M.J. Blehart's Blog, page 90

Positivity: Remember that WE ARE ALL ONE

When all is said and done, WE ARE ALL ONE.

Do you know how amazing it is that despite all our differences, we are all the same?

That is the truth.  It does not matter what gender, nationality, religion, political affiliation, skin color or otherwise you are…we are all one.

Energy.  Each and every one of us is energy.  At our core we are light and energy.  As Yoda said, quite accurately, “Luminous beings are we…not this crude matter.”

Finding my Positivity for this week has been particularly hard.  Why?  Because even the least empathetic person on the planet cannot help but notice the anger, the fear, the hate and the vitriol of the current American election.

As we reach election day, the division between the two primary parties has gone from ugly to REALLY ugly.  Mudslinging, threats of violence and lies have been tossed about as though that’s the way it’s done.  Friends and families are being torn apart by bitterness and anger over candidates more despised than loved.  It’s thoroughly disheartening.

That’s why I am reminding myself, and you, that WE ARE ALL ONE.  We are energy, we are love, we are each worthy of peace and happiness.  When this mess is over in another day, we need to stop letting these so-called leaders divide us, and we need to work to heal the wounds and rifts we perceive between us.

Consider that in the end, no matter the divisions between us…WE ARE ALL ONE.  We want the sa,e things, just in different forms.  Widening the gaps between us can changer nothing, and certainly can build no positivity.  We need to strive to better understand one another, work with each other, and bridge the gaps instead.

Fear is dominating the land.  Really look at how its being used against us all, and being used to control us.  Fear of change, fear of different, fear of one another.

We are all after love, peace, joy, contentment, happiness and assurance.  Take that into consideration, remember that in the end we are all made of the same essential stuff, and there is positivity in that oneness.  Try to stay focused on that, and don’t let them keep you afraid.  WE ARE ALL ONE.  Remember that.

Lastly – if you live in the USA – get out there and VOTE tomorrow!

Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action.  Knowing that WE ARE ALL ONE, we need to work with instead of against each other to make the world a better place.  When we understand and really work with this, we can overcome the fear that those in power employ to stay in power, and in realizing this we empower ourselves.  When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings.  We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings.  When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for.  Gratitude leads to happiness.  Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude.  Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

 

This is the one hundred forty-fifth entry of my Positivity series.  It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone.  Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

In relation to Positivity, check out my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.

Crossing the Bridges: Knowing the Path vs Walking the Path

Frequently I have claimed to suffer from ADOS.  ADOS = Attention Deficit…Oooooooooh, Shiny!

(I do not claim this phrase as my own, someone else I know put it out there, not me – but I use it rather a lot).

This is not so much a medical disorder, as it is an inability to focus or keep one’s eyes on the prize or to get pulled in a million directions or…

Be right back.  Something else has my attention at the moment!

Sometimes I am very easily distracted.  In particular, this happens when I am attempting to write or edit.  Maybe the TV is on in the background, or I’m reading posts across Facebook and Twitter, or I start messaging someone on the phone or a cat leaps onto my keyboard or the back of my chair…suddenly, my plan for writing and editing time has evaporated.

As I have mentioned before, I have a lot of different worlds I am bridging in my life.  Writing, however, is my passion.  This is why three times a week I post to this blog, on three different topics.

While I love writing my blogs, my greater passion lies in my works of fiction and my non-fiction books.  While I currently have several works published, I have a couple underway, and a few in need of both my own and professional editing.

So I desire to put time in either writing or editing those works.  This has to happen either on weekends, or early in the morning or during the evening.

I have attempted to discipline myself to write.  This has not gone well, as so far ADOS divides my attention, and before I know it in the morning I have to go to work, or in the evening it gets so late that I cannot focus, and I need to rest.

What can I do about my ADOS problem?  How DO I force myself to do this work…without forcing myself to do it?

See, this is part of the problem here.  I lack in discipline.  I have nobody to blame but myself for this, and knowing that I have this issue it is entirely up to me to do something, if anything, about it.

I can make up any number of excuses.  I won’t deny that I enjoy lazily waking up in the morning, sipping coffee and playing games on Facebook.  Similarly, I like watching TV in the evening and vegging out on the couch, or goofing off online with no particular goal or focus, before getting sleepy and heading off to bed.  While these are times where I could maintain some productivity, it’s not the habit I am currently into.

And that right there is the big elephant in the room.  Habit.  I have established habits of my behavior that, while I would not call them losery, I can identify them as lazy.  That, however, is rather unfair of me towards myself, so it may be better instead to call this habits, simply, comfortable.

