Positive Thoughts Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Lightwords

29 Sep

The Power Of Thank You

“Upon awakening, let the words Thank You flow from your lips, for this will remind you to begin your day with gratitude and compassion.” – Wayne Dyer

Recently, I contacted our computer serviceman in order to sort out a few problems that I was experiencing with my computer.

During the course of our conversation, he mentioned how important it is to say “thank you” to those in our lives that we hold dear. He went on to say that, “Many times we take people for granted and we don’t thank them enough for all that they do, for being nice people, or for being good customers or good friends.”

He was overcome with emotion as he thanked both my husband and I for being customers of his for over ten years.

Saying “thank you” goes deeper than the act of being polite. It is a spoken expression of love that arises from our heart. Regularly saying “thank you” has a positive effect on our lives—physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The physical and emotional benefits of saying thank you

A number of studies have looked at the positive health benefits of saying thank you. Here are 7 reasons why gratitude—thankfulness—is beneficial to our health and wellbeing:

Grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships.

Thankfulness improves our heart. The Institute of HeartMath has discovered that, gratitude improves cardiac functioning helping to reduce stress; it also enables clearer thinking.

When we say “thank you” more often, emotionally we feel happier and brighter.

Studies have shown that people who express thanks on a regular basis are more likely to increase the quality and duration of their sleep and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.

Sincerely expressing ‘thank you’ to others lessens depression, anxiety and stress. It develops optimism.

An attitude of gratitude improves personal energy levels and enthusiasm for life.

People who regularly express ‘thank you’ are more likely to reach their personal goals.

The benefits are two-fold

There are many physiological and emotional benefits to practicing gratitude. However, saying ‘thank you’ on a daily basis does more than improve our own wellbeing; its power extends beyond—reaching, touching and uplifting the hearts of others.

Even a simple “thank you” has the power to make someone feel appreciated, special and loved. This small act of love can make a big difference to someone’s day.

The spiritual benefits

When we practise thankfulness daily and when we awaken each morning with thankful thoughts:

Love and joy fills our heart enabling us to feel ‘connected’—at one with Source.
We feel in harmony with life because we are aligned with our true divine nature.
We acknowledge the divinity that resides within all.

In short, gratitude fosters spiritual awareness, inner-contentment and peace.

Call to action

Take the challenge, say “thank you” more often. Start your day thanking Source for all that you have and for the gift of life.

Starting the day with an attitude of gratitude is one of the best ways to connect to Source, improve wellbeing and engender loving feelings towards others.

Make these two small words part of your daily thoughts, words and actions!

Special thanks

I would like to conclude this month’s blogs by thanking the Late Dr. Wayne Dyer. Even though he is now ‘in spirit’ it is not too late to say thank you for, the energy of the words will reach his soul.

Thank you, Wayne, for being you; for following your calling so diligently and for illuminating and drawing many to the spiritual path.

And to all of you, dear readers, clients and friends, I want to say a personal thank you, to each one of you, for your continuing love and support. My heart is filled with gratitude.

01 Sep

Master Your Mind

Our mind is powerful. What we think and how we think affects our health and state of wellbeing.

Thoughts that come and go, like passing clouds, have little effect on our body. Thoughts that we repeatedly stew over—worry about and can’t let go—lower our mood and vitality.

Take charge

It’s not always easy to maintain a calm and healthy mind but a step that can improve the quality of your thoughts is to tell your mind … “I want to take charge of the way I think!”

Most of us don’t do this. We simply give our mind ‘free reign,’ allowing it to generate thoughts about ‘whatever’ and ‘whenever’ it wants. Consequently, throughout the day, our thoughts roam all over the place often focusing on the negative aspects of our lives.

Our mind needs direction; it needs watching and guidance. Good management skills help to maintain a healthy mind and these skills need to be engaged frequently and consistently.

Good mind-management includes:

Telling your mind how you prefer to think: positively.

Directing your mind so that your thoughts mainly focus on what is happening in the present moment—as opposed to the past and future.

Initiating ‘peace’ moments—creating downtime from the mental stresses of the day.

Listening to your thoughts and, when you catch them wandering off track, taking action that lifts your thinking.

Support yourself

In order to take charge of your thoughts and keep them headed in the right direction, apply the following practices:

Imagery techniques that support and promote positive thoughts and feelings.

