Inspiration Archives

Have You Been Watching Your Thoughts Lately?

By Tara Taylor. Our thoughts are extremely powerful when it comes to manifesting an outcome that we may want in our lives. Have you been paying attention to your thoughts lately? Are you thinking about what you want rather than what you do not want? It's important to make a positive daily habit of watching where our thoughts go or where our minds start to wonder to. Our thoughts play a role in how we experience our daily lives and our interactions with others. When we choose thoughts that are loving, encouraging and forgiving about ourselves and others we find that…

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Why Not: Seizing Opportunity When It Appears

I always had the sense that I would do something bigger than I could ever imagine with my life - what that was and how I would find it was always the mystery. I spent my life living by the motto "Everything happens for a reason". I took risks that most people would shy away from. And, when opportunities were presented I always asked myself "Why not?". If I could not come up with a valid reason, I always went for it all the while knowing that it would lead somewhere. By nature I am an adventurer, organizer, and brain-stormer…

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Harvesting Happiness: Flourishing is the Best Revenge

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. When adversity strikes, what's your first response? Do you withdraw and try to ignore the problem? Look to others for support? Get suited up for battle? In his ponderings on human nature, philosopher Aristotle boils it all down to this: How people act when the choice isn't clear or easy is the gist of who they really are. Whether he knew it or not, Aristotle’s ideas for character all those centuries ago is also a good indicator for happiness: The way we maneuver through life’s traumas speaks volumes about how happy we are. So how do…

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Feedback Inspires Me

By B. Lynn Goodwin. Your feedback inspires me. I love it when readers write to one of my prompts. Some of you have done exactly that, and sent it to me privately. I invite you to do that today, if you like. My e-mail address is in the last paragraph. You can always write about whatever you like, but if nothing comes to you, try one of these sentence-starts and see where it takes you: Next time… I have to protect… When I first started… If only… I love… Why do I love your writing? You give me a private…

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The Difference Between Exhausted and Tired

I've been tired many more times than I can count in my life but I've only rarely been exhausted. When I’m exhausted I’m on the wrong path and beaten up, down and sideways. Depleted, drained, mentally beaten up, emotionally sucked dry are all feelings that occur when you’re doing something that is in contradiction to what you know is in your highest and best interest. The other day while teaching a class there was a woman in the audience who told us she had a broken ankle that hadn’t healed for 6 months. Now this is a very long time…

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Why I Wore My Yellow Dress

I wore my yellow dress in celebration of Mother's Day. It was not my regular Mother's Day. It was unlike the times I had cherished for the past forty-six years.  The day would be different.  My life was different. I felt different. Missing was my usual anticipation of the day’s events. My former sense of entitlement that accompanied my wondering what gift I would receive was no longer present.  Before it was my day for a well-earned respite. Now the thought of it caused me to sigh. It was a few days away.  I knew I would receive many greetings…

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Harvesting Happiness: Where To Buy Joy

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. We've all heard it before: "Money can't buy you love or happiness or satisfaction." Yet for some reason, these words of wisdom are particularly easy to forget. We focus on money and possessions. As we desperately seek joy from these external sources, we feel more tired, more depleted, and oftentimes more depressed than ever. The truth is, joy is not something that can be bought or sold. It isn’t available in stores or even on Amazon.com (which seems to have almost everything these days). Instead, true joy stems from the one place no advertiser can paste…

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Releasing Caregiver Stress

By B. Lynn Goodwin. It seems as if everybody is a caregiver for someone - a spouse, a parent, a special needs child, an in-law, a sibling, or possibly an old friend. Caregiving covers a vast range of responsibilities. You could be raising a special needs child or you could be checking in on a neighbor who recently lost a spouse. You could be the best buddy of a soldier who's just back from the war or you could be the spouse of a police officer. You could be a social worker or a teacher, caring from a distance. For…

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Words From My Father

I just returned home to Montana after spending two weeks back east, helping to care for my father who was dealing with some health issues. On the flight home from New York, back to Montana on Sunday, I called my dad from the layover in Minneapolis, around noon. When he answered the phone in his hospital room, it sounded like I had awakened  him from a deep sleep. I asked him if he wanted to go back to sleep and he said "Yes", telling me that he was so very tired. Looking back, I should have known something was wrong,…

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Harvesting Happiness: Finding The Light Through The Cracks

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Let's face it: we live in a broken world, and the sooner you acknowledge this reality the better off you will be. Not exactly the kind of advice you'd expect from a happiness expert, right? Well, believe me: By choosing to accept this reality, you choose to move forward, and you must move forward in order to build the momentum you’ll need to make a positive difference in the world. Every time something bad happens, there is an opportunity to experience new light in your life. You just have to keep your mind and eyes open…

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Heart Health For A Woman’s Heart – And A Man’s Too!

By Kathi Casey. Today I'd like to talk about keeping our hearts healthy and vital for many years to come. Heart disease is the deadliest health issue for both women and men in the United States, yet it’s one of the most preventable diseases there is! That’s just crazy. So here are a couple of easy ways to keep your heart healthy... First, don’t forget to laugh! Laughter is the best medicine and as adults we simply don’t laugh enough. I read somewhere that children laugh about 70% of the time, and adults only 7%. Wow! As a child, I…

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The Power of Listening

By B. Lynn Goodwin. "There are two ways of spreading light - to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -- Edith Wharton Do you write or blog? Do you get tired of receiving little feedback, no feedback, or negative feedback? Do you need something to pull you back up? You’re in need of inspiration. Aren’t we all sometimes? Whenever I offer a journaling or writing workshop, I always explain that everyone in the room is a writer and everyone has a unique voice and stories worth telling. Recently, I gave a journaling workshop at the Sherwood Forest…

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Harvesting Happiness: The Nature of Illusion

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Every day we are surrounded by illusion. The illusion of television, or images we interpret and even those magic tricks that entertain and enthrall at our children's parties. We love illusion, but illusion is one of those elements that make it difficult for us to feel happy if we don’t recognize that happiness is an inside job. Have you ever noticed that when you are single, the couples around you laughing and enjoying each other magnify your singleness?  What happens when you see a couple bitterly fighting or dragging their grocery bags as they glare at…

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Replenishing Your Reserves By Journaling

By B. Lynn Goodwin. Do other people's needs come first? Do your resentments sometimes expand like a swollen spring river? It's a familiar predicament. The first thing you should know is that you are not alone. When I was my mother’s caregiver, I often put my personal needs on hold. I drowned my resentments in comfort foods. Entenmann’s chocolate chip cookies were a favorite. I’d pull one after another out of the box and stuff them in my mouth mindlessly as I drove to the pharmacy or the post office or even the grocery store. This was not a healthy…

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Harvesting Happiness: Find A New Way To Do That Thing You Do

By Lisa Cypers Kamen. We all have our daily routines that provide structure and comfort to our everyday life. It is soothing to know what to expect each day. We are, after all, inherently creatures of habit. Whether it's taking a cycling class at the gym that gets your workday started, or lazy Sunday mornings spent with a cup of coffee solving the Sunday crossword puzzle, we can all find enjoyment in our rituals. But have you ever noticed the thrill you experience when you try something new or take an unexpected detour from your regular routine? It could be…

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Cleansing To Create A New You

By Donna Gates. When we think of detoxification, the first thing that comes to mind for most of us is a physical detoxification. In other words, cleaning up our diet. But there is a mental and emotional component that is equally as important. Cleansing is not only your body’s natural way to get rid of waste or toxins, and it occurs daily in some form or another. Tears, urine, mucus, sweat - all are examples of body cleansing that we regard as very normal. Cleansing allows our bodies to restore balance when the imbalance becomes too great and threatens our…

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