Love to Learn

When my son graduated from the U.S.C. School of Music, Vince Mendoza, a famous composer and arranger, gave the commencement address.  He advised young musicians entering the music industry to always ‘practice and play positive.’ Have positive energy while creating music, he said, and if you are making music with gusto and love, you will not only translate the art form into something that uplifts humanity, but you’ll make the loudest mistakes. The best musicians are unafraid to put themselves out there 100%.  Finally, he reminded the graduates to have faith. Remember, the music is always in you. Always.

He also spoke about how important is to have an attitude of continuous learning in life. Without this humble attitude, a person can never be empowered to serve another human being, nor personally or spiritually grow. We teach our children the importance of a good education, going to school and the value of homework.  But learning is more than getting prepared for a better job or tomorrow – it’s a positive attitude about how we should view life.

Commit to Constant Improvement and Growth

We can showcase our capabilities simply for the joy of doing it, but also we must make a commitment to constant improvement. Life is a process and we can never really expect to reach perfection. Often, it is not the material that provides a personal growth lesson, but the context surrounding the learning.  Volunteer for an organization that teaches impoverished inner city kids to read. At the end of the day, you’ll find you learned far more from them then they did from you. Life is a big, reciprocal exercise and if we don’t put ourselves out there to learn something new, we will miss an opportunity to grow.

The possibility of what you can do keeps life interesting! To live a balanced life and feel empowered we must encourage others to learn, but also show we are not above making positive change. As adults, it is important to take a class. Test your limits to learn anything new. Develop your innate gifts that can help someone.  By doing so, you are helping to serve and uplift humanity.

Together, let’s:

1. Show people that learning is about elevating the human condition. Learning, and improving your mind and heart, is about how we can better release our gifts to the world and serve humanity. Show your children you desire to challenge yourself in order to serve another human being. Teach them that learning and education is not all about making more money.
2. Fill each day with enthusiasm, positivity, and hope for a better world.  All positive energy is contagious when you are committed to living life fully. Learning is a result of that process. You will experience life differently when your attitude is positive and hopeful. Teach others to see their challenges as opportunities, not obstacles.
3. Be humble to the process. Whether you want to learn to dance, get a high school diploma, or complete your Ph.D., feel empowered by the process. Don’t be critical of yourself and feel you cannot learn fast enough than someone else.  You will always have your own rendition of every song, so sing with gusto and happiness. If you do, no matter what you learn, you will face your responsibilities with a sense of renewed joy and confidence.

We can trust life to show us what we need to learn but we must put effort into the process! Let’s affirm:

“When I look in the mirror, I see a person whose potential knows no boundaries. I am an example of a miracle and a work in progress. I engage in life robustly and wholeheartedly, without fear, knowing I contribute to the greater good of humanity.  My contribution is important because no one has my unique essence.  I love life, and love to learn.”

Become a life-long learner. Your desire to learn uplifts humanity and is vitally important to experiencing an empowered and balanced life.

Every Blessing,

© Charlene M Proctor and The Goddess Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For more affirmations, read The Women’s Book of Empowerment:323 Affirmations that Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential. Click Here to buy.

Boredom

Each day is an opportunity to stretch the limits of my mind and give more to humanity. The unlimited universe now gives me room to grow in unlimited fashion. It is time for me to step outside my space and expand my world. I give to the world with excitement and love I have extra energy to find ways to channel my capabilities, through either this situation or another, and I am grateful that I have time to take mental, emotional, and spiritual inventory in order to improve myself and my attitude. New opportunities are coming to me now!

Life Passing Me By

I live in the present moment; therefore it is impossible to watch the past or the future. I am fully engaged in a present life experience. I am the center of experience; I watch nothing and experience everything. My presence on earth contributes to a beautiful mosaic of everyone. I leap into life with vigor and say yes to all life has to offer!

Looking at life with wonder

Life is supposed to be an adventure, right? But how do we express our delight and wonder with life’s magnificence while we’re doing boring  jobs, paying bills, or taking care of our elderly parents? Once we become aware of the present moment and how perfect and powerful that moment is, we look at life differently. Unfortunately, we are accustomed to looking at life rather than looking within. It’s the difference between doing and being. Kids are very aware of the present moment. They’re great at it, in fact, and they don’t think too much beyond the present. As our responsibilities grow in adulthood, we often forget this important key to cultivating more joy in our lives.

As adults, we have forgotten how to play. When we look at any activity with a sense of joy and invite ourselves to be surprised with the simple things, time slows down.  Every moment becomes a gift. If we look at life once in awhile like kids, the simplest things would seem amazing – a sunny day, a lack of structure, seeing everything new with fresh innocence. Recapturing this simple joy, and the gratitude for life’s bounty, is vital to living a balanced life because joy is our natural state of being.

