Beauty from the Struggle

Since February is Black History month, I thought I would celebrate by showing a beautiful picture of my mother in her pollera.  The clothes worn by Black slave women and wet nurses during the Spanish colonial era inspired La Pollera, which is the Panamanian national costume.

This colorful dress represents so much to me of the beauty, freedom, love, and laughter of Afro-Latin American community.  It is a somewhat unnerving truth that what was once attributed to slaves and the lower class has become a symbol of pride. 

Much could be said regarding the old adage that out of every negative is a positive.  Like a butterfly, the struggle of our people has become the strength of who we are.  Our trials and tribulations have given us the fortitude to survive insurmountable odds. 

Our color has enhanced our beauty and now with time the world recognizes the splendor, richness, and grace of who we are. 

It is not our differences that divide us.  It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.  ~ Audre Lorde

Words of the Year

Today I learned that pragmatic was the word of the year as determined by Miriam Webster. I thought nope...That is certainly not the word of the year for citizens from the land of Positivity.

Florence Scovel Shinn wrote the book "Your Word is Your Wand." She spoke about how our words are filled with magic and power.

Thus, I conjured the seven words that positively describe this year and how they can propel us in 2012.

7) Believable! Whether it was a moment of synchronicity, a time when the Universe winked at you- It was not unbelievable but Believable- Good things can and do happen.

6) Angels- The angels that walked through our lives… some we knew and more often than not the anonymous ones that just do good on this earth. They’re all around and have helped us all this year.

5) Dreams- Just by have the ability to dream, to have goals and a wondrous plan is what gives us hope to go on in this topsy-turvy world.

4) Action- The song Put One Foot in Front of the Other, inspired this thought. As long as we keep moving in a positive direction and take action, we live to dream another day.

3) Transformation- This year has been all about change and for every constant there is change. The time to change is now. If you want, create a new reality. Dare to be the person that you want to be… Today!

2) Gratitude- The ability to be grateful for taking a breath and a brand new day is essential to a positive attitude. We often assume our abundance is reelected by our monetary status. Our abundance is so much more- and it multiplies when we say thank you

1)Love- Love yourself enough to be brave. Make a difference in your own life and others. When you see the world through Love colored eyes the world reflects love right back at you.

Sesame Street:Song: I Love My Hair

Sing Along & Embrace Who You Are!!!

The Letter

In these challenging times, we need all the encouragement possible to be loving, encouraging, and forgiving to ourselves. This was posted on the Ripples Project and I thought I would share it here. Peace!

I promise you that I will help you whenever you are troubled.

I will do everything in my power to make things better for you.

I promise you that I will be there for you whenever you need me.

I will help care for you and keep you healthy.

I promise you that I will get up every day with a positive outlook, with my chin up and I'll never deprive you of hope.

I promise that I will love and respect you and never take you for granted.

I will remind you each day that you are a child of God, that there is a purpose for your life and will spend my life helping you discover that purpose.

I promise that I will listen to you when you need someone to talk to, I will not pass judgment or condemn you for mistakes you make.

I promise that I will always forgive you and I will not let past problems overshadow our relationship.

I promise that I will be a true friend to you and love you always, no matter what.

Love,

Yourself YYY

-written and submitted by Mary E. Bentley

Angels in Our Midst

When we least expect it, angels appear to get us through the murky causeway of life. Angels walk in human form and help us on our path. Whenever we think we are alone, their healing presence warms our spirits, our minds, and our hearts.

I am truly grateful for the angels who constantly step out, scoop me up, and embrace me in their universal message of love. The angels who walk among us have blessed me time and time again. Whenever, I have stepped out on faith and asked for God’s guidance and eternal blessings on what next to do…. An angel appears.

Angels are watching over all us and for that, I feel we are truly blessed.

Richard Smallwood Angels lyrics

Through dangers seen and unseen, there's protection all around.
Under the refuge of God's wings, security is found.
For there are angels watching you to keep you in all of your ways,
keeping you from stumbling, so don't be afraid.
God's appointed angels watching over me, angels watching over me.
Angels watching over me, angels watching over me.
Unseen hands, guiding me, through my storm and through my rain.
Healing hands, holding me, through the darkness of my pain.
Wings of love encamped around me, so I will not fear, for I can feel thier
presence hovering near. Nothing but... Angels watching over me All night, all
day, angels watching over me my Lord.
All night, all day, angels watching over me.
All night, all day, angels watching over me my Lord.

Angels watching over me.

Field Of Dreams

This weekend I had the pleasure of watching one of my all time favorite films Field of Dreams. This movie struck such a cord with me on its main theme, how the world perceives people who strive for dreams that others find unattainable. More often than not, people who are dreamers, inventers, philosophers, artists and the like are called, crazy, in denial, and generally unstable because they march to beat of their own drum.

James Earl Jones’ character in the movie, comments on a passion so intense to that it can barely be articulated into words. The truth is often our dreams sound unintelligible to others. However, as long as you can keep your eye on the prize— the dream in your heart and don’t let go, you are more than half way to accomplishing your dreams and deepest desires.

I realize so many of us give up, because of the naysayers in our lives, “dream stealers.” The people who tell us that we are unrealistic, that it will never work, or even worse...wait…. until time, money or resources are better.

I love the movie's tagline

“If you believe the impossible, the incredible
can come true”

Keep Dreaming!!!

¿Why Are you Special? Me Is Not an Answer

I was chatting with a colleague and she was intrigued by my question that I had posed to her as to why she was special. She was so perturbed by it that she went on to post that very question online as to what about friends in her online community made them special.

In a later conversation, she said “Sandra most of them replied because I am me. Do you get that a lot, she asked.” I laughed because that is a standard response when we are uncomfortable with our own introspection. It is often difficult for most of us to look inward and articulate an answer.

Many of us have been taught that if we talk about ourselves in too positive a light, we are being braggadocios. We are advised to be modest and to be humble. The worst part is we are told not to say anything but to let people discover what is special about us on their own.

Honestly if you cannot proudly cry out to the world why you are special, no one else will be able to either. An ineffectual answer is because I am me. A dazzlingly response is I am special because and shout from the rooftops how special you really are.

Stay tuned as I collect answers and look for it in my upcoming book, "Why Are You Special". So, I have asked it before and I ask it again…

¿Why Are You Special?

Claim Your Power

The power to be who you want to be comes from within. What we desire most come from the expression of who we are. When we give voice to the thoughts and desires that we express, we claim our voice and our power to be fully human.

We often let others trample on our desires; we encounter dream stealers and naysayers, who lead us unto a path of unbelief.

By saying YES to what you want and silencing those of negative energy and thoughts around you, you stake a claim on your life and the power of yes.

Claim your power…
The Power to be who you want to be no excuse no
exceptions.

Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself. Elie Wiesel (1928 - )

Say No to Complaining

I recently had the pleasure of reading “The No Complaining Rule” by Jon Gordon. What a fun story. It is great tale of how complaining and negativity in the workplace not only ruins our attitude at work but spills over to our personal lives.

Yes once again, this blog post is reeking of a Pollyanna moment but hey. I loved the premise of this book. I thought about how all of us can apply these simple concepts in our topsy-turvy world. In the No Complaining Rule, Gordon gives us five things we can do right now instead of complaining.

1) Practice Gratitude

2) Praise Others

3) Focus on Success

4) Let Go

5) Pray and Meditate.

If you do nothing else today but follow rule #1) and have an attitude of gratitude, your world will be a much brighter place. As the books says, Positive or Negative the choice is yours.

Hint! Choose Positive!

Breathing in an Upside Down World

This week if you listen to the news, you may instantly hyperventilate. The media is predicating the most awful atrocities to our financial situations. I realized that I had to turn the news off as I was working because I felt that I was mentally being abused by the media. YET everything we have learned about the Law of Attraction tells us we should remain positive. This question comes up a lot but how…..

