You Start Dying Slowly

You start dying slowly

You start dying slowly
If you do not travel,
If you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.

You start dying slowly
When you kill your self-esteem;
When you do not let others help you.

You start dying slowly
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colors
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime,
To run away from sensible advice…

Muere lentamente quien se transforma en esclavo del hábito,
repitiendo todos los días los mismos trayectos, 
quien no cambia de marca, 
no arriesga vestir un color nuevo y no le habla a quien no conoce.
Muere lentamente quien hace de la Television su guia.
Muere lentamente quien evita una pasión,
quien prefiere el negro sobre blanco y los puntos sobre las “íes” a un remolino de emociones,
justamente las que rescatan el brillo de los ojos,
sonrisas de los bostezos, corazones a los tropiezos y sentimientos.
Muere lentamente quien no voltea la mesa cuando está infeliz en el trabajo,
quien no arriesga lo cierto por lo incierto para ir detrás de un sueño,
quien no se permite por lo menos una vez en la vida, huir de los consejos sensatos.
Muere lentamente quien no viaja, quien no lee,
quien no oye música, quien no encuentra gracia en sí mismo.
Muere lentamente quien destruye su amor propio, quien no se deja ayudar.
Muere lentamente, quien pasa los días quejándose de su mala suerte o de la lluvia incesante.
Muere lentamente, quien abandona un proyecto antes de iniciarlo, no preguntando de un asunto que desconoce o no respondiendo cuando le indagan sobre algo que sabe.
Evitemos la muerte en suaves cuotas, recordando siempre que estar vivo exige un esfuerzo mucho mayor que el simple hecho de respirar.
Solamente la ardiente paciencia hará que conquistemos una espléndida felicidad.

Mistakenly, this poem has been attributed to Pablo Neruda, but in fact, here, I found that Brazilian writer Martha Medeiros is the author of Muere Lentamente.  The translation above is not exact to the original, so I added the original in case you speak Spanish and want to read it in its original form.

This poem touched my heart and so I wanted to share it with you.  May you continue to shine your heartlights and stay alive with wonder.

Shine On!

xo

It’s All in Your Mind

“It is our mind,

and that alone,

imprisons us or sets us free.”

Dilgo Khyentse Rimpoche

Our minds are precious machines which like computers often only repeat what is put into them.  Whatever story you’ve evolved in your mind, often plays out in your life.  What you concentrate on, appears many times and you may wonder why.  Are you attracting negativity into your life by drawing it with the words, thoughts and actions you choose?  Do you harbor resentments, refuse forgiveness or hold the victim story in your head so powerfully that you continue in a cycle of sadness and ugliness in your life?

Do you long to break free from the prison, the sadness and the negativity?

You can.

That’s the best thing about your mind.  You can change the channel by focusing on the power of positivity!  You can allow your mind to imprison you with the story you have in your head about your life, your past, your list of depressing experiences or you can change the way you look at your life and find the positivity.

So let’s begin today ~ take my hand and let’s change that channel to the one you want to live!

 Shine On!

xo

The More You Know…

“The more a man knows, the more he forgives.”
~ Empress Catherine the Great

We all have a story in our heads about our lives.  Past hurts, triumphs and emotions mesh into our psyche, nestling in like the hibernating squirrels in the trees in Winter.  The challenge is to push forward out of our own minds to see what’s out there beyond our vision and to see relationships as they truly are and not how we perceive them.  It is momentous to look beyond our own limits and to actually see the world around us, to acknowledge faults and goodness, to take stock of our lives and the path which we are treading.  At any moment we can choose to change course, turn around, veer to the left or right or simply walk into the woods.  That is the beauty of free will that we have been given in this life.  There is nothing in stone that says we need to stay cemented on the path we have chosen.  It is only our reluctance to see beyond the walls we have erected, the stories we have embellished and the situation that we encounter.  To expand our vision, we must reach out of the box which we have allowed to imprison our minds and to look around at all which spherically encompasses us.  To be sure, this is not a linear life we’ve been given.

It is not an easy choice for some and I understand.  To see beyond ourselves is an emotional and sometimes tumultuous task for it causes us to look honestly at our faults and goodness ~ to accept and to forgive ourselves and others.  But once we open our eyes to truth, we can move on and see the world in a different light.  That is the beauty of knowledge and forgiveness.

Eyes, heart, mind and soul opened allows healing when we are hurting.  To stay blind to our lives is only to perpetuate the grief, the hurts and the sadness.  To embrace all that we have endured, to take ownership of our lives is to start on the path of healing.  But it takes a willingness to listen with an open heart and not a stony one.  It takes softening, caring and wanting to change the path we are on and not be simply a traveler without voice.

This is your life.  This is my life.  Together we can immerse ourselves in a loving embrace or we can take separate paths to happiness.  It is a choice made together or apart.  But each has their own choice, their own reality and their own willingness to not quit.  I choose to see life in a spherical way ~ listening, learning, thinking, feeling and forgiving.  It is a choice I make daily, sometimes I find I need to make that choice many times a day.  But I do it because it is worth it to me to be present every moment of every day that I am here.

Life is about changing, growing and releasing what doesn’t serve us.  Go forward on your path with love in your heart, forgiveness in your mind and blessings on your soul.

