Answers To Abundance

What we think about, and thank about, we bring about. ~ John F. Demartini

Live not a low life; remember and forget not; follow not wrong ideas; sink not into the world. ~ Buddha

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. ~ Buddha

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. Think big! ~ Nelson Mandela

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step. ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

When you carry out acts of kindness you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something inside your body responds and says, yes, this is how I ought to feel. ~ Harold Kushner
Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on; 'twas not given for thee alone, pass it on; let it travel down the years, let it wipe another's tears, till in heaven the deed appears, pass it on. ~ Henry Burton

Twenty years from now, we will be more concerned with what we didn't do than what we did ~ Mark Twain

When you get to the end of all the light that you know and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught how to fly. ~ Edward Teller

There is nothing shameful about living a life of full of questions. Questions lead to answers. Answers come from our thoughts. Our thoughts create our beliefs. Our beliefs create our actions. Our actions create our abundant life. Our abundant life creates new thoughts and answers to life's perplexing questions.

If you have a question or problem, ask me. Is it a personal problem? Is it a financial problem? Is it relationship problems? If our Creator cares for the sparrow, surely you know that our Creator cares for you. Share with me and together we can make a difference. I want you to live your best life now. Never give up!!! Never! Never! Never! What would you give if you could acquire the Power of transforming your life? The abundant life is yours for the asking!

Our paths have crossed for a reason. A sign is a feeling of freedom ^i^ which is a sign of Abundance forthcoming. Your mind can accept abundance only when it's released from the Past. You have the POWER to change those feelings and thoughts which are holding you hostage of the past. The moment that you truly "believe" that, the past is gone forever, the doors to abundance open. The flood gates of abundant living start pouring in. Are you ready to start living the Abundant Life?

Seize The Day

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. ~ Randy Pausch

We sometimes think what would we say to someone if we knew it was our last chance to speak to them. Rarely do we get such a change to hear such profound thoughts.

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave - "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" - wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think". It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

Live your life to the fullest. Live every moment. Sieze the day while you can!

In Spanish (Español)

The Power

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Today in the mist of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, in the mist of all the chaos in your life, empower yourself with the light from within. You have the power to change your life. You can empower your mind to heal. See yourself as a big drop of liquid chocolate plunging into a pool of liquid chocolate to ripple through the pool to make a difference in your life and those whom you come in contact.

What thoughts do you have today? What problems do you have today? What bills do you have today? What relationships need mending? What can you do about it? What does it matter? Turn it around. We're all here for a limited amount of time, and life is sometimes hard; no one said it would be easy, just worth it.

The key is to acknowledge and confront our fears because when we do, and we begin to realize that we are capable of handling them. Seek to find the light from within and you will find a better tomorrow. You have to believe. You can do it. You have to spend that quiet time meditating and repeating your affirmations so you will be guided. Remember we have control of our thoughts and our lives. Be happy because you have the power. The Power that created you has the power to heal you. The Power is coursing through your veins. Don't wait you have the Power.

You can't control the universe, but you can control your thoughts. Your thoughts control your actions. Take a moment, breathe deeply, out of the ashes rises new wonderful things happening. What flows through your life? Be aware of what brings it peace and tranquility, what blocks the flow or disturbs the flow. Choose the things that bring peace and tranquility into your life. You have the Power.

Walking, Talking, Breathing

The road to success is always under construction. ~ Lily Tomlin

That's right. In everything you do is walking, talking and breathing. Are you making the most of it? What does your walk say? What does your talk say? What does your breath say?

You can find out a lot about a person by the way the walk, talk and breathe. What does your choices, reactions and emotions reveal about the way you live life?

In order to have our best life possible we need to set the stage for relaxing. Our environment helps us in our breathing. If we feel good about our environment, we breathe in positive moments and expel positive. Try lighting candles during meditation to help you stay focused. Believe it or not, the light from the candle sparks life from within.

What you think about most often is what you will talk about. Change your thoughts and you will talk better of those around you and will talk in positive talks instead of stinking thinking. Remember to say your affirmations. The more you say them, the more the mind hears them and will give you what you ask.

Then you have to walk the life. You can't say things are good when you are dragging. Stand up straight, hold your head high and smile. You are worth it! You deserve to walk, talk and breathe your best life now!

Attitude of Gratitude Again

The older I get, the more I realize that life is a journey where we need to be in an attitude of gratitude to make the most of our life. If we are in an attitude of gratitude, we experience the best possibilities life has to offer us.

If we are in troubled waters or a storm of life, think can I do something about it? Is there a better way? What can be changed? Define what that means to you. Each of us have a different view point so each of us has our own goal. What I can do to change may be different than what you can do to change? Both courses will get us to our destination because it's the goal that we choose for our life.

Instead of asking "why?" ask "what?" Everyone has storms in our lives. Everyone suffers depression at some point in their life. It's a matter of how long you choose to be depressed that makes the difference. Instead of complaining why me. Start thinking what lessons do I need to learn in this circumstance. It's the little things in life that defeat us. That is why we must conquer it daily. Bling it on!

Do not let the chains of depression get you down. Your obstacles can be your greatest opportunities. Your setbacks can be your stepping stones. Let it be like a drop of water that ripples through the water to changes the course in our lives. Let it open a path for you. Remember there is a silver lining behind every dark cloud. The pulling on the chains can be the release you needed to free yourself from depression.

When you have a bad day, ask yourself what will it matter a hundred years from now? I know sometimes it feels that the problem we are faced with is the worst possible fear and it will change everything. 99% of the time, it's just our panic attacks kicking in. When all is said and done it won't matter. Or tomorrow things will look brighter. I have found that waiting a day, I can see clearer and make a better decision. What difference does it make?

Lessons Learned From Johnny Cash

We've been jamming tonight and listening to JC - no other than the late great Johnny Cash. Inspiration comes from strange places. Here's what I've learned about depression.

1) Understand Your Man ...er, you are the man! Huh hum! In understanding depression, keep the spirit of believing in yourself. You can do it! The power of believing is amazing. You are right whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can't. So choose to believe you can.

2) A Boy Named Sue - Life isn't always easy. You gotta be prepared. Don't let anyone steal your dream from you or steal your thunder. Many will try to sway you away from your dream or target, you have to stand your ground. Having goals and a plan for your life, ensures that you will make it. Like the song says, "This world is rough, and if you're gonna make it, you've gotta be tough." Your life requires you to get tough about you and your life! Not in a forceful way but with gentle strength. My Tae Kwon Do Grandmaster said, "Train tough!" It's the same with life. Who wins out if you don't?

