A Matter of Priorities

When we stop worrying about unimportant matters we can devote more to what is truly important.

We experience numerous disappointments each and every day. Our expectations go unmet, our plans are blocked by circumstance, our wishes go unfulfilled, and we discover that our lives are subject to a myriad of forces beyond our conscious control.

In some cases, our response is powerful because we must invest ourselves and our resources to overcome genuine hardship. In others, our reactions are far more passionate than our circumstances warrant. The tension that permeates our bodies and minds when we are late for an event, interrupted at work, or sitting in traffic is not inappropriate, but it can interfere with our well-being in profound ways. When we stop worrying about relatively unimportant matters, we can be at peace and devote so much more of ourselves to what is truly important.

The small frustrations and irritations wield such power over us because they rob us of the illusion of control. But every problem is a potential teacher—a confusing situation is an opportunity to practice mindfulness, and difficult people provide us with opportunities to display compassion.

We have the tendency to invest emotional energy in minor dilemmas and frustrations in order to avoid confronting those more complex issues that are largely outside the realm of our control. The intensity of our response provides us with a temporary sense of personal power that helps us cope with challenges that might otherwise overwhelm us. But it is only when we let the little stuff go that we discover that the big stuff is not really so devastating after all.

In the stress of a singularly tense incident, differentiating between an inconsequential annoyance and a legitimate challenge can seem a monumental task. Ask yourself whether the emotions you are feeling will be as vivid in a year, a day, or even an hour. With practice you can have more control over your reactions. You can do this on your own or seek the assistance of a professional.

(Based on the Daily OM)

Happy New Year!

This year, anticipate a world at peace. Expect health, abundance, and love in your life and in the lives of all others. Happy New Year!

(Dr. Wayne Dyer)

Expectations have been on my mind this past week. (My Christmas was disappointing) I knew there was a lesson in this and I've come to the conclusion that our expectations......being able to envision an occasion so perfectly that we can smell it and feel it....are no guarantee of anything, except, perhaps, disappointment.

Our expectations cannot be for others....only for ourselves. When our expectations are about the behavior of others, all bets are off.

We have no control over others. Our expectations can only be for ourselves. Make it "I am healthy, happy, living in love and abundance" Period. It's "I am peaceful. I think peaceful thoughts. My actions are peaceful."

"Be the change you want to see in the world" is practical advice because we are in control only of ourselves. I believe that the more we are able to let go of our expectations for others, the happier we will be ourselves. This is the goal I have for myself this year!

Connecting to Our Center

You may have heard "Prayer is asking God for something; Meditation is listening to God." Whether you believe you are listening to God or tuning into your own inner voice is not the point.
Getting quiet enough to hear is.

There are many ways to meditate that do not involve sitting on a cushion cross legged. It's about "being", rather than "doing"....connecting to our center.

Listening to music Walking along the beach Taking a warm bubble bath Reading a great book Listening to wind chimes Watching candles glow Listening to the silence

Spending time at a bookstore Watching the sunrise Watching the sunset Having a massage Watching our cat sleep Knitting or hand sewing Free-style writing

If you have been an on-the-go/can't stand things quiet type/must multi task kind of person, this may be difficult at first, but each time becomes just a bit easier. As you become more grounded...or centered...you will find that all the things you thought you HAD to do were either illusion, or you will do them easily.

Cats Don't Fly

It's easy to take cats (and dogs) pretty much at face value. We do not expect them to fly no matter how much they love us or want to please us. It just is not going to happen.

I think it would be a more peaceable...and happier... world if we could find acceptance of humans as just as they are. I don't think we have to necessarily LIKE of of their traits....only to ACCEPT them.

Entering into a relationship with someone we want to change is dishonest and controlling....and, usually futile. Also, we miss the opportunity of learning and growing from different viewpoints another has to offer. By wanting to give another person a makeover, we are basically saying we don’t accept them for who they are. An honest relationship is one in which we accept each other as whole individuals, sharing our life experiences, as well as our different viewpoints, with each other.

Though we do have the power to give ourselves a makeover, it's important that we be reasonable and kind. We, like cats, won't be sprouting wings and flying.

Law of Attraction

You will notice that those who speak most of prosperity, have it. Those who speak most of health, have it. Those who speak most of sickness, have it.

Those who speak most of poverty, have it. It is Law. It can be no other way... The way you feel is your point of attraction, and so, the Law of Attraction is most understood when you see yourself as a magnet getting more and more of the way you feel.

When you feel lonely, you attract more loneliness. When you feel poor, you attract more poverty. When you feel sick, you attract more sickness. When you feel unhappy, you attract more unhappiness. When you feel healthy and vital and alive and prosperous—you attract more of all of those things. **Abraham-Hicks**

There's really nothing mysterious about this. Reality is fluid, depending on where you place your focus. This is not to say that it's necessarily easy. Still, it's so worth it to discipline ourselves to always find and concentrate on the bright side of everything. Anything you can imagine, you can have!

Judgment

“If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” ~ Einstein

About Money

When we have problems we tend to obsess about them....perhaps because we think we can solve them by thinking about them. But, have you noticed how things have a way of easing when we "let go"? Whether you view this as "Letting go and letting God" or "The law of attraction" the result is the same: Resolution to the problem.

You do not have to have money to attract money, but you cannot feel poor and attract money. The key is, you have to find ways of improving the way you feel from right where you stand before things can begin to change.

By softening your attention to the things that are going wrong, and by beginning to tell stories that lean more in the direction of what you want instead of in the direction of what you have got, your vibration will shift; your point of attraction will shift—and you will get different results.

(Abraham-Hicks)