Destination Unknown WOTD Blog Hop

It is time to give this little "Word of the Day" Blog Hop a try again. Remember: it is open for one week, so please return to see even more stories and fabulous bloggers.

The only rules are:

1. Link up your post here.

2. Make sure to write about the "Word of the Day"

3. Anything goes within your post

4. Link back to my page

5. Make sure to visit a few of the participants, leave comments and follow if you choose!

That's it!

Our WORD OF THE DAY IS :   EDUCATION

It should be very interesting to see what you come up with!

Enjoy, and please - let me know what you think of this blog hop. A Button is being created and soon we will have it to link back to.

Balance

A challenge our dear friend Leanne at From Chaos Comes Happiness (see her button at the bottom right hand side of my page) posed was for many of us to come up with a theme for the year. A personal word to follow/incorporate. I FINALLY chose my word...

BALANCE.

This is something I need to incorporate in my life. I swear - it seems I have excellent days then super crappy days, and I need to learn how to be a little more even keel.

I will find that with BALANCE.

I think if I find balance I will end up living more authentically and not allowing my high emotions to rule my life. I swear, the older I get - the more "emotional" I get.. something that was unheard of as a child. Lately I wear my heart on my sleeve, and even though it has made me kinder in certain arenas, the truth is - I need a little shell of armour. With that.. balance. I can still be me, yet create that sense of calm that is needed.

I saw a painting recently that read "Keep Calm and Carry On."

With balance... I can do just that.

Silence is Golden - But I never did like gold.

How hard is it for you to sit in absolute silence?

Tonight - it's beyond difficult. It is 2am and I cannot sleep. No, I am not stressed about anything (believe it or not!) nor did I consume any caffeine today (a first!) However, laying in the dark was brutal.. the silence deafening.

I think if I were surrounded by tons of people all the time, I would probably crave the silence. However, as luck would have it, I get as much silence as I want. No kids, no pets, and my husband is a fairly quiet man.

I find that when I am around people with a lot of "hustle & bustle" going on, I tend to find it almost jarring. I do like to be invigorated, but I suppose I prefer it on my own terms.

I did experience a weekend of silence once. I booked a weekend at the St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. It is a Benedictine monastery. To see more about my visit click here. What I found to be the most difficult part of the journey was the absolute silence I had to surround myself with. My mind tends to rattle on and on.. and sitting alone with my thoughts actually made me very sad.

It was a different time and place - my egyptian was still in Egypt, I had received a not-so-great review at work, I was living alone... it was just a tough place to be. I went seeking solace and comfort in a weekend of meditation and spiritual healing - and ended up feeling bare to the bone in who I was.

Libraries, doctor's offices, meetings, testing, elevators - these are just a few places we have to discipline ourselves to just be silent.

If I really need absolute silence - I head straight to my tub for a bubble bath. I have a large garden tub, I throw in the bubbles and light a few candles and I just soak away my cares.

Where do you go for silence? How do you react when you have no choice but to be silence?

WOTD - Ambiguity

At first I was totally turning my nose up at my "Word of the Day" bestowed on my by my sister. (Want to see more head to the upper right side tab.) Ambiguity is sooooo Ambiguous.. ;-)


But then I happened up the perfect image for this post and I realized - THAT IS THE THEME OF MY BLOG. Who knew a word would sum up my life, my blog, my journey through life. Check it out:

I don't think I could have said it any better. Here's the thing, I used to be such a massive planner. I still am (I mean.. did you see the plans for my vacations??) BUT there is a difference now - I get a basic road map. Which means I decide where I would like the world to unfold. Truth be told - I can just get lost in the streets. Which I do, BUT - I also know that if I see something that I wanted to check out, it makes it all the more sweet.

I guess this brings me to my Blog's name - Destination: Unknown   (Not all who wander are lost.) As a child, I always knew what I wanted to be. I followed that path and never strayed all of the way until I met my first husband. Here is where I have an 8 year hiccup. Oh the stupid things we do for "love."

I ended up leaving my chosen career (television news) to take a job in public relations/media relations. I wanted more money. I wanted the house, the cars, the dogs, the nice things. Oh yeah- typical 20 -something year old mentality. I wanted to "play house." Yeah - did not work. Sure, the money improved (ps - if people tell you TV pays, they are wrong.) But the dream of the home inside being perfect would never come to be.

We transplanted that dream to Birmingham... had a wonderful brand new home, perfect little kitchen...the works. But any ounce of "like" I had in me for this man was gone. My career - was gone. My friends and family were gone. It's not as if I did not want to leave my hometown - I did. I just wanted it to be on my terms. Ever since I met this man - nothing was on my terms.

About one year later we divorce.  Something I was sooo against, but found it necessary. Two months before we separated I found a job in my field. That same month I met the egyptian, who embodied all of the creative and aspiring qualities I wanted in a man. He was exciting, spoke three languages, english literati, free spirit.

Many months later I head to Egypt - wondering the streets of Cairo and Alexandria. I knew I had to let go of the planning and control. I knew that life was never about where I would end up. Heck, to be honest - the place we all end up is the same (right?) So I thought, I need to take a moment and smell the roses.. go with the flow.. enjoy the journey.

When I decided (one year ago) to start this blog - I did not want a theme. I do not like to be pigeon holed into a category. My moods and my writing with change daily - and NO - I don't know where I will be one month from now, or 1 year for now, or even 5 years from now.

All I know is that I have this beautiful (yet temperamental) man by my side, a decent enough resume, interesting goodies I have collected from all over the world, and imagination.

