Guest blog writer on Catherine's blog this week

I've been invited to write guest posts this week on Catherine Morgan's blog "Be the Change You Wish to see in Yourself." 

Catherine is a nurse and mother in Florida who loves to write about uplifting topics.  She has a few blogs that encourage us to rethink life and the reasons behind our perception of the world.   Take some time to discover new ways to explore what you thought you already knew and more!

http://catherinemarie.wordpress.com/

Willingness to change

People will approach you and ask whether you are successful. You may ask yourself what this really means.  Are you being judged based on someone else's view of success or, will you define what it means and evolve into this image yourself? If the latter is true, what does the image look like?

I wait for you to tell me your views on success.  Consider the words you choose, the thoughts that go through your mind, the actions you take and feel willing to take to evolve.  What will you decide?  You determine how you will turn out and whether you aim to feel more successful.  As you imagine what success would be like, evoke all your senses.  Make it real.  Be brave.  Explain what forms success will take.

No self-help book or other inspirational tool can predict your future unless you happen to be the author, and you choose to learn from your experiences.  No person you meet exists to predict your future, or the outcomes of your current conditions.  If you were asking me to foresee how your life will evolve, I wouldn't be so bold as to suggest concrete paths or experiences.  Yet, I would invite you to go inside yourself.  Probe your thoughts and feelings. What do you tell yourself?  Did you ever realize that every choice you make is a clue to predicting your own future?

It's up to you to learn to listen and be honest with yourself.  As your intution and conscience speak to you, it makes sense to digest and apply what you hear.  If your inner voice encourages you to follow a certain line of study or work, regardless of what people around you advise, you need to pursue what feels right.  If you feel drawn to write to certain companies or politicians to express a grievance or another view, then taking action would be part of your vision of fulfillment. 

You define and refine your views of success.  Are you willing to adapt to whatever life throws you?   As you send out positive energy, this will bounce back in  your direction in various forms.  If you send out negative vibes, you may feel parallel consequences.  Why not expect the best? Learn to plan and recognize it. Will you choose to connect with your potential, your abilities, how you empower and teach others, and also learn yourself? Imagine anything is possible.  Create a new reality.

You are exactly where you are supposed to be.  You are experiencing exactly what you need to.  Continue to learn useful things about yourself and the world. Life and success will be what you determine. Reflecting on this will enable you to get your mind wrapped around your attitude. 

3 Things to do before your die

A new Australian television show examines weird and wonderful things individuals aspire to experience before they die.  Many of these ideas involve adventure sports or pushing themselves mentally or physically to their perceived limits.  What about intangibles like experiencing true love, success and fulfillment? What do these options say to you? Do you have other ideas?

1) Make a pilgrimage. The destination might be a traditional one such as Jerusalem or Rome or Mecca. It might be a site of prehistoric rituals, like Stonehenge, Tibet or Machu Picchu.  Nature-lovers may head to the African savanna, Alaska, the Canadian Rockies, Victoria Falls, Amazonian rain forest or Antarctica.  Music-lovers may dream of Athens or Bayreuth. Find yourself.  Do what comes naturally. 

2) Feel like part of something bigger, something that touches your soul. The reward will be a precious, immeasurable moment, whether it's hearing the "Gloria" at St. Peter's or watching a penguin take its first step in the Southern Hemisphere. Explore those things that make you feel truly alive.  Dabble in creative pursuits or follow your spirit.  Where you choose to go and what you choose to do are guided by how you feel.

3) Eat a memorable meal. When the end comes for you, there is a distinct possibility that you will be in no position to enjoy your preferred foods.  Yet, if you plan ahead, you will not pass on wondering what certain things would taste like.  Where will this meal be served? Who would prepare it? Perhaps you desire to learn to prepare it yourself?  Go that extra mile and then some.

Open your mind

Whatever you dream, and how you think from this point forward, will have a direct impact on whether or not this thing you envision will evolve so you experience it.  You may underestimate the power you exert over your own destiny.  Open your mind to positive thinking.

It's time you believe this goal was more than possible.  You need to act as if its already in the process of becoming reality. The minute you catch yourself doubting that, the moment you realize your mind ponders whether its is impossible, this simply reveals that you are in the process of learning what is really possible.

Tell yourself that thinking leads to action.  This relates to the orientation of your free will.  That is imperative to remember.  To what extent you allow yourself to nurture faith, and to express confidence, is what determines the slant of your thinking.  Your emotions attract specific conditions.  The events that unfold will simply reinforce what you already know in your mind.  Remember what you might have initially chosen to forget.  Anything is possible for you in life.

Police officer or something else?

Many people believe it's a blessing to encounter an angel. At times, such beings are said to appear to humans in disguise. At some point, you may have sensed an unusual presence and yet, been unable to place it. What about when strangers have reacted in notable ways? Could this have been an angel? Do you ever ask why a certain person appears at a certain time?

Very recently, I felt drawn to approach a person I sensed was a female police officer. She wore a uniform and stood smoking outside a building near a concrete building. The strange thing was I began talking to her as if I knew her, though I had never seen her before. We knew we hadn't much time. She was cordial and I struck up a conversation. Of course, it may not seem unusual. You may have chatted with a stranger while waiting for a bus or train.

My discussion with this police officer stood out. We didn't talk about the weather. I sensed her presence with my back to her as I read a book seated on a concrete seat. I turned, made eye contact and felt drawn to her from a distance. I approached her and gazed into her eyes which had dark circles under them. She immediately began talking to me in depth about life and death, from her perspective, almost as if she knew me. She talked about weapons observed on police and the general attitude toward using them.

Then, she did a curious thing. She revealed some of her deepest fear to me. She spoke about the abrupt death of her father in a car crash a week previous and feared she would be able to deal with the scene of a car crash. She seemed relieved after telling me these things. She actually thanked me, stamped her cigarette butt and ran off around the corner. I smiled back and walked in the opposite direction toward my previous seat. Yet, not long after, I peered around the corner of the building. Curiously, I saw no person walking down the road at all.