Category: Power of the Positive

How to Overcome Negative Thinking 

The Snowball Effect
Oh my God, It’s four Pm!!
I should arrive there within a maximum of 10 minutes
But what if I didn’t arrive on time!
I may miss a part of the exam, that’s really terrible I can’t afford to lose any more marks
And if I didn’t do well in this exam my mood will get a blow
Now with bad grade in one more subject I could fail this year!!
And if I didn’t graduate earlier I may not find a job!! After all there seems to be a recession on doors.

HEY HEY STOP!!!!! You are only late for 10 minutes and now you are thinking about failing and a recession !! Don’t laugh at this story because we all do exactly the same thing but without noticing, it all starts by a small seed, the unwanted event, then negative thinking turns the samll seed to a big tree and sometimes a forest!!

Why do you think your mood suddenly swings without an apparent reason? It’s the snowball effect, a tiny event may have happened but your self talk kept expanding it until it became a catastrophe. Although the above example may be a little exaggerated, if you just watched your self talk you will discover that you even create larger snow balls out of nothing!! What’s really funny is that, in most cases, the event that happened will have no bad impact on your life at all and even if it did, it would be a minimal impact compared to your imagined huge snowball.

What Negative Thinking Can Do
Lots of people ask me whether negative thinking is the cause for lack of self confidence or not, in fact, negative thinking is not the cause for lack of self confidence but negative thinking is the direct agent that interacts with your beliefs and so it’s what’s responsible for changing your idea about yourself. For example, if negative thinking was used to reinforce a false belief about your looks then most probably the result will be lack of self confidence.

In other words, negative thinking is the tool used by your mind to eat out your self confidence, to swing your mood and to even depress you. One other dangerous thing about negative thinking is that your emotions does not change except after a few phrases of self talk are played in your mind, so any unwanted emotional change that happens to you is caused by negative thinking or negative self talk.

How to Overcome Negative Thinking
Life is full of annoying events and if each event left you with a negative snow ball then you will stay down forever. If you want to avoid this then you should follow some of these practices in order to minimize your negative thinking:

* Don’t create snow balls: Sometimes we cant hold ourselves from having negative thoughts, if that’s the case, then don’t grow these negative thoughts bigger and just focus on how to deal with the new situation
   
* Accept the Change: When an unexpected event happens we usually go through some stages before we return back to our previous mental state. The last one of these steps is acceptance and the one just before it is bargaining. In bargaining the person usually keeps thinking of the reasons that caused the bad event and of the bad consequences that will follow, usually this is the stage where negative thinking is at its peak, if you want to move away faster from this stage then you must learn how to accept the new events. Acceptance may sound like an intuitive advice but its not, if you want to be able to accept new and unexpected events then you should know about the psychology of acceptance, this article will explain to you everything about acceptance and it will give you the Know-how of acceptance.
   
* Have Faith: In the middle of the darkness there is usually no room for positive thinking, after all, why have a positive attitude while there is no possible way out? And here comes faith into play, faith is the only thing that can withstand the worst unexpected life events yet keep you optimistic. I don’t like the idea of believing in God just because we need a God and that’s why I am not asking you to do so, but i am only asking you to seek your answers, if you don’t believe in God then search for him in order to know whether you are on the right track or whether you should belief in him.

Hay House Radio is by far one of the best kept secrets on the internet!

Hay House Radio is an internet radio station — you listen to the programs on your computer or you can download the programs into ITunes and then listen to them on your Ipod.  And best of all, its FREE!

Many popular authors you are familiar with have weekly shows on Hay House Radio:. Esther and Jerry Hicks, Louise Hay, Caroline Myss, Doreen Virtue and many others.

There are literally hundreds of hours of programs for the taking. Lots of good information. I personally listen to Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss, Angel Therapy by Doreen Virtue, and Your Soul’s Compass by Joan Borysenko. I listen to them on my Ipod while I drive back and forth to work.

Check it out! You will be glad you did!
Light and Love,

Sister Bridget

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

I know you all have heard the quote from Dr King’s speech …."I have a dream". And those of you who have done the Lady Samantha Hex Removal Kit   are familiar with the very last line of the speech, but how many of us have really read thru the whole thing, and weighed the meaning and power of these words?

They are here for you to consider:

Dr King’s Speech

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

~Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963, Washington, DC

At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable.
  Christopher Reeves 

 

CELTIC BLESSING FOR YOU FOR THE NEW YEAR

May you recognize in your life the presence, power and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe.

May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the façade of your life there is something beautiful, good and eternal happening.

May you learn to see yourself in the same delight, pride and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.

How nice is this blessing to keep in mind for the coming year?

Buddhist Blessing

Just as the soft rains fill the streams,
pour into the rivers and join together in the oceans,
so may the power of every moment of your goodness
flow forth to awaken and heal all beings,
Those here now, those gone before, those yet to come.

By the power of every moment of your goodness
May your heart’s wishes be soon fulfilled
as completely shining as the bright full moon,
as magically as by a wish-fulfilling gem.

By the power of every moment of your goodness
May all dangers be averted and all disease be gone.
May no obstacle come across your way.
May you enjoy fulfillment and long life.

For all in whose heart dwells respect,
who follow the wisdom and compassion, of the Way,
May your life prosper in the four blessings
of old age, beauty, happiness and strength.

