Resistance ~ Oh How I Love Thee

I hope you hear the sarcasm in my voice about the title of this post.

Resisting feels to me like when you are trying to learn something new. You understand the mechanics of the skill and know in theory how it is supposed to work; but the harder you try the worse you seem to do.

Think of all the excuses that we use to fuel that resistance. Fear, not enough time, it's too hard, I don't have enough money . . .  I'm sure we could sit here all night and list a lot more.

I guess the trick to fighting off resistance is finding a way to move past it. To let go of whatever it is that is keeping us from moving forward. Or maybe just figuring out what is keeping us from taking the next step.

I would love to hear what helps you move past resistance?  What keeps you moving forward? 

Quotes

Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance. ~ Steven Pressfield

The pain that you create now is always some form of nonacceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is. On the level of thought, the resistance is some form of judgment. On the emotional level, it is some form of negativity. The intensity of the pain depends on the degree of resistance to the present moment, and this in turn depends on how strongly you are identified with your mind. ~ Eckhart Tolle from The Power of Now

When you talk about what you want and why you want it, there's usually less resistance within you than when you talk about what you want and how you're going to get it. When you pose questions you don't have answers for, like how, where, when, who, it sets up a contradictory vibration that slows everything down. ~ Esther Hicks

You cannot resist something to which you grant no reality. The act of resisting a thing is the act of granting it life. When you resist an energy, you place it there. The more you resist, the more you make it real—whatever it is you are resisting. ~ Neale Donald Walsch

The word "surrender" is often interpreted as giving up, as weakness, as admitting defeat. Although this is one way to use the word, we will use it in a different way. Surrendering means letting go of your resistance to the total openness of who you are. It means giving up the tension of the little vortex you believe yourself to be and realizing the deep power of the ocean you truly are. It means to open with no boundaries, emotional or physical, so you ease wide beyond any limiting sense of self you might have. ~ David Deida

Present ~ Oct. 7, 2011

Quotes

. . . all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. ~ Dale Carnegie

You and I are standing this very second at the meeting place of two eternities: the vast past that has endured forever, and the future that is plunging on to the last syllable of recorded time. We can’t possible live in either of those eternities – no, not even for a split second. But, by trying to do so, we can wreck both our bodies and our minds. So let’s be content to live the only time we can possible live: from now until bedtime. ~ Dale Carnegie

Nothing ever happened in the past that can prevent you from being present now; and if the past cannot prevent you from being present now, what power does it have? ~ Eckhart Tolle

Blog Posts

Are You Building Something That Matters ~ I can't tell you how many posts in my blog feed were about Steve Jobs yesterday. I think this is one of the best that I saw. 

Tiny Wisdom: Stumbling on Unexpected Joy ~ “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” ~ Henri Nouwen

Truth - Oct. 1, 2011

October already . . . Fall already . . . Today was a beautiful day at the beach. One of those days that's a little cloudy, a little sunny and a little brisk all at the same time.

Around here fall can be a tough time of the year.  We go from being a busy tourist destination to being a sleepy little small town as soon as the kids are back in school.  I'm not mentally ready for the slow down.  Not sure what I'm supposed to do with all the down time.

It may be the perfect time to catch up on some reading. I went a bit nuts this year at the Friends of the Library sales (it is hard to resist when most books are 3 for $1.00). It is probably the perfect time to finish some of the craft projects I've started. The quilt I've been working on for what feels like years (I'm doing it all by hand and it is a bed sized quilt), the pair of socks I started knitting months ago, or even some of the jewelry that is in progress.  I'm just not sure where I want to start.

I'm not going to worry about any of those right now though.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow; having a day to myself . . . maybe to just sit and do nothing, maybe to work on some of those projects or maybe I'll do something else entirely who knows. When did you last take some time just for you? Some time to just do nothing? Or meditate? Or . . . I guess the possibilities are endless. I hope that you will take some time for yourself soon.

