The Wisdom of Nelson Mandela: Day 2

We have spoke on this blog a few times about anger and forgiveness and how they are something that you control.  When you are angry or wishing ill to others you are actually doing so to yourself.  It is the law of attraction in true form.  What you give out is what comes back to you.

When you are angry about something notice how it makes you feel.  Notice how thinking and focusing on the anger and what you don't like about that person makes you feel.  It does not feel good and just feeds into more and more anger.  All of this is actually putting you into a bad mood and keeping you there.  So while you think you are directing your anger towards another person and hoping that they feel the pain and negative feelings you wish on them, it is you who is actually feeling it.  Many times the other person has no idea that you are upset with them or thinking negatively towards them.  So it is better to let things go or confront the other person and talk about it rather than harboring resentment.  It will be your poison not theirs.

Day 1: The Wisdom of Nelson Mandela

How many times have you started a project, or thought about something that needs to get done and say to yourself, 'this is impossible'?  I am sure you have said it more than once.  Many times we tend to look at things as mountains when they are actually mole hills.

By doing this we are actually discrediting ourselves and through the law of attraction we are going to fail.  If you think you are fail or cannot do something before even trying it, then what can you expect?

Look back to a time in your life where you thought something was impossible or would never happen but it did.  Didn't you feel amazing after and didn't you look back and think, 'that wasn't that hard'.  Don't count your chickens before they hatch.  Believe it can happen and it will happen.  You are stronger, smarter, and more resilient than you think you are.

The Wisdom of Nelson Mandela

This blog has done a few features including "The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln", "The Power of Love", and "10 Days of Dr. Seuss Quotes".  Now we are featuring a very important person in modern day history.  His passing caused sadness around the world but also reminded us of his greatness and impact on the world.

The next 7 blog entries will be dedicated to some of Nelson Mandela's most inspiring quotes and how you can impart their lessons into your daily life.  He was a man that was consistently optimistic, hopeful, compassionate, and courageous even in moments when success didn't seem possible.

Join us for his great lessons and thank you for continuing to read this blog and support it.  Be sure to "LIKE" our Facebook page to get the latest updates and inspirations!

Give up hope the past could be any different...

You hear about forgiveness many different times in your life.  You hear about how important it is.  But do you truly practice it and use it in your daily life?  And do you practice it not only on others but on yourself?

It is just as important to forgive yourself when you make mistakes or when other things happen as it is to do the same for others.  The actual concept of forgiveness is not about agreeing with or being okay with what has happened, but simply accepting the fact that it has happened and moving on.  As the quote says, it is about giving up the hope that the past could be different.  The past cannot be changed no matter how hard you try.

So you need to give up that hope and move on with your life.  Instead of trying to change things, forget the past, it is done!  As referenced in one of our past post's about forgiveness, when you forgive you don't change the past but you do change the future.  You make the choice to move on with your life instead of being stuck in this battle that you won't win by wondering and trying to change what has already happened.  Instead be grateful that it happened, the lesson was learned, and that it made you who you are today.  Be grateful that you have another day in front of you to become a better you and live a happier life.

20,000 Views!

Thank you so much to everyone who reads, bookmarks, and visits this blog.  I can't believe that in a year and a half that "Live YOUR Life" blog has been visited over 20,000 times!

I enjoy writing and finding inspiring words and I am glad that many people have enjoyed them and hopefully imparted the lessons into their lives.  Please share this blog and our Facebook page with your friends and family to keep the positive vibes going.

THANK YOU!

Your Life's Path

Finding your purpose in life is something that we all strive for.  That thing that makes us complete, happy, and content.  It can mean different things for many different people.  It can be a job, a hobby, a person, etc.  It is that thing that when we do it everything feels right and it feels like this is the reason we were put here on this earth.  It can also be more than one thing.  It is pretty much individual and no one can figure out your purpose except for you.

When you are living life with your purpose you are on the right life path.  You are following the path of life that was meant for you.  When you have trouble finding purpose or find what you think is your purpose but it ends up not being it, you can easily get off your life path.  It is important to remember that this is simply a detour.  And just like a regular detour, while you are driving, you end up getting where you were going and back on the same road to where you need to go.  Things happen in life that pop up when we do not expect them.  It is important for us to navigate all the twists and turns all while remaining focused on what our purpose is.

Figure it out what it is you want and need in life.  No matter happens always return to that thing and don't let a detour take you off the path that life is leading you.

Show Up For Your Life

Many of us go through life just getting by and doing what we can to get to the end of each day and jump in our beds.  This concept was talked about in the entry "The Three Levels in Life" which has been viewed close to 100 times.  Which tells me that many of you are wondering what level you are in or agree with the fact that you may just be surviving instead of living a significant life.

On a recent episode of Oprah's Lifeclass Brene Brown spoke about being vulnerable in your life.  She spoke about allowing things to happen that would cause you to be exposed and open.  This may seem like a scary thing to most of us but if you don't take the chances to expose yourself and fall flat on your face, then you may never know what the outcome would be.  It may be the best decision you ever made or something that totally changes your life.  Imagine if you got to the end of your life and realized what it would have really been like had you actually shown up for your own life?  Imagine what life would be if you took more chances, made more mistakes and challenged more of your fears.  Chances are it would be a lot more fulfilling.  When you sit back and worry about what might happened or would could happen then you are simply closing up your heart and not allowing yourself to life a full life.  Most of the time the fear of things is actually causing more damage than the actual thing itself.  Wondering about the past is as much of a waste of time as trying to change it.  No matter how hard you think or try, it just is not going to change because it is already done.

