Tag Archives: Gratitude

Whatever Happened to That Blog?

Posted in Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, Loss, Manifestation, Spirituality by
Image courtesy of “Scenery Of The Wooden Pier In The Morning” by surasakiStock. From http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of “Scenery Of The Wooden Pier In The Morning” by surasakiStock. From http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Ever wonder where a blogger goes when their blog site goes silent? What has distracted them to the point they are no longer posting?

In my case, my blog fell silent for several months because of a tragic automobile accident with my middle child, Daniel. January of this year, I witnessed a drunk driver strike my 13 year old, nearly killing him. The drunk driver was running from California Highway Patrol in a residential neighborhood and traveling 77 miles per hour at impact. Daniel spent a little under a month in ICU and I spent days and nights by his hospital bed. In the first few nights of his hospital stay, we didn’t know if he would make it. Once we knew he would survive, we were then faced with not knowing whether Daniel would be able to walk again. Needless to say, I was not inspired to write a check or even a Facebook post, let alone a blog post, as I was traumatized and emotionally spent.

Through the highs and lows of first thinking I was going to lose my son, to his miraculous recovery, and the turmoil that is continuing to unfold with the legal wrangling, I witnessed so many miracles – daily (more to come on those beautiful miracles!). These miracles reminded me in my darkest hours that God was still there, guiding my every step. Many days I had to lean on God moment to moment, because I had little else to lean on to. God showed his loving ways through loved ones and strangers and I am forever grateful for those angels (and there were so many beautiful angels from my town!) who showed me love when hate could have easily enveloped my heart.

When Daniel was released, I became his nurse and caregiver, a role I was thrown into by circumstance, but one I was grateful to be in. I connected with my son in a way that will forever bind us both, as he had to rely on me for everything.

While I was away, I still tried to stay in writing practice by putting small notes into a journal, spending precious time with and loving on my three kids like I never had before. My family’s life as we knew it had turned completely upside down – which made me reevaluate what was really important in my life.

To all of my followers and readers – I’m sorry I was gone for too long without any explanation. Thank you to those who continued to stop by my blog during this very trying time.

What’s to come on AbundantLifeInitiative.com and KimberlyJoCooley.com (launching soon!):

  • More inspirational posts on Abundant~Life~Initiative and the invitation to contribute to the blog is still open.
  • Inspirational Podcast and Book Recommendations.
  • Video and Live Streaming – I am being spiritually called to share my face and my voice with the world.
  • My new blog site, https://kimberlyjocooley.com/ is my personal blog that will delve more into my personal writer’s life and the behind the scenes of Abundant~Life~Initiative (the discoveries and frustrations that are often left out of the abundantlifeinitiative.com blog posts). I will also list my own tools and tricks for managing a full work and family life, while blogging and writing along the way.
  • Kimberly*Jo*Cooley is my gift to myself – it’s been so long since I’ve focused on my writing. Now is the time. An official launch of Kimberly*Jo*Cooley will be coming very soon!

I look forward to getting reconnected with my blogging community and getting back to my creative roots of writing. It’s been entirely too long since we’ve last connected and I’ve missed you all.

Many blessings to all of you!

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

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While I Was Away…Abundance Abounds

Posted in Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Spirituality by
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Image courtesy of Colorful Abstract Lines for Background Stock Photo by tigger11th, from  www.freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post is dedicated to my generous sister, Jennifer, who lovingly blessed me with sharing her laptop computer. My computer crashed this past summer and it’s thanks to her generosity that I’m able to crank out a blog post today from the comforts of my desk at home. I love you Baby Sis and I thank you for all your love and support. 

Hello! I’ve been away from my blogging community for a spell and I’m sorry I left without so much as a “goodbye” or a “see you soon.” I was on hiatus from writing and even checking my personal emails. I only had enough energy and time to care for my two teenagers and preschooler, work my insurance gig, and manage my home. This fall, I squeezed in time to work for the American River Review, a community college literary magazine, which has given me great experience in creating an award winning publication. I attended a much needed women’s spiritual retreat in the great Mendocino County in mid-September. Shortly after the retreat, an ultrasound revealed several uterine fibroid tumors and I had a revelation about the cause of my pulmonary embolism condition (more on that in another blog).

