5 Days of Gratitude: Day 5 Message

5 Days of Gratitude: Day 5 Message

Thank you for taking the time to focus on gratitude for at least a few days as I attempted to share a little bit of my own perspective on the subject.

I encourage you to continue to be grateful for everyone, everything, every person, every blessing, and every challenge that comes your way.  We are all here to learn together, and it certainly helps when we immerse ourselves in the thoughts and feelings that we wish to energize and bring into our lives.  

Here's what I see in your future:

You begin to live a life of gratitude.
You live as an example for others to follow.
You are grateful for all of the gifts you receive.
You show others how to be grateful.
You perform acts that make others grateful.
You encourage others to perform acts that
activate gratitude.
You are a shining model that exemplifies
the belief:
Give and ye shall receive.
> View Day 5 Message

Suggested Introspection: 1.) I practice and express gratitude every day. 2.) I show others how to live in gratitude.

I am grateful for you!  Thank you for joining me, and I wish you the best as you live each day in gratitude.

5 Days of Gratitude: Day 4 Message

5 Days of Gratitude: Day 4 Message

As you begin to incorporate more gratitude in your daily lives, it becomes increasingly apparent that a sustained approach serves you and the people around you in the most effective and beneficial way.

Instant gratification is not always available because you count on receiving abundance gradually in return for your good deeds and actions. You receive the benefits at the perfect time, and you continue to give of yourself.

Make gratitude a new habit.

> View Day 4 Message

Suggested Introspection: I make gratitude a daily habit by____________.

See you tomorrow!

5 Days of Gratitude: Day 3 Message

5 Days of Gratitude: Day 3 Message

Do you notice how those around you can have such an impact upon your day? The people around you notice the same about you.

If we take the time to acknowledge and be grateful for the contributions and kind deeds offered by others, then we are more inclined to offer and encourage that behavior in ourselves and in others. Take time to thank others for the support, insight, and wisdom they offer to you on a daily basis and inspire others to do the same - all while you brighten
someone else’s day!

> View Message Day 3

Suggested Introspections: 1.) Today I express my gratitude for others by_____ 2.) I offer acts of kindness in return, such as ______

See you tomorrow!

5 Days of Gratitude: Day 2 Message



5 Days of Gratitude: Day 2 Message

Why is gratitude important? How can
it be so powerful? 

If we focus on being thankful for what we have, we are able to invite more abundance into our lives because we positively reinforce the welcoming of things and situations that fulfill us.

If, on the other hand, we focus on lack, then we are empowering that feeling and attracting less desirable situations into our lives.
 
Spend your energy saying thanks
as often as possible!
 


Suggested Introspection: Today I am thankful for ___________ .


> View Day 2 Message


See you tomorrow!

Five Days of Gratitude

As we approach the holiday season, I was feeling somewhat inspired to begin the exploration of another important topic quite relevant to the upcoming festivities.  I invite you to join me in the celebration of gratitude for five days.  We can certainly expand the initiative to 365 days (which we should do anyway!), but I feel it is the perfect week to at least get started.  I am excited to do a little exploration on the topic to see what arises. 

 

So, here’s Day 1.  Feel free to share your comments and suggestions. 

 

A few highlights:

·         What is gratitude?

The quality of being thankful;

readiness to show appreciation for
and willingness to return kindness
 

·         What does gratitude mean to you? 

·         How do you personally define gratitude?  

Feel free to share your personal thoughts and reflections in the comments section below or at the YouTube video below.

> View the message for Day 1

 

See you tomorrow!

Self-Love Insights and Introspections

As many of us have faced challenges and opportunities for growth during these exciting and volatile times, we have been encouraged to uncover and transform those areas of ourselves which are in need of attention, expansion, and resolution.  For me, personally, many things have arisen, and I have been thankful for the growth opportunities.  One of the themes that seemed to continually surface was that of self-love, self-confidence, and related themes.  I honestly hadn’t even considered the fact that I might need to focus on these areas.  I suppose it’s a common one, though, as life experiences have managed to change us in many ways.   

      [Self-love: The instinct or desire to promote one's own well-being; regard for or love of one's self]

I figured that I’d take the opportunity to learn more about the subject and even take the Self-Love Challenge that I just happened to discover in a synchronous manner (http://howdoiloveme.com/).  I spent about a month making an attempt to do something for myself – no matter how big or small - each day.  It started as an attempt to show myself that I am deserving – as we all are.  I then started to delve deeper into the subject matter and began to realize that by working on myself, I was also working on the well-being of everyone, in a collective fashion.

As I decided to broaden the scope of my self-love actions/reflections, the realization that we are all ONE and are unified in these efforts to become the best reflection of our perfect selves started to sink in more and more.  The full power of these realizations became more evident as relevant topics such as gratitude, forgiveness, and reflection began to surface. 

I am grateful to have learned so much about my personal value and connection to all of you.  I was pleased to realize that when I help and improve myself, I am also helping and improving you, our neighbors, our families, our community, our country, and our world.  I think this is the most important lesson that I learned.   

