best definition of love, part 2

best definition of love, part 2
Abraham-Hicks

So we would say the best definition of love is awareness of self and its determined decision to be in complete alignment with that which is Source, that which is who I truly am. And appreciating every rascal who challenges it, and makes it more and more important for me to do that.

Love is not looking at despicable and unlovable, and loving it. Love is the discipline to know that if there is a question, there is an answer. And if there is the unwanted, there is the wanted. And having the self-discipline to focus into the vortex where the solutions are.

Denver 9/11/10

Dare to be Yourself ... by Paul Hoffman

Who am I? What do I want? What level of consciousness am I living from? These are great questions to ask yourself as you begin to usher in the dawn of a new day. The absolute truth in answering these questions is simply you are brilliant, magnificent, genius, caring, loving, kind, extraordinary, unstoppable, successful, creative, giving, generous, supportive, nurturing, confident you get the picture. You are all these qualities and so much more in every moment of your day. I ask you today to "Dare To Be Yourself" and bring out all these awesome qualities and values of who you are in all you do. When you do, life will begin to take on a new color and vibration of abundance and prosperity in every aspect of your being so that the person you really are emerges powerfully in all your relationships as you communicate the joy of being who you are.

There is no holding back the divine inspiration that you are. You can only be that which you believe you are. When you lose focus and clarity about the true authentic being you are then thoughts of lack and limitation creep in. You must have the courage to be steadfast in your commitment to living in your excellence. You must have the determination to stay the course in the journey you have chosen so that the vision in your heart becomes your reality. You must believe in yourself so you will receive all the divine intelligence that is encouraging you to keep stepping into your brilliance. There can be no other way to be. It is all within you right here and now to have it all. All you need to to do is "Dare To Be Yourself" and watch as the most amazing thing happens. YOU will be given the keys to the castle and your life will become all that you have dreamed it could be. Try it you'll like it!

"The first choice you should make each day is to be committed to be the blessing you are so that everyone will get to share in the magnificence of who you are."

I AM ready to show up in all my power
I AM open to the calling of my heart
My dream is the reality I see in my life today
I AM committed to the full expression of who I AM
I see the road ahead with focus and clarity
I AM full of infinite opportunities and possibilities
There is magic everywhere
I LOVE ME!

It's your day...MAKE IT A GREAT ONE!

-Paul Hoffman

Happy Yet? By Lionel Ketchian

Happy Yet?
By Lionel Ketchian

Eight years ago I decided to try to hand feed some birds in my backyard. I put some crushed walnuts in my right hand and extended it. It was winter and the weather was cold, but I stood absolutely motionless, and completely quiet. Within a few minutes, a bird landed on my hand for the first time in my life. It was a cute tiny bird called a Black Capped Chickadee.

It flew onto the tip of my fingers, picked up a piece of walnut and flew off to enjoy it. Soon it returned to land on my hand again. This time it picked up a piece of walnut and dropped it on the ground. Then it picked up another and dropped that on the ground as well. Finally it selected a third piece, which must have been just the right one, and flew off with it. It trusted me enough to take its time and make sure it had a nice delicious piece.

It was not long after this event that I realized I had read the following quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne. "Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." Now I can say, "Happiness is a Black Capped Chickadee, a cute tiny bird, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."

For me, an interchange with nature is an unforgettable occasion and is nothing less than a spiritual experience. This event made me realize that happiness requires us to quiet down and allow things to come to us. The more we pursue things that are beyond our grasp, the more they move away. The faster we try to pursue them, the faster they move away. Happiness requires us to relax, become quiet, and act as if we will get what we expect, without the need to become upset if we don't.

The greatest things in life require patience, mindfulness, and knowledge of what is possible; being happy is a similar thing. I never thought I would be able to feed a wild bird and I thought the odds were against me. You may not think you can do something like become happy, but if you learn enough about happiness, you can do it. The important thing is knowing it can be done. It has been done before. Remember the four-minute mile. People did not believe it was possible to run a mile in less than four minutes. As soon as one person did it, the record began to be broken over and over again. What one person can do, another can do also.

Have you wondered: Is it possible to be happy all the time? Yes, it is! How is it possible to be happy all the time? Being happy all the time does not mean bad things don't happen to you. It just means you are able to handle them and not let them make you helpless and hopeless.

You may ask: How can I be happy? You can be happy by making happiness a decision, and by choosing happiness all the time. You can be happy by not allowing a situation, or a person to make you unhappy. Don't give up your happiness, because happiness is what you want more than anything else.

You may wonder: Why is happiness important? When things make you unhappy, you lose your power. In fact, you give your power away to the things that make you unhappy. The truth is, when you allow someone to make you unhappy, you have given your power to that person. Happiness is an issue of power. It's time to take your power back!

If your question is: What if something bad happens? This is the time that you need happiness the most, during times of hardship and stress. Happiness should be your strategy for dealing with negative things. When bad things happen, you need all the balance, wisdom and endurance you can find. Happiness allows you to gain access to your emotional intelligence. It is in times of difficulty, that you need to control your thinking, so you don't allow stinking thinking. You become unhappy as a result of your thinking, not because of what has happened to you. Your reaction, as a result of your thinking is what makes you unhappy, not the event itself. Happiness is your connection to yourself.

If your concern is: How can I make happiness work for me? The decision to be happy allows you to find out when you are off track. As soon as you realize you are unhappy, you are in control of changing your thoughts to allow you to choose happiness and get yourself back on the right track. You can practice being happy even when you feel unhappy. Pretend to be happy and you will start to make yourself feel happy. Act as if you are happy and you will become happy. Once you are operating with happiness, you begin to gain access to your best thoughts, change your negative ones, and your whole state of mind becomes peaceful. You begin to be flooded with good choices, alternatives, and options. You will begin to have ideas to serve you in the best way to find solutions to the problems you face.

What if there is no solution to my problem? If there is truly no solution, you have no problem. You have something that you do not like and cannot change. In this case, you are the problem. You will therefore remain unhappy unless, and until you change your attitude. Learn to accept what you cannot change, and move forward.

Do I have to live with what I don't like? If you can change it -- change it! If you can't change it, then learn to love it, or it will make you unhappy. Once you change your attitude about the thing you can't change and don't like, the situation can change. What you resist -- persists. When you stop fighting what you can't do anything about, the problem usually vanishes. Remember the "Serenity Prayer" and let happiness show you the wisdom to know the difference between what you can and cannot change.

Finally, you ask: When can I be happy? Be Happy Now! Stretch out your arm and as you open your hand, you realize that happiness is right there in the palm of your hand. It has always been within you. It's time! Go and Be Happy!

True Security by Cheryl Richardson

True Security
by Cheryl Richardson

"Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none." --Richard M. DeVos


While searching for a resource in past newsletters, I came across a topic I wrote about in 2000 that's worth repeating during this difficult economic time. It's about where real security comes from.

If you're like most people, you probably equate a sense of security with how much money you have. I know I did. In order to feel safe and protected, I focused on earning and saving money as a way to achieve peace of mind. As I did however, I discovered something strange. My feelings of security and peace didn't increase with my bank account. Regardless of how much money I earned (or saved), I never felt secure enough.

I've since learned that the key to creating security has to do with a whole lot more than the balance in your savings account. It has to do with the balances in other accounts as well. True security comes from having a reserve in all areas of your life - a reserve of community, love, self esteem, a connection to God, or health, in addition to financial reserves. Until you invest in these other areas, you'll always feel insecure, regardless of how much money you have.

Of course money is important - we all need it to live and to make the kinds of choices that maintain or improve the quality of our lives. But it's equally important to make deposits into other accounts as well. For example, consider the following questions:

1. Do you have a reserve of friends and/or family who are there for you in times of need?

2. Do you have a reserve of confidence and self esteem that allows you to stand up for yourself in the face of a challenge?

3. Do you have a reserve of courage that you can call upon when you need to take difficult actions?

4. Do you have a reserve of faith and a strong connection to a power greater than yourself for those times when you've done what you can and you need to surrender?

5. Do you have a reserve of physical energy that will allow you to do what it takes to succeed?

6. Do you have a reserve of colleagues or professional relationships that will support your career?

Just as you make regular deposits to your savings account, you'll want to start making regular deposits into these other accounts as well. As an example, those of you who are looking for work or feel concerned about the stability of your jobs, will benefit from networking - getting together with friends and colleagues to share resources, referrals, ideas, and suggestions. Career experts agree that this is still the single, most effective way to land great work. With that in mind, you quickly realize that investing in a professional network creates the kind of protection money can't buy.

When you view security from this perspective, it's easy to see that regular dates with your best friend are just as important as regular deposits into your IRA. Or building a reserve of self-esteem is even more important than putting money away for a new home.

It takes time and attention to build reserves in each of these areas and it's worth the investment. When you do, you not only make for a secure future, you create a secure present as well. And, when the present feels secure, you'll make much better choices for you and your family. So, how about it - ready to start making new deposits?


Take Action Challenge


Take a large sheet of paper and create several columns. At the top of each column list an "account category" such as love, community, confidence/self esteem, courage, emotional and physical health, etc.

Once you've completed these columns, write down your current assets in each of these areas. For example, under "community" you might list close friends and family members. Or under physical health, you might list those things you already do to take good care of your body.

Once you're clear about what you do have, notice what's missing. Then, pick one area that needs more attention and make a deposit this week :).

SPREAD THE JOY by Dr. Lisa Love

The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference.-- Audre Lorde

Dr. Lisa Love Coaching Tip

The other night I was home with my son and received a video link from a Facebook friend in Greece. The images of Greece combined with the music got my heart happy and the next thing you know I was singing and dancing all over my home. I new fan of Twitter, I "tweeted" about all the fun I was having to friends there and the next thing I knew I was in the middle of an international party spreading the joy all around. I even had people from other states in the United States call me on the phone. The laughter, the networking, the sheer fun and silliness of it all kept amping up the joy in my life. In turn I amped it up with the people around me and went to bed on a super high of giggles and smiles.

As I woke up the next morning I thought to myself, "Instead of telling people around the globe in this economic crisis to go shopping, maybe we should tell everyone to go dancing instead." A vision of people all around the world dealing with the economic crisis not by saying, "Oh my, how will I handle this all?" but by indulging in one big joy fest of singing, dancing, laughing, and smiling flooded my imagination. I could even see YouTube videos being shared of people just sharing the major joy fest they were having. None of it costs a thing to indulge in, yet far more than shopping I am certain such a thing would do way more to help out the economy than anything else we could think of. Can't you see it? A world wide laugh fest? No one able to supress our spirits because we decide instead to raise them up to a whole new vibration regardless? Couldn't be better. So get out your dance shoes. Tune up your instruments. Looses up your vocal chords. Get playing and spread the joy! It's infectious! And, it's one virus worth spreading right now.

Dr. Lisa Lisa
www.doctorlisalove.com