Tag Archives: faith

Greeting the New Year With Hope!

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The three most important words that most of us have heard from our early experiences in church or school were faith, hope and love. Isn’t it interesting that faith and love are in the present tense and can be felt and experienced by others, as well as yourself, in the moment.

 

Webster defines faith as “a strong belief or trust in someone or something;” and love as “a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.”‎

 

Hope, however, does not typically generate as strong an emotional response as either of these words because it does not create an emotional experience today. It is a feeling or a mindful wish for tomorrow or some point in the future. That point in the future is most likely a goal or vision we have set for an outcome that we desire.

 

So what is hope?

 

Wikipedia says that hope is: “an optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances.” Hope, therefore, is the internal wish or, as some would say, a prayer for something to occur.

 

We, as a country, hope for peace and the end of wars. We, as a family, hope for unconditional love and support. We, as individuals, are always hoping for a better life filled with the qualities of health, joy, and prosperity.

In a physical world that is filled with crime, poverty, war, and disease, it is easy to get caught up in the fear of what we see and to lose hope for a better world.  Let us never underestimate the power of hope. Hope gives us the ability to endure hardships while working toward a positive outcome. When we have hope, we can experience all the difficulties that life has thrown in our way, and we can climb out of the depths of despair to achieve our goals and to realize our dreams.

 

As we look forward to a successful and pleasant 2015, it is important that we continue to remember that our hopes and dreams are the inspirational fuel that ignites our passion to create a physical world that reflects our eternal connection with Universal Love.  When we have hope, we persist in focusing on the light even in the darkness, and anything is possible.  In the words of Samuel Smiles, “Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us”.

 

May this year be your best year ever!

 

 

Love and Light,

 

Sandra

 

 

Sandra Brossman is the author of The Power of Oneness, Live the Life You Choose and the featured presenter in Live the Life You Choose DVD.  To learn more about how you can align your life with spiritual truth, order the book or DVD box set at  http://www.thepowerofoneness.com/products/. 

Self Evaluation of Seven Basic Beliefs Underlying Your Perceptions of Life – Part 3 of 7: Attitude

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This is the image of a lovely blue sky with clouds with the words "Attitude is Everything" in cloud font

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Welcome to Part 3 of a 7 part series in which you are invited to become aware of the basic beliefs underlying your perceptions of life! Even more importantly, you are offered the opportunity to transform your self-limiting beliefs of separation and fear into self-empowering beliefs of oneness and unconditional love.

 

Our basic beliefs are the fundamental concepts we have formed about ourselves and the world around us, based on the mental input we have received throughout our lives. They are the underlying thought forms deep within our psyche that support all our views of life. Our basic beliefs have profound impact on the quality of our lives because they are the core of our personal values governing absolutely every perception we choose.

 

Many of our basic beliefs generate self-limiting thoughts because they are framed within our childhood perspectives, rooted in societal training, and do not reflect our whole self.

 

This week I invite you to become aware of your beliefs about your ATITUDE. Your attitude is the lens through which you view everyone and everything in your life. Many people say that if there is divine pre-destination in life, what does it matter what choices we make? The answer is that even though we do not get to humanly choose every situation and circumstance that we encounter in life, the quality of our life journey depends on whatever attitude we choose.

 

We can choose to be pessimistic and concentrate on everything that is “wrong” in our lives which, given this perspective, is potentially everything. When we make it a habit to anticipate resistance in everything we do, we are very likely to encounter the very difficulties we imagined. In fact, if we choose to primarily focus on our problems, we can be sure our bleak philosophy of life will be consistently validated because we will attract people and situations that resonate with our negative thinking.

 

We can also choose to manage the infinite number of challenges we encounter with a positive attitude. Scientific studies consistently indicate that our stress levels are a reflection of how we choose to perceive a problem, not the problem within itself. When we are positive, we move out of the polarity of judging ourselves and our situations as “good and bad” and “right or wrong,” and choose, instead, to see every challenge as an opportunity to become more whole. Adopting an optimistic perspective is not a naïve behavior. In fact, it requires a great deal of emotional maturity to see the value of everyone and everything you encounter in life.

 

The following is a self-evaluation of our beliefs about your attitude. As you scan through the questions, simply ask yourself, “Do I relate to the statements of separation, or do I relate to the statements of oneness? The perceptions of separation correspond with fear and lock us into self-defeating behaviors, while the perceptions of oneness resonate with our spiritual truth of unconditional universal love and open us to our greater potential.

