A New Way to Be In a New Day: Depression and Manifestation

Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev, published on 08 December 2010, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev, published on 08 December 2010, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them – Albert Einstein
Podcast Recommendation to listen to in conjunction with this blog post: Think, Believe and Manifest Show with Constance Arnold, Sunday, August 31, 2014, titled “Depression and The Law of Attraction.” Constance gives tips for people experiencing depression, how depression impacts manifestation, and how to move from depression to a place of wholeness and happiness – a must listen-to Podcast, even for those who are not depressed.
Albert Einstein’s quote is a poignant reminder when we dwell in our problems, we stay in our problems. We have to shift our attention to what feels good, which is where the solutions lie.
There is nothing in this world so grave and depraved that requires us to live in darkness, despair and suicide contemplation.
A few weeks ago, my mother declared she was in a good mood and it was because she chose to be. When she woke up that morning, she was in a bad mood, but she told herself she was going to decide to be in a good mood instead. When I called her the next day, she reported she was still in a good mood. I expressed to her how good it was to hear her say she decided to be in a good mood. She shifted her focus from her sour feelings to feelings of joy and gratitude. The key words are choice and shifting focus.
We, as humans have the ability to choose and the most powerful choice we have is to choose how we feel in any given moment or situation and not to be a victim shrouded in negative emotions. I know some will argue depressed people do not choose to be depressed – but I beg to differ. Please understand to know a depressed person is to have been one. I can say with certainty that depressed, downtrodden people have the ability to choose.
We have to move from victimhood to victory. We do that by reclaiming our power of choice.
In my early teen years, twice I tried to kill myself. I didn’t feel worthy of love. Through counseling and deep soul searching, I was able to reclaim my self-worth. I was blessed with teachers, counselors, family and friends who reminded me what a wonderful person I was – even when I chose not to feel so wonderful. In time, I  found the inner strength to validate my self-worth from the inside out, instead of the outside in.
Before it was too late, I came to know God’s love. He had plans for me and I had plans to co-create with God. I began to lean on God’s love during the darkest of times. He revealed I was in a season of darkness, and it was time to move towards the light.
I shifted my focus from what made me sad, to what gave me glimmers of hope and happiness. I made a choice to reach out for help. I chose to feel a little better each day, even though most days were bleak and physically painful to endure. Through the tears, I found a few tucked away smiles. Laughter was like gold – the more I could laugh, the better I’d feel.
I was diagnosed with all sorts of issues – clinical depression, anxiety disorder, PTSD. The doctors prescribed medications that numbed me to any feelings. I suppose numbness was better than deep and chronic sadness, but I wanted to feel again!
By age seventeen, I was no longer going to allow the depression to be my future story. Against doctor’s wishes, but with their close supervision, I weaned myself off antidepressants and I continued to see a counselor who taught meditation techniques.  My life has never been the same since I made the choice to live.
I am not minimizing depression, but I do have to remind people to we all have a choice. Life can sometimes be dark and lonely, but that is still a choice to feel that way. Instead of seeing light, you’ve chosen to see darkness. Instead of feeling just a bit of gratitude and peace, you chose to feel anxiety and pain. You can choose differently in any given moment to feel a little bit better and if you can’t, then by all means, choose to reach out to someone to help throw you a lifeline. I knew I needed to choose a new way of coping, because I wanted to be able to feel ALL of my emotions, ALL of the time.
I know people who benefit greatly from antidepressants – and I am not saying to wean yourself off like I did or to feel shame for taking them. Medications are a blessing for those who need them. Over time, I grew to a point where I knew I did not need them anymore. I could trust my feelings again to guide me.
I decided to reclaim my power over my body, mind and spirit, instead of relying on doctors to tell me how I feel and drugs to numb the very gift that makes me beautifully human. That choice I made still resonates with me. I marvel at my seventeen year old self’s courage to tell the doctors no more pills. I was taking control of my life ship, no matter how stormy the waters got.
Today, I love myself, no matter what people or circumstances have to say about me. There are times when I’m stressed or down, but my happiness base line never dips to a point of self-loathing and self-harm.
My peaceful resolve and abundant happiness stemmed from great pain, so, I know of what I speak. Some people assume I’ve had it easy because of my sunny disposition I hold today. What they don’t know is a series of choices got me to where I am – not easy-living.
When you or a loved one are having a rough time, remember your/their freedom to choose how to feel in the next moment, which will lay down the foundation for how one will feel in the next moment, and the next. No matter how bleak a life situation may seem, remember your power to choose – moment to moment. Remember God is love and you remain eternally worthy of It.
*Not every depressed person is suicidal, but it can be a slippery slope. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please reach out for help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK. Suicide attempts are a cry for help  – listen and take swift action.

