Written & Ready....by Gretchen de la O

The Lost Years on Social Media

2022-05-27T18:15:00.001-07:00

It was very strange as I slowly peeled myself away from social media. It wasn't as if one day I decided to stop creating my world set by the algorithms of Facebook and Twitter. I found myself contemplating the efficacy of my words. Were my words really changing the hearts of people who read them? I would write a post and then ask myself, "Is the post really going to make a difference in this world, today?" Most of the time I found myself saying, no. So begun my disengagement with social media.

But in order to be fair and honest, I will have to admit I had a little push from the Universe.

Back in 2016, I had just published Broken Girl and was ready to put my career in high-gear. Broken Girl was like nothing I had published before. It was a dark and gritty book. It was the one book that took the most out of me writing it, and yet, I believe it is my best work to date.

Around that time my aunt contacted me, her health was starting to decline and she asked for my help. She was 83 years old. She never married and didn't have any children. It was just her and her dog as she was slipping into the mild to moderate stage of Dementia. Now, if I knew then what I know now, there is a part of me that wonders if I would have taken such a massive role in her life. But, the truth is, she didn't have anyone else. Too many bridges burned, and all the people she called friends had all transcended before her. My aunt needed someone and I was the next in line.

Days sailed by, my career hobbled on, and the more dependent she became on me, the less time I had to spend working on my writing career. It was hard to log into Facebook and write positive posts blooming with inspirational words when I was drowning in a very hard, very lonely, and at times an overwhelming resentment-filled mental state of mind.

I had my close friends and family to lean on, but when it came to logging into Facebook and searching for the virtual pats on the back or the warm and fuzzy love of swelling hearts or tear-filled emojis it fell pretty flat for me. Truthfully, I didn't want to be another broken voice in the sea of brokenness on Facebook. Quite frankly, I couldn't find enough gumption to post any words of inspiration while I was submerged in the anger and frustration of having my life hijacked by my aunt's illness. So, I posted sporadically until I pretty much stopped posting all together.

At first, it was hard disconnecting from something that had become an addiction to me. Social media was my drug and the "thumbs-up" and comments became my hit. Facebook did exactly what it was designed to do, keep me coming back for more. Becoming addicted to social media was insidious, and fighting the addiction had become the uphill battle with my self-confidence.

I watched the writing world roll on without me. The fear of becoming irrelevant was real. Seeing my fellow authors publish and shine in the light of productivity was excruciating. Don't get me wrong, I wanted them to succeed. I loved these very talented and creative people. Yet, seeing them keep publishing and producing, signings and sales made me long for a different path. They were moving on and I was stuck in repetitive stories of yester-year and trauma.

Dementia is a bitch. It slowly steals the victims memory in the most cruel way. But it doesn't just take away memories, it confuses, and makes its victim scared. It tricks the mind into not eating, obliterates short-term memory and eventually riddles its host with paranoia and fear. So as my aunt worsened, I had to step into her life and take over more and more of her daily needs. Essentially, her life became mine.

While I hoped the Meta-verse of Facebook missed me, it didn't. The personal vibe of Facebook was fickle, if I didn't interact with people, I simply got lost in the shuffling algorithm and irrelevancy became my new normal. It was like I fell off the face of the earth and nobody noticed. Book sales dried up and the people who validated me months early stopped.

Suddenly, I found myself wondering if I'd ever publish again. I kept writing when I could steal some time, and find the mental strength. In the last handful of years I finished a couple of manuscripts and tucked them away in folders on my computer. However, the thought of putting another book out became almost impossible. Self-doubt, the impossible pulse of judgment and the ever-growing cancel culture on social media had me wondering if people would accept any of the future books I would publish.

Then cue a world wide pandemic. My aunt survived eleven months of the new order of things. She continued to decline, falling and emergency room visits, arguments of who came to see her, the "good, sweet Gretchen" or the "terrible, ugly Gretchen." Her ability to recall was failing drastically, and I was worried on how I was going to get this very proud, independent woman to leave her house for a different normal. I promised myself that if she fell again, I was going to have to put her into a home and health care facility, basically a cold, small room in a house shared with others suffering from Dementia. I harbored a lot of guilt because I promised her that I would do everything in my power to keep her in her home.

Truthfully, I wish I never promised anything of the sort. It's easy to come up with answers to promises when you didn't make them. Easy to write-off a woman who treated strangers better than her own flesh and blood. But I couldn't. I am not wired that way. I can't walk away from someone who needs me. I will exhaust all options, and do what I can to help, even if it was stripping every little morsel of peace from who I was. I wasn't mentally prepared for the amount of bandwidth she took.

I felt weak minded, I felt like an impostor who, just months before told people to always seek love in the midst of hate. Truth is, I was filling with hate and anger. I was burned out and losing who I was. Then in December of 2020 I found my aunt on the floor, she had fallen again. This time she cracked her ribs. The world was in the deep throws of the Covid19 and my aunt had to go to the hospital, alone. I couldn't go with her. For the first time, she wouldn't have her advocate with her.

A couple weeks went by, her mental state was deteriorating while trying to recuperate in the hospital. They said she was stable enough to go to a SNF, (Skilled Nursing Facility), the only problem, there weren't any beds available in the whole state of California. I did my research, looking for assisted living facilities, hoping that she'd be okay going from a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house where she lived alone, to a shared room in someone else's house with perfect strangers. It was depressing to see what places she could afford to go. This was going to be the place she'd finish out her life, and most of them were not what she was accustom to, living alone.

A couple days later, the sky opened up and the social worker called me--they have a bed in a SNF a couple hours away. I agreed to send her there. As long as she was safe, I could keep looking for a place to move her into. I never told her that she wouldn't be going back to her home. She had lived alone for most of her life. Just auntie and her animals.

When the mind is struggling to recall the past, you are given permission to tell little white lies. I kept telling her she'd be home soon. It wouldn't be long before she was reunited with her dog, Cinnamon. My husband and I went up to see her, took her pup and showed her through the window that we were keeping her dog safe.

Well, all hell broke loose. She wasn't in the SNF for very long before I started getting recorded phone calls about the cases of Covid19 in the facility. The calls would tell me the amount of patients and workers who had the virus. Every day the numbers rose on the recorded call. "5 patients and 6 employees have tested positive for Covid19." It was so fast that I didn't even have time to react. Then, a call came in from the facility, I answered expecting to hear the recorded voice tell me how many more cases they had, but instead it was a real person, she was calling to tell me that my aunt had tested positive for the virus. My heart dropped. I failed her. I wasn't able to get her out of there in time.

For most of her life, my aunt was a heavy smoker. She did quit twenty years ago, but her addiction had made its mark, it stole her ability to breathe on her own. She had COPD, and in the last ten years of her life, she was on oxygen 24/7. Now my fears were realized, she tested positive for Covid19.

It was so hard, the guilt was almost unbearable. She was two hours away from me and I spent hours back and forth on the phone. I tried to talk to her, talk to the doctors, figure out how to make her comfortable, while fighting Covid19 with COPD amidst the cruelty of Dementia. They'd tell me she was doing well and sent her back to the SNF, then they'd call again and tell me she wasn't doing okay and that they took her back to the hospital. She was stable one minute and acute the next.

On January 18th, 2021, she succumbed to the virus, less than three weeks in the facility. I was able to talk to her over the phone. Even though she was unconscious, even though she was never going to wake up again, I needed to tell her that I loved her and that she won't have to suffer any longer. She died that evening with no family around her, just the nurse who I spoke to who said she stayed with my aunt until she took her last breath. It's strange when people say, you come into this world alone, and you leave the same way. For my aunt, it was literally true.

It's been over a year since she died. I still haven't really dealt with the trauma of taking care of someone with Dementia. And even though Covid19 took her sooner than Dementia, I will say, I believe Dementia would have been a much more painful way for her to transcend this life. She was a prideful woman who was extremely intelligent, and her mind had slipped away.

There are things I wish I would have told her. Stories I wish weren't lost in the abyss of nothingness, the black hole of Dementia. I wish family relationships could have been mended for the people left behind.

Even sixteen months later, I'm still trying to figure out my place in this world; still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Every once in a while I start looking at how to get my groove back in the book world. Most days, I tell myself, it has sailed on. I keep the hope that one day, when that ship comes back around there will be room on it for me and my stories.

With Love and Compassion,

Gretchen

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE …

2018-04-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Change isn’t always bad. Sure, we hope traditions will survive the tides of change. We are creatures of habit, and in being habitual, we are taught that our traditions define a very important piece of who we are.

But what defines us when traditions fall to the waist side of those who don’t hold it in the same esteem? Do we decide to hate the game, throw a fit, and take our ball home or do we find something to anchor our old traditions with their new doctrine of thinking?

We cling so tightly to what was that we don’t see what can be. Grow or perish, sink or swim, flourish or shrivel up, we can’t expand our experiences if we keep embracing stagnancy. We must move, we must grow, we must move forward. WE MUST CHANGE, IT’S INEVITABLE!

If I have to be the one to break the news, so be it … STAGNANCY ISN’T AN OPTION. You must bend and sway or you will live your entire life miserable. And who wants that? (put your hand down!) Nobody in their right mind says, “Ummm, I think I wanna be miserable today.” At least, nobody, I know. When you spend your time looking back at what was, you will end up tripping over what can be.

Listen, take it from me, the de la O’s have had some pretty hard couple of months. My family hasn’t lived in stagnancy at all. We’ve endured so much pain and suffering, we’ve lost and found only to lose again. It doesn’t matter at this point what happened or what is still happening, what matters at this point is what we decide to do with what keeps showing up in our lives. It’s picking up what was and seeing how we can take the part that matters to us and leave the rest behind. And even though it seems like our lives are spiraling out of control, we have to find the parts that serve our highest and best good. We have to place our feet on the floor and take that first step into the day. It’s hard, believe me, I know. But we have to give it a shot. Change is inevitable.

Things fall away, new things show up, it’s uncomfortable, it’s irritating, it’s life. In the last couple of months, I haven’t given thanks for the day the Universe has given me. I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve been asking what next, God? What are you throwing my way today, Universe? More death? Pain? Suffering? Chaos? And I’d be damned because that shit I was asking for kept showin’ up! More chaos, more pain, suffering, and yes, even death showed up in my life. I spent so much time cowering to the idea that some “other shoe” was going to drop that I’ve been living in the effect of my thinking instead of being the creator of my thought.

I’ve allowed the conditional thinking of yesterday paint today’s landscape. I’ve been so conditioned by events in my life that I totally forgot that I have a choice. I can choose my reaction. I get to choose the way I react to life. Sure bad things are going to happen, I’m gonna struggle through events, and yeah, I’m going to lose people and things I love. It’s life, and being my life I have to choose how I react. It’s my life and I’m responsible for it. Today, for the first time in a long time, I feel like I am strong enough to take responsibility for my life again.

With LOVE and COMPASSION,

Gretchen de la O

Take Responsibility

2017-05-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

It’s time we all took responsibility for our actions. It time to stop dodging behind the words and actions of others. Stop hiding behind the illusion that our lives are more important than anyone else’s. It’s not.

The laws of nature apply to everyone equally. There aren’t special circumstances for someone because they seem to have everything fall into their laps or they’re better or worse off than you. Nature doesn’t have discretion, it can’t choose one thing over another, it is bound by scientific law. It doesn’t have volition.

Nature is a producer, it gives to whatever it is asked to give. We can’t plant an oak tree and have a redwood sprout. That would be against all the laws of nature. We can’t plant a tomato plant and dictate to nature how many branches, leaves, or tomatoes it’s going to produce, that’s nature’s job. Our part was planting the tomato seed.

When we plant a calla lily, the soil, water, and sun conspire with the laws of nature to help that calla lily grow to its full potential. The only thing it is subject to is its environment--other than that the calla lily is bound by its truth.

Same for all living things, including human beings. We are bound by the laws of nature. We are subject to our environment, and we will produce exactly what the laws of nature dictate. And if our environment isn’t healthy, everything that is conspiring for our highest and best good will produce the best of what it can in our unhealthy environment. And when I speak of environment, it isn’t limited to the physical. Our environment also includes our minds.

We are thinking, independent, viable, beings with the capacity to make decisions based beyond our intuition. We aren’t subject to instinct, (although there are times instinct will rule over volition).

We were born to make manifest the magnificence of our lives. If we never choose to take responsibility for our actions, we will live our entire lives subject to our environment. This is where we can use the laws of nature to create our heaven or hell.

When we make the decision to rise to the occasion instead of kneeling to the condition, we put into motion the law of cause and effect and the law of nature must obey. Nature can’t play favorites, it doesn’t look at a situation with a consciousness, that’s a human trait. Just think of nature as the, yes man, it can only produce what is asked of it. It can't decide to help one person and neglect another. Nature works for all in the same way.

Our actions dictate our experiences, and our thinking creates the perfect soil to plant our seeds of love or hate, compassion or contempt, prosperity or poverty, success or failure, and our happiness or sadness. Truthfully, the only thing we can control is our reaction to the outcome. Other than that, we can’t control how others react, we can’t stop the world from suffering, and we can’t continue blaming someone else for our life and expect it to change. We want our lives to change, we have to look within and see where we keep stumbling. What old belief or idea that keeps us bound to the same crappy experiences.

We have to dive deep into the uncomfortable, find that old crappy belief and uproot it. Thrust our hands into the soil of our lives, let the dirt get under our fingernails while we discover if the soil in our consciousness is the right type. If it isn’t, we must go out and get the right soil. Nobody is going to bring it to us, we have to work for what we want. PERIOD. Everyone is subject to the same laws.

Maybe you’ll find a book that leads you to you, catch a lecture that empowers you, surround yourself with positive people who lift you up. Let go of those ideas that don’t serve your highest and best good, anymore.

Listen, nobody can save you, you have to be the one to decide to rise up. You must determine if you’re done or not. Nobody can fix you. They can show you, they can give you the tools, but it’s up to you to build a better life or not. It’s an inside job, a change of consciousness, a makeover of your thinking, and a lot of work.

Life is never stagnant, you can’t learn something new then think that you’ll master it because you did it once. You have to keep working on it, honing your skills, practice it until it becomes automatic, and even then, you will have to keep doing it so you don’t get rusty. Same with your thinking, same with your life--you must keep changing your consciousness so you can create a better life for yourself. Even if your life appears perfect, you must continue to work at that appeared perfection.

So how do we do it?

It’s individual for each of us, but one thing I know for sure is to start seeing the positive in the world, focus on the good, let the rest go. Stop embracing the negative in the world, stop feeding the beast of judgment, hate, anger, and indifference. Be honest, and embrace your grace. Take responsibility for your actions and life.

If you messed up, stand up admit it, and move beyond it. You don’t have to become yesterday’s mistakes by admitting them, and sure, you might be uncomfortable for some time, but in the long run, you will strengthen your consciousness and by strengthening your consciousness you’ll begin to see your life change for the better. You’ll have deeper more quality relationships, and you’ll experience your inner truth. You’ll be reminded every day that you are God’s greatest gift to this world. Because you are! You are the miracle the universe produced. A million to one miracle.

Take today into your heart, sit silently for a couple of minutes and see what comes to the surface, that will be the first thing to look at and decide if this idea is serving your highest and best good or enslaving you to a life of discontent and pain. If it isn’t serving your highest and best good, come up with the opposite and start thinking upon that. You’ll be surprised how fast your mind can replace a negative condition with a positive way of life.

Soon you'll discover that beneath what appears isn't what is. You are you, and you are enough, it's time to start believing in yourself again!

With LOVE and COMPASSION,
Gretchen de la O

STOP TALKING ... START LISTENING ... AND REPEAT AFTER ME!

2017-03-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

We all face obstacles, moments where we wonder, "How am I going to survive this?"

We struggle to find out why, we fight for answers, and sometimes we just decide to give up. We come from the "flight or fight" mentality because it's all we know.

We all have those experiences where we either come out swinging or we bury our heads in the sands of denial. It's human nature, it's the way we've been conditioned.

It's hard to face criticism for things we wish would go away. It's hard to hear the truth when we want it to be false. And a lot of us become fatalists when we let our minds wonder into the future that hasn't even happened yet. That's right, we project an outcome before the event even takes place.

Why?

Why??

and

Why???

Because it's easier to kneel to the condition than to rise to the occasion. WE THINK, it's easier to expect pain instead of healing, chaos instead of peace, poverty instead of prosperity, failure instead of success.

We let the world's conditions dictate our outcome.

We are not the world's conditions, We are not our neighbor's story.

Our lives aren't written in permanent ink!

We are ALWAYS changing, events and experiences are never the same, and just because history has dictated certain outcomes in other people's experiences, doesn't mean that's the end-all-be-all story of our lives!!

People bend perceptions and expectations all the time. Things evolve and change because we do. Technology changes and we discover new and inventive ways to create, produce, and execute better more efficient ways of doing things.

There are so many moments in this life where we bend perceptions and make them a reality. Where facts that we thought were law become the stepping stones to pushing precedence and limited thinking. That's right, just because a precedence has been set doesn't mean that's the be-all-end-all. It never is.

It's time we stop saying we've lost the race before it's even started. Stop looking at the hare and thinking because it has long strong legs it's going to win the race. <---we already="" how="" know="" out.="" span="" story="" that="" turned="">

We aren't limited by what has happened. We aren't the outcome of what appears to be. We are exactly what we decide we are going to be. It's time to let go of what the world thinks we are and start embracing the Truth of who we are!

First Person POV Statement....

(read aloud if you need to)

**************************

I am a mighty moving force. I deserve all the good, all the grace, and all the love waiting on my discovery. I am a gift living in the present. I am the miracle the universe produced and keeps producing with every breath I take.

I let go of my old ideas and embrace my new thinking today! I release the fear, guilt, pain, shame, and anger that doesn't serve who I am.

Today I let love, peace, health, abundance, compassion, happiness, gratitude, and grace fill my cup until it's running over. Today I recognize that I am a blessing not only in my life but in the lives of everyone I come in contact.

The goodness within me greets the goodness within everyone I interact with today.

I am worthy of living a positive life.

I am worthy.

*****************

You are worthy! You are the biggest gift to this world, no matter your past mistakes or accomplishments.

Today, the world is blessed to have you in it! Remember that.

With LOVE and COMPASSION,

Gretchen.

The Biggest Realization Yet!

2016-11-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

THE BIGGEST REALIZATION YET!

When will you realize that you're more powerful than you give yourself credit for?

Ask yourself: How long will it take of living in the fear, chaos, discontent, worry, anxiety, pain, guilt, shame, and/or suffering before I realize I have the power to change my experience? A week, a month, a year, a decade, a lifetime?

It doesn't have to take a lifetime to learn how to harness your inner power. You don't have to remain a victim of circumstances anymore! There is a power, an energy, a vital-ness that exists in the core of who you are. As sturdy and constant as the beating of your heart, as reliable as the breaths in which continue to fill your lungs, this energy, power, and presence is the source of what animates you--gives you the ability to rise above adversity, and it's limitless.

The problem lies within your use of it. Your acceptance of it, your own ability to harness it in the most useful way. You get caught up in the world's definition of what everybody thinks you should be--you lose sight of what you know about yourself. You have forgotten what you've come into this world already possessing. You've been conditioned to believe you are limited, you are conditional, you aren't strong enough to overcome the pain in your life.

What you fail to remember is that you are a mighty moving force in the world. You are the million to one miracle of life. You are here because you have life to live, things to experience, a purpose to fulfill, and a consciousness to expand and foster.

It isn't easy to rise above the discontent that swirls around you--God, it's one of the most difficult things to do. But you can't beg for peace while you keep living in chaos. You can't have abundance while you keep clinging to an impoverished type of thinking. I'm not bashing people whom are struggling financially. I understand the struggle, every day. But, if you want a richer life, filled with love, peace, joy, happiness, abundance in all aspects of your life, you must shed the impoverished thinking, the limited idea that you aren't worthy.

Too often the number one thing that keeps love, peace, compassion, abundance, and happiness from showing up in your life, is the idea that you aren't worthy of those things.

YOU ARE WORTHY OF ALL THE LOVE, PEACE, JOY, COMPASSION, AND ABUNDANCE OF ALL THINGS IN YOUR LIFE!

You must work on the subconscious thinking, the limited idea that has been planted in your dome, that you aren't worthy of great things. JUST BEING ALIVE, HERE, AND LIVING IS YOUR TICKET TO A GREATER LIFE.

Your breath is your pass, your heartbeat is your right, your thoughts, the trail to your truth. When you decide to shed the false belief of the conditions that are tethering you to the ghosts of what was, and start to accept that you are worthy of all good things, by the right of being alive, you'll begin to see small changes occur in your life.

Suddenly, you realize that you have so much more to do in the span of your existence on this planet. And let me follow that statement up with this: What you do doesn't have to be this grand gesture that changes the masses. Maybe what you do will change the course of one person. Maybe your purpose is to help one person. Maybe it's to learn how to accept peace in your heart, love an animal, pick up the broken pieces of a friend, maybe your purpose is to learn how to love in a deeper capacity. Your purpose is personal, and it's waiting on your discovery of it. And if it takes your entire life to discover it, so be it.

But YOU are the key. You are the only one who can decide how to react and act. Nobody can do it for you. Nobody has that much power in your life. And if you think they do, it's because somewhere you've been told or taught you are powerless. And, you, my dear, amazing friend are not powerless, you are powerful.

So how do you start? How do we uncover this power that has been beaten down, hidden, and torn from your consciousness? You start with three simple words. I LOVE MYSELF.

That's right, you must love yourself first. You must tell yourself every day, every hour if need be, I AM WORTHY.

Because you are. You are worthy of love, peace, compassion, joy, happiness, prosperity and knowledge. You are worth the time it takes to redefine and rediscover the truth of who you are. You've been beaten down for way too long. You've been told that you aren't worthy, and that is a LIE. It's a lie!

I don't care what you were in your past. I don't care. YOU ARE WORTHY OF FORGIVENESS. Forgive yourself for the crap you've done in the past. Nothing, and I mean nothing will ever change it. It's cemented in the history of who you once were, but it doesn't have to define who you decide to be today.

Yes, we must learn from our past transgressions, yes we must "repent" for our "sins." We must make efforts to right our wrongs, BUT, we don't have to carry them with us, living in that pain forever. We have to find that place within us that knows we were wrong, and do better next time. If we don't learn to forgive our mistakes, and eventually forgive the transgressions of those who have hurt us, we will continuously live a life filled with pain, suffering, guilt, shame, anxiety, and anger. You don't deserve that life, my friend.

You are worthy of love. You are worthy of forgiveness. And yes, it might take some time for the forgiveness to come from others, everything has a due process and some take more time than others, but you work on forgiving yourself. Work on learning from the choices that caused the pain in the first place, then and only then will you truly find the forgiveness you are looking for. The deep, true, soul changing forgiveness we all ache to experience and eventually embrace.

You are the most powerful thing in your life. You are the only one who has the power to choose how you're going to act and react. Come from love and see what happens. Come from a place of real deep forgiveness, and see the power and freedom that resides in the act of forgiving. Choose to rise above the chaos and find that one thing that imbibes your soul with peace.

You are worthy, my friend, so worthy.

With LOVE and COMPASSION,

Gretchen de la O

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?

2016-07-28T15:33:00.004-07:00

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?

Just because someone doesn't live up to your expectation, doesn't make them wrong or less than.

Interpretation is half of the problem, the other half is our own ability to lay blame with others.

When we stop making our way right and other people's wrong, and we approach a situation with an open mind, we find that we fear less and we love more.

We are a fear based society. We are constantly bombarded with fear through all avenues of our lives. We can't even have a conversation today without fearing how it will be interpreted.

We have these impossible ideas of what to expect from people without ever communicating with them. We let hearsay propagate and perpetuate fear, hate, and anger. We let our own expectations dictate the outcome. When we worry, we draw things to worry about in our lives, when we are mad, we find more things to be mad about. When we expect people to behave like assholes, they will live up to our expectations, because what we focus on grows, what we put our energy into manifests, what we empower in our thinking and life will multiply. It is the law of Cause and Effect. 

We don't have to live in fear, pain, anger, guilt and shame. We don't have to bite into the consciousness that the world is a terrible place to live.

Yes, there are terrible events and situations in the world, and yes, sometimes we are smack dab in the middle of them. I'm not saying we will never experience negative situations, to say that would be unrealistic. We are humans, having human experiences. What I am saying is we don't have to make fear the cornerstone of our thinking.

Why do we believe we must live under such limited thinking? What are we so afraid of?

