Things I WISH I had always Known: The Article that made a Difference

I wrote a post not long ago about the value of writing articles and suggested a few sites if you wanted to try to submit them to; they will review them and then publish them online.  On the advice of my webmaster to pull my site up higher, I did start to write but I don't consider myself by any stretch of the imagination A "WRITER."  I have so far about 45 articles that I have written, some good, some not what I would have written now, but they are still "out there."  I DID notice that I started to get calls from potential clients from the articles, however, and I also noticed that my "stats" and placement went up so I plugged away.

Just as some blogs that are posted on Activerain resonate with people, one article in particular started showing up in some of the oddest places.  I found it on My Space, under someone else's profile, I found it on other people's blog sites and I found that it  had been published in a Magazine called "Wisdom."  I thought that although this may not have been the article I resonate most to, perhaps you would.  And also would like to remind you:  Having my articles show up in other places is a wonderful thing for ME---I do not intend to write a book and do not copyright material for that reason.  If you write and place it anywhere on the Internet without a copyright, please remember anyone can use your material.  Something to consider if you plan on publishing it yourself at a later date.  Here's the article that people really enjoyed:

THINGS I WISH I HAD ALWAYS KNOWN:

What an exciting journey life can be!  We were taught so many things growing up, to be polite, to respect others, to go to school and get good grades.  We weren't taught some very important things, probably because they are only learned through the school of "hard knocks."  I must have been absent that day but life lessons and challenges presented themselves and through the years I've learned how to (hopefully) best deal with this wonderful life gift we have been given.

GO WITH THE FLOW:          Things are not going to always go in the way we would like.  Actually quite often they will go in the opposite direction from what we expected the outcome to be.  It's not what presents itself to us that matters as much as it is how we deal with it.  Recognize it as a learning lesson, a challenge but also as a new opportunity to grow.  By coming across different people, circumstances and challenges, we always learn a new (and hopefully) better way to deal with them.  When they come up again, we are old hands at it if we've learned from prior experiences!  When opposition presents, instead of fighting back so hard, sit back for a moment and see how to go with the flow of the life lessons that are being created.

SET CLEAR INTENTIONS:   Like attracts like, there is no getting around it.  We are beings of Energy, we are surrounded by Energy and we need to focus on what we desire to create in our lives.  It is essential to keep a positive attitude and just BE, knowing that the Universe has everything we need and want as long as we are sending the correct Intentions forth.  This is an especially difficult principle to relay to people that have become depressed by circumstances.  Changing your way of thinking from the negative to the positive has done amazing things that are documented:  cured cancer, brought wealth beyond someone's wildest dreams, attracted wonderful people into their lives to love and support them.  Stay in the positive and you will get back the best possible outcomes.

LEARN TO LET GO:  Difficult as it can be, reassess your life and the people in it.  Are they positive, like minded and do they support you when you need it most?  Do they truly care about you or are they around you for another reason?  I realized at one point that sadly enough, some of the people I called "friends" weren't there for me, for the joyful occasions or the sad.  And although some of them had been around for years, I needed to let go to be free to attract new people into my life that would truly care about me, support me and just BE there for me.  Family members were a bit more difficult and I just cut down some of my time with them.  Letting go of the old, and the known, is a difficult process but until we learn to let go we won't have room in our lives for the wonderful new people to come into it.

COUNT ON YOURSELF:       You are stronger then you ever imagined.  Learn to count on yourself and not rely on someone else for your needs, wants and successes.  You create your own life, not someone else and you are armed with everything you need to create all the desires in your heart.  Co-dependant became a big word years ago and unfortunately still applies today.  Learn to take charge of your own life and watch what you will create!

ALLOW THE MESSAGES:     Some people complain they never get messages, yet they are sent to us all the time.  From loved ones who have passed, from our Spirit Guides, from our Sixth Sense, from the Universe itself.  Trust yourself to take the time to SEE them; they are important as they are what guide us through life.  Often in these stressful times, we don't even take the time to listen to our inner feelings---and kick ourselves later on, saying "I know I should (shouldn't) have done that! We are working with Energy, learn to see, trust and believe in it and the messages will come to you.  It's the basis of Inspiration.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS: I may sound like a broken record on this one, but it bears repeating (again and again sometimes).  When you focus only on the negative, you are going to get back more of the same.  Everyone has blessings, examine them, count them and as you keep those in mind, more will come.  Counted Blessings add up to more blessings coming your way and soon you will have more then you ever imagined.

FIND THE SILVER LINING: Every cloud has one.  It's our job to find it and many times not an easy task.  But it is there if we look.  That silver lining is our window of opportunity to change the situation around and if we miss it, we have missed a chance to change and grow.  A love has left you and you're devastated?  It also gives you more time to focus on YOU, things perhaps you didn't have time to do that you can now get involved with, an opportunity to meet and surround yourself with new people, places, things and ideas.  Find that silver lining and USE it.

A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT THINGS:            Oftentimes when we are "stuck" or just plain sad, we see things in only black and white.  We are unable to see the options open to us, to look at the world and our lives in a different way.  Open yourself up to learn something new, read a book full of inspirational stories, be open to things that you once looked at as "odd" or "different" as an opportunity to learn new things about yourself, your life and the way you are living it.  For years Feng Shui was a "fad" until people discovered that it actually works.  If you rely heavily on your doctors, for example, look into wholistic health alternatives as well.  Read subjects you wouldn't usually choose and make them inspiring---they will inspire you as well.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS:                Don't allow anyone to stop or deter you from your dreams.  Your life was not created to look back and wonder what would have happened if you had found your passion and not created it.  Negative people will sometimes give us the wrong information and try to deter us from achieving what we really want.  These are their own doubts and fears coming out and being projected onto you.  Don't allow it.  You will never have to wonder what would have happened if you had only tried.

KEEP AN OPEN HEART:      You meet everyone in life for a reason.  Open your heart to them; they were given to you as a gift or a learning tool.  Don't be too busy to pursue a new friendship, don't just tell yourself the timing is wrong for a relationship, first step back a moment and see what these people are bringing to you and why you have attracted them.  It is oftentimes for a wonderful reason, to meet a new and like minded person you have much in common with, a possible business partner or a new romance.  Sometimes it is for challenges we must face.  Just know they have come to you for a reason and keep your heart open to all who enter your own special space in the world. 

Remember, it is often the challenges in life we must learn that teach us the most. Without them, we would likely be stuck somewhere; they are what force us to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move on.         

By:  Carole Provenzale, Feng Shui Long Island

      http://www.FengShuiLI.com