Which Is The Best State?

What state do you live in? Hopefully whatever state it is, you would say it’s the best. I know that I strive to live in the best state on a regular basis.

Wait a minute, you might say. How can you strive to live in the best state? I understand. However, I’m not going where you think I may be going with this. Here’s the state I’m talking about. It’s the state of….mind. As in always striving for the best state of mind.

I am being reminded a great deal lately how state of mind affects quality of life. When you are regularly in the best state of mind, your quality of life increases dramatically.

I will add one important piece of the puzzle. Did you know that what you desire is also a state of mind? For example, happy people are regularly in that joyful state of mind. Wealthy people have a wealth mindset. Fit people have a healthy mindset.

Here lies one of the great keys to success and achieving your goals. The key is to put yourself in that state of mind, and maintain it. For example, if you are seeking to lose weight and become more healthy, put yourself in that state of mind. Envision yourself at the weight you want to be. Put and keep yourself in a healthy state of mind. Act as a fit, healthy person would. What happens then is you subconsciously develop the habits that fit people do. As you think accordingly, you begin to automatically act accordingly. That’s when the results begin to show.

It’s the same with anything else in life. If you are seeking greater wealth, develop a wealth mindset. Visualize yourself with money and enjoying the benefits of it. Dress the part, and enjoy the new-found confidence you would have if the extra money was actually in your pocket. Once again, it eventually becomes part of your subconscious thinking, and you begin to act accordingly, being drawn to the money you are seeking.

I can go on with different examples. If you want happiness, smile, be happy and think happy thoughts. If you want more friends, be a good friend yourself. If you are seeking greater freedom, be the person you would be if you actually had it. It’s all about being what you want. When you are in the best state of mind, you don’t have to worry about what action to take. You just do it, taking inspired action towards the attainment of our desire.

Now that you have this information, I ask again…which is the best state?  I think you can answer that it’s the best state of mind that will bring you to your desire. Now if you will excuse me, I have some things to take care of here in the state of New York. Have an excellent day : )

Can Thoughts Make Your Life Interesting?

I will begin with a quote that I believe will answer the question presented in my title…”The happiest people in the world are those who have the most interesting thoughts” – William Lyon Phelps.

I am a firm believer in the power of our thoughts. When you think positive thoughts, your outcomes in life are positive. The same is true for negative thoughts.

We have full control of the thoughts we think. Besides maintaining positive thoughts, we have the gift of imagination. This gift is not just limited to small children playing games. This gift does not get old with age. It is still readily available to use at any time.

Based on the quote above, why not use your imagination to create the most interesting and ideal thoughts? Visualize scenes of experiencing the success you desire. See yourself living your dream life. Feel the unlimited Godly power that is a part of you. Envision yourself as free from financial worry, with your dream partner, in your ideal body, with a smile constantly on your face.

When you visualize these types of scenes, this life eventually becomes part of you. You eventually can’t see yourself living life any other way. As a result, your life is full of the joy and happiness you are seeking. It’s all because of the beautiful thoughts you are thinking, and the beautiful scenes you are creating.

I will pose a question that I would love to know your opinion on. What are interesting thoughts? This answer may be different for everyone. I invite you to share. I also challenge you to keep them a part of your regular thinking. After all, the quality of your thoughts directly affect the quality of your life. Have a wonderful day : )

A Cheerful Way To Heal Yourself

I have always believed that God is the ultimate healer. I still do. However, the longer I live, the more I realize that we hold a great deal of power with our health, and the ability to maintain and heal ourselves.

I was reminded of this fact as I read through Proverbs yesterday. My study took me to verse 17:22 which simply says..”a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones”. The New English translation specifically says that a cheerful heart brings healing. If you want to take it one step further, The Message version says “a cheerful disposition is good for your health, while gloom and doom leave you bone-tired”.

Do you believe that your mood and outlook on your life has an impact on your health? These are words from God Himself, which makes it very obvious to me that the way I think and feel emotionally directly impacts how I feel physically. The above verse is directly from God, but I know it is true from my own experience. When I allow myself to get stressed and too busy, I feel very run down and never seem to have the energy I need. It’s these times where I am most likely to get sick. When my thoughts and emotions are positive, it doesn’t matter how much there is to get done. I can complete any task with plenty of energy to spare.

