Thought 1: The more we surround ourselves with uplifting objects, the more we encourage our choice in positive living. Everyone is unique and celebrates their understanding of positivity differently.
Thought 2: Positive living and thinking allows celebration for every individual. When we allow ourselves to share thoughts, actions, and creativity, we are at peace with ourself and with others.
Thought 3: Everyone is beautiful and talented. We are similar to the beauty of a garden with the many different colors and types of plants. The more the merrier. We are best when we join together and yet, keep our individuality. We all contribute to the beauty of life as individuals. Inclusion of all these differences appears to be the challenge of this century.
What does this have to do with coffee or tea mugs?
Thought 4: A simple mug chosen to drink a beverage can become a celebration of sorts. Objects measure levels of positivity
My suggestion is to start with a morning beverage. Use this time to feel good. Maybe catch a conversation with someone in the house, or enjoy a sunrise, or sketch a picture … whatever revs your engine, as my friend Joey says.
I’ve offered you some options for a cool, new cup, with links at the end of this page. Be on the lookout for a cup that tickles your insides. How do you tilt the positivity scale?
I like to write in a stream of consciousness manner. Today is such a time. The threads of thought interest me. Like a dimmer switch, positive thoughts can gradually bring more light into my world.
Today’s topic begins around Copyright Laws. I wonder when copyright laws were first enacted. I read articles on the search engine. An early (500sAD) dispute ensued between two monks in Ireland. The student copied the teacher’s Latin Psalter. The teacher placed value on his translation and brought the matter to King Dermott. The king issued an edict in favor of the teacher, stating to every cow belong its calf, so to every book belong its copy.
I begin to question, does the cow really own the calf?Is this a helpful premise. Or is the concept of ownership something of the past? Are we here as one great being. Are all to be respected as one within one?
Why do we fight among ourselves? Do we hold premises leading to conflict? What good are these thoughts to me at this time? I am struggling to write today’s blog. But I push on. Think about it. What is it that makes us want to cut out our piece of the world and defend it from all others. Why do we gather in exclusive groups? Why do we refer to others in ways that exclude them from us? Is it really helpful to exclude people by identifying their category? Pondering these thoughts bring me no satisfaction.
As you can see, it is a challenge for me to remain on the Happy train, with these kind of questions. My focus is on foolish, negative situations, I am talking to no one. And, it benefits no one except as an example of how to waste time. My feelings are not positive. I have one important thing going for me, though. I know feelings are messages. When they don’t feel good, I know without a doubt I am heading in the wrong direction. I am being called to change my actions, my thoughts, my attitude until I can feel better.
Once I recognize the message, I feel a surge of reassurance, rest, I’m coming home to happiness. What a gift we have in emotions.
So what started with a mission to think about ownership versus sharing led to feeling poorly. I was led to believe I do not act like other people do. People I don’t even know. I do not think like they do. This cannot be determined until I have a conversation. And, I’m stuck in a premise we all need to think the same way. And, this is a faulty premise. Conscious of my poor feelings and responding, has prompted me to create better feelings. We are free to think and experience at our own pace and in our own way. We see from different points of view. We are individuals who make up a whole. It is a variety of ones; not one is identical, even if similar.
My feelings tell me I am heading in the direction of the Happy Train and I enjoy the journey back. Peace has set upon me. I now choose to enter an activity expressing joy, peace and happiness. This was a good exercise. We do have an amazing navigational tool built into our thought system called emotions.
Addendum: Twenty-four days of writing. Only 4 more days! But I would bet I continue in this habit. It has turned to an unconscious commitment, now coded within my psyche.
Since writing Creating Thoughts That Serve You!, I have been more aware of the thoughts that are going through my head. At first it was a little shocking . I consider myself to be one of the most positive people in the world. Yet here I was, thinking thoughts of how people don’t want to be around me. Pretty silly huh?
Not really. The untended mind’s thoughts are free to roam around to any subject or replay any past experience unless I reign them in. I could think of thoughts as horses. Wild horses. Brilliant and beautiful wild horses.
I can make friends with a horse and gently train her to serve me. I can eventually guide her toward an adventure along the mountain narrow paths of Yosemite. In this way the horse serves me. Similarly, thoughts can be gently trained each day to serve. Who knows where that might lead to. Who knows where my thoughts might take me?
Three Steps to guide the thought process?
