I am in Control of My Emotions

            I am appreciative that I FEEL life, and not just the Good Stuff.  I am filled with emotions and I am beginning to appreciate just how wonderful that is.  I spent so long trying to only acknowledge my Happy feelings.  Wow, I completely underestimated the POWER that comes from ALL emotions.

            I am not saying that feeling the “bad” or “depressing” emotions is good.  Honestly last night I lost many hours of sleep lost in my anxiety, but thankfully I am doing better this morning.  What I am saying is that when I have a thought or emotion that I would classify as negative I realize I can work to change it, I can learn from it, and I can grow from it.

            My thoughts and emotions are one of the things in life I Have Complete Control of.  Many times my thoughts and emotions seem out of my control, but I realize that is not true.

            I gain strength, pride, and power when I control my thoughts and emotions.  I even like a good cry every once and a while.  For me it’s like a day of work where I am hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable.  When the day is over I feel empowered to have persevered through something that is technically not “fun” or “happy”.

            A hard day of work is just that, it’s HARD.  That hard day of work can result in an emotional state of gratitude and pride that I couldn’t accomplish without it.  That hard day of work makes my down time that much sweeter.

            My father likes to say people should operate from “love” and an “attitude of gratitude” and I agree with him.  Gratitude leads to an appreciation of what we have in life, good and bad, we can CHOOSE to see our lives for whatever we want.

To The Universe

Love Brandy

I INTEND to have an Awesome 2013!!!!

                Lately I have been contemplating what kinds of experiences I can garner in order to lead a more fulfilling and happy life.  I feel good today, but I KNOW I can FEEL BETTER.  I have been making changes in my life to help me achieve that goal, but maybe I should stop thinking about gaining more happiness as a goal.

A goal implies something that can be reached, a milestone.  Having excessive amounts of happiness in my life is completely attainable, but it’s not specific.   A goal is measurable, I don’t want to start the year off trying to MEASURE my Happiness. 

                I am setting my intentions, not goals.  I intend to experience happiness every day.  I intend to discover more people, places, and experiences which will enrich my life and fill me with happiness.  I intend to release the negative experiences and cultivate the positive experiences in my life.  I intend to grow as a person through evaluation of my thoughts and emotions.  I intend to take ACTION Every Day that will make My Intentions into My Reality.  I intend to be GRATEFUL for my Life, my Freedom, my Experiences, and the LOVE I feel.

                What are your intentions for the New Year?  Are you ready to surrender your old habits in order to garner new experiences?  Are you ready to forgive yourself and others for things you feel may be holding you back from LOVE?  Are you ready and willing to bring EXCITEMENT, GRATITUDE, and LOVE into your life EVERYDAY in the New Year?  Let’s DO IT!!!  Let’s be Happy!!!  Let’s Celebrate!!!

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY

I Miss Christmas….But CAN’T WAIT for the New Year

                Wow, I can’t believe the year is almost over.  This year has been full of changes, and for the first time in many years the majority of those changes have been All Good.  I am not saying change hasn’t been a struggle, but I feel GOOD.  I am Excited to see what the New Year has, I am not dreading 2013.

                I have been thinking a lot about what I want my life to look like in The New Year.  Every year people talk about resolutions, and what changes they want to make, but all too often we fail to follow through.  I am SO GUILTY of doing this in the Past, but this year I am not making resolutions, I am setting intentions.

                What is the difference between setting an intention and making a resolution?  Resolutions seem more set in stone, I want a plan for my New Year, but I want to be able to adapt as needed.  I want to really look at what I WANT, how I WANT to feel, what will make me happy then go from there.

                I am ready to commit to change and operating from a place in my heart that is filled with LOVE and not FEAR.  I am ready to set my intentions, take steps to make them happen, and adjust them when I feel called to do so.

                I KNOW as I walk my path through the next year I can experience wonderful things, but I am not ready to stop listening for the whispers of “The Universe.”  My intentions are the groundwork for my future, but the future is always changing. 

                What I am sure of is that as long as I listen to my heart, I will grow and be happy.  I am sure that I will have times when I experience negative emotions, but I am also SURE that with the right tools and solid plan of action I can grow and have a GREAT NEW YEAR!!!

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Holiday Traditions in Your Heart…MOVE with You!!!

