A mother’s intuition

A mother’s intuition is only one kind of intuition but seems to be the easiest to access. I believe it has to do with the bond that every mother has with her children. Even if they are estranged now, at the moment of birth a special sacred bond was formed.

I had a very profound experience myself with mother’s intuition a few years ago. Reading in bed, with my husband at my side, my eyes became heavy so I turned off my lamp to go to sleep. My husband continued to read and in just a few minutes my eyes flew open. My husband and I argue this next point. He says I was asleep (in alpha stage) and I say, “No, I was awake.” Either way I sat bolt upright and said, “One of my girls is going to be in an accident. I cannot tell which one but one of them will be in an accident.”  My husband patted my arm and said to go back to sleep. There really was nothing else I could do. I couldn’t call them at their homes and tell them this. After all, what good would it do? It would only scare them and put negative thoughts into their mind so I decided to dismiss it. After much tossing and turning I was able to finally fall back to sleep.

The next morning I only gave it a passing thought and went to work as usual. About ten o’clock that morning the phone rang. It was my daughter’s horse trainer saying, “Lora took a bad fall going over a triple jump with her horse and I need you to take her to the hospital. She refuses an ambulance.”  I rushed to her side, a half hour drive, and as I walked out to the riding ring where she was sitting, these words rushed out of my mouth without thought, “I knew you were going to be in an accident but I thought it was going to be in a car.” Read more

Your life’s work, defining your direction

Many people are committed to professions and personal endeavors they never consciously planned to pursue. They attribute the shape of their lives to circumstance, taking on roles they feel are tolerable. Each of us, however, has been blessed with a purpose. Your life’s work is the assemblage of activities that allows you to express your intelligence and creativity, live in accordance with your values, and experience the profound joy of simply being yourself. Unlike traditional work, which may demand more of you than you are willing to give, life’s work demands nothing but your intent and passion for that work. Yet no one is born with an understanding of the scope of their purpose. If you have drifted through life, you may feel directionless. Striving to discover your life’s work can help you realize your true potential and live a more authentic, driven life. Read more

My thoughts and your thoughts #194

I love Quotes. I love them because they make me think. What does the quoter mean? Why did he/she write this? Is there a message to get through to the reader/the world? What did YOU initially think when you read it?

Here goes blog quote #194…

“Half the failures of this world arise from pulling in one’s horse as he is leaping.”
-Augustus Hare-

A quote about a Horse…. from a Rabbit(Hare)? Right on Augustus! Whatever you are working on currently–forge ahead. Give it time. Let time work for you, not against. Remember the old saying “The race goes not to the swift, but to the steady”. Also, “Good things come to those who wait.”

One final comment.. what is the rush to quit? Whatever idea you originally had and got up the gumption and energy to start, is probably a good one. What’s your hurry? Overnight successes are few and far between, and mostly in fairytales. Proceed on. Chances are, before you know it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the smell of success.

That’s my view……. What Say You?

T.A. Smith
www.Smile-Therapy.com
Contact me via E-mail

The rainy days of life

As I look outside today, the clouds are dark and rain is tapping on my window.  For most, rain is an easy excuse to complain - “Oh, this weather is terrible!”  But we need to take the rainy days with the sunny ones and appreciate each day for the gifts that they hold.  We can’t let external things, like the weather, control our mood for the day, we must create our own mood! Each day we have the power to construct our mindset and outlook on life.  So today, as I see the rain coming down, I think, “Wow, we needed the rain to make the flowers and trees grow.  I could use a day to work on paper work inside the house rather than working outside.”  Rainy days are often the best ones for getting friends together to watch a movie, or reading a good book in bed!  One trick that I use is to not get out of bed before I think of at least one positive thing that the day will hold for me, and then I smile!  Creating this positive moment first thing makes a huge difference in the day.  When it becomes habit and we do this every day, amazing things can really happen - rain or shine! Read more

Doing for others, the only thing worth doing

One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others. –Lewis Carroll

The Blue Sweater:
If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there, the Cheshire Cat tells Alice when she asks for directions in Wonderland. But what if Alice had known exactly where she wanted to end up, and just didn’t know which road would get her there? That is the challenge that entrepreneurs with a social mission face every day. In her autobiography, The Blue Sweater, Acumen Fund founder and CEO Jacqueline Novogratz engagingly captures one such mission in need of the right road. In her case, she hopes to use the power of markets to achieve social transformation, primarily through providing economic opportunity to the poor and marginalized. Through the course of the book she proves herself one of the increasing number of “ordinary” people who accomplish the extraordinary. This article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review shares more. [Read more]

Be The Change:
Read the beginning of The Blue Sweater here.

Days of affirmation, sending love ahead

Upon waking, many people consider the coming day with trepidation. Because of the natural human tendency to focus on what we fear or dislike, it is easy to unwittingly send a message of unease into the future that negatively impacts the quality of your day. However, while our lives are busy and frequently replete with challenges, they are also rich with joy and experiences worth savoring. We can attract this natural bliss into our lives by starting each day with a message of love. When you send love ahead to your day, that love will manifest itself in your interpersonal interactions, your professional endeavors, and your domestic duties. Tasks and circumstances once made trying by your own anxiety are transformed by your love, and you will find yourself approaching life’s subtle nuances with great affection. Read more

Laughing your way to good health

Wednesday nights at seven something hilarious is happening at The Syracuse Vineyard in Lakeland.  Cackles, chuckles, guffaws and other audible expressions of amusement pour out of the gym for one hour non-stop.  Seven o’clock is time for the weekly Laughter Class! Men, women and children learn the many benefits of laughing…  really hard!

Laughter Class is simple.  In this session Motivational Humorist and Best Selling Author Yvonne Conte teaches how to use laughter as an exercise program!  How cool is that?  Participants learn a complete exercise routine and a complete well-being workout.  “Our bodies cannot tell the difference between fake and real laughter - that is a scientific fact, so we get all the same physiological and psychological benefits  of laughter even if nothing is funny!” says Conte.  “We start the class with fake laughter and start making eye contact with others in the class the laughter soon turns into real and contagious laughter.”  Laughing out loud can reduce your stress, strengthen your immune system,  bring more oxygen to the body and the brain which  will make you feel more energetic and healthy.  Experts say sixteen major organs in the body are positively effected every time you laugh out loud.   Laughing is an excellent aerobic exercise and is the only one that positively impacts your body, mind and emotions.  We focus on having fun.  Participants move around the room making eye contact with others in the group while Yvonne offers new exercise ideas. No special talent required.  Wear comfortable clothes and pee before you come to class!

Laughter also aids digestion, Reduces stress, Positively effects the heart, blood vessels, stress hormones, mental health and relationships  Call The Humor Advantage at 315-487-3771 for more information or to sign up for class.

Yvonne Conte, Motivational Humorist
Humor Advantage, Inc.
4736 Onondaga Blvd., Ste. 231
Syracuse, NY 13219
Yvonne Conte Website
Voice: 315.487.3771
Fax: 315.487.5633
E-mail Yvonne here

Nails in the fence

The next time you are tempted to say something hurtful to someone just because you’re angry, consider the story below, it’s a good one

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.”

The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked up at his father and said “I hope you can forgive me father for the holes I put in you.”

“Of course I can,” said the father.

Friends and loved ones are very rare jewels. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us. Be careful with your words, choose them wisely!

The wisdom of sharing

Stone Soup:
There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there’s no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.

This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation. Read more

Prison of the mind

My experience tells me that mind, body and spirit are important. For me service must also be included, a purpose greater than myself. I work in San Quentin one or two days per week, working with the imprisoned men about change. I call my work “Life Work.” What I have found out is you do not need to be behind bars to be in prison. All suffering occurs not from the incident of what happens in life but the story we tell ourselves over and over. Happiness is living in the Now and also accepting things the way they are. Not trying to change reality.

Peace and Love,
Richard