Give it Away

When I think about the following phrase, I feel GOOD: "What you want to experience yourself, give to others."

THAT makes sense to me. That makes me feel happy. That also sounds doable to me.

But, let's look at the opposite: When I am concerned about getting my fair share, worried about be taken advantage of, worried about my next move, worried where my next fortune will come from, etc......I just feel... EXHAUSTED.

Give away what you want to experience. Ahhhh........... I like that.

Doing Things My Way and Living in Balance

The internet is a great tool. However, I do feel many times when I need to step away from it. When I need to shut down and really focus on my REAL life. My IN-PERSON LIFE. The people around me right now, right here... not "out there" in cyberspace.

So, I am shutting down for a bit. Simplifying my life. Doing things my way. From weight loss to work, it doesn't all have to be SO HARD. I am needing to find that balance of thinking of myself and caring for myself, but not at the expense of thinking for others and caring for others. I get sick of thinking of myself. I get sick of looking at my problems. I just want to live.

How much "improving" can one person do in a lifetime?? And, why? Can't I just be me? Why must I reach some "ideal" form of existence? And "ideal" by WHOSE standards? By WHOSE definition??

I am just me. I don't feel like improving today.

"Thanks"

I read somewhere (I forget where) that "thanks" is the only prayer we ever need to pray. Or something like that. It's "the best" form of prayer. ??? Something along those lines!

I have a tendency to be negative. To right away see the bad. To right away feel bad. I am working on myself. I am better than I was before.

So, this morning, as I find myself getting that same old feeling of being "overwhelmed" I am going to stop. I am going to stop and be thankful. That's really ALL I have to "DO" today.

It's a perfect day. Perfect does not mean everything is going my way. Perfect means "perfect by design".... on track.... as it should be.

That relaxes me knowing that. Things are as they should be. What's the worry to improve? Just be. What's the stress to perform better? Just be. What's the pressure to be the best? I am the best me I can be.

I can't utter empty thanks, so the following are things I am feeling in my heart this morning. I know that one should feel thankful for all the big stuff in life... and I do.... but this morning what I am really feeling thankful for are:

~ I have a job that truly helps people. It is needed. People rely on me. Even though I complain, I wouldn't have it any other way.
~ I love my chubby, little furry pug. I am so thankful for Spanky's unconditional love and to feel him on my feet everywhere I go, all day long. His chunky little body is a definite bright spot in all my days.
~ I am thankful for a moment to sit down with a hot, steaming cup of coffee before all the kids get here.... I love this moment in the morning by myself.
~ I am thankful for music and today I plan on singing a lot!
~

The Law of Opposites

So, for the last few months I think I have been plagued with The Law of Opposites.

From Happier than God:
"The Law of Opposites is based on the fundamental and founding principle of all life: 'In the absense of that which you are not, that which you are is not.'"

I totally get that sentence, but two of my friends and my husband went, "Huh?????"

Yeah, they think I am C-R-A-Z-Y!!! LOL But, apparently many people get that sentence.. mostly people who study Eastern Philosophies and Eastern Religions. So I am not the only "crazy one" on Earth! ;)

Let's say I want to experience Peace.

If all I have is peace, how can I experience it???

You don't know *what* peace IS if it's all you have.

So, this is an example good for me, because I have been actively trying to experience Peace, Love and Joy since the New Year.

Let me tell ya! I GOT THE OPPOSITE BIG TIME!!!!

It wasn't until this weekend when I read Happier than God that I realized it.

Here is the exciting part: Opposites give opportunity!!

Wow!

We actually draw "dark", "negative" experiences into our lives so we can experience the opposite of what we seek. No one in my family will agree with this, this is why I have a blog. *I* totally get that. You get what you get. THIS is what I get! THIS resonates with me. This makes me go... "it all makes sense now."

So the trick is to not resist the opposite that you have created. That which you resist, PERSISTS. (um... yeah!!!!)

