Tag: Support Groups

The Daily Motivator for December 9th – Start the ball rolling

Start the ball rolling

Motivation leads to action, and action leads to more motivation. If you’re  not motivated to do anything, do a little something anyway and start the ball  rolling.

Even the smallest positive step can begin to create positive momentum. Take  that small step, feel the tiny wisp of motivation and momentum, and let it carry  you to the next modest step.

Even if it doesn’t seem to accomplish anything, a small, initial positive  action does in fact achieve something of great consequence. It gets you  going.

Once you’re in motion, you’re much more likely to stay in motion. The longer  you stay in motion, the more likely you are to keep going.

The best thing to do when you don’t feel like doing anything, is to do  something. Remind yourself that although you may be severely unmotivated, you  can take a small action anyway.

No matter what your situation or level of motivation may be, there’s some  little something you can do. Do it now, get the ball rolling, and let the power  of positive momentum push you forward.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Daily OM for November 20th – Healing with Hurt

Healing with Hurt
Using Your Pain to Help Others

by Madisyn Taylor

You can channel your pain into helping others and spreading a tide of curative energy throughout the world.

Pain is a fact of being and one that permeates all of our lives to some degree. Since the hurt we feel may be a part of the experiences that have touched us most deeply, we are often loathe to let it go. It is frequently easier to keep our pain at our sides, where it a

cts as a shield that shelters us from others and gives us an identity—that of victim—from which we can draw bitter strength. However, pain’s universality can also empower us to use our hurt to help others heal. Since no pain is any greater or more profound than any other, what you feel can give you the ability to help bring about the recovery of individuals whose hurts are both similar to and vastly different from your own. You can channel your pain into transformative and healing love that aids you in helping individuals on a one-to-one basis and spreading a tide of curative energy throughout the world.

The capacity to heal others evolves naturally within those who are ready to disassociate themselves from their identity as victims. In fact, the simple decision to put aside the pain we have carried is what grants us the strength to redeem that pain through service. There are many ways to use the hurt you feel to help others. Your pain gives you a unique insight into the minds of people who have experienced trauma and heartache. You can draw from the wellspring of strength that allowed you to emerge on the other side of a painful experience and pass that strength to individuals still suffering from their wounds. You may be able to council individuals in need by showing them the coping methods that have helped you survive or simply by offering sympathy. A kinship can develop that allows you to relate more closely with those you are trying to aid and comfort.

Helping others can be a restorative experience that makes your own heart grow stronger. In channeling your pain into compassionate service and watching others successfully recover, you may feel a sense of euphoria that leads to increased feelings of self-worth and optimism. Your courageous decision to reach out to others can be the best way to declare to yourself and the world that your pain didn’t defeat you, and in fact it helped you heal.

Daily OM for January 4th – Allowing Our Children to Be

Allowing Our Children to Be

Practicing Nonattachment

by Madisyn Taylor

One of the hardest things to do as a parent is to allow our children to be who they want to be.

 

Parenting asks us to rise to some of the most difficult challenges this world has to offer, and one of its greatest paradoxes arises around the issue of attachment. On the one hand, successful parenting requires that we love our children, and most of us love in a very attached way. On the other hand, it also requires that we let go of our children at the appropriate times, which means we must practice some level of nonattachment. Many parents find this difficult because we love our children fiercely, more than we will ever love anyone, and this can cause us to overstep our bounds with them as their independence grows. Yet truly loving them requires that we set them free.

Attachment to outcome is perhaps the greatest obstacle on the parenting path, and the one that teaches us the most about the importance of practicing nonattachment. We commonly perceive our children to be extensions of ourselves, imagining that we know what’s best for them, but our children are people in their own right with their own paths to follow in this world. They may be called to move in directions we fear, don’t respect, or don’t understand, yet we must let them go. This letting go happens gradually throughout our lives with our children until we finally honor them as fully grown adults who no longer require our guidance. At this point, it is important that we treat them as peers who may or may not seek our input into their lives. This allows them, and us, to fully realize the greatest gift parents can offer their offspring —independence.

