The Positive Spirit

The Power Of A Generous Heart

2007-09-23T22:19:00.000+10:00

Toady I was privileged to hear a wonderful speaker who shared an array of stories that touched my heart and filled me with admiration for the courage, generosity and grace of some people. The power of a generous heart can be astounding.

One story told was of a young girl who was attacked with acid, which literally melted her face onto her chest. Unfortunately this is not an uncommon atrocity in some countries.
The photos where horrific and tears where unavoidable. You could not see where this little girl's face ended and her chest began. This poor little girl was found under a table. After several operations costing about one million dollars she now has her gorgeous little face again. She can eat and now has a chance of a normal life.

This was only one of many different stories shared. I have had people question me over tithing at church. Reflecting on testimonies such as this, I cant help but feel that my donations are a such a diminutive sacrifice for rewards so great. As the saying goes ”there is always someone else worse off than you”

Lift Your Spirits With Hand Puppetry

2007-09-14T02:06:00.000+10:00

This is a wonderful clip by Raymond Crowe. It is worth the download believe me. Kids will love it too.What a wonderful world !

Building Confidence

2007-09-08T19:05:00.000+10:00

Many people look to others to build their own confidence? While some folks are very encouraging others can be discouraging. By resting our confidence or self worth in the mouths and actions of others we set ourselves up for discouragement. Another person’s opinion of who we are and what we do is just that; an opinion and it is not necessarily accurate. Advise and opinions can be helpful and we all should be open to listening however we also need to determine how reliable that opinion really is.

Confidence measured by our own truthful observation can help us build our self-worth but we must be truthful and fair. It is great to have a mentor to bounce ideas off however we all need to trust ourselves a little more when deciding what is healthy. This honest self-assessment of what is right for us starts with evaluating our real needs. If we lack confidence the next step is to slowly build on it through tackling small challenges. We all need to feel like we can achieve some degree of self-reliance.

We can choose anything to start with. A good place to begin with is to follow through on the promises we make ourselves. If we take steps to complete smaller commitments we soon build enough confidence in our ability to achieve goals and tackle the bigger desires in our hearts. These are our desires not that of others and so we need to always keep this in mind so as not to distract us from fulfilling our dreams. Always be considerate of others but be kind to your self too.

Laugh Your way To A Healthier And Happier Life

2007-09-07T23:53:00.000+10:00

Photo by David Shankbone
(Photo has been cropped)

"Children laugh over 300 times a day whereas adults laugh only 15 times. This is because children laugh unconditionally while adults do so only if there is a cause"
Madan Kataria
Author of Laugh For No Reason

When we laugh we improve the blood supply as well as oxygen supply to the heart muscles.
So find something today to make you laugh and improve your health and happiness at the same time.

For furter reading you may like to read this pdf:
Ten Good Reasons To Laugh

Making Dreams Come True

2007-09-07T23:39:00.000+10:00

Aspirations.

To desire or dream is but a thought
But to aspire is to motivate the mind
Putting purpose behind aspiration is action
Transforming possibility with action results in achievement.
Your dreams can come true.

Desire, aspire, take action and transform your dreams today into reality!

~Kayleen West~

Teaching Children To Appreciate

2007-09-06T13:49:00.000+10:00

I stumbled upon this bog today and found a likeminded positive fellow blogger.
Here is a quote you may enjoy from her blog:

"I think we will start a Thankfulness tree. Each day the children will add a leaf with something they are thankful for."
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/

What a great way to teach your children appreciation.
This is like a mini appreciation journal for children. It encourages them to focus on the positives in their life, If they have to thing of things each day they surely would be focused on looking for them.

Positive Quotes For Today

2007-09-05T11:24:00.000+10:00

Here are some great quotes to reflect on from Winston Churchill - Enjoy

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”

“Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”

“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.”

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
Winston Churchill

Searching For An Authentic Life

2007-09-02T22:15:00.000+10:00

Permission To Dream.
We all have aspirations and dreams we would love to see materialize but how much thought do we really give them? For many of us focusing on what we haven’t got is easy however considering what may be possible is somewhat less natural. After all, there is no point dreaming about what may not happen right? Wrong! For a start how can we lead an authentic life if we are not taking the time to be honest to ourselves? If we were to candidly asses what it is in life we truly desire, searching our define needs and determine our real priorities as opposed to what just distracts us, we give ourselves the quality to not only to be genuine but we empower ourselves with the tools that can generate a fulfilling life, opening our minds to the opportunities that can materialise what appears to be unreachable dreams.

How do we put ourselves in touch with our authentic self and give our dreams a chance?
Many of us do not know ourselves as well as we would like to think. How is that possible you may ask? Most of us lead busy, or should I say hectic lives. We are constantly being distracted by the demands of our eventful existence. Not knowing what it is that truly makes us happy results in living a life dictated by events rather than an authentic evaluation. Who are you really? Do you know what you really want? Have you taken the time to get in touch with all the little things that make you happy? Have you made enough plans for yourself? Or have you given up on what is that is important to you because you just don’t have the time right now or you feel it is selfish?

