Master Your Thoughts, Change Your Reality

Buddha once said your thoughts become your reality. Once we change our thoughts and way of thinking can we begin to change our reality.

Spiritual authors and leaders have shared this ancient-rooted philosophy with us. Books like The Secret and How to Heal Your Life emphasize the importance of changing our thoughts by using affirmations, gratitude and various exercises to begin the process of manifesting the life we so want and desire.

With any new habit it takes discipline, focus and commitment. For example, you don’t see results from physical exercise or changing your diet unless you commit to a consistent and frequent routine or practice. This is the same with our minds. For us to learn how to change our realities and master a new way to be, we must become aware of how we think and what we focus all of our thoughts on.

Positive thoughts bring about positive experiences and negative thoughts only bring negative experiences. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of how negative our thought process is. It takes a lot of mind concentration and awareness to change our thoughts from negative to positive.

Optimism, passion, self-affirmations and gratitude will help to change the way you think. It may be useful to keep a gratitude journal or repeat affirmations throughout your day to maintain a new attitude and way of thinking.

You can also master a new reality and way of being by taking action. Ask yourself what you would like change or manifest in your life. Then see what possible solutions arise and focus your energy on making those solutions a part of your reality.  What baby steps can you take right now to start making those goals an actual reality?

Commit to changing your thought process and begin to see the results manifest soon after! Gratitude and love go a long way in the manifesting process and in our discover to true happiness.

Follow Your Intuition.

What is intuition? How can you really differentiate between logic and intuition? Usually when we overthink things is when our logic and intuition mix which then confuses us. So how can you listen more to your intuition rather than let your logic rule your decision-making?

There are a variety of ways but mainly it’s creating a ritual of doing something you are passionate about or find a sense of peace in. Finding peace within is a process and everyone has a different approach to stilling the mind and tuning into themselves.

How do you find peace and stillness in your life? In my work as a psychic medium and intuitive, my clients have given me a variety of answers. Some people enjoy spending time in nature or just taking walks around their neighborhood. Others do yoga or exercise to achieve a sense of stillness and relaxation. I personally enjoy creating art, meditation or writing which are also forms of relaxing the mind and finding clarity.

As children we are much more intuitive and aware of our feelings and emotions. As we get older, we are taught to use our logic and train our minds to ignore our intuition. It definitely takes the magic out of life and we tend to attribute any synchronicity or odd occurence to “coincidence”.

But what if it isn’t just a coincidence? What if our intuition is aware of something deeper in the bigger picture of our lives and trying to lead us closer to our life purpose or just ultimate fulfillment?

Steve Jobs quoted that our intuition and heart knows already what we want to become. Start listening to yours and see what it’s telling you. Become aware of what your body and mind are trying to make you aware of.

See who and what you attract in your life and how it is and isn’t working for you. Once we start to pay attention to what is and isn’t working is when we can make the necessary changes to live a more fulfilling, happy and vibrant life. Through a personal ritual of meditation or any other type of practice to still your mind will you find greater clarity and growth.

And always remember to grateful for the things you do have in your life, intuition and gratitude go a long way into attracting better people, experiences and opportunities in our lives. It’s a process and is definitely worth the energy as the right things will fall into place leading you closer to who you are meant to be in this life.

Daily Inspiration

Reblogged from Hollers of the Heart:

"Your greatness is not what you have, it's what you give."

I love inspirational quotes!

Solitude: Tuning Out & Tuning In

Solitude. Photo Credit by Louis Roche

“To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions.” – Deepak Chopra

Being in silence or simply being alone is difficult especially in a busy city like New York. There are so many other things we could be doing other than being alone. It’s easy to get distracted from ourselves and how we are feeling.

Was there ever a time in your life when your schedule was so jam-packed busy you barely had a moment to yourself? Perhaps your inner voice or intuition was telling you, “It’s time to slow down! Get grounded. What about you and what you need?”

I definitely have had times like this. I intentionally would make my life so busy so that I could avoid going home early because I didn’t want to be alone. For those of you in relationships experiencing being alone may not be as often but for those of us that are single, being alone is an every day reality.

Regardless if you are single or in a relationship, taking a break from all of the busyness and intensity of our lives is necessary. Being alone is necessary for growth and personal reflection. Spending an hour a week just on yourself without any outside distractions will help you feel more grounded and in tune.

Solitude and being alone doesn’t have to be a chore or something we force ourselves to do. It’s an opportunity to learn about what we want and can be very therapeutic.

When was the last time you had a moment all to yourself without the cell phone buzzing with a new message, an email from your boss or a friend calling to make dinner plans?

We are instantly connected to the world around us that it’s just as important to instantly connect to the world within us. Meditation, spending time in nature, walking, writing, creating are just a few activities that can help us instantly connect with ourselves. However these practices don’t work for everyone. Where do you find the most peace when you’re alone? Go there and experience that be it through meditation, a healthy meal, or a hot bath.

In our solitude we can experience profound realizations and truths about ourselves and those around us. Write down or take mental notes of what you discover. Allow any fears of being in solitude to subside and just be. Your self will thank you later for doing it.

Suicide Prevention: Being the Light for Others

“Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live.” – Charles Caleb Colton

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a person dies by suicide about every 14 minutes in the United States. Just recently a famous country music star Mindy McCready shot and killed herself days after posting a video on suicide prevention to fans.  Suicide isn’t an easy topic to discuss and especially in our society, a very isolated topic of discussion.

Often times when people hear of someone attempting or committing suicide, they are at a loss for words. Our minds enter a slight state of shock processing how could someone possibly want to take their own life. We don’t really know what to say or fear that we may say the wrong thing.

I know because it happened to me. My mother has suffered with clinical depression and schizophrenia for as long as I can remember. In the past 6 months she has attempted suicide twice, first time by overdose and the second by razor and recently almost succeeded.

I have shared this story with some people and usually the responses are the same, “Wow. I’m so sorry, I don’t know what to say, I’m at a loss for words.” It’s something I’ve decided to share openly today because in a sense not only do I want to honor my mother but I want to bring awareness to such a sensitive topic.

Being the loved one of someone who has a mental illness and has been committed several times for suicide is difficult to say the least. There are moments when I don’t even know what to say or process how I’m feeling. I have to experience my emotions in bits and pieces at times because it’s so intense.

Sometimes people assume that once someone is on medication that they instantly are better. Medication is not like a magic pill that fixes someone instantly. It takes time and proper treatment for people with psychiatric illnesses to show improvement.

Tips on how to help your loved one:

1. Show Love & Support

2. Show kindness & be patient

3. Remind them they have a purpose and of their accomplishments

4. Bring them something to cheer them up, i.e. favorite food/item/flower

5. Encourage them to follow up with treatment

 

It will only take time before you start to see any results with their emotional and mental state.

If you are a friend of someone whose loved one is ill and has attempted suicide, one of the best things you can do is listen and ask how you can help. Sometimes just a conversation can help heal a lot of the pain surrounding the experience.

If you aren’t sure about reaching out to your friends or family about your loved one who has attempted or committed suicide, don’t hesitate any longer. Reach out and build a support system for yourself. Seek therapy if necessary. Go out and bring positive experiences into your life. It will be too easy to fall into a rut and stay emotionally isolated from those around you.

Take one day at a time, be easy on yourself and on your loved one.  Be the light for that person and remind them that someone out there cares and loves them and that person is you.

Painful Endings & New Beginnings

Everything comes to an end and our lives go through a series of cycles. You will meet people who are going to touch you on a deeper level and potentially turn your “normal” world upside down. We’ve all been there. Personally, I have a hard time with endings. It’s difficult for me to release, let go and be present during heartbreak. I struggle with clinging to all the possibilities, what ifs, and how I could have done something to change the outcome.

But one thing I have learned in this process of letting go and moving forward is that my soul has already begun to open up to the possibility of a new beginning. It’s painful to let go of something that once was. Yet at the same time, there is a reason it ended and for now, maybe you need this time for yourself. I’m a spiritual person and believe we need these experiences to not only teach ourselves but to teach others.

So how can we cope effectively with these painful endings in our lives? We could cry, scream and hurt for a while. We could turn to our friends and family for support and understanding. Or we could do a lot of soul-searching and self-work and see what it is that we need to change about ourselves to attract something or someone better.

Endings are never easy to process or deal with. There will be pain, tears, anger and resentment. The best way to approach it really is to just feel all the emotions and understand that you don’t need to OVER anything by a specific time. I sometimes feel that there is too much pressure to move forward so quickly and forget about what has happened. That’s no way to deal with anything. We need to experience these emotions and to go through them. It’s the only way to truly understand yourself and what you need in your life in the future.

Be easy on yourself. Be compassionate and show yourself a lot of LOVE. Feel free to ask your friends and family for support and to just be there. You would be surprised as to how many people are willing to just listen. Find out what makes you happy again and most importantly, understand that this is also a new beginning for you. Be open to what the Universe will present to you, opportunities and encounters that could lead you to something better.

Chaos: One of Our Most Powerful Teachers.

There are going to be moments where everything will feel completely chaotic. In these moments it will feel as if everything that can go wrong has going wrong. Perhaps this is you right now or maybe you can remember a time in your life when your world was turned upside-down.

When our lives shift so suddenly many times we can feel as though we are being punished. We may will feel the urge to blame something, anything outside of us. I know I have been there. It was as if anything I tried to make happen would just hit a wall and manifest into something completely unexpected. It could be anything from losing the someone via relationship, death, career concerns, family, friends.

Have you ever experienced this? It’s in these moments where sometimes it could feel as if our very world is ending. It’s hard to look at the situation from the outside and try to see if there is something deeper happening.

Our experiences will always be a part of us unless of course we have a sudden case of amnesia. It can be hard to deal with life especially when everything feels so chaotic and nothing right is happening.

Recently I heard someone say that these moments of chaos sometimes bring about the greatest changes in our lives and also teach us some very powerful lessons. It can be the very thing we needed to wake us up from remaining stagnant. It can also lead us to learning about ourselves and closer to our life purpose.

For example, the loss of a loved one via a relationship can be very devastating and emotionally-crippling. However, there may be a reason as to why the relationship needed to end. The loss of the relationship may have taught you something powerful about yourself or what you really are looking for in future relationships.

Whatever chaos you may have faced at the time was and is not enjoyable but sometimes chaos can bring forth great changes in ourselves and our lives. These changes may lead us closer to the essence of who we are and what our truths are as individuals.

Try to see it as an opportunity to learn something that may help you and those around you.