Yesterday will NEVER change, it's written in the cosmos of the Universe, it is history, it's soaked into the walls of what was. So to fret your past gives nothing to your future. And to have preconceived ideas about tomorrow is a waste of your energy. Because, tomorrow will never come.

Tomorrow will always be tomorrow, with unwritten moments we will never experience but always long for. Tomorrow will always be just beyond our reach, always creating the need to continue a forward push.

Today, the present, this moment now, is what we must focus on. The ONLY thing we have some type of expectation and any control over. Your reactions are what make today, your thinking at this moment is what creates and motivates all your tomorrows. You've been given the best gift right now, and that is this present moment.

You messed up yesterday, use today to learn and move from it. You are not what yesterday was, you are what is unfolding right now. Stop looking back and wishing you did it differently. YOU CAN'T. IT'S DONE. THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IS MAKE TODAY BETTER.

You are more powerful than you think you are. Truly, if yesterday you were weak, make up your mind that today you are stronger. You  fell back into an old routine yesterday, know that today is not linked to yesterday's failures. You start new every second of every minute of this moment right now.

What if someone you respected, listened to, and always took their advice told you that you don't have to make an excuse for past mistakes, you don't have to carry them across your shoulders anymore. Lay them at the doorway of yesterday and come into today renewed and clean. They told you, that ALL your past is wiped away, and only this moment--right now matters. How would you react? I mean, truly think on that for a moment ... if someone you loved, admired, and listened to without question just said, forgive yourself, live right now like yesterday didn't happen, and find your inner peace, would you do it?

I think if someone told you to lay your burdens outside of the front door of their house and come in to rest, most, if not all of us would do it. Someone asks you to take off your shoes before you go into their house, you do it, out of respect. Why wouldn't we respect ourselves enough to lay all of yesterday's failures, mistakes and foibles at the doorway of today? 

This is your day, a day to be the best you can be, whether it measures up to someone else's expectation or not. You have every right to take this moment and make it yours. Embrace your inner power and strength. Find something that makes you happy, and be motivated to make something wonderful today. And no matter what, never give over to the guilt or shame of other people's expectations. You are exactly where you need to be right now. And if you hate where you're at, change your mind about it. Change your thinking and you will change your life.

May LOVE and PEACE be yours today.
LOVE,
Gretchen de la O

DOGS AND BEES CAN SMELL FEAR...

2016-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

DOGS AND BEES CAN SMELL FEAR ...

Well, so can our thinking! Our minds react and produce from whatever thoughts we think. If we come from fear, then our actions and reactions will manifest from fear based ideas.

Hear me out...

We have within us the power to produce exactly what we want in our lives. It's how and why we react that creates our experiences. If something devastating happens to us, it's within our scope of how we react that will manifest our experience.

Tragedy strikes so many people, and why is it that some seem to handle it better ... scratch the word better ... how about differently than others? How come some people can find peace in the most tragic moments of their lives while others simply can't?

We are born without baggage, without fear, doubt, and conditions. We are an empty slate, waiting to be filled with all the wonders of this thing we call life. We enter this world and are born to parents that are conditioned to living in a world or chaos, constant change, socialistic pressures, and demands put upon them that they must believe, act, and become conditioned to the world.

Without malice or hate, but out of love and compassion, most parents rear their children to fear actions of others, bend to the beliefs of others, and give into the conditional thinking that they have been brought up to believe is the truth. WE ALL DO IT. We aren't wrong for doing it, we can't live in guilt or shame for doing it, it's in our nature to protect, teach, and control those beings we've brought into this world.

But as we grow up, and we learn that we are separate entities from our parents, we begin to discover we were brought into this world already possessing everything we need. We are powerful beings, we are the only living things on this planet that actually has volition and are self-aware with a consciousness. We can actually rationalize our actions, and reactions, and we don't have to rely upon just instinct.

When we set out to discover the limitless power that resides within us, we begin to see how our actions, reactions, and inaction effect the situations in our lives. We learn that the law of Cause and Effect is real, powerful, and nobody is immune to it. The Law of Reciprocity, within our thinking is a very real and powerful thing. What we put out into the world, the thoughts we think, the actions we take, will produce a result. It's a 100% non-negotiable law of nature.

Think about it ... how many times have we feared something was going to happen and boom, it happened? Sure, we can say, "well, I've had that happen before, so I knew it was going to happen again." But see, there is the challenge. Why did it happen in the first place?

Let's look at precedents... Yes, precedents, something that sets the bar of what to expect the next time... We are taught to believe that if a precedent is set, that is all that we can expect to happen. We reach for that bar and when we get there we believe that's the best we can achieve because nobody has gone beyond that... until someone does.

It was believed nobody was faster than the 4 minute mile until someone broke the record. It was believed that we couldn't break the sound barrier ... until someone did it. And it was believed that a human being couldn't survive jumping out into the stratosphere in just a spacesuit and float back down to earth ... until someone did it.

We are all conditioned to believe we are limited in our actions, that we can't stand on the edge of what was done before and leap into what can be done now. We are conditioned by fear, by lack of belief, and by the conditional thinking of the world.

When we react or act from a fear based belief, we are giving into the idea that we aren't worthy enough, that we aren't good enough, that we don't deserve the best that life has to give us.

Truth is ... you deserve the best of everything! You deserve happiness, you are worthy of love and compassion, you have a right to live the best life you know how to live. It is within your power to challenge that which has been done before and work to reach beyond it. If everyone lived within the belief and fear of the world, imagine the world we would be living in.

I'd be pissed if some dude was still dragging my a$$ around by my hair. We wouldn't be communicating with people from around the world today, and we would be stuck in the conditional thinking that innovation didn't exist.

It's easy to say, don't let fear rule your life, don't let the feelings of inadequacy plague your thoughts, and don't let the words or actions of others steal your voice, but it's another thing to act upon it.

So, what I'm saying is, take baby steps. Take one moment at a time and ask yourself, do I really need to fear this? Are the sharp, painful words of that person really the truth of who I am? Why am I allowing the conditional thinking of those around me, define my experience?

Because the truth is, you are the most important person in your life. Without you, you wouldn't be here... your life wouldn't exist, and that wouldn't be acceptable. So take the time and learn to love yourself, honor who you are, respect yourself, and change your self-talk, your limited thinking, and your unworthy thoughts. You are the miracle of life. You are the prize the universe gave to the world. Take a moment today to discover the limitless potential you have within you, waiting on your discovery of it. You'd be surprised what you are capable of, when you give yourself a chance to believe in your inner strength and limitless power.

May PEACE and LOVE be yours today!

Love,

Gretchen

#BigO #O #OlongOLongPost #PowerToYou #PlugIn #BeTheChange #YouAreAwesome #DontGetDerailedByLimitedThinking

2016-03-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

DID YOU REALLY EXPECT THAT?

(long but did you expect anything less! LOL)

====================

Don't be let down by missed opportunities or lost moments. Sometimes things or events don't happen for a reason.

When what you expect to happen, doesn't, maybe, just maybe the Universe has a better plan for you!

Expectations can be a blessing or a curse, but within the paradox of what type of expectation it is, when it doesn't occur, you have to wonder if the Universe knows better than you.

It's tough when you expect something to go a certain way, or you've played the "story" out in your head over and over again ... and it doesn't go the way you thought.

The key in disappointing moments is patience and forgiveness. PERIOD. When things don't go the way we expect, if can we step outside of the moment we're in and look at it from the outside, we will use a different mindset. In using that different mindset, we'll actually see that the outcome is for the best.

When things don't go our way, instead of reacting from the outcome, or the result, if we actually looked at the cause or gave up our idea of what we think should happen, we empower ourselves to overcome the unnecessary stress of disappointment. When we stop reacting to the results, we evoke within us the ability to see things from other perspectives.

Listen, people who love us, don't set out to hurt us. They don't intentionally say to themselves, "Hell, yeah! I'm gonna hurt Gretchen today, cuz I luv her so much." And if people are doing this, well, that's something we need to re-evaluate in our relationship with them. Maybe expectations are not crystal clear.

We get hurt because our expectations were shattered. The players in our "story" didn't fit into the protocol of the plot line. Let's just say they "missed the memo" about script changes! The trouble with this situation, (which we ALL have experienced at one time or another in our "stories"), is we didn't inform the other players that we made some changes in the script/expectations. We didn't have a script supervisor around to "feed" the people in our story the right lines to say.

Our expectations can really mess up a relationship, an event, an experience. It can make us angry, hateful, stressed and riddled with anxiety. Who wants to feel that??? Why then, oh why, do we allow these expectations to feed that side of us? We have no control over another person, to have these unrealistic expectations are only hurting ourselves.

So, this is what I say to this situation ...

Stop expecting perfection. Stop setting yourself up to be hurt. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, guess what my dear, loving friends, it's a freaking duck. If your relationships are always tumultuous and you're tired of it, stop expecting it. THAT SIMPLE, YES, IT'S THAT SIMPLE. (Sorry for shouting, but you need to see that.)

If your expectations are set that everything in your life will be hard, guess what? EVERYTHING will be a struggle. Your expectations are the whispers you feed to the Universe and since the Universe is a "YES" woman/man, ---he he he, THEN, everything you whisper with expectancy will be acted upon. PERIOD, END OF STORY.

What you put out to the world, comes right back to you. It might not come back to you through the same avenue you sent it off, but trust me, it comes back. You might not get it back right away, but eventually it comes back. See, the Universe doesn't know time, It's a timeless and omnipotent, limitless Energy. When you toss your expectations into this Energy, It acts upon it exactly according to your belief. So, today look at what you're expecting.

Decide if your expectations are feeding your soul; are they giving you a better life? Or is your expectation feeding your ego? Is it giving you an excuse to remain angry, bitter, cold and frustrated? If it doesn't serve your highest and best good, let it go... let it go, my dear sweet loves. The only way someone can hurt you, is if you give them permission to hurt you. ---Yeah, I'm really working on this one myself. Re-evaluate your expectations today; are they too high? Are your expectations so out of reach that nobody can fulfill them, not even you? If so, take them down a notch. I'm not saying don't have expectations, just give them a bigger "strike zone". Allow room for something greater or different to show up. Because, when you do that, you'll be pleasantly surprised that something even greater is waiting to happen.

LOVE you and may PEACE be with you today!

‪#‎UniverseItEnergyGod‬ ‪#‎KeepYourChinUp‬ ‪#‎TrustLove‬‪#‎ScaryButOnceYouLetGoAndLetLifeOccurSomethingMagicalHappens‬‪#‎YesItsHard‬ ‪#‎LifeIsPerfectlyImperfect‬ ‪#‎Expectations‬‪#‎StopExpectingCrapAndItWillStopShowingUP‬ ‪#‎BigO‬ ‪#‎O‬ ‪#‎GreenHearts‬

Today is the Day!!!

2016-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

TODAY IS THE DAY!

If we keep putting off our good until tomorrow, nothing will ever be good enough.

We do this all the time. We save the good china for guests and special occasions. We hold onto that thingamajiggy for the day we feel worthy to use it. But all we end up with is lots of wishes for tomorrow. We push our good out to the future because we are afraid if we give it to ourselves today it might not be as special, or as good.

Isn't it time we all came to the realization that life is right now. That there aren't any tomorrows that are guaranteed. You are worth the fine china, even if it's only mac and cheese being served up! You are worth using that thingamajiggy today! Don't put off for tomorrow what you can have today. Is it living if we are always looking outside of where we are? What are we doing to ourselves when we look to yesterday for today's answers and how much power/time/energy are we giving away by pushing our good off until tomorrow?

You are living today. You're the miracle waiting to happen right now, not tomorrow, not the next day or the day after that. Give yourself this daily bread, carbs and all. Living in the moment is being present in your life. No more unconscious living. No more scarfing down the robust and plentiful dinner without tasting it. Take this moment now to feel the air brush across your skin, the smell of the rain as it dissolves into the sidewalks, listen to the sounds of your life with a new ear.

I'm not saying we won't have days where comfortably numb isn't welcomed. We all have those days. They are valid because your feelings are valid. But to live every moment comfortably numb isn't living, it's just existing until the next tomorrow. Take up thy bed and walk. If you're like me and have days where you look up and wonder what happened to the last week, month, or year, it's time to take a deep breath, be grateful you came to the realization that you deserve more. YOU DESERVE MORE!  Take a second in the day to find one small thing to be grateful for. Find a sliver of something beautiful in the heap of comfortably numb.

