New Year Goals - Make them Work!

Think back to the beginning of 2010. Like many people, you started the new year with many goals. What goals did you set? Maybe 2010 was the year you were going to lose weight, get a better job, make more money, meet someone or quit smoking.

How did it go?

2010 has nearly come to an end. How many of those goals did you accomplish? It’s OK to admit that you didn’t accomplish what you thought you would or even worse, what you knew you could have. Recognition is the first step toward creating positive changes.

New Year after New Year you reflected on the past and promised yourself that this New Year would be different. You had goals and you made “resolutions” that you would accomplish what you failed to accomplish in the past, and yet you repeated the same behavior and did not accomplish your goals.

Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” Why do you expect changes if you keep setting goals the same way? Are you really expecting to accomplish them? You need to take a different approach. Unless you are willing to change your approach you will be ending 2011 the same way you have ended 2010 and, once again, nothing will have changed.

Though setting and achieving a goal does not require the start of a new year, it does have a psychological effect. You feel like you are given the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. The reason you want to wipe the slate is because of what you did not achieve. Individuals who achieve their goals don’t want to start fresh; they want to remember and continue to build upon their past success.

As successful individuals achieve their goals, they are constantly setting new goals and forward momentum is maintained, producing endless results. You do not need a new year to get into action. What you need is to be resolved to produce results in your life. That is what making a resolution means, to be resolved to change behavior.

In the past you did not achieve your goals because you wanted to get the results without changing your behavior and following the steps to success. Well, Einstein said it right; it is crazy to think that the same old patterns will get new results.

This New Year, let’s start forward motion by achieving goals continually. Here are the action steps to achieve your goals and produce success in your life:

1) Start out small. Don’t think about huge sweeping changes that you want. Pick small goals that you can achieve in the next 30-60days.

2) Become resolved and committed to your goals by writing them down and signing your name to them.

3) Read your goals out loud every day and ask yourself what behavior and actions are needed today to achieve them. In the past you made goals and got busy and those goals were quickly forgotten. Remind yourself daily.

4) Take the action you decided on that day. Every inch you move forward gets you closer to your goal.

5) At the end of your day, read your goal again out loud and ask yourself if you did everything you could to achieve it. Make necessary adjustments on your actions the next day when reading your goals again.

6) Achieve your goals within 30-60 days.

7) After achieving your goals, immediately make new 30-60 day goals and repeat the process.

Follow these seven steps to success and at the end of 2011 you will be celebrating a successful pattern of behavior that will bring you endless results for years to come.

Learn How To Love Yourself

I’m sure you've read this sentence plenty of times : You need first to love yourself.

But what does that mean? Is it about getting you a hot chocolate when you're cold? Is it about getting you a new dress when you feel like it? Is it doing whatever you want when you want to? Is it about putting warm clothes on when it’s freezing outside?

Loving yourself means to learn to treat yourself like a loving parent would do with his child.

When you are an adult, and I assume you are, you still have an Inner Child inside you. These are your emotions. At that level you can still react like a child of 3-4 years old. Your emotions can not get older or mature. But you can get mature. You can learn how to respect them and how to handle them. You can learn how to take care of this Inner Child.

When you are not aware of your Inner Child, you try to live in an adult world like a 4-year old boy or girl. You feel all alone, afraid of the big nasty world there outside, not knowing what to do, where to ask for help, how to protect you. This is a very difficult way of doing. You will always feel afraid, fearful, doubtful, tired. It is hard to try to survive as a child in a grown up world. You will feel angry and afraid most of the time, and lost.

Why is that? Because nobody takes care of that Little Child inside you.

Let’s say your name is Charlotte. You are 42 years old. Inside you lives the little Charlotte. She’s four. When you are busy in the outside world taking care of other people, of business, of getting around, of doing a thousand things every day, the little Charlotte will feel overlooked. When you’re always running to help others, to make sure their needs are fulfilled, you will be exhausted every night and cry in your bed. Sometimes you will get temper tantrums. You will feel very angry without any reason (but still there is one, a big one!).

All these big emotions are attempts from your Inner Child to get your attention.
Imagine you have, besides your children, husband, colleagues, parents, friends, a little four-year old girl named Charlotte. Nobody ever notices her. Nobody takes care of her. Whenever she tries to tell something and get some attention, you shout to her “Shut up!”. You say “I have to take care of my parents, my work, my husband, my paperwork, my friends, my other children, my house… I don’t have time for you!”

