Fear; How Long Will You Let it Steer Your Life?

I'm going to share a secret with you . . . I have let fear steer the direction of my life (on occasions and in certain circumstances).


This blog is almost always the words of others because I'm afraid. 

I'm afraid every time I hit the publish button. What if no one reads my post? What if no one likes my post? What if you don't like what I post? What if you have something negative to say about my post? 

What if the words I write are wrong? What if there is a typo? What if I can't make myself understood?  What if? What if? What if?

I have a feeling that it is time for a change here at Be Positively Inspired. Oh My Gosh . . .  there is another scary concept; Change. I am not completely sure what those changes will be and what the end product will look like; but I hope that you will all join me on this journey. 

I'm tired of letting fear steer the direction of my life. It is time to let go of those what ifs and move towards what I really believe this blog on page can be.

Quotes 

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

A further sign of health is that we don't become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it's time to stop struggling and look directly at what's threatening us. ~ Pema Chodron

"I want to know if you've touched the center of your own sorrow, if you've been opened by life's betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain." ~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Blog Posts

I Need a Hero ~ "Our world needs more heroes. We don’t need people to literally wear costumes, but we do need people to don their own superhero outfits by accepting their vast heroic potential. We need more heroes."

How To Meditate at Any Time Without Meditating ~ "By living in our heads, we’re missing opportunities to connect with our family. Opportunities to feel the pleasure of sunshine on our face while standing at the bus stop. Opportunities to feel our creative energy spark when we watch a child playing. Opportunities to be in nature, even for just a few minutes, and find our footing again."

Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living ~

Healing ~ Oct. 15, 2011

I haven't posted in a few days. There are a few reasons for that. I'd list them, but they kind of sound like excuses. If I'd really wanted to get a post published; I would have worked through those excuses and found a way to do it. I believe a couple of the excuses are legitimate; but you know they seem to pale to some of the obstacles that others face and still get on with their days.

I picked healing as a topic because I've been in physical pain for the last few days and am trying to figure out some way to heal that pain. None of these quotes really address that kind of pain. As long as I can get out of my bed in the morning and continue with my day I have something to be grateful for.  I am grateful that the pain is not as bad as it was yesterday, or the day before.  And while I may hurt, I can still get up and do the things I love and try to be a lamp, a ladder or a lifeboat to help heal someone's soul.

Quotes

Love heals the world one heart at a time. ~ Mr. Prophet 


While holding positive thoughts and emotions is advantageous, positive thinking itself is not "Hallmark Card thinking."  It's really an ongoing awareness that all truly is well with the world, with life, and with oneself. It's also a commitment not to mindlessly pass on fears but to bring positive energy, images, ideas, and feelings into the lives of others, to help them attune to the wellness at the heart of the world. ~ David Spangler


Be a lamp, a lifeboat, a ladder. Help someone's soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd. ~ Mevlana Rumi

Loving ourselves is the miracle cure we are all looking for. ~ Louise Hay

Blog Posts

Tired of Being Tired ~ "We have gotten good at ignoring our body’s signals — much of our lives is training our minds to pretend our bodies aren’t tired, so we can be more productive."
"This is wrong. It ends up in burnout and less production, because we inevitably run out of energy. Listen to your body — your long-term health and sanity depend on it."


Tiny Wisdom: If You Knew This Would Be Your Last Day ~ "Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and then see this day anew. Wipe the slate clean. Take the pressure off. Put a smile on. Today is a new opportunity to be who you want to be and do what you want to do."

Tiny Wisdom: See, Do, Explore, Learn ~ "There are inevitably going to be times when we retreat into ourselves, to regroup, to recharge, or to heal. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as we don’t dwell in that place. The best things in life happen when we consent to participate. The biggest opportunities find us when we’re open to receiving them."

Roots ~ Oct. 12, 2011

Other FB Pages

"I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have ...to be better than you ever thought you could be." - Ken Venturi Via Positive Inspirational Quotes ( PIQ)

Peace
Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We can never ob...tain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
- Dalai Lama

Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. - Saint Francis de Sales

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. - Lao Tzu

The outer world will always attempt to pull you this way and push you that. There will always be external pressures from financial issues, career issues, health issues, relationship issues and more. Further, the TV news will always attempt to manipulate your emotions to increase your upset and anger at the seemingly rampant injustices of the world.

Nonetheless, you do always have the ability to resist these external stressors, and to live in inner peace and happiness. You can choose how you prefer to respond to external events, and you can train yourself to minimize your stress and maximize the joy you receive from life.

Stop! Breathe deeply. Begin bringing peace to the outer world by regaining your own inner peace. Choose love, choose gratitude, choose forgiveness, choose peace. Begin with your own inner peace. Then use that inner peace as a platform from which to approach the outer world with perspective, understanding, and patience.

