Where magic lives

Wishes are shining deep down inside of you. 

Cause that, my friends, is where the magic lives. 

Jiminy Cricket

It is that "anything is possible" mentality.

It is positive thinking.

It is having the determination to do whatever is

necessary to make your dreams come true.

After going through a long stretch of extreme grief, feeling somewhat hopeless for the phase I was going through and all consuming unhappiness, I've emerged to a new phase.

The new phase has a strong positive attitude that has me knowing that I can actually be "normal" if I do whatever it takes to get there.  What will it take?  I have no idea what it all entails, but I am ready to go there.

The thoughts are actually feeling normal.  OMG, can it be?  

The whole thing has taken me to a song I have loved all my life.  The theme from Cinderella, a childhood favorite movie . . . a dream is a wish your heart makes.  And we all know that Cinderella went from being a slave to her stepmother to becoming a princess, earning the respect of her hateful family and the love of her Prince Charming.

The lyrics to the song are beautiful . . .

   A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Composed by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston 
for the Walt Disney film Cinderella 

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you will lose your heartache
Whatever you wish for you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're feeling small
Alone in the night you whisper
Thinking no one can hear you at all
You wake with the morning sunlight
To find fortune that is smiling on you
Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow
For all you know tomorrow
The dream that you wish will come true

A dream is a wish your heart makes
A dream is a wish your heart makes

You wake with the morning sunlight
To find fortune that is smiling on you
Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow
For all you know tomorrow
The dream that you wish will come true

No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true

  

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Promise to believe in yourself

 

"If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done."

Vince Lombardi

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.

Norman Vincent Peale

If you have self-confidence and believe in yourself, the sky is the limit. You can achieve what you want to achieve.

Having courage is important since we can not get bogged down in the what ifs and fear of failure. That mentality is self defeating and in itself can lead to failure just because of the attitude.

Why is determination important? It will prevent you from giving up before you achieve your goal.

If you believe what you are trying to achieve is worth failure, you must promise yourself to go for it and make a sacrifice.

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Who You Are Meant To Be

As I browsed through my email today, I ran across a newsletter containing the following statement that stopped me in my tracks.

"Make a sincere commitment to heal and grow and be who you were meant to be."

It really is that simple, not that it is a simple thing to achieve, just simple in theory.  

There have been times in my life, whether it is sticking to a diet, trying to quit smoking, etc., it all works with committed discipline.  It makes all the difference in the world.  

Attitude and Determination

The statement took my thoughts to "be who you were meant to be."  

Attitude itself isn't enough without a defined path to move towards.  Knowing what you really want is what would make it a simpler goal to achieve.

Resolve To Evolve

The evolution of changing the thought process that exists when everything seems to be out of touch.  It is time to adjust your thought process.  

You know that you know you are there when you are there . . . up Shit Creek without a paddle . . . or so it seems.  

Make the commitment . . . .

This too shall pass.

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Invincible Determination

"If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done."

Vince Lombardi  

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek."

Mario Andretti 

"The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come."

James Whitcomb Riley

 

"An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything, and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men."

Thomas Fuller

Determination is defined as the act of 
coming to a decision or of fixing
 or settling a purpose.


You could say that determination is the key to self-respect and confidence . . . it all works together.  

The need for success or attainment of a goal is the fuel for determination . . . you want it, it is a must . . . no matter what!

A strong-willed person with ambition will take a set back as a lesson in circumstance, developing discipline along the way which is also necessary in order to reach the desired goal.  Like everything in life, it is about balancing all the components of determination.

In times of dire circumstances, the determination to survive can either make or break a person.  If you fall down enough times, do you continue to dust yourself off and get back up or give up completely?

What makes the difference?  

At what point does one experience

 what I call a broken spirit?

All I know is this . . . in my times of experiencing a broken spirit, the thought of failure gives me the determination and a wild ambition to keep it going.  The balance of experiencing the broken spirit with the determination to not fail helps me get back up and keep on keeping on.  

Sometimes the broken spirit results in a greater determination to succeed . . . that is when balance and discipline enters into the mix.  At least that is the way I see it . . . 

The difference between success and failure is a state of mind.  What I have perceived as my greatest failures have led to the greatest times of happiness in my life.  

An excellent example is giving up on a job in a dysfunctional workplace that would have produced negative results no matter what the effort.  It is all in how you perceive the situation.  Success in sticking it out would never produce joy and happiness, which is the goal in my life. 

You have to know which battles to fight in order to find the success you are looking for in your life.

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New Beginnings

Times Like These ~ Foo Fighters

"Behold, I make all things new."

Rev 21:5

"One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things."

Henry Miller

"The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail."

Napoleon Hill

"Success comes from taking the initiative and following up... persisting... eloquently expressing the depth of your love. What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?"

Tony Robbins

In a previous post I mentioned that the start of a new year is much like a new chapter in a book . . . it could also be the start of a new book, depending on the life path and circumstances. Attitude has everything to do with it.

Since starting my new job in the mental health industry, I've been exposed to various ways of thinking . . . from that of the clients as well as my co-workers.

One of the clients has obviously had a miserable holiday season . . . I can relate since I dread them every year since becoming a widow. However, the new year has since marked the end of the dreaded season and my usual optimistic attitude dwells on the hope and positive vibes of that new beginning.

When I mentioned that to the client, he stated that "every day is the same . . . the same ole crap, day after day." He has no hope for change and doesn't see it as a new beginning . . . classic negative thinking that keeps him down and depressed.

I remember thinking how much more sad I would have been all these years if I didn't at least have faith and hope, even though I was disappointed year after year and so tired of falling back into depression and picking myself back up.

New Years Day is just a symbolic day for a new beginning . . . positive thinking, a healthy optimistic attitude and determination to make life a pleasant experience can change from one day to another, no matter what day it is. New beginnings are like that . . . they are a state of mind.

May your day be filled with peace, love and happiness!

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Loving the joys in life

A simple thing like having my computer back to almost normal after being hit with a nasty virus that took months, weeks and lots of patience to get rid of has made me a deliriously happy person today. I knock on wood and say a little prayer as I say that I got rid of it . . . I thought I had been rid of it before and it came creeping back to wreak more havoc.

Since my computer is where I make a living and I have been broke, I had to be inventive and figure out ways to attack this virus as I did not have the money to go out and buy another computer or a hard drive . . . or even take it to someone to fix.

My stubborn determination paid off for me this time, although my computer system is a complete mess. I’ll figure it out and learn something new at the same time . . . I’m not a computer systems geek, just a general computer geek.

When the challenge made me angry enough to find the way, I treated it as a game . . . the computer virus had to be defeated. As I sit at my computer working and finally able to play music again, I feel the satisfaction of accomplishment . . . and the music has brought me so much more joy today than in the past when it was an ordinary thing in my life.

Sure, I have been majorly bummed out about having these computer problems compounded by the accidental death of a close friend, slow internet sales and no steady job with benefits . . . BUT I try to be aware of and grateful for the little things that bring joy to my life and know that I will be touched with many little joys that bring a smile to my face.

It is called simple abundance. Finding joy in those little things in life make the big struggles tolerable. Since adopting this lifestyle way over a decade ago, my life has changed from the career woman who drove home in tears every night after a day of work. I’ll take smiles and just getting by over lots of money and tears any day. It is a choice of a simple lifestyle and realizing that ordinary can be awesome.

The downward spiral of the economy has found many of us in a bad place in life and I am so grateful that I have learned how to cope with the obstacles by loving the joys in life which brings peace to my soul.

Tomorrow is another day and I feel awesome changes are coming in my life.

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