It is often perceived as either lazy or selfish to take time to just think about things. We can be seen to be wasting time just doing nothing. The way of the world is to keep busy and keep moving however a balanced life requires the opposite to this too. Contrary to the belief that we are wasting time thinking rather than doing, reflection often results in problem solving, personal development and a more authentic lifestyle. Reflection can rouse inspiration resulting in energised productivity. It is quite acceptable and definitely healthy to spend an allocated time daily to reflect, unwind or start the day quietly with no distractions. A better day is ensured with a clear and focused mind. Neglecting this time robs us of direction, awareness and correction, peace, and productivity. The people around us also benefit by this practice. Next time you feel guilty for claiming a bit of quiet time for yourself acknowledge that it is healthy for others too. People need our time but we can be more to others when we are more to ourselves. If we neglect ourselves we are offering less of ourselves to others.

Searching our hearts and giving us permission to dream is essential to happiness. How can we find what it is that we truly desire if we haven’t even recognised it? How can we know what our dreams look like if we are blindly distracted all the time? Becoming familiar with our authenticity allows us to be receptive to the opportunities that materialise our dreams. Opportunities are too easily missed if our priorities are confused. Reflection is not something done in haste nor is it something we should be doing on the odd occasion. As we evolve so do our dreams and our goals change so we need to keep in touch. We can do a stock take on our deepest desires; the ones that say to us “this is important to me and this is where I really want to go.” reflecting on what really makes our hearts sing. What better way to empower us to achieve more for ourselves or for others?

It is universal not-so-secret secret for an entrepreneur to reflect, evaluate and focus on their ultimate goal regularly. Yes they aim high and yes they get there too. So what makes them such a success with their chosen dream? My observation is that they follow this approach however more importantly they are absolutely relentless when it comes to staying focused on their goals. There is no big secret to achieving more for us other than following the same approach for ourselves? So are all entrepreneurs happy? No but are the unhappy ones focused on authentic dreams?

Maybe up until now you never saw the importance of inner reflection and planing your future or maybe your busy life has distract your mind and inevitably detoured you in a very different direction. Remember

STOP, ASSESS, WRITE IT DOWN & STAY TUNED IN!

Stop long enough to listen to our inner needs and desires, jot down what they are and what you want in your future and tune into these dreams by putting them in front of you and having a little faith in the possibilities. Paste them to your mirror or anywhere they will be read regularly. You deserve to be happy so get familiar with your desires and worry about how to achieve them later as opportunities will appear and at the very minimum, some of your hopes will become reality.

To Sum Up:

What do you really want in your life and what do you want to achieve today, this week, this year, in five years and in ten years from now?
What can you eliminate from your life that is distracting you unnecessarily and inhibiting you from achieving what you truly desire?
What can you do today to start living more authentically, more honestly?
What is holding you back and how can you change that if only in baby steps.
Have you made a list of the things that you enjoy so you can remind yourself to do them more often?
Could you write across your diary “reflection time” to remind yourself to do just that.

Improving Any Difficult Relationship

2007-08-31T08:54:00.001+10:00

Life deals everyone difficult challenges. Do we choose to become cynical or do we choose to live with grace? Cynicism creates a character of judgment and division. Cynicism can also generate great disparagement, which affects relationships. Grace promotes a character of love, acceptance, compassion and goodwill influencing intimate relationships.

Pastel Painting by K.West
"Hide & Seek"

It is difficult to turn the cheek when someone close behaves in a less than considerate manner. Coping with other’s reactions and behavior toward us is one of the most challenging aspects of one life; however how we respond inwardly affects our outward expression. We say and act what we think and feel. At times this may seem impossible to move through gracefully. We need a safe place to land, a quiet time to pass through the thoughts and feelings without the risk of adverse reaction toward others. Time Out can be a blessing. In our busy lives and busy minds we often miss this and the consequences can be unhealthy for our soul and for our relationships.

Do you feel this would help your relationships?
Give it a try.......!
How do you react to disrespect or lack of compassion?
Could you learn to be more gracious and less cynical?

Feeling Valued Is Tricky

2007-08-30T09:15:00.000+10:00

Many people struggle in life trying to be heard. How many of you feel that none really knows the real you?
It is hard to be accepted for the real person inside. Feeling valued is tricky. Should you be judging yourself by the attitude of others? Ah I hear you say “ of coarse not” But do you? For me knowing that God sees who is side and loves me has been the key to my peace. No matter what others do or say I know who I am and I am OK with her.

Remembering that people react differently and that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your value to be loved. It can often be their lack of self-value that makes them behave badly toward you. Showing more love to others, making that extra effort can improve relationships tremendously. It is called Grace everyone. Grace is a wonderful word that should be kept in the forefront of our minds. Maybe then the world would a lot more love in general.

What about you, what do you think?

Motivational and Positive Intention

2007-08-28T14:01:00.000+10:00

Hello visitors and welcome,

I am really looking forward to the development of this motivational and positive blog. Motivation, laughs and joy are not nearly as satisfying unless we share it with others. I would like to encourage sharing on here so if you have anything that you feel will add to the aim of the web site (to lift ones spirits) then please feel free to comment or contact me. If you prefer post you can write to the following address

Kayleen West
PO BOX 86
Silvan, 3795
Victoria Australia,
3795

Last night I created a Gadget on Google for others to enjoy and I will post details later. See you all very soon.

A beautiful freebie for you to enjoy

2007-08-27T22:57:00.000+10:00

As a welcome to my new blog I have created this heartfelt design for you.
Click on the image to see the larger size and save for printing and sharing.
Enjoy

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”

James Matthew Barrie

Note: To print image go to file in your menu bar and select print preview from the dropdown menu and print.