You're born with a calling...

"Each person is born with a calling. It is your task to discover what that calling is and find a way to make that calling a reality." -- Lucy MacDonald

Time to attract greatness into your life.

Victorious

Even if you suffer from chronic illness, you can have peace here on Earth, if only in your mind. First, don't refer to yourself as "suffering" from your illness. Instead, refer to yourself as "learning from". For some, it is difficult. However, it is truly possible. For those of us with Lyme disease, there are always stories that uplift our moods like the one I have listed below. Surrounding yourself with victories, small or large, is a great way to help you smile throughout your day.

"Doctors Reconsider Antibiotics for Chronic Lyme Disease Sufferers
Patients who believe they suffer long-term problems from Lyme disease are claiming victory over a national doctors group. The Infectious Diseases Society of America has agreed to review its guidelines, which say there's no evidence long-term antibiotics can cure "chronic Lyme" disease — or even that such a condition exists.

The agreement settles an unprecedented antitrust investigation by Connecticut's attorney general over the matter. The doctors group makes clear that current guidance for treating Lyme disease remains in place.

But that didn't stop claims of success by the attorney general and people who believe they suffer long-term effects of the tick-borne disease.

"It's a great victory for patients," said Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association, a national nonprofit group based in New Jersey. "It's time that Lyme patients got the respect they deserve." -- Associated Press (5/08)

You Are NOT Stuck.

"You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be."

-Dr. Wayne Dyer

De-Stress With Yoga

"These days, yoga gets more love than whoever's staring in The Bachelor. And for good reason. Yoga could very well be the ultimate de-stress technique. It lowers blood pressure and heart rate, decreases stress hormones, and increases relaxation hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. You can get the benefits of yoga in a single pose or in a full-fledged class." -- You Staying Young

A Moment of Silence.

Silence. A Challenge. 1 Minute today. Just one. Don't think that's much of a challenge? Here is the definition of silence from the online Wikipedia.

"Silence is the relative or total lack of audible sound. By analogy, the word silence may also refer to any absence of communication, even in media other than speech."

Here is a website dedicated to "Pure Silence"...http://www.puresilence.org/

What's wrong with noise? A three year research study done by the European Commission addressed this issue...

"What’s wrong with noise?
Research shows that noise can kill, as it increases the risks for high blood pressure and heart attacks (3% of heart attacks in Germany are due to road traffic noise). Noise disturbs sleep and heavily impacts on people’s quality of life. Besides its health and social costs, noise has economic consequences in terms of reduced housing value and taxes, as it is a relevant reason for people to move out of cities into suburban areas."

Take a moment of silence for your health.

Support System

Finding a support system with people who believe in you and accept you and your value system is incredibly important. By prioritizing your support system, you have the benefits that will get you through the hard experiences, as well as helps you enjoy the good times.

A resource that is great for finding a good spiritual support group is at
BeliefNet.



"Anger that has no limit, causes terror. Kindness that is inappropriate, does away with respect. So do not be so severe with others, as to terrify them; and do not be so lenient with others, as to make them take advantage of you." -- Sadi: Gulistan 8

The Three Trainings

"The more you practice the three trainings of ethics, meditation, and wisdom, the more difficult it will become for you to act in a way that is contrary to an ethical, compassionate attitude. Ethics arise naturally out of contemplating the three trainings."

Martine Batchelor, "Meditation for Life"

Attitude of Gratitude. It IS a Wonderful Life!

If you were to write down 3 things that you were grateful for during this day...today...at any moment of the day...would you know which three things to write down? Starting today, gather your positive energy by starting a gratitude journal. By including an attitude of gratitude in your daily routine, you will automatically attract more of what you want to you. Here is a note on gratitude...

"A popular refrain from the 1940s captured the thought:

Accentuate the positive;
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative;
Don’t mess with Mr. In-between. 1

Good advice then. Good advice now.

This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help.

We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." -- President Thomas S. Monson, LDS Church, 1992 Ensign

Remember today that you need to smile to bring the positive to you. Smile and know that the positive energy is surrounding you and is moving toward you in all areas of your life.

Secret Service Code Names To Enjoy Inner Calm?

Today, other than the PGA championship purse, the best thing you can give yourself is some good ole positive energy. Where do you get it and how do you get it without the disturbing behavior of sitting in a yoga mudra in a public place? Well, you can get it by joking using the PDQ acronym, or choose to reserve a spot at the inner calm.

What is the inner calm? It's a vacation spot that you create for yourself. Essentially, you don't need a hurricane tracker to know if the weather is going to be good on your vacation to the inner calm. You don't have to read the South Korean news to know that you live in a place of greatness. Any place that has any sort of freedom (even if it is only in the mind) is a fantastic place. It's all up to you to create your reality so that you feel like you are in a fantastic place.

You don't have to be in perfect physical shape and able to participate in the Pleasant Prairie Triathlon. You don't have to be famous like the Kardashians. You don't have to be smart like Connie Chung. You don't have to hide in a corner and choose Secret Service Code Names so that no one knows you are living in an inner calm. Choose to live with a smile on your face and realize that "your stuff" is better than "someone else's stuff" anytime. Realize that it could always be worse and you always have the choice to make it better.

Take a deep breath and begin to enjoy an inner calm. More on the inner calm in upcoming posts.

Feeling Inadequate?

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us." ~ Marianne Williamson

Close your eyes. In your mind's eye, observe a white sheet of paper. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel the breath on the back of your throat. Listen to your breath.

Feel positive energy magnetizing itself to your body. Visualize the positive energy as it soaks into your body, saturating it with positive, motivating, happy, joyful energy.

Your aura is full of positive energy that reaches out and touches even those people who you see in passing. There is a noticable lightness to your aura. Positive people are magnetized to you. Positive situations are magnetized to you. Positive opportunities are magnetized to you.

Challenge for the next 24 hours: Smile. You will feel the change.