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Posts tagged ‘Positive attitude’

Nov 10

Above and Beyond

“Nature is the one song of praise that never stops singing.” – Richard Rohr

“The theological virtue of hope is the patient and trustful willingness to live without closure, without resolution, and still be content and even happy because our Satisfaction is now at another level, and our Source is beyond ourselves.” – Richard Rohr

Hope
Patience
Ease
Praise
Yearn
Hunger
Be filled, fill
Pursue
Enliven
Loosen
Release
Blessed in the ebb and flow, in the valley and the mountain
Expanding and growing
Above and beyond our understanding
Never lose heart
Go deeper, stay awake, guard your joy, hold your hope.
Blessed are we in it all of the messiness, imperfection, struggle and beauty of life.

“Blessed are we when we yearn, yearn for connection and love and touch. Blessed are we when we hunger for the beauty of life itself and the people to fill it. Blessed are we when we are unable to say I’m letting it go because we feel like we will be washed away into an ocean of nothingness. Teach us to hold on to the truths that enliven our spirits and fill our souls and loosen our grip on the painful untruths like that we are alone or unlovable or that desire itself is the enemy. Teach us to hunger for what is good and be filled. There will be no easy addition or subtraction, we will lose and we will gain and almost none of it will make much sense at the time. And it forces our hands open in the ebb and flow of wins and losses, comings and goings we will look for divine love in the mystery of it all. The stubbornness of flowers that still smile at us, at the grocery store and the need for endless small reminders that the pain of it all, the comedy of it all, keeps us wide, wide awake.” – Kate Bowler from podcast with Richard Rohr

Nov 4

At and In Attention

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.”― G.K. Chesterton

“Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.”― Susan Sontag

Be on guard.
Stay alert.
Observe your surroundings.
What are you thinking about?
Does it energize or drain?
Choose what serves, sustains and multiplies.
Pay attention, be present and engage.
Focus on what you can control and release the rest.
Lighten up and allow joy in.
At and in attention.

“Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.” – Wayne Dyer

Oct 4

Forest and Trees

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”― John Muir

“In our mediocrity and distraction, we forget that we are privileged to live in a wondrous universe.”— John O’Donohue

When you cannot see the forest for the trees, step back and observe the forest, the entire picture, the full journey. Uncover the narrative you’ve come to believe. Fiction or nonfiction? When too close to opinions, assumption and criticism, step back and find the connection between self and others. We are more alike than different. Humans, carrying stories that confine and constrict, trying to figure out the ending and missing the journey in the process. Joy can exist separate from circumstances and is rooted in gratitude.

Find the sacred in this day, found within. Be gentle and others. Kindness and peace to you today and each day that follows. Enter the sanctuary of the trees to be brought back to the fundamental and holiness of living daily. Clarity found in quiet. Ease found in pause. Gratitude found in seeing both the forest and the trees.

“Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. When a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to the sun, one can read its whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk: in the rings of its years, its scars, all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the happiness and prosperity stand truly written, the narrow years and the luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured…

Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.

A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.

A tree says: My strength is trust. I know nothing about my fathers, I know nothing about the thousand children that every year spring out of me. I live out the secret of my seed to the very end, and I care for nothing else. I trust that God is in me. I trust that my labor is holy. Out of this trust I live.

When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts. Let God speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent. You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.” – Herman Hess, Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte

“You should belong first in your own interiority.”— John O’Donohue

Sep 28

Gusto

“Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.” – Dale Carnegie

Do not allow this day to pass without noticing it.
Start with a smile and follow it to levity and light.
Release the drag of the past and the weight of tomorrow.
Color outside the lines.
Create something of value from today alone.
Guard your joy, fueled by enthusiasm, do your soul work.

“Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” – Samuel Ullma

Sep 17

Smile :)

“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” – Charles Spurgeon

A simple act.
Easy to do.
Smile.
Carry yourself lightly.
Lay down work at day’s end.
Weave play throughout.
Mark progress and growth.
Celebrate effort.
Create joy, swim in it.
Greet each day and person with new eyes and fresh smiles.
Gratitude in extracting happiness from common things found in this very moment.
🙂

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” – Lord Byron

Aug 23

Think About That!

