Don't Let Anyone Steal Your Joy

I truly love this article written by Marc Chernoff titled 7 Little Habits That Stole Your Happiness Yesterday. This is a very encouraging article... I use to be a very emotional person before I learned about mindfulness. I use to let anything and everything move me into stress and depression. Everything bothered me. On the other hand, I had many reasons to be upset. Having to go through a very traumatic childhood and suffering from PTSD I always felt like I was always in the fight or flight mode. I was always on the look out with very little brakes. The only moment of peace I felt was when I was creating my art or when I went to church. I was always part of a youth group that seem to take me away from a very stressful life.

As I got older and moved from place to place my fight and flight response kept getting stronger and stronger. I was no longer in a youth group and even though I love going to church the answers to the questions of how to turn off the fight and flight in me didn't come easy. Church family would simply tell me to just have faith, but I didn't understand how to apply that to that constant fight and flight in me that seemed never ending. I didn't know how to let go of anything and the idea of letting go in a strange way seem horrifying. I had to fight to keep from being hurt or to keep from hurting. I had to fight to protect myself even if danger was nowhere near me and my mind never stopped racing. The more I fought the worse I felt. 

Despite all that I have gone through I learned a lot in the last few years. After studying mindfulness techniques, I went from reacting to purposefully picking and choosing my reactions. This was beyond liberating. I learned that joy is mine and it is my prized possession. I also learned that if I want inner peace and joy I have to work at it every single day, minute by minute.

Marc Chernoff in his article said it best “Remember, you ultimately become what you repeatedly do. If your daily habits aren't helping you, they're hurting you.” He also said that “Inner peace begins the moment you take a deep breath and choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.” In other words don't let anyone steal your joy.

I loved it when Marc said “Confident people use words with intention. And you can be one of them”. When all is said and done you have to be confident. I believe confidence is the best way to keep anyone from stealing your joy. Trust that you know what is best for you and be confident in what you do every day. Trust yourself.

Make a choice right now to own your joy, do all you can to protect it and don't let anyone steal it from you. Marc Chernoff's article is packed full great tips on how to protect your joy. Please read his article 7 Little Habits That Stole Your Happiness Yesterday and remember that joy is yours the moment you claim it.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

Being Yourself Is Absolute Bravery

I have found a very inspirational story. I really love this article by Jess Stuart titled Imaging Living A Life You Don't Have To Escape From. I can totally relate to this article because It's scary to step outside of the box and totally be who you know you are. I'm blessed because I have a stubborn streak, but I almost had to wage a war to be who I am today. I had to fight for every inch of myself. From my own personal beliefs to my natural hair. I had to fight to be unique. People would tell me every day be yourself then look down on me and get angry when I do something they don't like.

I totally empathize when Jess said “I was exhausted, unhappy, and I kept getting sick. It wasn't so much the stressful job that tired me; the really exhausting part was pretending to be something I wasn't, committing to things that didn't matter to me, and selling out on my values and purpose.” Like Jess, I knew what was right for my life but when I stepped outside of the box people would look at me as if I had two heads.. Except the fact that people will not always see what you see. It's not meant for them to see it because it's not their journey.

Hold on to your values, purpose and the desire to have balance in your life. You don't have to give up everything in your life to do what you love. When I coach people I teach them how just one hour a day doing something you love can get you closer to your dreams than doing nothing at all. By the yard, it's hard but inch by inch anything is a cinch.

I have learned that it takes persistent dedicated work and bravery to be yourself. Jess Stuart painted a beautiful picture of living a life of your dreams when he said “I feel like I help and inspire people, although it's not all butterflies and rainbows; I earn less, have to get up earlier, and sometimes I don't know when or where the next job is coming from. But my work is part of my life now rather than an inconvenient interruption to it.”. This is the most beautiful and inspirational thing I have read in a long time.

If you are looking to live a life that you don't have to have a vacation from please read Jess Stuart's article and take a page from his book.

God bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

Because Of You I Didn't Give Up

I'm here for you. I may not have all the words, I may not even know what to do but know this I'm here for you. 

I love this great short article written by Christine Carter titled My Best Happiness Advice. This truly is the best advice that I have read in a very long time. In Carter's Article, she said “So when you are feeling down, or disappointed, the best way to get your happiness mojo back is by helping someone else”. This is soooo true.

For the last few months, my husband had been suffering from a terrible case of gout and he couldn't walk or work. Because he is the kind of person who takes a lot of pride in taking care of his family he got very depressed because he was having a very hard time. I had to step up a lot to take care of him. Keep in mind that I have very low vision. My head was still spinning from my Macular Degeneration diagnosis and I am still learning to adjust to having low vision but when he got hurt I had to do everything that I could to take care of him. I without even thinking about it put my issues to the side and poured everything into him.

My husband is feeling much better now and last Sunday he preached a great father's day sermon but what struck me the most was after he finished preaching a friend of ours stepped up and in front of a large church with tears in his eyes started talking about me. I was shocked. He said Your husband did a great job, but I want to comment on what I seen you do. He said in front of the whole church “Her eyes grow dimmer every day, but she don't let that stop her from helping everyone around her. Every time I see her she always has a smile on her face. She is a huge encouragement to me. Every time I see her I stop thinking about my issues because if she could do what she does with her issues I know that can easily deal with my own.” He pretty much told me that I see you, I know what you have done and I appreciate it.

That really touched my heart because it's not every day that someone says I see you. Not in a positive light anyway. Within the last few months I have found pure joy in my life. I have learned to cultivate peace and joy within myself. I have learn this pure fact that Christine Carter talked about in her article that the best way to overcome feeling down or disappointed is to focus on helping others. I didn't deny how I felt about losing my eyesight. I just for the time being just let it be what it is and be ok with what is. I found freedom.

If you are looking to learn how to have pure joy please read Christine Carter's article titled My Best Happiness Advice. And if you want to learn more ways of being joyful I suggest that you read Wherever you go there you are by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

You have the power to create your life... Use it.

Laws of physics say that it should be impossible for the little humming bird to fly. I guess nobody told the humming bird.

I love this short but sweet quote by Ralph Marston titled Use your power. Not too many people know how powerful they really are. On the other hand, there are many people who know that they are powerful but don't know how to unleash it.... How do we use our power when we run into roadblocks and self-doubt? How do we get what we want with very little resources? How can we use our own personal power for our greatest good?

I invite you to read It Is Done!: The Final Step To Instant Manifestations by Richard Dotts. This is one of my favorite books on the subject of manifesting what you desire. It is not like other books where you have to do a lot of mantras, affirmations or “positive thinking” even though those things help some people. This book in plain English shows you how to use the power that is already in you to achieve anything you desire. Richard Dotts in my humble opinion made the process of manifestation a whole lot easier than other authors have done and I have read A LOT of books on the subject. I have used Dotts methods and I have achieved great things in my life. The biggest change in my life is that I learned to let go of so many unwanted things in my life and now I can see my path a whole lot clearer. I once was very stressed over losing my eyesight and now it is no longer an issue for me. I have gained so much in my life in such a short time thanks to Richard Dotts books.

It Is Done!: The Final Step To Instant Manifestations is a wonderful, easy read and I invite anyone who wants to learn how to use their own personal power to the fullest to read his books. Take the time to realize how powerful you really are and know that you have the power to create your life. Use your power and be like the amazing humming bird.

God Bless 

Artisticsoulwithin.com

  

You Are Fearless And Unstopable

I had a bad dream that turned into a great adventure. It was very eye opening. In my dream I went to the movies with my family and once the movie was over we started to leave the theater but I forgot my purse and my walking stick so I told my family to wait for me as I go back to get my things. When I got my things and headed back to my family my vision got dark and very blurry. In my dream, I was reminded that I have Macular Degeneration and today was the day that I would lose all my eyesight and in the middle of a crowded theater.

