Did you know that just one small positive thought in the morning can change your entire day? The greatest power you have is the power of your thoughts. Thoughts are things. They are powerful. The very thoughts running through your mind can help you to manifest the life of your dreams. But those same thoughts can also cause you to feel anxious and stuck (if you allow it). Let me repeat – if you allow it!

Isn’t it amazing just how powerful our thoughts really are? It’s the one thing we can actually control in life and throughout your messy journey, but we just usually let fear and negativity take over. Why is it sometimes easier to be negative than positive and feel fear over faith? I don’t know about the rest of you – but the cold weather, the rain, and the dark is depressing to me. There is in fact a condition – called SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder or really I’m just “SAD” because it’s cold, raining, and dark. I love the summer, the heat, the sunshine, the flowers, flip-flops, grilling outside, and even the smell of fresh-cut grass. I will be the last one to complain about the heat in the summer but the first one to complain about the cold. We all have a habit of getting stuck in the cold and the dark. The seasons don’t get stuck (they may get delayed) but they don’t get stuck. The grow out of darkness to turn beauty and life into what appeared to be dead. They evolve. Just like the seasons, you can evolve too.

Our thoughts and feelings can be healing – if we let them. But we have to let them (that’s always the hard part).  When you master the power of thoughts, life begins to change in dramatic ways. The key is in understanding your feelings. Now who would want to go ahead and do that, especially if sometimes those feelings are uncomfortable, sad, or frustrating. I’ve let myself get stuck in the death of my father and everything in between. I’ve let my own thoughts make me feel anxious, have an extra glass of wine, and not practice self-care.  It’s hard to find balance when you are in the cold and the dark.

The fastest way for you to get some balance is to stop the negative thoughts, lighten up, chill out, and have some fun (or in my case tell a dumb joke that usually only I laugh at). I love to walk around on the ground barefoot – this practice is called grounding. If we spend a mere ten minutes a day walking barefoot on the earth – can start to feel a little more grounded and connected with the earth/universe. We all need to manifest our own greatness (present company included). Our thoughts both positive and negative can turn into our reality. I’ve been stuck on feeling stuck and over thinking about over thinking about feeling stuck. Instead of changing my thoughts, I’ve stayed on feeling stuck and overthinking.

When you criticize yourself, feel unworthy, or put yourself down in any way, you are disconnected from your true self, your inner being, and your higher self. When this happens, it is harder to find inspiration, feel connected to others, and find balance. You literally create a barrier between yourself and positive energy.  How many times do we pee on today because we are too stuck in the past or too worried about the future? We have one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow and are peeing on today.  I have been stuck and definitely peeing on today… Stuck in a lot of ways. People don’t talk about feeling stuck. They post on social media how wonderful their life is. And while life is wonderful, it can also be shitty, but that’s all part of it, and that’s OK.  I often struggle to find that midline and balance, but during my messy journey I am now striving to attain my highest self. I am determined to learn to change my perspective on life and everything around me. It takes time and patience and self-care (which as a mom is very hard). My kids, my husband, my dog, even my house come before my own self-care. Do you know what happens when you don’t practice self care – you get stuck in your thoughts?  Remember, no matter how justified you are in any negative emotion, it is what is stopping you from moving forward. We are our own worst enemy.  You are literally messing up your future. We all need to begin by finding moments that feel good and draw from them and most importantly – hold onto them and practice faith over fear and courage over comfort.

A simple shift in the power of thought. It is just as simple as Bill Murray in the movie Ground Hog Day…. The world around him didn’t change, but he finally learned the same thing will keep happening over and over again. He didn’t have power to control what was happening around him, but he did have the power to change how he reacted to it. He changed his thoughts from negative to positive. He focused on the power of his thoughts. And we can call do that too. You are enough and you are OK and you can have power over your thoughts.

I challenge all of us (myself included) to spend the next 30 days with positive thoughts, feelings, and gratitude, and don’t miss a day. Let’s all hold each other accountable – who is with me? Get yourself a journal or notebook to begin to this challenge. Target (yes I said Target) actually has some Gratitude journals. Only write wonderful thoughts and feelings about yourself and your life. When we are able spend time every day on wonderful thoughts and feelings, we will manifest the positive and learn to utilize the power of our thoughts.  Let’s all begin today and change our messy journeys in a positive way. You do have the power of thought!