Yesterday, a friend and neighbour died suddenly. Though we feel saddened by the news, we take comfort in knowing that he's in a better place in the arms of his Creator.
We remember the good times and acts of kindness he's shown to our family and look inward to the Presence of Unconditional Love to heal our hearts during this time.
We're thankful to God for the opportunity to share his last Thanksgiving dinner with us. A picture taken with him will be cherished.
When you have the opportunity to be kind, be kind. When you have the opportunity to give love, give love. For you never know when that opportunity would be the last.
The only time we have is now. Now is the only time to make a difference in another person's life - a memory that will last for eternity.
Let's allow our light to shine now until our earthly journey has ended and we return to home.
To reach this level of spiritual mastery requires discipline in order to accomplish the state of being. It is the decision to disengage from all that inhibits a person from achieving and deepening one’s spiritual connection. Getting away from the crowd for the sole purpose of connecting and reconnecting with our Source is a necessary step in spiritual growth.
Jesus habitually spent time alone in prayer away from his disciples to connect to his Source - to be energized, in filled, inspired, rejuvenated, refreshed, and revived. He encouraged his disciples to do the same.
In these quiet hours with the Spirit, the art of listening deeply to the inner spirit is developed. One begins to listen closely to nature; the trees, the flowers, the insects, the animals, and even the wind and rain, which, at times, carry their own subtle messages. Be open and listen closely and deeply, paying attention to the Spirit’s signs. As we are more aware in the stillness and receive wisdom in the silence, we are imprinted by the Spirit’s character which daily transform and renew our minds. We develop faith and confidence by constant association with the Spirit.
Being in the silence brings us closer and closer to complete harmony with the Spirit. We begin to see through the eyes of the Spirit and our thoughts become more in aligned with the thoughts of the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit becomes a way of life and the more we live in harmony with the Spirit we come to the place where we are completely immersed in the Spirit. There’s no visible difference between the Spirit and us. Jesus said, “You see me, you see the Father because the Father and I are one.”
Excerpt from Creating Unconditional Miracles - new ebook coming soon - watch for it.
Miracles come to the one who believes and expects its arrival. To create miracles, one must adopt and cultivate a mindset of transformation and change in order to invite its appearance. If you dislike the results you’re getting in your life, it is time to stop and make a change. To keep moving on in that path, thinking and acting the same, will ensure you keep getting the same results. You must stop - take stock of your life, figure out which direction you’re going and head that way.
If you’re driving a car and you haven’t decided on your destination, how will you know which way to drive? That’s just crazy! But if you first determine your destination, you know exactly where you’re going. You could get out a map and plan your route or at least ask someone for directions if you get lost along the way.
Change begins within us. When we make a decision to change, our perspective on life shifts and life begins to take on a different form. It’s an inside job to changing your life.
When you’ve come to a place where your life is going downhill or you can’t seem to make heads or tails of where you’re going and you’ve just had enough, it’s time to make a change. You resolve within yourself that the time for change has come. There has to be a better way to live. At that moment, the decision is made which sets the wheels in motion to search for answers that would bring about positive results.
Our external results are only the fruit of the thought seeds planted in our minds that have taken root within our subconscious. Therefore, to change the fruit, we need to go directly to the root.
Nature is constantly changing and renewing, bringing plants and trees to the point of fulfilling their destiny; mature and produce fruit.
When we open ourselves to experience miracles, we are no longer stagnant and lifeless, but life-producing energy flows through us taking us to new levels of being. If we are to live a full and enriched life, change is a necessary part of our personal growth. Day after day our bodies are changing on the physical level. We are also changing internally, as well, on a spiritual level. The question is; are we moving closer to light or away from it? Are we going towards our original nature or gravitating to the façade of our external world?
Now that the season has changed, we've downsized and moved our outdoor garden indoors. Very small comparison to the huge garden, but enough to do what we want for the winter. Not because the season has changed means that we completely give up on our gardening endeavours.
Regardless of what you encounter in the pursuit of your dream, you can find ways to keep the dream alive in spite of the external conditions. When you are determined to succeed, creativity comes alive to make way for the manifestation of your dream. You may need to change the way you're doing things, you may need to work on a smaller scale, like our indoor garden. But small steps are better than no steps at all. As long as you keep the momentum going, even with smaller steps, you'll reach the finish line.
