Happy New Year, and, whew, what a month!
Obama is our President and congratulations to us all!
What happiness throughout my world. So many joyous people are flooding the news, the TV screen, the radio waves, the blogosphere with their happiness and praise for this man. What a lifting of spirits. Hope entered my soul like air enters my lungs. Every cell was refreshed and renewed.
Despite my gushing, I don't see our President as a messiah. He, himself, made it clear that the way to a better world was through personal change. The personal is the political and great strides can be made as we individually plan, dream, and work for a new world.
What strikes me, what really makes me glad, is that I don't feel as alone as I used to do.
I now see that millions of people throughout the world shared my vision of what America can be and how a worthy leader sounds and acts. Because the thoughts and prayers and actions of so many helped Obama into office, it shows that the culture has lifted it's collective consiousness to a whole new level of awareness.
As Abraham says, your thoughts are more powerful than your actions in creating the world you want. So many thoughts, so many "rockets of desire" were launched, that Barak Obama become our president.
I wonder what else will this huge change in attitude will create for us?
I'm guessing a better and happier world.
Finding Method in the Madness:
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
On Being Free
How important is freedom to personal happiness?
To my mind, it's essential. Physical, mental, emotional, and financial freedom provide us with more options in terms of activity, ability, health, and opportunity. That means more ways of being happy.
We are all, more or less, as free as we allow ourselves to be.
We are also as free as we allow others to be.
Anger and criticism are prison guards of our soul. These feelings negatively affect ourselves far more than they affect the object(s) of our ire. Carrying anger around, holding grudges, and making harsh judgements forge heavy chains indeed. Their weight can break our hearts, fill our souls with pain, and our minds with confusion.
I advocate letting these feelings go! Whenever they come up, think of something else, read a good book, watch the tube, walk your eternally happy dog. . .
It works. You'll immediately feel lighter and freer yourself.
How do you feel when you feel light and free?
For me, that feels like HAPPINESS.
To my mind, it's essential. Physical, mental, emotional, and financial freedom provide us with more options in terms of activity, ability, health, and opportunity. That means more ways of being happy.
We are all, more or less, as free as we allow ourselves to be.
We are also as free as we allow others to be.
Anger and criticism are prison guards of our soul. These feelings negatively affect ourselves far more than they affect the object(s) of our ire. Carrying anger around, holding grudges, and making harsh judgements forge heavy chains indeed. Their weight can break our hearts, fill our souls with pain, and our minds with confusion.
I advocate letting these feelings go! Whenever they come up, think of something else, read a good book, watch the tube, walk your eternally happy dog. . .
It works. You'll immediately feel lighter and freer yourself.
How do you feel when you feel light and free?
For me, that feels like HAPPINESS.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Your True North
We've been trained to seek approval from others. We recieved grades from our teachers and words of praise from parents, coaches, and friends. It feels so good to recieve these pats on the back, and they help us feel important and successful.
The danger here is that we feel awful when the praise turns to criticism.
We need to re-train ourselves to find happiness through self respect and self love independent of anyone else's opinion. We must walk our own path and follow our own direction.
It's great to have the support and love of others, but the only person that will be with you your entire life is YOU. Therefore, the person you most need to impress is yourself.
Do your actions and life choices arise from a desire to please others, or are they a true reflection of who YOU are? Have you betrayed your own beliefs in order to earn the regard of another, or have you risked rejection by following your heart?
Genuine happiness can only come from being genuine. Trust yourself, be true to yourself. Love yourself. It's the only way to be truly happy.
The danger here is that we feel awful when the praise turns to criticism.
We need to re-train ourselves to find happiness through self respect and self love independent of anyone else's opinion. We must walk our own path and follow our own direction.
It's great to have the support and love of others, but the only person that will be with you your entire life is YOU. Therefore, the person you most need to impress is yourself.
Do your actions and life choices arise from a desire to please others, or are they a true reflection of who YOU are? Have you betrayed your own beliefs in order to earn the regard of another, or have you risked rejection by following your heart?
Genuine happiness can only come from being genuine. Trust yourself, be true to yourself. Love yourself. It's the only way to be truly happy.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LITTLE THINGS
A vital practice in the art of being happy is appreciation. Appreciation can be very hard when you're feeling low or scared. That's the time to scale down. Look immediately around you. Is there anything there that you can see and admire.
Right now, I have a pink quartz crystal that's by my computer. It's so pretty. Just enjoying it's color and shape changes my vibration, coaxes it higher. I wonder what else has that power. I look and see the color of the sky, the bird at the feeder, and so many other small miracles. Appreciating the small things can change you. Let yourself do just that, and see if you don't feel just a little better. Gather small things around you that you like in preperation for those low moments. The act of taking care of yourself in this way will even help you appreciate yourself.
