We know that we should be grateful and express our thanks, but how often do we give thanks for the things we don't like? It may sound strange, but it is of greater value and benefit to us to give thanks for that which we dislike than it is to give thanks for the things that make us happy.

When you say "thank you" for something, you're not resisting it, but allowing it to be. Remember, what we resist persists. What we bless, we have no resistance toward. It is our resistance to things that causes us pain, not the thing resisted, so it makes sense to want to put an end to resistance. We know we can't stop resistance by fighting against it or willing ourselves into acceptance. Then how do we stop resisting people, things, and circumstances?

Gratitude is the beginning, but blessing is the full answer. Every one and everything that exists in our awareness is there to bless us in some way, whether we see it or not. That means that even the most unpleasant or downright painful holds a gift for us. It is not necessary to identify the gift in order to end the resentment. Just acknowledging that there is one is enough.

Think of all the things and people in your life that upset you, hurt you, or you just don't like. List them, and then give thanks for them. Take it one step further and bless them. It may feel awkward at first, but with daily practice, this will begin to feel natural. You will find yourself resisting less and less in your life. As you do so, the things that you don't like will cease to bother you, will transform, or will leave your life all together.

Sometimes, we all have a tendency to hold onto our anger and resentment. We're human. It happens. How do you feel when you do that? We wish that certain people were not in our lives at all, but we know that we don't have control over other people. We do have control over our thoughts and feelings. We can choose to stay in our anger, letting it eat away at us and make us miserable, or we can choose to change our focus. Giving thanks for our antagonists and blessing them puts an end to our resistance against them and our anger. It may take some time to completely let go of some of them, but the situation or relationship will begin to change immediately.

How much do you want to change? Do you want it bad enough to do anything? Try giving thanks for and blessing all that you dislike. You will be amazed at the results, and feel better about yourself in the process.

Many people have attended seminars, learned new skills, applied them with enthusiasm, then gave up. They didn't see the changes they wanted in the timeframe they expected. It is possible that they were misinformed. It is possible that what they learned doesn't actually work. They may have had unrealistic expectations of the timeframe for success. In most cases, however, the problem is giving up too soon.

I had a tree in my front yard that broke off below the ground. The man that hauled it away said that this kind of tree might grow back, but with no trunk left, it wasn't likely. I gave it tree food. I watered it. I kept waiting for a new sprout to come up, but nothing happened. There was no indication that there was any life left below the surface. I watered it anyway, just in case. Four months later, my persistence was rewarded with a tiny sprout growing out of the old main root. Since then, I have had to trim the tree monthly because it is growing so fast. It is now four feet tall, thick, and sturdy. It's so strong that it doesn't need stakes to hold it up against the fierce winds we get. All the time that it didn't look like anything was happening, the roots were digging deeper, spreading wider, and getting ready to support a great tree.

I believe that this is how we make progress in life. Our efforts may seem ineffective for a time, but if we persist, we will see that necessary preparatory work was going on below the surface the whole time. If you believe in what you're doing and in your goals, don't give up. Continue relentlessly to do the things you believe are right. Trust that all the little things that need to be in place to support your dreams are being arranged below the surface. Have patience, knowing that when your goal does manifest, it will be in the most appropriate way and at the perfect time.

Never give up.
Jstone

We all know that we need to forgive those that have hurt us or let us down. Resentment only hurts the one who holds it. As long as we hold on to our resentments, we tie the person and event that caused us pain to us. It becomes a burden, which holds us down and prevents us from realizing the happy and fulfilling life that we could have. I have tried just saying I forgive so and so. It does not work. It does not remove the emotional charge from the memory or cut the ties that bind us to the past. I had to turn once again to meditation and the power of my imagination.

In meditation, I began with focusing on the qualities of God with my attention in my heart. Once I felt my heart swell with love and peace, I pictured the person I needed to forgive. I spoke to them as if they were right in front of me. It was important for me to tell them how I feel, which is to say, how I felt at the time that I felt hurt. Then I would tell them that I know they did the best they could with what they knew at that time. I took ownership of my part in it by either causing their action or allowing it. Then I told them that I forgive them and let them go, declaring us both free. After doing this with certain individuals a few times, I was actually able to say, "I love you and I support your highest good." More and more, I feel released and free of the past. My reactions to people and events in my life have become more appropriate because they are not based on past experiences.

