AFFIRMATION
I am my body, my mind, and my spiritual self. When I create, I am connecting that which I am in my essential nature with who I am as a human being. My creative expression is a reflection of all that I am. I will trust my intuitive guidance that leads me to know what is highest and best for me.
It is a very bad idea to defer joy. When we defer joy, we risk our health, our happiness, our productivity, and the relationships we share with those whom we cherish most. When we blindly chug along down those narrow tracks toward that Grand Destination of later, we squander our potential to experience a life directed by joy and creativity, both now and along our way. It is important for us to take the steps to discover that which we truly love to do, embracing each moment in that doing as the precious destination it actually is. We must come to understand that it is not the Grand Destinations dangling in our idea of later that bring us the greatest joy. Instead, it is for us to become utterly awakened to the fact that it is the simple things we embrace each day that truly will make our hearts sing.
When we defer joy, we risk our health, our happiness, our productivity, and the relationships we share with those whom we cherish most.
We all have any army of reasons why we can't write that novel, train for a marathon, or study the night sky's sparkling constellations. We think we are too busy, too tired, and over-committed. We have people to take care of, jobs to do, errands to tend to, and so when we arrive home from a long and challenging day, we just want to relax. What do we collectively do? We turn on the television and choose to tune out. So if we are constantly running all day and grab the TV remote at night, how are we going to create the time that we think we don't have? How are we possibly going to come to the awareness that it is essential to do what we love every single day of our life?
When we come to understand that we need to tenderly care for all aspects of our being, we will have begun the process of moving ourselves into balance, blending together the needs of our minds, our bodies, and our spiritual essence. Because many of us have ignored directly caring for ourselves for far too long, we wonder how we are going to change our patterns and begin anew. What is it that we need to focus on?
There are lots of things that we can do, but a simple way to start is by keeping our physical selves healthy and our minds actively inspired; we need to create a sense of peace in all that we do, even when we are vitally active. When we begin to think about how we truly want to live our lives, we must be willing to open to the harmonious energy that our creative inspirations will require, to be born into a physical reality. It is when we combine our creative potential with our dynamically inspired desire that we will create an outward expression that reflects our internal beauty.
When we learn to consistently think good thoughts and focus on our bodies being healthy and well, this is a good beginning on our pathway to wholeness and happiness. It is imperative that we know that we are worthy to be loved by another and actively want to love in return. This allows us to open to the Streaming joy that we want flowing in and out of our hearts. We need to develop our ability to sit quietly in our place of peace and call in the wisdom of our spiritual Essence, which offers us the gifts of solitude and renewal. And when these pieces are all present and singing in concert with one another, we will have become a beautiful symphony in body, mind, and spirit: the happy and attuned person we were born to be.
How are we possibly going to come to the awareness that it is essential to do what we love every single day of our life?
Why, might we ask, do we avoid doing things that we love to do? Of course, there are a number of reasons this can happen. Perhaps we no longer know what we truly enjoy because we are too busy taking care of everyone else, or maybe we went down a different path than what we had loved when we were little and don't feel as though there is any turning back. But it is extremely painful for us to not do the things that create meaning and value for us. Perhaps this is the most compelling, causative agent behind human pain, as it fabricates a gash within the fabric of our being, so that we are no longer able to experience ourselves as one unified whole. When we don't do what we are Called to do, we become compromised within our emotions, within our minds, and within in our bodies. Illness has a way of creeping into abandoned hearts and causing great afflictions of the body and spirit.
If we truly want to live as a beautiful and radiant version of who we Leaped in here to be, then we must take the time to discover what we love to do and find a way to do it. The silent truth is this: It is agonizing for the human spirit to live a life of mediocrity and repetition, when our hearts surely know how it is supposed to be.
As we discussed, clutter is a detriment to every aspect of our lives and it is essential that we successfully clear out the clutter within our minds. When we are not able to do this, we have the tendency to tire more quickly and we can't seem to focus on our own thoughts. Of course, there are simple things that we can do to soothe our wearied minds such as relaxing or sleeping, but one of the most effective things we can do to help ourselves is to learn to meditate. Let's begin by looking more carefully at what meditation actually is and how it can have a positive effect on us.
Meditation is a practice designed to create an awareness of the present moment through the use of concentrated focus, breath, sound, or attention on an object, most often resulting in a state of relaxation and calm. It is a wonderful way to bring us back to center, almost like having a reset button built into us. By starting and ending our day with meditation, it would greatly benefit us in every aspect of our beings. Meditation can be as simple as sitting quietly and concentrating on a lighted candle or focusing on one thought. Rhythmic breathing is also helpful for quieting our body and calming our mind, and by putting all these ingredients together into one practice, they can create a very effective result for us.
Find a comfortable and safe place to sit or lie down. You may set the tone by lighting candles and making sure your body will not become chilled or overheated.
Begin by taking in a deep breath, inhaling a calming energy, and drawing it into your body through the top of your head, down through your spine, and expanding into all parts of your body. Feel this beautiful energy filling you up, and as you exhale, allow it to release all the collected energies of stress and strain, to be carried out through your arms and your legs, reaching your hands and your feet, and then releasing the energy in entirety. Again, breathe in deeply, imagining that you are drawing up the energy of the Earth through the soles of your feet, welcoming love and warmth to calm your being. Exhale deeply. And when you take in your third breath, breathe in the beauty of your conscious Essence and combine that with the grounding of your physical world, drawing in from both your head and your feet.
As you begin to feel the currents of happiness flowing into you, you are feeling relaxed, welcoming in a gentle peace. Continue your slow, easy breathing, and begin to think about creating your days to be happy and joyful. Allow yourself to consider what that might look like for you. Imagine feeling good in all that you do, whether you are at work or play. Welcome in the feeling of ease as you take care of your responsibilities, while you tenderly nurture the beautiful person that you are. Take time now to let yourself drift. Embrace your feelings and invite them in to become your own.
Let us breathe in deeply, drawing in the grounding energy of our beautiful Earth again. Feel its strength flowing through your veins, into your heart, into all parts of your body. Exhale gently and slowly. Now breathe in again, welcoming the current of consciousness to enter through the top of your head and let it radiate out into your body, out into your hands and into your feet. Breathe in a third time, welcoming the connection of our Essence and Form, and feel gratitude for the inspired gift of creation that resides within you.
Know that as you open your eyes, you are feeling the fresh beginnings of creating a life you love, by taking charge of creating how your day unfolds. Try to do your Practice three times each day, welcoming in the active energy of the morning, moving through the afternoon, and then embracing the peace that is born from having experienced a day well-lived. With your eyes now fully opened, feel the joy of being inspired and productive. Welcome the peace of a calm mind and embrace the gift of nurturing wonderful you.
It is important to have a healthy body and we need to do all we can to positively impact our physical well-being. When we are physically well, then we are able to carry out all the other activities within our lives in a far more enjoyable way. In the case of physical health, routines are advantageous to keeping our body working as it should. By taking responsibility for creating a healthy body, we are in turn contributing to enjoying a healthy spirit within.
By taking responsibility for creating a healthy body, we are in turn contributing to enjoying a healthy spirit within.
Here are a few simple steps that will allow us to stay healthy and fit, supporting us to be well in mind, body, and spirit.
Maintaining a healthy spiritual balance requires conscious effort on our part. When we nurture our creative spirit within, we are connecting with our essential source of wisdom. In order for us to align ourselves with the Essence of who we are, we must bring our lives into balance in every possible way. Far too often we neglect our precious bodies and our beautiful minds, forgetting that we are so much more than these little human beings who Leaped into these lives with a very specific mission of our own.
When we nurture our creative spirit within, we are connecting with our essential source of wisdom.
When we are finally able to understand that we are truly the physical expression of that which we are in Essence, we will develop the capacity to embrace our own unique Genius. When this transformation occurs, we will move into a beautiful alignment of body, mind, and spirit as we become a joyful expression in our wholeness of being.
We also must be reminded that we are an integral component in our family of humankind. Just as we must create balance within our individual spiritual selves, so we must open to living as part of the collective whole. We are not meant to live in an isolated manner. Isolation is not remotely synonymous with solitude. Isolation is an aberration of the spiritual expression, serving only to knock us out of balance. It is when we each embrace our own life's purpose and share it out in the world that my purpose can commune with your purpose, and together we will create a uniquely beautiful work of art.
As we can see, it is essentially important to surround ourselves by inspired people, so that we may flourish within the spirit of supportive, healthy relationships. The following practice is designed to help us find the people whom we are meant to be with: open-minded, heart-warming friends who want to make the world a better place by living a meaningful life designed for them.
Positive, supportive people are not difficult to spot. They are happy and interesting and usually have a great attitude about most everything they do. Though they are likely very busy, they will always stop to offer encouragement and support to those who are making an effort to do something good with their lives. These are the people who have figured out what they want to be doing and are actively engaged in doing it. They are the same people we would like to have in our lives as we turn our attention to balancing ourselves in body, mind, and spirit and creating a life of meaning and purpose.
List five qualities that define a positive and inspired person:
If you want your list to be longer, feel free to add as many qualities that seem valuable to you. Take a bit of time and truly think about what is most important to you.
List five qualities about yourself that you most respect:
When you have taken your time and completed your lists, carefully look at both of them. Do you see any similarities? Do you have some of the same qualities that you used to describe a positive and inspired person? How wonderful, if you do, but if there is something in the first list that you consider valuable and would also like to embrace within yourself, take the time to think about it and decide that you want to bring that into your life.
Once you have decided what is most important to you, you can create an affirmation that you can use throughout your day. For example:
Whatever the quality may be, you can fill in the blank and apply it to this affirmation. If you desire to become more focused, the affirmation could be expanded and spoken aloud or written out in this way:
AFFIRMATION:
I am a focused human being. I set my attention on that which is essentially important to me and follow through until I am done. I am committed to giving myself the gift of focus, allowing me to experience the joy of single-mindedly working within my creative process.
Yes, we have the ability to create a beautiful and healthy life, by focusing on caring for ourselves. When all of the components of who we are are primed and flowing smoothly, the essence of our remarkable spirit will guide us in living a balanced and inspired life.