I was not compelled to push through my so-called writer’s block. Instead, I was in a space and season of self-reflection and internalization.

I’ve been attending my beloved church, Center for Spiritual Awareness (CSA) of West Sacramento (http://www.csasacramento.org/church-services.html). Reverend Georgia’s three part “Path to Wealth” series inspired me to get back on my morning inspirational routine:

Here are some podcasts I checked out while I was away:

  • Summer McStravick’s Flowdreaming September 8, 2015: How You REALLY Use Law of Attraction (https://flowdreaming.com/)
  • Summer McStravick’s Flowdreaming October 13, 2015: Creating Strong Healthy Boundaries
  • Summer McStravick’s Flowdreaming October 20, 2015 Create Easy, Smooth Energy Toward Your Goals…and Ditch that Hard Stuff!
  • Lynn Crocker’s Create Your Reality October 26, 2015 Mastering Your Habits  is the Key to Living a Healthier, Happier, and Fulfilling Life (https://createyourrealityradio.wordpress.com/author/lynncrocker/)
  • Janice Campbell’s Receive Your Life October 1, 2015 Faith in Life, Faith in Yourself (http://www.receiveyourlife.com/)

Janice Campbell’s own summertime hiatus from her podcast Receive Your Life gave me permission to take my own break. Just like her, I needed a break to focus inward and to readjust to new opportunities that were coming my way. Now, I can give renewed and invigorated energy to my blog.

The books I’m reading right now tie in nicely to the above mentioned church services and Podcasts:

A Path to Wealth by May McCarthy. CSA’s Reverend Georgia used this book as a basis for her three part series on building wealth (please see above videos). May provides a fun and easy way to strengthen your bond with God and honoring what it is you already have and what’s to come. A definite must (and easy) read. She reminds us we are stewards of God’s gifts and when we turn to our God Source, we receive all that we need to live a truly abundant life.

Giving Thanks: The Art of Tithing by Paula Langguth Ryan. True tithing comes in many forms, not just the paper money we typically think of when we are giving back. Tithe your time, heart, talent, and gifts and you will see an abundance of time, heart, talent and gifts bestowed unto you. Tithing is the spiritual currency we use to give and to receive. This is a gem of a book that takes the mystery out of true tithing.

Thank you readers and fellow bloggers for reading my blog and always being such great sources of support and inspiration for me. I’d love to hear about what you’ve been creating and manifesting in the comment box below and discuss ways we can further support each other in our quest for an abundant life.

~Your Curator of All Things Abundant, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Your Problem’s New Street Name is Opportunity!

Posted in Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Loss, Love, Manifestation, Work Life by
Image courtesy of Red Ant With Problem by photoexplorer, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of Red Ant With Problem by photoexplorer, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Are you saddled with problems? Are you wrapped up in what’s not working, that you’ve neglected to focus on what is working and what opportunities you do have to change your circumstances? Well, a definite must-listen-to-twice Podcast is Rae Zander’s Everyday Attraction’s Friday, July 17, 2015 show, “Getting Current With Who You Have Become” (https://www.unity.fm/episode/EverydayAttraction_071715).

Rae asked in her show, are you loving your life, even when the shit hits the fan? We’ve come here to sometimes muck things up. Life isn’t meant to be one long, easy ride. Can you imagine how boring life would be if everything was vanilla and smooth? Me personally, I like a hellishly fun roller coaster ride to let me know I’m alive.

Stop looking at your problems, as problems! Look at them as answers to your prayers. Money troubles, health issues, relationship woes, career snags, the big Ds (divorce, debt, death), are not here to kill you, they are here because you can sculpt a blob of clay into a beautiful piece of art. The blob of clay is your life waiting for you to create what you want with it. Once you stop looking at your problems as evidence of everything going wrong, switch it around and think of it as everything going right. Practice this with seemingly small “problems” and watch how everything shifts and moves in the “right” direction. Even if you have to remold your clay of areas in your life over and over again, remember there’s no right or wrong way to create your life’s masterpiece.

Now that these areas in your life have your attention, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to continue to manifest more contrast with negative thoughts about your “problems?” Or, are you going to change course and move in a different direction? Maybe a new word to use in place of “problem” is “opportunity.”

