The Frog on the Lily Pad (1 minute story)

(Photo from artistrising.com)

A girl asks her Grandmother, "How do you know what your purpose in life is?" Grandmother takes the child by the hand and leads her to a frog sitting on a lily pad in a pond. "Dear little one, see this frog? Does he have to think about what his purpose is before he sits in the sun to warm himself, or swims with delight with his friends? Does he think about being patient and working hard for his next meal as he awaits a passing fly?" The girl responds, "I guess he just does those things naturally, Grandma." "Yes, and by following his instincts and doing what he naturally yearns to do he is living his life's purpose."

Think more with your heart than your head and live on purpose! :)

Be Happy, my Friends~
Laura Barrette Shannon

Do You Do This?

A woman tending her garden sees a plane go by and dreams of travel, the traveling salesman on the plane sits next to an old man with thoughts of retirement, the retired old man is near a young family and yearns to be young again, the Mom is looking at the teenager in front of her and can't wait for her toddler to be self sufficient, the teen is looking out the window at the woman in her garden and wishes she could get married and have her own garden.
We often look away from where we are, either to the past, the future, or to what someone else has that we think we might enjoy, instead of being where we are in life. The grass isn't any greener anywhere else. Life is what YOU experience~ enjoy your own life.

Be Happy, my Friends-
Laura Barrette Shannon

Stand Tall and Keep Your Head Up

DID you know that the way you sit and stand can affect your mood? If you are hunched over, head down with shoulders sagging, the chances are good that you are feeling either unworthy, blue, or troubled. If you change your posture by keeping your shoulders back, head up, and back straight you will not only start to appear more confident, you will feel it too. Standing up straight triggers your mind to feel differently.  There are many physiological cues to emotion.  Just keeping your head up can make a difference in your state of mind.  Mom was right again, when I felt sad she would say, "Keep your chin up!"  Next time your feeling down, change your physical position, stand up, walk tall and keep your head up.  You may just feel a difference, and at the very least you are practicing good posture!  
Today, become aware of your posture, and the posture of others. See if you can see a correlation between posture and attitude.


Be happy, my Friends-
Laura Barrette Shannon

What Are You Hiding?

A DOG LESSON: My dog George just had his birthday this week so I bought him a new bone. He immediately loved the bone and spent over an hour enjoying it. Then he went outside and buried it. I found it two days later and gave it back to him. He buried it again within 10 minutes. It made me wonder: He is emotionally attached to his bone so much that he was willing to forgo using it, hiding it for another day. The problem is out of sight out of mind. He will forget to ever enjoy it.
How often do we do similar things? How many of us have good towels or dishes that we never use. Perhaps it is a special outfit that you only wear once a year, jewelry that stays in the safe, or candles that are too nice to burn. What wonderful possessions are you hiding from yourself to keep them safe from the world?
Laura Barrette Shannon

Do You Need Help?

HELP! ~ If you are unsure of something or need help, whether it be advice on where to get something fixed, insight to solve a problem, or just directions when you are lost, JUST ASK someone!! People are generally helpful and like to share their knowledge and experiences with others.  Giving people a chance to help us is a great way to foster your relationships.  It makes others feel useful when they can make a difference in your life.  That's one of the most important parts of a relationship- feeling needed or acknowledging that you make a difference.


Sometimes people think it is best to handle everything themselves.  They believe that being independent is the ultimate goal of life. Being independent is great, but being interdependent is even better. No man is an island.  We are all interconnected and as such have great ability to aid and influence the lives around us.  Allow yourself to be a part of this, by allowing yourself to receive help when needed.  The synergistic relationships we can build by reaching out to others is an invaluable part of life. You will be amazed at what you can learn by just asking questions! ♥
Be Happy, my Friends-
Laura Barrette Shannon

Are You Limiting Yourself?

 Our limitations all begin with what we believe. Believe you can't do something and you are never wrong. Question yourself when you find you have a limiting belief. Last night I realized I've been telling myself for years that I am a morning person, and as the day goes on I'm less mentally creative and therefore I never write at night. This belief limits my abilities, so I'm changing it. I now believe that I can get myself into a creative state of mind anytime of day. I'll begin practicing tonight and after a while it will be my new truth. All change starts with belief.
 Are you aware of any limiting beliefs that are holding you back from your full potential?
As you become aware of your various beliefs, ask yourself if they serve you or work against you.  Some beliefs work well for a time and then lose their usefulness, but because we never question them, we just keep acting on them.  For example, I used to believe that I couldn't sing well at all and that I couldn't ever learn to carry a tune.  So I never sang.  Then one day I decided to challenge the belief, to practice singing at home and then to sing karaoke to a crowd of people.  I did it.  I'm not afraid to sing in public now.  The old belief was limiting my self expression and served no purpose other than to back up my fear of singing in public.  
Take a careful look at why you avoid certain activities and you may discover that it is an old limiting belief that has been holding you back.  
Be Happy, my Friends-
Laura Barrette Shannon

Do You Know What You Want?

WHAT DO YOU INTEND to do, to experience, to express, to be like in this moment, next week, next year? This is the most important question you will ever answer. The answer will change over time as we continually evaluate our innermost desires. Once you know what you want you can evaluate what is working in your life to achieve the goal. Evaluate what is in alignment with your dream of self expression:

Do you believe and think you are on the path to actively live out your sense of self?

Do your words and actions work for or against you? Your words and actions must be in agreement with your desired expression or it will never happen.

Keep doing what works, stop doing what doesn't.

