The Ultimate Blog Challenge

I started this blog with good intentions. I have not done a very good job of keeping at it. I'm going to remedy that by participating in the Ulitmate Blog Challenge beginning January 1, 2011. 

My goal is to make 31 blog posts in the month of January. It is going to be a challenge for me. I have a hard time sitting at the computer and writing something. I find it hard to stay on topic and tend to ramble . . . A LOT. But I'm going to try do it anyway (as Master Yoda says "Do or do not; there is no TRY.").

Any of you who have a blog and would like to join this challenge simply go to their website http://ultimateblogchallenge.com/ and sign up.  You'll get daily updates with ideas for future posts. This challenge is also a way to get more readers to your blog, since part of the challenge is to read and comment on other people's blogs. 

I hope this will be a fun way to make blogging a habit for Be Positively Inspired rather than an afterthought. I'd love to hear your comments and have you follow me here or on our Facebook Page. 

The Lessons of Love by Melody Beattie

Just finished reading this book.  Wanted to share a part of it with you all. It is a bit long and I hope that you find some wisdom or inspiration in her words.

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Every experience I have had in my life has been about the dame thing.

Each lesson has ultimately and absolutely been about one thing, the only thing that is.

Love.

I had heard it said before. Now I understood.

The struggles to learn I had a soul. Mu struggles to learn about my strengths. Even my grief. I had been talking to a woman seated near me at dinner one night, wailing about my pain, my anguish over losing my son, about how close the three of us had been, about the hole in my heart.  The woman had turned to her husband. Have you ever loved that deeply? she asked. I don't thinks so, he had said. Even these, my blackest and darkest moments, had been a form of love, one of its lessons. A harder one, but still a lesson of love.

I laughed out loud, alone in my room. What did I think love would look like? Feel like? Be? A romantic vision of being carried off to Camelot? And then what?

Forgiveness Compassion. Service. Self-love. Loving myself when I was certain nobody else loved me or ever would. Then opening up,m learning to let others in.

Faith.

Acceptance. Acceptance of myself, my life, others, their lives.

Friendship. Courage. Perseverance.

Hope.

Joy. Learning to deliberately choose joy. The simple sweet process of learning to be present each moment and find and choose joy, a joy not dependent on outer circumstances, but one that comes from the heart.

How did I think I would learn all these lessons, all these subcategories of love?

Trust. Trusting myself. learning to trust others, life, God.

Learning to play and laugh. Learning to walk away, sometimes learning to stay put. Honoring my own needs, even when they differed from what others thought my needs should be. Honoring me, even when I was different from what others thought I should be. Trusting my vision for my life, creating another vision it that one didn't work. Chasing my dreams, catching them, then finding more. Learning about this connection, this absolute and divine connection to all that is, and maybe ever was, in the universe.

And finally, facing and accepting death.

Had I thought all those lessons would be learned easily?

I guess I had.

I saw now that even the struggles, the hard times when I cursed and moaned and whined, had not been punishment. God hadn't been peering down from the heavens saying, Good, let her crawl over broken glass for a bit. That will teach her.

God was saying, Look, she's learning to love.

The struggle of climbing to the top of the mountain was as much my purpose as getting to the top of it.

I felt a lightness that I hadn't felt in years, maybe ever. For a moment I imagined I heard the angels sing, a celestial chorus of joy. I wondered how long, how long really, I had struggled to get this lesson right.

I didn't have to scramble up and down the ladder from despair to euphoria anymore, trying to convince myself that life was either painful and terrible or joyous and wonerful.

The simple truth was that life was both.

I hadn't come here to live happily ever after, although I now sensed I could. I had come here to learn love. That's what the lessons had been about.

Even those events I had written off as coincidence were an expression of divine love. Universal love. Love was an active, living force. I had always been there for me. All I needed to do was open my eyese and see and choos it.

It's not, I realized, that the lessons are about love. The lessons themselves are love.  They are the journey to the heart.

I got up. And I let go of my balloon, watching it rail far up into the sky.

Understanding love didn't make the pain go away. Understanding love freed my heart.

It didn't mean I'd never feel pain again. An open heart feels pain and loss as well as love and joy.  An open heart feels all it needs to feel. Otherwise, it closes again.

Thank you for my life, I whispered into the air.

I was surprised. At last I meant it.

Fear

I posted this as a note on the Facebook page back in October . . .

Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. (Wikipedia)

"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure." ~ Sven Goran Erickson

I've been thinking a lot about fear lately.  I'm not talking the fear that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up; I'm talking about the fear inside you that keeps you from doing the things you want to do.  The things that fit your purpose. Those things that your gut tells you to go through with.  The fear that holds you back.  That is the fear I want to be free from.

The fear that gets your adrenaline going; that activates the fight or flight response can sometimes be easier to overcome than the fear that we hold within our hearts.

False Expectations Appearing Real
False Experiences Appearing Real
Finding Excuses and Reasons
False Emotions Appearing Real
Failure Expected And Received
False Expectations About Reality
False Evidence Appearing Real

What fear is holding you back? Keeping you from remembering that For Everything A Reason, to Face Everything And Recover and Forgetting Everything is All Right?  So what one thing are you going to do today to set your heart free from Fear?

Wow I haven't posted in a long time . . .

There really isn't an excuse for it. Other than maybe I'm about as good of a blogger as I am a journal writer.  I don't seem to have a problem posting just about every day on our Facebook page.  I always seem to be able to find quotes to share . . . but writing from my heart and soul; now that's harder.

I am going to try to do better . . . (but as Yoda says ~ Do or do not there is no try).  Here is the first step to doing better.

Gratitude

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you all for for being a part of this page.  It is an honor to have you all here and I appreciate each and every one of you.  I am thankful that you share my posts with others and that you invite your friends to join us here.  Thank you for allowing me to share.

Quotes

You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. ~ G. K. Chesterton  

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust 

You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach  

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. ~ Albert Einstein 

Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not. ~ Marcus Aurelius  

Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted–a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul. ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner 

When we become more fully aware that our success is due in large measure to the loyalty, helpfulness, and encouragement we have received from others, our desire grows to pass on similar gifts. Gratitude spurs us on to prove ourselves worthy of what others have done for us. The spirit of gratitude is a powerful energizer. ~ Wilferd A. Peterson 

Sankalpa

I learned a new word today. The Sanskrit word sankalpa. It means resolve, intention, will, purpose, and/or determination.

From the Sanskrit Glossary ~ Sankalpa: “Will; purpose; determination.” A solemn vow or declaration of purpose to perform any ritual observance. Most commonly, sankalpa names the mental and verbal preparation made by a temple priest as he begins rites of worship. During the sankalpa, he proclaims to the three worlds what he is about to do. He intones the name of the Deity, the type of ritual he is about to perform and the present time and place according to precise astrological notations. Once the sankalpa is made, he is bound to complete the ceremony.

From the Yoga Journal ~ POSITIVE POWER A Sanskrit word, sankalpa means "will, purpose, or determination." To make a sankalpa is to set an intention—it's like a New Year's resolution with a yogic twist. While a resolution often zeros in on a perceived negative aspect of ourselves (as in, "I want to lose weight, so no more chocolate chip cookies or ice cream or cheese"), a sankalpa explores what's behind the thought or feeling ("I crave chocolate chip cookies or ice cream or cheese when I'm feeling stressed or sad. I will set an intention to become conscious of this craving and allow my feelings to arise and pass, rather than fill up on fats"). ~ check out the link the full post on this topic is great.

This post at 5 Seed was the inspiration for this post.  Check out her other blog A Green Spell.

P.S. When I started this blog my intent was to post at least once a week. Its now been a bit over two since my last post. There is no excuse . . . just a seemingly ongoing quest to find Balance between the things I "have" to do and the things I "want" to do. If you all have any tips on finding Balance I'd love to hear them.

Life Flows with Ease

Quote:

To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad. It seems almost paradoxical, yet when your inner dependency on form is gone, the general conditions of your life, the outer forms, tend to improve greatly. Things, people, or conditions that you thought you needed for your happiness now come to you with no struggle or effort on your part, and you are free to enjoy and appreciate them - while they last. All those things, of course, will still pass away, cycles will come and go, but with dependency gone there is no fear of loss anymore. Life flows with ease. ~ Eckhart Tolle

We cannot be present and run our story-line at the same time.  ~ Pema Chodron

Blogs:
From Quest for Balance - Life Beyond Computers
From Confident Writing - 10 things to Start, and One Thing to Stop
From Good Life Zen - Want to Improve Your Relationships? Listen up!

