Living on Purpose

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”  

– Friedrich Nietzsche

Purpose, oh what a beautiful thing “purpose is”!  Nietzsche expresses very succinctly in the above quote that when we are living our purpose we do not let the “how’s” get in our way.

This is so true, when we are “on purpose” we have a knowing, that is, we know what our purpose is and we drive ourselves towards that purpose no matter what the odds are or the obstacles are. We know and we go!

The other day I was watching an old Barbara Walters interview with Bette Midler. During the course of the interview the “Divine Ms M” said that from the time she was a little girl she knew that her purpose was to perform and entertain and that she did not let the nay sayers or obstacles get in her way. I loved hearing her say this because it echos what so many successful people say, which is that I knew my purpose and I achieved it because I saw it,  I was driven by my purpose and succeeded despite obvious reasons why I shouldn’t succeed.

Purposeful living is living without excuses, living the life that you know you are here to live!

Are you living your “why”? If not, why not, what “hows” are you allowing to be in your way?

Miracle in a Bottle!

 

On my way into work this morning as I crossed the bridge I saw a small sign posted on the bridge that caught my eye, it said in large bold black letters “Mircale in a Bottle” under that was a number, 1-800-Diet – xxx. Obviously this sign was designed to appeal to people who want to lose weight.  The sad part is that I am sure many people will call the 800 number and that someone on the other end will make a lot of money off of people who are looking for an easy, quick way to lose weight.

Looking for a miracale in a bottle is nothing new, people through the century’s have been looking for courage in a bottle, magic diet pills, the fountain of youth, instant happiness, etc.

Most people want to believe that there is some sort of quick fix to whatever their desires are. The allure of the quick fix is that you can take a pill or a swig of some potion that will fullfill your want/need/desire without having to change your behavior. Nice thought, however not realistic.

The funny thing is this, the miracle that we seek already resides within us! We have access to it 24/7. We can tap into the miracle that we seek anytime that we want. Here is the really amazing part, once we tap into our internal miracle we will then change our behavior and without too much effort.

The miracle of which I speak is our thoughts. We are what we think we are, and therefore we do what we think about and therefore we attract what we think about. For instance if  I say I need to lose weight, I  may know that I need to lose weight, I might even say I want to lose weight, however I really want a juicy, fatty cheeseburger for lunch instead of that pita wrap.  In the end my true want’s will win out, i.e. if I really want the burger more than I want to lose weight, than guess what I will end up having the burger or I will have the wrap and justify some other high caloric snack or meal later in the day.

Bottom line is that we need to really evaluate what we want, why we want it and then envison ourselfs acheiving that want. Once this happens we will change our thoughts and our behavior will change to make our want a reality. There are no miracle drugs, drinks, potions, etc. The miracle is in your possession, it is your thoughts.

What do you really want?

Post Black Friday Anxiety?

The deli at the supermarket often proves to be an interesting place. Why, because people are gathered waiting to place their order and often times conversation with strangers ensue. Yesterday while placing my weekly order of lunch meat and cheese, the woman waiting on me said “it’s so nice to see a smile, people have been extra cranky today!” I told her that I was sorry to hear that and then be the  person that I am, I asked her why she thought they were more crankier today then usual. With that question all three ladies behind the counter chimed in “because it’s the season”. They went on to explain how they thought people were more stressed during the holiday season and that “Black Friday” stressed people out even more, you know getting up early, fighting the crowds, spending money they don’t really have to spend, etc.

Tis true, tis the season! Many people will be very anxious about the holidays, the money being spent, the idea that there is a perfect gift out there somewhere …

I think that this is a shame, we get so wrapped up in the shopping and finding the “right” gift for everyone on our list, not to mention the extra work of decorating the house and going to family gatherings and an endless string of parties, and of course the food preparation and cooking and entertaining, wow, it’s a wonder any of us get to take a breath! It is way too easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of activity, not eat correctly, not get enough rest and end up being cranky and miserable!

No excuse though! No excuse to be cranky and take it out on the people around you, weather they be family or the person behind the deli counter.

Remember to slow down and enjoy the  holidays, pace yourself. Remember to eat correctly and to rest when you need rest. Listen to your body and fulfill it’s needs.

Remember to allow your soul to be joyous and to extend a smile as you pass people in your day. Tis a wonderful time of year, bright lights and decorations designed to make us feel better, great food, time with family, wonderful, uplifting songs playing everywhere you go!

