LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE NOW WORKSHOP SESSION 6

Hey, all! I'm sitting here writing this while watching The Grammy's  with my husband, daughter, and son-in-law. I don't really get into the Grammy's but everyone else is watching and I just like being with the fam.  I'm kind of "out-of-it" because I'm not even familiar with most of the musicians this year! Or maybe I'm getting too old! ME, the only Gramma I knew who liked  RAP as long as it had decent lyrics. OK, I know that  most Rap songs DIDN"T have decent lyrics but there were a FEW.   But I digress...Onto the Live Your Dream Life NOW workshop...So how are you doing with the exercises? Are you finding ways to create your dream life NOW?  This is the 6th session of an 8 session series. For more info on the series go to my Nov. 26th post.

 Are you in your comfy spot? This cozy spot below makes me smile. The muted creams are soothing and I just want to get a pillow to put on that little table and put my feet up. Just might need a little more light...think I'll turn on that lamp. : )

In this session I want to share TWO THOUGHTS that will help you learn to enjoy the journey through your dream life:

                                               1)  LEARN TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT

Other ways of saying this are to learn to "live in the present"or  "in the now". What does that mean? Well, did you know that we human beings think 30,000 thoughts per day? Our thoughts move in and out of our minds continuously, most of which we're not aware of.  But we can actually spend so much time "in our thoughts" that we're not even aware of our surroundings. For example, have you ever driven somewhere and when you arrived you didn't have specific recollections of  the drive there? That is because your thoughts were on something else other than everything that was around you while driving. Yeah, that's not even safe but we all do it.  Or have you ever gone into a room and wondered what you went in there for? No, you're not losing your memory. It's because you were thinking about something else on the way in to the room. You were not "in the moment". Your mind was elsewhere.

So why is it so important to be "in the moment".  One BIG reason is because that is where JOY is!  Try this little experiment: First RELAX by taking some deep breaths in and out , from your abdomen. ( in through your nose and out through pursed lips ) Then pick out an object in the room and while looking at it closely try to find five things that describe the object.  Stay focused on this object. Bring your full attention to it. If your mind wanders bring it back to focus on the object.What color is it? What shape is it? Is there a design on it and if so what is it? Try to do this for a few minutes at least making a mental list in your mind of the object's characteristics. How do you feel while focusing on the object? Is there any even slight difference  in your mood? If you can feel even a LITTLE difference, a little lighter, maybe your lips turn up into a smile, you'll know what I'm talking about. And after just keeping your mind in the present moment for a few minutes, imagine how different you might feel if you practiced being in the moment  for longer periods or even LIVING IN THE MOMENT!You would experience that little shift in your feelings more and more. That little shift turns into MORE JOY! You were made to live in the NOW!

 Another reason is that you're missing out on REAL LIFE! Real life happens in the present, right where you are. Your life is full of moments, NOWS. Your attention and your thoughts need to be focused on what is happening NOW, every moment. Otherwise you are not experiencing what is going on in your life. Rather, you are living in the "tapes in your brain". And if the tapes in your brain are negative, your whole life will be negative! Which brings us to the second idea:

                                             2) WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS

Our thoughts create our lives. If you have a lot of negative tapes playing in your mind  you're going to have plenty of negative feelings and thoughts. Which will probably, in all likelihood, lead to a few or more poor choices in life.  I can't stress enough how HUGE this is! It amazes me what a big difference we can have in our lives by changing our thoughts. God has given us the ability to focus our thoughts on what we choose to focus them on. We can't always control what comes INTO our minds  but we CAN control what we allow to STAY THERE.

The words above are so true! I've watched them played out in the lives of the juvenile offenders I've worked with over the years.  When they changed their thinking from:" I'm going to prison just like my Dad";" I'll never be able to do anything, my Mom messed me up",  " I'm just a thug and I'll never be able to change" to "With God's help, I can do this!": " I'm going to keep trying until I make it!", THEN they succeeded!  It all started to change by watching their thoughts.

So how does this all fit in with your DREAM LIFE? Well, if you think you can or if you think you can't, YOU'RE RIGHT! It begins and continues with your thought life! And in order to keep your mind feeling light and joy-filled ( that's gotta be a part of everyone's dream life ) be sure and live in the moment.

So to keep moving forward with your DREAM LIFE  you need to "live in the moment" and "watch your thoughts"!
DREAM WORK:    Practice living in the moment.
                                Begin to be more aware of your thoughts and change those thoughts that need changing.


Oh,  and just for a laugh, go back and read yesterday's post.
Have a great week and LIVE WELL!