Letting go in any area of life requires a deep trust in the universe, in the overall meaning and purpose of existence. Remembering that there is more to us and our children than meets the eye can help us practice nonattachment, even when we feel overwhelmed by concern and the desire to interfere. We are all souls making our way in the world and making our way, ultimately, back to the same source. This can be our mantra as we let our children go in peace and confidence.

New Year’s Resolutions….Well Did Anyone Make Any?

Ok, out with’em! What resolutions did you make this year or did you? If you did would you like to share some of them with us. We want tell anyone I promise, lol! Here’s mine, the only problem it needs to be woman without the beard, lol!

But after reading the paragraph I just wrote it probably should have been this one…..

More New Year Resolutions Comments

The Daily OM For December 31st – Letting Yourself Be Seen

Letting Yourself Be Seen

Being Witnessed

by Madisyn Taylor

A powerful healing tool can be allowing yourself to be witnessed by your friends, sharing your pain to a listening audience.

When we allow ourselves to be witnessed by another, we cannot help but be transformed by the experience. Whether we are sharing a personal experience, standing in front of friends to celebrate a special occasion, or expressing our unbridled joy or sorrow in front of a loved one, we are allowing ourselves to be seen and experienced in a very intimate way. Not only are we baring ourselves to someone else, but we are allowing that person to hold a very specific kind of space with us so this powerful act can take place. To be witnessed is to let ourselves be seen as we truly are in that moment.

Our friends and loved ones can easily be witnesses for us, if only we are brave enough to let them. Your next birthday may be the perfect occasion to experience this sacred act: Invite your friends and loved ones to your special day. During the celebration, stand in front of them and thank them for being there for you. Feel their gratitude, attention, warmth, and support, while noticing the sense of safety you feel as they surround you. If you feel inspired, share your innermost thoughts about the day and your life. You may be surprised at the feelings of peace and validation that arise within you, when you feel safe enough to go deep into your soul and share yourself with those you trust.

Anyone who has ever seen love, admiration, acceptance, or appreciation reflected in a friend or loved one’s eyes knows how transformative that experience can be. When you bare yourself to another, you are giving them the gift of you and showing them that they also matter. In letting yourself be witnessed, you are letting others into your intimate space, stepping in the sacred container they have created for you, and creating a cauldron of positive affirmation, support, love, and goodwill that will stay with you forever.

 

Daily OM

Your I Ching Hexagram for Dec. 29th is 10:Treading Carefully

10: Treading Carefully

Saturday, Dec 29th, 2012

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People of ability find their way and make progress even in difficult circumstances. Consider your steps carefully when you are surrounded by changing forces. Weak and strong forces (or people) can co-exist when the weaker element does not impose upon the stronger, when the weaker maintains good humor and avoids taking bold action. When treading among sleeping tigers — or slippery stones — step gingerly and don’t stumble.

In the company of strong, brash people, rushing wildly ahead brings misfortune. Now is not a good time for taking the initiative; rather, try getting by with a little grace and good humor. In the court of a powerful king, the jester often has more power than the prince.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – November 7

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – November 7

“Abuse and repression have no place in a traditional family.”

–Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders

Traditional families guided by their culture were taught how to live. The were taught about relationships, respect and spirituality. Only since alcohol was introduced to Indians have we seen physical abuse, sexual abuse and verbal abuse. These behaviors have no room in traditional families. The cycle of abuse must be broken during this generation. We do this by asking for help to quit drinking and abusing and return to our traditional culture and spirituality.

Creator, plant inside of me the knowledge of the traditional family.

Daily OM for October 25th – Big Steps On Life’s Path

Big Steps On Life’s Path

Being Aware is the First Step

by  Madisyn Taylor

There is freedom that comes with awareness, because with it comes the opportunity to make a choice.

