(It is long I know, my husband tells me too long!!! But I am not smart enough to say really deep things in short, pithy quotes! LOL. Sorry!)
Your missions, should you choose to accept them!
We are about to launch into the 'silly' season, which might be more accurately called the 'stress season'!
Which leads me to the point of this newsletter.
How are you viewing the upcoming few weeks?
What is the story you are telling yourself about it?
That 'story' is creating expectations, and those expectations will determine what your holiday season will be like!
Unfortunately, most of us are so busy working and rushing and shopping for gifts and cooking that we have zero time to stop, and think about how we are thinking! We just react.
MISSION NUMBER ONE FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND 2012!
Become aware of the STORY you are telling yourself about who you are, your life, your job, colleagues, boss, company, partner, children, siblings, family, abilities and any other aspect of your life! That story will determine what your life is like!
Make sure it's the story you want to be living!
THE NEW YEAR
It's the same for the new year. What will your 2012 be like?
You already will have made a judgment; you will have an unconscious expectation based on the story you tell yourself of what your life is; who you are and what your 'luck' is like!
That's why we make New Year resolutions, to start off our year in an optimistic and hopeful way.
But mostly, our resolutions are just words! A one off statement. Which has little or no impact.
Real change comes when we are conscious of every thought we have, and we catch ourselves when it's negative, and change it to positive.
Real change comes when we decide to recognize and pay attention to our patterns; our deep fears; our habits of thinking.
A BIG GIFT!
Here is a BIG gift for Christmas or your holiday season! I have just returned from my two week Qi Gong retreat which is my time of the year to work ON my life and myself, instead of running around like a mad person IN my life!
I spent two weeks at least reflecting on what was at the core of ALL my 'life problems', which Yuan Tze so graciously called 'opportunities'!
Indeed, they are! They are opportunities for me to look inside myself rather than blaming everyone else and all sorts of external issues.
I really do believe our thoughts, beliefs, expectations and stories create our present and future life.
MISSION NUMBER TWO FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND 2012!
To catch yourself every time you find yourself blaming someone or something OUTSIDE you, and STOP!
Then look inside for the fear that is driving the behavior or situation you are in.
Shine a light on that fear, and watch it disappear!
Just like turning a light on when you are frightened in the dark makes you feel safe!
FLORENCE SCOVEL SHINN
This is my recommended reading for 2012! This woman is amazing and her books have touched my life at many times in many ways!
They are small and easy to read but full of amazing wisdom!
I am in the process of re-reading them and have had some more AH HA moments I thought I would share with you!
"If one asks for success, but prepares for failure, he will get the situation he prepared for." This appears in "The Game of Life and How to Play It."
In other words, if your new year resolution and consequent story is saying one thing but you believe, and expect, something else to happen, what chance do you think you have of achieving the success you ask for?!
Prepare for a calm, joyful, relaxed and peaceful Christmas or holiday get together.
BELIEVE it will be those things. STOP any negative thoughts about your family or condition, no labelling anything! NO thinking someone is 'difficult', always a pain; always out to have a fight; or that whenever the family gets together, it's a nightmare!
And as you read this, if you are thinking, "well, I am just stating the truth", WRONG! No, you are stating your beliefs and perceptions, not the truth of the situation!
As Yuan Tze pointed out, there is always a positive and a negative in every situation, there is always an upside to the downside, like yin and yang!
Change YOUR story and beliefs and repeat the new positive beliefs, and then prepare for what you want, and don't let your unconscious fears and expectations undermine the future you could create.
It takes work to do this!
It is very easy to write about it but to actually uncover the stories you are telling yourself; the fears that are driving your behaviors; the expectations running your life and remembering to replace the negative with the positive take courage, awareness, resilience, forgiveness and a LOT of loving yourself and others!
Generally our stories are based on our past, which is just that, THE PAST. It's gone. No more. It's not the present! While you live in the past and fear of things that happened, you are wasting your present, and recreating the misery of the past into the future!
STOP living in the past! Or fearing the future. En-joy the present, and the gifts that it brings you!
I would like to share with you some of the wonderful affirmations that I use from her books, these have sustained me through many hard times!
And they are not JUST WORDS!
You have to work at BELIEVING them when you say them and acting as if they were already true.
"I give thanks for this perfect day. Miracle shall follow miracle. Thy will be done."
I say this every morning before I climb out of bed! And then I spend the rest of the day expecting miraculous things to happen. Well, that's what I try to do! I am remembering more and more to do this! I catch myself when I lose this joyful expectancy!
"Infinite Spirit, reveal to me the way; let me know if there is anything for me to do."
This helps me when I have to make decisions and to be tuned into inspiration, rather than just using my rational mind!
And my finale!
"Infinite Spirit, open the way for the Divine Design of my life to manifest; let the genius within me be released; let me see clearly the perfect plan."
Even if you don't agree with the wording or references to Spirit, take on board the meaning behind these statements (be wary of the story and labelling you are attaching to what you read!).
I know I would rather be on the lookout for miracles rather than expecting disaster!
And I want to live my life using wisdom and inspiration, rather than analysing everything all the time!
I also want to be living the life I am meant to be living and fulfilling my purpose in life, I know there is a perfect plan, and that I usually block it or get in its way! LOL I want to see that plan clearly!
MISSION NUMBER THREE
Make any or all of these statements daily, and believe them. Repeat them so they become your NEW STORY! Your new set of expectations and beliefs.
PREPARE for success and for what you want, rather than wishing it was different, and expecting things to continue being awful cos you can't see how they could be different!
We have such limited vision, remember, miracles happen every day, literally!
So there are your tasks for the SILLY season and for 2012! Should you choose to accept them!
Mel and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and that 2012 is full of miracles, clarity and of course, JOY!
ZOOTIES! And thanks for reading and being on my list!
Amanda
GREAT NEWS! We have an ideal stocking filler gift! The Gift of Gratitude is a wonderful little book with gorgeous images and inspiring words. It makes a great gift for your work mates or friends… or teachers, butchers and candlestick makers! LOL Just joking, truly it is a good reminder of how important gratitude is for a joy filled life!
PS. We have a new free slide show! Click here and you will see some gorgeous images, joy quotes from me (hopefully inspiring!) with wonderful music from a young composer and singer in Australia, James Englund from Crash Symphony Productions.
There are 22,000 on this mailing list and pretty please would you all help us make this slide show go viral! If you like it of course!! If you do, would you send it to anyone you think might benefit from it and maybe mention it in your blogs or vlogs? Or on Facebook? Or twitter? Well, to anyone really! LOL Thanks so much! We really want the Joy Movement to take off and you could really help us! Visit www.thejoyproject.com if you are at all interested in feeling more joyful!
PPS. We will be running JOY SEMINARS and maybe webinars next year with Amanda speaking so if you are interested would you send an email to mel@amandagore.com and pop in the subject line "Yes I might want to attend a seminar or webinar!" and we will put you on our mailing list!
PPPS. Here is the link to Yuan Tze's website.
More zooties… I wonder if I can make this any longer????!!! hahahahahahaha
Byeeeeeeeee!
Until next month!
