So Many Blessings on My Head

So Many Blessings on My Head

As I stepped out the door today, I noticed a thought that almost got away. “How will the world delight me today?”

It was an easy thought today. The sky is bright, the birds were singing their little hearts out, the lilacs are ready to go. The recent rain has scrubbed everything fresh and clean. The world is very appealing today.

Wasn’t always the case. Use to be that “out” was scary. I was flinchy most of the time, and expected to “get got” pretty much every time I left the house. I expected horrible traffic with scary situations. I expected crabby, sullen, unhelpful clerks. I expect to get ripped off, that everything would be hard, that people would be jerks.

I was rarely disappointed.

How sad.

Thank goodness we understand our experience filters, and that filtering for crap, we will mostly just see crap, and filtering for delights, we will mostly find delights.

That Creative Question I posed at the beginning might be better phrased as, “How will I find the world delightful today?” Or maybe, “How will I be delighted today?”

Over and over, we find places where the difference between a wonderful time and a horrible time is just our point of view. Where the difference between a great day and a crap day is our attitude. Where delight and disappointment come up based on my expectations. Am I looking for the silver lining or the cloud, the doughnut or the hole, the dying worms on the sidewalk or the rainbow.

Recently, I have been seeing a lot of stuff online that is basically saying that happiness is overrated. As someone who has been desperately unhappy, and happy, I will go with happy. I’m not talking about the “I got a new car/puppy/cordless drill” kind of happy, but soul-happy, the kind that comes up from the core.

Those happiness-doesn’t-matter people talk about how important feeling on purpose is. They don’t understand that when I am soul-happy, I am on purpose. I am contented and satisfied at the end of my day. I am relaxed and joyful. I find bliss all over the place. And the world is out to delight me at every turn, from a subtle scent in the air, to happy critters, to a little bit of beauty tucked away somewhere.

How could nature empower me? Why would my environment support me? How else is all creation for my well being?

Now, I’m not just talking seeing pretty stuff outside, I’m even talking cash appearing when I really needed it, unregistered gift cards, magical parking spots. Thank you, World.

How have I changed from cringing from the world to enjoying it’s blessings?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 05212014

Broken Record School of Communication

One of my best teachers used to talk about the Broken Record School of Communication. Her point was that when you are trying to get a point across to an audience who is full of buts, and yabuts, even if it is yourself, repeat repeat repeat.

She did it with me all the time.

I do it with me all the time.

We often get deaf when we are listening to ideas that might change our world view. Changing our beliefs is scary, even when what we believe sucks. Repeat repeat repeat.

My happiness comes from within. That was a big one for me to accept. All the shopping/drugs/video games/sex/whatever in the world might distract me, but it didn’t make me happy.

On the other hand, all creation is for my well-being. Opportunities arise for me to learn, grow, celebrate, rejoice.

How do I choose my life? What makes me decide on my attitude? Why do I choose to grow up?

What do I want? How do I want to feel? What are my goals? How does my environment support me?

Broken Record School of Communication.

There are so many places where simply repeating ourselves is more effective than any arguments, and most of the time, it’s more effective than raising our voices in annoyance or anger.

It is also a wonderful tool when we are learning to express ourselves. When we have been saying yes to everything for years, learning to say no is not only challenging for us, but for the people we’ve been people-pleasing for all this time. It teaches us to stick with it, and it eventually will get through to them.

Why do I choose, How do I pick my attitude? What makes me choose to grow up?

When I tap into a Creative Questions that resonates with me, that makes me feel good, where I see how things look up, I need to repeat repeat repeat.

What makes me see the choice? How do I grow up? Why do I take the high road?

Using our Creative Questions will change everything. Sometimes, the change happens instantly. Sometimes we have to chip away at it, playing with our topic, messing with the wording.

I will use words that you may like, or may really not like. My emotionally neutral words may fire you up like the Fourth of July. Find language that suits you. You know what hits you right. Put the lesson from the Broken Record School of Communication and use it when you need it. Remember that all creation is for your well being. And that’s beyond our wildest imaginings.

How have I changed from feeling helpless to recognizing my resources?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 04242014

What are your favorite Creative Questions these days? Do you play with the wording? If you like what you find here, please + or share. It really does make a difference. Why are you amazing?

Blooming You

Blooming You

How do you feel when you are blossoming? How do you feel when you feel ripe and luscious? How do you feel when you feel brilliant and shiny? How do you feel when you know you are amazing?