The reason more “bad” things happen is because we dwell in the negative emotions that come with dealing with so-called problems. The more angst and anxiety around a certain subject, the more you align to that emotional vibrational frequency. Look at problems as opportunities to do and feel something different.

The truth is, “what’s going on in your bank account today is yesterday’s news,” according to Rae from Everyday Attraction. She opines we’ve already manifested the low funds and crying over the present circumstance is a waste of energy. Sure, you could cry and tell the story to all your friends that you are broke, but guess what? All that’s doing is perpetuating the circumstance you’re trying to move away from. Shift your perception to what it is you DO have and want. That’s why gratitude journals are so useful. They remind us how we are already abundant.

Abundance is not just money. If you can breathe, you are blessed. If you can read this blog post and understand what its saying, you are blessed.  If you have no pain, you are blessed. And, if you have love in your heart and are loved, you are abundantly blessed. Stop telling stories of lack, and start celebrating and holding into gratitude what’s going right in your life.

I love the term “divine discontent.” I read a Facebook post recently from a co-worker asking if her friends knew of any companies that are hiring. I know from working with her that she’s in a highly stressful job and I can relate because three years ago, that was me, too. But, I also know that her discontent is divinely sent. The uncomfortableness of her stressful job has her searching for something better, more in alignment with where she truly wants to be. She may not have articulated it in that fashion, but that’s what it is. She’s calling out for something better because her discontent is showing her she’s unhappy. And, her taking the simple step of asking friends if there are other jobs out there is signaling to herself and the Universe that she’s ready to do something about her discontent.

The uninformed person would whine about their stressful job for years before they decide to change their thinking to open up to new possibilities. But, the enlightened person takes action when they feel the lower vibrational energies stirring inside them. They realize the present circumstance is a manifestation of yesterday’s thoughts. They know their present circumstance does not bound their future – unless they allow it to. Your power is ALWAYS IN THE NOW. Act like the Co-Creator you’ve come to earth to be and get out of the victimhood mentality.

Rae says when you start to shift your perception of what’s going on is when you finally come to a place of finding more balance in your life, no matter what is actually unfolding in the present moment.

Stop looking at problems like fifteen ton weights holding you down and look at them as possibilities to set you free!

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Cultivating Your Spiritual Practice

Posted in Affirmations, Health, Inspiration, New Thought, Spirituality, Work Life by
Image courtesy of Spirit On Hook Displays Spiritual Body Or Purity by Stuart Miles from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Spirit On Hook Displays Spiritual Body Or Purity by Stuart Miles from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

There are day to day activities we do that are chockfull of spirituality. Your spiritual rituals and rhythm can be found in your chores, errands, daily commute, daily work tasks, exercising and spending time with family and friends. Oftentimes, we think of going to church, praying, and meditation as the only means to cultivating a spiritual practice. But, when we recognize how natural and easy it is to carve out a spiritual connection, the world seems abound with many spiritual growth opportunities.

Here are some ways to cultivate your day to day spiritual practices:

