100 Days of Wisdom: Wisdom Day 79 – In the midst of darkness, be the light!

Wisdom Day 79

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“When tragedy strikes, our first human response is to react in anger and with rage in our hearts, to attempt to end such dark behavior by throwing more darkness at the problem. Yet our rational minds tell us that reacting with darkness in the form of hatred and madness simply expands and multiplies the darkness. The only answer to so much darkness is to bring light. As Saint Francis of Assisi reminded us, ‘Where there is darkness, let me bring light.’”

Wayne Dyer’s Weekly Wisdom (10/29/2013)

candle_lightFrom the moment we wake up until the moment we close our eyes at night (or pass out from sheer exhaustion), it seems we’re being barraged by negativity and darkness sometimes. And if we’re not careful it’s easy to succumb to the mis-perception that darkness is winning over light.

On the global scale, there’s the financial crisis, the pompous political posturing and Congressional craziness, the saber-rattling and wars, hunger, natural disasters of epic proportion and incurable disease. And on a personal scale, physical and emotional stress, maladies of all kinds (and the treatments that sometimes cause even worse side effects), loss of loved ones, unemployment, loneliness, depression and disconnection. It’s enough to make you scream “stop the world … I wanna get off!!”

But as I say in my poem A Villager Speaks, and often quote on this site, “[u]ntil you take your last breath you will always have time to return to your place of origin and begin again.” Sometimes beginning again means having the courage to be certain in the midst of doubt, to be positive in the face of discouragement, to believe and have faith even (and especially) when all the evidence we experience with our senses says we should throw in the towel and quit.

Rest if you must …. but don’t you quit!

Staying positive and being the light in the midst of darkness, doubt and defeat is a tall order sometimes. A close, life-long friend’s struggle in the fight of her life against triple negative breast cancer that has metastasized is an ever-present and all too real case in point. But when life looks bleak, it’s more important than ever to focus on the moment, on the now. And to re-charge, re-focus, renew and SHINE! It may be cliché, but that doesn’t make it untrue: “It’s ALWAYS darkest before the dawn.”

Need some action items to turn this ideal into a reality? Here are some tips to stay positive and be “the light”.

10 Ways to Defend Yourself Against Negativity

Train Yourself to be More Positive in Five Steps (TinyBuddha.com – Simple wisdom for complex lives)

Tips for Overcoming Depression (Dr. Oz)

Listen with Your Heart: Talking with Someone Who Has Cancer (American Cancer Society)

Be well … & WISE! Tonya Marie

Post Script: This post is in honor of a person..just me @B_Still_today who checked in recently to ask what happened to my 100 Days of Wisdom project. I am excited to jump back into my regular inspirational/spiritual blogging. Because although I needed a moment to rest … I did not quit!

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Creative Commons License Wisdom in the Whisper™ and WisdomintheWhisper.com by Tonya Marie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.wisdominthewhisper.com.

100 Days of Wisdom: Wisdom Day 78 – Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained … GO FOR IT!

Wisdom Day 78

Read about the 100 days of Wisdom™ Project by Tonya Marie

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“Venturing out and trying different things deepens our interest and understanding of the world around us. Just outside our doorstep there is a multitude of customs and cultures waiting to be explored. Consciously entering into this new terrain in turn arouses in us a sense of exhilaration, for we know that with each step we take, there is so much more to discover. By going beyond the confines of your usual routine today, you will find that excitement and new opportunities to expand your horizons await you.” Madisyn Taylor, “Go for It: Making It Happen”

DiverWhen what you say you want and what you do matches what your heart desires, your mind, body and spirit align with the energetic flow of the Universe. And the Universe, in turn, will meet you where you are and support you in living your best and most authentic life. And seemingly “out of the blue” things suddenly start falling into place. It’s not magic. It’s Divine.

But often times, our heart’s desire requires us to reach beyond our comfort zone, past the self-imposed and perceived external limitations about what is “right” or “prudent” or even “possible”.

But with the Divine ALL things are possible. No exceptions.  Continue reading

100 Days of Wisdom: Wisdom Day 76 – The Wisdom of Embracing Your Vulnerability

Wisdom Day 76: The Wisdom of Embracing Your Vulnerability

Read about the 100 days of Wisdom™ Project by Tonya Marie

Follow me on Twitter @WisdomWhispers and hashtag #100daysofwisdom for more reflections on life, love and the wisdom of Spirit!

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[This post, by Tonya M. Evans, appeared originally at ByTheSpirit.net. Reprinted with permission.]

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brené Brown

Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness and shame. Brené’s 2010 TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability is one of the most watched talks on TED.com, with over 8.5 million views. I blogged about her conversation with Oprah Winfrey on OWN TV a few posts ago.

Recently, I’ve poured over the pages of her book The Gifts of Imperfection, which I believe is an essential text for anyone — like me — recovering from the crippling dis-ease of perfectionism. Dr. Brown describes perfectionism as another very toxic form of fear and as a major obstacle to our ability to live with the type of authenticity only possible when we are vulnerable to the very things that perfectionists spend all of their time and attention avoiding … like the plague.

But what I’ve learned from my own spiritual journey, and what Dr. Brown explores and explains in her work, is that embracing the parts of our “life stories” we’re afraid and shamed of is the only way to experience love and belonging and joy in all of their spiritual glory.

[Read the full post …]

Be well … & WISE!

Tonya Marie

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Creative Commons License
Wisdom in the Whisper™ and WisdomintheWhisper.com by Tonya Marie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.wisdominthewhisper.com.