3) The Man In Black could be called Branding 101 JC - Johnny Cash wore all black because it was his trademark. He had a reason for dressing in black. When you saw him in black, you knew or quickly knew what it was. Johnny Cash didn't waddle in depression, he found a way to honor it. Life can be depressing but depression does not have to get you down. Make the most of your life. Everyone gets depressed sometime, just remember one step at a time.

4) The Legend of John Henry's Hammer - John Henry's Daddy told him to: "Learn to a turn a jack, learn to lay a track, learn to pick and shovel too." Same with your life. We have to pick and choose what we think about to empower our lives. Computers and the Internet are great, but it can't take the place of the human touch. Remember there is a real person on the other end of the computer connection. We need human interaction. The movie "Wall-e" makes a point of how we need the human touch. See how Walle and Eve interact. Learn to use technology to increase your interaction and know that it needs a human touch. Here is a summary on YouTube.


5) One Piece at a Time - Stealing one piece at a time from the assembly line to build a Cadillac without costing him a dime didn't turn exactly how it should look. Remember there are people out there that try to steal one piece of your joy and happiness at a time. Don't let them rob you of you joy and happiness. It's not worth it! You take control of your life and you will find that you have the real thing. They can never own you unless you allow them. Take one step at a time.

6) In The Jailhouse Now - Some days it feels like we're in the jailhouse now, but don't be held a prisoner by depression. Depression can hold you and your loved ones hostage. Learn to take baby steps, one step at a time in learning to Walk The Line. Don't let it hold you back, use your understanding depression to conquer depression. Are you a victim or victor?

7) Ring of Fire - Is just one of those storms of life. When you find yourself in a ring of fire, let it burn, burn, burn your passion for life. Let your ring of fire, ignite a spark of passion to come out of the ashes with your light from within burning bright; you will find a sandcastle was built out of the storm. What lessons did you learn?

8) A Bridge Over Troubled Waters - When you find you're in the storm water, find a bridge to cross over to the other side. There is always a bridge to safety. No matter how stormy the waters, there is a better way. Just find that connection and stay connected.

9) The Beast In Me - The beast in me has had to learn to live with pain and anger. We must learn to control our anxiety and anger which helps reduce our pain. Doing daily meditation and music are to the soul like a bandaid is to a cut or as sleep is to rest. They help control the beast in me. Can you feel the music?

10) Walk The Line - Doing our daily routine, we are able to take baby steps toward learning to walk the line toward peace, tranquility, joy and happiness. It's the Texas two step in making progress to understanding depression.

What kind of music are you creating with your life? Hope it tops the charts!

The Power Of One

Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you. ~ Marsha Norman

The power of one is a tremendous force. It doesn't seem like much by itself. In a dark room, try lighting one candle and see how much light appears. Add another candle one by one and see how bright the room becomes. The same with water. One drop doesn't look like much, but keep dropping water until you have an ocean. Just one drop of water can cause a ripple effect that courses across the terrain of water. Just as our words positive or negative can make such an impact on the people around us. Our thoughts and actions that we have can plow a course through the universal consciousness. Wow what power we have when we control our thoughts and words and speak with wisdom, love and clarity for human kind. Together we can make a difference in changing the course of depression.

Just one though, then add another thought. Like a magnet, more positive thoughts are added. Others do the same thing and together we change the universe with our thoughts. That is power.

Learn to control your thoughts. We can begin to control our thoughts in meditation. This is your way of finding peace, reducing stress, and finding your tranquility. You may find that meditation helps you keep focus and dedicated. Lighting a candle reminds us of life. I use a purple lotus tea light holder and ask for quietness.

Meditation is my way of staying organized, focused and in control. Be still and know the power of one. Sometimes I need just a two minute meditation time, sometimes I need more to keep my thoughts and body in control. How do you feel about harnessing the power of one?

You Are The Reason

I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle. - Jane Austen

When bad things happened, I never thought it was related to my stinking thinking. I was certain that it due to something else: the environment, the economy, an ex, etc. Certainly I wasn't responsible for my "bad luck." I was wrong. Bad things happen to good people. It was due to my stinking thinking. I attracted the bad luck with my stinking thinking.

You have in your life what you tell yourself you have. Think about it. Have you been sabotaging yourself? You will never get what you want in life until you believe you are worth it. If you tell yourself, you will never . . . Guess what? You will never ... Your mind seeks to make your comments what you think about the most, true.

Did you hear that? Your mind is like a robot, seeking to fulfill your wants. Everything in life is yours for the asking. All your hopes and dreams lie before you. You are the reason you have them or don't have them. Affirmations are very powerful if you believe you can. Because you are repeating a positive affirmation, you are programing your mind to think that statement. However, if you insert stinking thinking, you are sabotaging your effort.

If you are in a mess, then you can think your way out. Nothing in life was created without a way to overcome it. Sure it may be a lot of hard work to get out of the mess, but we didn't get in the mess overnight so we can't get out of it overnight. All those little thoughts daily kept building steps to where we are today. Now we have to think, is this where I want to be? Is this where I want to be five years from now?

When we accept the fact that we are where we are today because of our stinking thinking, we can accept responsibility for getting us where we want to be. Our daily stinking thinking led us to not make certain decisions that led us where we are or led us to accept someone else's decisions.

Now we must chart a path to get us on a new course. Daily practicing ridding ourselves of stinking thinking. Daily practicing taking baby steps toward the life we want. Daily practicing new habits of positive thinking. New steps of daily charting our progress.

Practicing positive possibilities won't happen overnight and it won't be easy, but it is a sure thing! By accepting all of the responsibility for where we are, and all of the responsibility for where we want to be, we can experience a tremendous life of joy and freedom.

Remember to keep telling yourself, "I can do it!" "I can make it!" "I am worth it!" Consistently move forward. No matter how hard it gets, just keep on keeping on. You can do it! Plug in to good inspiration daily. Stay connected. Smile. Together we can make a difference.

Your Amazing Life

Sometimes the hustle and bustle of everyday life has got us pulling our hair out. The chaos, the grind, the aches and pains, the stress just seems to fill all of our nooks and crannies until it seems like their is no room for anything else. Sound familiar?

The past month or so, I have had my 11 year old nephew staying with me. It was his first time to be away from home. Living so far from me, he hasn't had much time with me. It has been a real treat and eye opener. I get use to hearing what my kids say and think that all kids think the same. ha ha!

