Purple Pleasure

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Purple intrigue, Purple delight;
I cannot fully comprehend, How you transport me,
Purple!

Whenever I gaze, whenever I see,
Purple before me, behind me, beside me,
All the earth is crowned it seems,
In majestic Purple violaceousness!

Blue-Violet glamour, my eyes shine in misty glee,
My heart palpitates in happy purple-beats,
Deep, delicious breaths, drawn in and out,
In the presence of Purpleliousness;
Such intoxicating fragrance, Purple-like perfume!
Eggplant, Grape, Pomegranite, Blueberry, Plum.
Viva! Violescent Purple!

Purple beauty arrays the flowers of the earth in rainbow hues,
Purple brilliance, crown jewel of every gardenscape.
Lilac, Hyacinth, Forget Me Not, Lavendar, Verbena, Iris;

Blue-Violet glamour, my eyes shine in misty glee,
My heart palpitates happily, my voice will raise
In song, in praise and thankfulness for all things…Purple!

Purple

Riddle Me This

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Who are you?

Who you think you are is everything! Have you ever stopped to listen to what you are telling yourself about yourself? You should try it some time. Listening…to the dialog. You may have to sneak up on yourself, and pretend like you’re eves dropping on someone else’s conversation, but take some minutes in any given day to be quiet and alert to your inner dialog. Then notice how you feel about yourself after listening to your self-talk.

Do you have warm, accepting feelings about the YOU of your thinking? Or do you disdain and belittle the person, the YOU of your thinking? Do you realize YOU are the author of your life’s story? Can you wrap your mind around this truth: WHAT you think about yourself is WHO you become? Is it time for you to re-write your script?

English heart surgeon Martyn Lloyd-Jones is noted for saying that, “Most unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself.”

In my profession as a personal trainer, people pay me to help them reconfigure their bodies. But what my clients may not be aware of, is that I am also training them to pay attention to their mind via what they are thinking…especially, what they are thinking about before and after they exercise.

If a client thinks she can or cannot achieve the fitness goal she has set for herself, then I guarantee that she most certainly will achieve what she is thinking and believing.

“What you think means more than anything else in your life. More than what you earn, more than where you live, more than your social position, and more than what anyone else may think about you. Every problem introduces you to yourself. It shows you how you think and what you’re made of.” George Matthew Adams

A very important part of my training program is to teach my clients how to be their very own best cheerleader.  When I am with them, I encourage them, with positive words, stories and suggestions to help them understand that they have the power to change a negative health behavior into a positive healthful habit.

Mind is everything; muscle–pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind.
Paavo Nurmi, Finnish Olympian who won nine gold medals

When I am with them, I am the voice in their head. If they spend enough time with me and believe the things I tell them as true, then my words, spoken into their listening ears and received by a believing heart will soon become internalized. My thoughts about them will  become their own thoughts, their own dialog, their own story about who they are and who they are becoming. Thinking becomes believing. Mind is the master, not the servant, of the body.

Living with the end in mind informs the decisions we make each day.
A Common Ground ~ Todd Outcalt

Everyone feels lost and out of sorts in life from time to time. This is a natural by-product  of the human experience. Since we will deal with difficulties as long as we inhabit our physical body, perhaps we should consider our trials as benefactors in disguise.

What if we turned our thinking around? What if we chose to think of those things we don’t like about our self or our life as gifts to help us discover who we really are at our essence?  What if our upset or short coming is our clarion call for change?

     Consider that your learning goal is the ongoing pursuit of a lifetime of consistent physical movement and self-care.
If you are going to be successful staying physically active and taking care of yourself, you need to learn Strategies that will enable you to prioritize your plans and be consistent, flexible, and creative as you learn to incorporate physical activity into the rest of your dynamic, ever-changing life.
The Strategy of beginning with the end in mind asks you to take the long view: Your goal is lifelong behavior change, and that’s what you want to keep in mind ~ always.
Michelle Segar ~ No Sweat

Now tell me again: Who are you?

Monday Morning Antidote

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So here you are again Monday! A day to begin the work of this week. You always seem to bring with you clouds of gray and winds of worry. But today, on this Monday, I will turn you inside out and upside down.

I will remind myself that I AM lives! I will bask in that thought often today, when tempted to fret. I will wallow not in the usual Monday Morning Doldrums, but rather I will immerse  myself in the beauty and mystery of the living I AM.  Here is my new Monday Morning Anthem: In Christ Alone; an excerpt from the song lyrics written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Farewell to you Monday Morning Blues!

 

ROAR

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So this is grief and grieving? It is a strenuous process!!

Sometimes…like today…

I just need to do this one little thing ~ ROAR…

Yes, I roar; then, I run!

But this one thing I do,
When I run and roar…
I run towards…not away;
I run towards my life!
I roar for the fight of my life!

