More on Restoration

"When we are tired, defeated, and dispirited, it is not necessary to languish in this condition. Turn the faculty of your attention to some nobler dream or aspiration within you. Bestow upon this the full measure of available energy, and experience rest and refreshment. We are not tired because we serve the laws of the universe; rather we are exhausted because we try to live well without fully maturing the soul. We all have many things to attend to, but let us never be so busy that we neglect the integration of the inner life."

- Manly P. Hall

We all live in a fast paced world that keeps on changing daily, and not always for the better. In the midst of technology that is supposed to be making our lives easier, we are more stressed out than ever and have less time on our hands. It should come as no surprise that we all feel like we are running on empty- ladling coffee and energy drinks down our throats just to keep up and make it through the day. We rarely feel truly refreshed and natural energy is severely lacking. We all know how hard we tend to run our cell phones, with batteries that barely hold a charge for more than a day, if that. I know my Iphone has to be charged at least once a day. I have an obtuse obsession for checking myphone every 2.3 seconds for the latest Facebook comment on a thread, incessant texting and snapping photos with Instagram. With all that draining the battery, we would be fools to believe that our phones would not need to be charged. On the same note, we are definitely FOOLS to believe that we can continue the way we are going without recharging our battery, so to speak.  Something has to give. Dedicate a few minutes a day to recharging your energy and your mind.

          The spirit cannot function at an optimum level of efficiency if it is constantly running on low energy vibes. Find something that works for you. There is no one right answer. If you are religious, pray. If you are spiritual, meditate. If you are none of the above, clear your mind for a few moments and take a deep breath. Regroup your thoughts, have appreciation for the good things in your life and set a positive intention for the day. There needs to be some sort of checkpoint where you return to for a positive reinforcement, whatever that may be to you. A few brief moments of centering and focusing your thoughts can give you just the charge you need to take on whatever life throws at you. There is too much take in the environment around us, and not enough giving back to recharge us, a huge lack or self-restoration. Participate in a few moments of restoration a day, it is one of the few expended energies that will give back to you.

Grain of Salt

“Man suffers only because he takes to seriously what the gods made for fun.” –Alan Wilson Watts

When it’s all said and done, when we are at the end of our lives, looking back- imagine all of the wasted time and energy we have spent taking life too seriously. Certain things, of course, by their very natures are meant to take in all seriousness. However, for the most part, they are not. If we take the minutes a day that we spend wasting being upset about something we cannot change, add those minutes to hours, and those hours to days- and for some, perhaps even those days to years. That is a lot of time spent frustrated, upset and angry. There are going to be some times that anger is merited and cannot be chosen- but for the most part, our anger and frustration is all in how we take things, and many are taking it all way to seriously. I am quite certain, that if many souls could come back to this lifetime, they would chose to do a few things differently- mainly taking more things with a grain of salt. Too much time has been spent in anger and frustration, and if given the chance again, most would choose to take back that time, and spend it with those important to them. Anger would be more easily dissolved and skated past. Most things that provoke our inner anger is irrelevant in the long run.

One of my favorite books, Cow in the Parking Lot, teaches us that Anger is always sprouted from one thing and one thing alone- an unmet demand.  We have in our minds at all times, demands that we think and feel should be met, and when someone does not meet that demand- we become upset and angry. What is worse is that rarely we make others aware of what our demands are. We make assumptions and believe they should know what we want and read our minds. Ergo, we are half guilty of the anger we are currently harboring, because no one really knew they failed to meet a certain demand. The second part of our being guilty of harboring anger is choice- anger is a choice- yes it is a human natural reaction, and everyone gets angry. But more often than not, it is because we choose to keep those feeling close to us. We choose to be angry and choose to be the victim of circumstance.  I am personally guilty of all the above.

The synopsis for Cow In the Parking Lot is this- You’ve been circling around for what seems like an eternity for a parking space, finally you spot one. You put your blinker on and wait patiently for that car to back out so that you can pull in. The car finally backs out, and out of nowhere, another car pulls around and parks in your spot. This would immediately piss anyone off. So you sit there, stewing. You want to take some sort of revenge. Scenarios float through the mind of things one could do to get back at them….nasty note leaving, keying of the car, perhaps even slashing of tires to be extreme….However more of those things change the situation. Your parking space is gone and any revenge ideas you may have will just lead to more anger and negativity. Let’s say you took revenge in some form. The person comes out to find the revenge and then they get pissed off. They drive home cutting people off, etc. The someone that got cut off, gets upset, they go home and yell at their spouse. The spouse is now upset, so they yell at the kid. Now the anger has perpetuated to the kid, who kicks the dog. The anger perpetuates in many many directions, all due to one negative event.

Now imagine the same scenario, you are waiting on that parking space, blinker on ready to be on your way with your daily business, when out of nowhere, a cow walks into the parking spot you were waiting for, and lies down. This promotes a different level of WTF. Slight annoyance with a side of funny- at how random that was. But the bottom line is- your parking spot is still taken. You still can’t park there. The difference is in the reaction- it is more light hearted. The cow in the parking space moves you less than the inconsiderate human being that took the space. The cow is oblivious to what it has done. Same for the person who took the space – either oblivious to the event or worse in that they don’t care. It is always our choice in how we react. Our reactions always perpetuate a chain reaction of energy.

The people in our lives are much like the Cow in the Parking lot, unaware that their actions have any effects on anyone else, and furthermore, just like the cow, lack any capability of the sheerest comprehension of it. Always bless them with positivity. And of course there are those who are beyond aware of their actions and negativity, people such as this need to be blessed even more so. Furthermore, it is of the utmost importance to lead by example, in doing the right so that those around us may see what it looks like, in the even they ever choose to never join us. One must always be the change in the world we want to see. We are responsible for the energy we bring into a room, no matter what is going on. One can choose to be moved by negativity, or one can choose to pave a new way of positivity. Chances are most of those we want to blast out may never fully comprehend our points anyway, which causes us more distress and frustration for us. Choose your battles in that respect. Know when to hold, and when to fold. Anger is a low level energy, it is heavy and stagnant. I’d rather not carry around the dead weight. I choose to live in the moment and be present. Smile and laugh at those around you. Engage with the souls that are accounted for here in the now. Life is too short to take it all too seriously!

“The world is, of course, nothing but our conception of it.”- Anton Chekov

Hope everyone has a wonderfully productive day. Choose to be great and flourish!

By J. Brochu

Oh the things you can find...

Oh the things you can find
If you don't stay behind!
In the places I go there are things that I see
That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z.
I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends.
My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!
So, on beyond Z!
It's high time you were shown
That you really don't know
All there is to be known.

- Dr. Suess, On Beyond Zebra 1954

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!

Manifest

“Whatever one feels deeply or images clearly

 is impressed upon the subconscious mind

and carried out in minute detail"

 ~

Florence Scovel Schinn 
Be mindful of your thoughts today. Clear out any negative thoughts, concepts, ideas, banter and self talk. Open your mind and thoughts to positive energy and create the existence you want for yourself. Nothing is unattainable. There is a supply for every demand.






Have a Wonderful and Productive Wednesday.



Be Mindful...

This is one of my all time favorite quotes- so much indeed that I had it tattooed on my foot so that I can see it for my daily dose of inspiration and a reminder to not take others so personally in life. The quote comes from Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio- on Dante’s journey through Purgatory he encounters a soul who gives him the following quote.

'sovegna vos a temps de ma dolor'.

Poi s'ascose nel foco che gli affina.

'be mindful in due time of my pain'.

Then dived he back into that fire which refines them.

Purgatorio -XXVI

~Dante Alighieri

It is a reminder that you never really know what someone else is going through, or how they arrived at where they are or the state of mind they are in. We are constantly surrounded by negative people, situations and thinking. Whether its work, home or life in general. We tend to take others and their behavior and reactions personal. This reminds me to allow others to be in their “pain” (issues, situations, thoughts, etc.) and not be offended or affected by it.


Not everyone has good reactions, effective coping mechanisms or positive thinking available to them. We have all lacked, at some point or another in this department. Life is the fire which refines us all- and we should allow those around us to dive into those fires and learn what they need to learn in this life. Every person we encounter and every situation is a potential lesson we can gain positive things from if we allow it and view it from the right frame of mind. It is our choice in how we approach it.


I hope everyone has a positive and lovely Tuesday. Sending Positive vibes, love and light to you.