In some ways, my brother and I are alike and some ways we are very different. I've been teaching my nephew new things apparently. One of the games we like to play is called Cashflow by Robert Kiyosaki. I enjoy teaching and coaching others how to empower themselves. The best thing we can do is teach our children financial security. Everyone has a job, with expenses and it's how much you have left that is your cashflow. Of course, it teaches little ways to increase your cashflow. He says this is "Amazing!" He is constantly asking if this is really like real life. I said yes. He says, "Amazing! I have to teach my Dad this." lol

I've even had him go with me to pay bills, etc. so he can see the real life cashflow. We do the same with his allowance. Sometimes he says, "But I'm just a kid." I remind him that in seven years he will be 18 and this will be real life. Then he says, "Amazing, I've got to learn it now."

It is wonderful to see things from the eyes of a child. Everything is "Amazing!" In understanding depression, when you are around children, you cannot be depressed. It is as through the eyes of love, everything becomes amazing. If you haven't been around a child lately, try spending time with one. They take things that we think of as ordinary to be "Amazing!" They pick our ordinary life to be an "Amazing Life." What better teacher do we have? Don't let your troubles drive you to despair. Let them drive you to the realization of your abundant life - your amazing life! No wonder they call it amazing!

Live Joy

The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. ~ Socrates

Whether you are in depression or simply trying to enjoy life a little more, turning your mind into a more positive state is a great idea. We all need to look at things in a more positive way. Fact of life is there are things all around us that work on pulling us down like gravity and aging. It's the way we choose to look at circumstances and events that impact us.

If we focus on our shortcomings, then we tend to become depressed or negative such as when we get angry or resentful and start blaming. This causes more anger and resentment and even self hatred. Or take for example the couple that has an argument, one brings up something from the past and starts blaming the other person. This only perpetuates our pain. We must get beyond our pain in order to live joy and happiness.

Has something like this happened to you? Whenever something like this happens, stop yourself and rethink how you really feel and why. Dissipating the negative will allow your positive energy to flow and you will find more peace, joy and happiness flowing through you.

Rediscover love within you. It is a key to mind healing. You must love yourself before you can love others. So finding the love within you helps you find the love for others. I have seen many a person transformed by love. It is a basic need of all humankind; maybe all creatures need love too. I don't care how big a bully or mean they may appear, they are trying to hide their feelings of inadequacy and need for love. They have been deprived so many times in the past that they feel they can never be loved. Are you that bully? Try finding a spark of love from within.

Don't be afraid of being alone with yourself to help you find that love from within. You can't move forward until you do. Are you sabotaging yourself? Spend a few minutes each day with the love from inside you, experiencing love, peace and joy.

Think about how you would feel if you had a friend over for dinner that you had taken a great deal of time to prepare. If all they did was complain, you would be hurt, wouldn't you?

It's the same with you. If all you do is complain about your life and criticize, the person inside you is hurting. The person you hurt most is yourself. The person inside you is dying. Is that what you want?

Turn yourself around. Live in the beauty of today. . .this very moment. All possibilities lie before you. You have the right to choose any of them. All your hopes and dreams lie before you and you can have them if you want. You have to choose to live joy, peace and happiness. No one can do it for you. Which one do you wish to live you life?

You can look at obstacles as stumbling blocks or stepping stones. Either way you are right. It's the same with a different outcome. It's just a matter of the way we choose to look at life's events and circumstances. Which one do you choose?

Isn't it time that you live the abundant life. . .live joy, peace and happiness? Make the most of whatever time you have. You are worth it.

Give Gratitude First

Be thankful in all things. I know you are busy, but alway live your life in an attitude of gratitude. Even those events and circumstances in our lives that don't look pleasing. Sometimes we should be thankful for something that looks like a disaster. One time, I was in the five o'clock traffic approaching an intersection. Suddenly, my car started to overheat. Which was surprising since it was a realitively new car.

I turned into the service station that was on the corner. Shortly after turning in, an explosion happened at the intersection. BAM! I got out of my car and turned to my surprise, the car that was following me, had been hit by a speeding car going in the intersecting street which had no traffic. I had to be thankful for my car overheating.

Not always do we know why something happens or why one door closes. I have found when one door closes, a better door opens.

Know if you live your life in an attitude of gratitude first, abundant living will be attracted to you. I know it takes a little more effort to prioritize your life and get into the habit of giving gratitude first. Take a few minutes each day to quiet your mind, mind healing and renew your spirit. You will be amazed at the sense of peace, joy and tranquility that will flow in your life. In an attitude of gratitude, work hard, play hard. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and life.

Be Still And Accept The Quiet

Happiness is not a matter of events, it depends upon the tides of the mind. - Alice Meynell

Some people think that waiting is a waste of time. It's a total write-off if you have times of no activity, they feel. I know when I was young, my Mother said, "Idol hands are the devil's workshop." Did you hear that too? What I have learned, is that busying myself can be accepting the quietness. Quieting my mind so it can heal. I feel that quietness is the renewing of me that is needed or the quiet before the storm which enables me to strengthen and be prepared for what lies ahead. Learn to take time to quiet your mind for mind healing.

Whenever I find myself in the mist of peace and tranquility, which seems to be rare. I am thankful. Showing gratitude of small things comes back when I need it the most. There is a lesson to be learned up ahead. Are you willing to learn? What is it that must be learned?

We don't always have the answers. We learn that sometimes acting too fast is the wrong answer and can be worse than no answer. We learn to dance, sometimes following, sometimes leading but always in time with the music. When we wait for the right cue, it becomes beautiful. One, two, wait. One, two, wait. See the beauty of the dance. A storm can blow our way and because we listen and are patient, our quiet time has prepared us to build a sandcastle in the mist of the storm. We are surprised by the ease and grace which we emerge.

In the mist of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, you'll be glad that you opening accepted understanding, peace and tranquility. That the mind healing was begun in quietness and prepared for the storm. Be still and feel your Spirit. Drink in the renewing of your Spirit.

Have a good day! Empower yourself today!

Are You Connected?

The road to success is always under construction. ~ Lily Tomlin

In the mist of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the chaos, the kids, the job, things can be quiet stressful and create tension and friction on our world. As we become older, we try to cram as much as we can in our 24 hours a day. If you are zapped of all the mojo of your life, it is difficult for the flow of joy, laughter and all the good things to grow in your life.

Together we can make a difference in our lives by giving support to each other. Reminding ourselves to do our daily rituals which help us renew our strength and mojo. You are not an island unto itself. The difference is that we are all connected by life force. The better you are, the better I am and everyone we meet or are acquainted with.

At anytime you can choose to unplug yourself and start living a life based on your human nature. When you choose to disconnect yourself from the support, the synergism, the love, the strength dries up. You may not notice it at first, but gradually, your spirit is not encouraged, not empowered and becomes weakened. It's like a flower that is planted in a dessert. It grows until there is no more water to feed it. Without water it will shrill up and die just like our spirit.

Consistency in doing our daily rituals such as yoga, meditation, a morning walk, reading inspirational messages, or even a leisurely breakfast and cup of coffee. Peace, tranquility, joy and laughter can flow easily and help you can gain control of the chaos in your life.

By doing these daily activities until they become second nature, you will find you will experience less bouts of insomnia, relief from anxieties, increased mind healing, and improve you physical as well as your mental health.

What are your daily rituals?

Reading is good. By reading inspirational material, you help create a more positive mind. When the dark clouds roll in, you have inspiration to help your mind heal and push back the clouds of disparage. Read inspirational messages on the Internet or read a good book. If you can't read, the listen to a good audio-book. Audio-books were created for that purpose.

Simple stretching or taking a walk can improve blood flow, tension, mind healing and help you unwind and escape the rat race. Any thing you can do to reconnect with yourself will help you keep yourself as the number one priority.

By setting aside some time for yourself each day, you will definitely see a difference in your personal happiness level. Are you connected?

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you. - Marsha Norman

Close your eyes. Forget about the chaos in your life right now. Clear your mind. Use your creativity to visualize yourself approaching a beautiful home on a sprawling green lawn. The shady front porch invites you to step inside. As you enter the open door, you see a large living room with large glass windows that displays the sunlight outside. You see fresh flowers and pictures of your family adorning the tables. A sweet aroma fills the air of freshly baked cookies. Then you hear someone quietly speak your name. You turn with a big smile as you see the most wonderful loved one. You feel a heartfelt warm embrace. You know you are home. Home is where the heart is.

Every day, take time to quiet your mind to allow your mind healing from the past. Simply take time to slow down and simplify your life. This allows you to become more mindful of your choices. We are stressed, overwhelmed, and slowly sacrificing our sanity in the attempt to be in ten different places at once. Unless you’ve hired a stunt double, who really has the time to find balance? It seems to be the problem that a lot of us face. We just don’t have enough TIME. Declutter your life and find more "Me" time. Reconnect with the most important person in your life - you. This allows you to have more to give away. Understanding depression makes a difference. This will help alleviate insomnia, anxiety, muscle pain, and improve our overall health.

Remember, nobody is perfect or has a perfect life. Ask yourself what’s really important to you. Home is where the heart is. Together we can make a difference. What is your soul writing about you? Follow your heart and your body will follow.

Learn Baby Steps

Life is a series of learning baby steps along the way. It's not how fast we get there, it just that we make our destination. So slowing down and learning baby steps along the way is no problem. If we take learning the baby steps of whatever it is we are trying to accomplish, we will master it faster. Slow and easy builds confidence. Don't be surprised when something doesn't come naturally. Have courage until the flow becomes natural.

Understanding depression is no exception. Maybe your past is dotted with compulsive behaviors such as eating too much, too much anger, avoiding too much, drinking too much, spending too much, gambling too much, working too much, having sex too much or using drugs too much. To much of anything can cause us problems. Now is the time to learn those baby steps and build your confidence in balance and comfort. Taking time to learn baby steps in our new found behaviors will empower our success in reaching our balanced and abundant life and allow joy and happiness to flow through us.

Together we can make a difference by showing support to each other in truth. Never give up.

What Really Matters?

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, lessons can be learned on what really matters in life. In the heat of an argument, the main thing to remember is to be respectful of others opinions while discussing your views. Fact of life, we will have disagreements on some things in life.

When I was in high school and college, I was on the debate team. One of the things I learned was there were several ways to win an argument. At first I thought it had to be brute force in convincing others. Yes, I have met many persons with good intentions that used anger and fear as their backbone to living life. I was petite and learned that kindness and soft answers were a real blow to some hot headed argument. When in the throws of an execution of disagreements, I could deliver a fatal blow with a soft answer. Wow was I totally surprised.

I had to remain calm, keep my cool and just make my point while the other person became red faced in anger. Have you ever been in a heated argument and remained calm? If you can remain calm while others are losing theirs, you have won the battle. You will feel the confidence building inside you. Your courage will flourish. Your inner strength will strengthen. Happiness and joy will abundantly flow in your life. You won't have regrets that send you into depression.

I admired Tim Russert for being a lifelong liberal who was fair and polite even with the hardest of the hard-line conservatives who appeared on Meet the Press. What really won me over to Tim Russert, however, was his unabashed love for his father and son relationship. He never concealed his devotion to his wife, but it was the way he magnified the special bond between grandfather, son, and grandson that became a hallmark for him.

Showing kindness, gratitude, and graciousness will gain you more respect and raise your credibility more than most of the stuff you're babbling about. In your own life, whatever you believe, utilize kindness and respect for other creatures. Don't be afraid to show your love for your family. You'll be admired and respected by others. Remember what really matters in life.

While writing this, I was reminded of Rudyard Kipling's poem IF.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

~ Rudyard Kipling

Look Through The Eyes With Love

Did you know you can see things in different ways? Sometimes I have looked at a situation and thought it was the worst thing that could happen. When I rethought my position and look through the eyes with love in my heart instead of anger, I have seen the otherside. The more you give the more you will have. Teach, and you will learn.

Listen, and you will understand more. Learn to show kindness, and kindness will come back to you. Keep a grateful spirit, and your life will be filled with abundance. Seek to bring out the best in others, and they'll give you the best that they have.

Give your genuine love to those who thirst for it most, and you'll be loved beyond all measure.

Speak positively of your life, and your life will be a rich and fulfilling place.

The life you influence with your thoughts, words and actions is the life in which you live. Always look through the eyes with, and your life will empower you.

Every Step You Take

With every step you take, you either believe you can or you can't do it. Either way, you are right. If you say you can't, you won't. If you say you can. you will. It's really that simple. Some people say I can't just because they have heard someone else say it. So they are holding themselves back without even trying.

The secret to overcoming sabotage, roadblocks, depression, etc. is to look at life's possibilities. Empower yourself with the believe that you can do it, you deserve it; you are worth it! "If anybody can, I can. If anybody will, I will."

Don't be afraid of new experiences. Accept abundant living into your life. Numerous possibilities open before you when you allow abundance to flow with an attitude of gratitude. You are in control. You are the master of your fate.

Remember it's the way you look at life's events that determine how high and how far you will climb. Are you putting the breaks on? Pull out the stops and cross the line in the sand to your destiny. Have courage. You can do it! Together we can make a difference with every step we take and every breath we breathe.

To Thine Ownself Be True

You can run, but you can't hide from yourself. Sometimes we learn as children not to be totally truthful. We think we are being good, but the truth is we are hurting ourselves. We are lying to ourselves and those around us when we don't face the truth.

It is important to know our true feelings in order to manage a happy life. You can't ignore our feelings or repress them. They are still there. It is best to express those feeling and emotions.

What are you feeling? Why do you feel that way? By expressing your feelings and emotions, you are understanding your depression. By listening, you understand anger, fear, anxiety, blues, joy, peace and laughter. When you try to repress them, they will simply return later in a more forceful manner which sometimes gives us a yo-yo effect on our life. Sound familiar?

Our minds get conflicted when we try to repress our feelings and emotions. Instead we need to learn to control our feelings and emotions. Our thoughts create our beliefs. Our beliefs create our actions about ourselves and those around us. Our actions create our environment. Our environment creates our communities. Our communities create our world. See how we effect everyone? Together we can make a difference in learning "to thine own self be true" with our feelings and emotions. Something can be done about it. We can empower our lives.

Are you true to yourself? Or are you sending mixed messages to yourself and those around you?

Listen To Your Heart

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Sometimes we feel anger, anxiety, fear, depression, worry and other feelings of related to the black fog in our lives. It is easier to feel the freedom from the strings of life when we listen to your heartstrings. You, like many of us, have lots of thoughts running through your mind at any given moment. You probably spend much of your day multi-tasking. All of this chaos makes it difficult to hear your heartstrings. It is important to find some ways to quiet your mind so that your mind can heal. You can't shut off your thoughts completely, but you can learn to slow them down. Let go of all the distracting thoughts flow out of your mind. Picture your thoughts floating away on a cloud. Relax more with each breath. You might even try counting down from 10 to 1 and allow yourself to relax more with each count. Once your mind is clearer, you can then access your heartstrings.

Meditation is an excellent ways to get focused. Even a few minutes of meditation daily can increase your ability to hear your heartstrings. Meditation is like priming the pump. As you get used to being in a meditative state, you will find that it is easier to hear the whispers from your heart. Calming the mind begins mind healing. Take a deep breath and let courage enter in. Getting frustrated will only interfere with the process.

Visualize to help you access heartfelt answers to your questions. Imagine yourself in a quiet place in nature, surrounded by beauty and wonder. Make this image as vivid as possible by using all of your senses - touch, sight, taste, smell and hearing. Spend a few moments simply enjoying this place in your mind’s eye. See yourself opening the treasure chest of your heartstrings. Don't try to control this, let your heartfelt mind guide you. Trust that whatever is inside the treasure chest is your answer. It will become clear over time. Be patient! Learn to go with the flow of your heartstrings.

Be sure to keep a journal by your bed so that you can record your heartstrings. Look for the emotions and themes and see if this sheds light on your problem.

You can use affirmations to focus your mind healing and help you listen to your heart. It is best to use affirmations with some form of relaxation to help with mind healing. Affirmations are a terrific way to tap into the power of your subconscious mind to help you empower your conscious desires. Affirmations should be concise sentences stated in a positive way. When creating an affirmation remember to state what it is that you want, not what you don’t want. Another important guideline is to always use the present tense when creating your affirmations.

Practice listening to your heartstrings. After you start practicing you will notice small issues beginning to empower your life. Practicing with these simple issues will allow you to stay relaxed and focused without too much distraction from fear or other mental chaos. You will gain confidence that will enable you to act upon it. You can use this inner strength to guide you in all of your decisions at work, at home, and at play. Listen to your heart will always guide you to the path that is for your highest good.

Life Is A Choice

My passion is to help equip you to walk your best life. Sometimes we need encouragement on the journey! There is no better time than now. We live in a world that reminds us of everything we don’t have. We are continually reminded of our hurts and pains, our failures, but seldom are we reminded of our victories.

Happiness is a choice you make every step of the way. We can choose to be happy from the moment we wake up and then keep choosing happiness moment all our day. We chose to live in the moment because this is where happiness is found. It is not in the past and it is not in the future. It is in the now.

You can only have one thought at a time. So choose your thoughts. If you catch yourself with stinking thinking, choose a happier thought. Change the direction that your thought is going. Therefore everyone you come in contact will leave with a happy thought instead of spreading stinking thinking. Follow your mind's eye in keeping focused on where you’re going in an attitude of gratitude.

The only thing you have to fear is fear itself, take action to keep moving yourself forward with great expectation and energy. Keep stinking thinking out and remember to tell yourself your positive affirmations, change your at every opportunity, and empower your life with joy and happiness. Choose to laugh by treating life as a journey not as a final resting place. T

If I can do it, you can do it. Together we can make a difference in our lives. Happiness is a state of being you can look for and find at every moment throughout your day ... throughout your life ... one step at a time!

Hugs in an attitude of gratitude,

Endless Mind Healing

You probably started your negative or positive thinking when you were a child. Usually, this habit can affect us in many ways, influencing the experience of stress, fear and anxiety to our lives. However, sometimes things happen to change our thinking. If you've gotten into stinking thinking, you may want to change it! Here are some ways you can stop yourself from using stinking thinking and use your mind to boost your productivity and endless mind healing and relieve stress and anxiety.

The first step toward change is to become more aware of the problem. You probably don't realize how often you have stinking thinking in your head, or how it affects you.

Writing in a journal, helps you notice when you summarize what has happened at the end of the day. Over several days, you will notice if your thoughts are usually stinking thinking.

As you notice yourself saying something negative in your mind, you can turn your thoughts around by telling yourself "Stop". Saying this aloud will be empowering, and cause you to be aware of stinking thinking and if certain people are around that would influence your stinking thinking. Replace it with something better. Once you're aware, you will be able to change it. There is a better way!

Another way to stop stinking thinking is to walk around with a rubber band around your wrist; as you notice stinking thinking, pull the band away from your skin and let it pop. It'll hurt a little, and serve as a reminder of your stinking thinking!

