Your Choice Is A Blessing

I am soo happy I came across this Article written by Stephanie Kwong. The article is called 3 words that will change your entire life, if you let them. When I read this article it put a big smile on my face and I know it will do the same for you.

This article written by Stephanie is very short but very powerful. I really enjoyed reading it a lot. The article is about how Stephanie grudgingly wakes up one morning to go to yoga class and after finally getting out the door she comes across a woman on crutches with one leg. The woman pointed to her while Stephanie was holding her yoga mat and asked her “are you going to yoga?” Yes, Stephanie replied. The woman smiled and said “Good for you. You're lucky.”

At that moment, Stephanie realized something life changing. She said, “I learned that if we've chosen to do something we'll gain from it, even if we can't see what that is. Yet.” She goes on and said “There are benefits in the choices and decisions we make. And in those moments of have-to's and should's, we can shift into an attitude of get-to, which will transform our experience of those moments to being one of choice and a blessing.”

I love what she is saying. Living from a place of I get-to can really change our lives in such tremendous ways. We get so caught up in I have to do this and I have to do that until we don't recognize the blessings in our everyday choices.... Being a preacher's wife can be challenging. My husband have been preaching for many years now. I use to feel like a wallflower sitting in my husband's shadow for a long time but one day I took a trip to my sister's house in Seattle WA and being vision impaired I needed an escort at the airport. The escort I got was really nice. He asked me where I was from and I told him I was traveling from Oklahoma to Portland OR. I told him my husband is a preacher and a ministerial student at OCU. He said, “O you're a preacher's wife.” I said yes for almost 20 years. He said something that I would never forget. He said, “You are an amazing person. Don't ever think that you are less than your husband. Not too many people can do what you do. What you are doing is a great work. Keep doing what you are doing.” What he said filled my heart with so much joy and totally changed my perspective. It was soo right on time because I had my doubts if anybody noticed what I was doing and all the hard work that I was putting in every single day.

After reading Stephanie's Article, I realized that I am blessed in so many ways. I realized that I don't have to do anything. I get to do everything I choose to do. I am where I am today because of the choices I made yesterday. We are so blessed that we get to choose our day and how our day will proceed from this moment on. Even in stressful times we have a choice. Getting into a state of gratitude opens up many more blessings to come our way. Changing your perception can change your whole life. I realize that I don't have to do anything but I get to do everything that I desire.

There is a benefit to changing your perspective from have-to to get-to. Stephanie said, “I now wake up with more vibrancy and gratitude, reminding myself of all that I get to do, get to be, get to know. Lucky me”. That is exactly how I feel about my life. I get to be a preacher's wife. I get to be a Mindfulness Coach. I get to study all the subjects that help me to grow as a person. I even get to see lol not perfectly but enough to write this blog. I get to share my thoughts with some amazing people and meet some amazing people. What more can I ask for? I am blessed.

If you want to learn how to change your perspective from have-to to get-to please read Stephanie Kwong's article titled 3 words that will change your entire life, if you let them. I hope this article inspires you as much as it has inspired me. 

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

I See The Best In You. Never Stop Dreaming

I found a beautiful, inspirational true story written by Anthony Stagg Titled 2 pieces of guidance a blind man taught me about achieving your dreams. In this 7 minute article Anthony describes how a man named Tim Reddish OBE went from childhood struggles to having a great career, a wife and 2 kids to having an even better career and life after he lost his eyesight. Overcoming losing his eyesight was a struggle at first, but Tim Reddish became unstoppable and a great inspiration to many people.

Anthony talks about in his article how after losing his eyesight “Tim had a decision to make, did he let this affect him or did he take on the responsibility for his own future?” Not only did Tim take responsibility for his life he shined so bright the whole world could see him. I was greatly moved by this article because I was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration in December of 2013 at the age of 37. One doctor said that I will be mostly blind within a year or so because my eyes are severally damaged.

When I got the news that I was going blind I was devastated. No, I was beyond devastated. I'm a visual artist. How can I go blind? What will I do with my life? I don't want to be a burden on my husband. I already had to go through a lot of crap in my life. Why this???? Every day when I woke up and my eyesight kept getting dimmer and dimmer. I got so depressed that I didn't want to open my eyes in the morning when I woke. Just opening my eyes was a constant reminder of what I thought I was losing.

After a year of depression and with the help of my husband and my big Sis Renee I decided to take charge of my life. Like Tim, I had to take responsibility for my life and not take no for an answer. I was focusing on the fear of losing my eyesight instead of focusing on seeing the world around me in the most unique and beautiful ways. I was focused on what I didn't want instead of what I wanted.

So I decided to become fearless. I decided to step into the world with new eyes and a new way of seeing. It has been an amazing journey. I have done things that I would not even dream of doing before now. I have done presentations and sang in front of large groups, started my own coaching business and I really enjoy creating this blog site. Now I only focus on what I want and those things that are out of my control I ignore. Well, more accurately I see it for what it is then I move on. The article that Anthony wrote is truly inspirational. The best advice is to take responsibility of your own life and be crystal clear of what you want. Having a clear vision will help you move forward in your life. Anthony's article will show you how.

