A Good Infection?

The winter time of year is amazingly rich in various infections; colds, flu, sinus or respiratory infections. However, the worst kind of infection is an attitude infection. Have you ever worked with, or lived with, or had a neighbor that could bring down the most positive part of your being? Have you ever worked on bringing someone else down? All of us being human, I'm unsure if we can avoid sharing negativity all together.

Jacques Cousteau is quoted as saying:
If we were logical, the future would be bleak indeed. But we are more than logical. We are human beings, and we have faith, and we have hope, and we can work.

That sounds like a good antidote for a negatively infected world. In our own little corner of the world, should we bring faith and hope into our work and leisure, we then become a good infection. If someone you come across has a sour attitude, what would your smile and kind words do for that person? I don't know either, but if for a brief moment that person was able to leave the prison of negative self affliction because you were there, great change will have taken place. It is said, that it is difficult to soar with eagles when you work with turkeys, yet remember, only an eagle can soar with an eagle. Our choice is powerful stuff.

In my quest to becoming My Best Me possible, I am constantly challenged by my external world and its attitude, and I do really appreciate my choice, this world will be slightly better because I have travelled here.

Forgiveness gives you a clean slate to be your best

I had the radio on the other day and "The Heart of the Matter" by Don Henley came on. That song meant alot to me way back when and its inspirational message came through once more.

A part of the lyrics goes like this:
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I'd figured out
I have to learn again
I've been trying to get down
to the heart of the matter
But everything changes
and my friends seem to scatter
But I think it's about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don't love me anymore

Forgiveness is a key element in relationships, isn't it? Forgiveness begins with the self, because after all, you can't give something which you don't have. And if you're hard on yourself, do you think that you may possibly have a grudge with another also?

I find the cycles of life quite intriguing. The ebb and flow, the good the bad, the rich the poor, the friends the loneliness. We all long for good times, happy times. But life doesn't always work that way. The contrast seems to present itself to help us in making better choices along the way. Without being able to anger somebody, there would be no need to see how we could make another happy. Without lack or limits, there wouldn't be as much appreciation for any amount of abundance.

But through it all, we find ourselves in it all. The whole world really does revolve around you! And it also revolves around me. We are each at the center of our world. Being able to forgive, yourself, then those in your world, gives you a new start, a clean slate. We all make mistakes and to hold those mistakes against another causes us to re-live the past. In forgiveness, we can value somebody just for who they are, today, even if they don't love you anymore.

Therein lies freedom to be all that you can be today, without the burden of the past, therein lies the Heart of the Matter. This freedom allows you to follow your bliss, to live your bliss, to be your bliss.

Attraction, Inspiration, Healing, and Love

What happens when the Law of Attraction is governed by the Law of Love? We are vibrational beings constantly emitting and attracting things in accord with our vibration. Should we be so in tuned with Love, how would our Attraction change?

Lisa had a doctors appointment and the news was quite painful to bear. Seems medication is going to be her close companion for the rest of her life. She is a Registered Nurse, however, over the past several years has been coming more in tune with holistic healing. The words from the doctor regarding her illness, ulcerative colitis, possibly Crohn's Disease, and his approach to dealing with the illness, brought Lisa down quickly and dramatically.

That evening, we watched "You can heal your life", a movie from Louise Hay. We were quite inspired and uplifted to hear of others who had healed themselves from illnesses or other life circumstances. I don't know if we can get to a point where Lisa's illness will completely disappear. I do know that her ability to love herself will have a dramatic impact on the severity of this challenge.

From an observational standpoint, what a great place to be in. To be in a place of weakness and to see the power of the universe displayed through her body. It's funny to think that a few short years ago I did not believe miracles occurred, and now I expect one.

Easily meditate your way to a better life

Meditation doesn't come easily to me. Growing up, my family didn't get involved with such "cultish" behavior such as meditation. At this stage of my life, I look for things that help me achieve a spiritual and mental balance which produces a peace and happiness on the inside. I've gotten to the point of being able to meditate for about 5 minutes now, and that is quite a leap.

Something that has been very helpful to me is what I call mini-meditations. I can't settle down and be still for a half hour, so I quiet my mind and still myself for a minute or two throughout my day. That has been very helpful in keeping a sense of calm and balance when the storms of life blow in. I feel much more connected to something much larger than all humanity through meditation, and I am very grateful that my life has gone down this path.

