Rainbows, Potholes & Nuggets of Gold
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Rainbows, Potholes & Nuggets of Gold
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To Thine Own Self be True From birth we are groomed for marriage and babies. Sometimes a career or dream will take precedence, but for most of us it’s domesticity. Even if we pursue those other aspects, marriage and babies always seem to be a huge part of our life plan. How often though do we teach our daughter and/or granddaughter to seek, listen to and honor her soul? I’m not talking about the words of the world or voices of their piers. I’m talking about the still, small voice inside, the wisdom and direction we can only gain by going within. Going to God. From the time I could articulate, my desire was to be a wife and mother; a stay-home mom who would create a wonderful life and beautiful memories for my family. Not a bad dream, but not once did I sit quietly and check with my soul before jumping into the relationships that resulted from that ambition. Is it any wonder the “stay home” part never materialized? Though not disastrous, the results of my choices were less stellar than they could have been had I simply asked…. Is this the path I’m supposed to be on? Do I have another purpose? Is this the person to help fulfill my destiny? No, I just did as my heart urged, dealt with what life handed me thereafter, and devoted my whole being to the tasks, wrapping my entire identity into being So and So’s mother or Such and Such’s wife. My initial impatience to fulfill my “life purpose” ended in divorce. The second attempt was the exact opposite. The love we experienced rivaled that of the best romance novel. Life was a carousel of laughter and tears, adventure, and fun. In twenty years, we had less than a handful of minor disagreements and even fewer major ones. My hero wasn’t perfect. Far from it. However he had my heart and I, his and I knew I’d found my happy-ever-after. Until he died and everything fell apart. I had no idea who I was or what I was supposed to be doing. My reason behind nearly everything I did–the very breath I took–was gone. My purpose ripped out from under me. Over the years of grief and growth, search, and discovery, I’ve learned to be still and to ask, then to listen for and honor the answers that come from the wisdom within my own soul. I can’t say I’ve perfected the process. Self-care, growth, and discovery are lifelong developments. I still get confused by the voices of those who love me and those whom I love, the society we live in and the world at large. I don’t always make the right choice or decision. Sometimes I’m afraid to rock the boat or veer too far from the conventional wisdom with which I was raised or taught. But I try. Which is more than a lot of women can say. I believe along with traditional education–religious and secular–we should teach our children, especially daughters, the art of meditative prayer, to listen to and honor their soul and to be true to their deepest self. Not in a selfish or rebellious manner, but with honesty and truth, kindness, and grace. But until we as a collective whole see the absolute necessity of this, it’s never too early or late to cultivate this practice in our and our children’s lives. Nor does it take long. Studies have proven it takes between 16-18 seconds to change a thought and sustained for that minute amount of time, the brain has the power to attract similar reflections, thereby propelling the trajectory of your day–and therefore, your life–in the direction of your attentions. Start with five minutes, 2 or 3 times a day. Set a timer if you have to. Pick a thought or emotion you’d like to exemplify in your daily life: Love, peace, joy or if your desire is more spiritual in nature, Jesus, God, Angels. Inhale (deep breaths) on the thought then listen to the silence as you exhale. If your mind starts to wander, gently bring it back to your point of concentration. Before long, you’ll reap the benefits of regular, focused prayer/meditation and you’ll find yourself making time for longer interludes. As you develop your practice, keep a journal or notebook handy and jot down imaginations or ideas that come to you, solutions to problems and even answers to prayer or petition. Most of all seek answers to the most important questions in your life and take time to connect to the deepest part of you. Your soul. Your self. Something to think about... PamT
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If you've ever read my article, Wealth is a Mindset, then you'll understand why I am featuring this book. I own several books on the concept of wealth and mindset and love them all. I'm sure I will be featuring each one at some point on this blog. Anyway, I heard about this book through Kathleen Cameron's YouTube channel and just had to have it. Boy am I ever glad I followed my impulse to purchase and read it right away. This book is filled with nuggets of gold and scriptural truths that opened me up to how prosperous I really am. One nugget I took away is a prayer which I have written on an index card and read every day.... The cattle on a thousand hills are mine. The world is mine. The universe is mine for I am a CHILD of GOD, free from all bondage. I am free. I am rich. I am powerful. I am One with ALL GOOD and everything is mine to use. I claim my higest good now and nothing or no one can keep it from me.... As Catherine Ponder says, "no one except me" of course by not believing, trusting and agreeing with God's word that says, "Beloved I wish above all things that thou prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers." (3rd John 1:2) Whenever I remember this I hear Dr. Jesse Duplantis say, "What things? How many things?" ALL THINGS. As I continue growing and evolving into the truth of Who I AM in God, I am learning more and more how many thought patterns of lack and unbelief and half-truths that have been pounded into us our entire lives. I, for one, am determined to be set free from those and live the "exceedingly, abundant" life promised to me. Won't you join me? I hope so! Until next time, take care and be blessed and infinitely prosperous. PamT ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work, and believe every client is creative, resourceful, and whole. (International Coaching Federation, 2014). For me, Life Coaching is sharing the Rainbows (Knowledge), Potholes (from Experience) and Nuggets of Gold (Wisdom) I have gleaned along my journey with family, friends, loved ones or anyone who will listen. For example, last week a friend, who is a chef, called me because she’d found a restaurant had “copied” her signature dish and it was selling like crazy. Since she too, is in the self/personal/spiritual development work, she wanted to share with me how she’d handled the situation…. By allowing the emotions of shock, anger, betrayal, etc. flow through until they processed out of her mind/body, and she was at peace. Well, almost. She admitted this might take a few more attempts at “letting go,” but we were both very proud of her response. Being somewhat familiar with copyright laws, I informed her that, although I knew nothing about copyrighting recipes, I did know you could not copyright titles or ideas. I then went on to ask a few questions. Which is what a Life Coach does…. Where is this place? Are they in direct competition with you? Is it possible they could have 1 ingredient different than your dish? ETC. As we continued talking, words and ideas flowed out of me, surprising me with the wisdom! I asked her to think about whether or not she could consider this a collaboration instead of an infringement. Since the two establishments are 50 miles apart I asked, “What about if you respond to the post congratulating them and mention you have a similar signature dish at your restaurant?” This way she is turning the negative emotions attached to the situation into positive ones and directing people who are closer to her to her own wonderful menu. Of course, I suggested she pray and meditate to be sure this was something that resonated with her spirit. *Don't ever take what someone tells you as absolute!* Further discussion and ideas emerged and both of us hung up laughing and happy at what poured forth. This may not be “typical” Life Coaching, but as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ is my tagline, it represented the kind of coaching I love to do. If you’d like a free consultation to see if you would benefit from working with me, use the form on my contact page, message me on Facebook, or email me at: pam@pamelathibodeaux.com Until next time, take care, God Bless and remember.... Only YOU can change your life by changing your thoughts, words, emotions and actions. Something to think about. PamT We all want it, dream of the perfect world, imagine what heaven on earth would look like, would feel like… would BE. In his famous song, Imagine, John Lennon tried to capture heaven on earth as “all people living in peace, sharing the world and the world living as one.” Skeptics and pessimists tell us it’ll never happen! Theologians tell us heaven is some place “out there” from which we originated and one day will return. Even Jesus said, “In this world you’ll have trials and tribulations.” HE also taught us to pray that God’s will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” What does that mean? Is it possible for us to have or experience heaven on earth? Will we only experience heaven when our mortal body dies and our spirit returns from which it came? Or possibly when Jesus returns? As mentioned in “About this Blog,” I’ve been on a spiritual quest for most of my life. I read voraciously books by spiritual leaders of our time…. Max Lucado (Just like Jesus), Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love), Dr. Wayne Dyer (A Spiritual Solution to Every Problem), Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God)… and all of them offer hope that yes, we can experience heaven on earth! Romans 14:17 tells us that the kingdom of God (heaven) is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Luke 17:21 tells us in the Amplified Bible that the kingdom of God (heaven) is within and around us! So how do we experience heaven on earth? Simple – by choosing LOVE. 1st John 4:16 tells us that God is love and he who dwells in love, dwells in God and God in him. The Bible exhorts us to “seek and pursue peace.” (Psalm 34:14). In the gospel of John, chapter 15, Jesus tells us over and over to remain in LOVE. If Jesus the risen Christ dwells in us, if the Holy Spirit of God dwells in us, if God who is love abides in us—why then can’t we simply, think, do and be love? Is it possible to do this and if so, HOW? How do we go from where we are (spiritually and emotionally) and what we’ve been taught (fear, hatred, prejudice), to feeling, experiencing and being pure, unconditional love? By remembering that love is a choice, a decision and at any time and in any given circumstance you can choose a loving response. But…but…but…HOW? How do we manifest so much love in our hearts, minds and souls that it becomes our first response instead of an afterthought? How do we feel so much love in ourselves so that it overflows into the lives of others? By