Imagine the power that we have together as we combine our efforts to strive to become all that we are capable of becoming as we aim to bloom into a full reflection of love.  We are free to improve ourselves more and more each day.  

Here are some additional insights from the Self-Love Challenge author, Daylle Deanna Schwartz:

Summary of the “10 Commitments of Self-Love“ from the author of How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways, Daylle Deanna Schwartz:

• I shall lovingly accept myself as I am right now.
• I shall appreciate all the beauty that makes me who I am.
• I shall regularly give thanks for all of my blessings.
• I shall trust in my ability to take care of myself.
• I shall not criticize myself.
• I shall not criticize others.
• I shall forgive myself when I make a mistake.
• I shall be kind to others, without sacrificing my own needs.
• I shall take responsibility for my life.
• I shall love myself to the best of my ability.

Okay, shall we start the next initiative?  I’ll be doing some thinking about what the next topic of exploration should be.  So, what’s on your list?  Feel free to share your requests/insights/ideas! 

Happy growing!

 

Self-Love Challenge: Part 2

So, I continue with Part 2 of my Self-Love Challenge with additional entries and acts of self-love....

 

Days 13 to 16 of the Self-Love Challenge: Priority = Fun with Family! Had lots of fun over the extended weekend with my sis, bro, bro-in-law, and nieces. Enjoyed some soccer-watching, tennis-playing, swimming, live music, fried ice cream, and more. Way to play soccer this weekend #14!

Day 17 of the Self-Love Challenge: Indulge in live 80s music. Enough said.

Day 18 of the Self-Love Challenge: Focusing on GRATITUDE. So thankful for all of the wonderful gifts I have received in my life, especially over the past few years as my personal awareness has grown exponentially. I am so appreciative of the opportunity to be here with you right now!

Day 19 of the Self-Love Challenge: KINDNESS. It is said that what you "give out" comes back to you and serves as a mirror to show you what you created. 'Waves of Kindness' is an initiative that encourages you to create or share a kind act/thought each day at 8 am and 8 pm in your timezone. Check it out! Now, you can focus on sending out doses of kindness out and receiving them back. That's what I'm doing.

Days 20-22 of the Self-Love Challenge: REST. Had a relaxing weekend visit at the beach to rest, recharge, and relax. Must make time to do this every now and then (or more preferably - very often!)

Day 23 of the Self-Love Challenge: Collective forgiveness. A common belief in the philosophy of Ho'oponopono is that we can all contribute to the well-being of humanity as a whole. So, I try to recite the mantra when I can: “I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you." That way I forgive you, me, and everyone else at the same time. Learn more about it here: http://www.justfeelgreat.com/hooponopono-miracle/

Day 24 of the Self-Love Challenge: Repaying the Favor. Recently, I wanted to convey gratitude and love for others that have helped me in my growth process, and it was shared that the best gift that you can ever offer is to love yourself even more, which further amplifies the love they feel in return. Seems to always come back to that!

Day 25 of the Self-Love Challenge: Focus on having the confidence and perseverance to keep trying if I fail or fall short of self-set goals. Oh yes, this comes up a lot for perfectionists and those of us with high expectations of self!

 

Day 26 of the Self-Love Challenge: Quiet Time. In honor of 'Be the Peace' day tomorrow, I wish to share the benefits of meditation/quiet contemplation. I try to spend at least 20 minutes daily to quiet my mind and connect to higher awareness. Today's experience was just magical! Give it a try. http://thinksimplenow.com/calmness/meditation-101-how-to-start/

Stay tuned for my final summary and reflections!

 

Self-Love Opportunities

Well, it's been a while since my last post as I have been through some interesting times and have taken a bit of a break.  It has helped me to take some time to integrate these latest intense experiences, and I feel it's time to pick up my blog posting again.

So, I am not sure how many of you have been facing personal challenges in order to grow and clear old habits, memories, and experiences that need to be released. It's a time of significant change for many as we enter a new phase in our personal transformations. Everyone is expanding, growing, and changing.  Remember that we're all in this together, and it's important to support the people around you when needed.

For myself, one of the realizations I've recently faced is that the decisions I make, the actions I take, and the attitudes I hold are reflected in the outer world. What if you realize that the things that happen around you and to you are reflections of what you do to yourself and others? How scary (or in some cases reassuring) is that? It has encouraged me to consider how I live my life daily and has prompted me to be more caring and understanding of others, to be supportive of the community, to thank the challenges you face at work, and most importantly to be loving of myself. 

So many times we try to please others and put our own needs aside.  I am sure those of you with children can especially relate.  Well, if you don't care for, love, and respect yourself, then you cannot fully love others since it starts with you. This is where my decision to join the Self-Love Challenge comes into play.  I have pledged to participate in one act of self-love each day. It can be as simple as sleeping an extra 10 minutes in the morning when needed or taking that nature hike you've been thinking about for months.

What if all of the negativity in the world could be solved if everyone practiced self love and felt like they were worthy of being loved? How magical and empowering would that be?  Well, I can at least say that I am trying to do my part.  I am no expert, but I am giving it a go!

Learn more about the Self-Love Challenge and pledge to participate with me.

