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Do You Have the Courage to Let Go of Certainty? – Creativity 64 Days

Posted on March 26, 2014 by admin

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” – Erich Fromm

The thought for today is CREATIVITY. The human soul’s natural desire is to create. The best thing you can do for your soul is to express this natural desire to create. Are you one of the great many who say “I’m not very creative?” Your life is your creative expression. You create every day with your thoughts and emotions.

When was the last time you had a conscious creativity moment? Are you bound up in comparison and conformity? It is risky to be vulnerable and imperfect engaging in outward creative endeavors. The payoff however is huge! You were born to be creative. So get creative, cook, draw, doodle, paint, scrapbook, take pictures, collage, knit, rebuild an engine, sculpt, dance, decorate, act, sing – it doesn’t matter.

Creativity allows something unpredictable and joyous to express through you.

Buffalo State offers a Master’s Degree in Creativity that’s how important it is! See what one of the students created. Creativity

Today Identify at least five ways in which you express your creativity joyously. Allow something unpredictable and joyous to be expressed through you.

Think About It

How does your personal “inner critic” block your creative process?

Take Action

Carve out time this week to cultivate your creativity. Make it a priority instead of a luxury. Take a class, join a group of like-spirited people, do something that scares you or you have dreamt of trying.

Major Do: Let go of certainty and dive into your unique expression.

Major Don’t: Stop saying things like “best or worst”, “ahead or behind”, you are uniquely original and therefore not comparable to anyone or anything else.

Words to Live by:

“Why should we use all our creative power? . . . Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate, so indifferent to fighting and the accumulation of objects and money.” -Brenda Ueland

Post how you practiced creativity today on our FB Blog

Find Your Balance – Groundedness 64 Days

Posted on March 22, 2014 by admin

“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.” ~ Buddha

The thought for today is GROUNDEDNESS. Gandhi said “To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” Black Elk reminds us “Some little root of the sacred tree still lives. Nourish it, that it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds.”

Notice nature and its groundedness. The trees don’t just throw the leaves in the trash when they are no longer necessary. They release them gracefully when it is time, and they fall to the earth to compost and fertilize the tree and the forest. It’s a slow humble process of letting go of what’s no longer serving them and that returns to the earth to be used anew. Nothing in nature is waste.

When you notice something that is no longer serving you – old thoughts, old patterns of speaking or acting, you tend to judge yourself for it, use it to put yourself down and diminish yourself. The invitation to awareness is to retire these old patterns and defenses humbly and honorably, without judgment for the past. Acknowledge the fact that the pattern was useful at one point in time.

This is how you can feel grounded, like a tree planted in the earth. Stand up straight and close your eyes. Imagine your body is a tree. Send down roots into the soil, feel the sun shining from above. Feel your branches and leaves blowing in the wind. When you feel grounded, you feel secure in your environment; and when you feel secure, you are more likely to respond to a situation in a compassionate, peaceful way. Being grounded helps you contribute to peace and to a culture of abundant compassion.

Today be here now, in this moment. Be in the present without any reference to the past. The future is manifested in the now. Be centered and grounded within your beingness, centered in your heart.

Think About It

Like a tree sheds it leaves, what is something in your life can you let go of gracefully?

Take Action

Take a deep breath and exhale with a sigh releasing anything that blocks you from being here right now.

Major Do: Open up an emotionally clutter-free space in your mind and allow yourself to feel and think and dream and question.

Major Don’t: Stop thinking stillness is about focusing on nothingness, it’s about creating a clearing. See Major Do above.

Words to Live by:

The (one) who sat on the ground in (their) tipi meditating on life and its meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures and acknowledging unity with the universe of things was infusing into (their) being the true essence of civilization – Chief Luther Standing bear

Post how you practiced groundedness today on our FB Blog

In Abundance,

Debbie

P.S. Invite a friend to these inspiration thoughts and add another entry to the drawing. Join the Inspiration Party

Where is Your Sanctuary? – 64 Days Contemplation

Posted on March 18, 2014 by admin

““Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.”? Laozi

The thought for today is CONTEMPLATION. From the Latin “to observe the sacred space”. What a beautiful concept. You can observe any and all areas of your life from a sacred space. Whether it is the simple stillness of meditation, the creativity of artistic expression, the relational connection with others, activism of your favorite cause, moving through walking or dancing or engaging in a ritual of retreat or Sunday morning church.

