"You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind." Joyce Meyer

If you are like most of us, stopping by to check out what your friends are up to on Facebook is a daily occurrence. In fact, 757 million of us do it every day. For some, Facebook is a way to keep in touch with family and friends, but for the vast majority of us, it seems to have become a dumping ground for all the bad things that happen in our lives. 

A quick scroll through your newsfeed will likely present you with the woes of the world - including the personal pet peeves of all your friends.  You may rationalize that this is no worse than reading the paper or watching the news and that it really doesn’t affect you. According to a study conducted by social scientists from Cornell, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Facebook, it does.

This study revealed that when people are exposed to negative posts they in turn begin to use more negative words in their own posts. When they are exposed to positive posts, they begin to use more positive words. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude that some of that carries over into real life.

So what is a person to do when their Facebook timeline takes a negative turn? You could get off Facebook, of course, but for many of us that’s not a realistic option. We have friends and family to keep up with and aren’t willing to close that line of communication. But, there are other things you can do.

• ·        Create a group for like-minded people – or family – and use that as your primary means of communication.
• ·        Block negative posts from your newsfeed. If one of your friends insists on spewing the negative on your newsfeed, take the initiative to click the down arrow, located at the extreme right of their user name on a post, and click “Stop seeing posts, but stay friends.” Your friend will never know that you aren't reading all her posts and you can still contact her whenever you want.
• ·        Find new friends. Actively seek out new friends who share your interests and outlook on life.
• ·        Start posting positive posts. Research shows that your positive posts are infectious too. They may be enough to turn things around for that Negative Nelly in your group of friends.

Today, I am grateful for a full night’s sleep, for a refreshed body and a clear, sound mind. I am grateful for a hot shower to wash away the sleep, for clean clothes and for shoes.

I am grateful for my computer that serves me well, for spring rain that refreshes the earth and for the magic of seeds that burst forth into new plants.

I am grateful for the family I was born into, for the family I created and for friends I have made along the way.

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you find much success in eliminating the negative from your world. Remember the words of Joyce Myer today, “You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.”

"You don't need to know HOW the universe is going to rearrange itself." Joe Vitale

Many of us face the temptation to use our intellect to figure out how the Universe (or God) will bring our intentions to pass. According to the law of abundance, it doesn't matter whether we understand the process or not. We don't need to worry ourselves with how things will fall together or how the Universe will rearrange itself to bring our desires to pass. 

For those of us accustomed to doing everything on our own, this concept can be a difficult hurdle to scale. I know. I struggle with it too. Yesterday, I set my intention for financial abundance. Although I didn't post the specifics of that here, I did set specific goals privately. If you are following along with me, take the time to refine you goals and write them down in specific terms today. Think of it as drawing a roadmap to your future and always remember that if you don't know where you are going you will end up somewhere else.

I intend to let the Universe work to bring my desires to pass, as I go about my normal routine and hope that you will too.

Today, I am grateful that I can set my own schedule, that I go to bed and rise when I choose, and that I have the freedom to choose when and where I work. I am grateful for the freedom to choose what I will write, for the insight to recognize good opportunities and the wisdom to choose wisely.

I am ever-grateful for the wonderous Universe that fills me with awe, for the ever-changing clouds that travel across my sky and for tiny leaves as they unfurl in spring. I am grateful for the sounds and scents of nature, for the inquisitiveness of squirrels as they venture near my garden chair and for timid deer that venture from the woods.

I am grateful for family and friends who I would be lost without, for strangers I have yet to meet and for all those who have crossed my path and helped make me the person I am today. 

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop and share my day. May your journey be light and your day be bright as you learn to let the Universe work its magic on its own. 

“If you’re thinking of debt, that’s what you’re going to attract.” – Bob Proctor

Most of us spend our lives worrying about making that looming mortgage or car payment and stretching the current paycheck until the next. We have been conditioned to believe that is how life is supposed to work and even rejoice when we squeak by another week or another month. While keeping up with our obligations may be admirable, when those debts become our primary focus, we begin to limit ourselves and reinforce the conditions we are trying to avoid in our lives. 

I'll be honest with you. I am guilty, too. It's not easy to look past pressing financial obligations and envision a life free of those worries. It's not like I haven't been working on it. I have. I've read all the books. I've listened to all the motivational speakers. I am fully convinced that our belief is the key to getting the things we want in life. I have no doubt. Why then, do my intentions fall short and my goals loom just out of sight?

I recently read something - and I must admit the source eludes me - that stopped me in my tracks because it answered my question. It is not my belief that our thinking creates our reality that is at fault. Oh no. My belief is intact. My belief gives me a solid foundation for creating the life I want for myself and my family. 

What then, can account for my struggle? EXPECTATION. I know it sounds strange, but it isn't my belief it, is my expectation that is a faltering. Intellectually, I know that focusing on what I want and need in life will bring it to pass, but I have a problem with actually expecting it to happen.

For me, it goes a little like this: I decide I need and want financial abundance. I set my intentions and release it to the Universe (or God, if you prefer) and then I immediately take it back and try to make it happen on my own. Instead of letting go and letting the Universe (or God) bring abundance into my life, I begin to frantically double-check any source I can think of, as I attempt to do it myself.

That's why I have used a picture of a money tree for this post. I have decided to set my intention and give it time to grow without snatching it back and trying to do it on my own.  As a gardener, I can relate to the concept of reaping what you sow and already know that all trees produce fruit when it is time. So shall my tree of abundance.

Today I am grateful for fiddleheads, dandelions (although I don't eat them) and the fruit of the land. I am grateful for bats that sweep through the night air, for I know it means summer is close at hand. I am grateful for butterflies that soon will flitter through my garden beds, for lupines that stand so tall and proud, and for moss that envelopes the rocks. 

I am grateful for toast from homemade bread, for woodbine that creeps above my window and for the hummingbird who has once again returned. I am grateful for the scent of spring, for cozy blankets that take away the chill of evening air, and for the sound of the wind as it whispers through the trees. 

I am grateful for my family, for friends and for pets that make my life full. 

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop and share my day. May you focus on abundance today as you go forward toward your dreams.