Is Laughter good for the soul..?

"Laughter is an instant vacation!" - Milton Berle

When was the last time you laughed? I'm not talking about a chuckle
or a smirk. I'm talking about a good, hard belly laugh. Remember
the last time you laughed until you cried - doesn't just the memory
of that feel good?

Some statistics tell us that children laugh 300 times a day, adults
only 15. Others say children laugh 146 times a day and adults 4.
Whatever the actual numbers are, it's clear that we, as adults, are
not having much fun! And I'm willing to bet that many adults aren't
making the statistical average these days - even as low as it is -
especially if they listen to the news and get caught up in negative
conversations, of which there are plenty to be had if you succumb.

Laughter is good for the soul and the body. Science tells us that
laughing has many health benefits, among them the release of
endorphins and decreased blood pressure and stress hormones (70% of
diseases are stress-related).

But laughing is not something you should do because it's good for
you - it's something you should do because it feels good.
Actually, it feels great and it provides an instant connection to
the Flow. We know that life in itself can be quite serious at times,
but recognize that we want you to be light
about your life - don't take it so seriously. You can almost always
find humor in a situation if you look for it.

What makes you laugh? Rent it, watch it, read it. Who makes you
laugh? Call him, meet her for lunch, play with your kids or your
pets. Lighten up - feeling better is just a belly laugh away!

I work on a day to day basis with children that suffer with autism
and one of the great benefits of this is the fun and laughter that we share
when making work fun and enjoyable for them to learn.
The great thing about working with children is that they
learn easier and quicker when they are having fun.

Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a manifestation
that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT!  No matter how
large or small, please record it in your Evidence Journal. It will
only take a few moments and will AUTOMATICALLY put you in the Flow.

How would your life be different today if you truly accepted death?

"In the last analysis, it is our conception of death which decides
our answers to all the questions that life puts to us."
- Dag Hammarskjold

How would your life be different if you didn't fear death? Oh you
don't fear death? Ok, but do you truly accept it? The U.S. culture
is not very good at accepting death. We really prefer to just not
even talk about it thank you.

Let's talk about it anyway. There are really only two views.

Life is only a physical experience and once you're dead that's it
so there's nothing to worry about. (Let's leave your loved
ones out of the picture for now and deal only with you)

OR

Life is a physical and spiritual experience and the spirit
continues on in some form after the body dies. You may take a
traditional heaven outlook on this or one of reincarnation or a
more pantheistic outlook. It doesn't matter - the point is you
believe that the life of spirit, soul, energy goes on.

I cleave to the first law of thermodynamics that says that energy
cannot be created nor destroyed and I view life as both a physical
and spiritual experience so I'm going with the belief that we go
on. How that looks I'm not exactly sure, but it doesn't really
matter. I find it comforting and interesting. I like to spin
possibilities. And if I'm wrong (I don't really think I'm wrong)
and I'm just totally dead when I die, I won't know the difference
anyway, so it doesn't matter.

No matter what you believe, there truly is no reason to fear the
inevitable.  I'm sure you've all heard the adage that "if you are
afraid to die, you are afraid to live." Perhaps that even sounds
trite to you. But have you really thought about it? How differently
would you live if you truly were not afraid to die? Aren't all
fears in some way ultimately linked to a fear of death? Imagine the
increased freedom that you would enjoy if you accepted death as
part of a cycle, as a passage to a new form of existence, a new
frontier.

I'm always amused by the question, "What would you do if you knew
you were going to die?" Duh. Yes, I know that the question refers
to knowing the timing. But, timing aside, you do know you're going
to die so use that knowledge to really live in the meantime. How
annoying to get to the end and feel like you never dared to be
your true self, that you never lived loud and hearty, that you
played it safe only to end up dead anyway. I said before that I
thought "I can't" were the two most limiting words that we can say,
but maybe "someday" is right up there with them.

How would your life be different today if you truly accepted death?

Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a manifestation
that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT!  No matter how
large or small, please record it in your Evidence Journal. It will
only take a few moments and will AUTOMATICALLY put you in the Flow.

Is your core concern acceptable..?

"This above all: to thine own self be true. And it must follow,
as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."
- William Shakespeare

Depending on our Personality filters, we all have a Core Concern
that is at the basis of most of our fear, doubt and worry. We all
spend a lot of time and energy trying to avoid feeling our Core
Concern. Much of this is done unconsciously.

Becoming aware of your habitual Focus of Attention and Coping
Strategy helps shine a light on that Core Concern and the simple
act of awareness begins to loosen the hold the Core Concern has on
you.

I am trying to get you to be more aware of your Core Concern.
I am NOT telling you to get rid of it. Much of the non-productive
behavior that you engage in is due to trying to rid yourself of
that Core Concern, trying not to feel it and especially trying not to let
anyone see that you feel it.

What I am suggesting is that you accept it with no judgment. Just
a statement of what is and a release. This is very
powerful. Try it. "Oh, that's just my fear/anger/avarice/etc.
talking."

We spend so much energy trying NOT to feel, but the trick is to
just let the feeling in - acknowledge it, thank it for its
wisdom and let it move on. Like a thought passing through your
mind, a feeling passes through your body. It's alright, let it in,
let it out. Trying to repress or rid yourself of it only increases
its hold on you.

