Use Your Words

When was the last time you thought about where your life is heading? If you are experiencing success or failure the way you think about your life has a lot to do with your position in life.  Your thoughts and words have formed a thinking pattern that has set the course of your life’s circumstances in a certain direction.  We frequently say, “Use your words.” to my three year old grandson, to be used instead of crying.  While searching for a title for this column it occurred to me how often we say this and that more specific instruction should go along with this statement.

Most of our actions begin with ideas received from our brain. Once you have created a thought, you use words to describe that thought and that gives it energy to create action.  Every single word you have thought or think, speak or have spoken has raw power. Not just the ability to hurt or heal, frighten or express or enlighten, but the power to truly shift your reality?

If you are not satisfied it’s time to become more aware of your thoughts and learning to change your thoughts before turning them into words, can and will change your world!  Imagine changing the course of your life simply by using the right words. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of OZ, who ended up safely back in Kansas by saying the magic words, “There’s no place like home,” you are shaping your destiny every single day through the energy of the words you speak. The words you use on a regular basis, whether thought, spoken, or written, are constantly creating your reality.

Where is Olivia Pope When You Need Her?

My October 2014 article for the Capital City Hues newspaper.

My theme for 2014 was and still is is “manifest”.  I selected this attribute with the intention of manifesting lots of health, wealth and love. However, to-date 2014 has bought two maybe three personal scandals into my life.  I could not, still can not believe the twists and turns involved in my life and these stories.  One is out right fiction and the other two are unique personal situations that only exhibit very few facts or truths and hindsight reveals that yes I could have handled these situations better.

My initial reaction was shock that rumors and scandals were circulating about me and disbelief that people, who I thought I knew well, believed and repeated these stories. Emotionally, each event felt like a gut punch to my self-confidence, increasing my self-doubt, depression. I have also experienced sadness, fear, anger and so on.  My behaviors included leaving my job and move to another state with just what would fit in my car.  The move provided deep insights and understanding into the statement “where ever you go, there you are”.  As if that were not enough, I  moved back to Madison.  I will not go into a lot of detail, but needless to say this was not my intention for 2014.

I was experiencing what is called the “dark night of the soul”, an experience that is apparently cleansing and that must occur before I can live within the NOW of my life. This soul event is when you go through your daily life being fully aware of what you are doing wrong, aware of your fear, aware of your anger, aware of your pain. To truly see yourself and to find true self insight you must be aware of what you are thinking, what you are saying, what you are doing and WHY. Why are you thinking that? Why are you saying that? Why are you doing that?”

We like to give the appearance that our communities are made up of perfect people who live scandal free and undamaged lives. However, my friends, if we’re honest, our communities are actually filled with people who’ve had to deal with difficult situations that have threatened their very livelihood, reputation, dignity, and respect. Whether it is the scandal of a divorce, tax evasion, home foreclosure, bankruptcy, employment termination, unwed pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, or some general failure in life, most of us will face situations in our private and public lives that require us to know how to handle our scandal.

Nearly everyone has something in his or her past that they wish wasn’t there,  I am taking a play from what I think Scandal’s Olivia Pope would do to handle a scandal:

Attitude of Gratitude

Excerpt from my November 2013 Capital City Hues column.

Not to long ago I had weeks of what seemed like multiple projects and deadlines coming due at same time in my both my professional and business lives. Therefore I missed seeing my three grandchildren for a couple of weeks.  The youngest is 18 months old, he and I had been practicing saying the word Nana, which is what my grandchildren call me.  He could say the word but he did not call me Nana.  After what seemed like an eternity I went by their house and he met me at the door. He pointed at me, yelled out NANA and with the biggest grin ever he started doing a little dance while clapping he hands.  Next, he grabbed my hand to follow him.  As I followed I looked at my daughter and said, “You don’t get a greeting like this everyday.”  I felt so loved, appreciated, happy, thankful, and so on.  I felt a flood of positive emotions.

How would you feel, if every night after work, you were greeted by a family member who welcomed you with the exuberance displayed by my grandson? Happy? Loved? Glad to be home? The answer to this question gives you an inkling of the power of gratitude. But does giving or receiving thanks offer only immediate rewards, or does gratitude have far reaching benefits? What if you could live everyday feeling an abiding sense of gratitude — no matter what? Would that have any effect on your life?

This isn’t some etheric, touchy-feely self-help exercise.  Some of this effect can be measured biochemically, while other aspects of it are currently beyond scientific measurement. But the bottom line is irrefutable: Expressing gratitude initiates a powerful healing effect in your own mind and body

Why does this work?

Imagination Is Everything

The following is an excerpt from my  May 2013, Art of Life column, entitled “Success is Imagined First”

We can create whatever we imagine in our minds.  If you are experiencing lack or failure in your life it is because it was first imagined in your mind.  Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is everything.  It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”  Imaging or visualizing what you want can have almost magical powers. French Dr. Emile Coué asserts that when the imagination and will are in conflict, the imagination always wins out.

We are constantly creating our futures through visualization, as the mind thinks in mental images. For example,  if you are thinking about, talking about and imagining financial lack (I.e. I am unlucky, I could never have that, I’m  and so on), then that is what your mind will produce for you. When a mental picture is repeated the mind has no choice but to accept it as true and bring it into reality.

The reality is that your imagination can be your best friend or your worst enemy.  It is how you imagine and what you focus on that affects your brain and therefore your expectations. When you learn to harness your imagination, your imagination becomes your best friend.  Then you can use your imagination instead of allowing your imagination to propel you.  It is only when you proactively focus your imagination to achieve specific outcomes that you ignite the creative process and increase your odds of success.

Take a moment and consider where and how you apply your imagination — mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally and socially.  The first step to understand and applying your imagination is to become mindful of how you imagine.

Enjoy

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What if . . .

What if you woke up today and only had what you thanked God for yesterday.

3 Self Provoking Questions

Are you leaving an impact on the world?
Is it out of reach? or have you just not streached yourself far enough?

Today is the PRESENT
Open it!”

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How do you know it’s time to keep               holding on? or to let go?

Why do you matter?

What are you passionate about?

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