                Good Morning Christmas.  Oops it’s still a few days before Christmas.  What I meant to say is GOOD MORNING CHRISTMAS COOKIES!!!   My father’s fiancé, her daughter, and our friends started making cookies yesterday.  I was mixing, baking, laughing, and LOVING the experience ALL DAY.

                We made so many cookies, and we aren’t even done yet.  I have one more kind of cookie to bake, though the dough was made yesterday.  Then it’s the MOST IMPORTANT step….DECORATING!!!! 

I think we are planning on giving away a lot of cookies to our friends and family, that’s if I can let go of them.  Just Kidding, if I ate ALL the cookies we baked I would have to be admitted to the hospital in a Sugar Coma. 

                I am so excited.  Making Christmas cookies with the family has been a tradition for me since I was a child.  Though unfortunately my Mother isn’t here with me today, because she is still in Sacramento, her Holiday Spirit is with me.  I LOVE YOU MOM!!!

                One of the greatest moments yesterday was given to me by my future step mother, Susan.  Susan is an AWESOME cook.  She makes wonderful food and many delicious healthy recipes, her kitchen skills are Legendary.  But I found out yesterday she has never really baked Christmas Cookies.  This “of course” we were about to rectify.

                She put on an apron and was READY to GO!!!  She was such a mixing maniac, that she burned up my blender.  Technically it was my blenders fault, it was really inexpensive and I knew it would blow up someday.  But it went out fighting and now I have another GREAT HOLIDAY cookie memory.

                Back to my other favorite moment, besides the blender, It was Susan’s face.  I will always remember when she turned to me while mixing up peanut butter cookies with a Huge Smile on her face and excitement in her voice.  She shared with me that she wasn’t really a “baker” and never baked Christmas Cookies as a holiday tradition, but I could SEE and FEEL something special.  It was AWESOME!!!

                I am blessed to be able to share my Holiday Traditions with my new friends and family.  I am blessed to give and receive LOVE at this wonderful time of year.  I will continue to share the LOVE I have in my heart with others, not just at the holidays, but ALL YEAR ROUND.

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY

Everyone Needs LOVE!!!!

                Good Morning Universe.  I have been struggling over the past few days with whether or not I should weigh in on the school shooting our country experienced last week. 

                I have been reticent to offer my comments, because everyone is commenting and opinions aren't enough to change things.  Opinions can start a conversation but if we don’t follow through with Action it can be meaningless.

                Our conversations should not start with blame, they should start with HOPE, BELIEF, and LOVE.  Hope is a powerful emotion that can combat grief.  Belief and Love are emotions we would be lost without.

                While politicians argue about Gun Control and where our system failed to prevent this tragedy I think they are missing something.  All regulation and laws they produce are limited by our society.  Criminals don’t care about laws and regulations.  People will always find a way to cause suffering for others, unless we attack the issue at it’s most finite point.  LOVE

                People who are lacking LOVE are in pain.   If we want to stop the violence, we need to Start Spreading LOVE.  It can seem impossible to LOVE others who don’t seem capable of compassion, happiness, forgiveness, and LOVE.  But it’s those people who need us most.

                If each of can reach out to ONE person and show some LOVE.  Can you imagine how quickly that LOVE could spread to everyone in our world.  If we stopped wondering if others deserve the LOVE we can give, then we might realize that LOVE is our powerful weapon to combat sadness, violence, madness, depression and a Host of other NEGATIVITY.

                Tis the season to spread the LOVE.  It can be difficult to give LOVE away, but it will always make you feel better.  It will always make someone else feel better.  LOVE is our most Precious Gift, don’t keep it to yourself.

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY

Don’t let the Gloom Outside Bring You Down.

                        How many times do people say things like, “I feel down, I think it’s the weather.”  I know that many times “Good Weather” can bring a smile to my face, though I wonder why bad weather often makes people gloomy.

            It has been cold, dark, and cloudy for the past few days .  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Clouds, they are beautiful and can Elevate my mood in wonderful ways.  But I miss the warmth and beauty of Fall.

            I think I am finally able to enjoy the clouds and rain, not because I need it to appreciate the Sun, but because I find beauty in it.  Like the ups and downs of life, the “good” and “bad” weather is beautiful if you are able to view it in the proper context.