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.” – Marcus Aurelius

Start, carry and end each day with intention, focus and attention.
Set the course with awareness and control of which thoughts to entertain.
Respond rather than react.
Do not become limiting negative thoughts, for your experience follows suit.
Let the noise and clutter pass by like a river, allowing solace and clarity space to enter and pool.
Assume the best and let go of judgment.
Return to center, to anchor, to hold only what is essential.
Be rigorous in guarding your joy, finding your bliss.
Unwrap the gift of this day.
The power of thoughts to transform and transcend, to imagine and dream.
Think about that with your mind, heart and spirit.

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius

Aug 18

Framing and Shaping

“Each man should frame life so that at some future hour fact and his dreaming meet.” – Victor Hugo
“Life is a moving, breathing thing. We have to be willing to constantly evolve. Perfection is constant transformation.” – Nia Peeples

“Each man should frame life so that at some future hour fact and his dreaming meet.” – Victor Hugo

What and how we frame our circumstances, relationships and self in it all defines our daily experience, outlook and attitude. If we focus on what’s missing, on the past, on what’s next, we miss the gift of what is already present and woven in this moment. Cease counting and comparing to gratitude and transformation, moving from controlling and scarcity to framing and shaping.

Optimism, abundance and hope are principles, anchors, ways of living that pull you through difficulties and amplify wonderful seasons. There’s an ebb and flow, up and down, seasons and spinning and meaning in it all. Turmoil, change and transitions lead to transformations, new beginnings and growth. Don’t get caught in the mechanics of life at the expense of experiencing the magic of life.

Frame and shape the material of what is available now. Create something new from the ingredients that you have in and surrounding you in this day. How you approach, frame and shape your daily life is yours alone so do your job, your purpose and answer your own calling.

While in the middle and murkiness, live rooted in the unfailing hope and optimism of new beginnings, transformation and promise of possibilities fulfilled in due time. Let nothing steal your joy. Frame and shape each day armed with gratitude, grace and light.

“The great solution to all human problems is individual inner transformation.” – Vernon Howard

Jul 21

Oh, the Places You Can Still Go!

“remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.”― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

“Oh the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.”― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

I told my best pal Liam that I liked his shirt – “Oh, the places you’ll go!” by Dr. Suess. He enthusiastically told me that I should get one too – ordered!

The places you’ve been are done so stop circling back to revisit them. Cut fresh trails. Stay awake and aware in the present, anchored in gratitude for all of it – the joy and struggle and everything in between. Celebrate how far you’ve come and anticipate new field trips and adventures. There are still so many places to go so keep planning, dreaming, moving, hoping and going.

Never surrender your sense of wonder, your pursuit of awe and your sense of humor. Tune out the noise and make some music. Lay it down and travel light. Oh, the places that you can still go! GO!!!

“Out there things can happen, and frequently do,
To people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry, don’t stew.
Just go right along, you’ll start happening too!”

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

 

Jun 15

Sweet. Simple. Joy.

“Ultimately it’s the simple things that make a difference.” – Chris Smalling

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Anchor to hope, not circumstances. Assume the best in others and be proven wrong on occasion. Find the blessings in the burdens.

Joy is available in all seasons and cycles. It’s a constant. Our most important job is to find it daily in plain sight, lurking, longing to be found. Let joy sneak up on you.

Joy can be found in the silly, in mischief, in frolicking, in prayer, in laughter, in nature, in an embrace, in flowers, in a smile, in music, in art, in literature, in play, in gratitude, in dogs, even in some people (make sure you’re one of them), in simple encounters.

Double count blessings, multiply joy. Abundance and light with a shift in attention, focus and intention.

“Play is the highest form of research.” – Einstein

Get out of your head into your imagination. The journey is what you make it so settle only for sweet, simple joy.

“Live out of your imagination, not your history.” – Stephen Covey

Jun 14

Set the Sail

“He enters the port with a full sail.” – Virgil

“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.” – Jim Rohn

The winds are certain. Change the sail, seize the winds. Optimism, enthusiasm, joy, curiosity, imagination. Set the sail in the right direction and harness the wind.

“Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force.” – Irving Berlin

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