Browsed by
Category: Inspiration

The Cherokee Legend of the Two Wolves

The Cherokee Legend of the Two Wolves

I came across this wonderful parable, and realized that it really emphasizes that the importance of watching our thoughts. As we know, “Energy flows where attention goes.” Whatever you have your attention one, you’re telling the subconscious mind you want more of. What are you choosing to let into your life?

‘One evening, an old Cherokee was telling his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.

“One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

“The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute, and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins this battle?”

The old grandfather simply replied, “The one you feed.”‘

Create A Foundation For The Law Of Attraction

Create A Foundation For The Law Of Attraction

Since the popular video, “The Secret,” came out, people have had the mistaken idea that all they need to do is mentally focus on their goal and it would magically appear. That implementing the Law of Attraction is all they need to do to make their dreams come true. Sometimes, in rare instances, that happens. But usually it does so only after other significant mental and physical foundational work has occurred.

Emerson said, “We become what we think of all day long.” What other definition of the Law of Attraction is needed? But when the tendency of your thinking also brings about activity around those ideas. You act on them, moving physically in the direction of your goal.

Someone who wants to be a musician knows they have to learn how to play an instrument, and then practice it, to actually be able to make music. They wouldn’t just focus on the end result without putting in some rehearsal time. However, once they learn how to play, they could use their imagination to rehearse, as well as physically play it.

The foundation needs to be laid in the physical world, through education, application and activity. This takes it out of the purely “mental” state, where it could simply be a wish, and into the “material” world, where the manifestation actually takes place. Both the mental and physical need to be addressed for success to occur and your dreams realized.

,

Buying Pasta In Divine Time

Buying Pasta In Divine Time

This past weekend, Jeff and I planned to go to the Prescott Farmer’s Market in Yavapai College parking lot to buy some specialty pasta that we could only get there. We planned to arrive an hour before they closed, but traffic was thick, and we were delayed. I began to worry that they’d begin to close down before we got there, and started using my Mom’s affirmation, “We’re always in Divine Time.” I wrote an article about it, “Tips To Achieve Your Goal In Divine Time,” last month.

We got there with forty-five minutes to spare. You’d think that would be plenty of time, except that they were closing up early because of a graduation on the grounds. I ran up and down the aisles of booths that were in various stages of being dismantled. Some were already gone.

Luckily, I found the specialty pasta location by seeing the sign for it leaning against a box. The tent was in the process of being folded up, and the merchandise was already packed. I asked, “Can we still buy some?” “Sure,” the vendor said, and opened up her boxes.

We bought what we wanted, and wandered to another tent that was still set up. A few minutes later, we walked by the pasta location, and she was finishing up loading everything into her car. If we’d gotten there five minutes later, I wouldn’t have been able to find her and we would have been too late. Once again, Mom’s affirmation hit the mark.

, , , , , ,

Contemplate These Quotes

Contemplate These Quotes

I received these quotes by email, and loved them. They highlight spiritual and universal principles. The first one is the corollary of “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”

“To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.”

The second one addresses our feelings when you normally feel you’re not receiving what you desire. It feels like you’re being deprived, that you don’t deserve it, that you’ve done something wrong because it’s not manifesting or has been taken away. Instead, the Universe is keeping your Highest Good in mind and wants to give you something better.

“When God takes something from your grasp, He’s not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.”

This last quote reminds you that the will of the Universe is for your Highest and Best Good. And that when you seem to be traveling along a difficult path, you are being Divinely Protected.

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.”

I hope you’ll take these ideas to heart, and use them to lift up your awareness of who you truly are.

Conditions Are Outdated Thought Forms

Conditions Are Outdated Thought Forms

“Words and affirmations simply give shape to thought; they are not creative. Feeling is creative and the more feeling that is put into the word the greater power it will have over conditions. In doing this we think of the condition only as an effect, something that follows what we think. It cannot help following our thought. This is the way that all creation comes into expression.”

From Creative Mind and Success
by Ernest Holmes

I love this quote. It symbolizes the essence of how the mind works. We believe that our words are creative, but it’s the emotion that we put behind them that powers them. And it doesn’t matter if the emotion is a positive or negative one, it’s all energy as far as the subconscious knows.

Affirmations don’t by themselves create, either. They simply focus our thought to give a conduit for Universal energy to flow into and create a condition. Our emotion fills them with the power to impress the subconscious to allow the energy to fill them.

And conditions are nothing but effects of our former thoughts filled with past feelings. Once we realize that we created the conditions, and that they are outdated thought forms, then we can change our mind about them and create something better. For me, this quote is incredibly empowering.

, , , ,

Give Thanks Once Each Hour

Give Thanks Once Each Hour

Recently, I heard someone suggest that we should take a minute every hour to give thanks for something good in our lives. I think that’s great advice. Studies are showing that gratitude does attract more good into our lives. By doing this practice many time each day, it gets us into the habit of giving thanks. This keeps us more closely aligned with Universal Good, and can help us create a more positive and optimistic mindset. It’s a gift that just keeps on giving.

, , , ,

“How To Improve Your Luck” from wikihow

“How To Improve Your Luck” from wikihow

How to Improve Your Luck from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit.

Feeling a little unlucky lately? Want the secret to getting lucky? You have it already – it’s you. The secret to improving luck is about perspective, self-belief and erring on the side of optimism. It isn’t about winning huge pots of cash – it’s about making the most of the wonderful blessings already surrounding you. Here are some thoughts for making your own luck grow.

Steps

  1. Use Your Mind. Luck is tied to the power of your imagination. Someone said, “Luck is just probability taken personally”. Improved luck will require a lot of personal dedication and hard work.
  2. Prepare. “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”, said Seneca, Roman dramatist, philosopher and politician, 5 BC – 65 AD.[1] If you have the groundwork in place you can take advantage of the opportunities that come your way.
  3. Network. Lucky people know people, lots of people. They don’t have to be everyone’s bosom buddy but it is the art of being open to many new people that counts. Practice feeling comfortable talking to strangers at events that you attend. And actively listen to them when you strike up a conversation because you will have a lot to learn and they will remember that you appreciated what they had to say. This can translate into opportunities; the more people you meet and the more people you display genuine interest in, the more likelihood of you meeting the right person at the right time who has an opportunity at hand that you want to be a part of.
  4. Trust your instincts. That little inner voice is often right and lucky people know this. You will also know when your “common sense” or “reason” are trying to override the lucky hunch. When this happens, take a moment aside to sit and think things through clearly and uninterrupted. Consider whose voices are speaking to you when you are faced with overriding intuition – is it your own trustworthy voice or is it the voices of others’ expectations – a spouse, a boss, a friend?
  5. Take it easy. Anxiety and worry are enemies of luck. They introduce a factor that says “Be very risk averse” and “Whoa there! Hold back now!” You won’t be stumbling across luck while you are too busy hiding out. When opportunities come, you need to notice them and you need to seize them. A lucky person believes in now as being as important as tomorrow and much more so than yesterday. Don’t be held back by ghosts of failure – they were just learning experiences. And tomorrow will always come whatever happens, so do your best to enjoy today so that tomorrow has a standard to match!
  6. Be ready for new opportunities. The more open you are to novel ideas and new ways of doing things, the more likely it is that you will strike it lucky. Lucky people don’t plod along methodically; while that guarantees a safe and secure path, lucky people take the path less known and meet all sorts of amazing opportunities along the way. Put your foot on that path now… try something you have never done before, try something you have convinced yourself you would hate, try something that someone else has suggested you try. Be bold.
  7. Be an eternal optimist. Expect the best. Yes, anyone can do this and why not? It isn’t about living with the fairies. It is about being positive and creating the outcomes that you want most. Lucky people are optimistic and they expect that good things will happen to them. Heard the mantra “only good things happen to me”? Well, probably not, as most of us tend to whine “why do all the bad things happen to me?!” Stop it right now and start expecting the best.
  8. Turn sour milk into a smoothie. So the milk went off? Big deal. There are still a lot things you can do with it, so do it. Instead of choosing to wallow and feel rotten about things that go wrong, look for life’s lessons in the experience and look for new solutions that grow out of the bad experience. Dwelling on horrible events in your life gives them great power over you, stifling your growth and stomping on your luck. And when you view the world in this manner, even if Lady Luck does call, you’re likely to sabotage it because that suits your negative mindset. Avoid the wallowing and kick yourself back into action. Sure, there are times in life when some events really set us back, such as the loss of a loved one, but far better to honor that person’s memory by doing things in remembrance of them than using that loss as an eternal unhappiness trigger. It is really important to learn and grow from sadness and hardship rather than to let it harden us and turn us bitter.
  9. Reframe your life. If you perceive yourself as a victim or a hapless flotsam of fate, it is time to reframe. You are a shaper of your destiny and one lucky person. You’re lucky to be alive; that’s the biggest blessing every single one of us gets. Honour that lucky chance and live your life to its fullest. You’ll only be glad that you did.
  10. Never stop learning. This is related to staying open to new opportunities. Unlucky people think their learning stopped at school or university. Lucky people realize that that was just the beginning and that life is one huge university. Soak it all up; even the stuff you find hard, boring, or uncomfortable. It really makes your life a whole lot more exciting and helps you to understand where others are coming from. Aiming to understand a wide range of perspectives makes it easier for you to forgive people and to see their points of view. Knowing this enables you to weave others’ motivations into how you approach life and treat them with respect. Which leads to the next point…
  11. Treat people with respect. Lucky people know that other people matter. Respect for others makes you automatically lucky because it stops you from expecting other people’s behavior to conform to your own or to ease your way. Instead, you know to respect people for who they are rather than what you wish they would be. And you avoid the arrogance of placing your personality style and lifestyle beliefs above theirs.
  12. Treat the Earth with respect. The Earth gives us food, water, shelter, oxygen and for some people, spiritual fulfillment. Lucky people acknowledge this and care for the world around them as a mark of this respect. Involving yourself with nature by getting outdoors and enjoying it improves your sense of self-assurance as you don’t fear its elements but embrace them. In so doing, you increase your luck as you broaden your knowledge and opportunities.
  13. Treat your body with respect As you hone your instincts by listening to your “inner voice”, you can also become more in touch with your body awareness. Listen to it. Holistic health practitioners believe your physical, emotional, and spiritual health directly affects how you relate to the world around you.[2]
  14. Do no harm. Lucky people don’t use or harm others to forward their own goals. Instead they invite others to accompany them on the journey. While networking, respecting self and others, and caring for the earth around them, lucky people nurture themselves as well as those with whom they come in contact.

