Have You Heard Yourself Lately??

Did you know that you talk to yourself all day long?  No, not the mental chatter about activities and chores that you need to remember throughout the day.  That’s a form of self-talk too, but I’m referring more to the things you say to yourself on a regular basis; and more importantly, the tone in which you say them.

When you make a mistake, do you berate yourself angrily?  Do you put yourself down or call yourself derogatory names?  When you have a hard time making positive changes in your life, do you bemoan what a “worthless” person you are and conclude that you’ll never do anything right?

Negative self-talk can be incredibly damaging to your self-esteem, especially if it’s a big part of your daily life.  When you keep saying things like that to yourself, eventually you begin to believe them!

Most often these messages begin as statements uttered by the adults in your life when you were a child.  They may have said something negative about you when your actions displeased them, or perhaps they had a habit of saying unkind things even when you didn’t deserve it.  As painful as these experiences can be, even worse is when you pick up where they left off and keep repeating the same negative messages to yourself over and over!

The good news is that you can change your self-talk any time you want.  You just have to know how to become aware of the tone of your messages and consciously replace them with more encouraging ones.

Try these simple steps for starters:

1) Develop awareness of your self-talk.  It may take practice, but if you keep “listening” in to your inner voice, you’ll begin to notice when you talk negatively to yourself.

2) Challenge the negative messages.  When you notice yourself saying something negative such as, “You’re such a screw-up, you can’t do anything right” – stop yourself and challenge that belief.  Is that really true?  Maybe you mess up sometimes, but do you ALWAYS mess up?  Probably not.

3) Replace the negative messages with positive messages.  When you realize you’re saying unkind and untrue things to yourself, simply turn it around in your mind.  Using the above example, you might say, “Wow, that’s not true at all!  I do plenty of things right.  It’s true I make mistakes, but so does everyone.  I’m a good person and I try my best.  That’s good enough for me.”

Over time, your efforts will pay off in the form of stronger self-esteem and respect for yourself and your capabilities.  It probably won’t happen overnight, but the more you work at turning your self-talk in a more positive direction, the better you’ll feel about yourself.


 

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Some Will, Some Won't, So What!

Sitting here wondering what did I think was going to happen when I finally decided to unstrap my status quo leash and run free with who I really am and what I believe.

Apparently, there have been some questions to a colleague of mine who began helping me promote my services.  She began receiving feedback regarding the Law of Attraction application on the front page of my website.Her questions were coming from fellow colleagues who were wondering how could she promote the Law of Attraction?  I have to admit, it did strike a nerve but I stand strongly in what I believe which is...

That is a story for later. 

A series of God Winks lead me to this very point. To be able to withstand the criticism that goes along with being percieved differently. As I explained to her, I knew that as soon as I started opening my big mouth, this was going to happen.  I say this light heartedly.  I understand the need for some to feel safe and comfortable and stand in judgement of someone who has a different belief system than the one they hold dear.  I am not a threat to that.  I honor and repect the lives of others and what they believe.  I only ask for the same treatment.

In my own mind though, I sometimes struggle with the fear of saying something that may not go over so well.  What does that boil down to really?  Fear of rejection.  We have all experienced this at various times in our lives.  So who are we really living for when we do this?  Are we living for others as they dictate to us the name of the God we serve, the gender of the people we love, even the shape of our bodies.  When we walk and talk in a way that is not in harmony with who we really are, we die a little every second. 

You get one shot at this, make it yours, make it count and be a light the way God(not man) says you should.  Only you really know what that looks like for you.

Unconditional Love, Blossoming & Transformation

The End of an Era

The beginning of my healing and personal development started partially because of Oprah.  When I was about 20 years old she became part of my daily routine.  This was the first experience in thinking differently and doing more than just the status quo.
She showed me through her stories that no matter what has happened, you can gain strength and rebuild a new life.  I learned that if it was possible for the guests of her show, it was surely possible for me.

I learned that I can forgive.  Not the false letting go of the past and still believing someone owed me something type of forgiveness.  A deeper, more divine forgiveness that allows me to free myself and others from a bondage that holds us both down.  I was able to silently offer forgiveness to my parents, for example.  Understanding that they made their own choices and did the best they could with what they have and the outcome was me.

I learned that no matter what your age, wage, or stage in life, you have something to offer the world.  We have been given plenty, despite the appearance.  There is so much that we can pay forward in this life to help someone else in this world.  It creates such a tremendous ripple effect and the light we shine is truly a bright one.

It's a work in progress.  These transformations don't take place overnight.  It works only if you work it.  It takes self-awareness and  to make the decision of how you will serve humanity each day.

I choose to be a blessing by sharing my stories, my triumphs and my challenges.  I choose to give back to the world by helping women answer the call of their vision.  I hope you have been moved to do the same.

Who has been a catalyst for your growth and improvment of living?  I would love to know.

Healing Vs. Cure

In Eric Butterworth's Book entitled: The Universe is Calling-Opening to the Divine Through Prayer, he challenges the reader to think differently about a  prayer and really letting go and letting God work.
He writes,"Traditional medicine may do a pretty good job of curing your symptoms, but you can only be healed causally by making a concerted effort at a mental house cleaning...then consciously letting go, and letting God."
He goes on to state,"An aspirin may cure a headache.  But healing can only come through the release of tension and by dissolving the attitudes or emotions that are responsible for the tension."

The mental housecleaning is the daily "renewing of your mind" as stated biblically in Romans 12:2.  Working with your thoughts and attitudes daily can increase the healing power within you to overcome conditions in your life that challenge you.  It consists of tossing out limiting beliefs that are not serving your highest good and replacing them with the Spiritual Truth that God can do no more for you than He can do through you.  


Journaling Exercise:
What could be possible for you if all of my hurts were healed?
What beliefs about myself are keeping me from living the life I truly desire?
Am I willing to release the beliefs and attitudes that are not serving my highest good?

The Storms of Life

The Midwest has been getting rocked by storms these past couple of weeks.  It is not uncommon to hear tornado sirens ring through out the day and night in the spring and summer.  Unfortunately, sometimes we become immune to the sound of the sirens and do not take heed to the warning to head for cover.  This can have some tragic consequenses.

In daily living we have personal storms and we also have a warning system that we also unconsciously ignore. When we have entered a danger zone we may feel a flutter in our chest, tension in the back of our neck, or flushing in the face just to name a few.  We must reconnect with the Inner Teacher and pay attention when we are in relationships that are not harmonious, lack of self-care, or not living your true purpose.

Just as Jesus the Christ was awakened to calm the storms on the sea, we too can awaken the Christ within to calm the stormy parts of our life.  Just as the storm survivors gain wisdom from the challenges that come from not taking notice, we can also learn from our inner alert system.

In what ways are you signaled when you are in the danger zone?  I would love to hear about it.

The Unfolding

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.  Here is the first step in stripping it all away.  No editing, no filters or trying to find the politically correct way of stating it.  This is who I AM.  In the Spirit and Love of the Creator.  I have discovered my path, my purpose, my vision and some understanding.  I invite you to go to the depths along with me and when we meet fear we can hold on to each other.