Drop Your Cosmic Vending Machine Belief

This is a hard post for me to write today, but I think it it’s an interesting concept.  I can’t seem to find the origin of the idea that there’s a cosmic vending machine in the Universe that when we do good deeds, act politely, do what others want us to, etc., we believe that our desires/wants will be granted once we’ve paid in full.  Or for that matter that there’s any definitive price of goodness or suffering that heralds the gift of winning the lottery, getting into the college of our choice, being healed, finding a soulmate, getting that promotion or even having another person respond to us the way we believe we deserve.

It’s a false belief that was ingrained in my head from childhood and I’ve perpetuated the belief for years until it became a part of me.  I can’t explain what’s shifted this thought for me, but I can share that what I feel now is empowering in the fact that I do not stand by the cosmic vending machine expecting anymore.

Yes, I still do good deeds.  Yes, I continue to strive to be the best person I can to everyone with whom I come into contact ~ be it family, friends or strangers.  Yes, I still look for good things to happen to me and I am grateful for each and every gift from God and the Universe.  That hasn’t changed.

But what has shifted is the mindset that because I do all of these things, strive to be authentic, loving, compassionate, caring and empathetic in connecting with my fellow man in life, I deserve the good things that happen in my life.  In addition, with this shift comes the letting go of the guilt baggage that I believed that I wasn’t enough when tough times entered my life.

How’s that for a huge shift in thinking?

It goes against the norm, I know.  Perhaps you will not agree with me either and that’s ok.  I’d love to hear from you either way as I am open to all ways of thinking about this topic.  Honestly, I love to expand my thinking so please, be kind, but be honest.  Do you look to the Universal vending machine when you think you deserve that special something?  Do you lament when you’ve been a very good person and yet tragedy and disappointment seem to conspire against you?

How do you feel about this topic?

I think from a young age, we are taught to be good, respectful and to follow the rules and to not hurt others.  We are rewarded by parental figures when we act in the social norms of society.  We may even be treated when we are exceptionally behaved or get good grades and such.  I think that perpetuates the vending machine belief.  I’m not saying that we do things for a reward.  No.  Most of us do them because it feels right and good to help others, to be respectful, to be kind and loving and it raises our heartlights when we connect with others in a good way.  Most of the time, we don’t expect the cosmic vending machine to treat us when we are simply doing what is expected.

But there are times in which, we’ve been trying to be good, do good and we feel as if nothing good comes from the experience.  Instead, we get tough times, tragedy, heartache, grief and loss and we throw up our hands in frustration.

“Why me?” seems to be the popular question when this happens.  Over and over some people will perseverate over the fact that they’ve been good and yet bad things are happening.  Woe is me thinking begins to take over or the extreme of “well, then I’m not trying anymore” and a give up attitude, “What’s the use?” begins to grow.  Resentment increases and do-gooding goes out the window.

But if we could release the belief of the cosmic vending machine waiting for our good tally to be paid up in order to be given whatever it is that we are thinking we deserve because of ‘x, y and z’ then life would be different.  We would feel more empowered and free to accept whatever life experiences come our way without shame, guilt or ego.  But we’ve all heard the ‘get what you deserve’ line and I feel like it’s debunking itself when we rid ourselves of that belief.

We would be empowered and that’s a very good feeling.

Shine On!

xo

P.S.  I am not talking about God or religion with the above post.  For me, that’s an entirely different post which we can chat about another day so please don’t beat me up. ♥

 

 

Crossing Linear Thinking with Spherical Thinking

What do you get when you cross a linear thinker and a spherical thinker together?

OPPORTUNITY!

You are right, you get opportunity!

The opportunity:

to stretch,

to focus,

to enrich,

to collaborate,

and to make this world a better place!

