AT HOME ASSIGNMENT: Write in a notebook and describe your ordinary life, your emotional changes, your environment, your connection to nature, family, life.

How do you spend your day? What interests do you hold while you are at home? When do you feel the lowest? When do you feel fine? What have you learned about yourself during thee times?

Be sure to date each entry so you can look back with some clarity. When you don’t feel like writing, sketch your reactions to the day, doodle. Try to enter something each day until you have filled the notebook.

To help you, we’ve designed Labradoodle covers for your notebooks to keep you inspired, happy, upbeat and heading in the direction that is most helpful to you. You can even design your own cover, using a personalized template. Enjoy your life now. It is the only one you have. Be kind. Have fun. Stay happy!

Notebooks for Historical 2020 Journaling

Posted in Non-Fiction

September 1, 2014 – Some thoughts

 Even when you are having fun,

life slips by.

Even when you sulk around,

life slips by.

Even when you fall in love,

life slips by.

Even when you are sick and frail,

life slips by.

There’s no way to stop the time

you have in this one body.

You might as well hug yourself

and live in wondrous ways.

There’s no way to stop the time

you have in this one body.

So accept it well and live

today with all the secrets,

adventures, and

gifts to you alone.

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Posted in books, Non-Fiction

Getting to Happy in Real Time

Happy EnergyBe your best, happy friend.  That may sound a bit funny to you, but it holds some great advice.  We all know that deep, quiet satisfaction is the very stuff we are made of.

Peaceful happiness is available to us at all times.  There is never a moment that it is not available.  Everything you need is in the quiet of you.

One of the tools for locating the happiness within is to listen to the sound of each breath, become aware of your heartbeat. What a loyal friend is your heart!  Consider your age. How many years has your heart been beating? It is estimated that over an average of a 66-year-lifespan the heart beats 2.5 billion times.

The heart beats and your lungs exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen to nourish your blood supply whether or not you think about it.  These systems are available to you free-of-charge throughout your lifetime.  So is peace, joy and happiness.  Happiness is always available to you, free-of-charge.  There is no external thing, like a new house, a new job, new clothes, a new friend or loved-one, that can bring you happiness because you already own an unlimited supply of happiness.  It is the fabric of who you are.  You are the energy of happiness!

You can restrict your flow of happiness with negative thoughts just like you can cover your airways to prevent oxygen to enter your body.  If you cannot experience happiness simple remove the clamps of negative thinking.  Pay attention to each breath and realize there is more to you than you ever imagined. Take a moment to still all thoughts and reach inward to your best friend, you.

Let go of the negative concerns, strategies, pseudo-defences that restrict your happiness.  Let go, become aware of your breathing until you can sense the happy energy that wishes to bubble up into your day’s reality.  Ask yourself often today, “How do you feel?” .  As you practice each day, you will become aware of the negative impediments you have placed on your well-being.  Little by little, remove these restrictions and get to “Happy” in “Real Time.”

Posted in Non-Fiction

Living In The Moment Means Ability To Succeed

Here is a good example of how negative thought can develop within any one of us. Egos can take over at a moment’s notice and if left unguarded can seriously impede the pursuit of happiness.

Last evening a magazine salesman came to the door. A silent alarm was triggered within me: someone is ringing the door after dark.  I was filled with immediate suspicion. Everything I write about took backseat to fear. I heard my husband laughing and speaking to the gentleman at the door and I found myself going upstairs to get to a phone in case this salesman was not legitimate. I felt compelled to save the day!

After the salesman left, I felt ashamed of myself for not helping out my fellow man and I didn’t feel good. Even more, I felt I should remain loyal to this shame because of my reactions. I felt it would be dishonest to now turn all positive and happily get on with the moment.  My husband mentioned once or twice to let it go but I felt this strong urge to assess my reactions to a simple ring at the door.  …and I began to notice that I was defending my reactions to my husband who was now focused on a basketball game.

I didn’t realize it in the moment.  Now I do.  I was choosing thoughts that were making me feel bad.

This is one grand opportunity.  I am able to observe from a distance share about thoughts that can take hold and, left unguarded, multiplied rapidly.  Feed Me!  the thoughts pleaded.  Feed Me!  I have important fears that need protection!  I have important guilt you need to pay attention to!

And, then I stopped.  Took pause.  And I realized I did not feel good.  And I remembered that I was wearing fear.  I gently turned away from the fear and the self-guilt and all thoughts that did not make me happy.  Immediately, I experienced the familiar happiness and peace that has become more and more obvious to me.  I am living proof that living in the moment allows me to succeed.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you.

Posted in books, Non-Fiction

Is There a Little White Lie in “Believe”?

Why do I continually talk about positive thinking? Why do I continually check on my own negative thinking, say, “Thank you, but no thank you!” to the thoughts that bring me feelings of doubt, pain and worry?  Why is it so hard to stay positive?  Perhaps the answer is this.

In order to believe, I must go beyond what I already know. Possibilities are infinite and beyond!  To believe I need to tell myself a little white lie.  I need to pretend beyond where I am now.  I need to believe in the silver lining before I really see it.  Every choice to let go of worry or criticism of others or every disappointment or fear will bring about a happier me.  When I let go, I make way for happiness.  To let go may require telling myself a little white lie.  When I intend to get to the positive side of life, that lie will not bite me.

It’s a little hard to find examples but here goes:

  • I wake up and remember it is Monday and time to go to work.  I have feelings of angst.  I lie to myself and tell myself that I am getting a big happy surprise at work.  I tell myself a little white lie and picture my boss giving me a great compliment.  I decide to tell myself another white lie.  I tell myself that I will experience new insight into my job.  I am happy now and ready to go to work with happy anticipation.  The result:  I will hear and accept the compliment my boss gives me ,and I will be open to the insights that will make my job easier to accomplish.  This, my friends, is beLIEving!
  • I start to make dinner and the recipe I am following turns completely wrong.  I don’t know what I did to make this so much of a mess.  I feel angry and frustrated.  I decide to tell myself a little white lie.  I tell myself that I am so lucky to be right in the midst of a new discovery.  I am about the create a meal that is tasty, nutritious and will be a family favorite for years to come, along with this great story of how it was created.  Now that I have paused and all the negative thoughts have mysteriously vanished, I have thoughts that will save the recipe and the more I have fun the more I see possibilities.  The meal is a hit with the family who appreciate the calm and happy cook in the kitchen.  We love being together at this meal.  The food does not seem particularly good or bad but the happy and warm feelings around the table cannot be surpassed!  This is beLIEving!
  • You’ve misplaced your checkbook and you are sure that it has been lost and taken by some similar thief you’ve heard about on the news.  It’s time for a little white lie.  You picture the checkbook in the house.  You remember the game “hide-the-thing” and you decide to have a go at it.   You relax for a few moments as if it is already found.  You picture the checkbook in the same place you always keep it. Your little white lie tells you that it has already been recovered.  Now you feel better and thoughts come to you as to what to do next.  You begin to play “hide-the-thing” and the “thing” is your checkbook.  As you beLIEve you get closer to its whereabout.  You will locate it and all will be fine because you beLIEve.

It is not easy to stay positive, to believe.  It is less easy to remain in the negative world of fear, sorrow, anger, irritation, frustration and pain.  When you’ve had enough just let yourself believe in happiness.