Make Today Great!

I will make today great. Not necessarily by accomplishing a multitude of things,  because to be guided by just a number, is just a shallow chase. Today's accomplishments will be quantified by quality-of-life.  I will be open to every opportunity, and approach it with enthusiasm so that today can count as a positive day in my life.  I will learn from every situation and allow it to help the knowledge within me to grow. 

I pledge to be open to the serenity of my spirit so that the knowledge within my soul can come forth and illuminate my actions. With this new found patience, I will allow good things to happen in their own time. By listening to my spirit and allowing my soul to guide me, I will do no wrong. 

I will make today great, because I will embrace my life just as it has been given to me, and will make the best out of all the situations that arise. I will make today the best, because I am going to let the greatness that is withing me come forth. I will not judge myself against some illusion of perfection. My greatness is unique. My greatness is guided from God above. I will not take any moment for granted, and will be grateful for every breath I take. I will be happy for just being me. Because of this, I will be at peace. This peace will be the true catalyst that brings me to my own personal greatness.

Live Well

We all have the power to live well, to live a genuine life, one that meets our own individual potential. To be truly content, we have to be able to march to the beat of our own drum. To be authentic and to be open to the different opportunities that arise in front of us. When we live in the moment, we can begin to experience life at a new level. To live well, is to enjoy our own unique life. This requires a flexibility in our approach to living. Being fluid to go along with the flow of the experiences that life sends us on a daily basis. It is in the acceptance of life's serendipity, that we can begin to experience life at its fullest. 

Living the good life also begins when we set our priorities in the right direction. Living well is an intention that is manifested by experiencing every juncture in life with an open mind. By operating in this mindset, we can allow each moment to enrich us. Living consciously allows laughter, love and learning to guide us.  When we are cognizant of life's little blessings we can begin to experience life as it should. 

We are living life to its fullest when we can laugh often, whether is at ourselves or situations around us; when we can love without fear; and when we look at everyday as an opportunity to learn and grow from our experiences. 

Smile and shine on!

A smile magnifies the good in you and of the world.  Smiles grow and become easier, as gratitude blossoms within ourselves.  It improves our perspective, our outlook on life, and helps us to see the positive in most situations. The person that smiles often, looks relaxed and this positive energy appeals to us all. The perception is given that we have a joyful confidence and a warm demeanor.  Who doesn't like to be around somebody that appears happy and smiling? 

There is an inner beauty that comes through our smile.  It radiates through all of our cells.  It turns out, that smiling along with laughter, is also good for our health. By smiling we are sending our brains the message that good things are happening.  This is the same message that the universe gets. 

Laughter begins with a smile. It is sometimes an unexpected act, that catches us by surprise. It is a gift of the light within us, letting us hear the joy that we all have within our spirit.  Laughter is its own language. It is a universal language that speaks right to from our souls directly to our hearts. It is an acknowledgement of a happy soul. It tells us that we can be open, and for at least a little while, we can trust the humanity in each other. 

Smile and shine on! Use your smile like a shield of inner love and a beacon of light. By using our smiles often, we spread joy not only within our souls, but outwardly to those around us. The universe will reward us for the smiles and laughter by helping us stay young at heart. 

I smile because I'm thankful

I choose to be thankful everyday. To see the good in what I have, and see the opportunities in the challenges I face.  For it is the entirety of my life experiences - the good, bad, and mediocre - that have made me who I am today. I am learning to enjoy the flow of life as it comes. To immerse myself in the sea of life and allow the waves to envelop me as they may.  When the waves are rough, I'm empowered to fight harder. When the waves are calm, I take a deep breath and relax. As I go through each experience, I am being shaped. I improve and become stronger, more flexible and adept to deal with life.  I'm learning through the turmoil, so that I become more appreciative of the serenity and lull of a quiet day.  

