Do You Take Offense To This?

Many people spend a good portion of their time filled with anger over things they find offensive. It's futile and a huge waste of time to let another human being stir up emotions in you that strong.

There is a great quote that sets the stage for handling things that you find offensive and it was said a long, long time ago by one Mr. Abraham Lincoln, ""We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it." Those are words to live by and if you choose to do so, will save you a lot of grief.

If someone is trying to pull your emotional strings and get a rise out of you by doing something they know you feel offended by or they want to anger you at another person by raising those same feelings; step back and see that behavior exactly for what it is: control.

By getting angry on someone else's cue, you are giving them control over your emotions; do you really want someone else controlling how you feel? Of course not. The best way to handle people who use this tactic in your life is to answer their attempt at control with a reassertion of yourself as the superior person who won't be drawn in. Tell them, "You must feel really strongly to keep bringing this subject up" or "I'm sorry that So-and-So's beliefs upset you so."

Do you see what you did? In both instances you gave the problem of being offended to the other person, removed the negativity from yourself and made it their problem, not yours. Don't debate your stance, continue to make that persons offended feelings their own and not yours.

The only emotion you should feel that strongly for another person is love and by confronting anything negative that is entering or attempting to enter your life, it will allow you to radiate your inner positivity and repel the negativity from all around yourself.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

The Golden Opportunity

How many times have you thought luck has passed you by? You really wanted a promotion at work, you wanted your spouse to stop drinking or another negative behavior or you thought if you kept playing the lottery, your turn would come up soon.

Did you know none of these things are based on luck or golden opportunity? The power to change these situations is deep within you and it is just a matter of letting it out. If you want a promotion at work, get yourself noticed. Dress professionally. Show up a little early, stay a little late and never do anything less than your best work. Be friendly and greet everyone with a smile no matter how rough your day is going. These are the qualities that will get you noticed by upper management and promoted. Luck has nothing to do with it, how you act and the image you project has everything to do with it.

If your spouse indulges in negative behaviors, the golden opportunity in this situation is for you to realizeno amount of wishing or luck will change another person until they choose to make changes within themselves, you will continue to be in a relationship full of false hope and lies. The healthy thing to do is remove yourself from any negative situation, you can still love and care from a distance but do not allow someone else's destructive habits bring you down with them.

The golden opportunities are out there and you need only help create them for yourself. Think about the things you want, do you want more money? Love? Better relationships? All the wishing in the world won't make it happen, but you have the positivity and power within yourself to start a side business that will bring in more money, find a love that is good for you or take steps yourself for a better relationship. It is just a matter of putting forth the effort yourself.

The golden opportunity and the ability to make those opportunities a reality is deep within you and only needs to be encouraged to come out.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

The Small Things

Are your days hectic and full of so much activity that many days you feel as though you got up out of bed, swallowed something for breakfast, dropped your children off at school and drove to work, trudged through the day and found some sort of lunch during a break you cut short because you had so many personal errands. You picked up your children from the babysitters and then drove home. You made the fastest thing you could and then ate a little and fell into your chair exhausted.

This is not a schedule any human being can keep up with and eventually you will run yourself down and set yourself up for an illness and perhaps worse. It is time to prioritize your life and make time for yourself and you need to remember it is the little things that count.

Think about when was the last time you just laid in the floor and played with your children? Made a meal you were truly proud of? Had time to work on a hobby? If you say, "Well, would be nice but I work and I don't have time", yes you do.

Make your children's school lunches the night before. Make yourself lunch too. Sit down and make a list of your errands and do them all in one day or group them into areas of town that will be convenient to run on a day or two a week.

After the kids go to bed at night, sit down for even just 30 minutes with a book you've been intending to read, take a bath, exercise, pick up an old hobby that once gave you enjoyment or do one thing you can do that night so it won't be a task awaiting you in the morning. If you take a little time, believe in yourself and set your priorities to make sure that you and your family come first; you will find you have the time free to actually enjoy your life, family and friends.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Living in Love

Living in love is a concept that many people don't seem to get. It has nothing to do with living with a partner you love, however that's even better if you do; living in love is the concept of actually trying to live your life with the mindset you love everyone.

You treat your loved ones in your home with patience, kindness and gratitude. The stranger on the street, the bank teller at your bank, the lady in front of you in the grocery store who suddenly remembered she had 50 coupons and wanted to pay for her groceries in small change; treat them all with love and kindness. When you feel yourself getting annoyed or impatient, step back and remember to be patient and treat them with love. Love means you will wait and you won't grumble or complain. Find something else to do to fill the few minutes of time you're kept waiting. Make a list in your head of things you need to do or plan a fantasy vacation in your mind.

As you practice this philosophy, you will find yourself able to be more tolerant and more patient with people and you will also find you grow more positive overall as a person. Dark can't live in light and negativity has no place around a positive person who lives in love. People who revel in negativity and are actually nourished by it, will be repelled by your new found way of thinking, if they want to discontinue being your friend, let them - getting a negative person who is dragging you down continually is a blessing, especially when they make the choice to go.

The next time you have a dispute with someone, try living in love with the next person that has issues with you. Be genuine and realize they are human and have their faults, likes and dislikes. No matter what the situation, find a trait you can like about the person. It is easy to throw up your hands and say, "Glenn at the office has no good qualities and he's terrible to be around", you need to find one good quality in that person and use that to keep your anger at bay and stay calm; you will come out the greater person because you handled the situation with love and positivity.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Pursuit of Spiritual Growth

Do you know someone who is forever chasing spiritual growth? Every time you see them they are trying some new way to grow, some new fad and some way to "improve" their lives and their personal self.