Anytime you accept "what is", you release resistance and then you
have much more energy available to you. Is there anything about
yourself that you don't accept? What if you just dropped all
resistance to it? What if you said, "this is what I am and that's
okay"? Wouldn't that feel good? No judgment, no guilt, no shame.
Those are very low vibration emotions and they never help or effect
change. They keep you stuck. In acceptance, there is healing and
movement.

Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a manifestation
that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT!  No matter how
large or small, please record it in your Evidence Journal. It will
only take a few moments and will AUTOMATICALLY put you in the Flow.

Is it better to be safe than sorry?

When you were growing up, how often did you hear the words, "It's better to be safe than sorry"?  Probably too often, especially when you became aware that most people who played it safe ended up sorry.  It is the risk takers who generally end up winners!

How many people do you know who have passed up a magnificent opportunity because they might have had to mortgage their house or quit the job they had held for a number of years.  Rather than step out boldly, they stepped back into safety.

Abraham Maslow said you will either step forward into growth or step back into safety.  He also advised us if you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.

I am not suggesting that you become irresponsible, which is quite different from taking risks, although I will agree it is a fine line that separates the two.

The opposite of taking a risk is, of course, playing it safe.  The latter would probably be a reasonable way of life for seventy or eighty years if you had a contract to live for a thousand years.  Playing it safe is a pretty dull way to live and you end up looking back on your life wondering what would have happened if you had done this or tried that.

People who play it safe are generally not very exciting.  In fact, they would probably border on being very boring.  On a scale of one to ten as a risk taker, where do you stand?

Add a little spice to your life today and take a risk.  Remember, if you play it safe you may end up sorry.

Is life going wayyyy to fast

Do you sometimes feel like your life is too rushed or too
complicated? Do you find yourself longing for a simpler time?
Wikipedia says, "Simplicity is the property, condition or quality
of being simple or un-combined. It often denotes beauty, purity or
clarity. Simple things are usually easier to explain and understand
than complicated ones. Simplicity can mean freedom from hardship,
effort or confusion.  It can also mean adopting a simpler
lifestyle."

There is a plethora of information being thrown at us everyday,
options galore and pressure to buy more stuff and do more things.
We are overloaded with decisions that have to be made. Even if
you're an info junkie or someone who thrives on options, there is
benefit in slowing down and simplifying your life, even if only
occasionally. Simplifying your life - internally and externally -
can free up space and time for you and can lead to more joy and
more Flow. There are many ways to simplify your life.

Here are just a few:

-Limit stuff to what you need and cherish.
-Spend time in nature instead of at the mall.
-Clear out clutter (internally and externally).
-Be willing to say "no".
-Eat simply and healthy.
-Release complicated, unhealthy relationships.
-Let go of worrying about the future and "be here now".

What could you change/release in your life to create more
simplicity?

Habitual reactions

Today I wanna say a little bit about those automatic, habitual ways you have of
reacting to certain situations. For example, someone hurts you and
you clam up and withdraw from them or your friend is late to meet
you and you send her waves of seething resentment when she arrives
or your mate fails to do what he said he would do so you pepper him
with accusatory questions.

What is your predominant knee jerk reaction? What type of situation
sets it off? Can you feel it coming? Can you catch yourself before
you react? No matter how long you have had the pattern of reacting
the way you do, know that it is a habit and habits can be broken.
As we have said repeatedly, awareness is the first step. Choice is
the second step. Once you are aware of what you do, choose to do
something different.

Let's take the above examples and choose a different response.

1. Someone says something that hurts you, but instead of clamming up
and withdrawing, you let them know you are bothered by what they
said. Take responsibility for your reaction and don't blame
them. Instead of "You made me feel bad", choose "I felt bad when you
said I look like a stork when I dance."

2. Your friend is late for your meeting, but instead of sending eye
daggers, you tell her that being on time is a high value to you and
ask that if she is going to be late to please call you OR if
you know your friend is consistently late, be late too!

3. Your mate fails to stop for groceries on the way home, but
instead of questioning his memory and his commitment to you, ask if
there is a reason why he was unable to keep his promise.  Ask if he
is still willing to go get the groceries. React with a smile instead
of an accusation and have fun watching his reaction!

In other words, be unpredictable! Be lighter and more playful.
Choose a different response. Just make sure the other person is
sitting down when you do!

A belief-driven universe

We live in a belief-driven universe. The beliefs we have, most of
which are unconscious, determine what we see. We are interpreting
everything around us through the lens of our Personality Filters,
which are really our filters of belief. Once we become aware of our
filter and beliefs we can change. We will see an abundance of
everything we are looking for and realize it was there all
along.
Everything you want is available to you, but you won't see it until
you turn on the perception that allows you to see it.
Our society is rapidly becoming one of "entitlement" which is the
dark side of expectations. I hear some of my clients complaining
that they are just as good, talented, knowledgeable or experienced
as someone who is very successful in their field. They feel
"entitled" to more success and expect that simply by being good at
what they do, they will reap the rewards.
The problem is they are not engaged in the active pursuit of that
success. Successful people are fully engaged. They read one new
book a week, take classes, experiment, take risks and take action
every day.
They don't THINK about getting on the ride. They GET on the ride.
They don't THINK of getting in the game, they GET in the game. They
don't HOPE for or THINK about expanding their business. They become
fully ENGAGED in the process of expanding their business.
You don't do this by just using positive thinking or affirmations
like "I know I can". You are not the little engine that could.  You
are the little engine that DOES!
Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a manifestation
that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT!  No matter how
large or small, please record it in your Evidence Journal.