Forgiveness Empowers the Forgiver

“There are no justified resentments.”

                        Wayne Dyer

When bad things happen, we are at choice. Life is perception and our ability to stay focused and positive in the face of tragedy or upset determines what we attract into our future. We can determine that life is against us and continue to play out each negative experience until it consumes us or we can acknowledge our sadness, we can grieve our loss and realize that life is bigger than any one experience. We are here to experience joy. We don’t want to waste our precious life on anger or grief. Look for the gifts that come from every experience and you will feel your heart open to that great and wonderful love that resides within you.

When my adult son made his transition suddenly several years ago, I had the opportunity to experience grief first hand. Even though I fully believed that he was alive and well on the non-physical side of life, that didn’t diminish my human sadness. I allowed myself to feel the grief and loss and also know the truth that all was well in my life, in the life of my family and in his life. I know that his passing was perfect even if I don’t know the reasons why. I fully trust the process of life and I feel his presence often.

Every experience in life holds within it a gift, a seed that we can allow to blossom into its fullness or wither.

Exercise: Look at your life, being very real with yourself to see if there is any area that you are still upset about or anyone that you are holding resentment around. Ask yourself if you are willing to forgive so that you can be free. If the answer is yes, then the process of letting go of unhealed emotions is simple. Use these affirmations and feel them down to your very essence.

I love and accept myself and all others unconditionally. I let go of anything unlike love in my consciousness and behold the magnificence of everyone in my life.

We Live in a Friendly Universe

“Great men are they who see that the spiritual is stronger than any material force and that thought rules the world.”

                                                Ralph Waldo Emerson

The basic premise of abundant living is that we are part of a much larger system of intelligence which governs this universe. When we fully understand our connection to source energy, life becomes a total thrill because we accept we live in a friendly universe that is always conspiring to bring us our good.

WE are extensions of source energy and therefore have total access to that stream of creativity. We live in a universe of inclusion, there is no exclusion. We tap into source with our every thought and we are always answered with a yes! If we have thoughts of lack and limitation, the universe says yes! If your thoughts are of love and appreciation, the universe says yes! Either way, the law of attraction goes to work and brings to us people, situations and experiences that are in alignment with our thoughts. We get what we think about whether we consciously realize it or not. The law of gravity continues to exist and affect us even when we are not consciously aware of it. That is the same promise of how the law of attraction works.

The really exciting thing about this process of attraction is that we don’t have to know exactly what we want for our good to come to us. For instance, if we set an intention for a new creative expression and then try not to figure it out but just get out of the way, we will find that the doors that open for us are far greater then we could have asked for.

Exercise:

Create a vision board with pictures that represent your desires. Put powerful statements on there that lift you up and bring you into alignment with your desires. Focus on it daily; get into the feelings that are evoked when you think of your desires as if they were already manifested.

Affirmation:

The universe conspires to bring me my good. I am open and receptive.

Have you ever done a vision board? Let me know how this works for you.

www.caroleoconnell.com

The Power of Intention

            “We do act and yet everything we do is God’s creative action.” Rumi

What is an intention? A desire of your heart that is calling you, such as relationship, career, healthy body or financial freedom. Something that causes your life to become bigger than it is right now. An idea you don’t know how to achieve that you must surrender and allow source energy to dictate.

Feelings are the key. A belief without feeling is a thought. A belief with feeling is an intention. Clear intentions bring you into alignment with your desire and being aligned connects you into source energy. Then your thoughts and feelings are congruent. For instance, if you are setting your intention for dollars to flow and you are at the gas pump filling your tank, bless the oil companies that supply your needs instead of cursing them. That will serve to keep you in a high vibration and dollars will flow.

There is a difference between positive thinking and affirmative thinking. You can be positive that you are broke or sick or depressed. You can be positive that the world is filled with angry, hateful people. Affirmative thinking is the realization that the nature of the universe is good and when we align ourselves with it, when we surrender to it, when we embody it, miracles happen.

Exercise: Three steps to setting intentions:

1.      Decide what you want. Think big.

a)      Remember that you can’t make a mistake. Perhaps you want a new career, an improved marriage, joy in your heart, and peace of mind, financial stability or a healthy body.

2.      Write affirmative statements.

a)      Write these statements in the first person with powerful, uplifting words that affirm your connection to source. When you launch a rocket of desire, the universe answers YES!

b)      Get into the feeling of already having achieved your desire.

c)      After choosing what you want and affirming it, your work is to allow your good to come to you, to be available to it. The best way to do that is to imagine how it feels to have your desire already in your life. See yourself exercising your healthy body, feel the peace and joy of a loving relationship, imagine how it feels to have dollars flowing easily.