Find a way to act and speak in alignment with who you are and what you want to experience.
For example, Susan decides she wants to be healthy and fit.  She evaluates that her lifestyle habits are not completely in alignment with her desire to be healthy and fit.  So she looks at what good habits she may have, like walking her dog every day, and taking vitamins.  She keeps those habits in alignment and begins to incorporate more actions that are supportive of her sense of being healthy and fit. She decides to eliminate watching so much TV and to take a second walk in the evening instead.  She then watches herself to make sure her words are self supportive in nature, such as "I am on a path of health and fitness and I enjoy it!" And avoiding negative self talk- "It's so hard to be on a diet and I hate exercise."

Realize your dreams of self expression by realizing what they are, believing you can reach them,and then following the path of action in alignment that leads to them.
Be true to yourself and be happy my friends-
Laura Barrette Shannon

You Are the Narrator of Your Life

YOU are the narrator of your life. Begin watching how you talk about yourself. Your every word defines who you want the world to see, and reinforces how you think of yourself. If you keep the narration focused on unlimited potential for the future, lessons from past adversity, appreciation for the people who come and go, and gratitude for life itself, you will not only enjoy life more, you will be a joy to be around. Be a light in your own life, be your own best cheerleader, and watch your life be transformed! The choice in how you see and tell your story will affect your self image and how others see you. Don't play the victim in your life story and you won't feel like a victim. Today ask yourself, "What's my story?" If you don't like the story, then change it. Don't fabricate lies, just re-frame how you describe past events and who you are.  If you had past adversity or tragedy, begin to speak only of the lessons you have learned.  Don't focus on the pain, focus on how you used the experience to grow as a person, or how you learned more about yourself and life.  If you can't quite tell it in a positive fashion yet, then do not tell it at all!  You write your own story. Make it a happy one.

Watch how you talk about yourself and what you say about your life story. Story lines to AVOID are:
"I can't do that."

"I'm not good at____"

"I'm not good enough."

"I feel like victim of life circumstances."

“I feel like a victim of past events.”

"Life is difficult."

"I'll never be happy because____"

"I'll be happy when______."

You get the idea. Watch what you say about yourself and your life. Argue for your limitations and you will always be right. Tell stories of victimization and you play the part of victim. You are the narrator, the director, and can cast yourself as any part you wish in your life story.

Life is a story.  What's your story?

Be Happy, my Friends-

Laura Barrette Shannon

Are You a Mindless Eater?

Do you do this?

ARE YOU A MINDLESS EATER? Do you pay attention to the savory aromas, delicious tastes, and textures of the food you eat? Do you thoroughly chew your food or woof it down? Are you enjoying your meals or are you watching TV, surfing the internet or working while eating? Most of us eat multiple times a day, yet unfortunately, most of us are thinking about something else while we are doing it.  When we are mindlessly eating we are missing out on one of the most fundamental sensory experiences of being human.
Today, practice being aware of how you eat. Turn off the electronics, take a break from working, and be a mindful eater not a mindless eater. Pay attention to the aroma, tastes, and textures.  Chew each bite at least ten times and slow down.  Put the fork or sandwich down between bites. Take your time.  Young children do this naturally.  As we aged, somehow we learned to eat faster and to multitask while doing it.  
By being present and slowing down you'll enjoy the experience more and be helping your digestion too!  You may even discover that you eat less because your body has a chance to recognize that it is full, giving you the signal to stop eating.  
Appreciating your food is one simple step to enjoying life.
 Bon appetite! :)


Laura barrette Shannon

What Do You Say?

 "I have to do the dishes."

"I'm going to do the dishes and have fun doing them!"

‎"I HAVE TO ______" Do you have a habit of saying that you have to do something, such as "I have to do the dishes, go to work, make dinner, clean the house, give Grandma a ride, etc" When we phrase what we either need to do or choose to do with the wording "have to" it brings thoughts of wishing you were doing something else, which can lead to feelings of resentment or just not enjoying the time spent doing it. Watch how you use this phrase and learn to say, "I need to, I choose to, or I'm going to", which will keep your focus on free will. You are free to choose to enjoy what ever you do today! Do it with awareness and have a happy day! :)

Laura Barrette Shannon

Are You Living?

ALLOW yourself to experience the small pleasures of life. It's through enjoying the most ordinary moments that we begin to live.
 
You can not own
a shimmering sunset,
or crystal stars of night.
You can not own
a brilliant blowing breeze,
or the spark of sweet sunlight.

You can not keep
a fragrant floral scent,
or an infant's sleepy sigh.
You can not keep
love's first embrace,
or life's ecstatic highs.

You can not possess
that time which went by
before you were even born.
You can not possess
those memories made
long after you are gone.

So experience enjoyment
in each moment,
immerse in sight, sense, and sound.
Appreciate this world
for all that it is,
that's where abundance is found.

"Abundance" from Awakening Perception
by Laura Barrette Shannon 2003


Today, I open myself to see the things I usually don't see, to hear things I usually miss, and to experience life and those I meet with an open heart so that 
I may have greater understanding and appreciation for life.


Be Happy, my Friends-
Laura

What Do You See?

Look for the beauty and value in people.

What do you see when you interact with people.  Do some irritate you with various habits?  Do you admire some people for their positive qualities?  Do you feel comfortable around some people and uncomfortable around others? 
Learn to see the beauty and value of everyone. For some will teach you to develop characteristics that you admire in them, while others will teach you to soften the traits that you dislike, and a few will teach you that it is perfectly okay to be who you are because they are comfortable with themselves. Open your vision to see these values and you will honor every relationship.
Today, begin practicing seeing people as reflections of your own likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to more fully understand who YOU are.  Every relationship is a gift of awareness.  Open the gift.


Be Happy, my Friends-
Laura barrette Shannon