Smelling The Roses

Life is great! Even when things don't happen in the time frame desired, or when the challenges of life seem almost overwhelming...it is wonderful to celebrate being alive! I give thanks everyday that I am breathing.

A friend of mine is battling major illness; cancer, lymn's disease, bloating...she has almost died several times. She finally sought help south of the border, and has come back cancer free and recovering nicely! It's at times like these that we are reminded to take a few extra moments each day to smell the roses, breathe deeply, and tell your loved ones that you love them.

One time I was invited to dinner at a friend's house. She said they were celebrating and I asked what the special occasion was. It happened to be a Thursday night. She said "we're celebrating because it's Thursday." Nice.

We can worry our lives away. We can worry ourselves sick. We can create new things to worry about because we don't feel normal if we are not worried. What a way to live life!! Worry is the opposite of faith. It is the act of fearing something bad might happen. It is the act of allow the mind to consider negative things.

"As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen discusses the age old wisdom that "as a man thinketh, so is he" - which is also found in Proverbs 23:7 (KJ). It means that whatever you think about habitually will become a reality. If a person allows their mind to dwell on and focus on and worry about bad things, those events will not be far behind. Have you ever heard of worrying your self sick? There is scientific proof that this is true. I recommend "Everything You Need To know To Feel Go(o)d" by Candace Pert for scientific evidence that this is so.

Habitual thinking is hard to change, but if a person wants to change bad enough, they will do what it takes. Thoughts sprout out of beliefs. Beliefs are things we've been taught from the beginning of our lives. Our strongest beliefs are things we were taught in our formative years. And here's the tough part - beliefs are not synonymous with truth. Just because a person believes something does not mean it is true.

I never really realized how much I worried about things, and how much I thought about the things that I do not want, until I joined a personal development group, listened to what others were saying, and read books on this topic. Because of this, I've been changing everything about my life. I've deeply examined my beliefs. I've changed my language. I've changed the way I go about my daily routine. It's wonderful.

It's not been an overnight difference. Some of the deeply held beliefs are so way down there I wasn't even aware I believed that way. They only surfaced when I learned to ask myself questions, and listen. Yes, listen to myself. Which requires being silent. Which requires stopping the 'monkey chatter' of the mind. Which requires.....well, taking a walk and smelling the roses.

I love life!