Thinking negatively pretty much all day, dwelling on disappointment, dissatisfaction with friendships, literally just googled "How to deal with disappointment" and I get a call from a friend I have a beautiful connection with that I hung out with last too many months ago. Sometimes I don't understand how people care so much about each other and don't keep in touch, but it's something I'll just have to accept.

A call from this friend uplifted me, reminding me people do care, I care, and that reality is truly shaped by our internal world. This friend reminded me what it means to have an internal world that is colored and flowered and beautiful - he radiates that and he pushes me to be that way.

Thank you, dear friend, for pushing me forward and getting me a bit more out of this disappointment spell. I hope to figure out more what my emotions are telling me...

Lots of love,
Grateful for my friends,
Jess

Working on thinking kind thoughts.

Making Life Good!

Surely you remember the good old days – those fun-loving pastimes when the whole world seemed a bit brighter. Let’s travel back in time. Shall we?

Here’s how to get back to good…

1. Accept reality so you can change it.
To move forward in life you must first accept the reality of what it is. This acceptance provides you with an important starting point from which you can move in any direction you choose. To deny this reality or to fight against the past will merely waste your time and energy. To wish that things were different, or to pretend that they are, gets you nowhere.

Instead, visualize the possibilities and the path forward with a calm, collected mind. Then determine the next logical step that will take you in the direction of your vision and step forward. Read The Road Less Traveled.

2. Tap into the abundant resources around you.
When you adopt an attitude that life owes you something you set yourself up for frustration and unhappiness. Realize instead that life has already provided you with a world filled with abundance, and that creating meaningful value out of this abundance is up to you.

No matter who you are, where you’re from, or what your socioeconomic status is, a life of fulfillment requires commitment and effort from you. It is through positive, productive choices that you line up life’s abundance in ways that uniquely express your personal dreams and values.

3. Guard your dreams and go after them.
You need space to try things and create things. It takes a long time to recalibrate if you let people pull at you all the time. A lot of stress comes from reacting to stuff. You have to keep a certain guard up against these negative influences.

Build an emotional barrier and allow yourself to dream and explore the passions that speak to the essence of who you are. Then let those dreams and passions pull you steadily through the practical, hands-on work of bringing them to life. Work through each day with diligence and persistence, doing what’s required. And as you do, stay close to the dreamer that always lives within you.

4. Loosen your grip.
Sometimes you can hold so tightly to what you know that you deny yourself the opportunity to learn and experience great new things. And in the back of your mind you know this and it bothers you. You become so worried about losing comfort that you cease to be comfortable.

When you’re willing to let go a little, you can actually discover and enjoy a lot more. Because when your energy is not consumed by possessiveness and fear, you have more energy available to experience life.

Instead of striving to hold tightly to everything, let it come, let it go, and let the next moment bring its own unique wonder. Read The Untethered Soul.

5. Think about the possibilities.
Each new day greets you with no rules except the ones you place on it. So greet it with open arms and positive thoughts. Let the possibilities inspire you and keep you going. Others may call you an idealist or naive or some other belittling title, ignore them.

Life is not about what you could do, it’s about what you will do. Write this down: “My life has unlimited possibilities.” Choose to find these possibilities in everything that comes your way, and no problem will ever be able to conquer you.

6. Replace “I can’t” with “I can.”
The power of the phrase “I can’t” is frightening. It makes strong people weak, happy people sad, blinds those who can see, turns the brave into cowards, robs the brilliance of every genius, causes the rich to think poorly, and limits the potential of that highly capable brain inside your head.

Replace “I can’t” with “I can” and then try again. When you experience a negative circumstance in your life, do not dwell on it. Be proactive – direct your attention to the possible action steps that will bring you to a positive result.

7. Help others feel better about themselves.
There’s nothing more rewarding than helping someone realize their own self-worth. Your life will not likely be measured by a single great achievement; it will be measured by thousands of small ones that all compound on top of one another. Each time you perform an act of kindness or bring a smile to someone’s face it gives your life more meaning.

So act like what you do makes a difference – it does.

8. Save some love and respect for yourself.
You can be the most beautiful person on the inside and out in the whole wide world, and everybody who sees you is awestruck, but if you yourself don’t see and feel it, none of it matters.

Every moment you spend doubting your self-worth – every moment you spend negatively judging yourself – is a tragic moment, for it is a moment of your life that you chose to throw away. Don’t do this. You only have so many moments.

The love you seek is seeking you at this very moment, you just have to open up to it.

9. Purge unnecessary headaches.
As Albert Einstein once said, “Excessive possessions, seeking outward success, extreme publicity, luxuries – to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind.”

In other words, in thinking, be down to earth. In necessitates, keep to the essential. In conflicts, be fair. In leading others, guide instead of controlling. In work, tap into your passion. In relationships, be completely genuine and present. Keep it all straightforward and simple. Read The Power of Less.

10. Indulge in life’s priceless little pleasures.
The foundation of a good life is all around you. Experience the joy in life’s universal elements…

To find the fresh air and a light breeze exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening stroll; to be thrilled by the sun’s warmth and the flickering stars at night; to be elated over the sound of a rain shower or a wildflower in the Springtime. Etc.

These are some of the greatest rewards of a truly good life.

http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/01/11/10-ways-to-make-life-good-again/

I’ll Be Happy When…

The ultimate source of happiness lies in the quality of your thoughts. Our thoughts are our most intimate relationship and will impact our lives far more than our relationships with others. In fact, our relations with others are, to an extent, but a reflection of the quality of our own thoughts.

What we seek “out there” is but the icing on the cake. Genuine and sustainable happiness is derived from a healthy and nurturing relationship with yourself. Nothing and no one can take that away from you. Devote your attention to your authentic well being and happiness will emerge.

Happiness comes from being present in the moment and feeling a sense of harmony and contentment not in a conditional way that something else has to happen. Just living and enjoying the present.



http://blog.melschwartz.com/2012/02/09/ill-be-happy-when/#more-487

“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” -The Twits