With Love,

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Freedom Consciousness: Part Three – Financial Freedom

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles, published on 25 July 2014 Stock Image - image ID: 100277020

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles, published on 25 July 2014 Stock Image – image ID: 100277020

To be abundant is to know and remember who you are, why you’re here, and where you’re going.

An abundant life can be expressed in having lots of money, but that is a limited way of looking at abundance. Abundance can be expressed in the love you have, or the home you’ve created (physically, mentally, spiritually), or your job with all its good benefits and perks, or when others share free meals, gifts, and windfalls of money with you. When you focus on money alone, you are limiting the Universe in being able to provide and support you with all the streams of abundance It has the ability to send your way.

How would you feel if all your needs were met and your desires were unfolding? If you trusted all your needs are truly being met in divine timing? Getting to the space of knowing you are truly well requires exercising moments in faith.

Who are you?

You are a child of God, and your Source is God. You bless the world by being uniquely you and allowing God to express through you, as you. When you know who you are, it is easier to discern what you do and don’t want in your life.

You can quickly assess whether a certain situation or experience is in alignment with your divine purpose. Knowing yourself helps to recognize, alleviate or neutralize contrast and resistance. In life, resistance and contrast are your friends. Contrast and resistance quickly reminds you of what you don’t want, causing you to begin creating and molding what you do want.

From how much to pay on a bill, to picking out a new home, to exploring debt resolution options, to knowing what  salary to ask for when applying for a job – all the answers are already in you – if you just listen to your intuition and discern it from negative self talk and others’ feelings.

Why are you here?

You are God revealed. God’s light shines through your talents and abilities. The more you reveal your authentic self and ooze gratitude, the more God is revealed through you. We all came to this life to experience being human – with life’s highs and lows deepening our love and compassion for others.

What are your talents? What are your divine purposes? I believe we have many divine, little and a few big divine purposes. We only have enough room in this human experience to do what we are spiritually guided to do. You must be able to discern what it is you want, and not adopt what others feel is best for your life. Your spirit talks to you everyday – listen to what it is saying and trust it, too.

What do you wish could reveal more of in your life? For me, my divine purposes are loving, laughing, sharing good times with others, expressing myself creatively in writing, decorating and styling, and being a mother (not just to my own biological children, but a guardian to ALL children).

Where are you going?

There’s so much emphasis in the world on where we’ve been, but we need to take a look at where we are going and where we want to go, in order to tap into our well of abundance. What’s going on right now in your life? Are you headed in the general direction of your dreams, or do you feel like you are hitting wall, after wall, after wall? The good news is, your Good is already with you, you just have to get into alignment with it. The best news is our power is in the now. So, spending time focusing on where you see your life going by visioning and meditating will help you get “aha!” moments more quickly and the next thing you know, where you were going is now where you are!

Is it by accident, luck, divine intervention that some people have a lot of financial freedom, while others struggle?

The Universal Laws is in effect for everyone. There are some more aligned to their abundance than others, and the good news is, everyone has the ability to have financial freedom should they choose to have it.

Nothing is more liberating than living within your means. After going through major shifts in my own life, I realized I never really adopted living on  a realistic budget. I was always in a feast or famine paradigm, the pendulum swinging wide and fast. One moment, I could afford a vacation, the next, I was trying to figure out how to pay all my bills. Recently, I dissected all of my finances and realized I was living way beyond my means. By finding ways to save money, including downsizing to a smaller place and selling an extra vehicle, I realized I could live a good life with what I have right now, albeit with a budget.

