It Starts with YOU!

Oh, how I wish it wasn't true.

I wish I could take a magic pill and POOF! All the positive change I want in my life suddenly manifests. Yeah, I wish it worked like that.

After decades of searching, I am confident there is no magic pill. Bummer.

There is good news, however. What I discovered and have verified time after time, over nearly 30 years of studying mind, body and spirit, is that the power to make healthy change exists in each one of us. It's in me and it's in you. The message is clear. If you want to change anything in your life, it starts with you.

Want greater physical health? It starts with you. Financial stability? It starts with you. Want more joy and happiness in your life? It starts with you. Want better relationships? It starts with you.

This last realization was a real eye opener since I had held on to the belief that others in my life just needed to straighten up. Nope. The quality of my relationships, and everything else, start with how I think about them. My thoughts lead to my actions and how I interpret the actions of others.

That's right. The power to change starts with you and your willingness to think differently. I love this quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer:

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

So what are you willing to see differently? What change do you want to see in your life in the next year? Remember the good news...it starts with you.

The Solution to Chaos

I see my nation and world rife with turmoil, hate and fear. Egos rule and we are all suffering the consequences. My recommendation to the President, Congress (and all of us) is a simple one.

Surrender.

Surrender to love.

Forget political party, stubborn rhetoric and “dug in” positions. Surrender to love. Forgo “saving face,” talking points on the cable news shows and your political legacy. Let your legacy be love.

Love of country, ALL of the country, every man, woman and child, citizen or not.

Love of humanity, regardless of race, nationality, social or economic standing, gender or gender preference.

Let your legacy be love.

Not the soft, warm, fuzzy feeling of love when you hold a puppy. The strong love. The real love that comes not from ego but from the divine wisdom within.

Tap into the love that guides you to make strong and fair decisions for the highest and best of all. Not just your constituents, not your campaign contributors, but for the highest and good of all those living on our shores AND for the good of our neighbors on this planet. Long gone are the days when the impact of our decisions were confined to our boundaries. We need to be loving global citizens. Period.

We are a nation of people living together, held by the glue of love. We love our families, our jobs, our communities…we are a nation that loves. Beyond our current love of wanting to “be right” we have to want to “be love.” We need to remember who we are and what unites us. We want the same things. To be free to love, and be loved. We want to be healthy and happy. We want to “live love.”

So how do we do that? By living the Be Love Principles:

• ·        Greet everyone with an open heart without an agenda
• ·        See the divine in everyone and everything
• ·        Forgive quickly, completely and unconditionally
• ·        Remember you are one with everyone in the light of love

I know many will view this opinion as naive. To you, I have a few questions: How well are current ego-based systems working now? Do you want a nation and world ruled by ego or love? What stance do you think will ensure a bright future for our world?

I say to all who will listen, surrender to love.

#TheBeLovePrinciples    #LessPanicMorePeace   #SurrenderToLove

www.DianeHaworth.com

How Was Your 2018?

I know what you’re thinking.

“Here it comes…another lame request to ‘review your year.’”  

Nope. Well, sort of. 

Yes, I’m suggesting you review your year but in a very different way. Ask great questions, be curious and really relish the last 12 months. I trust you’ll remember the times you screwed up, wished you’d made another choice or never started that project that was doomed from the start. I hope you’ll learn the lessons that have been presented to you from these challenges and look at them as a way to grow. 

What I want you to do now is spend as much – or more – time reviewing your success!

What were your greatest successes of the year? I encourage you to ask yourself questions like: 

• What made the most positive impact on me this year?
• How did I make a positive impact on others? At work? Home?
• My biggest success?
• Where did I shine this year? 
• What brought me the most joy? 
• How was I of service? 
• How did I grow personally, professionally? 
• Where and when was I the most loving? 
• As a result of this past year, what do I want to do more of next year?

While we’re all quick to remember our failures, I find we seldom spend significant time identifying, understanding and celebrating our wins! And while you’re at it, be sure to remind your loved ones, friends and colleagues how they contributed to your year. Help them remember their acts of love, encouragement and support. Perhaps you’ll even suggest they do their own year end success review.

Find some quiet time to reflect on your year, acknowledge your successes and be grateful for the opportunity to be the love that you are.

Diane

From Caterpillar to Butterfly...

Have you ever felt…stuck? Totally, utterly and without a doubt stuck?

Not much energy.

Waiting. 

Waiting. 

And no clue what you’re waiting for? That was me these past few months.

I felt like a caterpillar in a cocoon. It felt dark, scary and very mysterious. And not mysterious in a cool way. Mysterious in a “what the hell is happening” kind of way. I had a dim feeling like something great could be happening, but no idea what it could be. 

