Notice what is different

First engraving in William James' book Jerusalem

If we could go through even one day realizing that what we think, say, and do matters, we would change, and our lives would change to meet the new us. People always ask, “How do I know that I am changing?” When we make a shift in consciousness, our outer world beings to mirror it. Sometimes the difference is small at first, but when we start to notice what is different, instead of what is the same, we open unseen doors to new and expanded worlds.

Why not give this a try for the weekend? Make it your intention to notice the good, the improved, the delightful. Look at every little positive thought, experience, kindness, or manifestation as a sign that you have entered into a bigger reality and that you are moving in the direction of the life that you want.

“These then are my last words to you. Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” William James

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Make a decison..then let it go

Fred in the cat pen

We knew that Fred had certain challenges when we adopted him, but were not aware that he didn’t have the ability to find his way home. After 2 very long absences, we realized that if we let him outside, chances were, he would get lost, so we constructed a “cat pen” for him. At first, I felt some guilt that his quality of life wasn’t as good as our other cats, who can come in and out as they please, but my quality of life was greatly diminished by the thought of him wandering around in the wilderness, so I had to make the decision to limit his range, for both his safety and my peace of mind.

Guilt and self-doubt are corrosive energies, and when I feel them, I look at the situation that I am feeling bad over, see if I can make a better decision now, and if not, I drop it. I did this with Fred.  Every time the thought that his life was not as great as our other cats, came up, I said to myself, “I am done with that thought. Fred has the perfect life for him.” Eventually my feelings lined up with this new thought.

After I have made a decision, I do what ever I need to (prayer, affirmations, meditation) to get it out of my conscious mind. If I don’t do this, I’ll start feeling like there is a ping-pong match inside my brain, until I end up with a whopping headache and feel incompetent to make a move lest it be the wrong one. Constantly second-guessing our decisions, and our lives, leaves us feeling unstable, fearful and insecure.  I have enough confidence in the Spirit of Life, that if a better way, than the one that I have chosen, (regarding any situation) is available, I will be shown.

“When once a decision is reached, dismiss absolutely all responsibility and care about the outcome.” William James

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Dissolving the fear in our minds

Luke and his new toy

Luke is our big, long-haired German Shepherd. He is a goofy, loveable guy who makes the most of his life with 6 cats, none of whom want to play with him. He was born different…he didn’t even look like the other puppies in the litter, and by the time he was 6 weeks old, he couldn’t stand on his hind legs, but he was a sweet puppy both in looks and temperament. The breeder was a friend of ours, and offered him to us because he couldn’t be sold. We said yes. It was recommended that we get his hips x-rayed since hip problems can be an issue with shepherds. We didn’t do it.

I knew that if I heard from our vet that Luke had bad hips, I would never be able to get the image out of my mind, and what we imagine and fear, will start to manifest. We decided instead to accept him the way that he was, wiggly hips and all, and only do something medically if he was in pain, which he wasn’t. He will be 4 years old in May.

There is an idea, a belief system, operating in the world that we must prepare for disaster. That worry, fear, and massive amounts of information about every disease, disorder and disaster that could potentially befall us (or those that we love), will help avert those things from coming, and just the opposite is true. What we prepare for, we are making room for, in our lives.

Hyper-vigilance prevents us from being able to listen to the voice within, which is our greatest gift, our best friend. Whether you call that voice the “still small voice of God”, intuition, guidance, guardian angel or gut feeling, it really doesn’t matter, but what does matter is the knowing inside that we can trust ourselves. That if we tune into that “voice”, for direction, we will be guided toward the correct action, toward the lives that we want, instead of the lives that we fear. The Spirit never scares us into action. When I am in-tune with my inner guidance, and I do need to take action about some thing that could end up being a problem, I get a “nudge” that might feel like an unusual thought, and if I don’t listen, it gets more persistent (and this is a good thing), but it doesn’t lead by fear.

“The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds“. William James

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Do it flamboyantly?!

do I dare change this much?

I’ve been a runner for 33 years and for most of these, ran in New Balance followed by Asics, which are big, well-cushioned, heavy shoes. Supportive, protective, serious shoes. Having a 9.5- 10 shoe size (for a woman) also adds to the serious look of the shoe. They are BIG shoes.

A few months ago I read about a new type of running shoe called “Barefoot “shoes…some brands even have individual toes in them. They are supposed to mimic barefoot running and improve posture, and all sort of other things. I felt a spark of curiosity, interest, fun…

I was in a shoe store the other day looking for sandals, and I saw a display for these Barefoot…running shoes? …. I had to at least try them on. ..Heaven, and I mean it. I had never worn such a comfortable pair of shoes (running or not)  in my life. My mind began, “Do I dare buy them? What if I get injured? Is this a stupid move?…” Yet, they almost called out to me, “Why not try?” This could be fun! How can life move you into better things if you cling to the old?” I had read this quote by William James, To change one’s life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions, the same morning as my shopping trip and thought when I read it,  ”How do I change flamboyantly?”

Yesterday, I ran in my Barefoot shoes…I felt almost illegal, like someone was going to yell, “Go change your shoes! What are you running in? Those aren’t running shoes! You are going to get hurt!”.. Of course no one did, or would, …it’s just the critical voice in my head that seems to wait to “ambush” me if I step out of the box.  I tell it to be quiet…that I am having fun.  Sometimes I have to ask myself questions like, “If you knew that you only had a month to live, would you wear the shoes?”…somehow this type of question helps me get clear, because when the answer is YES, then I know what my choice needs to be….maybe flamboyant change can happen one step at a time…as long as I take that step.

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