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.

I'm Home

I'm Home
by Annie Tornabene


Well after being in the hospital for the past month, I am finally home. Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, light and reki. It feels good to be home.

I am glad to be home...just a little weak. The doctor says it may take me until the end of May to be back to full strength. I am doing well but I have no voice because of the tube they had in my throat during the operation and will I was in ICU. The doctors says my voice could come back at anytime or take 3 months.

I just wanted to let you know that I'm back and will be talking to you daily now. I'm home. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and living our best life now.

Hugs in an attitude of gratitude,

Getting To Know You

Getting To Know You
by Annie Tornabene

Getting to know you is just what the doctor ordered. Blues, depression, loneliness may be helped with thoughts of happiness and friendship. Sometimes just getting to know someone makes us feel connected. After all we are all connected and impact each other's life whether we realize it or not. You may think happiness will come with material things or relationships. Usually, it doesn't.

All too often the problems we see in others are the problems we see in ourselves. If you think someone is looking at you in a strange way, it may be that you walked in with an attitude. Try a different perspective and see what happens. Getting to know you may be your cup of tea.

Happiness comes from peace and joy of your positive attitude being shared with others. The more you give out the more that comes your way. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and getting to know you in a positive light. Little things make the difference in loving your life.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving
by Annie Tornabene



You, my friend, have helped me through good times and bad. You are my happiness, my sorrow; standing beside me, listening, talking and walking with smiles and tears through the years. I am so grateful for your friendship.

I am so blessed to have you in my life this thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving! May you always be blessed with an abundance of good friends, good food, peace, joy, happiness, love and prosperity. May you live like a penquin...just be happy!

In an attitude of gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving! Together we can make a difference in understanding depression, living an abundant life of gratitude and happy thanksgiving.

The Joy Of Gratitude

The Joy Of Gratitude
By Annie Tornabene


Every day is a good day...it can be depending on the way you look at it. With the joy of gratitude, I experience good days with what use to be "bad days"... days full of frustration, despair, disappointments and discouragement. I call those days an "unbelievable" day. This habit keeps me from being overwhelmed with stinking thinking and emotions. Why does this work?

Repetitious thoughts and words create feelings ... positive or negative behavioral patterns and increased thinking of those feelings. If I dwell on stinking thing, I feel the gloom and doom; thus increasing my level of depression and I end up moping around. If I tell myself it's an "unbelievable" day this keeps my mind open to possibilities, gratitude, hope, solutions, resilience, and even laughter. The buoyancy creates joy within me.

So if you are having an unbelievable day like the kids are screaming, you are ready to kiss your boss goodbye, the financial crisis just won't go away or you are crawling in traffic at a snails pace; just take a deep breath and reorganize your thoughts. If you are in the car don't take time to mediate, wait until you are in a safe spot to take a 2 minute meditation. If you are at a safe place, then take a few minutes to mediate and get back on track. If you can't find a place where you can be alone with your thoughts, slip away into the bathroom with the doors locked. A few minutes spent in quiet mediation refreshes you and allow you time to create a more positive feeling within yourself and that you can display to the world. Believe me it helps. You feel stronger and more confident. I think there were days that I could have killed someone without those quiet times. Breathe in peace, hope and tranquility. Allow the joy of gratitude to flow through you and around you.

I don't know all the answers...I do know that it is worth it. In an attitude of gratitude, count your blessings. Never give up. You can make it. Miracles happen every day...we just have to focus on them...look for them. Focus on health, wealth, good friends and family, and anything that you feel make life worth living for. While these blessings are temporary, they do get you in the habit of thinking in an attitude of gratitude.

Having tested this for myself extensively, I found there was an effective way to practice gratitude and an ineffective way. There is a deeper understanding of gratitude and a more effective way to practice it, one that yielded much greater the joy of gratitude.

Genuine gratitude isn’t my feeling because let's face it; my circumstances may not be that exciting. More often than not, it's complicated and it leaves me feeling empty or complacent. This gratitude may be the catalyst for a major attitude change or temporary relief that I need. You can enjoy this state of gratitude temporarily, but overall you’ll remain stuck in your old habits of stinking thinking.

