Thankfulness

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and showing appreciation. It is a mindful acknowledgment of all that we have been given. When we focus on the abundance in our lives, we discover a greater capacity for generosity, cheerfulness, and contentment.

Expressing gratitude is a rewarding habit that affirms the grace of the giver. Gratitude opens our hearts, encourages us to savor each gift that comes our way, and magically frees us from jealousy guarding our possessions.

It let us celebrate today rather than waiting for the next level of accomplishment or wealth. It is a reminder that one can always find reason to be glad. 



I hope that this may be instilled in my life and I learn to give thanks on a daily basis; even through the hardest of struggles.

• Thankfulness acknowledge that God is our provider
• Thankfulness connects our spirits to the Source of all joy.
• Thankfulness creates positive outlook on life. 

 "Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel." ~ Unknown

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.
 
~ Author Unknown ~ wonderful poem to live by!

Universal Saying

I just love hearing these beautiful and inspiring quotes that resonated well in our daily lives. Universal sayings that can be understood by everyone just like music and smile. These are things that we already know but it's always good to be reminded again. I think these quotes are worth repeating and hopefully this will inspire others to do better.





"Your life, Your path, Your choice"

Your life is your own creation... It is your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you but no one can walk it for you. Don't confuse your path with your destination. Just because it's stormy now doesn't mean you aren't headed for sunshine. The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. "If you can see yourself as an artist, and you can see that your life is your own creation, then why not create the most beautiful story for yourself?" ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

"Never allow yourself worth to be defined by someone else"

There's good benefit in taking some time to think about how we define our sense of self (and worth). We are not in charge of the process therefore what happens to you does not define you. Only YOU define you. Don't let the imaginary person in your head keep you from loving the real one right in front of you. Be your own kind beautiful and simply be YOU! "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Imperfection is beauty"

Accept everything about yourself. You are unique and perfect. Do not place restrictions on your beauty. You are beautiful ALL the time. "Your light is seen. Your heart is known. Your soul is cherished by more people than you might imagine. If you knew how many others have been touched in wonderful ways by you, you would be astonished. If you knew how many people feel so much for you, you would be shocked. You are far more wonderful than you think you are. Rest with that. Rest easy with that. Breathe again. You are doing fine. More than fine. Better than fine. You’re doing great. So relax. And love yourself today." ~ Neale Donald Walsch

"Believe in yourself"

Observe your thoughts, desires and inhibitions. Ask yourself this if you had the ability to manifest anything or do anything what would you choose to do? "Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused." ~ Alan Cohen

"The impossible is possible" 

Time and time again, history shows us that what all previous generations told us could not be done, a new generation will go out and own. Human beings crave the familiarity and comfort of habit, and fear failure, ridicule and change. What have you been telling yourself that you cannot do, that you were destined to become? "Anything is possible" when you believe in yourself; keep reminding yourself that you can do anything if you put your mind into it and you can be anything you want to be.

"Happiness is contagious"

Fill your mind with happy thoughts. Be happy and spread joy to those around you so that people can feel the positive energy in you and they are happy too. The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up. "The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts therefore guard accordingly." ~ Marcus Aurelius

"The possibilities are endless"

You have the power to live your life as fabulous and amazing as you can ever live. Only you can change your way of thinking. Your value is in the incredible person you were created to be. Your past mistakes do not change your value. "When you experience uncertainty, you are on the right path – so don’t give it up. You don’t need to have a complete and rigid idea of what you’ll be doing next week or next year, because if you have a very clear idea of what’s going to happen and you get rigidly attached to it, then you shut out the whole range of possibilities." ~ Unknown

"Live in the present"

Don't allow your past to be present in your future. Don't hold on tight to your past; leave it all behind. Let the past be the past. Today is a new start. New beginning. New opportunities. Start living in the present.

“Accept the present moment and find the perfection that is deeper than any form and untouched by time.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

“Stay true to yourself and listen to your inner voice. It will lead you to your dream.” ~ James Ross

Attracting Interest

What are the things that I would possibly do to make life more enjoyable? What helps me to feel good? What is your passion?

