Zeal for my Dreams

MAY 22

To be a human being is to be in a state of tension between your appetites and your dreams, and the social realities around you and your obligations to your fellow man.
John Updike.

It’s all a balancing act. In one hand, we hold our dreams and the things we long to learn or do, places we long to visit, sights we long to see. And, in the other hand, we hold the things that we ‘must’ do: care for the children, nurture our relationship with our spouse, show up at work forty hours a week (or more), mow the lawn before the neighbors send us nasty notes, or take the cat to the vet.

And in the midst of all the have-to’s in our lives, we find ourselves not only overwhelmed, but somewhere along the path we ended up feeling that the dreams we held in our hand were frivolous, unnecessary, or selfish.

So we ended up neglecting that half of our being, while giving all our energy to the half that monitors our obligations. Then, we wonder why we wander around, teetering towards falling over in an unbalanced mess.

To maintain balance, we must also nurture our dreams and chase them with zeal.

Affirmation: Today, I choose to remain in balance by nurturing my dreams and desires.

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Your Tribe

MARCH 3

Your vibe attracts your tribe.

Author Unknown

I hear this phrase a lot, especially floating around on Facebook. It’s like the new and updated version of ‘birds of a feather flock together.’ But it’s so apropos. Even with the updated terminology, the concept remains the same. We tend to be attracted to people with similar mind sets and similar values. The reverse is also true. The energy we put out towards others will also attract – or repel – people.

I’ve known people that are Negative Nellie’s (my apologies to those Nellie’s out there that aren’t a bit negative) and their negative attitude, whose constant grumbles and complaints grate on my nerves and I don’t want to spend time with them. Then there’s my friend Barbara, who consistently exudes an aura of peace, love, and joy – no matter the storms nor the difficulties that she is going through at the moment. I never get enough time with this beautiful soul.

That’s my goal and my mantra for this life. I want to have the kind of attitude that draws other like-minded people to me – people that enjoy life, that have love and compassion for others, people with kindness in their soul. That’s the people who I want in my tribe.

What kinds of people do you want in your tribe? What actions can you take, or attitudes can you exhibit, to draw the types of people you want to be around into your life?

Affirmation:
I exhibit a loving attitude that draws
likeminded souls to the circle of my tribe.

Xcited with Life

Yes, I’m fudging a bit to get an ‘X’ word here for the A to Z Blog Challenge. Here’s a snippet from a Work in Progress, Spoonful of Sugar.

MAY 16

When you cease to dream you cease to live.

Malcolm S. Forbes

What is a fulfilling life without dreams? And the dream has to be more than simply wanting to survive until next payday. Although too frequently that’s a common wish.

A dream needs to be something that ignites our inner passions. It needs to call to us.

We can have small dreams. It may be a desire to lose ten pounds. To read a book a week. To start a blog. To try every new restaurant in town. Or, to eat your favorite Chinese food once a week. (Okay, that last one iss mine.)

But we need big ones too. We need dreams that tug at our souls, pulling us along as we chase the cherished visions dancing before us from the future. We need the big dreams, like getting your college degree. Having a child. Getting a new house. Purchasing a new car. Starting that dream business. Writing that book. Traveling to that foreign country you’ve been drooling over.

This mix of dreams, both small and large, keep passion and excitement stirred up. They make us look to the future with anticipation. Without dreams – it all becomes a drudgery. Life becomes a journey of going through the motions, doing the daily tasks, chores and routines that are necessary. But no flamer flickers in our midsection.

What dreams do you have? Which are the small ones? Which are the big ones? What dreams keep your passion and excitement alive?

Affirmation:
I am thankful for the dreams
that keep me excited about life.

Work/Life Balance

For the A to Z Blog Challenge, I’m posting snippets from a Work in Progress, Spoonful of Sugar: A Daily Dose of Inspiration and Encouragement, scheduled for release Fall 2018. Come back tomorrow for more thoughts and affirmations for a more positive life.

APRIL 20

A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night.

Marilyn Monroe

The theme for this month is ‘Whistle While You Work’, or how to work and keep a smile on your face. Yet, to have a life that’s truly in balance, work can’t be our whole life.

Hopefully your job, or career, is one that nourishes you and supports your authentic self. It’s always a blessing when we can work and retain our integrity, where we learn lessons that we apply to our journey, and where we meet amazing people.

But, like Marilyn Monroe said, we can’t curl up with it on a cold night.

We don’t want to be working so fervently that we neglect the people and loved ones in our lives. We need to balance our careers with family and friends, or our accomplishments are all for naught. Because when it’s all over and we’re on our last day on earth, will we be proud of our glorious career…or will we want to be surrounded with our loved ones?

What place does work hold in your life? Does it fill your hours and your days? Or does it leave you with time to spend with friends and loved ones?

Affirmation:
I cherish my career while keeping
it balanced by loving friends and family.

Villains in our Life Play

For the A to Z Blog Challenge, I’m posting snippets from a Work in Progress, Spoonful of Sugar: A Daily Dose of Inspiration and Encouragement, scheduled for release Fall 2018. Come back tomorrow for more thoughts and affirmations for a more positive life.

MARCH 9

Your life is like a play with several acts. Some of the characters who enter have short roles to play, others, much larger. Some are villains and others are good guys. But all of them are necessary; otherwise, they wouldn’t be in the play. Embrace them all, and move on to the next act. Wayne Dyer

These words from Wayne Dyer made such a difference in the way I thought about certain people from my past. Most of the people that have crossed my path and entered my life are lovely people with delightful qualities. A great many have made it to that treasured-life-long friend status. Some have become so dear they’re like family.

And then, there are others…

Although the list is short, there are a few that have not been my greatest joy. One or two make me shudder. Another one or two I rue the day I met them.

Embrace them?

They’re necessary?

But when I start thinking of what they’ve brought to my life – besides the pain and the drama – I can see where I’ve learned life lessons and have grown because of what they taught me. Maybe I wouldn’t have written them into my life play if I had a choice. But if I only had a screenplay of happiness and delight, with no villains, would my life have the depth and experience that it does?

What does the screenplay of your life look like? Does your cast include good guys and villains? Can you see why they’ve been a part of your life? Are you able to embrace them all and move on to the next act?

Affirmation:
I learn to embrace all the characters in my life and realize their necessary roles.

One Liner Wednesday

In the spirit of One Liner Wednesday, here’s a thought for the day.

Universal Currency

An excerpt from my Work in Progress, Spoonful of Sugar: A Daily Dose of Inspiration and Encouragement.

JULY 7

Energy is the currency of the universe. When you ‘pay’ attention to something, you buy that experience. So when you allow your consciousness to focus on someone or something that annoys you, you feed it your energy, and it reciprocates the experience of being annoyed. Be selective in your focus because your attention feeds the energy of it and keeps it alive.

Emily Maroutian

If energy is the universal currency of life, then this is something I need to pay greater awareness to. It has no border boundaries. It has no limitations or restrictions. It simply reciprocates whatever focus I give it. I can liken it to my bank account. If no cash goes in, there is nothing to withdraw. The same here. If I only deposit negativity, that’s all I’ll have coming back to me.

However, understanding this concept is easier than putting it into practice. I don’t know about you, but many years of habitually reacting the same way too often finds me doing just what I don’t want to do – focusing on the negative aspects of life. I think I need to staple a post-it note to my forehead – FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE!

However, when I make a conscious effort to pay attention to what I focus on, I notice an immense difference in my general attitude and in my happiness with life.

What about you? What kinds of things do you focus on? Are you focusing on the negative, or the positive energetic exchanges?

Affirmation:
For today, I focus on the positive
and deposit that energy into my life.