Here’s my story…

Upon learning that our WiVLA (Women in Visual & Literary Arts) meeting would feature a Zentangle teacher, I googled “zentangle” to learn more about it.

What I found was most interesting.  On the website, zentangle.com, I read..

“Our Zentangle method is a way of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is fun and relaxing. Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being.”

Doesn’t that entice you?

I suggest you make a visit to zentangle.com. And enjoy the artwork while you’re there!

To see the creating of a Zentangle by one of the founders,

watch their YouTube video:
Zentangle video

It’s fascinating to watch!

And so fun to draw your own, too!

That’s what I discovered at our meeting. Our certified teacher was Judy Lehman, who gave us a very abbreviated class due to the time constraints of our meeting.

During that class she taught us 6 patterns to tangle: Nipa, Fescue, Flux, Static, Florz and Olivia’s Flower. While she demonstrated and talked, I and the other attendees began creating our Zentangles, one stroke at a time.

What fun it was! I had no idea what my Zentangle would look like when finished.  As Judy demonstrated another pattern, I incorporated it into my Zentangle.  It just kept evolving, little by little, until I finished it.

Near the end of her class, Judy announced that she would have a drawing for a door prize.  Guess who won?… Me!

Judy presented me with my prize, a picture frame for my zentangle! I was delighted!  And I have since framed my creation. You can see a picture of it near the beginning of this article.

For not being an artist I think my Zentangle looks pretty artistic.

What do you think?

Wouldn’t you like to create a Zentangle?

It can be a great way to create peace, love and happiness for yourself, especially when you’re feeling down. Speaking of that, check out these lyrics from my song, ‘I Seek Serenity’ –

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Just when all seems well
my life gets taken way off track.
I’m feelin’ so upset,
please help me get happiness back.

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Get your happiness back! Create a Zentangle! It’s fun, and you’ll be amazed when you finish it, even if you’re not an artist.

Let me know your results, okay?

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

Author of Lessons From Lyrics – How to Discover Your Value And Find Happiness

P.S. Let’s connect on Facebook –
http://www.facebook.com/LyricalJoyce

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.

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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.

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Disclosure:   Thank you for reading my posts. It’s my pleasure to deliver inspirational stories and lyrics to you free of charge. Please note that whenever you click the links on this website or click on product images and then purchase items, I may sometimes receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to help more people to create positive changes in their lives which will bring more peace to our planet.
I appreciate you for making a difference!

I just watched it again and was just as moved by it as when I first saw it. Really love the music and lyrics, too!…Josh Groban singing accompanied by an orchestra!

Here’s that inspirational video so you can enjoy it, too:

How did it affect you?

My story continues…

This morning as I was exercising, I noticed that I had more energy than usual. And, of course, that’s a good thing! So I was very grateful for that. And I shared with Brian that I had more energy. When I told him that I was able to easily increase the number of pushups I did today, he asked…

“How many did you do?”

“Two sets of twenty-three”

“You did twenty-three twice?! That’s 46 pushups! I only do 10!”

Do you think he’ll be doing more pushups now?

So how did I get that extra energy this morning?

Thinking back I remembered that yesterday I had listened online to 2 different presentations of the You Wealth Revolution Shift 2012. By joining this circle I received the healing intentions of everyone on those 2 teleseminars and also of all the amazing presenters who are part of this wonderful event.

On the first call I listened to, it was a recording of the first presentation, featuring Darius Barazandeh, founder of the You Wealth Revolution Shift 2012. During his heartfelt call I participated in his clearing process.

Immediately following that recorded call, I listened to the live call featuring Rikka Zimmerman. She also presented a healing process. During her process I felt energy flowing throughout my body…

What a feeling!

Good vibrations!

Do those remind you of songs? Two songs came to my mind just after I wrote those lines.

Let’s continue my story…

So I received good energy from the clearing processes. Also, as usual, I declared positive affirmations shortly after arising this morning and just before bedtime last night. That’s a habit I’ve been doing for years, and I continue this habit because I feel that it really empowers me.

If I didn’t do this, I might let negative voices creep into my head that make me feel bad.

I want to feel good, don’t you?

Have you tried declaring positive affirmations and making that a longtime habit?