So it's time to show up for your life.  Be present. Make mistakes. Try new things. Meet new people. Do silly things.  Embarrass yourself.  And when something goes wrong don't dwell on it, but instead be glad that you did it and now you know it didn't work out.  Lesson learned but life lived.

Are you going to stand back and hide or are you going to SHOW UP FOR YOUR LIFE?!

If you hold onto your history...

This lesson is another from Oprah's LifeClass show as well as from my favorite LifeClass teacher, Bishop T.D. Jakes.   There have been a few blog entries on here about holding on to the past and that you are the person who can re-write your story and make a new ending.  It is a lesson that bares repeating many times because it is something that many of us get caught up in.


History is something that is part of our life but it is NOT something that dictates how the rest of our lives will be.  We all have gone through some not so good times and experiences.  And yes they help us grow and teach us lesson, but they do not hold us back from being who we are meant to be.  They only do that if you let them.  When you hold on to things in the past and define yourself by those things you are doing so by putting your destiny in life at risk from ever happening.  This is one of those things in life that you need to weigh the cost and outcome of your choice.  Is it worth being unhappy and blocking yourself from what your life is meant to be because you are holding on to the pain and fear of something that happened in the past?  Chances are you answered that with a no, which is true.  The past is something that happened and no matter how hard you want to you cannot change it.  So do not procrastinate your own happiness!

Accept that what happened has happened.  Accept that someone hurt you.  Accept that you made a bad decision.  But don't accept that those things define who you are and that you will never move on from it.  Accepting does not mean you are saying what happened was alright, it is about saying that you acknowledge that it happened but are not going to be consumed by it.  Don't let your history define your life at the expense of your destiny, instead choose to be happy and live YOUR life!

Joy Rising Fridays

I have stated many times my love for Oprah's Lifeclass show.  I LOVE IT.  And I also miss it greatly being on as often as it was originally.  But one of my favorite parts of it was her weekly friday show which was "Joy Rising" in which she would share moments from her shows in which they did things to make people happy.  The lesson was that as you watched them you felt just as happy for the person even though the actual even was not happening to you.  The power of happiness and positivity radiates from people and is infectious.

So going with this concept I will be posting a video of something, could be from Oprah's show, could be something random I found online, that will help the joy rise in you.  They will be posted on our Facebook page so be sure to "LIKE" it so that you will get the updates.  And while you watch the videos notice how you smile, cry, and laugh along with the videos.  Happiness spreads and seeing other people happy makes you happy.  So take that as a lesson and observe all the happiness that is around you.

And please share our Facebook page and the videos with your friends and family to spread the joy!

Let Go to Live

Fear and preconceived notions about things that happen in life can be something that holds you back.  When we fear something we tend to do whatever we can to avoid it and keep ourselves "safe" from it.  We have discussed the topic of "Fear" before on this blog and how it really does you no good to avoid it.  Today we dive into that a little deeper...

When we fear stuff in our life we tend to find ways to avoid coming face to face with it.  We avoid talking to certain people or putting ourselves in certain situations that we know will cause that fear to activate inside of us.  While we do this thinking that it is protecting us it is actually putting us in a theoretical cage blocking us from true happiness in life.  You actually are causing a stress in your life by having an internal battle trying to avoid and protect yourself from the things that you fear.  Think about it...when you avoid talking to someone or doing something do you really feel better?  Chances are you feel defeated, sad, or still focus on the fear and think about it making you feel bad anyways.  

The key to getting over a fear is to either face it and do it, or to just simply let it go.  Accept that it is something that naturally occurs in life, something that is going to happen, and something that has happened.  No matter what life is going to happen and those circumstances are going to cross your paths.  So instead of avoiding it and doing all you can to battle against life so that those thing do not happen, you just need to accept it.  Remember life is about living for now and being positive.  Feelings of stress, avoidance, and fear are not positive feelings...so why make yourself feel that way?

I am not saying that you won't having something that you will fear in life.  It is human nature and will happen.  But like every lesson on this blog, it is all how you deal with it.  Let go and Live YOUR Life!

Favorite Scars

Love is something that is in all of our lives.  We all go through relationships that are good and bad.  We have all been through breakups.  And when we are going through them it seems as if we will never be happy again, never get over the person, or ever be able to move on.  However, funny thing is that we do come out of it ok, and we do move on, and we do find new people to let into our lives.  Love, just like life, teaches us lessons and leaves us with scars that are there to remind us of those teachings.

When you start a relationship, as with anything in life, you have to just jump in and do it.  Take your heart out of the cage and off the shelf that you put it to keep it safe.  You can't move forward without taking the first step.

No one is perfect and no one makes perfect decisions.  Chances are you can even look back at some of your past relationships and laugh at how you thought that was what you wanted and needed. When in reality because of that breakup you learned what you do need and want in the future.  You learned a lesson.  Love is a beautiful thing and breakups are a part of life that we need to go through.  If you go through life being constantly guarded and scared of getting hurt then you will never experience what love can really offer.  Yes you may get emotional 'scars' but you will also get experience and can say that at least you tried it.  It is better to look back and say "I shouldn't have done that" then say "I wonder what that would have been like?"

