Archive for Gratitude
Are You Enjoying Your Journey Through Life?
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my favourite poems is “The Journey to Ithaca”. It really teaches and inspires me to enjoy the journey of my life, and not to be always looking into the future – to the big bright shinning things that I think are ahead.
It seems to have been coming up a lot this week in different conversations with people. The more you can appreciate the things that are in your life now, the higher your vibe will be. There is only the NOW – we all know this, but it’s amazing how little time we spend in the now. I know that a default expression of mine is “I’ll do this and then I’ll ………………….. (something more enjoyable). As I’m learning to do more of what feels good now, and also as I’m being more and more appreciative of things in the now, I am feeling a greater sense of joy.
What are you enjoying in your journey right now? What can you find to appreciate, even if things aren’t that great at the moment? I’d love to hear.
ITHACA
When you start on your journey to Ithaca,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Lestrygonians (*)
and the Cyclopes and the angry Poseidon.
You will never meet such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine emotion
touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet the Lestrygonians,
the Cyclopes and the fierce Poseidon,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.
Then pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many,
that you will enter ports seen for the first time
with such pleasure, with such joy!
Stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and corals, amber and ebony,
and pleasurable perfumes of all kinds,
buy as many pleasurable perfumes as you can;
visit hosts of Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.
Always keep Ithaca fixed in your mind.
to arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for long years;
and even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all that you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the road.
But she has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not defrauded you.
With the great wisdom you have gained, with so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithaca means.
– Constantine Cavafy (translated by Rae Dalven)
Changing Your Vibe When You Feel in Conflict
Posted by: | CommentsThis subject has been coming up a bit over the last week. What to do if you feel in conflict in relationships – with children, partner, work colleagues, friends - whoever.
I’m sure we all know the feeling – you start to get stuck into the negatives and all the things that seem to be “wrong” in the relationship. You start an expectation that the things that displease you WILL happen – as we know, thus increasing their chances of happening!!! I remember a friend once describing, how she used to be so angry when she came home from work that her 17 year old daughter hadn’t turned the heating on, so the house would be cold. She could hear herself talking to herself about this on her way home from work – and the first thing she did when she walked in the door, was to touch the radiator to see if it was hot! Of course, it never was – she was right everytime!! When I hear that story, I can almost feel how hard it would be for the daughter to put on the heating – when her mother had such a powerful expectation and vibe that the heating wasn’t going to be on!!!!
Of course – it’s much easier for me to see this so clearly in relation to someone else’s life than it is to my own!!!! Funny that, how we have blind spots about ourselves and our own manifesting of things we “don’t want”!!.
I was listening to Paul and the Communion of Light about relationships the other day and they were talking about bringing your focus to an kind of appreciation if you are having difficulties in a relationship. Sometimes, it can feel like too big a step to appreciate the person that you are having difficulties with - although this is something that I have heard before, and it can just seem too much. But to bring SOME appreciation into your vibration can really help you to make the shift to where you want to be – and your motivation in anything is always to feel better, even if that’s not a great feeling.
Anyway, I have found it really helpful to use the appreciation exercise. You start with things around you – anything you can see physically.
So it may be something like this:
I really appreciate my car – it’s amazing that I can travel so many miles so quickly. It’s so reliable. I just sit in and it starts. It makes it so easy for me to do things – I can bring the dogs for great walks that it would be really hard to get to without the car. I can work in places I wouldn’t be able to work without a car. I can travel with children and friends and go to see shows and other things. and on and on and on.
I really appreciate my ipod. It’s amazing that a tiny piece of metal can give to access to wonderful, inspiring talks and people to listen to wherever I am. I can always choose to be inspired. I can listen to music that I want to easily. There is SO much music out there – isn’t it wonderful that so many people are inspired to make and record such great sounds.
Can you feel the energy shifting already?? I can even as I write it.