If not, then maybe these lyrics I wrote in my song, ‘Empowered by My Wild Card’ will inspire you –

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“I am wise.
I learn from each day.
I am strong,
for you show me the way
to my inner power,
lying deep within me.
You bring it out in times of need.”

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There’s something about starting your affirmations with “I am.”  Try it! Give yourself some positive self-talk. Create positive thoughts and good energy.

For example –

“I am magnificent!”
“I am important!”
“I am getting better every day!”
“I am in charge of me!”

These are just suggestions. What else could you declare?

Choose affirmations you prefer, and declare them while looking at yourself in a mirror.

I believe that all of these positive things I just told you about played a role in my increased energy level today. And… I’m already more productive than usual today! Yay!

I want that for you, too! But you’ve got to take action. I gave you some ideas throughout my inspirational story…

Which one will you start with?

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P.S. Get your energy cleared daily as the greatest teachers and healers use their power and heart to transform your life…Join Darius Barazandeh’s global movement to shift the planet.
Click here to join for FREE: You Wealth Revolution Shift 2012

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.

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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.

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Disclosure:   Thank you for reading my posts. It’s my pleasure to deliver inspirational stories and lyrics to you free of charge. Please note that whenever you click the links on this website or click on product images and then purchase items, I may sometimes receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to help more people to create positive changes in their lives which will bring more peace, love and happiness to our planet.
I appreciate you for making a difference!

Then finally the plant grew golden yellow tops that look sort of like mini Christmas trees flocked in golden yellow. Now I was even more curious to know the identity of this plant.

And believe it or not, just days later, I got my answer. As I was reading the Houston, Texas newspaper, I spotted a picture with a couple of different types of plants.

The picture was in an article about gardening.  Looking at the picture I was drawn to the plant in the background. “That looks like the plant growing by my patio!” I said to myself. I was excited! Underneath the picture the caption told me that the plant in the background was goldenrod.

You may disagree, but

I’d say that my positive thoughts and being curious about that plant’s identity brought me results in just a few days…as if by magic!

Later I started looking in some of our herb books for pictures and information about goldenrod. From what I found, I do believe it’s goldenrod that’s taken up residence in our yard. And I love it! Currently it’s the only plant by my patio that’s blooming, so of course, it’s getting more of my attention than the other plants.

I don’t remember the many uses for goldenrod as an herbal remedy, but I do remember it‘s used for a health challenge that my husband has. But since he’s just started taking Chinese herbs for that, he’ll pass on trying goldenrod as a remedy, at least for now.

Wouldn’t it be interesting, even magical, if goldenrod was part of the Chinese herbal formula he’s taking?

Yesterday I learned that goldenrod is the state flower of Nebraska. So that tells you goldenrod is honored, just as we honor the bluebonnet as our state flower here in Texas. How pretty the beautiful yellow goldenrod blooms would look beside our beloved bluebonnets! I love seeing yellow and blue together.

But bluebonnets grow in the springtime here, and now it’s autumn. So maybe bluebonnets and goldenrod never have the same growing season.

So, let’s get back to the positive thoughts thing. I make a habit of expecting the best and avoiding thoughts that are not so positive.

A few weeks ago as we walked to the park, we encountered a neighbor we know. He mentioned that his wife doesn’t walk in the park because of the mosquitoes.  I couldn’t remember ever seeing or feeling mosquitoes in our park where we often take walks.

But then maybe a couple of days later as we were leaving the park, right across from the house of the neighbor who told us about the mosquitoes, Brian said “Mosquitoes keep biting me!”

Was his mind influenced by what the neighbor told us?

Mosquitoes weren’t bothering me. I didn’t even see any. Nor did I expect to. And I’d say that’s because I do my best to keep my thoughts positive.

How can you have positive thoughts?

Start with these lyrics from my song, ‘You Own the Key’

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Imagine what your life might be
If you arose each day with glee.
You own the key
to live life joyfully.

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What would make you arise with glee?

Figure that out and write that down somewhere.  A journal would be an ideal choice. Then visualize what you’ve written about daily, shortly after you arise or while still in bed. The more you think about things that excite you and make you happy, the more positive thoughts you’ll have.

And the more of those you have, the more likely you are to have things magically show up for you!

Try it! You’ll like it!

Attract what you want with your positive thoughts, visualizations, etc. Then you get to experience the magic of the Laws of Attraction in action!

