< Greater than

Life would be so much better if I did _____! Current life choices + _______ = me < (greater than) I was before. So yesterday I wrote about 5 things to do less of and today I am writing about 5 things to do more of.

I’ve been systematically working on improving my life for a year. Not that my life sucked mind you, more that I was aware of the need for improvement and change. So although I haven’t progressed to where I want to be. I am making progress. These are the things that I have been focusing on:

1. Gratitude- practicing gratitude can really make a difference in your life. Every day before I go to bed I write in my journal one thing I am grateful for that happened that day.  It gives me time to think of all the good that has happened. I’ve also noticed that the more grateful I am the more I find to be grateful for. 
2. Friendships- okay this might sound silly but focusing on my friendships has really improved my life. I have lots of friends but I wasn’t paying as close of attention to the relationships as I should have. I started calling people more, visiting, going to lunch, grabbing a cocktail or dinner. I started reconnecting with old friends too. I found I had been taking my friends for granted and once I started paying attention to the state of my friendships I found myself in a happier place.
3. Recognizing happiness- so I read a book not long ago called The Happiness Project and it really made me take stock in what makes me happy. There were lots of things that made me unhappy and I addressed them but I also discovered the things that made me happy and I gave myself permission to do more of those things even if it makes no sense to anyone else. Now I’m aware of when something makes me happy and I try to incorporate more of it into my life. 
4. Giving of one’s self- so for some people it is a requirement to volunteer and give back on some way to their community. I’ve never been a serious volunteer. That doesn’t mean I haven’t given hours and hours to projects, places and people in the form of service…it just means I don’t go out of my way looking for ways to volunteer. However, I believe that giving of one’s self can be done through time and talent. I can donate my time or my talents and skills to help others. I’m trying to do more of this on a broader spectrum. 
5. Writing- okay, for me, my creative outlet is writing but for others it can cooking, art, music etcetera. By writing a little each day I fee better overall. Everyone needs a creative outlet. Spend time letting those creative juices flow. When you open up to creativity you also open yourself up to new experiences. It works. Really. 

Changing your life for the better can be as simple as making one small change. You don’t have to radically shift your whole life. Figure out where your life can improve and then find one thing to do that will head you in that direction. 

Three small steps

Topic of the day? What three small steps do I think could change the world? Go ahead….answer that for yourself because it’s not as easy as you think to come up with things you think will really truly change the world. 

So here is my humble attempt at answering this question. Bear in mind I  am thinking of these actions as a global requirement not just my little corner of the world. 

1. Every person must volunteer. If you are required to spend a certain amount of your time every week volunteering and helping others it would open people’s eyes to the fact that we all go through things. We all need help and giving of ourselves genuinely on behalf of others is really helping ourselves grow. 
2. Every person must participate in Active Listening. Yeah, you heard that right. Listening. Actively. It means listening to learn and understand not listening to respond. Huge difference! If you are actively listening then you are really hearing what another person is saying. If you are really listening then you are understanding where that person is communicating from. You understand what they are trying to express. 
3. Every person must keep a Gratitude Journal. Yep. If you are spending time being aware of the blessings in your life as you go about your day, you begin to see more to be grateful for. The more you see, the more grateful you become, the more the universe gives you to be grateful for. It’s a beautiful cycle really. Not to mention that if you are walking around being grateful for everything it’s impossible to be in negativity, anger and fear. 

So….do you want to change the world? These are the places I think you should start. Try it and watch the world around you change. (Of maybe you just change and see the world differently.)

Celtic Blessings

This evening I got an email that left me crying and laughing and thanking God for the women he has brought into my life and the many blessings and lessons they have taught me as I journey on this path. As the email came to a close and tears streamed down my face I found myself instinctively reaching for my celtic cross necklace. I almost never take it off and I find my fingers stray to it often.

It is a talisman when I am upset or afraid, it is a conduit for peace when I am nervous or anxious. It is a keeper of my laughter, the holder of my dreams. It is a symbol of my faith in God and it reminds me constantly of the three wonderful women who gave it to me. It is a bittersweet reminder of a time when so much change had not affected all of our lives.

Did you know that silver, which the necklace is made from, is the highest electrical conduit of all the elements? As I learn more and more about our bodies energetic fields I am coming to understand that this necklace really truly helps me funnel that energy into whatever means is necessary in the moment. This necklace helps me tune into God, to the healing energies within and then extend that out into my world.

It is with my full gratitude for such an amazing gift that I write this note. Thank you so much for the gift that has turned into so much more than a simple piece of jewelry. Thank you, thank you,thank you. Although I don’t think I can actually express correctly what this means to me and what it means to have received it from all of you, I hope this gives you a glimpse into my heart.

Thank you for the many blessings of this one gift to me from your hearts. I love you all!