Why?

Because when you place negative attention on something, you continue to place it there. You cannot resist something that is NOT THERE. By resisting, you are PLACING IT THERE.

(again... I totally get that!!)

By focusing angry or frustrated energy on something, you actually give it more life.

"Do not OPpose... COMpose."

"Compose your original idea of how you want life to show up. And compose yourself while you are at it. Come from a place of relaxed assurance that life is functioning perfectly. Yet do not confuse relaxation with acceptance.
'Resist not evil' does not mean that you should not try to change what it is that you do not choose. Changing something is not resisting something, it is merely choosing again. Change is not resistence, but alteration. To modify is not to resist, but rather, to continue Personal Creation."

"Modification IS creation."

"Resistence is the END of creation in place."

"At every moment of difficulty and challenge in your life you have a choice: opposition or composition. To repeat: you can either oppose that which you are experiencing, or compose that which you chose."

"COMPOSE WHAT YOU CHOSE."

"Now, thanks fo the Law of Opposites, you have context within which to experience it. And that is the greatest thing the universe could ever give you."

So, I have been on the right path all along. Now I can stop opposing and start composing. ;)

Happier than God

I am reading a book by Neale Donald Walsch called Happier than God. Now, I need to try to LIVE it. Because I believe it all.

I especially believe in ONENESS. I DO believe if God is "omni-present" than he is in EVERYTHING.... including me and including YOU. That makes us all ONE. That realization has changed my life, but of course I still struggle. This book really can help me, if I just choose to live it now.

1. Bring an end to separation theology.
That one is easy for me. I do not believe heaven and God are "over there".... and I am "over here"... we are one. There is NOW. Only NOW. And we are all one. I get that. I have gotten that for a long time. I actually have gotten it my whole life, but I didn't know the terminology for it until recently.

2. Stay in touch with who you are.
I am not my body. I am a soul who has a body. An eternal soul.

3. Give others every experience you seek.
"Give people back to themselves." Personal Creation begins best with another. Focus on the other, always the other, never first on the self. What you bring to another you bring to yourself, ten-fold.

4. Be clear that nothing you see is real.
I am creating my experience.. all of it. What I am experiencing, I am CHOOSING to experience. What is happening is happening, but how you are experiencing what is happening is something you are making up.

5. Decide that you are not your "story."
"In order to experience what is happening in a way that preserves your happiness you will most likely have to drop your story." Happiness will never be found in your story, only in your newest and grandest decision about yourself and others.

6. Have only preferences.
"Many people make themselves unhappy simply by finding it impossible to accept life as it is presenting itself right here, right now."
This does not mean never to seek to change anything. It DOES mean not to base your happiness on whether or not that change occurs. This is about shifting from addictions to preferences.

There is always something to CELEBRATE so long as life is being lived.

7. See the perfection.
See everything for what it is: the perfect event perfectly timed to provide you with the perfect opportunity to express in the perfect way that which is Perfection Itself.

8. Bypass the drama.
Nothing has any meaning save the meaning you give it.

Nothing has any meaning save the meaning you give it.

Learn not to jump into reaction mode at the first appearance of negative energy.

Go to a place of gratitude as often as you can.

And don't be afraid to use humor to stay there.

9. Understand sadness.
There is a difference between sadness and unhappiness. Your sadness does not have to make you UNHAPPY. Sadness is also a gift... and when you embrace it you can move on.

Happiness is achieved through the simple process of embracing all of life exactly as it is.

10. Stop arguing with life.
Let go of judging EVERYTHING.
Judgement has no place in a loving heart.

Observation says "what's so"
Judgement says "so what?"

11. Drop all expectations.
Forget about how things SHOULD be. There is no such thing as "should" in the universe. There is more going on than meets the eye.

12. Have compassion for yourself.
If you saw yourself as God sees you, you would smile a lot.

13. Speak your truth as soon as you know it.
Seek to live authentically, seek to be fully you.

Tell your truth and then live your truth.


