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Book Review-The Power of Positive Thinking

Book Review-The Power of Positive Thinking

The Power of Positive Thinking
by Norman Vincent Peale

This is one of the true classics in mind power literature. I resisted reading this book for many years, and when I finally did, was blown away by the wisdom in it. The author gives succinct, practical advice on how to deal with many of our daily problems, from self-worth to releasing worry.

Well versed in the concept of the subconscious mind, Dr. Peale explains how to use prayer, affirmations and visualization for best effect. Drawing on the Bible for much of his teaching, he uses Bible verses for affirmations and constructive thinking.

Although this book was written by a Christian minister, it is useful to all philosophies because its principles go beyond religious barriers. Filled with stories and examples, this book is enjoyable to read and will fill the reader with inspiration, confidence and faith.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight“I keep my thoughts positive and focused on the Universal Good. Even though I might not see the good in any situation, it is there awaiting my recognition of it. The more I practice this, the stronger and more empowered I become.”

Your good is always in potential, waiting for you to become aware of it. It never goes away. Even in the worst of situations, Universal Good is present for you. Once you recognize it’s available to you, you provide the channel for it to flow through into your life. And like any skill, the more you practice shifting your attention to your good, the more it becomes a habit for you to do so.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of InsightAre you in a comfort zone? This is where you feel safe. When you venture out of it, you feel anxious and uncertain. Most people elect to stay within that area that feels familiar. The comfort zone is like a muscle. It is either expanding and getting stronger or contracting and becoming weaker. Since the Universe is also always expanding, if you’re not stretching, you’re resisting the flow of the Universe. Eventually, your comfort zone will eventually shrink and your world and confidence will get smaller. Even though it’s scary, step out of it and take some risks. They may not always be successful, but you will be successful, because you stepped out and extended yourself.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

A Guide to Address Harassment

A Guide to Address Harassment

Hand holding seedlingI try to keep my postings apolitical, because I respect everyone’s choice. But I’m concerned about the increased incidence of overt bullying, verbal and racist attacks that have been taking place in the U.S. since the beginning of this presidential election cycle.

These issues have been in the shadows (barely) for a long time, but now some people feel encouraged to act out in hateful ways. These problems have always bothered me, and now I see them becoming more common. Unfortunately, there have also been protesters against the election results who have acted in ways similar to the very ideas they stand against.

I believe that now that the bigotry and hate are out in the open, they can be addressed by standing up against them. Only when we stand back and keep silent can they thrive. In the past 50 years, we’ve made great progress against prejudice and bullying. We can continue that progress if we choose to be part of the solution and stand up to the problem. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

If you encounter someone being harassed, there’s a great cartoon that explains how to respond. This is one way you can help. The cartoon was designed to assist against Islamaphobic harassment, but it can be used in any situation. It’s based on a psychological technique and is very effective. You can watch a video describing it and showing what to do, and read the original cartoon that inspired the video. Watch A Guide for What to Do When You See Islamophobia.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Giving Thanks for a Nail in a Tire

Giving Thanks for a Nail in a Tire

Road to SuccessIn the U.S., we just had our Thanksgiving holiday. As the name suggests, it’s a time for us to be thankful for our blessings. And just in time for it, I had an experience that brought forth a lot of gratitude. I discovered I had a nail in the sidewall of my tire. So why should I be thankful for that? Well, everything worked together to ensure I didn’t have a flat tire from it.

Apparently, I’d driven 200 miles with it in my tire, and it didn’t go flat while I was on the lonely stretch of highway between Phoenix and N. Arizona. My husband discovered my tire pressure was very low during his monthly car fluid and tire check, postponed from the week before. Unfortunately, the nail was in the sidewall. The tire couldn’t be fixed and I needed a new one.

Since it was getting close to my needing to get 4 new tires, I went ahead, got a quote for all of them and ordered them. It turned out they were going to cost considerably less than I expected. When I had them installed, the garage had instituted a new system, which charged me a lot more than the quote. But because I’d gotten the quote with the old system, they honored it.

I had a lot to be grateful for. The timing of everything worked to my advantage. I didn’t get a flat, it was discovered the day before I was heading down to Phoenix again, and because I bought them now, I saved money on the tires.

Even when you have something challenging happen, you can find something good in it if you look. What blessing can you find in your current challenge?

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Spark of Insight

Spark of Insight

Sparks of InsightEvery difficult situation has something good that can come out of it for you. It may seem like the worst thing in the world, but it may be that it no longer serves your Higher Good. Instead of bewailing your ill fortune, practice looking for the good in the situation. There will be a seed of something that will benefit you. And as you are willing to seek, you open your mind to find it.

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight“Everyone has the same connection to Universal power that I do. I trust that they can take care of their own needs and wants. I let them go and give myself permission to attend to mine.”

When you give up your own needs to attend to someone else’s wants, you’re giving them the message that you don’t believe they can do it for themselves. You encourage them to be helpless and not grow. And when you put your desires aside, you give the message to yourself that you’re not important. It’s hard, but step back from helping others who can help themselves. It’s more beneficial for them and for you.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of InsightThere is a law in physics that says, “A body at rest tends to stay at rest. A body in motion tends to stay in motion.” If you want to make changes in your life, inertia is one thing you’ll need to overcome. It’s all too easy to just hope that changes will happen if you simply think about them. But the truth is that you have to be willing to put some energy into them. What changes do you want? And how important are they to you? Are you ready to get into motion so your actions bring the changes you want?

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Book Review-The Holographic Universe

Book Review-The Holographic Universe

The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality
by Michael Talbot

Like myself, many of you have seen the movie, “What The Bleep Do We Know?” If you found this movie to be as mind altering as I did, then you’ll find “The Holographic Universe” to be equally amazing.

This book goes into great detail to explain and show that we all create our own reality, and that we have the ability to create any reality that we want. Do you want to develop psychic abilities, improve your health or have more wealth? Then read this book.

Mr. Talbot tells how the universe is like a giant hologram, and that matter and consciousness work together to create and alter that hologram. He backs up his statements with fascinating information from various studies done by scientist from around the world.

When I started reading this book I couldn’t go through it fast enough. It answered questions about life and the universe that I’d had for years by combining what sounded like fanciful New Age ideas with hard scientific fact. Merging these seemingly opposite ideas created a unified explanation of existence that showed that the universe is indeed our playground.

So if you’re looking for an explanation of how the universe works, and where you fit into it, then read “The Holographic Universe.” Open yourself to its ideas and it will truly change your life for the better.

This review is by Jeff Colburn, a freelance photographer and writer, whose photographs and articles have been used by publications and businesses for over 35 years. Jeff specializes in Fine Art and stock photography of Arizona, and has his Fine Art photographs in the New State Motor Building Gallery in Jerome, Arizona. Visit Jeff’s fine art and stock photography site, www.JeffColburn.com, showing the beauty and wonder of Arizona.

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of Insight

Sparks of InsightIf you want to make a drastic change in your life, it’s better to do it when things are stable and relatively calm, if you can. Stress can sometimes be a motivator, but it’s not a good time to make significant changes. When you’re stressed, your subconscious is already stretched thin to deal with what’s going on. Asking it to divert its resources to include something else that’s new would be counterproductive. You simply amp up your stress and make it harder on yourself. Once you’ve weathered the difficulty, and gotten on more solid ground, that’s the time to begin to spread your wings.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart