Did you know that you’re a spin doctor? Because you are! We all are, but for the most part we’re simply not awake to the fact.

Our thoughts determine our feelings. You might often feel like you can’t help your feelings, but the truth of the matter is that you can. To change your feelings about a situation, you need to change your thoughts. And, as long as your mental health is strong, you always have the power to change your thoughts. (If you find your thoughts are spinning out of control, and have been doing so for a couple of weeks or more, please make it a priority to see a health professional.)

The snag though, with changing our thoughts about circumstances, is that often we don’t want to! We are attached to a certain idea of how things are or should be, and we resist letting that go, eventhough holding onto it might not be serving us well.

Lest this sound like a preachy lecture, please know that I am speaking from my own experience as much as from what I’ve learned objectively.  I constantly have to readjust my attitude!

I can recall a while back setting the intention for a particular opportunity to manifest. And it did, very quickly, and also very precisely. And what was my response? It should have been gratitude, and that was definitely there. But it was also laced with an egocentric questioning as to whether this was in fact the perfect opportunity for me. And if I were to hold out a bit longer, would something even better not come along?

I had, of course, done this before.  And let me tell you, what I got in response was a smack in the head!  Luckily, I remembered that lesson and decided to apply it to this new situation.  (I am learning, slowly but surely )  It took a few days, but I saw the light and I grabbed my opportunity.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church….a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll

A shift in attitude or perception can have miraculous results.  It will definitely change how you feel.  You can choose to be at peace by choosing to see things differently.  And who doesn’t want to be at peace?

If there is something in your life that you’re feeling disgruntled or distressed about, choose to make the shift.  If you are being downright negative or ungrateful (ahem!), choose to make the shift.

Examine your thoughts and ask yourself whether your mindset is serving you well.  See if there’s a different perspective you could adopt that would make a positive difference.  Put a new spin on the story and see how that helps. 

A Thought for the Week

“There’s a crack in everything.  That’s how the light gets through.” ~ Leonard Cohen
 
“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” ~ Anna Quindlen
 
“People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it.” ~ Edith Schaeffer
 
“Perfection is the obstacle to creation, and the enemy of achievement.” ~ Neale Donald Walshe

Just because it’ll make you smile

A Thought for the Week

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Thought for the Week

It’s very un-coachey, but I was never one for new year resolutions.  Intentions, however, are a different matter entirely.  I set intentions every day!  And my overall intention for 2012 is to Love, Laugh, Heal and Grow….

“Love is what we are born with.  Fear is what we have learned here.  The spiritual journey is the relinquishment – or unlearning – of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts.  Love is the essential existential fact.  It is our ultimate reality and our purpose on earth.  To be consciously aware of it, to experience love  in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life.” ~ Marianne Williamson

Love is the opposite of fear.  When we think and act with an open and pure heart, rather than any desire for approval, we are working with the energy of love.  Love is accepting – fully – ourselves and others.

Laughter is medicine for the body and medicine for the soul.  Laughter raises our vibration, and it heals us.

Healing is the rejuvenation of body and mind.  The recovery from dis-ease.  We all carry dis-ease of some form or another.  We bury our hurts rather than feel them.  And as long as they remain buried they remain with us.  Healing releases our hurts and frees us up to live our lives more fully.

Growth is what happens when we heal and return to love.  Growth enables us to fearlessly feel our emotions rather than run from them or suppress them.  Growth has taken place when we can look back on our tribulations and be grateful for the experience.

We can spend our lives chasing material goals only to wind up feeling unfulfilled and questioning the meaning of it all.  Or we can realise that there is a whole lot more to life, and that having all that we need requires us to “have” very little actually.  Our purpose in life is to be happy.  To discover within ourselves the innate ability to feel peace, joy and contentment no matter what is going on around us.

In 2011 I didn’t always remember this.  Towards the end of the year especially my attention got diverted alot towards the ifs, buts and maybes.  I focussed my attention – fearfully – on what might or might not happen if this or that did not turn out as I hoped.  That was such a waste of energy, and it impaired my ability to come up with solutions to my problems.  And even when I did come up with solutions, I didn’t quite get around to applying them.  Procrastination reigned instead of productivity.

But that was the year that was, and this is the year that is – 2012 is going to be different!  My intention for this year is to love more, laugh more, heal more and grow more.

2012 is predicted to be just as tough as 2011.  Maybe even tougher.  That’s just how things are for now.  My mission is to stop fearfully projecting two-to-six-to-twelve months down the line, and to choose instead to focus on the simple joys available to me moment to moment.  As someone who has read and written a lot on the subject of happiness, I know that this is the only way we can tap into that state of being.  And it is always available to us, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, if we can only remember to breathe fully and shift from the energy of fear to love.

So, for 2012, my intention is to not allow the challenges to get in on me to the same extent.  I intend to be mindful, each and every day, that our problems are really blessings, although the buggers (sorry, blessings!) often disguise themselves beyond recognition!!  I hope to become more adept at recognising the blessings (ahem!) quickly and easily.

Whenever things get uncomfortable and I feel myself in the grip of fearful energy, I plan to breathe deeply and move back towards the energy of love.  Only when vibrating to this higher energy will I be able to deal with my challenges creatively and effectively.

And I hope to remember that life is a journey, and to not be so focused on the various destinations I’d like to visit (perfect relationship, financial abundance, eco house with amazing views, etc etc….)

I intend to remember that the purpose of life is to love, laugh, heal and grow.  When I remember that, life is easier.  Challenging circumstances still arise, but my ability to respond to them is always improved.  And when I can respond positively to any difficulty, it usually passes more easily and more quickly than when I fiercely resist its presence.

I cannot know what the year ahead will bring me.  But I have no doubt there’ll be a fair share of situations I’d rather not deal with.  Plenty of things I won’t be able to control.  But my outlook and my energy will be my responsibility, no matter what happens.  I will remain focused on that!