Some months ago I noticed a new plant growing beside the cluster of plants by the patio outside of my office. I loved the leaves of this mystery plant and wondered what kind of plant it was.
Our Goldenrod
Then finally the plant grew golden yellow tops that look sort of like mini Christmas trees flocked in golden yellow. Now I was even more curious to know the identity of this plant.
And believe it or not, just days later, I got my answer. As I was reading the Houston, Texas newspaper, I spotted a picture with a couple of different types of plants.
The picture was in an article about gardening. Looking at the picture I was drawn to the plant in the background. “That looks like the plant growing by my patio!” I said to myself. I was excited! Underneath the picture the caption told me that the plant in the background was goldenrod.
I believe that motivational stories can help you, so let me tell you this one. It’s my own experience.
In case you don’t already know this from another story, I really love to sing…even in front of an audience! Since I don’t play a musical instrument, I’ve become quite accustomed to singing a capella, which means singing without musical accompaniment.
Lucky for me, I can stay on key through a whole song without music. My brother, Robert, a singer and musician, told me that not many people can do that. So I feel blessed with that gift!
When my daughter, Natalie, asked if I wanted to write a song and sing it at her wedding reception, I was thrilled. I began writing the song last year and completed it months ago. Then I began practicing singing it and also doing voice and breathing exercises daily.
I practiced over and over again…and then some more. And I only expected to be really good when I performed my song at her wedding. I never considered that I would do less than my best.
I also told myself in my twice daily affirmations that I am a successful singer. I had great expectations and positive thoughts….
Did all that practicing and positive thinking and affirmations pay off?
Here’s what happened…
Joyce Marie, mother-of-the-bride, singing at the wedding reception
When I sang at the wedding reception, in front of a band and before an audience of about 117 people, I wasn’t even nervous. Since it was a love song, I sang it looking at my husband, Brian. And I was singing with no musical accompaniment. So my voice was extra important. It was a challenging song requiring that my singing be exceptionally good.
After I sang my song, I received many uplifting compliments on my performance, as well as the song. My brother, Robert, said I was really brave.
It’s amazing how brave you can be when you really want to do something.
What is it that motivates you to be brave?
Do you have a dream of doing something that calls for courage?
How are you keeping that dream alive?
Do you cherish that dream and do things to make it happen?
With those questions in mind, check out these lyrics from my song, ‘Choose A Dream:’
When cold weather struck here in Houston, Texas, plunging temperatures down into the twenties for several days straight, it was a challenge for me to think positive thoughts. That happened several weeks ago.
Then, the following week, it happened again! And we didn’t even get snow! At least a rare sight of snow would have made those temperatures more bearable for me.
Now if you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t like cold weather. I’ve spent most of my life in areas of Texas where it’s unusual to freeze for several days straight, especially with temperatures in the twenties. So perhaps I’m not quite as positive as I could be when it gets cold.
Was it because I wasn’t that positive that my computer started having problems? It was just reacting so slowly whenever I wanted to see a website or email. And forget about watching any videos! The videos never completely loaded…or maybe they would have if I waited for hours.
When I mentioned my computer problem to someone who spends a lot of time on a computer, he told me that the Internet slows down in cold weather. “So that’s it,” I thought. But the problem continued when the weather warmed up.
Since my husband knows more about computer stuff like that than I do, I called upon him for help. And of course, he did his best to help, but still my computer remained slow and ornery. So then he called our Internet service provider. The tech guy who answered his call said we might need a filter.
When Brian told me that, I asked him if we have a filter, and he said, “I think we do, but I don’t know where it is.” So I told him to ask himself where to find it.
Sometimes it’s really challenging to think positive thoughts…. Wouldn’t you agree?
So, what can you do to help yourself?
One of the ways I do that is to listen to teleseminars about laws of attraction, personal development and/or spirituality. Here’s what I learned from listening to one of them.
Marci Shimoff, author of Happy for No Reason, learned from Dr. Michael Beckwith to go outside barefooted on the earth or grass for a couple of minutes each day. While outside imagine that your core center is the connecting place for Heaven’s light from above and the light of Mother Earth radiating from below.
To get the full impact of just how important this practice is, let me tell you what Marci also said.