  • Stay on the lookout for pockets of time you can take to meditate or to think on what you’re grateful for. Book a conference room at work for you to turn down the lights and meditate. It only takes a few minutes for a mindfulness reboot. If you can’t book a room, go to your car, or do a walking meditation around the block on your breaks.
  • Download phone apps, such as Calm or Nature Meditation Sounds to have on hand to easily meditate. Or, consider creating a YouTube subscription to all of your favorite guided meditation or nature sound videos.
  • When you find yourself in a limiting or defeating thought, consider Esther Hicks/Abraham’s suggestion of the Seventeen Seconds Process where you countdown seventeen seconds as you shift your thoughts to something lighter and better serving. Rae Zander and Heather McKay Novak of Everyday Attraction Podcast’s June 5, 2015 show “The Most Powerful Alignment Practices of All Time” discuss the Seventeen Second Process in greater detail (http://www.unity.fm/episode/EverydayAttraction_060515). They sourced their information from the originator of the Seventeen Second Process, Esther Hicks/Abraham-Hicks of http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php.
  • Keep Your cell phone or MP3 player full of positive, New Thought, or inspirational Podcasts to listen to on your commute. I look forward to my twenty minute drives to work thanks to the inspirational Podcasts that spark my imagination and inspire me.
  • There’s nothing more spiritually uplifting than calling an old friend to catch up on life and laughs. When you need a pick-me-up, call up a friend and be their pick-me-up.
  • Take a walk. Even a brisk, ten minute walk in the sun is enough time to get mindful and connected to your inner thoughts. Say some affirmations, think of what you’re grateful for, or, clear your mind.
  • Keep a little journal near you to capture random divine coincidences, things you are grateful for, or even ideas and sparks of interest you want to explore. Make sure its small enough to fit in your back pocket or purse so there’s no excuse to be without it.
  • Read spiritual text and holy books. Read all there is – blogs, books, memoirs, poems and journals, just to name a few. Even if you can only manage a couple of pages a day, you will gain some spiritual nourishment and insight to any give situation.
  • Let the music carry you away. What’s your favorite music genre? Why did you fall in love with that type of music? Fall in love all over again with a long lost genre you used to groove to. Spirituality can also be found in singing songs, so sing away.
  • When exercising, have inspirational Podcasts, affirmations (create your own for a powerful experience), or music that allows your mind to run free playing through your earbuds. I like combining my workouts with spiritual practice because I’m a busy lady and I need to combine my activities.
  • Play in the recesses of your mind. Daydream, get lost in your thoughts and fall in love with the Inner You.

Janice Campbell of Receive Your Life Podcast reminds us that all of us have a spiritual practice that feeds our soul and it’s up to each of us to nourish our spiritual selves everyday on her May 28, 2015 show, “Your Spiritual Practice” (http://www.unity.fm/episode/ReceiveYourLife_052815). It was Janice’s May 28th Podcast that inspired me to write this post to remind us to honor what it is that moves us and have our being.

Can you find spiritual fulfillment in the mundane, like housecleaning or your daily work duties? It doesn’t take a lot to indulge daily in what makes you spiritually connected and happy.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Your Fertile Ground: Fertilize Your Manifestational Soil

Posted in Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Prosperity, Spirituality by
Image courtesy of Flowers Background Means Growth And Beautiful Garden, by Stuart Miles, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net.

Image courtesy of Flowers Background Means Growth And Beautiful Garden, by Stuart Miles, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net.

We have to fertilize our thoughts and lives with righteous seeds. Seeds that will take root, blossom and sustain all the dreams you have. To fertilize your dreams means to take time and space to feed your soul with practices and prayer. What are your fertilization methods in your own lives? Have you neglected your garden? A richly fertilized soil will produce a mighty, strong fruit continuously. Weak and neglectful tending will yield poor results.

  • Be thankful. Be thankful from the time you wake up, until the time you slip into your sheets to go to sleep. Be relentless in thanksgiving – inward and outward. Be thankful for the tiniest of details to the loftiest dreams fulfilled.
  • Pray. Pray all the time to yourself and out loud. It doesn’t have to be all pomp and circumstance, with a bible and rosary in hand (but hey, if that works for you, go for it). The Universe is listening to your prayers, so be mindful of your prayers and what you are calling into your life. The emotions in prayer are the Universal language and can move time and space. Be a relentless, praying Being.
  • Play. Have a good time doing whatever it is that feels really good. Many of us have forgotten to have fun along the way. That’s okay, you can start having fun this moment. Laugh! Allow the inner child to lead for a little while. For me, sometimes it’s writing all day. Other times, its hanging with friends. Sometimes its listening to live music, or sitting on the beach. Play! Something as simple as being playful on how you execute your day can turn the mundane into a fertile playground. Check and monitor your attitude throughout the day until you are used to having a positive disposition.
  • Meditate. Just five to ten minutes each day is a healthy dose. We make time to watch trash television, to gossip, or to play Facebook games. But, are we taking time to reboot our minds? Use one of your 10-15 work breaks to meditate. Do a walking meditation, or book a conference room to meditate, or meditate at your desk. Morning meditations are an awesome way to start the day, but don’t beat yourself up because you don’t do meditations when others deify morning mindfulness. Meditation anytime of day is fine, and some even find nighttime mindfulness to work better for them than morning time. Find a time that works for you and stick to it.
  • Generate new ideas. Are you creating and generating new ideas? Some fun ways to generate new ideas is create vision boards. I am going to try a new idea of having a book of vision boards with an 80 pound sketch pad (edit: 80 pound refers to page thickness), with themed vision board pages. Themes can include any area of my life that I’d like to view images of to support goals in those life areas. Another idea is to write out your goals and dreams in each area of your life in a journal. Scratch off what you manifest as evidence of your creative power. Driving or commuting is a great time for new ideas to pop up, so keep a recorder (on your phone or a handheld one) to easily capture those ideas that come to you.
  • Visualize. Visualization is a potent fertilizer of dreams and it’s easy to do. When you visualize states of being or desired experiences, it makes it easy for you to allow what you are visualizing to come, easy for the Universe to respond, and easy for you to receive it. Over time, you will visualize more often, and will see faster results for manifestations to blossom.
  • Claim success. As opposed to always assuming you’ll never get what you want or focusing on what you don’t want, shift your focus on claiming what you do want. Claiming success gives the Universe no choice but to give you success. So many times we shoot ourselves in the foot by second guessing ourselves, allowing negative self talk to take us a down a few notches. But, the person who claims success is usually the one that reaches success. Practice claiming the good in your life and watch it manifest sooner than you ever could imagine.
  • Be open. Your blessings may not come in the package you thought it would or should, but that doesn’t make it less of a blessing than if it came in a package you thought would be better. Remember, your job is to nurture and tend to your dreams by guiding them with affirmative directions, so if you’ve done your job, you do not need to be anxious over every single outcome that doesn’t appear favorable. Some people can see the blessing in every thing – because there really is a blessing in every circumstance. Be open to all the possibilities that come your way, letting your intuition guide you to act only on what’s in alignment with your values and desires. Being open is a person who was fired then later find a better suited job that makes them ten times more happy than the one they got fired from. The unopened person will wallow in the sadness of getting fired, whereas the one who is open to all possibilities quickly rebounds by thinking and doing things that take them to their next level. Don’t let present circumstances thwart your trajectory.
  • Be grateful. A grateful person is an abundant person. An abundant person honors the manifestational cycle by being grateful first, receiving second, and being grateful once more. Gratitude touches every positive, emotional electron in our Being. Gratitude signals to the Universe you’re grateful for what you have, and you’ll have more of that, please. To kick your manifestation into high gear, be grateful for what is here and what is yet to become. Gratitude communicates to the Universe that you recognize, acknowledge and accept the blessings that are coming to you, small or grand. Keep a gratitude journal and the things you were grateful for that day. The journal will remind you of how blessed you truly are and to see what can be added each day.

Just as the farmer tends to his apple orchards, he doesn’t see apples on his trees now, but he knows the fruits are coming. He keeps his soil fertilized and gives the trees what they need in order to flourish and grow. He handles the tending, and God handles the rest. It’s all about working in concert with the Universe. ~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Stop Worrying About the “How” and Just Be in the “Now”

Posted in Goals, Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Spirituality by
Image courtesy of amenic181, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of amenic181, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Your job is to generate and to allow your creative thoughts to come, shaping matter into manifestation. To nurture creative thoughts by being fertile ground for them to sow and grow. To be an allowing vessel for blessings to flow to and through you. To be ever present in the now is to slow down enough to savor what is and to be confident in what is to yet to be.

God/The Universe’s job is to handle the “how” in bringing forth the manifestation or your creative thoughts and ideas.

Your “now” lays the foundation for your tomorrow. If your “now” is filled with worry for the “how” of things you want to create, all you are creating is more worry about not having what you want. We live in affirmative universe, that gives us what we focus on and believe. To effect change in one’s life, one must look at what they believe and are focusing on.

Let your “now” be filled with gratitude and appreciation. Let your “now” be filled with peace and creative moments. Let your “now” have times of respite and reflection. Let your “now” be void of dissatisfaction and boredom. Your “now” should have no room for boredom, dissatisfaction, anger or resentment.

Don’t prematurely pull up your creative seedlings, by allowing doubt, worry, and fear to uproot them. Be like the farmer who tends to his plants, but doesn’t hover over and crowd them. The farmer is patient, all the while knowing that what he has planted will grow in its own time.