Then when the time feels right you can start to shift to people – start with people that it’s easy to appreciate and really milk what you appreciate about them:
I really appreciate my friend Lucy. She’s so thoughtful and kind. She’s funny and we always have such a great laugh together. She;s so hospitable, and I feel really at home in her house. I know that I can call her about anything and talk to her. etc, etc.
DO the same with a few more people. From time to time think about the person you are having difficulty with, and see if you can find anything to appreciate about them. If you can great – let the appreciation vibe flow to them. If not – think of someone or something else that you can more easily appreciate.
There’s no rush or hurry, nowhere to get to. Just bask in appreciation as much as you can, and be open to what happens.
Do You Take What You Manifest for Granted?
Posted by: | Comments
Thanks to Erik for the photo – it’s a great vibe shifter around money!!!Thank you for the Days
Posted by: | CommentsI haven’t felt like writing for a few weeks now. Some of you may have heard that two of my beautiful dogs, Bella and Izzy died very suddenly a month ago. Somehow they ate something poisonous to them, and it killed them both. Luckily, the other two, Rosa and Ruby are fine. It’s a mystery as to how it happened, and of course it has been very, very upsetting, but we are doing better than I would have thought we would. They are all related, so poor Ruby lost her mother and sister in the space of 24 hours, and was so bereft and lost for a few weeks, it was hard to see. Luckily, we have had many friends calling, and coming to stay, and their love and energy has helped. I also was able to give her some Flower Essences, which have really helped her, and she is finding her ground again. The eldest dog, the grandmother, Rosa, is thriving and obviously much happier, now that she has more attention, and less annoyance from the other dogs.
People have been SO kind, and I want to acknowledge that here. We have been so moved and helped by so many people, some we don’t even know. There has been great healing – people with whom relations had not been great, have forgotten all that in their shock over what happened, and reached out to us. It’s been wonderful.
Izzy on the left, with her sister Ruby, and Bluebell the cat.
Beautiful Bella
So here is my rampage of appreciation for Bella and Izzy – in their lives with us, and in all that they have brought to us in their passing, and to all the people who have helped along the way. Having the beautiful spirits of those two wonderful animals in our lives was extraordinary and we are SO grateful to them.
Thank you for:
- the beautiful walks – seeing the four of you bounding with unbridled joy across the bog.
- the most deeply giving, allowing hugs from Bella.
- Bella’s most beautiful golden locks.
- Izzy’s boldness and enthusiasm and freedom of Spirit.
- The 4 part harmonies of morning Howlings!
- The trust they had in us and gave to us.
- The healing that came in their passing.
- The massive support from friends and family.
- The massive support from people in GVU and my unmet friends on Facebook.
- All the offers of healing and conversations with the spirits of Bella and Izzy.
- The daily walks on the beach with Ruby and Rosa.
and SO much more.
Thank you.
If you want things to be different – you have to feel different.
Posted by: | CommentsI’m feeling irritated and out of sorts today!!! And I’m really annoyed and frustrated that I’m feeling like this AGAIN! I haven’t for a good while, and thought I’d left it behind me. I’ve been feeling great, and really in my good feeling place for weeks now, and I LOVE it there! So, I’m surprised to find myself here over something trivial – my partner forgetting to pick up the dog food! Writing it down is great – it brought a smile to my face. How ridiculous to let something so small bring me to an irritated place, when everything else is SO good.
So, I am somewhere, I don’t want to be. I know where I want to be – and I’m going to have fun getting there! It’s a great time for me to practice getting back to the Vortex, where all is well, and my good feelings are waiting for me.
I could tell when I woke up, feeling some tension and tightness that I was still carrying something. SO I went straight to my computer and to the Good Vibrations University community, where I know I will always find inspiration and support. Luckily today was also Jeannette’s ezine day, so there was an abundance of inspiring things to read. Loads of suggestions and ideas and guidance, as to how to get back to that good feeling place. There’s a link in the menu box if you want to check it out – I’d highly recommend it as a place to hang out, if you want inspiration and support.