You know as a spiritual person yourself that there is no way to make your spirit grow. There is no way to "make" it happen. The old adage of "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" is very true. There are no colors, crystals, no foods and no books that can increase the spirit of the self. How do you grow as a person? You give.

You simply give of yourself to others and your spirit will grow richer as a result. This doesn't mean dig deeply into your pockets and shower all your money on anyone that needs it; it's great if you can afford to do that but more importantly it means to give your time and your energies towards positive efforts.

Volunteer to collect food for the hungry, help a child learn to tie his shoes, when someone drops something around you - bend down and pick it up, when someone sneezes in public - bless them. If direct interaction with people isn't for you, volunteer to stock books at your library, plant flowers at a rest home for the residents to enjoy. There are a huge number of things you can do that will help others in small ways and as a result, people will comment on your natural "glow" or your "goodness".

That is your spirit showing itself from within you and the more you do for others, the more it grows.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

The Beginning of Healing

As you know, stress and strife in your life can make you physically sick. Negativity from others can leave you demoralized and sometimes make you ill. There comes a time when you either have to make the choice to sit in the mire of negative muck that others have created for you or you need to rise above it. The choice to rise above is the beginning of healing.

An epiphany, which has one definition of "a comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization" a great example of this might be someone who lives with an alcoholic and has a flash one day that they can not stop their spouse from drinking nor can they change another person by crying, pleading, hiding bottles or wishing the problem away. They realize that they need to do the things to make their own lives happy.

Realizing the need to be good to yourself is the beginning of healing. Realizing this is the only body you get and this life is short enough and there's no reason to spend it unhappily that also is the beginning of healing. Invite positivity into your life. Healing your mind, body and spirit takes time. You didn't get in this position overnight and it won't go away overnight either but you will see progress every day and you will feel better day-by-day as you let the healing happen.

You will also need to be diligent and not let negativity into your life. This includes anyone that makes you feel badly about yourself. Don't give anyone the power to do this to you. Simply be the bigger person and remove yourself from any situation that is turning negative and you can continue on the path of positivity and healing for your total self.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Is There a Curse On You?

Do all your best-laid plans seem to turn to nothing? Do you feel like no matter what you do, something will happen to knock you down? Do you feel like someone, somewhere has placed a curse on you?

First of all, no one has cursed you. Well, they might have cursed you under their breath but no one can cause you ill harm through their thoughts. If that were the case, people having bad days would be causing other people to drop like flies. That person in the grocery store line who pulls out 50 coupons and then decides to pay by counting all their change first would be slumped over the counter, coupons still in hand.

However, you can be sabotaging yourself through your own thoughts and actions. If you put negativity out there, it will come back to you. When you undertake a new project, give healthy consideration to the possible pitfalls of whatever you're doing, but don't douse the experience in pessimism or allow yourself to be discouraged.

Many times these habits are learned in childhood and they are the result of a parent or other peer person putting you down. After a while, you become so accustomed to being put down that you do it to yourself if no one else is around to do it. You need to take hold of your spiritual strength and rise above this and break the cycle of sheer negativity.

When you feel those feelings of doubt and negativity coming over you, make a vow not to listen. Don't second-guess yourself. Negativity can only harm you if you allow it to. You have the power to open the door to pessimistic thoughts and unconstructive persons or you can choose to keep that door closed. Close the door on any influence that you're allowing negativity to have in your life and throw away the key!
 posted by Friends of Leah   

A Message From Heaven

"To Sandra "Leah" A Message From Heaven".

This is a prayer for the people who have requested my help the help of My Son, Jesus.

"Dear Our Lady of Fatima, Please intercede with your Son Jesus, To those in need and lift away the burden that has caused this to happen to them. Have Mercy on us and show us a sign that our lives will be cleansed and our sins forgiven and that The Holy Spirit will rest upon us through out our lives that we may be in your Holy Grace and Glory. Thanking you with all our hearts. "Amen".

Sandra "Leah"
Our love and power is upon you now.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

The Power of Positivity

Do you feel like negative individuals surround you? Does it seem like the negative opinions of others defeat everything you do or attempt to do before you even start something?

It's easy for others to look at the things you're doing and criticize. Some people seem to have the gift of knowing exactly what everyone else should be doing at all times. If you decide to lose ten pounds and put together a new diet and exercise program, do you hear comments like, "Well, you won't stick to it..." or "You'll just gain it back..."? That's negativity in its most common form and it is an attempt to control you.

People who consistently wreck your self-esteem and belittle the things you want to do, especially ways to better yourself, threaten someone else's control over you. As long as you listen to their defeatist attitudes, you give them carte blanche to influence your every action. There are two key phrases in that last sentence that will set you free because you actually have all the power you need.

"You listen" is one short phrase. Don't listen to the negative, nay saying of someone else. These people can come in the form of your mother, your father, siblings, neighbors, co-workers, friends and sometimes even your spouse.

"You give" is the other phrase. Others only have the control over you that you give them. That's right, by listening and acting on the negative comments of others, you gave them permission to keep on pouring on the negativity.

There are ways to break these bonds and they start with listening to yourself. Learn to tell the difference between good, well meant advice and negativity that is meant to control you and keep you from advancing as a person. Once you learn the difference, you will feel your positivity grow and you will begin to accomplish things.

Light eliminates dark. Your positive attitude is your weapon of choice. When someone tells you reason after reason why something you're doing or getting ready to do won't work, thank them for their opinion but tell them you have your bases covered. Smile, don't argue and most of all, don't let any comments they make about you or to you cause you to second-guess yourself. Believing in yourself completely and absolutely is paramount to dispelling negativity from your life.

Negativity can make you ill; don't allow yourself to get pulled into the mire of pessimism that someone else has created. Believe in yourself and you can rise above it with the power of positivity.
 posted by Friends of Leah