Category Archives: Positivity

Some Will Never Grasp . .

02 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in Choices, Contentment, God, Hope, Joy, Peace, Positivity, Uncategorized

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Some will never grasp how much beauty and joy there is in life. They’ve made up their minds that because they don’t live in a bigger house or have all they want or make more money or realize all their dreams or . . well, they just find endless ways or one reason to write all their life off as failed, terrible, rejected, horrible, miserable or worthless. No matter the beauty around them, the love of others, the gift of one more day or the bounty of life’s miracles played out each second, they’ve decided to view all of life as negative. Perhaps they’ve endured tremendous things which took their joy. But in letting their joy lapse every day since, they’ve given their power over to others or to situations or to circumstances which negate their contentment, joy and peace of mind for the rest of their life! If I tried to convince them that there were blessings all around them, joy in precious moments, gifts of time and breath, or a bounty of life they’ve chosen to waste, they simply would not believe me easily or readily. They’ve made up their mind, this life sucks!    96022541

Unfortunately, they would miss seeing the examples of others whom I have witnessed. Perhaps they have not taken notice of those souls, pressed with possible peril or up against unbelievable odds themselves, who are determined to be joyful in spite! Possibly they refuse to notice for themselves the very nature of life’s daily persistence; how it pulls us into each new moment we’re given whether we like it or not! How I pray daily that every soul could experience such a sense and awareness of life’s preciousness and meaning; as well as the very worth of each person, every creature, each bounty of abundance or the infinite blessings in every single day. Unfortunately, some people have made up their minds that this life wasn’t bountiful enough. Sadly, they’ve chosen to believe nothing is a real blessing, not even their own beating heart. Tragically, they don’t respect or value their own infinite worth, much less believing that about others. All of their life is lumped into the negative overall mindset they have created for themselves or experienced. Maybe it takes God’s hands and His will upon our lives to realize our own failings in that regard; for that would be my explanation as to why I see everything as I do. It would be my response as to why I refuse to give into life’s overwhelming negativity and the daily chaos which threatens my peace of mind and my positive spirit.  I am not sure even then that some souls will ever understand the true value, meaning and purpose for their lives, if they refuse to let God be a part of theirs. I only know that without an understanding as to what love truly is, from Whom it comes, people feel dejected, adrift and lost more often than not. Life becomes increasingly meaningless when there is nothing of meaning to enrich it. God is my tether in calms seas and storms! He gives my life its meaning! 306528_10150979705179939_409182314_n

Without sensing a purpose greater than themselves for being, life itself must seem tragic, cruel, hopeless, fatiguing or brutal at times. God gives my life such infinite sense of worth, purpose, hope and love; like a big safety net around my soul, He gives me beauty for my chaos, a will to not cave in and a hopeful desire in His promises to faithfully expect what awaits me beyond this breaking world. Some may think me foolish for believing as I do; but if they believe THIS is all there is to life, only the chaos and madness of this world, I would believe them the fools! Comparing and contrasting the mayhem, failings and futility of humanity to the promises of God is always going to leave humanity lacking. And so we have a glaring perspective on what is happening in the world right now. Humanity is failing more and more the further it extricates itself from God! Souls are perishing in the futile void created by human will without hope, faith and an understanding of their value in life or God’s will for their lives. A life with God is not going to be trouble-free or seem idyllic. In fact, there will be challenges as a believer which often can make things seem harder! But His love, promises and the hope which He instills offsets the challenges, difficulties, trials and failures; washing over the faithful, restoring and renewing their souls and spirits. How sad for those who miss the chance to have contentment, joy and peace of mind in this life as well; in knowing God and His love!  Signature02

The Seed of Hope Within . .