Nicole, had posted this clip to an Abraham video, talking about parenting, but also relationships in general. It’s been a huge help to me, to set me on the path to feeling how I want to feel, whatever is going on around me.
SO here’s what I’m going to do:
Firstly, I’m going to ask Spirit for guidance and support in letting go of my resistance, and allowing all the good to come to me.
Then, I am giving myself time and permission to really feel what I feel. To be as irritated and as upset as I want to be – to let all the other related things come into my awareness.(it’s obviously about much more than some dog food!)
Next I’m going to spend some time with my body – feeling where the tension is, and letting my body release and do what it wants to with the energy that I am resisting.
Then I’m going to focus on all that I love in my partner, all that is great in my life, all that I am grateful for.
Then I am going to script and journal and FEEL how things are in the future for me, when all is just as I want it to be.
It will take as long as it takes. I’ll let you know how I get on!
What ways do you have to bring yourself back to the Vortex of feeling great when you have been pulled out in some way?
Home Sweet Home – a rampage of Appreciation
Posted by: | CommentsI spent the last 2 weeks in a beautiful place by the Indian Ocean – lovely people, blue skies and sun most of the time in autumn!) and truly deeply relaxing and rejuvenating. I feel so grateful and appreciative that I had such a wonderful experience, and that my hold up due to the volcano let me stay there for a few days longer.
Now………….
I am sitting here in my lovely home – high up on the West Coast of Ireland, often very windy, often in the mist, rarely days of unbroken sun and blue skies even in the summer, as the weather blows in from the Atlantic – and I LOVE it.
- the fantastic views
- the ever changing skies
- my beautifully exhuberant and enthusiastic dogs
- my beloved Atlantic Ocean
- my talented and loving Kots
- my playful and fun cat – and her loving relationship with the dogs
- my great friends who minded the house and dogs when we were delayed on our journey home, and their warm welcome.
- the space and quiet
- the endless space to walk the dogs right outside the front door.
- the community
- having broadband (at times, it seemed we’d not get it here, and an angel intervened and got us hooked up against the odds, thank you Noel).
- working from home and having so much time and space to do the things that I love
- GVU and the support I have received and continue to receive, and the fantastic calls and the connections across the miles
- all the people who are coming to my teleseminars and the great connections I am building with them.
and so much more…….
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Homeward bound…..
Posted by: | CommentsI feel that I am homeward bound on an inner and an outer level. This has been such a great few days for me, guiding myself back to my source energy in an intensive time.
I heard late last night – in the middle of the night actually, that we have confirmed flights home tonight!! This is great news – as from the chaos at the airport yesterday, and the feedback we were getting, it looked unlikley. Or as I was saying ” Difficile, mais pas impossible.” (which my or may not be correct French, as I think I often string words and sentences together in a strange way – usually well enough for people to understand, but quirky enough to make them smile!!!).
It’s been really interesting to be involved in the volcano-induced, flight delays (or I suppose they are human induced in response to the volcano doing it’s natural thing, and being a volcano!). The people I travelled with have had very different reactions – some very anxious, angry, blaming, upset etc. Initially I thought I was keeping in my own space about it, by keeping away and doing my own thing. But that didn’t feel good – it was actually closing down my connection to source and cutting me off and isolating me.
Luckily I had bought, Ask and It is Given, Excuse Me Your Life is Waiting and an ipod stuffed full of great calls from Good Vibe U to listen to. It was so great to have so much support to keep my vibrations high. I was in such a beautiful place it was easy in some ways – but there were people, who couldn’t see the beauty of the place and spent the whole extra days there (which I felt as a real gift) – away from when we were in anxiety and anger. When I realised that it wasn’t working for me to isolate myself from it, I knew that the best thing I could do, was to feel as good as I could and to keep my vibration zinging as much as I could.
