Tag Archives: Affirmation

Overcoming Fear Pt 1

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Fear is natural and common for most people and has it’s right place in nature. But for the most part, I do not see fear as a healthy emotion when it has become a habit instead of a brief response to a dangerous situation. It seems to me that fear is appropriate for rodents running away from raptors, and children who need to stay out of harms way.

But fear based on economic stress, job security, possible changes in relationships or anything we are attached to, or desirous of, is not helping us achieve our goals.

The strength of an emotion is determined by how much energy we put into it. The more energy we put into a thought or feeling the more magnetism we generate to attract similar energy into our lives. So, the more fear we have, the more chance we’ll actually manifest or attract exactly what we fear, and make it reality.

I am not saying to move blindly through life without paying any attention to “what could go wrong.” But I am suggesting that we can be fully aware of a situation without including the emotion of fear, or at least a lot less fear.

Ways to Overcome Fear:

View life as a learning experience like a day at school. Move through every moment as a student, and make life an adventure. It’s fun! Show up each day ready and willing to learn something new! Trust that whatever comes, does so for a reason. Every situation brings a blessing whether it’s obvious or not, and whether we ever perceive it or not.

Recognize that all circumstances are temporary. Nothing in this world is lasting. Like the waves on the sea, clouds in the sky, the phases of sun and moon, birth-life-death; all is change. Instead of clinging to one wave or another, choose to enjoy it all. Ride the waves of change like a surfer. Make the most of every opportunity, and work with what is, instead of what you might wish it could be. Those who cling to sunny days are plagued by the nagging thought of how long they will last even when they do come, and live in a constant state of unnecessary stress. By releasing attachment to the things we enjoy, our love and happiness becomes more pure and unselfish. This expands our joy and heals our hearts of suffering.

Train your mind to work with you, instead of against you.

Choose music that is spiritually uplifting, and take it with you wherever you go. More on this subject later.

Choose one affirmation that resonates with where you want to be (not necessarily where you are). Use it daily upon waking and just before sleep. Repeat it out loud if you can, and then progressively softer until you are saying it silently with deep inward concentration. Once you have it memorized, repeat it with your eyes closed and with their direction slightly lifted. Feel as if you are sending the pure essence of the affirmation forward and upward into the frontal lobes of your brain at the point between the eyebrows.

Once you find a good affirmation, I recommend you use it for months every day to give it a chance to take hold in your consciousness. I used the second affirmation below for well over a year straight and it was transformational for me.

Here are a couple of my favorite affirmations:

“I accept with calm impartiality whatever comes my way. Free in my heart, I am not conditioned by any outer circumstance.” Swami Kriyananda, Affirmations for Self Healing

“I will go forth in perfect faith in the power of Omnipresent Good to bring me what I need at the time I need it.” Paramhansa Yogananda

The following is not an affirmation. But reading it each day right before sleep couldn’t hurt. Always copy and print whatever you like from this blog for your own use.

St. Matthew Chapter 6:25 – 6:34, King James Version of the Bible

25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29  and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Please share your questions and comments below.

Stop Negative Thoughts

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It’s natural to try to reason ones way out of harmful thinking, but in my experience, reason is not a reliable way for me to become positive. Underlying reason is a layer of feeling, attitude, and the force of habit that colors my thoughts.

I think of thoughts as plants in my “mental garden.” Sure there are some deep-rooted weeds, but they do not deserve all of my attention. If I only focused on the weeds my good plants would die, leaving me with an empty plot of dirt for a mind. Yuck!

I don’t want my life to be empty like a dirt lot. Some speak of “nothing-ness” or “emptiness” as a spiritual goal. Maybe it’s semantics, but I don’t think of fulfillment as empty. My experience of fulfillment is never empty.

The garden in my mind is full of beautiful flowers and they way I grow them is by putting energy into beautiful thoughts and feelings. Instead of obsessing on the weeds I must water, love and feed my positive thoughts.

The underlying layers feeling, attitude, and habit are the soil I plant in. It’s hard for blossoms to rise from a dry bed of rocks.

Here are some suggestions for softening and enriching the “attitude soil” of your own mind.

Softening:

  • Don’t take yourself so seriously. J. Donald Walters writes: “The secret of happiness is the ability to congratulate oneself happily on one’s own unimportance while others vie for supremacy.” This is just one of the “secrets” from his book, “Secrets of Happiness.” This little book has helped me immensely.
  • Learn from your mistakes. I have made many awesome mistakes! My level of ignorance coupled by my insatiable desire to do something!, and lack of patience have made for some great stories! But at the same time, I do learn from these episodes. If I don’t learn anything but to be more humble, then that must be exactly what I need.
  • Have great respect for your ability to be wrong. This is not negative thinking. Negativity comes from the lack of acceptance that you and others are not perfect.
  • Stop judging others. If you believe we should be happy, kind, and loving. Why on earth would you join the army of sadness by judging others? It’s a habit. It’s not helping them, or you. By reacting to what you do not like, you have become an agent for what you yourself want end. It’s a trick of the devil. If you believe in a higher power, let Him, or It, or She, run the world. Of course you must do your part, but your part is not to control others, ever. If you think it is, than I don’t know how you’ll ever be happy. People need to learn at their own pace, and the best way to influence others is by our own example. Our joy and contentment is both a flower and a sword.
  • Remember everyone is doing the best they can. No matter how silly or criminally humans behave, underlying all of our nonsense is the desire to do what is right. Understanding this is a major step toward unconditional love and happiness.

Enriching: (Fertilize your mind with positive energy)

  • Feed your garden with Love! Seek out and embrace opportunities to help others without a thought for yourself. Just do it! Being helpful and serving is healing for you. By putting energy in this direction we can starve the weeds of self-involvement that feed our own negativity.
  • Water your garden with Joy! Fill your mind with positive energy through uplifting music, company, reading. Find one soul affirming song recorded by someone with uplifting consciousness (it matters) and listen to it all the time until it permeates your consciousness. Music has a unique ability to transmit and influence consciousness. Misery loves company, so be careful what you to listen to, and how you choose it. Lean toward what you aspire toward instead of what feels comfortable if you can.

 

  • Let the sun shine! Take care of your body through daily doses of fresh air, sunshine, brisk exercise, and fresh, healthy, natural food. Foods do affect our way of thinking. Read more about diet here.
  • Worry Fasting! Nothing good ever came from worry. If it’s a deep habit start with short fasts. Commit to ten minutes once or twice per day. Fill your mind with positive energy. A song, holy scripture, guided meditation, positive affirmation, or go work in your garden, or a nice walk in nature if possible. Smile for no reason. Laugh because it feels good. If you catch yourself worrying, you must also laugh at this. Practice each day, and gradually increase the length of fast until this becomes your natural state of mind.
  • Say Yes to Life! Spiritual growth is directional. Stay in the Now by being perfectly content with where you are, and eagerly embrace whatever life tosses your way. Do not cling to anything. See life as a school. Be a good student, and have lots of fun.

 

For myself, daily meditation has been key to my success in the above suggestions.

 

Here is one of my favorite affirmations:

 

“As I radiate love and goodwill to others, I will open the channel for God’s love to come to me. Divine love is the magnet that draws to me all good.”

From Scientific Healing Affirmations, by Paramhansa Yogananda