14 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Conquering Fear, Faithfulness, Lessons, Positivity

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If you allow yourself . .  search and find through every struggle, during each test of willful patience and persistence, and in every trial, the counterbalancing measure of hope which can and will develop within if you only let it! We are born that way, we are designed to persist with hope and by faith. If we don’t vanquish our hope for the sake of our weary, worn-down resolve to quit, to give in, to let go, or to harden our hearts and minds.   download (1)

When something is pushing us down, our natural inclination is to push back in self-defense. We’re not naturally inclined to be quitters. Each breath of life and every heartbeat confers that spirit. In each of us is tenacity for the sake of survival, for the sake of developing life wisdom and for the sake of persevering through challenges meant for our betterment. But we all too often let what was an opportunity for growth become an opportunity for fear, doubt and negativity to take root. And in those moments, we design ourselves anew, with fear, doubt, negativity and hardness taking hold!  persistence

Let the seed of hope which is rooted within you be the one which you nurture and feed when the going is tough! If you give hope your faithful attention rather than focusing on feeding your fears, doubts, sense of failure and negativity, you will have a full stockpile of hopeful intentions, thoughts and emotions upon which to call when you need to strengthen your resolve; to push forward and to overcome all the rest of the world! Hope lives within us all as a counterbalance for the rush of life against our living vessel. We are pushed, thrown, plunged and even emerged for what seems eternities in rough seas quite often in life. But it is only when we give way to those forces rather than developing our stick-to-it-ed-ness and willful determination, that we quit on life.  quotes-hope-01-samuel-johnson-600x411

Life is hard, often seemingly it is downright impossible, yet here we all are! Within us is a great strength and willful determination to live, to persist, to thrive and to move forward . . if we just call upon that hope from within rather than fostering what won’t help us in the end! Next time life hands you a challenge, or you are overwhelmed by some set of circumstances, consider the seedling which is pushing back within you for your very own sake. Let hope grow until it breaks through the surface with purposeful intent! Let it fill your mind, heart and spirit with willful and purposeful tenacity, strength and perseverance for the test and whatever lies ahead.   Signature02

The Heart Decides . .

11 Monday May 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Celebration, Choices, Gratitude, Joy, Positivity

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A calendar may designate a date, but the heart decides how often, why and when we’ll celebrate each one of our blessings! The heart needn’t stick to the calendar when it comes to showing our gratitude for all of our “gifts” past and present; or in honoring others who’ve brought such joy, love and pleasure to our lives.   DSC00166

A birthday, an anniversary, a remembrance, or a day set aside for special consideration are on the calendar usually once a year; but every day in between can be an equally important reminder of why we consider those earmarked days so significant! It’s the love and gratitude which fills our hearts and minds that dictates the meaning and significance of something or someone, not just a date set aside. And it only takes a change of circumstance to teach us the real meaning of a date on a calendar after all.

I only really learned to honor Father’s Day when the actual day set aside for that no longer applied to me in the same regard; when I could no longer have my day of celebration with him or give him gifts, the calendar day no longer meant a thing to me without him physically present. In fact the holiday caused me some pain for the loss of him for several years after his passing, watching others celebrate with their dads in ways I could no longer with mine. Now Father’s Day for me is every day I can spend time remembering him, it’s not just one day a year in which I am grateful or filled with memories or a sense of loss.   birthday-flowers-greetings

The human heart decides the meaning of our days, not a calendar. That is just a physical tool which serves to remind us of the meaning we already understand and appreciate from within. May all those people and reasons for which we find a day worthy of celebration know first how much gratitude and love we have for them every day, not just that one we’ve earmarked so conveniently or blatantly upon the annual calendar!  Signature02

Live For Today!

02 Saturday May 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Happiness, Lessons, Positivity

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Here on the cusp of Summer . . which I always mark as the season which begins with Memorial Day, persists through the 4th of July and sort of ends (although not officially on the calendar or even by temperature) with Labor Day . . I wonder how it can be that this year is already almost half over? Soon it will be Mother’s Day, then Memorial Day; there’ll be talk of vacations and the thrush of Summer activities like picnics and 4th of July fireworks festivals. There will also be talk of swimming pools, lakes, oceans, suntans, sunburns, adventures and back to school. Everything seems to slow down and life sets itself upon a new pace of easy and breezy. But even in that altered pace, life goes on!  images

