— Firstly, Just to let those in Leura and Sunshine Coast know – I will be running several FREE Self Empowerment Programs during September/October. Please visit www.willtowonder.com.au/events for further details… And remember to book if you wish to come along… Looking forward to sharing some time together 🙂

PROBLEMS VS SOLUTIONS…..

Hi EveryOne,

Welcome to Spring – a time when many awaken from their winter slumber – a period often taken over by inactivity and retreat!

After a warm winter in Townsville and a perfect start to Spring, I sit reflecting on my fortune of choosing to be in the Tropics and it’s wonderful calm surroundings. Appreciating where I am I can’t help but wonder about the world and all it’s current problems. So I ask myself – what can I do to be part of the greater solution?… What can I do to stop the cycle of violence?… What can I do so I don’t contribute to any ongoing problems?… Though many people believe that one person can’t make a difference, I still have to try – how do I know if I don’t at least give it a go! Surely I can start by simply being positive instead of negative. I can love instead of hate. I can speak gently instead of aggressively. I can remain calm instead of getting angry. I can support instead of resist. I can be self aware instead of self righteous. I can be co-operative instead of narcissistic. I can spread peace instead of violence!

You know, so many people don’t notice how their own negative attitude can affect their surroundings, but ask them if they understand the saying ‘you can cut the air with a knife’ – they will come up with many examples about others… It’s so easy to blame someone else for what I am lacking in life. It’s so easy to point the finger and say ‘they should do this or that’ or ‘it’s not my fault’… But finger pointing keeps us boxed in and while we remain part of the problem and continue to victimize ourselves, we justify our situation, believing that it’s not up to me. Don’t say ‘what can I do?!’ – instead, ask yourself – ‘what CAN I do?’.. Remember, when you point one finger, three fingers will point straight back to you!

Spring seems to be more conducive to being open and accepting of life and of our part in it. So now is a perfect time to ask yourself – ‘Am I part of the ever-increasing problems in the world or am I part of the solution?!… Can I make a difference – no matter how tiny – to bring a little peace into my own backyard?… Am I responsible for ME or do I expect others to make me happy?… In other words, do I respond peacefully and powerfully to what is going on around me, or do I react negatively and even destructively? You see, getting angry at Politicians for doing a bad job for example, does NOT help – anger is destructive! If we want to help, we need to learn to be more constructive! So this is by no means, a time for beating ourselves up – that action is violent and only adds more negative vibrations into the already negatively charged atmosphere. But this is a good time to Check and Change myself – Spring is a time to throw out the old and bring in the new. After all, Albert Einstein reminds us that “we can’t solve any problems with the same kind of thinking that created them” – so we must get rid of our old and outdated thinking and behaving, in order to bring in new and creative ways to BE! So instead of focusing on the ‘rock’ in the middle of the road and blaming the rock for you not being able to move on. Focus instead on how you can get past the rock!… Be inventive and take a high jump over the rock or be creative to find ways to get around it. Don’t try breaking the rock or removing it or wasting time questioning why the rock is there or how it got there. It’s there! Now what are you going to do to get past it – safely and calmly?!…

Question: Do I focus on the rock and question WHY the rock is there?…

Consideration: Why do I focus on things I can’t change instead of focusing on things I CAN change?

Activity: Instead of focusing on the ‘rock’ blocking your road, don’t waste your time, thoughts and energy on trying break the rock. Try shifting your focus on learning to take a high jump and jump over the rock or simply walk around it. The rock is and always will be the rock!… You canNOT change the rock – but you CAN change the way you VIEW the rock and you CAN change your response to the rock!… Learn to think outside the square and you no longer remain part of the problem, but instead, you become part of the solution 🙂

Love Annemarie