 

It is best to trust your immediate, spontaneous responses to these questions. When we analyze ourselves and deliberate over the answers, we run the risk of falling into the trap of self-judgment rather than pure awareness.

 

Remember, this evaluation is not an exercise in self-criticism, nor does it involve judgment of others. It is merely a tool to shed the light of self-awareness on the foundation of beliefs upon which we base our view points of life.

 

BASIC BELIEF #3 – ATTITUDE

 

What is my outlook on life in general?

 

Separation: Having a negative attitude; expecting the worst; viewing life as a difficult “win/lose” competitive event; feeling life has to be hard; a survival attitude.

Oneness: Having a positive attitude rooted in spiritual strength; leaving space for optimistic outcomes; seeing life as a process of learning and growth; viewing life with imagination and enthusiasm.

 

Which statements do I most relate to – Separation or Oneness?

 

Where does this belief originate? (i.e. parents, family culture, religion)

 

Is this my own personal truth now that I am an adult?

 

DO I CHOOSE TO CHANGE THIS BELIEF?

 

The following are affirmations to transform your perceptions of separation and fear into affirmations of Oneness and unconditional love:

 

Feeling of Separation: Life is an endless struggle.

Affirmation of Oneness: I take responsibility for the perceptions I choose and how they affect my life.

 

Feeling of Separation: It will never work.

Affirmation of Oneness: I am open to success and positive outcomes.

 

Feeling of Separation: The world is a rotten place.

Affirmation of Oneness: I choose to see divine will and goodness in all things.

 

Feeling of Separation: I have to fight to get what I want.

Affirmation of Oneness: I choose to experience peace and harmony in my life.

 

Feeling of Separation: I can’t do it.

Affirmation of Oneness: I choose to believe that anything is possible.

 

Every single belief that you have stored into your brain is the result of constant repetition that has come from yourself – as well as from others. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR BELIEFS THROUGH THE PROCESS OF AFFIRMATIONS. It does not matter whether you initially believe your affirmations. Affirmations are a mental stretch moving toward spiritual truth. With enough repetition, you will come to believe your Affirmations of Oneness.

 

Affirmations help us to develop the habit of consistent, positive self-dialogue. By making a commitment to the ongoing practice of repeating affirmations of self-love, you have the power to transform your self-deprecating beliefs about yourself into self-respecting perceptions that reflect the truth of your oneness with Spirit and universal love.

 

Keep practicing – you are making progress!

 

I welcome any questions or insights you would like to share regarding your self-discovery process as you become conscious of your beliefs about your attitude.

 

Love and Light

 

Sandra

 

A portion of this message is an excerpt from the book, The Power of Oneness, Live the Life You Choose.  To learn more about how you can align your life with spiritual truth, order the book at http://www.thepowerofoneness.com/products/ 
The e-book version, regularly priced at $9.99 is presently being offered for only $1.99.

 

What is the Difference Between “Giving Up” and “Letting Go?”

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Most of us have been barraged throughout our lives with messages about the importance of “never giving up,” so the thought of ever “letting go” might seem weak and powerless.  In fact, you might perceive that these two concepts are totally opposite.

 

 

So what IS the difference between “never giving up” and “letting go?”  Actually, I believe they are different sides of the same coin.

 

 

Never Give Up

 

 

Many of us associate the phrase, “never give up” with a perception of having a relentless, uncompromising, pre-conceived idea of how we view things should be, as well as maintaining a dogged determination to make it happen. This interpretation feeds into the illusion that we have control over other people and outer circumstances and can prove to be very exhausting and frustrating.

 

 

I believe that the loving, spiritual meaning beneath this phrase
is never give up on YOURSELF. 

 

 

In order to stay true to yourself, it is healthy to never give up on:

 

     1.  Remembering that you have the power to co-create with the Universe.  You do this by praying, imagining, clarifying dreams, holding visions, and setting goals that serve to take you in the direction of creating the qualities of life you choose to live.

 

     2.  Persisting to have the enormous amount of courage it takes in order to face your fears head-on.

 

     3.  Mustering up the inner strength required to handle the many set-backs that occur when things do not turn out in the specific ways you have imagined.

 

     4.  Rising above the criticism that you face from people who do not support you in your dreams, visions, and goals.

 

     5.  Committing to take action on the infinite numbers of things you need to do to cooperate with the Universe to make your dreams of a better life come true.

 

     6.  Having the faith to believe that every experience you have is taking you in the direction of Wholeness, no matter how it looks in your physical world.