Me, I continued with my shopping, singing along with the holiday songs that were playing in the store, making even more of an effort to make eye contact with everyone and extend them a warm smile!

Great Moments!

It’s the moments that count. I love the moments of life. Each day is filled with great moments. Today my great moment was to buy a rose and a card for the love of my life and to leave it for her to find on her steering wheel when she comes out of work today. Even though I won’t be there to  see the look on her face, I will enjoy that moment all day long. Knowing that she worked hard today and that she will need a pick me up at the end of the day which she will get when she finds the rose and the card. That is a great moment that will last all day. Another moment that I enjoy is in the morning, it’s the moment shortly after we awaken together and we hold each other tighter for a  few more minutes, letting each other know that we both would love nothing more than to stay in bed a cuddle rather then have to get up. Another great moment today was when I was sitting in the mall and a small child stopped and gave me a warm smile.

I could go on and on describing moments that make my day great. I have great moments everyday because that is what I choose to focus on and the more I focus on something the more I attract that something. When you understand the law of attraction and of abundance you then understand that each and every day you can have a whole string of great moments.

Challenge:

Find the great moments in your day today. Visualize the great moments you want to have tomorrow. Sit back and enjoy!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

 Thanksgiving, what a wonderful name for a holiday. Tis a time to remind all of us to be thankful, thankful for all that we are and all that we have. It is a time to reflect on our blessings, our friends, families and relationships. The key is to remember to be thankful everyday for all that is in our life. Remember to be thankful for the little things that happen each day and you will be amazed at how much good you will attract into your life! I am truly blessed and have oh so much to be thankful for in my life!

Happy Thanksgiving and even if you are someplace where Thanksgiving is not a holiday, take a moment today to be thankful and if you are thankful for the people in your life and all the things that they do, please take a moment to let them know. Oh, by the way, thank-you, for taking a moment to share my thoughts and yours!

Worried? Why?

The above quote is from last weeks American TV show “Extreme Home Make Over”.  Funny where one can find inspiration. This was a quote from Matt Koepke who’s mortal body died due to cancer earlier this year.  His wife said that throughout their time together he often said this quote.

This simple quote expresses a wonderful way of viewing our world. Matt is correct, we do have a lot of things to think about and really nothing to worry about. Now as you read this, you may be saying to yourself, what do you mean I have nothing to worry about, what fantasy world are you living in? I fully understand that reaction, after all we have been trained from an early age to worry and even times when you are not worried, someone close to you in your life will question you for not being worried. Most of us have had that happen, it goes something like this; Your company was just bought out and you do not know what will happen to your current job, you may lose it or you may end up being asked to stay on. Everyone around you is in a panic, your family is worried, everyone is telling you, that you should be wringing your hands and gnashing your teeth in worry! What to do, oh, what to do? The world is telling you that you should worry! What will you do? Well most of us in this type of situation will worry, which may cause you to lose sleep, eat too much or not eat enough, get edgy and cranky, etc.

The big question you must ask yourself is this, will worrying about this situation change the outcome? The answer is always a big fat NO! Worrying about something never changes the outcome (matter of fact by worrying about what you don’t want to happen, you may actually manifest it to happen,  but that’s another article).

There are two categories of worry, one things that you have no control over and two, things that you do have control over.

If you have no control over something, then why would you worry about it? (no control means that you cannot impact the outcome). Therefore nothing to worry about in this category.

If you do have control over something, then take action and control the outcome. If you are in control of the outcome then again you have nothing to worry about.

In both categories you probably have a lot to think about, think about what you can do, how you can react, etc, however there is really nothing to worry about!

Introspection:

What are worried about? How long have you been worried? Is the energy that you are expending in your worry helping you or hurting you?

Challange: Send me a thing that is worth worring about. Remember worring about something is very different from thinking about something. The differance is thinking about something is devising a plan, understanding the impact of something and planning for it, etc.

Blown Off Course?

“One ship drives east, and another west. With the self-same winds that blow:‘Tis the set of the sails And not the gales, Which decides the way we go. Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate, As they voyage along through life; ‘Tis the will of the soul That decides its goal, And not the calm or the strife”  – Ella Wheeler Wilcox                

 Wow! Read this quote again, roll it around in your mind and savor the thought …

Now, ask yourself, are you using the winds of your daily life to achieve your purpose or are you allowing the winds of life to push and pull you around and using this as an excuse to be unhappy with the direction your life is going?