Instead of looking at your situation with despair, and focusing on what you've lost, look for a way to keep the dream alive. It may not be business as usual, like our larger scale garden, but you can still reap a harvest and enjoy the rewards of the work you've put into it. Had we not started an indoor garden, we would have to wait until spring to begin planting again. This way, during the winter, we could still enjoy having green onions, thyme and Swiss chard and be thankful for the daily harvest.
What could you do differently faced with adversity? What creative juices could you pull up on to get you through this time to help you keep your dream alive?
Every need you ever encounter has a seed within you, which, when sown in the soil of the Spirit will provide for that need.
If you desire cucumbers, you don't go crying and complaining that you have a taste for cucumbers and wondering why you don't have any cucumbers and 'Oh, my God, what am I going to do because I have no cucumbers'. No, you either go to the grocery store and purchase some cucumbers or find the seeds needed to plant and grow them yourself. That way you can plant as much as you want and reap the harvest.
Look for the seed that's already available within you. God has not allowed you to come to planet earth without making provision for whatever need you would ever encounter on your journey here. All you need has already been provided. The ideas, the talent, the strategies, the skills are already inside you. The fact that you are in the situation you're in is enough evidence to show you that the path has already been laid out for you.
To find the path you need to:
1) Connect with the map of the Spirit and allow the Spirit's guidance to show you the way.
2) Ask for clarity of mind and vision to see through the Spirit's eyes to the way out.
3) Allow the veil of confusion to be moved from your understanding and find the wisdom you need to get the answers and manifest your desires.
God never gives us more than we can bear and for this reason all we have is written in our hearts. Get the seed to meet your need and plant it in the soil of the Spirit that it may grow and give you the supply needed.
Our laden rowan berry tree provides a healthy meal for the birds to feast on. Nature provides adequately for them easily and effortlessly. How much more does the Spirit ensure we have all need to live an abundant life?
Birds neither struggle nor worry where their next meal comes from or where they will build their nest. As the need arises, the supply appears.
All we needed for this journey on planet earth has been written on our hearts. If we listen closely, we can hear the inner longings of the heart, the wisdom and guidance of the Spirit.
We came to earth completely packaged with our purpose and the tools necessary to carry out our mission. Our talents, our personalities, our experiences and where we live, altogether, create the environment for us to fulfill our purpose.
In finding our purpose, we need to look within to the deeper call of the heart and of the Spirit. Many of us have gone so far away from our inner guide and have become dependent on the external voices of the world that at times finding one's purpose seems like a confusing task. When we return to the silence of the Spirit, we begin to hear more clearly as our channel is filtered out from the debris of life.
There's no need for wandering around in confusion wondering what to do with our lives or how to meet our needs when we've been given the blueprint within our hearts. It's for us to return to the place of the silence of the Spirit and connect to purpose. For it is in the silence that we return to our place of satisfaction and provision.
Seasons come and seasons change but evergreens remain green year round regardless of the extremes of weather conditions. From the harshest of winter's frigid temperatures to the hottest summer days, there green colour remain constant.
Annuals, however, are warmth loving and begin to lose their colour in their leaves which wither and die when the cold weather comes in.
Some people, regardless of what situations they go through - sometimes the extremes of life; from great happiness to severe adversity - somehow manage to maintain their zest for life. They refuse to allow the external conditions to dictate their behaviour or their self-worth. They continue to strive regardless of the adversities of life.
Some people are like the annuals, when situations are great, they're at their best; loving, flourishing, and as if they're on top of the world. But as soon as they face adverse conditions, they lose their vibrant colours, become dull, depressed and lose hope.
We all go through different seasons in our lives and our perspective and attitude towards these changes are what determines whether we're annuals or evergreens. We could like at life from the negative and become depressed and withdrawn or we could look for the positive in every situation, no matter the conditions, and experience the warmth of sunshine in the middle of our winter season.
When our hope and security is dependent on the depth of the Spirit and our connection to Spirit life, we know that our winter conditions will change, we stand strong and firm, we flourish regardless and we know that the summer will come again.
Look within to the spiritual Source of your strength, observe the wisdom of the Spirit and stay warm within your heart that your life will continue to flourish no matter the weather conditions.
During the course of our lifetime, we experience many different situations; some of them at times shake the foundation of our faith and give us a new perspective on life. Many times we take our eyes off our peace and become mesmerized by the overwhelming wave surge of our troubled times. But when we look within, we experience peace even in the middle of our storms.