I become more aware and conscious for the little things in my life. I am thankful for each experience. I garner further appreciation for the small miracles of life. The stillness of piercing silence becomes like a warm ray of light in this tumultuous world. The more thankful that I am, the greater at peace that I am with my surroundings. The more gratitude I have for the people in my life. I allow life to inspire me rather than to rule me. I honor different experiences and allow them to mold and perfect who I am. I don't hide from adversity, and I don't blindly pursue an idealistic sense of happiness. I just choose to live in the moment as it is given to me by universe. 

As I smile, breathe, and give thanks, I open myself to receive life's experiences. I find peace in unexpected places. I find gratitude in miniscule moments. Everyday I give thanks and I embrace life, so that I may gracefully move through it as it magically unfolds. 

The sun shines for you & me.

I am thankful for all the goodness that has been given to me through God's Divine Love. When I look at all the things that I have, I am reminded that life indeed is good. It's not perfect, but yes it's definitely good! This is the life that I was given, and it was designed just for me. From the very beginning, I was made perfect and with all the needed capabilities already within me. 

Everthing in my life is just as it should be. Even my imperfections were destined for me.  My struggles are supposed to be there too. They are there to help me grow, they are opportunities, there to strengthen me. It is what makes me a unique individual. A beautiful person, different from everyone else. In every way, I was made as a beautiful being. It turns out my imperfections are not bad after all. They are just character traits and that differentiate me from the rest. 

It takes strength just be yourself, to be just accepted for who you are. But we can find courage in knowing that we all have specific roles that we have been given. We all have a predestined place in humanity. It is within us to make this happen. And that is why we have to let our true selves shine brightly for the world to see, unique character traits and all. So today, tomorrow, and everyday, I arise like the sun full of energy and steadfastness. Guided by it's warm splendor, I will let the light of my true self, shine for others to see. 

Honoring the harmony in life

Harmony and happiness are in the same family of emotions, sometimes they are looked at as equivalent to each other. They're really not. Happiness is quite overrated and often misunderstood. At least the pursuit of happiness is. It is a perception that for some people can be misleading.  Instead of just being in the moment and enjoying the life they have. We sometimes spent too much time chasing some elusive idea of happiness. So much so, that we miss the lessons that we need to learn in life. The fact is that we all have good and bad moments in our lives. It's our approach to bad situations that really make a big difference to living a harmonious life. Life will hand us challenges. Although these challenges can be difficult, they are also moments of growth. There are many instances in life that once we overcome them, can help us see the rest of our human existence in this world with a light of gratitude.

Life is a miracle. God equipped me with everything I need within, for a successful completion of this journey called life. Therefore, no matter what life throws at me, I can handle the good and bad.  It is the balancing of the bad and good moments that makes up our harmony.  Because of this, harmony is more attainable than an eternally unrealistic giddy form of happiness. It allows us to accept difficult situations as moments that will eventually pass. When we live in harmony,  we can in one hand, accept the challenges that arise, and at the same time, be open to acknowledge all the  good situations with gratitude. 

When we live in harmony we can really see that life is good no matter what the situation is. We can be properly equipped  and ready for the ups and downs of everyday life. We can be giddy when we are happy and sad when things are not going well.  Either way, when we live in harmony, we know that in the end, everything is going to be alright. 

Compassion redefined

Compassion is a virtue that helps us all live a more fulfilled life. Maybe we are afraid to be compassionate because it signifies an openess that makes us vulnerable. Although the literal meaning of the word is co-suffering. There is more to compassion than just that. It is honoring humanity, living with non-judgement, and not being continuously self-centered around ourselves. It is an acceptance that acknowledges that other people too are souls. This acceptance honors the fact that we all have a purpose in this world and allows me to let others continue in their path. I am proud of the compassion that is within me. It helps make me a better person and it strengthens my connection to God and thus, my soul. I'm not afraid nor ashamed to live with compassion. 