If we aren’t stopping to mark and to make each day we are alive special in some way, all we’ll be able to see is the multitude of x’s we make as we cross off our precious days with no recollection of having truly lived them! And live them we should! Each day is ours to toil and be busy, with gratitude and a sense of purpose; or to toil and fill it just for the sake of awaiting expectantly and hopefully some other day more than this very one. If we toil hastily, hurriedly and with our hopes waiting for another day, we might spend our precious days into waste. How many Summer seasons pass so quickly because we make plans for months in advance, only to wait upon our special plans so eagerly, that we miss enjoying the days leading towards them? How many parents dread the end of school, wishing for school to restart just so that their lives are made simpler again? Such a shame we cannot learn to give equal precious weight to every day we’re given, as none is promised but the one we’re living!  labflowers

This day matters, this one counts most, this one is meaningful and this one is all you truly have. Before you mark it as over and done on the calendar, make it something which matters! Don’t wish your life away waiting on some better day, or expect better days ahead rather than making this one your best so far!   Signature02

Tunnel Vision . . Life’s Blinders

05 Thursday Mar 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Happiness, Joy, Life, Positivity

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Oh for the bother of tunnel vision, which often makes us see the minutia and the minute, rather than all the rest! For the tree in our path, we overlook the forest; missing moments, opportunities, blessings and joy. We place blinders over our own soul’s eyes, in essence negating our own ability to notice how much more we are blessed; instead choosing to heighten one horrendous negative to the point of giving it top billing over every other experience, blessing or joy we’ve felt.

imagesblinders Perhaps it’s because we get more sympathy for our pains; perhaps it is because we have made it our badge of honor for having overcome it. And that’s not to say we shouldn’t truly feel hurt, loss or pain when we experience it, we should! It is the only way to heal. But many forget to heal and let the emotions of one heartbreak, one horrific loss, one failing or one mistake conquer them for all time. We often focus on that one event in life which hurts us, one moment when things didn’t go our way; we define ourselves by one failing which truly must make us failures for all time! And in doing so, we then lose sight of how much more we have felt, accomplished, experienced, or received; before, during and after!

imagesblinders2 Life isn’t just that one moment in a dark tunnel or one situation leaving its permanent scar. It is a whole total entirety of experiences, achievements, failings, losses, glory, sadness, pain, joy, happiness, hurt, feelings, emotions, and dreams yet to be reached! Don’t let your life be forever defined by one moment, one event, one situation, one feeling, one emotion, one hurt or one failure! You are more than that. There is so much more behind you to recall, so much more to live today, and so much more yet to come! Signature02

Beauty Is In The Soul of The Beholder . .

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Beauty, Choices, Contentment, God, Gratitude, Joy, Peace, Positivity

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There was a touch of the brilliant color this morning in the sunrise which dominated last night’s amazing sunset here in the sky over Phoenix; a reminder of how much noticeable beauty exists in our world and in nature all around us. People often grow accustomed to missing beauty in the world around them, not because it is absent; but because they have turned their focus onto that which is opposite! (For a time or for life.) When we turn our focus to what it is we wish to see, assured we will see it in something, we will!   18228_468693166507348_877896573_n

So when I look at a rundown building, I don’t see the decay or the destruction and view it as ugliness. I see the history, I imagine the people who built it and their purpose. I look for the details which remain and notice the intricacy of metals, concrete, even in the paint under any graffiti! My eyes are used to my soul’s direction – to look for beauty, as it is surely there!  Beauty is the intrinsic reflection of something within the beholder, not something assured within what is beheld.

Possibly some drove through last night’s sunset without even paying it heed. Their eyes, mind, heart and soul had been closed to noticing such splendor because they had a bad day or perhaps they’re trapped in a negative period in life. So imagine how hard it would have been for them to proclaim other beauty all around them easily and readily beyond something so obvious and overt as last night’s sunset?  557832_495233400490260_2141051591_n

We have to give ourselves the gift of experiencing beauty, through our senses, with our hearts and in our minds. For the universe our Creator made is rich with beauty; in objects, in nature, in experiences and in other souls! It is in us as well! Look today for all the ways in which you see beauty and take the time to appreciate those beautiful gifts from God! Beauty opens the mind to what is positive and affirming in life. The riches of beauty we take notice of in life all around us help to soften our hearts; as reminders of how much is right with this world and with life itself! Failing to notice routinely strips the soul of much which brings joy, peace and contentment to the heart and mind!   acceptance 5

A soul determined to behold beauty will always see it regardless the imperfect state of things, or the location, or the object even! And when we accept beauty as readily as that, we tend to respect more of life around us for beauty’s sake; tending and caring for that which we know to be beautiful. Signature02

Comparison, The Thief of Happiness . .

