daily abundance - 31 readings€¦ · · 2017-04-03feel good about saying “no” because of all...

TIME - Invest it wisely - Time. It is

all there really is. It is eternal. It is fleeting. It is the only resource that matters. It is. Forever philosophers, clergy, scientists, and every human have contemplated time. And so it is the most important place to begin …

“Gift From the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh is a book my mother cherished, and

the well-worn copy I have is a gift from her. In that study of analogous lessons in life, Ms. Lindbergh writes “Because we cannot deal with the complexity of the present, we often over-ride it and live in a simplified dream of the future.” Ahhh - I think that is a fair observation. What I have learned is that the only one thing that ever matters is NOW. Not yesterday, and not tomorrow. This is my conclusion as a reformed veteran planner. I have

learned from the countless hours spent planning -without a crystal ball - only to have my far-flung plans overcome by unforeseen events. And so what I now know is we each simply have now. Do not spend your time - invest your time. The ability to invest your time now is the greatest wisdom I share with you. It is folly to squander NOW with thoughts of the past. Do not squander NOW with worry or excessive planning of the future. Invest

the gift of NOW in doing the one thing that is most important now. There is always one thing that will take you one step closer to the result you wish to achieve. There is always one thing you can do next to strive for the increase in your learning, your impact, or your relationships. Invest your NOW in that next one thing. And savor every moment of NOW. You deserve to squeeze every bit of goodness out of NOW. Live it.

DAILY ABUNDANCE Day 1


REFLECTION - Set aside a little time each week to reflect on the week past: What’d you learn? What’d you enjoy? And then look forward to the week ahead with some intention: What is important to you? What had you planned that is no longer a priority?… Each week I look forward to some quiet time set aside to reflect. To think through the week past and to look ahead to the coming week. I have not always saved time for this. For way too many years I found this “idle time” unimportant. And then I realized how much I missed out on by not spending an hour or less each week in reflection. For starters, I now value the time to savor the victories of the week past. Celebrate, Recognize. And gain strength and perspective because of the large and small wins. Along with this reflection comes a chance to review lessons learned. When I was working in my first job after college, and feeling like I would make some big mistakes every day, I would walk to my car outside the office each day reviewing what I’d learned and reinforcing what I knew I could do better or never do again! Every day we can all enjoy the lessons learned. The second part of reflection is a chance to turn our attention ahead to the week ahead. What is your choice for your focus/priority in the coming week? What did you have already planned that is no longer a priority? What will you modify given the reflection on the past week and what you just learned? I love the serenity and the purposefulness that this reflection time gives each week. See if you do too!


MIRACLES - I believe in miracles. And I believe they come in big ways and in small ways. And I

believe that the only way to see them is if you pay attention. When I was a child I remember overhearing lots of adult debate about whether or not the things we can not see exist. Things like miracles and angels are not proven or unproven by science, and so each person is left to decide for themselves: is it? are they? does it exist if not seen? As I grew up, I made a decision that I would believe in miracles and angels if only for the wonder and the positive promise that decision would bring to me. Some cynics say you see what you believe - and perhaps they are right. If they are right and I see miracles because I believe, and another person does not see miracles because they do not believe - then I am all in on believing. For I know that what I believe creates a perspective of expectancy and that perspective of expectancy opens the door wide for all sorts of things to happen. So what do I mean? Like the miracle of the chance to save a baby bird caught in a fence. How did I even notice something so small? And then to feel the connection of the eye contact right before the baby bird flew away! And the miracle of a flower growing in a sidewalk crack in the city - do you see the intricate detail? And the miracle every day of the chance meeting that sets off a chain of fortunate events! And the miracle of my father dying peacefully and naturally on the morning my sister and I were to make the decision to take him off life support - or not. I am still not sure what we would have done. Thank you for every miracle large and small. I choose to believe.

DAILY ABUNDANCE Day 4 The Power of No - The Power of No is in the choices you make. Every time you say no, you say yes to

something you are intentional about. Saying “no” creates a boundary around you. What you are left with after you say “no” to something or someone are those things that matter. This allows room for the things we find important. As you learn to discern, you feel good about saying “no” because of all the things you are then saying “yes” to! I trust myself to say “no”, and then deal with the consequences. I trust my self to say “no” kindly. I trust myself to say “no” and be clear about why it is the right choice for myself… and I trust that others will be as honest with me. Haven’t you found it tedious to have to “read between the lines”? Isn’t it confusing when you are told “yes” and were somehow supposed to know it was really a “no”? Instead, embrace the Power of No. Kindly. Clearly. With discernment. And then you have the Gift of Yes.

