Question: I am a soon to be 53 year old who has come to her crossroads in life. I’ve been married 24 years and it has come to the point of wanting a divorce from my husband. I no longer am interested in being married and feel that it is holding me back from moving forward in my life.

What should I do? Sometimes my spirit is high and then it drops to a new low. Do other women experience these terrible mood swings? I know that my marriage is no longer healthy for me. Need some advice.
Y.

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Question: Please let me tell you about myself. I am having trouble with depression and anxiety. I had a panic attack almost in the supermarket today. I am seeing a psychiatrist and on medication but it helps only a little. My soul is empty I have been through a lot of pain. From being abused as a child, to growing up in one foster home after another, I never knew love as an adult. I was physically and mentally abused by boyfriends. I am a former alcoholic. I have almost been on the street homeless. I have lived in dumps where I thought I would take my life. I am now living in a small studio. I thank God for that, I really do, but I am on disability and I can barely buy myself anything. I am in such a rut. I do the same thing day after day month after month. I feel like I am wasting my only life away. I have a dream to be a writer and to help others and I don’t know how to start because all I think is negative. I think I am too dumb too even get started. It hurts to be my age and not feel proud of anything I did with my life. I am 49 year old bag. There has got to be hope for me.

P.

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Given the amount of complexity we’re juggling, these times demand a positive outlook. It sounds simple. We should begin each day based upon the present, enriching ourselves with whatever today brings. But do you find it difficult to generate a positive attitude given natural disasters, unemployment, or illness?

Creating a positive attitude means viewing every day as a new choice, no matter how we slice it. We get to start over the minute we get out of bed. The sun comes up in spite of our mistakes or despair we must face. I believe we are meant to continually move forward - and focus on life as an incredible universe of opportunity.

Use Affirmations to Stay on a Positive Course

An affirmation is a positive, present day statement that declares your current state of mind and expectation as valid. It acknowledges to the mind and body that what you hold in your mind is real. Affirmations are a spiritual idea, and non-quantitative. They are based on the universal truth, “As within, so without.” Continue reading »

Positive thinking is a discipline that trains the human mind to change a perceived reality by repeatedly making positive mental statements. A person practices positive thinking when they derive a positive sense of well being, optimism, belonging, meaning and/or purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves. Positive thinking is a process of choosing positive emotions from stimuli in the environment and applying them to perceptions and beliefs. The objective is to create an outlook that translates into a new or better chosen reality.

Positive Mental Attitudes

A positive mental attitude is the belief that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes. A positive attitude comes from observational learning in the environment and is partially achieved when a vision of good natured change in the mind is applied toward people, circumstances, events, or behaviors (Wikipedia). Since it is difficult to quantify (measure) the effects of a positive mental attitude, it can be considered a philosophy and a way to approach life.

The Secret to Positive Thinking

Creating reality by how one chooses to think about life, health, relationships, and finances was the subject of the hit movie “The Secret.” Current self-help gurus discussed the Law of Attraction and other principles congruent with positive thinking. Building a positive mindset that attracted better circumstances in one’s life involved: (1) alignment to a clear vision of what is desired, (2) an attitude of thankfulness, (3) having positive emotions associated with the desire, and (4) releasing that desire to a greater power. Continue reading »

Positive thinking is a discipline that trains the human mind to change a perceived reality by repeatedly making positive mental statements. A person practices positive thinking when they derive a positive sense of well being, optimism, belonging, meaning and/or purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves. Positive thinking is a process of choosing positive emotions from stimuli in the environment and applying them to perceptions and beliefs. The objective is to create an outlook that translates into a new or better chosen reality.

A Positive Mental Attitude Can Be Learned

A positive mental attitude is the belief that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes. A positive attitude comes from observational learning in the environment and is partially achieved when a vision of good natured change in the mind is applied toward people, circumstances, events, or behaviors (Wikipedia). Since it is difficult to quantify (measure) the effects of a positive mental attitude, it can be considered a philosophy and a way to approach life.

Ernest Holmes and the Power of the Mind

Ernest Holmes, the founder of the Religious Science movement, also known as Science of Mind, was a New Thought teacher. Religious Science, like many New Thought faiths, presented positive thinking as a way to create a foundation to understand the Universal Mind. Righteous thought included what a person thinks, believes, feels, visualizes, imagines, reads, and talks about which flows into the subconscious mind. It is an individual’s path to putting the Universal Mind to work.

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Girlphyte Magazine recently interviewed Charlene on the principles women can help women build the best life possible. Read on for female insight on confidence and empowerment!

Q: Confidence and self-worth are elusive goals for so many women. You’ve achieved so much. Where did you find your courage?

A: When we choose to act with courage we open the floodgates to our authenticity. Megan Raphael and Jennifer Byron said this when they wrote the book “The Courage Code” – a collection of stories on women who have rediscovered their self-worth and confidence. We build upon these ideas as a result of our soul journey and life experience – they are not necessarily skills we are born with. When we stop choosing our course of action out of a sense of obligation or desire to keep everyone else in balance, we no longer need to compromise ourselves by diminishing our own value. Out this simple act of self-love, we are healed and empowered. Embracing our own authenticity is about self-celebration, whether in the form of choosing a new career, writing poetry, or learning to dance when we are in our 60’s. Authenticity builds upon the awareness of our own unique gifts. One of my own life lessons was to learn to love myself, develop my voice, and teach others to do the same, so I gave up my left-brain corporate and research world in favor of teaching women to rediscover who they are at a fundamental level. So, my own brand of courage comes from demonstrating that which I need to claim and solidify.

Q: How does the Goddess principle inform a woman’s work ethic?

A: The Goddess is a powerful metaphor of a woman’s self-image. Sometimes identifying with female deity makes women radiate with awareness that they are part of a huge, cosmic equation, but mostly, it’s about opening our hearts as fully as possible. Continue reading »