Season of Nonviolence - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 2: SMILING

Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said “If, in our daily life, we can smile…not only we, but everyone will profit from it.  This is the most basic kind of peace work.”

Today: I will share a sincere smile with everyone I meet, knowing that my smile contributes to peace. 

Season of Nonviolence - Day 1

Today, we begin the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 1: COURAGE
 

"I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."  

~ Anne Frank

Today:  I will light a candle to symbolize my commitment to accept the courage to practice 64 Ways of living nonviolently.

Friday's Purposeful Question

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

“In order to stay awake and be able to create a future that reflects our goals, we need to question the present. We need to question every choice we make and look at the positive or negative consequences of our actions if we are to align our daily actions with our deepest desires.” ~ Debbie Ford, The Right Questions

Author and teacher Byron Katie says that when you question your stressful thoughts, the freedom that comes out of that graces the world for all of us.

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. So, what questions are you asking?

"Have you remained faithful to your heart's desires for this year?"

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question." ~ Decouvertes

Be Gentle and Honor Yourself

How many times did you take something personally today? How many times did you hear something and you attached your name to it?

Why do you want to feel miserable? 

Why take on other people's stuff? 

What would you life look like if you let other people's stuff alone and took care of your own stuff?  

No matter what you do, there will always be other people! 

And, as long as there are other people, there will always be other people's baggage. 

So, instead of trying to find a matching set...

...forgive yourself, let it go, and move on. 

Stop taking things personally. 

Nothing is about you… except you.

Enough said.

Create Your Life Consciously

"Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you." ~ Richard Bach

"There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go." ~ Richard Bach

Are you consciously creating your life or are you a victim of your circumstances? You may not have any control over your circumstances, but you have control over how you think about those circumstances. You can either scream, stew or get angry or you can determine to make lemonade out of lemons.

"I have always believed that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value."~ Hermann Hesse

Become a conscious creator!

Friday's Purposeful Question

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

“In order to stay awake and be able to create a future that reflects our goals, we need to question the present. We need to question every choice we make and look at the positive or negative consequences of our actions if we are to align our daily actions with our deepest desires.” ~ Debbie Ford, The Right Questions

Author and teacher Byron Katie says that when you question your stressful thoughts, the freedom that comes out of that graces the world for all of us.

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. So, what questions are you asking?

"How will you keep your goals and intentions top of mind?"

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question." ~ Decouvertes

Envision Your Goals

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." ~ Keri Russell

What do you want your life to look like? What do you want to be, to do and to have?

This is where you can begin your process of setting your intentions or goals. Envision what it is you would like your life to be. Make the decision that this is what you want. STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

What would it take to make that happen?

What small steps can you take every day to reach that desire?

Taking small, consistent action will move you towards your desired intentions.

“You cannot make progress without making decisions.” ~ Jim Rohn

Remembering Dr. King

“The ultimate measure of a (wo)man is not where (s)he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where (s)he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 It is very easy to be joyful and even peaceful in moments of great consolation; those moments when everything is seemingly going well. But our true tests and teachers come in moments of great desolation – moments of adversity and sorrow.

Most of us know how to conduct ourselves when times are going great; but in those times of challenge and controversy, we rarely know how to steer the ship. But it is in those times when our true character emerges; all of the masks fall away and the rawness of our true self comes through.

When the storms of life come knocking at your door – and they surely will – know that it has come to test your resolve, to see what you are truly made of.

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.” ~ Booker T. Washington

Friday's Purposeful Question

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

“In order to stay awake and be able to create a future that reflects our goals, we need to question the present. We need to question every choice we make and look at the positive or negative consequences of our actions if we are to align our daily actions with our deepest desires.” ~ Debbie Ford, The Right Questions

Author and teacher Byron Katie says that when you question your stressful thoughts, the freedom that comes out of that graces the world for all of us.

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. So, what questions are you asking?

"How are you FEELING your goals and intentions?"

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question." ~ Decouvertes

Feel Your Goals!

