JUST THINKING

             JUST THINKING

The truth is that this is the moment when we are either enjoying our life or not enjoying our life. What we are thinking at this moment is creating a feeling within our body now, and our experience of life tomorrow. There is no "out there" that can cause us to suffer because everything that unfolds in our world is a projection of what is going on within. Our world is a mirror of what we think and feel on the inside. It's not the world that causes the stress we feel, it's our thoughts about it, the story we tell ourselves of how it is. 

Stress or anxiety doesn't really exist in the world, but a lot of people engage in stressful thinking. When we are tense, relaxed, happy or sad, we are "Just Thinking!"

NEW THINKING

               NEW THINKING

As the New Year approaches people are in a better, positive and optimistic mood. There's more positive energy flowing and you'll find more people in a better mood. So jump in and be part of all the positive, upbeat energy going around. Sure things may not be perfect, but instead of thinking all that's wrong, think about some of the good things and then take a moment to do a random act of kindness. It can be anything, like opening the door for someone, or helping someone with their grocery bags, or helping someone get in their car or get on the bus. Even smiling and offering a pleasant "Hello" can make another person feel better. When you do a random act of kindness you join the pool of positive energy, you spread a little joy, you help someone feel better and you attract more positive situations. Then you can go one step further, and get rid of the negative thoughts or doom and gloom attitude you may be carrying. For just a day, or even a few hours, avoid saying anything negative. If those around you are being negative change the topic of conversation or put a positive spin on things. If you find you're thinking of what's not going well, change your thoughts, think of what you want, look for something positive, or just think of something completely different. There's always something positive, you just have to find it. So today and everyday this week do a few random acts of kindness, and get rid of the negative thoughts that bring you down. Fill your mind with optimism and think about creating a bright new future. The new year will be brighter by doing very simple and very doable things. You can and you will, when you believe you can. 

I KNEW THAT WOULD HAPPEN

I KNEW THAT WOULD HAPPEN 

There was once a young artist who had just received a commissioning to paint the portrait of a local builder. To celebrate, he went to a local cafe to enjoy a nice meal. While he was eating, he noticed the headline on a newspaper that was laying on a nearby table. The headline read,"HARD TIMES ARE COMING" The headline was a little disturbing to him but he continued to eat his meal. While eating, he couldn't help but think,"HARD TIMES ARE COMING!" The words began to weigh on his mind more and more. He began to think, hard times are coming, this is no time for me to be sitting here unnecessarily spending money on a nice meal. I need to get to work. He called to the cafe owner and requested his check. The cafe owner said," you seem upset, is everything okay?" The young artist responded,"hard times are coming and this is no time for me to be unnecessarily spending money like this. I need to get to work!" He paid his check and hurriedly left the cafe. Well, the cafe owner got to thinking, hard times are coming? The more he thought about it the more anxious he became. He picked up his phone and called his wife. He said,"sweetheart I need you to call the tailor shop and cancel that order for your new dress for the chamber of commerce ball. You see, hard times are coming and this is no time for us to be unnecessarily spending money like that." She said,"okay, I'll let them know." She called the local tailor shop and told them,"I need to cancel my order for that new dress for the chamber of commerce ball. You see, my husband the cafe owner said hard times are coming and we shouldn't be unnecessarily spending money like this. I'm sorry." The order was cancelled. The tailor shop owner got to thinking, hard times are coming? The more he thought about it the more anxious he felt. He picked up the phone and called the local builder. He said,"I need to cancel that contract and plans for expanding my tailor shop. You see, hard times are coming and this is no time for me to be unnecessarily spending money like that. I'm sorry." Well,  the local builder got to thinking, hard times are coming? The more he thought about it the more anxious he felt. He picked up the phone and called the young artist. He said,"I need to cancel the commission to have my portrait painted. You see, hard times are coming and this is no time for me to be unnecessarily spending money like that. I'm sorry." The young artist, now discouraged and depressed, went back to the corner cafe to drown his sorrows in some wine. While he was drinking the wine, he saw the newspaper with the headline "HARD TIMES ARE COMING" still sitting on the same table. He picked up the paper and noticed that the date on the paper was ten years old. It had been left on the table when the cafe owner had been unpacking dishes earlier in the day, yet the headline managed to infect the thinking of the young artist and ultimately the entire community. The artist believed hard times were coming and by virtue of his and everyone else's behavior they predicted and then ensured hard times would come. 

How often have we done something like this in our own lives. We tend to get what we expect. If you expect to have a bad experience somewhere, your subconscious mind will trigger the behaviors within you that will ensure you have a bad time.  Change expectations and you can change your life!