Words Can Never Harm Me - Is that true, Really?

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never harm me. This is a popular saying in the Caribbean and we learn it as children.

We human beings are thoughtless people at times and we tend to take things and people for granted then forget about them and their feelings in the heat of an argument.

That's when we throw those verbal sticks and stones, and man do they hurt!

Giving attention to your problems, gives you more problems. ~Stefan Shuem

You may have an immediate knee-jerk rejection because you know what he or she said can't possibly be true but it sometimes is. The only way to enjoy any relationship is to allow those around you - adults and children - to be who they are while you work on yourself.

Using myself as an example, when I finally understood that I started laughing. You see, all the unconscious, repetitive thoughts where I kept beating myself down was the problem. Mine, and yours too.

Little things like "I hate my body", "I am so fat", "my legs are flabby and ugly", "why do I bother, nothing is working for me" and that kind of crap.

Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business. ~Norman Vincent Peale

While I was focusing on "I hate myself" a woman threw a "fat" comment my way. I was sending off that vibration and she "caught" it.

She called me a butterball not in a mean way but it made me pause. I tested and tasted it so see how I really felt. I felt a slight twinge and that is when I had my AHA! moment.

I intuitively understood that it was my opinion about myself and my fat arse that was the problem. I smiled, then I laughed. It was really great!

It also helped tremendously that I had been listening to a fabulous shamanic healing that morning by Shaman Stefan Shuem of Shuemsoulexperience. It must have shifted something that freed me to react by laughing.

My advice is make time for yourself. Meditate. Reconnect with that inner spaciousness within you. That is where you will find all your answers.

The bottom line is words can never harm you when you are solidly grounded in who you are. In other words, when you  like yourself just fine, warts and all.

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Enthusiastically Nuture Your Connections Today

When we are honest about our feelings when dealing with our loved ones, we can take comfort in the fact that they will never have cause to doubt the depth of our tenderness.

Oftentimes, it is the fear of rejection that prevents us from fully articulating our emotions in the presence of the people about whom we care the most.

Yet vulnerability is a natural and important part of our relationships, as it is the trust with which we interact with the important individuals in our lives that shapes our bonds.

Wearing our hearts on our sleeves allows us to take a more active role in the growth of our connections, as we give ourselves the means to fuel evolving ties of love when we are free with our emotions.

Your open approach to your relationships will enable you to enthusiastically nurture your connections today. DailyOM 

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Even Though I'm Afraid EFT Script

The Emotional Freedom Technique was developed by Gary Craig, now retired.

It is an effective, non-invasive technique in which you use your fingers to tap on acupuncture points on your face and in the more advanced part, on your fingers, while talking out a particular problem that makes you feel bad.

Sounds simple and it is but there's a catch. EFT tapping is like a knock and answer setup. Someone knocks at the door (that's you tapping) and you answer by asking "who's there?". The unsuspected, underlying emotions that arise from tapping is the (who's there) question.

If you are not prepared to take responsibility for any feelings that arise from the EFT tapping - which brings up the root cause of your emotional problem - don't start. You should Learn EFT and how it could benefit you. 

An extremely useful EFT tapping script on fear and worry from EFT Expert Brad Yates. Try it at your own risk.

EFT Tapping Transcription: Fear and Worry
Side of the Hand:

Even though I'm afraid, I choose to love and accept myself.

Even though I'm afraid, I choose to love and forgive me.

Even though I'm afraid…

Even though I feel anxious and I'm worried, and it is not comfortable, I choose to dissolve these emotions.

And even though I'm afraid, I choose to deeply and completely

Love, accept and forgive myself

And all the people in my life who taught me to be so afraid.

Eyebrow (EB): All this fear

Side of the Eye (SE): all this fear

Under the Eye (UE): all this fear

Under the Nose (UN): I choose to release it.

Chin (CH): I choose to remove it.

Collarbone (CB): This anxiety

Under Arm (UA): This worry

Top of the head (TH): They do not help me.



EB: But part of me thinks they are beneficial to me.

SE: One part of me thinks I need to fear.

UE: Part of me thinks it necessary to worry.

UN: What if I am not worried,

UM: something unpleasant will happen.

