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Current Issue |
One of a Kind News Table of Contents
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 1. Welcome Notes I want to welcome three new subscribers this week. I'm glad you are here. If you would like to review past issues of One of a Kind News,, click on Archives List. Even though One of a Kind News is scheduled to be published every Monday, you will notice that sometimes you receive it as early as Sunday or as late as Tuesday. This is because I choose to write from a place of love instead of fear. I write because I love to write. In a sense, writing is my ministry. When I'm too tied to a certain schedule, I get into fear -- I find myself struggling and striving, which I have chosen not to do anymore. Writing from that place of fear takes the joy out of writing for me. So, to keep the love in my writing, I choose to let it come naturally. That's what works for me, I hope it works for you. This week I continue my series on Loving Your Self with an article on Loving Your Mind. If loving your Self means taking excellent care of every aspect of your life, and I think it does, then loving your mind is an essential part of loving your Self. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 2. Love Your Self, Love Your Mind LOVING YOUR SELF MEANS TAKING EXCELLENT CARE OF EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE. Imagine being locked in a room, with a person who chatters incessantly, never stopping to catch a breath. For the most part, the talk is meaningless, boring, and often negative. It's either about the past; about guilt, regret, sorrow, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness or it's about the future; about fears, anxieties, stress and worry. Imagine that you are a prisoner to this situation with no hope of escape. How would you feel in a short period of time? What if you were in that situation for years? What kind of effect do you think that would have on you, your life, your health, your overall well-being? That's what it's like to live with a mind that's out of control. That's what it's like when the "voice in your head" is allowed to run rampant. Many of us are prisoners, prisoners to our own minds. Experts say that we have about 60,000 thoughts a day and many of them are repetitive; the same thoughts we had yesterday and will have again tomorrow. There is no such thing as a neutral thought. We are either thinking love thoughts or fear thoughts. Typically the "voice in our head" is busy labeling, judging and putting forth opinions. It's often ruminating about the past or imagining the future. The mind is an awesome tool when it's used for your benefit. Left to it's own devices, the mind can be the biggest energy drain in your life; it can create "hell on earth". A big part of loving your Self is loving your mind. How do you love your mind? You begin by taking excellent care of it, just like you would anything else that you love. You pay attention to it. You become aware of your thoughts; of what the "voice in your head" is saying. You can do this by stepping away from your mind and becoming the observer. Try this: Ask yourself, "I wonder what my next thought will be", and listen. You respect it. Your mind is powerful! It has the power to affect every area of your life in either a positive or negative way. Something that powerful deserves your attention and respect. You take control. Just like you wouldn't allow your child to run wild, you don't allow your mind to run out of control. You feed it well. You consciously choose what you will allow into your mind. If it's not good for your mind, you don't let it in. You give it frequent rests. Instead of being run by your mind, you often let your body and spirit lead. You allow yourself to "Be". Being doesn't mean that you aren't doing anything, it's that you are doing from a place of Being. I call it "grounded doing". As Eckhart Tolle says, "There is infinitely more intelligence in Being than in the mind". Who is the "You" who can love and take care of your mind? It's the You that is much more than your mind. It's the You beyond your mind. It's the You that is hard to put into words. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Before you can break out of prison, you must first realize you're locked up." "If we look at a field as our life, the crop we harvest is our experience of life. If we don't consciously sow our thoughts, the seeds we plant may just be weeds from our past so that we repeat the same patterns over and over. If we sow new thoughts and tend the field with care, we can realize the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, right in the field of our life." "The Law of mind, the giant within and around us, is always creating for us. But what specific direction are we giving it? Our every thought is a direction." "My body, like everything else in life, is a mirror of my inner thoughts and beliefs. Every cell responds to every single thought I think and every word I speak." = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "When you sell a (woman or a) man a book, you don't sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue. You sell him a whole new life." --Christopher Morley Once again, I am recommending "The Power of Now", the book and the tapes. I picked up this book following the trauma of September 11th and a dear friend gave me the tapes. Both have been constant companions in my life ever since. After 9/11, I set out to find inner peace in an unpeaceful world. This book and these tapes have been instrumental in my finding inner peace and much more -- they have indeed been "life-changing" for me. The Power of Now, A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle. This is absolutely my favorite book! It's not an easy read AND it is well worth the effort. I have the audiotapes and the book and I highly recommend both. If we were able to glean all of the wisdom in this book in this lifetime, we would be greatly blessed! It's a life-changing book! You can go right to Amazon.com by clicking on this link. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1577311523/oneofa kindcoa-20
For the tapes click here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1577311760/oneofa kindcoa-20 The Miracle of Mindfulness, A Manual on Meditation, by Thich Nhat HanhIf you are interested in learning to become more present in the moment, I highly recommend this book. Meditation doesn't have to only be done sitting in a lotus position. Mindfulness is a way of doing everything from a place of meditation. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0807012327/oneofa kindcoa-20
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Until we meet again, remember to: Count your garden by the flowers, Blessings to you and yours, Sharon = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = |
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