My Essay Blog

1. Unconditional Love. This is the font of happiness, renewable and eternal. We often think that being loved is the best feeling in the world, but it’s the second best. The best is loving someone else. Love is the polar opposite of fear, emotionally and neurologically. Thus, it is the antidote to fear and the first step toward real bliss.

2. Boundless Optimism. Genuine Optimism provides power over painful events. Optimism is understanding that the more painful the event, the more profound the lesson. Once you bring this knowledge into your heart, you can never again look at any event as all bad. Optimism gives you power over fear of the future and over regret for the long dead past.

3. Sizzling Courage. This is your fiercest weapon for overcoming the split-second power of fear. You can’t rise above fear without courage, because fear is hardwired into your neural circuitry. If fear is eternally programmed into your brain, though, so is courage. It comes from the neocortex and is a product of the spirit, the intellect, and the higher emotions of love and generosity. It is nature’s natural balance for the fear that has helped us survive. It’s the quality that allows us to overcome.

4. An unbridled sense of freedom. Nothing expands the soul like freedom.Liberty is choice, and choice is what makes us human. When we choose, we define who we are. Everyone has the power to make choices, but unhappy people don’t know they have it. They think it’s only for the rich. It’s not. I’ve met a thousand rich people who didn’t feel free. Choice is available to anyone who taps the strength to exercise it.

5. Powerful Proactivity.Blissful people participate in their own destinies and forge their own happiness. They don’t wait for events or other people to make them happy. They’re not yielding victims.

6. Solid Security. Blissful people know that nothing, over time, lasts - not money, not approval, not even life itself. So they don’t measure security with a calendar or a calculator. They simply like who they are. They’re not slaves to popularity, longevity, or financial status. They know that security is an inside job.

7. Powerful Health. Happiness and health are interdependent. It’s hard to be happy if you don’t feel healthy, and it’s hard to be healthy if you’re not happy. Of special importance for happiness is healthy mood chemistry. You can have a happy life and not even know it if you’re tortured by faulty mood chemistry. An imbalance of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, for example, can mask the happiness that bubbles within.

8. Soaring Spirituality. Happy people aren’t afraid to go beyond the boundaries of their own lives. They let go, and welcome extraordinary experiences. They have markedly less fear of death. They’re not concerned about dying - they’re concerned about failing to live.

Now some of you might say “Hey, there is no simple way to wealth” but I disagree and let me tell you why. First of all I would like on encourage you to watch the movie called “The Secret”. It is really an eye opening experience and what I am about to tell you here is just a small part of it. The movie covers a lot of different aspects but the plot can be said in very simple terms.

Thoughts Become Things

What this means is that whatever you focus on will come true for you. The key is for you to see the future in advance. Feel it like it has already happened. I am not saying that this is easy to do but if you can manage to get it done the outcome will be absolutely phenomenal. If you want abundance and you see abundance it clearly come your way then it is abundance that you will get.

To see and feel the future in advance in not something that people normally do and that is why people often live the lives that they live &ndash without abundance. If you spend some time listening to personal development coaches or you are attending seminars or reading books, you will know that everything happens in you mind. All the outer things are formed by how you picture them in your mind.

This might sound a bit strange to you at first and I remember that it was very far from the reality that I knew of but as I learnt more and more it began to make sense. Have you ever misinterpreted another person’s intentions? Have you ever reacted in a certain way in response to the intentions that you though the person had? Maybe you got angry or you got sad, but in reality that was not the person’s true meaning and the feeling that you had was caused by your own interpretation and not by the actual person’s actions.

You can control your own mind and you can decide what you feel about anything that happens. You can decide to focus on all the bad and negative things and in return feel bad and negative about it all. Or you can decide to look for all the positive things that are in everything that happens and by focusing on positive and nice things you shift your mood to being positive and nice.

As I said in the beginning, this is only a small part of the “thoughts become things” philosophy and there is much more to learn. The law of attraction can be an extremely powerful force if you know how to use it and apply it. Go see the movie The Secret or read the book. It is worth it.

In every moment, there are two possibilities. One possibility is to have all of our curiosity, attention, and passion focused on what is happening. The other, is to have that same curiosity, attention, and passion focused on what is not happening, what is not present, or what we think should or shouldn’t be happening. In every moment, the question is: What are you giving your attention to? Are you allowing what is, or going to battle with it&ndashtrying to change it in some way?

When our focus is on what is, our experience of what is opens up and becomes bigger, richer, and more complete. But when it is on what is not (the past, the future, or any thought about what is), our experience of the moment contracts and becomes narrower and full of suffering and struggle, because inherent in a focus on what is not is a struggle with what is.

When we look, we discover that most of the time we are in opposition to what is and oriented toward what is not. Life is mostly about how to make things better and get more pleasure, or how to get rid of the things that are painful. We are constantly evaluating our experience, looking to see what’s wrong with what we are experiencing and how it could be improved. We tend to be focused on what’s wrong with the moment or on what could be added to it to make it better. As a result, our attention becomes very narrow and our awareness very limited.

Once we see how much time we spend struggling with what is, the tendency is to go to battle with that&ndashto try to fix that. We think the solution is to fix this tendency to try to change everything. But that only changes the content of our struggle: Now we are struggling with our tendency to try to change things. We suffer over the fact that we are suffering.

The other possibility is to just notice how much you suffer, without trying to do anything about it. Just allow the fact that you don’t allow much. Just recognize that that is the way it is. This struggling with what is, is just what we were conditioned to do; and this conditioning is also a part of what is.

Once we stop being in opposition to what is, it is possible to see how all of our struggling comes from the idea of a me. Without the assumption that something is my experience, there wouldn’t be much point in trying to change anything about the moment. Our effort and struggle to change what is only makes sense if there is a me. It is all in service to maintaining the idea of a me. In fact, the struggle is the me. When there is no struggle, there is no me. All of our suffering is how we have and maintain an identity.

Once we realize this, the tendency is to try to fix this&ndashto try to change our belief about who we are. We focus on getting rid of identification, which is again, focusing on what is not. We are still suffering because now we are at war with our tendency to identify. Instead of being oriented toward and accepting of what is (our struggle with identification), we are oriented toward how we think it should be: I should know better than to be caught in identification; I should know who I really am.

Another possibility is to be really present to this tendency to identify, without making any effort to change it. If that’s what is happening, then that’s what is happening. You just let it be that way. You can even be amazed by it all, including the fact that there is a sense of a me. You see how unreal this me is, but you don’t struggle to be rid of it. There’s no longer an assumption that something is wrong that needs to be fixed.

When it is finally okay for the moment to be just the way it is&ndashincluding the fact that we identify as me and therefore battle with the moment&ndashthen more of our experience can be recognized and included in our awareness. If we are willing to be present to and allow our identification, then it is also possible to notice something beyond identification, something beyond our struggle and effort to maintain a me. What that something is, for lack of a better word, is Being.

Along with awareness of identification and the struggle and suffering inherent in that, is an awareness of this larger ground of Being in which everything is happening. When we see that all the me is and ever has been is a lie, but we don’t turn away from that awareness or judge ourselves for it or try to get rid of the me; then we start to notice that, along with the struggling inherent in the me, is a beautiful, rich presence of Being, which is allowing everything, including the experience of me. We come to see that the me’s struggle is only a tiny percentage of our entire experience and that this struggle is happening in an ocean of allowing. This allowing is Being.

When we are allowing, we include in our awareness what it is that is allowing, and that is Being&ndashwhich is who we really are. This realization can be a very jolting experience or a very quiet one because Being is actually very familiar. Every moment of allowing has actually been a moment of experiencing Being.

Identification is the source of suffering. It is only the me who ever has a problem. All of our suffering can be traced back to identification, to this misunderstanding that the me exists. It’s not that the me has a problem; rather, the me is the problem. Everything that the me does is a form of battling with our experience. The me is this split in our being that goes to battle with itself. That’s all that the me is.

Paradoxically, what brings us beyond the struggle and unlocks the bigger view is realizing how much we enjoy identifying. Once we allow things to be the way they are, it is possible to admit that identification has been a lot of fun. The illusion of a separate self is an incredible act of creation. It has created the whole drama of human existence. It has inspired many of the great works of art and literature. We love to identify, but that doesn’t mean we also don’t suffer from it.

This creation and projecting of a false identity&ndasha me&ndashis not a mistake. It’s natural, spontaneous, and inherent in human nature. It’s one of the richest parts of our experience&ndashand there is also the even richer possibility of no longer mistaking the me as the totality of who we are. Identification isn’t a mistake, and yet there is much more to life&ndashand to us&ndashthan that experience.

Each of us has an inner critic. There is no way to grow up in our society without having developed this inner critical voice &ndash which comes from parents, teachers, peers, the media, and from our own conclusions.

The problem is that this inner critic sounds like a voice of authority when in reality it doesn’t know what it is talking about. It is a voice based on beliefs that have been handed down through generations but that have no basis in fact.

How often has this voice said to you:

“You can’t do it. You are inadequate.”

“You are stupid and ugly.”

“If he (or she) rejects you, it is because you are not okay.”

“You had better do it right. If you don’t, everyone will know that you are a fraud.”

“It is NOT okay to make a mistake.”

…and so on.

This inner critic speaks with such authority that it is tempting to believe what it says. Yet is knows only lies. It knows nothing of who you really are.

When this voice is criticizing you, it is criticizing the “you” that it thinks you are &ndash your ego wounded self. The critic, having come into being to help you survive and protect you from rejection, long ago decided that who you really are is not good enough. When you experienced judgment or rejection from the important people in your life, you likely concluded that you were being rejected because you weren’t good enough or lovable enough or worthy enough or smart enough or attractive enough…and so on. You may have had no idea when you were being judged or rejected, rather than loved and accepted, that it actually had nothing to do with you. You probably had no idea that you cannot CAUSE another person to be judgmental or rejecting, or loving and accepting. You likely had no idea that others’ behavior is not under your control.

If you believed that you were causing others to judge or reject you, you may have decided that who you really are is not good enough. So you started to judge and reject yourself as you attempted to create a “self” that would be loved and accepted. The inner critic &ndash your ego wounded self &ndash is the self you created. You came to believe that if you judged yourself enough, you would make yourself into an acceptable person.

The problem is that none of this is true. There never was anything wrong with your true Self, your essence, your soul. It was, and is, a perfect expression of the Source from which we are all a part.

When your wounded self is criticizing you, it is criticizing your looks, your intelligence, or your performance. But none of this is who you are.

Who you are &ndash what is truly worthy, lovable and valuable about you &ndash is your ability to love. Not how you look, not how smart you are, not how much money you have or how big your house is. Your true Self is an individualized expression of God (or whatever you want to call our Source), and God is Love.

Next time you hear the authoritative voice of your inner critic, instead of giving that voice credence, stop listening to that voice. Treat that voice with compassion, like a child who acts like it knows everything. Instead of acting on that voice, open instead to the voice of your true Self &ndash the voice of Truth.

Do this simply by asking, with a deep desire to learn, “What is the truth?” Your Higher Self will answer you. This Self is the true voice of authority, even though it may be much softer and gentler than the loud voice of your inner critic.

Each time you hear the critical voice, ask your Higher Self “What is the truth?” If you take action based on the Truth rather than on the false beliefs of your inner critic, you will find yourself feeling so much better in so many ways!

We secretly admit deep down that money can’t buy happiness… and we refuse to believe it. Yet we need only look to observe the many glum folks living at the loftier socioeconomic levels. Many of the well-heeled don’t appear have larger smiles than people of modest means. These wealthy folks actually laugh less, jump for joy less, and tend to be blown away by simple business setbacks

Did you know that rich people rarely experience the bliss and satisfaction that supposedly come ribboned with wealth. They may be swimming in cash, but their state of happiness reflects quite the opposite. A 1995 study by University of Illinois revealed that 1/3 of the richest people in the USA are not actually as happy as the average-income person in this country.

It shouldn’t be surprising that many of the glummest and distraut individuals we meet are wealthy people. Some people become more depressed as their bank account inflates because of their unreasonable expectations for what financial instruments can do for them. Originally, these people think that acquiring a great pile of cash will bring them a shot of cheer.

It doesn’t - and then they have no excuse for moping, so they become even more lethargic.

Should you suffer the ill fate of being unhappy, and should you be looking to money to transform your life, it’s time for bleak a reality check. ADMIT IT: you are unhappy because you failed to keep your emotional act together. Don’t mope about it - just seize action to rectify the situation. We all fall into that trap at one point. Unless we address our shortcomings in this area, we are destined to stumble, even if we seize the highest throne of the Millionaire’s Club of The World.

Obviously, a money deficit for basic necessities leaves anyone bleak and dissatisfied about one’s position in life. This doesn’t imply that having a lot of money will leave you truly happy and bouncing for joy, however. Money can get us to a neutral state, somewhere snuggled between unhappy and happy, somewhere between dissatisfied and satisfied. Nonetheless, more wealth coming into our lives won’t get us beyond that neutral mind set. Once we reach the neutral state, happiness draws from things that money can’t buy.

I’ll admit it: money can be a vehicle for enjoying life to its fullest, provided you take the effort to understand what money can and can’t do for you. Riches will easily spark up your life if you have a robust attitude toward money and detract from it if you don’t.

Simpler terms? Grasping what money can do for you can reel in what you want from life. In the same vein, knowing what money can’t do for you can minimize a lot of disappointment, disillusionment, hemmorhoids, and nose twitching.

A personal self-esteem coach can provide an objective perspective sorely needed to see things in a new light, challenge long-held beliefs that have held you back, change the patterns that have kept you stuck and make new choices so that you create and attract success into your life.

Creating a clear direction for your life can be difficult. Old thinking and behavior patterns are persistent. Your coach can help you recognize and replace these old patterns with new ideas and strategies which serve you and clear the way for a healthy, balanced life. Your coach can also tune in to the language you use to describe yourself, your life circumstances, both past and present, and your future. The language you use is a strong indicator of the level of self-esteem you are experiencing right now.

As your self-esteem improves, you’ll notice you are more focused, more organized and more able to take action. You’ll be able to create strategies, plans and structures to achieve your goals more easily. Procrastination will be a thing of the past. What once pushed you past overwhelm will no longer intimidate you.

Maybe you have self-esteem issues rearing their ugly heads in your relationships. Do you often feel jealousy, especially in the context of romantic relationships? Are you struggling with finding or staying in a romantic relationship? Do you feel too stressed and vulnerable to make good decisions? Maybe you are still recovering from the break up of your last romantic relationship and you want to firm your boundaries and learn to trust again. Wherever you find yourself feeling badly about yourself, a self-esteem issue exists.

If you are tired of living on automatic pilot and want to take charge of your life to create the happiness you’ve spent all this time looking for, then a personal self-esteem coach might be the right choice at this place in your life.

“We create our lives a thought at a time. And sometimes, it comes down to changing a thought such as “Why did this happen to me?” into “There is a divine plan and there is a reason for this, and my choice is to create the most positive reaction I can.” - Dee Wallace Stone

You know that positive thinking and positive action attracts positive things. But you also know that it is not possible to stay motivated and positive all the time.

You constantly need to check your thoughts as busy activities make you forget your dreams and goals at times. In other words, live a motivated life and you will feel that your life has improved.

Here are some ideas to increase your motivation and thereby improve your life:

1. Get Close To Positive Energy

Stay away from all forms of negativity. Avoid the cynics, pessimists, whiners and complain kings and queens. They will not support your goals and desires. They will drain your energy and stifle your dreams.

Associate yourself with positive and happy people. Their enthusiasm for life is contagious. Positive and optimistic people will uplift your spirits and help you through challenging times. Also draw inspiration from Mentors and Motivation Gurus.

2. Never Give Up

Don’t ever give up. We will not fail if we keep trying. Work hard at what you want to achieve and never let negative thoughts cloud your mind. Have faith in yourself. During difficult times, you will find ways to keep your spirits up and keep moving forward. Remember, if you think positively, you will get positive results. And if you think negatively, you will get negative results.

3. Reflect On Success

There are going to be some days that will take every will power to feel motivated and move forward. What can you do? Reflect on what is happening in your life and what you can learn from it. Look back on how far you’ve come. Think of past accomplishments that make you feel good and proud of. List down all your achievements, both personal and professional, and know your worth. Don’t forget the little achievements too. These are proofs that you have made good use of your time and energy.

4. Don’t Wait, Do It Now

While it’s important to work within your plan, don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you make that move. Don’t be in limbo, waiting for perfection that will never be. If you’re waiting for a shining moment of excitement, it isn’t going to happen. Stop waiting for it.

Work within your plan and take that first step. Frustration sets in when you make all the plans you want, make lists, detail every step, but take no action. You have to MAKE it happen. Take action and repeat the action process again tomorrow.

5. Take Time To Relax Too

It is critical to take time off. We need rest and relaxation every now and then. Rest, by itself, is a great motivator. We are so busy that we can forget to relax and recharge. Even a weekend away from work, studying or watching kids can be good. You need to recharge those “batteries”, refresh your attitude, and renew your commitment to yourself. Without sufficient rest and relaxation, you will burn out fast. Taking time off from work is essential to your mental, physical, and emotional health.

To live the life you want to live, action is required. Take these simple ideas to create and improve the life you have always wanted. Start Today.

Are you aware of your inner voice? Do you pay attention to it? I’m not talking about the one who puts you down by the way! I’m talking about the one that softly whispers ideas and suggestions to you &ndash the kind that the other voice might shout down, crying “Are you mad? That requires stepping out of our comfort zone, and that is to be avoided at all costs!” (even if the cost is living a life of mediocrity instead of the one of your dreams)

Sadly, the latter voice is the one most of us are aware of and pay attention to. The more gentle one, that is our intuition, is often ignored &ndash that is if we’re hearing what it tells us at all. The great pity here is that it’s our intuition that really has our best interests at heart. Our gremlin (the louder, more aggressive voice) does have our welfare at heart too, but in a protective way. The intuition’s way is more expansive.

What’s wrong with protecting us? I do hear you thinking that! Well, it limits us and ultimately erodes our well being at a soul level. And believe it or not, but that’s not good for our physical or emotional well being! If you’re unfulfilled at a soul level, slowly and imperceptibly you will develop a nagging feeling of general discontent which can have a rippling effect on your mood, self esteem and ultimately your physical and mental health. But that’s for another article ;o)

The gentle voice of your intuition will, if listened to, stretch you beyond your comfort zone, but never more than you’re capable of. It will challenge you, but also support you. It always has your best interests at heart at every level &ndash physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It will not only gently nudge you in scary directions which will yield huge and unimaginable rewards, but it will also gently warn when to stop or turn around.

When you tune into your intuition and allow yourself to be guided by it you will be surprised at how much easier formerly assumed “challenges” will become. And how much good fortune lands in your lap (we call it synchronicity). And how good you feel &ndash at ease with yourself and all your life experiences, even the ones you wouldn’t choose!

If you’re not used to listening to your intuition, learning to tune into it will require time and patience. At first, you may be unsure which voice is which (especially as your gremlin often sounds very reasonable), and using your intuition is very much like using your physical muscles. You need to use it regularly in order for it to be in the shape you want.

So how do you get to know your intuition better? First of all, start to watch out for hunches, feelings, ideas that crop up. Pay attention to the voice that accompanies it. Is it gentle, positive, supportive? If it’s aggressive, domineering, or using scare- mongering tactics it’s more likely to be your gremlin. If you’re getting a feeling of warning, is it a loud and threatening one (gremlin) or an insistent “knowing” one (intuition).

The scary thing about trusting your intuition when it’s new to you, is that it’s not based on logic and often what it suggests to you cannot be justified logically. But with practice and trust, you’ll learn that the “knowing” that something is the right thing to do is in your best interests. It’ll be easier to shrug off your own gremlin and that of others (who will fear for your best interests on your behalf).

The key to developing the all essential trust is to start small. Don’t make life-changing decisions based on your intuition if you’re not familiar with it (you might still be confusing your two inner voices). Do ask your intuition to guide you with smaller decisions, and wait for the gentle knowing feeling to arrive. Don’t expect an instant answer, but watch out for it &ndash it will come, and you’ll know it when it does.

Over time, as you tune in more and more, you’ll find you suffer less and less with worry or anxiety. You’ll trust all will work out well, and often you’ll find it works out better than you could ever have imagined! :o)

I am a firm believer that people should try to make the most out of each day that they are alive. We all have to die at some point and even though this may seem a little morbid it is true. Today or tomorrow could be our last day and therefore this is why we should be living each day to the full.

Each day I read and watch the local and international news stories which make me aware of some very sad events. People who are very young are dying each day in a variety of different circumstances and I am very much aware that I am not immune from one of these tragic events. No one can say for sure that they are going to live until lets say seventy years of age, most people I think presume that they will, which could be seen in some quarters as a good thing. Thinking positive they say is the right way to think, which I have to admit is something I also agree with.

My attitude is that I need to work to live where as other people seem to live to work. It is like they would rather be at work than at home having fun or spending time with their family. I know a number of people who have young children but who leave their house at around half six in the morning and do not return home until seven at night. This is not because they are poor but because they will take on any extra hours as way as overtime that is offered to them. I personally would rather spend time with my children than be stuck at work and feel that my life is enriched in this way.

When I am on my death bed in what I hope will not be for a long time yet of course, I want to be able to think and say to myself that I have no regrets and that I am happy with the way I have lived my life. At the moment I am lucky as I am able to watch my children grow and mature as people. From the work that I do, I am able to take my family on holiday each year and can afford to pay all of my bills. Some no doubt might say that I should work a lot more hours than I do, I would then be able to buy a better car and would be able to take my family on two holidays per year. What I would say in response to this however, is at what price would I be able to obtain this? I would have to sacrifice much of the quality time I have with my children, would not be able to take them swimming and to the park as often as I do for example. I hope and think that my children are very happy at the moment and this in my opinion is priceless. I will not compromise this in search for a better standard of car etc.

I used to constantly worry about what might happen to me in three or six months time. Will this or that happen? If it does how would I be able to cope? I am of course worrying in these situations about things that have not even and may never happen. This I have now realised is pointless and even very silly. I should be living for today, I should be making the most of today, I will think about tomorrow, tomorrow. I will deal with any problems that come my way in the best way that I can at the time when they happen, that is all I can do. By stressing about them before they happen will only stop me from enjoying myself on that particular day.

Now is the time to stop the stress, worry, fear and depression. There is a good chance that we only have one life, so lets enjoy it.

Do you wake up every morning and say “I’m going to change the world today!”? Most of us would feel a bit grandiose saying that, yet many of us really DO want to change the world, we DO want to make a difference. And we often feel discouraged and disheartened at our inability to do that.

But the truth is you DO make a difference. The question is “What kind of a difference do you make?”

Positive or Negative?

Every day you have many opportunities to make a difference.

When you’re driving down the freeway and someone pulls in front of you, do you yell and shake your fist? Or do you send them a kind thought?

When someone in your family interrupts your work do you let them know (silently or not so silently) that they’re bothering you? Or do you set aside what you’re doing and listen attentively?

When you’ve waited in line a long time to order your morning latte are you a tad crabby when it’s finally your turn? Or do you say something empathetic to the busy barista?

How you choose to respond to and interact with others will determine whether the difference you are making is positive or negative — but you are making a difference.

Other people are affected by your thoughts, words, and actions. You can be a shining beam of light that brightens someone’s day or a dark cloud adding more dreary negativity. Your smile, kind word, or warm gesture could make all the difference to your family, friends, coworkers, or even to a stranger.

You may be thinking that it’s no big deal; smiling at someone or saying something nice doesn’t make much of a difference.

However, as Mother Teresa said, “It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.” Over the years, I’ve heard many stories about a few words or a simple act changing someone’s life. We never know what the magnitude of our impact on someone will be or how it might ripple out into the world.

Playing With This

I’ve been playing with this idea lately. Asking myself “What KIND of difference am I making here?” seems to give me the awareness and space to more often choose to speak or act in a way that’s likely to make a positive difference. This question provides a tiny nudge that leads me to smile, say something pleasant, or do some small thing for someone.

It’s not that I was rude in restaurants or yelling at my husband or snarling at strangers before. Nor is it that I am now or ever will be a candidate for sainthood. It’s just that “What kind of difference can I make here?” lightly encourages me to extend myself a little more in order to make a positive difference in someone’s life.

And I’m having fun with it!

Some “little” things I’ve done in the last few weeks include:

* Giving my waitress a true, shining, bright smile rather than a polite one

* Holding back my words when I felt critical of my husband

* Listening to a friend grieving her divorce

* Visiting an elderly friend who enjoys company and loves to tell stories

In each case my intention was to “make a positive difference with ease and fun.” Since we can never know for sure the impact of our seemingly little actions, I use this intention as my guide.

Only If It Lights You Up

Each of us DOES make a difference in the world every day. We can choose to make a POSITIVE difference as many (or as few) times a day as we like. It’s up to you.

Don’t bludgeon yourself thinking you have to make a positive difference with every person every minute of every day. That’s too much work!

When it’s easy for you to do so, try choosing to make a positive difference. No suffering, sacrifice, or martyrdom required here.

Think again of Mother Teresa: she did amazing work, made a huge difference in many lives, and she loved what she was doing!

You will have more positive impact on others and feed yourself as well, when you make a positive difference by doing what lights you up (what energizes and enlivens you, what you love, what you’re passionate about).

Make the difference you can make with ease and joy!

(Note: if you have been giving, giving, giving and have nothing left to give, please, please, please fill your own tank first! Self-care needs to be your priority. When you are filled up, you

may be ready to revisit this idea.)

In Your Life

How can you make a positive difference in the world today? Here are some suggestions.

** Set your intention to make a positive difference with ease and fun. If “ease and fun” aren’t qualities that speak to you, choose other qualities that light you up.

** Play with saying or doing “little” things that could in some way make a positive difference to someone. How do you feel when you do this? What happens? How does it seem to affect the other person?

Remember sometimes we can tell the effect, sometimes not. Sometimes the effect is immediate, sometimes later. Sometimes there is no effect. You can’t control any of this.

When your intention is to make a positive difference and you take action in support of that intention, allow yourself to feel the pleasure of what you have done, no matter the results.

** At the end of the day reflect on what you have done to make a

positive difference. No matter how large or small it may seem, give yourself credit for what you have done. If you focus on what you have done and how good that feels, you’ll build energy to continue making a positive difference.

Each of us truly can make a positive difference every day and who knows how that could ripple out to change the world.