Happy Friday my friends!
As I sit in the bus homeward bound, I felt that it is the perfect time for me to write a little to empty my mind (guess who has to listen?) 😉
I realized some time during this day an interesting fact… We, human beings, as a species, seem to have the tendency to be “single track minded”. Many people focuses on something that they really want for the moment and disregard everything else. If they do not get that one thing that they focused on, they are unhappy and at times, even miserable. Even I am guilty of that behavior from time to time. However, in my years of thinking and analysis of life as the result of my own life experiences, I’ve come to realize a very powerful tool for times like that…
“When you feel down and out, sing a song….” Singing to express how and what you feel to release the energy can be powerful and works frequently but it wasn’t what I really wanted to say. I just got carried away by the song that popped into my head haha!
The “tool” I’ve come up with is actually simple. I think I’ve mentioned this before but it can never hurt to reinforce something that is positive. What I do is start a list of everything in my life that I am feeling or should feel grateful for…. As I speak those words, a few immediately popped into my mind:
- Being healthy and alive (we frequently take that for granted);
- Having a job that puts a roof over my head and dinner on my table;
- Having the clarity of mind to appreciate life and everything that is part of it;
- Having a family and friends who loves me that I know I can count on;
- Conversely, having people in my life whom I love who knows I love them;
- Having music in my life (I am never alone when I have music);
- Having a clear sense of what it is I want and what I don’t want in my life;
- Having short term and long term goals in different areas of my life;
- Being able to help other people in my life;
- Simple things such as having air to breathe and sunshine and nature around me;
Funny how making a list like that puts everything into a different perspective almost instantaneously! I find myself smiling more with each item I put down. Try it and you will see what I mean! It’s an awesome activity! It really does something to your energy!
I am a firm believer that the energy you exude from your existence, your thoughts and actions are what attracts what is in your life and what you achieve in life. In what seemed like a lifetime away, I took what is called the Landmark Forum, the first course under Landmark Education. They call it a model of “transformative learning” The way Landmark describes that is “Unlike Informative learning, increases what people know and adds to their skills by bringing new knowledge to an existing worldview and frame of reference, transformative learning gives people an awareness of the basic structures in which they know, think, and act. ” My simple description of that in layman terms is that it is basically a way that you learn to rewire your thought process based on first figuring out “what makes you tick” as an individual. I took the training over a decade ago and believe it or not, I have created many possibilities for myself between what I’ve learned from Landmark combined with my intensive studies of the Buddhist Canons. Interestingly enough, I’ve noticed quite a few parallels… maybe I will go into more details next time.
Well, as my commute is about to come to an end, I will bid you adieu with a wonderfully flavorful recipe I’ve discovered to infuse my water with! Cucumber, Jalapeños or Habañero (if you love the spice as much as I do) Peppers and Mint. Cucumbers are refreshing and they contain lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol – three lignans that have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of several cancer types, including breast, prostate, uterine, and ovarian cancers and it is also great in lowering blood pressure. Peppers are great for metabolism, and mint can help with digestion and relieve headaches. Try it out and tell me what you think about it~
Until next time! Wishing you lots of light and love!
xoxo
Natasha