Life is a journey comprised of many steps on our personal path that takes us down a winding road of constant evolution. And each day, we are provided with a myriad of opportunities that can allow us to transform into our next best selves. One moment we are presented with an opportunity to react differently when yet another someone in our life rubs us the wrong way; on another day we may find ourselves wanting to walk away from a particular circumstance but are not sure if we can. Eventually, we may find ourselves stuck in a rut that we can never seem to get out of. We may even make the same choices over and over again because we don’t know how to choose otherwise. Rather than moving us forward, our personal paths may take us in a seemingly never-ending circle where our actions and choices lead us nowhere but to where we’ve already been. It is during these moments that awareness can be the first step to change.

Awareness is when we are able to realize what we are doing. We observe ourselves, noticing our reactions, actions, and choices as if we were a detached viewer. Awareness is the first step to change because we can’t make a change unless we are aware that one needs to be made in the first place. We can then begin understanding why we are doing what we are doing. Afterward, it becomes difficult not to change because we are no longer asleep to the truth behind our behaviors. We also begin to realize that, just as much as we are the root source behind the causes for our behaviors, we are also the originator for any changes that we want to happen.

There is a freedom that comes with awareness. Rather than thinking that we are stuck in a repetitive cycle where there is no escape, we begin to see that we very much play a hand in creating our lives. Whether we are aware of them or not, our behaviors and choices are always ours to make. Our past and our present no longer have to dictate our future when we choose to be aware. We are then free to move beyond our old limits, make new choices, and take new actions. With awareness, our paths can’t help but wind us forward in our lives while paving the way for new experiences and new ways of being. It is through awareness that we can continue to consciously evolve.

 

Daily OM

Daily OM for September 28 – Aging Parents

Aging Parents

The Cycle of Life

by Madisyn Taylor

When we begin to deal with parents that are aging, it can be a good time to examine your life together and familial past.

For most of us a natural part of the cycle of life is when our roles as children start to shift from that into caretaking roles where are parents are concerned. This can be as major moving a parent into a retirement facility, or coming to the realization that it’s necessary to check in with them more often than usual. Whatever the case, such a shift is momentous as it signals a time of confronting our own mortality as we confront that of our parents. In addition, it can bring up issues about how well they cared for us when we were young. We may also find ourselves consumed with fear at the thought of losing them, even if we’ve been on our own for a very long time.
Talking to other friends and family who are going through similar experiences can be a large source of support. They can help us look at both the unresolved past and the unfolding present, and we are free to talk only about ourselves. Sometimes we need the kind of undivided attention a friend can offer in order to deal with the material that comes up at this time of our lives.
In many ways, this time of life signals a rebirth as we examine our individual past, as well as our familial past. As our parents’ lives move toward completion, we are able to see what they did with their time on earth, what we have done so far with our time, and what we might want to do with the time we have left. These challenges and blessings are all part of the cycle of life.

 

Daily OM

How About A Quick Quiz – How Stressed Out Are You?

How Stressed Are You?

by Cait Johnson

Recently, a friend said she had been feeling unaccountably drained and on  edge. As we talked, she admitted she was in the midst of a battle with her  husband over something their son had done, was feeling overwhelmed at work, and  was deeply angry about an unkind remark a co-worker had said to her. All of  these are big stressors: no wonder she was tired!

See where you rate on the stress scale. If your stress levels are high, this  book can help you find greater self-awareness around what needs to change in  order to bring more ease to your life.

There are no right or wrong answers. Rather, use your answers to gain a  deeper understanding of where you are not able to cope and what areas in your  life need attention and consideration, and then find a way to express your  feelings and needs. Changing your relationship to stress means changing yourself  from the inside.