I do have many passions -- I love photography, reading words of wisdom, inspirational story, taking pictures, decorating and so forth. Sometimes I find it a little hard to pick one a day. To attract happiness and interest in your life can be achieved by setting your intuition. Perhaps that’s just finding time you set aside to read, listen to music, take a brisk walk, get in shape, window shopping or even spending time alone to enjoy a cup of tea or simply being outside with nature – and it can be a few minutes every day. 

“You create your future with the power of your intention. Intention is simply the conscious act of determining what you want now. Health, harmony in relationships, happiness, money, creativity, and love will come to you in the future, based on your powerful intention now. Intend every day the way you want it go, and you will deliberately create your future life”. ~ The Secret Daily Teachings

Here are some of my favorites to start off the day:

Meditation
What a better way to calm and clarify the mind... transform fatigue into energy... and even improve health. Study shows that meditation can actually unify mind, body and spirit and help you start enjoying the best health of your life. "Meditate. Life purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine". ~ Buddha 

Yoga
It's been said that yoga has the power to change life for good. It's a matter of letting go and allowing my body to do what it felt was the most natural thing. According to ParaYoga founder and Tantra scholar, Rod Stryker: Yoga helps you remove the obstacles that obscure who you really are, that it helps you come into a fuller expression of your true nature. "We're not transforming into something we aspire to, we're transforming into the very thing that we are innately: our best Self". If practiced correctly, yoga asana breaks down the psychological, emotional, physical, energetic, and psychic obstacles that inhibit us from thriving, he says. I think yoga is the best way to a healthier lifestyle. "Yoga is the practice of tolerating the consequences of being yourself ". ~ Bhagavad Gita

Simple Pleasures
It can be the pleasure of sweets, the pleasure of love, or the pleasure of deep practice. Whether it is taking a risk or no risk at all -- having something to look forward to every day sometimes is the biggest dare of all. Being alone with yourself is also a good thing but try to find the time to meet people. You never know what you might discover in a day that can teach us a lesson -- get outside and explore. There's no excuse not to give a few minutes of your day for better future. Do the things that make you smile, laugh and do more of that!. "Make time to enjoy the simple things in life".

You deserve a day where worries don't get in the way of anything. A day where... even if some people are insensitive or unkind, you're not going to mind because the blessings you received are far greater than the burdens you experience. Remember always focus on positive energy. Intentions + Affirmative Action = Great Result!

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” ~ Unknown

LIVE positively in the present and CREATE a beautiful tomorrow TODAY, right here right now. Don't put your past in the future.



Life is full of beauty -- notice it and embrace it! Life is either daring adventure or nothing -- Live with good intention!!

Five Techniques to Relax and Focus Your Mind

By Michaiel Patrick Bovenes (Author, Teacher and Creative Founder of 'Soul-utions')
 

Technique One:  Breathe Slowly
Begin by inhaling a deep breath through your nose and as you slowly exhale through your mouth, mentally repeating the word “relax”. Repeat these three or four times. You can say the word, “relax” out loud at first, but has captured your attention. What are you thinking or worrying about?  Is your mind in the past or the future?  Are you thinking about someone in particular? Explore what has captured your attention and then repeat the breathing exercise above to practice silently repeating the word, like a mantra. Next focus your awareness on whatease it with your exhale.

Tip: You can visualize that as you exhale, you are breathing out the thoughts and feelings from your mind through your mouth, like bubbles floating off into the distance.

 

Technique Two:  Write
This exercise will help you gain clarity and perspective. Find some paper and write down your thoughts. This will help you slow down your thinking and release what’s “on your mind”. As you write, remind yourself… “I have these thoughts… I am not my thoughts; I have these feelings… I am not my feelings.” Let the words flow out of you and write them down without editing or being concerned with grammar or spelling.

