The Art Of Receiving

Consider the possibility that receiving is every bit as important as giving. When you give a gift to a loved one, for example, think of the gratitude you feel when they receive it graciously–especially if you are not sure if they really like it! On a bigger scale, the art of receiving is a matter of saying, “Yes!” to the good things coming your way. Now expand that to saying “Yes!” to everything. Now, this only makes sense if you are an intelligent optimist, and looking for the good in everything that comes your way. Remember (from the last newsletter), the optimist’s strategy is to say “All this and more” to the good things that come, and “How can I get smarter and stronger from this” to the not-so-good things that come. The beauty of this “Yes to everything” strategy is that it virtually eliminates resistance, and resistance is considered to be one of the greatest causes of stress, frustration, anger and related illness. For more on the “Art of Receiving” read this article in Ode Magazine.

Optimism Now? With All Of This?

Yes! By all means, now! Here’s an idea for you–you are a self-healing organism living in a self-correcting world. There is a profound, powerful ever-present force within you and all around you that intends for things to get better. So, you might ask, why are things not getting better for so many of us? Well, look at the article above…we all get to choose, and what we pay attention to grows! I have been paying attention to the self-organizing, self-correcting, self-healing process within and all around us for many years, and–no big surprise–I see more evidence of it everywhere. When you align yourself with this ongoing improvement process, you become a part of it and your benefits grow and grow!

Now, let’s look at what is on so many minds–the economy. It too is a self-organizing, self-correcting system. A minor downturn is often called “a correction,” so we could call this current downturn a huge correction. And where do we end up after a correction? More correct! There is no doubt that correction was needed, and now it is happening. Be the intelligent optimist, and look for ways to make this the best thing that ever happened to you! This is truly an amazing time to be alive, filled with tremendous opportunity.

Goodfinding Stress Reliever

Speaking of receiving, I recently received a gift of the emWave Personal Stress Reliever created by the Institute of HeartMath. It is a very cool little hand-held device that helps you to create a smooth heart rhythm while lowering your stress level. The instructions tell you to:

1.) Breathe slowly and regularly (the device helps with this)
2.) Imagine your breath coming and going through your heart
3.) Focus your mind on memories or thoughts that create positive feelings.

While you do this heart-breathing and Goodfinding, the device gives you bio-feedback letting you know when you are successfully lowering your stress level. It is small, light and easy to use, making it the perfect stress management tool for anyone so inclined. I especially like the focus on good feelings, since (as you probably know) I am a big proponent of feeling good for all of the body/mind/life benefits it brings.

What Is Your Theory?

The freedom and responsibility that comes with knowing that you create your own reality is wonderful on many different levels. It takes you out of the victim mode and puts you in the driver’s seat–which is where most of us want to be. The process by which you create your reality can be seen like this:

1.) You have a theory–whether you know it or not, you have a set of expectations about what’s going to happen. This is your theory, and it is based on your life experience and your unique personal tendencies.
2.) You want to be right. This is human nature. You are a truly amazing, brilliant being with wisdom and power beyond what you have ever imagined, and so it’s natural for you to want to be right.
3.) You look for evidence to support your theory, so that you can be right. That is where the creativity enters…in your looking and finding process.

If you have an optimistic theory, you will naturally be a Goodfinder, looking for good things to show that you’re right about your theory. Do I even need to point out the problem with pessimism here? I will, just in case…if you are predicting negative events in the future, you will look for evidence to support your predictions (your theory) and guess what!!! You’ll find it! This magnificent world has so much in it, that you can find evidence to support any theory you come up with. Look for the good (without ignoring the big picture), and you will create the good, inviting the good to you. Be an intelligent optimist and you will create a life experience for yourself that is good and just keeps getting better!

The Art Of Savoring

One of the best ways to increase the good in your life and to invite more is to savor the good that is already here.

Start with your body. Be aware of all of the parts that are working, say “Thank You” to them and move on to the next ones. Start at your head or your feet, and savor the good feelings associated with all of the parts of your body that feel good (or don’t hurt). This will actually reduce any pain you may be having, and increase the healing in areas where you may be having trouble.

Savor–it means to relish, to enjoy, to appreciate, to expand and prolong. Become a master of savoring, and more and more good will come to you!

Eating a good meal, laughing at a funny situation, looking at a beautiful sunrise, or the smiling face of a friend–all are worthy of savoring.