In my quest to better understand my finances, I realized I had a lot of abundance in my life. From the great employee benefits I have, to a good salary, to resources that have helped me to transition and manifest the life I truly want. I became more aware of the abundance around me and intuition spoke to me on what action items I needed to do next. Finally, I acted quickly on those intuitive action steps.

I misunderstood what and how abundance showed up in my life. I used to equate abundance with having designer clothes and accessories, being able to afford the things I want. As I grew awareness, the more abundance revealed itself – and it had nothing to do with a designer handbag or even a vacation. It had everything to do with how each life experience I went through shaped my consciousness and brought me one step closer to a life I truly desired. Abundance was just one of many ways for revealing who I am, why I’m here, and helping me get to where I’m going.

The Dance.

Examples of inner dialogue and dance with Divine Spirit.

I need to become more healthy. I wish I had a gym membership. Oh, wait, I do have an elliptical machine in the living room, and various weights, and great workout videos. I have what I need to work out at home. Wow! I’ve implemented 30 minutes of activity in the morning before I start my day. I am healthy. I have all I need to be what I want to be. I am so happy I AM healthy and abundant. I do not need to spend anymore money to get healthy, because I am healthy.

I am in over my head with mortgage, credit card bills, and car and student loans. There’s financial counseling through my workplace, who connected me to an attorney. The attorney is walking me through the steps of short selling my underwater home and filing bankruptcy – and the attorneys fees are paid by my employer. A few months later, I am debt free, albeit with a bankruptcy and short sell on my credit report, but I now can live comfortably. I have taken courses at my local library on how to live within my means and I have even started investing small amounts in a portfolio I started recently! I AM abundant.

Being abundant means I have faith that all my needs are met and that I am co-creating with God a life that illuminates love and light to others. God sustains me as I reveal more and more of myself.

True abundance is allowing God to support and guide to you to all the Good that awaits you. Listen, watch and be in the abundance that is already yours.

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

Freedom Consciousness: Part One – Spiritual Freedom

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

“I am where I am, when I am…” ~Kimberly Jo Cooley

While driving to work, I harbored anxious feelings for the start of my workday. I kept encountering every red light and slow moving vehicle en route, further increasing my anxiety. Then I thought, I am where I am, when I am. This affirmation calmed me and my ride to work became smooth and enjoyable.

“I am where I am, when I am” could pertain to being stuck in traffic, not getting to where I want to go, but later realizing I’ll arrive when I’m ready to arrive. I may not be there yet, but I am where I am, when I am, and that’s alright with me. There’s no race or finish line, other than the ones I choose to experience.

Spiritual freedom is when there are no limitations, leaks or misunderstandings about who we are and why we’re here. We’re living on purpose and we operate from an inside/out paradigm, instead of an outside/in. Everything we encounter and create, is either in alignment or out of alignment with our Greater Self’s Life Flow. Even when we have bumps in our journey, we stay spiritually free by turning within for the answers and for peace.

Religion is an outside/in paradigm and so is family, friends, work, money and anything else outside of our selves. We need to be able to tune into our Inner Knowing we all possess, instead of resting on outside entities to shape our spiritual experience.

We are not the sum of religious parts, yet we continue to relinquish our power to this “superior” outside force. In fact, our spirit is much bigger and more expansive than what any religion could ever hold or be.

Can I still feel a connection to God without ever stepping into a church? Could I love a person if they are not from my same religious background? Man’s law and the rules of all religions are smaller and more constricting than God’s Spiritual laws.

I will always choose to follow God’s Universal laws before man’s laws. Man’s law is stale the moment it is inked in the law books. Man’s law is not concerned with the spiritual and Divine. It is only concerned with keeping order amongst a society. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with man’s law. Man’s law holds only society’s interests and not the interests of each soul that fills every body. Man’s law can change over time as society changes. But, God’s Universal Laws never change. And, religion is born out of man’s law, not God’s law – no matter what anyone says.