Living with conscious compassion makes it easier to understand others. It doesn't mean that I have to like everybody, but it does mean that I can acknowledge and understand their humanity. We were all created equal after all.  But, from the moment that we are born, we begin to be taught to differentiate. It's survival of the fittest in an unconscious way. By making ourselves superior we are protecting ourselves from others. At some point, the compassion we have for others begins to diminish. Yet, as faint as it may get, our souls never forget compassion. 

We don't have to be afraid of being compassionate. It doesn't make us weak. It is just an appreciation for the rest of humanity, nature, and the world we all live in.  All creatures of God have an earthly purpose. Compassion is another  source of love, because it is just accepting other living creatures without judgment. It is loving their place in this world. Living with compassion is in return, really loving ourselves. 

Follow your bliss

In today's world, it gets confusing which path to follow. Do we follow our hearts or do we follow only the goal of financial attainment. When following financial security, it is easy to get caught up in the "get rich quick" scheme of life. Somehow, money is misconstrued as an equivalent to happiness. So intuition in following one's true path gets, diverted by chasing the mighty dollar. It's easy to do. We live in a world of instant gratification. A full bank account seems to make that more easily attainable. 

I personally did this. My goal was to be rich. By doing so I unconsciously suppressed my true hearts' desire. I chose a path that was more compatible with making lots of money. But in the meantime I was lacking something, I focused too much on my financial growth and not enough on my souls' purpose. My bank account began to be depleted, regardless of how much money I made. I began to notice that my spirit was depleted also, fulfillment was not coming from money like my plan had devised. 

It turns out that my perception of wealth was slightly skewed. I now realize that to be fulfilled you have to follow your bliss. I realize that being rich is not being wealthy. I realize that you have to follow and embrace your own innate talents to be truly wealthy. Life is not about just chasing an empty idea of happiness with the illusion of being rich. At least not by ignoring the higher calling of our spirit. We have to choose to nourish our souls by being true to ourselves. That is when you can reach for true wealth. I know that God made me to be more than a self-centered rich person. He gave me an incredible amount of gifts and talents to be used for a higher purpose. This is when my financial security began. A better balance between purpose and finances began to take shape. My spirit feels complete knowing that I am following my bliss. May we all find how to attain our own personal bliss. 

The ripple effect of a smile

When I smile, my spirit soars. There is a message that goes out into the universe and announces happiness.  It says that life is good. It shows people that no matter what, I've got it together. A smile is the spark that makes your whole being shine. It is also a spark that gets passed on from person to person. 

A smile is like a beam of light that brightly shines from within and disperses to those around. Although the best smiles are those that happen automatically, it is an act that we can help by practicing gratitude. It becomes easier to smile when you're open to the wonders of life. 

We owe it to ourselves and to the world to illuminate our surroundings with a smile. A smile helps us, by subconsciously affirming to ourselves that we are experiencing a positive moment. A smile aids others too, it is a contagious act. We usually can't help but to smile back at someone that smiles at us. So let's all make an effort to find something in our everyday lives to smile about, and set the ripple effect of positivity that only a smile can create. 

Daily gratitude habit

Practice gratitude every day. Gratitude opens the door to seeing all of the multiple positive aspects in our lives.  You will begin to see and notice more good occasions in your life. Living with gratitude is more challenging than it seems, because it takes no effort to take life for granted. We don't even realize when, but at some point we get caught up with the every day ups and downs of living. And then one day life turns into one big oblivious blur. That's when the little things begin to escape us. The beautiful sunrise, the bird outside your window happily chirping, a clear blue sky, those moments of lifes' little miracles just tend to disappear when we are on survival mode and numb to life. 

