This was brought home to me on a deeper level while reading Happier than God by Neale Donald Walsch. This book combines the best of Neale's conceptual truths uncovered in his nine book series, Conversations with God.

I'm not going to review the book here or try to break down everything Mr. Walsch says. Suffice it to say this is another great read and, IMHO, everyone should grab a copy.

What I am going to do is explain in my own way and give you a couple of ideas on how you can figure out what happiness means to you ​and how to infuse joy into your everyday life.  HINT: it's nothing outside of you!

In the world of "manifestation," and "creating your own reality," joy, bliss and happiness are fundamental principles. Even the bible talks about joy being our strength. Granted the scripture says, "the joy of the Lord is my strength." (Neh. 8:10).

What does 'the joy of the Lord' mean?

I believe this means that God finds joy in everything He creates, especially in us. And if God finds joy in us, we should find joy in ourselves as well as the life we co-create with Him.

How can we do this when there is SO much negativity in the world?

By understanding that you are the only one who can control your emotions! You have the choice to be positive or negative, happy or sad, etc. and happiness, or joy, or bliss, is an inside job.

True, there are any number of triggers outside of us that can send our emotions into a tailspin, but one thing I've come to know is that there is a pause between the trigger and my/our reaction. If we learn to lean into that pause, we can decide how to respond instead of reacting in our normal way.

And, as Dr. Joe Dispenza puts it,  "those strong, negative emotions are not loving and nurturing for your body."

But how can we change lifelong patterns of flying off the handle or spewing anger and frustration every time we're triggered?

Here are a few ways...

• You've always heard cout to ten. I'm telling you to count backward from five or ten if necessary Why? Because the brain is used to counting forward. By counting backward, you interrupt the normal pattern in the brain. Mel Robbins's is a huge proponent of the 5-second rule and I've that found counting backward from five or even ten makes a huge difference in my response.

 

• Take a breath. Or two or three. Not sharp, shallow breaths, but a soul deep inhale and slow, deliberate exhale - like blowing air through a straw. This too, calms the flight, fight or flee response that kicks in when someone pushes our buttons.

 

• Practice heart coherence on a regular basis by placing your hand over your heart and taking those deep breaths described above for 3 minutes as often as you can throughout the course of your day.

 

• Tap your way through it. Depending on who/what/when/where the incident occurs this may not be an option immeditely but, utilizing EFT practices as soon as possible will help move any residual or stuck energy out of the body.

These ideas will help when you are triggered. Below are a couple of ways to fill or replenish your joy/happiness well...

• Make it fun! No matter how mundane the task, find a way to make it fun. Sing in the shower and on the drive to work. Be silly with the kids while you get them ready for school and invite them to be silly with you. Hum your way through that stack of work piled on your desk. Dance your way through the house as you clean. Life is meant to be enjoyed not ploughed through like an old horse in a field.

 

• Pray your way through your day. Pray for yourself, your family, friends, coworkers (especially those who irritate you the most!), complete strangers, your community, state, the world at large. 

​

• Keep a running dialoge going on in your mind of what you're grateful for, or better yet change that to, what you love and appreciate. Love and appreciation are higher vibration emotions. It's been proven that positive emotions counterbalance the lingering effects of negative, and on an energetic and spiritual level, our joy helps heal the planet.

I guess this all boils down to the fact that, just as stress starts in the mind, so do peace, joy and happiness!

Something to think about...
PamT
​
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in Pj's" ™
​
Find out more about EFT by reading these articles.

​In her book, Pam mentioned, The Gratitude Jar by Josie Robinson. I read this book, and mentioned it on my book blog back in 2019, and decided to reread it.

Boy am I glad I did!

Ms. Robinson talks about how a simple gratitude practice she did with her four-year-old son, helped her evolve from a hopeless alcoholic to a woman of grace and power and changed the trajectory of not only her, but her entire family's, life. 

If you've ever felt grateful for something or someone, not just a fleeting "thank you," grateful, but a bone deep emotion that permeates to your very soul, you'll appreciate reading these two books.

According to teachers of the Law of Attraction, gratitude and appreciation raise your vibration, enabling you to attract more of the things you want in lieu of those you don't. 

Therefore, if your life seems to be nothing but headache and heartache, implement the practices in either or both volumes. 

I promise you won't regret it!

Something to think about...
PamT
​
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in Pj's" ™

I know, I know, it's not Thanksgiving. But shouldn't it be?

Why do we take one day out of the year to give thanks, when gratitude should be a lifestyle?

But that's not what this article is about.

Or is it?

You may wonder at the title as much as the photo attached to this message, but I'm here to share my thoughts on GIVING with you. 

Luke 6:38 exhorts us to, "give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together."

Most people look at this scripture in terms of money, but what if we look at other aspects of our life and see how much more we can give. Or, better yet, what we can give besides money.
​
We're also taught through scripture that we reap what we sow.  

So let's think about this...

Sow (give) love, you'll reap love. Give grace, you'll receive grace in abundance. Sow peace and you'll live a more peaceful life. Offer forgiveness... We all know what Jesus said about that. 

Am I saying you'll never have a bad day or unhappy circumstance?

Not at all.

What I AM saying is that by consciously giving of yourself--Your time, your energy, your blessings, your attention and yes, your money-- You are setting yourself up for a beautiful harvest and a blessed and abundant life. JMHO!

Something to think about!
PamT
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in Pj's" ™

If you’ve followed my spiritual quest for long, you’ll see I often refer to the Law of Attraction (which I consider the law of sowing and reaping, or faith in action)…Anyway, two of the Scriptures quoted in The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (a LOA book) are Matthew 21:22 and Mark 11:24 where Jesus says, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” AND “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

If these are the words of our Savior, then why aren’t we receiving the things we desire? After all, Psalm 37:4 exhorts us to “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Now I know many will get off into semantics here, telling us there is more to the meaning of those scriptures than what meets the eye. They will tell us that our sin is what keeps us from receiving and that there are a whole lot of rules to apply before God will bless us. We will be filled with guilt and shame for asking and doubt and fear that God will not stand up to His promise and bless us.

Really?

I honestly believe this is where we mess up and why we don’t receive the things we need from God much less those we desire.

The Bible talks a lot about being worthy and there is a prayer in the Catholic mass that says, “Lord I am not worthy to receive you but say the word and I shall be healed.”

Is it possible we don’t receive from God because although He desires to bless us we don’t feel worthy?

Bottom Line: If you’ve committed your life to God, have asked for forgiveness of your sins and have received pardon from Him – You ARE Worthy!

Period.

So how do we get to the point of receiving?

#1: Realize you are worthy to receive from God.
#2: Ask for what you need.
#3: Find and stand on God’s promises related to whatever you are asking for.
#4: Believe you have received whatsoever you’ve asked for.
#5: Expect God to answer but understand He may not answer in the exact way you imagine. God always has our best interest at heart so trust He will bless you in the way that’s best for everyone concerned.
#6: Watch what you say! Just because you don’t get what you want, when you want, be careful not to get into negativity over God’s timing or ways. There’s no quicker way to negate your faith and block your blessings than that.

Sounds easy right?
Not always.

In the spiritual/LOA books I’ve read and all the things I’ve studied, feeling as though you already have whatever it is you desire is a big part of receiving. The catch is, feeling it with gratitude and not fear.

Gratitude draws, fear repels.

So how do we get from fear to gratitude?
#1: Be thankful in advance.
#2: Write or say affirmations such as, “I receive (fill in the blank) with grace and gratitude.”
#3: Make room for whatever it is you’re asking for in your heart, mind, and life. Asking for new clothes? Clean out your dressers and closets. Asking for a new automobile? Keep the other one in good shape, clean and well tuned. Looking for a new house? Clean, repair and/or refresh your current home. Wanting a new job? Appreciate the one you have, trusting God to open doors for your advancement. More than that work your current position with integrity and excellence!
#4: Learn to appreciate what you already have. Nothing opens you up to receive more than gratitude for what you already have! After all, God will not give you something else to complain about.

In her book, You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay says to sit with your arms open wide and say, “I am open and receptive to all of the good God/the universe has for me.”

Go a step further and say, “I am worthy to receive all of the good God has for me!”

Try these things and again, watch what you say. Negativity blocks so stay positive and remember faith is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it becomes and keep in mind that all things are possible to them that believe.
 
Something to think about!
Pamela S Thibodeaux
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in PJs" ™

If you've read the "About this Blog" info in the sidebar, you'll know I've been on a spiritual quest for several decades now and that the purpose of this entire blog is to share with you, dear friends, books and podcasts, etc. that have inspired and helped me along my journey.

Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer is one of the earliest books along this path that impacted my thinking and life.

This book is filled with personal stories, scriptures, life lessons and wisdom the author has gained from her own life experieces and teaches you the power of our thoughts and words and the basics of taking every thought captive unto the mind of Christ, renewing your mind through the Word, and speaking positive.

Mine is an old version and was given to me from a wonderful lady who is still one of my BFF's today!

Now, there is a whole series of tools based on this book to help young people and adults with 100 Insights and a Study Guide​ to enhance your reading experience. 

If you or someone you love are bound by negative thinking, a pessimistic attitude or victim mentality, this book is another that will change your/their life!

I'd LOVE to know your experience in reading the books I feature on this blog so please feel free to contact me via email: [email protected] or the contact form here on the website.

Until next time take care and God Bless.
PamT