I recommend you focus on this verse today. Are you not feeling your best? Are you tired, run down, or feeling the aches and pains of life? Whether any of those are true, or if you are feeling good and simply looking to maintain your strength, do all you can to maintain a cheerful disposition. Besides the health and energy benefits, all other aspects of your life will be affected as well. You will get along better with others. You will put yourself in a position to receive good fortune. You will feel closer to God, and your faith will increase. I can go on and on.

If you didn’t already, do you now believe you have the power to heal yourself and maintain excellent health and energy? The simple exercise of putting a smile on your face and maintaining a positive, cheerful frame of mind is the best medicine there is. It’s free and you can’t overdose on it. Enjoy the blessings : )

 

Let Your Awesomeness Shine

I will start by saying that…you are awesome! It’s a fact. Some of you may respond by saying thank you and believing it, while others might doubt it and think of all of the reasons you believe you are not. Either way, it’s not something we are often told.

Whether you believe it or not, every single person on this planet has God’s power and awesomeness inside them. It’s a part of you. The other part of us is not so awesome. That is, our personal ego. It’s the ego that says we are inferior, that says we’re not good, that says we need to have a certain something to be happy, that says I can’t do it. I think you get the picture.

You have a choice. You can let your ego dominate and continue to feel the negative emotions associated with it. Or you can let your Godly spirit shine instead. It’s that spirit that is part of the unlimited power, abundance, and love of God. It is that spirit that, when you are aligned with it, enables you to accomplish anything you desire. It is that spirit that is loving, joyful, kind, peaceful, etc. and manifests those qualities in your life and the lives of others.

Which part of you will you allow to shine? I challenge you to remind yourself as much as possible of the undeniable awesomeness you have within you. Please don’t doubt it or deny it. It’s there. It’s part of you. If you don’t believe it, it’s simply because you choose not to. Let that beautiful spirit shine from within. All you have to do is acknowledge it, do what it inspires you to do, and go where it inspires you to go. When you do, you will quickly see blessings and miracles in your life. You will also be a blessing and an inspiration to others.

Remember again that you are awesome. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, and realize that no one can take it away from you. Let this awesome spirit of power and grace shine, and watch the blessings manifest. It’s awesome!

How Sure Are You?

How sure are you that you will receive what you pray for? Did you know that it makes a major difference in whether or not you receive what you are asking for?

I’ve realized the importance of having faith for a long time. However, realizing it and acting on it are two different things. It’s only recently that I’ve really seen the difference between prayers of hope and prayers of faith.

I understand that sometimes God answers our “hopeful” prayers. However, think of how many more blessings you can receive if you strongly believe that you will receive what you are asking for. Several verses in the book of James in the Bible stand out. “You have not because you ask not”. “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” That’s a scary thought isn’t it? I will receive fewer blessings because of my lack of faith. That’s something no one wants.

God has continued to remind me of not only faith, but the concept of worthiness. I have recently written some other posts about that topic. I have read stories about how Godly men seemed to demand answers from God…and they received them with no resistence!

Those men in the Bible are no more powerful than you. If God will answer their prayers, there’s no reason He won’t be honored to answer yours. I am not advocating going to God in a prideful manner and demanding with arrogance that your prayers be answered. In fact, in some cases it’s better for you that your prayers are not answered. I am instead saying that you are worthy to pray and ask. I am saying that when you pray in faith, you will receive either what you ask for or something better. No less!

I ask you again…how sure are you that God will answer your prayer? Know that He desperately wants to bless you, but in many cases, he is waiting for you to ask in faith. What is it you desire most today? Know that it’s yours for the asking, pray boldly for it, wait for the next steps to take, take them, then expect the blessing. It’s as simple as that. And yes, I am sure : ) Have a wonderful day!

Steps Of Gratitude

I recently read a book by Rhonda Byrne called “The Magic”. If you haven’t read it, I strongly suggest you do. The book is about gratitude, and helps you take steps to be more thankful in life and explains the benefits of doing so.