How do you think she will feel? What do you think she will do? First she will try to get your attention by showing big emotions. She will cry a lot, she will scream and shout, maybe she’s getting aggressive from time to time. You think you’re angry at the outside world, but it is Your Inner Child that is angry with YOU! She’s sad and angry because you don’t care about her! You act as if she doesn’t exist! Nothing is worse than acting as if our Inner Child doesn’t exist. This means trying to live as if WE don’t exist.

The worst feeling in the world is being unloyal to one's self. Nothing is worse than this!

How many times did we ignore what we felt, to please someone else. How many times did we say to our Inner Child “Shut up, you are not important, the other one is far more important than you are, go away, I don’t want to hear you, I don’t want to see you”? Awful isn’t it? And we do this every time we let come the desire of the other one before ours.

This little Charlotte inside, what will she do? She will give up after a while. After trying a long time to show her emotions, she will give up. She will get very tired of all this and she will say :”It doesn’t matter, she doesn’t love me, she doesn’t want to take care of me, I’m not worth it”, and she will get depressed.

Of course you will think you get depressed because of others, because of your work, because of your children, because of your husband or parents.
It is nobody’s fault. But you have to learn how to take care of this Inner Child which is suffering from your lack of attention to her.

When, after getting depressed things still don’t change, there’s one weapon left to catch your attention : little Charlotte will get sick. Or she will get an accident. Maybe that way the adult Charlotte will learn to give finally attention to her Inner Child, which is as real (if not more) as a real child of flesh and blood.

You need to learn how to be a loving parent for yourself.

What does that mean?

First you need to develop an Inner Mother. If you were lucky and had a loving caring mother, you can take her as an example. Otherwise you need to invent, to create this Inner Mother, which is your feminine caring energy. Every time you have an emotion, your Inner Mother should ask your Inner Child : “What happens, my darling?” Listen to what your Inner Child has to say. Than you go on with the dialogue. Inner Mother says : “Come here. Come into my arms, I love you as you are. I love you with what you feel.”

Doing that, the heaviness of the emotions will drop pretty much. Than you say these words : “I understand”. These words are very important, because most of the time we don’t feel very “normal” having the feelings we have and we try to ignore or suppress them, which makes them heavier. “I understand, my darling, come here in your Mothers arms, I love you.”
Stay with these words and feelings for a while, and than ask :” What do you need?”
Whatever the Child answers, you say : “We will ask this of your Father”.

And here starts the task of your Inner Father, who is there to protect you and to act for you in the outside world. You would never send a four-year old asking for a raise at work or getting to resolve a conflict at school or with the neighbours, would you? So why do you try it? Send out your Inner Father to take care of whatever you have to do in the outside world. Your Inner Father is your male energy, which enables you to make decisions, to take action, to follow your inner guidance (which is located in you Inner Child, also called Intuition) and to manifest your Child’s desires in the world.

When your Child has a need, for instance to call someone or to go somewhere to arrange something, imagine that your Inner Child stays at home with his Mother who takes care of his feelings (“I understand you’re afraid…”) and that your Inner Father (another part of your being) goes out there to act. Your Inner Father is that part of you which is able to handle stress, to take action, to arrange conflicts and all other stuff that has to do with the outside world. If that part is missing because you didn’t have a good model when you were little yourself, you will have to create and develop it.

Of course your Inner Child, Mother and Father are all parts of you. It is all you. It is just a model to understand what is happening inside you and how you can learn to love yourself.

Loving yourself is listening to your Inner Child, taking his emotions seriously, understanding what he feels and taking action in the desired direction. Loving yourself is having this dialogue with yourself every morning when you open your eyes, every evening when you go to bed, and every time you have an emotion.

Loving yourself is building a strong inner connection with yourself.

It is creating your own loving family, inside you. You will never feel alone anymore. You are already three! Call it your Trinity. Wherever you go, from now on you go with your Inner Family. Your are not alone. You are loved and you are protected. You listen to yourself and take care of that precious little Child that has been waiting for so long to get your attention and love.

This is true inner healing.

Let the Spirit of Friendship Guide You

I read in the paper today that more than 75% of people feel alone at some time in their lives, a sad statistic, and so unnecessary, especially at this time of year.