Prayer of Forgiveness
I forgive you for every way that you have hurt me. I know you did the best you could with what you knew at that time.
I am sorry for every way that I hurt you. Please forgive me.
I send you Love & Light from my heart to yours.
I sever the connection between us, with love & peace.
I lovingly set you free.

Prayer of Self-forgiveness & Release of Guilt, Shame, & Regret
(Self),
I forgive you for every mistake you have ever made. I know you did the best you could with what you knew at that time.
I am proud of who you are. You are a wonderful person.
I support you in every way. I love you unconditionally.
I give you permission to let go now of every bit of guilt, shame, & regret.
I sever the cord that binds them to you with love & peace.
You are now free to live as Love & Light.

The following is a forgiveness prayer adapted from The Sermon on the Mount, by Emmet Fox. This prayer is to be done once only for each person for whom you hold resentments. Before using this prayer, it is recommended that you center yourself in peace and love, focus on the qualities of God, and affirm that you are entirely willing to forgive now.

"I fully & freely forgive _________; I now let him/her go. I completely forgive the entire situation involving _________. It is finished forever. I cast the burden of resentment on the Christ within me. _________ is now free & I am free. I wish ________ well in all aspects of their life. The Christ within us has set us free. It is done."

Forgiving others does not necessarily mean that we must like them. We are not required to like anyone. We are to hold the thought in our mind of goodwill toward everyone, but we certainly will not want to force ourselves to like those who are hurtful, mean, or insulting. If we fail to forgive others, we will continue to be bound to them. Our resentments attach us to the objects of resentment and prevent our own progress in every area of life.

Clearing
Another method of forgiving and releasing the past is Ho'oponopono, which means, "to make right", in Hawaiian. It is a cleansing technique that you can learn more about by visiting the links below or reading Dr. Joe Vitale's new book, "Zero Limits." The basic process is to think of someone who creates a negative emotional charge in you and focus on the feeling in you, not the person. Because we are all connected and one with God you say, "I am sorry for how I have created this. Please forgive me. Please remove this from me, and from the world. Thank you, God. I love you." There is an amazing story the book about a doctor in Hawaii that used this technique with severely mentally ill patients with remarkable success. Whenever you see someone who brings to mind feelings of pity, disgust, or anger, use this technique to clear what it is in you that has contributed to their condition. You will free yourself of the negative emotions and help that person express a higher vibration.

For my own practice, I have altered the process slightly. I think of the person I have a negative reaction to and say to them, "I recognize you as a perfect expression of God. I honor your divinity. I am sorry for every way that I have hurt you. Please for give me. I forgive you for every way that you have hurt me. Thank you for contributing to my life. I support your highest good. I love you. I bless you. I release you. We are free." When I do this, I feel light, joyful, and clear.

Have you ever asked that question? Most people have. The real question is, What is it that I don't like about me? No one likes seeing their perceived shortcomings, much less seeking them out. If we are going to change ourselves into the person we want to be, though, we must look at the person we are.

With love and compassion, we must look at all our faults. Once we have identified them, we need to ask ourselves, Why is it bad? Often times, we think of something as bad when in fact it is not. For example, for many years I thought that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was a weakness. Then one day it saved my life. It gave me the power, speed, and cunning to get away from someone who almost killed me. Without my weakness, I probably would not have survived. When I learned to embrace PTSD as a gift, I no longer felt weak, shameful, or bothered by it.

We all have traits, habits, and patterns that may be judged as bad in one situation but valuable in another. It is up to us to decide which way we will choose to look at them. We cannot hide from our personality, so we may as well learn to love it. One tool that has helped me do this is listing all the things that I don't like about me straight down a page. On the other side of the page, I wrote down why I think they are bad. Some of the reasons were just silly, but it made me take a close look at my judgments.

The next step was to write down all the ways my bad traits could be good. Some of them turned into assets, but not all. I was able to thin out my list of bad traits and look at what I needed to change. It was a much shorter list than what I started with and I immediately started feeling better about myself. What I needed to change became manageable and none of it made me a bad person.

What self-judgments are hiding in your mind? What traits are you misinterpreting? You may have attributes that you are not using because you have not seen their true good purpose. If you are willing to take a close, honest look at yourself, you may find that you are a pretty awesome person and there's nothing wrong with you after all.

Ever since the movie "The Secret" came out, everyone is talking about The Law of Attraction. While The Secret was a great beginning, it was just that, a starting point. As many teachers have already said, there is a great deal more to it than simply visualizing what you want to have and expecting it to appear.

We have heard about the power of our thoughts, but without powerful emotions behind our thoughts, they are just noise. Thoughts must be focused, clear, and consistent. They must be supported by positive emotions. If you focus on abundance while fearing loss, you will experience loss-in abundance. If you focus on having a loving relationship while resenting the last person you had a relationship with, you will experience love that is spoiled by resentment.

Our emotions are the way we experience our rate of vibration, or frequency. A low frequency feels like sadness, irritability, frustration, and any number of other negative emotional states. High frequency states begin with love and include joy, enthusiasm, excitement, confidence, and most of all, gratitude. Gratitude is so important that it was mentioned repeatedly in The Secret. Gratitude helps us get from negative emotional states to positive states.

Gratitude is the bridge. If you can find something to be grateful for in the midst of your anger, fear, depression, or resentment, then you can change your emotional state and your frequency. The more you focus on feeling grateful, the more you raise your frequency. When you get to a state of joy and love, that is the time to focus on what you desire to experience. If you try to create from a negative emotional state, you will only create more of the negativity you want to change. Your first priority has to be getting yourself into a positive emotional state-consistently.

Do you wonder if The Law of Attraction is real? Look honestly at your life and you will find many instances where you attracted into your experience either the things you needed or the things you feared. Fear is a powerful emotion that draws to you the very thing that you fear. Love is the most powerful emotion and it draws to you that which you love, as well as wonderful things in every area of your life. Examine your life and you will see that it is your emotional state more than your thoughts that attracts to you particular experiences.

Believe or don't believe. It makes no difference. The Universe functions by very specific natural laws with or without our knowledge of them. The wise will seek out knowledge of the way the Universe functions in order to better understand it and work in harmony with it. I have found life to be much more joyful and successful when I strive to be and act in harmony with the natural laws of the Universe.

May you be love, joy, and gratitude.

How can we contribute to the healing of others, humanity, and the Earth? It begins in our own heart, with the desire to help, to heal, and to uplift others. This desires comes from the place in us that knows that we are all one and that we can live in joy. There is something within each of us that wants to serve, to be a blessing to others and to the world. We can answer that ancient longing with the choices we make today.

Whatsoever we do to another, we do to ourselves. The reverse is also true. When we are critical or demeaning to ourselves, it affects everyone. With this in mind, we know that we must love ourselves if we are to love others. We must heal our own hearts so that we can help others heal theirs. When we remember that we are Love and Light, we can support others in remembering that they too are Love and Light.

If we are speaking, or even thinking, negative words about someone else, we not only bring that person down, but also ourselves. Guard your thoughts and your words with all diligence. Make a conscious determination to be supporting of the highest good in others and in yourself. Remind yourself often that every single person is a little piece of God, a perfect soul made of Love and Light, working through the illusions of limitation and separation. Have compassion for the struggles of others, but do not see them in weakness or lack. Focus your mind on the Love and Light that is the truth of who they are.

Our words and thoughts about others touch that person. We can either help them realize more of their beautiful truth, or we can support the illusions of pain, lack, loss, fear, weakness, helplessness, and disease. Seeing or speaking of another as any of these conditions only prolongs the condition because we are supporting the condition with our own energy. We cannot help anyone heal by focusing on what's wrong, but only by focusing on what's right.

Imagine others as whole, healthy, wise, and happy. Do the same for yourself. If we dwell on the problem, we support the problem and perpetuate it. We must be in the solution in order to see it manifest. The same is true of conditions in the world and of the health of our planet. Keeping our minds on war supports war. Celebrating where there is peace supports and increases peace. The more disease, weakness, pain, and helplessness that we see in another, the more crucial it is to hold them in the highest light. They need the support of our healing heart, the heart that sees the truth in them, not the illusion.