Do you wake up refreshed, energized, and rested and ready to tackle the day ahead?  If so…what DOES that feel like?  I cannot recall the last time I awakened feeling like that.  I usually awaken groggy, semi-rested but in a fog for a while as my brain boots up for the new day.

On the other side of the coin, do you fall asleep moments after your head hits the pillow?  Again, I have no idea what that might be like, it usually takes me 10 to 20 minutes to fall asleep on any given night.

I am in no way making excuses for myself here, just explaining where the comfort of my current habits has its roots.  I seldom awaken in the morning ready to go.  Also, I am rarely in bed before midnight, and once in bed falling asleep takes time, too. As such I have formed comfortable habits around these matters, which are deeply ingrained after years and years of practice.

The choice before me is thus:  Accept my habits and work with, through and around them, OR strive to change them.  Deep down I want, and even need, to change them.  This begs the inevitable question of – What do I have to do in order to do that, then?

This is the challenge I am working with.  I want to change these habits, but so far my attempts have been…shall we say, less than successful.  Like just the other morning, I got up, I got some necessary tasks done, and I was all set to get my gear and head to the gym…and then, oooooooooooo, shiny!  Before I knew it I was enraptured by something online, and before I knew it had only enough time to hit the shower and get dressed before I needed to get on the road to work.

I know that there is no magic bullet to make this change go forward.  Just like losing weight or altering any other habit, I will need focus, I will need discipline.  But before I even consider that, what I need right now is forgiveness.

I need to forgive myself when my plan for change goes awry.  I need to let go of my annoyance with myself over my lack of discipline, because that just pulls me down and worsens matters.  Lower vibration won’t attract what I want.  I know what I need to work on, and if one means to the end is failing, that means I need to find and employ another.

If I really want to change my habits, and not let ADOS dominate my time, I know what I have to do.  I can see the path…I alone can choose to know it, or know it and walk it.

Stay tuned!

this is something I can and should make more of for my life.  So I will take the necessary steps in order to get there.

Fine, something I tried to do fell through.  Ok, onwards and forwards.  There are other matters for me to work on, other things I want and need to do to build up my life.  I will take the actions necessary to manifest my dreams.  That is my intent.  That is my plan.

I know this week is a bit rambling and touching on a couple disparate point.  Welcome to my world.  And again, thank you for joining me on this crazy voyage.

Thank you for crossing the bridges between my worlds with me!

 

This is the sixth entry of my personal journey, the Crossing the Bridges series.  My collectively published writing can be found here.

Pathwalking 253

There are always going to be days where it feels like it just does not matter.  But they are a lie.  It matters.  YOU matter.

I have those days when I get out of bed, and no matter how much sleep I have gotten I am still feeling totally wiped out.  And no matter how much coffee I consume, I still feel like I would much rather crawl back into my nice warm bed and sleep more.  Of course, this would be pointless, since once I am up and getting onto things, I am up and getting onto things.

Then what’s worse is when you get nothing but negative reinforcement.  Reading social media of late has been a real landmine.  Greed, violence, threats of disaster and warfare and a truly ugly election are just infuriating, maddening, and hugely upsetting.  I know I start to feel overwhelmed, and like no matter what I do, it just does not matter.

But it does.  It really really does.

Whether or not you believe this – you matter.  You are important to me, whether or not I know you.

Give me a break.  You’re just saying that.  No, I’m not.  It’s true.  You matter to me.  You are important to me. I care that you are out there, whether or not I know you.

Why?  Because I may not know you, but I know your intent.  I know that you, like me, are seeking to find your own way in life.  It may not be an every day activity, it’s most likely not in the way I am doing it, nor the same as the life I am seeking to create for myself; but I know that what you want is to have a life where you find contentment, satisfaction, and if at all possible happiness.

Unless you are a sociopath or some other type who enjoys pain and suffering and wants to see the world burn – you are also striving to live your life in the best way you can.  You don’t want to hurt people, you don’t want to be a burden on society, you don’t want to struggle to make ends meet, you want to have the things and people and experiences that appeal the most to you.

What you want may have some similarities to what other people want, but probably they vary rather a lot.  Every experience we have, no matter how similar it may be, is always unique to each and every one of us.  You want your corner of the universe to be what you want it to be.