Right now, I have a pink quartz crystal that's by my computer. It's so pretty. Just enjoying it's color and shape changes my vibration, coaxes it higher. I wonder what else has that power. I look and see the color of the sky, the bird at the feeder, and so many other small miracles. Appreciating the small things can change you. Let yourself do just that, and see if you don't feel just a little better. Gather small things around you that you like in preperation for those low moments. The act of taking care of yourself in this way will even help you appreciate yourself.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Rock Me Goddess
Remember how it felt to be a child? The freedom and security and comfort you felt just being in the world. Capture that feeling and hold it in your heart. Remember, just as you had your parents then you have mother earth now to hold you safe and true in her arms. Nothing is more important than trusting her and your relationship to her. Know that you are a valued part of this earth, this universe. Everything you say, do, learn, have, hold, love, has value. Remember this. Treasure this. Your happiness depends upon it.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Happiness is Contagious
Obama, 09, oh my.
I predict a year of incredible change, and in order to move through the changes gracefully, my intention is to continually look for silver linings.
It's so easy to be negative, but it feels so bad and it's not productive. When my thoughts dwell on things that frighten me, like the economy, I start to live the fear that I'm feeling.
I was caught up in negativity in the last few months of 2008. I got very ill. Upon recovery, I looked around and noticed what I had.
I discovered I had an abundance of love. I was supported by friends, family, business acquaintances, and hospital staff. I felt so grateful, and feeling grateful felt soooo good.
Lesson learned. I rediscovered an attitude of appreciation and I intend to nurture and cultivate this attitude throughout the next year.
In order to do that, I will look for and do only what makes me feel good. My life is this moment, and I intend to enjoy each one. In short, I intend to be happy.
I read that current research on the subject of happiness indicates that if you live near a happy person, your chances of being happy increase.
The "selfish" intention to be happy can change your neighborhood. Change your neighborhood and you can change your city. Change your city, well, you see where I'm going with this: World Domination!!
Despite what we read in the paper, despite what the pundits say, and even despite what your bank account says: as the great spiritual teachers say, "Don't worry, be happy."
Join me.
Really be the change you want to see in the world.
You do want a happy world, don't you? Together we can do this.
Yes we can! Yes, we CAN!
I predict a year of incredible change, and in order to move through the changes gracefully, my intention is to continually look for silver linings.
It's so easy to be negative, but it feels so bad and it's not productive. When my thoughts dwell on things that frighten me, like the economy, I start to live the fear that I'm feeling.
I was caught up in negativity in the last few months of 2008. I got very ill. Upon recovery, I looked around and noticed what I had.
I discovered I had an abundance of love. I was supported by friends, family, business acquaintances, and hospital staff. I felt so grateful, and feeling grateful felt soooo good.
Lesson learned. I rediscovered an attitude of appreciation and I intend to nurture and cultivate this attitude throughout the next year.
In order to do that, I will look for and do only what makes me feel good. My life is this moment, and I intend to enjoy each one. In short, I intend to be happy.
I read that current research on the subject of happiness indicates that if you live near a happy person, your chances of being happy increase.
The "selfish" intention to be happy can change your neighborhood. Change your neighborhood and you can change your city. Change your city, well, you see where I'm going with this: World Domination!!
Despite what we read in the paper, despite what the pundits say, and even despite what your bank account says: as the great spiritual teachers say, "Don't worry, be happy."
Join me.
Really be the change you want to see in the world.
You do want a happy world, don't you? Together we can do this.
Yes we can! Yes, we CAN!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Pix-elated
Pixie, Pixie, Pixie!
What a great dog and a really good teacher. In-the-moment, joyful, Miss See-And-Do, let's have fun, lets relax, it's all good, whatever, where's the cookie?
This little dog is all about living the good life, and she teaches me how to go with the shifts in focus with more ease and grace. I have a schedule, Pix has other ideas, so how can we partner in a win-win experience?
With ease and grace and a dollup of doggie treats.
Pixie is pretty easy to accomidate. Yesterday, a lovely summer day, hot, with breezes off the bay; I lay in my hammock as Pix raced by me with her favorite toy. A whirlwind of terrier mania, she flung her toy up in the air, snatched it back and whipped it around as if it were a rat she was killing (she's part Rat Terrier, part Schnauzer--it's her nature) then she carries it off at full speed, all over the yard, growling and snarling.