Draw on your creative mind and visualise scenes that are positive. Here is an example of a visualisation that can assist to let go of worry …

Imagine yourself standing next to a gentle flowing stream. As you admire the beautiful scenery around you, gather all of the troublesome thoughts and feelings that you have been holding in your heart and mind—gather them into a ball. Now place the ball into the gentle stream and watch it drift away … slowly … slowly disappearing.

Now see a majestic bird soar and glide over the stream. Watch the bird flying gracefully above you and, as you do, feel the freedom—the feelings of peace that envelop you.

Each time you catch yourself in worry mode think of the above image or, alternatively, create your own. Imagery is a powerful way to release and transform negative thoughts into positive ones.

Spiritual practices that bring peace to your life and improve your sense of wellbeing.

When our soul is nourished our mind feels calm and peaceful. Practices such as meditation, mindfulness, reading spiritual material, listening to uplifting hymns or songs, guidance through inspirational cards—all support our goal of maintaining a positive frame of mind.

Service activities.

Sometimes the fastest way to shift and lift our moods is to reach out and help someone else. The joy derived from helping another raises our heart and lifts our mind!

Take the challenge

Limit the time you spend worrying each day by choosing to be in charge of your thoughts.

You are the master of your mind and you can choose to think positive, life-affirming thoughts.

One thing is true … if you don’t take charge of the thoughts that occupy your mind, the thoughts will take charge of you!

23 Jun

Mindful Thoughts

I’ve had a busy time over the past two weeks, studying and attending a nine-day course in Melbourne, which enabled me to complete my advanced diploma in hypnotherapy. Consequently, my time has been limited, so I thought that it may be opportune to re-visit a blog which I wrote last year on being mindful of our thoughts. Here is the article….

“It’s time to think about what you think about!”

We are all well aware of the benefits of positive thinking to our wellbeing.

It’s easy to be positive when we are feeling well and when things are going smoothly in our life but what about those times when they’re not. What can we do to recover that well feeling again?

Each time you catch yourself over-thinking, stressed by worrying or anxious thoughts, put the following stop-caution-go formula into action. It will re-train your brain and lift you back to feeling brighter – sooner.

Stop: When negative thoughts take over, imagine that you have a red emergency stop button in front of you. See yourself forcibly pushing the button and as you do, mentally say the word ‘STOP’.

This visualisation rapidly halts the habit of rehashing adverse thoughts.

Caution: Ask yourself if the repetitive and troublesome thoughts are helpful to your wellbeing. Do they improve your health? Do they make you feel good?

Reminding ourselves of the effects that negative thinking has on our body is an effective way of preventing further self-harm.

Go: Take action by engaging in positive activities that redirect your focus of attention. For example, listen to good music or an uplifting podcast; read words of inspiration; engage in physical exercise.

Taking action helps shift negative thought patterns.

To easily recall the 3 step formula simply think of a set of traffic lights – Stop; Caution; Go.

This imagery will reinforce the steps and prompt you to improve the thoughts that occupy your mind. Being aware of our thoughts and being persistent in reducing those that are not beneficial to our health is important to our wellbeing.

In the words of Dale Carnegie, “It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.”

16 Jun

The Battle Of Life

A Cherokee elder was teaching his grandson about life. He said to him, “A terrible fight is going on inside me. It is a fight between two wolves. One is the wolf of joy, love, hope, kindness and compassion. The other is the wolf of fear, anger, cynicism, indifference and greed. The same fight is going on inside you and every other person too.”

The grandson thought about it for a moment, and then asked, “Which wolf will win?” The elder replied, “Whichever one you feed.”

Each day we make the choice as to which wolf we keep well-fed. Unfortunately, the negative wolf has a large, all-consuming appetite. It depletes our enjoyment of life and the more we feed it, the more unsatisfied and undernourished we feel!

The positive wolf also has a hunger. However, unlike the negative wolf, the more we feed it, the healthier we feel.