Genuine gratitude is independent of situations and circumstances. The joy of gratitude is a feeling of gratitude for life itself, for our existence, for anything and everything we experience. It is more of an underlying attitude... it becomes part of who we are. It is a sense of charisma or enchantment with the journey of life no matter what the outcome. It is looking at life through the eyes of a child. It is no fear of loss and an enjoyment of the journey of our life, the universe, time and space, our obstacles, trials, and tribulations, our imperfections and bloopers, our realizations, our psyche, our inner child, the difficult people in our lives, our thoughts and angers and happiness, our rights, responsibilities, ideas and concepts, and even the fog.

Gratitude becomes the canvas upon which we paint our life. It doesn’t matter how it looks because we enjoy the experience of painting. We say wow to life.

If we can remain in that state of wonder of a child, we’re likely to find the joy of gratitude...the enjoyment of life. Together we can make a difference in living beyond anger, fear and depression and living our best life now. We will feel the joy of gratitude that resonates with who we are.

One Day At a Time

One Day At A Time
by Annie Tornabene



Do you find it difficult to be in an attitude of gratitude? Do you take one day at a time and focus on the positiveness around you? Do you find it difficult to change the habits of the past?

If you've spent a large portion of your life in stinking thinking, you can't expect to change overnight to suddenly thinking positively. You can change little by little...one step at a time ... one day at a time.

One day at a time you can commit to having an attitude of gratitude no matter what happens during the course. You can focus that much, can't you? You'd be amazed how easy it is to focus one day at a time. Just take moment by moment.

Here's how:

You get up in the morning and find something to be thankful for that day. It may be a good idea to make yourself a note the night before. It can be a note by your bedside, on the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator, the coffee pot or something like a rubber band or string (or anything to trigger your mind) to remind you to be grateful for something.

After awaking, spend a few moments in silent mediation in an attitude of gratitude for one thing in your life. Feel the feeling of gratitude in your heart...total immersed in an attitude of gratitude. Then affirm your intention with saying something like:

"In an attitude of gratitude, I feel grateful from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, from the tips of my fingers to the other side of me, from the back to the front. Today I feel a positive force flowing through me and around me for every person I meet, for every obstacle I face, for every moment of the day. I will make a commitment to stay grounded in the present moment and be glad. I will bring my thoughts and emotions back on track for today. I choose to be in an attitude of gratitude for today. I can do it one day at a time."

Just because you have made a little ceremony doesn't mean that it is smooth sailing. You will probably find yourself being tried and tested. But that's OK, because the more times you practice, the stronger your attitude of gratitude becomes. Just refocus yourself and keep on keeping on. You can do it one day at a time.

You may not make 100% but you should be feeling pretty good about yourself. Look at how well you did. You did better than yesterday! Wow... just think you can do it one day at a time.

Each day that you repeat this, you get better and better and won't have to work on it so hard. After you have mastered finding one thing to be grateful for, add another one. Keep adding another one and mastering it until you find yourself living in an attitude of gratitude.

Want to know how you spend your life? Think about how you spend your day. Each day attaches to the next to make a better tomorrow.

Everything can change one day at a time. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and in living one day at a time.

From Tears To Hope

From Tears To Hope
by Annie Tornabene

Inevitably, we all experience highs and lows in our lives. One moment of yesterday is filled with tears turn to hope for tomorrow. As the Grandmaster stated in Kung Fu Panda, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a present - that's why they call it a gift."

Some days are filled with bewilderment, despair and anxiety. Some days are filled with laughter, peace and joy. I'm sure you have had days like that. Everyone has them. It's how we deal with them that makes the difference in going from tears to hope or going from hope to tears.

Sometimes when I am facing the stormy strings of life, my spirit cries out,“ Why? Why!?!” Why am I stuck in this mess? Why am I deserted? Why have I been for gotten? Why have I been left behind? Sometimes we think our way of doing things are best only to find out that the mess has been multiplied. Our Creator wants no one to be left behind. Our Creator wants us to go from tears to hope...to pick up the pieces and find a new tomorrow.

Sometimes, it takes a little meditation ... to be still and listen to the voice from within... not the anxiety-ridden voice, but the calm, still voice of our Creator... the One that guides us safely. Not a prayer ... for prayer is where I do all the talking ... begging ... crying. Meditation is where I do the listening and giving gratitude for all the little things in my life. Sometimes it's a big step to learning to be still and quiet.

If it wasn't for the lighthouse, I wouldn't be here today. I can speak with the voice of experience. I've been there. I've been on the stormy sea of life... with tears flowing down my cheeks ... with a heart heavy from defeat, loneliness and hurts. In the midst of chaos and turmoil, the stillness and quietness of meditation turns me from tears to hope. The stillness and quietness turns every fiber in my body ... every single cell into alignment to receive the message from my Creator. I turn from trembling and fear to one of peace, tranquility and joy. I may not have the answer, but I feel the peace that my Creator wants me to live my best life now...that my Creators wants me to turn from tears to hope. My Creator wants no one to be left behind. My fears and worries are all dissipated. I have been empowered. I am ready to take a new step forward. I am back on track. I have gone from tears to hope.

The same applies to you. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and turning our lives from tears to hope.

Choose To Be Happy

Choose To Be Happy
by Annie Tornabene




Today I Will Choose to be Happy

How many of you are stuck in a dark fog of depression because you did not choose to be happy? Wow, that was like a shot between the eyes. Or it was for me when I first realized it.

It's time to wake up and smell the roses. If you're not smelling the sweetness of life, it's your stinking thinking that you are smelling. After my accident, I blamed the car, the driver, etc. It was if this hadn't happened or if that hadn't happened... none of it was me. I just sat there day after day getting darker and darker and more depressed. Then one day one of my friends told me about the days which turned into years, she had been in depression and how she decided one day that she was tired of being depressed. She told herself that she was not going to be discouraged, she was not going to be depressed. From that day forward she was going to be happy. She talked to me like I'm talking to you.

What do you mean, I have a choice? You don't understand, I can't move...I have a horrible disease...I've been ... Oh yeah, I know all the excuses. I tried them too. It's not what has happened to us, it's our reaction to what happened to us that makes the difference. You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be depressed. Which do you want?

After my accident, my Mother would tell me to smile. I couldn't smile. She would tell me to stop frowning. I couldn't change the look on my face. True the accident had altered some things in my life but it was my reaction to them that made the difference. When I decided to quit sitting there, my life changed from within.

It wasn't easy. I took each step with great effort ... each tiny little baby step and sometimes just a little wiggle is all I could muster. Sometimes I had to fake it in order to make it. Looking back, I see how far I've come. There were days that I felt like I took two steps backwards but I was still farther ahead than I was. Sure there are bad moments, but they don't keep me held hostage to the heavy mist of dark fogs of depression. I choose to be happy. No I may not be manic happy but I choose a happiness from within that brings me joy, peace, tranquility, contentment and a little laughter. The setbacks in my life are never as bad as my bad days in depression. I look back with pride at how far I've managed to come. It almost seems like a dream now. What am I talking about ... it was a nightmare.

Oh sure, when the doctors tell me things that I must go through, I stop for a moment and think "how can I handle this?" Fear sits in for a moment and then I think, I've been through far worst. We sometimes have to push fear aside and choose to be happy about the situation. Being depressed about it certainly doesn't help! I know because I've tried it. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. It is certainly better to be in control over the choices I make. Each choice I make makes me stronger. It's a great feeling not be on an emotional roller coaster ride.

Every day you can choose to be happy... wait a minute... you can choose to be happy every moment of every day! The choice is yours. Choose to be happy that you are alive. There are no guarantee in life so live your best life now. No one else can make me happy. It is simply a choice - my choice and my choice alone. That goes the same for you too. Live for today! Everything you do for yourself today makes for a better tomorrow. No matter what! Your choice will make a difference. Together we can make a difference because we choose to be happy!

Remember to say to yourself as many times as it takes, "I will greet each day with laughter, I will smile at every person I meet and I will do everything in an attitude of gratitude. I will choose to be happy." You may not make it everytime, but you'll still land among the stars.

A Decided Heart

A Decided Heart
by Annie Tornabene


I Have a Decided Heart

A key to understanding depression is to have a decided heart ... a heart full of passion... a reason to live ... a reason to endure the struggles along the strings of life. Buddha said it so simply that I had to repeat it here. "Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it." And so it is, our reason to live is to discover what makes us happy ... what are we passionate about and then dedicate our life to it.

If we are passionate about our life, then we jump out of bed in the morning and are eager to begin the day. In other words, we look forward with great anticipation to do what we do... our free time as well as our job. The happiest and most successful people in the world are those with a purpose for living. They are driven by their passion. Can you name some of those who you feel have or had a decided heart? I'm sure you can name a few... such as Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Max Lucado (after all he wrote, A Purpose Driven Life), Joel Osteen, Oprah and I'm sure there are sprinkles of CEOs as well as others.

