Flowing with Change

I have always struggled with change in my life because I was the person who always needed the security in knowing the What, Where, When and Why of everything before I could relax and feel at ease with any situation. This type of thinking can really wear down even the most tolerant of friends and family not to mention yourself. It feeds a selfish tendency to always need or expect that the outcome will be something that I could just plan for so that I could be ready and not get caught off guard. The thought of taking situations as they came or letting things unfold naturally was a foreign concept for me, of course I didn't realize it at the time, which is so often the case when finding out just what our biggest hang ups are and coming to terms with destructive behaviors that we have unknowingly encouraged for so long. I am one of those who could never easily see my behavior unless I was given examples of how I acted in certain situations and then eventually you have an A-HA moment. When it clicks, you really finally see that You have been the sole driving force in putting up your own roadblocks and it wasn't anyone else's fault but your own. The deep seeded root cause most of the time comes down to not being able to surrender control. If we looked a little closer we'd be able to see that thinking we have control, is an illusion in itself and we just keep perpetuating that illusion because it gives us comfort, even if it's a false sense of security. I could have cared less to know this information at the time because I was better off with a false sense of comfort, no matter how ridiculous it became, than having the unknown lead the way. The more I grow spiritually the more I see that the unknown can be freedom in so many ways and ultimately a way of living without anxiety and having to control everything around me. It feels like so many burdens and barriers have just been dropped from my mind and shoulders too, if I just let things play out the way they should. It took the eye opening lesson of having to deal with my darkest fears as they presented themselves and kept asking myself, what is the worst case scenario. Once I accepted what that was, next I began to see that just because this worst case scenario could happen doesn't mean it will happen. I then evaluated the odds and each time I did this , the odds just never were convincing enough to make me believe that the outcome was going to be negative. So when you do this time and time again and you start to replace the negative scenarios instead with the best case scenarios, you choose the one that makes you feel happy and relaxed over the one that takes you to that dark place of anxiety and worry. It does have to be a decision that you make time and time again and it is one that took me many years to train myself to do but make no mistake, it can be done if you are willing to do the work. Just like anything else that you want to become good at, you need to practice and put yourself into environments in which you can put that practice to use or you won't know if you are getting better or not. Once again moving out of your comfort zone no matter how scary it feels, will be the key to learning how to just let yourself and everyone around you "just Be."





Inner Peace

I was never taught, like most of us, how to find inner peace. I never really thought much about inner peace or had the need for it, or so I thought. Years later, when I started to read every self-help book that I could find, I saw the reoccurring theme of meditation and how it could transform your life. I took up the practice of meditation very early on because it was something that was around me when I was growing up. My father was on his own spiritual journey and had many of these books around the house. He also practiced meditation and yoga but never thought to teach it to me thinking more that I would learn that through observation, which I did. I did have to seek it out in my own time and be ready for it or the concept never would have stuck for me. Having a creative mind means that it's always going, thinking when it shouldn't be and finding a way to turn it off is a challenge for most. I found myself trying to make sense of so many overwhelming thoughts but not knowing how to do that. I felt like I always had 10 things going on at once but no way to put enough energy into those things to ever make them truly fulfilling. It seems like everyone has become busier and the more things to keep us occupied and not sit still, the better. I've only recently learned that stillness is not only helpful but a requirement for me to be able to recharge my creative side and use it to its full potential. I have to carve out time to relax my mind and unwind otherwise I would never be able to find a good time to do that. There have been times when I've been in public places and felt like I couldn't think in my own mind. I found this happening a lot especially in crowded, loud places and it made me withdraw from going to these places because I always felt confused afterwards. It can be more than confusing, it can be very draining and make you feel more tired and exhausted than you really are or should be. I started to try to find ways to relax on a deeper level where I could feel my brain turning off for at least 30 min. at a time. I did my research on all the different types of relaxing music, aromatherapy, meditation, and massage. A combination of all of these things are what I find works best for me. Anyone looking to find their own peace within, will probably have a different combination of things that will work for them. These are tried and true ways and have been tested over time to get the best results. They all work really well. Another way to find peace and quiet is to be out in nature by yourself. Taking walks on the beach or in a park to help you to reconnect to the world around you which helps ease anxiety and tension. I've also found deep breathing to be helpful and restorative. I started to realize and see the results very quickly after I started doing these things and that's usually how it works, when you see results you get excited. So I keep this part of my routine and the benefits far outnumber any health issues or stresses that I might be dealing with. I really believe in having the positive things outweigh the negative in any situation. So if you find yourself bogged down by negativity, the only real way to overcome that is to tip the scale in the other direction. The more that you can find the helpful, healing, positive energy, the more your mind will move into that direction. The more positivity that you surround yourself with the easier it will become to stay in that positive mindset. It isn't always easy when you are surrounded by negativity to find things that you are grateful for or happy about but that is the key, and training yourself to do this will pay off each and every time you find yourself in a negative situation. You always see people out in the world everyday who don't seem affected by the things that go on around them and for some it might just be that they don't care but for most of us, it's a conscious choice that we have to make on a daily basis. The internet has made researching and finding videos and music and other helpful resources so easy to find now, the information is practically right at your fingertips. A great place to start for meditation music and videos is You Tube. It’s not hard to find inner peace but you have to make the effort to get the results.

