Abundance of Potential

Don Williams, Jr said "What we aspire to be is more than what we are yet less than what we are capable of.”  There is so much potential that surrounds us.  Sometimes it is obvious and other times it is more suddle regardless there is potential all around us.  There are books, individuals, mentors to name a few of individuals that are able to empower us.  We have a limited potential only because we wish to believe we have a  limited potential.  However, when we open our minds to the possibilities of unlimited potential we allow ourselves to discover teachers that we wouldn't have otherwise discovered.  If we think in terms of abundance and potential we are allowing ourselves to move in that direction.  It is like being in a car, we couldn't drive or work and home at the same time.  We can't think limitations and attract abundance.

Finding Your Inspiration

Inspiration sometimes seems to come out of the blue. When it does, it is exciting and moves you to act. But what about those times when you need some inspiration and it just won’t come. You think about what you need to accomplish but it takes more effort than it ought to. There are ways to call up inspiration when you need it.

Part of opening up to inspiration involves quieting the mind. Deanna Davis, PhD, in her book, The Law of Attraction in Action, talks about using different forms of meditation to quiet the mind and make room for inspired thoughts that lead to inspired actions. She writes about the idea that meditation does not need to have a formal method or process, but can be any activity that quiets the mind. Some may use yoga. Some may meditate lying down, sitting upright or standing in the shower. The important concept is to quiet the mind from the random thoughts that enter at will so that the inspired thoughts can enter in.

The challenge: find what works for you. Where can you find quiet and stillness? For a young mother that may be behind the locked bathroom door. For the empty nester, it may be a quiet spot in a sunny room. For those who juggle their home life with work and volunteering it may be the car ride. Turn off the noise whether that is TV, the radio or the commotion of a busy family and just breathe. The inspiration will come to the quiet, organized mind.

The Need for Hope

“All I need is the air that I breathe and to love you…” I have always loved this song by The Hollies. It implies that the most vital needs are both the physical need for air and the emotional need for love. I might add that we also need hope. Hope helps us get up on the morning after a long, dark night. Hope allows us to see a future that is better than our present. Hope keeps us motivated to see past the obstacles and work through the challenge. Hope recognizes that everyone can change for the better.

Some things to remember when you feel hopeless:

• The only person you need to compare to is your past self.

• Effort counts for a lot more than you may realize in most situations.

• The world will never run out of hope; we can always find more if just one person believes something is possible.

Basic human needs for air, love and hope are what make life not only possible, but worth living.

Cheryl ~ Day 104; 261 to Go

There are times in our life we are required as a friend to be the person that listens and allows them to vent. To not judge or input our opinions. To be supportive and understanding. Then there a moments we see the person we admire slipping away. We see the turmoil they are going through winning and taking them with it. It is a tough call and doesn't always work out for the best, however, there are these moments we need to stand up and point out some tough things. Typically friends in this position have slipped into the role of the victim. They have given control of their lives over to the situation. All they need is a hand out reached to say own where you are. When you own your problems you give yourself the power to fix them. When you are the victim the outcome is dependant on factors outside of your control. Having come from a family that had playing the victim down to a science I knew I didn't want to be a repeat of history. So I acknowledged early on that when we own where we are in our lives then we have the power to change where we are in our lives. Once given this power we then need to change our thoughts and see the life we want. Visualize your life and then you can begin to create it. These are my daily inspired thoughts.

Cheryl ~ Day 103; 262 to Go

Dishes, why is it a great meal has to come with dishes. It's part of our life. We have a great meal wth friends and family and when it is over there they are the dishes. There are many things in life like dishes, they keep coming back. However, the key to dishes is to tackle them early and get it over with. That is the key to many other things in our lives. The things we hate that we want to aviod, just because we don't deal with them doesn't mean they will go away. They actually just pile up and create a mess. So like dirty dishes face them head on clean it up and when it is all done there is nothing like a kitchen that sparkles. The same is true for our hearts and minds, clean out the dirty dishes and there is a sparkle where once there was greasy build up. Under there is hope, inspiration and creativity.

We Declare 2010 the Year of Gratitude

Waves of Gratitude founders Cheryl Nordyke and Kim Wierman believe that the expression of gratitude has the power to change the world. With that thought in mind, they are declaring 2010 the Year of Gratitude and launching their new blog “Inspired Thoughts” with 365 days of uninterrupted blogging about the subject they hold so dear.

“The purpose is to show our followers that we are just like them. We have everyday joys, challenges, struggles, and triumphs and through it all we strive to find the gratitude and inspiration in these experiences, that’s what keeps us strong” says Cheryl. Kim adds “What you’ll see is the real deal as we relate our day’s experiences and reflect upon and find the inspiration and gratitude that will make us better the next day.  We invite you to travel with us and look forward to your comments and insights and hope that together we can all grow from this experience.  Let the journey into 2010 begin!”

Visit “Inspired Thoughts” today to get inspired and visit wavesofgratitude.com to buy the Inspired Jewelry and Apparel and wear the symbols of gratitude created by Cheryl and Kim that are both beautiful and meaningful!