- Published on
It is the Christmas season, a time to celebrate, a time for family, a time for joy.
Joy is part of the word, en-joy. It's an emotion of happiness; an emotion which comes from optimism.
A recent Harvard study published in the Journal of Epidemiology found that optimistic people live longer. The study leader said that optimism is having the expectation that things will get better.
The expectation that things will get better is a happy thing.
And, understanding your ability to influence your life can increase your joy.
As Wayne Dyer said it, “Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It’s not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make. Period.”
How free-ing this realization is!! How joyous! You can love yourself more, enjoy your time with others and make the most wonderful decisions for your life, your future.
A Joyous Christmas to you, with so much love,
Joy is part of the word, en-joy. It's an emotion of happiness; an emotion which comes from optimism.
A recent Harvard study published in the Journal of Epidemiology found that optimistic people live longer. The study leader said that optimism is having the expectation that things will get better.
The expectation that things will get better is a happy thing.
And, understanding your ability to influence your life can increase your joy.
As Wayne Dyer said it, “Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It’s not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make. Period.”
How free-ing this realization is!! How joyous! You can love yourself more, enjoy your time with others and make the most wonderful decisions for your life, your future.
- Expect things to get better and better.
- Know your decisions and choices are leading you. Choose well this wonderful season. Make the tiny and big decisions that take you to joy.
- Enjoy, in joy.
A Joyous Christmas to you, with so much love,
- Published on
Many businesses and public buildings, like the Abu Dhabi Ritz Carleton hotel, have elegant Christmas decorations.
Live a happy, healthy life with strategies from Dr Chris Baker's book, REAL.
A Christmas tradition at many Abu Dhabi restaurants is the construction of full-sized gingerbread houses and structures.
It is winter season here in Abu Dhabi, which means that the mornings and evenings may call for a light sweater or wrap. The midday temperatures are comfortably warm in the rays of Arabian sunshine.
The desert here smells clean and fresh. And all around us is celebration. The first holiday here was the 45th UAE National Day, December 2. They celebrate National Day with lights and flags all about us, green, red, white and black.
Those red, green and white lights seem quite Christmas-y to this girl, as we pass them sparkling on the roadsides everywhere.
Then was Martyrs Day, to honor those in the UAE military who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country, December 3.
School will soon be out for the Winter Christmas break, and everywhere you hear, “Merry Christmas.” One sees Christmas trees, decorations and hears Christmas music.
Even though this is a Muslim country, everyone seems to enjoy the holidays of all religions. It's a very tolerant and loving place.
Tonight in the grocery store the Christmas carols had me humming along as I looked for just the right Christmas treats to take into the office for next week’s patients.
There’s a celebratory air about; the children and parents are excited about their plans for the holidays. It’s fun to tell the patients, “See you next year!”
Holidays, celebration, happiness, joy - it’s a wonderful time of year.
It is love. Christmas is about love; love that is irrepressible, bursting with joy, giving and giving, hurrying less and noticing more as we go to and from, smiling and connecting with people we meet, calling out “Merry Christmas,” hearing and rejoicing in the bells, as another angel gets his wings (as George Bailey discovered in “It’s a Wonderful Life”).
And while we’re thinking of that movie, remember, “All you can take with you is that which you have given away.”
Give love in your smile, your hand, your hugs, your warmth, your kindness.
Merry Christmas!
The desert here smells clean and fresh. And all around us is celebration. The first holiday here was the 45th UAE National Day, December 2. They celebrate National Day with lights and flags all about us, green, red, white and black.
Those red, green and white lights seem quite Christmas-y to this girl, as we pass them sparkling on the roadsides everywhere.
Then was Martyrs Day, to honor those in the UAE military who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country, December 3.
School will soon be out for the Winter Christmas break, and everywhere you hear, “Merry Christmas.” One sees Christmas trees, decorations and hears Christmas music.
Even though this is a Muslim country, everyone seems to enjoy the holidays of all religions. It's a very tolerant and loving place.
Tonight in the grocery store the Christmas carols had me humming along as I looked for just the right Christmas treats to take into the office for next week’s patients.
