Gratitude

Gratitude is a feeling of being thankful.  You feel grateful for your family or other people you cherish, but how often do you tell them aloud, express this in writing or demonstrate it using other gestures? How often do you reinforce that priceless sense of appreciation? What was it in our personal histories that caused us to stop talking openly about how we feel? As we grow up, we tend to become quiet, downplay thoughts and feelings and hesitate to be open.  You may sense the world you grew up in does not respond kindly to openness or transparency.  People aren't taught to accept compliments graciously but often respond in disbelief.

Consider western societies include special occasions into calendars.  You may think of Father's Day, Mother's Day, Grandparent's Day, Valentine's Day, Vetran's Day, National Independence Days, and others. Ask yourself why it is necessary to remind yourself to take time to express gratitude for those people and freedoms or circumstances that you are thankful for. How do you think of yourself if you forgot birthdays and other special occasions? You may feel upset or sad when people don't acknowledge you.  Are you conditioned to only give and receive appreciation at specific times during the year.  How does your life transform as you become more spontaneous with kindness, compassion and appreciation?

Imagine what your life would be like if you felt appreciated by everyone. You wouldn't likely have an internal gauge that measures attention. It wouldn't matter if people didn't contact you on commercial holidays.  Look beyond the negative feelings you might feel if people seem to forget about you. What does this really say about how generous you are with self appreciation? Do you need reasons to be grateful? Why hold back your feelings? What do you fear? Be grateful for every moment.  Show others by example they too can live a more joyful life. 

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. -Jean Baptiste Massieu

6 Ways to create synchrony and wealth

Wealth can be felt as the awareness of and interconnection among at least six areas of your life. You can sense how these areas influence how you think and interpret what is unfolding.  Discern with gratitude. This opens you up to sense new dimensions of happiness. You benefit from recognizing how you decide what to think and feel.  Your beliefs determine what you see happening, not what is.

The universe moves constantly. You influence events you perceive. Your thoughts and depth of self-understanding initiate purposeful visualisation and action. This isn't about getting things. Its about being receptive to the wealth that is already available to you.  No matter where you are or what your conditions, you can take responsibility, recognize synchrony and progress into deeper wealth. 

Exercise: list things you feel enrich your life. At a bare minimum, aach of the following areas requires attention for you to feel your way into true wealth: 

Financial- Go further than visualize paying today's bills or meeting basic needs. Imagine what you do with lots of money. Be specific. How can you provide value or serve? Behave as though you already live an abundant life and abundance comes to you in varied forms. Connect with your soul. Sense a better life is already within reach. Be receptive. Act like you are wealthy. What does this feel like?

Relational-Go further than imagine a mediocre situation or accepting your relationships that evoke discomfort. Go deeper. Know everyone you encounter invites you to love yourself more. Celebrate people in your life. Notice they enrich you. If you envision more attention, affection or intimacy, set the example.

Physical-Go further than imagine what it would take you to lose 10 more pounds, or to fit into a new outfit.  Move beyond external appearances. Go inward.  Realize what you've learned about your self-image. Accept yourself more fully.  Tell yourself you have the discipine to get more active, and do it.

Spiritual- Go further than envisage a connection to Forces beyond you. Open your perception and recognize what you had thought were coincidences are really cases of meaningful synchonicity.  See how you already feel connected to things you're unable to explain. Reach out to discover what you can do to feel even more connected. Wealth has levels of invisible and immeasurable joy. 

Emotional-Go further than simply brush those negative feelings under the carpet.  Envision how you wish to feel.  Show yourself what happiness and joy feel like.  Do that. Choose to spend time on those activities that boost your energy, get your juices flowing and make your life more fulfilling. 

Intellectual- Go further than describing what you need to learn for the next test at school or business meeting, or what you might wish to know to raise your kids for another year. What kind of learning would really motivate you? Where would you like to go to learn? What materials would you need? Why does the subject drive you? Tap into reasons for enthusiasm and expand on your sense of wealth.

See Feb 16 Oprah: The Secret-- Like attracts like

 Oprah Show

Watch this show- click on the hyperlink.

How do you see and experience your energy? The reality of your life is something that you have created and your thoughts and feelings continue to build on it all the time. Rather than focus on what you don't want, why not focus on the life you seek for and invite it in? What you focus on expands. What are you doing with your energy and attitude to shape your life? Are you a full participant in your life?  After all, you have been given free will.  The choices you make will always have a consequence.  You are accoutnable for the things you do and don't do. You're responsible for your thoughts, hopes and dreams.

You need a vision and clear intentions in order to bring circumstances into your life.  Take action in the direction of where you see yourself.   Take the word "try" out of your vocabulary. This word means effort, failure with honor.

Timely lyrics

During times of trouble, uncertainty or need, people will say that songs with timely lyrics begin to play on the radio. Something beyond you may be reaching out to let you know you're not alone.  Recently, the following song I'd never heard before played on the radio and startled me out of a daydream. It was another example that something beyond coincidence 'just knows things,' and can give greater meaning to our existence.  What we notice, how we react, and the choices we make, depend on how ready we are to move forward to redefine success and defeat.

Angel
lyrics by  Sarah McLaughlin

Spend all your time waiting
for that second chance
for a break that would make it okay
there's always some reason
to feel not good enough
and it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
oh beautiful release
memories seep from my veins
let me be empty
oh and weightless then maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

In the arms of the angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you feel
you are pulled from the wreckage
of your silent reverie
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort here

So tired of the straight line
and everywhere you turn
there's vultures and thieves at your back
the storm keeps on twisting
you keep on building the lies
that you make up for all that you lack
it don't make no difference
escaping one last time
it's easier to believe
in this sweet madness oh
this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees

In the arms of the angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you feel
you are pulled from the wreckage
of your silent reverie
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort here
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort here

Animal hybrids-monsters or your new best friend?

What if you took the risk to voice beliefs on a topic that went against everything you had ever been taught and everyone you know? Do you think your world would cave in and crush you? Probably not. And yet, you would likely feel compelled to do quite a bit of explaining to justify your position. Christopher Reeve became quite a strong advocate of stem cell research and he found he was continually justifying himself because many people think harvesting cells is wrong.

Consider the controversial scientific research where scientists now create animal-human hybrids. The public has very divergent views on animal stem cell research and general animal experiments in laboratories. Violent protests about this issue have gone on in parts of the United States.

In 2003, Chinese scientists at the Shanghai Second Medical University successfully fused human cells with rabbit eggs. The embryos were reportedly the first human-animal chimeras successfully created. They were allowed to develop for several days in a laboratory dish before the scientists destroyed the embryos to harvest their stem cells.

In 2004, in Minnesota, researchers at the Mayo Clinic created pigs with human blood flowing through their bodies. Perhaps there doesn't seem much of a risk in this procedure to you?

In 2005, at Stanford University in California, an experiment was conducted to create mice with human brains. This is another real life example of a chimera---creatures that are part human and part animal.  In the not too distant past, this concept was only a legend in mythology.

Scientists feel that, the more humanlike the animal, the better research model it makes for testing drugs or possibly growing "spare parts," such as livers, to transplant into humans.

The 2005 movie, entitled, The Island, explored potential repercussions of using human clones to harvest organs for transplants. The popularity of that film in the box office reveals that such controversy draws audiences.  How many people would choose to grow a clone to survive?  Do we wish to really go there? If you reply no, I'd suggest that we already seem well on our way. A big question is, can we place limits on this technology or even go backwards to erase progress? Whatever your answer, you're also confronted with the decision to consider animal hybrid creatures monsters or your new best friend, whom you may feel compelled to murder in the future.