You Are Wonderful

We all have a past.  Most of us have things in our past of which we are ashamed, feel guilt, feel regret, or feel remorse.  It is just what happens over the course of our lives.  These times are usually the moments in which we learn.  Hopefully, our mistakes teach us what not to do in the future.

I recently found myself thinking about certain things from my past and categorizing them, such as, “that was ok”, “that was bad”, “I should have never done that”, “that was one of my worst mistakes”, and so on.  I am very hard on myself in that way, all too often.  And though I would offer this word of advice (which is attributed to Maya Angelou, but was told to me long ago by my Spiritual Mentor) to others, “you did the best you could, and when you knew better, you did better”, I was not so forgiving of myself.  As I was lingering with these thoughts, I suddenly realized that each and every one of those past events about which I was feeling so despondent, were actually the stepping stones to bring me to the moment in which I now find myself!  I saw and understood that I should look at my past self as I would my own family and friends:  with a forgiving and loving nature.  By sending love to my past self, I could heal those “mistakes”, learn from them, and become even more of the person I strive to be.  I realized that I am happy with the person I have become, and even though I am a work in progress, I do act in a manner that is in keeping with my beliefs.

It has become a habit for me to remain alert to the signs that come my way.  I anticipate signs and signals from God, my angels, the Universe, or whatever name you prefer for that higher power, that intuition, that still small voice.  As a result, I receive them a lot!  

After a very cold and wet winter in NC where I live, a warm day arrived recently to remind me that Spring is close at hand.  I took my pup, Zoey, to our local park and walked the well-known path.  I had those thoughts on my mind about forgiving my past, about loving my past self, and about the progress I have made in my life.  As I rounded a curve in the path, there, written across were the words, “YOU ARE WONDERFUL”!!  Some beautiful, sweet soul had allowed his or her self to be used to provide encouragement for me and probably many others.  I took it as my sign, and hope in the reading of this, you will accept it as yours.  For just where you are right now in your journey with all your flaws, your past, and your magnificence, YOU ARE WONDERFUL!  Love yourself more fully, and you will find your ability to love others will expand. 

Thoughts Become Things - The BIG Picture

The philosophers in today’s world teach us that “thoughts become things”.  From Deepak Chopra to Eckhart Tolle, from Marianne Williamson to Mike Dooley, from Esther Hicks to Oprah Winfrey, from the pages of “The Secret” to hundreds of books, programs, CD’s, DVD’s, and all manner of internet media, the message is ringing out loud and clear:  you create what you think about.  If you think about lack, you experience lack.  If you think about abundance, you experience abundance.  If your focus is love, peace, and happiness, you find yourself enjoying love, peace, and happiness.  Each of these modern day philosophers has a unique manner of presenting this information to us.  They are all basically saying the same thing, “thoughts become things”, and the variety of presentations allows for people of all diversities to hear and understand.

To prove this declaration of “thoughts become things”, we only have to look back at our history.  There we find the proof.  Haven’t you ever wondered how we have progressed from cave men and women to the modern techies we are today?  Allow me to explain further.

According to history, at one time we were a race of hunter/gatherers.  We lived in caves, no doubt, and followed food (animals) in hopes of filling our bellies.  It was all about survival.  And that set us to thinking:  “what if we could grow our food and have a community?”  That idea spread and in a few thousand years or so, agriculture and communities were formed.

Fast forward to the 1400’s: People desired books, bibles, and other materials that had to be scribed by hand.  Along comes Gutenberg and suddenly we have a printing press!  Before Galileo, men started becoming fascinated with the heavens.  Next thing you know there is a telescope!  The examples are endless!  

It is said that hindsight is 20/20, and looking back it seems obvious.  Just the thought “how nice it would be to be able to use the toilet indoors, and not have to empty a chamber pot” turned into our modern day bathrooms.  “I wish there were a way to provide consistent heat for the family” became the lovely heating systems we rely on today.  “I’d love to be able to communicate quickly with someone” turned into the telephone. 

Now, let’s come into life today.  What were the thoughts that have brought us to our amazing technological world?  When I was a child, our entertainment was basically enjoyed in three technologies:  a black and white TV, a radio (AM stations only), and the record player with records.  Someone started thinking, “I wish this TV show was in color!” and the color TV was invented.  Someone thought it would be grand to have a small radio that could be carried around with them.  The idea caught on, and the transistor was born, along with everything since, including our modern day iPods!  What used to take an entire room to store can now be carried in the palm of our hands!

We had a phone on the wall in the kitchen and on a desk in the hallway.  When I became a teenager, I thought it would be so cool to have privacy and to talk to all my friends as I pleased.  Soon, call waiting was invented.  And now we have phones that we carry with us to allow us to always be in touch!  That was my teenaged dream!

Do you see the BIG picture of how thoughts become things?  Each generation collectively thinks forward to the next generation’s big invention.  And, somehow, it keeps moving faster and faster!  So, have I convinced you that thoughts become things, whether on a personal scale or on a collective scale?  If so, wouldn’t you like to take this knowledge and create a more positive world?  For example, by thinking about and envisioning peace, love, justice, and happiness, we could create a new way of life for all people.  You can create these things both for yourself on a personal level, and for our world as a whole.  It can happen.  It has before.  Join in this process.  Live a life of peace, and create a world of peace for our next generation.   Your children’s children’s children are counting on us.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one….Imagine.”  (John Lennon)

(Photo courtesy of one-vision.com)