DAILY ABUNDANCE Day 5 Time with Nature - I know that I need time with Nature every day to ground myself and feel whole.

Too much time exclusively in a manmade environment is not healthy for me. I live in a Valley surrounded by two mountain ranges. My daily view is to mountains all around me. It feeds my soul. From John Muir: “It seems strange that visitors to Yosemite should be so little influenced by its novel grandeur, as if their eyes were bandaged and their ears stopped…Yet respectable-looking, even wise-looking people were fixing bits of worms on bent pieces of wire to catch trout. Sport they called it. Should church-goers try to pass the time fishing in baptismal fonts while dull sermons were being preached the so-called sport might not be so bad, but to play in the Yosemite temple, seeking pleasure in the pain of fishes struggling for their lives, while God is preaching the sublimest waters and stone sermons!”

Feed your soul today.


Conceive and Believe - The human brain is capable of creating it’s own reality. Regardless of what you

believe, you are right! This is a powerful truth! I wish I had learned this truth in my earliest years of study. Actually I think we inherently know this as children; we know that we are / can be whatever we decide to be! Fireman? Yes! SuperHero? Yes! Anything. And then we are cautioned by adults who have had a bad go of it - or perhaps they lack their own courage - and they tell us to remember our place essentially. Whatever that means. It’s not true!! Napoleon Hill says “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve. Regardless of your past or how lofty the goal.” You are not defined by your past. You are not defined by anyone else’s past! You simply have to conceive and believe. And sometimes BELIEVE is the hardest part. Because we “don’t want to be disappointed”…You choose. Conceive and Believe. And pursue it!


Emotions - - Whatever we focus on, we feel. Discipline yourself to focus on solutions and feel

your emotions change. Choose your emotions. Create your own reality. Start with yourself. Choose.

Remember a time in your life when you were so preoccupied with a wonderful event (your first crush? a vacation? a dream opportunity?) that you were unaffected by anything around you? Hey —- You can create your own Cloud 9 every day . CHOOSE YOUR FOCUS every day! The quality of your life is the result of the quality of your thoughts! DIRECT the conversations in your head. Delete negative thoughts. See them as passing cars you let go by in the stream of chatter in your head. Choose the language you use. Positive phrases direct your emotions. Focus on solutions instead of problems, Come up with positive questions. When you are getting bogged down, move your body to change your physiology to create the positive feelings you want. Talk about your DREAMS. Envision the POSSIBILITIES. Schedule action steps to make the dreams and vision happen, in baby steps. We can each either be a thermometer and reflect the state around us OR we can be a thermostat and change the state of emotions around us. Start with you. You have control over you: your focus, your emotions, your language, your thoughts. When you do not choose, you give up your power. Keep your power.


Learn from the Day - - Develop 5 Key Abilities in your life: 1) Absorb 2) Respond 3) Reflect 4) Act - 5) Share. Master these and live life fully. “I wish to say nothing. What does the sky say?” ~ Confucius

In silence is power and wisdom. In silence we can both BE and GROW. Master the following 5 Abilities and watch the change in yourself. 1) Absorb - Be present in each moment of the day. Really be there. Do not be casual in your involvement for it is really disengaged. Slow time with your attention on the moment 2) Respond - Let life touch you. Interact. Feel it. Reply. Do not react, yet respond with thought and presence. Improve through your presence. 3) Reflect - Learn from the day. This locks in the experience, the lessons, the understanding. Once you reflect you are certain of the next move. Once you reflect, you are aware and mindful to detail. Let your subconscious mind connect pieces of seemingly unrelated information and look at information in new ways to reach new conclusions. 4) Act - It is what we settle for that is disappointing and limits us. We can do anything with discipline. Do the necessary things. The least lack of discipline erodes our psyche and the temptation is to ease up. 5) Share - Share your knowledge and your capacity grows. Like water in a glass, pour out what you have to get more. Expand your capacity. What you do with what you have is more important than what you have.


