HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

If you’re American – and even if you’re not –
Happy Independence Day
I like the idea of Independence ;
Freedom - from tyranny not only in the global sense but also on a personal level.
Doesn’t it make you think ?
All those years ago when America declared itself independent from the British and then nearly a hundred years after that the abolition of slavery, how far have we come?
In some ways – like technology – un – believ – able ;
The way the world has changed even in my lifetime – amazing
Yet I am a ‘baby boomer’ ;
A child born after the second world war – when there was so much hope for the future.
Growing up in the 60s – when John Lennon said “give peace a chance”
Were we naïve or just foolish?
Our intentions were good, god knows
But now when I see what the world has become -
all the wars, starvation, what we’ve done to our planet, how some children are treated, murders, greed, – we’re still in the dark ages. We haven’t moved forward at all We’ve learned nothing.
People being famous for being famous – earning vast, huge, sums of money for doing nothing
Now it’s not only the ‘third world’ that has beggars on the streets
There is so much poverty, wars, destruction – are we never going to learn?
I think there is beginning to be a world consciousness where a minority of people are waking up
Waking up to the fact that We Simply Cannot Go On Like this
Where there will come a time when the Whole World will Implode, Explode, and Blast itself out of Existence.
I have one grandchild – a delightful gorgeous little girl of 9 months. I dread for her future.
I think we need to be individually responsible for what is going on
To make a conscious decision to become the best we can possibly be in whatever we are doing so that we can give back to those less fortunate
So that we are making our own dents in this cycle of destruction.
And how do we do this?
It’s increasingly difficult with all the negative stuff the media hands out on a daily, hourly, basis.
News of redundancies, property prices, ‘fat cat’ bonuses, - the list goes on and on.
We can’t ignore it but what we have to do is become centred, grounded – in who we are and what we can contribute in our own way.
By doing our best on a daily basis.
By giving our best to people we come in contact with on a daily basis.
A smile to someone goes a long way. Saying ‘thank you’, being polite, not pushing, shoving the next guy to get in first.
Hey I know it’s difficult.
If you’re trying to get on a train and you’re late for work the last thing you want to do is let some other guy on first.
But growling and sniping will only make you feel worse.
It’s not going to help.
Let it go
It will make you feel so much better if you do.
When you hold stuff inside the only person it hurts is you.
The other guy has gone, it won’t make any difference to his day.
And I’m not just speaking hypothetically here
I’m also talking about your past – past hurts, grudges, ‘stuff’ you’re still carrying round with you.
We only have today
We have to make it the best we possibly can
By living to our full potential each and every day.
And that starts by loving ourselves.
When you come from a place of loving yourself everything in your life works simply because you won’t allow bad things to happen to you
Why be a victim?
What you put out there you get back
Put out bad negative dark and that’s what you’ll get back
Believe that the world is horrible and it will be
Put out a smile and you’ll get it back
Put out good feelings and you’ll get them back – in spades.
Love yourself, forgive yourself,
When you love yourself you simply cannot put out bad
“do unto others” literally means what it says
As they say ‘stop and smell the coffee’!
What does that mean – stop rushing round, with your head god knows where
Look at the flowers, the blue sky - the abundance of all the good around you
Start noticing all the good around you and it will come back to you
You don’t have to struggle with this
Once you start doing it, it will become a habit – a great one
Every morning when you get up – stretch your arms out wide and say
“I am open and receptive to all the good and abundance in the Universe”
“Today is a Wonderful Day I choose to Make it So”
How long is that going to take ? A minute?
Make that a habit and see how your mood and day will change.
Before you go to sleep say “today was a wonderful day and tomorrow will be even better”!
Keep telling yourself that life is good and it will be
And with that knowledge and acceptance will come wonderful amazing things in your Life.
You will find that those good habits will bring about your freedom
Freedom from doubts, worries, - you will begin to be empowered
And that way lies independence
Have A Wonderful Day