That's all for now . . . Hope you all are having a great week.

Peace in your heart

Quotes: 
May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp, and peace in your heart! ~ Eskimo proverb

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live. ~ Flora Whittemore

The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it. ~ Marcus Aurelius

My daughter posted this as her status ~ "When you're struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it's just as hard as what you're going through." -Nicolas Sparks (Dear John...such a good book =])


Other Blogs:
From the Positivity Blog ~ 11 Quick and simple ways to spread positivity around you today  
From the Positivity Blog ~ How to do Something Even When you Don't Feel Like it 

Sorry post is a bit short this week. Started a new journey and still working on finding a balance between all the things I do. Hope you have a Great week!

Namaste

Videos:
Namaste 


Blog Posts:
From Be an Original - How to sabotage goals with 47 simple words.
From Be an Original - Saints and ordinary people. (the prayer in this post is moving)
From Daily OM - Pausing to Drink.

Quotes:
The first step toward planetary healing is to walk toward the beauty in thee-to see the beauty in your own heart, to forgive those ideas and correct those thought forms that obscure the true wisdom fire in your mind. ~ Dhyani Ywahoo

Each time we give away, or let go of, a limiting idea, there is more space for an empowering idea to come to mind. Try thinking: I have value, therefore I can do something of value because I am valuable. ~ Diane Mariechild from Open Mind: Women's Daily Inspiration for Becoming Mindful

We are all on a search – a search for more meaning in our lives. Through choosing to enrich other people’s lives, you add meaning to both their life and your own. ~ Rajesh Setty from  What Matters Now - Seth Godin download free here. It is a compilation of words of wisdom on topics ranging from fear to education. I'm about 1/2 way through myself and am enjoying it. A quick read at 82 pages.

Articles:
From the Jan 2010 Agni Newsletter ~ Harness the Power of Intention

I hope this post finds you all well and having a GREAT week.

I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference

So far this week for me has been a challenge. As much as we would probably like to be, we are not always in a good mood. Sometimes it is tough to maintain a positive attitude. I don't know what it is, but some days we just wake up on the wrong side of the bed.  Some days are just like that; some weeks are just like that. I'd like to hear from you. What do you do on those days to lift your spirit? What do you do to bring a bit more positivity into your thoughts and words?

Quotes
"Stop settling for what’s good enough and start creating art that matters. Stop asking what’s in it for you and start giving gifts that change people. Then, and only then, will you have achieved your potential." ~ Seth Godin

"We are blessed, and in the sharing of our blessings we are again blessed. May our hearts be open. May we ever be grateful for the gift of life." ~ From Open Mind - Women's Daily Inspiration for Becoming Mindful by Diane Mariechild

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song." ~ Chinese Proverb

Other Blog Posts:
From Seth Godin's Blog ~ Is there a fear shortage?
From Altitude Branding ~ The Equestrian's Guide to Reaching your Goals.
From Daily Om  ~ Hand in Hand with Nature
From Serene Journey ~ Dream Big and Put It Out There

Posts from our Fans:

"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver." - Barbara De Angelis

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

I hope that the rest of your week is filled with love, joy and positive thoughts.
P.S. Check out our note on Be Positively Inspired  ~ The Road not Taken.

Positivity in the New Year

I've been an avid reader for years. I read to relax and I read to learn new things. While in my teens I started to collect quotes from the books I read . . . Many of the early ones I collected have been lost. I began posting quotes on twitter (I've got 2 profiles . . . neither have been active recently; but I will soon use one for this blog).

I was posting quotes that I found inspiring, motivational and inspiring. Things to remind me, that even though the people around me may have a negative attitude or outlook on life, that I can choose to have a positive one.

The Be Positively Inspired page on Facebook is meant to remind me and others to maintain a positive attitude. I love finding new quotes, videos and blog posts to add to the pages. I find a lot of things I'd like to share, this blog is a way to share more of those things and to share them with a wider audience.

I hope that you enjoy. Thank you for reading