Believe in Yourself Above All

You will read a lot here about believing in yourself and empowering yourself. That is because working hand in hand with the Divine, you must also believe in the goodness and power within yourself. This is necessary for your physical and mental well-being as well as your success in life, both personal and professional.

Believing you will be successful is important to empower you to see a task through to completion. It is important that you don't allow the negative thoughts or actions of others to cause you to waiver in your conviction that you are a good person and a worthy person.

Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Other people only have as much control as you are willing to give them. Never forget that. If someone is holding you back from making good changes - it may be time to redefine that person's position in your life.

If you need strength to get through a situation or make an important change for yourself, reach deep within and find your inner resolve. Ask the Divine to guide you as well. Never be embarrassed or afraid to ask for help. It is always there, you only need ask.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Amateurs Built the Ark, Professionals Built the Titanic

That's a great quote and it is very true. Part of being happy with yourself is to be doing the things you know you were meant for in your life.

Not everyone has the same life calling. Some people were born to be nurses not doctors, others were born to be chefs not restaurant chain owners. Have you ever met someone who truly lived their job? You could tell they loved what they did for a living so much you could tell they looked forward to going to work ever morning.

That's part of following your dreams. Never be afraid to try something you think will work. Striving to find a way to build a better mousetrap is what will improve life for all of us. Never let someone who has gone to school or received a degree tell you something is impossible. Respect the knowledge these people have, but above all - follow your dreams and goals. If people only took the words of other people have - we'd all still believe the world was flat and we'd sail off the end of it if we ventured too far away. If you feel you're not doing your life's calling, whether it is a career change or adding volunteering to your schedule - jump in and do it.

The basic reason we are all here on planet earth is to help each other and that sometimes gets lost in attitudes and arguments - but step aside from your differences and understand that in order to be happy you have to create happiness and the best way to do that is to follow your heart and do the good things you were put here for.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Being Certain in Uncertain Times

When you pick up the newspaper the majority of what you will read is bad news. If you turn on the television between the commercials wanting to sell you various kinds of pills to cure every malady under the sun, you'll hear almost nothing but bad news. It can be disheartening and depressing to see the state the world is in, but you must look beyond that bad news and find the silver lining in one very dark cloud.

What you must learn to do is look beyond the bad news. That doesn't mean ignore what is going on in the world, quite the contrary, be aware of what is going on in your neighborhood, your city and state and the world. It is important that you be knowledgable but also important that you know two things :

Number one, the Divine will never give you more than you can truly handle and number two you will always be taken care of, even when you feel alone and abandoned by all. The key to getting help is to ask. If you feel overwhelmed by world events, life in general or a specific situation, ask for help and be certain it will come. However, it may not come in the form you think it might. If you ask for help be aware some doors may open you weren't expecting, it's up to you to have the courage to walk through them, remember you are never alone and be certain all your prayers are heard.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

The Fine Art of Forgiving

Many people think they are forgiving people, when in truth they may not be exactly as forgiving in nature as they would think. When someone says, "We are attending a dinner party at so and so's, but don't talk to Michelle from my office, she lied and took credit for an idea that I had". This is where being a forgiving person comes in. When someone does you wrong, it is important to step back and ask yourself why they acted they way. Then you need to forgive them for wronging you. You don't have to tell them to their faces why you are forgiving them, although for some people the act of confession and forgiveness is very healing, you can just forgive them in your heart and move on.

The flip side of the forgiveness coin is if you don't forgive. You will dwell on whatever perceived misfortune someone else has caused you and you will begin to fester inside as only negativity and regret can cause. That is a situation that can lead to actual physical illness. Let those feelings go and be the bigger person.

It is important to forgive and let go of bad feelings. Don't keep things inside you. The Divine knows whether you keep it in or let it out and ultimately forgiveness is the correct path for all of us. No matter what another person has done to you, you have the power to get their deed out of your head and move forward with just three words, "I forgive you".

The next time you're faced with a situation where someone has inflicted harm upon you in some way, forgive them.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Walking Your Own Path

There is a wonderful old Chinese saying that goes something along the lines of, "He who says a task is impossible should not interrupt the person doing it". I think that is a marvelous quote because it gives a simple instruction to not listen to nay-sayers.

There will always be people around you who want you to fail. There will always be people around you who will discourage you from changing or improving points in yourself. If you need to lose 10LBS, the "friend" that insists you stay for coffee and cake is delaying your progress and probably unknowingly so.

Some people simply can not tolerate change of any kind and that includes changes their family and friends make. It can be a better job (they will give you all the reasons you should stay in your dead end career), losing weight (they will tell you that you look fine the way you are), leaving a relationship that isn't healthy (they will tell you if you just loved the other person more-everything would be fine). All of these are ways to control you through negativity.

If you feel you are on the right path, even though it might be a path you've never walked before; put on blinders and forge ahead. Do not listen to anyone that says you can not succeed, you will not make it on your own, or you can't get ahead in the world because of your station in life or your lack of education. If you have a serious mind and believe in yourself, the Divine already believes in you and if you keep your eyes open, doors will be opened for you and opportunities to better yourself will come steadily.

When you feel it is time to make a change in your life, if you know in your heart it is a good one, ask for guidance and walk a straight line and you will achieve your goals.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Overcoming Fear of Failure

One of the biggest things that will hold you back in life is fear of failure. Failure seldom stops most people. Usually when it actually happens, most people brush themselves off and move on.

However, once bitten....the fear of having that happen again can make people go to extremes to avoid failure, including not even trying. If you are in a bad relationship that is literally making you ill, it may be time to consider moving on alone if you have tried everything in your power to make it work. Sometimes the Divine wants you to realize that it is not failure to do what is best for your health and well-being. You might think you look like a failure but anyone who has given their best in a situation must realize, sometimes it is not the time for certain successes to happen.