CB: All this fear that something unpleasant is going to happen

UA: If I'm not afraid.

TH: If I'm not worried.



EB: But this fear is really uncomfortable.

SE: So the mere fact that I’m experiencing this

UE: means that something unpleasant is already happening.

UN: This is perhaps why Roosevelt said:

UM: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.'

CB: And I spend a lot of time

UA: afraid of fear.

TH: being afraid of being afraid.



EB: imagining circumstances

SE: Which will cause anxiety.

UE: I get anxious just thinking.

UN: My fear is largely

UM: My anxiety is largely

CB: My concern is largely

UA: aroused by something that does not even happen.

TH: The threat exists only in my imagination.



EB: And if my experience is real

SE: If there are things I could or should fear,

UE: I choose to recognize them.

UN: I am able to handle these situations.

UM: to cope,

CB: or avoid,

UA: even if I choose not to be afraid.

TH: I release myself from all this fear that weighs on me.



EB: I'm free of this unpleasant anxiety.

SE: I release all my anxiety.

UE: releasing it at a cellular level.

UN: I release myself from any physical symptom.

UM: My heart can beat in a regular rhythm.

CB: My breathing is calm and relaxed.

UA: I can be calm and confident.

TH: because I can cope with life.



EB: I release any fear accumulated over the years.

SE: I accept that part of myself

UE: who needs to be afraid.

UN: It strives to protect me.

UM: it listens to the words that I heard.

CB: it saw things that I have experienced.

UA: I eliminate any fear that relates to my past.

TH: All the fear I felt



EB: and I decided to keep.

SE: And all the fear that others told me to feel.

UE: I do not need

UN: to feel their fear.

UM: To take care of me.

CL: I removed all my doubts about it.

UA: I eliminate my need to be afraid.

TH: I allow myself to relax.



EB: I allow myself to relax.

SE: I can relax.

UE: I allow myself to be calm and confident.

UN: I allow my body to calm down and choose trust.

UM: I allow myself permission to believe

CB: In everything I choose to believe,

UA: and all that I want to believe.

TH: Including myself.



EB: I choose to feel calm and confident.

SE: allowing myself to feel calm and confidence.

UE: I relax and breathe easily

UN: knowing that I can cope with life

UM: I can handle the situations that present themselves to me

CB: And make good decisions.

UA: I feel calm and sure of myself,

TH: In body, mind and spirit.


Take a deep breath… and a drink of water.

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Good News for Leatherback Turtles and Grande Riviere,Trinidad

Leatherback, Animalscamp.com

Grand Riviere, Trinidad, the most densely populated nesting site for leatherback turtles in the world has been completely restored by... Mother Nature!

Waves restore Grande Riviere as reported in the Trinidad Express by Kim Boodram, her article is below.

Click on the link to see the newly restored beach as it has been reported that although the nesting season starts in March, leatherbacks have already been sited.

WHILE the solution eluded humans months after the catastrophic erosion of Grande Riviere Beach, Nature herself on Monday restored the beach within hours—and weeks away from the start of the sea turtle nesting season.

Powerful wave action, predicted by the Meteorological Office, dumped enough sand on the beach to restore it to its previous level and also filled in a large "lagoon" in front of the Mt Plaisir Estate Hotel—a legacy of last year's river erosion on the beach.

Last July's beach destruction was an event that rippled around the world, after the Grande Riviere River wandered west of its course and ate away most of the beachfront during nesting season.

In an attempt to restore the beach, the State authorised the use of heavy machinery that excavated hundreds of nests, destroying hundreds or more hatchlings of endangered sea turtles, including the critically endangered leatherback.

The massacre caught the attention of conservationists and animal-lovers worldwide, drawing huge criticism for what was seen as a lack of foresight and a clear violation of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), of which this country is a signatory.

Up to last week, residents and conservationists were worried of a repeat disaster due to a decision by the Ministry of the Environment to wait for rough seas predicted by the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Services, the Institute of Marine Affairs and the Environmental Management Authority.

These high swells were being counted on the restore the beach naturally—at no cost Up to last week, the large lagoon was filled with stagnant water and showed no signs of disappearing. Residents called for the ministry to use bulldozers before the official start of the season on March 1 to grade the beach and lower a berm formed on part of the lagoon's frontline by the sea.