Not always what we are passionate about makes us the most money. Money doesn't buy happiness. Follow your heart and the money will follow is what I heard as a child. I think that really means that if you follow your heart, you realize money is not as important as other things in life. The only power money has is the power we give it. When you are passionate about something, you give it the power to drive your life. It's that passion that sparks life from within when you are exhausted and have worked your fingers to the bone. It's that passion that enables us to endure hardships and struggles in the strings of life. A decided heart brings peace, joy and contentment to our lives.

Maybe you are sitting there thinking, "What am I passionate about?" "What drives me?" "What gets my mojo going in the morning?" "What keeps me going and going and going?" No, it's not the Energizer Bunny.

You can find your passion by meditating. The best way to get to know yourself is to get quiet and listen to your heart's desire. As Shakespeare said, "To thine own self be true." This may take a little time.

Take a week or so to reflect on your reactions to the things around you such as television shows, newspapers, conversations, books you read, and any other stimuli that causes you to react in a passionate way. If you come across something that has been of interest to you for a long time, make a note of it. If something grabs your attention, make a note of it.

What are you really good at? What specific quality do you possess? Whom do you admire? Why? Who do you know that is doing something you would love to do? What's stopping you? What would you do if you were given the choice to do anything in life you wanted? How could you make this world a better place? The choice is yours.

Look around you, what do you collect in your home? Do you collect old photographs? Do you have a green thumb? We tend to hold on to things we love, so, what's in your closet? What are your hobbies?

Once you get involved in something, you'll either want to stick with it and grow your knowledge, or you'll lose interest and move on to something else. Keep in mind that our passions change throughout life. We are constantly growing, expanding, and wanting more. Some passions remain the same for a long time, and some come and go on a fairly predictable basis. Don't worry if your passion changes. Some passions are there for a season and others are there for a reason. Have a decided heart and go for it as long as your passion is there. Sometimes all you need is a season break and the passion stirs again.

Anything you attempt will get you closer to discovering your long-term passion. And some people are great at starting projects and getting others passionate about completing the projects. My Grandfather was like that. He would go into an area and start building a church. After the church was built and going, it was his time to move on. It was time for someone with the passion to develop it from there. That's OK too.

Right now, just focus on getting centered on what you want to do at this point in time no matter what is going on around you. Just start moving those feet, one step at a time. Take a step of faith into the light. Your leap of faith may show others how bright life can be. Feel the fear but step out anyway. You will never know how wonderful life can be until you have a decided heart that empowers you with peace, tranquility and laughter. You can make a difference.

When we spend time doing what we love to do, it is no longer work but empowerment beyond our wildest dreams. The results are worth it because you are worth it.

Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and living our best life now with a decided heart for our future. We will stay the course no matter what it takes because we have a decided heart. Do you have a decided heart?

Fast Track

Fast Track
by Annie Tornabene













So we were hit my a storm, it blew us off track. We don't have to live like that forever. It's time to pick ourselves up and move on. Our Creator has a plan for us and all we have to do is get back on track. Fast track to get back on track. Hum? That sounds like a song forming up in my head.

The fast track to getting back on track is very simple because it is 1-2-3 steps. It doesn't matter how long it takes you ... just that you get back on track. So what if it has been 25 years. Today is a new day so fast track to get back on track today.

First of all, don't think about everything. If you think about everything, it will overwhelm you. There is more than enough to supply your every need and want. Enjoy each moment as it comes to you. One baby step at a time. Enjoy each opportunity to live life to the max. Our Creator has an abundant supply of possibilities for you. Enjoy each one. Get ready for the next. This is your training ground. Take one step at a time and before very long. Opportunities and possibilities are going to be flooding your life. You will be living the abundant life. What you see in front of you right now is magnificent, and more than enough to fill this moment. Don't worry about the past. Don't worry about the future. Just live in the present.

As you move through life, love your life and enjoy your best life now. As you do this you will grow even better. Happiness is a choice that you make over and over again. Prosperity in life cannot be denied to you. Just learn to accept it. Don't shun it away. Accept it in an attitude of gratitude. Love the life you live at each moment. Don't make any more excuses. Don't count on someone else to do it or to love you. You love yourself. You do things yourself. Remember if it is to be, it is up to me. Be loving and honest in all that you do. Keep stinking thinking out and stay positive. Love your life. Love the life that you were meant to live. Accept it and be happy. Remember you have the right to choose each thought, each word, each action. So choose carefully as you move forward to your best life now moment by moment.