Perhaps you may be facing problems with creditors or a pending medical result or an illness - whatever the situation, turning to the peace within gives you a place of refuge and comfort, a place of satisfaction and wisdom for direction.
How to experience the peace within troubled times
1) Look within and find the place of peace within
We all have a place of peace within us and we can only experience it if we take the time away from the noise to silently turn our minds and inner eyes inward to be fully focused on peace.
2) Release all the mental stress and fear
As you look within, focusing your mind and attention on peace, all mental stress and fear is released in exchange for peace. Allow these thoughts of peace to fill your mind. Visualization provides additional help needed to generate the feelings of peace and tranquility, e.g. seeing yourself lying on a beach or listen to music, whatever works for you. The point is to identify and experience that feeling of peace within.
3) Listen for the answer
You have a clear mind when you are in a place of peace. With this clarity, you're able to hear on a deeper level. Ideas and solutions come to you in the place of peace. The more you practice being in peace and letting it become a habit, the easier it will be to access the inner wisdom. Many of my inspiration come when I'm either in the shower or doing dishes. I use the opportunity to center myself in peace, and with a clear mind, I'm able to pull up on inspired thoughts, insights and solutions.
4) Act from a place of peace
Many times our response to troubled times comes out of fear. But as we learn to master the art of connecting with our inner peace, we begin to look within for the peaceful response, and then allow that response to be manifested in our outward words and actions.
If you're not acting from a place of peace, you've move out of your place of power. Never underestimate the power of peace. It provides the necessary energy needed to overcome any situation you'd ever encounter and the clarity needed to unlock the door and access divine wisdom.
Life presents us with many opportunities of beauty and splendour, but we need to seize the moment when it comes. Precious times only last for the moment but the benefits of that moment can last a lifetime even to the point of changing the direction of our lives.
Many times we miss opportunities because we sit and over analyze the situation. And in the process of our analyzing, fear grips us and immobilizes us from taking action. Not that it was an inappropriate opportunity, one that we should definitely avoid, but one that we know initially we should go for. Our hearts give us the right answer, but then our heads get in the way bringing with it doubts and rehearsal of past failures and disappointments.
When we allow the heart to lead, the inner prompting of the Spirit, we make better decisions more quickly as we allow the outcome to unfold trusting that all good comes to us.
How do we seize the moment?
1) Expectation
When you expect good to come to you doors open and opportunities show up. Wake up every day expecting opportunities of good, whether it's business or personal, consciously expect it. On purpose ask the question, "What's the hidden gem in this situation?" It will reveal itself. It may be an opportunity to do something good for someone who needs help. Or change your response to a situation which would normally irritate you - answer softly and out of love. If you're used to 'telling off' others when they're rude, try finding something complementary to say, "Have a blessed day," or just smile. You'll feel ten times better than if you fall into the same negative energy.
2) Let go of the past failures
When you allow the past failures to dictate the outcome of the current experience, you are not allowing room for growth or a new outcome. Take on the mindset that the past is the past; you will not allow one experience to influence the other. But in your mind, you look for and expect that this current experience will be positive.
Many times I stop myself and say, "The past is the past, and I expect nothing else but good to come out of this." Remember, we change our life by the thoughts we think over and over which expands into our reality. Look at the current situation from a fresh positive perspective.
3) Allow things to unfold
If you know and have decided that all good things come to you, let go and allow things to unfold naturally and effortlessly. Don't try to force a situation to work out the way you want it to. The Spirit always knows the best path to take to bring you to the place you need to be. Move with the flow. You made your request, set your intentions to the desired outcome, now, let go of the unfolding of the events and allow the Universe to line up all things on your behalf.
When we seize the moment of each day, our lives become daily enriched with awe-inspiring experiences. The things we once took for granted, we begin to see the magnificence of its beauty. We pay attention to every event knowing that a hidden lesson or unfolding is about to birth and lift us to a new level of growth.
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Within our inner being lies many untapped treasures. We've been conditioned to deal with our circumstances from an external perspective - i.e. complain, worry, react with anger etc. - instead of tapping into our internal resources, the diamonds that lie within - our spiritual connection.
Because this internal connection has been marred by external debris in the form of our perception of our personal negative experiences, this inner connection - the rough - needs to be cleared so we can tap into the wisdom of the Spirit. The brilliance of our inner light begins to shine from within revealing the hidden beauty.