When you discover that there is beauty around you, that there are moments to celebrate even if they are the most ridiculous things, you'll begin to see that the outcome of your experience isn't in the hands of the world, it isn't perched in tomorrow's ideas, but in this moment now, right where you are. It's time to celebrate the fact that you are important in the scheme of your life. YOU hold the thoughts that power your experiences. HUGE. You are the creator of your day, the maker of moments, the only person who can decide how you're going to react and interact with people, places, events and things.

I understand it's not the easiest thing to do when you've spent your life looking at the glass half empty. You don't want to feel the pain of being let down, you'd rather rely upon the reality of the world around you. I get it, we all reside there sometimes. But, what's life if we don't give ourselves moments to experience the breath-hitching wonderful. What are we robbing from ourselves by numbing ourselves to the grandeur that is waiting for our arrival? You're created out of the same substance that created the stars. That's no joke, look it up. Every element they discovered in the creation of stars are all elements found here on earth. Therefore, you're soaked through and through to be a STAR! You knew it, there is that burst of brilliance at the center of who you are. Find it, make that your next adventure, discover that tomorrow is nothing more than more of today. You are a mighty moving force in your life, no matter how it may appear. YOU have the right to a do-over, a restart, a re-boot. Find your star and burn brightly my loves!

LOVE and PEACE be with YOU today!

#BeTheStarYouWereMeantToBe #BrandYourStand #FindYourSpark #YoureNotAlone #YouAreBeautifulJUSTtheWayYouAre #BeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld #Love #Peace #BigO #O

Today is Mine.

2016-02-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today is new! Yesterday is down and in the books. It's something you can't go back and change. No matter how wonderful or how pain-filled it was, the key word is ... WAS.

I can't fix, take back, change, or remove the feelings, experiences, memories, and reactions of yesterday. All I have any control over is what I do with them. I choose to learn from them, and then move forward with that knowledge obtained. It doesn't do anything to wallow in yesterday's mistakes, misfortunes, triumphs or tribulations. I'm not going to rub them across my bosom, or sleep with them under my pillow, and I DON'T WANT TO!

I choose to take the knowledge of yesterday and do what I can to be a better person from the lessons taught me. Today, is new. An opportunity to make better that which I may have failed at in my past. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

I know it's hard to let go of burdens or pain from your past. We all know our past is what paints our future, however, it doesn't have to define it. What I was yesterday, a month ago, a year ago, a decade ago isn't who I am today. Because today I choose to be free from the need to make excuses for something I can't change. I own my past, take responsibility for it, and MOVE forward.

There are people who can't move out of it. They decide that their past, present and future is who they were and not what they have to potential to become. We've all felt this way, at some point in our lives. But, it doesn't serve you or your future to cling to your foibles of your past. The failures of yesterday are the stepping stones to the successes of tomorrow.

I choose to stop reaching outside of myself for who I am. I decide to look within and make the necessary changes within me. Because, truthfully, that's all I have any control over. People's reactions aren't mine to own. It isn't heartless, on the contrary, it's being heartfelt. Because when we come to the realization we can't control others, we begin to understand that the only thing we can control is our reaction to their actions. Somehow we begin to embody the compassion, love and understanding of where they may be coming from.

Take the time today to celebrate your breath, the thunderous heartbeat in your chest, the thoughts that swirl through your head when you really love someone. Embrace today as if you have no access to yesterday's files. When your feet hit the floor, know that everything from your past is forgiven. That you learned from what bones are buried in the soil of yesterdays battles.

YOU are magnificent! The miracle of another opportunity to grow, learn and expand your consciousness. Why not wake up with the expectation of something wonderful is about to happen. Even in the darkness, when the light appears, the darkness dissipates, EVERY TIME!

You are the light of this life, my friends. It's time someone told you that.No matter what. No matter the situation, emotion, reaction or interaction, you are the light of your life. Okay, I'm gonna get a little bible-bangin' on ya, but it's such a powerful metaphor, "When God said, "Let there be Light", there was light." God demanded the light, he didn't ask, beseech, question or guess there would somehow be light. With the conviction and authority of the Almighty, you have that same right to demand it from the Universe. LET THERE BE LIGHT. The Universe gives you only what you are capable of embodying. If you're only capable of a small flicker of a spark, then celebrate that you have a spark. If you're a raging fire, then you celebrate that. It's time to give yourself permission to just be who you need to be today. Because that which you focus on grows.

May LOVE and PEACE find you in everything you do today! #ILOVEU #TakeAMomentForGratitude #EvenIfImHeartBrokenIFindMySoulsSong #LoveAndLight #LightDissapatesTheDarkness #LetThereBeLightAndThereWasLight.

Knocking on Failure's Door

2016-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

We have to stop looking at failure as a reason to quit! Stop looking at the hurdles as impossibilities. We lose too many talented people in too many industries because of the belief that failure is a one way ticket to doom and gloom.

Failure is a form of success. Hear me out, if you don't like my explanation, then we'll talk about it later.

We need to reconfigure the definition of what failure means to us. It doesn't have to be something that rips you to shreds and ruins your ability to carry on. When we fail at something, or if the results aren't what we wanted, we grow, we evolve and we learn in the midst of that failure how NOT to do something. We essentially succeed in gaining knowledge when we fail.

I'm not going to say it doesn't sting, hurt, discourage or down right turn us sour, because failure has the ability to do that. But when we step out of the chaos failure creates in our thinking, and we approach the results from a different mind set, failure can become a springboard of infinite possibilities. Let's face it, failing at something can be one of the biggest motivators in our lives. Aaannnndddd, that's because we all have something called EGO.

I couldn't talk about failure without talking about ego.

DEFINITION OF EGO: Your ego is your conscious mind, the part of your identity that you consider your "self."

Ego is a tough thing because it can play into the hands of failure. When we identify as that failure, our ego hands us that failure on the most beautiful shiny platter around. Our thinking takes a turn into the idea that we are our failures and our ego serves it up.

Think about it, how many times have we worried about other people's ideas about who we are and what we do? That's our ego, that's us being conscious of our "selves". When we approach failure from the outside in, from a different view point, the power failure once had over us, becomes nothing more than a fleeting thought and we begin to figure out a different way of succeeding at something. We can fail once and give up or hundreds of times, it's only those of us who dig back in that will eventually find their way to success.

Just as in nature, we must flourish or parish, (not necessarily in a physical sense). It could be an idea that parishes, a way of doing something, an action, reaction or even a thought process. When we let go of the "ego-ness" of failure, and we embrace the idea that through being unsuccessful at a particular action or event, we are cementing the stepping stones to creating something greater and more expansive. We are taking the knowledge we just obtained and applying it to the process of becoming successful.

You know failure and success is in the eye of the beholder. It's your eye that defines what your failure and success is. It isn't in the power of those outside of your mind, who define who and what you are, That is your job, your responsibility to take. I keep saying this because it's true; YOU are the only one who has access to your thinking and thoughts 24/7. Nobody can fix your definition of what you believe is success and failure. That, my dear friends, happens to be an inside job.

Take a moment today, to look at something you believe failed at, something that didn't turn out quite as you had planned. Look at it from a different thought process. Maybe you'll see that if you had succeeded you might not have what you have now, Maybe you'll see that through failing you learned compassion, understanding or cooperation. There's always something to learn and grow from, and isn't growing and learning a step toward expanding your consciousness which in turn is a step towards your success?

I say the next statements a lot, and I MEAN A LOT, but I think we just don't hear it enough today, so I'm gonna keep saying it until it becomes as natural to you as breathing. Here goes. YOU ARE A MIGHTY MOVING FORCE IN THIS WORLD. YOU ARE THE MIRACLE YOUR LIFE IS WAITING ON. YOU ARE THE CHANGE THE WORLD NEEDS. YOU ARE AN INFINITE POSSIBILITY WAITING TO UNFOLD. It's time you started to believe in your inner power and strength and stop waiting for others to label you. YOU ARE NOT YOUR FAILURES, you are GREATER than that, you possess within you the same energy that produced the universe. It's time we all started seeing what we are, instead of what we aren't.

Go, take on today, knowing that what you put out into the world, comes back multiplied, and stronger than ever. Make today, the best Monday, January 25th, 2016 ever!

Love,

Gretchen

#YouAreNotDefinedByYourFailuresYouBelongToSomethingGreaterThanThat #BeTheChange #MightyMovingForce #SuccessIsntMeasuredByHowWellOthersSayYouDidButHowYouFeltDoingIt #BigOLove #BigO #O

Take Your Life By the Horns

2016-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Your strength doesn't rest in an outcome, or a result, rather your strength resides in the power of your decision to do something.

You hold the key to your own happiness, nobody or nothing has the authority to take your power of decision away. We often find comfort in blaming others for the results in our lives. It's so much easier to look outside of ourselves for how f*cked up our lives are.

We walk around casting blame for what's so wrong in our lives and yet, when something goes right, we find it easy to look within. Take credit for the good and blame others for the bad. Isn't it time to discover that the outcome of our lives is measured by the responsibility we take for it?

If one person ... ONE person can prove to rise above the disharmony and discontent in their lives, then it shows that any one of us can. It's in the decision to do something. People that over come horrific events in their lives do so by changing their way of thinking. They don't blame past pain for where they are in their lives. They move beyond the pain, suffering and anger into a state of consciousness soaked in forgiveness, peace and love.

Everyone has been a victimized in this life. I'm not trivializing the event that has caused you so much pain. TRUST ME, I know what it feels like to suffer at the hands of someone else. But if we don't find our inner strength through forgiveness, through empowering ourselves, through taking responsibility for how we act NOW, we will live out the rest of our lives tortured by events that can never be changed. If we keep residing in our painful past, how can we embrace a greater future?

Events of your past shape who you are, I'm not one to argue that. I'm also aware that in order to overcome the tragedies in your life you have to work through your anger, fear, guilt, shame and doubt. Some people have more work than others, that I will not discount, nobody can tell you how to grieve or heal. All I'm saying is once you decide to move beyond the pain, you find there is an entire life waiting for your discovery of it. A life filled with love, peace, harmony and compassion.

Sure, you'll have days where you're mentally stronger than other days. You'll have setbacks and spring-forwards, we are human. However, as you learn to look within for your answers, look within for your strength and power, you'll see that blaming others, or looking to others to make you happy is a dead-end road.

YOU are MAGNIFICENT, you are the result of a miracle made manifest! You were created out of the goodness and grace of a Infinite Power seeking to know life. In seeking to experience life, this Infinite Power, (call it what you feel comfortable calling it), gave you volition, emotions and consciousness. You're equipped with everything you need to be empowered in your own life. It starts by recognizing that you are a mighty moving force that is worthy of love, peace, forgiveness and a limitless abundance of goodness.

I'll be the first to tell you, it isn't the easiest thing breaking the bricks which have created the walls that imprison you. It isn't fun working through your past, it's uncomfortable, tiring, icky, painful and downright debilitating at times, BUT when you decide to take back your life, eventually there will be more good days than bad, more moments of triumph instead of defeat. Take the time you need, a little each day is better than trying too much at once and giving up.

I'll leave you with this, "You can't fix a problem using the same consciousness that created it." Albert Einstein.

Keep changing the way you've been thinking about or approaching a problem, and eventually you will find a solution.

May LOVE and PEACE by yours today.

Love,

Gretchen

As You Give, So Shall You Receive

2015-11-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of years I’ve been changing. Okay, well, I’ve been changing and growing my entire life. But lately, for the last several years I’ve gone through a mental growth period. A Spiritual journey that if I look back, I can see how its unfolded slowly, sometimes painfully, sometimes perfectly, sometimes even prolifically.

In the last couple of months, intentionally or otherwise I’ve really started to embrace the idea of trying to live a selfless life. See, I’ve been wrapped up in the idea that if I produce or do something, I look for what’s in it for me. Normal, or what society has trained me to think. If I do something for someone, what’s in it for me? Whether it comes from that person or someone else, if I give, I’ll be given back to right?

Such a delicate balance/dance with the Universe. We are told give and ye shall receive. You sow what you reap. BUT, what if we aren’t meant to? What if we aren’t designed that way? What if we are designed to sacrifice, surrender, and give without expectations? What if in the act of giving selflessly, without expectations is the key to eternal mana from heaven?

“As you give, so shall you receive.”

What if it isn’t about WHAT you give but HOW you give?