Take the time to notice that life is actually good. Beginning a practice of daily gratitude takes effort and thought. Make a commitment to start little by little, first maybe just in the morning, then build it up to at night, and you will see that the more you do it, the easier it gets.  By being consciously grateful daily, and really making it a habit, it becomes easier and we begin to randomly do it throughout the day. It's amazing how with a little bit of work, our perspective changes. This new outlook on life allows us to notice how the little things in life actually make a big difference. The beautiful white clouds, the wonderful red and yellow of a sunset, or the glistening full moon in the dark of night. We begin to appreciate those sporadic small details of life and that is when our everyday living begins to improve. 

There is a wonderful bonus of living with gratitude, good moments begin to pick up momentum.  As they become more abundant, there is a shift that happens.  We begin to feel a balance of harmony in our lives.  When we practice gratitude, it opens our eyes to see how great life is and with this new positive perspective, multiple opportunities begin to be attracted into our lives. Before you know it, you realize that even on a mediocre day,  life is good!

Life is a miracle

Life  is a mystery but also a miracle. Sometimes success appears so far away. It seems as far away as a mountain top, it seems impossible to climb a steep rocky mountain, when you're in a valley below looking up. But what would life be if there were not any challenges?  In reality, we have everything that we need within us. We have been given an innate knowledge and marvelous physical abilities which were automatically born within us - all ready to emerge when needed. That formidable mountain is there for us to climb throughout our lives, because it is life's challenges that allow our true potential to be uncovered and put to use. 

So next time that life springs you with unexpected surprises, realize that they are needed for us to become who we were meant to be. The full potential within us has to be tapped in someway, and it is by the wonderful surprises and challenges that life brings that we get to encounter and discover our true selves. 

Take time everyday to appreciate the challenges, and know that we are given just enough to let us stretch so that we can reach our own true greatness. Let's remember that life is a miracle that needs to be treasured moment by moment. Let's take a conscious effort to see the miracles of the big mountains that appear in our path.  Achieving those climbs and overcoming the challenges, no matter how difficult, is what really makes life a success. 

The power of thoughts

It's simple.  We are what we think. From the moment we are born, we become thinkers. Consciously & unconsciously our minds are always at work. When we sleep, we dream. When we are awake we have several streams of consciousness at work. 

What are our thoughts?  Have we become numb to the sneakiness of negative thoughts or are we actively positive thinkers?  We all have the seeds of negativity floating in the midst of our subconscious. Life is challenging, and it's easy to get caught up in the harshness of every day living. But there is plenty of good in our lives. It's just that the bad outcomes tend to sting a little more.

 No matter who you are. We can all benefit on focusing more on the positive aspects of our lives. There are plenty of wonderful things happening now. Living in conscious gratitude is a state we all need to practice and aspire to stay in.

Once the momentum of positivity catches on in our daily lives, it changes our outlook and allows for growth in possibilities. As possibilities grow, prosperity begins to get a stronger hold in our lives. What have you been grateful for today?  It's never to late to start now. The future is bright!!

My Luck!

What does luck have to do with life? Very little actually. Luck is a word that has grown its own form of allure, a type of non-accessibility to just anyone or everyone.  It seems like everybody else has more luck than we do, right? We all know people that seem to be very lucky, that everything they touch turns to gold, but is it really? Are we just attaching our own beliefs? In reality, it is just a perception that we have created in our minds. It is a perception that we have to be careful about, because if we start believing that we are not lucky then, that is exactly what we will notice in our own life. It is just a matter of looking at the glass of life: is it half empty or half full? In reality we all have good luck & bad luck, equally. 

Luck is really within us all. There are just times that our success seems smaller than others, but nonetheless it is still there. The people that feel lucky, are just seeing their success in a light of gratitude. Gratitude is a habit that will allow us to see more opportunities and open the door to listen to our own intuition.  Luck has a lot to do with a positive outlook.  Gratitude brings more prosperity. Therefore we are all Lucky. 

By affirming the good in your life through gratitude and constantly taking account of your blessings, your outlook on life will begin to improve. You begin to trust your actions and see more opportunities, some that were possibly there before. As opportunities become more clear, your intuition will point you towards taking advantage of them. Low and behold, just like clovers in the Spring, your luck begins to grow! Lucky you!!

