The power of optimism

When you smile, everything seems better. If that is true, why don't we smile all the time? So many people get caught up in the things they can't control when instead they should be focusing on the things they can control. You can control your thoughts, your feelings, your attitudes and our choices. Every morning you wake up is a good morning. Everything that happens after that makes it a good day or a bad day.  Some things are beyond your control, you can't do anything to help it.  But so many other things are choices. Choose to have good things happen to you and they will. 

Hypochondria is a serious medical condition - the persistent conviction that one is or is likely to become ill, often involving symptoms when illness is neither present nor likely, and persisting despite reassurance and medical evidence to the contrary. Is it possible to have hypochondria of the soul? If you believe everyday that bad things will happen, and they come true, do you have the power to see your mistake and change your thinking? This is a self -fulfilling prophecy, and as such, has the power to be turned to good. 

It is almost a cliche to say, change your thoughts, change your attitude. I hate to repeat and regurgitate old ideals, but there is so much truth to be found in these simple words. Change your thoughts and you will change your life.  Wake up in the morning and tell yourself you look great.  You will leave the house feeling great and you will see great things happen to you. Tell yourself that you are a fair and loving parent, and you will be a fair and loving parent.  Tell yourself that you are succeeding in your job and you will succeed in your job.

Your brain is a 'yes man.' it will agree with everything you tell it, and it will find ways to prove it to you. If you tell it that its going to be a fabulous day, it will agree with you and start looking for ways to show you that it is a fabulous day. 

Every morning my boss asks me "How are you!?"

My reply is the same every morning. "I am always good!"

A co-worker overheard the daily greeting one morning turned to me and asked, "Really? Always?"

"Yes," I replied, "because I choose to be."

It is really as simple as that.  Granted, you cannot change your thinking overnight like a light switch, but you can give your brain something good to focus on everyday, and it will agree with you.

One morning I woke up late, spilled my coffee, missed the bus, had to wait outside in the cold. I miserable and grumpy and wished I could've just stayed in my bed. I got to work and without fail, I passed my boss's office,

"How are you?" he called out. 

I was met with a choice. I could have dragged him into an intense conversation about all the bad things that happened this morning. I could have fed my negativity, dragging not only myself into a deeper pit of unhappiness, but also tainting his day with my unpleasantness. Instead I put a silly grin on my face and said,

"I am always good"

Not only did I immediately feel better about the day, I also brought a grin to his face. I chose to see the good and helped not only myself, but him as well. If I had known that my one phrase had brightened his day, why would I have chose to deny him that pleasure? Maybe he was also having a bad morning, and my smile helped him change his own thoughts. 

You choose to have good day. You choose to see the best. You choose to invite good karma into your life. Just as easily you choose to be unhappy. You choose to see the bad. You choose to let negativity run your life. 

But if you can choose to be happy, why wouldn't you?

Understanding Suffering

Life is a balance. Good cannot exist without evil, rich without poor, light without dark. To help us appreciate the beautiful aspects of life, we must experience hardships to fully understand the difference. We would never know what light was if there was no darkness to compare it to.  Bad things happen either through direct consequences of our actions, or through devastatingly random events, and when they do the universal question we all ask is,


"Why me? Why do bad things happen to me?”


Sometimes people suffer to learn a valuable life lesson, something that could not have been taught except through burden. Most often we suffer as an example to others. Sometimes our misfortune helps them recognize life lessons in their own life.  A child with terminal cancer may have nothing to learn or gain from the experience, but that same child may teach others about compassion, love, acceptance and letting go. Suffering guides us through life so we can value joy and grow from our troubles.


Do not, for one second, think that we are alone in our suffering.  It is often said, "do not wish to trade your burdens with others because you will find theirs a heavier load.” Trust that God will not give us more that we can handle. He knows our capabilities and guides us through our misery with love and compassion. Let us not forget that he cares for us, and wants us to succeed.  Our suffering is only made worse through denial of God and his love. Reach out and allow him to help us see through the dark, to find, in each of us, our light.


