Author: purposejoyandpositives

BY PJP

MORE GRATITUDE BEGETS GOOD ATTITUDE:

This such an important part of starting a day that will leave you feeling satisfied and content at the end of that day. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines gratitude as simply, yet as complex, as ”the state of being grateful”. Okay, is that an emotion? no. Is it a feeling? not really. I think of it as a ‘way of being’ that is a conscious choice each day as we put our feet to the floor.

Some mantras to encourage gratitude:

I choose to remember the blessing of waking up to a new day filled with opportunities to create a better-version- of myself (Matthew Kelly’s original term).

I choose to live in the moment of today and nurture it as if it was my first and my last.

I choose to pay attention to those around me and provide encouragement and compassion.

I choose to forgive and to be humble.

I choose to appreciate my family and friends and to serve where needed with a smile.

I choose to honor this day, myself, my past, present and open my heart to the future.

Developing a strong gratitude awareness practice can take time and like any other new habit you wish to acquire, you have to CHOSE it and do it everyday, until it becomes a natural part of you. The benefits of more gratitude are stated in many different articles and they include physical, psychological and social benefits. I will end with a quote from Harvard Health Publishing:

“Expressing gratitude helps people feel positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

With gratitude to my readers,

PJP

OPTIMISM:

If you are an optimistic person, you most likely look at the glass as ‘half full’, tend to find the silver lining of events that may be less than great, are engaged positively in life, and are in general a positive joyful person. There is a fair amount of research that indicates our health is impacted significantly when our emotions are positive which is closely linked to a lowered stress hormone cortisol, thereby, supporting greater immune response and reduced times of illness.

Dr. Andrew Weil offers proactive suggestions to incorporating a more optimistic way of being: (www.drweil.com)

”Eat a more healthy diet; exercise and get adequate deep sleep; write in a gratitude journal; breathing exercises to calm ourselves during stressful events; confide in someone or even seek professional help; let go of the small stuff; find humor in difficulties (finding the silver lining are my words); and relinquish control and go with the flow.”

There are also some essential oils that you can use that support a sense of calm, especially if you put a small drop and rub it into the middle of each foot. The two I use most are from Young Living called Peace/Calming and Joy. ( I am not a distributor so no plug here for a product, just sharing info). There are many companies that carry similar products.

Have a joyful day and think POSITIVE!

PJP

I believe that this is an appropriate post for the upcoming event of Valentine’s Day.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy; It does not boast; It is not proud. It does not dishonor others; It is not self-seeking; It is not easily angered; It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS.”

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8

After this quote from the Bible, my favorite quote is from Leo Buscaglia:

“What love we’ve given, we’ll have forever. What love we fail to give, will be lost for all eternity.”

May you each have not only a loved filled day, but a love filled life with PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES.

PJP

WORD FOR THE YEAR:

Welcome to the New Year of 2021!!

Three years ago I transitioned from selecting resolutions for a New Year to choosing a word for the year. The first year it was TRUST and last year it was GRACE. As usual, I have sifted through my brain since the last few days of 2020 to pick a word that has meaning to me. Last year it took me until January 9; this year about the same! Slow process. Drum roll………my word for 2021 is ‘NOWNESS’.

I came across NOWNESS in something I was reading and it spoke to me for these reasons. First, my life like many of yours, I am sure has been filled with many transitions during the last year. For me, it has been a couple of years with one transition after another………..some I chose and others were not by choice. Nevertheless, transition came and I find myself in yet another transition period. I have also found myself over the last few months with unwelcome thoughts about so many future things……..will I maintain health, will my family be safe, will my finances hold up, will I work next year, will I be able to finish the major house projects I envision. And on and on and on it went every few days. I would have to add that this type of thinking has not really ever been an issue for me. I am positive; I have great faith. Why then this new train of thought? I have no clue as to ‘why’ , but I do know that I am putting a halt to this mindless chatter in my brain. It starts with my NOWNESS spirit for 2021.

• I have pledged that I will stay in the moment of today, each day
• I will not give traction to the ‘will I….’ thought
• I will think instead of the JOY that this moment in this day brings
• I will breathe deep and enjoy what is here now

Here is a poem, by Claire Boot, writer, that expresses the word well:

hereness and nowness:

hold the hereness

know the nowness

not the thereness thenness

nor the ifness whenness

let go of whatness whereness whyness

leave off the howness whoness whichness

hereness and nowness

sense the Presence that presents as present in the present

take it

it’s a present

Thank you from,

PJP

BABY BOY:

December twenty-fourth, the eve upon which we await the promise of the Baby Boy’s birth;

The shepherds journeyed far, following the Bethlehem Star, looking for the inn door, only to find a tiny Baby Boy in a manger, on a stable floor.

For us all, rich or poor, strong or weak, the weary, the helpless, the challenged and the meek;

The Baby Boy came quietly, after the journey, in unfamiliar surroundings, amidst the shepherds, yet He is Deity.

The Baby Boy, newly born, quietly brought peace, love, joy and hope to our world in many a form.

Reach for His tiny hand to lead you, protect you, and carry you when you you fall. Hold Him close to your heart; the reason for this night may you often recall.

Note: This is my original Christmas 2020 poem. Merry Christmas to all.

PJP

INNER PEACE

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” (St. Frances de Sales)

This week begins my favorite season: Advent. Yes, I love Christmas with the beauty of the decorations and lights, the traditions, the family……. oh, and also the special foods! But my favorite part of this season is the preparation time, lighting the four candles of Advent, waiting for, and knowing WHO it is we celebrate on Christmas…..the birth of Jesus. The four themes of Advent represented with the candles are: hope, peace, love and joy.

Each year I try to find new ways to use my preparation time. This year I came across a quote from Bishop Robert Barron: “your being increases in the measure that you give it away”. I decided this would be a nice way for me to travel on my journey this Advent. As much as I can, I look for opportunities to ‘give’ of myself to others, family, friends, acquaintances and even those I do not know. It will be my time, my listening ear, my intentional special prayer, my help, my attention, maybe even a small gift. I know I won’t find opportunities every day, but I will find them many times during this season I am sure. This will be my calming and quieting my spirit.

PJP

FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS:

We all long for happiness at our core, especially during these trying times of 2020, with its challenges and so much being out of our control. At times, true happiness can seem so elusive and just out of reach. In other life chapters, happiness feels like it exudes from our being. Happiness means different things to each person in their own unique understanding of it. I recently listened to a podcast given by Dominick Albano titled “Fundamental Theory of Happiness”. Here are the four fundamentals of happiness he discusses.

First, when we become dissatisfied with things, think about making some sort of small sacrifice each day. For example, pass on the second cup of coffee, skip dessert, read something positive instead of watching the movie, call an old friend, reach out to help someone.

Second, deepen your perception by having a daily time of silence…..no Alexa playing, TV going, podcast cuing up, phone ringing, washer going……complete silence. Several years ago, I began the new habit of the first 15-30 minutes of my day being devoted to just sitting in silence, either outside or in my resting space. It really does change your perception as you tune in to your inner most thoughts.

Albano’s third point is called the Permanent Principle. Think of something that has to do with your purpose and how permanent that is in your life. He states that the more permanent something is, the more it relates to your purpose.

Finally, the fourth point is to live with purpose and ON PURPOSE. Something he discusses here is having a daily affirmation. The action he speaks of connected to this point is to be generous with love, starting with Our Lord, others and ourselves.

Where are you on your personal happiness continuum in this chapter of your life? Do you want to move the mark to the right? How can you do that?

Wishing you each HAPPINESS!

PJP