Everything you do matters. Remember that everyone you come in contact with, you are influencing their life. Make a difference in your life as well as theirs. Every thought matters. Thoughts become action. Actions bring results. Each thought, word or action brings possibilities and opportunities. Each positive thought you choose not to accept just moves on to someone else. You don't think nothing counts? By doing nothing, you allow some of your greatest possibilities to pass by to someone else without ever being fulfilled by you. Is that what you really want?

What you are doing this very moment matters. Positive imput brings positive output. It will make a difference in the way your life is lived from this moment on, a difference for yourself and for all those around you. Make a difference...make it count for it will not come again.

Live every moment as though it's the most important thing you can do. And soon enough you'll discover that you are living your best life now on the fast track. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and getting back on tract on the fast tract.

Victor Or Victim?

Victor or Victim?
by Annie Tornabene


Do you feel like a victor or victim? Do you wish you could find the magic code or the secret to living a victorious life now? Some times in the hustle and bustle of every day life, we get caught up in every day strife. Then it is easy to take on the role of the victim instead of the victor. Don't do it!

You were created to live a victorious life. Don't let anyone rob you of it. Take control of your life by taking an active part in living and loving your life. If you play a passive role, there are those who would take advantage of you and pretty soon you'll be the victim. However if you take a stand, the robbers and naysayers will start to flee because they don't like people living victorious lives. It makes them feel uncomfortable. They notice the difference between living a life out of control and living a life in control. Let them know they no longer have control of your life. That you intend to live a life of victory. You can do it!

Take time to meditate for it lets you listen to your heart and spirit. See your light from within burning brightly. Do these things and it will burn brighter.

Love your life. For with love, all things are possible. Live, love and laugh for they invite peace, joy and tranquility to flow through and around you.

Don't be afraid of taking a step forward - even just one baby step at a time. The journey gets easier with each step you take. Have courage. Have no fear. Victory is yours.

Between being a victor or victim, a victor is better. You deserve to live your best life now. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and living a victorious life. Let each step we take cry out in victory.

Dodge Ball

Dodge Ball
by Annie Tornabene

Click to Pass On

Have you ever played dodge ball? Of course, you have or probably did as a child at least. Life is a little like playing dodge ball. Right now, I feel like we are playing dodge ball with the approaching hurricane Ike. Or at least I hope we dodge it. Oh, well, I know we can't dodge it, we just have to make the best of it. I am grateful for the opportunity to face another storm.

The only difference is that you can't play the strings of life dodging the struggles and troubles of life. Struggles and rough times are as sure as breathing or the air we breathe.

People who try to live their life hiding behind a rock or shelter themselves from every storm in life, miss the joy of living and playing dodge ball. Remember how much fun it was to play in the rain? Remember the spontaneous joy and laughter you felt during the storm?

So why not play dodge ball in the strings of life now? When the storms come, remember you can experience joy, laughter, peace and tranquility in the mist of the storm. Feel the love and gratitude for each step you take, for each struggle you make. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and playing dodge ball in the strings of life.

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers as we face the storm and dodge whatever is thrown our way.

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!

Love Your Life

Love Your Life
by Annie Tornabene

We have our circle of friends. I call you my friend. We all get by with a little help from our friends. Sometimes I help you. Sometimes you help me. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression. Sometimes in life we get hurt. It's hard to know what to say. It's hard to express what we are feeling inside. It's hard to know who to trust with our innermost feelings when we are hurting. It's hard to talk when you want to run and hide. The truth is we have to get the hurt out or the hurt will fester inside and eat us alive.

I knew a man once who wouldn't talk about his problem. All he did was complain and his days got darker and darker. He wanted help and asked for it. When we talked he wouldn't talk. He couldn't forgive and he couldn't forget. He just sat there in silence and darkness. Tormented by his life. His life was a living hell. Because he wouldn't move, he got weaker. He submitted his life to living with the darkest monster. He had been a good man but he had a secret life that he took to his grave. His daughter pleaded with him, but he got worst.

He summoned me to sit with him again on the day he died. I talked, I listened but only silence and guttural sounds appeared. I held his hand. He screamed in agony. If you don't believe in hell, seeing a man die like this changes your thoughts. Whatever he saw on his deathbed was frightening. . . was terrifying. I could make out that something was coming for him. It took five strong nurses to hold him down and try to sedate him to keep him calm.