Focus on the positive... Challenge the negative... Smile don’t cry… Yada, yada, yada … Sometimes it can feel like we are all used cars salesman (not that there is anything wrong with that). While the media is focused on the lack –focus on what you do have. Breathing is essential in times like these so…. Breathe.

If the world right now seems upside down, stand on your head if you have to and look right side up. No... I don’t have the answers about the situations that most Americans face. However, I do know this ….with energy shifting to the negative it is a must that you stay strong mentally and this too shall pass.

Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies. ~Erich Fromm

Focus the Energy

This week I went to a free workshop offered by James Arthur Ray who is a featured speaker in the movie the Secret. He was entertaining, and it is always great to leave a seminar with a new nugget or two. He talked about energy goes where attention flows.

That concept speaks to me on a deeper level. The whole idea behind the power of positive thinking is really what we choose to emphasis on in our daily lives. One of my friends this week was in a negative space and called me to chat. When she asked what I thought and I told her, she told me that I was too Pollyanna for her tastes.

It struck me that that her perception of Pollyanna was a bad thing and go figure I see it as positive. You see there is always something that will come up in our lives which could derail us from our plans and make us miserable if we choose. However, if we decide to focus the energy into the positive, more often than not, we will find the good in the situation.

The Sun rises every day of this you can be sure. Even if it cloudy and thundershowers are on the horizon, one thing I know to be true is that the sun will rise every day. Here comes the Sun, focus the energy and have a great day!

PollySandra

Entry Level

I was at a Law of Attraction meeting the other day, and found myself telling everyone about an experience I had after college when interviewing for jobs. I would go on interviews and when I was told by the employer that it was an entry level position. I said great, that it what I wanted.

You see, I thought, entry level meant that you start at the top. I mean, why would anyone want to enter at the bottom of the ladder to success? From my point of view, entry level was full speed ahead to the top. To my chagrin, when it was explained to me, that it meant something completely different, I was shocked.

I think I had it right all those years ago. In your mind, enter at the top. Plan on being the best at what you do. Sure you might have to start on a lower level to success but nonetheless, keep your mind focused upward. So you see Entry Level is tops. Well I have to say my Law of Attraction group laughed with me and said that would be you, to think so positively that right out of college, you would be at the top. Well you know what, it wasn’t the top, but I did land pretty darn close.

So keep your feet forward, eyes upward, and your
goals centered….. to enter on top!

Eat Dessert First

I know I know it goes totally against what your parents told you. But just think about it, dessert at the end of the meal is usually yummy, rich and puts a smile on your face. Right…..

Well if that is the case, shouldn’t everything that we do in life be like a really good dessert. Now all the healthy conscious people please don’t shudder. I mean it with the best of intentions. Life is to be enjoyed. We even make guilt an association with pleasure e.g. (guilty pleasure). Well today let go of the guilt. Take pleasure in the fact that you can live your best life by fully indulging in a bit of fun.

Often what we want to do feels naughty just because we are having fun. Not today. Today I charge you with doing what you feel with no guilt attached. For some it might be curling up with a good book on a Saturday afternoon, it could be taking the day off for a mental health day, stopping to wiggle your toes in the sand, or even just taking a catnap in the middle of the day.

Whatever your pleasure ….... Eat your dessert first and do something that you enjoy!

Suppose It’s All Positive…

I was in a training class the other day, and one of the participants had a deficit mentality. He saw the negative in every hypothetical situation, that may never occur. I tried to make light of the situation by saying, “hey suppose everything turns out okay, you are excellent at what you do and it will all work out for the positive.”

To my chagrin, he stuck himself in the negativity corner and refused to come out and play in the sunshine. His answer to me was that, “nope I know these things happen and I prepare for the worse.” Oops.

So my challenge to you today is to suppose the good in life. Yeah, many of us have the opportunity of looking at the glass half empty or half full.

So choose a full life – with all the possibilities
that lie ahead.