FEARLESS IN DIFFICULT TIMES.

By Ton Pascal

Am I making the right choice? Should I change directions and line of work, or should I look for another job? When things are not what you used to know, and difficult times surround you at every turn, it is normal that you start questioning yourself and your motivation. BUT it is then that you need to see YOU for who you really are.

First of all, you need to believe in yourself 100%. You will also need a good dose of strong motivation, lots of positive thinking and positive attitude. Simple no? Yes, very much so, if you have, or are willing to learn how to put the above prerequisites to work.

This task can be very intimidating for people who are not very organized or detail oriented. If this is your case, talk to your friends and family about your situation. They can be a positive support. Or, it may be time to think about bringing in a life coach. Your fear and resistance will try to push you back and a strong supporter will make a huge difference in achieving your goals. This much talk about spiritual evolution didn't start for nothing. Like it or not, we do live in a very physical, ordinary and dirty world.

If we look at statistics from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Ca., 37,000 Americans die by their own hand each year, one every 16 minutes. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.A. and the third ranking killer of young people. People aged 65 and older accounted for 16% of suicide deaths in 2004 alone. Of nearly 16,000 violent deaths occurring in 16 states, 56% were suicides.

The difficult times we are facing in our world right now require a more spiritual approach to our everyday lives, I cannot emphasize it enough. More then ever, we need to assert ourselves and find our inner peace. When some people tell you "don't be a cry baby, life is good," what you really want to do is to slap them. You have a mortgage, or a payment due, taxes, the wife's card, kid's school, and God knows what, and there is no money in the bank. And life is good? It sucks!!!

"There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning," said Christopher Morley. Being a spiritual self help advocate doesn't mean I disagree with you. We are on the same reality page.

Here are a few easy and practical things I suggest you can do to make it through these difficult times:

1- Gratitude. Use this simple formula of Positive Attitude and gratitude. You know what it means, this positive thinking and attitude jargon. You are not a moron, but what we often forget is to give thanks for all that we have in life. Don't resist changes and situations, it only brings anxiety and pain. Each time you are thankful, you transform that moment into positive energy, which then will transform your life.

2- Positive Affirmations. Use positive affirmations as much as possible. Do them from getting up to when you go to bed. It will imprint in your brain a new 'positive attitude route' to follow. You may encounter resistance from your old self to this new path, but don't resist, and be thankful that you have these choices, and it is you who designs and creates your own reality. Make a selection of positive affirmations and paste them around your house. I have a list of them on my blog, Dream Your Life Positively, feel free to copy it. You can start with these: I am good, I am beautiful and I am successful. I am grateful for my life. I am grateful for myself. I accept only what is good and positive.

3- Visualize. Visualize your life and everything you want in a perfect state of completion. Sounds, smells, tastes, bring all these sensations into your dream. The richer and more vivid your visualizations, the sooner you will experience them in your real life. Breathe deeply and rhythmically when doing your visualizations. Deep breathing is like a deep inner cleansing. It purifies your body and your mind of all negative thoughts and feelings.

4- Meditate. In a state of relaxation, slowly bring up your problems. Learn how to look into them as a spectator. Again, don't resist. Let them come and go without being emotionally involved with them. Don't judge the scenarios and action playing in your mind. They are neither good nor bad. Observe them, you don't want to control what is happening. They are situations and different options that make life interesting as it is. Your mortgage, your overdue bills, family problems will be there tomorrow, but you are now able to look at them from a different angle. Your newly learned unemotional focus allows your mind to be clear of despairing thoughts and emotions.

The above exercises have the power to move things around and these desperate challenges become positive opportunities for learning. You now welcome and give thanks for this new opening in your life. It may seem a little simplistic, the above steps, but your challenge is to do it time after time and every day of your life. There are no easy answers or quick fixes for difficult situations, but with this understanding you are a step closer to inner peace. You were created with wonderful qualities. You are star stuff, pure energy, and a divine creation. Open yourself up and let this positive energy flow free.

Have a great journey,

Ton Pascal

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ton Pascal is a self-thought, spiritual self-help advocate and author. "Being responsible for your thoughts and actions is what I call spirituality." He believes that the times we are facing in our world require a more spiritual approach to our everyday lives. Dream Your Life Positively. This is what Ton Pascal's book is all about. It is not just being alive that makes life worth living, but the depth and sense you bring to your life. Your thoughts and dreams will provide for you a rich, meaningful and abundant life. Ton can be reached at tonpascal@dreamyourlifepositively.com