Journalling with abandon! Writing allows thoughts to flow from my hands. It is an amazing mystery. A thought with no physicality becomes physical as it appears on an empty screen or paper. Even more mysterious is how thoughts can turn into events. An important book, Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, recommends writing three pages a day. It is suggested that these pages are written with free abandon. In the three pages, am not trying to impress anyone or anything. As I write and let my thoughts trust me enough to flow, I build a relationship with my mind. And, something else happens. I begin to realize that there is another “someone” observing these thoughts. I begin to realize that there is a bigger me than the wild untamed me. I begin to see a me (the sane one) and a me that is my ego (the crazy one, or I would like to say, the lesser of the sane ones). Writing 3 pages a day is a wonderful exercise and almost a meditation in the mystery always evolving within.
Blogging with consistency! It is so easy to give up writing, especially when you think no one is paying attention. Yet, blogging can be a personal growth process. When I write this blog, I can only imagine who will be reading my thoughts. You are reading, but I don’t know much about you. I can’t tailor my thoughts to what I perceive you want to hear. I do know you are human and so with a new sort of abandon. I offer you my heart. There is something else I wish to communicate from my best self, so I work a bit harder in writing to you and edit what I write. In this attempt, I am more aware of my thoughts and the progress I am making in guiding them to serve me … and others.
Taking a good look in the mirror! I pass a mirror so many times a day without using it’s power.Thoughts that do not serve me, easily appear: Am I fat? Do I look old? Wish my legs weren’t so bowl-legged!I don’t look so bad. Yeah, I look pretty good! These are the wild thoughts that are freely roaming about, making me feel good or bad about myself without my consent. These are the thoughts that may not serve me. With a little bit of consciousness, I can use a mirror to meet up with the sane one . I can look right into my eyes and have a moment of great humor, spark, joy, confidence. I can also gently guide my mind to understand that these are the types of thoughts I prefer. I can become aware of thoughts during the day and gently guide my mind back to harmony within me!
Today is my 72nd Birthday. So much fun! I look forward to an eternity of expanding thoughts into wonderful creations. Thank you for sharing part of my day. Hope these comments are as helpful to you as they are for me!
How can you recognize your thought process caught in negative thinking? Here’s an idea! Imagine an amazing feast that magically passes through your brain, one that automatically and continuously serves up courses. An imaginary banquet of thoughts!
Interaction with the banquet’s chef is most helpful. For a satisfactory meal you need to choose your courses. If you neglect to order (choose) exactly what you want, you will receive what you previously ordered. This chef is not aware of what makes you feel good or bad. The chef will serve up platters that contain old, poisonous food, food that leaves you with suffering and indigestion if this is what you have eaten in the past. The buffet must go on. The more you eat similar dishes, the more frequently these are served up to you. The imaginary conveyor belt drops off the same old food over and over with a few new platters left somewhere in the periphery
The new platters with fresh servings are overlooked, however, as the familiar poisonous servings fill your appetite. Sometimes you remember you can eat anything you wish, but it seems almost impossible for new dishes be eaten …. the chef has grown accustomed to serving up the old dishes, and, you keep forgetting that there is any other kind of meal. You continue to suffer with indigestion and sometimes wish for new dishes yet you willingly eat the same old dish when it is served up.
In this imaginary game, we would need to stop the conveyor belt and become conscious of all the awesome possibilities before we eat another thing. Only then could we choose a new dish that was healthy for us, the one that makes us feel good after we eat it.
Your thought process is a banquet of ideas that can lead to possibilities and to creation. A banquet of thoughts are served up continuously. You have the power to order whatever you like. With your thoughts you can accomplish anything and everything you wish. The thought-chef does not care what you choose. But remember the banquet story: if you don’t choose, you’ll be dished up with the same old negative thoughts that you’ve listened to all your life.
Take a moment today to identify all the familiar thoughts that create obstacles to enjoying life. If you wish to locate your happiness try to order a positive, fresh thought or two upon rising each morning. You’ll find a richer, happier day awaiting you. One positive thought of gratitude will bring a serving of another, and another. Fill your banquet table with thoughts of happy anticipation, appreciation and presence of nature; learn a new language; exercise or dance! Don’t worry when you notice your thoughts have been argumentative, painful, and downright poisonous in the past. As soon as you order a different meal, and consistently order meals of positive thoughts of gratitude, happy planning, wishing and doing, the negative thoughts will be a thing of the past. Stay with it and you will find your life is healthy, wealthy and happy!
Camano Island Artists Abu and Nana 