I think about that, ponder that statement for a deeply, personal, real moment and decided it isn’t what I give, but how I give. It’s about my attitude when I give. Am I looking for something in return? Am I giving because I believe the more I give the more I get back? Or, am I in the right state of selflessness when I am giving? Am I doing the act of giving so I will be acknowledged for doing something? Do I post inspirational posts to get the responses that feed my ego or do I give my words to people selflessly? It’s a real dilemma for someone who wants to give without restraint. It’s a real moment of awakening when looking back at my life and evaluate myself honestly, openly, and without judgment.

This isn’t a moment designed to make me feel guilty, or helpless, actually it’s empowering to discover where my true power resides. My real, raw, inner power doesn’t reside in the giving of the “thing”, my real raw power resides in the thought behind it, my intention.

Am I being selfless in what I give? Am I giving without restraint? Giving without conditions? Giving without any forethought of, what’s in it for me? If I can’t honestly answer those questions with a yes, then the actions, the condition, the idea of a selfless, enlightening, freeing moment won’t exist in the action.

It’s the Law of Cause and Effect. My giving, whatever it is, time, talent, treasure is the Cause and what is produced, what happens when I give is the Effect.

“As I give(Cause), so shall I receive(Effect).”

When I give, that is the reward! No matter what. The smile, hug, the thank you, the “things” that return to me are just an added bonus.

I know this seems radical to some. Some people may think, “But G, people will take advantage of you.” Well, to those who believe that I will say this … not really. If I’m not focusing on the effect of my action, but the cause of my giving, those things “added unto me” will be wonderful but not the reason I did the act in the first place. If I am truly pure in my intentions the results can be nothing less than pure. If appearances are on the contrary, then that is in the eye of the beholder and not the one acting out of pure intention.

Listen, I’m far from perfect in this concept. This is what life is for, to practice and keep practicing and when I feel I’ve gotten pretty good at it, continue to practice this concept. Does it mean I say yes to everything? Absolutely not. But when I am inspired to give, inspired to help, asked for something, and I find I’m doing it for nothing more than because I want to, without conditions, and without expectations then I’ll know I’m on the right track.

I strive for freedom from disappointment, from expectations, from pain, hurt, jealousy, suffering, conditions. Living in the moment, being present in a moment, without worrying about 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days from now. How empowering would that be?

I must let go of ego. I must let go of outcomes. I must let go of expectations. I must be fully present in the moment with the person, or people I’m with. It’s about striving to live a pinpoint, in the moment type of life. If I trust the Universe to put me where I’m supposed to be, then I need not worry about the future. Every action and reaction, every intention will build, put in place and be made ready for me.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and rely not on your own wisdom. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

It’s time I started trusting in the power of intention, trust that the Almighty has every answer to every question I could ever possibly ask. It’s time to let go and let God. This Omnipotent Presence will not lead me astray but point me in the right direction to my highest and best good. I don’t have to rely upon my own idea of what I believe should occur. I don’t have to try and figure it out. All I have to do is know, with all that I am, right and perfect action is taking place and the path of my journey will be made easy, straight and with ease.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

LOVE, Gretchen.

Fear of Failing

2015-11-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

FEAR OF FAILING

When we stand on the precipice of a new day, a new moment, a new way of thinking and leap off into the unknown there's a moment of uncertainty that arises. It's that particular point in time as we're flying through the vast open space of the moment, where our future is just a speck below us, and our past is left up on the cliff, and we ask ourselves, "What the hell did I just do?"

At that moment of realization we discover fear is a real powerful emotion. So powerful in fact that it has cemented us into the exact space we struggle to overcome.

People holler to us ... don't worry, be brave, discover your passion, do your best. And as we are sailing through this wide open point of discovery we ask ourselves, what if regret appears to be my best? What if crippling fear shows up as my best? What if buckling to the pressures of life seems to be my best? What if failure is all I am going to experience?

To those of you who are sailing through the vast space of "oh sh*t", let me say this... Sometimes we don't have to be the best, all we have to do is show up and be willing to participate.

In order to manifest, produce or overcome the results of the world we have to stop looking at the world as the barometer of our life. We become so caught up in the fear of failure, that we lose the idea that it's our inalienable right to do so. When we glide through the air in our leap of faith and the wind is catching our hair and it is brushing our cheeks, and causing our eyes to water, there's a point in us that will discover that in order to move forward we must be willing to first leap and second be okay with failing.

It isn't the act of failing that dictates our outcome, it's our reaction to it. ~ G. de la O.

In other words, well, actually in Albert Einstein's words, "We can't change a problem with the same consciousness that created it."

When you fail at one thing, own it, hold your head up high and be proud of it, because it that point of failing, you leapt. You took a chance where you invested in something greater than fear. You opened yourself up to growth and you expanded your consciousness. You succeeded at knowing what NOT to do the next time.

We live in a society where our children are terrified to fail. They are scared to try because they don't want the world to crush them, judge their attempts, or shame them for not succeeding the first time.

It's time that the pendulum of discovery swing back the other direction. We must let our Future see that it's okay to fail and that fear is okay when you know what to do with it. We must show the young that failing is inevitably the biggest sign of living. They need to see that we can bounce back, regroup and try again. Failure isn't the last train station of your life. The track is endless, the train keeps going.

Failure is nothing more than a jumping off point to discover you can rise up from the ashes and start anew. We don't have to fear the act of failing because in every action and every reaction there is a gravity of love, compassion, intelligence, openness, discovery, and growth.

Leap off the edge of who you were yesterday and embrace the feeling of letting go of the process you think it must do. There is a power greater than you, that knows what to do and how to do it.

Let today, be the best November 24th, 2015 ever!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Love,
Gretchen

Truth is When You Are Done Proving Yourself

2015-11-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

You don't have to sacrifice yourself in order to be brilliant, you just have to be willing to do the work.

Be willing to be vulnerable, be willing to let go of being right, or being something to everyone. Be something to yourself. This isn't self-indulgence, it's self-reliance, self awareness, self-fulfillment. It's diving so deep into who you are, that when you come up for air you gasp at what you discovered. You marvel at the idea that you are not the body you are housed in, or the material things you accumulate. You discover that within every experience you've had, there was something greater at work than your own ego, ideas, beliefs or wishes. You discover that your connection with others is a stronger bandwidth than you anticipated.

Your Truth is complete abandonment of your ego and need of having to be right. It’s letting go of the idea that you must be heard, or be proven. What in the world do you have to prove? Stop talking and people will suddenly listen. Stop arguing and people will take notice, stop the riggers of discontent and people will stop feeding that monster.

When you let go of your need to be right, be heard, or be proven it can be scary. Suddenly you're floating in an ocean of uncharted territory. Instantly you have to tread water where before you swam a strong stroke. You have to float on your back and not foresee where you are going. But in doing that, it begins to create an understanding that what is happening to the world outside of you, isn’t what is happening to the world inside of you. You will discover that you are more than enough.

But, you have to learn how to silence the voice inside your head. You know the one that tells you, “You must fight to be right!”

Let me clear something up for you, YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT TO BE RIGHT.

Your Truth, who you are will be revealed the second you stop trying to prove who you are. Truthfully, the mere fact that you were born is proof enough that within you is a power at work greater than anything you feel you need to prove. There is nothing more to prove, nothing more to argue about. How you live your life, how you cooperate, coordinate, facilitate and participate is nothing more than a reflection of what you’ve been taught to expect or believe to be facts. Well, and we all know facts can change.

Your Truth is unchangeable, it’s non-negotiable, it isn’t fiction or woo-woo. Your Truth is irrevocable, it’s dynamic and never stagnant. It is who you are when the world turns away, it’s the Divine spark that never stops burning, it is your creative process, it’s the connection you have with nature. Your Truth is love. Pure, unadulterated, non-sexual, unconditional, irreplaceable, bigger than child/mother connection, LOVE. It’s not explainable, it’s undefinable, it’s limitless in its totality. Your Truth is the omnipotence of God acting through you.

When we see our Truth for what it is, we begin to understand why we don’t have to waste our breath explaining who we are or feel the need to prove anything to anyone. We don’t need to because the Universe is doing it for us by acting through us.

So today, I stop trying to prove I’m right. I stop arguing for the conditional when the unconditional is at my fingertips. I let go of the idea that limited definitions, or the human condition creates any part of my Truth. I am a child of God, carrying out my life the best way I know how to. I let go of the need to fight to be right. I let go of those people who feel the need to fight to be right. I embrace the Truth of who I AM and I approach everyone, (and I mean EVERYONE) with kindness, compassion, empathy and understanding. How freeing it is to know I don’t have to play in the muck and mire of discontent. That my Truth is ultimately their Truth too.

It’s so empowering to know that there is a greatness in each and every person I come in contact with, and I have the ability to connect with them at that level. Even the people who hate me, even the people who hurt me so deeply. Everyone has this capacity, and it’s in our willingness to discover it, nurture it, come from it, and embrace it that will give us the most freedom. Freedom from the bondage of pain, suffering, hate, anger, jealousy. It is an evolving process, a life’s work that will never be done. It’s a forever process of enlightenment, unfolding discovery, involvement, evolution and continuum of growth.

Today, if I have a millisecond of clarity and experience a sliver of my inner Truth, I know that I have moved closer to the pinnacle of my life’s work. It isn’t the instant we hit the ground that we are searching for, it’s the thrill of flying through the air after we've jumped. That’s where we find the most growth in our humanity, and our spirituality. It isn’t about sticking the landing, but what we do while we are flying through the air that matters.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Love,

Gretchen

No Matter a Mountain or a Molehill, The Outcome is the Same

2015-08-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

When you stand at the base of a mountain and look up, it can appear to be insurmountable. You can feel insignificant and too small to climb the face of something so massive.

Life can feel that same way at times. But if you lower your head and face forward, you will see the ledges, roots, rocks and crevices you can use to pull yourself up. When we give our attention to that which is right in front of us, the mountain that towers above us, doesn't seem so huge.

Every once in a while, you can look up and see the magnitude of work ahead of you, and in the same token you can look down and see how far you've come. But your resiliency isn't measured in where you came from or how much further you have to climb. Your resiliency and strength is measured by how you move forward from where you are.

You can't look up or down the face mountain and at the same time be successful in placing your hands and feet in the best positions to climb. You must focus, be aware of the moment and make the choices that will keep you clinging and climbing that mountain!

In other words, you must be consciously aware of what you're doing. It's a matter of life and death, success and failure, and eventually reaching the crest of that mountain.

If you are too busy worrying about what's to come or what you've already been through, the significance of the moment you have right now will be lost on your past and what hasn't happened yet. You have an opportunity right now, to either reach for that ledge and pull yourself to the next phase of your climb, or keep clinging to the edge until your hands and feet become tired. You know what to do and how to do it. It's time to start trusting your intuition and let go of the needling fear that's like weights around your ankles.

You have been given the best climbing equipment, ever, it's state of the art and it costs you nothing! You have been trained and equipped for climbing those proverbial mountains your whole life.

You've always possess the ability to think, reason, deduce, and understand. You've always have had the ability to choose, to love, to forgive and to forget! You have everything you need right where you are to reach up and pull yourself to the next section of your climb.

YES, sometimes you'll lose your footing, or grab a rock that's loose, you'll slide and have set backs, but guess what? That's part of being alive. Who doesn't have experiences that seem to kick you when you're down? But it's important to remember that you have a safety rope, a lead rope, and that rope is the one thing that's strong enough to keep you from falling to your death. That lead rope is called faith. It's that faith, in which you have for yourself and others. Faith allows you to start again, keep going and reach for your potential that resides within you. Faith's that still small voice inside of you, faint as a whisper which tells you, that you're worth it, that you can do it, and that love, compassion, peace and strength resides right where you are.

You're a child of God, a reason why life is happening. You are the most valuable person who's climbing the massive mountain called, Your Life! Don't you think it's time to start embracing your strengths and finding the strongest rocks and roots to grab?

Listen, it's not what you were, or what you can be that defines who you are in this moment, you are not yesterday's news and or tomorrows headlines; you are the decisions you make right now, at this moment of your life. Empower yourself and know that you are love, life, joy, peace, compassion, harmony, light and abundance. Know that you are the perfect expression of life, living life to the best of your ability, right where you are.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Love,

Gretchen

There's No Place Like Home (Wizard of Oz Pt. 2)

2015-08-05T20:29:00.001-07:00

There's No Place Like Home. (2nd Installment)

Dorothy Meets the Scarecrow...

