Advancing In Perspective

 

Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them.- Leo Tolstoy

 

Life is generally nothing more than how we see it- our perspective on things. This determines the emotional mindset of every individual that has ever drawn breath. It is also my favorite super power to play on, aside from my magnificent dancing which sort of resembles DeeDee from the cartoon Dexter’s Laboratory. My advances in my “creative thinking” have come a long way over the years, thus causing an increase in my happiness’s.

 

I was having an interesting morning the other day, that of which a few years back I would have instantly dubbed it a terrible morning. But it was the perspective I chose that made it just the opposite. It was the kind of morning where time was not on my side. I spent much of it inside of my closet giving every article of clothing I owned the brow for not being something magnificent I wanted or Pintrest worthy.  “What the hell is all this crap and where did all the good outfits go? These outfits all suck..”. Ok- checkpoint one on pre-coffee brain- I am lucky to have these clothes, and I know it. There would be tons of people in line to have my “subpar” outfits any day of the week. Pick something and go!

 

After finally getting it together, I leave the house, pull out of the garage and then try to close my garage door…which isn’t working. I give another round of the brow, And then checkpoint two -come to the realization that I am extremely lucky to own a home and have a garage door…which may or may  not work. If you own a home, things go wrong from time to time. If you have the privilege to own anything, they will break or need repair. And I feel privileged to have the opportunity.  

After manually closing my garage door, I go out the front door to leave once and for all, when I run face first into a spider web, fully equipped with a friendly spider that is now in my face. This- will wake you up faster than any cup of coffee- I guarantee it. After an awkward series of gestures, I wipe Mr. Friendly spider and said web off of me and giggle- another wonderful day to enjoy silly encounters such as spider web in the face. Good Morning- I am lucky to be alive. Many would give anything for another day, regardless of the circumstances or how it started. Embrace life with an attitude of joy and happiness. It is not necessarily about what is going on, but just your perspective.

 

 

Extras for Vision Boards

I just came across these great blank checks to fill out to yourself or someone you feel might need it. Fill one out and have faith that you will be provided with what you need. Great for vision boards, prayers and meditations to ask for abundance to manifest in your life.

Have fun with it an give it a whirl, see if it works for you. No harm, no foul if it is done with the best intentions for all involved. We loose our games of pretend as we grow into adults and stop having faith and believing in the impossible.

You may even make a few bucks! Who knows. Children have such a vibrant energy because they believe in the unattainable. As adults we loose it, and we become stunted because we lack that great ballance of imagination with our realities.

Manifest It

We create our own reality all around us. As the great metaphysician Florence Scovell  Schinn said, “your word is your wand.” Your words and thoughts attract the vibratory forces of what you think and say. You create your own reality. Do not condemn yourself or anyone else with a misuse of thought or word energy.   Speak good things into existence and they are more likely to manifest in reality.

 

 

 

 

Setting Intentions

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.

- John Milton

Charge the energy around you and set the intention of the day. It’s always personal choice of how your day and thoughts will proceed. Choose to make it a great day filled with success. The right state of mind is the key to your success or to your demise. It needs to be practiced so often that it becomes a habit.

 

1.      List 5 things you are thankful for every day. We are amongst the wealthiest in the world. Many people would do anything to have what we do- whether it be material possessions or circumstance.

 

2.   Thought of the day: My seeming impossible good now comes to pass, the unexpected now happens!

 

 

3.      Set the intention for the day: Visualization. State and command the kind of day you intend to have. Give it a quick visualization. This may seem silly- but the most successful sports teams in the world are coached in the art of visualization before a game. They visualize their plays and how they intend to win the game. Life is no different. Professional studies show that teams that practice a brief visualization have a higher percentage of successful plays and wins. This is a fact.

 

(Example: Today is going to be a great day. I will be successful in all of my endeavors and live in each and every moment of the day- being fully present and engaging with others.)

 

4.      You are responsible for the energy you bring into a room. This existence is not just all about you- even though it feels like it. You and the energy you bring into a room can either brighten or darken a room. Choose to be the bright energy and engage with others. You never know what they might be going through as well. We tend to get wrapped up in our own inner turmoil.  Kindness is the biggest gift you can give to another. Do something kind for someone else- even if it is just a smile, a positive call or text. Make it a point to do something kind for someone else today.

 

5.      Shake off the negative energy. Negative energy is like lint- sometimes it just attracts to us like when you are wearing black pants- everything seems to attract to them. Negative energy can be the same way. Shake it off.

 

 

 

Light Energy

I evoke thee- the spirit of the law not the letter of it. The ability to see and do, not look and judge. The love that asks for nothing but to give. –P. Telesco

In every religion, in every part of the world, we as human beings tend to believe in something. A higher good, a higher state of consciousness, a divine God, or Gods and Goddesses, something outside of ourselves perpetuating toward the greater good. Some believe in science. It is all energy, and in either realm of belief, we are all composed of energy and so is physical world around us. All energy vibrates with a frequency. Tiny sub particles everywhere we look and everything we are. No matter what we believe, we are all created from the same energy. That being said, much of the world gets caught up in the semantics of what we believe. Much of religion is composed of the thoughts of being right. People want their religion to be right- thus them being right. This is the plight of the ego. Self-validation and the need to be right and the need to win. This is where we lose sight of main point of it all. Let all of that fall by the wayside and what we have left is love. Allowing not only ourselves to live and experience the gift of life, but allow others to live as well. Thus we learn and practice the gift of forgiveness, kindness and love. This is the ultimate ideal- to practice the spirit of the law and not only the letter of it. Through this, we create a love that asks for nothing but to give.

Unconditional love for each other as fellow beings of the same energy. When we are loving of others, we are loving of ourselves. The same goes for when we are hateful toward others, we are hateful toward ourselves. Often those who are destructive need the most kindness and love. It may not always be healthy to have those people a direct part of your life, but you can be there for them indirectly. I know a wise man who told me once, in a discussion of religion, that when he prayed at night, he prayed for his enemies first- anyone who he felt who had wronged him or anyone who he was angry with. Those are the cases that need the greatest resolve. I believe we are all godly, and all beings of light and each of us are capable of the same positive love that radiates directly form the divine source or energy that we all are part of.

I am a light worker,

I awoke so that others may awaken,

I learn so that others may also learn,

I transform so that others may transform,

I lighten my load so others may change theirs,

I learn to see so that others may see,

I forgave myself so that I may help others to forgive,

I love myself so that I can bring out love in others,

I am a light worker,

I live to give comfort,

I live to shine loving light into others,

I live to heal,

I live to give hope,

I live for truth,

I live for love.

1. Think of five things you are grateful to have in your life. There are many. Your health, the fact that you got to wake up one more day, your wealth (there are many with less and would give anything to have what you do), the abundance of love you have in your life (your presence in this world makes a difference to many people), the really cool individual you are (there is no one else in this world like you), How far you have successfully made it in a difficult world and all the stresses that affect us every day.

2. Thought of the day: Man can only receive what he sees himself receiving.

3. Set the intention for the day: Visualization. State and command the kind of day you intend to have. Give it a quick visualization. This may seem silly- but the most successful sports teams in the world are coached in the art of visualization before a game. They visualize their plays and how they intend to win the game. Life is no different. Professional studies show that teams that practice a brief visualization have a higher percentage of successful plays and wins. This is a fact.

(Example: Today is going to be a great day. I will be successful in all of my endeavors and live in each and every moment of the day- being fully present and engaging with others.)

4. You are responsible for the energy you bring into a room. This existence is not just all about you- even though it feels like it. You and the energy you bring into a room can either brighten or darken a room. Choose to be the bright energy and engage with others. You never know what they might be going through as well. We tend to get wrapped up in our own inner turmoil. Kindness is the biggest gift you can give to another. Do something kind for someone else- even if it is just a smile, a positive call or text. Make it a point to do something kind for someone else today.

5. Shake off the negative energy. Negative energy is like lint- sometimes it just attracts to us like when you are wearing black pants- everything seems to attract to them. Negative energy can be the same way. Shake it off.

New Directives

 

 

Everything Begins with You. You are responsible for your life, your choices, your attitude and the energy you allow to radiate from you. Whether that energy is positive or negative, it is your choosing of the vibe you put out and attract back. The mind is a rather complicated entity, yet in the same regard, can be kept simple. When things are put into perspective, the mind goes from a complex thing to a simple and easy to maneuver your life and your actions- stress free and worry free.

 Napoleon Hill quoted, “Whatever your mind feeds on, it attracts.” Consider the content of your mind. What type of thoughts do we allow to occupy the mind? Usually, it seems to be occupied with  worry, doubt, and fear or our personal problems and life issues that come our way. Unfortunately, what most do not realize or consider is that the worry, doubt and fear aspect that we have become accustomed to having in our thoughts more often than not, attract those very things we worry, doubt and fear. Worry, doubt and fear are composed of negative energy frequencies. If lack and limitation of any sort is on your mind- you will more than likely attract lack and limitation.

The mind is a very powerful source of energy. It is a tool that we do not use to its maximum ability. Education and being smart is one thing, but this is training the mind to attract better energy frequencies, which are more likely to yield more positive results. We have the ability to use the mind power to direct it to whatever we may choose. Take possession of the mind instead of letting the mind and its problems take possession of you.

If you have a worry or concern, limit the amount of time those thoughts can occupy your mind. Instead of worrying, being fearful, having thoughts of lack or limitations, replace those thoughts immediately with thoughts of thankfulness and gratitude. The energy around you needs to be stabilized and grounded for a good beginning of positive thought process and a positive frame of mind. First and foremost, give gratitude for what you do have. Many people in this world would trade places with us instantly. I recently read an article from the New York Times for a class about modern slavery and human trafficking. It was in this I gained a huge perspective of my thankfulness and gratitude to be who and where I am in life.

The article was about a young Asian girl who at the age of six years old, was sold by her family to a brothel. At the age of six, she was sold as a commodity to a foreign pedophile as a child virgin. Thinking the nightmare of her life couldn’t get worse, it is common for young children prostitutes to be re-stitched as virgins to be sold again as a prized commodity.  The young girl tried to run away but was caught each time, in which punishment consisted of being put into a vat of human excrement filled with scorpions and spiders. The girl recalls being punished up to nine days in this manner. Things like this are happening in the world this very moment. So there is my personal perspective to give me instant gratitude.

When I am being a spoiled brat for wanting more material things, ways of life, the infinite quest for “more” -perhaps one should focus on the greatness that already surrounds us, the ability sometimes for happiness is just to recognize it. So many people would be willing to trade places with us. We have so much, but lack the ability to recognize it and the ability to be grateful.  This is the foundation upon which happiness and positivity lie. Whenever you have a problem, give thanks first for what is going good in your life. Then, focus on the solution of your problem- without worry, doubt or fear. One of the most important things to do is to give thanks in advance- for the solved problem, the solution or whatever it is you want. This will likely attract those positive energies your way- versus if you were focused on worry fear and doubt, it is those energies that would attract to you. It really is your choice what type of energy or vibe you put out. If it is negative- you will unfortunately attract that right back to you. If it is positive, positive energy will find you more easily. It is all a simple choice of the mind. Doubt, worry, fear, lack, and limitation should have a very limited role in your show. Give the lead role to a positive character. Let only good thoughts possess your mind so that you may be open to attract the good things that are all around you.  Good energies are out there, but they have to be called upon to work for you. Let that be your directive.

Life Is....

Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence into something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It's in our hands.

- Cathy Better

Free Your Mind

Here is a small expert from a Buddhist view on detachment. It is always our attachments in life that cause us the greatest pains, miseries, and sufferings; such as:

·       The object of our desire that we cannot attain or keep, whether they be material possessions or otherwise.

·       Unrequited love.

·       The disappointment of relationships- family, friends, lovers.

·       Unmet demands of people or situations.

·       When things don’t pan out the way we wanted them to.

 The word and concept of detachment can be misleading, as it denotes being free of all things, possessions and relationships- when that is not the case at all. The concept and implementation of detachment releases us from our Ego and allows the freedoms of negative emotions that attachments always keep us in that constant state of emotional rollercoasters- somewhere between happiness and disappointment.

 

Question: What is the meaning of detachment?

Answer: The Buddhist meaning of detachment is slightly different from what the word normally means in English. Detachment in Buddhism is connected with renunciation. The word renunciation in English is also misleading, for it implies that we have to give up everything and go live in a cave. Although there are examples of people like Milarepa who did give up everything and live in a cave, what they did is referred to by a different word, not the word that is translated as "renunciation" or "detachment". The word that has been translated as "renunciation" actually means "the determination to be free". We have a strong determination: "I must get out of my own problems and difficulties. My mind is totally firm on that goal." We want to give up our ego games because we are determined to be free from all the problems they cause. This does not mean that we have to give up a comfortable house or the things that we enjoy. Rather, we are trying to stop the problems that we have in relation to these objects. That leads us to detachment.

Being detached does not mean that we cannot enjoy anything or enjoy being with anyone. Rather, it refers to the fact that clinging very strongly to anything or anyone causes us problems. We become dependent on that object or person and think, "If I lose it or cannot always have it, I am going to be miserable." Detachment means, "If I get the food I like, very nice. If I do not get it, okay. It is not the end of the world." There is no attachment or clinging to it.

In modern psychology, the word attachment has a positive connotation in certain contexts. It refers to the bonding that occurs between a child and parent. Psychologists say that if a child does not have the initial attachment to the parents, there will be difficulties in the child's development. Again, it is problematic to find the appropriate English word to convey the Buddhist meaning, for the Buddhist connotation of attachment is quite specific. When the Buddhist teachings instruct that we need to develop detachment, it does not mean that we do not want to develop the child-parent bond. What is meant by "detachment" is ridding ourselves of clinging and craving for something or someone.

VIA- http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/introduction/basic_question_detachment_nonviolence_compassion.html

 

Spend Wisely

 

Don't waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

An ode to a rant on spending your minutes wisely: There are only so many minutes in a day, and it is always the individual choice on how we use them. In addition to how we spend our minutes it is also equally important on how we choose to think and process those minutes as well. It is easy to become overwhelmed with life which instantly leads to worry and anxiety for most of us. Most people live in a state of “autopilot”, which I have off and on over the years lived that way myself. It is the conscious choice for each individual to unplug ourselves from the Matrix of the Autopilot so to speak, and become conscious and exist presently in our own minds. The choice of greatness is readily available. Focus intently on solutions and the path to success in place of dwelling on fears, lacks and limitations. Negative thought patterns must be replaced with positive affirmations to ensure proactive conscious efforts of the mind that undoubtedly materialized in the physical world around us.  

Wishes for a happy, successful and flourishing day to all!

-J. Brochu

Be Happy NOW

"Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date."

Dale Carnegie

Happiness is nothing more than a simple choice. It seems as though we are all chasing the dreams of some unattainable happiness, or a happiness that is somewhere off in the distance. Most of us feel that we are missing that essential something to make us happy. If only I had my dream job, that new car, a bigger house, if you got down to the size you were in high school, or had the perfect partner. We all tend to live in the tense of only “IF” and “WHENS”. Those are quite irrelevant when you stop and think of it. There are those at this very moment dying of some terrible disease, wishing they still had the ability to be present in the now and have the physical and mental stamina to do what they loved or always wanted to do, but never did. Enjoy your presence in this life NOW, and don’t put off living fully until you meet criteria X, Y, and Z. It would be unfortunate to find out that after attaining any of your criteria, that X, Y, and Z never mattered anyhow and you could have had all of this happiness in the meantime. Make the choice to be happy in the now. Exist in this moment and decide that it is going to be great!

On Happiness...

                                Happiness is not a matter of events, 
                 it depends upon the tides of the mind.
                    ~   Alice Meynell

The Proof is in the Pudding

Today I am extremely excited for one of my Best Friends Billy, who, by using the powers for positive thoughts, affirmations and prayers has landed his dream job in the Hustle and Bustle of New York City. About a year ago, he decided to leave Atlanta and venture on a journey to New York-a feat in and of itself. I am not sure if I would have had the gaul to leave my safely net here and just get up and go- but he did. He left the comforts and financial luxury of home for a life of the unknown.


Recently he had been working at a job not utilizing his advanced degrees at a medical office- just to pay the bills and be able to get by. He had been applying and interviewing for jobs around the city for almost a year and was feeling drained after not hearing back from various positions. Billy had always been a positive and uplifting person- one of the reasons I love him so dearly. But even the best of the best get dragged down by life and a series of disappointments. Add insult to injury, he had been informed that he would be laid off in the next coming weeks. After a distraught phone call from my dearest friend, which by the way is rare, I decided to send him a copy of one of my all time favorite books I was re-reading, The Writings of Florence Scovell Schinn, an innovative writer, philosopher and metaphysician from the turn of the century. Her writings are based on a lot of things we already know, but she takes these concepts and puts in them in a way they are better understood. Many of the concepts have Christian undertones, but even if you are not Christian or religious, these are just semantics and the concepts can be understood and applied even if you do not subscribe to that particular doctrine.
Upon receiving the book, Billy immediately began to read it and apply the concepts of positive thought and affirmation. He would call and we would discuss our readings together and what he was doing to produce positive changes for his life. We both began to pray for the “RIGHT” job for him- a job that would allow him to use his degrees and move up to the next level-a job that he could learn and grow and be happy at. Using the following quotes and similar ones, he began to visualize the right job for himself. In addition to this, he gave thanks in advance for the right job and went upon the faith knowing that the infinite spirit was never too late and that the right job would be provided. If indeed there was a job in NCY for him, he would find it in perfect ways under perfect grace. He began interviewing again but with a different outlook on life- one of positivity and grace.


“The spirit is never too late. I give thanks to the ….received on the invisible plane and that is manifests on time.”


Then Billy set a start date in his mind and wrote it down that he would be starting his new dream job on March 5th, 2012. Using laws of the following quote:


“Man must prepare for the things he has asked for, even if there isn’t the slightest sign of it in sight. “


He started looking for apartments and enjoying the city for what it was and left his negative thinking and worries behind. On March 12th, one week after he had set his goal to start his dream job, he received a phone call and was offered a position of Practice Manager of the Department of Neurology at Mount Sinai. I couldn’t be more proud of him! I am so excited for him and he could not be more deserving. This is just the tip of the ice berg on all the wonderful things that are coming his way.
Just a glimpse of what the powers of positive thinking can do!


Here is a link of some of Schnn's affirmations and quotes listed by catagory:


http://www.florence-scovel-shinn.com/florence-scovel-shinn-affirmations-success.html


Hope everyone has a wonderfully productive and positive day!