            If it never rained, how would we grow food?  If it was always sunny, how could we be witness to the amazing cloud formations that the sky creates?  If it was never “too hot” or “too cold”, how could we appreciate the perfect temperature?

            Just like in nature, it is the opposites of life that make appreciation possible.  I don’t want to live in a perfect world, with perfect people, and perfect weather.  Perfect is nice, but if that’s all there is then boredom would soon set in.

            If people worked as hard to see the positive as they do at dwelling on the negative, then we would have a revolution.  A revolution that could inspire beauty, kindness, greatness, and compassion.

            I want to live in a “perfect” world, but my “perfect” world would be where everyone can see the Bad as just another way to increase their perception of the Good.  We could see that darkness isn’t Bad, it’s just waiting to be LIT UP.

            How can you Light Up your world?  Can you look at life from a different perspective and truly appreciate it?  Can you see the “bad weather” as just another example of the greatness of Mother Nature?

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Spread Love from Your SOUL

                How do you Heal the World?  This question has been on the minds of people throughout history.  This question is important to each and every one of us and the answer is surprisingly simple, LOVE.

                When each of us learns to LOVE ourselves and LOVE others we CAN HEAL THE WORLD.  When each of us learns to operate from a place inside us that is filled with LOVE it will spread like wildfire.

                I think the problem many people have with operating from LOVE is that too often we feel we are lacking love, therefore we don’t have enough to share with others.  That isn’t true.  When we feel like we are in need of more LOVE for ourselves, that is EXACTLY when we should focus on giving More Love To Others.

                The More LOVE you put out into the world, the More LOVE will come back to you.  Even better, when you give your LOVE to others it can help those who are lacking in LOVE to heal.

                If we are going to Heal the World and FILL the World with LOVE we have to begin with ourselves.  If you are unsure how to begin, start with a kind a word for yourself.  Then give a kind a word away to a stranger.

                If you are operating from a place of Love within yourself, you will feel it deep in your soul.  When you feel LOVE in your soul, your light will shine bright.  Be the Light for others, share your Love with others and watch your life and the lives of those around BE WONDEROUS.

To The Universe

LOVE Brandy

I Choose to BELIEVE

            Do you know the Universe is always talking to us, it’s just waiting for us to listen.  The Universe is always offering us a path to our dreams.  We must keep our eyes and ears open so the Universe can guide us. 

An important thing to remember as we walk our path is that it is rarely a straight line.  The Universe gives us opportunities to alter our path to fit our needs all the time, whether it be daily or even hourly.  Don’t ignore these whispers just because they are coming at you fast, grab hold of your future because it starts today.

                Now don’t despair because the Universe isn’t yelling at you about your path daily.  If the Universe isn’t yelling at you every day, if you don’t see the signs of your future every hour don’t despair. 

                Remember the Universe doesn’t work on your timeframe.  The Universe will give you what you want and need at the opportune moment.  The Universe can see where you are going long before you can.  I had to surrender my path to the Universe today. 

It may seem small, but my scale may or may not have mislead me in regards to my weight loss last week.  At first I was upset not knowing which weight is right, but it doesn’t change my goals or my work ethic. 

I am still going to walk and hike regularly and watch what I eat.  Those things are good for me, and I don’t need immediate rewards because in the long run I’ll be rewarded.  The Universe has a timeframe for my health and I choose to Believe. 

Most Important is to Believe that what you want and need WILL COME.  The Universe will respond to your Belief, never give up, never stop believing, and the Universe WILL manifest a wonderful existence.

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Giving to Others, Give to Yourself!!!!

                Good Morning Universe, once again I am Super Excited!!!  As you know I have been making an effort on many fronts to improve my life.  I am working towards better physical health with good food choices and exercise, this week I was rewarded with a loss of 5lbs.  YEAH!!! 

I am working towards a more complete social life in my new city.  At first I was unsure how to make friends, but then a light went on in my head, GIVE BACK. 

This week I am giving my time and energy towards volunteering.  Today I will be volunteering at a local animal shelter with a friend.  This weekend I am volunteering to help with The Ugly Sweater Run, which is accepting toys to help those in need. 

I haven’t been this excited in a while, I am looking forward to socially interacting with new people.  Even better is that I am able to donate my time to REALLY be of assistance to others, and that fills me with LOVE and EXCITEMENT.  Helping Others is one of the Greatest ways to Help Yourself.

