How to let God in

So yesterday I had another very difficult encounter. It was with someone who I love very dearly but who challenges every action I try to put into practice to live a life of love and joyfulness. I had a fitful  nights sleep, feeling irritated and my mind persistently stewing over events that are now so far in the past to those that have happened recently. When ever they popped into my head I consciously told them to go away but within minutes they were back. I have read many times that by meditating and clearing our mind it allows God to come in. I'm not very good at meditating, the voice in my head is always wittering on and I find it hard to turn it off but I kept trying. During the day I still felt upset. My anxiety levels seemed to increase and I honestly felt like bursting into tears but I kept telling those bad thoughts to go away and I kept trying to clear my mind. In truth, if I managed to clear my head for more than a minute at a time I'd be surprised but that must have been enough because later this afternoon I suddenly had a moment of clarity. A voice in my head explained to me why I was feeling like I was. It was like a dark curtain had been opened or a weight had been lifted I suddenly felt so much easier and I knew how I should go forward. That is all it took, a clear mind to let God in and in he came with all the answers. How easy is that. I now feel so grateful that the experience has been so enlightening.

Lifting Vibrations

The other day I had that rare feeling of being truly aligned, spiritually. I felt excited, enthusiastic, my mind was so clear and in that moment I felt I could truly make anything at all materialise in my life. You know what - that feeling lasted for an hour, if that. It doesn't take much, does it to make those positive vibrations drop. How perfect life would be if we could live permanently in that state of clarity. Feeling disappointed I was desperately trying to think of ways to lift my vibrations back up again. This is my 'feel good' to do list that I have come up with for myself:
1. Exercise. I always come out of a zumba class on a high.
2. Music. I have a playlist of all my favourites. Listening to them always makes me feel good.
3. Being with positive people. I have one friend who I can talk to about all things spiritual and she always makes me feel good by reminding me of how far I've come.
4.Smiling. Smiling at everyone you pass, it's surprising how good it makes you feel.
5.Getting out in the fresh air and appreciating the beauty around me.
6. Being grateful.Making a note in my journal of all that I am grateful for.
7. Reading spiritual books. There are so many inspiring authors out there.
8. Giving and not expecting in return. This doesn't always have to be to a charity or to a stranger. Giving to those nearest and dearest is a perfect place to start.
9.Avoiding gossip. You always regret gossiping about others immediately after you have opened your mouth so don't do it!
10. Reminding yourself that you are on a spiritual journey. You are not perfect and we all make mistakes but that's how we grow, so don't beat yourself up over it. If you have learn't from your mistake and some of that lesson has stuck in your brain then you are slowly transforming in to the person you one day hope to be, gradually reaching each stage of spiritual evolution.
11.Be honest, speak from the heart.
12. If none of the above works go shopping!

Positive People and Energy Vampire!

I am ashamed to admit that I have spent far too long over the past few days fretting over comments and actions made by other people. I have come to realise that in life there are some people who seem to have a knack of sucking out all of your positive energy after just a short time in their company. It maybe that they spend the whole time complaining about everything, or very subtly highlighting all of your flaws so that your self-esteem plummets , they maybe the braggers or they maybe the jealous type. I call those people that slowly suck the life out of you 'Energy Vampires'. I am the type of person that likes to try and get along with everyone and I feel guilty if I go away thinking horrible thoughts about another person. But I am now forced to admit that unfortunately we just can't get along with everyone and when you feel like your happiness, self-worth and positive energy is being continually affected by another person it's time to consider whether you really should have them in your life. Of course it's not always easy to get them out of your life. While considering this problem my thoughts suddenly moved to thinking of those people who are the complete opposite. The ones who make you feel like you could conquer the world after a short time in their company. I'm talking about those upbeat, positive type of people. The ones that make even the dullest activity sound like amazing fun, the adventurous, encouraging, warm and joyful people whose positivity is contagious.
    After much consideration I came to the following decision regarding my unsettling weekend:
1. After contact with Energy Vampires I must not become one myself. What I mean is, if I'm left feeling anxious and angry I won't go bringing other people down by complaining to them about my bad experience.
2. I must think about those positive people that I am drawn to and make a conscious effort to be like them. In fact make that my life's purpose.

I found a great article about just this at http://www.creativeaffirmations.com/positive-character-traits.html . The site provides a list of positive character traits. It encourages you to choose the ones you like the best and focus on and develop them. The words I would most like to be described as are: Happy, Optimistic, Loving, Considerate, Vibrant., Enthusiastic, Grateful, Proactive, Encouraging and Warm. I feel guilty that for a while now the more unpleasant aspects of my personality have been coming to the fore but at least I have realised this and as I have said before we all have the opportunity to choose again and I choose to be and an energy booster and not a drainer so say 'Hello' to this ray of sunshine which is the new me! 