03 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Attitude, Character, Choices, Contentment, Lessons, Positivity, Success

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One person excels at singing, another exemplifies the idyllic beauty, another can paint a masterpiece on a blank canvas, someone else is able to teach young minds about a waiting world, and another can slice open a human body with precision and care. We’re all given differing abilities, talents, skills and interests as a specific set of gifts unique to us. When we start to assume that there is a way to measure equity between gifts or that our gifts should be equitable in comparison to those of others, we are already losing the intrinsic worth of those gifts!

Often times, human beings try so hard to make things fair because they’re caught up in a game of comparison. Comparing me to you and you to others and others to even more people can only find someone lacking and others in want. Life isn’t designed to seem the same for each of us or to bring us the same results; there is no equity or “fairness” to be had in life when we each start out in different places, with different assets and limitations, or with varying skill sets and gifts. There is simply no way to compare your apple to my orange. Our only similarity is in our humanness. Other than that, we are a mixed bag of individuality; belonging to various subsets! We should give up our desire to see equity for things and fairness in things which first haven’t any set value in the world; but are seen as personal traits, skills to be developed and unique talents in which we have ability.

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Yes it would be lovely to sing like some great pop star, to have the ability to use my voice to make millions and to be famous. And yes, it might be wonderful to be a successful brain surgeon, so that I might help to heal the world with my talents. And surely it would be great to have the hair, skin, body or feature of another human being. Or it might be fabulous to be or do anything someone else has been able to do, with seeming ease! But I cannot follow in anyone else’s footsteps but step forward with my own! And so I owe it to myself to stop comparing myself to others in whom my similarities may be limited to female, human and perhaps a few other insignificant commonalities. imagescomparison3

Comparison is a terrible waste, for it leads us to believe we’re always lacking! And comparison is a thief, in that it reminds us that others seem to have more! And comparison is a killer of dreams, in that it teaches us we might not be as capable with our skill set as others have been! If only we could let go the need to compare our lives to those of others! If we focus on living for ourselves, the lives we are best meant to live, without the constant need to assess and measure the results of others in theirs. Perhaps we would all live happier, more contented lives sans comparison; with more self-respect, greater self-confidence and a genuine self-love. Signature02

Prisons of Our Own Making . .

17 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Confidence, Conquering Fear, Fear, Positivity, Strength

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There just comes a time when carrying a perceived burden, problem or uncertainty becomes too weighty for me, so that the resolution, solution, or just plowing forward into the uncertainty becomes a necessary relief. And so it is . . we have to release ourselves from the prisons of our own making!

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We often choose to remain focused on things which we fear, by way of doubts, which we want to evade and for which we find procrastination an ease; but when the burden upon our minds and hearts becomes too much to bear one more day, we often release our own inner-kraken or monster of forceful energy, determined to change the circumstances! We have to; we’ve spent too much energy, time and focus on those things in the first place. Otherwise we would live in such emotional torment, such consternation, with such a sense of dread about what might be or may be or could happen at any minute.

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Upon bottling up our emotions, our energy and our focus for so long on problems, eventually the problem itself provokes us to do something. It’s inevitable when the weight gets so heavy on our souls. Unless we’re hiding the effects of such things, by distracting ourselves to the point of not recognizing burdens, problems, and such; we will eventually erupt like a volcano, pushed to the tipping point for our own sake. So it is almost always better for us dealing with things before we reach the point where those things have pushed us to the point of dealing with them!

 

When we’re proactive, we often aren’t so dis-empowered, so fatigued or require such hasty thinking as when we’re retroactively reactive. But even if we wait until we cannot wait one more day, we must go forward with confidence; knowing that procrastination, ignoring or just wishing things away doesn’t usually work or resolve anything. There is no better time than the present to believe yourself a capable life-manager, who is able to cope with and to resolve all the situations life delivers to your door! No better time than the present to be proactive rather than just reactive! You may not fix things in a moment, a day or even have all the answers; but evading, avoidance and delaying the inevitable are going to wear upon you in the meantime. See your problems and your concerns as managerial duties of your life; the better you are at managing all of that, the better your life becomes!