14. Watch the energies, catch the vibe.
You can see them, hear them and feel them.

Light, sound, feeling.

Only allow those that resonate with you to stay in your space. You may end up changing what you eat, watch, listen to, and who you hang out with....


15. Smile.
A smile actually changes the vibe of your body. It alters, physiologically, the chemistry of your being. It releases endorphins that have a health-giving effect.

16. Sing.
You cannot sing with a rotten disposition. Singing connects the mind with the heart adn the heart with the sould, so SING!

17. Know what to do when things are really bad.
Sometimes things ARE bad... no amount of "positive thinking" can change that. Things are what they are. You can't cover it up. You can't pretend, you can't make it something other than what it is.

First.. do not resisit what is occuring. What you resist, persists. Accept and receive the energy, because only then can you heal it. What you do not hold, you cannot heal.

So, you must hold your experience: embrace it, engage it with loving kindness, bless it... and THEN ... send it on its way.

Exterior conditions cannot create interior conditions.. EVER.

You are still in charge of your own experience.

"thank you god for helping me understand this problem has already been solved for me."

Always what I need to hear

So with all the impending changes I have coming into my life, I turned to Joyce Meyer's Daily Devotional and her husband's daily Life Lines to see what they have to share today.

Of course, it is always what I need to hear for comfort and peace!

God's waiting for you. COME AS YOU ARE, not as you're trying to become.
He'll make you what you are to be.

Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart;
for consider how great are the things He has done for you. —1 Samuel 12:24

I feel I have been needing to make a change for a long time, but NOW is the time. One cannot continually live with one foot on new ground and one foot on familiar ground. There comes a time to choose.

Yesterday I CHOSE.

And, that action... CHOOSING..... has already started to open other possibilities that were not there the day before when I sat in fear and indecision. It is truly amazing!

So, with faith in my heart I will fearlessly start to wander out on this new ground!

What would you do, if you couldn't fail?

I found a helpful article called "The Path to Purpose" by Erin Pavlina.

She shares an exercise to do to maybe help find your 'purpose.'

Ask yourself, what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

You ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you want to do? (desire)


• What can you do? (ability)


• What should you do? (purpose)


• What must you do? (need)

Then you see if there is a common thread amongst the four answers.

So, here is my try:

1. What do I want to do?

• I want to be in nature, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, etc.


• I want to help others (especially kids) enjoy and appreciate nature.


• I want to take pictures


• I want to explore spirituality


• I want to travel beautiful and exotic, quiet places (not tourist traps and nothing unsafe)


• I want to create inspirational things for others.


• I want to inspire others, motivate others, bring others UP

2. What can I do?

• I can kayak, hike, and snowshoe


• I can take beautiful pictures


• I can grasp spirituality, and help others understand it


• I can inspire others


• I can create videos, draw, paint, garden, think out of the box


• I can relate to kids and help them feel encouraged and inspired

3. What should I do?

• I should encourage others.


• I should empower others.


• I should inspire others.


• I should help others, love others

4. What must I do?

• I must be in nature often


• I must be my own boss


• I must be free to be creative


• I must make money to pay bills and enjoy financial freedom


• I must have freetime to be with family and friends and self

SO... now what? If I had all the money in the world what would I be doing??? I would be enjoying nature and helping others to enjoy nature and helping others to APPRECIATE nature. I would especially try to bring nature to CITY KIDS. This has been on my "goal sheet" for years and years. I have always wanted to start up a program for city kids to get out kayaking. And not on CITY LAKES.... but on REAL LAKES... far from the city. BUt I always think negatives soon after I get an idea... I would need insurance. No one will let ME do this without going through government agencies, getting a ton of impossible-to-get licenses, etc....

BUT.. I realize that is ME trying to CONTROL things.

This time I must let go and allow purpose to find me. Now that I am more aware, this will happen! I know it will. ;-)