When you are of assistance to others, whether it be monetary, giving your time, or even giving a smile to a stranger to “Spread the LOVE” it feels GREAT.  I have said before that the more Love you put out into the Universe the More Love you get back for yourself, and I Meant IT.

It’s the season of giving and we should all be thinking about what we can give back to The Universe.  Will you give a kind word or encouragement to a stranger today?  Will you commit to volunteering to give back to those in need?  Will you give Yourself a kind word or encouragement today?  Will you commit to operating from LOVE not just during the holidays, but ALL YEAR?

Let’s make this holiday season and New Year all about LOVE.  Love for ourselves, Love for others, and Love for the planet. 

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY

Filter Criticism through LOVE

                CRITICISM.  Like most people that word makes me cringe.  I have often felt that when someone criticized me I was being attacked.  I didn’t want to hear other people point out my faults.  I didn’t want to acknowledge my own faults, let alone have someone else do it.

                Criticism is a difficult concept to grasp, it can be constructive, negative, or unnecessary.  The problem with criticism these days is that so many people do so in order to put other people down.  Many people put others down as a way to make themselves feel better or control other people through their feelings.

                When you are being criticized by another person it is possible to look past your fear of “being called out” and grow.  When you are being criticized by someone who is only trying to make themselves feel better, how do you distinguish that?

                The first step to dealing with criticism is to realize that you are in control of what you will do with the things being said to you.  No One can make you feel bad about yourself unless you allow it.

                When someone is being negative and critical simply because they want to feel better about themselves, use LOVE as a tool.  First you must fill your heart with LOVE for yourself.  Love is the best defense against negativity.

                The more difficult step when being criticized is to practice Love for the person who is being critical towards you.  Whether they are being critical because they are negative, or are being critical because they Love you and want to see you grow and succeed doesn’t matter.

                The person using criticism as a weapon is in need of LOVE, they are trying to fill a place of lack within themselves by putting others down.  It is often said that what you put out in the world, you will get back.  When you are able to put LOVE out into the world, in the face of negativity and criticism you can help to grow that LOVE in others.

                The person who is critical out of LOVE can be more difficult to spot.  The people who are operating from Love aren’t simply criticizing you, they are truly concerned about you.  The people operating out of Love desire to change themselves and others through personal growth and LOVE.

One sure way to distinguish a critical person who operates from Love, is how they treat themselves.  A person who operates from LOVE will not only point to areas where growth is lacking in others, but will be able to acknowledge areas in their own lives that are in need of growth.  The person operating from LOVE won’t feel better when you feel worse.

Don’t let others negativity control you.  Practice how to accept criticism as a tool for growth.  Practice distancing yourself from people who use criticism as a tool to make themselves feel better.  A little bit of criticism can be healthy if you are operating from LOVE and aren’t using it as a weapon against yourself or others. 

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Take Your Thoughts CAPTIVE

                Good Morning Universe.  Lately I have been practicing, doing the work, and making changes in my life.  People that read my blog have been a party to “this work,” and unlike years in the past, I am really doing the work, not just pretending.

                I have been working on my physical and mental health.  I have been creating goals and taking steps toward those goals, and it’s been difficult. 

                The hardest part is overcoming my brain, is that it often seems wired for “what if’s.”  Those “what if’s” have been the basis for worry, anxiety, laziness, and excuses.  I have focused so much on the “what if’s” that I had forgotten how to move forward.

                I was stuck in a hole that I dug for myself.  I was so concerned with worrying about what might happen, that I did nothing.  I was stagnant, unhappy, and filled with apathy.

                Today I have learned, through my work with The Elevate Institute, that I am the only person who can take my negative thoughts captive.  This is often times easier said than done.

                Many times I get overwhelmed with my inability to control my thoughts and emotions.  The difference now is that I am not giving up.  I realize that it’s Human Nature to have anxiety, fear, and doubt.  Now that I realize, and truly believe that others go through the same thing I can stop putting myself down because of it.

                Once I accept these thoughts as part of me, I can practice taking control of my them.  Like with any exercise, it will take time to master.  Like with any exercise you just need to start with a commitment.  Like with any exercise, you need to put in “The Work.”  Once you start to take your thoughts captive, you will have more control of your own life. 

