Law Of Attraction 3

Last week we agreed that the law of attraction comes with a choice.  We can choose what we want to attract in our lives.  However, what if life throws us a curveball?  Let's face it, life has a way of happening when we are making other plans.  At the moment, South Africa is experiencing a rough patch.  We are facing Covid 19 and economic difficulties. Furthermore, we have woken up this morning to a country that is quite unsettled.  Many people will face difficult days, weeks, and even months because of what is happening right now.  Where is the choice in this?  They certainly did nothing to attract this trouble in their lives.  They are victims of events beyond their control.  

Still, we have a choice.  We can choose how to react to what is happening. That is where our true power lies.  Our response to any given situation will determine our destiny.  Trials and tribulations are a part of life.  We will not always be able to avoid conflict or disappointment. However, we always have a choice of how to respond or react to it.  There is always a way to get through any situation. The trick is to find the best way.  

Life often takes us by surprise.  It seems as everything is going well and we are feeling on top of the world. Then, unexpectedly, we are confronted by a sudden change.  It is a natural instinct to immediately react to the situation.  However, the best reaction is no reaction.  Take a deep breath and pause a while.  Assess the problem.  Gather all the information you can. Talk about it to somebody you can trust and think about all the possible ways you could respond to the situation.  When we simply react to any given event, it usually comes from our emotions, but when we take the time to evaluate the problem, we engage our emotional intelligence.  The result is usually to our advantage.

By taking time before we respond, we empower ourselves.  We now have the power of choice.  Instead of being a victim, we can now take charge of the situation.  We now control the way we respond.  We can now attract the outcome that we desire. Remember, be vigilant, and guard your thoughts. Carefully assess the situation.

React vs respond, which way will you go? Share your thoughts with me. I would love to hear from you.  Watch my blog for the next installment.

 

Pause

Monday.  Again.  Do you also sometimes feel that time is just rushing past at breakneck speed?  The week-end has been merely the blink of an eye.  This day is already past halfway, yet my inbox is still piled high.  Everybody wants their pound of flesh, and I can hardly breathe.  Yes, you know that feeling.  That feeling of overwhelm.  Well, it is time to press the pause button.  No, I am not talking about taking a vacation, that is too far into the future, and chances are you will suffer burn-out before then.  I am also not talking about a week-end breakaway.  I am talking about hitting the pause button right now.  A moment before your next meeting, before answering the next call or handling the next crises.  We usually are so busy tackling our to-do list, catching up on e-mails or scrambling from one deadline to the next that we forget to breathe, we forget to take a moment to just be calm and re-assess our next step.  We run from errand to meeting to telephone call and we grab a coffee on the go.  Pause.  Now!

   Breathe.  

Pour yourself that cup of coffee, and sit down.  For two minutes just savour that warm aroma wafting past your nose,  taste it's warmth, feel it slipping down your throat.  Empty your mind of all the to-do lists, all the hectic talk echoing through your head.  Just focus on this moment, don't rush off into the clamour of your thoughts.  Pause and breathe.  

Take your lunch hour, it is your sacred time and step outside the office.  Take a walk along the pavement, smile at the passers-by, listen to the laughter of children, notice the colours of the sky and the flowers blooming in the cracks.  Clear your mind of any thoughts about work, about the afternoon meeting, the worry about your children's homework or what is for dinner.  Pause and enjoy where you are right now, name your blessings and your joys.

So often we are taken hostage by our thoughts, our fears and our emotions.  They sweep us along on a path of worry, anxiety and destruction.  We loose sight of the shore, of what is real and we are so overwhelmed by it all that we feel as if we are out of control and drowning.  Pause.  Take a deep breath and regain your focus.  Reboot.

Yes, I hear you say, but what if....

What if you take just a few moments, fill your thoughts with stillness.  Be calm.  Psalm 46:10 says , "Be still, and know that I am God."  When life becomes too hectic, when fear and worry threaten to destroy your peace, when your emotions want to overwhelm you, just take a moment and press the pause button.  Breathe.  Let calmness flow into you, envelop you and lift you higher.

Pause.

Then play again.

Pause & Walk

 

I am sure that most of us know somebody we would rather avoid.  You know, that one person who seems to always put your back up, or who seems intend on making your life unpleasant.  All of us, at one time or another, have been the victim of slanderous gossip or snide remarks. Most of us, at some point in our lives, have experienced hurt or vindictiveness. Very often our reaction is to stay away from that person's company and to avoid interaction with him, or her, at all costs.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with avoiding somebody who has treated us badly, belittled or bullied us.  However, when it starts to impact on our own lives and our own freedom, it is time to re-evaluate the situation.  

The one thing most of us have learned is that it is impossible to change another person's behaviour.  Nothing we can do, say or explain will change who they are, what they think about us or how they behave towards us.  The way they treat you and other people says everything about who they are.  The way they behave is absolutely their own choice, and they have every right to decide for themselves how they want to behave.  It usually has very little to do with who we are.  The only thing we do have any control over is how we react to them.  Yes, I may choose to avoid them, I may choose to not go to the same places where they are.  I can choose to keep myself isolated from them.  It is my right to do so.  Yet, doing this might in the end prevent me from enjoying my own freedom, it might keep me in bondage and it might prevent me from truly soaring and enjoying life.  By allowing other people's behaviour or opinion to govern your life, to control what you say, how you live or where you go, you in effect allow them to put you in a cage and to walk off with the key.

What should you do if you are being treated badly, betrayed, gossiped about or falsely accused?  First of all, apply my PAUSE method.

P - Precisely determine what has happened. Get all the facts clear.

A - Assess exactly how bad it is?  Is it worth making a fuss about, or is it hardly worth thinking about?

U - Understand the motive or the reason behind it.

S - Set aside your emotions.  It is fine to feel upset, disappointed or hurt, but do not let your emotions         run away with you.

E - Establish your boundaries.  Stay true to your own moral code, but do not allow others to abuse or         disrespect you.

And then, after the pause comes the WALK.

W - Wave and smile.  Allow nothing to steal your peace.

A -  Adjust your focus, keep it on your goal.

L -  Let in go.  

K -  Keep negativity and toxic people out of your life.