You can bring contemplation into EVERY area of your life! The mere act of being contemplative imbues you with a sense of peace, compassion for yourself and the world. A perfect way to begin your practice of contemplation is by creating your own Tree of Contemplative Practices. For a template visit Contemplative Mind.

“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” –Aristotle

Today take at least three minutes to relax, breathe and let your mind be fed by what is good and beautiful. The great sacred texts tell us ‘your thoughts shape your reality. Write down your thoughts and share them with others.

Think About It

How can contemplation help you to choose peace, compassion and abundance the next time feel in a conflict?

Take Action

Practice contemplation by sitting still and counting your out-breaths. When you notice a thought, gentle label it “thinking” and return to counting your out-breaths. Today try this for several minutes or longer to challenge yourself.

Major Do: Open up an emotionally clutter-free space in your mind and allow yourself to feel and think and dream and question.

Major Don’t: Stop thinking stillness is about focusing on nothingness, it’s about creating a clearing. See Major Do above.

Words to Live by:

Post what you contempalted today on our FB Blog

Step into the Mystery – Faith 64 Days

Posted on March 16, 2014 by admin

“Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.”- Anne Lamott

The thought for today is FAITH. Faith is a place of mystery, where we find courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.

As humans we love closure, resolution and clarity while at the same time believing we are people of “faith”! Faith is essential when you decide to live a life of peace, compassion and abundance. Leaping in faith rather than being assured your risk of being vulnerable and getting hurt, requires believing without seeing.

The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. As you learned with intuition it is living in the mystery of not knowing. When Cesar Chavez was organizing farm works in California, he challenged them to say, “Si, se puede” – yes, it is possible – when they didn’t know how they would overcome obstacles. Lizzie Velasquez’s incredible faith in herself after a video posted on You Tube called her the ugliest woman in the world. Ted Talk

Today say “yes, it is possible” even if you don’t know how your goal will be realized. Say “Yes, it is possible,” to every obstacle you meet. Practice having faith and say, “it is possible,” until you find a way“. Write down three things you are having a challenge with and with each one write “It is possible for me to overcome this obstacle and be successful.”

Think About It

In what ways do you have faith in yourself?

Take Action

Write a 2-3 paragraphs about a time in your life when your life when your faith made a positive difference

Major Do: When you feel anxiety and fear from “not knowing”, get quiet and still and listen to our inner voice.

Major Don’t: Stop thinking the world has to change before you can be safe or happy. You create your own safety through your thoughts and energy flow

Words to live by

Faith is permanent, happiness and unhappiness are fleeting things – Mohandas K. Gandhi

Post how your faith has changed your life on our FB Blog

Walk Into Your Dreams – 64 Days Dreaming

Posted on March 15, 2014 by admin

“Do all you can to make your dreams come true” – Joel Osteen

The thought for today is DREAMING. The sad truth is most people are not living their dreams, their heart, their inner light. There is no greater form of violence against yourself than allowing your fears to become murderous stalkers plotting to kill your Big as the Blue Sky Dreams. Just as cruel is, until you start living your calling, you are robbing the world of your gift!!!!!!

Imagine showing up at a party with the most beautifully wrapped gift, all the while clutching it under your arms, refusing to relinquish its When you squander your gift it brings distress to your life. You struggle and the whole world struggles as a result. This leads to feelings of emptiness, frustration, resentment, disappointment, fear and even grief.

It is time to listen to your heart and inner light and acknowledge your dream. Three important steps to living into your dream:

Set aside the time to listen to your inner voice.

Declare you are what you’re waiting to be.
Believe in your dream before you see it.
Just do it!

Today take ownership of your own dream for peace, compassion and abundance. Write it down and act on at least one thing to honor your dream today.

Think About It

What is on your “suppose to” list? Who says? Why?

Take Action

What is one thing you can do every day to honor your dream. Do it!

Major Do: Cultivate self-acceptance, belonging and authenticity.

Major Don’t: Stop comparing yourself to someone else.

Words to Live by: We need men (and women) who can dream of things that never were, and ask why not. -George Bernard Shaw

64 Days – Healing

Posted on March 14, 2014 by admin

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi

The thought for today is HEALING. Healing simply means “to make whole”. It is your nature to bring yourself whole after an accident, an illness, or a major life event. You can lose your sense of wholeness from anything life event, including experiencing loss to the trauma of working in a soul-sucking job. It’s how you practice self-compassion that allows you to heal your wounds.

We all have had painful life experiences. It’s the holding on to the experience for a very long time that inflicts more pain. A mantram is a wonderful way to resolve conflict we hold in our mind and one of the best times to repeat the mantram is while falling asleep at night. Tuck yourself in, close your eyes, and start repeating your mantram. Between the last waking moment and the first sleeping moment, there is an opening into deepest consciousness. You can send your mantram in through that opening, repeating itself in your sleep, healing old wounds and restoring your peace of mind.

Today reflect on a painful incident in your life and find the “gift” it has brought you or is now giving you. Consciously share this gift with others. Here are some keys to healing yourself. Zen Healing

Think About It

What can get in the way of your healing?

Take Action

Choose a recent painful experience or event. Write your answers to these questions: How did it affect you? Who else was affected? What needs to happen to set things right?

Major Do: Find new ways to “believe” you can heal anything in your life.

Major Don’t: Stop joining bandwagons of doubt that you aren’t whole just the way your are.

64 Days – Knowledge

Posted on March 13, 2014 by admin

“Knowledge is love and light and vision.” – Helen Keller

The thought for today is KNOWLEDGE. It has been said, knowledge is power. If you interpret that as the more knowledge you have the more powerful you are, it would explain why you have an anxious, fearful and vulnerable response to “not knowing”.

The good news is, True Knowledge comes from uncertainty. A famous Zen story teaches “You are like a full cup, when you are full of ideas and you ask for teaching, you cannot put anything in. Before you learn anything new, you must empty your cup.”

Most of the time, the answers we seek are just below the surface of our own heart. Trusting your own knowing is the deepest seat of power. Trusting your own knowing strengthens your convictions and deepens your wisdom and understanding.

Whether you refer to your “own knowing” as intuition, gut feeling, inkling or hunch, it is not a single way of knowing – it is your ability to hold space for uncertainty and your willingness to trust the many ways you’ve developed knowledge and insight, including instinct, experience, faith and reason to give you the answer.

Today consciously expand your knowledge about yourself, your intutition, your compassion and peace through books, newspapers, television or friends. Share what you have learned with at least three other people, and invite them to learn, too.

Embracing uncertainty is the greatest form of wisdom for it allows new ideas, perspectives and insights. A Forbes article for 2014 sums up uncertainty and how to make big leaps in your life. Embracing Undertainty

Five keys ways to achieve knowledge and wisdom:

Embrace uncertainty, however uncomfortable.

Be flexible in how you approach your challenges. If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting the results you’ve always got!

Take chances, foregoing the security of the known for the unknown.

Trust yourself that whatever happens, you can handle it. Time to stop underestimating yourself!

Refuse to succumb to negativity, no matter what (and no matter how pessimistic others may be!)

Think About It

What is something positive that you have learned about yourself that has really made a difference in your life?

Take Action

Begin a journal to record what you are learning about peace, compassion, intuition. Add graphics, newspaper clippings, art, song, lyrics, poems, etc.

Major Do: Remember Paulo Coelho’s words: Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, here the histories of all people are connected, and you are able to know everything, because it is all written there.

Major Don’t: Quit disrespecting your internal instinct!

Words to live by: Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world – Nelson Mandela

64 Days – Caring

Posted on March 11, 2014 by admin

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

The thought for today is CARING. Research demonstrates that caring (compassionate, warm-hearted and loving) leads to being healthy, wealthy and wise. You can read more about this study Harvard study here.

Marketing executives would have you think that happiness lies in a product that will taste delicious, magically fill your bank account, or transform you into a supermodel that looks not a day past 20. The science shows something different. Caring, compassion and giving lights up the happiness centers of your brain much more than winning the lottery.

Even more important is self love the crowning sense of self worth; it is what the Greeks call reverence for the self.”

How often do you find yourself engaging in self-conversation that sounds like this:

“What will people think?”

“I can’t really love myself yet. I’m not ____________ enough” (fill in the blank, pretty, skinny, successful, rich, talaneted, happy, smart, feminine, masculine, productive, nice, strong, tough, caring, popular, creative, well-liked, admired, contributing . . . .)

“No one canfind out about ______________________.”

“I’m going to pretend that everything is okay.”

“I can change to fit in if I have to.”

“Taking care of them is more important than taking care of me.”

Truth is caring for yourself (self-love) is learning to trust yourself, treat yourself with respect and be kind and affectionate with yourself exactly where you are right now. You can only care for yourself and the world when you are your authentic self and embrace that. This is the essence of true caring.