I am not suggesting people become lawless and stop going to church. I am asking people to take a look at their spiritual beliefs and to see if they are aligned with their true values. Often times, we do religious practices because it was what our parents did, without any regard to whether or not it resonates with our own spirits. Spiritual freedom is when we can have an untethered connection to the God inside of us, and call on that connection at any moment, in any situation. It is a constant conversation between you and God. And, no amount of religion or sanctimonious practices will foster and nurture that continuous conversation.

*     *     *     *

When I find myself feeling rushed, out of sorts, or not aligned, it’s time for a spiritual tune up.

I know when it’s time for my spiritual tune ups. There’s clutter everywhere, I feel a little scattered and divided, I haven’t looked at my spiritual books in awhile, or listened to my favorite Podcasts, or meditated. Instead of going with my intuitive flow, I am railing against life, not bothering to ask and listen to what God has to say on the matter. No amount of church attendance will get me back on track.

My impatience is just a symptom of not being in alignment with the Truth of who I am and why I’m here.

A Spiritual Tune Up

Some questions to jumpstart a spiritual tune up are:

What does it feel like to be spiritually free for me? Am I at peace? Am I going through the motions of religious ceremonies, or, am I fully present and inspired by my place of worship’s services or my own spiritual practices? Does my present day belief systems diminish, eliminate or exclude, based on old societal or religious belief systems? Or, are my spiritual beliefs expansive, inclusive and loving of myself and others? Even others who do not believe in God?

When I am in spiritual tune up mode, I listen to my favorite, spirit lifting songs. My favorite songs may or may not be gospel, but it is inspirit. I let my thoughts wonder, sometimes landing on images of what I’m grateful for, other times my life’s questions swarm and then receive Divine answers. Peace soon befalls me. I am spiritually free to receive and share the God in me.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Desperation or Inspiration?

Image courtesy of markuso, published on 27 March 2012 Stock Photo - image ID: 10078194, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net.

Image courtesy of markuso, published on 27 March 2012 Stock Photo – image ID: 10078194, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net.

The root word of desperation is despair, which is defined as “to lose all hope.” The root word of inspiration is inspire, which also means, “in spirit.” Ask yourself today, where are your desires coming from?

I was listening to June 20th’s Rae Zander’s Everyday Attraction podcast and she played a snippet of Abraham by way of Esther Hicks, where Abraham asked the person in the hot seat whether they were motivated by desperation or inspiration. I realized that if I looked back on some of my “desires,” many of them may not have been coming from an “in spirit” or inspired place, but rather a place of desperation.

When I sat down four years ago to write my desires for my life, I was in a rough, desperate place. I was in a very stressful job, I was overwhelmed with a mortgage payment and single parenthood, and I was in anxiety mode all the time. Sure, I manifested some of my desires, but to this day, some still elude me.

When I asked for six figures to plop into my life, that came with a conflicting belief that I was not going to get it – no matter how much I thought I desired it. Not only was it not a comfortable desire for me to embrace, it was not coming from inspiration.

I had to look at why I wanted a six figure salary – was it to bring happiness? Security? Happiness and security comes in many forms and blessedly not just through having lots of money.

I was inspired and guided by my Inner Spirit to soul search what made me happy about my stressful job, and I was able to identify qualities that I enjoyed, like writing. In my stressful job, there was minimal writing in my everyday routine. From there, I found out that in the company I worked for, there was a job that encompassed my desire to write all day. I was led by Spirit to prepare and apply for that job. Now, I am very happy and successful in my current role for the same company where I was stressed out just four short years ago. See the difference between inspiration and desperation? Desperation had me going after any job (including similar ones to the stressful one I was trying to leave), whereas inspiration led me to where I truly wanted to be. Thankfully the jobs that I was searching for out of desperation never panned out.

We often ask for lofty desires because we think it will bring us happiness. Instead, we have to start from a happy place and sometimes it could be as basic as we’re happy to be alive and loved by family. From there, inspiration and creativity grows.