We all know that being around negative people brings us down, but have you ever thought about all the other things that bring you down, drain your energy, make you feel heavy? When I started thinking about the things in my life that drain me, I first thought of the three R's: Resentment, Resistance, & Regret. That part was easy. Then, I started looking at moments in my life when I have felt dis-empowered and what was going on at the time.

Anger or hatred is the worst feeling I can think of. It creates a dark cloud of heavy energy all around me. It blinds me from what I need to do or focus on. Fear is like this, too. Worry and doubt seem to bring me down more slowly. Arguing with someone can depress and blind me almost instantly. What are your barriers to progress? What diminishes your energy and vibration?

Here are the things that I have to watch out for. I don't dwell on them, but I have to be aware of when I am slipping back into these dis-empowering states. Maybe you can relate to some of them.

Resentment-Resistance--Regret-Fear-Anger-Hatred-Worry-Doubt-Pain-Arguing-Disappointment-Frustration-Denial-Nostalgia-Chaos-Impatience--Negative Talk--Negative People--Trying to meet other's expectations

When we discover our barriers to happiness and progress, we have the power to make a different choice.">

Some people swear by affirmations. Some swear they don't work. We could argue for or against them all day. The problem with affirmations is that many people say affirmations that set up an argument between their conscious and unconscious mind. That gets you nowhere.

The key to successful affirmations is changing the focus from the desired object to the emotional experience of having it. For example, instead of saying, "I am wealthy" try, "I enjoy being wealthy." You shift your attention from the desire to be wealthy to the emotional state of already being there. Most people can accept and believe that they would enjoy being wealthy so there is no ensuing argument.

You can do the same thing with any affirmation and desired outcome. Instead of, "I am slim and healthy" try, "It feels good to be slim and healthy." As you focus on what it would feel like to have your desired experience, your unconscious mind will go to work to bring about the experience. It will be working with you instead of against you. Your unconscious wants you to feel good, be happy, and thrive. That is its prime directive. By affirming that the things you want to experience do make you feel that way, you are giving your unconscious the direction it needs to bring those experiences into your reality.

Affirming your joyful success.

The time for justification, resentment, blame, and regret has passed. We can no longer afford the luxury of refusing to take responsibility for everything in our lives. We are powerful creators, becoming aware of the natural forces at work in us and in the Universe. As we begin to use them intentionally, we must clear ourselves of disempowering attitudes. The energy that radiates from us, whether positive or negative, draws to us more of the same. When we indulge in resentment, regret, blame, and anger, we radiate that energy to every one and everything around us and everyone and everything responds accordingly.

We cannot know peace in ourselves, our homes, our relationships, or our communities as long as we hold on to these negative states of mind and heart. We must be what we want to experience. To experience peace, we have to be peace. To experience love, we have to be love. To experience abundance, we have to be abundance. How can you be abundance? By living in a constant state of gratitude. By giving thanks always, for all that you have. By believing that all your needs are met and your desires are being fulfilled.

How do you start your day?
How I start my day, begin a project, or set out on a journey has a definite effect on my success and state of mind. When I head out into the world, or my day, without first setting the tone, I meet with frustration, impatience, and struggle. I have learned from my experience that everything in my life flows more harmoniously when I take a few minutes to center myself and set a positive tone.

When I wake up in the morning, I thank God for a good night's sleep and for a wonderful, positive, productive day. I give thanks for guidance in all I do. I express love for God and for every aspect of my being. On very busy days when I don't have time for anything else, this simple step is enough to get me started.

My breakfast is small and healthy. When I used to eat a big breakfast, it made me feel tired. Eating light provides the energy I need without making me want to go back to sleep. I hug my kids and tell them I love them. They know that I love them, but just like the rest of us, they need to hear it. The hugs and love I get from them in return lift my spirit and fill my heart with joy. Then I go outside and either, water the plants or just sit in the sun for 10-20 minutes. During this time, I connect with God through nature. The fresh air and sunshine wakes me up in a gentle way and makes me feel a part of the world.

