It’s easy to suck the living hell out of the day-to-day by the descriptions you use to discuss—or even to just think about—people, places, events, and yourself. Or you can live as if your cup were half full.
How cognizant you are of what you say is directly correlated to the outcome you’ll get. If you continually speak of your life in terms that describe it as if you never feel good, things never turn out right, or nothing positive comes your way, you’ll more than likely end up being right. It takes less energy to feel good than it does to feel bad. In fact, I’d go so far to say that it takes courage to be happy.
My great-grandmother Conchetta suffered many indignities and tragedies throughout her life, yet not a day went by without her announcing that she felt blessed with abbondanza, “ abundance”. You can choose to take all of your experiences and channel them into a reality show based on fear and anxiety, or you can think of all difficulties as opportunities for creating something new.
Negativity is like a big black hole with slippery sides. Once you fall in, it takes a lot of effort to crawl back up. There are also many people who like the security of the darkness, so if you’re down there you’ll have lots of company. However, when you decide to come back into the light, they won’t help because they’re stuck in the quagmire of goo at the bottom, and they want you there with them, too. When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging! It takes a lot of vigilance to be the guardian of your thoughts, words, and deeds; and you’re often at the mercy of years of conditioning that make you operate as if you’re on autopilot.
When you use language such as “if only,” “I wish,” or “I can’t,” you’re dismissing the possibility of today in order to maintain the familiarity of the past or to assuage a fear of the future. You may think it’s easier to stay in an unhappy relationship or job or maintain habits that don’t serve you, but ultimately you’ll suffer the consequences. Steve Job, the founder of Apple, has said that every day, he asks himself the same question “ if this was my last day on earth how would I live it”? Try asking yourself the same question someday, it might end up being a huge wake up call!
Okay! You’re right! I agree! And, here it comes…
What about those spaces in between? I saw a bumper sticker that said “You don’t have to believe everything you think.” Love that. It’s so true, and it gives tacit acknowledgement to the fact that there are lots of thoughts popping into our heads that are not all that positive. And not of our creation. I can choose to be positive and focus on the good, but talk about doing battle with the unbidden dark thoughts. HOw do we shrink the shadow? Puh-lease!?
Thanks, Loretta, I’m going through a rough time right now; your post is a good reminder & it seemed like it was meant just for me! I’ve been a fan of yours for over 20 yrs & never disappointed! I’m the director of a religious education program in a Catholic church with over 150 volunteer teachers. I’ve been using your videos & DVD’s at the end of the school year when they’re burned out to keep their morale up, they love them & keep asking for more ~ thanks again!
Loretta, I had the pleasure of meeting you at the I Can Do It Conference in Toronto. I loved your show! Thanks so much for reminding us to laugh and keep it real.
The phrase “negativity is like a big black hole with slippery sides,” brings to mind something from Fritjof Capra’s book “The Tao of Physics.”
“The mystic and the physicist arrive at the same conclusion; one starting from the inner realm, the other from the outer world.”
The Eastern mystics see the universe as an inseparable web, whose interconnections are dynamic and not static. The cosmic web is alive; it moves and grows and changes continually. Modern physics, too, has come to conceive of the universe as such a web of relations and, like Eastern mysticism, has recognized that this web is intrinsically dynamic and Quantum physics has, for example, demonstrated the links between Consciousness and Physics.
“How cognizant you are of what you say is directly correlated to the outcome you’ll get.” And consciousness determines the reality in which you exist.
Thanks for a great performance at the Hanover Theatre last evening! I laughed so hard that my face hurt. It sure is easy to get into that trap of negativity but I try some of the tips that you suggested in your performance. I have a boa which I wore at work when I was having a “Diana Ross” moment. I just bought some Sketchers sneakers that light up like the kids’ shoes do and I’m in my “50s. People call me nuts but I have fun wearing them and people smile when they see them. We can help that negativity cycle in a small way if we shed our own “light” with others. Thanks for the laughter and positive messages!
thanks for coming! I had a great time too.
Love, Loretta