I used one of Lynn Grabhom’s ideas in Excuse Me Your Life is Waiting – and chose a flip phrase of self appreciation each day. So if I felt or heard myself going into any old patterns of judgement, blame, isolation etc I had a phrase handy to bring an inner smile back to me. Lynn suggests using something you like about yourself – this served a great double purpose for me – as the new body shape I am manifesting hasn’t fully arrived yet, so I had some challenges at first with being on the beach all day!!! This helped so much. I choose things like ” I love my hair” ” I love my eyes”. Everytime I said my phrase I felt that inner smile come, and my vibration rise.
It felt SO much better. I was able to be helpful and supportive to my companions in their reality of fear and anxiety, without being drawn into it. I helped in practical ways and by keeping true to myself. I was called Pollyanna, a few times!!!!!! – which I considered a great compliment. It felt good. I didn’t do any phoning or complaining to the authorities ( well, hardly any…..). I held a picture in my mind and felt the feelings of us all getting on the plane, and things working out easily and smoothly, and of us arriving home in the best possible way.
It was a great practice to me, and all the time, I can feel that sense of being home, that I always feel when I sit to meditate. A homecoming to the real me, to my source.
I love this song – on both the inner and outer level. At times, in my life, I’ve felt that I was constantly on the road even when I in my physical home. I’ve felt I was performing. Thank God, I rarely feel those things now, and can feel the discomfort of them much more quickly, and can find a way back to my real “home” much more easily.
What do you do to get that feeling of “home” in yourself? I’d love it if you’d share your ways – leave a comment so others can learn from you.
A Rampage of Appreciation
Posted by: | CommentsI’m just reading “Ask and It is Given” – the Teachings of Abraham by Esther and Jerry Hicks. I can’t believe that I haven’t read it before!! – I’ve given it to people as a present, I’ve read articles and listened to talks etc, – but somehow I’d never read it. It really is true that everything happens at the right time, and now must be the optimal time for me to read it in its entirety. I am loving it and getting so much from it. It’s so in tune with everything I know to be true for me instinctively and for others that I coach. I’m really happy that I came to a lot of the learnings myself, and now can add to them by this reading and new learning.
The teachings are all about raising your vibrational level – so that you are in alignment with what it is you are asking to receive. This is where a lot of us can get frustrated and feel that the Law of Attraction is not working. We ask – the Universe is doing it’s part to align everything so that we can receive – but we haven’t done the 3rd step - of bringing our aligning our vibration with that which we wish to receive. We are still focussing on the “lack” and what we don’t have, even when we think we are aligning ourselves to receive.
I have often talked and written about how Gratitude can raise your vibrational level – and it definitely does. I love the way that Abraham talks about it in the Chapter on “A Rampage of Appreciation” . He recommends using this when you are feeling relatively good about something and are in one of the higher frequencies already. It can help wherever you are, if you can find anything to appreciate or be grateful for, but it is hard to do that if you are in the depths of despair.
One of the biggest lessons I ever had about my thoughts, and their power and my particular though patterns was at a week long meditation retreat I was on about 10 years ago. I was meditating (or rather sitting in anguish as my mind raced wildly!! – for a lot of the time) - for about 5-6 hours a day, in a beautiful place. After a couple of days, I was sitting in the dining area by myself, as I thought, idly looking around – and then I became aware of my thoughts!!!! They were SO judgemental – every person who walked in I had some comment to make about – some I considered positive, but a lot were negative – things like:
I don’t like that coat
I wouldn’t think someone dressed like that would come to a meditation retreat
They look a bit stuck up
She looks nice
Please don’t sit next to me – I don’t want to talk to you
and on, and on, and on……………… it was never ending! I had to laugh in the end, because it was so obvious.
Ever since then I have tried to consciously bring my thoughts to a state of appreciation and gratitude more regularly, so that those thoughts become much more familiar to me, and become my default place to go to.
In ” Ask and It is Given” I’ve just been reading about the Rampage of Appreciation – and I love the way that it is talked about there. To use any moment you have – like standing in line for something, or being in traffic and gently allowing your thoughts to focus on what they appreciate:
Isn’t it great to be able to get so many things in one place
I’m so happy I have the money to pay for this
The checkout person looks really happy today
What a lovely child with their mother over there
This is much quicker than I thought it would be
etc, etc – anything that you can appreciate about the situation at all.
