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Ok, here’s the story.  I was writing the post below when I received these pictures.  How could I resist sharing them with you?  I couldn’t.  But more importantly, I didn’t want to.

Which therefore leaves me with this somewhat odd post of things seemingly unrelated.  But are they?  Mmmm…I’ll leave you decide… :)

Discipline.  Or self-discipline.

You’ve heard of it.  You may have recoiled in disgust.  Or you may have applauded its merits.  And most, if not all, of us equate it with ‘hard work’.

Let’s take a look, shall we?  A really good look.

Let’s begin by why some of us at least regard it a good thing and consider it necessary.  In other words, let’s examine what we believe its merits are.

Most of us think that with self-discipline, we’re more likely to do what we should do, avoid what we shouldn’t and therefore remain stable, secure and safe.

Fine.  So, what exactly are the threats to our stability, security and safety?  Or, if you prefer, to our wellbeing?

Is it greed or gluttony?  Is it promiscuity, whether sexual, intellectual or sensual?

Here’s what I think:  The only threat to our wellbeing, to our stability, security and safety is….

Ignorance.

Ignorance, you say?

Yes, ignorance.

Of what?

Of who and what we truly and naturally are.


In my experience, when I am in touch with my naturally free, uninhibited, creative, joyous, abundant, powerful SELF, flowing seamlessly in it, as it, I am unencumbered.

The so-called ‘merits’ or effects of  ’self-discipline’ are naturally what I am – stable, secure and safe – not by any conventional standards but by the unconventional, unrivalled, unparalleled, unconditional, immeasurable nature of love.

You’ll simply have to try it for yourself.

Blessings,

Lucy

Awakening to Happiness, Prosperity and Freedom!

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The power of the universe is within you.

The very power that has brought all things into being.

The same power that keeps you alive and that you create with – all the things that you want as well as the things that you don’t.

There is no other power.

Use it to bring all that you desire into being.

Not in 10 years or 5 or even 1.

Right now.

Use the power now.

It’s yours.  It has never not been.

Blessings

Lucy

Awakening to Power!

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Even the smallest act toward living your dream life right now is a critical step in its manifestation!  Do it!

Blessings

Lucy Lopez

Awakening to Happiness!

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If you have not attempted to experience it for yourself in a conscious and deliberate way, such as through meditation practice, you will not have personally experienced this simple yet profound truth:

Happiness (or Joy) is your natural state of being.

If you were able to return your mind and body to ‘ground zero’, to the most fundamental level of reality, which is what meditation practice helps you to do, you will experience spontaneously and effortlessly, the natural qualities of your mind – harmonious, happy/joyous, limitless, free, unconditional and powerful.

These qualities are who or what you naturally are!

Consequently, everything and I do mean everything, that we attempt to do to find happiness is, at best, allowing these natural qualities to be expressed and at worst, preventing these natural qualities from being expressed!

Unfortunately, most of what we attempt results in the latter.

Because of the free, limitless and powerful nature of the mind, it is capable of bringing into fruition anything that is planted in it – ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Your mind sets into creative motion anything and everything that you seed it with.

So, what are you seeding your mind with? Is it fear? Anxiety? Guilt? Envy? Frustration? Doubt? Criticism? If so, are you experiencing circumstances and situations that seem to be tainted with these qualities, thus creating more of the same?

On the other hand, what would you like to experience? How about happiness? Freedom? Power? Peace? Creative expression? If so, there is nothing as such that you need to do or add or create in order for you to enter this state of consciousness wherein your ability to create the world of your choice is limitless.

Well, I suppose there is one thing that you do need to do and that is to ALLOW the natural qualities of your mind to be expressed. How?

By simply focusing on them. That’s right. Focus on the feelings of peace, joy, freedom, power and limitlessness. Draw on past experiences or imagine possible ones to help you. That’s right. Use the amazing ability of your mind to imagine what you desire.

It may seem ironic that to find happiness we really need only look within our own mind which is, by nature, an infinite ocean of peace and happiness. There are no ‘happiness’ or ‘peace’ seeds to plant. No ‘creative’ seeds either. And certainly no freedom or power to fight for.

It is simply impossible to acquire what you already are!

So, go on. Spend some time today, rediscovering and experiencing that profoundly joyous, peaceful, powerful, limitless, free YOU!

Blessings, Lucy
Awakening to Happiness!

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I know I’ve been away for an uncharacteristically (now there’s a word) long time.  Two weeks, if you haven’t been counting :).  And all for good reason.

Incidentally, there’s no such thing as ‘no good reason’.  Everything has a good reason even if it takes us a while to realize the ‘goodness’ :)

So, what have I been doing during my time away?

Well, for one thing, I’ve been exploring and rediscovering parts of the off-line world that I’ve neglected…like afternoon teas and guests for dinner and being wined and dined…well, less of the wined and more of the dined… You know, those good, wholesome, connecting things that remind us of our interconnectedness?