About Your Work

1. Do you feel you have too much to  do?

2. Do you often work overtime?

3. Do you believe you are capable of  what is being asked of you?

4. Do you enjoy what you do?

5. Does your  work environment feel depressing? Sad? Loud? Pressured?

6. How do you feel  about your colleagues? Intimidated? Angry? Jealous?

7. Do you feel  unfulfilled? Unacknowledged? Unrecognized?

8. Would you rather be doing  something different?

About Your Family

1. Have you recently experienced a  death or loss in the family?

2. Have you recently been married, separated,  or divorced?

3. Has anyone in your family recently experienced a  particularly difficult time, such as mental illness or trouble with the  police?

4. Is anyone ill or in need of your care? And do you resent  this?

5. Do your parents worry you a great deal?

6. Do you feel unable  to share any of these difficulties?

About Your Relationships

1. If your primary relationship  is not a happy one, do you believe you have to stick it out regardless of your  feelings?

2. Do you disagree about money? The children? Your lifestyle  preferences?

3. Do you have sexual difficulties or differences?

4. Do  you feel unable to stand up for yourself?

5. Did you grow up watching your  parents have difficulties, either fighting or ignoring each other?

6. Do you  find it difficult to be committed to a relationship?

7. Do you have anyone  you can talk to?

About Yourself 1. Do you believe, or have you been told,  that you are no good, hopeless, worthless, or incapable? 2. Do you get  irritated or annoyed easily? 3. Do you always seem to be rushing from one  thing to another without being able to complete anything? 4. Do you have an  addiction of any sort? 5. Do you feel trapped and powerless to change  anything? 6. Do you panic easily or feel anxious about the future? 7. Do  you talk to anyone about your feelings? 8. Do you feel shameful about  something you have done? 9. Are you angry about something that was done to  you?

About Your Health 1. Do you get tired or run down  easily? 2. Do you get any regular exercise? 3. Do you eat while doing  other things, such as working, watching TV, reading the paper, or feeding the  children? 4. Is television, alcohol, or food your main means of  relaxation? 5. Do you have deep muscular aches and pains? 6. Do you  drink more than two cups of coffee a day? 7. Do you spend any part of the  day being quiet and reflective?

If your answers showed high levels of stress, forgive yourself! We live in  stressful times. But meditation, prayer, yoga, and other time-honored methods of  stress-relief might be helpful to you. Even a warm bath or a soothing foot-rub  could make a positive difference.

Step forward with action

Start now, not tomorrow or early next week or when you have the time. Now is  when your time is, so use it now.

Sure, it’s important to plan and to prepare. What’s essential, though, is to  put your intentions into action.

Even if you’re not fully prepared, there’s something you can do right now.  Even if you’re unable to get it all done, you can get moving right away in a  productive direction.

Action accomplishes more than just the immediate results it creates. Taking  action seals your commitment and puts you in a state of solid, indisputable  effectiveness.

Action lets you see and know, without the slightest doubt, how capable you  can be. Though it’s great to tell yourself you can do it, action goes several  steps beyond that and shows you that you can do it.

Your dreams and goals and best intentions begin to be truly yours only when  you act on them. So stop just thinking about it or wishing for it, and step  forward right now with real, solid action.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator 

Friday, February 17th is a fabulous day for…..

Spring Comments
February 17th

 Cut Hair to Retard Growth, Mow to Retard Growth, Castrate Farm Animals, Harvest, Pick Apples and Pears, Wean, Quit Smoking, Potty Train, Perform Demolition, Wash Wooden Floors, Wash Windows, Start Diet to Lose Weight, Advertise to Sell, Buy a Car  

~Magickal Graphics~

Thursday, February 16th is a terrific day for….

Witchy Comments 

February 16th

 

Cut Hair to Retard Growth, Mow to Retard Growth, Castrate Farm Animals, Harvest, Pick Apples and Pears, Wean, Quit Smoking, Potty Train, Perform Demolition, Wash Wooden Floors, Wash Windows, Start Diet to Lose Weight, Advertise to Sell, Buy a Car

~Magickal Graphics~