Today, make a list of at least five ways that you can love you imperfections and honor yourself more fully.

Think About It

In what ways do you care for yourself?

Take Action

Write about three areas in your life in which you could care for yourself, and make a commitment to take do that. What has not caring for yourself in certain areas cost you? What support do you need to make a change. Create an intention diary to support yourself.

Major Do: Be more loving and compassionate towards yourself as you notice your imperfections.

Major Don’t: Get off your case. If you goof up, so what? Just decided to change it.

64 Days – Simplicity

Posted on March 10, 2014 by admin

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ― Confucius

The thought for today is SIMPLICITY. To simplify is to invite peacefulness into your life. When you have lots of “stuff” in tour life, it is hard to be peaceful. Close your eyes and ask “How can I simplify my life, what can I let go of?” Letting go of possessions is much more than releasing attachment, control and false fulfillment, it cultivates a deeper relationship to what is important to your life. It fosters peace within you because you can accept the present moment as a gift. By simplifying your life, dropping less important activities and “things”, you allow more time for what matters most.

A simple life has a different meaning and a different value for every person. For me, it means eliminating all but the essential, eschewing chaos for peace, and spending your time doing what’s important to you. Want to learn more of how you can simplify, check out this article Peaceful Simplicity

There are really only two steps to simplifying:

Identify what’s most important to you.

Eliminate everything else.

Think About It

What areas of your life seem complicated?

Take Action

Today, do one thing for the sake of simplicity in your life.

Major Do: Calm down, relax, soften up, get natural, be closer to You.

Major Don’t: Quit trying to find yourself through stuff. Begin, instead, to allow yourself. A grand life is your right. You are your life; therefore you are your right.

Words to Live By: “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.” ― Langston Hughes. T

Join the Inspiration Party

Posted on March 9, 2014 by admin

It is only day 8 of a 30 Day Blog Challenge I voluntarily committed myself to and I’m struggling. Writing a blog a day for a month, I’ve only been that consistent once, it was when I first created this site and blog.

Setting a schedule for writing triggers a writers block mechanism in me. Grateful for Lisa’s daily Blog tip, I kept staring intently on my lack of creative content . .

INSTEAD

of what was right in front of me!!!!! The creative Inspirational content I had written every day for the past 34 days born out of what inspires me! Every day I have written a “thought for the day”; each thought designed to remind us all of the potential for peace, compassion and abundance everywhere all the time!

I realized the reason I was struggling with the Blog Challenge was I had no clearly defined intention for doing it other than discipline. Scheduled Discipline for one’s self is no better received from ourselves than it is from others. Mostly Resistance! I imposed overwhelm with cranking out content upon myself, using focusing on my being uninspired distract me so I missed the most obvious inspirational journey I was already on. For the past 34 days, clearly in preparation for this Challenge, I have hosted my version of an Inspiration Party. — As I smack myself on the noggin “I could have had a V-8”.

I was about to give up on the Blog Challenge but thank goodness Lisa shared a tip on inspiration which INSPIRED ME!

Thirty – four days ago, I was so moved by Inspiration, I invited everyone I knew to an “Inspiriation Party” to celebrate the Anniversary of the “omni-local” conscious action in a revolutionary movement for the past 17 years, a landmark initiative promoting compassion, kindness and peace for a more abundant world.

Eureka! My Blog Challenge dilemna was over! Not only did I have the focus for the next 30 days, I already had practiced for the last 34 days! What’s better is how to share this with more people.

If you haven’t heard of the The Season of Peace and Non Violence. It was Founded by Mahatma Ghandi’s grandchildren Arun and Sunanda Gandhi with AGNT the Season relies on local communities with a singular purpose during the 64 days. Each day deciding to practice a different quality to support a self-created peaceful, compassionate and joyful life!

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

The change I want to see is more people experience the feeling of absolute compassionate peace abundantly.

It is a universal law that if you want more good in your life, you must experience and express more of what it is you desire.

So why did I do this?

In honor of the 64 days of the SPNV. It is my small contribution to this global movement sharing a simple daily reminder of how be more abundant and compassionate with yourself on each of the 64 days. When you begin to honor and value yourself abundance is a natural result.

My next posts are already done. Register to receive the daily inspiration. Day 1 is Courage.

It takes courage to follow your vision. Are you ready?

As simply as registering an email they receive a daily reminder during the 64 days of the Season and be entered into a drawing for $100 cash.

Even cooler, those who shared the inspiration with a friend, receive an additional entry.