3.      Let go of any attachment to the outcome.

a)      Let the universe handle the details. This is so important. You don’t have to figure out “HOW” your good will come to you. You only have to feel its presence. You connection to source energy, your higher self will handle the “HOW”. We are so accustomed to “making” things happen that we work really hard at everything. Your work is to get out of the way and allow your good to come to forth. As you do the inner work, you will be guided to inspired action.

Affirmation: I am open and receptive to my highest good.

www.caroleoconnell.com

Dollars Are Energy

“Affluence, unboundedness, and abundance are our natural state. We just need to restore the memory of what we already know.”

                                                Deepak Chopra

Money is energy and it flows to those that are in vibration harmony with it. If you learned that money is dirty, it is time to replace that belief with the understanding that money is simply a source of energy that we are either allowing or disallowing. Money has now power except what we give to it. If financial prosperity has been an issue for you, begin to shift that consciousness by removing its importance in your life. See that it provides a commodity that you desire. It is not the money that pays for the item that is important to focus on, it is the thing itself that you want to see yourself enjoying.

See yourself living in harmony and joy with your home, your car, your work, your family and your body. Appreciate the many wonderful aspects of your life and feel how it lifts you up. Feel how joyous it is to allow the energy of your good to flow effortlessly to you from expected and unexpected streams of well being.

Exercise for this week:

1.      Appreciate all that you have and be grateful for the dollars as you pay your bills, put “Thank You” on your checks.

2.      Affirm that financial prosperity abounds in your life.

3.      Allow no negative conversations about money with family or friends.

4.      Bless the many streams of income that you see yourself receiving.

Raise your vibration concerning finances and watch the universe supply all of your needs and desires.

Affirmation for the week:
All of my needs and desires are met effortlessly and joyously.

www.caroleoconnell.com

Making Wise Choices

“No matter what the problem is, how acute it may be or how difficult the person may be, there is in the final analysis no one to change but yourself.”                             Joseph Murphy

Every moment we are making choices that either support or negate our well being. How you feel is your point of attraction and what you are manifesting is always a match to your vibration. When we came into this physical incarnation, we brought with us the gift of choice. That gift of choice is so powerful that it governs our entire life.

Living an abundant life means that you are choosing health, wealth, creative self expression, peace, joy and love. Every painful experience holds within it the seed of joy if you choose to look for it. Everything in your life must change. Change happens whether we want it or not. Change is inevitable; personal growth is a choice.

Exercise;

1.     For one week, be aware of the choices you are making. Are you seeing the glass of life half full or half empty? You will clearly see how you are attracting your current life experience.

2.     Make choices on what thoughts you are thinking. When out of harmony with anyone in your life, remember the good times, find positive aspects to appreciate and focus only on them for one week. You will experience enhanced enjoyment of each other.

Affirmation for this week:

I make wise choices every day. My life if filled with joy.

www.caroleoconnell.com

The Power of Forgiveness

Holding onto resentment, guilt or any negative emotion holds you in bondage to whatever experience caused that feeling. Forgiveness is an act of the heart. It helps to disconnect us from negative past experiences. Forgiveness is about you, not anyone else. It is not condoning unacceptable behavior. It is an act of freeing ourselves from a past hurt. Forgiveness allows us to see that everyone is doing the best job they know how to do with the awareness that they have. Hurtful people are acting out from their own pain. Their hurtful actions are a cry for love. Being willing to see this allows you to know that they would not be hurting you if they were not wounded. The next time you feel wronged or treated unfairly, ask yourself if this is a cry for love. You will find it easy to forgive when you realize that this is not about you but rather about the other person.

Try this exercise with anyone that you are holding resentment towards:

            Take yourself back to a time when this relationship was loving and kind. Feel those feelings until you are ready to forgive them. Always remember to forgive yourself for holding onto resentment.

Affirmation: I let go of anything unlike love in my mind and accept myself and others unconditionally.

www.caroleoconnell.com

A Time of Renewal

  

            What a perfect time of year to open our heart to the renewing of our minds. Mother earth is coming alive. The grass is turning green, the flowers and trees are beginning to blossom. AS we head into Easter, the idea of resurrection takes hold in our consciousness. A time of letting go of anything unlike love that still resides in our heart and mind and being reborn, renewed to the light that lives within us.

            We are here on a soul journey to bring forth the light of the divine that is our very essence and to let our light shine that the world might be made new. Every day we are born anew, every moment we choose to either let our light shine, be the voice for love, take a stand for peace OR we allow the world around us, race consciousness, to guide our thoughts. When we get caught up in “what is” in the physical realm, our energy becomes part of the problem. When we stay centered in the knowing that all is well, in spite of appearances, we are a force for good.

            Life is an amazing adventure of unfolding awareness. If you try to remember what your worries were about a year or two ago, you probably couldn’t even remember what they were. They either never happened or they came to pass. Wouldn’t it be better to trust that all things are working together for good in your life and not live in fear?

                                    IT is a choice we make every day:

1.     To love life,

2.     To focus on the good,

3.     To be grateful for the good in our life,

4.     To take a stand for peace,

5.     To be the voice for love,

6.     To let our light shine,

Allow this season of awakening to open your heart, renew your mind and brighten your light.

Affirmation: I Am the light, the love and the peace that lifts up the world around me.

www.caroleoconnell.com

Financial Abundance is Yours

Financial abundance is not predicated on deserving or worthiness. It is in direct relationship to your consciousness, your vibration, your belief about money and your willingness to receive. Your birthright is the abundance of all good, health, wealth and perfect self expression. You are and extension of infinite mind, the creative intelligence from which you have come forth. All good is yours for the taking when you allow it into your consciousness. If you are not living an abundant life, then you are resisting your good.

Abundance is all around you, available to you when you are open to receive it. You can push it away with your thoughts and words of lack or you can receive it with your gratitude and willingness to allow it into your life.

                                    Try this exercise for the next month.

1.     Focus on appreciating every dollar that comes your way.

2.     Write “thank you” on your checks being grateful for your creditors that have put trust in you.

3.     Notice the beauty of the earth around you, appreciate your surroundings, your home, car, clothes, family, friends, work and each day as it unfolds.

4.     Give some money to the children selling donuts without taking the donuts. Give some away to the waiter that is having a bad day and did not give you good service. Show compassion for you do not know what is happening in her life.

5.     Give to where you are spiritually fed, not out of obligation, but from the joy of giving. Give only what makes you feel good.

Experiment with these ideas and watch what happens. Dollars will flow from expected and unexpected avenues.

Affirmation: I am open and willing to allow my good to come to me. Dollars flow effortlessly in my life.

www.caroleoconnell.com Check out the website for more ideas of living life joyously.

Fall In Love With Yourself

 

Over my years of counseling and coaching, I have realized that every issue that we face, regardless of what we call it, is an issue of self-worth. Bottom line cause of illness, failure, lack of any kind, is a result of not accepting ourselves. To fall in love with ourselves is to see our wholeness, our inner greatness, our spirit, our soul.

You are worthy, no matter how much money you have, or how the world looks at your level of success, or how you look or what has happened to you in your life or what you have done. You are worthy because you are spirit in expression. You are worthy because you have come into physical form to make a difference in the world. It is never too late to let your light shine, to be the loving, caring soul that resides in your body. You are so much more than your physical body. You are a powerful spiritual being, living on planet earth in and exquisite physical body. You are an extension of source energy. You have the potential to transform the planet with your consciousness. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross said,” Each one of us has within us a Mother Theresa and a Hitler. It is up to us to choose what we want to be.”

Here is a simple exercise that will begin your journey to accepting and appreciating yourself just the way you are.

 

1.     Become a witness to your self talk.

a)    Shift your negative thinking. It will keep you stuck.

2.     Develop the habit of appreciation.

a)    Focus on the things that are working in your life and give thanks for them.

3.     Write your accomplishments.

a)    Look at the past year and write the many things, big or little that you feel good about.

4.     Forgive yourself for judging you.

a)    You have always done the best job you have known how to do with the awareness that you had. Give thanks for new beginnings.

5.     Let go of resentment about another for that is a killer of self-worth.

a)    Look for the good in others, focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses. Treat other the way you want to be treated.

Affirmation:  I am worthy. I dare to live a life of abundant joy and radiant well being.

Let me know what ideas you have for building self-worth.

www.caroleoconnell.com

You Are Unlimited

Most of us did not grow up knowing that we are unlimited, that we truly can have it all. You may have witnessed lack and limitation in your family’s thinking and believed that was the way of the world. Have you ever wondered why some people have so much good and others suffer through life? Everyone creates his or her own reality without exception. We often follow in our parent’s belief systems because that is all we have ever known. It may not serve us any more and it is never too late to change our beliefs about life.

The reason you are unlimited is that as an energy being you have access to the intelligence that creates worlds. Because of that connection, you have the power to co-create your world any way you choose. You can dream as big as your imagination will grow. Perhaps you have not allowed yourself to ever dream big dreams so you might want to experiment with a small desire.

Try this exercise:

1.      Make a list of the things you would like to create for yourself and chose one that you do not think would be very difficult.

2.      Write an affirmation describing this desire as if it were already done.

3.      Visualize how this dream might look and feel when accomplished.

4.      The most important part is the feeling. Imagine how you will feel, put yourself in that feeling place.

5.      Once you have set into motion this desire, stay open for unexpected opportunities and ideas.

6.      Listen for inspired guidance, allow the universe to handle the details and watch what happens.

Affirmation:  “I am open and receptive to my highest good. I am unlimited.”

www.caroleoconnell.com