When your desires are aligned with your true values, creativity can flow easily to and from you. It is your creativity and inspired desires that bears the fruit of abundance. Your abundance comes as a result of following your true desires.

If our desire is not rooted in our unique values, what we want will have a hard time manifesting. We have to examine why we desire a particular thing and ensure that it is coming from your Spirit and not just ego.

Examples:

  • Is wanting lots of money another way of saying you want to feel secure and worry free? You can enjoy being worry free today – without having millions in the bank. A decision to feel abundant with what you do have, creating a realistic budget, finding time to seed and grow your dreams (baby to big step), all could help you feel secure. Gratitude for what you do have goes a long way.
  • Is finding a soul mate to marry another way of asking the Universe you’d like companionship? Then take it a step further, and find yourself being content with being your own best friend and cultivate your talents and interests. The loneliness begins to dissolve, making room for more companionship from others and eventually your mate.

Do not limit or underestimate the power of God and your creative God in you. All you have to do is know what your values are, stick to them, and pay attention to where a desire originates and whether it represents something else entirely that you probably already have access to.

When we are manifesting, we have to ask ourselves where are our desires really coming from. Is it out of desperation? If so, we need to look at the essence of that desire and find what it is we are truly looking for.

The truth is, when we clear space in our hearts and minds for love and happiness, creativity flows easily and then abundance follows. When we desire material things first, it is not coming from a sustainable place. But, your boundless creativity is and does sustain forever.

The source of our desires holds the key to our ability to manifest them. Be sure your desires are not coming from a lack-filled, desperate place and begin to focus on desires that are truly inspired by the essence of who you really are.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Spiritual Buoyancy in Turbulent Waters

Image courtesy of seaskylab, published on 06 October 2013 Stock Photo - image ID: 100206201, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of seaskylab, published on 06 October 2013
Stock Photo – image ID: 100206201, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

What does it take to be spiritually buoyant when the waves of life are choppy and turbulent? An influx of gratitude and an output of forgiveness. A knowing that all is truly well and suspending judgment of all situations and people.

These elements: gratitude, forgiveness, knowing, and suspending judgment are critical to maintaining a buoyancy or bounce back when the waves of life dunk you under for just a bit.

When you are going through something that is less desirable, remember to infuse gratitude for whatever is showing itself to you. Then, forgive yourself and others surrounding that situation. Know that all is well and that you were divinely guided to this moment. Finally, suspending or refraining from judgment, prevents labeling a situation or person as “bad” before seeing the good or even just looking at it/them from a different perspective.

Blessings come in many different forms and shapes. Oftentimes the “difficult” experience reveals the diamond in the rough that it was, as you glance at it in the rearview of life, while you are moving full steam ahead. In hindsight, you should be able to look back at a person or situation with loving gratitude and appreciation. Anything and everything that got you to this point in time IS A BLESSING.

We get in our own way when we block the flow of life, by not being grateful, being unable to forgive, forgetting the power of God and our own creative ability, and judging everything and everyone.  Being buoyant in turbulent waters is what keeps you afloat enough to move into alignment with the flow of life, with ease and grace. Even seemingly outside situations can feel stormy, but in time, you will be naturally buoyant, while others flounder and even drown in the stormy sea.

God designed us to be spiritually buoyant, but sometimes we forget how to be. Here’s how to remember: Gratitude, forgiveness, knowing and suspended judgment.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

 

Weaving Gratitude Into Deliberate Creation, Part Three

Image courtesy of Supertrooper, published on 10 September 2013 Stock Photo - image ID: 100200370, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Supertrooper, published on 10 September 2013 Stock Photo – image ID: 100200370, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

A dose of gratitude goes a long way in life, especially when we are affirming what we already have and what we want more of. The emotion of gratitude is how we communicate to the Universe our appreciation for what has been given.

Gratitude signals we are in a place of receiving and acceptance. To be in a place of receiving is a blessed thing – always. Even when we receive what we perceive as negative situations – like traffic, disease, debt, or divorce.