To clear your consciousness fast express in writing what’s on your mind. Then take these papers and destroy them. Tear them up and throw them away, flush them down the toilet or burn them. You want to destroy the writing with gusto and intensity. Mentally tell yourself, “I am letting go of these thoughts and feelings. I am freeing my mind.” This technique is great for insomnia, on restless nights, like I described above.

Tip: An important fact, you can not write as fast as you can think, so when you write down your thoughts you will slow down your thinking automatically. This is one of the benefits of journaling and why it is considered a meditative experience. It slows your mind down and focuses your attention quickly.

Technique Three: Hum
Take a few moments and hum the lyrics of a favorite song. Concentrate on remembering the lyrics and feel the vibration of humming in your throat, face and chest. This will benefit you two ways:

1. Concentration and remembering the song will focus your mind.

2. The vibration of humming will ground you into the sensation of your physical body.

It is a great technique and you can do it anywhere at anytime. After just a few minutes you’ll feel a difference.

Technique Four:  Visualize
Follow this simple guided meditation. Close your eyes.  Breathe deeply three times and mentally (silently) say the word “relax”. Imagine a “basketball size” sphere of white light hovering about twelve inches above your head. Focus your mind to visualize the minutest detail. Imagine that you see it and feel the warmth radiating down on the top of your head. Next imagine this sphere slowly lowering and touching the crown of your head.

Take another deep breath and bring the sphere down around your head, like a helmet. Imagine that your head is filled with white light. If you were to open your eyes, the light would stream out from inside of you. Imagine the light dissolving these scattered thoughts.

Focus on the light, feel its warmth and sense it filling your mind with peace and comfort. Breathe naturally for a few minutes.  When you are ready, simply open your eyes and go back to your activities. This is great for a quick focus before an important meeting. You can do this in a parked car, at your desk or in a bathroom stall.

Technique Five:  Be Sensual
Focus your attention on your five senses. This provides a mental boundary to contain your scattered mind. Being sensual simply means to be aware of your five senses. Smell the air, feel the temperature on your skin, listen to the sounds around you and taste the food that you eat. Being sensual brings you into the present fast and effectively. 

You now have five easy ways to focus your mind and harness its power. Your mind will help you make more trustworthy decisions throughout your day and you’ll experience overall greater inner peace. 

These techniques will offer fast and temporary relief of a scattered mind.

  “Breathe in the FUTURE -- Breathe out the PAST.”

Stillness

There is value in being mindful of the world and what it offers without comment or thought. According to Zen Master - Thich Nhat Hanh

“Silence is essential for deep transformation. It allows the practice of conscious breathing to become deep and effective. Like still water that reflects things as they are, the calming silence helps us to see things more clearly, and therefore, to be in deeper contact with ourselves and those around us.”

“When you contemplate the big, full sunrise, the more mindful and concentrated you are, the more the beauty of the sunrise is revealed to you.”

“Joy and happiness are possible right here and right now if you know the practice of mindfulness and concentration.”

Stillness connects us to our natural intelligence, a holistic wisdom that can only arise with reduced stimulation. Stimulation naturally puts our nervous system on alert, an unconscious action that disconnects us immediately from any sense of deep well-being. From stillness comes all action… are you connected to your source? Remember energy flows where attention goes.

“Silence is a great source of strength.” ~ Lao Tzu

“Sometimes, simply by sitting the Soul collects wisdom.” ~ Zen Proverb

“Silence is the great teacher and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it. There is no substitute for the creative inspiration, knowledge, and stability that comes from knowing how to contact your core of inner silence.” ~ Deepak Chopra

“The beauty of today is in all the things: feeling the gentle breeze on your skin, the sunlight filtering through the clouds, the sound of the birds, the silence of no wind. You notice the in-and-out flow of your breath, the feeling of aliveness inside your body. And then there is the beautiful stillness behind it all, which is deep within you. It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

This world is so full of beauty.
Open your mind and you will see.
Let your thoughts just drift away.
To a place you want to be.
(Poem by John F Connor)

Sometimes stillness is a better choice than any action.