| Affirmations are powerful tools to work with for spiritual growth and overcoming. What are they exactly? Well, they are statements that affirm the truth. The truth of who you are. So when you say, "I am a worthy being" you are not making it true by saying it. Rather you are reminding yourself of, and therefore reinforcing, this truth. Since you are already all you need to be in a given situation, (remember if you can want it, you can be it) affirmations can help boost your confidence to give you the faith to walk towards that given situation. So, how do you write an affirmation that works? Here is a simple technique for formulating your own personal affirmations from Eric Butterworth:
For example:
Take the resulting affirmation into your meditation and speak these words of Truth. They, then, become a projection of great power, imbued with the energy of Spirit. Now you have the formula. The next step is to practice it.
You can also read affirmations someone else has written to see if they resonate with you. When an affirmation rings true for you, then you know it will help you. Here's some of my clients' favorites:
"All is well." "I am the rich child of a loving father and I dare to prosper now. " "God loves me and he has a good plan for my life." "I am Whole, Perfect and Complete!" "I love and accept myself exactly as I am."
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Sunday, October 10, 2010
Affirmations that Work
Monday, September 27, 2010
Prayer & Meditation the Easy Way
In its simplest form Prayer is speaking with God/Spirit/Universe and Meditation is listening to God/Spirit/Universe. The Universe works on the principle that you ASK and it is GIVEN. So prayer is a time for asking, whether for yourself or for others. It is also a time for praise & thanksgiving, which is also called appreciation & gratitude. Here you are giving thanks and/or marveling at the wonder of your fabulous life. It is energy directed out of you. You can speak your prayers aloud or silently in your mind. It doesn't matter to the God/Spirit/Universe.
Meditation is the listening part. You see, G/S/U speaks to us through intuition. We need to have good inner listening, which gets clearer when you meditate. Now, listening is a relatively passive activity and is not embraced nor encouraged by your ego/conscious mind. So the goal is to quiet your mind and get it to go away. You want to empty your mind of thoughts. This is energy directed in you. When your mind is empty, that is when God/Spirit/Universe can speak to you.
So that's the bare bones of the two. Both expand as your practice them. But here are some suggestions for success in each:
Prayer: Keep a prayer journal. This helps you to see what has come to pass that you have prayed for. If you wrote a list of the 5 favorite things in your life right now, you'd realize they were all prayers of yours, not so long ago. Therefore you know prayers are answered. So will be the ones you are praying now.
Meditation: Set yourself up for success by turning off the TV and the phone first. Find a very comfortable spot and set an alarm that beeps to let you know you are finished. Then try this simple method here: Easy Meditation
Friday, September 17, 2010
Forgiveness and Release
I am continually amazed at the power of forgiveness. On all levels it can improve our lives. Because we humans tend to take things personally and get offended at every little thing. Most of what anyone else is doing is about THEM, rarely, if ever, about us. (See Don Miguel Ruiz's book The Four Agreements for the full story on this)
Some time ago, I was picking up my son from my mother's best friend, when she began to tell me the litany of grievances she & her husband held against their neighbor. This neighbor had called the police on them for parking their car in the street in front of his house, had called them the most heinous of names (crazy) and she could not sleep at night for worrying about what he might do next.
Knowing her strong Catholic faith, I said to her: "Well, you know what you have to do, right?"
Befuddled, she replied: "No, what?"
"Pray for him. Grant him forgiveness."
She looked aghast.
"And do it every night for two weeks, I continued. "And when you pray, pray for him to have every good thing that you hope for yourself. Love, good health, wealth, etc..."
Without skipping a beat, (to her credit) she proclaimed, "I'll do it!"
One day shy of the 2 week mark, I stopped by her house to pick up some pictures. She couldn't wait to tell me that, not only had the neighbor approached her to let her know, "he's all over that now," but has also offered to plant a dogwood tree for her where another had died just so that "she could enjoy looking at it."
It goes to show: when you shine your light, others can't help but to be enlightened by it. But forgiveness is not for the other person anyway. It's for YOU. When my friend released her resentments, judgments and bad feelings about her neighbor, the problems disappeared. And this can happen for any grievance you may have - old or new.
