" Lessons ... "

Sweet memories
Flashing very quickly by
Reminding me
And giving me a reason why
I know that
My goal is more than a thought
I'll be there
When I teach what I've been taught
And I've been taught...

~ Rush ~ Lessons ~

***

Instead of asking what I have learned about blogging, I ask what has blogging taught me about life.  In some cases, confirmation of what I already knew, and in others, something helpful to share with those that follow.  

Here are some thoughts ...

Inspiration happens ... you cannot wait to become inspired.  Sometimes you have to work, think and come up with ideas.  And not all of them will be stellar, some will just suck.  Just know somewhere along the journey, it will happen.

Walk the talk ... people talk a lot about what they are going to do, but actions speak louder than words.  I try not to get stuck in analysis mode as then I get stuck in my head.  We don’t know much until we do and get some real experience ... so do more, learn from your failures and try again.

Learn from those who can teach ... learning from people who have real experience has helped me improve quickly and avoid wasting time.  My favourite blogs motivate me to explore and become informed.

Focus on what is important ... when you cut out the less important stuff you mind clears up.  You become more focused, allowing light to shine.  From experience, when I let go of the negative in my life, the positive came flooding in.  Con mucho aprecio y amor!

You get what you give ... exchanging positive feelings and giving some kind of value to each other is the key.  Respect, compassion and kindness is contagious ... remember, karma is a bitch if you are.

External validation is overrated ... there are times when I have received awesome feedback via comments, email, twitter and Facebook.  So blessed, yet I realized that when there is none of that, it didn't matter because I have created inner validation of myself.  Sometimes you need to be your own hero.

Don’t worry about others opinions ... no one has walked in my shoes, only I have.  So when I blog, it is from my heart and I really try not to let other people’s judgement get in the way.  You can’t never please everyone, so focus on what you think is right and just getting approval from yourself.

" Instant Karma ... "

Well we all shine on

Like the moon and the stars and the sun

Well we all shine on

Every one, come on

Instant Karma's gonna get you

Gonna knock you off your feet

You better get yourself together darling

Join the human race

~ John Lennon ~ Instant Karma ~

***

Do you believe in Karma?  You know the concept of doing good and good will happen to you.  Some say that karma acts quickly and others that the karma you save up will determine who and even what you are in your next life ... that is if you believe in the next life.  Some even feel that the name “karma” is hippy and new age even though almost every belief system has a version of it with a different name.

Did you know that there is even a significant part of science that supports the concept of karma ... for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction .... with every effect there is a cause.  Quantum mechanics states that everything is created from something and that energy merely passes from one form to another.  So, you cannot create something out of nothing ... an good and bad things don’t just happen, they have a cause and often the cause is something we have done.

Keeping this in mind, we may find ourselves asking ... do you think I asked to have these bad things happen to me?  Well, that depends.  Some things are a part of nature like the cycle of life and death.  But maybe we should ask ourselves what are we attracting in our lives.  I believe that every thought, action and emotion we have puts out an energy into the universe and acts like a magnet to whatever we are focused on.  A very powerful concept.

But it is naive to think about wanting something and sitting back and waiting for it to happen.  Instead, it is about your frame of mind which will determine what actions you will take to change the outcome of the situation.  We all know that if you are in a defeated frame of mind you will not be in a position to take the right steps towards your ideal goal.  Remember, “we may not often see them but the roots of an idea go deep and start growing before we see the leaves”. 

So this all sounds great so whats the catch?  Well the biggest downfall of those trying to live by karma is they expect self-gain, instantly.  We give up too quickly.  In the western world, we are so blessed with unbelievable riches.  Most of us have a roof over our heads, plenty of food and modern technology at our fingertips.  Believe that keeping focused and having patience will bring rewards.  Start by being grateful for what you have ... seeds don’t sprout instantly ... and neither does karma.  

The essence of karma is taking responsibility for your own actions.  Everything has a consequence.  And the hardest part of all of this is not letting other’s bad actions effect you.  One way to combat this is to trust that karma is working for you and them in just the same way ... 

how people treat you is their karma, how you react is yours  ॐ  wayne dyer

" Don't Panic ... "

We live in a beautiful world 

Yeah we do, Yeah we do 

We live in a beautiful world 

Oh all that I know 

There's nothing here to run from 

Cause here

Everybody here's got somebody to lean on

~ ColdPlay ~ Don’t Panic ~ 

***

Calm down, don’t panic, here, take this, it will make you feel better ... sound familiar?  The number of people suffering from panic attacks has increased exponentially.  There are various medications available for dealing with these and many choose to take them, only to suffer from damaging side effects.  What people don’t realize is that the answer for the question on how to deal with panic attacks without medication lies within themselves.  

Those of us that have experienced these types of attacks can attest to the enormous fear and worry surrounding them.  They can come on for no apparent cause, making it difficult to understand the triggers.  And we engage our built-in mechanism to sheild ourselves in any dangerous situation ... the “fight or flight” effect.  You see, when our body senses danger of any kind, it engages in survival mode.  Our stress and anxiety levels increase producing chemical changes in our body.  Our body feels it is in a high risk situation ... resulting in symptoms we call panic attacks.  