And it wasn’t comfortable. Not even a little bit. I didn’t feel settled inside the cocoon. As the weeks dragged on, I had a feeling of distant hope and maybe, just maybe, even trust that something deep within me knew what was going on. 

But I wasn't going to submit quietly. Oh no, I wasn't going to make this easy! I resisted. My ego fought the changes that I felt were coming.

What did I do?

I stopped resisting the “stuck.”

I surrendered to the process. I settled into the stillness. I asked for help. I waited some more. 

During the long weeks in my dark cocoon, I turned inward and sought guidance from my inner wisdom. I immersed myself in spiritual teachings, meditated and listened to hours of personal development lectures. 

I imagined, just like the caterpillar, that while I didn’t fully understand the transformation taking place, I would eventually emerge better for the experience. After many fights with my ego, I learned to trust that everything was for my highest and best. 

Then, one day. I felt a shift.

I realized I was out of my cocoon!

I’m experiencing a new clarity…about everything. I feel refreshed, happy, on purpose and more excited about my work than I’ve been in years.

The best part? I really like my new wings.

Three Reasons to Be Optimistic Right NOW

I’m always surprised when a quick note on Facebook gets more attention than I expected. Maybe it’s because often my “well thought out” topics are more ego driven than I’d like to admit and the “quick posts” often come from a deeper part of me. The part that really knows what’s going on. The same divine part that’s in you.

One of those posts came through a few weeks ago. I remember that morning being aware I “needed” to post on my business page when this popped into my head and I quickly typed:

Three reasons to be optimistic:

1. You're alive.
2. You're responsible for the life you create.
3. The tools/resources/opportunities you need are within your reach NOW.

Go inside and ask the divine intelligence within you for guidance. Keep asking, be open to answers and ALLOW the divine to work through you.

Yes, it can be that simple! I've found that when my life was the hardest, my thinking greatly contributed to my difficult experience.

There's always another way. Your ego loves the drama, your divine self loves to see you happy and peaceful. Which inner voice will you listen to?

So why did people respond to this? Maybe it resonated with a current personal issue or maybe it reinforced their own beliefs. Here’s a few more thoughts on each point:

1) You’re alive. 
No matter the physical or emotional condition, humans on some level know where there’s life, there’s hope. There’s a chance to change something of consequence even when the only thing that can be changed are your thoughts about the situation. THAT changes everything. When your perspective changes, your experience changes.

2) You’re responsible for the life you create.
Here come those pesky thoughts again! While you may not believe you create issues such as family drama or serious situations like tragic accidents, natural disasters or acts of war, you are totally responsible for how you react to everything in your life. Your thoughts about life situations – big and small – create the quality of your life. Will you grow from challenges or stay a victim of circumstance? Do you want a more peaceful, happy life? Are you willing to stretch out of your “comfort zone” to find new ways to be in the world regardless of the situation? It’s not easy. 

I find encouragement from the words etched on a favorite bracelet: “If you want something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done.” These words remind me that I must change my thoughts and actions to create anything new in my life.

3) The tools/resources/opportunities you need are within your reach NOW.
When you can relax into this truth, everything changes. EVERYTHING. Just like MacGyver can think his way out of any dangerous situation, so can you. And you don’t need fancy science tricks to do it (but that IS super cool). While your ego thrives on fear, stress and overwhelm the true part of you, call it your soul, divine self, highest self or whatever you believe it to be, knows only peace, love and joy. Even in the most brutal situations, it is possible to tap into your divine core for guidance and to find the peace you crave. 

Remember this: the divine intelligence that is in you knows exactly what to do. Use prayer or meditation to go inside and ask that part of you, the part connected to all there is, for direction. I often ask, “what is my next best step here?” Sometimes I have to ask more than once. Or several times. That ego is strong when I’m fearful. But it’s not stronger than love. Love is the energy that will manifest in new ideas, a call from an old friend with an exciting opportunity or a new workshop on just the topic you need. Whatever you need to go forward will be provided when you allow divine intelligence to direct your actions.

And yes, that divine part of you is present in everyone else on the planet. While it’s tempting, and sometimes feels justified, in pointing out when others are acting from ego, it’s not your job to judge others. You’re responsible for your own thoughts and actions. Period. Trust that everything is happening for your ultimate good and, just maybe, the actions of others are giving you an opportunity to choose a more loving life.

Yeah, I know that doesn’t seem fair, but I didn’t make up this life thing. I just know life is better when I understand, accept and act from these truths:

1) I’m alive.
2) I’m responsible for the life I create.
3) The tools/resources/opportunities I need are within my reach NOW.