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P.S. What positive and/or magical experience will you share that relates to this story? Please leave a comment because I’d love to hear from you!

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.
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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Disclosure:   Thank you for reading my posts. It’s my pleasure to deliver motivational and inspirational stories and lyrics to you free of charge. Please note that whenever you click the links on this website or click on product images and then purchase items, I may sometimes receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to help more people to create positive changes in their lives which will bring more peace to our planet.
I appreciate you for making a difference!

In case you don’t already know this from another story, I really love to sing…even in front of an audience! Since I don’t play a musical instrument, I’ve become quite accustomed to singing a capella, which means singing without musical accompaniment.

Lucky for me, I can stay on key through a whole song without music. My brother, Robert, a singer and musician, told me that not many people can do that. So I feel blessed with that gift!

When my daughter, Natalie, asked if I wanted to write a song and sing it at her wedding reception, I was thrilled. I began writing the song last year and completed it months ago. Then I began practicing singing it and also doing voice and breathing exercises daily.

I practiced over and over again…and then some more. And I only expected to be really good when I performed my song at her wedding. I never considered that I would do less than my best.

I also told myself in my twice daily affirmations that I am a successful singer. I had great expectations and positive thoughts….

Did all that practicing and positive thinking and affirmations pay off?

Here’s what happened…

When I sang at the wedding reception, in front of a band and before an audience of about 117 people, I wasn’t even nervous. Since it was a love song, I sang it looking at my husband, Brian. And I was singing with no musical accompaniment. So my voice was extra important. It was a challenging song requiring that my singing be exceptionally good.

After I sang my song, I received many uplifting compliments on my performance, as well as the song. My brother, Robert, said I was really brave.

It’s amazing how brave you can be when you really want to do something.

What is it that motivates you to be brave?

Do you have a dream of doing something that calls for courage?

How are you keeping that dream alive?

Do you cherish that dream and do things to make it happen?

With those questions in mind, check out these lyrics from my song, ‘Choose A Dream:’

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Once in a lifetime and even more
you can have the dream you’re longing for.
Cherish and nourish that dream each day.
Never let your dream wilt away.
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It seems to me that when you have a dream you’re longing for, you’ve been given a gift that needs to be shared with the world.

What are your thoughts about that?

What do you believe?

How many motivational stories will you have to tell after you’ve achieved your dreams?

What if your motivational story helped someone to accomplish their dreams, too?

How wonderful would that make you feel?

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P.S. Believe in yourself and believe in your dreams. As I’ve said before, “What one can do, others can, too. Why not you?”

To help strengthen your belief, I recommend The Belief Secret. In this guide to believing, you’ll find many amazing motivational stories.

I think that by reading this guide I was inspired to write a song about believing many months ago. That song is off to a great start, but it’s not yet complete. Maybe when I read the book again, I just might get that song finished!

What will you get inspired to do after you’ve read The Belief Secret?
Get motivated now! Read The Belief Secret!

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.
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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Disclosure:   Thank you for reading my posts. It’s my pleasure to deliver motivational and inspirational stories and lyrics to you free of charge. Please note that whenever you click the links on this website or click on product images and then purchase items, I may sometimes receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to help more people to create positive changes in their lives. And that will bring more peace to our planet.
I appreciate you for making a difference!

Although I’m a big proponent of using positive words as much as possible, I know sometimes negative words are just as important.

Why do you think that is?

How did the term ‘Terrible Twos” come about? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it regards children who are 2 years old. At that age children start to become somewhat independent. And they tend to do many things of which their parents and other adults disapprove.

When that occurs, they tell the child, emphatically, “No!” And the child hears “No!” over and over again as the days, weeks and months go by.

Those memories of hearing disapproval are embedded in the child’s mind where they most likely remain into their adulthood. For some people who unconsciously remember and feel the disapproval they heard as a child, I believe they crave approval.  So they do the opposite of what they felt when adults told them “No!”

They become “Yes” people. Anytime someone asks them for a favor, they quickly reply “Yes” or something like “Sure, I’ll be happy to do that.” They answer without considering possible consequences or priorities. And it’s not unusual for them to constantly stay busy with organizations and other commitments they make as volunteers.

When they over commit themselves, who suffers?

Are they so exhausted that they’re never at their best?

And does their exhaustion cause them to snap at their loved ones?