The Universe exists, in all it’s infinite glory, to support your well being. You did know that, right?

At any given moment, all the resources you need are available to you. You may need to ask for them, you may need to seek them, you may deny yourself them, depending on the lessons you have to learn, but they are there.

Try that concept on for a bit: How do I feel when I know all the resources I need are available to me?

The next question, of course, is what do we need?

Finding our answers to this question is so important. We cannot give each other what we need if we don’t know what it is.

Infants have few needs; food, liquid, shelter, clean diapers, comfort, entertainment. As we age, our fundamental needs may stay the same, but our secondary needs, and our wants, shift and change, develop and mature.

What do I need? What do I want? How do I know what I want? How do I know what I need? How do I feel when I know what I want? What makes me sure?

Sometimes, I like to imagine the genie in the bottle, and what I would wish for. It used to be stuff. Now it’s more about changing habits and behavior. That kind of cracked me up. But it’s useful to imagine that you can get anything you need, you just need to ask, clearly.

Because that’s pretty true.

So I get to use my imagination, think about the situation I want to change, or the thing I don’t have, or the thing I don’t want anymore, and how to make a shift.

For instance, I don’t like feeling like I’m procrastinating, especially at home. I like feeling innocent when I’m relaxing, not like I’m avoiding something. I noticed that, on days when I was feeling really avoid-y, I would come home, and go straight upstairs to the TV. I would start watching, and tell myself that I would do X later, but somehow, suddenly, it was always past my bedtime.

I paid attention to the behavior, and realized that turning to the stairs was my start point for procrastinating my evening away. Now, I don’t go straight upstairs, I stay on the main floor, and get some stuff done. I love that. Often, I find that getting stuff done makes me wanna get stuff done, so I feel motivated and inspired. I have taken another step deeper into my natural life, and living there is so easy and enjoyable.

Taking a little bit of time now and then to see who I am, how I am, and to imagine how I want to be, trusting the Universe will provide me with what I need for my specific lessons, goals, and treats.

How have I changed from plodding along in my life to living with joy and depth and wonder?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 12092013

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Opulent Support

Opulent Support

What would it mean if all creation is for you? If all creation is meant to support your happy life? What if everything is here to help you live your best life?

What would that be like? Can you imagine it now? How would it feel if every breath of air, every sip of water, every leaf, every microbe were supporting your personal well being and evolution?

When you imagine that, where do you feel that support in your body? Where do you feel it in your emotions? In your spirit? Why would you deserve to feel so supported?

When I feel that kind of lavish, unconditional support, I feel empowered. I feel powerful. I own my super powers.

When I feel that kind of support, I trust that I can cope with the flow of my life, whatever comes my way. (Notice that I didn’t say “like” but rather “cope.” Nothing in the rule book that says I have to like it, just that it’s best if I don’t fight it, if I allow it, let it flow.)

Cultivating my super powers; decision and choice, creativity, compassion, wisdom, engagement, and peace, to name a few, cultivating my sense of being supported by my environment, being a part of the natural order, all these things help me bring my essence to fruition, help me cultivate my particular set of skills and talents, help me feel included, engaged, connected, and supported, help me love and be loved unconditionally.

I like those feelings.

I endeavor to remember, when something happens that I’m not crazy about, to look for the gift.

I endeavor to remember, when someone is giving me a hard time about something, to slow down on the inside, to feel compassion, and to remember that I like to behave in a grown up manner, so I don’t have to be apologizing for acting like a jerk all the time.

I endeavor to remember that when I am feeling scared, or anxious, or worried, or pissed off, that I am in a habit loop and can change my response quickly and easily. That having those feelings is like a warning light on my dashboard that I am responding in a funky way, and resisting the flow.

I endeavor to remember that my desire to evolve as a person isn’t everyone’s choice. It doesn’t have a qualitative stamp on it, and is only as useful as I make it. (I had a really intense spiritual experience the other day, super cosmic, and came away from it with the understanding that 1) I had witnessed a Truth, and 2) beyond being really fun and interesting, it doesn’t make any difference. Hilarious! )

I endeavor to remember that my body is telling me stuff all the time about how I am. My physical well being is tied in to my mental well being, my emotional well being, and my spiritual well being. When I remember that, “If you are travelling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your oxygen mask first, and then assist the other person.” That is, I make sure I am paying attention to what I need as well as to what I can do to help you.

When I remember that all creation is for me, I can relax.

How have I changed from fearing outside influences to trusting they are for my benefit?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 10282013