The lover lives in the “now,” the worrier lives in the future, and the naysayer lives in the past. The naysayer relies on information about their life from what they’ve seen and only what they’ve seen. The worrier relies on information on fears of what they cannot see. The lover relies on the love they are experiencing right now and will continue to experience. Be the lover. Lover of creativity, lover of life, lover of all there is.

Know that all is truly well and working in Divine Favor for the best life has to offer you. Resolve to enjoy life, right now, and to refrain from needlessly stressing over things, for stressing will never bring what you want closer to you.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

 

Perfectly Aligned

Posted in Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, New Thought, Spirituality by

To be present in this moment is golden, and what makes life so sweet. Thank you Sheri, for such a beautiful letter to humanity.

Be present. Be aware of the emotions you’re emitting and experiencing. Is that emotion in alignment with your desires for yourself and your life? Or, something else? If you are feeling good, take note, and savor that moment. Blessed Be.

10 Life Enriching Things To Do When It’s Cold Outside

Posted in Fitness, Goals, Inspiration, Spirituality by

 Merry Christmas Folks! I hope you are having a lovely time with friends and family, but be sure to take time out for yourself, even if it’s just for a few minutes each day through the holiday season. When you’re refreshed, you bring your whole self to the party! This blog post is a revisit from last December and I thought it was timely as many of us are taking time off for the holidays. Enjoy and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

ID-10011223

Courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net

Cold weather or tending to sick, sleeping children definitely keeps many of us in doors. When we find ourselves bound to the house, whether to stay warm or to care for ourselves or others, we can use the time productively. Here’s a list of ten life enriching things to do while stuck in doors.

1. Create an acknowledgement/gratitude journal. This type of journal is different than one to capture all your thoughts and emotions from day to day (although I think that’s a good reason to journal too). This journal is simply to acknowledge the specific things you did in a day and what you are grateful for. In time, you will have a collection of acknowledgements about your life and will have physical evidence of all that you do and receive.
2. Create a Manifestation journal. This is different from an acknowledgement/gratitude journal because it is a chronicle of the things you wish to bring into your life in the near and far future. It will feel amazing to see the things you scribed in your manifestation journal come to fruition in your acknowledgement/gratitude journal. Some things I have manifested was my daughter, my degree, my vehicle, and a better job, just to name a few.
3. Create a Vision Statement for your life. A paragraph detailing your vision for yourself is an awesome way to culminate all that you want represented in your life. It is a great reference to look at each day in your cubicle wall or on your bathroom mirror. Companies have vision statements, why not the little peoples too?
4. Create/work on your vision board. I have a well loved, ratty vision board that essentially has everything I wanted to manifest come about and now need to make time to create a new one. A vision board is great for the visual folks who need to see images to conjure up good feelings of what they want to have or continue to have in their lives. I grabbed images from the internet, magazines and even fortune cookie notes. It is a fun project to do with the kids, too.
5. Surf the web with purpose. Surfing the web sometimes gets a bad wrap as a time zap. I personally feel we are gaining information to store for later when we are perusing the net. Now that I am blogging, every opportunity to surf is a possibility for a new subject to write about. When you’re surfing the net, think about something from your manifestation journal you want to do a little more research about. Perhaps it’s a trip to Brazil. Or, an article on the history of tithing. Whatever it is, surf with a purpose to make the computer time count.
6. Guided meditation. I am a huge fan of guided meditation because it helps to guide the mind and body into a quiet state. Guided meditation reduces stress and for those of us who are spiritual, it brings us closer to our Higher Self or God. Here is a link to UCLA Health’s website with free quick, guided mediation MP3s http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22. If you’ve never meditated, having a guide to help you quiet your thoughts is super helpful. Don’t feel like you have to start out doing 30 minute sessions – start with five minutes and work your way up.
7. Listen to Podcasts. Just as I’m a journal junkie, I am also a little strung out on Podcasts. I listen to spiritual leaders and life coaches for daily inspiration. Some podcasts to check out: Everyday Attraction with Rae Zander; Think, Believe and Manifest Show with Constance Arnold; Receive Your Life with Janice Campbell; The Matt and Phil Show; Flowdreaming with Summer McStravick. For the creative writers, check out Writers on Writing.
8. Exercise. Get some second hand yoga or fitness videos, dance, or if you have room in your family room, get a small bike or elliptical machine and work up a sweat while you watch television. Whatever you do, get moving. Obviously, if you have a sick child or you’re sick yourself, this is not really a feasible option, so that’s why it’s towards the bottom of the list.
9. Daydream. Now, this is something you can do while your child sleeps or if you’re bedridden. Allow your mind to wonder. It feels so delicious to dip into a daydream, and almost a letdown when it’s interrupted. Here is how Wikipedia defines daydreaming: Daydreaming is a short-term detachment from one’s immediate surroundings, during which a person’s contact with reality is blurred and partially substituted by a visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass, and experienced while awake. Your mind needs a break, why not daydream?
10. Sleep. This will be a given if you’re sick. Even if there’s no sickness in your house, a nap or a night’s rest is what your mind and body needs to recharge. For many of us, sleep is a depleted commodity and naps are great for storing a little day’s energy. On days when I’ve had a hard time or had to leave work early, I go straight to my couch and take a nap. I usually wake up feeling a lot better about a situation or I may even dream up a solution to a problem. Sleep is medicine.

