Consider Change

Hello! It's Wednesday, Happy Healthy Habit Hump Day, or whatever day you're reading this. I'm truly happy to be here and I hope you are, too.

Some weeks I'm not sure what I'm going to write about. I always hope it might be meaningful to you and it's based on some bit of wisdom I've collected and want to pass along. This week I had a flood of thoughts -- so many that I couldn't choose which one and got caught up in a little "analysis paralysis". I felt a pressure for it to be just right. I struggle the most when Ego gets in the way and I listen to it telling me I need to be flawless. Fortunately, the perfect quote from Oprah arrived in my inbox via the Universe just a little while ago (it's amazing how often my angels communicate with me online).

"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change their future by merely changing their attitude."

I have learned, through experience, that this is surprisingly true. Yet, if you had offered me this "suggestion" many years ago, I would have shot it down in a heartbeat. I would have argued for days for keep my limiting beliefs about how much I personally contributed to my life circumstances. I've written about this before and I will likely continue to spread the word. I grew up with a lot of "messages" about how life was unfair and I learned to cultivate an identity of victimhood. Thankfully, I also received some optimism and influence from a few others about the part I could play in creating a good life. I wish I could say that I made changes right away, but even though I got that valuable information, it took me a while to actually implement it. I clung to a lot of my earlier "conditioning" for many years. It felt familiar and I questioned whether this new information would work for me. Maybe it was only for other people and I was meant to be unhappy and flounder and stumble. Of course, the more I clung to viewing the glass as half empty, the more I got "proof" that it was true.

Over time, slowly, I kept hearing "suggestions" about living life differently. I was also constantly seeking and that worked in my favor. One time I went to hear Wayne Dyer speak and he mentioned his book, You'll See It When You Believe It. Aha -- all too often we can be so certain that nothing can change. We can almost take on a defiant attitude -- "prove me wrong" even when hanging onto our old beliefs and perceptions keeps us miserable. There are so many quotes out there that speak to us when we're "ready". Anais Nin's spoke to me: "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." She went on to say, "Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death. Living never wore one out so much as the effort not to live." Blossoming meant looking for and expecting life to happen for me, not to me. Instead of focusing on all that was "wrong", I had to acknowledge what was "right" or good and look for more of the same. I had to borrow the faith and trust of others before me until it could become my own. I had to have an unwavering desire to find a way to live my life in a positive light. That doesn't mean there aren't dark moments. It means that most of my life is uplifting and I become more and more certain that it can keep improving. I've created a healthy, happy habit -- I look for what I can be grateful and I have an ever growing certainty that I play the lead in this production known as my life. I highly recommend you consider looking for all that is wondrous and awesome -- it's there. As always, be care-full -- it will help you make a few changes. I'm extending an invitation for 5-days of m&m -- that's my "candied" version of mindfulness and meditation. Every day I'll give you 20 minutes with a little teaching and then I'll lead a short exercise. Sign up and join me for the first session on Friday, February 10.