I have a life! ROAR!

I run towards life to embrace it;
To embrace it with
All my strength,
And hope,
And passion.

I RUN! I ROAR!

I am…
Better.

Three Words

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Resistance…Is…Futile…
When uttered by the fictional Borg of the famed Star Trek movie series, those three words were meant to conjure submission, hopelessness and resignation upon the unfortunate individuals to be assimilated into the collective Borg consciousness. Those three words declared power and superiority upon them who would hear and believe.

All of us skirmish against our internal Borg voices, especially when we struggle to reach new health and fitness goals. This is the voice which comes to us as reason, and it so often sounds reasonable to our tired mind. It says: Don’t be so hard on yourself. You set your sights to high. Lower your standard. Reduce your expectations. You are older now, you should slow down, sit down, recuperate. Perhaps a new hobby is in order for you, the Borg voice says: take up knitting, painting, reading, writing, there is nothing to gain by your constant striving to be fit, to be strong. You deserve to rest, relax, retire!

Don’t let your attitude toward change or your own predisposition to avoid it create detrimental hindrances to your own personal success. John C Maxwell

In rebuttal, I say this: THOSE ARE FIGHTING WORDS! Now let me be clear. I am not suggesting that resistance is always right. There is a time to resist and there is a time to rest from doing. But what I am proposing is this: Be attentive to your inner Borg voice. Consider the goal of the Borg: to conquer and assimilate!

Resistance is the first step towards change. Louise Hay

Rather than acquiesce when your journey towards wellness becomes a thing of work for you, instead do this: Remind yourself often and always of the beauty of that goal you have set before yourself. Fight for it! Rest if you must, but do not be your own worst enemy and stop trying. Never give up on yourself…ever!

You are worth the effort. Thank you, thank you for believing in yourself! We, the world, your country, your community, your family, all of us need you to become the very best you. That is what you deserve…to be the very best version of you…today and all the days which follow!

Now let me give you three words to move you onward and upward: JUST…DO…IT!

All That Glitters

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All that glitters, all that glows…
Like gems that sparkle from a light,
So does a life, when mined
From depth of soul.

Jewels all, our days unfold,
Some cast in luster gold,
Some cast in shadows dark and bold.
All that glitters, all that glows.

Jewels abound, dug out of rock,
Transformed by task and toil,
Beauty enlarged, engraved, unleashed,
All that glitters, all that glows.

Jewels amassed, reflecting mirrors,
Refracting love, scattering treasure,
Inspect, reflect, behold in wonder,
All that glitters, all that glows.

Glitter

Winter’s Momentum

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It’s the middle of February 2017. The exuberance of the New Year and everything it forebode for change is now a distant memory. In six short weeks, the new has worn off every shiny resolution, fading quietly away from our consciousness like so much snow drifting on the Midwestern plains. It is the bleak middle season…Winter.

It sneaks upon our good intentions like a thief, Winter does. It seemingly saps our resolve; remands our momentum; freezes our motivation. Winter abides in blinding, stinging glory; striving to reach us and teach us…how to grow in a dying season.

Spring, Summer, and Fall fill us with hope; Winter alone reminds us of the human condition. Mignon McLaughlin 

So I think it wise, if we notice Winter still in our midst, perhaps we could this once choose gratefulness. Perhaps then we might notice the imperceptible magic of Winter’s gift: for our resolution, when allowed to rest, we notice the increase of it, not its diminishment.  And the reduction of our momentum, merely a slowing of life’s pace, not a cessation of forwardness. And lastly, the freezing of our motivation for a time, may be wrought so as to temper mind and body in preparation for Winter’s thaw.

Now do we perceive? Winter’s Momentum is like a retrofit to resync body and spirit. Beautiful Winter! You are a companion for solitary contemplation; for creatitive  incubation and neogenesis of our soul. Let us plant ourselves deep under your covers of freezing rain and falling snow.

Our Focus: Our Attraction: Our Destiny

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Training our mental focus is just like training our physical body. To gain strength and stamina within our muscles, daily exercise must be engaged. Similarly, to achieve a personal goal, our thinking must be focused, purposeful and regular about that thing  which we desire to achieve.

What if all we need to be successful goal achievers is to understand this one thing? That we fail to achieve because we fail to focus on the right thing. If we are constantly thinking about not doing what we don’t want to accomplish, how much mental energy, stamina or will power will we have in reserve to make the positive change for ourself? Can you see the paradox here? We are always thinking thoughts…but the focus or centrality of our thoughts will determine our achievements and outcomes.

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Or another way of looking at this paradox is by using the principles of nutrition for our physical  body. We know how to nourish our body with food, even though all food is not equally beneficial for the body.

