Thank You Letters

I know from my personal experience that I feel happier when I am aware of being grateful for what I already have in my life. And I feel good letting people know that I appreciate them and/or what they have done for me.

Well now a professor at Kent State has conducted a study that indicates writing letters that demonstrate our gratitude can improve our own happiness. And I thought writing thank you letters was just good manners--and for the "other guy". Now we have a selfish reason to write our thank yous!

Steven Toepfer, the prof, had students write letters thanking people for the positive influence they had provided. The students didn't write a lot of letters, just one every other week for six weeks. That's only 3 letters!

The ground rules were pretty simple, be positive, express appreciation and (no doubt the most challenging part) include some "insight and reflection, not venture into trivial waters"...in other words, they had to put some thought into it!

After writing the letters the students were surveyed to gauge their mood, feelings of happiness, gratitude and overall life satisfaction.

The study showed that happiness levels were higher after each letter. According to the professor, 75% of the students want to continue writing letters--even after the study ended.

Our "social network" is important--large or small is not the key. But having and maintaining a few significant relationships has great benefits. According to Toepfer these benefits are both psychological and physical!

This appears to agree with the information we learned earlier this month about happiness being "contagious" and the importance of social networks for our happiness!

Affirmations Work for All Areas of Our Lives

Affirmations work for us.

Whether we are looking to lose weight, fatten our bank account, improve our health, increase the love in our lives, decrease stress or add joyful experiences, we can help achieve all these things and more by using affirmations.

The first step is to be clear on what you want. Then affirm that you have it!

Check out today's health affirmation at RefuseToDiet.com

Be the Change You Want to See in the World

My friend, and a beautiful soul, Carol Oxenrider has set up a not-for-profit foundation, Serendipity West, and is working to make an impact on the lives of kids--and their families.

I am so impressed by Carol...she had a vision of what she wanted to achieve in the world and she set out to get it! She didn't know how it was going to happen, but with her faith in her dream she has been attracting people to support and promote her vision along the way!

Carol works with schools to set up "Challenge Days" and also "Be the Change" workshops. The latest workshop was called, "Next Step to Being the Change" and was held in Bend, Oregon December 5-7.

It’s such a treasure to experience events that allow people, young and old alike, to understand that we each are unique and special and have important things to contribute to the world.

Carol tells me they have 4 Challenge Days coming up in January in her area!

Wow!!!

To learn more about Carol, her foundation and the wonderful work they are doing, check out her blog: http://yourpieceofthepuzzle.blogspot.com/. It's all about how we can make a difference in the world by bringing programs like Challenge Day to our communities.

Visit Carol's website--it you are in her vicinity perhaps you can collaborate on projects. If you are in a different area and her work sounds like something you'd be interested in, let her know! I know for a fact her vision is to make an impact around the world!

Thank You for the Teachers Around Me

I am so grateful for the wonderful teachers that surround me.

Some of these teachers are "official"--you know speakers, authors, professors, ministers, experts in their fields, etc.

I'm also grateful for the "unofficial" teachers, who frequently do not even recognize themselves as teachers. This might include a neighbor, a child, the shop clerk, someone in line at the post office.

Some of the other teachers that we are surrounded by include all the elements of nature--the trees, clouds, our pets, wildlife...here I have been getting many lessons from some simple natural events--the doves who live in the trees outside my dining room, the horses in the pasture across the street, the glorious sunrises.

I am grateful for the wonderful sense of joy, peace and harmony that I get when I contemplate these wonderful teachers.

Taking Care of Oneself

I "met" someone today through her blog...she is talking about the importance of taking care of oneself...and she referenced my RefuseToDiet blog.

The idea of taking care of self is something I've been covering here. I really appreciate her take on things we can do (actions)--check out her blog!

Taking care of oneself includes our health, doing our affirmations, keeping our hearts centered on love and peace...and really deciding that we deserve good things and setting our intentions that we are open to receiving all the good there is in the universe!

The Importance of Feeding the Soul

Listening to Cheryl Richardson yesterday I was reminded how important it is to do things that feed the soul...by doing what brings us joy we open ourselves up to even more gifts from the universe.

I had been neglecting my own source of joy--my art. Yesterday I made my way to the studio for the first time in a long time. What a wonderful experience and reminder!

I had been allowing myself to focus on "tasks" that seemed important...but not joyful. Instead, yesterday I did some "tasks" but I also spent half the day in the studio. During this time I could actually feel the energy shift and the openness to positive things from the Universe.

Thank you Cheryl for the reminder. Thank you to my supportive partner who encouraged me. And thanks to myself for following through on the inspiration!

Attitude Is Key

No matter what you want to change about your life, your attitude is the key component.

A woman here in Loveland, Colorado, is an excellent example of this. Like me, she has struggled with weight her entire life. And like me, she made a determination to change.

Unlike me, her success made national television when Jay Leno dissed her as part of the Tonight Show, Headlines segment in November. Apparently her losing 80 pounds was not visible enough in the advertisement and so the comedian poked fun at her.

For a lot of people, that would have been enough to send them to the frig or back to bed. For this local woman, she is using it fuel her desire to achieve her goals of fitness.

What an awesome example for all of us! Whether we want to bring more health into our lives or if we want to attract the perfect mate, more money, the perfect job or our dream home...it is up to us to set the intention and keep our attitude positive and not let other people "take us out!"

I'm Filled with Gratitude

I'm sitting in the quiet and really feeling grateful for everything that I have in my life.

The end of the year is a great time to reflect back on what blessings we have...

Thank you Universe for the abundance all around me, the beauty, the horses, the people, the wonderful experiences. Thank you for bringing the right teachers into my life and for the prosperity that is mine. I am so blessed.

Taking Action is an Essential Part of the Attraction Equation

I was watching an interview with Cheryl Richardson today, part of the extended You Can Heal Your Life movie by Louise Hay. I love how I can watch these interviews over and over and hear something new each time...

Affirmation + Action = Miracles
~Cheryl Richardson

I have written about this numerous times...taking action is an essential part of the equation!

Listening to Guidance

Whether you believe that inner voice that whispers to you is your own inner wisdom, an angel or spirit guide, or God, it is important that we take note of those messages and listen to them--and take action upon them.

I find that when I get this sort of guidance it generally comes more than just one time. If I'm being less than receptive because I'm just not listening, or I just don't want to hear that particular message, it will come back. Typically it will get stronger and more blunt over time.

When I get the same message several times, whether in dreams, inspiration or suddenly hearing people mention the same thing over and over then I know it is time for me to sit with it, check to see how the message feels, and then take appropriate action.

Affirmations are About Feeling Not Just Words

When we repeat our affirmations, it is good to remember that the Universe responds to our feelings, not really the words that we are saying. So if you are saying your affirmations regularly, and find that it is more of a rote habit, it may be time to change it up a bit!

Whether you say the same exact words or change the words, place the focus on the feeling. What is it that you are expecting? What is your desire? What are you looking to manifest in your life? Slow down, place your hands on your chest, take a deep breath and imagine that you have that in your life now. Feel in your heart how grateful you are for this wonderful state of health/abundance/whatever it is that is in your heart. Then, when you have that feeling--of gratitude, or having it now-- say your affirmations.

Create Your Life

Every day (and every moment of every day) we have the opportunity to CHOOSE to create our life.

The very thing that we complain about over and over is the thing we are creating in our lives.

~Gay Hendricks

Get clear on what you want, rather than what you do not want, in your life. Focus on that and we can manifest anything.

Gay Hendricks, author and co-founder of Spiritual Cinema Circle, realized in his twenties that he was not living consciously...that he was not choosing his own life. Rather he seemed to be living a life of someone else's design...and he was miserable!

That is when he had an AH HA moment!!!

I can invent my own life

~Gay Hendricks

Now he is healthier, happier and certainly better off financially, too!

Let us all work on creating our ideal lives!

Grateful for a Gorgeous Start to My Day

This morning I woke to the most gorgeous sunrise.

It really made me STOP and LOOK and FEEL. And that is a wonderful thing!

I'm recommitting to noticing "gorgeous sunrises" throughout my day so that I reconnect with Source / the Universe more and more often.

Hope for Change

Fear is the Opposite of Love

There are 2 basic emotions: love and the lack of love. Some people will say that the opposite of love is hate. But where does hate really come from? Fear. When we are not coming from love, we are actually coming from fear.

Esther & Jerry Hicks refer to this in the Teachings of Abraham (Check out the book Ask and It Is Given...great!) So does scientist Gregg Braden. Many other fantastic teachers point this out.

When you want to manifest, or attract, something into your life (some thing or person or event or skill...you name it) it is crucial to be aware of the emotion behind the desire.

Coming from love will allow you to attract what you want. The same exact thoughts that are powered by fear will bring you the lack of what you want or some other negative aspect of what you want.

Abraham uses an example about money...if you desire to have more money, you can not attract it if your feelings are about the lack of money, or jealousy that someone else has money and you don't.

Whether it is money, or health or an ideal relationship, if we come from our place of "not having" or fear of not getting it, then we will not attract it into our lives. I wrote a post last month in response to a question about this topic...if you didn't read it then, check it out by clicking here.

My goal is to approach everything from a place of love. I am not perfect at it (yet!) but I am on the path. I am pleased that my awareness grows every day and I find myself being more clear and loving all the time.

I believe when we all come from this loving place there will be peace on earth. And isn't that a lovely (and loving) thought!

Happiness and Social Networking

In yesterday's post I mentioned a study that talks about happiness being contagious and that our happiness is dependent upon the actions, behaviors and thoughts of others' as well as ourselves.

One of the points they were making was that social networks are a key component to a person's happiness. Social networks...hmmm...like having friends, perhaps? Does anyone really believe this is news?

For most of us, having a group of like-minded people with whom we can laugh, share ideas, be stimulated and challenged, and yes, even comiserate with is a very important element of being happy as an individual.

Social networking has a new meaning these days...there are lots of sites on the internet that are designed to help people bond with other, like-minded people. Blogging would be one example of course, but so are places like Twitter and Facebook.

So does networking online pass the contagion? Christakis wouldn't say for sure. I believe it does...not as powerful as flesh & blood communication or hearing someone's voice directed to you, but when you build a relationship with people that is positive and uplifting that can only be a good thing.

Is Happiness Contagious or is it the Law of Attraction?

Associated Press recently cited a British medical journal paper that concludes happiness is "contagious"...they sounded surprised to find that good cheer can be and is passed "even to total strangers"...

It may have been a British medical journal, but the study was done by American researchers. And no, they weren't following people in sunny California, but in Framingham, Mass. This report was part of a 20 year study on the heart.

Co-author of the study and professor at Harvard, Nicholas Christakis says, "Happiness is like a stampede"

Your happiness depends on your actions and according to the study the behaviors, thoughts and actions of people you don't even know. I agree--if you let it! You do have a choice about it, after all. You can live unconsciously and be happy because of other people...or you can create your life deliberately and be happy regardless of other people.

In other words, choose to be happy and you be the light, the contagion, if you will! Let others become happier because of your example. If you run across unhappy people, you can repell that energy!

That being said, it is a great idea to surround yourself with happy people. According to this study, each "happy friend" you have boosts your chances of being happy by 9%. Have grumpy friends drops your chances--fortunately not quite as much, by 7%.

Guess the song was right: Don't Worry, Be Happy!

What a Beautiful Day and Life

Yesterday we had our first snow of the season.

The moisture is welcome. It is so beautiful. Quiet. Cold.

I'll choose to focus on the beauty and quiet!

I'm so happy and grateful for the beautiful fall we had, and for the different beauty we get to experience now for the winter. Thank you for the blessings of abundant moisture and beauty.

What Do I Want in My Life

Are you wondering why your affirmations aren't manifesting? How come the Law of Attraction doesn't seem to be delivering...if it is the "law" then where is the result?

I find that one of the biggest reasons for this is when I am not clear on what I actually want in my life.

If I vacilate about my dream home or my ideal partner or what I want my body to look like, then how can I expect the Universe to know what to give me?

Get clear through exercises like Michael Losier's Clarity Through Contrast or by listening to Louise Hay or other wonderful teachers of the Law of Attraction.

Get really clear about the elements you require, the experience you want and how that feels. Then you are setting the stage for the Universe to deliver.

Listen to the Messages and Take Action

While we are contemplating the possibilities, it is also important to be open to the messages that we get from the Universe/Source /God /Infinite Intelligence...what you call it is not crucial.

These messages, if we listen, will tell us the step(s) that is in our best interest to take.

I've talked about this before, but it is worth repeating...

Sometimes this will come as a full-blown idea. Other times it will be a tiny step that may seem inconsequential.

The message may come when you are first waking up, in that foggy time between subconscious and consciousness. Or the message may come while you are relaxing in the shower or during meditation.

Or it may come in a physical form--you see or hear mention of the same thing repeatedly, say on the news, in the paper, in the mail, at the water cooler, in line at the store. Whenever we hear things repeatedly it deserves to be paid attention to. It may or may not be a message from the Universe, but if we don't hear it we won't know!

Another way to receive a message is that it may actually awaken you during the night...for example I have been woken up between 4:44 and 4:57 every morning for several weeks to use the bathroom. I believe that I am getting a message (that has nothing to do with the toilet!) My job is to be awake enough to write it down and then ACT UPON IT!

Positive thoughts and words are great...and they are a start...if and when we get the message and the impulse to act, then we must act. At that point the thoughts and words alone are not enough!

Contemplate the Possibilities

Thomas Troward (1847-1916) greatly influenced the New Thought movement at the end of the 19th century. One of his points was that it is by contemplating the possibility of a thing that we can actually bring it about.

Contemplate the possibilities that you want to have manifest in your life.

Be grateful for the possibilities and their manifestation.

To read more about Thomas Troward's ideas check out his books:

• The Edinburgh and Dore Lectures on Mental Science
• The Creative Process in the Individual (New Edition)
• The Hidden Power