Well, I am back in the land of the living this week having mostly gotten over the beast of a cold/flu that I had last week. It is a doozy…so take care and don’t get it! I am definitely in the mood for a laugh now that it won’t bring on a coughing fit. 🙂 So join me, take a break, and laugh the germs away. Blessings!
That’s it. Today…just one thought…just one Focus.
Blessings!
With so much going on in the world, the holidays upon us, and flu season in full swing…there is alot to keep our minds busy and overwhelmed. So, if you are feeling like…
Then…consider this…
We reboot most everything when it powers down or short circuits. So, for this weekend…
It’s ok to stop for a moment and realize…
And, no matter what, who, when, or why…nothing is more important than taking care of the Self…
Have a Lovely, Peaceful, Mental Free weekend!
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” ~ Viktor Frankl
MarDrag’s Thoughts:
Something happens to us…then there is a heartbeat…and then we respond. Within that heartbeat, that minute space, there is a vast reservoir of freedom and power because, in that instant, lives our gift of choice. We pass over that moment in a rush to respond…but if we can strengthen our awareness to expand our focus of this moment, it opens up a great potential for growth. As the quote says, there is freedom in knowing we have that choice of how to respond…and that can change everything. Because it is in how we respond that sets the tone of how what happens to us plays out. And that gives us so much more command over our lives, rightly so. It also gives us more responsibility for our lives…but what is responsibility…but the ability to respond.
“We tend to be held back from our goals by the simplicity of our comfort zones…but just how comfortable are we? Wouldn’t we be more content living in our dreams?” ~ Michelle C. Ustaszeski
MarDrag’s Thoughts:
“The simplicity of our comfort zones”…This really caught my attention. Because I never thought of comfort zones as simplistic…but it makes sense. It may be “simpler” to stay in our comfort zones than it is to take the risk to break out of them. But as the quote says, how comfortable are we really within those zones? We create them because we are uncomfortable with something in our lives, but we are either afraid or unmotivated to make a change. So really, they do not offer us as much comfort as we would think. The question is ~ comfort vs. content. Should we settle for a comfort zone or aspire to be content by living in and following our dreams?
“Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
MarDrag’s Thoughts:
We are fortunate in that we do have the ability and the right to choose our own path. We might think that circumstances force our path, and indeed, they do influence our progress. But…we are always at choice about what path we decide to follow. If we can remember that…even when it does not appear so…there are unlimited possibilities at our fingertips, then we will see that those paths are fluid and we can choose how and where those paths flow. Acknowledge this privilege, and honor your path by knowing it is a sacred gift and following its truth.
Blessings!
Well, I could sure use a few laughs between sniffles, so I look forward to posting the humor blog this week. I hope all of you are staying well, steady, and with love in your heart. And now, have a few laughs with me along the way. Blessings and Love To All!
And all I got was this lousy cold!
It wasn’t in the…
And I did NOT see it on…
I most certainly did not put it in my…
But it still made it home with me.
So take care out there, be careful and stay warm, and if you do somehow get this nasty cold in your shopping bags…I wish you a speedy recovery!!
Blessings, Love, and Good Health To All!
I, like everyone, go through moments of insecurity, doubt, fear, and feelings of unworthiness. It is human to go through these emotions…and completely natural and normal. Even if we work on ourselves, build self-esteem and confidence, and see ourselves as successes…we still go through these moments of insecurity and questioning our abilities and self-worth sometimes. It is part of our structure, and always will be. It is what we do with these feelings and how we choose to live that makes the difference.
But…something else came to me in a meditation the other day to add to this.