I know, this doesn't sound cute, and it probably wouldn't be if she were full-grown German Shephard, but she's so tiny, and her little growls and snarls are just so adorable she makes me laugh.
Every now and then she decides it's my turn to play with her. She flips the toy onto the hammock, I grab it and we play tug-of-war. Sometimes I let her win, and sometimes she suddenly lets it go; so I toss the toy away and she races after it, captures it, whips around the yard again, and the whole thing starts over. What energy; so funny; what fun!
She's also gets me out a lot more. We take a walk about three times a day, and we're now enrolled in obedience school, and today we went to the community Fourth of July Celebration.
I hardly ever do stuff like that, but I decided that, since she was a city dog, she should be trained to be better with people than I was. After all, when I snap at someone I rarely use my teeth. That's pretty much all she's got.
I swear, she was having such a good time it was contagious. She's so interested in everything. We ate some food, listened to the bands, walked around all the booths, and met dog loving people and lots of other dogs. She was a well-behaved, polite little angel-pup, even with the really, really, really tall guy dancing on stilts wearing flowing, bright red and blue pants. Mission accomplished!
I actually had a pretty good time, too, and stayed longer then I usually do at those things. Still, I'm pretty sure Pix would have outlasted me if given a choice. After an hour or so, I was ready to go. We're home, and she's asleep now, and seems very content. Not like some humans I know, myself included, who might complain and feel ill-used if a companion-in-fun hauled me away from the good-times.
Pix is teaching me to embrace change and to see what happens when I flow with what life gives me. I watch her move from one place to another and milk all the fun out of it she can. I see how she pays close attention to each moment, doesn't judge and evaluate, just takes whats given and tastes what's offered.
Through her eyes I see how shifts and changes from one thing to another aren't necessarily things to brace for and worry about. They're just alternatives to sniff around and explore.
And just maybe enjoy.
Thanx Pix!
What a great dog and a really good teacher. In-the-moment, joyful, Miss See-And-Do, let's have fun, lets relax, it's all good, whatever, where's the cookie?
This little dog is all about living the good life, and she teaches me how to go with the shifts in focus with more ease and grace. I have a schedule, Pix has other ideas, so how can we partner in a win-win experience?
With ease and grace and a dollup of doggie treats.
Pixie is pretty easy to accomidate. Yesterday, a lovely summer day, hot, with breezes off the bay; I lay in my hammock as Pix raced by me with her favorite toy. A whirlwind of terrier mania, she flung her toy up in the air, snatched it back and whipped it around as if it were a rat she was killing (she's part Rat Terrier, part Schnauzer--it's her nature) then she carries it off at full speed, all over the yard, growling and snarling.
I know, this doesn't sound cute, and it probably wouldn't be if she were full-grown German Shephard, but she's so tiny, and her little growls and snarls are just so adorable she makes me laugh.
Every now and then she decides it's my turn to play with her. She flips the toy onto the hammock, I grab it and we play tug-of-war. Sometimes I let her win, and sometimes she suddenly lets it go; so I toss the toy away and she races after it, captures it, whips around the yard again, and the whole thing starts over. What energy; so funny; what fun!
She's also gets me out a lot more. We take a walk about three times a day, and we're now enrolled in obedience school, and today we went to the community Fourth of July Celebration.
I hardly ever do stuff like that, but I decided that, since she was a city dog, she should be trained to be better with people than I was. After all, when I snap at someone I rarely use my teeth. That's pretty much all she's got.
I swear, she was having such a good time it was contagious. She's so interested in everything. We ate some food, listened to the bands, walked around all the booths, and met dog loving people and lots of other dogs. She was a well-behaved, polite little angel-pup, even with the really, really, really tall guy dancing on stilts wearing flowing, bright red and blue pants. Mission accomplished!
I actually had a pretty good time, too, and stayed longer then I usually do at those things. Still, I'm pretty sure Pix would have outlasted me if given a choice. After an hour or so, I was ready to go. We're home, and she's asleep now, and seems very content. Not like some humans I know, myself included, who might complain and feel ill-used if a companion-in-fun hauled me away from the good-times.
Pix is teaching me to embrace change and to see what happens when I flow with what life gives me. I watch her move from one place to another and milk all the fun out of it she can. I see how she pays close attention to each moment, doesn't judge and evaluate, just takes whats given and tastes what's offered.
Through her eyes I see how shifts and changes from one thing to another aren't necessarily things to brace for and worry about. They're just alternatives to sniff around and explore.
And just maybe enjoy.
Thanx Pix!
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