There’s a celebratory air about; the children and parents are excited about their plans for the holidays. It’s fun to tell the patients, “See you next year!”
Holidays, celebration, happiness, joy - it’s a wonderful time of year.
It is love. Christmas is about love; love that is irrepressible, bursting with joy, giving and giving, hurrying less and noticing more as we go to and from, smiling and connecting with people we meet, calling out “Merry Christmas,” hearing and rejoicing in the bells, as another angel gets his wings (as George Bailey discovered in “It’s a Wonderful Life”).
And while we’re thinking of that movie, remember, “All you can take with you is that which you have given away.”
Give love in your smile, your hand, your hugs, your warmth, your kindness.
Merry Christmas!
- Published on
As a young teenager, I decided I wanted to be a doctor. So, I volunteered as a "candystriper" at the local hospital. Here I am, standing near the middle of this photo, holding the flowers.
A great resource on how to design your perfect life is Dr. Chris Baker's book, "REAL."
Quite a lot has happened since my candystriper days. Here I'm getting ready to enjoy breakfast at Etihad Airways' beautiful lounge at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH).
When you were a teenager, and probably even when you were younger than that, you had conscious ideas (thoughts) of what you wanted your life to be.
I have heard my children say, “When I have a house it will be…” and, “In college, I will major in…”, and “I will travel to…”
When my five siblings and I were little, we would build “houses” with our big wooden toy blocks that my mother had cut at the lumber yard, and then sanded smooth.
Our toy block “houses” were a bit like architectural plans, with room upon room laid out on the floor. We would move “ourselves” (clothespin people) through the house, winding about from the kitchen to the many other rooms we had built.
We were designing our lives. In our thoughts and dreams, we were imagining what we wanted our lives to be.
Then, as a young teenager, I decided I would be a doctor. That decision led me to work at the local hospital where I volunteered as a Candystriper. I began to live my dream of working in a medical setting.
As time went by, I decided on nursing school. It seemed at the time to be more “do-able” than medical school.
A few years went by. As a young adult, I was still designing my life. As I practiced as a critical care RN, and with a young son, I finally planned and executed my dream of being a doctor. I decided to be a pediatric dentist.
And you know what? It took those plans to design my life of today - a joyous, grateful mom, wife, pediatric dentist and orthodontist.
As we live the life that often “seems to happen” to us, we are often unaware that we designed it. It’s easy to get stuck in the “living” of the life. Yet, in doing that, we are designing our life of our future, by our thoughts.
If your thought is, “this is my life, and I can’t change it much,” you will be right.
If your thought is, “this is my life and I will design x-y-and-z for my future", you will be right.
"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."
~ Jim Rohn
It’s your choice. It’s your opportunity. You have today. Begin today. Decide to focus on one goal that you want in your life. Your design in your mind - your thoughts - is your beginning.
I have heard my children say, “When I have a house it will be…” and, “In college, I will major in…”, and “I will travel to…”
When my five siblings and I were little, we would build “houses” with our big wooden toy blocks that my mother had cut at the lumber yard, and then sanded smooth.
Our toy block “houses” were a bit like architectural plans, with room upon room laid out on the floor. We would move “ourselves” (clothespin people) through the house, winding about from the kitchen to the many other rooms we had built.
We were designing our lives. In our thoughts and dreams, we were imagining what we wanted our lives to be.
Then, as a young teenager, I decided I would be a doctor. That decision led me to work at the local hospital where I volunteered as a Candystriper. I began to live my dream of working in a medical setting.
As time went by, I decided on nursing school. It seemed at the time to be more “do-able” than medical school.
A few years went by. As a young adult, I was still designing my life. As I practiced as a critical care RN, and with a young son, I finally planned and executed my dream of being a doctor. I decided to be a pediatric dentist.
And you know what? It took those plans to design my life of today - a joyous, grateful mom, wife, pediatric dentist and orthodontist.
As we live the life that often “seems to happen” to us, we are often unaware that we designed it. It’s easy to get stuck in the “living” of the life. Yet, in doing that, we are designing our life of our future, by our thoughts.