One of the simpliest natural techniques is deep breathing.  So start by shifting from the location of the panic attack to a more comfortable place.  Next, sit calmly, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing.  As this will increase your oxygen levels to your neural organs and assist in proper blood flow ... resulting in a tranquil and composed space.  Next try to meditate to re-focus your thinking.  The purpose is to bring inner peace within ourselves and the world around us by transforming our thoughts from negative to positive.  If we don't attend to dis ease the mind, we may find dis ease of the body. 

Practicing the above will place in a better position to not allow the panic attack to take you over.  To truly understand why you panic, you must know what triggers the episodes.  Remember, the answer lies within us.  Our mind has the power to overcome any situation and put us in control ... only if we want it.  

" I Hold No Grudge ... "

Yes I’m the kind of people

You can step on for a little while

But when I call it quits

Baby that’s it

I’m the kind of people

You can hurt once in a while

But crawling just ain’t my style

I hold no grudge

Deep inside me there’s no regrets

But a gal who’s been forgotten may forgive

But never once forget

~ Nina Simone ~ I Hold No Grudge ~

***

Grudges ... defined as “resentment strong enough to justify retailiation”.  Personal injustice ignites resentment in our hearts, which in turns into a grudge.  And everyone has, at some time or other, been hurt deeply by someone, so this is a natural human reaction  Yet when we want revenge instead of focusing on what we need to solve the problem, we  halt our healing.  And why do we want revenge?  Because we have developed bitterness about that person or situation.

You see when someone hurts you, your instant reaction is to hurt them back.  Our very nature spurs us to settle the score, to get even.  And the person who hurts us might not even know how angry and bitter we feel ... these emotions continue to aggravate at their supposed indifference.  Yet at all health levels the only one we hurt is ourselves.

Holding a grudge will only devour you from the inside out because YOU refuse to forgive the one who hurt you.  The price to pay is too high because life keeps running on rewind.  We allow ourselves to be handcuffed to the negative past, causing us to irrationally dwell, and allowing us to find blame for our present failures.

So how do you even begin to let go?  Start by altering how you view the situation.  You can’t change what happened, but you can change our attitude about it and reduce the power it has over you.  Of course you cannot fully erase the memory banks of your mind but you do have the power to refuse to think on past injustices, once forgiven. 

Ask yourself : At present, what purpose is holding onto that grudge serving you? 

It has probably poked holes in your energy bucket as fatigue is the faithful companion of a grudge.  You see we waste so much unconscious energy maintaining our grudge.  Instead we can choose to release it and welcome a new surge of  positive emotional and physical energy.  

Grudges are the domain of petty people, not YOU.  Why spend another moment being hung up on hate while present on earth.  Make the decision to kick it out of your life  ... the most it will cost you is happiness in the long run.

" Focus ... "

“ Not concerned about

What nobody else gotta say

Just do what you do

Cuz they gonna talk anyway ...

Yea, Do it just for you

So dont even waste ya time ...

I'm focus now, I'm focus now “

~ Ashanti ~ Focus ~

The power of focus ... our ability to focus wholeheartedly on on our goals can determine the likelihood of achieving the success we desire.  Daydreams are often seeds of ideas taking root.  They can provide a roadmap towards dedicating all efforts on our ambitions.  A level of dedication ... using the entirety of our brainpower ... centering and focusing on an opportunity.

It may sound simple yet so many of us struggle with bringing our dreams to fruition.  Our minds are incredibly strong and influential ... if we focus on our goals, we can truly see and feel the power of the mind.  But sometimes it’s not just good enough to just keep our goals in mind.  Writing down our goals and putting all our power and energy into the list can help.  We can start this process by the following according to “Power of Focus” by Jack Canfield:

• Make It Yours - keep in mind that your goals have to be right for you, not someone else - don’t be tempted by media, peers, or culture - ask yourself if this is really what you want or are you being pressured by others.
• Be Specific - accurately specify what it is that you really want - don’t be vague as that won’t get you far - get as specific and detailed as you can - if you can measure it, it will be easier to follow through
• Dream Big - it is not useless to set high goals - ask yourself if you are afraid to set a big goal - ask yourself are you afraid of failure as to some extent, we all are, but the key to becoming successful is to look fear in the eye and go for your dreams in spite of any obstacles that may come your way.
• Be A Realist - don’t let your imagination go too wild and create dreams that are physically impossible - dream big but be realistic.
• Give Yourself A Timeframe - give yourself reasonable time to develop what you need and practice it well before you become - don’t be hard on yourself yet be fair.

When we visualize our objectives, we begin to understand that the success we wish to attain is within our grasp.  We can make the most of this optimism by channeling our imprecise devotion into our ability to focus on the next steps ... to build our life desires.  Our dreams that once seemed beyond our realm of possibility can become concrete goals.  The power of focus ... 

Choose to live your dreams, not your fears ...