That’s the way it is for everyone.  No matter how much we disagree, no matter how widely our opinions vary, that’s what all of us want.  Unfortunately, some see the world as full of lack, and being a place of competition; and that is why they so closely guard the things that they see as being theirs.  This is why homophobia, racism, sexism, misogyny and hatred come out as they do.  They are borne less of a place of malicious intent and more from a place of fear of losing what you already have to the unknown, the unfamiliar, and the dissimilar to you and your own way of life.

You are deserving of the good things you want.  You deserve to have the life you crave.  You are worthy.  You matter.  What you want matters.  What you think matters.  To me, you matter.

Look, we all think differently.  We all process information differently.  Of course we find people who have similar views and approaches and methods, but they still differ.  Even utterly identical twins are not the same as one another in every way, they are still individuals.  One of the ways we form the communities we do is so that we surround ourselves with like-minded individuals.  But we are all different, none-the-less.

Everybody matters.  We live in a universe that is abundant, not lacking.  When we buy into the lack mentality, when we begin believing that there is not enough and that we have to struggle to find our equal share of the pie, we contribute to that negativity, and it makes us feel bad.

I get sucked into it, too.  It’s really hard to stay in the know about what’s going on out there, and not get overstimulated.  So much bad news, so much negativity.  People we consider friends, coworkers and family are being thrust into opposing corners by the divides created by lack mentality.  The reality of the whole “Us versus Them” mentality is that when all is said and done, it is really “Us versus Us.”  No one is lesser, no one is unimportant, when all is said and done, we all matter, even when we believe different things.

Some days I know how much you struggle to just keep going.  I’m with you.  I go through those days, too.  You matter.  And I would bet that you matter to more people than just me.  But more than that, you matter.  Your hopes, dreams, aspirations and very existence matter.  That’s the truth, plain and simple.

We live in an abundant universe.  I know that seems like it’s not true all too regularly, but I assure you, it’s true.  This life is precious, you are precious, and you matter to the Universe, no matter what your lot in life is, what struggles you endure, or what you have to go through.

Thank you for being.

Do you realize that even if you disbelieve, you DO matter?

 

GOAL LOG – Week 43:

Diet:  Still going pretty well.

Exercise: Fencing happened once last week, but I didn’t get to the gym.  I did, however, take a walk around my neighborhood and get exercise on two other days, for four total.

Writing:  Just the three blogs got written.

Meditation:  I meditated on 4 days, at least 5 minutes each day.

Gratitude: I wrote five things I was grateful for three days last week.

Must strive to get back on track with these goals.

This is the two-hundred fifty-third entry in my series. These weekly posts are ideas and my personal experiences in walking along the path of life.  I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world along the way.

Thank you for joining me.  Feel free to re-blog and share.

The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.

If you enjoy Pathwalking, you may also want to read my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.

Positivity: Generosity

Generosity is amazing.

When people give of themselves, whether it is a thing or things or just time, the generosity they present is incredibly positive.

Generosity allows us to work together to build amazing, incredible things.  When we are generous, we are spreading love and light and positivity to others, and I know that for me, at least, it always feels good.

When a friend offers you somewhere to stay on a trip; when you tip your wait staff at the restaurant better than 20%; when you help jumpstart a stranger’s car or help them change a tire; when you give full-sized candy bars instead of those tiny ones to the kids at Halloween, you both feel good and share that immense positivity.

It doesn’t necessarily cost us anything to be generous.  It can be a gesture of kindness that goes above and beyond simply giving a minimal amount of anything.

You might smile for your friends and acquaintances, but it is generosity to smile kindly at strangers.  Generosity is giving more, and generosity is part of abundance.

When you give, you tell the Universe that you have plenty, and you want to share it.  The Universe responds by giving YOU more, so you can share more.  Like attracts like, and generosity will attract generosity back to you.  Giving from a place of abundance attracts more abundance.

Of course there are times when you are feeling low, when you read about acts of unbelievable selfishness, greed, stinginess and worse.  Generosity, however, is not necessarily material, and the act of being generous to others opens positive energy channels, and will make you feel better.

Generosity shouldn’t feel forced, and it should not be expected, but it should simply be.  Consider how much you appreciate when people are generous to YOU, whether with material or immaterial matters.  Knowing that, you can see that your own generosity will feel good both for yourself, and for whomever you are sharing it with.

Because that’s the best part about being generous.  It is true, two-way positivity.  You both give and receive that good energy from acts of generosity.  That this one act can generate so much positivity makes me wonder why people do not strive to be more generous in their everyday dealings with the world.

This simple extra action can change anyone’s days for the better.  Doesn’t that sound appealing?

Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action.  Knowing that being generous can be material or immaterial, grand or small, we can act with greater generosity to build more positivity.  When we are generous with our time, our love, our kindness or our money and things, we make the people we are generous to feel good, and in the process make ourselves feel good, and as such we empower ourselves.  When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings.  We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings.  When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for.  Gratitude leads to happiness.  Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude.  Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

 

This is the one hundred forty-fourth entry of my Positivity series.  It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone.  Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

In relation to Positivity, check out my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.

Crossing the Bridges: Of Best Laid Plans

We’re all familiar, I think, with the phrase, “I love it when a plan comes together!”

Conversely, though, nobody is fond of when the plan falls apart.

What do you do when your best laid plans go pfffffffft around you?

As with anything else in life, you have a choice.  You can lament your failed plan, moan about it, whine about it, get upset and angry and kick at the stones along the way…or you can accept the lesson learned (even if you are not quite sure what the lesson is), take a deep breath, and keep moving forward.

One of several plans I had been working on collapsed yesterday.  I wanted to do something large, something a bit out of my comfort zone…but it proved to be too far removed from reality.  I was going to replace my six-year-old car with a new car…but it proved to be too costly for me to do at this time.  I’m a bit bummed, but…it happens.  Deep breath – move forward.

However, because this has been preoccupying my mind a lot lately, other projects have fallen a bit to the wayside.  The time is neigh to reclaim my own existence, and get some things in order.

One of the bigger projects I am working on with my coach is getting myself out there to promote my writing.  Beyond social media, which has its many uses, I want to physically put myself out there to promote my work.

Doing what?  Readings, signings, and overall presentations.

I am a writer.  One of the bigger takeaways from my most recent coaching session was the following:

I need to stop overcomplicating this thing.  

I AM A WRITER.

Here and now, I am working with simplifying things.

Do or do not, there is no try.

So my new mantra this week has been:

HERE AND NOW I AM DOING THIS.

One of the bigger problems (entirely in my head) has been that I see myself as more than one writer.  Primarily, I write fiction and inspirational/philosophical/self-help work.  I have wondered for some time if I should have published myself under more than one name as such.

But it’s more than that.  These are the two primary genres I work in, but the truth is that my writing goes far beyond this.  I also write press releases and business-related articles, I have done search-engine optimization writing, web content work, and even journalism.

And yet I keep creating this more complicated, more involved matter entirely in my own head, rather than just do my thing.  Which is why the above was written.

I am a writer.  It is time to go out there and promote myself in whatever way I can.

I started to list various libraries, schools, coffeeshops and bookstores where I could possibly go and present my work.  I can do a bit of a talk about being a writer in general, about the self-help/philosophical stuff I compose, and do a reading from my fantasy or Steampunk work.  I can then do signings and hopefully sell some copies of my various works.

I can, if needs be, take a more specialized approach.  If the place where I am presenting wants me to stick to one topic, I can either work with the self-help angled stuff, or the fiction.  Either way, if I can get a foot in the door and get this ball rolling, I can build up more of what I want from my life.

I started with a familiar library.  I made an inquiry while I was there, and have the name of a person I need to reach out to in order to set this up.

This is the next step for me to take.  I want to be not just an author, but a best-selling author, and in order to have any chance of making that happen, I need to take new avenues to get out there, and promote myself to the world.

I believe that my work, be it fiction or non-fiction, is good.  I believe that this is something I can and should make more of for my life.  So I will take the necessary steps in order to get there.

Fine, something I tried to do fell through.  Ok, onwards and forwards.  There are other matters for me to work on, other things I want and need to do to build up my life.  I will take the actions necessary to manifest my dreams.  That is my intent.  That is my plan.

I know this week is a bit rambling and touching on a couple disparate point.  Welcome to my world.  And again, thank you for joining me on this crazy voyage.

Thank you for crossing the bridges between my worlds with me!

 

This is the fifth entry of my personal journey, the Crossing the Bridges series.  My collectively published writing can be found here.

Pathwalking 252

It’s not that there always needs to be a fixed destination.  Life is about the journey, after all, so it is certainly both logical and even necessary that from time to time you walk a path, but the goal is not wholly clear.

Yes, it is important to have an idea, to have a plan.  But sometimes there are days where you just are on the paths, walking along, and though you have an end goal in mind, it is far out of sight.

Like any good TV show with an over-arching plot, there will be episodes where the plot is very clearly being driven forward.  But then, once in a while, they throw one in that just stands alone, but hardly touches the overall plot.