Likewise, our thoughts are the food by which our minds are energized. Not all thoughts are equally beneficial for mindful action (change). When we need to make a change in our life, we have to nourish our mind for action by thinking about the new habit frequently. We practice this change by replacing the old habit thoughts with thoughts about the new habit whenever we find ourselves thinking about the old habit.

We feed a negative habit by giving it our attention. The best way to change an old habit is to starve it! How do we starve an old habit? We starve an old habit by diverting its food source (our thoughts and attention) with thoughts and imagination about the new habit. This is how we nourish new thoughts…we think about them…alot!

You have to learn that everything you do every day has a deep-seated reason. It gratifies a need and offers psychological support. Therefore, begin where the rewards of the new activity can clearly outweigh what is being sacrificed.
Dr. George Sheehan

Bear with me as I reach this last crucial point. In order to propel us to action, our thoughts require our mindful attention. This is how they influence our behavior. We must recognize  our attraction for old thinking, and as soon as we find ourselves thinking about the old haibt, detour our thinking onto the new habit. This practice requires diligence. But there is no shortcut. We have to be willing to cut ourselves off from our love affair, if you will,  before we can attach our full attention and imagination into new thoughts about our new habit. In other words, we have to fall out of love with the old, before we can take pleasure in the new!

It seems so simple, but I know it’s not so easy to do. But hopefully what you have just read will help you remember…when you need it most. And this is what I hope you will be able to take away from this post: What you focus your attention on…or perhaps, what captures your attention and affection most often, will ultimately propel you towards your destiny.

When we train our focus to embrace a new thought (love) interest, then we invoke the law of attraction upon our goal and our life. This law never fails to succeed for us because, that which we attend to will increase!

No Thinking Required

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The way I look at Automatic,
I think it somewhat problematic.
It’s so easy, this is true,
Requires no thinking,
From me or you.

However sublime it may seem,
Automatic is not always keen;
It Liquidates the mind, I say,
Turns muscles to mush, just to
Save us sweat or toil.

Turn a dial, push a button, plug-n-go;
Automatic magic, the world is a-gaping!
Who would have guessed?
Who would have thought?
A heap of helplessness is wrought,
Upon the unthinking lot. Because,

When Automatic is broken down, the
Instructions for Manual cannot be found.
Of course a mess does quickly ensue,
Its proportions epic, no: scary; gigantic;
I think this somewhat problematic.

Automatic

Caution-Filters in Use

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What you get in life depends on your filter. Let me explain. By definition, a filter is designed to screen out unwanted particles or elements. A one-size-fits-all filter is not an effective tool for removing impurities from any given substance. Filters work best when they are used for their singular purpose. The size of the filter sieve or mesh is dependent on the size of the substance needing to be trapped or removed.

Usually, when we consider requirements for a proper filter, we are reflecting on objects which exist in the natural or physical realm. Consider how the window tint of your car’s windows, blocks or restricts certain ultra violet rays from penetrating the glass material. This is an example of a physical filter.

But filtration systems can also be employed in the vapors of the spiritual or emotional realms. We may employ an emotional filter system to protect or enhance our heart or psyche.  Depending on the size of our emotional need, we can create filters to entirely block us off from any strong feeling or emotion. The sieve size is of our own making. Whether to accommodate a trickle or a torrent, whether to filter for love or contempt. It’s up to us.

If you’re not sure about this filter analogy, perhaps it would help to think about it from another angle. Consider this, we all see the world and experience it from a unique perspective. The type of filter(s) we use will often determine the quality of emotion and well-being we attribute to our living.

If we use a filter designed to capture love wherever we experience a day’s worth of living, it’s likely we will be able to acknowledge an accumulation of lovely experiences during our waking hours.

If however, we employ a filter designed to trap and remove every offensive act, word, or deed which comes into awareness, then we will likely be overwhelmed by the innumerable  displeasures encountered during our waking day.

As your days unfold, think about your minutes and hours as water pouring through a giant, invisible sieve. What do you want to capture in your life? What do you want to block? The quality of your filtration system will determine the quality of the minutes and hours you collect during your life’s journey. So be careful then, how you filter!

Definition (Dictionary.com): filter
noun
1. any substance, as cloth, paper, porous porcelain, or a layer of charcoal or sand, through which liquid or gas is passed to remove suspended impurities or to recover solids.
2. any of various analogous devices, as for removing dust from air or impurities from tobacco smoke, or for eliminating certain kinds of light rays.
3. Photography. a lens screen of dyed gelatin or glass for controlling the rendering of color or for diminishing the intensity of light.
verb (used with object)
1. to remove by the action of a filter.
2. to act as a filter for; to slow or partially obstruct the passage of.
3. to pass through or as through a filter.
verb (used without object)
1. to pass or slip through slowly, as through an obstruction or a filter.

Filter