Snips

Often, our instinctive reaction to something we want or need is, No! I can't
afford it! The question we can learn to ask ourselves is, But, can I?
Many of us have learned to habitually deprive ourselves of anything we might
want, and often things we need. Sometimes, we can misuse the concept of gratitude to keep ourselves unnecessarily deprived.
Gratitude for what we have is an important concept. So is believing we deserve the best and making an effort to stop depriving ourselves and start treating ourselves well.
There is nothing wrong with buying ourselves what we want when we can afford
to do that. Learn to trust and listen to yourself about what you want. There's nothing wrong with buying yourself a treat, buying yourself something new.
There are times when it is good to wait. There are times when we legitimately cannot afford a luxury. But there are many times when we can.
Today, I will combine the principles of gratitude for what I have with the belief that I deserve the best. If there is no good reason to deprive myself, I won't.
Melody Beattie ©

The grateful person doesn't measure service by the hour, because the grateful person is always in a state of giving. It begins with awareness. We respond lovingly to a child asking for our help. We give a friend a word of encouragement, or do an act of kindness for a stranger. And the greatest beneficiary of our caring is we. It is our own hearts that expand.
Mary Manin Morrissey

AA Thought for the Day / Here are thousands of men and women, worldly indeed. They flatly declare that since they have come to believe in a Power greater than themselves,
to take a certain attitude toward that Power, and to do certain simple things, there has been a revolutionary change in their way of living and thinking. In the face of collapse and despair,
in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them. / AA, p. 50

I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the ultimate source of success in life.
Dalai Lama


Make up your own list of self-nurturing activities, things you enjoy, things that make you feel good about yourself, things only you can do for you. Then when you feel your need to be nurtured, bring out the list. Practice self-nurturing and your self-esteem will rise, your self-confidence will be strengthened, and your sense of self-worth will grow. Just as you would offer caring and nurturing to others to deepen your relationship, you can do the same for yourself and deepen self-awareness and self-care.
Lloyd J. Thomas

There are lessons to be learned in every place. The mark of spiritual mastery is
the ability to remember God wherever we go, and through whatever we experience.
Alan Cohen

"Concentration is the ability to think about absolutely nothing when it is absolutely necessary."
Ray Knight

"You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety."
Abraham Maslow

If you accept a limiting belief, then it will become a truth for you.
Louise Hay