Do they spend enough time with their family and close friends?

Or do they neglect their loved ones to win the approval of as many people as they can?

How many people do they disappoint or hurt when they finally realize that they can’t do something they promised?

Have you ever had someone break a promise they made to you?

How did you feel when that happened?

Who do you know that fits the description I’ve given of a “Yes” person?

Is it you? Or someone you know?

Here’s the lesson. These are lyrics from my song, ‘The One Who Says No.’

Although the song was inspired and written several years ago after I heard Mike Kemski telling how he overcame drug addiction, some of the lyrics are quite apropos for this article:

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Just say no,
if it’s not good for you.
Just be strong.
To your own self be true.
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Are you in the habit of always saying “Yes” whenever someone asks you for a favor?

Do you automatically say “Yes” before giving the consequences any thought?

Will you really be able to do what you’ve promised without hurting or disappointing someone because you make too many commitments?

Remember to use positive words most of the time, but not when they’ll end up hurting someone.

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P.S.  A few months ago when I was pet-sitting a cat, instead of saying “No!” when the cat misbehaved, I tried a more positive approach…It worked! I’ll tell you that story another time.

Instead of telling children “No!” when you disapprove of their behavior, what could you do instead that would have a more positive effect on their lives as children and later on as adults?

I think it’s time to make some changes in the way most children are raised. Don’t you?

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.
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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Disclosure:   Thank you for reading my posts. It’s my pleasure to deliver inspirational stories and lyrics to you free of charge. Please note that whenever you click the links on this website or click on product images and then purchase items, I may sometimes receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to help more people to create positive changes in their lives which will bring more peace to our planet.
I appreciate you for making a difference!

In the article I read that the calf was born on May 12, 2011, during a thunderstorm about 50  miles northeast of Dallas, Texas, on the Lakota Ranch owned by Arby Little Soldier. With its dark nose and eyes and marking at the tip of its tail, this calf is not an albino. The Lakota Sioux Indians believe this white buffalo calf with those particular dark markings is sacred.

They say that a white buffalo is a sign that we’ll endure hard times unless everyone lives in harmony with each other and Mother Nature.

According to Samuel Joseph Lone Wolf, a Native American elder, “It’s the beginning of a new age, new times. The birth of the white buffalo calf, it tells us we need to get right, not just with Mother Nature but with all nations and with the Creator, which is God.”

And I say, Yes! Let’s have more Peace, Love and Happiness!

What are your thoughts about the birth of the white buffalo calf?

Will it motivate you to make some changes in your life?

What prejudices will you get rid of?

How will you respect the rights of gays and lesbians?

If they get married, how does it harm your life?

Is it good to be judgmental of the beliefs of others?

Shouldn’t we all have the same rights?

What will you do to receive peace, love and happiness?

I have some suggestions for you in the lyrics of my song, ‘Let’s Create Peace’–

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Now get rid of all your hatred.
Sow seeds of love everywhere.
Smile at everyone you see
and you will find peace here and there.

Let’s create peace in our world.
Let’s begin today!
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Why not start right now with a smile?

Go look in a mirror and feel the joy of your own smile. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

I can’t think of a better way, when you’re alone, to receive instant peace, love and happiness.

Can you?

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P.S. Let’s connect on Facebook –
http://www.facebook.com/lyricaljoyce

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.
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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Disclosure:   Thank you for reading my posts. It’s my pleasure to deliver motivational and inspirational stories and lyrics to you free of charge. Please note that whenever you click the links on this website or click on product images and then purchase items, I may sometimes receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to help more people to create positive changes in their lives which will bring more peace to our planet.
I appreciate you for making a difference!

Here’s my story to illustrate that point.

One day while on our usual morning walk in the park, Brian and I walked carefully down the narrow dirt path on a high slope that leads down to the wide paved main pathway below. Since Brian was talking, I didn’t interrupt to remind him that it’s best to walk as quickly as you can on those one lane dirt paths on the slope.

Why did I recommend that?

Because some of the bicyclists in the park ride very fast and with little or no regard for pedestrians. They appear behind you without warning. You don’t even know they’re behind you until they’re suddenly beside you.

And then it happened…

I was halfway down the slope and Brian was maybe 5 feet ahead of me on the very narrow trail when I heard a sound close behind me, like a skid in the dirt. Instinctively I knew it was a bicyclist, so without looking back, I calmly and quickly stepped to the right to get off the trail. And it was just in time to allow the bicyclist to whiz safely past me and then across the wide paved walkway ahead.

When he came to a stop in the grass beyond the pavement, he apologized, “I’m so sorry.”

“All’s well that ends well,” I replied.

But when things aren’t going so well, you might want to remember these lyrics from my song, ‘I Seek Serenity.’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Serenity is what I seek,
serenity to set me free
to find peace and light.
Help me sleep tonight.

Serenity…. set me free.
I seek serenity.

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I’m feeling really blessed and grateful that none of us were injured. The bicyclist wasn’t protected with a helmet, and Brian and I certainly weren’t wearing protective gear just to walk in the park.

Reflecting later on this incident, I remembered how I used to have so many ridiculous minor accidents. Because of those accidents I was on crutches at various times for a sprained ankle, a bruised ankle, an injured foot, etc.  I suffered a broken wrist on 3 different occasions and later a broken upper arm, and multiple times I received stitches to close deep wounds.

And that doesn’t even cover all of my injuries and accidents! I was also in a couple of very minor car accidents in which I was the driver. So I considered myself accident-prone and a klutz.

I realize now that it’s not a good idea to label yourself with anything you don’t want to be. I’ve replaced those negative thoughts with positive thoughts and positive affirmations. And my frequent accidents have stopped!

Have you ever called yourself something that you don’t like?

If you did, have you replaced that negativity with positive choices?

What if you declared something like “I intend to be more graceful.”?

So I got a little off track here. But whenever an opportunity arises to help you, I can’t resist.

Now where did I get off track? Oh, yeah, I was going to tell you why sometimes good thoughts aren’t the solution.

What does that have to do with not having an accident with the bicyclist?

Well, what if I never expected that a bicyclist might suddenly and speedily arrive from around a corner behind us to go down the slope?

What if I just thought that the sound behind me was nothing to be concerned about and I remained on the single lane path?

You must not go thru life just singing la la la and not being aware of your surroundings. Without taking the right action, a bad incident can occur. While being aware, Brian and I got out of the way of the cyclist and prevented an accident.

Don’t give up on good thoughts.  Use them frequently when appropriate and be aware. And take the right actions.

Now I’m curious…

What did you find most helpful from this article? Please enter your comment below this article.

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P. S. Have you ever had so much anxiety that you thought you were having some kind of life-threatening attack? I don’t expect my serenity lyrics to help you when that happens. So the best way I can help you with that is to let you know that there is a natural method of anxiety help for you to stop your extreme anxiety.

When you want serenity and rapid relief of your anxiety, go to AnxietyHelpForYou.com

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.

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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.

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Disclosure:   Thank you for reading my posts. It’s my pleasure to deliver motivational and inspirational stories and lyrics to you free of charge. Please note that whenever you click the links on this website or click on product images and then purchase items, I may sometimes receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to help more people to create positive changes in their lives which will bring more peace to our planet.
I appreciate you for making a difference!

One Sunday morning I arose earlier than usual at about 6:00 a.m. because we were going to Austin for the day. Just as I usually did shortly after arising in the morning, I entered the dark hallway and walked past the atrium without turning on the light.

Then I noticed that my right sandal had begun sticking to the wooden floor, as if I had stepped in water. “Did it rain last night and cause flooding from the atrium?” I thought.

It was much too dark to tell, so I flipped the switch to turn on the hall lights. And to my dismay, I discovered that I had stepped on one of our beloved magical friends, a slug.

Now why would I call a slug a magical friend?

Well, that’s explained in my previous inspirational stories about the snails without shells. (Here’s one of those stories:  Can You Guess Who Approved of My Inspirational Story?)

Even though Brian and I had agreed to leave at a specified time so that we would arrive in Austin well before noon, I proceeded to clean the slime from my sandal. That took quite a while… The slime did not want to leave my sandal!

Then I wondered what to do with the squashed slug. .. “Should I wait until Brian gets out of bed and let him take care of it?” Husbands come in really handy for occasions like this, when you’re a damsel in distress! They get to rescue you!

No. Scratch that thought. This was for me to do, not Brian. With a little searching I found two plastic cards to scrape the slug from the floor. Then I placed the slug on the ground in the atrium and covered it with mulch and a leaf. Later I added flower petals.

That afternoon while in Austin visiting family and a friend, Melba, we drew angel cards by Doreen Virtue. I drew the Nature card. According to this card, I needed to spend at least five minutes every day in nature.

Then Melba, an amazing artist who paints huge roses (www.melbasrosegarden.com), told me that recently she had played my video with inspirational song lyrics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qN_AlRtXlg) over and over while painting. She said that during that time one of my lyrical quotes from that video had been stuck in her mind… something about nature, maybe a flower.

So after that I kept thinking back through my songs. Which song has those lyrics?

Hours later I remembered. That song is ‘Arise With Peace.’ And here are some of the lyrics:

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You’re the creator
of your own power.
Let your love grow,
like a blooming flower.

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Now what does that verse have to do with my magical slug friends?

Was the slug I stepped on a test for me, to see how I would treat him?

After seeing that I had accidentally squashed the slug, I gave it a proper burial. The next morning when I saw the sparkly trails left by slugs on and around the grave, I felt happy. That prompted me to begin writing this story. And begin it, I did.

On some of the following days after adding even more flower petals to the grave, I would find, on the succeeding mornings, that even more glistening gifts had been added on top of the petals. I’m thinking the slugs left their gifts because they appreciated me for writing this story about them! They were happy that I’m getting you on board to respect slugs and possibly other not so lovable creatures of nature.

How much love and respect do you have for life… for your life and also the lives of others?

Do you appreciate nature?

How do you show that?

In what ways could you show your appreciation for nature?

Will you allow nature to help you achieve more peace, love and happiness?

When?

In closing this inspirational story I want to tell you that even though our atrium was visited by slugs, the plants in our atrium were looking good…and they still do! I showed respect for the dead slug and was rewarded.  The slugs painted their sparkly trails not only on the slug gravesite, but also in only one other special area of the atrium. I’ll tell you why that area is so special in another story.

Till next time… Ommmmmmmmmmmm…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P.S. Want to be notified when my next story is posted? Then be sure to sign up to receive my emails. Just enter your first name and email address in the form on the upper right side of this web page.
Or … subscribe to my RSS feed.

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.

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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.

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I really enjoy reading and watching motivational stories. They motivate and inspire me to improve myself.

Is that true for you?

If yes, then let me tell you another one of my motivational stories.

Where shall I begin?

I think I’ll go all the way back to when I was about 5 years old. This is a little embarrassing, but, here goes. ..
I sucked my thumb to comfort myself! Yes, at 5 years old, I was still a thumb sucker!

When I felt sad, I curled up on the soft, velvety couch in our living room and sucked my thumb. As the middle child of 7 children, I didn’t get a lot of attention, and my parents did not say to me “I love you.”

Then one day my mother took a picture of me as I sucked my thumb. Apparently she was not thrilled that her 5 year old daughter was still sucking her thumb. I guess I was so embarrassed and mortified that I no longer sucked my thumb after that….at least, that’s what I remember. My mother died years ago, so I can’t verify this story with her.

But would she even remember, since she had 7 kids?

Long after quitting my bad habit, even though I no longer sucked my thumb, I was shy and self-conscious. And I didn’t know how to overcome that. But I wanted to.

When I was in high school, I didn’t like hearing that people thought I was stuck up. That wasn’t true at all. I really wanted to be friendly.

But how could I be friendly when I was so shy?

Many years after high school, shyness still controlled me. Then finally I made a huge breakthrough…

After years of studying self development and attending seminars and workshops and camps, I ended up on the stage at one of those events. Somehow I called up my courage and volunteered to sing an original song that I had just written. And I did it by myself with no musical accompaniment! On a stage in front of 262 people!

After accomplishing that, my life began to change… a lot! And in a good way. In a way that I can help you. You can read more about it in my pocket-sized mini book, Lessons From Lyrics – How to Discover Your Value and Find Happiness.

That mini book contains a lot of little lessons for you, along with snippets of my lyrics, to motivate and inspire you.  Because it’s pocket-sized, you can easily keep it in your pocket or purse to have handy when you need some uplifting.

And speaking of uplifting, here’s a verse of lyrics from my song, Uplifted and Inspired…

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“Ask for help
from the Divine.
Expect to receive it
when it’s the perfect time
to be uplifted and inspired

Find mentors.
Learn from those who care
to show you their success
and want to take you there
to be uplifted and inspired.”

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And now it’s time for some input from you…

How did my story affect you?

What did you learn from it?

Will you continue reading more motivational stories?

If you answered yes, then why? What’s your purpose for reading them?

Remember this motivational quote I made up for a previous lesson:
“What one can do, others can, too.
Why not you? “

Why not write it as a positive affirmation for yourself?…

– What others do, I can, too!

Add that affirmation to your collection or start collecting now!

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P.S.  Here’s a little more about my mini book…
“Joyce Marie’s book was a delight to read.  I have always believed in the power of music to lift one’s spirit, and Joyce’s catchy lyrics have messages that do just that.”
– Christine Savory –
Author of Two Words That Change Everything, The Transforming Power of Gratitude
http://www.spiritconnection.org/

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.

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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.

Then, the following week, it happened again! And we didn’t even get snow! At least a rare sight of snow would have made those temperatures more bearable for me.

Now if you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t like cold weather. I’ve spent most of my life in areas of Texas where it’s unusual to freeze for several days straight, especially with temperatures in the twenties. So perhaps I’m not quite as positive as I could be when it gets cold.

Was it because I wasn’t that positive that my computer started having problems? It was just reacting so slowly whenever I wanted to see a website or email. And forget about watching any videos! The videos never completely loaded…or maybe they would have if I waited for hours.

When I mentioned my computer problem to someone who spends a lot of time on a computer, he told me that the Internet slows down in cold weather. “So that’s it,” I thought. But the problem continued when the weather warmed up.

Since my husband knows more about computer stuff like that than I do, I called upon him for help.  And of course, he did his best to help, but still my computer remained slow and ornery. So then he called our Internet service provider. The tech guy who answered his call said we might need a filter.

When Brian told me that, I asked him if we have a filter, and he said, “I think we do, but I don’t know where it is.” So I told him to ask himself where to find it.

And can you believe it? …

Just a couple of minutes later, he found it, in a place where he most likely would not have looked before asking himself the question “Where can I find the filter for the computer?” I believe it was his subconscious mind that drew him so quickly to where the filter lay in a cardboard box among other random objects.

And Brian agrees. As he says, “It sounds simple, but it can apply to bigger things, too.”

From all the studying I’ve done lately of The Belief Secret, including mind power, I’ve learned what a huge role our subconscious minds play in our lives. So it’s no wonder that while under the influence of my subconscious mind, I wrote a song about mind power a couple of years ago.

Here are some of the lyrics from that song, “You Own the Key” …

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Unlock the secrets of your mind
and be amazed at what you find.
You own the key
to what you do not see.

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What secrets of your mind do you need to unlock?

Do those secrets hold the key to more happiness in your life?

If you had more positive thoughts, would your life be happier?

I guess you won’t know unless you try, right?

“Try it. You’ll like it,” the saying says.

Now you have those questions to ponder. And I’m giving you even more questions, a lot more, in the book I’m now writing. It’s a continuation of my first book, a pocket-sized mini book titled ‘Lessons From Lyrics – How to Discover Your Value and Find Happiness’ available on Amazon.com.

As I finish this lesson that includes clues for you, I’m wondering…

What action will you take to be happier?

Till next time…

Wishing you peace, love and happiness,

Joyce Marie
Founder, LessonsFromLyrics.com

P.S. Here’s a testimonial from a Canadian woman who read my mini book:
“As I read your book “Lessons From Lyrics” I felt shivers through my body because you inspired me to look deep within myself and want to improve who I can Be. You touched my heart …and I know you will touch many other women who need inspirational guidance. Thank you. I look forward to reading more material from you.”  – Miechelle B., Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

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To hear this post via Odiogo audio content reader, look just below the title of this post. Then click on listen now.

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This post and lyrics are copyrighted. You are welcome to reblog or link to this post or to give a link to it, but may not otherwise use the contents of the post without written permission.

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Disclosure:   Thank you for reading my posts. It’s my pleasure to deliver inspirational stories and lyrics to you free of charge. Please note that whenever you click the links on this website or click on product images and then purchase items, I may sometimes receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to help more people to create positive changes in their lives which will bring more peace to our planet.
I appreciate you for making a difference!