(Highly recommended you read the 1st installment--- here)

There are moments during Dorothy’s journey where she finds herself walking or skipping along the wide winding road laden with bright yellow bricks of promise without issues. Her journey is a peaceful one with Toto (her little dog), scampering at her feet. And yet, just as the moment where comfort outweighs her fear, she comes upon a fork in the road. Undecided on which way to go she talks to herself out loud, and that's when she's startled by a talking scarecrow in a field of corn. The Scarecrow tries to direct her the best way he knows how, but in the end comes off as confused. However, Dorothy listens to his story, and shows empathy for him by bending the nail down on which he is hung and frees him from his paltry existence. The Scarecrow asks if he can join her on her journey to see the Wizard, his hopes pinned on the idea that the wizard might give him some brains. It’s the perfect situation which allows her to express her compassion for something unlike herself. She tells him that she has a wicked witch after her and shows concern for his safety but when he tells her he’s determined to go with her, she agrees to his joining her and Toto’s journey to Emerald City.

I believe miracles show up in all different ways. Now, I’m not saying on your journey down your ‘yellow brick road’ you’ll come across a talking scarecrow that only wants a brain, I believe in a lot of things deemed miracles, but that ain’t one of them. What I am saying is, you may come across someone during your life's journey that may need your help, or need your attention, or someone who may not be as fortunate as you. It's wise for you to remember, it isn’t the work of your hands that makes you memorable, but how wide you open your heart.

Like the scarecrow, there will be people in our lives who feel dumb, they believe or have been told they aren’t worthy, or they’re stupid and have no business doing what they are doing in life. It’s a sad fact in which the words flung upon the young and innocent leave the deepest wounds. For all I know you could be reading this and blurt out, “Gretchen, Oh.My.God, I’m the scarecrow!”

But let’s make something clear, something we should all be aware of … people come into our lives for a reason … PERIOD. Sometimes they are fleeting, sometimes they come in and stay for a short blip of time, and sometimes we meet people and they’re in our lives up until we take our last breath. It’s my belief that everyone’s brilliant and life affirming and intelligent with a special place in this universe. I know, I know, we’re all measured to a standard that for some is unobtainable, but let me say this, some people are book smart, while others are street wise, some may have mastered how to run a household, while others are better building things with their hands, but the fact of the matter is, we each have something to contribute to the betterment of this world. Each and every one of us possess this capability; it’s just that we’ve lost our confidence along the way. As a society, we’ve lost the ability to connect with the potential which resides deep within each and every one of us. We’ve been told not to be vulnerable, or show weakness, we’ve been told we shouldn’t be too confident, or come across arrogant. We’ve been “shoulded” on our entire lives!

It's time to STOP “Shoulding” on yourself and others. It’s vital when people come into our lives to remind them of how brilliant, loving, dynamic, joyous, and smart they truly are. It’s imperative that we keep reminding ourselves of how brilliant, loving, dynamic, joyous and smart we are too. Dorothy, never once agrees with the scarecrow! She heard his woes-me story, gave him her ear to listen , and then when he invited himself into her journey, she agreed to his company, wholeheartedly.

Every answer to every question we’ve ever had lies deep within us. Either we’ve never been told about our potential or or we keep forgetting about it because we are constantly bombarded with definitions and phrases that convince us or train us to believe we are limited, less than, or weak. When Dorothy asked the scarecrow questions he answered, when she couldn’t free him from the post he was nailed upon, he told her what to do. Maybe it’s the simple fact that we’ve never been taught how to stop and listen, or we merely forgot the mechanics of becoming still and knowing. Self confidence, inner peace, love, harmony, and personal strength can’t happen so long as we keep building soundproof walls that continue to isolate us in a self-induced prison of shame, guilt and blame.

Why do we look upon the less fortunate as “less than”? Who wouldn’t fall in love with a singing scarecrow without a brain? Why must we define others by what they don’t have or what they are lacking in their lives? When our actions speak louder than our words we will truly understand the dynamics of reaping what we sow. When we celebrate the strength in those around us, we are uplifted in our own lives. Dorothy’s heart was large, bigger than those whom she met, and yet never once did she make anyone feel inadequate.

You see, even though the scarecrow thought he didn’t have a brain, he sang about all the things he’d do if he had a brain. The scarecrow had his entire existence all “plotted” out if he ever “got himself some brains”. What he didn’t realize was he already possessed the abilities he sung about. He had within him the potential to do everything he wanted, if he’d let go of the idea that he wasn’t smart enough. Could it be that we too, have our own ideas of what we need or should be in order to be, successful, happy, healthy, loving, abundant, and joyous? We, like the scarecrow believe we don’t possess the potential to be greater than we are right now. Doubt aside, how often have we talked ourselves out of something because we believed we weren’t worthy enough, strong enough, intelligent enough? If we keep following the same patterns that got us to where we are, we’ll never embody our true potential.

It’s time to bend the nail that pins us to the post of our past beliefs and slide off the splintered beam that keeps us bound to our old ideas of who we used to be. Stand with those people who believe we possess the capability to be whatever our heart’s desire.

You and only you know what’s right for your life. You may start your journey heading one way on the, ‘yellow brick road’ and find it’s not the right path. That’s okay, because at least you’re starting to recognize what you want and what you don’t want. You’re beginning to live life consciously! Strengthen those legs you thought weren’t strong enough to carry you through, start believing that within you lies infinite possibilities in which you have an all access pass dangling from a lanyard for all to see. You are the believer that creates the beliefs in your life. You have the ability to change your mind and dance on the ‘yellow brick road’ of your journey.

It’s your life,and your opportunity to be anything you want to be. When you stop allowing others to define who you are and what they think you should be, you begin to embody your true potentiality. When you discover the limiting ideas, which have been seared across your brain are nothing more than a false belief you’ve unknowingly allowed to be planted there, you can begin to uproot them, weed them and replace them with the fruit producing positive ideas that strengthen who you are.

Dorothy never once believed what the scarecrow told her about his plight of being brainless. She heard him out, disclosed to him the struggles he may encounter if he went with her, and then let him decide for himself if he was going to join her or not. It’s time to have someone in your corner believing in you, telling you, you can do whatever you set your mind to; it won’t be the easiest thing you’ll ever do, but what’s gained if nothing is tried? You can climb back up on that rusty ol’ nail and hang from that splintered post, or you can tread along the ‘yellow brick road’ of your existence and see what happens. The choice is yours.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings.

***Stay tuned for the 3rd installment when Dorothy meets the Tin Man.

There's No Place Like Home. (Wizard of Oz)

2015-07-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

We Are More Like Dorothy Than We Realize.

This morning while I was getting ready for work a scene from the movie, The Wizard of Oz popped into my head. You know the one where the wizard dives head first digging deep into his big black bag only to pull out attributes for three of the lost wanderers. The qualities none of the eclectic gang thought they had. The same scene where Dorothy pipes up and quips, “There’s probably nothing in that big black bag for me.” I thought to myself, “holy sh*t, that’s it! We’re ALL Dorothy in our journey of life.”

As a matter of fact, the whole Wizard of Oz story/movie exists in a parallel motion to our lives. We all have dreams, ideals, beliefs and when we’re young they are big, huge, dynamic, and sometimes even scary. When we’re little children we believe we can be anything we want. We may daydream about how it feels to save someone's life, accept an Oscar, a Grammy, a trophy, the championship title. We see ourselves as doctors, star athletes, actors, singers, musicians, speakers, even the president of the United States. But as we get older we begin to lose the dream, we begin to loosen our grip on what we thought we could accomplish, we begin to listen to the people telling us to get down, stop balancing on the thin edge of that rickety ol’ fence and get back to work. We’re told that life is hard, so get your head out of the clouds, because ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ doesn’t exist. We start to believe that we aren’t worthy of our dreams and that we need to shove them back down into the place where childhood memories collect dust and dreams are better left forgotten.

When Dorothy (who’s in a dress mind you), falls head first off the fence and into the mud that's where our lives become parallel to hers. Tragic as it is, we’re raised to fear life. We’re clothed and draped in the experiences of those who have lived before us. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, mentors, people who have their life experiences tattooed across every let down and failure they’ve ever had. These loving people never planted fear within us out of malice or for the sole purpose of squashing our dreams; it was done with the honest intention to protect us from pain, to thicken our skins to the big bad world outside. It was done so that we wouldn’t be devastated when our dreams appeared to be out of our reach. They instilled fear in us so we’d be stronger when we stumbled on our way to catching a glimpse.

Now, listen up, I’m not writing this post to debate on how to “ready” your child(ren) for this world. I’m not in a position to pass judgment on anyone. And as much as my parents supported my dreams, there were plenty of naysayers outside of my protective cocoon that didn’t waste a moment’s time to tell my how ridiculous my dreams were. I’m paralleling our lives to the Wizard of Oz (movie version), so we have something to reference outside of ourselves. A visual prop, so to speak, to identify with and relate so we can recognize the fear that paralyzes us, call out the unworthiness that we dress ourselves in everyday as we follow our dreams, and overcome the guilt we shower in when things don’t work out as we thought they should.

There are moments when Dorothy faces the harsh realities of life in a microcosm, where times are tough and people are even tougher. When the innocence of their simple but hard life on the farm becomes disrupted by the oppressive hand of the unforgiving people who scare her and spit demands at her family. As if in the same manner we may have been battered, bruised and squeezed for property we didn’t possess or situations we couldn’t rectify. But isn’t that the way of tragedy? As if things couldn’t get any more deplorable, a twister comes and rips Dorothy’s house from the dust riddled parched earth of Kansas in a turbulently violent moment that seems to last forever.

Eventually, the modest farm house lands hard, smack dab in the middle of a luscious forest in the Land of Oz. There's a metaphorical brilliance in that scene that’s undeniable. We’re faced with twisters in our own lives, moments even when we hold on, they seem to rip us from our foundation. Could the house that flew through the air, tossing and spinning so recklessly represent our lives? Could the scared girl named Dorothy, who watched the world pass her by through a single pane glass window be a significant moment we hate to identify? Amongst the chaos and turmoil, we’ll always see the good and bad come out in people. When we live in expectations of lack or desperation, we’re living a monochromatic experience. We become comfortably complacent in our lives until something devastatingly dramatic comes along and shakes us up. And what better metaphor to represent the upset than a tornado in the dust bowl of Kansas?

Life seems melodramatic, filled with the pain of what we despise and yet we can’t seem to get enough of it running through our veins. Just as the world Dorothy was fearing in her monochromatic life, eventually it takes on a different shape translating into technicolor dreams planted in her head. We are constantly pulling and pushing ideas from what we thought was supposed to be into what we feel needs to happen. Fear’s been seared into our souls so completely, that while life’s being painted across a fresh new canvas of possibilities we shudder and cling to the idea that the first stroke of the brush could be the last. Yet, just as Dorothy pulls open the door of her wind-bent farm house, she's met with a vibrant world filled with brilliant colors and vivid imagery all her own. A world created by her thoughts, her ideas, her fears and her strengths and you want to know the twister? She’s completely oblivious that she has created it.

Cautiously, yet curiously Dorothy leaves the confines of her transplanted farm house and braves this dynamic world she’d never seen before. Faced with actions beyond her control, when her house lands on and kills the Wicked Witch of the East Dorothy is thrust into a position that requires her to put on her big girl panties, and find the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. Fanfare ensues because let’s face it, if a house landed on the one person or experience that keeps tormenting you, you’d be partying too! Sometimes breaking away from that which brings you so much pain sends you off onto a journey you never expected. People around you could be celebrating the accomplishments or growth you’ve experienced, while deep inside your gut you are scared to death of what just happened. It’s understandable that there will be fear of backlash or repercussions when you’ve knowingly or unknowingly accomplished something so empowering. Even if the success you’re experiencing wasn’t planned!

Here’s Dorothy, in the middle of Munchkinland, celebrating the new adventure she’s about to embark on, when Glenda the Good Witch, in her delicate and loving manner, tells Dorothy how good can overcome evil, and how sometimes in overcoming that evil you can have more problems arise, when VOILA! … The Wicked Witch of the West, appears in a green puff of smoke! (I never understood why green represented evil. It’s my favorite color) Anyway, instantly Dorothy’s life becomes riddled with problems, ideologies, and fear. The Wicked Witch of The West is pissed because Dorothy’s house has killed her sister, the Wicked Witch of The East. That’s right, innocent, pretty Dorothy was blamed for something out of her control. How many times have we’ve been blamed for circumstances beyond our control? How many times will we have to drown in our self-inflicted guilt because we succeeded or failed at something?

