Are You Paddling Upstream?

If our life experiences form the river that we flow in, which direction are you traveling in?

I have always had an insatiable interest in what the human mind is capable of.  Ever since I was a young kid, I read all kinds of books on psychic phenomena and the supernatural.  To this day, I am interested in all belief systems from the main stream religions to the ones on the edge.  I am a bit of a self-help book junkie too, because, like my interest in sci-fi, it helps me to, if only temporarily, step out of my box and look at the world through a different paradigm.

I've just finished reading a book written by Esther and Jerry Hicks entitled

The Astonishing Power of Emotions Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide

I feel that I have to mention that these authors credit the material in their books to an energy known as Abraham, an energy channeled by Esther. Alternatively, I also feel that I have to mention that I don't believe you have to accept the idea of channeling to get something of value out of reading the interesting perspectives being presented in their books. So if you don't believe in this school of thought, put aside where they say the information comes from, and I'll attempt to share with you what I got out of reading this book.

The analogy used here is one of a stream or river whereby the flow is made up of all of our life experiences.

It's simple really.

If you feel unhappy because life seems hard, you have been paddling upstream. When you are happy and everything seems to be falling into place, you are moving with the flow downstream. And, as you can imagine, you are never moving solely in one direction.

So why do so many of us use up our energies by continually paddling upstream?

For me, I believed that everything I ever wanted or needed was upstream. I come from a belief system that tells me that hard work and sacrifice is necessary to be happy in the end. The journey was not something you were intended to relish or look forward to - only the end result counted.

So what if I'm wrong? Or maybe, not so much "wrong" as, "misguided" - only seeing a small portion of the puzzle and not the big picture. Maybe, working hard is a choice. Maybe, it's my choice to work hard because it gives me a feeling of satisfaction. Maybe, I don't have to work hard for everything. Maybe, I can give up that belief if it no longer serves me.

Let's go with that thought for a moment.

So, where's the bleep, bleep map showing me the big picture!

Well, obviously we don't get a map, or a user's guide for that matter. But, think about it - if the only direction we should be taking is downstream, do we really need one?

But what if I'm not always aware that I'm paddling against the current? Wouldn't it be nice to, at least, have a compass handy?

Voila! We do have a compass - our emotional guidance system.

So where's the bleep, bleep manual you ask?

You don't need one. It's easy to navigate. When you are feeling happy you are moving downstream.

How simple is that?

If you found these ideas interesting visit my folder on SkyDrive and download a series of audio files of Abraham to listen to.

http://cid-741e2a2b5c830ef8.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.Public/Abraham

Also, here is the website for Esther and Jerry Hicks.

http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php

Phrases I Enjoy ....

I came across two different phrases recently that really hit home with me so I'd like to share them here.

The first is:

Life is moments of discovery - not an exam!

This one is particularly meaningful to me because the focus of one of my recurring nightmares is writing an exam (or being tested in some way).  In these dreams I either don't know where to go to write it, or I've missed it, or I don't know the material being tested. Thinking about life from the view that you must be prepared to be tested sometimes takes all the fun away from the learning process.

The second is:

Never assume that what you know is all there is to know and what you have experienced so far is all there is to experience.

I think of myself as an eternal student, so this phrase just appealed to me.  I hope that I can be open-minded and learning new things right up until the last day I'm alive.

Be Grateful And More Will Follow

I'm always amazed and excited when I have an "Aha" moment in my life and it just makes me want to share it with everyone I know. Guess what. I had one just the other day, so here goes.

Let me set the stage first... Now that I'm retired, I'm living on a budget for what seems to be the very first time in my life. Before retirement, I had enough money to cover my spending habits - never tracking my spending closely but always living within our means and setting something aside for those rainy days. We were quite successful at applying these guidelines - but now that the equity markets are down and the interest rates are low - I have limited means of replenishing any monies that I spend. Naturally, not wanting to go through my savings too quickly, I'm constantly evaluating my spending based on necessity and the elusive "fun" factor associated with my spending (am I getting enough pleasure from what I buy).

Okay, with the stage now set, here's the story.

I like to meditate on topics that I want an inspired solution for. Recently, I've been meditating on how I can bring in more money. My "Aha" came when I recognize that the universe had already been providing me with what I wanted - in small ways. Looking over the things on my desk, I noticed that I had all kinds of money just waiting to be received by me. To start, I had a $50 manufacturer's rebate to mail in; next, there were a bunch of health care receipts to submit to my group health provider for refund; and lastly, I already had a Group Health Care cheque to deposit for dental care already received and paid for. These items had been sitting around for awhile - going unnoticed and therefore their value being under appreciated by me.

It's like a light came on for me. I immediately dealt with these things and guess what ... more followed.

The first was an offer to stay for free in Mexico with an old friend and his wife at their timeshare. As you can recognize, free is always good when you're retired - it equates to saving money. This was particularly neat since we had been talking about some sort of vacation down south in either January or February earlier.

Next, I wanted to acknowledge the loss of my friend's mother by gifting her Rona Maynard's book about Mothers and Daughters. I had a particularly hectic day planned and as I was about to walk out the door got the notion to jump online and arm myself with some price checking before I left to get my actual shopping done. I couldn't believe it - 83% off. I picked up the book for $5.99 plus $10.00 to cover shipping costs. Later that day, I thought the price was so good, I should pick up another copy - no such luck - sold out. I couldn't believe that just an impulse to go online at just the right time saved me about $35 - very exciting.

My last little tale is about saving $200 at Canadian Tire. It's Saturday and my husband tells me that we missed a great sale. When I asked him to explain, he says a tool he has wanted to pick up is on sale - the sale started yesterday, however, and he figures they'll be sold out by now. Needing to return a couple of items, I told him that I would check for him. I won't go into all the details, but it was like one had been put away for me and was just waiting for pick-up. My shopping experience kept leading me to helpful store clerks who first located a store that hadn't yet run out of the tool, and then, once at the store, helped me locate the item - a small supply still left undiscovered in the storage area. It felt like a tag team effect going from one store clerk to the next ending with me getting the tool handed to me.

For most of my life, I have believed in a friendly and generous universe that is here to support us. I have recognized for myself that I often take things for granted - especially if they are routine or small. I sometimes forget that an attitude of gratefulness keeps the energies of abundance flowing my way. I sense that this was a nudge to remind me.