When you know your Higher Self . . . when you believe, feel and walk in the knowledge that you are a Child of God, only then you will realize that you have everything you need.
You have yourself and know your Higher Self. No one can take your peace away from you, because nothing external really defines you. Not your car, your job, your bank account. When you realize who you really are, why you are here, where you are going and how to get there, you will have a peace that nothing can shatter.
I wish you a Blessed Christmas and an Abundant New Year!
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The holidays are when lots of family members get together. Most of the time, it is fun and enjoyable. But for some of us, it’s not.
Let’s start off by emphasizing that taking care of yourself is the most important thing. If you don’t have to go to a function where there are people you don’t get along with, don’t go. If you must go, take care of yourself by doing one or more of the following:
Pray for the person who you don’t get along with. In the 12 Step program there is a saying: “Hit him with a prayer instead of a chair.” The prayer is a simple one: “Please Lord, let Mary find the same peace and happiness I look for,” or “Lord, allow me to see the God within them; allow me to see some part of you in him or her.”
When you go to family functions, you don’t have to stay the entire time. Let the host know you have another engagement, e.g., feeding homeless people, or some other excuse, and leave within a time frame that is tolerable for you.Make an arrangement with a friend to call you at the function, and tell everyone you have to leave and help that person.
Come early and leave early. Usually, you miss the heavy drinking and loudness that increases as time goes on.
Center yourself before going . . . pray . . . meditate . . . take deep belly breaths.
If or when something happens at the function, you can find a private area and, again, take some deep belly breaths and ask for help.
Finally, just remember that everyone is put into our life for a specific reason. Try to find out what you need to learn from that person. (Is it patience? Is it compassion? Is it boundaries?) When you find the answer to that question, you will find that it is much easier to be around the difficult person (or people) in your life. When they behave in a way that offends you, you won’t take it personally. You’ll know it’s a reminder to practice whatever it is you need to learn from them.
Next week: You Already Have Everything You Need
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Oh boy, this is a particularly relevant topic this month! How many of us go holiday shopping without a budget and just put it on the credit card?
It’s hard to remember that it’s not how big or expensive the gift is, but rather what’s behind the gift . . . the love that inspires it.
How are we ever going to bring more into our lives and keep it, if we don’t respect what we already have? Living beyond our means (in other words, outside of our pay grade) is not respecting what we have. Forty-three percent of all Americans spend more than they make, which leads to a lot of unnecessary pain.
I had to find out about debt the hard way. Nobody ever taught me about balancing a checkbook, managing my income, investing my money or any other financial matters. As a result, I found myself in debt to the tune of $70,000.00 before I started to create – and work – my budget.
I want to point out that my debt wasn’t from buying drugs, clothes, toys or anything like that. It was mostly from my children. But I was the one who was unable to live within my means. I was the one who was unable to say no to my children’s desire to attend private schools and colleges, etc.
I had a lot of healing to do when it came to issues regarding my respect for – and my relationship with – money.
Today, I have less than $9,000.00 in debt remaining, and I have a plan to be completely debt-free by September of 2010. I didn’t claim bankruptcy. I could have, but it didn’t feel right to me. For me, it felt like a cop-out. I also had to learn not to bail out my kids and let them learn their own lessons about money and its value.
Despite the fact that I am paying off my debt, I am still able to make ends meet, travel and enjoy life. I had to find my balance and act responsibly, and I made a conscious decision not to punish myself for my past mistakes. I am very grateful for all that has happened in my life. All of my life experiences have helped me become the man I am today: a happy, fruitful, abundant child of God.
A book that helped me tremendously is “How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt and Live Prosperously” by Jerrold Mundis. If you’re struggling with money and debt issues, it’s definitely worth a read.
Next week: Don’t Allow Others to Derail Your Holiday
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There
is nothing wrong with setting your goals high or expecting things to work out a
certain way. Those can be the very
things that keep us going at times.It’s
our attachment to our expectations – and
to the results of those expectations – that causes us to derail. Because, let’s face it, we don’t always get
what we want.Sound familiar?
We need
to be realistic . . . set our goals to be attainable. Once we attain them, we can set more goals. Baby steps are not just for walking. That doesn’t mean that you don’t allow
yourself to be excited by the possibility.That’s part of the fun.
Just
because someone doesn’t get all jammed up when things don’t work out, it
doesn’t mean they don’t care. They are
part of that select group of people who can “roll with the punches” and refuse
to let themselves be overshadowed by the results.
Having positive expectations is much better
than the alternative.Being controlled
by the outcome can be as much of a downer as having negative expectations.
Establish
realistic expectations, and be open to resetting the bar when necessary. And do what you need to do for yourself, rather
than what you think other people want you to do.
Next
week:Living Beyond Our Means Takes Us
Out of Harmony
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