#633

You can't calm the storm, so stop trying. 
What you can do is calm yourself.
The storm will pass.

This is the long and the short of it ... when your whole world comes crashing down, what is important is how you react to it.

Whatever has happened, has already taken place. It is a choice how you react to 'bad' news. Yes, it is devastating, but it is a fact. Many people try to deny things that seem too overwhelming in their lives. But that, too, is a choice. Countless people need fantasy in order to survive reality.

It is different if it is an emergency and you are running to help someone in need, your adrenaline pumping, your heart pounding. You will automatically try to calm yourself down, so as to help the individual. It is amazing how calm, cool and collected we can be when we are jumping into the storm to aid someone else. In this situation, we can be calm and we can help soothe them.

But during a personal crisis, the same technique doesn't seem to work as effectively. The bottom falls out of your world and where is that self-assured attitude? This situation is happening to YOU, and fear steps in when it is personal. 

There is a separate 'tool' required. You have to dredge up some faith, confidence, trust, and conviction that assures you that you are okay, no matter what the outcome. If you truly believe that you are alright, it really doesn't matter what storms occur in your world. Although it is admirable to run to the aid of someone in need, remember, you are important too and deserve the same consideration.  Working on your 'stuff' will give you the faith and trust you need to weather any storm. 

reprint of #424

#632

There is nothing else anywhere.

There is not a set of rules.
There are not a stack of books.
There are not teachers 
There are not hidden documents.

There is nothing outside of you
That can come anywhere close to
the guidance that comes forth
from within you.

Abraham

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." Buddha

There is nowhere to go to find out what you feel you need to know, you already know all you need to know. It's how to access that knowledge that stumps most of us. Stay out of your head, tune into your heart and you will find what you are looking for. 

You were given all that you needed for this particular life adventure. YOU ARE ALL YOU NEED. 

Everyone is 'winging it', you are not alone in wondering 'why am I here, what am I supposed to be doing, where exactly is my path, who are the best people for me?' Trust yourself! You will get little nudges/hints/warnings throughout your life, you'll have deja vu moments, your intuition will point you in the right direction, all you need to do is pay attention.......pay attention to yourself. 

STOP, LOOK and LISTEN and you'll know.

#631

You'd never invite a thief into your house. So why would you allow thoughts that steal your joy to make themselves at home in your mind?

Those thoughts that sneak into your head when you're not totally aware, negative thoughts that create tension; are draining your joy reserves.

Negativity causes stress and stress will manifest into disease. You want to eliminate it at all costs. But, in fact, you have been allowing it in, haven't you? Don't feel bad, you are certainly not the only one, it happens to all of us. Nevertheless, the only one that can control your thoughts is you. You need some method of selective thinking, a way to eliminate negative thoughts and keep your mind clear for positivity. 

“Don't believe everything you think.”  Byron Katie

Because all negative thoughts are fear based, you need to train your mind to think about what you want in life and avoid thoughts of what you don't. To quote Byron Katie... "don't listen to your stressful thoughts." 

“A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but our attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. Attaching to a thought means believing that it’s true, without inquiring. A belief is a thought that we’ve been attaching to, often for years.”  Byron Katie

Never allow your thoughts to steal your joy. If you are living in the past it causes depression and the future can make you anxious, so stay in the present. Be right here, right now, and be all here. Don't let your mind wander off into Never Never Land, stay right here. It's a process, it takes practice to have peace of mind. 
Change your thoughts and change your life. 

reprint of #400

#630

We can control our lives by controlling our perceptions.
Dr. Bruce Lipton

Perception: 

a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.

We all know that when ten people see the exact same event, there will be ten different versions of what actually transpired. They were all looking at the same thing, but it depends on what you SEE. 

"We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are." Anais Nin

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. 
- Henry David Thoreau

What you see can depend on a multitude of underlying issues, emotions, and circumstances. It's about exactly 'where you are' at the time, you put your own spin on it. You see things as you are, no one is the same, so versions vary. 

Our perception of an event or situation will be determined by our background and experiences. Expanding your horizons will expand your point of view. If your ego has been running your show, by simply admitting that there may be another version of a story could change everything for you.  

Think of a situation that has caused you grief... take an honest evaluation of how it 'went down', consider the part you played and how you reacted to the other person. Just admitting what might be a flaw in your perception, can sometimes lead to a healing.

Be open to the possibility that things are not always as they seem. Life is not in black and white. There is always another version of the story.

reprint of #314

#629

Every person with whom you interact is a part of the person you are becoming.

Not a single interaction with a single person is left out of the process of your becoming.

Abraham-Hicks

It may seem pretty far-fetched to some that your soul actually wrote the script for your life here on earth. Nonetheless, YOU wrote the play, you chose all the players and all the interactions throughout this lifetime. You did it in such great detail, each and every person you are destined to meet, each experience that will arise, where, when and how. It will end up being the bane of your existence, for your entire life, figuring out the WHY. The WHY usually refers to what you are here to experience and learn.

Everyone arranges their lifetime to learn what they need to learn even before they arrive here on earth... earth IS the school of hard knocks. 

There are no coincidences, no mistakes, it's all orchestrated, it is all meant to be. Nothing you do is wrong, you are not on the wrong path or going in the wrong direction, you are exactly where you need to be. You have never stayed too long or wasted your time, everything will happen as it is meant to when it is meant to. Everything is geared toward teaching you something that is important for your growth. 

Not a single interaction with a single person is left out of the process of your becoming.

#628

When faced with
senseless drama, spiteful
criticisms and misguided
opinions, walking away
is the best way to stand
up for yourself. To
respond with anger is an
endorsement of their
attitude.

Dodinsky

Just don't accept any of the negativity coming at you from others, simply move on. 

There is no need to argue, point out wrong doing, shame or recriminations, none of it does any good... it only supports their attitude and shows you in a bad light. You don't have to react in any way as they aggressively state their opinion, just walk away. They have shown you who they are, don't try to rewrite the script. 

People are who they are and will do what they do. 

You have no control over anyone else, you are not going to straighten them out, and you're never going to change them, or convince them that you know a better way. There is really nothing you can do, therefore, why let them step on your peace? 

You can't change someone who doesn't see an issue in their actions. The only person you can change is yourself, and you know how hard that is. How, then, do you propose to change someone else?  

Remove yourself from the situation, then the person has permission to be who he is, AND you don't have to participate in the drama. 

Reprint of #446

#627

LIFE*

Available for a limited time only. Limit one (1) per person.

This quote makes you think. We all seem to take our life for granted on a day to day basis. Unless we have a major disaster, whereby realizing our mortality, it seems as though complaining is a major life activity. 

We are not too pleased with the body we received, or at least some part of it. We may not be too happy with our job, our home, or the family we received either; this constitutes a large part of the life we are leading, doesn't it? 

That being said, most of us do HAVE a complete functioning body, a home, a job and family around us. We all know, of course, that there are people worse off than we are, but does that make us completely happy or grateful for our blessings? 

We have every advantage, especially compared to a great section of the earth, but are we programmed to expect even more? Many people in our own privileged country have survived loss in countless ways; financial, physical, and emotional. And some have survived war, illness, and death, but still, do we appreciate all that we have? 

I'd like to think that most of us, at least sometimes, practice gratitude. We have been given a life and it really is quite amazing. Check your pulse, be grateful for the gift of life.

It's easy to let days fly by without taking notice of the world around you. Life is beautiful... soak it in, think about it, and be grateful.

reprint of #200