Shine On!

xo

It Matters How You Speak

Raise your words not your voice

It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder. ~ Unknown

Since it’s Monday AND time for Rabbit Rabbit click HERE if you don’t know what I’m talking about and never heard of the 1st of the month tradition, I thought I’d give us all a good reminder for the week.  It includes speaking to yourself as well as how you speak to others.

Have you ever noticed the way in which a sentence’s meaning can be changed simply by the tone of voice?

Repeat after me:

I love you. (simply said without changes in tone or cadence)

I love you. (emphasis on I)

I LOVE you. (emphasis on Love)

I love YOU. (emphasis on You)

I love you? (emphasis on question?)

I…love…you

Which do you prefer?

Speak kindly.  Be honest.  Raise others up by what you say and how you say it.

Use your words to help, not to hurt.  If you don’t have anything nice to say, stay quiet please.

Watch how your life transforms when you notice and speak positively.

Shine On!

xo

Rebuild Your Life

How to Begin:
Rebuilding Life from Within
Love yourself, unconditionally.
Release your bottled up emotions.
Make time for long walks, alone.
Avoid living beyond your means.
Nurture your inner strength.
Stop apologizing for being you.
Surround yourself with positive people
Embrace your situation, whatever it may be.

~ Dr. David Jockers on FB

Someone ‘liked’ this, so it came in my FB newsfeed yesterday.  Perhaps this will help someone today.

I thought it was timely for myself as well.

Shine On!

xo

 

Free Your Mind

“It’s not who we are that holds us back,

it’s who we think we are not.” ~ Michael Nolan

Let this quote settle in your mind for a bit.  Let it linger in your soul.  I remember hearing a quote that said something to the effect that even prisoners have the freedom to think and that nobody can hold the key to the prison in your mind except you.  What do you think of that?  Can you acknowledge that you are the prison guard of your own mind?  What if you were to break free from the prison which holds you?  What if you let go of all that holds you back and allow freedom to reign in your mind?  Can you imagine all you would accomplish?  Can you see how you would shine so brightly?

You can do it.  You now hold the key.  Turn the lock.  Break out.  I believe in you.

Shine On!

xo

Change is Good!

Have you ever heard of Neale Donald Walsch?  He sends me an email every morning which I enjoy reading.  This morning I received the note below and thought I’d share because with Inner Hotshot University and stretching out of our comfort zones, some of you, like me, are finding that our lives are changing!  I hope this helps you to accept the changes that may be happening in your life ~ change is good!

Shine On!

xo

http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com

Click on the link above to access Neale’s website and sign up for his daily emails!

On this day of your life, I believe God wants you to know… …that all change is change for the better. There is no such thing as “change for the worse.” Change is the process of Life Itself, and that process could be called by the name “evolution.” And evolution moves in only one direction: forward, and toward improvement. Therefore, when change visits your life, you can be sure things are turning for the better. It may not look that way in the very moment change arrives, but if you will wait a while and have faith in the process, you will see that this is true. Love, Your Friend…. http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com

The CWG Spiritual Renewal Retreat Bringing CWG Into Your Life – June 26-30, 2013 Find out more …

Gratitude Day 4

Thank You! xoxo

This card will be private as it’s to my loving, supportive husband of 17 years…a man who has been my rock and who has endured more than any husband should have to in a lifetime.  His unfailing loving arms have held me as I’ve cried, have consoled me as I have endured so many surgeries and yucky treatments…and he has been there every step of the way.  I can never thank him enough for all that he has done for me.  I am so very grateful for his love and I adore and love him with all of my heart.

For you, dear readers, I want to reiterate how uplifting it feels to live in a grateful state of mind!  I am having a blast every morning and evening as I think about my day and to whom I can reach out with a card…below is a list that you can copy if you wish ~ it’s what I am using myself.  As I go over my blessings everyday, I’ve been getting a spark of inspiration as to who is next on my list.  I keep writing the names down of the people and then as I send them a card, I write down the date I sent it.

It’s not difficult to think of the people in your life who make your life sweeter ~ and as you go through your day, you’ll find that the millions of little things that are done to make your life better, add up to a happy day.  Why not give back some of that happiness?  Oprah’s LifeClass, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay and many others have spoken of listing your blessings which is great…now let’s take it a step further and TELL those to whom you’re grateful!  Give them a card to remember you by ~ your heartfelt message written for them to always keep…or at least to acknowledge that you are happy that they’re in your life!

30 Day Gratitude Challenge

“Guaranteed to Change Your Life”

                                                                                            Card Sent

Day 1 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________      /    /

Day 2 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________      /    /

Day 3 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________      /    /

Day 4 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________      /    /

Day 5 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________       /    /

Day 6 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________      /    /

Day 7 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________      /    /

Day 8 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________      /    /

Day 9 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________      /    /

Day 10 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________    /    /

Day 11 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 12 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 13 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 14 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________    /    /

Day 15 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 16 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 17 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 18 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 19 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 20 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 21 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 22 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 23 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 24 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 25 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 26 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 27 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 28 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 29 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /

Day 30 Who Am I Grateful For? ________________________     /    /