Take a moment to look back at past relationships and be proud of the 'scars' that you carry.  Love will come again and will heal your broken heart...if you let it back in.


Check out Cher's latest album, "Closer To The Truth" to hear the great song, "Favorite Scars" which inspired this entry.

Attitude...The Lock or The Key?

Attitude is nothing new that we have talked about on this blog.  However it is something so vitally important to the well being of your life that it bears reminding of on a regular basis.  And because you and only you choose your attitude it can mean the success of failure for you in life.  It can mean loving and being grateful your job, life, house, car, spouse, etc, or it can mean being completely negative and regretful about all of those things.  Which one would make you feel better?  I am guessing you said loving and grateful.

Look at things in your life now and assess your attitude towards everything.  Is it good? bad? indifferent?  Then as you look at those things, you will probably notice that the things you view negatively make you feel the worst and the things you view positively makes you feel the best.  So the most logical choice would be to use that key of a positive attitude to unlock happiness with all things in your life.

If something is making you feel unhappy and causing a negative attitude then you are the only person who can figure out a solution for it.  That may mean you need to stop and look at it from a different angle, find things about it to be grateful for, or even let it go/forgive it so that is a not a burden on your life.  Attitude is a state of being that you decide.  No one else can give you attitude or cause you to have a bad attitude, only YOU can do that.  Nothing that anyone else does causes you to do anything that you do not want to do.  You make that choice, you make that decision.  You choose how you live YOUR life.  Next time you notice a bad attitude creeping up on you, turn that lock into a key to open the door to happiness and a better life.

Faith

When you hear faith many associate that word with religion/church.  However, faith is actually the unwavering belief in something that you cannot see, but know to be absolute truth.  This can apply to religion in terms of God/Jesus, and other figures that are associated with various religions.  People worship many different things because they believe them to exist and it is that belief that is a driving force in their life for positive things coming into their life.

In terms of the law of attraction, faith is a huge part of making the process work in your favor.  You send out intentions and ask the universe for what you want and you have to act and believe as if you already have it, feel how it would feel to have it, think and go through your day as if you have it.  Faith that it is coming and will come to you without a doubt.

Doubt is the one thing that can destroy faith.  You cannot believe something to exist if you have doubt that it does not.  When you are waiting for something to happen you have to keep your thoughts of that thing happening.  When you start to doubt you are then sending mix signals out to the universe as to what you want.  But when you have faith you are feeling how good it will feel to have it and as we have talked about before, thoughts become things.  Good thoughts = good things.  So even though it may not be happening now, or when you want it to happen, it will happen at the right time for the right reason.  It does not mean that it will never happen just because it has not happened yet.

So do not get discouraged with something does not happen.  Instead just have faith and know that it is coming and is out there.  Everything happens for a reason.  Some things might not ever come or they may come in a different form, but it is all for a reason.  Just have faith and believe that it is coming and not only will you feel better but you will have a better result.

Life is like a Roller-Coaster...

I am a fan of Mariah Carey, and this has been one of my favorite quotes from her.  Not only is life a gift that we have all been given, but it is also an adventure.  There are twists, turns, ups, downs, and even loops.  Good and bad, highs and lows.  However if you just sit back and never take any risks, try new things, or make the choice to get on and ride the roller-coaster of life, you won't get to experience the adventure.

Things are going to happen in life.  You may see them coming or they may take you by surprise.  You may even feel that at times your life has been turned upside down.  But it will turn back around and you will look back and be glad you went through that crazy loop or down that steep hill.  It makes you further appreciate your life and shows you just how much you can go through.

And then once you are on the ride of life, you must not disembark the ride until it has come to a full and complete stop.  You may at times want to give up and get off the ride, but then again you are not going to experience the full ride and what awaits around the next turn.  So jump in, buckle up, put your hands up, and enjoy the adventure of life!

You are a body of energy...

Everything on earth and in this universe is energy.  You can look at this from a scientific/quantum physics angle being that we are all literally bodies of molecules at the core that are vibrating and creating energy.  And by definition energy cannot be created or destroyed, it just is.  From a spiritual angle the "energy" that we are made up of is described by some as our spiritual being, God, soul, etc.  Either way we are energy.

Now many of you may be saying well yes we are created (born) and destroyed (death).  But the actual part of you that is YOU has always been there, was always there, and is always there.  No matter what happens to you, how much your body ages or changes, who you interact with, what circumstances come through your life the YOU inside is still YOU.  The point of this concept is for you to take a moment to think about this realization.  That no matter what happens to you, YOU are still the same, YOU are still a body of energy.  You may go through abuse, strife, poverty, pain, hardship, and sadness but YOU are still there inside.

You can look at it from an even easier angle.  I bet most of you reading this would say that inside you still "feel" young, in your 20's or whatever.  Yes your physical body is aging and may be reminding you that you aren't physically as young as you used to be.  But inside you still feel like that young kid, you still like much of the same things, and you still see yourself as that person inside.  If not then it is time to revisit your inner self.  You can do this through meditation, reflection, or just letting go of external issues and realizing that they are just that, external.

This concept of energy can also be used in the law of attraction.  Having what you want in your life is all a matter of giving your thoughts and focus to that desire.  The universe will bring to you what you think about.  Thoughts become things.  And what is great about that is that because everything is energy, and cannot be created or destroyed, it already exists and always will.  So that desire you have already exists.  If you can imagine it, then it already exists because that thought came into your head meaning it had to already exist or you couldn't have even thought about it.