My goals now is to be the best Mindfulness Coach that I can be and to run a meditation center within the next 2 years to help people overcome stress and anxiety. O and I will have a light brown Goldendoodle dog named Charlie ^_^ He will be the best guide dog EVER lol.

If you are going through a lot of challenges right now please read and be inspired by Anthony Stagg's article Titled 2 pieces of guidance a blind man taught me about achieving your dreams. Read Anthony's article and decide if you are going to let your challenges stop you or will you choose to do great things. The choice is yours. I see the best in you. Don't quit. Don't ever quit.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com 

You Have So Much More Life In You. Live Your Life.

I really love this short article written by George Mortimer titled 10 compelling signs that you're doing better than you think... Do you feel like you are nowhere near the life that you dreamed of living and you want more out of life? This article may give you a different perspective on your life and help you to see that you are closer to your dreams than you think.

In Mortimer's amazing article, he talks about how we should look at the bigger picture and realize that we have everything that we need to live our dreams. He also talks about how our life is amazing in ways that you may not have considered. In his article, he helps us to see the clues around us that shows us that we really are on track.

Looking at all the blessing you have right now allows you to gain so much more in your life. Mortimer in his article said, “The faster you can turn away from what's behind you and focus on this moment the happier you'll be”. Focusing on the present moment and the blessings you already have is huuugely beneficial. The more you are grateful for in your life the more blessings you will receive. Yes, I know that this has been said many times before however this is thee most important lesson to learn. If you are looking for a better life start by counting your blessings and see how much more will be added unto you.

One of the best points that Mortimer made was that “You still have a mission left unfinished”. He said, “One of the saddest things in life is to see people die in their 20's and get buried in their 70's. The truth is, your life is never finished. The fact that you still have more goals you want to accomplish, places you want to see and things you want to do puts you so much far ahead of anyone who isn't even trying”. The point is that you have so much more life to live. You are not finished yet. I learned this lesson after I was told that I was going blind. I myself had to realize that I still have a lot of life to live and I am not finished yet. There is still more life in me.

The purpose of life is not to focus on what you don't have but to enjoy all the blessings that you already have. Focusing on what you have instead of what you don't have brings more blessings into your life. Take a look at all the goodness that you have around you and you will see that you have more then you realize. If you want to see more signs on how you are actually on the right path please read George Mortimer's article titled 10 compelling signs that you're doing better than you think. See for yourself how you are actually closer to your goals and dreams than you think. Don't doubt just keep moving forward. 

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com

You are the light of the world. Go ahead and shine.

This is an amazing article written by Perry Manzano titled “How to keep your spirits up when you're bombarded with negativity all day”. If you find yourself constantly surrounded by negativity or negative people in general this article is for you.

There is a lot of negativity going on in this world today. We see it all around us and to top it all off many people have to go to work and to school just to deal with even more negative people. If negativity is a part of our everyday life we have to be better prepared to handle the daily bombardment of negativity. After reading this very well written article by Perry Manzano it helped me to realize that we can guard ourselves against negativity and live a peaceful and happy life despite what is going on around us. There are times when we must be around negative people, but there is a way to effectively protect ourselves against negativity.

Perry Manzano said, “If someone's being negative toward you, and you realize it's influencing you for the worst, make a conscious effort to get back in the driver's seat and be in control. Instead of mirroring their energy, try to help them mirror yours. Be glad that you're in a more positive state, and reflect the desired positive outcome back at them. If they raise their voice, you speak calmly. If they're rude, you act politely. That's the name of the game. Now it's just a matter of who caves in first. Maintain your energy, and stay the course no matter what. You'll know you've got them when they start matching your tone. He also said, “Remember, they're not really attacking you. They're attacking the problem. The problem itself in not a part of you; it's a separate entity”. I agree with this wholeheartedly and it works every time.

I loved it when he said “Your Positive actions make you your own leader, not a follower”. You can't change the negativity of the world, but you can change how you deal with it. You can change how you react. It is really up to you. Negativity is really how you perceive it. You have a choice to be a light or to be a part of the other persons darkness. Don't let other people dictate how you feel.

The best advice Perry Manzano gave is to “Treat yourself when you feel the negativity getting to you”.

My favorite thing to do after a hard day is to relax in a hot bath while eating a bowl full of delicious ice cream or strawberries with whip cream mmm heaven... In your daily life you should have a plan to clear out any negativity or that energy will get stuck in you and fester like a cancer. Negativity exist and even positive people can have a bad day from time to time. We may not be able to change the whole world but your goal should simply be to allow the world to match your beautiful light. Even if the world doesn't match your amazing light you will still have the ultimate inner peace that no one can take away. Guard against negativity by choosing to keep your spirits high and be the light of the world.

If you are dealing with a lot of negativity in your life and you want to learn the most effective way of dealing with it please read Perry Manzano article titled “How to keep your spirits up when you're bombarded with negativity all day”. In it Perry Manzano gives 5 amazing tips on how to handle everyday negativity. I hope that this article inspires you to live life to the fullest no matter how negative the world may be. You are the light of the world. Go ahead and shine.

God Bless

Artisticsoulwithin.com