basking in the love of God for you and sharing that love with others, you become a vessel of Love. You become a vessel for God. And you become more like Jesus. Every time we choose love over hate, peace and joy over stress and strife, gratitude over greed, blessing over cursing, forgiveness and grace in lieu of revenge and retribution, we experience a little more of heaven on earth. Easier said than done you think? Depends on how bad you want it. Something to think about! Meditation Challenge: Take a moment several times today, close your eyes, breath deep and simply repeat (out loud if possible) the words… “I love you.” Allow those words to rise within you, stir up your emotions, and embrace the wonder of how that feels. Then go about your day with those feelings pushing you. When challenging circumstances arise, take a love break and repeat this process. I promise you’ll have a better day all around! (c)2013 Pamela S Thibodeaux *Previously Published / Pamela's Ponderings March 2013*
When we hear the word love, we usually equate it with the emotions that represent our thoughts of what love should feel like. Those sweet sensations that make our heart swell, mind whirl and lips smile. But in all honesty, this is where we mess up! In the society we’ve created, love is a four letter word with little or no substance. And yet, in all of the literature I’ve read over the years by various teachers and leaders in the spiritual revolution…the awakening of the souls of the world… LOVE is the highest and purest emotion one can feel, experience, and become. A Course in Miracles is based on the principle that there are two core emotions: Love and Fear. Therefore anything not based in love is a result of fear. The Bible tells us that Love is….patient, kind, long-suffering, not rude or boastful, it believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails and that perfect love casts out fear. Paul exhorts us to “pursue love” and that no matter what we do for others (or even ourselves) – if we’re not doing it from a heart of love, it profits us nothing! We are told to abide (remain, continue, or stay in a state of) faith, hope and love but the greatest is LOVE. Think about this for a moment! I’ve heard many people say love is not passive but an “active agent of change.” Here’s the rub… Love is a choice. So how do we become a vessel of pure, perfect, divine love? By choosing loving thoughts… love over hate, calm over chaos, peace over stress, forgiveness over judgment. By letting go of our vain imaginations of what love is or should be based on what it should feel like, and by allowing love to rise up within us and control our thoughts-control us-instead of us trying to control it and others by using love as an excuse, a bribe, or a reward. Love is not nor should be a condition by which we measure someone’s actions. By practicing love, we experience and become love. One of the quickest paths to love is forgiveness. The most powerful prayers you can utter is… “I love you, I forgive you and I release you to God.” “But you don’t know what he/she/they’ve done to me!” If Jesus can love and forgive from the cross, who are we to do less? Something to think about... PamT (c)2013 Pamela S Thibodeaux *Previously Published / Pamela's Ponderings Feb 2013*
Every time I watch the movie, Secretariat, and I watch it often, I am inspired by this woman who stood firm on what she believed, what she felt in her soul, even when it wasn't easy. Even when doing so meant sacrificing time with her family, threatened her relationships and put her at odds with a male-dominated world. Every time I rewatch this movie, I am inspired by the heart of this horse--as though he knew the family farm counted on his winning. And his love for his humans. I am inspired by the dedication of Secretariat's trainer, groom and jockey. Each time I witness the scene where Secretariat is led through the tunnel at Churchill Downs, I relive my own experience visiting this magnificent place filled with so much energy and walking through that tunnel -- an item that was a mere dream in my heart and then posted on my vision board for years. In life we find inspiration and encouragement from many sources. If we're smart, we'll make a habit of reliving and rehearsing those memories which, Science has proven, has a profound impact on the brain and body, specifically our immune system. We often hesitate in sharing experiences like these, books, videos and other ways we are encouraged and inspired because we don't want to brag or be counted as a "know it all" but studies show that engaging more people in our love, joy, peace and excitement raises the vibration/energy level and happiness meter of everyone involved. That's another reason I started this blog -- to share, encourage, educate and inspire YOU to discover the many ways LIFE is (or can be) a great adventure despite its ups and downs. I hope this post accomplishes that. Until next time, hugs and blessings to YOU. PamT |
About this Blog
I've been on a spiritual quest most of my adult life. In the last 40+ years I've listened to podcasts & interviews, and read books by some of the worlds most popular Religious, Spiritual and New Thought leaders. I've shared the information in different formats such as Pamela's Ponderings in TWJ Magazine which is no longer a viable website. Therefore, some content you may recognize, other will be new. Either way I hope to encourage and inspire you with every post! AuthorPamela S Thibodeaux is a native of SWLA. She is an award-winning author, life coach, and spiritual mentor. Follow Me
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