The Express was present on Monday to witness, first-hand, massive waves that deposited sand all along the beach, evening it off and filling in the lagoon.

Minister in the Ministry of the Environment Ramona Ramdial on Tuesday said the ministry was pleased with the results of its decision to wait for nature to take its course.

"The ministry will continue to be guided by exact science," Ramdial said.

"There was no need to bring heavy equipment onto the beach."
Ramdial said a long-term plan will be implemented to prevent another cycle of erosion by the river. A drainage plan for the community is also being planned, she said, as much of the water in the lagoon was domestic run-off that reached the beachfront via the roadway. While it did much good, Tuesday's intense wave action also caused minor damage to some beachfront properties, including the Mt Plaisir Estate Hotel and Restaurant, which had been slightly damaged by last year's erosion.
The ground floor of the hotel was flooded through, ruining some furniture and appliances and leaving sand and debris—including some of last season's rotten eggs—all over the floor. Proprietor Piero Guerrini said, however, it was a small price to pay for the restoration of the beach. "The beach is now perfect for the turtles," he said. "We are happy that the ministry was right, and we thank them for their efforts and we are looking forward to a prolific season this year."
Residents worked with each other to clear out homes and businesses affected by those land-bound waves. Head of Turtle Village Trust Len Peters said Monday's beach restoration was "a testament to the power of nature". Grande Riviere Environmental Organisation's Sherwin Ruiz, who every year assists thousands of hatchlings into the sea, said: "We are pleased the sea has done its job and we congratulate the ministry."

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Raise your Vibration and Become Aware of your Personal Power

Message from the "team"

Galactic Family of Light

Peggy Black and the "team"

The Jet d'Eau (70 metres tall), Geneva, Switzerland

We are here, joining you in the midst of all things. You are to be acknowledged for consciously anchoring the energy from the core center of the galaxy. The crossing of this energy threshold signals the beginning of change in the collective field. Those of you who are aware of what has taken place can celebrate, for you were the physical chalice of all that was being offered.

We realize that many were expecting great and grand sweeping changes once this event took place in your reality. Let us assure you that on our level there were great and grand sweeping changes. These profound shifts will now begin to filter into the physical reality that you are focused upon. The celestial alignment anchoring the new reality of earth into the realms of the 5th dimension has occurred. The higher frequencies and the vibrations of light held in the 5th dimension are now more available to feel and experience.

Allow yourself to be acknowledged for all the active internal shifts and changes you have processed in the last series of years. We assure you that the density that has been transformed from this dimension has been monumental. You have done your personal work in clearing compressed vibrational traumas from your physical body, your mental patterns and your field. You have also assisted and supported the clearing of compressed vibrational traumas from the collective consciousness as well.

We say congratulations and keep up the good work, there is still more to be transformed. We assure you that you are making the difference by bringing your light, love and willingness to this galactic theater. We also assure you that literally the changes are coming forth with greater speed and manifestation then ever before.

In the coming days there will be an increased awareness that your spoken words and emotional offerings are manifesting more quickly. Many of you are now experiencing this very thing as you state your intentions and the results show up in your life without delay. We invite you to begin to consciously clean up just how you use the power of your spoken words. There are no throw away words.

Learn to listen to how you are stating your lack or your bounty, your challenges or your blessings, your gripes or your gratitudes. What you are telling the universal energies will manifest in some expression in your life and experience.

Each word carries the vibration of your personal power and intention. These word/sound vibrations, infused and partnered with the force of your emotional expression, interface with the quantum field of all possibilities and bring forth what has been offered. We invite you to own this awareness and power from your multidimensional perception. This truly is how the act of creation works and you know this in your deepest self.

In the past there was a buffer of time which allowed you to correct many of these false or misqualified statements that you offered without much thought or intention. In the coming times you will be amazed at how rapidly your thoughts, desires and intentions are showing up. So we invite you to claim this personal power as you practice creating life-enhancing realities for yourself, your community and the world.

