Friday, February 20, 2009

The Power of Positivity, a bit about me!

Hello All-
First let me say that I am writing this post with love- this topic of positive thinking, our children, our companions, communication etc has come up numerous times over the last few weeks. This is something I feel very strongly about and so I am going to share some thoughts and beliefs.  

I probably have had some similar experiences that some of you have had, from being taunted and teased in grade school, to sticking out a bit oddly in high school. I was pregnant and single at the age of 17, later I fell in love with a drug addict who didn't know how to love me... some may call those hardships but I was learning with each day! 

Why did I share that part- because I truly believe it is by those turns of events (there has been many more events than those but we can talk about those later) through my life that has made me who I am. I have taken lemons and made lemonade, lemon curd, lemon bars - well you get the point. I am grateful for that "pain" and those lessons and have taken the good and the bad and learned from them! 

Ok so fast forward to October of 2008- I had a great job for a very well known company but the corporate world had started weighing down on my being!   Life was good but I knew I couldn't take it anymore and something need to change.  

So one night at dinner - my sister and my now 2+ years sober husband James and I make a pact with each other - To not speak unkindly of anyone. To let the negativity go and walk an honest path. So, with my head held high I made that commitment and once again my life was thrown upside down- but this time I was ready and willing to receive the change! With that commitment made it was amazing how clearly so much came - my every day chatter and the negativity that I had surrounded my self with. It wasn't much longer that I parted ways with the company and how amazingly clear things became.

Here it is, I guess the few points I wanted to make through all of those examples:

So often we find ourselves blending in chatting with the neighbor about another neighbor, or how a woman gave birth in a hospital, how a family doesn't have this or that and so sharply our words can cut another person. 
We slash our words out of our mouths so quickly to judge some one else for what they are doing- my question to you then is - What have YOU done to educate them to make A different decision? 
How do your children hear the words you speak? do they speak kindly to their siblings or friends...
Why is it ok for you but not ok for them? do you question others decisions even though you have done they same thing...
When is the last time we really showed appreciation to the people that are out there in our back yards making a difference - a retail owner, a midwife, a neighbor, a friend- whether just saying thank you, a cup of coffee or a hug...
What are we teaching our children? are we teaching them to be passionate, to treat Mother Earth with love and respect, to forgive others...

I am not perfect - oh no by no means! I get caught up in the day to day drama but I also catch my self and make a conscious effort to speak kinder gentler words. I try to surround my self with people of all walks a life as they are all teachers on my path. I show love and compassion to my enemies. I teach my son to be gentle and loving -  to love unconditionally.  I teach him to be kind and give hugs!  

Start a gratitude journal - as a family or by your self write down 5 things every day that you are grateful for and start to watch the creativity and positivity grow. 

I believe in the power of positivity and how karma does and will come back to haunt you! I am a very honest person who is passionate about life, who loves to be active in her community and loves to make a difference. I love having friends all over the world and appreciate their love and respect!  I am grateful to so many. So if you made it to the end of this- much love to you and thank you unconditionally for being part of my life! 

I am also grateful to my husband. When I met him he was a drug addict and an alcoholic. I fell in love with him immediately and knew he was the one. It was about 3 years into that relationship before he got sober and realized it too! I didn't give up on him even when he looked at me and told me he could never love me like I needed him to. I saw his light and no amount of drugs could make it stop shining! I love you James and am so grateful for your unconditional love! 

2 comments:

  1. Nice Rachel! I feel like I have been on this same sort of path for several years now. I keep learning more and meeting more people who are thinking this way. I started doing "Happy Journals" with my girls a few weeks ago and they have been really powerful for us. We write things we are happy about, grateful for and things we want to have in our lives.

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  2. This is so great Rachel. It's something I really need to work on. Maybe making a pact and keeping a journal is the way to go b/c as much as we realize that it's wrong we can't seem to stop being negative. Great post, very inspiring.

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