Praying for their happiness is one technique to bring about the release needed to unblock yourself. Another is the stage technique. I have recorded it in an 4 minute audio for you to listen to and follow along. It is guaranteed to help you with your stickiest forgiveness issue. (You know, that #&!* person you just don't want to forgive!) Click here to download: Forgiveness Technique
Forgiveness and Release
I am continually amazed at the power of forgiveness. On all levels it can improve our lives. Because we humans tend to take things personally and get offended at every little thing. Most of what anyone else is doing is about THEM, rarely, if ever, about us. (See Don Miguel Ruiz's book The Four Agreements for the full story on this)
Some time ago, I was picking up my son from my mother's best friend, when she began to tell me the litany of grievances she & her husband held against their neighbor. This neighbor had called the police on them for parking their car in the street in front of his house, had called them the most heinous of names (crazy) and she could not sleep at night for worrying about what he might do next.
Knowing her strong Catholic faith, I said to her: "Well, you know what you have to do, right?"
Befuddled, she replied: "No, what?"
"Pray for him. Grant him forgiveness."
She looked aghast.
"And do it every night for two weeks, I continued. "And when you pray, pray for him to have every good thing that you hope for yourself. Love, good health, wealth, etc..."
Without skipping a beat, (to her credit) she proclaimed, "I'll do it!"
One day shy of the 2 week mark, I stopped by her house to pick up some pictures. She couldn't wait to tell me that, not only had the neighbor approached her to let her know, "he's all over that now," but has also offered to plant a dogwood tree for her where another had died just so that "she could enjoy looking at it."
It goes to show: when you shine your light, others can't help but to be enlightened by it. But forgiveness is not for the other person anyway. It's for YOU. When my friend released her resentments, judgments and bad feelings about her neighbor, the problems disappeared. And this can happen for any grievance you may have - old or new.
Praying for their happiness is one technique to bring about the release needed to unblock yourself. Another is the stage technique. I have recorded it in an 4 minute audio for you to listen to and follow along. It is guaranteed to help you with your stickiest forgiveness issue. (You know, that #&!* person you just don't want to forgive!) Click here to download: Forgiveness Technique
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Making Peace
What do I mean by this: 'Make peace with what is'? Most people find ways to get all worked up about things, to create drama in their lives and find countless ways to feel offended by other people. It stems from our need to be noticed, to be seen in a certain way by others or to feel love (or attention, at least) And it gets us in trouble.
This behavior causes us pain. By our own hand, of course. Or should I say by our own thoughts. We think our way into these messes and by ourselves we can't get out. We are stuck.
The fastest way out of any stuck place is to make peace with where you are. So we are talking about acceptance here. But acceptance is the result. How do we reach this state of acceptance? Here are 4 points to consider:
FINDING APPRECIATION
When you struggle, or push against, what is in your life, you ensure that it will stay. When we look for things to appreciate in whatever is happening to us, we instantly stop resisting and begin moving toward what we do want. That will be easy or hard to do depending on how attached you are to the particular thing, but it absolutely works.
LOOK FOR THE CONTRAST
An oft over looked principle of truth is this: When you really know what you DON'T want then you really really know what you DO want. So you can be grateful for the things that go wrong because they give you the clarity to know what is right. When you look at "things gone wrong" in this light, every situation has a blessing.
GRATITUDE - A DAILY HABIT
A key to making peace (and to a happy life) is to acquire the habit of listing the things you are grateful for everyday. It not only reminds you of all that is going right in your world, but it is the easiest way to shift your point of vibration to positive.
FORGIVE EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY YOU
We do not get away with unforgiveness. When we forgive, we do it for ourselves, not for the other person. There is not ever a good enough reason to give away our peace and our freedom. Resenting someone or something is like chaining yourself to them - you cannot be free. Forgiveness is the key that lets it go. Forgiveness of yourself is crucial too. You did the best you could and you must make peace with that.