We all have days like this.  Days where we just go.  Doesn’t feel like we’re really moving along, per se, but there you are.

The thing is, this is perfectly normal.  Every single day can be luminous and exciting and full of change and discovery and learning and growing.  But then, some days, you simply be.

That’s the important takeaway here.  I think that as a society we have forgotten how to simply BE.  I mean, just in this moment, this very second sitting here reading these words, just BE.

What does that mean?  That’s the part that has become rather ill-defined, I think.  What does it mean to just be?

First – it means rather than looking back where you came from, or looking ahead to where you are going, you just relish the here-and-now.  Live in the moment, be completely present at this very juncture, and experience what’s going on around you.

We give surprisingly little attention to the here and now.  How often do we coast through our day, focused on deadlines and after-work or after-school plans, or meals, or watching the show later, or even snuggling in bed with a pet or book or loved one?

Where are you, right now as you read this?  What do you feel?  What do you see?  What do you smell?  What are you sensing in your immediate surroundings?  Is this a familiar, regular place where you spend a great deal of your time?  What are you currently thinking?  What are you currently feeling?

It amazes me how easy it is to be caught up in what’s next more than what’s now.  As I am typing out these words, I am playing my favorite Writer’s mix off iTunes.  The allergy med I took hasn’t kicked in yet, so I’m sniffling a bit.  I smell the coffee I brewed.  The sky is getting brighter as the sun is coming up over the trees outside, which are either colorful, or leafless as autumn is winding down.  I am wearing my favorite flannel shirt, which is so very soft.  I am feeling content, contemplative, and empowered as I work.

That was a moment in time where I allowed myself to simply be.  I looked around my desk and the room and soaked it in and relished that moment.  It was nothing profound or earth-shattering, it just was a moment I was being.

Yes, I need to finish this up so I can jump in the shower, get my lunch prepped and head off to work.  I’ll contend with the usual traffic, and I know that there are a number of things on my plate that need to be taken care of throughout the day.  But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t take time to enjoy moments of just being.

When we become completely conscious of where we ARE, versus getting caught up in where we were and where we need to be or where we are going, we will actually struggle less with stress and anxiety because we better connect with ourselves.  Thinking too much on the past or too far into the future disempowers us, because we allow ourselves to get lost in regrets, concerns, second-guessing actions and choices we have made or are making.

Lao Tzu is credited with saying, “If you are depressed you are living in the past.  If you are anxious you are living in the future.  If you are at peace you are living in the present.”   I find that when I take the time to BE, in the present, I get a much better handle on depression and anxiety.  I become truly empowered to see the world around me in this moment, and bask in the glory of being.

I am alive.  I have a job, I have a roof over my head.  I have loved ones and acquaintances and animals to share my being with.  I am not my past, I am not my future, I am me, here and now, as I am.  This is both unbelievably simple to grasp, and yet surprisingly complicated to accept sometimes.

The other cool thing about just being, I find, is this:  Take a moment to look around you.  Really look around your space.  Don’t just use your eyes, use all of your senses.  See if you can find something you have not noticed before.  It doesn’t have to be grand, it could be a splotch on the wall, a color in a print you previously just glanced over, the writing on a pen.  This might be something that has been there all along, for days or weeks or even years, but in the here and now you are finding something new about it.

That is what makes just being so powerful.  When we are present, in the moment, there are unexpected wonders to discover.  When we simply be, we are completely empowered, and we gain insight that will ultimately benefit the paths we are walking.

Do you see how empowering simply ‘being’ can be?

 

GOAL LOG – Week 42:

Diet:  Still going pretty well.  I still need to work on portions, however.

Exercise: Fencing happened three times last week, and I got to the gym twice.

Writing:  Just the three blogs got written.  I really need to give more time to this particular habit.

Meditation:  I meditated only on 3 days, at least 4 minutes each day.

Gratitude: I wrote five things I was grateful for five days last week, and six things once.

 

This is the two-hundred fifty-second entry in my series. These weekly posts are ideas and my personal experiences in walking along the path of life.  I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world along the way.

Thank you for joining me.  Feel free to re-blog and share.

The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.

If you enjoy Pathwalking, you may also want to read my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.

Positivity: A metaphor for Safety

Even with the safety harness, you don’t want to lose your balance and fall.

I recently did a “treetop” ropes course.  Various obstacles to be crossed, thirty-five feet in the air, including rope bridges and tightropes and other challenging constructs.  You cross the obstacles from platform to platform in a harness on a secure line, but you still don’t want to fall.