Even when you feel as though you are completely alone, with no-one to turn to or lean on, there are divine companions who are always with you. Before your incarnation they chose, with your agreement, to accompany you through this lifetime, from the moment of your first breath, right until your very last.

Spirit Guides are highly evolved beings that have completed the cycle of birth and death in the physical plane and are now serving as teachers and guides to further elevate their vibrations. They are as "real" as you are, they are just vibrating at another level and reside in another plane of existence.

They work to guide you by working through your dreams and intuition. That quiet voice you hear is often the voice of your teachers and guides. They may also make themselves known to you through signs and symbols.

For me, when I am at a crossroads in my life or journeying though a personal or emotional challenge, I find feathers in the strangest and most unlikely places, even indoors. I also see feather tattoos and sometimes hear certain songs. It is a reminder for me to be still and listen to the guidance of my own personal guides. The feathers are representative of the energy of my guides and teachers, as well as messages from spirit friends.

Some individuals have one guide and others have multitudes- much of this depends on the path and purpose of your life. For instance, a teacher may have several guides- one to guide and help them through the academic nature of their profession and others to assist them with the great emotional requirements of performing such an important task.

A policeman, fireman, or soldier will often have a "team" of warriors guiding, protecting and advising them. Much of who your guides are indicative of your own personal journey though life.

Spirit guides are almost never a loved one who has passed away. Although our loved ones stay with us in spirit and we can contact them, they do not serve the same role as a "spirit guide". Some individuals have Archangels and Angels as spirit guides who are always with them. Yet, the presence of Angels does not always mean they are your spirit guides. Angels can be called on in times of distress to assist and protect you for a short time. If you have an Archangel or Angel as a guide, chances are your mission in life is a complex one. Through my experience I have found that individuals with a challenging life path often have Angels as spirit guides.

Your spirit guide is always with you, whether you acknowledge their presence or not. You cannot call them to you or send them away, they are part of you and your journey this lifetime, and maybe others yet to come.

However, you can choose to gain the knowledge of who they are and what their role in your life is. You can interact with your spirit guides in a more proactive way. If you want to know who your guides are, just ask.

Go into a quiet and meditative state and ask that they reveal themselves to you. Beings from the spiritual realm often communicate through signs and symbols. Once you ask- you must trust your own wisdom. Pay attention to the pictures that appear in your mind. If you see a man in a suit, stay with that, it could be he is a philosopher or scientist. You may see a Native American Indian, a Buddhist Monk or you may see nothing at all. Keep your mind and intuition open. Pay attention to things that keep coming up after you have asked that they reveal who they are. If you are having a challenge discovering who they are you could also ask a professional psychic to help you make contact.

Working with your spirit guides can be an incredible tool for your own personal and spiritual growth. Unlike beings who are in the physical, their wisdom and advice is not influenced by the physical world. They dwell in a higher vibrational plane and the mundane particulars of your situation are not relevant. For example, if you seek guidance from your spirit guide regarding a relationship, they may lead you to focus on what you are learning, what you need to learn, what you are teaching your partner, and what is the true meaning and reason of your relationship. The fact that they leave the toilet seat up or are terrible at saving money will be irrelevant.

The information that you will be provided with will be actions or advice that YOU can take or use to gain more understanding.

You can also ask your Spirit Guides to assist you in physical healing. Before you go to sleep, ask that as you are sleeping, you receive healing energy.

You are never alone. Never.

Take faith in knowing and understanding that there is so much magic and mystery in this life. Just for a moment let the "world" disappear. Raise your vibration and allow the beautiful gifts of spirit wash over you. Life is so much more than what we see. Open your spiritual eyes and hearts and you will discover a world of wisdom, beauty and peace that you never knew existed. Of course, you can always choose to not believe. It is always your choice. But, why not? Why not step into another level of existence? Why not believe in magic?

You do not have to announce it to the office, but you can embrace the wonders of spirit in your own heart. It will envelope you in a light of love and understanding, and will mysteriously transform you to a more connected and loving being.

6 Quick and Easy Ways to feel Happy Again.

All of us have days when we're feeling out of sorts. You just wish you were in a better mood. You've had days like that, haven't you? Perhaps you tried to get yourself into a better state of mind but struggled to achieve it, or maybe failed dismally!

Sometimes we get stuck in our own emotional dumps and forget how easy it is to feel happier, so here are seven simple ways to lift your mood. Many people have found them useful. Some of them may surprise you!