Try this forgiveness exercise to help you along. Fill out this sheet, print it out and review it everyday, stating the affirmations at the bottom. Do this for just two weeks and watch the amazing results.
This behavior causes us pain. By our own hand, of course. Or should I say by our own thoughts. We think our way into these messes and by ourselves we can't get out. We are stuck.
The fastest way out of any stuck place is to make peace with where you are. So we are talking about acceptance here. But acceptance is the result. How do we reach this state of acceptance? Here are 4 points to consider:
FINDING APPRECIATION
When you struggle, or push against, what is in your life, you ensure that it will stay. When we look for things to appreciate in whatever is happening to us, we instantly stop resisting and begin moving toward what we do want. That will be easy or hard to do depending on how attached you are to the particular thing, but it absolutely works.
LOOK FOR THE CONTRAST
An oft over looked principle of truth is this: When you really know what you DON'T want then you really really know what you DO want. So you can be grateful for the things that go wrong because they give you the clarity to know what is right. When you look at "things gone wrong" in this light, every situation has a blessing.
GRATITUDE - A DAILY HABIT
A key to making peace (and to a happy life) is to acquire the habit of listing the things you are grateful for everyday. It not only reminds you of all that is going right in your world, but it is the easiest way to shift your point of vibration to positive.
FORGIVE EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY YOU
We do not get away with unforgiveness. When we forgive, we do it for ourselves, not for the other person. There is not ever a good enough reason to give away our peace and our freedom. Resenting someone or something is like chaining yourself to them - you cannot be free. Forgiveness is the key that lets it go. Forgiveness of yourself is crucial too. You did the best you could and you must make peace with that.
Try this forgiveness exercise to help you along. Fill out this sheet, print it out and review it everyday, stating the affirmations at the bottom. Do this for just two weeks and watch the amazing results.
Monday, August 23, 2010
How to Be Joyful
Here's the question that I want to pose to you today. What are the components to living a happy and joyful life? I was asked this question by a friend and after much consideration, I came up with these top 3 for me. What are your top 3?
Living in the present
Accepting what is going on right now in my life is the gateway to freedom. When I just accept that whatever I have going on JUST IS and it’s okay, the grip of resistance is loosed and change is free to take place. Resisting (or resenting or regretting) my present circumstances is sure to guarantee that they stay.
Years ago, my heart was broken by a man who wanted something different, while I wanted him. I tried with all my will to alter that hollow feeling, that echo in my head of “he doesn’t want me.” I knew that if this was happening to me that I had attracted it. And that can be a hard pill to swallow. But when I made peace with that fact -- that I had brought this incredible pain to my doorstep -- there must be a gift inside there somewhere for me. Napoleon Hill says: “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” Aha!
***Three very helpful tools in staying in the present are: faith (someone Higher than you is in charge), affirmations (reminding yourself of your truth) and forgiveness. (everyone is doing the best they can)
Reaching for higher understanding
Without prayer and meditation, life is limited to this physical experience. And while this earth has many blessings and opportunities for joy, it is only a small part of the big picture. Meditation is not only, at times, a blissful experience, it actually conditions your mind for smoother sailing in your waking hours. Meditation is a time for no thought. It is a time to merge yourself with Source. (or God, or pure positive energy or Universe) Prayer is the open communication with your Higher Power. That’s where you speak, ask, wonder and then listen. There are many forms of both of these practices, all of them good if they are connecting you with your Maker. And all can increase your joy.
Helping others
It just feels so darn good to help others. I’ve been a volunteer all my life as well as choosing a profession that focuses on helping others. For me, I believe it is part of my life’s purpose. And I can tell because, well, it feels so darn good while I am doing it. (God’s little hint, eh?) Helping others is gratitude in action and when you are doing it, it’s impossible to focus on yourself. It is the surest way to get out of your own pain – lifting up another.
Living in the present
Accepting what is going on right now in my life is the gateway to freedom. When I just accept that whatever I have going on JUST IS and it’s okay, the grip of resistance is loosed and change is free to take place. Resisting (or resenting or regretting) my present circumstances is sure to guarantee that they stay.
