Living Out Loud

Beautiful free e-book of Personal Creeds

 

 

Daphne at Joyful Days recently shared her personal creed, and invited her readers to craft and share their own, providing guidelines on how to do so.  Many people were inspired to do just that and Daphne has compiled them all into a beautifully presented ebook.  If you'd like to share them, just click on the image to download it. 

Laughter is the spark of the soul

    

 "Laughter is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life."  ~  Unknown
 
"You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humour in anything, even poverty, you can survive it."  ~ Bill Cosby
 
"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."  ~  Yiddish proverb

Photo from Flickr

The time is now!

(a Thought for the Week)

"Don't worry about the future, the present is all thou hast. The future will soon be present, and the present will soon be past." ~  William R Evans III
 
"The secret to living the life of your dreams is to start living it, at once, to any degree that you possibly can."  ~  Mike Dooley 
 
"Wherever we are is the perfect place, and whatever time it is now is the perfect time."  ~  Marianne Williamson

My Personal Creed

inspired by Daphne at Joyful Days

I am a work in progress. I live each day conscious that where I am is a result of my past thoughts, words and deeds, and that where I’m going is being shaped right now. So I try to show kindness and respect to all whom I meet throughout my day, including myself.

After spending over three decades living within my comfort zone, I now strive to grow and stretch myself. I have sometimes let fear of other people’s opinions hold me back, but more and more now I let that go and do what feels good and right for me in the moment.

I believe in my own power and responsibility in shaping how I experience every event in my life. I am grateful for all the good in my life, both people and experiences. And I am equally grateful for the lessons I learned from less savoury events in my life. (Though I hope not to repeat the painful lessons or experiences again!)

I know that those whom I judge are mirrors of myself, and I am learning the art of forgiveness and non-judgement – of myself and others.

I am mindful that my time here is not only limited but also uncertain. And so I put less things off until 'someday', and do more things now. I live the best life that I can right now, because I know that right here right now is all I really have.

Click here to read more examples of personal creeds on Daphne's blog

Climb that mountain!

(a Thought for the Week)

"If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved." ~ Maurice Chevalier

"'Rocky Balboa' is about everybody who feels they want to participate in the race of life, rather than be a bystander. You're never too old to climb a mountain, if that's your desire." ~ Sylvest Stallone

"I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it." ~ Unknown

"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So . . . get on your way." ~ Dr. Seuss

Celebrate your struggles

The other day I got the following note from Neale Donald Walsch:

On this day of your life, Hilda, I believe God wants you to know...that it is okay to be at a place of struggle. Struggle is just another word for growth.
 
Even the most evolved beings find themselves in a place of struggle now and then. In fact, struggle is a sure sign to them that they are expanding; it is their indication of real and important progress.
 
The only one who doesn't struggle is the one who doesn't grow. So if you are struggling right now, see it as a terrific sign -- and celebrate your struggle.

Now typically, I really like all of NDW's notes, but this one stuck in my mind because I had also been reading Lance's post on Lessons from the Mountain, and I saw some corelations between the two.  It got me to thinking about how our struggles are usually blessings in disguise.  In fact, I believe they are always blessings in disguise.  It's just we might not always remember to look for the blessing...

I believe that when things don't work out they way we hoped they would, it's for a good reason.  It may be that the not getting what you were looking for leads you to getting something even better.  Something that you would never have imagined for yourself, and only became possible because your original plan went awry.  That happens alot (or so I hear), and it's wonderful when it does.

But even if it doesn't all turn out magically wonderful, there's still a blessing in the struggle.  And that blessing is the lesson that you learned.  And whether you choose to get it or not, there is always a lesson (or several) to be learned in every challenging experience.  So the blessing is there for the taking - whether you accept that blessing is all up to you...

I suspect you neither want nor welcome struggle.  I know I certainly don't.  I want a life that is easy and struggle-free.  But I accept that life will have ups and downs.  And the rougher times build my character and my stamina.  And they provide a contrast so that I fully recognise and appreciate the easier times. 

So while it's probably too big an ask to say "welcome your struggles" - I wouldn't welcome any of my past struggles if they decided to show up again in another disguise - it is very important to celebrate them.  They have contributed to who you are today, they have shaped you and your life as it is now, and they have made you stronger. 

And the new struggles - current and to come - will continue that process. Your evolution will come out of them.  Because we grow and stretch more when we are pinned to our collars than when we sail easily through life. 

Plus, we appreciate the good times much more, giving us another great reason to celebrate them.  When you celebrate your struggles, you won't forget to celebrate your fortunes.  And then all of life is a reason to celebrate : )

The Power is Within You

(a Thought for the Week)

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." ~ Alice Walker

 "Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are." ~ Bernice Johnson Reagon

"Stop thinking in terms of limitations and start thinking in terms of possibilities" ~ Terry Josephson

"Difficulty need not foreshadow despair or defeat. Rather achievement can be all the more satisfying because of obstacles surmounted." ~ William Hastie

Trust your hopes, not your fears

 That is the definition of “faith” according to my morning tea mug. I like to be greeted by this reminder first thing because I’m a learned optimist. I used to be a shocking pessimist who availed of every opportunity to worry. But now I know that worry is such a waste of time!

But still, the habits of a lifetime are hard to kill. So, I need to constantly remind myself to be hopeful rather than fearful.

You see I now believe in the power of optimism. I believe it is more helpful to focus on what I want rather than what I don’t want. I subscribe to the adage that energy flows where attention goes, so I pay attention to where I put my attention. And if I notice that it’s a little on the negative side, I immediately reframe my thoughts in a more positive light.

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy." ~ Leo F. Buscaglia

If you’ve been a worrier all your life, you’re not doomed to continue that way until the end of your days. Even if things appear to be catastrophic to you right now, there is always the possibility that they will get better. Anything is possible, so do yourself a favour and stop focussing on what seems to be probable right now (unless probable is good). Improbabilities become reality all the time.

Besides, what you feel has nothing to do with what is. It’s your thoughts about events in your life that’s causing you to feel the way you do, and not the events themselves. The circumstance may be beyond your control, but your response to it is not. So you can be in the midst of a traumatic experience and still hope for a good outcome – trust in your ability to come through it and be stronger for it.

Worry, on the other hand, reduces your capacity to deal with your challenges in a creative, constructive manner. The more depleted your inner resources are the more difficult it will be for you to cope with the situation, find solutions and move beyond it.

When you focus on how you hope things will turn out instead, your mind relaxes giving you the immediate benefit of feeling better. But another wonderful benefit is that your relaxed mind is better able to be creative and inspired. A relaxed mind is much better placed to send you a solution out of nowhere than one that is focussed on how awful things are now and how much worse they’re likely to get.

"Fear is nothing except a drain of energy and not a power unto itself. Trust in yourself, for therein lies the true power." ~ Lori Hard

Being optimistic and realistic aren’t mutually exclusive outlooks. Optimism not only has room for accepting the reality as it is, but it is also the best starting point. Accept what is right now, and hope for improvements to come. And notice how you stretch and grow as you discover ways to overcome your challenges.  

Your alternative is to live without hope. What’s that going to do for your physical, mental, emotional or spiritual well-being? Nothing good, I can guarantee you! It will destroy your ability to find any joy in the present, and the present is all you really have anyway. You’re not even guaranteed to wake up tomorrow morning at all – and if anything makes a nonsense of worry it’s that reality!

Advice from Mother Teresa

(a Thought for the Week)

People are often unreasonable irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.