Think of a way to say or think in a better way. When you hear yourself with stinking thinking, find a way to say the same thing in a more positive way. Sometimes I have found myself with stinking thinking when I have certain people around and I have to force myself back into positive thinking. Does that sound familiar? It's just like going for a walk except in your mind.

Positive thinking brings endless mind healing. Are you assuming something is a stinking event when it isn't, necessarily? (IE, having your plans cancelled at the last minute is a bummer, but think of it in a positive way that you can make the most of your newly-freed schedule.) The next time you find yourself stressing-out or having a panic attack, stop and rethink. You might surprise yourself. Tell yourself "I can handle this!" Ask yourself what is it your really want to do? Open your mind to endless possibilities. Now, what can I do? Soon abundance will flow.

Never Give Up Or Time To Let Go

One lady with a grown alcoholic daughter in her mid–thirties still living with her. When the daughter went out and drank too much to drive home, guess who goes to pick her up? If she's too drunk to work and can't make her car payment or her house payment, guess who makes it? You're right. It's Mom. So, whom of the two is the sickest?

As long as Mom keeps rescuing her daughter, the daughter has no need to face her problem and deal with it. Mom is the enabler. There are four codependents who enable each alcoholic. Therefore, these people bypass the natural consequences of the alcoholics' self–destructive behavior which keep them drinking. They never learn to take responsibility.

As difficult as it is, there comes a time after nothing else has worked, when the codependent needs to let go and stop their rescuing behavior; the buck stops here. This is a part of the sickness and reinforces the problem until you can let go.

Usually it is only when people with major problems hit rock bottom that they face they are the queen of denial, admit to it, and do something about it. They may not stop their destructive behavior, but if we don't stop rescuing them, it is a sure–fire guarantee that they won't get into recovery. Until they hit rock bottom and come to their senses, the mind healing cannot begin.

Is there someone in your life that you need to let go of, get out of the way, and stop rescuing? This act of kindness may seem tough and will most likely cause friction, but it is the most and only loving thing to do. Know that it's because you love them, that you have to let them go. They have already made the decision, it's you that keeps holding on. Let go of your fear. It doesn't mean that you can't pray for them or wish them well. It means that it's time to move on. Who knows someday in the future, you could meet again when things are different. The Power that created you has the power to heal you to know when it's time to let go. Join a support group. Together we can make a difference.

You Are My Sunshine

Did you know that you brighten my day? How many others do you brighten their day? Does your heart and mind feel like it's locked? The key to light and mind healing is love. Love creates more love. The more you have, the more you can give away and it always finds ways to come back to you. Sometimes it illuminates at the darkest moments. Some days I feel as if I have given all I have to give and nothing is left. Then you will say or send me a message that was just what I needed to hear. You are my sunshine!

You need to give, give, give so you can take, take, take, take it all. Let your light shine into the the light of those around you. As you give it away, more love will come your way. Find every opportunity to show peace and love today. Remember you are my sunshine and be sunshine to someone else. Together we can make a difference in mind healing.

The Art of Forgiveness

Some years ago during a visit to Yellowstone Park with my Pomeranians, I observed that the only animal that the grizzly bear would share his food with was a skunk.

It wasn't that the grizzly wanted to share his food but rather that he chose to. With his powerful paw he could have crushed the skunk with one swing. However the bear knew the high cost to getting even. Clever bear! Undoubtedly he learned the hard way.

Strange that we humans often aren't as smart as the the average bear. We carry grudges for years, sometimes repressing them from conscious memory; not knowing why we feel resentment, and end up hurting ourselves more than the ones that caused the pain. We fail to see how damaging an unforgiveness is. What happens in those times when you get the feeling it’s time to move on? What happens when you continually come up against roadblocks that you can’t seem to overcome? What happens when all your unrewarded efforts just seem to depress you?

Doctors and counselors alike attest to the damage done by failing to forgive. Some medical doctors estimate that the majority of illnesses they treat are related to emotional problems such as resentment which is a lack of forgiveness. One doctor wrote in his book, "None of These Diseases", that a forgiving spirit could save us from ulcerated colitis, toxic goiters, high blood pressure, and scores of other diseases including ulcers, asthma, arthritis, neurodermatitis, and heart ailments. All because of resentment. Counselors and psychiatrists see the roots of bitterness reflected in depression, anxiety, fear, anger, suicides worry, feelings of sabotage, and dysfunctional and broken relationships.

During med school, I read one report of an astonished patient who was told by his doctor: "If you don't cut out your resentments, I may have to cut out a part of your intestinal tract."

Fortunately, the man took the doctor's advice. He had been nursing a bitter grudge against a former business partner. He went to see this man, resolved their differences, and forgave him. When he returned to the doctor, his physical condition had cleared up. I've also seen many that could not learn to forgive. How many years did they live imprisoned by the past? How many died in that torment?

Not to forgive is to be imprisoned by the past.

Many times you will hear that only those who are persistent in life, love and career win the prizes. There is that famous quote from Calvin Coolidge hanging over our heads that ‘persistence and determination alone are omnipotent’. Over and over we are told that if we quit or change course midway through an endeavor, then we are weak or not made of the right mettle. But is this necessarily always true?

I’d like to share some simple ideas on how to decide when it is wise to walk away and change your course. These ideas might help you in your career, business, and relationships - life.

History is full of people, who quit one path, only to succeed greatly at something else. Ross Perot quit IBM to eventually become a self-made billionaire, Robbie Williams quit his boy-band tenure to become the highest paid solo pop artist of his generation; Diana, Princess of Wales ‘quit’ the Royal family, only to become more famous and respected for her humanitarian work. I could tell you numerous others that you wouldn't recognize their names like my Dad who change his course that lead to a better future.

Sometimes you reach a crossroads on a certain path in your life and it is time to reexamine to continue in the same way or to change directions. Sometimes the changes can be slight, sometimes they can be drastic. Sometime you can feel guilty, or grief at the possibility of walking away from something that has been important to you. Sometimes friends and family cause you grief over the changes. Only you can decide what those changes need to be.

Here are some simple guidelines that can help you make the right choice:

1) Ask yourself why you started what you’re doing? Think back to the beginning point of your current situation. If it’s a relationship, what drew you into it in the first place? Is that still important to you? If it’s a career or project or business, what made you decide to get involved? Get these answers clear first so you can see your starting point and how far you have come.

2) Discover if you have any challenge or interest left. Is there anything you feel is incomplete or unfinished in your current position? Anything you want to accomplish, learn, do or say to someone? If so, do it NOW so that you can move on without regret or need to back-peddle. This will free you to focus on your new future.

3) As you probably know, you are not alone. Others are in or have been in the same boat as you are in now. Look at those people who are a few years ahead in the same position and ask yourself whether you want to be where they are. This is a great eye opener. Look at your current situation and find someone a few years ahead of you who elected to stay in the same position you are in now. Consider whether you would like to be in a similar situation in a few years. If the answer is no, it’s probably time to move on.

4) Don't feel guilty. Often when we are familiar with something or someone for a long time, we simply feel a sense of guilt that holds us back. This can happen in relationships, careers, sports, business, etc.

A key to confidence in your life is to be certain in your mind that is totally okay to change your mind and stop banging your head against a wall that you no longer enjoy. Have courage that your life is yours first and you will find people around you will respect your decisions more than when you wishy washy. People around you, when you act wishy washy, think they are trying to help you by bring up all the possibilities and reasons you should stay the course.

5) Once you've made your decision, move quickly in your new life. Make sure your new focus holds your interest and gives you a sense of challenge, as this helps to emotionally lay the old activities to rest.

6) Make a class act decision. Changing course is rarely a pleasant experience. No one said life would be easy, just know that your decision is worth it. Often an unpleasant situation precedes the act of quitting. There can be emotions that are expressed, or things left undone in the process of walking away.

Wherever possible, move on without burning bridges by offending people. Doing this will save you much regret later on, and may just come in handy down the track, as you never know when people from the past will offer you a new opportunity in the future.

If you don't forgive the right way, resentment will poke its ugly head out at the most unexpected times similar to a couple gets into an argument and start dragging up events from the past. True forgiveness needs to be with our heart and soul. Obviously those things haven't been forgiven. Forgiveness may not forget the past but it can let bygones be bygones. It doesn't have to affect our present or our future.

Forgiveness can be very difficult if we have been hurt deeply but how do we forgive someone when that person doesn't even know or feel any wrong doing?

When a person recognizes his wrongdoing, that certainly makes forgiveness easier.

Sometimes he doesn't, which is usually the case. Forgiveness becomes a choice. We can choose to forgive or not to forgive. The choice is your? No one can make you forgive. You're the one that has to know it is right for you.

We need to realize is that forgiveness is essential perhaps more for our hurts and feelings because of resentment than it is for the one who has wronged us. Lack of forgiveness is caused by a mixture of hurt and anger. Therefore, to truly forgive, one needs to face and deal with their own hurt and anger. Even forgiveness of self. Remember we are victors not victims.

Therefore to resolve that resentment, we need to be totally honest and admit exactly how we feel. We need to get these feelings off our chest - not by lashing out and hurting the other person, but in love, visualizing or by writing out our feelings until they are completely dissipated. To forgive is not to ignore justice. Pope John Paul forgave his would-be-assassin, but the man stayed in prison, and rightly so. And where we want others to forgive us, we will want to do everything in our power to make a just restitution.

The important thing is that we respond to forgiveness by acknowledging wrongdoing and accepting free pardon. Let us freely forgive one another as we forgive ourselves.

Forgiveness frees and heals the forgiver. The mind healing has begun. Have you been freed?

Bad Day? Go For A Walk And Turn Yourself Around

Have a bad day? So you go for a walk and turn yourself around. Sound simple doesn't it. Anyone suffering from depression knows that there are days that are bad. Sometimes taking a walk in solitude allows the subconscious mind to revitalize itself. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise there is. All nerves in the body pass through the neck area. So when you get up, stretch and walk you are exercising all your nerves. Thereby release strain that may be on nerves therefore causing part of your depression. It allows you to change your course and go in a different direction which allows freedom of flow in the body. The brain can function more efficiently and therefore the rest of the body can be more effective.

If you were traveling on a trip and took a wrong turn, would it not be in your best interest to turn yourself around. Until you turn around and change direction, you won't be able too reach your destination. It's the same with our bodies.

The nerves are the roadway or highway that passes messages from the brain to the rest of our body. If there is a road block along the way, everything gets blocked and backed up. It doesn't take long before the body starts sending the brain signals that something is wrong. It doesn't know what it is so depression sets in. Therefore when you go for a walk, it starts a chain reaction of changing direction and unblocking the blocker. Doesn't that make sense?

The important thing is that you turn yourself around so you can enjoy the sweetness of solitude, tranquility, peace and joy. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression.

Having drunk the sweetness of solitude and also the sweetness of tranquility, one becomes free from fear and wrongdoing while drinking the sweetness of the joy of truth.-Sutta Nipata

Freedom From Family Ties That Bind Us

Sometimes we notice that sabotage is constantly surrounding us. That fear we have is often traced back to a source that we learned from one of our parents who many have learned it from one of their parents, etc. For example your Mother or Father could have experienced depression. If that fear was not resolved by the time you came into the picture, chances are you inherited it. You may have not understand why depression seems to follow you around. Understanding depression is a key to freedom from family ties that bind us.

An example of this is in one lady that I helped. She was always depressed and she found that certain things she wanted to do were being blocked. We traced it back to a time when she was eight years old when she decided to accept the idea of being depressed was a way of helping herself not have to deal with problems. She was now 45. She decided it was time to release this fear symbolically.

You cannot resolve someone else’s fear for them, but you can decide to let go of it on your own behalf. Whether your parents are still alive or not, it is best to do this in a symbolic way, using visualization and, if you like, ritual. One simple visualization involves inviting your parent to sit across from you in your heart space and sharing your desire to move on from this fear, letting them know that you will not carry it anymore. You may be surprised at the response you get, because it’s possible they will be proud of you, grateful, and proud of your courage.

The more we do this deep inner work with our fears, the better we will be able to parent our own children without burdening them with fears that don’t belong to them. Her parents were already dead so she visualized her parents being there and saying that she was not going to continue this behavior. She realized it was no ones fault but the "buck" stops here. She felt a sense of pride and joy flowing through her. Once we have freedom from the ties to the fears of the past, our fears are greatly weakened. It is never to late.

Even if you are a grandparent, you can make a difference in your life and the life of your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Once the ties that have hindered us are broken, we can move forward with happiness and possibilities. Our mind healing has begun. Together we can make a difference. Empower your legacy.

Make today your freedom day from depression! Celebrate a better way to living and mind healing. Claim your freedom from family ties that bind. Have a happy . . .