Before this meditation, I was having one of those days of insecurity and doubt. I sat down for a meditation to explore it and move myself out of that cloud. And an interesting message came from my guides. Everyone (and me) probably already knows and accepts this…but it came as a new thought to me for some reason, and I heard it anew. I was feeling low, and low energy, and apologizing for not “being myself” and operating at optimum power and strength. I felt sorry that my energy level was not at its brightest, even in meditation. And then…a lovely message spread through me…and the light bulb went on. This was the message…
That, no matter how we feel “in our heads”…that is, no matter how low, insecure, or defeated we can feel at times…under those emotions…we are still the Person and Soul we always are…this does not change. It is only our negative issues and feelings that take over our minds…but in our heart and soul…we are still the Powerful Spirit we have grown into, that does not change just because we feel insecure.
Our lovely minds can go so many places with fear and anxiety…and try to convince us we are not who we really are. But that is just the mind. It sends us in circles up there…but down in the depths of our heart, soul, and character…those things do not change just because we think or feel insecure. We are still the Powerful Being we have always been.
For me, it helped realizing that…even if my Power felt low, or I had a moment of insecurity or doubt, that it did not mean I had lost all my gifts. Unless, of course, I BELIEVE my own insecure voice.
Of course, having those feelings over time can chip away at our heart and soul, and we can lose a sense of our true selves…BUT, even then, it still does not change the fact that we are who we are and we have our own Power, Strength, and Purpose built in to our Being, our unique Self.
So, for those moments, or days, when we feel insecure, low, defeated, or unworthy…go ahead and feel it, process it, and move it out. BUT…remember all the while that…no matter what our feelings or troubles are…our Core Self which holds our Power, Strength, and Purpose, and Gifts is still there, living inside us, supporting us, and waiting for us to process through these human emotions and get back to being who we really are…our True Self…which is the real success.
So actually…we‘ve got this kids! We basically have our own backs. We have the best support we could ask for. While we ruminate in insecurity, our True Powerful Self sits patiently waiting for us to process…and is there, exactly where we left them when we went on our tangent…and nothing is diminished. Truth cannot be destroyed…it just is. So, the True Self will always prevail.
Lends a bit of comfort to these old bones.
Blessings!
“Come from the heart, the true heart, not the head. When in doubt, choose the heart. This does not mean to deny your own experiences and that which you have learned through the years. It means to trust your self to integrate intuition and experience. There is a balance, a harmony to be nurtured, between the head and the heart. When the intuition rings clear and true, loving impulses are favored.” ~ Brian L. Weiss
MarDrags’ Thoughts:
I love the last line of this quote. I speak a great deal about love here on this blog because I think it has been lost in the hearts of many. Somehow, we have morphed into a materialistic world that lives too much in their heads…always on the phone, computer or television. Our days are filled with moving from one tech device to another…with no time in between to just sit and think, star gaze at night, or daydream. The latter of which comes from our heart and cultivates intuition. The new intuition is Google! So, consider striving to find a balance…and as the quote says…integrate the head and the heart. It is from our feelings, and love, that intuition springs. And that is what we need to heal and make things right…with our own world and the world in general. Listen…to your heart and your head will have the right answer.
“How would your life be different if…You stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions? Let today be the day…You stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others.” ~ Steve Maraboli
MarDrags’ Thoughts:
How many times a day do we chastise and judge ourselves because of something someone said to us or about us? How often do we adopt an attitude or make a choice because of what we think people think of us, or will think of us? How much of our energy and thought process is taken up with worrying over this dilemma? And what do you think would happen if we stopped worrying and spending valuable energy on being concerned about what others think? Freedom…is what would happen. Ultimately, what others think of us is not our business, it is theirs and belongs to them…not us. The only validation we should need comes from within, our Higher Self, and our God or Higher Power. The rest is all changeable and therefore should have no impact on who we truly are within. Give it a try one day. Just for that day, don’t be concerned with anyone elses opinion of you. And see what happens to your Self Esteem!
“Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.” ~ Nora Roberts
MarDrags’ Thoughts:
In this rushed and busy time we live in…not only have we forgotten to listen to and cultivate our intuition…but we forget that there is still Magic all around us. Some days it does not look or feel like it. But…if we take the time to look closely, and notice that someone smiled, or a flower blooms, or we close our eyes to listen to a song that takes us away for a moment…these are all Moments of Magic. And they are so important to the quality of our lives. Take a moment today…or several…and take a look around you, notice the Magic that happens around you. Focus there…and bring that shining moment of light into your life. String a few of those moments together…and you have changed your life for the better!
Blessings!
Here we are again my lovlies…another week under our belts…which have expanded due to turkey, etc. consumption last week. 🙂 So lets get some belly laughs rolling with these gems below…and there are some good ones today! Laugh long, Love hard. Blessings!
“I mean to live my true life, and I embrace the means by which that will happen.” ~ MarDrag
“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” ~ Goethe
“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” ~ Jane Austin
“Self-trust is the first secret of success.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“When I’m trusting and being myself… everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously.” ~ Shakti Gawain
“Trust that little voice in your head that says “Wouldn’t it be interesting if..”; And then do it.” ~ Duane Michals
from the Desk of MarDrag:
To trust oneself, especially amid the pressures, obligations and stresses of today’s world…is often difficult. Reading over the quotes above, it sounds so easy, simple really. Doesn’t it? So, why do we struggle so with self-doubt, questioning ourselves and the voice of wisdom that comes from within. There are so many voices, internal and external, telling us what to do, how to do it, how to think or feel, or judging us for how we think and feel. It all gets so muddled, and our true self gets lost in the middle of it somewhere.
When we are faced with these daily challenges, the first thing we tend to do is doubt or question ourselves and our abilities, actions or understandings. Sometimes, it seems the difficulties win out, and we succumb to the overbearing negative voice that can boom so loudly telling us we should not trust ourselves to “get it right”.
I love Jane Austin’s quote above that says we have an inner guide that is far better for us than any other person, place or thing that we may seek to guide us. In other words, looking within for guidance is the best choice. We have an innate wisdom, an inner wise voice that speaks to us all the time, if we but listen and “attend” to it. If we can take a moment to be quiet, and let that voice surface above all the other static….and give it attention……we can meet our inner guide and get to know them, become friends with that part of ourselves, take them with us as a companion throughout our day, trusting that they will always guide us in the right direction because we know they have our best interests in their heart. They/we want the best for us.
The greatest gift we can give ourselves is self-trust. To give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and let go of the fear of error. We will make mistakes and wrong choices, but we will succeed if we learn from them, and therefore, build more self-trust. Believe in the value of your thread in the great tapestry, and the reason it is there. There is a reason (I believe) for everything happening in the way that it does, believe in the benefit of the Divine plan. If you believe in that, then you believe in yourself, because we are all an important and critical thread in the Divine tapestry.
If things are not going “as planned”, look within for your inner guide and let them come forward to show you the way and trust yourself that you will bring yourself through it and triumph. How often in life do we say, Oh, years ago I went through a tough time, but I came out of it a stronger person. Reach out to the inner guide that brought you through it, they will be there again. When we believe in ourselves, when we trust ourselves….no matter what any circumstances around us look like…..we can’t help but do the right thing, and then, everything falls into place naturally. Trust that!
Blessings!
Decided to dance a little deeper in life, and wow can spirit dance!
Living Life as a Celebration
Poetry by Mich
Photography, fiction, humor, opinions, and whatever else I feel like posting
To help you organize and contain your clutter. Sharing tips with you.
More book than a mad 'orse
dream-protecting author
Mental wanderings amongst stardust
Be Somebody
Sharing My Love of Symbols
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” ~ Roald Dahl
"El Mundo Visible es Sólo un Pretexto" / "The Visible World is Just a Pretext".-
Where Sarcasm Gets Drunk and Lets Its Hair Down
we were born naked onto the page of existence; with nothing but the pen of our soul to write ourselves into eternal ecstasy ~ DreamingBear Baraka Kanaan
By:April Peerless
Let's Talk About Books
Capturing the world with Photography, Painting and Drawing
From the Desk of MarDrag 