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes." ~ Andrew Carnegie

When setting a goal or an intention, make sure that it ignites your passions and draws out positive emotions. There is no point setting a goal that you are not excited about; or you won’t be happy when you have received it. Think about what it would feel like once you have your desired goal or intention. Get full of the feeling of being, doing or having it.

Just for today, feel your goal!

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Bless those who remind you of your unfinished business.

When there is conflict and strife in your life, instead of pointing fingers at others, STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

“What is my part in this?”
“Why is this conflict showing up for me at this time?”
“What is my next inspired action in this?”

Answer: Bless and thank those who showed you what you need to work on and go work on it!

Do you want peace or do you want to be right?

Choose peace, it’s simpler! 

What's the Use of Worrying?

“Worry is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” ~ Author unknown

STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

• What do you tend to worry about? 
• What does worrying do for you? 
• What's the benefit of worrying?

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.” ~ Winston Churchill

“There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem.” ~ Harold Stephens

Friday's Purposeful Question

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

“In order to stay awake and be able to create a future that reflects our goals, we need to question the present. We need to question every choice we make and look at the positive or negative consequences of our actions if we are to align our daily actions with our deepest desires.” ~ Debbie Ford, The Right Questions

Author and teacher Byron Katie says that when you question your stressful thoughts, the freedom that comes out of that graces the world for all of us.

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. So, what questions are you asking?

"What are your three BE words for 2012?"

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question." ~ Decouvertes

BE Grateful!

“Gratitude is indeed like a gearshift that can move our mental mechanism from obsession to peacefulness, from stuckness to creativity, from fear to love. The ability to relax and be mindfully present in the moment comes naturally when we are grateful.” ~ Joan Borysenko

“If you start focusing on what you have and what you're grateful for, you will then begin to see more.” ~ Oprah

One of the things that help me to live a life of purpose and passion is remembering; remembering the people, events, and situations in my life that make me a woman of purpose. The daily grind of life can zap us of our positive energy and make our immediate world look dark and gloomy. These are the times when the memories must kick in and lift us out of the spiritual abyss. When I remember to remember, I am filled with gratitude.

Being grateful keeps me in the present moment. When we get caught up in the muck and mire, we tend to step into a time that is not our own. In the present moment, we know that we can make a choice. Knowing that I still have the ability to make conscious choices gives me abundant hope. In making the choice to focus on what I have right now and not on what I should have, or should be, or should do, is a chance to celebrate my living on purpose. Living on purpose means living fully in the present moment; not staring at a past that we can do nothing about, or worrying about a future that is not promised to us.

Living in gratitude not only makes me smile – which releases happy, love endorphins, but it helps maintain a spirit of positive energy within and around you. Think of a time when you were in a state of absolute delight. What was your immediate world like? Delightful, right? Life can be delightful more than we believe because we do have the power within us to live in a perpetual state of gratitude.

How do you live gratefully?

Remember.

Remember what and who you have in your life and give thanks for them.

Live on purpose with gratitude,

Who Do You Choose to BE in 2012?

"If you want to be happy, be."  ~ Leo Tolstoy

This week, we will discuss your beingness for the new year. I have found that the best way to create the life of your desires is to begin with your “I AM.” Who do you want to be in 2012? Your “I AM-ness” is extremely powerful because what you add to I AM gets added to you.

I am sure you have said something like, “I am so stupid,” or “I am so fat,” or “I am such a retard.” Sound familiar? It is true that labels follow you wherever you go; but it is even crueler when the label is created by you. “I AM” is the name of God; and you are a divine expression.

I know many of you cannot see yourself as a divine expression because of past programming. Well, it is time to de-program and renew your mind to the truth of who you really are. When we fail at relationships, at jobs, at finances, at whatever, it is not because of the relationships, the job or the finances; it is because we are not being who we were created to be.

If you want to have a peaceful life, then embody peace. Whatever you choose to have, you must first be.

So, just for today, STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

“Who do I choose to be in 2012?”

Is it peaceful… more patient… healthy… prosperous… compassionate… loving… wise… fill-in-the-blank…?

"God has given you one face, and you make yourself another." ~ William Shakespeare

Happy 2012!

Here's wishing you a very peace-filled and prosperous 2012!

Happy New Year!