For a quick summary, here's what I've accomplished so far:

Day 1: I treated myself to a relaxing hour-long rest on the outside porch swing after returning home from work - so peaceful!

Day 2 of the Self-Love Challenge: Nature Hike at Pedernales Falls

Day 3 of the Self-Love Challenge: Played Tennis! It was the first time in many years, and we were pleasantly surprised that we still knew how to play.

Day 4 of the Self-Love Challenge: Ever stop to quietly enjoy the sunrise? What a beautiful morning it was.

Day 5 of the Self-Love Challenge: Just wanted to share a note my mom sent to me so I can inspire reconnections among you. I decided to invest in a Treasured Passages memory kit that includes letters with tidbits you fill out to share between mother and daughter. It has been a wonderful experience to learn some new things about my beautiful mom, and it has helped us to grow even closer.

Day 6 of the Self-Love Challenge: Blogging about my Self-Love Challenge to inspire others to join!

 

Tribute to GAIA – Mother Earth

I am hoping that you all are having a beautiful Earth Day.  It’s quite special to me as I’ve always felt a sincere closeness to nature and to the Earth, herself.  I’ve always treasured and adored our planet, but I think it was in my Ecology class in college when I learned about the Earth and the inherent intelligence and wisdom she holds.  It was in a discussion about the GAIA hypothesis by James Lovelock when I learned about the theory that suggests the Earth is a complex, self-regulating organism – just as we are.  She is a sentient being who is living just like you and me.   

She’s been through a lot during her entire existence as she has grown and learned with us all, but I hear that there is nothing but amazement on the horizon as we approach exciting times – some of which have never before been seen in the entire history of the universe.  Apparently, it’s a pretty big deal, and the planet is being watched, loved, and observed by our families throughout the universe, omniverse, etc. like never before.       

I just want to offer some additional insight into the sheer brilliance of this beautiful, diverse planet.  In light of Earth Day 2012, I am excited to share some information to intrigue you and hopefully lead you to respect her even more and understand the importance of sharing love and compassion with her.  

For starters, I think it’s interesting to review how, when, and why Earth Day was actually begun in 1970.  It was the perfect time and environment in which to lead a revolution for the awareness of the Earth.   

Once we understand that, let’s look at the history behind Mother Earth/ Divine Mother/Mother Nature/GAIA the Earth Goddess.  Some interesting topics arise when considering the connection of “the Mother” to the planet Earth….and check this out if you want to learn more.     

So why is it so important to live a well-balanced life in care of and in respect for the Earth?  One interesting point to note is that the composition of the planet is substantially composed of water.  Have you heard about the impact that consciousness, thoughts, words, and actions have on the actual molecular structure (not components) of water – thus the structure of a huge portion of the planet – and thus the structure of the greatest portion of US!  Some interesting research by Dr. Masaru Emoto shows that negative thoughts, words, and emotions have a negative effect on the structure of water (think broken shapes), and positive thoughts, words, and emotions have a positive effect (think beautiful crystalline snowflakes.)  Fascinating stuff!

So - what would the planet say if she could talk?  Check out Pepper Lewis, who has a deep connection to our beautiful planet.  Here are some interesting interviews (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) conducted from the perspective of the youth of the world and the impact they can have on the health of the planet and the environment in which we live.

On a final note, I have always been intrigued by the sheer structure of the building blocks of Creation and the universe.  It is largely influenced by tones, harmonics, structure, etc.  I welcome you to listen to the music of the Universe – created by assigning musical notes to patterns, algorithms, and mathematics of the universe.

Thank you for reading this passage, and I hope it has helped to intrigue you and to increase your interest in your beautiful planet. 

GAIA – I love and thank you!

Embraced in Golden Light

Well, it’s time to return with an uplifting message for all of you. I have been having some interesting experiences over the past few months - some indescribably beautiful and some quite chaotic. I suppose you have to experience both extremes to actually grow, right?

I am being urged again to share my excitement for the future, which holds such magnificence that you cannot even imagine. I’d like to point out that it is important to, in these times, consider how you are living your life. Are you existing in joy and love every minute of every day? Are you seeking to share this feeling with others? Do you lead by example and treat others with love and respect? Just a few thoughts for you to ponder…..

On that note, I’d like to share a recent video released by Princess Kaoru Nakamaru, a true Japanese pioneer in humanitarian initiatives. She is an absolute inspiration to us all as we strive to learn more about ourselves, our destiny, and the opportunity for positive change. She always shares interesting insights, wisdom, and personal experiences.

You might be interested to hear the princess describe the height of her spiritual awakening experience, which included being embraced and engulfed in a beautiful, intense golden light as a result of adopting regular meditation practices.  That sounds amazing!  Could this be true?  Is this possible?  Absolutely.  I know because I also experienced it a couple of years ago.  I cannot even begin to describe the intensity and unconditional love that I felt.  The cool part is that it’s available to ALL who seek to find their inner truth.  I promise you that the universe will not disappoint if you seek to find your inner truth…..

   

Blessings to all.  If interested, learn more about the steps you can take to calm/quiet the mind and find that inner stillness.  It’s never too late to get started and find these things out for yourself.