It occurs to me, however, that this is an interesting metaphor of our lives.  Even when we fall, we usually have a safety harness to keep us from losing our lives.

Yes, I know that bad things can happen.  We might go bankrupt, we might be in a serious accident and suffer permanent damage, we might face emotionally crippling situations and be clueless as to how to cope.  But apart from death, we can and will recover from our fall.

I know that this can bring about unwanted changes when it happens.  But if you are here, alive, you are still able to do so very many things.  Even when it all seems bleak and hopeless, you have opportunity to take hold of matters and change them.

Life is full of endless possibilities.  We live in a Universe where we can consciously create our realities, and we can draw into our lives more good than we often realize.  As long as we are alive, we have possibilities, and positivity can allow us to realize innumerable opportunities.

Even when we fall, unless we die, we can still recover.  Maybe not to where we were before, but then when are we ever where we were before?  Life is a flowing river, sometimes fast, sometimes glacially slow.  But it is always flowing, always in motion, always changing.

You are here.  That means that, even if yesterday was horrific, today doesn’t look much better, and tomorrow feels like it may be an even larger pile of suck, it can still be altered.  We will still be caught in the safety harness and survive when we fall.

I know it sometimes feels like we lack that safety harness.  It feels like we will just fall, and fall again, with no end in sight.  But I maintain that so long as we are here, we can seek out positivity to change our personal corners of the world for the better.

Positivity is ultimately a safety harness.  You can use it to find good in bad situations.  You can employ positivity to turn around negativity, and to arrest your fall.  Positivity can allow us to see that, hey, so long as we are here, we are still able to move from day to day, to grow, to change, to discover new and incredible things within our relatively small understanding of the universe around us.

Even knowing we have the harness, it’s still scary to fall.  But I know that there are more opportunities and possibilities to not just survive, but thrive, and experience ever-more wonders of the world.

Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action.  Knowing that there is usually a safety harness to catch our fall, as long as we are alive, here on this earth, we can do almost anything.  When we recognize that positivity is part of what will arrest our fall, we can use this to see what we still have even when we experience loss, and thus we empower ourselves.  When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings.  We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings.  When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for.  Gratitude leads to happiness.  Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude.  Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

 

This is the one hundred forty-third entry of my Positivity series.  It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone.  Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

In relation to Positivity, check out my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.

Crossing the Bridges: The Illusion of Time

Where does the time go when it’s not around here?

Ever feel like you are always chasing time?  Like no matter what you do, there is seldom enough or it runs out or expires or what-have-you?

Of course, it doesn’t help that time is completely and totally subjective.  The great scientist Albert Einstein famously said, “Time is an illusion.”  Douglas Adams even expanded upon that in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with “Time is an illusion.  Lunchtime doubly so.”

My point is, time is how we perceive it.  If we think we have enough time, not enough time, or too much time, that is exactly what we will get.

I mentioned in a previous post that I am working with making better use of the time I am awake.  I am working on dividing my time really in four places, between work, writing/editing, exercise, and social and antisocial interactions.

The most fixed aspect of this is work.  I have 8.5 hours of my day, right in the middle, which are applied to my job Monday-Friday.  That’s as straightforward as it gets.

Granted, there is also occasional work for my old job, but that is less frequent and unpredictable.  I don’t feel much need to include time used for it here.

If, as I postulated before, I am awake approximately 18 hours a day…I have between 8 and 9 hours in which to write/edit, exercise and be social/antisocial.

Within all of this is incidental time.  Driving from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’.  Taking a shower or otherwise using the bathroom.  Eating a meal or a snack.  I would hazard a guess that this will in-and-of-itself eat up one to three hours in any given day.  This lessens my non-work time from 8-9 hours down to as little as 5 hours.

This means I have from 5-8 hours a day for the other things, apart from work and incidental time, I want to do.  You are in all probability in the same boat, though your division of time will be unique to you and your interests.

Is it any wonder we find ourselves chasing time?  We can break it down into these bits and pieces, we can focus on having it versus not having it, and it can seem really really overwhelming.  If time is but an illusion, why does it seem so damned real?

This is a new concept I want to work on.  Time.  I don’t want to be the victim of time.  Just like any illusionary or imaginary thing, this is something that should have little to no real bearing on my life.

What am I doing about it?  That’s the question.  What can I do with this?