Self-Talk - - This is a hugely important subject and the significant effects of what happens in

your own brain with your thoughts deserves lots of awareness! Protect your thoughts like you protect your home!

Your brain is processing thoughts continuously. Your self-talk is like meditating. When you meditate on the negative that is worry. Think of your thoughts like cars going by continuously on a busy road. Your brain suggests an idea and then the thoughts just start pouring out!! But Wait!! Stop! YOU CONTROL THE DOOR TO YOUR MIND! Be aware that most news is negative. Discern. Philippians 4-18 says “think on a good report”. Instead of just taking on whatever idea your mind pops out like reacting to a random number generator, instead of hopping on whichever car passes by next on that busy road of thoughts, be purposeful with your mind. Protect your thoughts like you protect your home. Get your mind going in the right direction so you see the possibilities and the potential. Get your mind going toward solutions instead of dwelling on problems. Focus and think on dreams instead of fears. Delete the negative thoughts. Imagine you own an apartment building and you rent out 80% of the units to drug dealers and criminals. The good people will leave. Likewise you can protect your apartment building by renting only to good citizens. Guarding your mind and your self-talk is the same. Filter.


Sense of Purpose - - “Keep your mind directed to things you want, and off the things you do not want.”

~ Napoleon Hill

Have you defined your sense of purpose? Have you done the introspection to “hear” your calling and understand what lights you up in life and gets you excited about making an impact or a difference? Most lives aim at nothing at all and achieve it. Decide today to be different and intentional. Jesus came with one goal: to save humanity from sin. He was purposeful. He could summarize his life with one sentence. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” ~ Luke 19:16 Many of us get comfortable enough to settle. Why do some people live life driven to a purpose? Because they are more afraid about what would happen if they do not follow through! They are not comfortable where they are. We are what we think about, and we create our world with our thoughts. Change your awareness and change your focus. When you direct your thoughts and focus on your purpose, your actions are in integrity with your purpose. There is no distraction. Make a note of where you want to be in 3 years. What are you willing to do to get there? Twice a day, check in to see if you are on track. If not, adjust. Clear your mind of fears and doubt, and instead focus on your purpose and the path to achievement. Affirm what you are truly willing and prepared to DO. Stay on track.


Your Life as a Quest - - Realize that the testing of your Faith is to produce Patience and the power in

Patience gives us the Will to persevere, and that Will promises us not just success but Peace and Joy. Don’t run from the struggle, it’s there to make you stronger.

I had an epiphany early one morning while reading. Somewhere in history our culture made a significant shift. Without alarms or headlines, we shifted from a culture of gaining strength in ourselves with intentional testing to a culture of avoiding adversity and seeking ease. People used to go off on a quest and find situations to test their mettle, to discover their courage, and hone their skills. We used to look for challenge for growth and learning. Now many look for the path of least resistance. I recently heard someone interpret adversity as “a sign” that she was going down the wrong path. Many nearby nodded their heads in agreement. Wait! This is wrong! Don’t run from struggle, it’s there to make you stronger. Don’t be moved by fear, your faith can take you beyond it. Consider that your life is a quest. A quest is a journey that is not only about where you go, but is also about WHO you become during the journey. So craft your life as a quest. Consider challenge as an opportunity to become more capable, adversity as a chance to become stronger, and struggle as an opportunity. Aspire to be your best.


Struggle is Temporary! - Once you embrace the truth that struggle is temporary while we learn and grow,

you open up your willingness to learn. In Eastern cultures, there is an expectation that struggle is predictable and is simply a part of the learning process. In Western cultures we see struggle as a fixed state of ability and often do not push beyond the struggle to increase skills and proficiency. People would rather “set the bar low” than risk embarrassment while learning, just in case anyone makes judgements.Jim Stigler is a psychologist who sturdies learning in Eastern and Western cultures has noted that in Western cultures - particularly in America - we “see struggle as an indicator that you’re just not very smart.” And conversely when people do not struggle, we see them as naturally gifted or talented. However, that is not reality! We all understand that - and yet behave irrationally on this subject.Here’s the key to free ourselves of this stumbling block: Struggle is not a permanent state. It is only a temporary state on the journey of building new skills and increasing proficiency. I think this perspective can serve us all well! When we expect to struggle while learning - and in fact enjoy the temporary ineptness as part of the journey to increased skills and proficiency! - then we will be grounded in the fact that struggle while learning is totally normal, temporary, and that we will never feel as lost or confused as we do at the the beginning of any new learning.Smile and give yourself the gift of learning, knowing that the struggle is simply temporary.


Creative Vision - Create in your own mind the qualities you WANT and see yourself owning them -

living them. Creative vision is the process in which we take existing, or old, ideas and established facts and we reassemble them into NEW combinations and put these new perspectives to new uses. We each have the ability to get quiet, and give our subconscious permission to reinterpret what we think we understand. Dare to question the conclusions you have reached. Reimagine the meaning of an event or result. Imagination is a mirror of the SOUL —->> you have the right (and the power!) to see yourself as you wish to be. So let’s get busy. The more you use your imagination, the better it will serve you. Be patient as you first begin this practice; you will find it hard at first. Move forward anyway. One of my favorite practices is to be clear with myself about what I know and what I heard. Often others’ conclusions do not serve me. So I am clear that I heard so-and-so say the conclusion. That acknowledgement that it is not “truth” gives my subconscious brain permission to deliver a new conclusion to me; this new conclusion puts the facts together in a new way and often draws in other facts that were left out. Ah ha! This is now my own.I spend quiet time each week to ground myself in creative vision - this includes thinking about events as though they are on a time line. This time is also spent acknowledging what is important to me, and how I feel, and what the connections are to my current priorities. I invest in time to imagine myself attaining my goals and I feel the energy of it.

DAILY ABUNDANCE Day 14 Ask and You Shall Receive -

- Make plans like an adult, and believe in them like a child. Opportunity is not in short supply. Receiving is not a problem. Failure to ask - and belief - is the problem. For example, look at how many people work hard without a goal or an aspiration.It reminds me of a hamster wheel. It is a great deal of effort without gain. So, let’s look at how to get whatever you want. #1. Ask. #2. You shall receive. This is seriously the key. When you ask, you begin a unique process in your mind and in your emotions. Jim Rohn advises us “Do not study the roots, pick the fruit.” This means you get the result of what you ask for and what you believe. The cool thing is each of us is always right. We’re right when we say we can. We are right when we say we can not. So, let’s think about how to ask for the best results! As Jim Rohn also warns “Do not go to the ocean with a teaspoon.” This means the resources and potential are vast and our expectation should be vast, too! So, when asking, ask with INTELLIGENCE. This includes all the specifics (when, what, size, description, etc.). When you ask, describe in such detail that you can see it and feel it. And then, just as importantly, ask with FAITH. Believe like a child - with all your heart - that it will happen. Remember to shoot for the moon. You deserve it, you believe in it, you will follow through with the effort, and you will use your blessings to help many others gain their own dreams. The universe is an abundant place. And energy flows to and through us all. Create the space to request it, receive it, and multiply it. Ask.

DAILY ABUNDANCE Day 15 Self-Talk -

- Be aware of your inner voice, both what you say to yourself and how you say it. Self- Talk…it happens continuously. Are you tuned in to both what you are saying to yourself and how you say it? Our brains are mysterious and complicated. What scientists do agree upon is an amazing ability our brains have to reconcile what we tell our brain and the reality we experience. Darren Hardy, former publisher of SUCCESS magazine has called this the “Sayer and the Prover” parts of our brains. Here’s how it works: We tell ourselves something and then our brain goes about proving that it is true through what we notice, what we do, and what we think. Have you heard the expression “you bring about what you think about”? This is the same idea. So when you tell yourself you are amazing and capable, that is what you go into your day believing and knowing. With that foundation, you see opportunity, you see relationships, and you see your own eagerness to take action through the lens of “I’m amazing and capable”. When you berate yourself and tell yourself you are stupid, the Prover part of your brain goes into action to show that this is, in fact, your reality. You then notice others’ actions and interpret them through your “I’m stupid” filter. You meter your effort based on a belief that you are in fact stupid, and you do not even notice the opportunity because of the conclusions you have already reached. So - what is it you tell yourself? I say I am amazingly resourceful. I say I am capable of everything. I say I am kind and thoughtful. And I say I am faithful. And so I am. I work toward those things.Try it!


FAILURE vs. LESSONS -

- Once you are able to get the lessons without the accusing voice, you take advantage of the lessons that mistakes afford us.