My Destination - Is still Unknown. As ambiguous as that sounds. Also - I am not lost.. I am just enjoying the bumpy ride.

WOTD - Visualization

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Henry David Thoreau

My word of the day is visualization. Funny thing is, it's one of my favorite words.

When I was about 12 I bought a book by Shakti Gawain. (This just shows you the type of kid I was.) It was called, "Creative Visualization." I read it cover to cover. Soaking up every word. It basically told me that your should actively visualize what you want in this life. See yourself with this, doing this, living this - and in time - it will come. Sounds creepy, right?

But I turned it into something I could use in a way that I could understand it. I thought of this process as letting God know my intention, and what I would do with the thing/place/person/lifestyle. At 12. I am sooo not kidding.

Let's just call it - playing out the fantasies in your head. Like a little movie. But believing in it and knowing it will come to pass with God's blessings.

I can think of several instances when this has 'happened.' I don't want you to think I am a total nut job, because I know how 'weird' it seems. I don't practice it now, but I know that it works. (I even think later, some group came out with "The Secret" which I am thinking.. this is no secret, and it's been done!) Also, sports coaches work with their teams helping them visualize the ball and where that ball will go. Many people swear by it!

I am not going to share my examples here. As I was thinking about what has "worked" in my past, I realize they are very personal and I would rather not.

I do share A LOT here, but there is a lot I don't. ;-)

How about I share with you some of the exercises you can use?

1) Find a quiet place. The more you can eliminate noise and other external interruptions to your senses the better.


2) Get a quiet mind. Put a stop to all the mental chatter. Learn and use meditation. There are many types of meditation* (search Google) and the topic is too broad to be discussed here other than to tell you that meditation is a great stress reliever in addition to a great method of ridding yourself of what Buddhists call "monkey mind."

Clearing random thoughts prepares your mind to laser focus on your desire that you wish to visualize.


3) Prepare a written statement of your desire including as much detail as you can muster. Be specific about what you want to have, do or be.



Read your written statement daily before bedtime, when you wake and anytime before a focused visualization session. Put a copy on your bathroom mirror. Make a small laminated copy for your car, wallet or purse.



4) Do not wish for your stated desire! The key while visualizing is to see yourself already in possession of what you want. Remember to use all your senses and conjure up a strong emotion of gratitude and happiness as though what you want has already been delivered to you.



5) DO NOT CONCERN YOURSELF WITH A PLAN OF HOW YOUR DESIRE WILL COME TO YOU! This is very important and where most people fail because they get overwhelmed with thinking they have to work out how they will get what they want.



This is the beauty of visualization, strong belief and the law of attraction. You just have to implant the thought and prepare yourself to receive by being hyper-aware of new impulsive ideas, opportunities and events and recognize that it is by your effort of thought that brought these impulses to you.

6) Act on the thoughts and ideas that come to you through visualization without fear and your wishes will be yours; not by spontaneous materialization as skeptics like to admonish but rather through your efforts you will place yourself in the right place, with the right people or whatever the case may be, to allow the Universe (God) to deliver the means to acquire your burning desire.


You will improve with time recognizing and understanding thoughts, ideas and events that suddenly appear as not random meaningless things, but rather the pieces of the plan being delivered to you as a reward for your effort. These unexpected ideas, thoughts or events are sometimes referred to as "synchronicities."



Spiritual teacher and creator of the Miracle Mind Manifesting Program , Aine Belton says synchronicities can be "little things like the song that comes on the radio that reflects exactly how you’re feeling, the conversation you over hear that serves to help you with a problem, the book that falls off the shelf that is exactly what you need or the person who calls you just as you think about them...They are gifts and opportunities that present themselves in a magical and often unexpected way, opening doors to happiness and success."



7) BE PERSISTENT! Visualize your dreams or goals daily. Bedtime and when you wake are ideal times. Even small moments are beneficial, like when sitting at a stoplight, while exercising, or using the restroom.



Planting your vision in your mind before bedtime allows your subconscious to work on your plan all night. Be ready to wake up with new ideas and thoughts that may require action on your part. This is the power of the "universal mind" working on your behalf.



Keep a notebook and pencil by your bed and start a habit of writing down your thoughts and dreams even if they make no sense now.



Re-reading your written statement of desire in the morning will keep it fresh in your mind all day.



8) Create a Vision Board. In the movie The Secret, John Assaraf described constructing a vision board filled with cut outs of the things he wanted in life, specifically his dream home. Daily he would look at his vision board, close his eyes and visualize he already had what he wanted. Years later while showing the vision board to his son, Mr. Assaraf realized he now lived in a house identical to the one on his vision board!



Making a vision board is simple. It's a mosaic of cut out images and words that match your dreams and desires glued or taped to a piece of poster board. Cut out an image of the boat or car you’ve always wanted, the dream home or vacation home, or whatever it is you want to do, have or be. Go wild and have fun with it!



Once you are done, hang your vision board someplace where you will see it everyday. Look at it often and visualize yourself already in possession of what you want and don't forget to add in strong emotions of gratitude and happiness.

9) Repetitive thoughts will always serve to attract their equivalent from the Universe (God). Even when you are not actively visualizing, practice monitoring your thoughts and immediately dismiss all that are negative.



Remember, start with a burning desire and open your mind to fully believe that these techniques work.

*** source life-changing-mind-power.com

There you have it - an example of the word of the day! What do you hope to obtain/change/become in the near future??? How do you see yourself doing it?