Briana’s Blog of Madness

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In my last post, I said that I have been making lists of the good things I’m seeing in my life. It just now popped into my head, the difference between what I’m doing, and the typical “positive thinking” that people talk about.

I know a lot of people talk about “The power of positive thinking”, and how wonderful it is. However, a lot of people think it’s a load of crap, and they’re partly right. Let me explain… The thing is, thinking positive thoughts is very powerful, and can be a great thing for your life. However, there’s a difference between REAL positive thoughts, and denial and lying to yourself. Most people want you to be in a state of denial, where you’re telling yourself things that simply aren’t true. If you’re lying on your deathbed, thinking that you’re in perfect health is a lie, and you’ll know it. If you have no money, thinking that you’re rich beyond your dreams is a lie. Lying to yourself doesn’t work.

Here’s the trick: you need to think positive things that are TRUE. If you don’t have money, but you want it, and you need positive thoughts about money, try thinking “I like paying my bills on time.”, “I love having plenty of money in the bank.”, “I do good things with my money.”, etc. If you’re sick, think things like “I’m becoming healthier every day.”, “I like it when I feel good.”, “I love having pain-free days.”, etc. Combine that with listing off the things in your life that are good, no matter how small they may be, and you start to change your way of thinking and looking at your life. Make sure you really look for the good, even if a good thing in your day is that you got to eat a food you like, or heard a song you love. No good thing is too small to be thankful for.

So, no matter what people tell you, lying to yourself and being in denial is not going to make your life better. I know people that will see something bad in their life, or in another person, and they just pretend it isn’t there. That is not going to get you anywhere. If something bad happens, denial won’t fix it. Accept that it is, and then allow yourself to think of what you would prefer. As an example, if you get in a fight with someone, instead of pretending it didn’t happen, accept that it did, and think about how you would prefer your relationship with that person to be. It is crucial that you LEARN from bad things. Every unpleasant event is a chance for you to change and grow. It happened to you, or in your view, for a reason. You should learn from it so that it won’t happen again.

So, think positive things that are true, learn from bad things and mistakes, and experience the joy of growing into a wonderful and enlightened person.

Want more? Go get:

The Secret (Extended Edition)

I have spent a lot of my life thinking that everything just sucked. I hated myself, and everyone else. I though there was nothing good that would ever happen to me.

Some years back I really started working on changing myself, and changing my life. I’ve learned that there are some really important things you need to learn in order to grow and become a better person with a better life. You need to stop blaming, change your reactions, and be grateful. There’s more, but today I’m going to talk about being grateful.

For the longest time my life has seemed so bad, that I didn’t think I had anything to be grateful for. “I’ll be grateful when…” was something I thought a lot. “I don’t have” and “I need” came up a lot as well. Even though I’ve spent the last few years, and 2009 in particular, working on my spirituality, my self, and my life, I still felt depressed and lacking. Things would get better for a while, then they’d just go back to being lousy again.

A little over a week ago, inspiration tapped me on the shoulder and said “Hey, start making a list every day of what is good in your life.” Initially, I thought, “That’s gonna be a short list.” And it was. The first list had about 7 things on it that I thought were good that day. But it felt good knowing that there were at least a few little things that weren’t horrible. So I did it again the next day. Lo and behold, the list was longer, and I felt happier when I was writing it. I have written a list every day, and my last list had 27 things on it.

I’m writing down anything good that I notice, from having reasons to laugh, to getting a gift, to sales at the store and even my skin clearing up. At the end of each day I sit down and do this, and the lists get longer every day. I’m really starting to notice how much I already have in my life to be thankful for. Sure, I want more, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make my life better. I think though, that never being truly grateful for what I already had, kept me from getting anything else. I suppose God wouldn’t really want to give anything to someone who doesn’t even feel grateful for what they already have.

So now I’m seeing the good in my life, and I seem to be getting more of it every day. I feel better about myself and my life, and it really feels like things are on a certain upswing. I’m telling you this because making these lists has helped me so much, and it could help you too. Maybe you’re already grateful and happy, and your life is exactly what you want. If so, that’s awesome. If not, maybe making lists like I am would lift you up and bring you to better things.

I hope it helps you, and I know it’s helping me. I’m going to keep making these lists every day, and I bet in the future I’ll have pages and pages of wonderful things to look back on and be amazed by.

Currently Listening to:

Adam Ant – Wonderful

I was thinking about resolutions last night. I never make them, because it seems silly to promise something just because it’s the first of the year, knowing we often make resolutions we won’t keep. However, it did get me thinking about what I want in 2010.

My goal for 2010 is to find someone to manage my Zazzle stores, and to sell my handcrafted wares, so that I can focus on creation. I don’t really enjoy managing the POD shops, I’m not a marketing guru, but I AM really into creating art and items, and that’s what I really love.

I stopped making new art and products, because I have such a hard time getting sales. So, what I want in the coming year is to find someone to take over adding items to Zazzle and Bonanzle, and marketing them, so I can focus my time and talent on creating. I want to make new art, and when I get in the groove, I can create up to a dozen new digital designs a day. With the mandalas, I can do even more! And I love making jewelry and other accessories. That’s what I want, is to be  a maker, not a seller. I’d be more than happy to cut someone in on every sale, if they would do the parts I don’t like doing.

I’d also like to have time to work on my writing. I have so many creative things I want to do, and that I CAN do, I just need someone to take over listing and advertising so I can use my talent where it counts. If you’re reading this, and maybe you’re not so much with the creative, but you’re great at listing, writing descriptions and advertising, please contact me. I’ll work out a deal that makes everyone happy.

I miss creating new things. I think that’s what I’m meant to do in life, because I have such joy when I make things. Nothing is quite as satisfying as creating something, then standing back and enjoying the beauty of it. That’s what I want in 2010.