1. Go for a Walk.

Most people know that going for a short daily walk is one of the best forms of exercise. When you are feeling down it is even more beneficial. If you can, go into a natural environment with plants and birds. Can you think of such a setting? What do you notice first? The different shades of greenery, the fresh smell of country air, the sounds of birds, or the sunlight shining through the trees? Make it real by taking a short stroll.

2. Listen to Quality Music.

Music can shift a listener's inner state within moments. It's effect can be nearly magical. Dig out that CD or find that MP3 that you haven't listened to in ages or tune in your radio to something you've never listened to before.

3. Open Yourself to Discovering Something New.

Read something (printed, not on line) different than what you would normally read. There are a ton of different types of magazines you can buy these days on hundreds of different and interesting subjects. Visit your local library or browse through a magazine rack. Pick up or buy a magazine you wouldn't normally buy. You may discover something wonderful, not to mention useful!

4. Find Something to Laugh at.

Laughter is one of the best ways to lift your spirits. Find a humorous book, or watch a comedy. Even better, try to learn a few new jokes and tell them to others. Or recall something funny from your life, a time when you really 'cracked up.'

5. Simple breathing meditation.

Breathing meditation is a great exercise that you can do anywhere. Simply allow yourself to sit comfortably with your back straight. Now close your eyes and become aware of the flow of air into and out of your nostrils. That's all there is to it. Do this for 10-15 minutes. Notice how pleasantly surprised you can be at how you feel afterward.

6. Doodling for the fun of it.

Most people can remember when they were young and used to doodle for hours. Kids love drawing silly little pictures. Drawing is not just for kids or artists. Whoever you are get some pens, pencils, crayons or whatever you have and just draw for the fun of it. Notice how your state of mind shifts, don't worry about what you draw or how you draw it.. just go with the flow, as they say!.

These are all pretty simple. There's nothing profound or life changing, but when all you need is a quick pick me up, one of these may be just the thing you need. Putting simple ideas, methods, tools and techniques into action can help you achieve change more quickly and easily than you imagined.

So have a very happy day!

The Mayonnaise Jar, Golf Balls and Coffee...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are simply not enough...remember the mayonnaise jar...and the coffee.

A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, without saying anything, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

Te Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.

He shook the jar gently, and the smaller pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full, again they agreed it was.

The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked the students once more if the jar was full, and the students responded with a unanimous 'Yes'.

The Professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand grains. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the Professor, as the laughing subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.'

The golf balls are the important things. Your family, your children, your faith, your health, your friends and your favorite passions. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter. Your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else..the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, he continued, ten there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children, Take time to get medical checkups, Take your partner out for dinner. there will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of your golf balls first, the things that really matter, set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and asked what the coffee represented.

The Professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Hypnosis and Spirituality…A Gateway to Higher Realms??

It has been said that hypnosis is the gateway to prayer...let me explain.

First of all, we have a conscious mind, the part of the mind that we are 'aware' of for most of the time.
Secondly, we have a 'subconscious mind' and finally, we have what some call the 'superconscious mind' or the 'higher self', which is our link to the soul which is part of divine or higher consciousness.

Over the past 10 years or so it's become pretty apparent that many thousands, if not millions, of people are searching for that 'missing' something in their lives. That enlightenment or spark of divine power, that 'connection' with something they know is there, but don't quite know what it is or where to find it.

Most of those people look in the wrong places. They look outside of themselves, reading book after book, listening to guru after guru, taking course after course, but they fail to find the answer as the 'thing' they are looking for is within each and every one of us.

If, as I believe, 'enlightenment' is within us already, it just needs to be released. What better, and more personal way could there be other than through our natural channels of mind.

Using self hypnosis to access the subsconscious mind brings us closer to that 'elusive' superconscious mind, where the answers to our hopes, prayers and dreams reside.

It is through re-programming the subconscious mind that our out of date belief systems can be changed. It is said 'Believe and you will receive.' With self hypnosis you can do just that.

Using positive suggestions and meditations, you can change your life, it really is that easy once you master the art of self hypnosis.

Below is an article I wrote, which forms part of a lecture I gave a few years ago, I hope it also proves useful to you.