Not that you don’t connect online.  Of course you do.  It’s probably the most convenient and far-ranging kind of connectivity.  But it’s not the same as offline connectivity.

I’m not saying it’s not as good.  Not at all.  It’s just different and I find both forms are enriching and enjoyable!

But anyway, here are some impressions and thoughts and feelings and new stuff that I want to share with you today,

Firstly, there’s Johnny Barnes.  I came to know of him through an email from Joe Vitale whose mailing list I’m on.  What an amazing being he is.  Johnny, I mean, although Joe Vitale is pretty remarkable in his own way.

But Johnny…I mean watch and find out what this Bermudan has been doing for the last 15 years.  Not something that most of us would contemplate doing.  But Johnny, being the free spirit that he is, has been doing it and continues to do it his 80’s!  This is one person who knows happiness!

Now, the other thing that I want to share with you is my latest recording.  This one’s going to be a surprise because I haven’t done one like it before.  I’ll warn you though, it’s as rough and ready as it gets, recorded with my laptop in my lounge…  In a World

It’s all in the spirit of doing what I love doing and sharing it with others.  And in that spirit, I’m also posting a self-portrait that I took with my webcam yesterday.

I’ve long loved photography but it only just occured to me that I might use myself as a subject… :)

Self-Portrait

Well, that’s about it for now folks.  Do drop me a comment.  Tell me what’s going on in your life.  Ask me a question – I love sharing what I can, or tell me what you like or dislike about my latest post…Look forward to it!

Blessings,

Lucy

Awakening to Happiness!

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The kids,  mostly 12-13 year olds, were eager to try out what they’d just learned – a new sequence of moves in attack and defense.  They were especially keen as today, they had the attention of their instructor, the head Sensei, (teacher) who had just demonstrated the moves.

At 63, he was nothing short of a paragon of fitness, fine craft, a rich stockpile of humor to match the range of age groups his students spanned, and, as I was to observe yet again, a source of wisdom.

Having had about 5 minutes of practice, the boys were called to attention.  Sensei made some general comments and then asked a pair to demonstrate the moves for the others to observe and critique.

When they’d completed their demonstration, Sensei asked for feedback.   A couple of the boys offered something which Sensei repeated to the group and used to further explain the martial art.  He thanked them.

One young lad then said something which I did not hear, sitting as I was, outside the training area in a section designated for parents who wanted to watch their kids train.  The child’s comment, however, brought on a round of  laughter but it was quickly muted by Sensei’s grave tone.

“Don’t try to make yourself bigger by making someone else smaller”

I was struck by this unexpected wisdom.  ‘Unexpected’ because I had different expectations of the benefits of karate lessons from Sensei. I knew he was good at his craft and well-respected for it but this incident provided me with yet another reason why he had gained an enviable reputation.

I suppose you could say that Sensei was a master of not only the physical and technical skills of his martial art but also its spiritual and psychological wisdom.

“Don’t try to make yourself bigger by making someone else smaller”

It’s a lesson I have frequently reminded my son of.  You see, he was among those kids fortunate enough to experience Sensei’s wisdom.

It’s something that I have often reminded myself of and shared with my clients.

How many times have you ‘made yourself bigger by making someone else smaller’?  If not overtly with teasing, sarcasm, cynicism or condemnation, covertly through the commentary running silently and ceaselessly in your head?

How many times do you judge?  In a day?  In an hour?  How often do you claim, consciously or otherwise, superiority, whether of intellect, professional ability or personal virtue?

“I would never do what he did”

“She is such a hypocrite”

“He thinks he is so smart”

“What right has she got to say that?”

“He has no idea…”

Every time  you  think such thoughts, you are claiming your superiority over another.  Their error, shortcoming or vice is your pedestal of superiority, of ‘better than’.  If it were not, you would not have such thoughts!

More importantly, if you had no need for that false sense of superiority, you would not entertain such thoughts, such judgments.  And yes, it is false.

It happens mostly unconsciously.  It happens largely because we have learned to see others in this way, through the distorting lens of judgment. I assure you, it is not natural.  Common, yes.  ‘Normal’, yes.  But ‘natural’, most assuredly not.

Can we change?  Can we learn to see others differently?  Oh yes.  Absolutely, yes!  It’s about  ‘seeing things as they truly are‘ – a marvelous Buddhist injunction.

Seeing without judgment or blame.  Sticking to facts by replacing thoughts such as

‘He is arrogant’ with ‘He said/did..xyz’  or

‘I would never do what she did’ with ‘Only she knows what she did and the circumstances surrounding her action. My decision not do something like that is best based on how I feel and what my motivation is, not on what she or anyone else has done or not done’

Stick with the facts.  Leave the judgments out.  Observe others behaviors not for the purpose of claiming superiority but to explore yourself, your motivations, your defenses, your biases.

The happy mind is the mind that is free from judgment.  Choose a happy mind.

Blessings,
Lucy Lopez

Awakening to Happiness!

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