The Greatest Gift

Earlier today I had a conversation with a friend. We were talking about yesterday's blog post and how difficult it can sometimes be to allow yourself to feel joy, or love when your main intention in life is to serve others.

My friend's quandary is not unusual. Many people believe that it is selfish to be joyful, self-loving or at peace when others are not. Somehow we can get our love wires crossed when we make the connection with doing without, so that others can have. That may be true if you're talking about the Lenten Rice Bowl, but it is not true about love.

The gift of love (and it's by-products of joy and peace), is actually more abundant to share when the "giver" is filled with it too. The more compassion, forgiveness and love we have for ourselves, the greater our joy will be. When we are filled with joy and a feeling of well being, our blessings to others are even greater.

The next step is to see yourself as worthy of being loved....by anyone....including you. Of course, we all are worthy...no matter what. Dissatisfaction, frustration, annoyance and even anger with ourselves, does not help another soul. Our light cannot shine when we put a lid on it by denying we are worthy of it.

The truth is the more we love ourselves, forgive ourselves and understand we are doing the best we can in this moment, the greater our ability will be to embrace others with the same unconditional care.

There's no way around it. Loving you =More love for others.

WHY?

Do you ever wonder why you're here? I mean have you ever really pondered what the reason may be that you've been put on this earth?

I imagine the answer to that question is different in some ways for each of us, meaning we each have something unique to contribute to the world where we can make a difference.

When I consider the answer in a universal way, I believe we are all here to have joyful experiences.....to be happy.....loving.....and generous in the giving of ourselves. Perhaps we are also here to learn some lessons that would enable us to be better at being ourselves, such as love, forgiveness and compassion.

After all, when we are being hateful, vengeful, judgmental, blaming, complaining and angry then we are not living up to who we really are....how we were created. Although when we are aware of the power of our hearts and we use our minds in a positive way, then we are more in alignment with how we were each created.

My favorite answer to the question of WHY? is to be in joy. Simple. When we are joyful, we can not possibly be angry, hurt, upset, stressed, jealous, anxious etc. etc. at the same time. So, if that's true.....then wouldn't it be wise to practice letting go of the all that pulls us from JOY?

Maybe we should begin by practicing love, forgiveness and compassion.

The Power of Imagination

I have quite an imagination. It is actually quite powerful. I can make myself feel very good....or very bad very easily, depending on what images I create in my mind.

This morning I was on a four mile walk. I often choose to walk in the local cemetery because it's quiet....obviously. There's a one mile loop around the perimeter which makes it easy to tabulate my distance and allowed me to welcome my imagined team of supporters.....all the spirits of those buried there.

Now before you call 911 and send a unit to my home to pick me up for admission somewhere, read on. This is fun and you may want to borrow from my imagination and create this kind of support for yourself.

As I moved along a straight-away at a pretty good clip, I imagined that the spirits of those buried on my path were very present to my presence and were actually wanting me to do well on this course. I imagined the same scenario as when a runner or biker is racing along with observers on the sidelines cheering for them as they push themselves to the finish line. If you have never experienced that kind of support, it is a rush to know others care about you doing your best. It's a reminder of how we are all connected. This morning, this connection extended to those no longer in bodies. Minor detail in my mind.

As the imagined cheers of "Go Kate" resounded in my mind, I felt the same joy as when I used to run races. Of course, I couldn't see or hear anyone applauding, but the effect was still present. I not only picked up my pace, but felt an increase of exhilaration. Sure, this whole scene was simply the work of my imagination, but the impact went deeper than my resulting faster pace. It also made my walk more fun.

How do you use your imagination? Does it make life easier...more fun.....or more challenging?

The Power of Thought

A week ago today I created a post called Facts Without Fear, pointing out an example of how the media can exacerbate fear in their readers or listeners while reporting on today's issues. Well, this week's issue of Time has redeemed them of the sin of fear creation.... at least for now.

The cover title is 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now and gives examples of how the global economy is being remade. I may not align myself with all ideas being reported, but what I applaud is the approach of stimulating new thoughts and new solutions, rather than pouring more fear on the fire of what has already occurred.

I believe this focus of new thought and subsequent solutions in our private lives is worth pursuing as well. I suggest you take a look at the thoughts you think every day. Are they based on fear and dread, or are they optimistic, fresh and hold more aliveness?

Whether you're watching a television show, the news, reading a magazine or newspaper, or in conversation with someone, notice what your tendency of response is, and what topics are receiving your attention. Do they steep you and others in more fear, or do they offer hope and possibly even alternatives of a better way.

A simple way of ascertaining where you land on the fear creating scale is to notice how you feel. If your energy is subdued, uneasy and joyless, you may be living in the land of fear. Adjusting your thoughts and speech to hope rather than blame, or optimism rather than negativism is likely to help you make a shift to the land of positivity (that's where JOY lives, by the way).

What we perceive as problems occur one at a time. The wonderful news about problems is that they can also be overcome with one thought at a time. What are you thinking?