Life is like a roller coaster

Life has its ups and downs, it is just like a roller coaster, some twists and turns are predictable, but they can still catch you by surprise and take your breath away. Just go with it, laugh and scream, then  catch your breath, but most importantly enjoy the ride. 

Make sure you're buckled in nice and tight. Hold on and don't lose your grip on the fast twisty curves and tight turns that surprise you along the way.  Keep that smile on your face and focus on the finish. When this ride is over you can look back and realize it was not as bad as seemed. Actually, there are many parts that you enjoyed. 

Life is all about living in the moment. Live greatly with no regrets, love deeply with all your heart, and laugh often during the ride. This way when you reminisce about your life, and all the different roller coasters that you rode, you can realize that as scary as some of these rides were, they really turned out to be great exciting accomplishments. 

#FreeSmileFriday

A simple smile can go a long way. It is a universal gesture that is understood anywhere in the world. No translation required. We can transform the world, one smile at a time. 

It has been scientifically proven that when you have a smile, it changes your attitude into a more positive outlook, it increases your endurance, and it allows you to deal with life. Smiling is one of those "win-win" situations. Not only does it help you, but the person on the receiving end benefits too!

You never know, when you smile, it may be the miracle that someone is waiting on. It is guaranteed that it will at least change the recipient, by at a minimum getting them to smile -even if it's a smirk- back. It may be the exact moment that changes someone's day from mediocre into a better one.  Best of all, smiles are free. 

So, put a smile on your face, let's change the world one smile at a time and let's make sure, that on Fridays, when we are all full of optimism about the weekend that we practice # FreeSmileFriday and spread a little joy for the world to see. 

Live Consciously!

Living consciously requires some work. Luckily, it's good and rewarding work. It mainly takes dedication, focus, and perseverance to stay on track. Dedicate yourself to seeking the light of God by taking quiet moments to affirm the good in your life, pray, read motivational books or meditate. It requires perservearance because it is a habit that we must do daily, and it is easy to get distracted by the craziness of everyday life. Focus on finding that time for yourself, no matter what, to find 10 to 15 minutes to fill yourself with the positive of your surroundings. It will be well worth your investment of time. 

Everyday choose to see the positive in life. Oh yes, there is effort required for us to remain positive. To be optimistic about life takes practice, and there will be times that it will be a challenge to not let life's circumstances get you down. But it is a choice that we all have to make, and a habit that we have to work on. Begin every day with compassion, see life with compassion. Compassion for yourself as well as others, after all, we are all human. 

Close your eyes and see yourself being surrounded by light, a light that comes from the universe, and it is filled with joy. This joy turns everything in this world to pure everlasting, non-judgemental love. This joy now permeates every cell of your body and begins to shine through your heart, it now illuminates not only your being but everyone around you. Now smile, and be proud of your efforts, know that you are living a conscious life. 

Spring has finally sprung!

It has been a cold winter. Frosty gray days with icy winds had me staying in most of this winter. I had a lot of time to recollect about life and think. I felt as if I was in a cocoon. Gathering my thoughts and reaching out to my true self. We all need moments to look inward, pause, and make sure that we're going in the right direction in life. 

The icy roads, low temperatures, and chilly days forced me to take a break, and view the course of my life. At times, the gray skies seemed infinite. But it made me appreciate the warmth of the sun. It made me realize that behind those seemingly thick, gray, and gloomy clouds there was a beautiful blue sky and a shiny sun waiting to begin shining on me again. 

Now the skies are shifting, the wind is blowing, the clouds are thinning, and the sun is coming through. Yes! The birds are chirping loudly again outside my window, letting me know that Spring is here. I am ready to come out of my cocoon. Ready to take deep breath, spread my wings and start anew. The future holds endless possibilities. I know that I am capable of anything and everything, the future is mine!