The trick to appreciating the undesirables that pop up is having compassion for yourself, recognizing when you created what is now a present day annoyance, you were using old spiritual modalities or not creating with intention, instead creating by default. Also, what may seem “negative” could very well be holding your biggest blessing yet.

Examples:  

  • A person who has to file for bankruptcy – on the surface seems like a devastating thing to have to go through. It would be easy for that person to get into a cycle of self-pity. But, after a fresh start, the person was able to rebound and find their true selves in the midst of what looked like turmoil and failure. I’ve known people who’ve faced bankruptcy and now live very abundant lives. The once bankrupt person is grateful for going through the valley of debt to reaching the mountain high of true abundance and prosperity. Just google success stories following bankruptcy – you’ll see countless examples of renewal.
  • Or the cancer patient who prior to being diagnosed, was working sixty hour work weeks and chasing someone else’s dreams of what their life was supposed to be instead of following their own divine path. The patient survives and is now living their authentic life, healthier than ever. The disease signaled their physical body was no longer able to sustain a life void of real peace and purpose; a body and mind only motivated by trying to please others and keeping up with the Jones. The patient is able to be in a constant state of gratitude for what was and now is. The old them died and a new state of being emerged through the illness.

It is when we wholeheartedly open our hearts in gratitude, that our perception of what is widens. We can see the gift in every single thing and experience we have. We can see beyond bad days and heartbreak, because when we are open to receiving and grateful for what comes, the blessings buried in an undesirable situation is revealed and we are able to move in a direction towards what we want, versus staying in a place of constant reaction and despair. Be grateful for the journey as well as the destination.

As ever-expanding Beings of Light, we should understand the power of gratitude and its role in any and everything we do and experience.

Take Aways:

  • Gratitude is paramount in manifesting.
  • When saying affirmations, always infuse it with gratitude, whether you are affirming what you’ve already received or what is on its way to you.
  • All experiences, whether we intentionally create them or was default creating, are shaping the clay of our lives into what we want to create.
  • Just like molding clay, sometimes you have to smooth over and start pressing on in a new spot. The clay is bumpy in some areas, smooth in others – doesn’t mean it can’t still be shaped into what you want it to be (or don’t want it to be). Be grateful for having this experience to mold your life, even if you can only mold a small area.
  • Remember to express gratitude  for the big and small things that happen – be an example for others who may have a harder time experiencing gratitude. In time, you will find you cannot go through the day without feeling and expressing gratitude and neither will the people around you.
  • Gratitude is a nice way to center your thought and intention. When you’re grateful, there is little room for doubt, anxiety, disappointment and frustration.
  • Gratitude opens you to receiving more of good vibing feelings and peace.
  • Gratitude helps with having compassion for yourself, so you don’t stay in a place of constantly trying to “right” something that seems “wrong.” No need to dwell in what was, be grateful for where you are now, so you can move on to bigger and better manifestations.
  • If you have to start with something as basic as “I am grateful for each breath I take,” start there. In time, you will be able to show gratitude for what’s to come, because you practiced gratitude with what you know to be true.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Practicing Deliberate Creation, Part Two

Image courtesy ofdan, published on 13 March 2013 Stock Photo - image ID: 100146653, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of dan, published on 13 March 2013 Stock Photo – image ID: 100146653, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Deliberately creating experiences we want is fun and fulfilling. Practicing deliberate creation on small things is how you feel more comfortable creating bigger things.

May 7th I woke up and affirmed I was going to have a great day and eat a delicious lunch. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted when I first woke. I also knew I didn’t want to travel far, nor did I want to pay a lot of money for my meal.