God Bless America!

Saving the Flag
She was not the most popular girl in high school. She was in advanced studies, in a school system that idolized their honors program. My daughters thought the world of her, and with good reason. Aimee was a patriot. No apologies nor excuses. She was an officer in her high school JROTC program. She was disciplined. Courageous. And she loved her country.

You could always pick Aimee out in a field filled with young, military hopefuls marching in formation. She was sharp. She was proud. And, in spite of her petite form, she always looked tall. But Aimee did not have it easy. She was the butt of jokes and ridicule. Aimee worked her heart out in her classes, and she was about to graduate with a better than 5.0 average, which she had maintained for four straight years.

In a school system where the grade point average of the "honors" classes went up to 6.0, Aimee didn't stand a chance for valedictorian. Some unseen experts decided that Aimee would not become valedictorian, because it would be unfair to the honors students. Although she had never made less than an "A" in her entire high school career, some "A-B" student in the honors program outranked Aimee.

The high school principal fought his way up through the School Board on Aimee's behalf, to give her the honor she deserved. It was an outrage that such excellence would be ignored. It didn't make the papers, but on graduation day, Aimee received her victory, and she became co-valedictorian of her high school class, although many of us thought she had earned the honor to stand alone. Aimee did not sit with the other graduates. She stood, proudly, with her JROTC unit, as the assembly turned toward them to salute the flag. Aimee did not hold the flag, because she was graduating, but she was there, as always, proud to serve.


Graduation was held on the football field. It was sunny and windy, and it was wet, as it had rained torrents the night before. Suddenly, the wind kicked up, and the beautiful colors of the red, white, and blue tottered in the air, as the flag holder lost his footing, and the flag careened toward the ground. Without hesitation, breaking formation, Aimee launched herself through the air, catching the flag and landing in the mud, on her face.

Many in the crowd roared their laughter, but not all of us. Some of us were in tears, as Aimee, carefully steadied her country's flag, and came back into formation, her JROTC uniform covered in mud. But not the flag. It never touched the ground. Aimee had saved the flag.

Aimee graduated with honors, and she went on to college with an ROTC scholarship, and on into a military career. My daughters still speak of her as a hero, which she was, and in our hearts, still is. Aimee's story is what legends are made of. I have no doubt that Aimee is somewhere on the front lines today, still defending the American flag.
--Jaye Lewis

Keep Positive Thoughts On Your Mind

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, sometimes the chaos of daily living boggles the mind and negative thoughts slip in. In the mist of it all, even the most important things can slip your mind. I know it has with me. Sometimes I forget my own kids names and I call them by one of the other kids name. Sound familiar?

When it gets like that I have a 2 minute time out for me. I take a deep breath and meditate for 2 minutes asking for peace and calmness and count my blessings. It gives my mind and subconscious time to reorganize and get back on track.

Commit to every day finding a few minuets of quiet time will revitalize your work. I even found the kids have learned to do this as I was watching the youngest tell her doll that she needed to spend two minutes in meditation time out. I had to laugh inwardly and smile as I watched her spend two minutes in meditation time out.

When you keep positive thoughts on your mind, you will experience a wellspring of joy bubbling inside and overflowing to your family, friends, co-workers and others that cross your path.

Remember you are worth it! Together we can make a difference!

Take A Stand

Most of us have been taught to avoid bullies at all cost. The hardest lesson to learn is when you have to stand up to them. From time to time we have all experienced first hand knowledge of dealing with a bully. Sometimes you have to stand up to them in order to maintain your life or your principles. You can't do it from brute force. At least some of us are, how should I say it, a little more delicate than most people. Sometimes I feel that those suffering from depression seem to attract more bullies or they think they can attack someone weaker. I have no proof of that, just a feeling. When confronting a bully, you need to come from an inner strength.

Let me tell you about two occasions that show this. On one occasion a female bully was upset with me. She came over and slapped me and started screaming. I remained calm and quiet with my head held high and smiling. This of course angered her more. I knew she weighed considerably more than I did and she was a lot bigger than I was. I was only 4'10 1/2" and weighed 90 lbs. She was almost six foot and weighed close to 200 lbs. Some of my friends kept her from hitting me but could not control her verbal attack. I drew on my inner strength knowing that I had done nothing to provoke this type of behavior. So I remained calm and smiled. She stormed off.

Later that day when she had had time to calm down, she returned to me in a calm manner and said, "I'm sorry." Then asked, "How could you stand their smiling at me with me saying all those things to you?' We were then able to talk peacefully and resolve the misunderstanding that we had that had started the whole thing. If you can keep your head while others are losing theirs, you can bring the other person to the point where you can find a solution in a calm manner.

On the other occasion, it was at Christmas time and I was shopping with about $400-500 cash in my purse. I had been taking karate for about six weeks. My Grandmaster had taught us that 90% of the time you can defend yourself from attacks with demonstrating confidence in your abilities to fight with martial arts.

Back to the story, one of the sales ladies in a store at the mall told me that she noticed a man following me and wanted to know if he was with me. It wasn't and she told me to be careful that there had been several attacks on customers during the Christmas shopping time. So I decided to call it a day and made my way to my car. When I was about a car away from it, I felt a man's hand fall firmly on my shoulder. I felt courage rise up inside me.

I quickly turned, dropped my purse, yelled and prepared to fight for all that I was worth with the martial art training that I had. The 6'4 guy that looked to be about 280-300 lbs. turned faster than I did and ran. I smiled with my head held high. My inner strength and confidence won out over brute strength and he wasn't going to stick around to find out how much I knew. My Grandmaster loves telling the story to all new students. It gives them inspiration.

In our world, unfortunately is laced with lies, cries, neighs, rites and crimes. Learning to take a stand is sometimes hard. No one said life would be easy, but learning to take a stand is worth it.

The Treasure Chest

Did you know you have a treasure chest waiting to be discovered? It's like buried treasure. When you're sailing your ship in search of that treasure of happiness, don't be afraid of the rough winds of depression, the trouble seas of discouragement or the storms of life. Do not fear the fog of depression. Keep moving toward the teasures of life which are priceless. Have courage.

What are the treasures that I am talking about? The gold of your life, the silver of your joy and the priceless gems of laughter and friendships are but a few of the many treasures you will find.
You are worth far more than all of these.

Keep your sails up, stay the course, the anchor holds and you will find the light from the lighthouse will guide you to safety. Abundance flow from your treasure chest.

The Power that created you has the power to guide you. Empower yourself today.