You will also become aware of the incredible synchronicities that occur to bring about these realities. Recognize and remember that synchronicities are meant to be a part of your experience. They serve as guidelines or markers to let you know that you are "in the flow"; consider them signs along the way. This will become a fun and playful aspect of creating your new realities and experiences.

We invite you to look for and acknowledge these unusual events that are somehow related. Once you begin to train your awareness to see these, so to speak, "miracles" or recognize a seeming odd coincidence occurring, you will know that you are on the right track. Watch for the synchronicities as they show up and celebrate your clarity.

Also begin to notice how your physical body is feeling, for it is also undergoing tremendous changes. Each cell is shifting to hold more and more light frequencies. This does not happen overnight. So be kind to yourself and conscious of the foods you ingest, making sure that they are whole, healthy and fresh. Make a practice of infusing your conscious energy blessings, into any substance you put into your body. Remember you are a transformer of energy frequencies as a multidimensional being.

Drink water, for this holy substance supports the work of the cells and tissues in becoming more crystalline and light filled. We invite you to honor yourself with the gift of being in the nature that is available. Drink in this holy substance of energy and frequency offered by nature for it will revitalize your subtle energy bodies. Be sure that you find ways and methods to relax each day even for small moments or mini rest bits. You are also invited to play, joyfully and childlike. Be sure to incorporate laughter in your daily pattern, for laughter is a powerful healing vibration which resets your energy field.

You are also experiencing altered states of awareness, noticing a subtle shift in your perception. Welcome those experiences; you are beginning to own your true authentic self as a multidimensional being.

The dimensions are much like rooms in a large dwelling; you will discover these dimensions or rooms as you explore the possibilities and allow yourself to move beyond your rigid boundaries. Again we invite you to play with this concept and potentiality.

Allow yourself to explore creating a space for this to occur naturally. Part of the shift in consciousness, the awakening and the ascension is the recognition and the ability to move freely along the timeline as well as from one dimension to another. You have had those moments where you truly do this, however we are inviting you to be aware of when you make this shift and to practice and welcome this ability to unfold.

You will find the perfect method which will support this shift in awareness. Sages and ancient ones have all given clues of how to bring about this shift; our favorite will always be the use of sound vibrations; chanting and drumming will certainly create a shift, as will dancing and meditation. There will come a time when you will able to shift your consciousness and alter you perception just with the desire and intention.

You will begin to explore the other dimensions and timelines with greater ease, each time bringing a new awareness back into this dense dimension of physical reality and duality. You will learn how to be in the altered-state of non-duality and still be present in this here and now. The doors are open for you; allow yourself to cross the threshold into the wonder.

We are welcoming you into the galactic family of light. Your planet and humanity is moving more fully into this realization. It is important that you always honor your physical body and presence in this dense polarity and dimension; however we also want you to honor and welcome your divine multidimensional presence.

Each day invite this divine partnership, anchor this energy to the electromagnetic and geomagnetic field of this planet, and embrace the clear knowing that you are receiving pure energy and support from the one true source of the All That Is.

Remember you are here on assignment to transmute and transform the dense unconsciousness and the misqualified energy that has been offered into this matrix or reality. You are a master and we are just reminding you of your true self. When we invite you to "lighten up" we mean this on every level.


Bring your light of consciousness to each experience; offer your light of joy and gratitude as often as possible; drink in the energy of light that is being given to you at each moment, from all of nature, the stars and your very galaxy.

Your every cell is adjusting and shifting to hold and anchor more and more light conscious vibration. You are literally being bathed at all times with this beautiful healing, ever expanding, vibration of light.

Welcome this pure energy you call light, acknowledge this pure energy of light, and begin to offer and share this light with all you encounter. You are becoming a true being of light vibration. Remember that you are light. You come from light and you will always be an extension of light. You are a guardian of the light.

We are honored to have this opportunity to acknowledge and welcome you into the divine family of light and love. We offer our gratitude and deep appreciation for the work and service you continue to extend into this physical reality. Be kind to yourself and others as these shifts and changes in density bring challenges. We are always available to assist and support upon your invitation and request. the 'team'

Peggy Black

©2013 Peggy Black All Right Reserved. You may share this message and distribute as long as nothing is changed, you credit the author and include this copyright notice and web address. www.morningmessages.com FREE 88 messages available

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Character Counts - Identify the Good in Others and Congratulate Them

You can always see in others whatever traits of character you are looking for.