Poor Dorothy, riddled with guilt and confused on what to do is completely unaware of her inner power and where it resides. She stands scared because the Wicked Witch of the West has targeted her as her next victim. Especially, since Glenda the GW←(Good Witch), magically put the ruby slippers upon Dorothy’s feet. ← Take note, the ruby slippers represent a HUGE AH-HA moment later in the story. Dorothy didn’t ask for these ruby slippers, she didn’t come in all gangsta like and demand the beautiful shoes, Glenda decided to give them to Dorothy to protect their magic and the person wearing them.

Listen, we don’t have control over the actions of others. Sometimes we are thrust into moments that affect who we are or what our purpose might become. Glenda magically took those ruby slippers from the WWE (Wicked Witch of the East), and unbeknownst to Dorothy, placed them upon her feet. Once the ruby slippers were on Dorothy’s feet, nobody but Dorothy could take them off. Could those ruby slippers represent our self confidence? Could something as basic as the shoes thrust upon Dorothy’s feet metaphorically represent our faith in ourselves as we walk, dance or run through our journey? How many times have we heard the quote, “don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a thousand miles in their shoes”? Maybe those ruby slippers stand for something more than pretty shoes for a pretty girl? Maybe they represent the faith we must have in ourselves and the journey we are embarking on.

Then GTGW, with some help from the Munchkins tell Dorothy in order to find her way home (via the Wizard’s wisdom), she must ‘follow the yellow brick road’; a road paved with bricks, curving and bending through all the different aspects of Oz, leading to the Emerald City (Yay, finally Green represents good!). But, let’s not forget, any road paved with intentions is always going to take us through uncomfortable situations, maybe even lead us through moments that we’ve never thought we’d ever experience.

Could it be, the yellow brick road represents the foundation of our lives? Maybe those beautiful bright yellow bricks represent our intuition, the path we must build our future upon as our ruby slippers click and clack along the way? It takes a lot of guts to follow our dreams, it takes the realization of our inner power to stay focused on the pathway to our success. And, hey, if we have a little extra help from our very own GTGW along the way, who are we to stand in the way? Let the light and love of someone willing to help fill your cup, top off your tank, and give you a moment of true deep appreciation. We never do it alone, there’s always someone who will be your advocate. Just as Glenda was Dorothy’s advocate, there's always someone waiting to be yours.

TO BE CONTINUED…

***Keep an eye peeled for my next blog post when Dorothy meets the scarecrow in the 2nd installment of, There’s No Place Like Home.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Are You Ready for This?

2015-06-17T12:08:00.001-07:00

What does it mean to you … to be grateful?

Gratitude is one of the most powerful abilities we have.

To give thanks for ALL that’s in your life is one of the most empowering actions you can do. When you give thanks for what you have, or what others have done for you, or even the smallest of miracles that grace your life, you learn to recognize the strength that resides deep within your soul. When you come from a place of gratitude, an authentic space where you’re truly grateful, it gives you the ability to strengthen your connection to the universe. It’s your purpose, your birthright to experience life, to use the manna poured upon you from the heavens in the most loving and unconditional way. You’re the light that overcomes the darkness, you’re the love that’s waiting for a place to show up. You’re the epitome of life that should be living out loud.

I’m totally aware that life can be tough, scary, sad, painful, and dark. I understand the inequality and injustice of people who have been victimized, who struggle to live, who look at everyday as a burden. Believe it or not, I have scars that run deep, betrayal that’s formidable and experiences which have shaped who I have become. There was a time in my life that I was voiceless, sad, burdened and broken. But I learned at a young age that the more I focused on my sorrows, the less power I felt I had. The more I clung to what was wrong, the deeper I would fall into the definition of who I didn’t want to be.

We’re all living the best life we know how at this point. We can’t blame or shame people for who they are or the limited belief they have in themselves. We’ve been taught that we are powerless. From the cradle to the grave we are taught to believe that we’re a product of our environment. Well, in some cases that appears to be the case … but that’s only because we were never taught how to change our thinking.

All of us have been suppressed by the consciousness of disease, doubt, worry, fear, anger, frustration, and jealousy. We’re exposed to the darkest part of humanity on a daily basis through the media, and yet, we’re expected to rise above the very noise which suppresses us. We’re bombarded every second of our lives with the world telling us how insecure, inadequate, and uneducated we are. We’re told that we are limited people, living in a limited society where only the righteous few have been kissed by enlightenment.

We’re handed life with the expectation to make something of it, and yet we’re never given the proper tools to build it. We’re told to make a difference in the world but never shown an instruction manual. We’re trained to live our lives on the surface of who we truly are! Words are carelessly tossed our way without forethought of how they will be interpreted. We’re told we are too fat, too thin, too smart, too dumb, too ugly, too beautiful, too this and too that, each and every word finding a place to soak into the fabric of who we are and with every interaction it becomes the dye that colors our existence.

I’m not writing this to give excuses or judge people who are living the best they know how at this point in their lives. I’m writing this to tell those of you ... who are feeling stuck, feeling overwhelmed, and burdened, that you’re not alone. I’m writing this in the hopes that someone will read these words and find their inner strength of who they are and what they mean to the world.

Your life isn’t meant to be stagnant. It’s always moving forward, always expanding, always changing at every moment of every day. Even if life feels like it’s moving at a snail’s pace, it’s always moving. It’s your responsibility to find your place in the world, your job to recognize the small moments where you can celebrate who you are. Nobody’s going to do it for you, and BOOM, that’s where gratitude comes in to play. When you live from a place of gratitude, the world opens up and pours blessings onto you. When you let go of the anger, frustration, jealousy, pain, hurt, and sorrow that has rooted itself into your soul, you clear the way for your inner spark to burn bright. Suddenly, you’ll begin to see that those experiences you called miracles are nothing more than everyday moments you let yourself shine.

It isn’t easy, letting go of past stories, definitions you’ve been saddled with, or the alter ego which keeps convincing you to believe all the bullsh*t you’ve been fed. It’s a lifestyle change, a way of thinking that will change the way you view the world. It’s empowering to know you have total control over how you view the world. Because, nobody’s in your head policing your thoughts, controlling your ideas. You’re the only one who has access to your head, so begin there! Change the self talk that fills your thoughts. When you say the words, “I am” decide to put something meaningful behind it. Make it a habit to find something in your day to be grateful for.

Find a moment where you would have had self deprecating thoughts, and praise yourself for resisting that negative pattern. You’re the most amazing, dynamic, beautiful, wonderful, worthy, intelligent, loving, compassionate expression of life there is! You just don’t feel that way because you’ve been told your whole life that you must be meek, humbled, guilty, poor, limited and small. Well, guess what? I’m saying you don’t have to be that way anymore! If you need permission to be happy, well, then I’m here to give it to you! You’ve always had the right to be everything you’ve ever wanted to be, don’t let the past transgressions of others be the deciding factor of who you are today! Today’s a new day, a brand new moment to find something to be grateful for.

So, I say to you, embrace your inner light, let it shine around you, remind yourself that you are the miracle that shows up every moment of everyday! You deserve to be happy, you deserve to live a gracious life. Start small, give gratitude for the littlest things, and I promise you, if you make giving gratitude a habit every day, you will see those things you're grateful for, and they will continue to show up in your life!

Have a fantastic day, and I am grateful you stopped by and read my ramblings!

LOVE,

Gretchen

Do We Really Need Will Power?

2015-05-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

Where there's a will there's a way. Well, if there's a way, where will it take me?

Too often we think we have to believe in this elusive power that some how bubbles up within us when we finally reach the end of our rope. A power that magically show's up because we've FINALLY gained the "will" to make it happen. We dig deep to find this infamous "will power" that's lost or gone, or nonexistent until we're desperate enough to find it. We don't have to search outside of ourselves or plunge into the depth of despair to find that thing called will power. We've always had it, and it never runs out!

Within you, at all times, whether you recognize it or not, you have access to an infinite power that's always residing in your soul. At the center of who you are, at the level of your understanding, there is greatness, an energy, a power that is willing to work for you 24/7. You don't have to coerce it, bargain for it, or manipulate your place in this world to get it. You don't have to do anything of the sort, because this power is with you constantly and never runs out!

See, we're so busy believing in our limitation, that we miss the truth about who we truly are! We're limitless, we're plenty-filled, we're the light that dissipates the dark. We're the manifestation of the greatest gift of all ... LIFE! Never forget, we give to the world, exactly what we believe we're worth. Too often we're caught up in the belief that we don't have the will power, or we can't find a way to make it work, so we start believing we are too old to start, too set in our ways, too unlucky, too poor, too sick, too unhappy, too fat. blah, blah, blah.

STOP.DOING.THIS.TO.YOURSELF!

You're so important to your world. You're the expression of love, you have a vital role in this thing called life! You don't have to search for this power, because it is right where you are. It isn't misplaced or lost, nobody stole it from you, or hid it away. It's that still small voice that rings truth into your head, it's the pride you feel when you did something amazing, it's that energy swirling in your belly when you look back at what you've done and see progress, it's the bigger than life thinking, the unconditional love you've shared, it's you, my friend. You don't need Will, or Tom, or Harry, or even Dick!

You don't need to believe or rely upon any power outside of yourself. Stop listening to the naysayers of the world or the ones in your head. YOU have the most influential thing in your life, your thoughts! You have within you everything you need to navigate this world. Stop listening to those who want to see you suffer, those who want you to be as miserable as they are! See those people and experiences for what they are, time suckers, energy zappers! If you took a couple of minutes a day, just the time it takes to brush your teeth, and closed your eyes, and said (out loud) one great thing about who you are, and where your power lies, you will see the truth of this thing called will power. It isn't something you fight for or believe doesn't exist; your "will power" is nothing more than your recognition of your inner power you've had all along.
You're the expression of your life. Every morning your feet hit the floor is another day, you have the privilege to find your purpose, dig deep into your soul, and start believing that you're the "will" that makes the way.

I know my posts are lengthy, I know what I'm writing here is a broad stroke with a utopian brush. I totally get that everything isn't so peachy all the time and that my idealistic beliefs are too much for some. But sometimes in order to get the pendulum to move we must pull it to it's highest point possible and let go. Never believe you don't have the ability to pull back on that pendulum and let it go. You have as much right as anyone else to live a dynamic, healthy, loving, prosperous, harmonious, peaceful life. Take a moment today to find a quiet place and just tell yourself, I AM BEAUTIFUL, I AM SUCCESSFUL, I AM THE LIGHT DISSIPATING THE DARK. You say it enough, eventually the naysayers have to believe it ... even the ones in your head!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Self Love is Empowering

2015-04-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

If you wouldn't say it about someone you love, then don't say it about yourself. There is power behind your thoughts and words, use them wisely when you self talk, in your head or out loud!

We are bombarded with words, thoughts, pictures, videos, books and images of an unrealistic idea of who we are told we should be, or look like. No matter what words are heard, no matter what pictures you ache to be like, or what belief system you subscribe to, you must not forget that you are beautiful just the way you are.

YOU ARE the miracle that life is made from. YOU ARE so important in someone's life. YOU ARE love in action. YOU ARE the expression of life dancing on the edge of new discoveries. YOU ARE brilliant. YOU ARE beautiful. YOU ARE smart. YOU ARE perfect just the way YOU ARE.

YES, you lady, YOU---> the one who feels ugly, stupid, less than, unloved, unimportant, and worthless. I am talking to the people who have been battered down by a belief that they are anything less than perfect. Victims of pain, suffering of the body and soul. I am talking to you.

YOU are the most important thing in your world. Without you, who would experience life for you? Through you? As you? You have a purpose, if you didn't you wouldn't be here. I'm not saying life is easy all the time, or telling you to ramble off a couple affirmations and everything will be peachy. That's not what I am saying at all. What I am saying is when you decide to discover the spark of greatness that resides within you, I want you to foster it instead of trying to blow it out. I want you to know that whatever is occurring in your life can be over come or can be made peace with.