Joy: Count your blessings morning and evening. Appreciate that which you have in life. Appreciation and gratitude are like essential vitamins. They keep you feeling well.
Love: Show it. Say the words “I love you” to those in your life whom you love. Love is a quintessential element that fosters a healthy heart.
Hope: It helps to look for the silver lining in the dark clouds of life. Hope works like a good supplement; it improves wellbeing.
Kindness: Practice random acts of kindness and encourage your children to do the same. Kindness is like an antioxidant; it fosters vibrancy.
Compassion: Think about others and how it would feel to walk in their shoes. Compassion is an essential mineral. Without it, our growth becomes stunted.

The wolf we feed is the one that grows, so feed the one that improves your life!

31 Mar

Letting Go Of Frustration

We all have days when things seem to go from bad to worse. Sometimes the day starts out fine but then we receive an upsetting phone call or we get stuck in a traffic jam and the tone is set for a day of frustration.

Here are some tips that will help to transform a not-so-good day into a better one.

Shift your thinking

When your day is full of frustration and not panning out the way that you want it to, an easy way to turn things around is to recite the following affirmation:

“Things are always working out for me.” Abraham- Hicks

By repeating this statement we change the focus of our attention. Our thoughts become intentional—directed towards better outcomes occurring; our attitude changes; our mind-talk is helpful. As a result, we find ourselves feeling less frustrated and more positive in relation to the situation that is occurring.

Don’t restrict reciting this affirmation to the times when your frustration level is high. Instead, use it daily as a way to attract positive events and circumstances to your life. Personally, it is a favourite affirmation of mine and I recite it often—in good and difficult times. It works wonders!

Have a laugh

Laughter is a great release and it is a good way to breakdown feelings of frustration. If seeing the funny side to a situation is difficult, or recalling an amusing incident doesn’t come easily to mind then turn to the internet where there is a vast range of humourous articles, video clips and quotes available. You’ll be sure to find something that will make you smile.

Rest your mind

If the stresses of the day are affecting your working ability, take a break. Go for a brisk walk, do some exercise, move your body. The physical activity will enhance your ability to focus better at work.

Another effective practice is to take a short nap. Resting your mind for 20 minutes will help you to feel clear-headed and refreshed.

Music

If the frustration of the day is getting the best of you then find a favourite piece (or two) of music, turn the volume up, sing or move to the groove. Music is a great way to release emotional tension.

Cleanse your energy

Have a shower or bath; go for a swim. Water energises refreshes and invigorates. It’s a great way to cleanse the body, mind and emotions!

Call to action

The next time your day is a little rocky, try these tips and take positive action. Make it your goal to turn the frustration of a not-so-good day into a much better one.

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17 Mar

Wake Up To Good Thoughts

Recently, whilst shopping, I bumped into a friend who I hadn’t seen for some time. At first glance, I noticed that she was not her usual self. I asked her what was wrong and she mentioned, “I’m in overload at the moment. From the moment I wake up, all I think about is what I’ve got to do and when I’m going to find the time to do it!”

It’s not unusual to wake up to a mind full of thoughts—ones that list and plan the day ahead, thoughts that focus on the tasks that we need to do during the day. Whether we are caring for a loved one, looking after children, working full or part time, more often than not, the reality is—a busy life creates a busy mind—and a busy mind starts ‘planning’ as soon as we wake-up!

If this is happening to you, don’t panic; a little mental re-programming can help to solve the problem.

Programme Update!

If you wake up in the morning with thoughts such as … “How am I going to get everything done today” then close your eyes, take a slow breath in … and out … and calmly affirm:

“Today, I have all the time I need in order to complete the things that matter.”

Pause for a moment and then repeat … “Today, I have all the time I need in order to complete the things that matter.” Notice how peaceful you feel after reciting the affirmation.

This simple statement redirects our focus of attention from thoughts that tell us we lack time, to ones that tell us we have time. As a result, we feel less anxious about completing the tasks ahead; more composed and calm.

It’s Best Written

It’s helpful to write the affirmation on a piece of paper and keep it by your bedside so that you can read it first thing in the morning. And throughout the day, if you place your attention on the affirmation, you’ll find that you are less worried, less overwhelmed by the tasks ahead of you and more focused on achieving the important ones that need to get done—‘today.’

Each time you catch yourself stressing about the lack of time you have available to achieve your tasks, recite the affirmation. It will shift your thoughts, lift your feelings and, more importantly, it will take some of the ‘pressure’ off you. Also, it will help you to … be kind and gentle to yourself!