What you need to do is step back and realize what you learned from previous failures. If you look back, you will notice something marvelous that came with any perceived failure you have had with your life. You might jokingly say, "Yes, I found out what doesn't work!" and in a way that would be true. However, you will see a pattern of important lessons in your life and if you learned something from an experience no matter how bad, you did not fail.

If you had a business that went bankrupt due to a thieving partner and you're afraid to try again, look at what you learned. You got a valuable lesson in learning the accounting warning signs of theft in its earliest stages. Failure? Absolutely not, that's valuable accounting experience you won't learn in college.

Life is a mishmash of experiences and not all of them will be positive, however you can turn even the worst experience into valuable knowledge that will not only make you wiser, will also allow you to help others.

Let go of your fear of failure and tackle every new road as a learning experience and you will go far!
 posted by Friends of Leah   

The Door is Open

Did you ever feel like no one listens to your prayers? No one will help you? First of all, rest assured that all prayers are heard. Even if you ask for the most ridiculous of things (like for a super model boyfriend/girlfriend or to win the lottery) your prayers are heard. The Divine always listens to you. You were created with love and your are always listened to with patience and love.

When you ask for legitimate help, such as a new direction in life or a new job; you might find doors open in strange ways, but when you are truly ready to make a change, as I have told you before, the Divine will show you to the door but, you must have the courage to go in it yourself.

Sometimes it is a very subtle "door" such as the chance meeting of someone with a lot of business connections that happens to know someone who is looking for a new employee in their office. That is a "door" for you. You must follow through and contact the person and get the job yourself. That is having the courage to "go through the door". Another scenario might be if you ask for someone positive to come into your life. They may not look physically like your dream date but they may be the best thing that ever happened to you. Pursuing a relationship with them is another door you need to have the courage to walk through.

See how easy that is? If you ask for help, be ready to accept it as "doors" will open but as with all opportunities the door won't stay open long - seize them as they come up for you and you'll reap the rewards!
 posted by Friends of Leah   

The Power to Change

Have you been dreaming of making a change in your life? Whether it is leaving a dead end job or a spouse that is abusive or you just can't make it work despite your best efforts, sometimes you need to realize that if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone.

The power to change a bad or negative situation is within you. You may feel depressed and beaten down by life, however that is usually the point where we "bottom out" and realize sometimes our very well-being will depend on the changes we make for ourselves.

Don't allow someone else's negativity and bad attitude to keep you out of life. It's easy to forget when you're feeling overwhelmed that your life was a gift and your job is to live your life to the fullest and help others in whatever way you can. You don't have to give money to help another person, it can be something as simple as donating a little time to a worthy cause or helping a child learn to read. It may not seem like a big deal at the time, but that child you teach to read may go on to do great things and stay out of trouble simply because of the time you took. The worthy cause you donated a little time to may find a way to cure cancer, feed more hungry people or do other community service for a shut ins. A small bit of giving goes a long way.

If you're ready to make a change, believe in the fact that doors will be opened for you, it is up to you to have the courage to walk through those doors of opportunity and make the good changes for yourself so you can live the good life you deserve.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Hustle While You Wait

At first glance that statement may not make sense. It is from a quote from Thomas Edison who said, ""Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits" and what it means is basically it's fine to wait for your "big break" but keep working none the less.

Edison certainly practiced what he preached. Although he is often credited with the invention of the lightbulb, he merely improved on the design and made the bulb burn longer. Edison actually made his fortune with his two most popular inventions, the stock ticker and the phonograph record. He stayed busy working on life improving inventions and when he finally passed away in 1931, he held 1,093 patents on his various inventions.

No matter what your goals are, never stop striving to reach them. The key is to not let yourself be discouraged by the negativity of others or life's little set backs that are going to happen. No road worth traveling is a smooth one and all paths to our goals have twists, turns and the occasional log thrown in our path. How we handle those obstacles defines who we are. Don't be the person that throws up their hands and walks away, ask for a way around the obstacle and it will be shown to you.

Asking for help whether it be from your neighbor, friend or the Divine is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength. Only a truly strong individual will recognize his weaknesses and know when to ask for help.

Take a tip from Thomas Edison, keep hustling and striving to reach your goals and never stop believing there is something good out there for you. Even if you feel no one else takes your goals seriously or believes in you, the Divine already believes in you and is ready to give you the strength to achieve your life goals.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Believing in Believing

Sometimes it is hard to believe that there is a higher power looking over you. Especially if you have a child who is doing drugs, you're being audited by the IRS, your company just announced they are downsizing and you may not have a job by Christmas much less a bonus and other obstacles life can heap your way.

That is where you must believe. The power of prayer and belief can't be denied, however you must understand how it works. The Divine expects you to put some effort into your healing or ending of a bad situation. If you pray for your child to get off drugs, don't be surprised if he or she isn't arrested or sent to a rehab, those are doors that are opening. An arrest is often the turning point for many young people to seek help, the key is for you to follow through, stay strong and keep believing that they will be well.

Your job ending may be a blessing in disguise. If you've been thinking you were due for a better career situation or a better paying job, this might be the kick in the pants from the Divine to help motivate you to find it. Doors will open for you, it is up to you to have the will to walk through them.

When you get bad news or a negative situation is occuring, never cease to ask for help. Ask for guidance to overcome difficulty and you will be shown the path out, it is up to you to walk it. Sometimes it can seem more difficult leaving a situation because when you're used to drama and negativity,you will tend to find comfort in chaos, however humans weren't made to live in turmoil and every soul deserves a peaceful and tranquil life.

Believe that your prayers are heard, believe that you will be helped and most of all believe in the power of yourself to turn all situations around and make yourself a good life!
 posted by Friends of Leah