Years ago, my heart was broken by a man who wanted something different, while I wanted him. I tried with all my will to alter that hollow feeling, that echo in my head of “he doesn’t want me.” I knew that if this was happening to me that I had attracted it. And that can be a hard pill to swallow. But when I made peace with that fact -- that I had brought this incredible pain to my doorstep -- there must be a gift inside there somewhere for me. Napoleon Hill says: “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” Aha!
***Three very helpful tools in staying in the present are: faith (someone Higher than you is in charge), affirmations (reminding yourself of your truth) and forgiveness. (everyone is doing the best they can)
Reaching for higher understanding
Without prayer and meditation, life is limited to this physical experience. And while this earth has many blessings and opportunities for joy, it is only a small part of the big picture. Meditation is not only, at times, a blissful experience, it actually conditions your mind for smoother sailing in your waking hours. Meditation is a time for no thought. It is a time to merge yourself with Source. (or God, or pure positive energy or Universe) Prayer is the open communication with your Higher Power. That’s where you speak, ask, wonder and then listen. There are many forms of both of these practices, all of them good if they are connecting you with your Maker. And all can increase your joy.
Helping others
It just feels so darn good to help others. I’ve been a volunteer all my life as well as choosing a profession that focuses on helping others. For me, I believe it is part of my life’s purpose. And I can tell because, well, it feels so darn good while I am doing it. (God’s little hint, eh?) Helping others is gratitude in action and when you are doing it, it’s impossible to focus on yourself. It is the surest way to get out of your own pain – lifting up another.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Mind Control (Can you do it?)
You have the power to change your mind.
This is not news to most of us. For one, we have experienced it first hand. We make decisions every day about everything from which toothpaste we use to wearing a seat belt or not. Think about the brand of toothpaste you use. Is it the same as you've always used? When did it change and why? Somewhere in there you made a decision and it stuck.
These are rather simple decisions that we don't pay a lot of attention to, we just make them. But what about the changes we want to make that come harder... like quitting smoking or exercising regularly? The decisions to change these habits may be a bit more challenging...
Many books have been written and energy expended on the subject of Thought Control, but probably none as intriguing as Richard Bandler's work on NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming. (see Get the Life You Want by Bandler) His idea is to just recode the brain to elicit the responses, and therefore change our behavior, to what we really want.
So, you want a healthy body, and you know that regular exercise will give it you, but you don't feel like doing the exercise. Now what? What if you could recode yourself to love, look forward to, even relish every part of the exercise process? That way as you are putting on your running shoes, you feel good. As you leave the house, you feel better. As you hit the track you feel elation. Amazing, eh?
We love to imagine that things will take place in our lives by magic, but Bandler says this is the magic! That you can decide the course, code your brain for success and then go live it.
Worth a try, I'd say...
This is not news to most of us. For one, we have experienced it first hand. We make decisions every day about everything from which toothpaste we use to wearing a seat belt or not. Think about the brand of toothpaste you use. Is it the same as you've always used? When did it change and why? Somewhere in there you made a decision and it stuck.
These are rather simple decisions that we don't pay a lot of attention to, we just make them. But what about the changes we want to make that come harder... like quitting smoking or exercising regularly? The decisions to change these habits may be a bit more challenging...
Many books have been written and energy expended on the subject of Thought Control, but probably none as intriguing as Richard Bandler's work on NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming. (see Get the Life You Want by Bandler) His idea is to just recode the brain to elicit the responses, and therefore change our behavior, to what we really want.
So, you want a healthy body, and you know that regular exercise will give it you, but you don't feel like doing the exercise. Now what? What if you could recode yourself to love, look forward to, even relish every part of the exercise process? That way as you are putting on your running shoes, you feel good. As you leave the house, you feel better. As you hit the track you feel elation. Amazing, eh?
We love to imagine that things will take place in our lives by magic, but Bandler says this is the magic! That you can decide the course, code your brain for success and then go live it.
Worth a try, I'd say...
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