How can we can learn from our children and recapture a joyful, playful, younger outlook?

1. Unseat old thought patterns about having fun. When you were growing up, did adults tell you that if you were playing you were being irresponsible? Not working hard enough? If you were having fun, did your parents appear to feel worse because they thought there was no fun in their own lives? Sometimes past programming takes all the fun out of having fun. Learn to recognize these old mental programs and release them.
2. Indulge in more simplicity and wonder. Slow down. Stop looking at entertainment as a pleasure that provides you with an adrenaline rush. Get rid of your “bucket list” and lower your threshold of expectation. Maximize your appreciation with the basics—a delicious meal, a good book, a hummingbird in the garden, the five minutes a day your dog licks your face or your cat purrs at you. Be fully present for these types of simple pleasures.
3. Learn to love everyday life. Living an intelligent life is being in touch with life. It means being present and connected with other people. At mealtime, eat your food and enjoy it. Appreciate the weather. Rejoice when a friend calls you to chat. Give yourself over to whatever you’re experiencing today. You’ll find that joy can trickle down into the smallest things.

Let’s remember that our natural and balanced state of being is joy. Let’s affirm:

“Today, I am a playful soul child. I look at everything with a sense of wonder and surprise. Time slows down today, and each moment is a gift. I love simply being me, being free, and making it up as I go along. I have a skip in my step and stretch my arms wide to the sky to accept an unlimited universe filled with joy! I have a joyful, playful, youthful spirit.”

Put aside the adrenaline rush you want to experience when you try some new, “over-the-top” experience. Instead, look for the moments of power you find in your home, backyard, or workplace. Empowered and balanced people are constantly in awe of life. They give thanks for the opportunities that exist to appreciate simplicity. Watch the corresponding video on The Balancing Act here.

Every Blessing,

© Charlene M Proctor and The Goddess Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For more affirmations, read The Women’s Book of Empowerment:323 Affirmations that Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential. Click Here to buy.

More affirmations that help you be a kid again and embrace life with a sense of surprise

Can’t be a kid again

It feels great to play and relax with my children. I love to be a kid. Laughing together shows we are all worthy of having fun in our lives. I take time to play and love the child in me. Everyone in this family deserves to have fun. Including me!

Can’t spend money on having fun

I do not recognize any lack in the universe. My source works through me to provide what I want. I am worthy of joy and pleasure! Denying myself pleasure does not create more room for other good things to happen. There is an unlimited supply of pleasure in the universe. I now allow my income to move through me so I can enjoy life more fully. The channel is open between my money and accepting good, fun, and joy.

Worried about the cost of having fun

I am an image of wealth because I am my unlimited God-self. I open a clear channel to replenish my supply. Since my needs are met even before I anticipate them, I can spend money on having fun. There is no need to deny myself anything. I am an expression of wealth and abundance. There is no lack in the infinite mind of God.

Open up to abundance!

Although living the simple life might have worked for many of our ancestors, most of us want to know how to enjoy a prosperous existence filled with modern conveniences. What is the secret to feeling fuller, richer, and happier? How do we overcome negative beliefs about wealth and money that hold us back from abundance? Changing your attitude on prosperity and money can produce dramatic changes in your life. Your abundance is not determined by outside conditions but is a manifestation of your beliefs about what is possible.

Master Your Thinking

Creating an abundant life is about mastering the process of thinking and using prosperity consciousness. Many people focus on money as the cause of their abundance or lack of money as reason for scarcity.  But money is not the cause of abundance, it is an effect. It does not cause prosperity in your life. These are challenging concepts for most people who say, “If I only had money life would be easier,” If you place all your focus into the cause and not the effect, you are limiting your abilities.

If you are ill, and you only treat the symptoms and not the cause of the disease, you will never really heal, right?  So, adopting prosperity consciousness means you see yourself as one who has an unlimited, inexhaustible supply. And that energetic and physical supply comes from the Universe, or Spirit, however you define that in your wisdom tradition.

Discover Your Mental Equivalent

Ten years ago, our family company was headed toward financial disaster. We discovered that my husband, who was the C.E.O., did not truly believe he deserved any wealth. His assumptions about wealth were odd – he discovered he enjoyed being poor because he thought it made him more like-able or noble. Nobody can provide income for 150 employees with this kind of mental equivalent! Once he changed his focus, and embraced income and wealth as a positive experience that benefits everyone, the business began to prosper.