Fancy Christmas street lamps in Geneva

Margaret Wolfe Hungerford said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It was her way of saying that we see what we wish to see in others.    

Every living human being is a complex combination of feelings, emotions, and thoughts — some good, some bad. Your impression of another depends far more upon you and your expectations of that person.   If you believe someone is good, you will find good qualities. If you don’t, you won’t.    

When you are yourself a positive person, you tend to find positive qualities in others.   As you work to develop good, constructive habits to improve yourself continually, make it a practice to look for those same qualities in others.    

It’s easy to spot another’s shortcomings, but when you identify the good in others and congratulate them upon their positive achievements, you will make friends on whom you can always depend — both in good times and bad. Napoleon Hill

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Let Your Heart - Strong, Powerful, Wise - be your Guide

We forget, you and I, how strong, powerful and wise is the heart.

At times we cherish, swear we will perish and at other times, hate and berate, chastise and criticise all the while heart thudding, racing.

We forget, we forget how fragile, how strong and powerful we are and all we need do is listen and take our cue from that massive pink organ in our chests, becoming drunk on our song.

You heart will never lead you wrong even when events don't turn out the way you think they should have but that's because you got caught up in expectations instead of enjoying the "now".

Always remember when pain seems too much to bear that you are living your soul journey. Become supple and bend. That way you will not break.

Resistance is futile and I know this from experience. I have been on this road since my mid-forties with many lows and a few highs. I chose to go with the flow only when my back was against the wall, so I would strongly advise that you do just that. It's much less painful.

Trust your heart regardless of the turmoil. Trust what you feel. The dark tunnel is just a passage to a place much brighter.

Your heart is not just a pumping, thumping organic machine. The cathedral of my heart is the core of who I am and who you are, truly. It has taken me so long to understand this.

Your heart is your guide, your beacon, your thermometer. Follow your intuitive wisdom and let your heart be your compass though some may scoff because they are afraid or don't understand.

Some will pity you and may call you crazy but why would such opinions be important to you. What people think about you is not your business! Remember that.


We are not omniscient. We cannot know everything - if we did we probably wouldn't do anything for fear of upsetting the so-called balance.

Take time to smell the roses, literally. Admire the daily sunrise and sunset. Say I love you to those you hold dear. Eat what feels right for you and throw out what doesn't - that includes the emotional baggage.

Enjoy nature around you. Don't have any? Then get yourself an easy-to-care for plant. Better yet, buy yourself a flower every week and a vase and absorb it's beauty.

A visualization technique I use to commune with my heart every morning. Close your eyes, place your hand over your heart and feel it beating. Tell it I love you, I thank you, I appreciate everything you're doing to keep me alive and healthy. Repeat as many times as you like, I love you, I love you, I love you.

Your heart responds. In fact, all the cells in your body reacts. I picture them as those yellow, happy face icons racing around in my blood stream and through all my organs happy and joyful screaming yeah, yeah it's great to be alive.

You are life after all.

You can feel the difference in your body - an extra warmth. At the end of the minute or 10 minutes (it's up to you) I feel a wonderful sense of well-being.

When I'm upset over something I use this technique. The first time I did it, I noticed afterward that my heart rate had slowed down. It was no longer thumping in rage and I was no longer angry.

That wonderful, loving energy you generate by communing with your heart is transmitted to all cells in your body.
What more could you want for yourself than to send love, love, love to your body. It's your temple after all and it's you and those who interact with you that benefit. Anytime. Every time. Everybody wins:))
All is well and it's just around the corner. Don't feel ashamed. Let your heart be your guide.

Smile, be grateful, every single day.

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Stick to your Principels in the Hour of Adversity

Your real courage shows best in the hour of adversity.

Some setbacks are so severe that to give in to them means losing the whole ball game.

When he assumed command of the Korean War, Gen. Matthew Ridgeway found his forces pushed far to the south, hard pressed by the invaders.