If your thought is, “this is my life, and I can’t change it much,” you will be right.
If your thought is, “this is my life and I will design x-y-and-z for my future", you will be right.
"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."
~ Jim Rohn
It’s your choice. It’s your opportunity. You have today. Begin today. Decide to focus on one goal that you want in your life. Your design in your mind - your thoughts - is your beginning.
- Published on
Two simple steps are needed to reach your goal: First, keep your attention on the goal. Second, make efforts towards that goal. Then, repeat!
Author and teacher Dale Carnegie dedicated his life to helping people realize their goals.
Starting and ending each day with expressions of thankfulness and gratitude increases happiness and positive results!
Part II of a series begun December 8, 2016.
So, you have a big, bold goal in mind - or maybe several! Now that you know you want it, how do you get going?
As Les Brown says, ”Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner."
Before you sleep, picture yourself living your goal. Think about how it feels; see it as your reality. This is charging after them. Your life design is working!
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward."
~ Amelia Earhart
And, as my son Trey says, “Never give up.”
"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
~ Thomas A. Edison
Today is glorious for me; going to treat my patients at the dental office, or to teach orthodontics, or to cook dinner, or sit on the couch and talk to my husband Claude.
When I realize I am not enjoying the moment, as soon as I can realize it, I begin to re-focus my attention on gratitude and on my goals.
My goals keep changing. We meet some goals just as we had planned. Other goals change form or meaning.
Some of these "changing" goals are stepping stones to more important and wonderful parts of life. They are part of the journey -- even though they are not met in the form we imagined. Yet they are all very important.
Every night Claude and I say together,
“I know, within me now, is the Divine ability to manifest or attract everything I need or desire. All I desire is on its way. It will arrive on time, and in even greater amounts than I have imagined.”
And every morning we say,
“Thank you, thank you, thank you for the miracles and magnificent outcomes of today.”
Then we review what they are for that day.
"Today is life--the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto."
~ Dale Carnegie
So, you have a big, bold goal in mind - or maybe several! Now that you know you want it, how do you get going?
- Place your attention on your goal. Write it down. Carry the paper in your pocket. Look at it whenever you put your hand into your pocket. Some have said you can put a small shell or rock or item in your pocket and feel it. ANYTHING that helps you keep your attention on the goal is great.
- Begin moving toward the goal. For me, though I didn’t know it at the time, wanting to be in medicine, I moved toward my goal by working in the hospital environment. Fortunately helping with bedpans did not dissuade me from my goal ? . Rather, the environment propelled me.
As Les Brown says, ”Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner."
Before you sleep, picture yourself living your goal. Think about how it feels; see it as your reality. This is charging after them. Your life design is working!
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward."
~ Amelia Earhart
And, as my son Trey says, “Never give up.”
"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
~ Thomas A. Edison
Today is glorious for me; going to treat my patients at the dental office, or to teach orthodontics, or to cook dinner, or sit on the couch and talk to my husband Claude.
When I realize I am not enjoying the moment, as soon as I can realize it, I begin to re-focus my attention on gratitude and on my goals.
My goals keep changing. We meet some goals just as we had planned. Other goals change form or meaning.
Some of these "changing" goals are stepping stones to more important and wonderful parts of life. They are part of the journey -- even though they are not met in the form we imagined. Yet they are all very important.
Every night Claude and I say together,
“I know, within me now, is the Divine ability to manifest or attract everything I need or desire. All I desire is on its way. It will arrive on time, and in even greater amounts than I have imagined.”
And every morning we say,
“Thank you, thank you, thank you for the miracles and magnificent outcomes of today.”
Then we review what they are for that day.
"Today is life--the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto."
~ Dale Carnegie
- Published on
Usually, we're in Abu Dhabi. But we love to visit family in Texas for Christmas. The old Harrison County Courthouse, in Marshall, is lit up for the holidays.
Besides its annual Wonderland of Lights celebration, Marshall, Texas, has local merchants who create elaborate window displays.