To create a truly abundant life, you must also recognize that money is not your true supply but only a symbol of your inner supply. No person, place or condition is your supply. Your employer, spouse, investments, or bank account are not your supply. Your true supply is the limitless Spirit behind all creation.  It is an unlimited and inexhaustible supply that fills every need. You don’t have to feel responsible for creating wealth; it’s already there.  You already have it all.  You just need to change your consciousness about wealth, money, and rely upon our Source to flow. You can read about this spiritual lesson in my book Let Your Goddess Grow! 7 Spiritual Lessons on Female Power and Positive Thinking.

Here’s how to begin to develop prosperity consciousness and lay a foundation for abundance in your life:

1. Quit thinking about lack. Whatever you focus your energy on is what you will receive from the Universe. Think about what you do want, not what you don’t want, no matter your present circumstances. Visualize yourself in a situation with exactly what you desire. Stop worrying about how much money everyone else has and how they get it.
2. Take an inventory of your faulty thinking. Were you raised with a belief that there isn’t enough to go around for everyone?  Think about how this energy permeates your belief system and behavior. As a child, if you were told it’s bad to be wealthy or you don’t deserve money when you grow up, it might have become part of your belief system. How can you generate wealth when that is your fundamental assumption?  It is not possible!
3. Give thanks in advance for what you are about to receive. Successful people create, and know that the demonstration, or effect, will appear.  They acknowledge that it has already been set into motion, and have confidence in the process of the Universe.  Learn to trust at a very deep level while you do the earth- work to get there, such as doing your job.
4. Be aware of the Source within you as part of your limitless supply. It is important to identify with the Divine Presence because the unlimited consciousness of the Spirit within you is your true supply.  When you know this, your abundance channel is open to whatever you think about with clarity and passion.

With a little mental discipline, let’s begin to change our attitudes about success, abundance, and prosperity. Let’s affirm:

“Today I no longer need to hold back from success and prosperity. I live life with ease. I expand my mind to include what I desire in life, and I know I am worthy of receiving. I open my heart to a new level of thankfulness and recognize all the good in my life. I have an abundant supply in Spirit and prosperity is my natural state. I love being in an abundant state because the Universe knows no boundaries in providing me as much as I want and need.” Watch the corresponding video on The Balancing Act here.

Every Blessing,

© Charlene M Proctor and The Goddess Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For more affirmations, read The Women’s Book of Empowerment:323 Affirmations that Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential. Click Here to buy.

More affirmations that help you create an empowering and abundant reality:

Always struggling

I live life with ease. I expand my mind to include what I desire in life. When I ask, I know I am worthy of receiving. I open my heart to a new level of thankfulness and recognize all the good in my life. I love being prosperous because it is my natural state. I go with the abundant flow of life and do not paddle against the current. My ride is joyful and easy and includes everything I desire.

“Can’t afford it” mindset

When I dwell on the idea of lack, I build a consciousness of lack that only attracts more lack. Whatever I ask for, I receive, because the natural state of the unlimited universe is to provide for me. I now have a mindset of abundance because my source is unlimited! I am part of a universal order that provides an abundant and inexhaustible supply. I see abundance reflected in all areas of my life. My income and all things that are valuable to me are prospering and growing bigger as I notice how much abundance there is in the world.

Can’t attract money

Today, I stop focusing on attracting money and focus on my source, which is my unlimited supply. My source is the foundation of prosperity. From this day forward, I inhale abundance and permanently bring it into my awareness. Because I choose to identify with my source, I am abundance and prosperity. I am now aligning my higher self with a vision of prosperity. I exhale success and satisfaction with each breath.

Expressing Joy is a form of Empowerment

Even though we may be dedicated to our families and careers, we must find time to express joy and creativity. Each of us is a special creation, an individualized spark of the Presence. Because we are mini-models of the Universe, we are forever evolving and creating. Joy flows through uninhibited creativity, so let’s be the idea of joy so we can grow personally and spiritually.

Joy is essential to living a balanced and empowered life

Joy is vital to your personal and spiritual development. Expressing joy helps you feel more confident and comfortable about who you are. It’s physically healthy to bring joy though your body, too, through your speech, actions, or artwork. Spiritually, joy helps open your energy centers. It’s part of your true nature and does not fluctuate based upon what happens in your life. It is a steady constant. Unless you find some way to express your joy, you cannot live in this spiritual state, nor will you attract people and situations that give you joy.  You have to resonate with joy at a deep level to attract more joy in your life.

When my boys left home for college, I realized that care-taking had taken up all of my time. I had never had time to cultivate any space in which to learn something new. Today, I use ballroom dancing as an articulation of self-love and happiness. Expressing joy for nothing but the sake of joy is totally freeing. It’s an exercise in letting out your light. Do you desire to sing, dance, paint, sing, play the trumpet, or make a home movie? Creative energy is your divine heritage. You cannot just answer to tasks or live in servitude. These are patterns of behavior you may have adopted by being a caretaker and provider. It’s time to make a change in your life.

How do we invite our creativity and joy to pour forth?

1. Leave your inner-critic behind. Negative self-talk blocks creative expression. For example, if you say, “I can’t” or ”I’m not talented, fast enough, strong or young enough,” too often, that’s what you’ll be. When you’re pursuing joy and believe in yourself, you realize that life is a miracle. And so are you. There is no limit to what you can do when expressing joy is your objective. Release all those limiting thoughts that hinder your creativity. Do what makes you joyful.
2. Expect a few train wrecks along the way. Not every creative expression in life is going to be a first-place effort. When you’re learning to let your light pour out, you’re going to be derailed a few times. Be like the Little Engine That Could. Keep your chin up, keep going, and don’t flush all your paint down the drain or throw your dance shoes away just because you didn’t produce a prize-winning painting or get on Dancing with the Stars. You are living art. Be humble to the creative process and keep going.
3. Create from the most joyful place in your heart. Let go. Joy and creativity is a right brain, intuitive process. It’s very feminine. You can’t stay in your left brain all day, punching numbers and writing corporate memos. At my studio, the happiest people I see each day are doctors, accountants, and lawyers who are pulling buoyancy into the very nature of their being. They are making an effort to be balanced and dance from a joyful place in side of themselves. They don’t worry about how good they look … they’re just letting out their light. And it’s a beautiful thing to watch.

Today, let’s put aside our judging and analytical minds and remember that we are each a special and unique creation. Joy is your natural state of being. Let’s affirm:

“True joy is not something I acquire from outer events or things. It is an energy I release from within. I am a unique and special creation. I am an individualized spark of the Divine Presence. I am meant to express my creativity because I am a mini-model of the Universe, which is forever evolving and creating. I welcome joy today as my uninhibited expression. When I dance, paint, sing, or am creative in any way, I AM the idea of joy.” Watch the corresponding video on The Balancing Act here.

Every Blessing,

© Charlene M Proctor and The Goddess Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For more affirmations, read The Women’s Book of Empowerment:323 Affirmations that Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential. Click Here to buy.

Please visit my Facebook page to see more dance photos: facebook.com/charlene.m.proctor

Lose Weight, Feel Great, Meditate

Having a healthy and empowered outlook on life includes taking care of our bodies. We must not only tend to our diets and exercise, but also make time to strengthen our inner connection with spirit, which is the source that provides unconditional love. It is part of a healthy body-mind-spirit regime. A mental diet of self-love is just as important to, if not more important than, your success on the scale.

When I had back surgery a couple of years ago, I was physically inactive for a long time. The weight piled on. The worst was the heavy heart I got by realizing that I could not ski anymore or do certain other things I used to do. I hurt all the time. Pretty soon, I began to see myself as an injured or incapacitated person. I was sending my body continuous messages of being limited. The body does not heal quickly when we do not support it mentally and emotionally. Until I changed my mental process, I had difficulty losing weight, but once I changed my thinking and released those energies, dieting became a joy, not a burden.

Everyone knows there is no magic to losing weight. It’s about diet and exercise. But what is overlooked is our mental equivalent, or our self-image. Do we love ourselves? Do we feel confident about who we are and what we contribute to the world? Are we experiencing positive personal growth in our lives? Get your head and heart aligned while you diet, and the excess weight will easily fall away.

What can we do to create a positive self-image that supports a healthy diet and lifestyle?

1. Celebrate every bite you eat by loving your body. Shift your mental state from counting carbohydrates and calories to feeding your body with love. Food is fuel, and fuel makes things go. It allows you to do your soul work on the planet! Adopt a nutrition consciousness and let it become a way of life. Focus on what you can feed your beautiful body to give it energy and kindness. Don’t focus on what you are not feeding it.
2. Center yourself every morning. You’ll be more in tune with your physical needs when you take a few minutes each day to go within and center yourself. Meditate to align yourself with the concept of perfect health, slimness, mobility, grace … whatever your physical goals are. A few minutes a day is all you need. Say, “I see myself as healthy, wealthy, gorgeous, and wise.”
3. Know that you are a beautiful human being. Shed negative and unnecessary mental and emotional baggage along with your excess weight. Make forgiveness part of your daily diet. Expand your vision of who you are as a limitless being. Know that no matter what your body size is, you have tons of potential! See yourself as whole and beautiful inside.