Let’s take another look at this quote, this quote is saying that even though the wind is blowing in only one direction, two ships traveling in opposite directions are both able to use the same wind to propel them in the direction of their chose.

That is a very powerful thought! What this means to you, is that even though the winds of life may be not blowing in the direction of your desire, that you can still harness the power of these winds to propel you on the journey of your choice!

Time for some introspection:

Are you harnessing the power of the “winds of life” and traveling the to the desire of your soul or are you allowing the “winds of life” to pull and push you around and then using this as an excuse not to achieve your desire?

Your choice!

Abundance!

I love living an abundant life! I love that as I need things in my life,they seem to magically appear! What I know is this, it is not magic that brings me a life of abundance, it is a universal law that makes this happen! It all begins with a thought. In other words I think of what I need, what I desire, I envision myself receiving into my life what I need and the universe responds to my thoughts and delivers I want/need! 

Seems very simplistic dosn’t it? Truth is, that abundance is that simple.

The other side of this truth is that if our thoughts can manifest what we want, then our thoughts can also manifest what we don’t want! Consider this, if my thought is “I hate being broke all of the time” then what is that thought attracting? You are attracting more of what you don’t want because you are thinking about not having enough money instead of thinking about what you want/need, which would be, ” I know that money will come into my life as I need it” “I see myself being able to relax because the money I have the money I need”.  When you have these thoughts, you will attract what you want/need.

Note, money is simply an example, this applies to everything you want and need, love, employment, peace, friendship, etc.

Be aware of what you are thinking and you become aware of what you attract. You want an abundant life, then use your thoughts to attract abundance!

“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life.  And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.”

Sarah Ban Breathnach ~ Simple Abundance

To Whose Beat Are You Marching to?

“The voice of our original self is often muffled, overwhelmed, even strangled, by the voices of other peoples expectations” – Julie Cameron

 Whose expectations are you striving towards? Parents, spouses, friends, co-workers, the world at large, all have expectations of us. In fact, we are so used to hearing these expectations and attempting to live up to them, we may even forget that these are not our expectations of ourselves!

Today, I challenge you to look inward and make a list of expectations that you are attempting to live up to. Once you have the list, I suggest that you then determine where these expectations originated. Are these expectations your own or are they a result of outside influences? Did you find when you evaluated your list that many of the expectations that you strive towards meeting on a daily basis are someone’s expectations of you? You are in good company, most people are not marching to the beat of their own drum, many of us are marching to the beat of society, family and friends.

Now the real work begins! Take another look at your list of self expectations and determine which ones are ligimate and which ones are designed soley to make someone else happy. 

Time to clear the path, time to eliminate the non-productive expectations of other people and understand what you expect of yourself and why, then  act on YOUR expectations!

You will experience a new found freedom, because once you begin to release yourself from trying to live up to others expectations you will find that you are truly able to march to the beat of your internal drummer, your soul! You will now be free to reach inside and follow your path, your purpose, your dream! Enjoy the journey!

Remember it is all about the journey, not about arriving at a destignation.

The Power of Light!

The days are getting shorter which means that we have less daylight in our daily life’s. Weather we realize this or not, the fact that we have less daylight each day does have an affect on all of us. For some, the affect of decrease exposure to daylight can be debilitating, causing bouts of depression and all of the symptoms and behaviors that are associated with depression. For most of us, we may not even notice how less sunlight affects us, trust me it does. The big question is why?

Light emits positive energy. Darkness emits low energy. Need proof, walk into a dark room and flick on a light source, what happens, the darkness is replaced by light (high/positive energy). Now walk into a room full of light and open a can of darkness what happens, does the room get dark, no! The can of darkness is filled with light! Darkness is a low/negative energy. Our inner being thrives on positive energy, we diminish when exposed to low/negative energy. Therefore we need more light in our life’s than we do darkness. Light emits positive/high energy which keeps us pumped up, helps us to be more positive, feel better about life and ourselves overall.

Think about how light or lack of it affects you and I am sure that you will be adding more light to your life this Winter season.

BTW, this thing about positive energy and negative energy applies to the people in our life as well, however that is another post!

Want to read a good blog about a real life experience, check out “Everybody Needs Therapy? Lessons from a Family Therapist” at http://everyoneneedstherapy.blogspot.com/, the Doc’s most recent blog inspired my writing today! I am sure that you will find her blog both enlightening and entertaining!