In one part of the book, the author talks about Albert Einstein. She says he demonstrated gratitude to people and for his circumstances hundreds of times a day. She expresses her belief that his immense gratitude is one of the reasons he was so successful.

I am a firm believer that, the more we express our gratitude, the more reasons we will be given to be thankful. Here’s a suggestion from that book that works very well for me, and I wanted to share it with you today. There’s an action plan in the book called steps of gratitude. The author explains that the first thing she does after waking up in the morning is say thank you for each step she takes from her bed to the bathroom. One foot is thank, and the other is you. Another suggestion is that if you walk anywhere throughout the day, say thank and you for each step you take. As you do this, think of something or somebody specific to be thankful for.

You may ask, what if I can’t think of specifics? In that case, just say thank you. As you continue to say thank you, even in general, you develop the positive feelings of gratitude. As you do, you will be prompted with something specific to be thankful for. It works every time.

What are you thankful for today? Focus on it with each step you take. On these beautiful summer days, I recommend you take a deliberate walk, and with each step say a simple, heartfelt thank you for even the smallest blessings in your life.

As I mentioned, the more thankful you are, the more reasons you will be given to be thankful. I’ve seen it in my own life, and it only makes me want to express my gratitude even more. When you are thankful, you will feel more positive and happy, and you will have greater impacts on others. It’s a win-win situation. It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure that out. Thank you so much for reading. Have a wonderful day : )

A Helpful Way To Find Your Purpose

Many people are searching for their purpose in life. For some, it’s an easy decision. For others, it’s a constant struggle.

The question many people ask is…”what is my purpose in life?” A follow-up is…”how do I find my purpose?” I apologize that I cannot answer these questions here. However, I believe I can lead you in the right direction with some helpful advice I was given.

I was reading information from author Wayne Dyer about purpose. He provided this advice that I will never forget, and has helped me move closer to finding and achieving my purpose. The advice is this…as individuals we have different purposes for being here. However, we all have one universal purpose. That is…to love and serve others. It’s as simple as that.

Can it really be that simple? I have found that it is. This doesn’t require that we do something earth-shattering and overly above and beyond for everyone. It requires simple acts of love and service. It can be anything from a hug, a note of encouragement, doing a helpful chore, a smile…anything positive.

Several things happen when we perform these small acts of love and service:

1. Positive energy – One small act of service can create a tidal wave of positive  energy for you and the person you serve. This energy opens the door for miracles.

2. You can potentially change someone’s life – I’ve heard countless stories of people who were ready to give up, until they received a note of encouragement or a random act of kindness that changed everything. In many cases that simple act of kindness was the spark to ignite the fire of greatness in their lives.

3. It helps you find your greater purpose – Since love and service is one of your purposes in life, consistent practice of this purpose will lead you to your own individual purpose. As Wayne Dyer says…”when you make your purpose to love and serve others, your own purpose finds you.”

I believe there are many other benefits to loving and serving others. However, when you do this consistently, you are already living your life on purpose. You are a blessing to others, and the blessings in your own life will be countless. There will be no issue in finding purpose because in many ways you will already be living it. Now I encourage you to think of someone you can serve today. Then go love and serve on purpose. Enjoy the blessings : )

A Funny Way To Produce A Natural High

It would be great if we could put ourselves in a constant state of high emotion, wouldn’t it? The good news is that we all have the ability to accomplish this.

There are many different things we can do to maintain a high, positive emotional state. One of the greatest in my opinion is laughter. Don’t you always feel better and more positive after a great laugh? It is even medically proven that certain chemicals are released in the body as a result of laughter, and even just smiling. Knowing that we have control of the state of our emotions, and laughter makes us feel better and happier…what are you waiting for?

I understand things get busy in life, and there are times where things get so difficult that you are in absolutely no mood to smile and laugh. I have reflected at times and realized I haven’t laughed much or at all in a period of several days or more. However, I have learned that there is always room for laughter, and that we simply cannot let days go by without it, regardless of the circumstances. In fact, consistent laughter is a great way to change many of the circumstances in life.

As I thought about this, I came up with 3 main ways to increase the amount of laughter in my life:

1. Remember old funny times – I often look back at some of the funniest moments in life. It brings back pleasant memories, and it’s a great way to get to a positive state of mind.
2. Find and watch funny things now – There are scenes from some of my favorite TV shows (Honeymooners, Happy Days, All in the Family, Seinfeld, The Office) that I can watch over and over and still convulse in laughter. In addition, with the availability of YouTube and other video sources, there are countless clips you can watch from movies, comedians, or wherever. I recommend you seek the ones you like, then watch and laugh.
3. Use your imagination – Some think I’m a bit crazy for this one, but as a kid I would often imagine funny situations that never actually happened, but had me laughing breathlessly. Think you can’t do this as an adult? Once I was overly tense for a job interview. I needed something to break the tension. On my way there, I thought of a very funny “what if” situation and laughed heartily all the way there (if that was you in the car next to me, I swear I am really not crazy). As a result, I was very loose and positive for the interview and aced it. I believe it’s one of the reasons I got that first teaching job.

It is totally true that laughter is the best medicine. The good thing is that it’s free, limitless, and you can’t overdose on it. I strongly recommend you use it. Your attitude will be positive, and your emotions will run high. When your mind is positive and your emotions are at their highest, there is no stopping you. Miracles will occur, and you will be laughing all the way to the bank. Enjoy the blessings : )

You Deserve It

I was reading a portion of a book earlier today. It described a certain quality some people have. I did not want to be associated with this description. In the past I may have fit the description it provides. Even now, on some of my worst days, I may let this negative feeling slip in.

Here is the quote from the book…”Many good things are lost because you didn’t ask. Many splendid things are lost to you because of your feeling that you are unworthy of them. Many great things are lost to you because you lack the confidence and courage to demand and take possession of them” (The Law of Attraction”, by William Walker Atkinson, Chapter XV).

These are strong words, wouldn’t you say? As I mentioned, I don’t want to be known as someone who fits this description. Hopefully you don’t either. If not, then I challenge you to focus on this thought…NOTHING IS TOO GOOD FOR YOU.

You may be thinking…I’ve made many mistakes. I’ve hurt people. I’ve made bad decisions. I’ve been selfish. In addition, I haven’t spent sufficient time with God. Why would He want to do anything good for me? I will say that, if you’re a human being, you’re right. Everyone on this earth has made mistakes, made selfish and poor decisions, and has spent less time with their Creator than they should. I know it’s true for me.

Regardless of the negatives of the previous paragraph, we deal with a God who forgives all of those negatives. We deal with a God who loves us more than we can ever fathom. Even though we fail often, He is still waiting for us to ask for great things. What happens when we ask? The Bible says…what man is there among you who, when his son asks for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake? If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:9-11)?

So what is it you want? God is not only waiting for you to ask, but He’s waiting to respond and act on your desire. Once again I remind you that nothing is too good for you. Never again should you avoid asking for something because you feel that you don’t deserve it. You are as worthy as anyone to receive the things you desire in life. Instead of giving up on it, ask God for it with the faith that He is more than willing to grant the desires of your heart and provide the abundance of a great life that you are seeking. Know it, and enjoy the blessings : )

A Quick Guide to Manifesting Using the Universal Law of Attraction

I found this 4 step formula and felt the need to share. By following these steps, the only thing that will be impossible in your life is failure.

Law of Attraction Tips from Sharon Ballantine

The Universal Law of Attraction at its simplest states that everything, including our thoughts, is energy. An easy way to think about the Universal Law of Attraction is that thoughts become things or whatever you think about and really want, comes about or manifests itself in your life. 

Energy flows to whatever your attention is on. For example, if you are concentrating hard on a project, you usually find the right resources and people to help you get it done.

Often, it seems to happen by magic. This is the Universal Law of Attraction at work.  The law is always working whether we are consciously aware of it or not.

Four steps to the Universal Law of Attraction

1.      Picture or visualize what you want. 

Use all of your senses and all the imagination you can muster to see exactly what it is you want. Dream it, see it, feel…

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