Hormones

Hormones- They affect your moods and make you think and feel differently. Unfortunately for us girls it's an unavoidable part of the month. In my case I feel self conscious, paranoid, unloved, negative, tired, agitated, craving unhealthy food , in general pretty yucky really.Understand why you feel this way, it's your hormones not the real you, accept it and wait for it to pass. Before you say or do something you may later regret just remind yourself that hormones are in full swing. Note to self: don't shop on ebay or go for a change in hairstyle during this phase! 

Laws of Attraction

What you give out you will get back in return. This includes negative thoughts about yourself (self-sabotage). If you think you are a failure, you will fail - Remember That!

Giving

A quote for 'The Power' by Rhonda Byrne
We are hardwired to give. When you give whole-heartedly, with love, then you will receive goodness in return. The only way to receive all the good this world has to offer is to give.

When Someone or Something Makes you Angry

Don't let angry or resentful thoughts take over your head. Deliberately think I am going to push you to one side and get busy doing something I enjoy. I usually put on some music that always lifts my spirits, I get creating, or clean out a cupboard that needs sorting, or watch a good movie, anything that will distract me long enough to allow the power of those thoughts to dwindle. Once they have lost their power they no longer feel important enough to warrant spending so much time on them. I also find that by releasing those angry, resentful thoughts I leave a clearer path for God to sort out the problem for me.

Small Steps

If you feel over whelmed, lost or just your get up and go has got up and left! Just take one small step in the right direction. Think of one job on your to do list or even just the tiniest part of a job on your to do list and do that. If, like me, you like doing arty things, force yourself to just paint the background of one canvas or search the internet for one inspirational image. Maybe it's exercise you need, pop on your favourite music and have a jig around the kitchen. You just need to take one tiny step at a time in the right direction and you'll be surprised at how all these tiny steps begin to add up.

When things don't go to plan.

When things go wrong don't beat yourself up over it. I am a great believer in the 'Law of Attraction' . In some cases bad things happen because of thinking or acting negatively. If this is the case just acknowledge that you've made the wrong choice and then 'Choose Again'. This is the great thing about Gods forgiveness, he always gives us the opportunity to start over, turn things around, do it differently from now on.
I have come to believe, however, that sometimes things go wrong or bad things happen and it's not our fault, you didn't cause it, you had no control over it, it just happened to you. Spending time asking 'Why' or 'What did I do to deserve this?' is a waste of time. I remember a woman I knew at art college who was diagnosed with terminal cancer writing on a piece of her art work 'Shit Happens' and it does. It's part of this life we live in and when it does we just have to keep treading water until the difficult feelings get easier to manage. Just 'keep on keeping on' as the song says, as best you can until you get through it. Possibly one day you'll look back and the experience has made you stronger, wiser, a better person or possibly it hasn't made any positive difference, that's life.
(Inspired by Wayne Dyers book 'Making the Shift: How to Live Your True Divine Purpose').

Loving the Moment

One of the messages that constantly comes my way is that all God expects of you in life is to fully enjoy the now. To fully appreciate what you are doing right at this moment. Notice the sounds, smells, sights, tastes and the touch of things. If you are with someone, really listen to them, look at them, appreciate their company. If you are doing an activity really think about what you are doing and be grateful for the opportunity. All God expects from you is to love the here and now, to find the joy in every moment. It is so easy to do things on auto pilot and to miss out on the small blessings and the beauty of the everyday. The other day my mind was full of thoughts about an event that had disturbed me. I was so consumed with those thoughts about something that has passed now, is history, I didn't realise one of my favourite songs was playing on the radio until it had almost ended. If we were all truly present in everything we do we wouldn't over eat or over spend because we would be truly thinking about what we were putting in our bodies and what we really needed to spend our money on. We could find the joy and purpose in the most mundane activity and if it wasn't bringing us joy we would actively look for ways to change that. 'How can I make this moment a joyful one?' Thinking that way would put an end to mindlessly spending hours watching TV or on social media. If I can work at being present, even just being aware when I'm not present is a start,  then I think I will be heading on the right path.
(Inspired by Eckhart Tole's book 'The Power of Now').

To Begin

I read a lot of books on spirituality. They all talk about being truly aligned with your true purpose in life, being centered. My biggest fear is that I will come to the end of my life and feel like I haven't truly lived it, I have never known what my true purpose ever was. I am, therefore, constantly looking for signposts (I believe are sent from God, or the Great Creator or Higher Power, whatever you want to call it), hence the title of this blog. I regularly jot down anything that has some meaning to me that is helping me on this journey to be the best version of myself. This might be something I read, or hear in passing or in a song lyric or a news article for example. It might be a lesson I learn from something I have experienced. The problem is for a short while that message really makes sense to me but then I forget and before I know it I'm wondering where I'm going wrong and what direction I should be going in. I have decided to write this blog to record all of these spiritual signposts.In the hope they will keep me on track and help me on my journey.