None of us know what awaits us in the afterlife. All we have is today. I don't want to go to the hereafter like he did. I would rather go like my Father. . .peacefully in his sleep. He had made peace with his past and was ready to go to whatever awaits in the hereafter. Both my Grandfathers and Grandmothers and my Great-Grandfather, as well as my Father, told me of a beautiful light before they died. They all died peacefully. I choose to believe there is a hereafter. . .whatever it is called. I have seen too many die in agony and too many die peacefully not to believe. The only thing we can do to prepare for the hereafter is to live our best life now.

Remember you have the right to choose to be happy one step at a time. So begin to be happy from the moment you awake and then keep choosing happiness moment by moment throughout your day. Seize the day with happy thoughts. Whenever stinking thinking enters in, change it to a positive thought. Turn it around. You can only have one thought at a time so choose your thoughts wisely. What's your choice?

Live in the now. Today is a gift, yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery. That's why they call it the present. Happiness is found in the present. It is in this very moment of now. You can do it, one step, one baby step at a time. Say what you believe in the present and soon it will be that way. Choose to love your life.

In an attitude of gratitude, get your mind crystal clear on your goals. Your mind will take you places that you have only dreamed. Follow that dream and give thanks for the journey. Have courage to move beyond your fears and overcome the obstacles blocking your movement. Keep on keeping on one step at a time. With the forward movement, it will empower you to move forward and to keep moving forward. If you stagnate you block the flow of abundance to your life. If you are stuck, ask for help. Together we can make a difference.

Choose to love your life as a journey of love and enjoy the journey. All of us can implement this into our daily life, practice it and have our best life now.

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Shake Your Boody

Shake Your Boody
by Annie Tornabene

Some days I'm in pain so much that I just want to sit there and not move. Or when a dark cloud looms over me, I think I will just sit here. When I sit; nothing happens. I slip into greater darkness of depression and I hurt more. Our Creator created us to move. Our bodies are not solid and unmovable like a board or piece of wood. Our bodies were created for movement. When our bodies remain still, they become stiff and inflexible.

When we move our bodies become flexible, increase blood flow and oil our mind so it can send messages to the rest of the body. In my water aerobic class, I find that movement is easy. Parts of my body that are difficult to move out of the water, float and move easily with the water and flotation devices. The gentle movement are easy on the body. I feel energized and empowered after class. I feel like I can conquer the world. I feel energized and empowered. Not only does exercise lift the dark clouds of depression, it makes me feel like I have a sense of accomplishment. It helps me want to get out and do things. It is a key to finding a reason to living positively.

A heart-driven, purpose-driven life is the source of immense power, solution and positive abundant living. The most important step you will take in your journey in the strings of life is finding your true purpose in life. Once you find your purpose, you will begin living an abundant, extraordinary life with greater happiness, more contribution to your world, greater prosperity and living the life you dreamed. A good book to read is Max Luccado's A Purpose Driven Life.

Are you ready to live the abundant life? Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and living an abundant life.

The Makeover

The Makeover
by Annie Tornabene

I was reading in Glamour Magazine and realized how much depression is like having a makeover. People who knew me a few years ago would agree. The beauty makeovers that transform a lady who thought she had no beauty transformed into a really beautiful person decked out with flattering clothes and makeup highlighted just in the right spots. That's what I'm talking about.

I was looking at some pictures of me then. I would fly off the handle at the slightest problem. I was always expecting the worst. I was always growling. My pictures show a person that was bitter and heavily overweight. I can't believe I was ever that large. lol The depression was the darkest and they said I was suicidal. I guess it's true, the darkest hour is just before the dawn.

A makeover in depression transforms the character, strengthens the integrity and purifies the motives. In understanding depression, you have to learn to trust in our Creator. Let our Creator empower our makeover. Meditation allows the mind healing. It relieves anxiety and worry. It allows tranquility and peace to enter into every fiber of your being to give you the freedom to live the life you dream and allow possibilities to appear in your subconscious mind that you can react to. Joy and laughter enter into our being. One day you wake up and find that happiness has taken over.