Tips

  • Luck is made, not found. And the luck that is “stumbled across” is very often fool’s gold in the hands of a person who doesn’t know what to do with it. If you believe in yourself and your abilities, and follow the ideas outlined above, you will be in a great position to take advantage of lucky breaks.
  • Use techniques such as visualization and goal-setting to create your luck. These are not over-used mantras; they are proven techniques to ensure that you remain directed and focused on the things you want for yourself in life.
  • Use affirmations daily. “I am going to have a lucky day today.” “I am going have good fortune today.” “I am going to help enable my luck today by helping others to be lucky today.”
  • Be humble. Luck favors the humble; this doesn’t mean you can’t stand out there and enthuse others to find their luck but you mustn’t toot your horn of arrogance or luck will start to shy away as you become too self-certain. And this quickly steps into the realm of disrespecting others and closing yourself off to more learning. Remember balance and you’ll be fine.
  • Don’t get cocky. The more lucky you are, the more prone you are to become cocky and think you’re better then everyone else.

Things You’ll Need

  • Affirmation post-it notes stuck in strategic places
  • A book of positive quotations (or an internet site can send these to you daily)
  • A photo of a four-leaved clover at your front door to remind you that you are your own luck; place it so you can see it when you go out and when you come in
  • Networking opportunities; if you don’t have them, start making them, even at the local pub
  • Neat clothes; you don’t need expensive and designer wear to be lucky but neatness is important in whatever you wear, as it conveys self-respect and people warm to that

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

  1. Seneca quote credit:
    http://www.quotationspage.com/search.php3?Author=Seneca&file=other
  2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holistic_health

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Improve Your Luck. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

“How to Create an Abundance Mentality” from wikiHow

“How to Create an Abundance Mentality” from wikiHow

How to Create an Abundance Mentality from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit.

Much of society seems to be built on a scarcity mentality. It’s a mentality that tells people that there is a lack in life, that opportunities are few and far between. This is, of course, useful for society because if people feel that there is a lack, then you can get them to buy stuff. And so the economy and society can continue to live and prosper by reinforcing a scarcity mentality in people.

The scarcity mentality can be quite painful for the individual and create a lot of unnecessary fear, anxiety and desperation. An abundance mentality, on the other hand, tells you that there are always new chances and opportunities. This relieves much of the pressure you may feel if you have a scarcity mentality that makes you think that you’ve only got one shot right now. Or it makes you feel like an utter failure just because you stumbled and things didn’t work out. An abundance mentality can help you improve your performance since with it, you’re creating a lot less pressure and anxieties within your own mind.

Here are a few tips to create and reinforce your own abundance mentality.