There is no better way of thinking.  The fact is, we need both sets of learners and thinkers in this world to enrich our lives with the dimensions that only our differences unite.  In collaborating different thinking styles, we enrich our world with new knowledge, power and a fresh take on peace, love and ambiguity.  We allow a bit of wiggle room to be embraced so that we can meet our goals of peace, love, freedom and happiness for all who dwell on our planet Earth.  Without this collaboration, we exist not understanding part of the population and adding dysfunction to an already chaotic world because we do not try to understand each other.  Instead, we keep our blinders on or we turn around spherically incessantly without focus so that we can no longer be productive or connect with others on a level which benefits each party.  Time and time again we watch as nations clash, people clash, parties disagree and the chaotic misunderstandings continue to grow with each opposing faction holding strong their fervent pleas without stepping back for a moment to assess the entire situation.

Imagine a world where we would keep our integrity, shine our heart lights and still be able to meet peacefully with all other human beings no matter the situation ~ to have Linear Thinkers and Spherical Thinkers unite and work together towards a common goal with understanding, collaboration and peace-filled sanctity ~ to believe that we could work towards the higher good of man in a way in which nobody gets trod upon, nobody’s defensive and there is no cheating the system.  Wowsza.  Only in my dreams.

But dreams can become a reality.  We’ve seen it often enough that dreams can prove to move mountains and change lives and better mankind.  So why can’t world peace be something?  Why is it that the will of man to compete, to have better, stronger, faster, slow down our progress because we live with blinders on in a such a fast-paced world?  Why is it that we’ve developed the habit of watching reality shows in unbelievable situations that do not raise us up nor raise up those involved, but instead tend to force the willingness to dig into the ugly, the evil, and increase the base feelings of jealousy, anger, resentment, competitiveness?

Where is the light that shines? 

Where is the sun that warms the entire Earth equally just as the Universe intended? 

Why can’t we embrace our differences, share our points of view and enrich our lives by each taking a bit of what the other has to offer?  Not to make us all the same, mind you.  Oh no, that’s not what I’m proposing!  I want us all to live tolerant and understanding and even applauding our differences, yet embracing our own worthiness and uniqueness with a heart light that shines brightly in the world.  It’s like having a million stars right here on planet Earth who shine, each with their own unique heart light which beams with love and light.

I see your heart lights shining ~ each a special beam of loving light that is uniquely yours!

You are loved for being you!

Shine On!

xo

Please Hear What I’m Not Saying…

This poem was sent to me by a friend and it struck such a chord with me that I knew I had to share it with you. ♥  Does it remind you of anyone?

Don’t be fooled by me.
Don’t be fooled by the face I wear
for I wear a mask, a thousand masks,
masks that I’m afraid to take off,
and none of them is me.

Pretending is an art that’s second nature with me,
but don’t be fooled,
for God’s sake don’t be fooled.
I give you the impression that I’m secure,
that all is sunny and unruffled with me, within as well as without,
that confidence is my name and coolness my game,
that the water’s calm and I’m in command
and that I need no one,
but don’t believe me.
My surface may seem smooth but my surface is my mask,
ever-varying and ever-concealing.
Beneath lies no complacence.
Beneath lies confusion, and fear, and aloneness.
But I hide this. I don’t want anybody to know it.
I panic at the thought of my weakness exposed.
That’s why I frantically create a mask to hide behind,
a nonchalant sophisticated facade,
to help me pretend,
to shield me from the glance that knows.

But such a glance is precisely my salvation, my only hope,
and I know it.
That is, if it’s followed by acceptance,
if it’s followed by love.
It’s the only thing that can liberate me from myself,
from my own self-built prison walls,
from the barriers I so painstakingly erect.
It’s the only thing that will assure me
of what I can’t assure myself,
that I’m really worth something.
But I don’t tell you this. I don’t dare to, I’m afraid to.
I’m afraid your glance will not be followed by acceptance,
will not be followed by love.
I’m afraid you’ll think less of me,
that you’ll laugh, and your laugh would kill me.
I’m afraid that deep-down I’m nothing
and that you will see this and reject me.