Suffering also breeds compassion. When you know what it is like to suffer in some way, you recognize it in others and in turn begin to help them through their sorrow. Would any of us help others if none of us knew compassion?


Do not give power to your difficulties by focusing on them. Do not feed the cycle by returning it on others. Do not forget to see the joy in life even when faced with adversity. Many are consumed with negativity and never grow from their pain. Try to learn from what is happening so you do not get sucked a consuming mentality of darkness. According to the balance, something good must always come from something bad. Faith in that truth eases the bitterness of sorrow and of anger. Keep your face to the light.


Suffering is a part of our world and has a unique purpose in our lives. We can each choose to end the suffering, or we can add to it by burdening others. As part of the circle and part of the balance, life without suffering would not be life. We are not robots to regurgitate all that is taught to us, instead we are pliable and must continue on our journey to grow and become spiritual through the light and the darkness of our days. Keep the faith and carry on.

What is Spirituality?

Spirituality awakens us to the great, undeniable connection we have to everything. Spirituality is a sense that we are greater than ourselves, our physical selves; that there is something more, something that must be learned, experienced, lived. Spirituality is the force that keeps us dreaming, achieving, longing for more. Spirituality brings peace, contentment, satisfaction and release from the pressures of this cold, dark world. Spirituality is knowing that we are here for something amazing. It is who we love and how we love. Spirituality is what we're passionate about, interested in, eager to explore. Spirituality is being alive and living truly.



Spirituality is a way of life that honours the beauty of the soul and recognizes the fact that there is more to life than physical things, more to life than physical pleasures. Perhaps unconsciously, the mind repeatedly seeks spiritual discoveries. Every moment of bliss is a spiritual moment. Every time you live in the moment that is your life, when you allow your mind to wander pleasantly, quietly, when you get a glimpse of the connections binding us together, these are all moments of spirituality. A journey of self-discovery, spiritualism is not something you achieve, it is something continuously lived. Our constant desire to improve ourselves and our surroundings proves our spirituality.



It is important to acknowledge that spirituality is not necessarily about material gain. Material possessions that inspire tranquility, peace of mind, relaxation, happiness should be included while exploring spirituality. Books, songs, meditations, these are the tools we use to help ourselves onward. We all have them, those precious objects instilled with easy affection. Those reminders of our calmest selves set out in the world as extensions of ourselves. The point is to make sure these gentle expressions do not consume and cloud our desires. Life is a pursuit, some pursue riches, some comforts, some adventure. Spirituality is a pursuit in the alignment of ourselves with our existence.



Spirituality is admitting that our individual happiness is important enough to be perceived by the universe. It is the belief that we matter, that what we do matters. It is allowing ourselves to live openly, accepting gifts and blessings as is our right. It is the keen observation that everything is connected. The acknowledgement of the fact that we are bound to each other, as we are to the animals, to the Earth, to Life, and to Light. It is the daring to believe in something considerably more powerful than ourselves, that we can become more impressive than we are today, that we have the capacity to achieve the extraordinary.



Some people are born with this perceptive ability to fathom a spiritual world. Some find it through tragedy, some through the miraculous, some by accident, some due to learning, some from the observation and participation in our natural world. Some access it with yoga, some with meditation, some through prayer. Some experience it by giving, serving, some simply by reacting to life. Some believe in ancient traditions, some in modern technologies. Some hide away in private, some on the top of the world. How and where you realize your spiritual moments are personal and intimate. The challenge is when. When do you feel most spiritual? Seek those moments. Create excuses to feel more spiritual, it will put you in touch with who you really are.



Spirituality awakens us to ourselves. We realize that in us is the greatest gift of all. Life. The connection with others, that love we share, the enjoyment we find. The desire to become more, to learn more, to feel more, to experience more. What we think about when we're happy are the seeds of spirituality. The ability to relax and enjoy is what brings us peace in a frenzied world. It helps us open our hearts to beauty and passion. Spirituality is giving up control when we know we have no power, and investing ourselves in our power to influence a favourable future for ourselves and others. Spirituality is knowing that we are here for something amazing. It is who we love and how we love. It makes us appreciate the preciousness of life.