First, I am going to work to not discuss matters of time on a day to day basis.  Just like anything in regards to conscious creation, what you focus on is what you get.  If I think about, talk about and explore issues with time and my life, chances are I will continue to have problems finding and making the time I need for things.  This particular essay is an examination of the issue, so as such is not contributory to the problem.

Second, I am going to remain conscious of time – because there are places we have to be and times we have to be there – but I am not going to obsess about it.  I used to run at least 10 minutes late, standard.  When I stopped stressing about this, I ran on time far more frequently.  The thing is, time cannot be ignored, but respecting it is different from obsessing about it.

Third, I am going to work more on simply being in the present.  It is far too easy to think back on old happenings or to give thought to coming attractions.  Our society loves the paradox of nostalgia for the past and planning for the future but gives very little thought to simply being in the here-and-now.  We are always being told to look back or look ahead, but ignore right here, right now.

Lao Tzu is credited with saying, “If you are depressed you are living in the past.  If you are anxious you are living in the future.  If you are at peace you are living in the present.”   I am finding that this is completely true.  So it is my goal to work to live in the here-and-now, in the present, and stop being so concerned with the outcomes of actions from the past and what is going to happen in the future.

I know so many people who deal with depression and anxiety.  I do as well.  I think our perception of time has quite the effect on this.  As such, I am striving now to work with that, instead of against it, to find and create a better world I want for myself.  Doesn’t that sound awesome?

Thank you for crossing the bridges between my worlds with me!

 

This is the fourth entry of my personal journey, the Crossing the Bridges series.  My collectively published writing can be found here.

Pathwalking 251

Consciousness creates reality.

I write that a lot.  Why?  Because this is the truth.

Consciousness creates our reality.  What we concentrate on, give thought and feeling and energy and action to, we create.  We manifest things into our life, and we build or destroy our personal world.

I know that for a lot of people this seems like total BS.  We live in a world that seems to be beyond our control.  We didn’t manifest our debts, our illnesses, the politicians or any of those things.  Except…truthfully…yes we did.

How?  Because when we do not consciously work to manifest, we do so on the subconscious level.  The Universe doesn’t recognize don’t and not and no and other negative statements, it recognizes what you are putting your focus onto.

The Powers-that-be only recognize you are putting thought and feeling into things.  So when you are focusing on negative things, and the things you do not want, unless you consciously work to do otherwise, you are likely to get those negative things in some form or other.

It is easier to consciously create than subconsciously create.  That’s why it takes more time and seems less obvious when we subconsciously create things we don’t actually want.

As a society, we want people to simply go with the flow.  We want to follow the expected patterns and “adult” if we want to have things and be accepted in our community.  This is why we have only two major political parties in the US, because somewhere along the way in our history we just accepted this as being the norm, and unchangeable.  This is why we still have major issues with racism and sexism and other matters of equality in this country…because there are still whole communities who hold onto their way being the only way, the way it has always been, and damn anyone who tries to change it.

Have you ever noticed that more often than not our news and media outlets use sensationalism to get us to read their stories?  They provide us with an outrageous headline to grab our attention, and then more often than not inundate us with vast amounts of negativity.  If you really look at the articles that are produced out there, how many take a negative slant versus a positive one?

What’s my point?  When we allow ourselves to be barraged with these negative messages, and we read and seek more of them out and then share them, we contribute to the group consciousness.  As such, we tend to unwillingly draw matters into our lives that we probably don’t want.

Because we focus largely on huge matters, beyond our own day-to-day lives, we let our subconscious create reality.  I read that report, and it got me really angry.  My friend shared that meme and it made me feel really sad.  All I see is war and devastation and greed, is that all there is in this world?  I am totally selfish if I am not also lacking, right?  Guess what sort of reality this subconscious thinking is going to create?

How do you get clear of the group think?  How do we not let our subconscious create reality?  By being conscious of what we want to create.  We can’t focus on what we don’t want, we need to focus on what we DO want.  We have to change our frequency to shift out of the group conscious and move from subconscious to conscious creation.

Shift our frequency?  The Universe is made entirely of energy.  Everything at its root is energy.  That includes me, you, clouds, planets, galaxies and such.  That’s just the visible stuff.  Beyond that is a world of radio frequencies and infrared light and air and other unseen energies.  All energy vibrates at a frequency.  Like attracts like.  Change the vibration, change the frequency, change what you attract, change the reality you are creating.

I know many people who see this as hooky-spooky bullshit.  I, however, believe, because I have seen too much proof that this is not hokum, that this really is how the universe works, and that consciousness can create reality.

