Power From Within

Power From Within
by Annie Tornabene



The power from within allows us to do amazing things. We have a power from within that allows us to conquer all obstacles.

We have a choice to be angry, blue, fearful, and depressed or we can be courageous, happy, joyful, and peaceful. It is not other people that make us this way. We can choose to rise above them and live our best life with the power from within. What do you choose?

Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and living our best life now with the power from within.

The Gift of Life

The Gift of Life
by Annie Tornabene





The gift of life is amazing. I am very thankful today for the gift of life. We should all be thankful for the gift of life. If you woke up this morning, be thankful for the gift of life and live it to the fullest.

The doctors tell me that 95% of my recovery is mental mind healing. That is what I have been saying about depression. Sure we all have aches and pains, disease or troubles but it is how we react to them that makes the difference.

You remember that children's song, the Hokey Pokey? That is how life is. You put your left leg in and shake it all about.That is what we have to do with life. Put each part of our body in and shake it until we have our whole body in. Shake your booty. Children put everything they have into life. We should be like them.

Do you remember Ray Charles singing America? Why was that so amazing? It is because Ray Charles put his whole self into singing that song. Sure he was blind and could have given up but instead he poured himself into singing.

My stepfather told me about his baby brother who had heart surgery. He refused to move after surgery and died a few years later. My stepfather after his heart surgery took an extra step each day and today walks 4 miles a day.

Those suffering from depression and more likely to have heart problems. So we need to be proactive and shake our booty. Embrace life to the fullest.

Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and living our best life now and enjoying the gift of life.

Dark Clouds

Dark Clouds
by Annie Tornabene


Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and dark clouds didn't spoil your day. I realize that being grateful is something we have to work at especially at times of family gatherings when there is sure to be someone present that will be a thorn in our side.

You are not alone. You probably had a hectic day of preparing for a feast or preparing your heart to be in an attitude of gratitude. Either way, your nerves have been spent ... they were on the edge. If you were traveling, you know how crowded the airports, the highways, etc were. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Dark clouds come our way whether we want them or not.

This is something that happens throughout the year not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes we have more dark clouds coming at Christmas. When we know these events and people are going to be near us, we must make sure to focus on our attitude of gratitude. Dark clouds always approach when we least expect them, so we better prepare for them.

Preparing for dark clouds is not something we can just throw together at the last minute. It is something we need to work on for a long time...to get in the habit of having an attitude of gratitude. I know we've talked all month about having an attitude of gratitude. It is a key to understanding depression, turning those dark clouds and helping us live our best life now.

Remember time is on our side. So, take time to regularly meditate ... to be still .... to be quiet ... to be one with the Creator. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, our minds and bodies need time to be still and quiet. It is a time for rest in the hands of the Creator. It is a time to feel the peace, the love and joy flowing around you and through you.

It is a time to realize the many blessings we have. It is a time to focus on what we do have. The media, the stores, the news will tell us all the things we don't have. It is important to realize what we do have. It is important that we, anyone reading this; even the poorest one reading this; realize that we are more blessed than 99% of the world. Take time every day to think of three things to be grateful for. How many things do we take for grant it?

At this time of the year, it is easy to focus on those who may be wealthier than ourselves. The stores, the news, the media focuses on all the we do not have. Take time to give to those less fortunate than ourselves. What can we do? Something can be done about it. Donate time at a rehab center, an orphanage, an abuse women or children's center or food bank. When I have worked at these centers or any kind of victim's center, it helped me take the focus off my problems and on to gratitude. Doing things for others less fortunate will remind you of how blessed you really are. Ask them what they are thankful for. You will be amazed and it will open your eyes and hearts to new possibilities and gratitude of what you already have.

When was the last time you told those you love, that you love them. One day you will awake and realize that all to soon that opportunity is gone forever. Write a note to them. While they are in your present, acknowledge your love and appreciation for them in your life. Give them a smile. Hold them close while you can. You will create the possibility of a better life with them now.

If we practice this attitude of gratitude, we keep the dark clouds at bay. Dark clouds will come into our life from time to time and may even keep us from having an attitude of gratitude. Remember the dark clouds will pass shortly. Look beyond the dark clouds and keep your focus for soon the dark clouds pass and a brighter day has begun. Together we make a difference in understanding depression and living our best life now. We are thankful for the thorns in our lives because they help us realize how many blessings we already have and live in abundance.

Attitude of Gratitude

Attitude of Gratitude
By Annie Tornabene


Good Morning Friends,

I got to reflecting during the night how friendship is something to be extremely grateful for. Friendship is the light of the world. This month is Gratitude Month and we all need to take time to reflect on things in our life that we are grateful.

Learning to be thankful for what we have today, and the turmoil of our past, empowers us with courage, hope, optimism and joy that help us reach toward our goals.

Sometimes it has been difficult to accept our turmoil, disappointments and defeats with an attitude of gratitude. There have been times in my life that I wondered how in the world this could be good for me. How could my Creator have allowed this to happen? How could I live another day like this? How could I have allowed that person into my life? How am I going to survive? How am I going to overcome this? What good could possibility come from this?

One day my Grandmaster made me sit down during my meditation time and make a list of all my enemies, those people who have hurt me in the past and anyone with whom I had tension. I had to find something about each person I could be thankful for. The results were amazingly profound. Even when I was only a few names down the list, I started realizing how much resentment I still harbored toward the people I named. I thought I had released that anger against them. It took real effort to hold on to that anger subconsciously, and it was putting physical strain on my body. Oh, I could hide it consciously, but inwardly it was ripping my insides out. As I found something to be grateful for about each person, I felt the pressure releasing bit by bit. I found relief.

