Monday, October 31, 2011

Ode: A. W. E. O'Shaughnessy

We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers,
Upon whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers,
Of the world forever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory:
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song's measure
Can trample an empire down.

We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth

Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A beginning, not an ending.

Life begins at the end of your Comfort Zone. So if you’re feeling uncomfortable right now, know that the change taking place in your life is a beginning, not an ending. --N.D. Walsch

Monday, October 17, 2011

Mirror Mirror On The Wall...

“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.” 
~Ernest Holmes

Did you know that we see ourselves with a magnifying mirror of 10x compared to how others see us? A blemish seems like a large red lesion drawing as much attention as Rudolph’s nose on Christmas Eve, but to others, the same blemish is hardly visible. Since most of us use one (or many!) mirrors everyday, how can we use them as special forces that reward and fulfill us, rather than solely as a tool for critical examination?

 This little exercise that will help you see yourself in a positive light. The process is simple, and may be the first step toward feeling positively beautiful, empowered and joyful.

Take a small sheet of paper or sticky notes. Take the time to come up with list of short, meaningful mantras, quotes or affirmations to support you each day, and tape them to the mirror you use each morning when getting ready. You can also use dry erase markers on your mirror, but do a test spot first, just to make sure. Choose words that are powerful and positive, such as…
* I am beautiful.
* I am confident in myself.
* I am capable and effective in my job.
* I am my own unique self – special, creative and wonderful.
* I am loved and I give love freely.
* I carry joy in my heart.
* I prosper wherever I turn.
* Every cell in my body vibrates with energy and health.
A mantra is a formula or a word with spiritual significance. When repeated, they can become meaningless syllables which can help us to relax. Just repeating a mantra helps us to focus our attention on a single point and eventually reach a state of very deep rest. The regular practice can reduce our irritability and thus the feeling of being stressed, but more importantly is that continued mantra practice will reduce the time of recovery following all kinds of distressing situations. An affirmation or quote can become a mantra.

Inhale deeply for five counts. Exhale out for ten counts, relaxing every part of your body. Repeat these deep breaths three times while consciously relaxing all your muscles from your neck down to your toes. Close your eyes. Concentrate on your breathing as you continue to take another slow, deep breath.
As you repeat your words, keep your eyes closed and visualize images that represent your mantra. For instance, if your mantra is “I am beautiful,” picture yourself when you feel most beautiful…such as giving a work presentation in your sharpest suit, going out to dinner in your favorite dress, or playing joyfully with your kids. Simply focus on an image that embodies the words in your mantra.

While you are preparing yourself to go out in the world, read these mantras and say them to yourself – out loud or within – with as much conviction as you can muster. Keep in mind that you may not believe your them at first, but just keep saying them. Repeat daily, as often as you can, and soon they will sink deep in to your subconscious mind and become rooted! You can also keep a shorter list in your car, affixed to your sun visor, that you can read aloud to yourself while looking in your car mirror before starting the engine. The more you use them, the sooner you will feel their truths and see dramatic shifts in yourself.
This simple exercise doesn’t need to take more than five or ten minutes in the morning. But it can fill you with inner peace and confidence that can last all day long.

Article written by Dr. Susan Mathison
http://positivelybeautiful.com


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

I'd Rather Be A Whale

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

(The girl on the picture is French model Tara Lynn)
See More

Monday, October 3, 2011

The Complexity of the Creative Personality

This is an interesting article from psychcentral.com written by Douglas Eby
See web page of article

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced me-high chick-sent-me-high-ee) wrote, “If there is one word that makes creative people different from others, it is the word complexity. Instead of being an individual, they are a multitude.”


“Like the color white that includes all colors, they tend to bring together the entire range of human possibilities within themselves. Creativity allows for paradox, light, shadow, inconsistency, even chaos –and creative people experience both extremes with equal intensity.”



Here are a few qualities he lists:
  • A great deal of physical energy alternating with a great need for quiet and rest.
  • Highly sexual, yet often celibate, especially when working.
  • Smart and naïve at the same time. A mix of wisdom and childishness. Emotional immaturity along with the deepest insights.
  • Convergent (rational, left brain, sound judgment) and divergent (intuitive, right brain, visionary) thinking…
  • Both extroverted and introverted, needing people and solitude equally.
  • Humble and proud, both painfully self-doubting and wildly self-confident.
  • May defy gender stereotypes, and are likely to have not only the strengths of their own gender but those of the other as well. A kind of psychic androgyny.