Think of it!
Where your attention goes, energy flows.
When we choose thoughts, we send out energy and receive back the energy of the Universe.
Remember - you get what you think about - whether you want it or not. Choose thoughts of what you want and need!
Health comes from positive thoughts about health. Thoughts and worries about getting sick circulate an energy of illness.
“A healthy outside starts from the inside.”
~ Robert Urich
Think of the breast cancer researcher husband and wife team that focused their attention on breast cancer research — BOTH were diagnosed with breast cancer. (See the original article on this by clicking HERE.)
This same kind of experience was Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s, author of Stroke of Insight. Her book is about being a stroke researcher who had a massive stroke of her own at age 37, and about her eight-year recovery. (Order the book by clicking on the Amazon link in this blog entry.)
Dr. Taylor’s research into strokes (thinking about strokes every day) became her experience.
Focus on health, not sickness.
Focus on happiness, not sadness or worry.
Focus on joy, not sorrow.
To successfully reap abundance — absolute health — happiness — the career you want — “You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so badly, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control.”
~ Elizabeth Gilbert
Keep putting your intention — and thoughts — on what you want and need!
To an amazing week of great choices of thoughts.
In love,
Where your attention goes, energy flows.
When we choose thoughts, we send out energy and receive back the energy of the Universe.
Remember - you get what you think about - whether you want it or not. Choose thoughts of what you want and need!
Health comes from positive thoughts about health. Thoughts and worries about getting sick circulate an energy of illness.
“A healthy outside starts from the inside.”
~ Robert Urich
Think of the breast cancer researcher husband and wife team that focused their attention on breast cancer research — BOTH were diagnosed with breast cancer. (See the original article on this by clicking HERE.)
This same kind of experience was Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s, author of Stroke of Insight. Her book is about being a stroke researcher who had a massive stroke of her own at age 37, and about her eight-year recovery. (Order the book by clicking on the Amazon link in this blog entry.)
Dr. Taylor’s research into strokes (thinking about strokes every day) became her experience.
Focus on health, not sickness.
Focus on happiness, not sadness or worry.
Focus on joy, not sorrow.
To successfully reap abundance — absolute health — happiness — the career you want — “You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so badly, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control.”
~ Elizabeth Gilbert
Keep putting your intention — and thoughts — on what you want and need!
To an amazing week of great choices of thoughts.
In love,
- Published on
There are two paths to take in order to realize your own greatness. They enhance your mental and physical health and increase your gratitude.
Doing what you know is best for you, and being grateful are important steps to living magnificently.
Until you realize your incredible worth, you will not feel capable, loved, admirable, deserving, valuable.
Oh sure, when someone compliments you, it’s satisfying, even exhilarating - for a moment or two.
But the doubts are there, underlying the elevation of your spirit. You wonder… and in a while, the feeling of unsurety creeps back in…
So, how then can you feel sure? How can you know your worth?
Here are two ways to start:
ONE: Start doing tiny but important things you know are best for you.
Be straightforward. It will feel great. Eat only what is healthful; skip the junk food - just once, then again and again. You’ll know you’re doing a good job for your body.
Take a walk. Love people around you. Remember that the driver that honks at you has his own insecurity. Send him love. You’ll feel so much better than if you send him anger.
This is the Slight Edge. You’re on it! (Read The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson -- you can order a copy by clicking on the Amazon.com link in the left column of this blog entry.)
“Every decision you make, no matter how small, is a step toward feeling worthy, or a step toward feeling unworthy.”
~ Chris Baker
TWO: Count your blessings. Spend the day thinking of “gratitudes” - your warm and comfortable bed, your morning shower, your safe ride in to work, your neighborhood, the sunshine, abundant food, your family…
“This is part of what a family is about, not just love. It's knowing that your family will be there watching out for you. Nothing else will give you that. Not money. Not fame. Not work.”
~ Mitch Albom
These two practices, the Slight Edge and Gratitudes, will connect you to your joy and your divine self. You will feel your worth. You will feel happy and positive, capable, loved, admirable, deserving, valuable.