I realized that by holding on to that subconscious anger, it was causing my mind to relive endlessly that turmoil and thus the mind was focusing on negativity rather than the positive that would bring me health, happiness and joy. I realized that because of that person, I learned to change for the better. Finding an attitude of gratitude about our enemies and those people that we have difficulty with, we learn to end the mental war and make peace with our past. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a present.

Acknowledging some measure of gratitude for each person allows us to live in the present with an inner peace and hope. It teaches us to set healthy boundaries with people in our present. It reminds us how far we've come. It helps us feel good about ourselves when we realize that we have overcome obstacles. It helps us make life affecting decisions. It helps us appreciate the good in our lives. It helps us realize that the thorn in our side has been removed and we have grown to flourish. In spite of the tears, the smears and turmoil, we thrive.

In an attitude of gratitude, you, my friend, are the light of the world in a world of darkness. Thank you for being my friend.

Recovery

Recovery
by Annie Tornabene


In the heat of the night the power came on. The cool breeze from the air conditioning felt good for a change. I had forgotten how nice the luxuries of life are. . .temporarily.

Even during turbulent times, the body adapts to its environment. When we first lost power it was an adjustment as we were having heat waves of 90 to 110 degrees. The storm brought in cool relief. (That's one reason to be thankful for the storm.) At least, it pulls the hot weather out and brings cool weather (60 - 84 degrees) Amazing what a drop in a few degrees makes. Sure during the day we still used our old fashion hand held fans for a little breeze gust.

The sweltering nights brought people leaving their windows open for any gust of wind. The days and nights brought the realization that we were not able to take hot baths. It was starting to get...well let's just say not a pretty picture. I'll spare you the gory details and suffice it to say that we got a taste of what it was like back in the 1800s. The only difference was our horses have wheels. Well some people were riding their horses instead of their cars because the price of gas was so high and many stations didn't have gave and didn't know when they would get gas because of not having power.

Our pets were affected too. I notice my cat wasn't keeping his food down because of the stress and heat. Animals during times of crisis's are often ignored. People don't realize that during a storm or crisis in your life, they are experiencing a crisis of their own. They suffer stress too.

Two hours after the power came on, I was screaming that it was too cold! Imagine that! My body has to adjust to air conditioning again. So now we have it on a warmer temperature and will gradually adjust the temperature. Just a reminder that we are stronger than we think we are. Inch by inch anything is a cinch. We can make it by taking one baby step at a time. Together we can make a difference in facing the storms or the strings of life and understanding depression.

Hugs in an attitude of gratitude!
More pictures of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike
We had six trees like this toppled by the storm.
Trees blocking the roads

The Champion

The Champion
By Annie Tornabene


As we watch the Olympic games in Beijing, I am reminded what it take to be the champion. That include finding the champion in you.

In 1644, a child named Antonio Stradivari was born. He, at a time when the average person lived be 35-40 years old, lived to be 93 years old. Amazing!

The reason I talk about him today is because he used very primitive tools to be the best he could be. I'm sure you have heard of his work today. Stradivari's Violins. Every step of the process was focused on providing excellence to each violin he created before he would sign his name on it. Many times he worked long and tedious hours alone to complete his violins. He spent his life doing his best life now.

Striving for excellence is not something you can turn on and off at the push of a button. The champions in the Olympics don't just become gold medalist overnight. It is something they strive for every day. They practice it for hours on end. They eat, live and breath it. They stay focused on living their best life now. When family and friends want to do something else, they stay focused.

Are you staying focused with your life? Are you going through the motions of living day to day, just getting by? Are you staying focused to live your best life now. You are the champion of your life. There is the champion within you.

Do you think Tiger Woods or Mike Phelps became champions overnight? No, They did the little things each day that made a difference in their lives. Stay focused when you are alone. Stay focused when you find negativity around you. You deserve to live your best life now. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression. Making a commitment to staying focused will help you live your best life now.

Many times we allow ourselves to become stuck in our present circumstances even if we are unhappy and really want to strive in a new direction. Why? Because it's familiar. One of the most important factors in understanding depression is the willingness to try things out, to experiment, to test new grounds. In fact, this is the only way to rock the boat and get unstuck. We may have to try and try again. It is a far better thing to try to succeed and fail, than to do nothing and succeed. Discover the champion in you! Make your dreams come true.

Doing Hula Hoops

Doing Hula Hoops
by Annie Tornabene



What impels you to get out of bed each morning? What is your passion? What keeps you going? Are you trying to live up to someone else's dream? Are you living your dream?

I've been watching the Olympics this week and it is amazing what some of these athletes do every day. They exercise their skill seven or eight hours a day. They eat, breath and live their skill. They never seem to tire out. It's because they are passionate about what they do. They found their true reason for living. They don't live it for their parents or coach. It's something inside of them that carries a torch. It's the spark that makes a difference.

If you are fighting the current for the life you really want to live, then no wonder you are exhausted. Doing something for someone else or living your life for someone else is the quickest way to feel defeated, to feel exhausted. Why are you jumping through hoops for someone's life. You must live your own life. Do the things that you want to do. Do the things that inspire you.

You will find that by doing the things that inspire you, you will have more energy. You will want to wake up and do hula hoops because it is your life!!!

Happiness comes when you forget about yourself. When the attention is on what you do makes a difference not that it is you. When you can feel good about what you do is helping someone or what you do makes a difference in your life and those whom you come in contact, then you find that it is worth it to do hula hoops, it makes a difference in life. You realize that happiness has found you, not that you are chasing happiness for happiness to allude you.

Never give up. You are worth it! Together we can make a difference in understanding depression. We can learn to live the life we dream and doing our own hula hoops. Go for it!

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!