Right or Happy?

Let go of your ego’s need to be right. When you’re in the middle of an argument, ask yourself: Do I want to be right or be happy? When you choose the joyous, loving, spiritual mode, your connection to intention is strengthened. -Wayne Dyer

Years ago a friend asked me if I would rather be right or happy. I honestly had to stop and think. Having been raised to believe that being right was happiness I had never considered otherwise, and I was embarrassed to admit it. Now, all these years later, I am amazed at how often I observe the desire to be right in myself and all over our culture. I am also amazed how incredibly freeing and peaceful it is to know that I can admit when I am not right and in fact let go completely of the need to be right.

This is definitely one of those journeys of progress not perfection for me. In fact, I crack myself up when I want to be perfect in this place. I catch myself, "Oh there I am wanting to be right again." I notice that it is really tied to thinking that when I am right I am safe. Being present to this awareness helps and I have found a little humor, mindfullness and a whole lot of patience and unconditional love go a long way on this journey.

What Your Experience Is Telling You

"Everything you behold without is a judgment of what you beheld within." -A Course In Miracles

So what have you "beheld within"?  (Note the past tense?) You can deduce this by what you are experiencing now.  Allow your experience to be your guide not your "reality."

Are you experiencing harmony or dissension in your relationships?  Answer that and you can discern whether or not you have beheld harmony or dissension within.  Often we are attacking ourselves with very little or no awareness.

Are you experiencing abundant health, abundant wealth, abundant joy?  If not, you are not beholding it within.

Do you experience giving and receiving unconditional love and non-judgement?  Answer that and you can discern whether or not you have beheld unconditional love and non-judgement towards yourself.

Answering these questions is not a way to beat yourself up.  All disharmony without is a call to harmony within. Covering your pain with a coating of "harmony" will not work, rather asking your pain for guidance towards what is out of alignment and bringing it back to Truth will work. Ask with a curious heart.  Inquire as a means to find the place that is blocking you and with the intention of beholding true perspective within.

Are you experiencing light, peace and joy.  If so, you are beholding these things.  Focus there.
 

Day 2 of 21 Days of Prayer Outside the Box

The Power of One Word

There are times when things are so difficult and my mind is so scattered that I literally can't think of any prayer at all, not even making it up off the top of my head.  My head is spinning so fast that I feel paralyzed.  These are the times when the "one word prayer" has become so helpful for me.

I learned a long time ago the power that is in the name of God, whatever name works best for you.  For me it changes.  Today just the word God works well for me, but there was a time that word held such a negative connotation it didn't help.  That's when I applied the wisdom from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." I heard once that it doesn't matter what you call God as long as you call Him.

I have found in those really difficult times repeating the one word that best names God for me is very helpful.

Here are a few that have worked for me or others who I have coached:

God
Spirit
Higher Power
Christ
Love
One
Great Creator
Father
Jehovah
Almighty
All Powerful
Lord
Allah

These are just a few.  If you Google names for God you will literally find hundreds and hundreds of names.  Find what resonates with you and try it throughout your day.

Creative Discovering Beginnings

I developed an interest in creative journalling in the early 1990's. The images I have shared here were some of the first entries into my journal. They were drawn at a time that was filled with joy and love, and also haunted with sadness, pain and anger. I drew the two entries on the same day, illustrating the roller coaster of emotions that seemed to plague my life.

The awareness that followed deepened my interest in creative journalling, and sparked my inspiration to create Creative Discovering workshops. Still, twenty years later I look at these images that are really quite simple and were drawn in a matter of minutes, and become captivated by the depth of my experience and the accuracy of expression that had escaped words for me at the time.

Today's Journal/Creative Journal prompt:

Over the next few days or weeks if you find yourself experiencing an intense emotion, comfortable or uncomfortable, grab your journal and express........

Love, Love, Love

Everyone just wants to love and be loved. I heard this somewhere recently, and it was one of those things where everyone in the room just paused for a moment. Such a simple truth. No one can really argue with that. I brought it up in the middle of an intense conversation at one of my classes recently, and again there was this pause with an ensuing connectedness in the room.

The interesting thing is we all seem to know this, but forget it regularly. I have been practicing re-minding myself this simple truth in different situations. Give it a whirl. I have found it very helpful.

Practice re-minding yourself this when you are in the grocery store. Practice it the next time you are in an argument. Practice it when you feel impatient with your child......or anyone. Practice it when you feel angry, excited, upset, joyful, sad, indifferent. Say it slowly - slower and still slower. Remember as you practice it that it is everyone, everywhere, all of the time.

Today's journal exercise:

Today write this statement slowly in your journal seven times. When you are finished begin stream of consciousness writing for at least 3 pages on whatever comes up for you. Anything and everything that comes up for you. Just write it down.

Happy Valentine's Day

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." -Rumi

Okay, since deciding a couple of days ago to post this quote today for Valentine's Day I have taken on the task (somewhat consciously and somewhat unconsciously) and I have FOUND THE BARRIERS....or rather it seems as if they have found me!

Funny how when I consciously give my unconscious an invitation to grow it RUNS WITH IT! A friend of mine today re-minded me that my unconscious thinks its job is to protect me. Hmm, I think my unconscious might be working overtime.

I noticed when I consciously decided to let go of a barrier to love in my life today, my unconscious immediately went into a full blown tantrum (to protect me - LOL)! Gratefully I could re-cognize it as a tantrum right away.

I watched it with amusement like, "Gee, isn't that cute how my subconscious thinks it is protecting me by throwing a tantrum and setting up a "barrier" between me and my love." Actually, no not so cute. I kindly thanked my "unconscious" for doing "its job." It was more of a thanks, but no thanks - "I appreciate your help, but I got this one." The tantrum continued, I noticed it, detatched, and was able to gracefully move past it. WOW! I love it when that happens!

Today's journalling question:

What are the barriers you have built against love? Do you notice your subconscious throwing any tantrums in your life? (Hint: The subconscious "throwing a tantrum" is more commonly identified as a problem or issue in your life) What is your subconscious "protecting" you from?

E x p a n d by Enjoying

"Your capacity e x p a n d s in small increments each time you consiously let yourself enjoy the money you have, the love you feel, and the creativity you are expressing in the world. As that capacity for enjoyment e x p a n d s, so does your finacial abundance, the love you feel, and the creativity you express." - Gay Hendricks, The Big Leap

This works! I have been practicing enjoying all the wonderful things in my life no matter how small......a moment when my children are enjoying a great conversation with each other, a moment when I notice the hollyhocks in my front yard, all the way to a great tax return. I have been practicing focussing my attention on anything that is good in my life.....and.....

.....even when I feel totally stressed out I have been re-minding myself to look for something....ANYTHING....positive to focus on and practice - e x p a n d i n g that feeling. It works. And, my favorite part is it works instantly.

Be-Do-Have...You ARE prosperous

(Be - Do - Have part 2)

You've read "Be-Do-Have" and you have a question about the line that says "you ARE prosperous."

Yes, You ARE prosperous. This is the essence of your BEING. You are created as a whole being. As a whole being you ARE prosperous. You ARE enough. You ARE joy. You ARE love. You ARE creative. You ARE beauty. And MORE!

This is the idea upon which affirmations work. I am.... This is the Truth of who you are. It is unchanging. It is at the center of your being. Some of us are more aware of this Truth than others. If you are new to this idea and you are having difficulty believing this I encourage you to consider it as true just for a short while. Maybe a day, maybe two. What if this were true? Is it possible?

BUT you say. If I am prosperous why do I experience lack, poverty, difficult financial situations?

I invite you to re-read "Be-Do-Have." The piece that you are missing is not the beingness. Your beiness is shining through some "faulty" filters. Some belief that is not in alignment with beingness. The belief may be I am not prosperous, or I don't deserve prosperity. This is the part where you change your thinking!