“That’s what successful people do: simple things that are easy to do…Here’s the problem: every action that is easy to do, is also easy not to do.”
~ Jeff Olson
Just do it! One step, one gratitude at a time. Your life awaits!
Love,
Oh sure, when someone compliments you, it’s satisfying, even exhilarating - for a moment or two.
But the doubts are there, underlying the elevation of your spirit. You wonder… and in a while, the feeling of unsurety creeps back in…
So, how then can you feel sure? How can you know your worth?
Here are two ways to start:
ONE: Start doing tiny but important things you know are best for you.
Be straightforward. It will feel great. Eat only what is healthful; skip the junk food - just once, then again and again. You’ll know you’re doing a good job for your body.
Take a walk. Love people around you. Remember that the driver that honks at you has his own insecurity. Send him love. You’ll feel so much better than if you send him anger.
This is the Slight Edge. You’re on it! (Read The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson -- you can order a copy by clicking on the Amazon.com link in the left column of this blog entry.)
“Every decision you make, no matter how small, is a step toward feeling worthy, or a step toward feeling unworthy.”
~ Chris Baker
TWO: Count your blessings. Spend the day thinking of “gratitudes” - your warm and comfortable bed, your morning shower, your safe ride in to work, your neighborhood, the sunshine, abundant food, your family…
“This is part of what a family is about, not just love. It's knowing that your family will be there watching out for you. Nothing else will give you that. Not money. Not fame. Not work.”
~ Mitch Albom
These two practices, the Slight Edge and Gratitudes, will connect you to your joy and your divine self. You will feel your worth. You will feel happy and positive, capable, loved, admirable, deserving, valuable.
“That’s what successful people do: simple things that are easy to do…Here’s the problem: every action that is easy to do, is also easy not to do.”
~ Jeff Olson
Just do it! One step, one gratitude at a time. Your life awaits!
Love,
- Published on
You don't need to do what everyone else is doing, or what anyone else wants you to do. You also don't need to tell people what you're thinking or doing. You alone design your future.
You alone define your life to come!
“You have to begin to tell the story of your life as you now want it to be and discontinue the tales of how it has been or of how it is.”
~ Esther & Jerry Hicks
Remind yourself that you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing, or what anyone else wants you to do. You also don’t have to tell people what you are thinking or doing.
“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Whatever you decide to do, figure out how to do it and how to see it in ways that make you happy!
You design your future. You define your life to come. You can.
Now align your thoughts so the thoughts are about your life to come. Keep all your attention on those thoughts!
Send your thoughts of your big, bold dreams out into the Universe and watch them come back to you. Create your future as you wish it to be. It can be very different from the past.
Remember that old saying, “This is the first day of the rest of my life.”
Off to your new day, Prosperous One.
Love,
~ Esther & Jerry Hicks
Remind yourself that you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing, or what anyone else wants you to do. You also don’t have to tell people what you are thinking or doing.
“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Whatever you decide to do, figure out how to do it and how to see it in ways that make you happy!
You design your future. You define your life to come. You can.
Now align your thoughts so the thoughts are about your life to come. Keep all your attention on those thoughts!
Send your thoughts of your big, bold dreams out into the Universe and watch them come back to you. Create your future as you wish it to be. It can be very different from the past.
Remember that old saying, “This is the first day of the rest of my life.”
Off to your new day, Prosperous One.
Love,
- Published on
Independence Hall, Philadelphia.
Keep strong your intention to keep your attention on your imagining what you want your life to be.
The more you practice, the more you succeed.
If your intention falters, and your attention wanders, your imagining may be of all the things you don’t want your life to be. (Worries.)
“If you can understand, dear One, that the greatest obstaclesbetween you and the life of your wildest dreams are actually imaginary, a product of your mind alone, fiction.”
~ Mike Dooley
And likewise, when your mind imagines the life of your wildest dreams, you will realize those imaginings (dreams)! They were also fiction, when you started.
Intention - your plan. Make your plan.
Attention - focus; thinking. Keep it on your plan.