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Putting on the Lenses of Gratitude . .

27 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Faithfulness, God, Gratitude, Positivity

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Yesterday a few friends and I were sharing our personal stories of extreme weather events, of enduring and surviving. It became so obvious from the first moments, that each of us was grateful for having been through what we had been unscathed. But it also became so crystal clear to us that our thankfulness went far beyond that! We were thankful, upon recollecting, for not having had to endure far worse! Each day, in every moment, lies infinite potential for better and worse. The very thing which makes it evident to us is our awareness in those moments of how grateful we are for what we have, for what we evaded and for how we are blessed!

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Good could be better. And perhaps we’re angry or upset that it was not. But in that state, did we take note of how it was still good and not bad or even worse?? Were we present in our blissful awareness to also be thankful that it wasn’t negative, or just worse?! We’re fabulous at pointing out how bad things are, or how we survived or lived through; probably because our pain, struggles or our hardships seem to garner us more attention by way of compassion, sympathy and empathy. But if we truly were present in each moment, we would soon see how very blessed we are and always have been! Good might surely have been better, but for everything, time or person who represented good to us in our lives, we were spared the worse things, times and people. And even if we encounter those things, times and people which are worse, it could have always been worse even yet!

 

549516_469832986380781_1137289488_nThankfulness reminds us of the breadth and scope of our life’s events as it focuses our limited attention to a wider range of possibility in assessment. Gratitude is a practice which only leads to more reasons to be grateful! Looking back at your life, I’m sure now you can see more reasons for which your life is meaningful, rewarding and valuable than ever before if you but put on the lenses of gratitude!

 

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Having FAITH!

17 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Confidence, Faith, God, Inspiration, Life, Patience, Positivity

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FaithABRHaving faith is one thing. But having FAITH is something altogether different. Real faith is standing in absolute belief regardless what is known or unknown at any particular time. In fact, most of what is unknown shouldn’t displace faith, in the way of fear, doubt, worry, anxiety or trying to do what isn’t within our ability to do. We’re faithful when we sit in our unknown, silent, uncertain, unsure, unimaginable, dark, mysterious and unresolved present. We mustn’t rely upon our prior experiences or what has happened in the past as certain evidence of that which remains hoped for and waited upon.

 

 Faith is like a tsunami of belief, which overcomes anything lingering and anything pending; it eliminates references to patterns from the past and ignores omens for the future. Faith isn’t what we call upon when we have a high probability that things will go as we expect, want, know or await. Faith is what we hold onto when Big-Data-tsunamiBeliefeverything seems glaringly in opposition to our very notion of belief. Faith is supported by God’s promises to us, which we find assured repeatedly in His Word. When we have knowledge of His Word, we have proof of His desires, His heart and His will for our lives.

 

Having FAITH is believing in God and His will. And it is in referencing the Word where we learn how to discern our will from His. He plants seeds of dreams within us, often then asking us to faithfully await the outcome of those dreams through His working in us and around us in our lives. Faith is what we require when one of many of our dreams has yet come to fruition, or when life seems difficult. And we’re always growing, changing, developing and imparting on some leg of our life’s journey towards new dreams; often times, we’re turning corners as a means of making corrections for poor choices or enhanced wisdom in our lives.

 

With faith, we persevere. With faith, we stand strong regardless how hard or long things take; or how little patience we might seem to have at any one moment. Faith pushes us through our impatience, beyond our perceived inability and long past our sense of what is possible! Faith opens the infinite doors of this world to us individually, so that our lives become limitless and unscripted surprises filled with potential and promise! Faith is the key. With just a little faith, we can sort of imagine plenty; but with a lot of faith, we can realize the unimaginable and endless potential as well as all the promise that life holds!

 

Faith002-50Master faith, regardless how easy it becomes to let the past talk you down the mountains you want to climb. Practice faith, in spite of how hard life becomes while you’re waiting for your dreams to come to fruition! Don’t quit on that which God plants in your life. If He plants the seeds of dreams within you, trust Him to give you the ways and means to make those things come to reality! Have faith, oodles of it! Faith is affirming your belief in God, His will and His ability, not yours!

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