Quotes

A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be. ~ Albert Einstein

I cannot tell you any spiritual truth that deep within you don't know already. All I can do is remind you of what you have forgotten. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Responsibility to self simply means to acknowledge inner truth—our imperfections and our power, our beauty. ~ John Pierrakos

The kingdom within is a lush garden that fills your soul with awe. An inner landscape of truth, beauty and love that if acknowledged and appreciated will transport you to a higher level of being where the glow of greatness will guide you to the essence of true wisdom. Find your wings and let your soul fly across a rainbow bridge of divine grace and harmony to a place where love is life and life is love! ~ Micheal Teal ~ Create your own Wordle here.  I'd love to see yours . . .

Blog Posts

In The Pursuit of Happiness ~ I really like this post.  I really believe that happiness is a choice. It is not dependent upon anything outside of ourselves. "You have many things to be happy about right now, right here today if you only shift your mindset to one of gratitude instead of one of want. "

Believe Shift ~ I love this post; definitely a MUST READ ~ "So when you’re weary and feeling small, make a believe shift – a shift in direction that is grounded in your belief in your own greatness, in your own unique and goofy momentum. Walk gently towards something that gives you more lightness, peace, time, and joy in your life. Make a believe shift."

You ~ Sept. 23, 2011

Quotes

"This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy." ~ Susan Polis Schutz

Life's like a movie, write your own ending
Keep believing, keep pretending
We've done just what we set out to do
Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you.
~ Kermit and the Muppets

The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, personal and family history, belief systems, and often political, nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. None of these is you. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Blog Posts

Simplify Your Life By Eliminating These 7 Problems ~  I just realized that I have a bit of a problem with the title of this post.  The problem is the word "problem". They are challenges certainly and obstacles to be overcome and life lessons to learn from.  Problems just seems like such a negative word.


Right Now, I'm Scared. Are You? ~ I know I am. Every time I'm ready to hit the "share" or "publish" button. What if you don't like what I post? What if there is a typo (sometimes there are)? What if I post something you find offensive?  I don't know about you, but I don't want to live my life in fear. So I'm going to hit the "share" button and share it anyway.  How about your? Are you going to look fear in the face and do it anyway?


Gardening 101: What Seeds Are You Planting ~ "By planting a new seed, you are starting small. There is no need to make a revolutionary change or have a huge epiphany. Simply survey your landscape. See what you are doing that detracts from your happiness and well being, and plant a new seed."

Now ~ Sept. 10, 2011

Quotes

Focus your attention on the Now and tell me what problem you have at this moment. ~ Eckhart Tolle

~ I hope that you will take a moment and try this exercise. A true test of whether you are living in the now or not.

Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man... Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now. ~ Paulo Coelho

~ I know this isn't always easy to do. But when you live in the present how can life not be a "party for you, a grand festival"?

There are not kinds of love, love is love; there are only degrees of love. Love is trusting, accepting and believing, without guarantee. Love is patient and waits, but it's an active waiting, not a passive one. For it is continually offering itself in a mutual revealing, a mutual sharing, Love is spontaneous and craves expression through joy, through beauty, through truth, even through tears. Love lives in the moment; it's neither lost in yesterday nor does it crave for tomorrow. Love is Now! ~ Leo F. Buscaglia

Blog Posts

5 Simple Actions for Pure Peace ~ I like this from Action 2 of this post. One of the things I love about living in a small town and owning my own business. It makes "going slowly" easier. ~ "Going slowly and enjoying the journey is “life.”  Rushing the moment can take such fun out of the anticipation. Expectations can lead to disappointment, but accepting what I have been given now is contentment."

Create to Share ~ "When we do something because we love it, the act of doing it becomes enough. When we create with the intention of sharing, everything we receive in return becomes a gift."

Enligtenment ~August 27, 2011

No input from me today . . . going to let the words stand for themselves. I hope that you enjoy.

Quotes

to know people is wisdom, but to know yourself is enlightenment.
to master people takes force, but to master yourself takes strength.
to know contentment is wealth, and to live with strength resolve.
to never leave whatever you are is to abide, and to die without getting lost-
that is to live on and on.