The book by Roger Lanphear, Unified, suggests clearing the energy field around us and closing it at the start of our day and before and after meeting with others. When I use this technique, I do it once for the whole day. I clear the energy field around me by saying, "All influences within my field other than my Higher Self, I send you love & light. You are love & light, whole, & perfect now. I send you now to your perfect place. I now close my field to all but my Higher Self and seal it for the day" (26, 27). This is based on an understanding that because we are all energy, people interact with us and influence us by their presence. Wherever we go, we leave an energy residue that affects others. During contact with others, our energy field co-mingles with theirs. When we are with positive people, we experience their uplifting energy. When we are around negative people, their energy feels like a drain on us. We truly affect each other, even without saying a word.

My desk is the focal point of my day. It is there that I do my schoolwork, write, work on products and services for my business, and work on personal development. I sit down at my desk and put on some soothing music. With closed eyes, I breath slowly & deeply, and turn my attention to my heart center. I use intoning to focus my attention inward.

Intoning is simply humming or singing the sound, or tone, that feels right to you. It is a tone that resonates with your total being. Many people chant Om, and this is very similar. You can use intoning any time, anywhere to center & calm yourself.

I do a love meditation, a peace meditation, and send love & light to all my family members, friends, & anyone else who comes to mind. In the beginning, I focus on the qualities of God. I affirm, "God is love, so I am love. God is peace, so I am peace. God is joy, so I am joy." I continue this process with each quality of God that I can think of. My attention is in my heart, which is my connection to the Divine.

The love meditation begins in my heart. I say, "I love all that I am. My soul, I love you. My spirit, I love you. My Higher Self, I love you. My heart, I love you. My emotions, I love you. My mind, I love you. My thoughts, I love you. All my nerves, I love you. All my glands, I love you." You get the idea. I go through this process with each body part or system. Then I turn my attention to previous expressions of myself, beginning with myself as a child. I visualize that previous self and say, "I love you. I embrace you. You are safe." Then I think of myself at the next stage of life, and the next, and the next, until I reach my present self. This is a powerful way to reintegrate previous expressions of your self that you may have rejected or that are still stuck in fear.

My peace meditation follows immediately
While in this state of profound peace & love, I focus on my heart and think of each of my family members & friends, one at a time. As I think of each person, picturing them in my mind, I send them love & light from my heart. It only takes a couple of seconds for each one. I do this until no one else comes to mind. Then I know I am done.

This is a great spiritual practice to do when riding in a car, on a bus, or in a plane, as long as you are not driving. You can use it while waiting in line, in a doctor's office, or anywhere. You do not have to do this with everyone you know at once. Sometimes I only have time to think of a few people, but the effect is still profound. The way others speak to me and act toward me has changed since I began sending them love and light. I have not told any of my family members that I do this, yet our relationships have become far more peaceful and harmonious. If you are in the habit of praying for others, you can add this simple process to your prayers. It is a wonderful way to support others.

My gratitude journal is one of the most important things I attend to each day. I read it everyday and add to it frequently. It helps me remember all the good in my life. My heart swells with God's love for me when I see how profoundly blessed I am.

I come out of meditation by breathing deeply, stretching, and drinking some tea or water. This is a good time for me to get up & do some Tai Chi or Yoga. The stretching and muscle movement returns my body & mind to full awareness. Taking these actions is an act of love and appreciation for my body, as well as a way to move from deep meditation to active awareness. Attending to my physical health is an important part of loving myself and absolutely necessary to a life of peace and joy.

The last major morning activity is reading my life intentions. It is one that I usually do only two or three times a week. I have a notebook in which I have written down every detail of my ideal life. I add to it every time I think of something I want to experience or be. It includes such details as how I start my day, my activities, how I feel, what my relationships are like, and how I experience success. Many of the things I wrote in my life intentions have become true for me. This idea came from Peggy McColl's book, "Your Destiny Switch." I highly recommend Peggy's book to help understand and manage your emotions.

These are just of few ways to set the tone for your day. Most don't take much time to do but they are very effective. Find what works for you and then honor yourself by taking a little time to center yourself and set a positive tone for whatever you are beginning.

We all know that what we put into our bodies directly affects how our bodies feel and work. The same is true for our minds. What are you putting into your mind? Are you letting other people determine your experience of life by planting thoughts in your mind? You are, if you are watching a lot of TV and movies.

What kind of music do you listen to? Does it uplift and inspire you? Does it inspire joy? If your music is full of anger and violence, then your mind will be also. If your input from TV and movies is full of negativity, sadness, pain, and frustration, then your mind will be also. Similar to a computer, what we put into our minds determines what comes out of them.