For me, meditation was the biggest key. Oh I had prayed before, but prayer is me asking or telling my Creator my problems. In meditation, it is our Creator communicating with us. If we focus on the light, the Light gives us strength and brings solutions along with peace and tranquility to accept what things cannot be change, the courage to change the things that we can and the wisdom to know the difference.

I start the day with a 20 minute meditation and end the day with a 20 minute meditation. During the day I may have several 2 minute meditations to help keep me focused or reclaim myself when thing seem to becoming unraveled. I was telling someone yesterday how much the 2 minute meditations have helped me. I've learn how to trust in my Creator's inner wisdom and honor my worthiness to receive this gift. I have become empowered with unconditional love, an empowering force of the law of attraction and joy and happiness have become my friends. I find every day a reason to live and laugh. Remember, I'm just like you. When I remind you, I am reminding me.

Our Creator designed the earth to be self supporting - everything is interconnected and all things were created to be of service to each other. Generosity to the poor and reverence for our Creator's wisdom is not separate from any part of our lives. It becomes us as we live in an attitude of gratitude. The makeover transforms us to see the beauty within ourselves. Enjoy your makeover. The beauty and light from within shines bright on the outer person.

Click here to hear Dr. Wayne Dyer on meditation.

Count Your Blessings

Today I started a taking a water aerobic body flow class. The great thing about water aerobic exercise is that if you are overweight or recovering from an injury or illness that has left you very weak, it is very hard to hurt yourself doing them. The water is supporting your weight instead of your lower limbs so a workout is less painful. The aerobic water exercises are increase muscular stamina and improve cardiovascular fitness in general. It can also help build strength and increase your flexibility. It is the type of exercise where you can work at your own pace. It is also up to you how hard you will work out in the water making it difficult to overdo it. It is also difficult to get overheated as the water is always cooling you off.

After class, a lady started asking me questions about how she can rid herself of depression. After talking a while, I asked her if she knew it was her last day on earth could she count her blessings. This is what she came up with:

1. I would stress less about the little things.
2. I would categorize everything as little things.
3. I would do more to escape from the pain instead of complaining.
4. I would invest the time I lose in unproductive and dangerous thoughts into planning creative outings for myself and for the family.
5. I would worry less about what others think.
6. I would make more time for coffee or tea and phone calls with friends.
7. I would visit my mom and my sisters more.
8. I would eat more dessert and not care as much about my waist line.
9. I would laugh more - make a point to laugh every day.
10. I would publish my journal online every thought I have, no matter how stupid.
11. I would spend more time outdoors.
12. I would eat breakfast with my kids, lunch with husband, and dinner with my family.
13. I would keep a mood chart that would track how I feel from day to day.
14. I would identify some possible triggers for my bad days.
15. I would invest in some friends like a support group that won't tire of me talking.
16. I would say to myself, "There is a better way. Together we can make a difference."
17. I would learn to take baby steps one day at a time.
18. I would learn to live in an attitude of gratitude.
19. I would write a journal so that I could remember my good days and count my blessings more.
20. I would learn to distract myself more so I could turn myself around.
21. I would make a bucket list and do everything I wanted to do.
22. I would make sure I made a list of the reasons I want to live so when I get down, I can pick myself up again.
23. I would thank my Creator each day for another day to live.
24. I would dance to the music.

What would say to count your blessings?

Making A Difference

Our Creator created us to make a difference. We are not here by accident. We were given a mind to choose what we will in life. Are you making a difference? Everyone whom we come in contact with, leaves more positive or negative. What are you being left with? What are you leaving behind? When someone gives a little for you, what is your reaction? Do you notice it? Are you willing to do something in return? It's the little things that we do that make a difference.

As women we do many little things for our family without being appreciated. Often times it's those little things that we do, that make a difference is someone else's life. Whether they are our family, children, friends, acquaintances or strangers. A little step can make hugh rewards.

Live your life honestly without a lot of fanfare. Respect others and treat them with all the respect and honor that you would treat a king or queen. Stay true to your heart. It's the deeds done quietly in an attitude of gratitude that make a difference in a person's life; not the flash made by movers and shakers that seek only glory. When all the glitz and glamour is gone, what is left? The little things that you do will mean more than the flash by night.

Next time someone does something for you, be sure to really appreciate them with an attitude of gratitude. Whether it’s your sibling, parent, child, friend or stranger, take time to say how much you appreciate the things they do for you. When your heart is filled with gratitude, you will find that your life is making a difference in your own life as well as those around you.

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?