Topic: Positivity/Appreciation★ Welcome To Your Weekly Bmindful Happiness Thread Meeting…the meeting that has a start date 4-13-2016 ...and never closes…which all members are invited to and to share what works for them related to the weekly theme.

 Poppy’s Intro Poems
Simple Sight

If but you could see
The world
Through my eyes
A wonderful place of
Patience, kindness, honesty, humility
Forgiveness and inner peace
Allowing a better understanding of you—-
And me.

Appreciation

Forum threads
A great honor
To be read
Thought provoking
Every one

Admiration
Thankfulness
Abound

Each person’s
Perspective
Respected

Appreciation
Gratefulness
Thanks

Congenial
Gratifying
Pleasing

Welcome All!

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We thank you in advance for sharing what works for you in this weeks Happiness Thread Meeting

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• ~It’s an experience working as a team by Personal Messaging  (: (a lovely experience)

Selfcare: Where would you like this weeks questions to go?
Poppy- I like the link right at the top like last week.
Selfcare: Sounds good to me(: Lets put our thoughts together and create questions there.

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Dialogue Between Poppy & Selfcare ... deciding on topic & its direction together

Selfcare –
Good Morning Poppy! We are preparing for another wonderful Happiness Meeting. And for the last few days we knew of a topic that has centered around positivity and appreciation. If it’s OK with you, let’s see what we think of when we think of those 2 areas… in this moment of time.
This is what came up for me… I’m unable to appreciate well when my spirit feels scattered. For me, it is about centering myself, asking myself pertinent questions without getting lost in the answers that come up. It is about recognizing what I’m most grateful and appreciative of, and spend time from a very heart place to bring it more into my heart.

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Poppy - I sometimes find it hard to remain positive when I am forced to be around others who are negative at work or home. I want to withdraw from the situation or person.

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Selfcare– Would you like to focus on a bit more of that to see what can possibly become a growth area for all of us in this weeks meeting?

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Poppy said- I am interested to know what others do in these difficult situations when you have to be in these situations.

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Selfcare  I utilize various tools that have assisted, may I share here? I work in a very fast moving interactive health area where being positive is ‘a rule’ in making it work. There isn’t time for chaos, because it would lead to things that are unacceptable to all

Poppy -Sharing tools should help us all. And that will be a focus on part of this meeting, but how does Appreciation tie into that? 

Selfcare- How can we adequately appreciate in life if we are getting stuck in areas we don’t appreciate. There was a thread on Bmindful contributed by Robert, that the way to get rich…was to prosper from everything… And that is where I am coming from. There is also a wonderful statement from Matt Kahn…Whatever arises, love that.
Brian Tracy;motivational author said: Make a game of finding something positive in every situation. Ninety-five percent of your emotions are determined by how you interpret events to yourself./ OK enough quotes…let’s continue lol (I get into quotes lol)

Poppy:- Ok. Lets see where this takes us. Robert has made many significant contributions. His threads are well worth participating on and reading.
Poppy said: We need to develop some focus questions and then I think we are ready to open the meeting. Can you think of anything else before we open?

Selfcare-No not at this time, because I’m believing the questions we’ll get us all moving in positivity & appreciation direction(:  I know you’re off to work now, so time to close our chat & open to others… I’d like to share 1 quote first from Mother Teresa & a video for food for thought…

• Do Good Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, You will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, People may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend a year building, Someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, They may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, People will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, And it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, It is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway. – Mother Teresa

We thank you all in advance for stopping by & participating as you choose.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

1. What specific things do you routinely do to show appreciation for yourself?
2.  How do you show others you’re appreciating them?
3. When negativity feels like it is ‘all around’ permeating your sacred places of joy, peace and harmony …it is tempting to go inward or escape. What do you do to create an energy that gives you results that you truly appreciate? 3b. How does what you do create a shift giving you the feelings of joy and appreciation ->& not becoming negative as well?
4. List or cite anything  that you have found to be especially helpful for creating the inner/outer environment for you (and often others) to best appreciate on a grander scale?
5. (a) What is showing up in your personal life presently? (b)How does that experience make you feel? © Is this what you are committed to feeling?

Thank you Kathi for the fifth question! And always a welcome to your contributions!

true nature

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  LIFE presents us with an assortment of
  blessings; some bring us immediate joy,
  some invite tears, others foster fear… but all
  experiences are meant for our good, all bless
  us in some manner. If we are able to see the
  big picture, we’d greet ALL situations
  large and small, with a thankful heart… _{author unknown}
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I allow accept and nurture peace and joy in all aspects of my life

Today I discover more of what makes me smile.

I embrace the basic joys of life.

I make time for the things in life that make me smile.

I nourish my being with constant thoughts of what makes me happy.

I enthusiastically practice laughing every day.

I enjoy a sense of wonder and joy in all that I see.

I lovingly allow myself to enjoy every minute of my life.

I make choices from my heart, and live in gladness.

Today I find new things that make me laugh.
The joy within me empowers my being.

The more happy thoughts I generate, the more fantastic I feel.

The grass only seems greener on the other side,thoughts and feelings are
always in motion like the clouds.Life is sort of like a camera with a lens
that can be used to adjust perspective,however I suppose I forget to
take the cap off the lens now and then.
That highlighted video under the mother therasa poem is interesting.

In response to Poppy’s post:

Poppy wrote: “ I am interested to know what others do in difficult situations.”

I would like to respond to that:

In order to fully direct and get value out of the topic of positivity and appreciation, it is valuable to acknowledge the role of suffering and what it provides.

In response to Kathi’s post:

When I think of suffering, I think of prolonged agony in a situation where you have little or no control over your personal life. Such as being in prison, tortured, deprived of food or sleep—-things like that. I’m not quiet seeing the value in that, other than if those conditions were removed, you would be very appreciative of even the smallest positive thing, such as survival needs we almost always take for granted.

In response to Poppy’s post:

There are many ways that people suffer. Loneliness, abuse, mental illness, being a refuge, being a former survivor of the holocaust, being discriminated against for sexual orientation, race, religion, or orientation, being a victim of sexual abuse or exploration, being homeless, suffering from poverty, growing up with a parent who is incarcerated, addiction, being wounded by the ravages of addiction of your parent/s, or your spouse, or your adult child.

When I reflect on the some of the most influential authors: Leo Tolstoy, Victor Frankl, Eli Wiesel, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Bill Wilson, founder of AA, and many, many more; they have all addressed and have extraordinary writing about human suffering.
These authors have championed huge causes that address human suffering and many of them have paved the path for the rest of humanity to heal, to seek a passage to recovery.

Back to Poppy: You started to share about dealing with difficult people, and how that particular experience leaves you wanting to pull back.

There are many situations that lack easy resolution. How do people manage to stay afloat when dealing with chronic illness?

What about the impact of having a daily experience of difficult people?

How do we dig for the gold out of a dirty diaper??

My response: throw the dirty diaper away and begin to sort out where you start and stop. We are not the sum total of our experiences. We are much, much more than All of which we experience.

We have choice. We can choice to be powerful. I will always and forever be fortified by the writing of Victor Frankl. I cannot tell you how many times I have shared this with my patients, or their loved ones…

“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. You cannot control what happens in your life, but you can control what you feel and and do about what happens to you.”

“We are never left with nothing as long as we retain the freedom to choose how we will respond.”

“…having a WHY to live for enabled them to bear the HOW…”

In response to Kathi’s post:

You are so right. We do have the freedom to choose how we respond. And no one can make us feel bad, insecure or unhappy unless we give them that power. I do think it is easy to fall into a negative vortex when you are around negativity. It is just as easy to fall into a positive vortex around positive people. The best possible outcome is not to fall at all. Be the positivity you want to see in the world.

In response to Kathi’s post:
loved your thoughts along these lines: These authors have championed huge causes that address human suffering and many of them have paved the path for the rest of humanity to heal, to seek a passage to recovery.

Poppy’s post:
I would like to focus on 2 statements of yours Poppy (1) The best possible outcome is not to fall at all. (2) Be the positivity you want to see in the world.
The easiest for me is the latter(: The first is a little trickier.
Looking back on my greatest lessons/teachers in life… they were areas that were … very challenging… bitter-sweet as I refer to them… not things I’d want a repeat performance. It is my belief I could not have learned the things I needed without these trials.
And sometimes when I refer to gratitude…I am referring to my life being void of difficult times(for my spirit) .

And when I refer to appreciation I refer to this fresh moment in time to see things like an innocent young child who simply has a right to not only be here…though believing in the unknown and unexpected in beautiful remarkable ways.
And when my life is moving along in ways that I appreciate… and I begin to feel a contrast of something I’d like something different or more… I begin to make room for it.
I’m believing I can generally ease into whatever it is…Though I also know…sometimes ease comes disguised in work-clothes(:
And while I seem to prefer a joyful flow of daily life… and chaos is not my cup of tea… I have experienced chaotic things I ‘joyfully’ engaged in… because I remembered I am not alone …in all that occurs.
That may sound weird to some(: I was just having a conversation about recent days at work… challenging, and so busy often felt chaotic…though I felt basically good. And like Kathi mentioned… there is choice to much of what/how we experience and We are much, much more than All of which we experience .

Personally, I need to believe (that like Matt Kahn says….) ‘whatever arises’ that I’m capable of loving that.

It is very true about …if our hearts are peaceful, much we encounter will find ways to love. And if love is hard to find… then not to lose sight that we are love, and somehow someway love will find us.

…..though who hasn’t experienced some times that you wondered would ever pass…or ‘why me?’ I’m so thankful that today life often feels like a present that I’m so joyous about opening… Though I honestly believe, much of that has to do with the fact that I get to utilize those lessons from bitter sweet times & not replaying the bitter … (whether it was a major loss of some sort…or ‘just’ an unexpected unpleasantness)

Knowing life can be fragile… each moment is something to discover, and to allow my spirit to find it when its supposed to. I enjoy learning from others…so I don’t have to be in ‘work clothes’ all of the time.

In response to Poppy’s post:
I love what you said Poppy Be the positivity you want to see in the world. This is my intention in my work-day and daily life, and that along with prayer & daily tools has created proof that there is something wonderful …somehow someway in life’s grand picture.

I love this topic, and I’m so grateful and appreciative for it & (for you guys) …this community…

Quote from Louis Hays:

“ Say “I am willing to change.” Are you hesitating?? Do you feel that this is not true?? What is the belief that is in the way?? Remember: its only a thought, and thoughts can be changed.

This is an awesome quote, and perfect for discussing positivity!!

I may not have posted as much as I would have liked to during this happiness meeting, but, I have thought about this weeks message and meaning for many days. And, its been particularly valuable.

This past week, I have shifted, and I have allowed my self to be less defensive, and be more tranquil. I have observed that I allow resentments to co-exist.

I do see that I am allowing this. And, I see glorious justification, even before I can draw my next breath.

What I now see, regarding positivity, is I see the beauty of creation… I see that I am free— literally, free to be an agent of change, wanting to make our world a better place, wanting to connect with like minded folks…

I would love to help heal and help families to be reunited, especially our refugee brothers and sisters from Syria. I would love to help usher in a new era of tolerance, justice, pro-education, pro-environmentalism and positivity. Wouldn’t it be amazing if terrorism suddenly ended, and people started connecting with one another, and people started demanding that their governments held higher levels of accountability and higher functionality?? Lets make all wars illegal…

In order for me to have any success, in order for me to have such passion, then perhaps the best place, the only place for me to begin a positivity campaign, is with my self.

I know all of the places where I hold back forgiveness. I also know that its a place that I am allowing to exist.

What can shift this? Commitment. Release. Forgiveness… the actual act of rendering forgiveness, and setting your self free from any and all burdens and resentments.

I can and I have drawn incredible strength and fortitude from reading and studying the words of Nelson Mandela. Martin Luther King. Leo Tolstoy. Mahatma Gandhi was inspired by the writings of Leo Tolstoy, and look what he did.