If you are new to meditation or find life just getting in the way and not having the time to meditate, there are numerous programs available from Effective Learning Systems. I put on a CD and the gentle relaxing voice-over and soft music allow me to go to sleep almost instantly. I went through a period of incredibly high anxiety, and these CD's helped to ease my mind and get a good nights sleep. Over time, my attitude began to change as well, and balance is returning to my mind.

With titles ranging from business success, to stop smoking, to weight loss, to being more positive, Effective Learning System can help you break out of patterns that are repeating in your life, freeing you to be what you always dreamed you could be.

The Last Lecture

On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.”

What an inspired talk Randy Puasch gave. At the beginning of his talk, he showed slides of the cancer eating away at his body, letting the audience know that the doctors had given him just months to live. But it takes more than cancer to quell such enthusiasm. You can see him on YouTube, all 1 hour and 16 minutes. Over 8 million people have watched this amazing and final lecture given by Randy Puasch.

You can pick up his book, The Last Lecture from Amazon.com. I found out about his inspiring video while browsing the website for International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs.
If you need a shot of inspiration, I recommend watching this video. It will make you think about acheiving your childhood dreams.

The Enlightenment of Jesus

I have had my beliefs challenged a bit lately. By challenged, I mean a different twist in a philosophical system was brought to my attention and I can't just sweep it under a rug and let it go away. I don't look for things to bring about right / wrong conclusion, I like things that leave the door wide open to allow everyone to believe as they wish.

Being an avid reader, I received a copy of Jesus, A Story Of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra. I had not read any of Deepak Chopra's book before. He was a featured guest speaker at Mile Hi Church in Lakewood Colorado and I had an opportunity to see him speak. Very interesting, I truly enjoyed his talk. I also received a free copy of this book. I did not know what to expect, but I remained open minded and had fun reading.

This book about Jesus, is first of a work of fiction. There are some references to things that we know about Jesus, but mostly this book is about things we don't know about Jesus. The Bible tells us about Jesus birth, when he was 12 years old, and his ministry around age 30. Deepak Chopra weaves a tale around the missing years of Jesus' life. Chopra also mixes in some Jewish traditions and philosophies, some Roman pressures on the Jewish community, and an interesting plot as Jesus strives toward enlightenment.

This book isn't meant to change any thoughts about who Jesus is, but it provides good enough entertainment to last a couple of days. The confrontation between Jesus and the Devil will stoke your imagination, but not too much, because we already know who won.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow...have you seen yours?

It's Groundhog Day! Yep, Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, signifying another 6 weeks of winter. And what a relief that is! Relief, you say? Yes, as I typed this blog post, I mistakenly typed 6 months of winter. So, I pass my relief on to you. You can read the article from The Evening Sun.

What is a shadow? Have you ever stopped to think about it? When light gets blocked by something solid, a shadow is formed. If light is blocked altogether, it's called darkness.

We have heard of a person having a dark side, a hidden shadow. Just what does that mean? Debbie Ford has done extensive "shadow" work and has written a couple of books to help us with that, The Secret of the Shadow, and Dark Side of the Light Chasers. You can see Debbie's bibliography at Amazon.com.

When I have tried to suppress the unwanted side of myself, I've have become the unfortunate victim of my own character, and that has had many ways of manifesting in eruptions, or embarrassments, or dozens of other ways.

I remember when I was a department supervisor at a printer that I had worked at that excuses ran rampant amongst various departments. As a cog in the business wheel, other departments directly affected the workload in my department and our ability to get the job done on time. I remember my frustration getting so bad that, at one point, when I went home I sat on my computer one evening and came up with a deck of "Excuse Cards". I printed it on heavier card stock and made it into a deck of cards which read things like "Theresa said it's OK", "Gery says Don't Worry", etc. etc. All the same things that brought us to a stall in our meetings but never got us closer to getting the job done. I was actually quite proud of my work and I brought the cards to an associate from another department and we had us a good laugh. I did not know that he had kept some cards and during our meeting that day he began to "play" the cards one by one in front of the excuse makers. After the meeting I was called into the office for a lecture.

My dark side needed an outlet, but why did it blow up in my face? I have learned much since that event, and although I don't handle things perfectly, I found that I could use the shadow to my benefit.

These 2 books, The Secret of the Shadow, and Dark Side of the Light Chasers, have been a tremendous help in allowing me to not only see my dark side, but to allow it to make me a complete person. With your shadow properly channeled, and we all have a shadow, you are one powerful human being. If you are looking to be your best, I highly recommend a book or two from Debbie Ford. I think you will like her openness and honesty by highlighting her own missteps and those of others. Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow, but I bet he doesn't have to deal with a dark side.