Never give up, and if you fall down, forgive yourself and get back up again.  Remember you are not perfect, but you it’s your imperfections that will keep you growing.  What negative or fearful thoughts can you work on “taking captive” today?

To The Universe

Love Brandy

I AM responsible to PUSH MYSELF

                Good Morning Universe, I want to be lazy today.  I woke up really early, before the sun was up, and really didn’t sleep well.  Oops, that sounds like an excuse in the making.  It’s sounds like an excuse not to keep my exercise commitment.

                If I didn’t just get dressed, stretch out, and acknowledge that only I can make myself exercise I would be worried.  I wanted to let The Universe know that I experience a desire to be lazy today.  Now that I have expressed that desire, it’s up to ME to push myself forward.    

It is my choice to get past my desire to be “comfortable” and “a little lazy.”  This morning I am making a choice to keep my commitment, out of Love and Respect for myself and my desires.

It helps to know that once I am done with my exercise commitment I KNOW I’ll feel Great.  I am off to exercise, and will continue this day’s blog when I get back.  I know that once I overcome my “lazy” I’ll feel “even better” because I have kept my commitment.

I’m BACK, and no surprise here, I feel Great.  I just completed another 4 mile walk today, and not just any walking, Power Walking.  It was enough exercise to have me sweating, even though it’s pretty chilly this morning.  Even during my walk, my “Lazy” tried to sneak back up on me.  My “Lazy” whispered in my ear and told me to go home early.  Thankfully I didn’t listen, and that makes me proud.

I am proud to have pushed through my “Lazy” phase and completed the exercise which I am committed to.  No one else can make me do it.  I am responsible to Push Myself towards my goals.  When I focus on my goals and what I want to accomplish I know that I am operating from a place of Love within myself.  Today is going to be Another Great Day.

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Loving Yourself Can Be Rough

                I am loving myself, and it can be rough.  This week I choose to show Love and Respect for myself by not only committing to positive changes, but holding myself Accountable to those commitments.

                I have spoken before about my journey to better health.  Some days I do really good, I eat well and exercise.  Other days I get lazy, apathetic, and a little entitled.  Thankfully I have been able to resist my previous history of saying “Well, I already messed up so I might as well just give up.”

                As you know last week I hiked to the top of Lone Mountain, and it was GREAT!  This week I have been exercising every day trying to prepare for my next great adventure.  I made a commitment to myself to walk/exercise for 30-60minutes every day, and So Far I am keeping my commitment.

                In the past I have made many commitments to myself that I didn’t keep, in fact I didn’t even try.  The best part about today is that I am not afraid to try anymore.  I am not perfect, and I am sure I will have days when I don’t exercise.  The realization I have today, is that falling off the wagon isn’t what is most dangerous to me, IT’S NEVER GETTING BACK ON!!!!

                Everyone needs encouragement and can benefit to being held accountable by themselves and others when True Change is desired.  Anyone can make a commitment, but it takes LOVE to keep those commitments.  Let your heart lead you, listen to your intuition, and BELIEVE that when you listen to the LOVE inside you it won’t steer you wrong. 

                What positive commitments can you make to yourself today?  Do you need to forgive yourself for dropping the Ball?  Are you willing to Work on increasing the LOVE in your life?

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY

Spread the LOVE

“True love is unconditional and we do not have to do anything to earn it or become anything to be worthy of it”  Chris Assaad

This quote is powerful and full of truth.  One thing I feel I need to add is that we may not have to do or become anything to be worthy of love, but if we are TRULY Operating from Love we will be compelled to be worthy of Love from others by expressing our own love to the world.

If you have been blessed with Love, you Must share that Love with others.  True Love is meant to be shared.  True Love isn’t selfish, therefore you Can’t keep it to yourself.  When you TRULY operate from LOVE, you will be compelled to share the Joy and Love with others

When you share your Joy and Love with others, that’s when that LOVE within you will GROW EVEN GREATER.  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, LOVE is an Unlimited Resource.  Don’t be stingy, the more love you give, the more you get.

Try to make it a part of your daily workout, to be grateful for the Love you experience.  Make sure your daily workout includes sharing your Love and Gratitude with others.  Be sure those “others” include random acts of kind words and actions for people you may not know.

One act of Love or Kindness can spread like Wildfire….

To The Universe

Love Brandy