Around eleven AM that morning, I stopped by a friend in another department to say hi. She had a bag full of containers and she explained she and some co-workers were having a late Cinco de Mayo celebration and they were having a nacho bar. I realized at that moment, I wanted nachos. She said she’d save me some fixings. At lunch time, my friend brought the nacho fixings to my desk. I went to our office’s break room to heat up the meat and cheese and realized I could really use some olives and green onions. Just as I said that, some other friends from the claims department came in the break room and heard me say that. They invited me to their “Siete de Mayo” celebration and had all the olives and green onions I could want. There was even more offerings at their table. I fixed myself the most delicious nacho plate – ever! 🙂

Let’s break it down:

  • I set the intention and affirmed I was going to have a delicious lunch that I did not need to travel far or pay a lot for.
  • I trusted I was going to receive a delicious lunch.
  • I did not fret over how it was going to happen or worry over how I was going to pay for it. I relaxed into the knowing that it was already manifested and waiting for me.
  • I received the offerings from friends. They felt good sharing their food and I felt good receiving it.
  • What I received was far better than if I could have taken it all into my own hands, spent $10 on some nachos from a restaurant.
  • I was grateful before, during and after receiving my delicious lunch.
  • I enjoyed every bite of it.

There are areas in your life that deliberate creating comes naturally for you and others where you need practice.

Take baby steps and you will be richly rewarded. Although you can take leaps, sometimes our faith and trust has to catch up to the desires that wants to be birthed through us. It can be painful when what we want seems too far out of reach and then we try to believe that it will come. Instead, take baby, deliberate steps to creating an experience.

Remember, it is not your job to worry about the “how” something you want will manifest. All you have to do is set the intention and allow God to fill in the details.

Your homework:

Manifest something by deliberately creating it. It can be a deliberately creating the perfect parking space, or all green lights on your way to work, or an unexpected surprise. Whatever it is, try it and make a note of the experience so you have a resource to remind yourself how powerful and creative you are.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley  

Deliberately Creating, Affirming and Allowing, Part One

Image courtesy of dan, published on 31 January 2010 Stock Photo - image ID: 10012029, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of dan, published on 31 January 2010
Stock Photo – image ID: 10012029, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

I was asked about deliberate creation, from http://justmeandyoukid.com/: I still don’t understand deliberate creation. How do you deliberately create a great day? Is it a self-mantra that you repeat, an attitude? How does this happen for you?

I am thankful for the questions above because we will answer each of them this week as we delve into what deliberately creating our life is all about.

The answer is when we make a conscious decision to deliberately create our thoughts and our lives, everything changes from that moment forward. The Universe conspires to bring forth your desire. Things will begin to shift to bring you closer to what you desire.

To deliberately create is to decide and to say to yourself what it is you wish to create (and to believe, have faith that it will be done). You can affirm aloud or to yourself. You can write in a journal or paint it in a picture. You can create a dream board or daydream. All of these are modalities in deliberately creating what you want.

The key is to be honest with yourself about your life’s desires and values and stay focused on them. This way, you are not wasting time creating a mish mash of what you do and don’t want.

We can haphazardly create our lives, with no focus. We all know what our lives look like without deliberately thinking about what we want to create.

Think of a business plan, as compared to deliberately creating. You can write a business plan, but do you do not know all the specific results that will come of it, nor can you anticipate all that may come up. You know generally that your business plan will garner certain results, as opposed to not having a business plan at all. The same with an outline for a novel or an actual outline of drawing. You know generally what is being created because you’ve created the outline. Now, picture your drawn outline image, and God coming in to fill in the colors and depths of that image. That is how deliberate creation works.

You are creating the outline, which is the what and why, and God is filling it up with the who, when, where and how. Always remember your role and part in deliberate creating. Your job is to deliberately create what you want, remain in a place of allowing and gratitude, remain faithful and then to be thankful when you’ve manifested what you want.

Your unique desires are direct expressions of God Spirit, so of course God says “Yes” when you ask and affirm what you wish to create.

Deliberate creation and allowing work hand in hand. When you deliberately create (your business plan or novel outline), information is sent out to the Universe to bring forth what you desire back to you. When you allow the fruits of that creative thought to come back, the easier it is to manifest what you want. Sometimes the fruits do not look like what you wanted to bear from your deliberate thoughts. But, always remember there are different vantage points to things and situations, and the blessing is always there, just not yet revealed to you in a way you can comprehend or see yet.

It is important to think about your values and desires for your life, and listen to your intuition. Your intuition will guide and tell you when you are hitting resistance or when you are flowing with Divine Spirit.