Imagining - picturing. Envision what the life of your dreams will look and feel like.
Practice, practice, practice! The more you practice, the more you will believe in your dreams.
“The more you believe it, the more it starts to become real for you. This is why it is so very important to believe in positive things, rather than negative things. Whatever you believe, you will find that you are correct. The universe has a way of presenting to you exactly what you believe. If you think life is great, you are correct. If you think life is tough, you will be proved correct too.”
~ Anita Moorjani
Your life comes from your thoughts. Keep strong your Intention to keep attention on thinking about your dream life.
Imagining it all, in love,
The more you practice, the more you succeed.
If your intention falters, and your attention wanders, your imagining may be of all the things you don’t want your life to be. (Worries.)
“If you can understand, dear One, that the greatest obstaclesbetween you and the life of your wildest dreams are actually imaginary, a product of your mind alone, fiction.”
~ Mike Dooley
And likewise, when your mind imagines the life of your wildest dreams, you will realize those imaginings (dreams)! They were also fiction, when you started.
Intention - your plan. Make your plan.
Attention - focus; thinking. Keep it on your plan.
Imagining - picturing. Envision what the life of your dreams will look and feel like.
Practice, practice, practice! The more you practice, the more you will believe in your dreams.
“The more you believe it, the more it starts to become real for you. This is why it is so very important to believe in positive things, rather than negative things. Whatever you believe, you will find that you are correct. The universe has a way of presenting to you exactly what you believe. If you think life is great, you are correct. If you think life is tough, you will be proved correct too.”
~ Anita Moorjani
Your life comes from your thoughts. Keep strong your Intention to keep attention on thinking about your dream life.
Imagining it all, in love,
- Published on
Look back and think about how you have worried too much about things that didn't really matter.
Connecting with nature is a healthy first step away from the dangers of overthinking.
Look back and think about how you have worried too much about things that didn’t really matter.
Or... when you've worried about things that mattered a lot, and your worrying didn’t change the outcome, but instead made your life harder through worry.
This is called ‘analysis paralysis’, when we overthink and feel, or are, paralyzed to make decisions and get on with life.
Overthinking can make you sick.
Then later and often, we find ourselves actually glad things didn’t work out the way we had thought we wanted them to.
“The past is your lesson. The present is your gift. The future is your motivation.”
~ Zig Ziglar
So stop it. Stop overthinking. (It’s creating problems that aren’t there.) Just let it be.
As I said to Molly one day when she was worrying about her progress in a college course, instead of doing her homework, "You are thinking too far in the future. For this moment, put your attention on your homework. Let God deal with how it plays out.”
Funny - there is nothing in this world that can trouble you as much as your own thoughts.
“Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.”
~ English proverb
If we look back, often what we thought were our wrong choices brought us to exactly the right place.
Have faith that you’re on your road. Eventually you’ll end up where you need to be, with whom you’re meant to be with, and doing what you should be doing.
Do you want to know how to clear your mind of the thoughts, worry, overthinking?
We can let go of what’s gone, grateful for what remains, and look forward to what’s to come.
Try it. Peace be with you.
Love,
Or... when you've worried about things that mattered a lot, and your worrying didn’t change the outcome, but instead made your life harder through worry.
This is called ‘analysis paralysis’, when we overthink and feel, or are, paralyzed to make decisions and get on with life.
Overthinking can make you sick.
Then later and often, we find ourselves actually glad things didn’t work out the way we had thought we wanted them to.
“The past is your lesson. The present is your gift. The future is your motivation.”
~ Zig Ziglar
So stop it. Stop overthinking. (It’s creating problems that aren’t there.) Just let it be.
As I said to Molly one day when she was worrying about her progress in a college course, instead of doing her homework, "You are thinking too far in the future. For this moment, put your attention on your homework. Let God deal with how it plays out.”
Funny - there is nothing in this world that can trouble you as much as your own thoughts.
“Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.”
~ English proverb
If we look back, often what we thought were our wrong choices brought us to exactly the right place.
