Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today,
I want to talk just a little bit about positive energy.
I've said it before,
That it's important that we all realize that our thoughts have power.
Our words have power.
And together,
Thoughts and words can be powerful forces in our lives.
In a very real way,
You are able to create your reality.
Through your thoughts.
Through your words.
This has been proven over and over again.
Believing something is over half of attaining something.
It's like the story of the little engine that could.
If you think you can,
Odds are in your favor that you can.
Elite athletes and entire sports teams practice positive thinking to help achieve their goals.
Whether it's shooting a three pointer on the basketball court or hitting a fastball when you're up to bat.
Having positive thoughts has been proven scientifically to improve performance.
To give people the results they want.
And it can work for you in your daily life.
There are many elite athletes who have used positive thinking to achieve results.
According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology,
Elite athletes being trained in the use of positive thinking.
Have revealed that they experience reduced pre-competition anxiety.
And elevated levels of confidence as well as improved performance.
Our thoughts are an endless ocean of potential.
And if we can focus on thoughts that are positive and constructive.
We can make actual changes in our lives.
In effect we create a positive reality.
This reality can benefit us and those around us.
But by the same token,
If you think about a negative reality it will find you as well.
The good thing is that we have a choice.
Which thoughts do you want to think?
The positive and constructive ones?
Or the negative and detrimental thoughts?
We have this amazing ability.
And yet many of us never take advantage of it.
And if you do take advantage of this power.
You have within your grasp your life will be better.
Close your eyes now.
And let's begin to find our inner peace.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Lying down or standing.
What matters is that you're comfortable in this moment.
Make sure you've silenced your phone.
That you're in some place where you won't be disturbed or distracted.
Make sure that you're comfortable and adjust your position until you are.
Nothing to call your attention away from yourself.
This is your time.
You're trying to focus on yourself.
So set yourself up for success.
You can go back to the rest of the world in just a little bit.
Now,
Allow your breath to flow naturally.
Breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
And as you breathe in,
Just observe each breath.
See how your body just naturally breathes.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Just observe your breath.
There's no need to control it or regulate it.
Just let your body do what it does all by itself.
Just observe.
Now relax your face.
Unclench your jaw.
And unfurrow your brow.
Relax your neck and your shoulders.
Maybe you'd like to shake out your arms and hands.
And just let them rest comfortably.
Let your shoulders drop.
And let your body just sag.
Ease any tension out of your chest or belly.
And you can maybe shake out your legs and feet too.
And as you begin to relax,
Let's focus on our breath.
As we continue to breathe,
Feel the relaxation flow through your body.
Breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
Do whatever you need to do to settle in to this moment.
Because this is the only moment that exists.
Forever is now.
And if you notice thoughts entering your mind,
Don't worry or make any judgments.
Just simply observe your thoughts as well.
Let each thought pass across your mind and then just let it go.
Your thoughts are like the clouds in the sky or like a wave on a lake.
You don't need to do anything but observe with no judgment.
Let these thoughts pass away while you just watch them.
Our breath is our anchor.
And it provides us with life and energy and calm.
Let any negative thoughts or feelings pass out of you and with each and every breath.
This is a time to let go of anything negative.
Of anything that does not serve you.
When you let negative thoughts enter your mind,
You're defeating yourself.
When you abuse yourself with your own words and thoughts,
You set yourself up for failure.
By saying things like,
I'm too fat,
I'm too stupid,
I'm too slow.
You are your own worst enemy.
Your own worst influence.
And by the same token,
If you believe in yourself,
If you build yourself up,
If you give yourself credit,
If you love yourself,
You,
Just you,
Can change everything.
I'll give this example.
When I had my worst stroke,
Which was my third stroke,
My doctors told me that I would never walk again.
Not possible,
They said.
And I said to them that they had to at least let me try.
So I went to physical therapy for one hour a day,
Three or four days a week.
And it was hard.
It was really hard.
And I went to physical therapy three or four days a week for two years.
And I fell so many times.
Through my front storm door so many times.
About twenty times at least.
That there came a point where I didn't even replace the glass anymore.
I just put more duct tape on it.
I fell through a Corningware display in a department store.
I fell through a creamed corn display in a supermarket.
And I fell down a bunch of stairs.
But I kept going with this mantra.
It doesn't matter how many times you fall down.
The only thing that matters is how many times you get back up.
It doesn't matter how many times you fall.
Falling is easy.
Getting back up is hard.
The only thing that matters is that you believe in yourself.
Take a look at yourself in a positive way.
I didn't know that I would succeed in learning to walk again.
But I had to try.
And now I walk six or seven miles a day.
And if I walked into your room,
You'd never think that I had suffered multiple strokes.
I believed in myself.
And I also believe in you.
You have to believe in yourself.
That you're good enough and smart enough.
And deserving of a good life.
That you're on the right path.
You have to believe that positive thoughts will make your life better.
Because they will.
We're all on the path we need to be on.
Remember,
All the things we're looking for are on this path that begins with just our breath.
To focus more on yourself,
Focus more on your breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
Just listen to the sound of my voice.
Observe each breath.
And just continue to breathe.
Just breathe.
Why do we have trouble being kind to ourselves?
I think part of the problem is that all of us are overwhelmed by the world we live in.
Overwhelmed by our jobs.
Overwhelmed by our schedules.
Overwhelmed by this pandemic.
And all of this causes us to feel anxious and insecure.
Another factor is that all of us are overwhelmed by information.
It's everywhere.
It's on our phones,
On our televisions,
On our laptops and tablets.
And when something happens in the world,
We don't just hear about it later.
We often hear about it as it happens.
In real time.
In real time.
And then we hear about it again.
Over and over and over again.
From multiple sources.
We are over-informed and we're over-connected.
Social media makes us overly conscious of the lives of friends and acquaintances.
They all seem to have perfect lives.
And we naturally compare ourselves to them.
And all of these things cause us to be anxious.
It causes us to have tension.
It causes inner turmoil.
And it's hard to find peace.
And it's hard to find focus.
It makes it much easier to have negative thoughts about ourselves.
So,
Try to stay in this moment.
If you have negative thoughts,
Just acknowledge them and let them go.
All of your feelings are valid.
And you have to look at them without judgment.
You are what you are.
And you are enough.
When you make time to focus,
You can be more in the present moment.
You can let go.
And you can take the time to love yourself.
And this is what I mean when I say that all these things we strive for are just points along the same path.
In order to find inner peace,
You have to let go.
You have to love yourself.
You have to accept yourself for exactly who you are.
And the best way to do that is by having positive thoughts.
Just continue to follow your breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
Each person who chooses to walk along this path of mindfulness must find what works for them.
And that's why I don't care what position you're in.
Because you have to be comfortable.
It accomplishes nothing for you to sit how I want you to sit when it's your meditation.
It's your practice.
And if that means laying down,
That's fine.
If it means sitting or standing,
That's fine too.
If it helps you to use a mantra,
Then do that.
And if not,
Then don't.
Whatever works for you is the best advice I can give you.
Whatever works for you is the best advice I can give you.
Ultimately,
The only critical thing is the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
One breath at a time.
And you have to do your best to get rid of negative thoughts and negative speech.
Believe in yourself.
Now,
As we come to a close,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to be alive.
Take in a long,
Deep breath through your nose and let it out through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
You're ready to move back into your day a little calmer and more joyful than you were before.
I truly hope that this has been a beneficial and calming session.
And I want to thank each and every one of you for joining me in this moment.
Remember,
Think positive thoughts and positive things will happen.
Till next time.