It may seem difficult at first, finding that inner spark, that deep desire to be at peace, that source of greatness that resides hidden within your soul. But, if you take a moment to celebrate the smallest of accomplishments, the tinniest of moments you felt good, you will begin to feed that energy within you that knows what to do and how to do it. You need to trust in yourself, trust in the love that bubbles deep down. Believe in the miracle you are. Have faith in the beauty that is pushing to come out.

We have become prisoners to the ideology that beauty rests in the epidermis of what others see. We've continuously drank from the cup of being unworthy for too long. We've clung to the belief that our words are inadequate and our opinion is of no value. And for what you feel it's worth, I'm here to say, that simply isn't true! The truth is, you are just as important as any other person in this world. From the president to the crazy cat lady down the street. No one is more important to experiencing your life than YOU! PERIOD. You are so amazingly awesome, just the way you are!

So, here's the thing. I have this quote I go to, whenever I am feeling inadequate. It is very powerful to me. It reminds me that we are all made from the same stuff. It motivates me to find that inner spark and nurture it to a burning inferno. So here it is, I leave you with Marianne Williamson's quote she first published in a book, RETURN TO LOVE. (Disclosure:I never finished reading it. A convo for another post someday) But when words you need to embody speak to you, maybe that was the only part of her book I was supposed to read. ;)

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Return to Love by Marianne Williamson.

There really aren't any more words needed by me on this post once you read the quote above. So, thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings.

LOVE,
Gretchen

Even The Dalai Lama Gets the Hiccups!

2015-04-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

As we wake up and brush shoulders with the morning and smile at the thought of a new day, or even as we breathe in the aroma of infinite possibilities while counting the tally marks of a life we've been so gloriously given, let us remember that even the Dalai Lama gets the hiccups.

Nothing is perfect all the time. Well, wait, I take that back, everything is perfectly imperfect. We all have moments where we come upon those type of people who rattle our cages. We watch them systematically create chaos in a peaceful moment, or stir the big vat of hate and anger when others have already decided to overcome it. We've all experienced those types of people that pummel the wasps nest with the biggest wooden stick they can find and walk away unscathed while the others get stung repeatedly. It is nothing new in a world where we praise the sarcastic and cuddle with the hardhearted. We celebrate the combative and get in bed with the wicked, and we do this so we can feel important; like we are part of the “team”. We will quietly stand on the sidelines while the asshole coach berates another player, because deep in our hearts we are relieved it isn't our face he’s yelling in. Hey, we all have done it, nobody is immune to life. If we were, we wouldn't be living it.

We are all born with instinct. When we come into this world we sleep when we are tired, we eat when we are hungry and we cry when we are in need. Blessed are the children, for they see with a pure heart. It isn't until the world lays at our infantile feet the life lessons learned by those who came before us. It is when the good-intentioned unconsciously impress upon us the limits we must believe we have. It is the beginning to where we see the world in a different light. We become the imprints of conditional thinking and shackled by what’s been done before. You see it in kids who don’t see color, race, sex or creed. They exist to experience life and that is it. They don’t worry about the future and they don’t live in the past. They wear their emotions on their sleeve and just as the river flows forward so does their ability to move on. It is at our most impressionable time of our lives and happens to be when we are taught what it means to limit ourselves and bend to what society expects from us. It is at that point we become conditional thinkers.

We live in a world ruled by the limited thinking of what has come before us. We live by man made laws designed to dictate what we must do to live systematically in a society with others. We all understand that most of these man made laws are in place to keep us safe. But we also live in a world dictated by something bigger than man made laws or the ticking of a clock or even the degrading judgment of others. There is a place within us that isn't affected by what we see or hear, but is ruled by what we innately know. There is a power greater than us, greater than any condition, experience, man made law or limited thought. It is our intuition, that power that swirls in your gut, that Infinite Source that we connected to and bonded with when we are born. Once we become conditioned by the world, we are taught to stifle that instinct, crush that power that surges within the deepest part of who we are.

But I am telling you, to let it out! It’s okay to feel love, peace, joy, happiness, harmony, light and abundance. You are beautiful, you are smart, you are free, you are peace and harmony. Just because someone, so long ago told you something, doesn't make it true! Did you read that? Let me write it again… JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD YOU SOMETHING, IT DOESN'T MAKE IT TRUE. We have got to stop looking outside of ourselves for validation, for peace, for love, for wholeness or joy. It is time to remove those shackles of our limited, impressions people so thoughtlessly pressed into our skin and start to reach deep within ourselves for the Truth of Who We Are. You are a light designed to dissipate the dark, you are a life, meant to live the most beautiful moments you can. You are life living consciously. Take today in your heart, and wear it there, that it is the best day ever. Today is your day and you are a miracle waiting for a place to show up. So, just show up! Show up today, live in the moment, let go of what you can’t control and embrace what you can. Be the best you, you know how to be right now, and I promise, as you do that every day, as you be the best you, you can be, each day will become new, each moment will be another opportunity to be the best you, you know how to be! Don’t forget, you only have to be stronger than your weakest thought, then eventually, your weakest thought will be replaced by your strongest intention.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Taken in Lafayette, CA. on my iPhone

Take the Beam From Your Eye First

2014-11-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

How many bones must a dog bury before it has enough? How many songs must we listen to in order to understand suffering? How many tears must fall before we forgive?

When we look at life as if it is disposable, replaceable, or a rehearsal we short change ourselves the opportunity to live up to our true potential. When we are flung upon the sharp tongues of others, why are we disenchanted by the mouths that scar us? A life can be given in 15 seconds and destroyed in 3. A career that took a lifetime to build can crumble in a blink of an eye. Are we truly that blind? Isn’t it in this moment that we should remove the beam from our own eye before we can pluck the speck from our neighbor’s?

If our eyes were really the true window to the soul why are we so blind to the hypocrisy in the world? We see what we want to and ignore that which makes us uncomfortable. We are taught to attack the flaws of others, because compassion would make us look weak. And yet, even as we speak love from one side of our mouths, we whisper words of hate through the other. We exploit the misfortunes of others and become empowered by the spineless that stand behind us. We are fed by jealously and bound by insecurity.

We claim we are passive and yet we aggressively push for people’s sympathy. Are we truly the ones who need sympathy? Or could our misfortunes and successes be measured by the choices we make? Anyone can ask for sympathy, live in fear, and be ruled by judgment, but it takes strength, courage, and higher thinking to rise above the static that fills the empty space.

We are constantly praised and coddled by the masses for embracing the fractured bones that weaken us. Have we fallen so deep that we grapple and cling to the bones of trail-blazers that came before us? At what cost will our egos be rewarded? At what point will the pain be enough to keep us motivated? When will the dried, splintered remains of teachers before us become the legacies of what was instead of what could be?

We will always be imprisoned by thoughts of yesterday if we don’t replace them with thoughts of what we want for tomorrow. Right now we are the most powerful thing in our lives. From the moment we open our eyes to the moment our heads sink into our pillows every word we utter, every thought we think and every action we take sets up the cause and effect of our lives. We can choose to flick the domino of life and embrace the outcome or we can stand on the sidelines afraid of what will happen. The choice has always been ours.

Our life is meant to be lived, active, expanding, and fluidic. We are meant to shine, be brilliant, and yes, even falter sometimes. We are wired to live life the best way we can. Why would we long for Peace if we weren’t meant to have it? Why do we ache for love if we were never destined to experience it? Why would we be given freedom of choice if we were never fated to use it? We are created to experience the best life we know how to live, and in doing so we sometimes lose our way. We become caught up in the lives of others, we become defined by who we allow others to label us as. We give our power to those outside of our inner dwelling. Just because we are who we are today, doesn’t mean we can’t be who we decide we want to be tomorrow.

Every second of everyday we are changing, growing, and expanding our life experiences. When we allow others to pipe in, we are giving our power away. We know who we are and what we need to do. When did we lose our way? When did the words of strangers or others become who or what we are? Perhaps it happened when we were down, scared, ruled by fear, maybe it occurred when we got lost in the world. Maybe we allowed others to run with our power when we stopped listening to our intuition. Either way, today is the day we take baby steps to reclaiming our power! Right now, at this moment, we will reclaim our inner spark that has always burned brightly in the core of our being.

What once was will never empower what will be. We can’t take what we want and bottle it in the old used containers of yesterday. We must take a new, clear, beautiful bottle of today and fill it with what we want for tomorrow.

I will not fill you with falsehood and tell you it is easy. It is not! But what I will say is this … when you decide to love instead of hate, celebrate instead of denigrate, embrace instead of push away, embody peace instead of dysfunction, pleasure instead of pain, you will begin to feel your world change, and then you will see it transform. You will stop embodying what is so wrong with the world and start personifying what is so right. You will give up the judgments, the pain and anger and you will begin to embrace the beauty around you, feel the pleasure life will bring you and start to love the world for what it is, because you and everyone around you deserve to live in LOVE, PEACE, HARMONY, ABUNDANCE, and JOY.

Start today by making a conscious choice to think better thoughts. That’s all it takes is a conscious act of changing your thinking. May today be the start of you following your bliss, taking the bull by the horns, and making the world a better place because you are in it!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Yosemite Trip taken by Jared de la O 2012. Power At Its Purest!

What is YOUR Truth?

2014-11-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

What is YOUR Truth?

When we push past our fear we see Truth. Truth is the root of what you are. Just as LOVE is our fuel, our essence in which we exist, so is Truth. Do you know your Truth? Have you ever felt what your Truth feels like? How will you know your “Truth” when it shows up? Well, let me tell you, if you’ve ever smiled so wide you face hurts, or laughed so hard your belly muscles burned and you couldn’t catch your breath? Have you ever loved someone or something so much you ached when they were gone? Have you ever wanted to exist in a single moment for the rest of your life, or looked at something and marveled at its perfection? If you can say yes to my questions or have embodied any of these emotions, then you, my lovie, have experienced your Truth!

Truth is the perfection that dwells within you. Your Truth is that intuition that never steers you wrong. Your Truth exists within you and is always available to you 24/7. You are a Mighty Moving Force in this world. --->Yeah, I said it, and I will say it again, YOU ARE GREATNESS just waiting for a place to show up! So, isn’t it time to show up? Isn’t it time we gave Greatness a shot?

When you come from that place within you that is born and created through Truth, you can’t help but experience the amazing life you were born to have. Even in the darkest of places, when light is introduced, the darkness simply vanishes. It doesn’t argue, dark doesn’t fight with the light, it simply fades away. Isn’t it time to align your self-belief in Truth, Love, Peace, Harmony, and Abundance? Isn’t it time to let go of the dark and embrace the light? There is a place within you that knows your Truth and when you learn to find it and embrace it nothing will stop the Universe from giving you exactly what you ask for! Stop reaching outside of yourself for acceptance, for your Truth, and Love, know that it resides within the wellspring of your heart, soul and mind. Go out and celebrate your Truth!!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Gretchen

Personal Empire of One

2014-06-04T17:16:00.001-07:00

Oldie but a goodie! Enjoy, I hope something sparks that creative power within you!

I learned a pretty valuable lesson in the last couple of weeks. When you see the world changing and crumbling around you…you have two options…you can crumble right along with it or you can rise above the rubble and find a different way to live your life.

It is said that only through falling apart can we truly rebuild an empire. Brick by brick, stone by stone we have built the walls of discontent, anger, frustration, and hate, and in building those walls we have never once really examined each stone or brick for what it truly was…an opportunity.

Could it have been that each earthen brick and smooth stone that we laboriously piled and mortared into place with such diligence was an opportunity to see a different side of a situation? Sometimes we are so tightly wound in being resentful that when we start picking those perfectly molded bricks we don’t see that there are six sides to them. That’s six different opportunities to see a new way to build our empire!

What if we turned over, examined, and made the best

decision on how to place these bricks in our wall? Could we have quite possibly discovered that the bricks we are using weren’t meant to be the pillars of hate and fear but the cornerstones and foundations of love, peace, and harmony in our lives? How long must we stand there and contemplate where we are going to cement these limited beliefs into our walls that surround us in our empire of one?

Change your mind! Look at the other side of the brick and make an educated decision on which belief you are going to use. You are the builder of your future. You are the only constant in your life…What you see is what you get…so what are you seeing? What are you giving the world? Someone petrified with fear, or someone who is immersed in love? Are you learning how to build a wall strong with peace, love and joy surrounding you? Because when you come from peace, love, harmony, and joy, the fear will dissolve, the hate and anger will not exist, and you will begin to see there was really nothing to fear to begin with.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Love,

Gretchen