Only a determined decision to hold the lines allowed the American forces to keep from being swept into the sea and to eventually regain all the territory they had lost.

When a defeat strikes, you may not have the time to withdraw and contemplate your mistakes without risking further setbacks. Don’t succumb to paralysis.

It is important to know at that moment what it is you truly desire and to act to preserve your resources and your hope. If you crumble utterly, you will take a blow to your self-esteem that will be hard to repair.

Instead, stick to your principles, and you will know, at the very least, that you have protected the most important thing you have.

Your successes in life will far outnumber your failures.

 NapoleonHill

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14 Hard-Won Growth Lessons of 2012

2012 was a melancholy year for me; depressing as well as enraging.

It began in March 2011 when I found myself on the streets - and as devastating as that felt - it was probably the best thing that happened to me ridding me of my toxic family members in the process.

When your sister's husband deliberately smears shit all over the toilet seat - this is the first time I have aired this in public - and I mean all over and leaves it for you to clean up, you know what time it is.

When your wealthy younger sister, and yes it bugs me that I am beholden to her because she paid for my return ticket to the country, resentfully screams I am not taking care of you as if that was asked or expected, you know what time it is.

And when she follows up with I know you're not accustomed cleaning... yet explicitly expects me to clean her 5 bedroom/5 bathroom house for herself, husband and mother, as repayment that says it all.

To compound it all, you are called to a "family meeting" and informed that you are the problem because you're not mopping, sweeping, cleaning and dusting. You see, they decided not to hire a new cleaning lady, so you definitely know what time it is.

All that and more left me feeling revolted, disgusted and resentful having to deal with these beasts in human form whom I believed were behind me, never to resurface. I had vowed never to return under that roof 30-odd years ago to co-habit with my abusers but that is what life had in store for me.

So, I ended up living on the streets for a bit. It was during these soul-baring moments that good samaritans showed up in my life and as I look back, I see and now live my 14 hard won growth lessons of 2012.

1-  Never look a gift horse in the  mouth. When the father of a school friend from 40-odd years ago offered me his lounge chair to sleep on in their living room in my first week of homelessness, while his house was under renovation, it felt like a palace.

2 - Support comes from the most unlikely sources. That same family persuaded the sister of a friend of a friend to offer me a job and even though it was very poorly paid, and she exploited me to the hilt, I was so damn grateful and remembered that first day when I asked this stranger for $10, she gave me $100!

3 - When the going is really tough, suck it up. You can plead - as I did for the first time in my adult life - complete strangers for a job and be shut down really hard. Devastating as that may be, it will not kill you. Try again elsewhere.

4 - Be grateful and focus on what matters. When sleeping on my brother's couch for 3 months, I endured his religious zealot of a wife's needling without complaint. When her pettiness turned to outright lies because I never responded and he called me on it, I didn't say much to defend myself because I would have had to reveal her lies and that wouldn't have been good for him or the children.

5 - Swallow your pride it will not choke you. A friend of my brother's wife offered me a bed for one week in her home. I was very grateful until I saw the condition of their home. Everything was unwashed, dusty and obviously uncared for and the ceiling was rotting from water damage. But it was a bed I didn't have before and they fed me every single day too.

The offer of shelter was genuine and I even asked if I could stay an extra week but was glad when she said "no". 

6 -  Being humble helps you to appreciate miracles. I have asked so many different people for help, sometimes so desperate I wonder they didn't take me for a crazy person. 

Most times I got a silent "no" and when I was successful it surprised me. I lost nothing by it and appreciated those miracles even more when they happened.

7 - You learn to adapt in the most unlikely situations. Homelessness is an excellent leveler. People are people everywhere and when you end up in a St Vincent de Paul-run shelter for homeless people, living dormitory style, you are exposed to everything and everyone. It teaches you about yourself, first and foremost.

The roaches, lack of hygiene of some, their civility or lack, their violence, ignorance, psychological problems and consequent acting out, the unaccustomed food served, the rules of conduct, the respect and lack thereof shown by staff, are just details when compared to your reaction to this twilight zone of a new world.

8 - You discover your inner fortitude and self-respect. When a government bureaucrat tried to intimidate and belittle me in order to force me to move to a prison type government-run facility to follow a useless 2-year formless programme not aligned with my needs, the fires of anger ignited inside.

