Friday, May 30, 2014

Dysfunction

Beware of being bombarded.

When you feel justified over a non-working relationship, it may be that you have simply gotten used to being bombarded.

If someone else has their own interests at heart, rather than yours, you may find yourself frequently, or always, doing what pleases them.

It may estrange you from someone else who loves you deeply.

I can promise you that their love will always be there for you.

But once you grow up and actually question yourself about the relationship, you may find that you are really just returning to the most familiar feeling you have.

And it may not be your own.

This often happens when people have been lied to.

They continue the lie for themselves.

Until one day they wake up and look around and ask why they have been thinking and believing and behaving in a particular way.

It may not have been something they would ever choose for themselves.

Since it got started so young, or so early in the relationship, they were simply never aware of anything else.

Another way non-functioning relationships are perpetuated is through selfishness.

The love may be there from another party, but because the familiarity of dealing with only one is so prevalent, the other party is habitually dismissed.

Once again, believe me when I tell you the love is there.

But you are going to have to discover your own identity in order to be able to see it.

And then, you are going to have to decide if you are grown up enough to discover it for yourself.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Spiritual Tools

What are the spiritual tools at your disposal?

Which are them are you using?

What are the results?

Kindness?

Unselfishness?

Generosity?

Wealth?

Imagination?

Innovation?

Compassion?

Patience?

Understanding?

Intelligence?

Forgiveness?

Peaceableness?

Are there any more?

Are there some that are missing?

Which ones do you use the best?

Which ones do you practice the most?

What are your results?


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

On Finding One's Purpose

When we look for our purpose, we find that it doesn’t have anything to do with anyone else.

Even though we may have taken care of children, husband, wife, work, colleagues, church projects, PTA, garage sale, fund-raisers, those have nothing to do with our purpose.

Our purpose is from within.

It is part of that deep down essence of identity.

It, not the things we do, is our life.

Not the things we have done.

Not any of the old directions.

Our purpose is an intimate thing revealed only to the one person.

Later on, it may be manifested in a way that is visible to other people.

But first, it is something to be found deeply within.

Listen, and listen again.

It will make its presence known to you.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Friday, May 23, 2014

Surrounded

I am surrounded by an uplifting atmosphere.

I have been practicing creating one for myself from within.

I have been seeing more and more of it without.

I have addressed issues relating to emotional health and career fulfillment.

I have realized that I have something valuable to give.

I have discovered the unending and constant support of the Universe.

I am defined by a unique spiritual signature.

I know how to give the knowledge of this valuable gift to others.

There is an ever-widening and more demanding focus which defines me.

There are others of an uplifting nature who intersect my path.

I have learned to listen and learned when to take action.

I know how to ask for the things I need and to let the Universe further refine my desire and fulfill it.

Over and over again, I have watched the Universe bring good things into my path.

When I am uncertain or impatient, I know this is not the time.

When I cultivate calm, things just seem to appear on their own.

I have learned that forgiveness is not something I can do, but it is something that can come into my life by being willing to look at things differently, even if I can’t see them differently yet.

This releases a great burden, and then there is room to receive the gifts the Universe has surrounded me with.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Unfair But Perfect

Many things come into our lives which seem very negative and unfair.

But since they cause us to seek ways to relieve the pain, they are perfect for moving us out of the negative experiences.

Whether they were imposed on us through outside forces, or whether we have incorporated them into our own lives, we have the motivation to turn them around.

We seek out the tools and other resources until we can make the changes we desire.

We have a need to live better, to think better, to have better relationships.

And so we start our search.

Every step we take has the effect of undoing some of the negative experiences.

Every step we take infuses us with new life and light and bright possibilities.

Since a life of correcting the negative probably was not the path we intended for our lives, taking the steps gives us a productive path despite anything bad that happened to us.

So here we are.

We had our bad experiences.

But here we are now.

We are taking our correcting and redirecting steps.

And so we are ending up, continually heading for and including a better life for ourselves.

The only thing which is permanent is what we keep telling ourselves.

We can find the tools to make it all right.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Monday, May 19, 2014

My Way to Happiness

I was feeling down due to feeling left out.

Since I have learned how to raise my level of happiness, I am utilizing this moment to reflect on the things I can do.

When I am being productive, I feel happy.

There are several areas in which I am being productive.

When I include myself by doing the things that are important to me, and that I enjoy, it does make me happy.

I have learned to focus on my resources which come from within.

I am always included in those.

What others are doing may or may not include me and that is OK.

Each of us in involved in the things which we choose.

The greatest gift we can give ourselves is to know that we control our own happiness.

Whether it aligns with the happiness of others does not matter.

When it does, we share the event.

When it does not, there is still that inner sense of joy and accomplishment.

Remaining true to ourselves lets us live the richest life possible.

It shows that we are aligned with the Universe’s purpose for us.

Since we always have the opportunity to tune into that, we can always find our way back to happiness.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Priorities

My smoothest days go something like this:

Spiritual Study
Self-Education 
which leads to product design, 
which leads to product development 
which leads to production  
(publishing, sewing, prototypes, finished products).
Cooking
Dinner with two-teacher “co-op”.
Conversation and reading.

I can’t think of a time when I have ever felt happier.
I am getting all the things done that I like to do.
I am around really intelligent people who are givers.

© 2014 Kathryn Hardage
www.InspiredPractices.com

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Figuring Out Forgiveness

I finally figured it out, even though I have heard this many times.

Forgiveness frees you, the forgiver.

When you don’t forgive, every time you think about the incident or the person, you add another layer to it until it becomes a giant tumbleweed ready to knock you down in a high wind.

When you do forgive, even by being able to admit that it would be nice to see it in a different way, you lessen the impact of the incident or person on your life.

You travel lighter.

It is too bad that something bad happened.

It is indeed unfortunate that people react the way they do at times.

It is even terrible that bad things go on for years.

But, there is still more to life than those bad, unfortunate and even terrible things.

I have finally learned the truth, through experience, that what I focus on brings more of it to me.

It was with a huge wrench that I was able to build up the ability to distract myself from long-term child trauma.

Once I had the distraction tools in place and could use them fairly consistently, I was ready for the next step.

Collin Tipping’s book Radical Forgiveness was the key.

Even by using his worksheet which is free on-line, (http://www.radicalforgiveness.com/pdf/RFWorksheetMarch.pdf), I have found myself able to remove myself from the debilitating effects of carrying years of terrible memories and emotions within me.

The subtitle to this work sheet is “The TRUE Transformation of a Grievance”.

I am grateful to be travelling lighter and lighter and able to give more and more of my time to the true gifts which are within me and which crave to be released.

Even though occasionally I have to deal with a trigger and find myself in a deep panic attack, it lasts for only a minute or two, and I am able to bring myself out.

Without forgiveness, and I still work at it, my depression and panic could last for weeks.

The effects lessened to shorter periods of about thirty minutes, and now finally, I am able to move back to where I like to live, truly, in peace and happiness.

It took over twelve years of concentrated study, but it has made my life enjoyable to be this much freer.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Moving From One Place to Another

The physical move is the least of it.

All the preparation that goes into the move is what brings it about.

First there is the desire.

The desire to be in the best place to serve in the best way.

Then there is the cultivation of the desired idea.

Trust it.

Love it.

Explore it.

Populate it.

Locate it.

Think it.

Write it.

Love it some more.

Finally, when the idea is overwhelming, and you cannot think of anything else, watch yourself move into its light.

That is where you have been seeing yourself.

Now you are there.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage