all know how incapacitated I am right now. I can just now walk some (with my boot) but still with a lot of pain. So, I cannot do any of the activities I like or need to do (including cleaning up the place – I haven’t even finished putting things away from the run in July). What are my options? Well, I could sit around and mope and I’m actually pretty good at that. But, I also know that it simply wastes my time. I allow myself to mope for a maximum of 45 minutes, then I have to do something. I’ve been forced to come up with other alternatives for what to do. And I have.

I could sit and say “I can’t wait until I can run again” and then waste all the days in between. And, what if these injuries keep me from running again? Then what? I could say “why aren’t my feet getting any better? They are the same as yesterday – what’s going on? Why me? Why isn’t it better?” etc. But what good would that do? NONE at all. What is better is to find something productive to do and something that will make me happy. So I spend the weekend OFF of Facebook (where all the race comments will be for the races I couldn’t go to but had signed up for). That way I’m not constantly thinking about what I “wish” I were doing. I have already made a list of all the things I can do and will do the ones I have to and then the ones I want to. I’ve been “knocked off my feet” for some universal lesson and I might as well spend this long weekend “going to school” to see if I can determine what the lessons are.

Try to reform the pathways in your brain. Find out what your purpose is in life and proceed to create a new path. It might lead to the same destination but you might have to take a different road to get there. Create your own AAA and make your new “trip tickets” – you can map your way, load up your GPS  and head on down a new highway to get to that destination (your purpose in life).  It’s all how you look at where you are right now compared to where you want to go!

What can you do to live life to the fullest today? I know I am going to laugh and joke and let others around me know how much I appreciate them today! Tell me what you’re going to do?

Terrie

Posted on

Why Are Positive Beliefs Not Embraced Like Negative Ones

by

positive-negative beliefsHave you ever noticed that it’s so easy for people to believe something bad or negative and they are so resistant to adopting positive beliefs? I find that truly amazing and don’t really have an answer as to the reason why.

The recent Ebola issue is a perfect example. People were quick to believe that we in the US were going to be overwhelmed with an Ebola pandemic within just a few days or weeks. Now, I don’t necessarily think that we are out of the woods completely. However, all the negative beliefs that were being spread via the media (of course) were adopted without any questioning. People clung to the so called “experts” the TV News stations had on. I could have called them up and been taken on as an expert in disaster medicine as I have a great deal of experience with this (but am certainly NOT an expert). You have no idea what credentials that person really has. But, it’s as if we simply believe something because it comes through that “tube” (the TV). Why is that? Think about yourself. What do you do to question or legitimize anything you hear on the “news”?

I also find it interesting (and this is very controversial I know) how people were NOT up in arms when the quarantine New York imposed was questioned and one or two people claim their rights were taken away. I did not see much outrage at all. But if that had been a few weeks earlier, then I believe we would have seen much more support for the involuntary quarantine. In fact, I think there would have been many more people calling for it. It only makes sense and if people can’t give up 21 days of their being out in public for the safety of an entire population what does that say about those people? I know what it tells me. And I don’t like it.

How quickly have you ever adopted a belief that everything was going to work out fine (or even great) for you? Or have you been the one who’s said “there’s always a black cloud hanging over me” or “nothing ever works out for me” etc? Have you believed you can get rid of an illness quicker than what others have told you? Or have you held on to that “I know this won’t get any better, I’ll never get better, or even I’m going to die”. People believe the latter even when others (including medical professionals) tell them otherwise.

It’s like the negative belief is a much lower hanging fruit, making it very difficult to reach higher for the positive thought or belief. Is it fear of rejection, fear of being let down, what is it? Are we afraid that others will think we’re stupid or abnormal if we hold on to a positive belief? Maybe we won’t get as much attention if we focus on what could go wrong instead of just telling others “hey, I know it will work out fine”. If we say that, then there may not be any way that others will keep checking on us or helping us. Wouldn’t it be great though if we got “stay well” gifts and surprise visits instead of just “get well” ones.

Have you tried to adopt something positive and then found it was too hard to maintain the positive vibration? If so, what is it that’s making it hard? Look around you – at the people and the environment that surround you. Is there some feeling or vibration emanating from that that is tugging at you, trying to stop that positive momentum and leading you down the negative plane? If so, get out of the situation and away from the negative energy. Create your own affirmation that you can hold on to and repeat it over and over until your vibratory plate is not wobbling any more.

Last week, my car felt “funny” as I left a medical appointment one afternoon. But it got me home and I didn’t think any more about it.  Next morning, though, my car wouldn’t start. It was 5:30 a.m. and I couldn’t bother my neighbors to get to work. I just got “lucky” and car_battery_400_clr_11845when I texted one of the men I work with, he hadn’t left yet (lives a mile from me) so I got to work ok. I asked a few of the guys at work to take me home and one was able to make arrangements. I had also Facebook’d my neighbor and got her before she went to work and asked her husband to work on it. But not only did he take care of the battery but he got my oil changed and my inspection done. How great was that? I didn’t fall into the “poor me” or “why me”. I just kept going along trying to keep my life going in the positive direction.  And look at everything terrific that happened to me. Was I grateful for getting my inspection and oil done too? You betcha since it would have taken a few hours out of my weekend had I had to do it. I just allowed the good to come pouring into my life no matter what it seemed like.

Surround yourself with positive thoughts and positive people. People who will share the good stuff with you. We always recommend that you do NOT share things with people because inevitably they will shoot down any good thoughts or start doing the “that’s bad but this is worse….” or the “what if” game. “What if the treatment doesn’t work?” “What if you don’t get that job, what will you do?”. “You know, I knew someone who had the exact same situation and you wouldn’t believe what happened to him.” “Doctors are just pill pushers, you should get another opinion” etc. When you are with people who put down your goal, your thoughts, feelings or ideas, it puts a big hole in your bubble and all the air (positive thoughts and beliefs) come squishing out.

Be with yourself. Raise your thoughts and vibrations. Build on the hope you have. Use your daily gratitude journal to concentrate on the great things happening to you in your life (you know there are plenty of them, don’t you?). Don’t let others defeat you or try to pull you down. Many people don’t even know what they are doing when they are being negative. They think they are being helpful and trying to get you to “think about all sides of the story.” You really do not need to do that. You just need to believe that everything will work out for you and it will. Be brave, stay positive and move onward!

Share some of your experiences with everyone in the comment box. I find this topic fascinating.

Terrie

 

Posted on

How We Let Things Derail Us (Traffic, Lights, Other Drivers, Long Lines, etc)

by

derailed1Have you ever noticed that you’re in a great mood and then all of a sudden you plummet and the anger, frustration, or impatience just hits and BAM! you’re down in the dumps or at least on some other track?

This can happen so easily. You can spend a rewarding early morning with your spouse and kids or exercising and then head on to work. Even if you’re not running late when you get stopped at one of those traffic lights, you let it get to you. Then, with even “worse luck” you hit another red light or someone is driving slow in “your” lane….and on and on and on. It seems that one thing leads to another until, by the time you get to work, you’re in a foul mood. “Why me?” goes through your mind “What did I do today for this to be happening to me?”

Has this ever happened to you? It has me..and unless I catch myself, it’s one big spiral downward. But, if I catch myself, then things can be turned around so easily. How do I do that?

Once I recognize that I’m starting to percolate, I start to look inside for “Kodak Moments” and think about them. I find (in my mind and memory) people I love and care about, events that have made me laugh, jokes that people have told me, or I just look around and start doing a Rampage of Appreciation about the things that are around me. I see how smart people were that created the buildings in the area, how the roads have been structured and intersected, all the different cars that surround me, etc. In our wonderful country it’s never hard to find something to appreciate. It’s amazing how much we take for granted when it’s so easy to simply express appreciation to the Universe for us being able to live here and enjoy everything we have.  Doing a Rampage of Appreciation is the best way to receive more from the Universe – more good instead of the bad thoughts and feelings that were beginning to take over.

Posted on

Momentum Monday

by

momentum-monday1

“What separates people that get what they want out of life from those people who do not get what they want out of life is their response to challenges.”
Dr. Steven G. Jones

Although I don’t believe this is the only thing that separates these two groups of people, it’s an extremely important point.

Think about yourself and how you respond to a challenge. Do you crawl up in a ball and want to die? Sometimes that’s ok initially. What’s not productive is when that behavior or thought process continues on and on and on. Do you get mad and decide that this is not going to beat you? That you’ll find a way to conquer the challenge, to climb up and over whatever obstacle is in your way? That is the way of the warrior, the person who excels at life.

Remember that there are two different vibrations at play when you are confronted with a problem. There is the vibration of the problem and if you continue to think about the “problem”, you will stay on that lower vibration and not move anywhere – you are focusing on the problem so that is what you’ll get more of. Maybe the problem won’t get worse but it won’t get any better either when your vibration remains on the problem.

You have to raise your vibration to the level of the solution – a much higher vibration. Instead of thinking about and focusing on the problem, concentrate on the solution. Tell the Universe you are ready to receive the answer and you know that it’s out there waiting to be delivered to you.

Think back to your past and think about when you’ve discovered a solution to something – what have you felt like when you’ve been in the process? Maybe take a look at a time at work when a problem has been identified. Everyone might respond with “oh nuts, what do we do now?” But then you all got your heads together and brainstormed until you figured it out. What kind of elation did you all feel? Use that as  “Kodak Moment” to elevate your vibration when you’re after a solution to your current problem.

I don’t even use the word problem once I’ve identified what it is. I think about how great it’s going to be when I come up with the solution to x, y, z – describing the situation if I must. Or preferably I use something that’s brief but objectively describes the situation. Then I go right back to looking for the solutions – opening my heart and mind to the Universe to deliver the answer to me.  I use some of the processes we’ve talked about – the 68 second process, rampage of appreciation and even the “wouldn’t it be nice if….”.  If you’re skeptical or it’s the first time, you can use “I’m in the process of….”

Next time you come across a challenge, immediately switch to the solution seeking mode and your vibration will automatically elevate with you! Try it, you’ll like it. Don’t dwell on the problem.  Move out and move up!

Terrie