Don't Fear Change...Change Fear!!!

                I am afraid of more things than I would like to admit.  The fears that I am talking about today aren’t the run of the mill fears like “heights” or “the dark.”  The fears I am referring to are the fears we harbor about our lives and our future.

                Our natural instincts have evolved from fear.  Fear is how we have kept our species alive over the millennia, but natural fears for our personal safety are different then the fears we harbor that hold us back from living a GREAT LIFE.

            When we let the natural instinct of fear override our lives and thoughts, we never truly live.  If we turn tail and run away every time we are fearful, that will become our norm.  Every new experience would be wrought with anxiety for fear of how it will turn out.  This Fear would in turn rule our lives and prevent happiness and light from entering our souls.

            The trick is to find out which fears are necessary and which fears need to be examined and thrown away.  Try thinking of our fears as instinct, not reaction.  We all know that humans have instincts that are good and bad.  But society has taught us how to control and use our instincts to better ourselves and those around us.

            For instance, our instinct when are tired is to rest.  Though to fit into our society we don’t just walk into any house and go to sleep.  So why can we control our “restful” instincts but believe we can’t control our fear.  We Can Control and Use our Fears to Grow.

            It’s a slow process but to grow you must acknowledge your fears and shed the belief that everything bad you fear will happen to you.  If you can’t shed your fear and negative belief, how will you ever experience GREAT NEW THINGS.

           Try to take your fears captive and turn them into something positive, something beautiful, or just dismiss them altogether.  The less fear you have in your heart, the more room you have for happiness and love to grow in your heart.

To The Universe

LOVE BRANDY

How is 2013 shaping up for YOU???

                Good Morning All.  The question I posed in today blog title isn’t just for me, if you’re reading this I am talking to you too.  We are nearing the halfway point of 2013 and I have been contemplating my New Years Resolutions, or as I refer to them…my New Years Intentions.

                In January I wrote about setting intentions for 2013 and about using LOVE not FEAR to create and cultivate those goals and intentions.  Now I want to talk about turning our intentions into our reality.  It’s great to think about what you want to cultivate in your life this year, but if you never go past thinking, desiring, or planning and into ACTION what’s the point.

                A few months into the New Year is when the work really begins to go from intention into HABIT.  All your resolutions, goals, and intentions are waiting for you. Are you taking action?  I AM.

                I am still eating healthier, I am still exercising, I am still writing, I am still focused.  Even better I am MORE EXCITED and MORE COMMITTED to my goals and the “Action” steps needed to get there than I was on New Years Day!!!

                For those of you that haven’t moved past your intentions into ACTION, don’t fret.  It is never too late to start, every day is a new opportunity to make your future brighter.  Remember that apathy will only keep you living in FEAR.

                Don’t concern yourself as much with the “end point” of your journey, concern yourself with each step it will take to get there.  Step out into your future.  Walk your path with LOVE in your heart, and marvel at the GREATNESS that you will be presented with.

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Expect Action...Not Perfection!!!

Expect Action…Not Perfection!!!  For publication 5-24- 2013      REPRINT OF It’s one thing to Expect Excellence, It’s Another to Require Perfection. No One is Perfect!!! From 1-14-2013

                Good Morning Universe, I need your help.  I need to let go of some negativity.  I have been a preoccupied by aspects of my “old self” more over the past few weeks, namely anxiety.  I seem to spend more time worrying about things like money, food, other people’s behavior, and just plain Fearful thoughts.  I have been trying to pinpoint everything thing that could be causing my shift in perspective.  What I have come to realize is that I am trying to blame my circumstances, instead of trying to work on solutions and positivity.

                It is such a fine line between expecting perfection and being encouraged to stay on track.  When you inflict guilt on yourself or others because you are unhappy or disappointed, that is not LOVE.  How do you encourage accountability in yourself and in others, while remembering that we are ALL HUMAN.  We ALL make mistakes, We All have memory lapses, and We All experience Fear.

                It is my responsibility to work harder to “stay on top” of things, but it is also my responsibility to “let go” of the small stuff.  My old self wants to dwell in negativity and anger, but I KNOW that won’t help me or anyone else.  Sometimes things just happen, sometimes people just forget.  Sometimes we have to remember that when you criticize yourself or others it isn’t always coming from a desire to encourage growth, we are just upset.