There are many ways in which to induce a tranquil, relaxed state of mind, in which the body is still, and the conscious mind is simply placed aside for a while as the subconscious mind assumes a more dominant role, and allows the therapeutic cognitive processes which are innate in all of us to become active.

This state of mind, known as the hypnotic state is very simply created by;
Focusing one’s attention.
Relaxing the body.
Allowing unnecessary thoughts to enter, then exit, without any rationalisation.

This process can be easily accomplished by the technique that follows. It is known as the “Eye Roll Technique’, and is a very old but powerful way of entering a safe therapeutic hypnotic trance. When in this relaxed state of mind, it is possible to offer oneself any positive suggestions or affirmations in order to bring about the changes which you desire. Examples of positive statements and affirmations are given further on.

THE TECHNIQUE.
If possible, find yourself a quiet place and either sit down or lie down comfortably.
Roll up your eyes, just as if you were trying to look at your eyebrows.
Allow your eyelids to slowly close, and as you do so, take in a deep breath and hold it.

As you slowly exhale, allow your upturned eyes to return to their normal position.

As you finish exhaling, enjoy that gentle, floating sensation that you will experience.
At the same time, imagine your right hand to be very light, like it has a childs helium balloon tied to it making it rise gently. You may be surprised at the ease by which your hand and arm seem to float up by themselves.
This floating hand signal is a signal from your subconscious mind that you are entering a state of deep relaxation.

As you remain in this deeply relaxed, hypnotic state of mind, offer yourself any positive, therapeutic suggestions which you feel will help to bring about the changes you really want or need.
Remain in this state for 10-20 minutes, that’s really all that’s needed.

You can repeat the process as many times a day as you like.

EXITING THE TRANCE STATE.
Roll up your eyes behind your closed eyelids.
Very slowly, allow your eyelids to open, and the eyes to focus.
Make a tight fist with your right hand, and as you do, allow this light floating hand to drift down into a comfortable position. As it comes to rest, release the tight fist and gently stretch those fingers.……FINISHED !!!!

If necessary, the exit from the trance state can be accomplished any time by going through the steps listed above.

It may take you a little time to perfect the technique, especially if you are the ‘on the go all the time’ sort of person. Relaxation comes easier to some people than to others, so always bear this in mind.

Remember, if you want to make positive changes in your life, this relatively short use of your time can pay great dividends in the end. The beauty of it is that once you have practiced and mastered the technique, you will be able to enter the relaxed state much more easily and deeply.

Another point to remember is that everyone is capable of entering into a hypnotic state,
But just as we are all different, so is the ease with which we enter into a hypnotic trance.
Some will succeed on their first or second attempt, where as others may need many more attempts. It took me a week and a half, and about 15 attempts before I achieved a hypnotic state.

The motto is—NEVER GIVE UP. It may take time, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

Life Changing Thought Patterns Made Easy!

The way we look at life, or view our circumstances, has a very real effect on the way we live our lives.

Have you ever woken up hating yourself?

Maybe you remembered how you upset or lied to someone you love? Or maybe you didn't do something you promised to do? Or maybe you just feel that you are just plain useless at everything?

Have you ever woken up feeling scared!

Maybe you're scared of going to the office because you have to confront a colleague who dislikes you or maybe you have to fire somebody today. Or you have to present the sales figures (poor) to your boss?

Have you ever woken up wishing?

Wishing that you were better looking or slimmer or younger. Or maybe wishing you could afford to own the kind of home you were in last night or the car you saw in their drive?

Have you ever woken up feeling hate for everybody?

Hating the people who just seem to sail through life getting everything the want: the right job, the right home and the right kids. The people, who always get the best jobs, always have plenty of money and get on great in any social situation.

Have you ever woken up feeling frightened?

Maybe about getting old or sick or that you are losing a relationship. Maybe frightened about how you are going to pay the mortgage or your credit card bills. Or maybe about those sales calls you have to make if you want to keep your job?

Have you ever woken up feeling that the whole world is against you?

No matter how hard you try nobody will help you or allow you to succeed nobody cares about you!

Well let me tell you something, you are not alone. We all at sometime, or other have those feelings. I personally spent years just living and wishing and getting nowhere.

Here are a few of the things that life has taught me which might help you as well

You could try to stop worrying, about things you can't change and use the time saved to think about things you can change.