~ Lao Tzu

We are on a journey of becoming that which we already are. That is the impossible paradox of our lives. ~ Leonard Jacobson

Enlightenment is a state of wholeness, of being "at one" and therefore at peace. At one with life in its manifested aspect, the world, as well as with our deepest self and life unmanifested - at one with Being. Enlightenment is not only the end of suffering and of continuous conflict within and without, but also the end of the dreadful enslavement of incessant thinking. What an incredible liberation this is! ~Eckhart Toller - The Power of Now

A loving journey of transition begins by nurturing self care. If we honour our inner selves we not only live our divine blueprint, we also embrace the richness of humanity as we promote spiritual enlightenment. ~ Micheal Teal

It is not until you awaken and become fully present that you will realize that you have not been present. It is not until you awaken that you will realize you have been asleep, dreaming that you are awake. ~ Leonard Jacobson

Blog Posts

Tiny Wisdom: On Realizing You're Complete ~ I may have posted this one before . . . but I really like the quote that makes up the better part of this post.

I have Some Bad News For Some of You ~ "The thing is my friends, you can do all those things you crave but there is no magic pill.  You have to do the work, put in some effort and sometimes be willing to risk, fail and try again.  Sometimes it’s hard.  And that’s okay.  This is how we learn what really matters."  ~ Bonnie has this one right on. There isn't a magic pill. Life takes work. Sometimes you are going to fail. Sometimes you are going to falter. But that's okay as long as we learn a lesson from it and get back up and try again. And remember to never give up.

August 21 & 22, 2011

Quotes

A single smile is a cure for anything. It penetrates the human heart causing it to beat faster. A single smile means warmth, satisfaction, happiness, and most of all it means life. People smiling know and understand they have something worth living for. ~ Andriana Kelisakieva

A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~ Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

All that is worth cherishing in this world begins in the heart, not the head. ~ Suzanne Chazin

I just need to do something new....  I've got the big remote control of life in my hands, and I'm ready to start pushing some buttons. ~ Cecelia Ahern

Despite our differences, we are all in this together. No act of kindness or compassion goes unnoticed. To change the world, take compassionate action within your immediate sphere of influence. To change yourself, start by being still and making time just to listen. ~ Edmund Bourne

Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Blog Posts

Stopping the BS ~ "How to live authentically?  Learn who you are.  Live it consciously and on purpose."

5 Steps to Push Through Fear ~ "What we get from meeting our fears is 100% freedom. The rush, the excitement, the pleasure this brings is worth it all.

Whatever that thing is that makes you afraid, it’s asking you to meet it only because it knows the incredible bliss that will come with it."

Tiny Wisdom: What Fear Really Means ~ "Today if you feel limited by your fear, remember: You can assume the worst and allow that to keep you paralyzed, or you can decide to stop wasting your energy analyzing evidence, and focus instead of creating possibilities."


Happy Accidents ~ "maybe good, maybe bad, we'll see."

July 19, 2011

So yesterday I got a chance to sit outside in the sun and knit with the company of my four birds. The weather was great, but quite windy, but I sat in the sun anyway.  My birds weren't quite sure what to think though. They spend most of their days in the house. I think a couple of them really enjoyed it. I hope we can do it again it was a nice way to spend an hour in the afternoon sun.

Quotes

Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Placing the blame or judgment on someone else leaves you powerless to change your experience. Taking responsibility for your beliefs and judgments gives you the power to change them. ~ Byron Katie

I am responsible for what I see.
I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt.
I could see peace instead of THIS.
The past is over - it can touch me not.
This instant is the only time there is.
Today I will judge nothing that occurs.
I am not the victim of the world I see.
I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.
I am determined to see things differently.
I am never upset for the reason I think.
Forgiveness is the key to happiness.

All that I give I give to myself.

~ Hugh Prather

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves.
The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility. ~ Elanor Roosevelt

Blog Posts

Simply Beautiful Things (New Series) ~ "Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed." ~ Walt Whitman

Embrace Your Essence ~ "You are complete. You know the answers. You are abundantly enough." Raam Dev

The Bare Truth About Living in the Moment ~ "Living in the moment is all about awareness, about where your mental focus is directed. The difference between total presence and complete unconsciousness is small, it is an imperceptible shift out of thought and into being. Therefore, increased presence ultimately lies in increased awareness. Awareness of the sights, sounds, and smells that flood the senses every day. Awareness of your body in space, the air on your skin. Awareness of sensation."

An Ode to Love ~