As we look to the diamonds within, we begin to see ourselves and others in a different light and merge with the beauty of the fruit of the Spirit that has waited for the opportunity to emerge.
We handle situations differently and live life with direction and purpose.
Look within in meditation and contemplation and merge with the Living Spirit of your inner being and let these unique diamonds shine.
Fuelling words: I look within and merge with the Spirit of Life and allow the brilliance to shine out.
Look for the diamonds in your current career, whether it's a job or business. Whatever job or business you're in there are always golden opportunities waiting to be embraced every day. The thing with opportunity is that you have to recognize them when they come. But if you are stuck in complaining and dissatisfaction these diamonds will easily evade you. Each day has its own blessings, but you must look for them and expect them as they are revealed to the prudent eye.
If you do not like the career you are currently in, you can decide to look for other diamonds that are more suitable to your taste. But first you must be consciously aware of what kind of career you desire. Having a blurred vision will not produce the results you're looking for. Opportunities for advancement or deviation in your current career may be subtly hidden from you because you are not looking for them.
Years ago when I started working on the clerical staff at the insurance company, I was working full-time. As a matter of fact, I was filling in for another co-worker's maternity leave. In my heart I hoped that the position would become permanent. As the time got closer for the worker to return the window of opportunity opened for a permanent position. I was very thankful for the opportunity.
When you know exactly what it is you desire doors can miraculously open up for you.
Fuelling words: I set aside negativity and look for diamonds in the rough in every situation.
As we look into our relationships for the hidden gems, we learn to appreciate our loved ones. The short-comings of our loved ones seem to grow larger to the point of diminishing the value and importance of their strengths when we focus only on their short-comings.
Focusing on the strengths of others empower them to reach higher and become the best they can be. Sometimes our loved ones just need us to believe in them and love them regardless of their imperfections, their roughs.
Whatever we give to others, like a circle, comes back to us. We each have our own short-comings and appreciate it when others build us up and recognize the strengths in us. Why not try to do the same to others as well? We could spend our time nit picking at every fault but we rob ourselves from the unique beauty that we each hold. This beauty can only be found and seen as we look closely with the intention of finding those outstanding qualities that lay dormant in another just waiting for the opportunity to be polished and therefore shine.
Polishing another person's diamonds could take the form of praise; recognizing that they have something to offer, perhaps something that they themselves failed to see within them.
Make it your deliberate aim to seek out those diamonds in the roughs in your loved ones and before long you'll begin to see them in a different light, and who knows, you'll begin to see the small sparkle within yourself - signs of hidden diamonds in the rough just waiting to be polished.
Fuelling words: I look for the diamonds in others and appreciate them for it and at the same time recognizing that I have untapped treasures waiting to be extracted.
The way we look at life determines our response and our behaviour. We've been conditioned to look at the negative aspects of our lives and complain about them instead of looking for the diamonds in the rough. If we were to shift our perspective of the way we look at things and begin to diligently search for the diamonds, we'd discover golden opportunities awaiting us.
Many times we look at our bodies and find all the faults - I'm too fat, I'm too skinny, my hips are too big, or my legs are too short, too fat, too skinny, the list goes on and on - instead of looking at the beauty it holds. The fact that we are alive is more than enough for us to be thankful. However, if we were to look beyond these, we could begin to find ways to polish the diamonds in the 'imperfect rough'.
Our body diamonds are our muscles and our rough is the excess fat that hides our unique physique. We can polish our body through aerobic exercise and our muscles through muscle training which begins to melt off the excess fat and sculpture our muscles to reveal a well toned body. Our vital internal organs benefit tremendously from these workouts and optimize bodily functions.
Fuelling words: I am the diamond and the more I am polished the more brilliant I shine. So join me and let your light shine brilliantly. After all you're a time too.
Walking is a great cardiovascular exercise which gets the blood pumping and fat burning. But how do you walk as exercise to maximize your workout efforts with walking?
Get your mind into your workout
You get better results when your mind is consciously involved in your workout and you're not just going through the motion. Being in the Now allows you to focus on and activate the muscles to effectively burn calories.
Get the arms involved
Brisk walking quickly gets you into the fat burning zone. However, when the arms are bent and engaged in swinging mode - back and forth - it takes walking to another level. Pay attention to the arms as they move back and forth. You'll feel the muscles in the upper back, chest, waist and shoulders working.