So I play my game, my desperate pretending game,
with a facade of assurance without
and a trembling child within.
So begins the glittering but empty parade of masks,
and my life becomes a front.
I idly chatter to you in the suave tones of surface talk.
I tell you everything that’s really nothing,
and nothing of what’s everything,
of what’s crying within me.
So when I’m going through my routine
do not be fooled by what I’m saying.
Please listen carefully and try to hear what I’m not saying,
what I’d like to be able to say,
what for survival I need to say,
but what I can’t say.

I don’t like hiding.
I don’t like playing superficial phony games.
I want to stop playing them.
I want to be genuine and spontaneous and me
but you’ve got to help me.
You’ve got to hold out your hand
even when that’s the last thing I seem to want.
Only you can wipe away from my eyes
the blank stare of the breathing dead.
Only you can call me into aliveness.
Each time you’re kind, and gentle, and encouraging,
each time you try to understand because you really care,
my heart begins to grow wings–
very small wings,
very feeble wings,
but wings!

With your power to touch me into feeling
you can breathe life into me.
I want you to know that.
I want you to know how important you are to me,
how you can be a creator–an honest-to-God creator–
of the person that is me
if you choose to.
You alone can break down the wall behind which I tremble,
you alone can remove my mask,
you alone can release me from my shadow-world of panic,
from my lonely prison,
if you choose to.
Please choose to.

Do not pass me by.
It will not be easy for you.
A long conviction of worthlessness builds strong walls.
The nearer you approach to me the blinder I may strike back.
It’s irrational, but despite what the books say about man
often I am irrational.
I fight against the very thing I cry out for.
But I am told that love is stronger than strong walls
and in this lies my hope.
Please try to beat down those walls
with firm hands but with gentle hands
for a child is very sensitive.

Who am I, you may wonder?
I am someone you know very well.
For I am every man you meet
and I am every woman you meet.

~ Charles C. Finn
September 1966

Shine On!

xo

You can read a collection of stories about the poem’s impact in Please Hear What I’m Not Saying: a Poem’s Reach around the World

Daily Prompt: “Think Global and Act Local”

The reason why the Universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself;

it gives life to others as it transforms. -Lao Tzu

Today’s daily prompt:  “Think global, act local.” Write a post connecting a global issue to a personal one resonated with me and when I went searching for an image from my SendOutCards greeting card catalog, I knew I had to share!

With today’s daily prompt, I challenge you during the month of February to practice gratefulness for 30 days.  As an 11 year breast cancer survivor, I’ve learned that the key to enduring life’s journey is simple ~  LOVE and GRATITUDE.

World peace is possible by taking small steps ~ and it begins with you and me. 

Imagine for a moment going to your mailbox  ~  you rummage through the junk mail, the bills, the newspapers, etc.  As you quickly peruse the pile, you see an envelope which isn’t a bill, isn’t junk mail and you’re curious.  This is the envelope you open first, isn’t it?  This envelope is an unexpected card from me ~ telling you how wonderful you are and how grateful I am for you in my life.  I  don’t know many of you personally, but as a blogging community we’ve bonded in a most unusual way.  The positivity that flows so effortlessly makes it easy for me to send you this real paper card to tell you how happy I am that we’ve connected and how much I enjoy reading your blog.

How do you feel?

Appreciated! Happy!  Special! Loved! Grateful! 

And you are smiling…because someone thought of YOU today, took the time to tell YOU

how special YOU are and didn’t ask for anything in return. 

That feeling is PRICELESS!

And the greeting card cost only $1 plus postage!

And there’s even financial freedom ~ SendOutCards gives residual income as you think globally by sending cards to everyone all over the world ~ in different languages and act locally by increasing happiness in your world because you are sending a heartfelt message in the card.  You even increase global economy by sending a beautiful card which you do from anywhere in the world, 24/7 via your computer or your phone.  How simple is that?

Sharing GRATITUDE and LOVE increases the good in your life.

Simply click onto GRATITUDE  and get a FREE ACCOUNT!

Sponsor ID is 126830

As for Financial Freedom ~ Click  HERE!

We all deserve a lifetime filled with appreciation, health, happiness,

self-worth,  love and gratitude.

Shine On!

xo

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/daily-prompt-global/