Before I dive into working on the “You Can Heal Your Life Companion Book” (basically a workbook for “You Can Heal Your Life”), I want to share the progress which I’ve made thus far with my Healing Project. I firmly believe that my focus on and commitment toward healing myself and my life has already resulted in some wonderful and surprising changes. I am confident that I am on the right track and that more positive outcomes will happen in the coming months!
Improved Attitude
The best change I’ve noticed thus far is that my attitude is greatly improved. I wake up each day with a much more positive mindset than I had prior to beginning this journey. I used to wake up with a feeling of either indifference or dread, whereas I now awaken feeling increasingly more hopeful about the day ahead and my future in general. This more positive outlook is also improving my sleep. In the past, I would lie awake for thirty minutes or more before falling asleep. Thoughts would be swirling around in my head and I’d be worrying about the coming day, my to-do list, and what I saw as my many problems. Now I find myself drifting off to sleep in ten minutes or less!
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This post outlines the final three key principles from “You Can Heal Your Life.”
“We must be willing to learn to love ourselves.”
Many years ago, I first heard the saying, “You can’t love anyone else unless you love yourself first.” At the time, I despised this saying and vehemently disagreed with its sentiments. Although I was clear that I didn’t love myself much back then, I believed that I was a loving person and fully capable of loving others. Now I am much more open to the message, except that I would qualify the saying by adding the word fully, as in “one cannot love another fully unless he loves himself.” If we are mired in self-criticism and self-hatred, there is much less of ourselves to give to others, which makes us less able to love others to full capacity.
Yet, the ability to love others fully is only one reason for us to love ourselves. When we treat ourselves with loving kindness, we experience a number of other benefits.
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This post is a continuation of the key principles of Louise Hay’s philosophy. This post outlines three more of the points which are the basis for “You Can Heal Your Life.”
“Resentment, criticism, and guilt are the most damaging patterns.”
There are many thought patterns that can be harmful to us, especially if we engage in them on a regular basis. However, some patterns are more harmful than others, and Louise Hay contends that resentment, criticism, and guilt are the most damaging patterns of all. Upon reflection, I would have to agree with her. Let’s look at these patterns one by one, along with some examples of each, to drive the point home.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines resentment as follows:
a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury
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I want to briefly interrupt my discussion of Louise Hay’s Key Principles in order to share a personal practice that has made a big difference in my life. I will return to the Key Principles in my next post…
I’ve often heard that the biggest key to happiness is gratitude, and I don’t doubt that. When we are present to all that is wonderful in our lives, it’s difficult to feel depressed and despondent. As I look back on my life, I can see that even in my most difficult times, I still had a lot to be grateful for in my life. I just had to look in the right place! It’s all about focus and attitude, I’ve learned.
Keep a Gratitude Journal
To help me to stay aware of the many blessings in my life, I started to keep a Gratitude Journal a few years ago. I confess that I haven’t always been consistent with this practice, but when I’ve maintained my Gratitude Journal, it’s helped me to be more positive and upbeat. Here’s how it works…
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