Via Daily Dose of Inspiration

Quotes

Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits, Take care of your garden And keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine Kind words and kind deeds” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The fairest thing in nature, a flower, still has its roots in earth and manure. ~ D.H. Lawrence

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness. ~ Dalai Lama

Blog Posts

Native American Code of Ethics ~ "Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first."

Cherish Your Challenges and Find Your Authentic Self ~ "The word challenge leaves a very different taste in my mouth nowadays. It feels like a dare, more playful and less painful. An excuse to meet a part of me I haven’t yet had the chance to bump into."

Opportunity ~ Oct. 11, 2011

A lot of great things today . . . even some blog posts in this post that weren't shared on facebook. I hope you will check them out.  

Quotes

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

You could wait for the world to invite you to the banquet and the ball. Or you could just show up in your red dress and your headdress ready to boogie. ~ Tama Kieves

If an opportunity scares you, that's God's way of saying you should jump at it. ~ Anna Quindlen

Change is a challenge and an opportunity, not a threat. ~ Prince Phillip of England


~ I like this one . . . Not a big fan of change, in fact, I tend to resist it. But, I'm also willing to admit that it is part of life; and that we are constantly changing.  My birds, however, really not big fans of change.  We received a stand up cage on wheels, that is a bit bigger than their other one.  Two of our birds have changed cages before so are adjusting nicely now, the other two . . . not so much.  We have had a bit of yelling and screaming I know they will settle in, but they, like a lot of us, are creatures of habit.  Our habits comfort us and help us feel like all is right in the world.

Blog Posts

7 Little Things That Make Life Effortless ~ There are some great tips here . . . I like the Do Less one. Learning to do what is important makes it easier to do some of the things you really want to do.  Not Creating busy work; is a hard lesson to learn, since we are trained to always look busy in our jobs.

Giving Myself a Time Out ~ When was the last time you gave yourself a Time Out?  A time to "listen to the song of my (your) soul."

*****Bonus Post****
Life, death, and the hero within us all ~ "But I prefer to listen to the hero. And what I hear the hero say – in a moment when I am still, and quiet within – is this: “You are a spiritual being and you are alive forever more.”"

How to Give Yourself a Second Chance ~ It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between we fear . . . It’s like being between trapezes.  It’s Linus When his blanket is in the dryer. There is nothing to hold on to. ~ Marillyn Ferguson

****Bonus Post****
Tiny Buddha: Lori Deschene Interview #4 ~ I decided to post this since this is one of my favorite blogs.

The Ugly Step Forward ~ "It’s not always glamorous and it’s not always pretty, but you move forward. And that’s what matters."

Existence ~ Oct. 10, 2011

Had a great day . . . wanted to talk a little about gratitude today.  The BPI page on Facebook hit another milestone. 7,000 likes.  I am so grateful for all the love that you show.  For sharing my posts and mentioning the page to others.  I am also grateful for the support of other page admins who share my posts and suggest or page to their fans.

I went to knitting group yesterday and am blessed and grateful for such great knitting friends.  I was gifted a hat, a pattern for a beautiful sweater (I've never done a sweater . . . I'm a little scared by the idea) and I was also given the yarn for the sweater.  Now I just have to dive in and start it.  Wish me luck.

I hope that you found something to be grateful for in your day today. I know I found many things to be grateful for today.  Thank you all.


Quotes
You are what you want to become. Why search anymore? You are a wonderful manifestation. The whole universe has come together to make your existence possible. There is nothing that is not you. The kingdom of God, the Pure Land, nirvana, happiness, and liberation are all you. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Spirituality means waking up.  Most people, even though they don't know it, are asleep.  They're born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up.  They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence. ~ Anthony De Mello

~ This is kind of sad . . . I bet we all know people like this.

Philosophy is speculation, Zen is participation. Participate in the night leaving, participate in the evening coming, participate in the stars and participate in the clouds; make participation your lifestyle and the whole existence becomes such a joy, such an ecstasy. You could not have dreamed of a better universe. ~ Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh 

~ Beautiful . . . Share this with the people that are like the Anthony De Mello quote.

Blog Posts


Tiny Wisdom: Enjoying How We Work ~ "I realize we all have different obligations and options, but for each of us, there are options. Some of them will work with our temperaments and likes, and others will engender internal resistance. Perhaps the key to loving what we do is not just enjoying the work itself, but to also paying attention to how we choose to do it."

What Aren't You Cut Out For? ~ "Somethings in life you’re a natural at, somethings you will have to learn, somethings are going to have to be worked at and are a challenge, and then there’s plenty that you’re simply just not cut out for and never will be.

So don’t be cut out for it. Just cut it out and go be brilliant at everything else!!"

~ I like to believe that I can do anything I put my mind to . . . but, this post is right on. There are just some things that I will never be good at.