As I was looking for my family through the darkness I tried to listen for them but I couldn't hear them. They were gone. I walked around thinking that if I can just get outside I would find them but for a brief moment my heart started racing and I couldn't breath. I thought what if I can't find my way? I was afraid. The moment I started to panic through the darkness I saw my little niece 5 years old running towards me with open arms to give me a hug. I laughed and asked where is your mom? She took me by the hand and led me to where everyone was getting into the Scooby Doo van lol. They said get in Barbara. Let's go home. I got into the van and we went on a crazy adventure through LA lol.

Carla Birnberg wrote an amazing article titled 4 Things To Remember When Fear Is Holding You Back. What she wrote was just what I needed to hear. My favorite part was when she talked about how over thinking everything accomplishes nothing. In her article, Carla said “Yes, Fear lets us fall prey to paralysis by analysis. When we allow fear to permeate our excitement it stops us dead in our tracks. We become paralyzed by the mere thought of pushing past and making our way toward a more positive emotion. We become stuck in the cycle of what if.....? Conjuring mental images of various worst-case scenarios. Our brain, riddled with fear, ceases to acknowledge past successes and becomes wholly focused on the perceived terror of the experience to come. Unease and uncertainty paralyze us, and we become stuck in a downward cycle. The solution? Stop thinking and start doing”. What Carla said was powerful and right on time.

Losing my eyesight scares me but I refuse to let fear hold me back. That dream and Carla's article taught me to move beyond my fears, get into the Scooby Doo van and go have an adventure.

I invite you to go have an adventure. If you find yourself guided by fear please read Carla Birnberg's article titled 4 Things To Remember When Fear Is Holding You Back and move beyond your fears as I do myself every.... single.... day ^_^

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

You Are Powerful. Spread Your Wings And Fly

 I really like this article written by Shelly Drymon titled 5 Steps To Lasting Life Changes And Personal Growth. This is a great quick read and will inspire you to make lasting Changes in your life. The steps are uplifting, empowering, simple to understand and very well thought out. Shelly did a great job with this great article.

In Shelly's article she covers 5 steps on what it takes to transform your life. Out of the 5 steps Deciding What is true for your life is my favorite. Trying to live up to other peoples expectations is exhausting and disempowering. I have always advocated that we be who we are even if that doesn't fit the “social norm”. I had to learn this the hard way. I am a night person. I go to sleep at 4 am then wake up around 2 pm. For many many years I thought this was a bad thing thinking EVERY BODY went to bed at 10 pm and woke up at 6 am and I can only do business around a certain time frame. Then I discovered the 24 hour world. In this new world I can work what ever hours I want to work and someone around the world is up when ever I am awake and I cater to those people who are up or soon to be up. Over all I stopped stressing and fighting my sleep schedule. I embraced my sleep schedule as the norm for me. Now I am very happy and I sleep great.

Shelly's article is short and sweet with doable steps. I encourage any one who is looking to transform their life to read Shelly Drymon article 5 Steps To Lasting Life Changes And Personal Growth. Don't just read the article really think about what she talks about and do the steps. If you would like to read more on this subject take a look at one of my favorite books titled Come and Sit with Me: How to Desire Nothing and Manifest Everything . I know if you start the process now you will see amazing growth in the future. I wish you much success in your life.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com  

It's An Honor To Love You

Our Relationships Are The Greatest Treasures In The World

 Yesterday My husband and I celebrated our 19^th wedding anniversary. We have known each other for over 20 years. I am extremely happy because with all that we have been through with my husband having congestive heart failure a few years ago I realized that life is short and tomorrow is not promised with our loved ones. Even though he is doing really good right now and his heart is much stronger I still try and celebrate each day as if it was our last.

For this blog post I wanted to share my secrets to a happy relationship in honor of our anniversary but I found a article by an awesome author that summed up how to have a great relationship perfectly. The article is called 21 Toxic Habits That Ruins Our Relationship by Chantalle Gerber. I wish I read this article when I first got married or heck when I first got into a relationship. Chantalle summed everything up perfectly. In her 10 minute article she gives perfect advice on how to avoid the pitfalls in not just marriage but in all relationships period.

The 21 points that Chantalle listed in her article are the lessons I learned in my 19 years of marriage with my husband. There are A LOT of things that I am still working on like #19 We expect other people to have learned the same lessons we have. Many things are learned through experience and each us have learned different things in our life. We have to give each other room to grow and not get frustrated when the other person “don't get it”. Chantalle's Article is right on the money. Her article will certainly take your relationships to the next level if you are willing to make changes in your life. We really do have more control over our relationship then we realize. Read Chantalle's article 21 Toxic Habits That Ruins Our Relationships and If you are looking for a great book to read one of my favorites books is fascinating womanhood by Helen Andelin. I wish you much success and happiness in all your relationships to come.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

You Are Strong Enough

Angel Chernoff has written THE most inspirational and informative article titled 10 Things You Must Give Up To Get Yourself Back On Track. This was hugely encouraging to me because we all face challenges and set backs ALL THE TIME and many times we get stuck. The letter that Angel shared in her article about a father going through hard times with his very sick baby was truly heart touching. This article moved me a lot and I am very happy to share this with my readers.

Angel's article touched on 10 points to help you overcome set backs in your life and I have a few favorites. One of my favorites is give up believing you aren't strong enough to take another step forward... Life get's heavy sometimes and it can feel like the whole world is on our shoulders. My husband is going through a bout of Gout and any one who had it or knows someone who has it know that it is very painful. I think the most painful part for my husband is not being able to work and take care of his family like he really wants to do. Every day I have to help him to see that he is getting better and to help him focus on having good health and not focus on just the pain.

It's not easy but If you can take your mind off your problems and see the blessings you do have and move forward with persistence and determination the whole world will open up to you. Read Come and Sit with Me: How to Desire Nothing and Manifest EverythingAnother great point Angel made was to give up over-thinking and worrying about everything because worry don't take away from tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away from today's peace and life is too short for that. If you are having a hard time in your life right now please read Angel Chernoff article titled 10 Things You Must Give Up To Get Yourself Back On Track and know that you are strong enough to take another step forward.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

You Are Who You Believe You Are

I really enjoyed this article by Marc Charnoff titled 3 Beliefs You Have That Hold You Back... This article is huuugely inspiring because we have all been there. You try something as a kid and you are told you are not good enough. You dream big and your family thinks that you think you are better then every one else and that you need to face “reality” and live in the “real” world. As a child after expressing my biggest dream of becoming a Cartoonist I was told who do think you are? Do you think you are better then me? You have so many strikes against you. You are black and you are a female so they will never let you be a cartoonist.

As a child I desperately tried to make my family see that I could be anything I wanted to be and I craved their approval but as I grew up I learned that trying to get their approval was a big mistake. I found a way to block the noise and keep moving forward. Marc expertly covers this and a few other things in his short but sweet article. He talks about how we as children are trained to ask others for permission and we are not trained to ask ourselves who we really are. We are not trained to discover things for ourselves. It takes courage to become who you truly are. Marc beautifully talks about how you CAN get what ever it is that you want in your life even if you have to scrape, fight and claw for it. Don't give up.

It took me being diagnosed with Macular Degeneration and told that I was going blind before I realized that there is nothing I can't do. It took a lot of soul searching and a lot of hard work to get where I am right now in my life. I am a Life Coach, Artist, Writer and June 8th I will be celebrating my 19th wedding anniversary ^_^ If I can overcome being vision impaired you can overcome your day-to-day struggles. I said it once and I will say it again you have everything you need in order to succeed. Please read Marc Charnoff article titled 3 Beliefs You Have That Hold You Back. Remove those limiting beliefs and become the person you truly are.

God Bless 

Artisticsoulwithin.com