Emma
Curtis Hopkins’ words may not be easy to hear and digest, but they are on
point: “The world in which we live is the exact record of our thoughts. If we
do not like the world we live in, then we do not like our thoughts.” I’m sure
some are ready to disagree with that.
"It never
stops," a young woman once said to me after listing situations that were
happening in her life and her family's. I wished it were possible to download
some of my inner lessons to her consciousness so she wouldn't exist mired in
negative thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. But, the fact is that each of us has to determine and develop our
own inner guidance system that helps us maneuver our way through challenges and
life. Until such statements as "It never stops" and others she
may practice and dwell on no longer “serve” her (and she stops feeding them),
her life is going to feel like, and likely be like, a constant struggle—at
least, at the inner level, if not the outer.
We all have moments
when we feel stuck in such an inner place; but thankfully, we can emerge
eventually—if that’s our true choice. I’ve certainly had my share of these. So,
I know what it’s like. And I know how easy it is to move into that space and
not realize you’ve taken up residence there. It’s like getting so used to your
own clutter that’s accumulated over time that you don’t have the same awareness
of it as others might. Then one day, you look around and say, “What am I doing?
This has got to be uncluttered. I can hardly think because of all this mess.”
And, you’re right. Internal or external, clutter is clutter. Sometimes it’s
clutter, sometimes it’s garbage. And when
it comes to Law of Attraction, the same adage that applies to computers fits:
Garbage in, garbage out.
James Allen, who wrote As A Man Thinketh, stated, "No
situation can be difficult of itself; it is the lack of insight into its
intricacies, and the want of wisdom in dealing with it, which give rise to the
difficulty." John Homer Miller said, "Your living is determined not so much by what life
brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens
to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." My father offered wisdom about this when he told me it isn't about
how we solve situations in life that's most important, because there will be
some we aren't able to solve—they resolve themselves or time resolves them. He
said what is important is how we manage ourselves in the midst of challenges.
One of our greatest gifts
as humans is our ability to have emotions and feelings. We need to honor these because
they offer so much to us as forms of inner communication that can lead us to
learn more about ourselves and strengthen the foundation of who we are as
individuals. What we need to remember is not to get too comfortable in a
woe-is-me mental attitude. We are meant to take time needed to feel what we
feel, but then we can aim to take ourselves to the next level so we can move
forward or upward into improved inner and outer circumstances and experiences. A woe-is-me attitude is the same as
physical clutter: you don’t know what you really have or can do until you clear
what doesn’t belong there from the space.
Some of the
experiences the young woman spoke of were ones she could do nothing about
personally. Generally, what rocks our boats when we face certain situations is
that we realize we are not in total control of everything that happens in life.
But, we are participants in what happens during and afterward. We can exercise
control over ourselves. We can, as Allen says, look for insights and wisdom. We
can, as Hopkins
Exaltation is another
word for deeply-felt appreciation for the Truth about Source and what Source
has provided for us, which I comment more on in an upcoming paragraph. When we
consider circumstances as insurmountable, we ignore the creative power of the
One Source of Infinite Love and every natural law put into place by Source to
support our innate personal power through our connection with Source and all in
existence. As the old saying goes, “Can’t never could.” Can starts inside of us, always.
An unknown source said,
"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day."
Or, you might say this: Something
wonderful happens today. This isn't a wish-it-were-so phrase, expect it. Just
be open to the something wonderful being whatever it will be. It may be
spectacular or you may have to look for its small glint among the day’s details
that require your attention. It may be a diamond or one flake of glitter, but
know it's there. You might also practice what the elusive, wise Anonymous posed:
"Ask yourself this
question: Is my attitude worth catching?"
Improved circumstances are not about Source and life doing
things differently so you can respond and feel better, but about you being
different in a way that lets Source and life respond to you—match your mental
attitude—in the way you prefer. This mirror-image attracting process was set up
by Source in the way it was for a purpose. I can almost hear Source saying, “Here’s
everything you need. What you do with it is your choice. You got da power! I
made sure of it.” It helps to keep in mind that what we give, we receive,
whether tangible or thought-forms.
I’ve said it before,
but it’s worth repeating: It’s not about
what you can get from the flow, but that you get into the flow. However, I
add that you are not to let the ego-aspect taunt you with jibes that say you’re
supposed to be in flow all the time or you’re a failure. It’s more important that
you discover what puts you back into the flow, whenever you have a need to do
this.
Your thoughts,
feelings, beliefs, and words have all to do with your getting into the flow or
watching it pass by you while you stand at the edge of it, waiting for something
to jump out and into your arms. That may happen (it does), but it’s best if you
jump into the flow—if you pop out, pop back in as soon as you can. The first
jump you make is with your mental attitude: Something wonderful happens today, and it never stops. Will you look for and appreciate what sparkles in
your life? Will you look for and appreciate the Truth of Source and trust it
with absolute faith (faith is the absence of doubt)? It’s a
good practice, one you’ll appreciate.
Practice makes progress.
© Joyce L. Shafer
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