                It is now my job to “let go” of this negativity and move on, it may be easy or it may be difficult, but letting go of my negativity must be done.  It is also my responsibility to work harder to stay on top of things better.  I will congratulate my successes, then learn from and discard my failures.

                Remember to temper your thoughts and words with Understanding and Love.  Remember that each of us makes mistakes, and we don’t need to dwell on Every Mistake made by ourselves or others.  Don’t be too critical.

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Blow Me Down...I'll Get Right Back Up!!!

                Catchy title don’t you think?  Usually I write first, then come up with a title but I am trying something new today.  I try to write about things that are going on in my life on each day.  In the past few days my mood has been blowing hot and cold, just like the VERY WINDY day outside

. 

                I was cheerful then grumpy, anxious then calm, angry then happy just to name a few of the emotions I experienced all in the same day.  The emotions I experienced made me feel off balance and ready to hide away.  Thankfully my “old self” isn’t in control anymore.  She likes to come back and visit, but I have the tools to “put her in her place.”

                I had to put my “old self” in check because if I didn’t I would have allowed myself to snuggle up, turn on the TV and delay the start to my morning.  That wouldn’t be good because then I would have to get motivated to start working all over again.  Better to just get up and start the day.

                Now I have one “good decision” under my belt and that is a decision I made from a place within myself that is filled with “LOVE.”  As my day progresses if negativity or tough choices come my way I can remember my first “good decision” and use that as fuel to stay on track.

                Every day is different.  Some days I have to “work” harder to stay on track and focus more on making positive decisions and operating from “love” not “fear.”  My job is to keep moving and keep working.  I must acknowledge the “good” things, and “Learn From” then “Let Go Of” the negative things.  The more I practice this, the better I get at it.

                What “good decisions” can you make this morning that you can carry with you throughout your day?

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Do You Live in Happiness!!!

                Good Morning Universe!!!  I LIVE IN HAPPINESS.  Yes, I said it and I mean it.  Today I spend my days in Happiness and I am Grateful.  I don’t want people to misunderstand what I mean by Living in Happiness.  I am not saying I am Happy 24/7.  What I AM SAYING is that I don’t let sadness rule my life.

                I acknowledge that Sadness may come and visit me at times in my life, but I am not spending the majority of my life IN SADNESS anymore.  These days I know that when I am Sad it is only temporary.  I don’t have to allow my negative emotions and experiences to dictate My Life.

                I used to contemplate whether or not I should write about Sadness.  I want my writings to be positive and uplifting when others read them, but I don’t want to be dishonest or let people believe everything is perfect.  My words wouldn’t help anyone if they aren’t honest or relatable.

                I remember last year when I went home to visit my mother for Halloween and she was a little shocked when I confided in her that I was Sad.  At the time I hadn’t found my place in Vegas, I was lonely and confused, but she didn’t know that because all my Blogs up until then were ALWAYS Positive.  I was afraid to admit that I felt negativity at times, but in that fear I was doing myself a disservice.  I was doing others a disservice, because how could I inspire others if was personally unrelatable.

                Today I Live in Happiness for the majority of my days, but sometimes I must work harder to find the Happy and surround myself with it.  It is my job to move forward and find ways to bring more Happiness and more Love into my Life.  I have to work to leave the Negative in the past so I don’t end up living there.  I have to forgive myself when I am sad or negative, otherwise I may use that negativity as an excuse to live in Sadness.

I am building a “toolbox” filled with ways to Live in Happiness.  Some of my most powerful tools are Gratitude, Open Expression, Compassion, Trust, and a growing Support System.  What can you do to fill your “toolbox” with Happy?

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Off Track??? Sometimes you have to Just Jump In!!!

                I am annoyed today.  I am Intimidated today.  I am a little lost today.  Whew, now that I got that negativity out of the way I can FOCUS, right?  If it were only that easy to say your feelings out loud and then…Poof, they would disappear.  Oh well it was worth a try.

                Honestly my negativity hasn’t completely gone away, but I ACTUALLY do feel better having expressed my feelings out loud.  I know that those feelings are still inside me, but now that I have Acknowledged them I don’t have to dwell in them.