I came across this while looking for something else. It so moved me that I have printed it out and put it on my night stand so I can read it before sleep every night. I hope you find it as moving as I have….

Sister Bridget

A Prayer for Forgiveness

Today, Creator, grant me the courage and the will to forgive the people I love the most. Help me to forgive every injustice I feel in my mind, and to love other people unconditionally. I know the only way to heal all the pain in my heart is through forgiveness.

Today, Creator, strengthen my will to forgive anyone who has hurt me, even if I believe the offense is unforgivable. I know that forgiveness is an act of self-love. Help me to love myself so much that I forgive every offense. Let me choose forgiveness because I don’t want to suffer every time I remember the offense.

Today, Creator, help me to heal all the guilt in my heart by accepting the forgiveness of everyone I have hurt in my life. Help me to sincerely recognize the mistakes I have made out of ignorance, and give me the wisdom and determination to refrain from making the same mistakes. I know that love and forgiveness will transform every relationship in the most positive way.

Thank you, Creator, for giving me the capacity to love and forgive. Today I open my heart to love and forgiveness, so that I can share my love without fear. Today I will enjoy a reunion with the people I love most. Amen.

~~~don Miguel Ruiz 

A Prayer for Yule

May the log burn,
May the wheel turn,
May evil spurn,
May the Sun return.

~~Author Unknown

I was looking for something else, and came across this really nice (and brief) meditation for Peace on beliefnet.com.  Check it out. It takes only a few minutes, and it will refresh your day.

Light and Love

Sister Bridget

Hey there –

Happy Thanksgiving. I had told myself that I was going to have a computer – free day today, but something happened that I just have to tell you about.

I was having my own, quiet Thanksgiving day. I put some sweet potatoes in the oven, watched a bit of the Macy’s parade on TV, then made a call to my father to wish him a happy day. The best way to describe my dad is, well, he’s a bit of a curmudgeon. He can be surly, and he can be grumpy, and he often has difficulty seeing the Light in things. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great dad and loves his kids and would do anything for them, but — he’s a grump. So, it came to no surprise to me today when I called to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving, that he reluctantly, grumpily said "Thanks".

I didn’t think much of it at the time, it really was to be expected, and the rest of the conversation went on its usual course. I don’t have many holiday traditions, but one that I really stick to is watching Miracle on 34th Street on Thanksgiving. Every year I get my best fuzzy blanket, make the biggest cup of tea I possibly can, and hunker down on the couch to watch it. Not long after getting comfortable today, with the remote in my hand, I got to thinking about my father and his reluctant acceptance of my good wishes for him. Even on today, the day that is all about giving thanks, he had difficulty saying the word. And as I reflected further back on his life, I realized he did have alot in his life to be thankful for, but he just didn’t make it a habit of acknowledging it. I don’t think he has even ever tried express deep gratitude. This realization made me quite sad, but also promptly lead me to another revelation…..

That gratitude has to be practiced! Those of you who are on Mambo Sam’s forum know that the question of faith often comes up, how do we have faith, how to we keep faith when the times are tough (that answer is that tough times is when faith sees you thru….. if you lose faith when the going gets tough, then you never really had any faith in the first place — but I’m digressing) I think, in order to truly have a deep and abiding sense of gratitude, that we need to practice saying "Thank you" everyday, not just on Hallmark days like today.

Practice saying "Thank you"??? I bet you are all thinking there’s too much rum in my mug … or not enough. But think about it…how are good habits established? how do things become second nature to people? how do things become a part of us? Practice, Practice, Practice.

If these seems overwhelming, then start small. Be grateful for your car starting in the morning. Be grateful for your mail carrier. Be grateful for your electric blanket. Be grateful for healthy toe nails.

If this is difficult for you, then be grateful for things that are *not*. For example, be grateful that you don’t have  a broken arm . Be grateful that your shoe laces didn’t break this morning. Be grateful that your cell phone battery isn’t dead. As you practice being grateful for what is not, it will soon be easier to be grateful for what is.  For example: I am so very grateful that I do not have toe nail fungus becomes I am so very grateful for healthy toe nails.

So, my challenge to you all is to think of one thing tonight that you are truly grateful for on some level. How big or small that is, it doesn’t matter. Thats not the point. As you lie there, just before you go to sleep, think of that thing you are grateful for. Clear everything else out of your heart and your mind except for that one thing you are grateful for. Be still and then examine the feeling that comes along with that thought. Be as still as you can for as long as you can, and let that feeling fill you up. Some of you might only be able to hold this for a minute. Some of you might be able to do this until you drift off to sleep. How long you can hold the feeling isn’t the point — its the practice of finding and holding the feeling that is important. Hold the feeling peacefully for as long as you can. Each night, you will  be able to stay in that grateful space a bit longer. And as each day passes, you will find it easier to feel that feeling and become aware of more and more things that you are truly grateful for. You will find those 2 little words just rolling off your tongue with no problem at all. With practice and time, I know that you will begin to see  things around you shift, improve, become easier and lighter.

Give it a try. You have nothing to lose but a minute or two each day by trying, and a whole lot to gain.

Please let me know what results you get! Post your comments/results below on this blog. I really would like to see how this is working for you.

Let me just say again how truly thankful I am for my Spellmaker family and to have all of you in my life.

Light and Love

Sister Bridget