I know this might make your mind hurt a little to think about, but it is a pretty neat concept and can help put things into perspective.  And for those more religious folks think about what the basic definition of what God or Jesus is...a being that has been and always will be, cannot be created or destroyed...sounds a lot like energy.  Though we cannot physically see it, we know energy exists and is ever present in our lives.

So next time something happens to you that may not be the most favorable, remember that inside YOU are still YOU no matter what.  If you go through life realizing that YOU are always there no matter what it will help you cope with things and view life from a wider and greater angle.

Who are you surrounding yourself with?

The people who surround yourself with is a direct reflection of what you think and feel about yourself.  It is beneficial to constantly asses your relationships with those in your life.  Start by asking the questions from Jim Rohn's quote above.

"Who am I with?" - Is this someone you want to be with or are you with them because you feel you have to be?  Do I need this person in my life? What benefit are they serving?

"What are they doing to me?" - Is this person making you feel good about myself? Happy? Sad? Angry? Moody?  Are they helping you stay in a place of optimism and positivity? Are they supporting you in your goals and dreams, or are they cutting them down?

"What have they got me saying and reading?" - Are they making you feel challenged and wanting to learn more? Are they helping you grow and reach that next level in your life on a regular basis or are they keeping you where you are? What influence are they having on the types of books, shows, music, or other media you are observing, and is this helping or hurting your life?

"What do they have me thinking?" - Do they have you thinking thoughts of abundance, gratitude, and love? Are they making me hate, dislike, or harbor negative feelings about other people or situations in my life?

"What are they making me become?" - Is my relationship with them helping me become a better, happier person? Is my relationship causing me to become a resentful, angry, bitter person?


I think we all have had people in our lives in which we have had to evaluate the benefit of their relationship with us.  Some people are the exact type of people we want in our lives.  They help us see who we really are and are their supporting us through every up and down.  However, some people seem to always feed our negativity and even cause us to become someone who we are not.  Some people come into our lives for the very reason to teach us a lesson or to show us what qualities we do not like in ourselves and others.  It is our job to realize that and sever that tie with them.  You need to value YOU more than anyone else.  Your happiness and well-being is the utmost importance in your life.  Take the time to make sure that you are challenged, supported, loved, and cared for by those in your life.  And by focusing on that same high standards for yourself it will rub off on how you treat others in your life and they will value the same from you.  You are worth having people in your life who are worth it to you.

Let Your Heart Be the Compass

You are the navigator of your life.  No one else can decide where you go, what you think, or what you do.  Those choices are up to you.  You must believe in yourself and trust your feelings when making decisions.

You may wonder how will you know if you are making the right decision.  Well this can be a matter of listening to your thoughts and feelings.  Feelings are the bodies way of telling us if we are on a negative or positive path.  Simply ask yourself "how do I feel?"  If you feel good then you are on the right thought path, and if not then you need to stop and change it.  When you are getting ready to make a decision you need to stop for a moment and think of how it is or will make you feel.

This is not to say that you will not make a decision that did not turn out to be the right one, but when you do you learn from that lesson and move on.  However the more in tune you are with your feelings you will be amazed at how much more centered you feel.  The more you check in with yourself and ask the simple question, "how do I feel?" the more you will get to learn your body and it's reaction to things.

So trust your heart/feelings in life they will guide you to what is going to bring you joy and happiness.

It's Not What Happens To You...

When something or someone comes into our life we tend to think that it is that thing that determines who we are and what we become.  What we need to instead realize is that it is our reaction to that thing that makes us who we are.

We choose how we react to situations and people in our life.  We choose how something affects us.  It is NOT the result of any outside source that we are who we are.  If you go through a divorce/breakup that does not determine where your life will go, YOU determine that.  You may find yourself blaming the other person for your problems post-breakup, ie. money, job, car breaking down, gaining weight, being lonely, etc.  However did they really cause all of that to happen? Or are you choosing to let it happen and react negatively about it?

Negative reaction = negative results.  It is proven via the law of attraction.  You get what you put into life and how you react to life.  So stop blaming others for how your life is and start taking responsibility for what happens to you.

The Magic of Mister Rogers: Final Day

You may have heard the phrase, 'you cannot love others until you learn to love yourself'.  Well this is a very true statement.  If you are dealing with your own personal demons and self esteem issues then it will come across in your daily life.  Others can see when you are happy, content, and love yourself.  It shines through and attracts people with the same self image to you.  Having an attitude of love brings more love to you.  Negativity can only create problems and bring more negativity.

Love yourself and the world will love you back!

The Magic of Mister Rogers: Day 5

With every person we meet, we leave an impression on them as they do on us.  Big or small they affect our lives and help shape us into who we are today.  You have to live your life knowing that you are important to others and that your simple presence brings happiness to those in your life.

By being a positive, happy, and compassionate person you are not only attracting those type of people and events to you, but you are also putting that out into the world and it is rubbing off on others.  YOU ARE IMPORTANT to someone.  And there are times you may never know just how special you are to someone but you just have to know and believe that you are!

The Magic of Mister Rogers: Day 4

Life is a journey where you figure out who you really are.  As you grow you go through different phases in your life.  It is amazing to me that how much differently I see the world and myself from age 20 to age 30.  It does take some time, some falls and mistakes, but it is definitely worth the effort.

Always look for the lessons that life gives you.  Always look for new meanings to things that have happened in your life.  People come and go for a reason just as you rise and fall for a reason.  Constantly seek out the truth in yourself...it will be worth the effort.

The Magic of Mister Rogers: Day 3

Honesty is a character trait that is a gift to the world to truly show people who you are.  Being honest is not only something we learn as a child, but something we need to remind ourselves to be as adults.  When you are honest with yourself and those around you, you create a relationship built on trust.  You do not show a false sense of who you are and therefore allow people to get to know the real you.

We all know what it feels like to be lied to, or to think you know someone only to find out that they person they have been portraying was not truly them.  And chances are when someone is not honest to you, you have a hard time seeing them in the same light you saw them in before.  So be yourself and make it a point to always express honesty in your daily life.  It will allow you to live a true, free, and happy life with people around you who are the same.

The Magic of Mister Rogers: Day 2

We all should live in the now and enjoy each and every moment of our lives.   Because it is an inevitable fact of life that we do not live forever and at some point we will leave this life.  You won't have time for everything in your life, so why not make choices to do the things that will bring you the most happiness?

You should choose to do things that will bring you what you want out of life.  So if you know that by choosing to say or do something that it will give you the results you are hoping for, why make that choice?

We are always faced with choices each and every day of our lives.  We need to make sure that we make the right choices and choose happiness.

The Magic of Mister Rogers: Day 1

Today is the first day of "The Magic of Mister Rogers" and we begin with this great quote.    Many times we see the end of a relationship, job, project, or even a death as the absolute end.  When in reality it is ending so another chapter can begin.  As we have said before with our post about Marilyn Monroe, "sometimes good things fall apart so that something better can fall into place."

Never just give up and assume that because something is over it will never be the same or get better, because it will.  There is always sunshine after the rain.  And you also need rain to get regrowth.  It is the cycle of life.

"The Magic of Mister Rogers"

I, like many of us, grew up watching "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" on PBS.  I was always fascinated by the places he would visit, the trips to make believe with trolley, his simple yet effective songs, and of course the life lessons he would teach.  Our next feature on "Live YOUR Life" blog is going to be based on the the lessons and quotes from this kind hearted and wise man.  He had a gentle, yet magical, way to teach us all how to be better people.

Fred Rogers lived to be 74 years old (1928-2003).  He was a minister, songwriter, author, and tv host.  He was fed up with the way that television was teaching children and developed what became "Mister Roger's Neighborhood."  His soft gentle spirit represented humility, honesty, compassion, and morality.    He fought, more than once, to in court to protect television.  He fought for the rights of a show to be shown a different time after it was recorded (ie. using a VCR) and for government to help fund public television.  He has received a Presidential Medal of Freedom, Peabody Award, and dozens of honorary degrees.

"Mister Roger's Neighborhood" ran from 1968-2000, 865 episodes.  It still plays in syndication on PBS and will forever teach lessons to those, young and old, who want to listen.  Fred Rogers was a true an honest man who lived his life with love.

Be sure to "LIKE" our Facebook page to stay updated when each new entry is posted to the blog and to be able to share these lessons with your friends and family.  It is a always a beautiful day in the neighborhood when you choose it to be.

Letting Go...

You may have heard the quote "some people come into our life for a reason, sometimes for just a season, sometimes for a lifetime.  It is up to you to decide how long they stay."  Well that is the power that we all have known as "letting go."  This is parallel with practicing forgiveness.  When someone comes into your life, whether it be a friend, lover, coworker, or family member they all have an impact on us and help to shape us to the person we are.  We allow them to be a part of our lives and they rub off on us both positively and negatively.

When you come to the point of ending a relationship with someone it is painful and seems like there is nothing that will fix it besides having the person back in your life.  You cannot imagine life without them and think that you won't ever be happy again.  And of course not all relationships end on the best terms but it came to end for a reason.  The universe listened to your thoughts and actions and, through the law of attraction, shifted the relationship.  Look at the relationship and seek out the lessons it taught you and accept that it has ended.  Forgive yourself and the other party and let them go. 

We have all had relationships, marriages, and jobs end.  So I can bet that you are still alive, still going on with your life, and your world did not come to a halt.  You moved on.  Sometimes that time period of letting go is very quickly and sometimes it can linger.  But the quicker you accept and move on, the happier you will be.  Remember you choose your happiness, no one else.  People come into our lives to teach us lessons and help us to become and see ourselves for who we really are.  When you start looking at relationships in that way you can see them in a whole new light.  Now I am not saying it won't hurt when one ends but you will have a different perspective that may help you move on.  You will have learned what to look out for next time or that when a breakup happens again you now know that you will eventually be okay and be back to a normal life.  You also learn who you do want to have in your life and will do what you can to keep them there.  Just remember that sometimes it will just be for a season in your life, but will still be for a reason, and when that time comes you can take a deep breath and...just...let...go.

Happy First Anniversary to "Live YOUR Life"

I am actually a little late for this, but on June 7th "Live YOUR Life!" Blog celebrated it's one year anniversary!! Thank you to everyone who has read this blog and made it a success. In just a year we have had over 11,000 visitors, 70+ LIKES on Facebook, and created our own set of merchandise at http://www.cafepress.com/LiveYourLifeShop

Please continue to share us with your friends and family to help them live a more positive and happy filled life!

Here is to another year!

Happiness...

Many times people come into our lives and events take place that make us think we are "lucky".  There is no such thing as luck when it comes to your happiness.  It is completely dependent on YOU.  You can wish, dream, and hope all you want but you need to be in the correct mindset for it to occur.

When you take that step in life in which you realize that happiness is your doing, your state of mind, your design, you then realize just how easy it can be to live a positive and happy life.

You are the creator of the blueprint of your life.  You are the one who decides how your life will play out and how you will react to it.  Remember as we have talked about before, you decide how you react to any situation in your life and that will determine how that event affects you.  Design your life to be full of happiness, gratitude, and positive thinking and you will be rewarding with happiness that happens on purpose not by accident.

Failure

At some point in your life you have failed.  Whether it be a school assignment, a relationship, a project, or a job, we have all experienced failure.  It is something that is a part of life and cannot be avoided.  Some people choose to think of themselves as the failure when something goes wrong, when in reality that is doing harm to yourself.

When you fail at something it is the single moment, or event, that is what has failed.  You did not fail.  What you tried just did not work.  It is the same concept as forgiveness.  You need to move on with your life and stop associating yourself with the failure.  Accept that it happened, forgive yourself, and move on.  It was an event and it is done and gone.  Yesterday ended last night, meaning that it is over and done with.  No matter how much you may want to or may try to, you cannot go back and change the past.

It is much healthier and beneficial to instead learn the lesson from the failure and to simply move on.  What good will it do for you to beat yourself up over something that is done?  Nothing! It feels good to be happy so why stop yourself from feeling that?  In the grand scheme of things what is wallowing over something you failed at going to change? NOTHING! 

Don't let failure be a personal label, let it be just something that has come and gone.  You choose how you react to life and what it brings you.  Life does not make you feel or act a certain way, you do!  You are NEVER a failure!

10,000 Views...THANK YOU!

I want to say thank you to everyone who has read this blog, shared posts, commented, LIKEd our Facebook Page, etc.  I started this a little less than a year ago and could not imagine that I would have hit 10,000 visitors already.

Please continue to share this with your friends and family and sharing the message of the power of positive thinking and giving love to all areas of your life.  Remember you and only you can choose how to "Live YOUR Life"!

Never Close Your Heart...

The second part of "Untethered Soul", by Michael Singer, is about not closing your heart.  We are beings made of energy and have an amazing supply of it that many of us do not tap in to.  I like the example that he used which to imagine a time when you broke up with someone and how you felt tired, had no energy to do anything, didn't want to eat, eat.  But then imagine that person called you up and said they wanted to see you.  In a sudden instant you had enough energy to jump up, get showered, dressed, and be there as if you all of a sudden had this burst of energy.  Well that is because energy can never be created nor destroyed and it is there at all times, you just need to tap into it.

By opening your heart you are allowing energy to flow freely in and out of you and at the highest level.  This does not just refer to opening your heart to loving someone, but to everything around you.  The way you act, speak, and think about every single thing in your daily life is a based on how open your heart is.  Think about how much better you feel when you are smiling, having a great day, saying hi to those you walk by, listening to music, and just being happy.  You even may notice you feel more awake and energized, as opposed to when you are angry, sad, or hurt and feel sluggish and blah.  That is because you are opening your heart and allowing the energy inside to be released.  If you truly live a life of love and look for the positive in everything there is never anything worth closing your heart over.  As we have said on here with forgiveness and learning lessons, even in bad situations you need to keep your heart open and give love to those things.  The only person you will hurt by closing your heart with anger and sadness is yourself.  Don't lock yourself inside yourself, let yourself be free and open to the joy of life around you.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: Final Day

 

This is the final day of our "Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln" series.  I hope you all enjoyed it and learned a lesson or two.  This final quote is about having humility in your life.  We spoke about "Humility-Stepping Aside" in a previous post on this blog.  Basically what Lincoln is saying is that you should live your life and do actions that would be worthy of praise and recognition because they are for the good.  But you should not do them just for the reason of being recognized or praise.  You should be humble enough to just do what is right without seeking the attention.

By doing this you will life your life in an honest and positive matter.  You will learn to do good for yourself and others, no matter who or if anyone is watching.  Let's say you find a $20 bill on the floor in a store, do you look around to see if people are watching you?  If someone was watching you would you be more apt to pick it up and return it?  Or if no one was looking would you pocket it?  Think about what you would do.  Would you return it to get the recognition or simply because it is the right thing to do

Live your life with a positive outlook remembering you choose how it all pans out.  Lincoln was a wise man and there are numerous quotes proving this.  I hope you enjoyed this series and learned a little bit more about one of the most influential people in history.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: Day 7

I love this quote because of how it explains the importance of positive thinking.  Negative thoughts creep into our minds all too easily.  And because of that we let it happen and let our emotions go along with them.  This great bit of wisdom from Lincoln shows us that we need to take that prickly negative thought, or thistle, and plant a beautiful positive thought, or flower, where that was.

There is always a positive spin or lesson to everything that happens.  And you will feel much better sooner and for a more prolonged length of time if you choose to focus on more positive thoughts.  You are the only person in control of your thoughts and feelings, so become the gardener of your mind and weed out the thistles.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: Day 6

Everyone has a purpose and passion in life.  It is that one thing that you do with complete joy and without want or need for compensation.  It is that one thing that just comes naturally to you.  I have spoken a few times about my experience watching Bishop T.D. Jakes speak live and his view on purpose.  There are several clips on YouTube from the Lifeclass that I attended with him and I urge you to seek them out.

When you have found your purpose in life you need to put your whole heart into it and be the best 'whatever' you can be.  This may mean losing so called "friends" or those who were content with what you were doing with your life.  This could mean you go through some hard times trying to become the 'whatever' you were meant to be.  But my favorite thing he spoke about regarding each of our purposes and deserved life on this earth is that "The Great The Digression, The Greater The Progression".

Lincoln gives us a great reminder here that no matter what tries to get in your way, once you figured out 'whatever' it is you were meant to do...DO IT and be a good one.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: Day 5

I do not consider myself a religious person in the sense that I do not go to church, never have, and do not identify with any real religious group.  However through reading and studying it is interesting to see that as everyone likes to point out all the differences from their religion to another that they all essentially have the same core belief.  It is the belief that some universal force or being is what guides us all and that when you do good in your life you feel good and when you do bad in your life you feel bad.  I mean really break down your specific religion and you will see that basic interpretation.

I am not saying religion is bad and I totally respect the right for each of us to believe what we want.  That is what makes life so great.  However at its core I live my life in the way of this quote.  When I do or think happy/positive thoughts, that is what I get back, and vice-versa.  It really is that simple and the easiest lesson you can impart on your life.  For more insight on this topic check out one of our previous blog entries, "The Way You Think Is How You Feel".  Your feelings are a great indicator as to whether what you are doing and thinking are good or bad.  No matter your religion, try to live by this basic belief that Lincoln has taught us.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: Day 4

This is one of my favorite quotes.  It is very to the point and is an attitude we all should adopt.  We can never take for granted or know how long our time on earth will be.  So instead of worrying or fearing the end of our lives we should be enjoying and appreciating every moment in it.

Living in the now and enjoying the moment is something that many of us do not do.  Instead we worry about what happened yesterday or what tomorrow might bring.  We obsess over every little thing that goes wrong, or the way someone did or said something to us.  Instead we need to live our life each and every moment as if it was our last.  This goes along with our previous entry, "The Three Levels of Life".  You need to look at your life and see if you are just surviving or if you are truly living and enjoying it.

Do what makes you happy, what brings you joy, and what brings joy to others.  Do what your purpose in life is.  Spread love, joy, and compassion to those around you.  Put life into your years!

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: Day 3

This Lincoln quote pretty much echoes what this entire blog is about.  How you think is how you feel.  You can only be ask happy as YOU decide to be.  Life throws a lot at you and you attract a lot to you because of the way you act and think.  So the current state of your life is a result of how you think about it.

Our past post, "Neutral", is a good explanation of this lesson.  Everything is neither good nor bad until you put that label on it.  Every situation can be looked at with a positive spin or lesson to learn from it.  Once you start to give into negativity it continues to filter in to more areas of your life and will make it seem as if nothing is going right and that you will never be happy.  Instead, put your mind on the path of positivity and you will instantly see a change in how you feel, physically and mentally.  It feels good so "Why Not Choose Happy?" Make your mind up to be happy and that is how happy you will be.

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Visit our "Live YOUR Life" Blog Shop for tons of great products containing our "Why Not Choose Happy?" logo.  It is a great way to remind yourself to think positive thoughts.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: Day 2

This quote is a great message about how we see the world and ourselves.  It seems to come much easier to people to judge others or situations based on what they see and their opinion of them.  When in reality it may be completely a different story all together.  We discussed this topic in the past post "Is Your Perception Your Reality?".  Many times they way we view things is not what they truly are.

There are two ways to look at this quote.  One way is that he was stating that we are often tricked by shadows into thinking they are something they are not or we let our mind imagine what it is.  When instead the shadow of the tree is just a representation and symbol of the tree but is not the actual tree.  This means that you may see the surface of someone's problems or actions and make assumptions about that.  When in reality you should get to know the real person and root of things before you judge them on their character.

The second is the more literal interpretation in that your character, the person you truly are and who you show to the world, is the real you.  Not the reputation, or shadow, that others make up for you.  Gossip, rumors, and opinions of others form their reputation based on what people here and state. But how you act and show who you truly are is your character.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: Day 1

Everyone has heard of the old adage to think before you speak.  Many of us say things that we don't mean or give opinions on topics that we may not even know the full truth about yet.  This can be an emotional response that sometimes is not necessarily how you really feel.  It is better to take a moment to collect your thoughts and then share them then it is to blurt them out prematurely.

I can almost guarantee that if you are mad at someone or something, that if you wait a bit to cool down you will make much better decisions on what you say and do.  If you just jump to conclusions or act out of anger then you are sure to make a fool of yourself, which will ultimately just make the situation worse.  And there are those times when it is better just to keep your mouth shut and not share your opinion.  Those moments when you want to say "I told you so" so bad but in reality that will only add fuel to the fire and is not a compassionate response.  Let people learn from their own mistakes, don't make it your job to always point it out.  Sometimes even if you know you are right, let someone know that you value the relationship with them more than sharing your opinion and hurting them.  Don't be a fool.

"The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln" - Introduction

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States of America.  He is one of the most famous and influential Presidents in our nation's history.  He brought the nation through the Civil War and drove the fight to give freedom and equality to African Americans.  He understood what the Constitution meant and wanted to hold the American Government accountable for keeping it alive.  He was a complicated man who did extraordinary things.  On this date in 1865 he was assassinated while enjoying a play with his wife, Mary.  He was only 56, but made one of the biggest historical impacts in American History. 

I recently had the pleasure of watching the Academy Award winning movie, "Lincoln".  I was so impressed and emotionally invested in the story.  Even knowing what I had learned from history lessons and what was going to happen, it still had an emotional heart tug to it.  And his fight for equality bears a very similar resemblance to today's fight for equal rights for all under this nation's laws.  A human is a human, and no one deserves rights any more or less than another.

For the next 8 days "Live YOUR Life" blog will be featuring some of my favorite quotes by Lincoln and how they can help you to live a better life.  Please make sure you have "liked" our Facebook page (link to the right of this post) so that you will receive all the updates as to when each entry is posted.  I hope you can take away some wisdom from this man and impart it into your daily life.

Two Hands

I love this quote by Audrey Hepburn because being in service to others is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and the world around you.  Being able to give, no matter what you have to give, shows that you are grateful for what you have an unselfish is sharing your love and kindness.  It can be as little as helping someone move, making dinner for a friend, cleaning the dirty dishes in the sink, to volunteering at a homeless or animal shelter or building a house with Habitat for Humanity.  It does not matter what you do, what matters is that you are realizing the value of helping another person and doing it without expectation of compensation.  You are doing it simply because it feels right and is human nature to help those in need.

There are plenty of people happy out there with less than what you have, and sometimes helping those in need can in turn help you appreciate what you have in your life a little more.  When you do good for others you are giving selfless love out to the universe and will in turn receive it back. The joy and personal happiness you get from helping others is something you will only understand when you do it.  I am sure there are times in your life you have done something for someone out of the kindness of your heart and it makes you beam with happiness.  Why wouldn't you want to feel that more often?  Find reasons to help others. Find reasons to make someone's day a little brighter.  It will make your day brighter as well.

Worrying is like a rocking chair...

Worrying is something everyone of us do whether we are aware if it or not.  But many of us worry about things that are not worth it and in all reality there is nothing you should be worrying about.  When you worry you become concerned with what could or might happen.  That is thinking about the future which is something you cannot figure out fully no matter how hard you try.  Tomorrow is a mystery because we have no idea what it will bring.  So worrying about what may or may not happen does you no good.  It just brings feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and fear to your life.

You control how you feel and react to situations in your life.  So why does it make sense to make yourself feel negatively about something that you really don't even know how it is going to turn out?  And if it is something that is truly going to make you feel bad, why are you going to do it?  Is the outcome going to be greater than the current situation?  This topic goes side by side with how irrational fear is.  You can read about fear in the "Live YOUR Life" blog entry from October 7, 2012.  It is something that does nothing for you but bring about uncomfortable feelings which you don't need to have.  When instead of worrying about something, you can just do it and odds are the thing you are worrying about will be done and over with none of the crazy outcomes you thought of.  

It can actually be empowering to go ahead and just do something you were worrying or scared about.  The more you force yourself to just do things, live in the now, and not put worry and doubt about what could happen out of your mind, the more happiness and peace you will bring into your life.

Mirrors

I recently heard one of Justin Timberlake's new songs, "Mirrors", and was drawn to it.  I did some research and found out the meaning of it and came across the quote above.  It is a great statement on how real love should be like a mirror.

When you are in a relationship with someone you should be able to grow as a person and still be who you are as an individual as well as allowing the other person to do the same.  Being you is what makes you special and what attracted your partner to you in the first place.  So instead of trying to become someone you are not to please them, you should grow and evolve to become a better couple together based on the needs of each other, all while keeping the person who you are inside visible.  And by doing so you will then mirror each other as a reflection of similar goals, interests, growth and love.  The mirror reflects two parts that equal a whole.

You should also be able to look at your own reflection in the mirror of life and see the person you want to and deserve to be.  You should see someone who realizes their happiness and gifts in life. Someone who realizes just how special it is to have someone by their side allowing them to grow yet still be themselves.  Remember what you give out you receive   So if the reflection of your life, the things and people in your life, are not what you want to see then you should examine what is causing that and change it.  If you and your partner are having issues take a second to look at what you are giving out that may in turn be what is reflected back to you.  Be individuals but also reflections of your own values and beliefs about love and you will naturally grow and strengthen your bond.

"I think a relationship, when it's working, is constantly evolving because we as individuals evolve.  You want to know that the person you are with is evolving with you." 

- Justin Timberlake

Neutral

Everything that comes into our lives is neutral.  People, circumstances, events, relationships, etc. It is all neutral until we label it good or bad in our minds.  Remember we create the world around us and our reactions to it.  Therefore it is you who chooses to view something as a negative or positive.

You can find a positive spin, lesson, or solution from any "bad" situation.  It may take some soul searching and stepping back for a second to look at it, but it can be done.  Per the law of attraction what you give you receive.  Therefore if you start labeling everything in your life as "bad" or "negative" then you will only bring more of that to you.  Instead, label things as positive experiences or lessons, and appreciate the people who have come and gone in your life.  This will in turn present more positive experiences into your life.

Look at your life now and see what things you have labeled negatively and look for another angle to view them.  You are the only person who can decide that something is good or bad, so why not choose good?!