Feeling depressed, it surprised me when I heard myself respond firmly with dignity, determination and anger. That's when I knew I hadn't lost myself after all. I was just profoundly different on the inside.

Fighting against circumstances wastes time and energy. Learn to build on what you have.

9 - When you're afraid to trust, you are pushed into situations that will reveal you to yourself. I ended up in my first relationship in the country and in 15 years with a man who is addicted to alcohol, who physically and verbally abused me over an 8-month period.

The first time he slapped me for speaking my mind after constantly berating and shouting at me in public, drunk and sober, it was like a nuclear bomb going off inside me.

It happened again the following week before I had even digested the first incident. He left my face swollen, lip busted, mouth swollen and a headache that lasted 2 weeks. Emotionally, I was a wreck.

Never having known an alcoholic before, and never having been hit as an adult, I experienced flashbacks and utter terror with this man, not counting his verbal threats, all played out in public. And the scary thing was, we weren't even lovers or living together.

I overcame the fear of the physical harm and verbal threats and faced down this 48-year old bully who lashes out when he can't express himself except through criticism, insult and physical abuse. I did not conform to what he wanted.

10- Speak with love in the face of anger. After I outgrew the useless rage and hate - in the interim I ate and ate to comfort myself and became very fat - I saw that reacting to anger with anger made the pot boil over.

Coming from a place of compassion and understanding turns off the judgement in your mind and  turns away the "knife". It enables you to really see and listen to the person in front of you.

You get here by going in "there" to your well of stillness - being quiet - which helps you understand your words and actions, and accept responsibility for it all.  

From there, you begin accepting the other person as they are and seeing their needs from their point of view. It is an ongoing process.

11- You don't have to love romantically to work things out.

The why of this 'unsuitable' relationship is it happened because it was meant to be. I instinctively knew when the shouting, threats, possessiveness and beatings started that it was a karmic meeting where all previously unresolved issues had to be cleared up before a satisfactory ending could take place. 

All is coming to fruition as it must. In the process I have overcome fear of everything, developed a bedrock of resolve, rediscovered an overwhelming love and appreciation for myself, uncovered a compassion for others that I often refused to acknowledge. It doesn't make me weak!

I recognised that the hatred and despair I felt which I thought was for this man were really directed against myself. It was all about me and that is when the change began.

12- Accepting charity is a gracious act of receiving. This was the hardest for me. I wanted to do it myself and eat what was nutritious even though my purse and bank account rarely had more than twenty dollars.

Accepting to wear clean but used clothing cast off by others gave me and still does sometimes, a very uncomfortable feeling. However, I have discovered that wearing the same garment until it forms holes that have to be darned is not a big deal.

Being invited to social events by charity groups which unfortunately are of a religious bent can be tolerated in small doses for the little pleasure packages and special meals that follow.

13- You never know the turning your journey will take. There is always more to learn and you never know how far you will have to go when living the soul journey so be prepared for the unexpected. The only way to do that is by taking one step at a time and seeing the positive in front of you.

It's never about who you meet on your journey. It's always about your reaction to circumstance and being truthful to yourself (and others if you want) by accepting responsibility for the part you played in the story.

14-  Money taken away does not change who you are. Passing through the fires of deprivation burnishes and fortifies you. You can withstand whatever life throws at you even when you may think you can't at times. It all builds you up one day at a time until you are this person that you never knew before.

All is falling into place unbeknownst to you and because miracles happen every day keep the faith that the good stuff you want is just around the corner!

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A Different Story brings Different Results

A reminder and perfect way to begin and continue 2013.  Focus on what you really desire - stop believing the nonsensical and usually negative stories you keep telling yourself.

Continuing to tell stories of shortage only continues to contradict your desire for abundance, and you cannot have it both ways: You cannot focus upon unwanted and receive wanted.

You cannot focus upon stories about money that make you feel uncomfortable and allow into your experience what makes you feel comfortable.

A different story will bring different results: My thoughts are the basis for the attraction of all things that I consider to be good, which includes enough money, and health, for my comfort and joy.
--- Abraham

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