Explorations of Conscious Reality Creation, Mindfulness, and Other Matters
There is a difference between being influenced by outside forces, and getting assistance from them. For some people this is not an easy distinction to make, but it’s a very important one. We are constantly surrounded by outside influences. Most of the social media sites are a part of this. They are striving for our attention, they want us to do and think and feel certain ways, which may or may not be compatible with what we REALLY want to
While it’s important to focus on the here-and-now, and not get caught up in memories of yesterday and plans for tomorrow, it is also important to remain creative and imaginative. Creativity and imagination are the things that most set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Unlike the rest of the creatures crawling, swimming and flying around this planet, we have deep, incredible, miraculous powers of creativity. Sure, birds build nests and beavers construct elaborate damns that can
We all have comfort zones. We all have those places we retreat to or that we like to snuggle up in that are familiar, comfortable, expected. We have comfort zones in our lives where we can operate on auto-pilot, and get along. Of course, sometimes these comfort zones, while comfortable, are unsatisfactory. You can be in that relationship that does not thrill you, work that job that pays the bills but does not stimulate your mind, stay in that city
I frequently write about how we alone can control our thoughts, our feelings and our actions. Yes, they can be influenced by outside people and things, but they are still under our own direct control. Feelings in particular can be heavily influenced from without. Feelings are frequently reactions to stimuli, so much of the time it is the things outside of us that cause us to experience emotions. If someone compliments you, kisses you, smiles at you, invites you to
Some days just getting out of bed is a challenge. Those days often require motivation. Finding motivators is an enormous positive. Motivators help us to quit bad habits, start and maintain good habits, and make positive changes in our lives. Motivation can come from any number of places, both within and without. This is one place where outside influences are often to your advance, rather than against it. Self-motivation can be challenging. Simply setting a goal, like quitting smoking or
One of my favorite books is The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I have read it more than once, and listened to it countless times (the audio book is brilliantly narrated by Jeremy Irons). Nothing I have ever read has resonated with me like The Alchemist. Doesn’t matter if we’re talking fiction or non-fiction, this book speaks to me like no other. It is not a long book. But it is very, very deep. Although it is a work of fiction,
It’s unhealthy to ignore the outside world completely. We need to be aware of what is happening in the world. While there is something to be said for the bliss of ignorance, knowledge IS power. The problem is, it can be very hard to stay focused when you are inundated with a barrage of upsetting information. How do you find and maintain a happy medium between knowing what’s going on, and being completely drowned in data? The mistake I keep
Sometimes the most positive thing to face is that we are here. We are alive. We are breathing. We have endless possibilities ahead of us for the day. In the face of a whole lot of insanity from outside influences, the holiday season, or you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder; finding and maintaining positivity can be a particularly challenging idea. It may seem trite, but just being alive is a huge plus. You are breathing. You have the ability
Last week I came up with a new mantra for my life and my goals: The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. I gain more than I lose when I act upon my dreams. Fear is the mind killer, and I am not afraid. Do or do not. Remember that there is no spoon. I have managed to memorize this, but truthfully it’s a tad long. I believe that I have mentioned previously that I have hired
I will do what I have to do when and if the time comes. In the meantime, I cannot live my life anticipating possibilities. In especial, focusing on worst-case scenarios. There’s a terrible idea – get fixated on awful, no good, scary things, and consciousness creates reality. We are now living in particularly uncertain times. We are witnessing an unprecedented situation in America due to our President-elect’s vast unpredictability, and his particularly vulgar, hate-spewing supporters (I am being specific here