What men think of CHANGE

Posted by admin in Blog (Weekly), Blogs

Jan
21

There were several lessons or opportunities that I could have written about this week, but it would have probably been only a sentence or two, not a whole blog. Spirit is faithful and has never let me down over the last 9 years that I have been writing the blogs. I prayed and asked to be led to share what would be for the highest good for all.

This is what I received when I opened my email this morning. “Appreciation is the magic formula you’ve been seeking.” —Abraham

It is my belief that the more I appreciate myself, the more I appreciate other people in my life. I not only appreciate other people but I am learning to appreciate everything in my life. I have an “Appreciation Practice” that I practice every night before I fall off to sleep.

Instead of a nightly review of the day in my mind about where I need to change or grow or what I don’t like about myself, I think about all that I appreciate about MYSELF that day. Sometimes the list is short and other times it is quite long. Nothing is too small and it really feels good when I am done thinking of things I appreciate about myself. Often during the day, if I am tempted to say or do something that is not aligned with Spirit, I will think about the appreciation practice at night and it helps me to do the right thing.

Having a daily practice like this motivates me the next day to do the same things and more. Often during my prayer and meditation, someone will come to mind that Spirit wants me to reach out to. I send a quick text reminding them that they are loved. Larry has seen me on my phone during prayer and says, “Pat is calling God.”

To give you an example of what this look likes, I will share some of the things I appreciate about myself. Of course, this is an accumulation of things I appreciate and every day is different. These are simple things and not great things. Of course, your list will be different if you choose to do this.

I appreciate that I did my weights this morning
I appreciate that I ate healthy and stayed away from sugar
I appreciate that I kept my mouth shut when I really wanted to speak my mind
I appreciate that I was kind to the cashier at the supermarket
I appreciate that I called my friend to say hello and send love
I appreciate that I didn’t judge someone that I wanted to
I appreciate that I had a “Pat Day” and played and had fun
I appreciate that I processed my anger and was able to let it go
I imprecate that I said no because I didn’t want to do something
I appreciate that I prayed and meditated
I appreciate that I set boundaries and spoke up
I appreciate that I let go of control
I appreciate the choices I made that brought me peace
I appreciate how I take care of my body, mind and Spirit
I appreciate how I am asking Spirit for guidance in everything
I appreciate how I love my family and friends
I appreciate my creativity
I appreciate how I trust God to provide for all of my needs
I appreciate how I am able to receive all that is given to me
I appreciate that I kept my word
I appreciate that I listened to Spirit for guidance and followed through
I appreciate how I chose LOVE instead of FEAR

I encourage you to try this practice and let me know how it works. I guarantee you that miracles will happen. Maryann Williamson ays, “A miracle is a change in thinking.” Rather than focusing on what’s missing or lacking in your life, your focus is on what’s working and what is good. When we do this, we attract more good into our lives.

Larry

I know that some people are wondering why I changed my mind about marriage after being so against marrying again. I don’t know if I can really explain the“shift” in me that led to my wanting to marry Pat. I know that if Pat had nagged or pushed me to marry her, I would probably not have experienced the “shift” that occurred. Sometimes when the energy of love is present, things happen and we can’t explain why or how.

I began thinking again of how different males and females think and how different our perspectives are. I am a lot more conservative than Pat and she is much more flexible and creative than I am. I’m not as open to change as much as she is. I think it may be a male thing. When I’m in a good place and life is going along perfectly, I don’t want to change it. I just want to take time to enjoy it. Pat likes to make choices that would expand our awareness and that sometimes means making changes.

If I hadn’t decided to take a chance and commit to a serious relationship, we wouldn’t be where we are now, living together and engaged to be married. It was a big decision for me to move in together because I was happy living alone in my own place.

I wasn’t all that keen on taking a cruise to Australia almost two years ago and that turned out great.

If I hadn’t changed my mind and gone on the Hawaii cruise, (I really didn’t want to do at first),

I don’t know if I would have experienced the “shift” in me that started me thinking that perhaps marriage could be in our future.

When Pat suggests that we do something out of the ordinary that will stretch me my default seems to be NO THANK YOU! She has learned to plant the seed, back off and let me think about it. Sometimes after I think about the suggestion for awhile, I come around.

I’m thinking that the energy of LOVE is always calling us to a greater consciousness, encouraging us to grow by recognizing our fears and deleting them from our lives. From my experience, sometimes that can be very uncomfortable. What’s important to me is that I continue my journey and not allow fear to determine which direction to go.