Finding a better-feeling thought . . .on the way to feeling GOOD

"There is always an even-happier thought than the happy thought you're thinking now. There is always even a better feeling--your capacity to achieve a better feeling is unlimited." ~ Abraham

So today I spent most of my day really reaching for a better-feeling thought. This was the day that I put these words to the test. And I mean, I started doing it this morning, from the minute I woke up until right about now as I type these words. I usually wake up and say an internal "Thank You" to the Universe as I take a peek at my vision board and pick out a word or phrase for my day. This morning's word was OM (the Universal symbol of Creation). Right when I looked at the word and proceeded to step off the bed, (our bed is quite high and I'm short so I sort of jump off of it every morning), I had a small pang of "not-quite-rightness" which I immediately followed with another big "Thank YOU" to the Universe for another day.

I wasn't looking forward to dealing with the IRS. Yes, I truly believe that we live in an abundant world and I know that I am alright and on the right path, but when you have to deal with the IRS, some times it can become overwhelming. Without going into details, being a freelancer has put me in a position where I owe back taxes. It's all being taken care of but it can be a little stressful. Ha! So, I knew that today was the day I had to take care of the matter and I was determined to continue loving what is no matter what.

Luckily, it was Day-Dreaming Tuesday and I made it my intention to really concentrate on my dreams and focus as much of my attention as possible on the dreams I want to make reality. This helped immensely. Although I knew I had to make the phone call, being involved in a wonderful and magical daydream of things to come was just what I needed. This kept me reaching for a better-feeling thought every step of the way up to the dreaded phone call. Right before I picked up the phone to dial, I made it my intention to have a pleasant conversation and a solution to the matter. I was determined to feel good about the whole thing.

Well, I have to admit that even though the conversation went quite well, after I hung up the phone, I did have a good cry. I allowed myself to cry over the events and decisions in the past that landed me in this situation. But, surprisingly enough, the cry only lasted about two minutes or so. It was abundant but short. I immediately reached for a better-feeling thought to pull me from any kind of "woe is me" mentality. I brought my attention to the present moment and all of the things I have to be grateful for. I also broke the IRS issue down into smaller pieces. When you break down a "problem" or challenge into smaller pieces, it is much easier to handle. For example, if you have 100 lbs to lose, thinking of the 100 lbs can be quite overwhelming. But, if you break it down to losing one pound or five pounds at a time, that's much easier to comprehend and not as insurmountable. That's what I did with my problem. I can only do what I can do at this very moment. One step at a time.

I spent most of my day doing things that made me feel good. I listened to music that I love. I worked on my art and designed some products. On my walk home I created a game to occupy my time and keep me in a constant state of appreciation and yes, feeling good. I'm not saying there aren't times when I break down and feel low. It happens to us all. But, nothing productive can come from that low point. At least, it's never helped me. The answer to our problems or challenges is not found at the deepest levels of despair. But, if we can move one level up from depression or that feeling of despair to maybe anger, we'll be moving in the right direction. There's energy in anger and if we continue to move up, slowly, we can get to those better-feeling thoughts all the way to optimism and hope and ultimately JOY!

I never made it all the way down to depression today and for that I am so grateful. In fact, I can honestly say that I wasn't too far from joy for any long period of time. I took each moment as it came my way and always made the decision to feel good. Everything I did today had the intention of making me feel good. Come to think of it, even making the phone call was an act of reaching for a better feeling. With the phone call out of the way, I didn't have to think about it anymore, and once you get something unpleasant out of the way, you always . . . feel GOOD.

I'll be writing more about how we are all hereon Earth to basically feel our best all the time. Every single decision we make is usually with the intention to, you know it: feel good. For now, I'm going back to my new whirling dervish piece since spending time doing what I love is always the quickest way to BLISS. Aaaahhhhh

Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel

Inspired Action (2)

When I paid attention and listened to that inner voice (Inspired Action) that told me to go to the arts supply store and buy markers and paper, I had no idea what was about to happen. I bought an 11" x 14" pad of paper and a small supply of markers. I didn't know what I was doing or buying, but it all felt right.

As soon as I had the markers and the paper in front of me, and I was alone, I suddenly got this flashing vision of a leaf that I knew I had to draw. The need to draw this leaf was so strong, that for the next two hours, that's all I did. I drew this big, red leaf, with small dots and little details. After stopping, I realized two hours had passed but it had felt to me like a few minutes. A few precious minutes of bliss. For those two hours I had not thought about anything else but the leaf that was appearing in front of me. For two hours I did not think about any of the usual problems that would creep into my head. For two beautiful hours, I felt as if I had entered the Silent Mind I had heard so much about.

That's when I knew that I wanted to do this drawing thing more often. From this day on, every single free moment I had, I spent drawing. After the red leaf was finished, a blue candle kept popping into view until I had it in front of me on paper. This drawing showed the beginning of my use of symbols. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had about 8 pieces ranging from Native American symbols to Egyptian hieroglyphs. I could not stop. As if I were possessed, I would walk into my apartment and immediately go to my drawings and start working. I would be in the middle of a sentence and as if in a trance, I'd stop talking and start drawing.

One day, I was compelled to investigate whirling dervishes. I suddenly remembered Kate Bush using whirling dervishes in many of her videos, especially the one for "Love and Anger," which I immediately searched for on YouTube. Something in their whirling made me want to know more about them. I ran to Google and was treated to an instant course in the history and images of whirling dervishes. After some time, the image of a whirling dervish in the Sema came alive on the page before me. Again, I was struck by how natural this felt to me. How creating this image was something I knew I had to do. "The Whirling" was the first of many whirling dervishes that I have had the honor of creating.

I have let Inspired Action guide me through this new-found passion and it has not led me astray. I am on an incredible journey that has brought such peace and tranquility and JOY into my life that is hard to describe. I learn from every single piece of I art I create. Every image, whether it is a whirling dervish or Buddha, a Tree of Life or a lotus flower, brings with it a message. I am humbled and consider myself one of the happiest people on this beautiful planet Earth every single time I get to sit down and create something on paper.

Always listen to that voice inside that is telling you what to do. Call it Inspired Action, Divine Intervention, gut feeling, the Universal voice, God, whatever feels right to you. You know what I am talking about because we all have it. Listen to it because it will never guide you wrong. If I would've ignored that voice that told me to go and spend money I really didn't have on art supplies that I had never bought in my life, who knows if I would be doing the art that I'm doing now? Although I have a strong feeling that I would've somehow ended up doing this anyway, it might have taken alot longer. But, by listening and not second-guessing myself, and trusting, I now create art that brings a never-ending supply of joy not only to me but to many others. I finally got the answer to those questions, "What am I doing here?" "What is my purpose?"

The answers we sometimes look for outside of us and in "things" are, most of the time, right in front of us. We have those answers and if we only make the room in our lives for them to come forth, by meditating, spending a quiet moment or two during the day contemplating all of the wonderful possibilities in life, they will come through. Like Eckhart says, "Stillness Speaks."

Peace and Light and KEEP DREAMING,

Gene-Manuel