- Let’s talk about the times when you have messed up. Big mistakes, little errors, things you did that you should have known better…all of it. With those mistakes in mind, imagine that set of mistakes belongs to a loved one, a child, a neighbor… If your neighbor over-waters his lawn and creates huge puddles, do you say “That’s it! You’re an idiot and can’t be trusted!” If your dear friend leaves the milk out all night or forgets to pay the electric bill, do you say she was always unreliable and mock her integrity? Of course you would not!! SO DO NOT TREAT YOURSELF THAT BADLY EITHER! Get the lessons and leave off the accusing voice. Understand the improvement and drop the damning message about all future potential. If you make a mistake - learn. Period. Fix what needs fixing, learn what can be learned, and move forward with every piece of your confidence intact. Get the lessons without the accusing voice, and take advantage of the lessons that mistakes afford us. You have not failed; you have learned and improved. Be faithful in your care of yourself. Be kind in your promise of improvement and potential.

DAILY ABUNDANCE Day 17 STATEMENTS and QUESTIONS -

-Put aside the insecurity and the games. Own what you know and find out what other’s know. Ask!!

The importance of statements and questions can not be exaggerated. And many of us have it backwards. Because of insecurity, a need for approval, or a misguided sense of collaboration, we ask questions about our own thoughts and feelings. For example, instead of saying “I think that is a mistake because…” we ask “Don’t you think that’s a mistake?” This continuous practice of being indirect leaves us feeling uneasy and unstable. So we continue the mix-up, and instead of asking questions of others, we make statements about what other people know and think. Yikes! For example, we say “You know you should go to …” instead of asking “Are you willing to go to…” That breeds more bad feelings. So - here’s the key! Turn it around!! Make statements 100% of the time about what you know and what you think. And ask questions 100% of the time regarding others’ knowledge and thoughts. This seems so easy, and yet it is easy not to do! Listen carefully to yourself. Own what you know and find out what other’s know. No one likes to be told what they should think, but everyone is interested to know what you know and share what they know! Make Statements - Ask Questions.


CREATIVE VISION - - Use a brief amount of time each day to center yourself, reflect, or problem-solve,

Reconnect and hear your own wisdom!

In a culture obsessed with doing, it is critical to separate ourselves from the hub bub - to enter into some quiet time for Creative Vision. The benefits are numerous! A daily practice of Creative Vision time allows us to process, think, create, and restore. Let’s get specific - and understand that this is not just one more thing to do each day! In a restorative 30-60 minutes daily, you can visualize goals, develop your ability to use your subconscious mind to solve problems, celebrate successes, and rededicate yourself to priorities. The details of each day’s session are totally flexible to that day’s needs. I often”task” my subconscious with seemingly unrelated details on a situation. In my task-oriented day, it is easy to mistake meaning and relationship of events. However, when I turn the “data” over to my subconscious and quietly request a reinterpretation of the facts and events, I often get new insights a day or so later! Another day I may need to reflect on progress and tune in to the next step that feels in tune with my priorities. Other times, I spend my Creative Vision time reinforcing a goal through visualization. This is powerful time to get in synch with the reality of success! Give yourself this gift of time!


THE SEASONS OF LIFE - AGING WITH GRACE - - You have a gift and an opportunity every day. Use it to build someone else up, and to

celebrate yourself!

Have you felt it yet? Have you felt an awareness of your age? In a world which often honors only the young, it is easy to let the advancing years weigh heavy on you. Let me offer you another perspective. Aging is a blessing so many who have died would love to share with you! And the wisdom, grace, and gifts of your maturity far outweigh the aches, pains, and wrinkles!! It is a decision and an effort to age gracefully. And I invite you to join me. For I tried the alternative on for size - and be warned: if you choose to focus on the “can’t, and tired and washed up” of your age you will speed up your decline! That’s what I did one summer! Never again! I know it is important to challenge both my body and my mind. It is important to ask for help - yet not take the easy route. It is important to stay engaged - and learning - and contributing - and doing things that scare me. For it is a gift to have another day. And a gift to have whatever physical capacity I have today. And a gift to stimulate and grow my brain. And even when I am tired, I soak up every last bit of each day in honor of my friends who didn’t get the gift of today. I hug my family, and friends, and work and play for the sake of knowing it is a gift!Make a decision today.


PERSISTENCE -

- You have a gift and an opportunity every day. Use it to build someone else up, and to celebrate yourself!

It is everything. It is the difference between quitting and winning. It is grounded in your belief about yourself, your potential, and your standard. It is driven by your expectations of yourself. It is

persistence. The greatest single factor to one’s results is the willingness to persevere. And the willingness is simply a decision. Each of us has a moment-by-moment decision to continue, and to try, and to believe that we can. So why do some people persevere and others do not? That is the power of free will. And the willingness to choose is

driven by the standard you define for yourself. Once you make a decision to BE PERSISTENT, your other choices follow. The results you want will come with repetition, and learning, and belief. Every single great accomplishment in the world DID NOT come on the first try. The dozens of tries that preceded the success fueled the learning and the eventual

result simply because the individual chose to be persistent in the pursuit of the goal. When you step back and consider that the only reason to not persist is fear of failure, then the riddle is clear. The fear becomes self-fulfilling if not questioned! So choose your standard and shake off the “fear of failure”. It is a mirage. It is a trickster!

DAILY ABUNDANCEDay 21

HUMAN BEING -

Set your intention at the beginning of the day - - what kind of day will this be? Will it be the best day ever? You are not a Human Doing. And yet we hear it in our conversation. We see it in our calendars. We take it to the marketplace and business world. What have you done lately? What are you doing today? Be aware that you can not ever do anything of value until you first learn how to BE - with purpose. As you define your list of results to accomplish this day, first set your intention for how you will BE. Will you be kind? Will you be difficult? Will you be a leader? Will you be needy? Decide. As you grow in your skills, decide which “BE” skills you need to improve. Do you need to study how to be more patient? Do you need to gain some skills on how to listen better? Do you need to improve your ability to be confident? Consider reflecting on your friends. How do their choices or habits of BE-ing impact you? Are they negative? Do they build you up or do they bring your down? Before each of us can take on the tasks and responsibilities in our lives we must first check ourselves on what we are BE-ing. Set your intention at the beginning of the day - - what kind of day will this be? Will it be the best day ever? Declare your intention. Your intention on how you are as a human being will ease the ability to achieve your results. Try it! BE.


ETHICS - Take on the courage to honor your truth and your ethics. Make decisions and stand up for them. Ethics. It is the foundation of everything your life is about. Webster says “ moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior“Ethics and morals are both used in the plural and are often regarded as synonyms, but there is some distinction in how they are used.Morals often describes one's particular values concerning what is right and what is wrong. While ethics can refer broadly to moral principles, one often sees it applied to questions of correct behavior within a relatively narrow area of activity. These guiding principles are often affected by our families and our personal experiences. However, be intentional to also let study and thought define your ethics. The ethics decisions that are the foundation to your life deserve some intentional decisions, not just definition by chance and association. So, read. Research. Think. Listen. Listen to yourself. There is a tiny voice deep within you. Some call it their soul, some their intuition, some their true self. It does not matter what you are comfortable calling this wisdom. Listen to it. And be true to it. Take on the courage to honor your truth and your ethics. Make decisions and stand up for them. You are responsible to be ethical when it is not easy or convenient. Be true to your ethics and find peace.


BIOGRAPHIES -

You will be blessed with knowledge and examples and ideas. We all find it easy to learn with third-party example,. There are several ways to learn “how-to”. We learn through our own trial and error. We also learn through the trial and error of others. When we learn from others, we can read the “how-to” books OR we can read biographies. I love to read biographies. The great surprise is unintended lessons. I read a biography of Abigail Adams, intending to learn about another perspective on the time period. What was untended was the incredible lessons on strength of character her life illustrated! She was the wife of one President and the mother of another President. I learned rich history and lessons on influence. I am currently reading about the Wright Brothers, and I’m excited about the potential lessons beyond the story of the design and build of the first airplane. Pick a time period, a subject area, or a specific person and dive in! You will be blessed with knowledge, examples and ideas. It is easy to learn with third-party example, rather than a lecture about what we should/shouldn’t do. A study of biographies is that rich source of example. In every area you can choose another person, alive or dead, to read about and then reflect on what you learn. Read with your journal handy to keep notes. And enjoy the gifts!


RIGHT BRAIN / LEFT BRAIN - Tap into the beauty of the right hemisphere of your brain. Access the peace. On a beautiful spring day several years ago, my mom suffered a stroke. Six weeks later she died. For four years she had grieved the loss of my dad, and was limited by dementia. In the last six weeks of her life she was given one last huge blessing; After years of suffering loss, focused on all that was wrong, and aware of her decreased capacity to socially interact as she had always loved, my mom was blessed with the serenity of her right brain. My mom spent the last weeks of her life with the peace of gratitude, big picture, presence, and love. My experience caused me to do some research. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained brain scientist. In her book My Stroke of Insight, Ms. Taylor shares that nirvana is just a thought away. Quiet the mind - - the chatter of the left hemisphere - - to access the peace of the right hemisphere. The right hemisphere is responsible for our concentration on presence and big picture thinking. This is what i experienced with my mom. I learned that 4 times more strokes occur in the left hemisphere. Scientists do not know why that is, yet the gift of the result is so appreciated. So, how can we bring these lessons into our life? Focus on presence and inner peace. Be here now.


FAITH - The currency of all blessings is Faith. Without Faith you are asking Goodness to be proven, versus knowing it will come. The importance of Faith is huge. It is the cornerstone for all belief, all positive expectation, and it is the fuel for all striving. Faith is fundamental. Faith is a choice. We are gifted with Free Will. We can choose our mindset, our actions, and we can create our results. We can not choose every thing that happens around us, yet we can choose our response to all things. I choose to anchor my life in Faith. Faith is critical. I am certain all good things will come to me. And without my Faith, good things will certainly not come to pass. Here’s the connection: My Faith is the foundation for my belief - my belief drives my action - and my action produces my result. This is not a spiritual discussion only. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, your Fatih (in God, in yourself, in something!) will drive your belief and that belief creates an effort that produces a result. If one weakly hopes, and yet does not want to be disappointed, they give a lesser effort and get the results of that inferior effort. the effort is founded in cowardice not in Faith. Faith is the foundation. It is at the center. Make a decision today. Do you believe? In what do you believe? Even if you can not see it now, do you believe? Own that Faith and reap the harvest of it!


EXPANDED GRATITUDE - …isn’t it amazing to see the physical evidence of so many lives touching our own?! . Gratitude has been a popular topic, and rightly so! Studies show that focus on gratitude changes our physiology. We maintain improved health when we count our blessings. We pursue more goals when we are grateful for all we have. I invite you to further develop your gratitude practice with EXPANDED gratitude. Here’s how this works: List all the things for which you are grateful. I trust this is a nice long list. Collect the “top ten” most important gratitudes at the top of your list. Now, next to each of these things for which you are grateful, list the person(s) who is responsible for or contributes to that thing in your life. Wow…isn’t it amazing to see the physical evidence of so many lives touching our own?! And for a truly amazing experience, write an individual thank you note to each person. Take your time; they do not all need to be written at once! What a lovely experience for the recipient and you to express your gratitude for not only the “thing” in your life, but also for those who are part of that for you! The ripple effect of this idea is incredible. What if everyone wrote just one note per week? How might that change what we all focus on? Would tension and anxiety ease? This is an idea that’s easy to do…and easy not to do. I invite you to do it!


WHAT RESULTS DO YOU WANT TODAY? - As you reflect on this day, how do you want to have shown up for the people in your life? Each of us has lots of responsibilities, interests, needs, wants, and goals. It is common to start the day, with yesterday’s unfinished business and the clamor of outside demands grabbing our attention. But, wait! Before you begin reacting, take a moment to make some decisions. Simple ones - that only you can make! Perhaps while you sip your coffee or take a shower, think about how you intend for today to go. When you are brushing your teeth before bed at the end of this day, what do you want to have accomplished? As you reflect on this day, how do you want to have shown up for the people in your life? How do you want to affect the world around you? Once you begin this practice of being intentional about your day, you will notice a shift. Because you already called today “a drama-free day”, you do not jump into that gossip at lunch. Because you already thought ahead to handle that touchy conversation with kindness, you respond without anger while you talk about the sensitive subject. And when you are about to meet with some friends - or see family - think for a moment about how you want to be in their presence….happy? fun? loving? You may decide your state and then be that way!