Steps

  1. Look for the symptoms of a scarcity mentality. If you have a scarcity mentality then you will probably take things too seriously. You may think to yourself: “If I fail, the sky will fall”. It won’t, though, and you know that and need to remind yourself. But you think it will, you become overly nervous and POOF! you have invited that failure because your negativity becomes an obstacle on your path to success. If it’s a game, then you may fumble with the ball. If it’s an exam, then you may not have been able to sleep and will perform poorly on the test. If it’s a date, you may come over as too needy and nervous and not as your usual, more relaxed self. Regain your empowerment by remembering all the opportunities you have been afforded and know that it is all a flow that will always continue.
  2. Focus on the abundance, not on the lack. What you focus on, you will see in your world. Since you can’t take in everything around you, your reticular activation system – your focus system in the mind – will bring into focus what you focus your thoughts on.This will allow you to see the abundance in your world that you may be missing right now. If you, for instance, have a lack of money, then don’t focus on your lack. Focus and think about the abundance of possibilities in the world to make money. Soon ideas and opportunities to make that happen will start to “pop up” in your world. It’s almost a bit freaky how things that hold solutions for you – perhaps books or acquaintances – that have been there in the background for quite a while just one day suddenly jump out at you.
  3. Appreciate. One quick way to revert from the pretty normal habit of thinking about what you don’t have is simply to appreciate. Appreciate your food, life, your roof, your friends and family and so on. This can not only turn a sour mood into a more positive one within minutes, but it can also help you notice opportunities you have missed or forgotten about. And it’ll create a more open vibe within you, a vibe that makes it easier to focus on the abundance. So, make a habit of appreciating something in your life for a few minutes each day.
  4. Get an abundance vibe from other people. Since you get a scarcity mentality from, say, advertising and media, then you can change your input to change your mentality. Cut down on watching the news. Record your favourite shows and skip the commercials. Or just cut down on your TV and media consumption, period. Replace the scarcity vibe you get from that input. How do you do that? “Hang out” with people that have an abundance mentality. Read, listen to and watch personal development material. Besides reading your favourite personal development blogs, read success stories in books and magazines. Have a positive attitude to the abundance and success of your friends, family and co-workers. Hang out with people in real life who have more of an abundance mentality and less of a scarcity mentality. Be selective with what you put into your mind. Create your own environment of abundance.
  5. Share the wealth. One very good way to acknowledge how much you have is to share it. Do you feel like you’re not making enough money? Give some away. Not enough love? Give some away. Not enough validation, appreciation, recognition? Give it all away. It’s hard for something to feel scarce when you’re giving it away.
  6. Create win-win situations. People with a scarcity mentality tend to see every relationship is win-lose, as in: “It’s either you or me, buddy, and I want it to be me.” People with an abundance mentality, on the other hand, try to create mutually beneficial relationships in which both parties can win.[1] Instead of winning an argument, for example, try to reach a consensus that you both can be happy with. Instead of competing, collaborate.
  7. Remind yourself. It’s very easy to slip back into your old thought patterns. You just forget about what you should be thinking about. A useful tool to keep yourself from slipping is to use external reminders. You can, for example, use written notes posted at places you can’t avoid seeing several times each day – your workspace, fridge and mirrors – or put a bracelet on your wrist. Seeing words or quotes that remind you of your new abundance mentality can help your mind snap back into the right headspace once again.

Tips

  • When the feeling of scarcity is strong, remember previous times when you had an abundance. Realize that you can recreate similar circumstances once again.
  • A real-world example of the abundance mentality is the “copyleft” movement, which focuses on loosening the restrictions of traditional copyrights.[2] More and more people are licensing their work with GFDL, Creative Commons, or even releasing it into the public domain. For example, Leo Babauta, founder of the popular Zen Habits blog, decided to release all of his content into the public domain.[3] Many programmers share software and programs freely in the spirit of open source.[4]
  • Learn to face the reality of living within your means. Many people have the habit of copying and envying others with greater means. Doing so can ruin your day or your life. It is therefore important to live within your resources while hoping that something better will come along your way. You will be free from stress and undue competition without any satisfaction.

Warnings

  • Don’t get so carried away with an abundance mentality that you become a people pleaser who lets people take advantage of your generosity. Remember to surround yourself with people who also have an abundance mentality, who give as much as they take, or else “parasites” will drain you and eventually leave you with a scarcity mentality.
  • Be sure also to not reach a point where you find youself coasting through life with no goal or purpose for yourself. Remember to “seize the day”.

Sources and Citations

positivityblog.com/index.php/2008/01/30/how-to-create-an-abundance-mentality/ – Original source, shared with permission.

  1. thinkexist.com/quotation/people_with_a_scarcity_mentality_tend_to_see/346862.html
  2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft
  3. zenhabits.net/2008/01/open-source-blogging-feel-free-to-steal-my-content/
  4. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Create an Abundance Mentality. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

“Prayer For Protection”

“Prayer For Protection”

This is a prayer that James Dillet Freeman wrote for the soldiers during WWII. It’s been used in Unity Churches for years. He wrote it for the 1940 Christmas Prayer Service for Silent Unity workers. A family friend told me about a fuller version of it, though I don’t know who added the other verses. For more information on how the original version came about, visit James Dillet Freeman Biography.

The Light of God surrounds me.
The Love of God enfolds me.
The Power of God protects me.
The Presence of God watches over me.
The Mind of God guides me.
The Life of God flows through me.
The Laws of God direct me.
The Power of God abides within me.
The Joy of God uplifts me.
The Strength of God renews me.
The Beauty of God inspires me.
Wherever I am, God is!

– James Dillet Freeman