 

What started me on my inspirational journey

I found myself after years of being able to just go anywhere and do anything that I pleased, to being confined at home, with no one to relate to. It started gradually and got worse over months until I could no longer work without dizziness and severe anxiety. Over the course of three years, I find myself doing better on most days but still having the effects of flare ups, which keeps going the two steps forward and one step back saying running through my mind. I had access to the Internet which was a lifeline for me in many ways. I have become very familiar with website and graphics design over the span of 10 years while I was raising my son. This was my side hobby along with a personal blog that I had started when my son was five. I kept finding myself on Facebook because of the many pages that I found inspirational. It seemed like each day I would LIKE 10 more pages than the day before because I loved the posts that I was seeing. They were so encouraging and beautiful that I couldn't help being motivated everytime I logged in and saw my newsfeed. I thought how amazing is it that there are people out there who take the time to find these quotes and uplifting posts and post them on their pages each day for others to enjoy. I felt such gratitude and an indescribable feeling of excitement and hope that I wasn't able to find anywhere else. Soon I let these images take over my Facebook page and actually my whole newsfeed so that was all that I saw everyday, all day, when I was logged on to Facebook. You could say that I bombarded myself with positivity and rewired my thinking and feeling sorry for myself to trying to find ways to heal myself. I never expected two years later to become one of these pages that would help to inspire others. So it was through this page and dealing with my health issues that I attribute over 50% of my healing to. We always hear about the connection between mind and body, you read about it almost everyday in some new article that says what you think affects how you feel physically. It always looks good and even sounds good but you never realize how true that statement is until you live through it and you actually see and connect the healing of your body with what you allow into your mind. If I wasn't convinced before, I am a firm believer now. I have changed my life in so many ways. Things that used to be the prime focus are no longer a focus and things that I took for granted I make a priority now. It's not always a health issue or a crisis, or at least it shouldn't be, that helps us to get onto the right path but it's always something that makes you search your soul, that leads you in that direction. I really believe that we should be teaching our children in school at a young age about life and the stresses and how to cope with things, I believe it should be a course all by itself, Life 101. We somehow fly by through our teenage years into early adulthood without even thinking twice. It's a hard lesson to learn especially without any skills, when you hit your mid-30s and suddenly your life is turned upside down.

 

Treasured Sentiments in elaborate form

I have been waiting for the right time to start up this blog for many reasons including time restraints, motivation and just plain being overwhelmed. I figured there is no time like the present to just get it going. Why wait? The time is never right but for me living an inspired life is what I have done successfully for many years now and it's time to share that in the form of graphics and quotes and posts about my take on things and how I have incorporated this kind of living into my life. I'm excited to branch out from my usual Facebook forum because it allows for more elaborate explanations on the quotes I often create and use on my facebook page. That page started out of the pure desire to want to give right back to the people who I was like and still am so much like, if not more so now. The inspirational pages found throughout facebook allowed me to seek some sort of peace and seeing some of these postings daily actually gave me the motivation to deal with my health issues in a new way. Suddenly I didn't feel alone and like nobody could relate because I saw people responding to these quotes by commenting and sharing their own stories right there in the comments section of the page. I felt like I wanted to say more than that forum allowed me to say, because I always have a lot to say about everything. This is a challenge at the same time because I am still struggling with nerve damage and so blogging and creating graphics often aggravates things and makes this all a little more of a slow process. I don't mind going slowly and taking my time these days as long as the goal is in focus, within reach, and I am headed in that direction, it's really not a big deal anymore. So here goes, I hope to inspire some and help my creative side have more of a voice. Cheers to the blogging world!

What's a good way to be a blessing to someone?

If you have some good advice or can give a kind word of encouragement, instead of an insult or negative feedback, that's a start. Starting small and doing things consistantly with the goal in mind that you are helping and not hurting in some way, opens the door later to bigger and more meaningful acts of kindness. Imagine leaving someone in a better mood than when you first saw them and use that as a gauge for your interaction throughout the day. The list is an endless one!