 

     7.  And that’s where “letting go” comes in.

 

 

 

Letting Go

 

 

Many of us associate the phrase “letting go” with giving up, resignation, quitting, and “losing.”  Far from the truth!  Actually, “letting go” is an attitude of tremendous inner spiritual strength.  It means that after we take full responsibility for honoring our personal roles in co-creating with the Universe by “never giving up” on ourselves (items 1 to 6 above) – we then “let go” of trying to control how everything manifests in our lives.

 

 

Simply stated, “letting go” means letting go of our personal attachment to outcomes.  When we “let go,” we are not sacrificing anything.  Indeed, we are creating a vastly larger space to allow for the  Infinite Potential of the Universe to create magnificent outcomes that far transcend our human perceptions.  This is because we are choosing to put the limitation of our egos aside and  accept  that Divine Love is at work in manifesting how our thoughts, words, and actions appear to us in our physical world – even when the outcomes don’t coincide with our personal ideas. “Letting go” is having the faith to accept that the Universe is totally cooperating with us through the power of unconditional love.

 

 

When seen from this higher spiritual perspective, we can see that  “never giving up” on ourselves and “letting go” of our attachment to outcomes are two dynamics that actually work in perfect harmony!

 

 

Love and Light,

 

Sandra

What IS the Difference Between Religion and Spirituality?

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This is a question which comes up in conversations quite frequently.  Although the terms spirituality and religion are often used interchangeably; they do not mean the same thing.

 

 

What is Religion?

 

 

Religion is a social structure, created by humans, based on a system of beliefs, attitudes, and practices. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the Universe.  The ideologies of each particular religion determine the ethics, religious laws, and preferred lifestyle of its followers.  

 

 

There are many different religions in the world.  Most of them have chosen a particular path to follow in our eternal human quest for deeper truth and love.  We may choose to belong to a particular religion due to family tradition, life experiences, a desire to associate with a community of people of like mind, and many other personal reasons.  

 

 

What is Spirituality?

 

 

Spirit is the life force energy of unconditional love that connects all of creation.  The root word of spirit is the Latin word spiritus, which means breath. Remembering this helps us to release the illusion that spirituality is an esoteric concept separate from our physical reality or that it is exclusively attached to any specific religion.  It also helps us to realize that there is no such thing as a “non-spiritual person.” Because spirit is the breath of life, it is an innate part of who we are at the deepest level of our being. 

 

 

We do not need to “do” anything to be spiritual. 

 

 

Whether we belong to a religion or not, every human being has a soul connection to Spirit. We do not need to choose Spirit, nor do we need to do anything to be chosen.  Like breath, it simply is.  We each have a direct spiritual connection with the unconditional love of a Higher Reality.  We are each free to choose whether we want to acknowledge this Higher Reality or to deny it.  We are also free to decide how we want to perceive it.  There is nothing we need to do to qualify in order to be worthy of  this connection, and it is not necessary to have an intermediary to access it.

 

Spirit is the essence of Unconditional Love.

 

 

Because Spirit is the essence of unconditional love, discovering our spirituality is not something that happens to us or outside of us.  It is the life force of energy WITHIN our very being and is ingrained in every cell of our bodies.  We don’t have to search for love — we ARE, each one of us, the physical embodiment of divine love.  As humans, we are each a spiritual being in a physical body with a divine purpose for being on earth.  Remembering our spiritual connection is the underlying purpose of our journey here on earth. 

 

 

We are each on a different path to Oneness.

 

 

We are all on different paths moving toward the realization of the unconditional love and infinite potential of Spirit. Whether you have chosen a religion or not, the most important thing each one of us can do is to choose to base our beliefs on the qualities of kindness, respect, and cooperation within our personal lives and in our interaction with others. Respecting the differences within each other is essential for the well being of our entire planet.  It is the only way we can create a world of harmony and peace.

 

 

For thousands of years we have used our religions to call attention to our differences – even to the point of having “religious wars.” As humanity evolves,  these lines of separation are dissolving and religions are beginning to converge into the truth of our Oneness.  Indeed, there are encouraging signs everywhere indicating that many of the major religions are expanding the context of their beliefs and doctrines to welcome people of different cultures, race, creed, and socioeconomic status to unite through the common thread of unconditional love.

 

 

During times of crisis, we are increasingly seeing people of many different faiths, as well as people who have no particular religious affiliation, unite in prayer for the good of the whole. 

 

 

We are each a beautiful and unique piece in the whole puzzle – we are all a part of ONENESS!

 

 

I welcome any questions you may have, as well as your insights and experiences regarding the paths you have chosen to become more whole.

 

 

Love and Light,

 

Sandra
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