You could try to stop reading newspapers and watching the News on TV for a while. Use the time saved to think about your immediate world and your place in it. Remember, the News Media are in the entertainment business and their idea of entertainment is 'gloom and doom'. Try seeing them as the guy who shuffles along the sidewalk with the billboard saying, "The End is Nigh!"

You could try staying away from "negative" people. Those who always see the bottle as half empty.

You could try to look at the positive side of everything. Because everything has a positive. It's a hard thing to do but if you try to seriously think about a thing you may find a lot of your "problems" may actually be opportunities.

Try listening to music that gives you a lift. Watch TV (but not the news!!) or go to movies that make you laugh and feel good.

Try complimenting people. If you like what a person is wearing or the car they're driving or the service they've given you tell them so. I guarantee you'll feel better and they will too.

Look in the mirror and compliment yourself. Think about it. If you are taking notice of these suggestions it means you seriously want to change.

So complement yourself for that reason if nothing else!

You could try having patience with people. Remember they may not be as good or as quick as you at doing things. You could also try having patience with yourself as well.

You could try and find some project you truly believe in and get really involved in it.

You could try and relax more. You will find you can actually do things better the more relaxed you are.

Remember YOU are always in control of your own thoughts and no one, repeat, no one, can do your thinking for you.

As I said, changing the way I look at things has changed my life and has provided me with something that I consider to be priceless.

That is Happiness 99% of the time. I am still working on the other 1%!

Beauty, Gratitude, and an Open Heart

“…beauty on your earth is a shadow of the beauty of our heaven, and it’s a bitter thing to have a blindness for beauty on earth, for it makes a longer teaching to see the beauties of heaven.” Spoken by an Irish spirit in the book The Boy who Saw True (anonymous author).

I have always appreciated beauty. Since I was a small child, I’ve collect beautiful things - shells, rocks, wood and there are always lots of plants around. There is nowhere in my environment where there is not something beautiful to look at, both inside and outside in nature.

When I walk through my home and the area around it, my heart fills with awe and love as I appreciate the beauty around me. I’ve done this so automatically throughout my life that it never occurred to me that many people do not open to beauty nor create beauty around them.

When working with some people struggling to keep their heart open, I’ve mentioned focusing on an object of beauty, and have been surprised to find that many of them have no beauty around them - no plants, flowers, works of art or objects of nature. When they look around they see walls, appliances, computers and other buildings. Their left brain functions just fine in this environment, but what about the right - the creative, intuitive, spiritually-connected aspect?

I want to encourage everyone who reads this to consider feeding your soul with beauty. There is nothing like awe and gratitude for something beautiful to open the heart to gratitude in general. If you can love the intricate design in the bark of a tree, or the color and vibrancy of a flower, or the balance of a beautifully thrown piece of pottery - that might lead you into loving and appreciating the beauty of you and your own soul. It might open you to feeling gratitude for your life and the sacred privilege of experiencing your journey on this planet.

How much of your thinking time is spent being upset or unhappy about something? What if all that time was spent in gratitude for what you have and for the beauty around you? What if you were present enough in this moment to revel in the fact that you can turn on a faucet and have hot water come out? That you have food to eat and a bed to sleep on? If you are reading this, it is likely that you have a computer, which means you have more than most of the people on this planet.

Try this little experiment: find something of beauty - it can be as simple as a leaf, a flower, a photograph, a small work of art or the top of a tree out your window. Now let yourself completely open to the thing of beauty. Look at it, not just with your eyes, but your feelings too. Let yourself feel the beauty in your body - in your heart, your solar plexus, in your stomach, arms and legs, in your forehead. Let the beauty enliven your body and fill it with vitality. Breathe in the beauty and feel your body’s reaction to it. Open to gratitude, thanking the universe for this experience of beauty.

Notice the peace and joy it gives you to be in this moment with this simple object of beauty. What would life be like if you spent more moments like this, in the present with beauty and with all you have? How much of your waking time is spent in this way?

If everyone did this, and felt more love and gratitude for all things, especially themselves and others, the world could be a much happier, peaceful and more spiritual place.

Beauty and gratitude are soul foods. When you choose to open to them, you extend an invitation to love, peace and joy. This raises your frequency and opens the door to your spiritual guidance. Your guidance is always there for you, helping you on your soul’s journey. Opening to beauty and gratitude, with a deep intent to learn about what is loving to you and others, will open you to your spiritual guidance and make your journey through this lifetime that much more of an adventure..