PUT YOUR TARGETS IN WRITING - What targets do you need to set to ensure success, to alleviate disappointment, and to reduce stress? It is often human nature to hold back on declarations. You know - that public announcement about what you will do and by when you will do it. Privately aiming for something and getting there without prior notification is so much more comfortable. But - is it? Think about why you hesitate to set a target. You do not want to fail? You do not want to be disappointed? You do not want the pressure that comes with a target? This is all an illusion. If you do not set a target the chances of doing X are reduced. So you do fail! You are disappointed! You do have pressure from NOT achieving! I talked with a real estate broker who hesitated to set a target for the sale of a commercial property. He explained that the number of variables was outside his control and he could not forecast the date of a sale. And yet when I asked if he would lose the listing for nonperformance in 6 months, he said…YES. And so, in the end he agreed he ought to set a target and do all the thing that ARE in his control to hit that target. Is it pressure? Yes! Is it less pressure than losing a multimillion dollar listing? Yes! So…what about you? What targets do you need to set to ensure success, to alleviate disappointment, and to reduce stress? Do it now.


BE A LIFELONG LEARNER

You will find your optimism improves because it is difficult to get cranky and complacent when you are learning! When we are kids, we are constantly learning. We are expected to learn. We are asked “what’d you learn today?”. It is what we do and is closely identified with where we think we are in our development. Sometimes we get a false notion that once we are out of school, we are done. This is an idea you should change if you currently believe it! We are never done! If you start a daily practice of reading just 30 minutes a day on a subject, within one short year you will know more about that subject than most people! You will become an expert! And with only 30 minutes a day! On the one hand, that is an unfortunate statement about how little most people read - and yet it is also encouraging that you can easily fit in time to read about subjects you enjoy. Another huge benefit is that you will stimulate your mind and improve your mental capacity as you age. Win, win! In addition, you will find your optimism improves because it is difficult to get cranky and complacent when you are learning! Even daily driving time may be converted into interesting time when you play an interesting download or cd with information you want to learn! I find that the more I learn the more curious I become. The more curious I become, the more I am alive!


KINDNESS

The world will be a rich place when kindness is given freely. Kindness will amplify the good in people. Kindness: (noun) - the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Being friendly, generous, and considerate costs each of us nothing. It does not take away from what we are doing, where we are going, or what we hold dear. And yet it is my experience that kindness results in so much for each of us; it lessens tensions, it encourages cooperation, it creates trust, it builds relationships. Kindness even might save a life. So many times we find ourselves stingy with kindness. We are either preoccupied or disgruntled. We might withhold kindness because we are self-obsessed. And sometimes we are stingy with kindness out of ignorance that it will somehow diminish ourselves. I strongly encourage you to adopt a kindness practice. If this is new to you, please understand that it will feel awkward at first. And if you are a veteran of acts of kindness, I applaud you. Spend some quiet reflection on the experience of kindness - either that given or received. Appreciate the gifts. The world will be a rich place when kindness is given freely. Kindness will amplify the good in people and can not create an increase in evil. What is does for each of us is shift our focus to the best in each other. Be kind.


DAILY ABUNDANCE “The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.” - Albert Schweitzer The practice of Daily Abundance is a practice of several important parts. The first part is learning. A daily dedication to lifelong learning will keep you interested and interesting. The second part is gratitude. What you put out, you receive. Focus on gratitude through the focus of thoughtful reflection. When we consider ideas with a new perspective, we invite ourselves to see a new meaning in not only the subject at hand and we open ourselves up to new meaning in all areas. Repeat these readings, and add other reading material to your practice. I spend 30 minutes every day reading. I keep my journal with me to capture inspirations. I keep a notepad close as well, so as readings prompt an action item I want to take I can jot it on the notepad to add to my calendar later. I start my day this way and I find I start each day centered, positive, and focused on ideas that I take into my day. These ideas then touch my conversations that day. Only after my Daily Abundance time do I tune in to others’ wants and needs and agendas. I focus myself first every day. “The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.” - Albert Schweitzer

I encourage you to continue your Daily Abundance practice with these readings, and others. I find that when I re-read something I read a month

ago, I get additional insights and inspiration because I, in fact, am different than I was the last time I read the same passage. Enjoy.

I hope this serves you.

Live Joyfully.

daily abundance - 31 readings€¦ · · 2017-04-03feel good about saying “no” because of all...

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