Have faith that you’re on your road. Eventually you’ll end up where you need to be, with whom you’re meant to be with, and doing what you should be doing.
Do you want to know how to clear your mind of the thoughts, worry, overthinking?
- Connect with nature. Go outside or to a window and watch the leaves sway in the wind, the clouds mosey across the sky, or the light dapple and play on the surfaces of the earth - the grass, plants, sand, water…
- Put your attention on your peacefulness. Sit and breathe in, and out. Think of 8 Things for which you are grateful. Number 1 - that you are breathing. Number 2 - that you can feel joy. Keep going…
- Say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
We can let go of what’s gone, grateful for what remains, and look forward to what’s to come.
Try it. Peace be with you.
Love,
- Published on
At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Derek Redmond was competing in the 400 meter race. His father was in the stands, cheering.
Then, 175 meters into the race, Derek tore his hamstring. As he lay on the track, his father raced out of the stands to him. Derek got up and hobbled along the track, refusing the stretchers which would carry him, even though his win was now impossible.
Derek's dad reached him and walked with his limping son. They crossed the finish line together, after a full lap of the track, to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“We’re all in this together. If we take care of one another and go the extra mile to appreciate and play together, we all gain — every one of us is lifted up. Sure we could walk alone to the finish line. But the real joy comes from tackling the journey together, from raising our voices in one mighty, unified wahoo! “ ~ Pam Grout
“Most of us go through life a little afraid, a little nervous, a little excited. We are like children playing hide and seek, wanting to be found, yet hoping we won’t be, biting our nails with anticipation. We worry when opportunity approaches a little too closely, and hide deeper in the shadows when fear overcomes us. This is no way to go through life.”
~ Deepak Chopra
Look for the connection, the love, the possibilities out there in the "Field of Possibilities." See the people around you as the love that they are. Reach out to them. Like my husband Claude does, tell the lady at the checkout counter that they “obviously put all the good-lookin’ folks at the check-outs!”
Quicken your step and open the door for the person just ahead of you. Be like the Marshall, Texas, guys who stopped to help a lady with a flat tire on the road just outside of town.
(Turns out the lady was actress Julia Roberts, and she told the press about her experience this week, and how friendly that East Texas town is.)
“God does not further our spiritual life in spite of our circumstances, but in and by our circumstances.” ~ Oswald Chambers
Love one another - every moment possible. It will miraculously transform your whole life. You may have no idea that it absolutely saves another.
Together,
Then, 175 meters into the race, Derek tore his hamstring. As he lay on the track, his father raced out of the stands to him. Derek got up and hobbled along the track, refusing the stretchers which would carry him, even though his win was now impossible.
Derek's dad reached him and walked with his limping son. They crossed the finish line together, after a full lap of the track, to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“We’re all in this together. If we take care of one another and go the extra mile to appreciate and play together, we all gain — every one of us is lifted up. Sure we could walk alone to the finish line. But the real joy comes from tackling the journey together, from raising our voices in one mighty, unified wahoo! “ ~ Pam Grout
“Most of us go through life a little afraid, a little nervous, a little excited. We are like children playing hide and seek, wanting to be found, yet hoping we won’t be, biting our nails with anticipation. We worry when opportunity approaches a little too closely, and hide deeper in the shadows when fear overcomes us. This is no way to go through life.”
~ Deepak Chopra
Look for the connection, the love, the possibilities out there in the "Field of Possibilities." See the people around you as the love that they are. Reach out to them. Like my husband Claude does, tell the lady at the checkout counter that they “obviously put all the good-lookin’ folks at the check-outs!”
Quicken your step and open the door for the person just ahead of you. Be like the Marshall, Texas, guys who stopped to help a lady with a flat tire on the road just outside of town.
(Turns out the lady was actress Julia Roberts, and she told the press about her experience this week, and how friendly that East Texas town is.)
“God does not further our spiritual life in spite of our circumstances, but in and by our circumstances.” ~ Oswald Chambers
Love one another - every moment possible. It will miraculously transform your whole life. You may have no idea that it absolutely saves another.
Together,