                If I am to move past my negative thoughts and emotions the first step is to acknowledge them, otherwise how can I Really Know what to work on.  Without acknowledgement the only other option is to bury my negativity, and BURYING NEGATIVITY is only a temporary fix.  When you Bury your feelings they ALWAYS come back to Bite You in the BUTT, and they come back with a vengeance.

                Now that I have decided to JUST JUMP IN, I know that I am on the right track.  I wrote the first part of this blog a few days ago and two things have happened to reinforce my decision to JUMP IN.

                 First off this morning I was reading a Blog written by Jenna Hall where she said, “A way cannot be made if you do not move. If you wait until you are ready, you will never begin.”  BAM!!!!  That hit me like a ton of bricks.  Procrastination can be the killer of our dreams.  Fear of not being perfect can COMPLETELY Stop us from moving forward, from creating, from living our dreams.

                I used to live in FEAR and ANXIETY about the “what if’s” in my life and I was stuck and unhappy.  A path cannot be made if you do not move. If you keep waiting until you are Absolutely Sure Everything is Perfect, you may never begin.  Now I constantly strive to MOVE, maybe I won’t always be moving forward, maybe i’ll stumble and fall, BUT I WILL ALWAYS BE MOVING.

                The second reason I KNOW I am on the right track is that the writer’s block that kept me COMPLETELY STAGNANT over the weekend, has lifted.   I JUMPED IN to the project I am dedicated to and I have been rewarded.

                What projects, tasks, desires, and dreams have you been putting off for FEAR of Jumping IN?  If you don’t feel comfortable JUMPING IN, are you willing to at least step forward into your future?

To The Universe

Love Brandy

Do You Have The Courage To Be UNCOOL?

               Good Morning Universe, let’s talk about COOL!!!  Let’s talk about how many times in our lives we have an unhealthy desire to “fit in.”  I am not saying that when we adapt to our surroundings and the people in it that it is always unhealthy.  What I am saying is that when we hide who we really are or behave in ways that make us uncomfortable, THAT ISN’T GOOD!!!

                When I was younger I spent so much time trying to fit in that I didn’t even know who I was.  I did not Acknowledge the things that made me happy.  I did not Believe that other people would like me for who I was on the inside.  I did not live in LOVE and Happiness, I existed in Fear.

                My thoughts and actions were heavily influence by other people and my own lack of Self Love.  My Actions weren’t considered and executed in order to make me happy, proud, and fulfilled.  My Actions were always filtered through the, “what will other people think” lens.  I missed out on so much Happiness and Fulfillment because my happiness was tied to directly to other people’s acceptance.

                When I made jokes and laughed it was really a mask for the sadness I was living in.  I always wanted to be the joking and cheerful person, because I thought this was who I had to be in order for people to like me.  I didn’t speak up for myself and I always agreed with everyone else.

                Then one day my life took a turn for the worst, and I started cutting myself and eventually started abusing drugs.  As much as I wish I could erase that part of my life I did learn a few things.  I learned that I was MUCH STRONGER than I ever imagined because I came out of those years of addiction and learned to prosper.

                Belief became my most powerful tool for change.  I started to believe in myself.  On some days when things didn’t go my way I had to Practice Belief, but I kept trying.  Once I started to Truly Believe I could accept myself and be happy it was time to make choices that were in alignment with how I wanted my life to look.  Most importantly, I took ACTION!!!  I stopped sitting back in Fear and started Doing Things that would bring more Love and Light into my soul. 

                One of the best things I learned about myself is that as of today I AM that HAPPY and JOKING person that I pretended to be when I was younger.  The difference now is that I use humor to make me smile and not so other people will like and accept me.  If people want to laugh and smile with me that is AWESOME, but if not I don’t take it so personally.

                I love my awkwardness, my sense of humor, my dorky side, and a lot of things that some people may consider “Uncool.”  Today I revel in the person I have developed into, and even though other people’s opinions can impact me sometimes I don’t dwell on that.  I Love Myself.  Do you have Love for yourself?  If not, what can you do today to bring more Love into your soul?

To The Universe

Love Brandy