What you accept in your mind, you allow or create in your reality. Guard your thoughts. Take full responsibility for what goes into your mind. Select with care what you listen to and what you watch. Feed your mind and your spirit that which supports you, encourages you, and inspires you. This is not to say that we should ignore everything that is going on in the world. We need to be aware, but we do not need to be immersed in depressing news and images. Take care that you do not allow the reality that other people are creating to determine your reality. By being selective with our thoughts and what we feed our minds, we not only change our own reality, but the collective reality as well.

Choose your thoughts and change your world.
Jstone

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by  JacquelineStone

I created an affirmation slide show for experiencing oneness and practicing presence. It is now available to view or download free on author Stream. If you have read or are reading Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" or "The Power of Now" you may get more out of it than someone who hasn't.

This is my gift to anyone who is ready to receive it. Empowerment is not just something we do for ourselves, but something we do for the benefit of all humanity, for all life.

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by  JacquelineStone

How do we put in the necessary time and attention to changing our beliefs and habits when we live busy lives? Busy as we are, there are many times when all we are doing is waiting. Those are the moments, or hours, when we can work on ourselves. Sitting in a waiting room or lobby, riding on a bus, train, or in an airplane, even standing in line are opportunities to use our thoughts constructively. While all these situations involve a degree of distraction, they also provide a great opportunity to strengthen our powers of concentration.

Affirmations are the easiest thing to work on where ever you are. I have a few key phrases that I repeat to myself whenever I am a passenger in a car or waiting somewhere. I also have a peace meditation and self-love meditation that I can do without getting into a near-trance state. My favorite and most powerful waiting activity is projecting love and light to others. I can do it anywhere because it is done with the heart and mind. I focus on my heart and imagine it filled with white light. Then I think of the people in my life, one by one, and visualize white light going from my heart to theirs. None of them know that I do this, but all my relationships have become more harmonious since I began using it.

As a college student, I have to take advantage of opportunities to study so I often take a textbook and notebook to a doctor's appointment. As a writer, I have a notebook with me at all times to jot down inspiration and ideas as they come to me. Sometimes, pages online take time to load and I could be sitting at my computer for several minutes doing nothing. I keep a notepad by my computer, as well as my daily activity list and work on them for a few minutes while I'm waiting. That's also a great way for me to get definitions filled in on my vocabulary words for school, while simultaneously working on my web site.

My life is quite full, but it only works when I make the most of every waking moment. That doesn't mean that I want to spend every moment working. By using all my waiting time to complete other things, I leave myself room for relaxation and play. These are important elements to a happy life and to my productivity. When I used to focus on work all the time, I found that I built up resentments against it because I never had time for fun or relaxation. That was completely unproductive. Now, I make time for taking care of myself, playing with my kids, or just relaxing by using waiting time to make progress.

My computer is the focal point of my day because I go to school online, run a business online, maintain a web site and two blogs, and network online. It is also a tremendous resource for personal growth. I have my favorite teachers bookmarked and receive daily inspirational emails from several. I can read those emails one by one while I'm cooking or eating lunch. My screensaver is a series of PowerPoint slides with affirmations and representative images and my desktop is the image that represents my primary intention. The qualities that I choose to embody are listed on a sign on the wall behind my monitor. My mind is constantly aware of them, even when I am focused on something else.

I listen to music CD's that are designed to synchronize the right and left hemispheres of the brain much of the time that I'm at my desk. They help me think clearly and the music is very soothing. In this way, I am supporting my well-being while working or studying. Learn about this empowering technology at Centerpointe Research.

My favorite way to get more out of my time is to exercise while watching slideshows of affirmations or positive-present questions. While I do Yoga, Tai Chi, and ride my exercise bike, I am also reprogramming my conscious and unconscious mind to support me, rather than sabotage me. If you wear headphones while exercising, try making a recording of affirmations and beliefs that you would have if you were living your ideal life as the highest expression of you.

These are the ways that I turn waiting time into productive time for positive change. I'm sure there is a study somewhere on the amount of time we spend waiting in a lifetime. It's probably a pretty big number. Why not put that time to use in a way that can improve the rest of your life?

Working while I wait.
Jstone