Days of our gratitude

I’m having a day today where I feel especially grateful for the blessings in my life.

So I grabbed my camera to capture all the things that have made me grateful so far today:

A gorgeous sunny day

 Brochures in my letterbox

A puzzle book I bought for a friend who is having a tough day

A brand new bag of my very favourite lollies

Making my favourite comfort food for my friend (before)

Making my favourite comfort food for my friend (after)

Layla – the cutest dog in the whole world ♥

Bandit, my favourite doggy friend

Wishing you a blessed day filled with sunshine, laughter, love and happiness.

Meg

22 Random Acts of Kindness

I am so moved by this video

On his 22nd birthday, he completed 22 random acts of kindness ♥

I hope that I am this inspirational when I am 90 ♥

98 Years Old and Still Writing: Okie's Poems

~

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Everyday Wisdom #103

Be honest with yourself

We can fool others, but we can’t fool ourselves.

Being honest with yourself brings freedom and self acceptance.

Respect yourself as you would want others to respect you.

Find your truths.

Follow your intentions.

And aspire to be a better person.

 

Everyday Wisdom #102

Listen well
Tell the truth
Say ‘I love you’ to those whom you do and ‘sorry’ when you are
Be grateful for this life

Happiness does not come from getting what we want

I was listening to an interesting talk on renunciation today, in regards to sense pleasure.

And it really gave me pause for thought…..

How much of our happiness is based on sense pleasure?

On satisfying our desire for sense pleasure?

The main danger of sense pleasure is the clinging and “wanting” that are closely tied in with the sense pleasure.  And that misconception that happiness lies in indulging in our desire for it.

Sense pleasure in itself is not bad.

In it’s purest form it is beautiful.

Enjoying the warmth of the sun, a hug from a loved one, the scent of fresh flowers, a cool breeze on a warm day.

These are not bad.

It’s when our sense pleasure is satisfied from getting what we want that it becomes dangerous and tenuous.

And ironically the happiness that we feel – that we think comes from getting what we want, is actually a happiness derived from removing the “wanting”.  Wanting does not feel good – and we will usually do anything to make it stop.  

There is a deeper and more lasting form of happiness.  And that comes from being in the present moment.

And not trying to jump from one moment of happiness to the next (with no unpleasantness in-between).

But enjoying each moment for what it is, in it’s entirety.

Tying in with the concept of renunciation – which I am endlessly fascinated with! – we are not wanting to deny ourselves sense pleasure.  However we are trying to renounce the clinging to sense pleasure.  

And to study and discover how we relate to sense pleasure.

 

The Buddha does not offer as a solution the method of repression — the attempt to drive desire away with a mind full of fear and loathing. This approach does not resolve the problem but only pushes it below the surface, where it continues to thrive. The tool the Buddha holds out to free the mind from desire is understanding. Real renunciation is not a matter of compelling ourselves to give up things still inwardly cherished, but of changing our perspective on them so that they no longer bind us. When we understand the nature of desire, when we investigate it closely with keen attention, desire falls away by itself, without need for struggle.

Bhikkhu Bodhi

Everyday Wisdom #101

It seems like an old-fashioned concept these days, 

however fidelity is the basis for so many wonderful things.

Like:

Love

Friendship

Family

 

and perhaps, most importantly, it’s vital to be faithful to yourself.

To your intentions and beliefs.

Resilience

When life is at its hardest, our ability to make sense of our situation is the difference between giving up and finding a way to keep going.

Our words and intentions, and the way we relate our current difficulties to the experiences of those who have gone before us are all part of this process of making sense.  And this process of making sense ultimately leads to resilience.

It leads to an ability to work with adversity in such a way that we come through it unharmed… or even better for the experience.

It means we face life’s difficulties with courage.  With patience.  And we refuse to give up.

Resilience requires tenacity of spirit.  And a determination to embrace the positive, and find the joy, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

When we have a clear intention, and a strong sense of identity and purpose, then we become more resilient.

 

In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life. 
Albert Bandura

Mindfulbalance

When we are physically and mentally calm, we have the ability to make choices in our lives. Often when we lose control we become physically or emotionally reactive. Not only does being aware of something as simple as breathing tell us a lot about the emotional state of ourselves and others, it gives us the chace to truly observe how and why we react in a certain way to specific circumstances. By anchoring in the present moment with our breath, the benefits of being in the moment are complimented by the natural relaxation that occurs with conscious breathing. Learning to be aware of our breathing is one of the single best tools we have for keeping a foothold in the present moment.

Shannon Duncan, Present Moment Awareness.

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Everyday Wisdom #100

This was something I actually wrote as my intention today (I do this daily).

Be accepting

Accept people with all their flaws.

Live with a sense of spaciousness, and hold things lightly.

Everyday Wisdom #99

Instead of immediately trying to fix our mistakes, take a chance and just stop.

See if it’s possible to relax and take note of whatever is going on.

It may lead to some new understandings.

 

Everyday Wisdom #98

Know your heart.

It knows more than your mind can understand.

Listen to it.

Be open to it.

Let it guide you on the big decisions.

And always be true to it.

Raising your vibration

I’ve recently read an interesting article on raising your vibration.

By feeling good now – as much as you possibly can – it will cause a vibrational shift in your emotional state and well-being.

We can raise our vibration by doing things that make us feel happy.

And avoiding those things – and people – which cause us unhappiness.

So here are a few ideas for raising your vibration:

• Listen to happy music.
  The happier and more upbeat the better.  For me “Walking on sunshine” by Katrina and The Waves immediately comes to mind.
• Watch a comedy.
  Be careful though that the tv show/movie is not about having fun at someone elses expense.  Or contains a lot of offensive language.  As both of these will have the opposite affect, and lower your vibration.
• Connect with nature.
  Swim in the ocean.  Stand barefoot in the grass.  Sit under a tree (as the Buddha did, famously).
• Exercise
  Run, walk, jump, ride a scooter, skip.  Anything that gets your heart rate increased and makes you feel energized.
• Practice RAOK’s.  
  Do something nice for someone else.  Make someone else’s day.  Make someone smile.  All these things will lift your mood, and therefore your vibrational energy.
• Write in a gratitude journal
  Being grateful helps you to recognise the world around you, and appreciate all the small things.
• Spend time each day reading or watching something motivational.
  Whether it’s a blog, a passage of a book, a talk.  Anything that makes you feel inspired.
• Enjoy the rain and jump in puddles

Remember – like attracts like.  By focusing on the positive – and living with happiness and joy – we attract the same back into our life.

Love & blessings,

Meg

Luminescent

 

I am in love with this video….

Uplifting, funky, positive, perfect ♥

 

Everyday Wisdom #97

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”

–Thich Nhat Hanh

Stillness, stability and balance

Today I wanted to share my very favourite guided meditation, from the wonderful Mary Maddux at Meditation Oasis.

 

In the swirl of activity and the intense demands of life, it’s easy to lose ones center. It can be challenging to maintain a sense of stability and balance. Our latest podcast meditation is designed to help you experience stillness in the midst of busyness, and then to create a stable reference point within that stillness.

The meditation helps focus and steady the mind. 

 

 

I find this meditation so deeply soothing.   It’s wonderful to use when you are feeling stressed and agitated, and need to “come back to yourself” and find peace and stability.

Click here to listen to this wonderful meditation.

Or click here to find Meditation Oasis on iTunes.

 

Creating your own happiness

I just read this wonderful blog post 7 things to look for if you want more happiness.

The blog post contained the following key points on finding happiness by looking for:

 

• the best within yourself. We all have strengths and positive attributes; knowing and using them will benefit you and those around you
• the best within others. This is obviously an extension of the previous point and goes to creating better quality relationships, at home and at work
• the best in the world around you. Don’t be deceived by the night time news. There’s no doubt there’s trouble and misery in the world but there’s also no doubt there are wonderful people doing wonderful things each and every day
• Beauty and awesomeness. It’s there if you look for it!
• Positive solutions to difficult problems. We all face adversity from time to time but those who look for positive outcomes are more likely to feel resilient and happy despite being challenged
• Balance and perspective when assessing life. Many troubles are not as bad as they might at first seem and many positives could be appreciated and enjoyed more
• Something new each and every day. Happiness comes from learning and loving learning and enjoying the wonders of curiosity and amazement

 

How do you find happiness in your life?

I would love to hear people’s experiences.

Personally I:

• Take each moment as it comes.  Looking at it as neither “good” nor “bad”, but “just is”.  If the moment is difficult I put my head down and just get through it.  If the moment is enjoyable, I enjoy it as fully as I can.
• Try to focus on the present moment.  And not worry about the “what if’s”.  It’s taken me a long tine to accept that I don’t have control over the future.  I don’t even have control really over the present!  All I can do is look for the positives in each situation.
• Find comfort, beauty and joy in the company of others.

 

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open. 
John Barrymore 

Everyday Wisdom #96

At the end of the day, what we really want is to feel inspired.

We can only do that if we stop gazing toward the future, looking for confirmation of our worth.  

We feel inspired when we endeavour to be meaningful, when we make choices based on what aligns with our intentions.  And therefore feel good about each step along the way.

 

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” 
― Jane Goodall