Pull the light inside your body. This light is love, so you’re lightening yourself from the inside-out first! Let’s affirm:

“Today, I reset my priorities to include a healthy and nourishing routine. My diet is about purging all negative thoughts, including guilt. I love and approve of my body and of my whole self. I shed this weight easily as I become more positive, lighter, and in love with my true self. I feel safe and protected. From this day forward, I choose a healthy and nourishing diet and state of mind.”

We must accept ourselves, and see ourselves as beautiful works in progress during any weight loss program. Weight loss never lasts if you don’t feel good “from the inside-out,” so be mindful about your positive self-image. See yourself as healthy, wealthy, and wise and bask in self-love and self-appreciation. These are the keys to deeper inner growth and permanent body transformation. Watch the corresponding video on The Balancing Act here.

Every Blessing,

© Charlene M Proctor and The Goddess Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

For other affirmations about positive body image and weight loss, and Charlene’s Lose Weight, Feel Great, Meditate Diet, please click here to download. For more affirmations, read The Women’s Book of Empowerment: 323 Affirmations that Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential. Click Here to buy.

Connect with your food

Autumn is the season when we can fully appreciate our connection to what sustains us—our home and hearth, families and friends … and our food. Having a balanced outlook on life means you know you are part of the whole. It’s understanding the energetic exchange between you and the universe, your symbiotic relationship with the whole. The fall harvest is a great time to recognize that growing your own food and eating it is part of your interdependency with your spiritual source and with the planet.

We are interdependent with nature

Our culture and society of convenience have divorced us from our natural connection with the earth. Capitalism has changed how we nourish ourselves. Our kids no longer see their connection with nature. They think our food magically arrives at the grocery store in microwave-safe baggies. We adults have also lost our reverence for nature. I remember the time my son wanted me to buy him something. “Sweetie, we can’t today,” I told him. “I don’t have enough money for that.” What did he say to me? “Don’t worry, Mom. Let’s just go to the ATM and get more out of the money machine! Don’t you know that’s where money comes from?” It’s up to us to teach our children that we and nature are one, big organic equation.

We depend upon nature, upon our Mother Earth, for our sustenance. Mother Earth’s bounty is awesome. We need to remember to express regular appreciation for it. It begins with connecting with our food—how it’s grown, what the soil smells like, how good it feels to harvest the miracle of nature that is one vegetable, any vegetable. When we sit down to bless our food and eat, we experience a more compete state of gratitude. We give thanks for our beautiful opportunity to be alive as a human being.

When we see ourselves as part of this larger equation, we become empowered and awaken spiritually, too. I have a friend who is now a monk living in India. When he was going through his awakening process, he sat down to dinner one night and began to laugh hysterically. “What’s going on?” we asked him. He was practically rolling on the floor. “What’s so funny?” He said he’d just realized that by eating his food, he was eating himself. He’d just realized that we are all one, that the universe is one and we are all part of this magnificence we call oneness. For him, it was a moment of happy spiritual awareness where he realized that he was a part of all oneness.

In everyday life, how can we better understand our oneness and appreciate our connectivity with all life?

1. Get out in your garden more. Spend less time (and money) in the store. Get close to nature. Smell the soil, dig in it. Show your kids how to plant seeds and watch them grow. Take time to talk to your kids about the miracle of nature. Everything is eating something else in this magnificent cycle of life! There’s a whole world going on out there that we don’t fully appreciate, so let’s learn to be part of it! When harvest time comes around, pick fruits or vegetables together and eat them for dinner.
2. Meditate outside regularly. Get quiet. Look up at the sky. Listen to the sounds of nature. Project a vibration of gratitude for the miracles of nature and for the planet. Don’t be embarrassed to be a tree hugger.
3. Bless your food. The family dynamic of connecting around the food is an important ritual. It’s an acknowledgement of sharing the things that sustain us physically. It’s acknowledging what we have in common with everyone on the planet. Blessing our food is an expression of thankfulness to the earth.

When we think of these simple acts in life, we are learning to live consciously in the present.

So, today let’s affirm (and let’s do this outside):

“At this moment, I see Spirit as my Source, my food, and I recognize this in myself, in every individual, and in everything on this beautiful planet. From this day forward, I choose to see the energy of goodness in everyone and their contribution, no matter how small or large. I am supported in the dynamic equation of life.” Watch the corresponding video on The Balancing Act here.

Every Blessing,

© Charlene M Proctor and The Goddess Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
For other affirmations about positive body image and weight loss, and Charlene’s Lose Weight, Feel Great, Meditate Diet, please click here to download. For more affirmations, read The Women’s Book of Empowerment: 323 Affirmations that Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential. Click Here to buy.