What are some ways you pass the time on cold or rainy days? And, what are some ways you enrich your life for free?

~Your Curator of All Things Spiritual and Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Freedom Consciousness: Part Five – Freedom to Be Your Authentic Self

Posted in Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Spirituality by
Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography, published on 01 November 2013 Stock Image - image ID: 100214130, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography, published on 01 November 2013 Stock Image – image ID: 100214130, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Your light wants to shine through, but your filter system is cluttered with debris. Debris of people pleasing, of being okay with being dissatisfied, of compromising. The debris gets caught up in your Authentic Self filter and is making it difficult for your Light to shine through.

When we are belittling, minimizing, downplaying, or oppressing our (or others’) life’s desires for practicality and familiarity, we are cluttering our filter. You want your Authentic Self filters (belief systems and actions) to be un-gunked as possible with debris that is not serving you. Your Light will always try to shine through, but help it out by releasing the beliefs that limit or bound you.

Are you free to be who you want to be? Are you allowing others to be who they want to be? What or who is dimming your inner Light?

We have to be gutsy in our journey to bliss. To be gutsy is to sometimes be the unpopular voice in the room. We have to be our own advocate and the voice of the voiceless. We have to stay focused on that which we truly want, versus focusing on the worldly noises and distractions.

We are blessed to be on life’s journey to fall in love with ourselves, others, and life itself. When we find ourselves not at peace and unhappy, we need to see why we are choosing a less vibrational match than what we truly want to be aligned to. Too many times we are surrendering our power to the external, which leads to our unfulfilled potential and untapped power. If we are relying on others to shape who we are or how to feel, we are simply going through life on someone else’s direction and not our own. We came to this planet to direct, guide, and steer our life – there is joy and everlasting peace in that freedom!

This is YOUR life! Stay grateful for what is making you happy and aligned. Stay present and remember to set your intentions (write, say, and believe) to what you’d like more of in your life.

If you are not investing a few minutes each day in joyously imagining, visioning, writing about how your Authentic Self, you’re missing out, my dear ones. Aren’t you worth it? Your Authentic Self craves your attention and direction.

Imagine a life where you wake up, and you say what’s on your mind, feel how you want to feel, do what you want to do, and be what you want to be. Now, think about things that keep you from shining your inner Light brightly. Are there people who cause you to shrink or retract your Authentic Self? If so, imagine who you would become without those things or people who are not in alignment with your freedom flow. This is how you can assess whether or not people or situations need to manifest into something that IS in alignment with who you really are and what you’re about.

So many times, we are reacting to external circumstances, not ever taking time to set intentions for what is to unfold. That constant reaction inhibits us from being free to be our Authentic Selves.

We try to change external situations to align with internal desires – and we’re hurt when nothing we want manifests or lasts. Your power is in the Internal First, the External will follow.

There’s no room in this human life experience for incessant people pleasing or niceties, especially if it’s compromising your Authentic Self. You want don’t feel like doing something? Don’t. You want to cut all your hair off or grow it long? Do it. You want to be creative and wouldn’t mind being paid to be, be it. You want to be more spiritual or you’re not feeling too enlightened, let it all hang out. Do you. Be Authentic, and the rest will surely follow.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley