Raise Your Vibration

 I am not left brained and never have been. Science, mathematics, and logic/reasoning has never come easily to me. And let's not even talk about High School Chemistry or College Calculus! I've long blocked those pained memories from my mind. That being said, Quantum Physics is something that I not only understand but I wholeheartedly believe to be true. What is Quantum Physics? Well it's many things- but the portion that I want to focus on relates to the Law of Attraction. At the most basic level, Quantum Physics explains that everything on this earth has a vibrational frequency. Even our thoughts. Quantum Physics Scientists have been able to measure these vibrations! But what does it mean for us and our daily life?

 The Law of Attraction clearly states that "Like Attracts Like". Imagine two magnets that are undeniably and unavoidably attracted to each other. Now imagine those are your thoughts. Our thoughts have a vibrational frequency and can attract vibrational frequencies of the same like. So positive thoughts attract positive things and negative thoughts attract negative things. It really is that simple. So you can see why it's so important to keep your vibration high and keep your thoughts positive- it will in turn affect everything that is happening in your life because you are knowingly or unknowing attracting it. (When I say "keep your vibration high" it means to be positive and think positive thoughts- positive thoughts vibrate at a higher frequency and negative thoughts at a lower frequency. Hence- "Keep your vibration high"). 

There are steps you can take to get your thoughts and vibrations at a higher frequency and thus attract more goodness into your life. The desktop image on my computer is and always has been a list of way to raise your vibration, and it serves as my daily reminder.  :)

The list says:

1. Spend Time In Nature

2. Meditate or Pray Daily

3. Avoid Red Meat Whenever Possible

4. Eat More Alkaline Foods and Less Acidic Foods

(Alkaline Foods are Fruits, Vegetables And Whole Grains)

5. Play Peaceful Calming Music.

6. Add Plants and Flowers To Your Living Space and Work Space.

7. Live In Gratitude

8. Dance, Play And Have Fun

9. Be In Service To Others

10. Eliminate Negative, Judgmental or Critical Speech

I make a genuine effort to implement these guidelines into my daily life though it's not always easy. I try to sit outside in nature at least once a day. I have a whole playlist of calming music on my phone and computer. I made a goal last November to partake in one service project every single month in order to serve others and keep me grounded. I've added plants and flowers to my home (and it was amazing how that little gesture improved my mood and vibration significantly!). And I've finally made my diet mostly alkaline instead of acidic, though it did take me a good solid year to be successful with that.

There are other steps that can be implemented into your life as well- reducing your exposure to television programs/news/social media. Exercise regularly. Listen to positive affirmations. Drink plenty of water. And occasionally remind yourself to stop and be aware of your breathing. If you can successfully implement these steps into your daily life and get your vibration back up, pair that with daily gratitude, setting a clear intention, and abiding by the "Love Much, Live Gently,  Let Go Gracefully" mentality; then I assure you- you are well on your way to living a Purposeful Life and manifesting the things you deeply desire.

What Is Your Intention?

"Setting your intention" is a concept I was just recently introduced to.

Essentially it's a fancy way of saying "declare what you desire and act towards manifesting it".  I'm sure there's room for interpretation there but that's my simple synopsis.


How exactly do you set your intention and why is it important?


It's easy to go around wishing and hoping for things. It's easy to want something more, something better. It's not so easy to actually do something about your desires and put their manifestation into motion. Setting your intention is the first step in that process. It's about taking the bull by the horns, it's about picking up the chess piece and making a move. It's not enough to want something, it's not enough to hope for something, you have to declare what you desire, but more importantly- you need to believe that it can happen. If your hope/dream/desire is not backed by passionate confidence and faith then it's all for not.


So the first step is to have a desire. The second step is to know and believe that your desire is possible.


The next step might be uncomfortable for some- it's what I call the "Act As If Phase". You need to act/speak/carry-on with your life acting as if your desire is on it's way to you. If you're trying to manifest love that means making room in your life for love (in ALL aspects of your life- make room in your heart, make room in your home..)... If you're trying to manifest money then research and plan for how you are going to invest and grow that money, write a realistic list of what you will spend that money on.... "act as if" what you want is already en-route to you.


The last part in the process is the most challenging. It's the letting go part. Here is an explanation from an author that I admire:



 "We must remain completely unattached to the outcomes that we are committed to creating. [...] We must do our best to live 100 percent committed to whatever intentions we set, without being attached to the results that we are getting. We simply cannot get caught up in trying to force the river of life to go in one particular direction. Rather, setting an intention compels our own healing and transformation. It's not so much that we force the hand of God, as we becoming willing to be who we need to be in order to manifest the intention." -Katherine Woodward Thomas


Once you set your intention, believe your intention to be possible and talk/speak/act as though God/The Universe is conspiring to bring your intention to fruition, the last step is to let go and carry on. Be positive, give thanks, keep your thoughts aligned with your desires, and good things will come. Trust the process!

Love Much, Live Gently, Let Go Gracefully

 

This is, by far, one of the best quotations that has ever entered my life. Or perhaps we make deep connections with quotes like this one because they come into our life with perfect timing, when their message is needed the most. 

Yes, I think the latter is true. 

I found this quote (or this quote found me?) at a time when I needed it desperately. Since then, I have been proactively trying to live its message: To love much, to live gently, and to gracefully let go of what is not mine. Does it sound easier said then done? Because it is.

'Love much' has always come fairly easily to me, I think having a huge capacity for love comes easily to most people (whether they utilize it is a different story entirely). The part I need to work on (the part most people need to work on) is in remembering to love even when you're feeling cross, even when someone owes you an apology, even when you are irritated or annoyed. After all, who am I to judge who deserves or doesn't deserve my love- it is not my place to say that someone [who has wronged me] is no longer worthy of my love! Of course, I'm not saying that we should keep tumultuous relationships in our lives or we should continue to allow others to hurt us- all I'm suggesting is that despite their behavior, you can still show love. Even if you let these people go from your life because they are no longer serving you, you can still send them off with love instead of hate. 

Living gently. What exactly does it mean to "live gently"? Well I can only tell you what it means to me. If I had to explain in in 3 simple steps it would go something like this:

1. Start by being gentle with yourself. For me this meant changing my diet entirely so that I was nurturing my body instead of poisoning it. It means being aware of your thoughts and not allowing your mind to speak badly of you. I have overheard many of the women in my life talk so poorly about themselves- "I look so fat", " I make such stupid choices", "I hate my nose" etc. My basic rule of thumb is- If you wouldn't say it to a dear friend/loved one, then don't say it to yourself. So when you look in the mirror and the destructive thoughts begin, stop yourself and remember "If I wouldn't say these things to my best friend or a family member, I'm certainly not going to say them to myself". Being gentle with yourself also entails making time for yourself. Whether it's reading a book that is collecting dust at your bedside, or making time to meditate, or perhaps taking a bath at the end of a long day. You absolutely need to make time for you. You will not be able to help others [happily] if you are not helping yourself first. Nurture your mind, nurture your body, and nurture your soul.

2. In addition to being gentle with yourself, living gently also means being gentle with others. Listen more and talk less. Be less reactive. When someone is speaking listen to them, don't start preparing your response in your head while they are talking, because then you are not truly listening and hearing their thoughts/feelings. Slow down. Listen. Be Patient. Be gentle with others.

3. And lastly, living gently also means taking care of the world around you. Spend time in nature and be grateful for this big beautiful world. Take a deep breath of fresh smog air and be gentle with this world we're living in. Volunteer when you can, clean up litter when you see it, plant some flowers or take care of a garden. These small contributions to the world will offer a sense of peace and satisfaction to your life.

So those are the 3 steps towards living gently that I have implemented into my life and it has drastically changed me for the better.

The hardest portion of this equation, however, is the last part. To gracefully let go of that which is not ours to keep. So poetically stated. But really, it's asking for a whole lot. If I were to look back on the times in my life where I lost something that I loved/needed/wanted deeply- Let me tell you, I handled it with anything but grace. My coping methods were far from graceful, more on the side of crazy and hysterical. But this quote inspired me to try something different. (Of course it wasn't entirely due to this quote, I also had various "self-help" books trying to convey the same message to me as well). The point was simple though- Don't allow your world to come crumbling down over the loss of something that was never meant to be yours for the keeping (ie a boyfriend, a pet, a car, a job, etc). Instead, give thanks for the wonderful blessings the thing did bring to your life, be happy for the period of time that you did have it, and remember that there are many more wonderful things on the horizon for you. You need only ask for them. (We'll get into my strong belief in the #LawOfAttraction some other time).

Of course, you can't just tell yourself "I'm not going to get upset over this" or "I'm not going to feel sad about that". You cannot deny feelings that your body is experiencing. I wish it could be that easy. But with time and practice, what you can do is overcome these periods of grief/sadness/disappoint much quicker and more gracefully. The coping method I utilize now is to put a set time limit on my negative emotions- when something has got me feeling down I tell myself "You have 24 hours. Feel it, grieve it, cry about it. But when the 24 hours are up you are done. You are moving on. You are focusing your time and attention on all the WONDERFUL things in your life instead." And that's when I revert back to blog entry #1, where giving thanks for EVERYTHING is of the essence.

Gratitude

At first I thought it would be difficult to compose my very first blog entry. After all, a blog entitled "Purposeful Living" sort of sets the bar high! I really wanted to set the right tone for what this blog would be about. I wanted to convey the things I'm most passionate about so that readers could decide if my passions resonate with them, inspire them, intrigue them. I wanted my first blog entry to be just the right balance between explaining/delving into my beliefs, and leaving plenty of mystery/ground-to-cover for future blog entries. I wanted to explain how this blog got it's title and what it means, to me, to be living a purposeful life.

Well this blog entry is going to be nothing like that.


The past 24 hours of my life have inspired me to focus on one thing and one thing alone in this blog entry. Gratitude.

I am a huge believer in the power gratitude.

I recently read Rhonda Byrne's latest book, The Magic and it was, sorry for the cliche, life changing. Years ago I enjoyed her book, The Secret, was just as fond of her second book, The Power, but I absolutely loved The Magic.

The basic premise of the book is about giving thanks. We are not talking about grace before meals and the polite "Thank You" that gets tossed around in our day to day routine. We are talking about a gratitude that will live in us in everything we do and in everywhere we go. We are talking about a gratitude that is present even in difficulties, a gratitude that will change your mindset from negative to positive- simply by giving thanks for what is good in every situation.

What a wonderful routine to get into- to give thanks for your life when you wake up every morning, to give thanks for your car when you drive it everyday, to give thanks for whoever calls/texts you (even if at the time it's an annoyance to you). I can't even begin to list all the various ways that we can show gratitude in our daily routine.

Which brings me back to the past 24 hours of my own life....

I contracted a horrible bout of food poisoning last night. I can't even remember the last time I was so violently ill like that. But amidst the worst of it- I started giving thanks. I was thankful for my perfectly working body- a body that was trying very hard to purge something terrible from it's system. A body that was trying to keep me safe, trying to make me better.

I was so so grateful.

Hours later I was finally in bed attempting to get rest and I fell asleep giving thanks to my body for doing what it needed to do in order to keep me healthy. I gave thanks for my strong immune system, I gave thanks for my stamina that I was able to endure such a purging, I was thankful for this not-so-gentle-reminder that I need to be more thankful in my day to day life for my health. Boy when you are ill, all you want is to be healthy again! Well, I need to be more thankful for all the days that I spend being healthy (and being sick yesterday was a great reminder of that!). You can't even imagine how many times today I gave thanks for all my perfectly operating blood cells, nerve endings, my complex wonderful brain, my appendages, my strong beating heart....

There is always, no matter what your current circumstance, ALWAYS something to be thankful for.


If you have two eyes to read this, and a brain to process the information, then stop now and give thanks for your healthy physical body. What a blessing it is to have. Be thankful for it each and everyday and even in times of sickness, be thankful that your body is doing it's very best to bring you back to health.


So maybe I did set the precedent in this first blog entry about what I believe in and what this blog will be about. I believe in being positive. Not just being positive but choosing positive [over negative]. Choosing optimism over pessimism. Choosing love over hate. Everyday I make a choice to be happy. Happiness is not something you find, not something a person/place/thing can bring to you. You bring it to yourself. It's a choice you make [to be happy]. And the best way to be happy, I've found, is in counting your blessings and being thankful for each and every one of them.

So if you are unhappy, this is a great place to start.