Before you do anything else today Dear One, stop and take a minute to stop and think about the stories that you tell, that you have been telling, to yourself, and to everyone around you, about your life, about your work, about your relationships, about your health, about your wealth, about what’s possible, about what’s not, etc.

• Have they been positive or negative, optimistic or pessimistic, comedies or tragedies? Are they fact or fiction?  Are they from the heart or from the head? Do they create an expectation of a happy ending or an unhappy one?

Then take notice of what has been showing up for you lately; in your work, in your relationships, in your physical body, in your environment, etc.

If you like what you see, if you are pleased with what is coming your way, great!  Keep right on telling the same kinds of stories that you have been telling.

But, if that is not the case Dear One, if what is showing up for you is not what you were hoping for, then it may be time for you to start telling new ones.

Just something to think about.

We are right here Dear One, with you, all the time – whether you believe it or not, whether you feel it or not, whether you choose to acknowledge our presence in your life or not.

We are with you, always.

And nothing is ever going to change that.

The time for believing yourself to be weak, incapable, powerless, unworthy, unimportant, unoriginal, or anything less than you really are, is so over Dear One.

Praying for, hoping for, talking about change is a  good start Dear One, but it’s not enough.

If you really want it, if you are really ready to have it begin to manifest in your life, you’re going to have it prove it, to both the universe and to yourself.

And that only way you can do that, is to believe it and then choose it.

Not sure where to begin?

Why not start by choosing to believe that everything is going to be okay, and act accordingly.

Because the truth is Dear One, that it really will be.

The best way to approach a bad day Dear One, is this —  to remember this one very important thing — that no matter bad things look, no matter how bad thing appear to be, no matter how hopeless you think the situation is — it won’t last.  As experience has already taught you time and time again, it never does.

The quicker that you can get back to doing/choosing/focusing your attention on those things that are going right, those things that you love, those things that bring you joy, that incite laughter, that inspire feelings of gratitude, hope, creativity, excitement, levity, anticipation, and excitement within you, the quicker it will pass.

And just how long will that take?

Well that is entirely up to you.

Your life is meant to be a joy Dear One, and if the things that you are doing, from day-to-day-to-day, are no longer bringing you joy, then it is time to let them go.  Simply put them down and step away, and make room to allow for something new.

You know you don’t have to bring your feelings, doubts, disappointments, or regrets from yesterday with you into today Dear One.

It takes just as much effort for you to leave them behind as it does for you to take them with you.  All that is required is a little bit of consciousness.

There is no rule that says that you must carry all of your “stuff” with you from one day to the next.  What you take with you is a choice.

And since you are the one doing the choosing Dear One, we just wanted to remind you that it really is okay to choose to take only your favorite things.

Learning is a process Dear One.

Don’t feel badly or beat yourself up about that which you did not know, or could not see yesterday.  Instead feel good about and celebrate all that you do know, and all that you can see today.

Be gentle, loving, kind and forgiving of yourself as you experience, grow, and progress along your path.

Learn from your past “mistakes” instead of judging them and you will most certainly end this day smarter than when you started it.  Be consistent in this practice and you will be smarter still tomorrow.

P.S.

The same holds true for those around you.   So try to remember to be gentle, loving, kind and forgiving of them while they are learning too.

There are three things that you should know about guilt Dear One:

• No one can make you feel guilty. Feeling guilty is a choice that only you can make for yourself.

•  Guilt’s greatest function is to serve as an anchor that holds you in a position of weakness.

•  The quickest way to extinguish your guilt is by taking responsibility for it, and by choosing to consciously shift yourself from a position of weakness to one of authority over your own life.

You are under no obligation Dear One, to take on/to share in the worries of those around you, of those that you love, of those that you feel connected to – in your home, your community, your nation, and your world.

Doing so is not a sign of respect or support, it is not the mark of a good friend, a good neighbor, or a good citizen.

We will go so far as to say that if your intention is to to be good friend/neighbor/citizen Dear One, then you should NOT take on their worries , you should NOT share in them.  Ever.

In fact, if worry is the only contribution that you feel that you can make to a situation, then you will be doing everyone involved a far greater service by keeping your distance.

Adding more worry will not help it to resolve anything Dear One.  It will not contribute in any way to a solution or bring comfort or relief to any of the parties involved.

If you want to be of service Dear One, if you want to be supportive, if you want to contribute, be part of the solution, and show that you care, bring something different, bring hope instead.  Bring joy, bring a positive outlook, bring inspiration, bring motivation, bring eggplant parmigiana.

Bring anything that you think will help to shift the energy of the group from a negative point of attraction to a positive one.