You get that money to cover that problem at the last minute because you put all your intention into getting that money.  You don’t get sick when everyone else gets the flu because you focused on and only saw yourself as being healthy.  You attract a person to you that you want to be intimate with because you focused on feeling what it would be like to be with them.  Conscious effort into our thoughts, feelings and actions really can create our reality.

I would like to challenge you if you disbelieve.  Focus on something small.  I don’t know what, but it should be something believable to you.  Don’t just pay it lip service, don’t approach it with sarcasm and snark.  For example: let’s say you want to find a five dollar bill in an unexpected place.  Well, think about it…feel what it will feel like to find it, imagine and really get grateful for finding it.  You have to believe that it is already in your possession, that you have already found it and that it will simply appear.

Your inner skeptic has to be silenced for this to work.  If you hold onto even the slightest doubt about the notion of consciousness creating your reality, in all likelihood you will prove yourself right.  You won’t create this thing, and you won’t have anything but further proof that this is all a bunch of hippy-dippy crap.

Let me offer you one further challenge.  Why not try conscious reality creation?  If you are not happy with your life, if you are not where you want to be, what harm is there in trying to be conscious of what you manifest?  I know that I prefer to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to MY paths.  So I continue working on conscious creation.

Would you rather take control of your reality and manifestations and create subconsciously or consciously?

 

GOAL LOG – Week 41:

Diet:  Still going pretty well.

Exercise: Fencing happened once last week, and I got to the gym twice.  I also spent a day on the golf course of all things.

Writing:  One day of writing, plus the three blogs.  I really need to up this particular habit.

Meditation:  I meditated only on 2 days, for 7 minutes both times.

Gratitude: I wrote five things I was grateful for five of seven days last week.

I am still adjusting my schedule.  Attempting a new habit/pattern is proving a tad more challenging than anticipated.  Work in progress.

 

This is the two-hundred fifty-first entry in my series. These weekly posts are ideas and my personal experiences in walking along the path of life.  I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world along the way.

Thank you for joining me.  Feel free to re-blog and share.

The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.

If you enjoy Pathwalking, you may also want to read my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.

Positivity: Combating Lethargy

Some days you wake up, and you are ready to go.

Some days you awaken, and you just don’t want to get out of bed.

There are mornings where it is all about being energized.  Happy, looking forward to the day, ready to face anything that comes your way.

There ae mornings where it is all about the snooze button.  Don’t want to get out of bed.  Don’t want to go to work.  Ready to face nothing and wishing to start over before you even begin.

On the energized days positivity drives you.  On the lack of energy days, it feels like nothing will drive you.

Where do I find positivity on the sluggish days?

This is a particular challenge, and I know I am not alone in experiencing it.  It feels like there is nothing specific coming to mind on which I can focus positivity.  And I want to find things because if I can keep my focus on positivity, my day will ultimately be better than if I focus on nothing or allow negativity to dominate the day.

There are so many little things in our lives that we take for granted.  We are alive.  We are breathing.  Even if they are imperfect we have jobs and electronics and social media and connections with friends and family and pets and coworkers and even complete strangers.  The sun rises in the morning, there are countless adorable videos of cats and other creatures across the internet.   We put food in our bellies, drink coffee and other caffeinated beverages to wake ourselves up, we can turn off the stream of negative messages assaulting us.

Every little bit is a part of the bigger bits.  We get lost in the big pictures of the world, and take for granted and outright neglect the little things that are positive in our everyday lives.  We choose how we let ourselves feel.  So if we are feeling motivated and excited and happy we usually stay there.  If we are sluggish and uncomfortable and displeased we have to decide if we want to allow this to linger, or if we can move past it to see more positive possibilities.

Take a deep breath.  Watch something funny online.  Meditate.  Scream.  Laugh.  Cry.  Release that lethargic sense in some way or other and make room for better feelings.  We live in a world of endless possibility, and as such endless positivity.  I don’t know about you, but I would rather feel good than feel bad.

Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action.  Knowing that there are endless little bits and pieces in our lives that are positive, we can give them more attention when we are feeling sluggish and sleepy and low.  When we take actions and put focus on those things, and actively work to overcome lethargy, ultimately we do something to improve our emotional state and as such we empower ourselves.  When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings.  We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings.  When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for.  Gratitude leads to happiness.  Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude.  Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

 

This is the one hundred forty-second entry of my Positivity series.  It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone.  Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

In relation to Positivity, check out my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.