I will leave you with a list of my own affirmations that I said this week and last, so you can see the modality of affirmations in play in deliberate creation. Borrow or create your own and say them regularly.

  • I am an extension of God.
  • For in Him, I live, and move, and have my being.
  • I am abundant.
  • I am well, whole, perfect and complete.
  • I am love.
  • I am peace.
  • I am free.
  • I am creative.
  • I am a friend.
  • I am triumphant in everything I do, no matter the outcome.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

 

Asleep and now Awake at the Wheel

Image courtesy of nuttakit, published on 09 October 2010 Stock Photo - image ID: 10021536, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of nuttakit, published on 09 October 2010 Stock Photo – image ID: 10021536, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Sunday, April 27, 2014 – Value: Family time and Keeping It Simple

Roads change, people change. We have to be awake and aware of where we’re going. If we’re not careful, we can be on course to an undesirable exit, a bump in the road or a collision. To stay on the highway of life, we have to flow in the right lanes and be awake and aware so we can adjust the speed and lane we’re traveling in accordingly.

I was driving down a once familiar road and realized at the last moment, it had changed. The exit that was once on the right was now on the left. I remained calm and became aware of where I was and where I needed to go.

I realized I had been asleep behind the wheel of life for a little while. I was distracted and complacent, despite my desires still percolating in my soul, needing me to rise up and merge into a faster moving lane. It is in the moments of near rear end collisions that we realize it’s time to adjust speeds and change lanes, so we can get to a place of cruise control, even better, control the speeds we want to travel in this life. That is also when we become conscious again and drive with eyes wide open, the same goes for how we move in this life.

Yesterday, I focused on all of the limiting beliefs and things I haven’t done. I haven’t meditated in a long time. I haven’t looked at my vision board in awhile. I haven’t focused on my values and desires. I’ve been spending money without really being dialed into my finances and values. But, that was yesterday.

The road can be wrought with ruts and new twist and turns, (some I saw coming, others that surprised me), but with awareness, I can take evasive action and keep on riding, through the bumps and all.

Today is a new day. I am grateful for yesterday’s sleep and today’s awareness. Today, I’m awake and present in the moment. Today, I have reclaimed my power.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Wherever I Go, God is With Me

Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev, published on 01 October 2012 Stock Photo - image ID: 100104677, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev, published on 01 October 2012 Stock Photo – image ID: 100104677, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Sunday, April 27, 2014 – Value: My Spiritual Evolution

“Wherever I go, God is with me. In the scary places, God is there. In the gorgeous places, God is there. In the places I swore I’d never go again, God is there. In the mirror, God is there with love and appreciation for who I am.” – Brende Lambert, church affirmation, this past Sunday at Center for Spiritual Awareness.

To help jump start my abundant life initiative, I went to church. My husband was out of town, so instead of leaving my three year old at home like I usually do, I brought her and my eleven year old son with me. She was quiet, thanks to slipping a few Cherrios to her from time to time.

I decided to do something different today and take notes of the church service so I can refer back to them later. Thank goodness I did because it felt like today’s sermon was directed towards me.

Here are my notes from today’s service and how it was so applicable to my life:

  • Form follows thought.
  • We can turn what happened to us into victory.
  • We do not need other’s tragedy to feel good about ourselves.
  • Watch the movie, The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes, every five years for reminders on visualization.
  • Always have at least one active dream going in our lives. The pursuit of the dream spirals us upward and moves us into the direction we want to go.
  • We can either be pulled by a vision or pushed by a circumstance, says Dr. Michaels. Love this! I’d rather be pulled by a vision.
  • Gratitude is super important – we are open to receiving what we’ve received and more. We cannot hold gratitude at the same time we hold lack. Makes sense to me.
  • Reverend Georgia also says to Act as if…you already have what you want. She also warned for metaphysical folks to not take this to mean “just spend it now, the money will come later.” It is better to manifest the money first, then spend it later. – It felt like she was ministering just to me.

Great timely lessons from church. God is giving me signs that I’m on the right track.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley