Archive for April, 2021
No
Learning to say ‘no’ without feeling guilty, selfish or fearing I won’t be liked, has been a great challenge for me. I met the challenge and my life is richer, fuller, more grounded and peaceful than I ever could have imagined.
My success does not mean that I never encounter feelings of guilt, of deeply feeling like I can’t speak my truth because I don’t want to hurt someone else’s feelings. This dilemma is before me now.
To help support myself as I wrestle with expressing my truth I found some quotes to remind me not to compromise my authentic self; to help me stay on course; to help me find the time and the words that are loving and kind for us both. I am sharing them with you.
“A healthy self-love means we have no compulsion to justify to ourselves or others why we take vacations, why we sleep late, why we buy new shoes, why we spoil ourselves from time to time. We feel comfortable doing things which add quality and beauty to life.” ~Andrew Matthews
“Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” ~Anna Taylor
These help me to stay centered and focused on what is best for me. And ultimately, what is best for the other person as well.
Blessings!
Positivity
Being positive, staying positive is really challenging. Yet, if we allow ourselves to entertain negativity we become depressed and not able to function at our highest potential. Living can become unbearably stressful. Negativity denies the ability to enjoy pleasurable experiences, to feel gratitude and happiness.
Learning to achieve and maintain a positive demeanor requires more than meditation, prayer and positive affirmations. It demands action. We must act to make changes, take action to stop doing whatever it is that is causing the stress.
“To act wisely when the time for action comes, to wait patiently when it is time for repose, put man in accord with the tides. Ignorance of this law results in periods of unreasoning enthusiasm on the one hand, and depression on the other.” ~Helena Blavatsky
I like the following quote from Gore Vidal, for, in my mind, I perceive ‘decadent’ as ‘negative’.
“As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests.”
In her book, The Journey with the Master, Eva Bell Werber writes in the section ‘BE POSITIVE’, “Man often thinks that it is he, himself, that is good and generous, not knowing or caring that it is the Great Spirit of all good which is back of his acts. Then he fluctuates from day to day, and it is easy for him to change from good to evil if it suits his purpose best. He feels that the power is his, and his alone, to determine his actions.”
Maintaining a positive attitude, a positive outlook, has so many benefits; contributing significantly to good health, general contentment, peace of mind, and joyful living.
The primary action required is aligning the indwelling spirit of man with the Great Spirit of pure Love and Positivity. It is indeed hard work. Work which holds mighty rewards beyond our imagining.
I invite you this week to keep the positive energy flowing!
Bedrock
“…the solid rock underlying unconsolidated surface materials.” (Merriam-Webster).
The word bedrock has been coming up frequently in the past few weeks. Choosing a solid foundation upon which to build an authentic life is a lot of hard work. Yet, if we don’t consider this fundamental element of the process we are not likely to achieve lasting success.
“It is not the beauty of the building you should look at, its the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.” ~David Allen Coe
Many times the foundation upon which our lives are built has flaws that we didn’t choose, attitudes and beliefs about ourselves and others that came from our family of origin, how we were raised, the experiences we had growing up and our enculturation; flaws that need correcting.
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” ~David Brinkley
Picking the right materials and finding the support that is appropriate for you is essential to the success of building a strong foundation.
“Trust is to human relationships what faith is to gospel living. It is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish” ~Barbara Smith
Trusting the process as we make the journey to the authentic self teaches us how to love ourselves and each other…then we all flourish.
“Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over other men’s sins, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance.” ~1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Blessings!
Hope
This week’s word means trust, a desire accompanied by an expectation of fulfillment.
May the following quotes inspire renewal and strengthening of hope.
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” ~Maya Angelou
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” ~Robert Kennedy
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” ~Helen Keller