You can do it for a regular amount of time everyday, or on your spare moments.
I am committing to doing it regularly with my house - we are needing to do some renovations, for for various reasons have been delayed. I have become more and more aware that my thinking is affecting this, as my frustration can run high at times. I know when I am in a state of appreciation and gratitude, things move more smoothly, so I’m committing to becoming more conscious of appreciating the many wonderful things there are to appreciate in my home.
What are of your life could do with some more appreciation? Have fun, finding ways to appreciate what their is to appreciate about it – it’s important to be genuine, and really appreciate the things you say you do, you can’t fake appreciation – but you change shift your focus to what you appreciate.
I’m off to Sunny Spain!
Posted by: | Comments
I’m on my way to Spain as this is posted!!! To Seville for a week – and I’m REALLY looking forward to it. This song is not quite what it will be like – but it always make me feel happy and to get my feet tapping – which must raise the vibrational levels! I’ve never been to Seville – but will post some picture while I’m away.
Had a GREAT teleseminar last night with Ian Watson – a huge turnout. Thank you to everyone who came and contributed such great questions and insights.
Just Do What You Want to Do!
Posted by: | CommentsThe first time I heard someone say that they were just going to “Do What They Want to Do” – I was quite shocked! It sounded like anarchy and really selfish. That was many years ago, and before I really understood the importance of keeping your vibrational level high.
When I talk to people about it now, they often have a similar reaction. I think we all have a fear that if we don’t do the things we HAVE to do and the things that we SHOULD do, we’ll just sit around all day and do nothing – but eat chocolate!!
I can’t honestly say that I only do “Just Want I Want to Do”, 100% of the time, but the proportion of time that I spend doing the what I want to do is increasing all the time.
There are things that wouldn’t be high on my list of things to do – like walking the dogs when it’s pouring with rain, or cleaning the oven, or doing my tax return – but I realise that I have a choice as to whether I do them or not – I can always pay someone else to do it if I really don’t want to. I could not have dogs. I could cook without using the oven! All of these things are possibilities.
I can also choose the way I approach things – I usually love it when I do out with the dogs in the rain, once I’m dressed properly and I’m looking for all the things I like about it. I do love using the oven to cook, and I love the feeling after it’s been cleaned – and if I put some good music on, or something really inspiring to listen to, as I’m doing it, I can really enjoy the satisfaction of doing it.
Just doing things you want to do, really does create a whole different way of being. There can often be conflicts in what you want to do – you may really want to see your aunt when she’s over visiting, but you also really want a quiet day to yourself on the only day that you can see her. Maybe you can do both – think win-win. Maybe you could have a couple if hours in the morning to yourself – and really, totally give yourself permission to do only what you want to do. Then in the afternoon, you could spend a few hours with your aunt – being totally present with her. A few hours visit when you’re totally present with someone, is worth a whole day of a distracted, scattered visit!
I was drawn to think about this yesterday in particular, because I was feeling slightly conflicted myself. It was a beautiful day here – sunny and blue skies – and a few of my friends were meeting for a walk on the beach. I had set the time aside to do some work and some writing, and also to be on a coaching call. All things that I was very happy to do, and looking forward to doing. But the weather was so beautiful……….
In the way of the Universe and as so often happens, I got a Google Alert email with a link to one of Kate Corbin’s Articles “The Magic of Doing What Feels Good” - the timing was perfect as things always are. In a couple of minutes I had my solution. I turned my camper van into my mobile office – with my laptop, mobile phone and notebooks, a lovely pot of vegetable soup and headed to the beach.
I had a beautiful walk, was out in the air, got loads of work done, did my coaching call, – and came back home at 7pm feeling so happy, grateful and that I had done just what I wanted to do!! I know that my vibrational level was higher than it would have been if I’d thought I had to do either or…
What do you think?? Is it selfish to do just what you want to do?…….