Tone the abs
Pay attention to you posture; tummy in, chest up and shoulders back as you contract the abs and engage these muscles.
Deep breathing
Remember to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. I found that when I neglected my breathing I begin to feel pain in my upper abs. As I resumed my deep breathing, the pain subsided.
Tone the legs and butt
As you walk, make sure you step on your heel first, contract the leg, thigh and butt muscles with each step. Focus on the muscles as you push off on each step. These really work to tighten the muscles in the butt and it works even better when you're walking uphill.
Add your own variations to these tips, for instance, you could lift each leg a little higher for extra exertion.
Fuelling words: As I walk, I breathe in fresh air and release tension.
Jack frost visited last week and our beautiful flowers that looked like this...
Now looks like this...
And our peppers that we were hoping to get that extra warmth to ripen some more that looked like this...
Now looks like this...
The same thing happened with our basil and the squash. We harvested what we could and dug up the plants to use them for compost.
As long as the warm weather remained, they retained their lively appearance. Once Jack Frost hit them, they became lifeless.
Interestingly enough, our Swiss chard, green onions, thyme and carrots stood strong regardless of Jack Frost`s visit. Some of the cut stems of the Swiss chard are even growing leaves again.
How do we fair when the harsh weather of life knocks on our door? When adversity comes, what is our response? Are we happy and cheerful when times are good and the warmth of the sun s beating down on us but when adverse conditions set in do we shrivel and become unresponsive to others?
Adversities show us what we`re really made of. Anybody can be happy when things are going well, but when we`re faced with challenges that`s when we need to dig deep within the roots of our soul and connect with our Source - the warmth of our inner being. As we turn our attention away from our disturbing external conditions, we can bask in the warmth of Unconditional Love, return to a place of peace and joy and receive wisdom to resolve our personal issues.
Have you been blasted by Jack Frost? Look within to the place where there`s always summer, a place of peace and find comfort in the midst of the frost knowing that summer will return once again to your external conditions.
For any long-term goal, you need to build stamina to keep you motivated and moving toward the finish line. It`s easy when you just start out. You`re full of life and energy but after a while many give up when they either don`t see the results they expected or lose motivation. It`s easy to become discouraged when this happens. We need to look at ways in which we could build stamina for the long haul.
3 Ways to build stamina
1. Regular Visualization
Regular visualization keeps you focused on the end results - on your goal. When you keep the flame of your inner desire burning you get the boost needed to go the extra mile.
As I focus on my ideal weight and size, I`m rejuvenated with zeal to keep working out even when my body wants to stop. Your stamina is built first in the mind and then your body follows. As long as your mind is focused on your target your subconscious will find a way to keep your body moving. Your mind has an amazing way of getting the body to go where it doesn`t feel like going. Besides, if you gave up now, you`d never reach your goal but if you keep moving you will get there even if you took baby steps. Consistent baby steps are even better than no steps at all.
2. It`s not a sprint, it`s a marathon
You wouldn`t run a marathon with the speed intended for a sprint. You have to pace yourself and run at a consistent speed in order to conserve energy to reach the finish line. An athlete that tries to run a marathon with the speed of a sprint will soon be left behind by his competitors. Similarly, consistent regular activity builds momentum that will propel you closer to your goal and conserves your energy to keep you going.
3. Start from where you are
When you begin at the level you`re at, you can build from there. However, if you try to begin at an advanced level, you will soon become discouraged because you may not yet be able to do at this early stage what others have been doing for a long time.
When I first began working out years ago, I started at the level I felt comfortable. You see, I`ve gone to the gym in the past and tried to keep up with everyone else, which was quite challenging, and before long I became very discouraged and that was the end of my gym membership. So, I decided that this time I`ll be doing it on my own schedule, at my own pace and my own amount of reps.
My routine at the time only consisted of stretching exercises until my mind was ready for the next level. Before long, my body was calling for more than just stretches and I added variety. I felt the strong urge to go walking and I followed through with that. From there I was ready to go jogging. I jogged a little, then I walked some, then I jogged again, then I walked some more until I was able to jog all the way - quite an amazing accomplishment for me.
Take small bite-size activity until you can go to the next level easily as you build momentum and stamina to reach your goal.
Fuelling words: I take it one step at a time building momentum and stamina until I reach my goal.
