The 100% Rule

How often do you climb out of bed and bemoan the weather?
How often do you regret the thought of the day ahead?
How often do you have the wind taken out of your sails, by listening to the news?
Do you feel good when you open your e-mails and find some distressing fact about hijackers and corrupt authorities?
Do you stay calm in the midst of all the panic about the collapse of the world around you?
Do you focus on how bad things are?
Do you see a solution for this world or are you dreading the worst?
Are you digging your heals in, resisting the flow of life?

Remember what you focus your attention on, is what you will manifest more of.

Let's just this week focus our 100% on what is within our reach.

Get out of bed and be grateful for the breath of life.
Be opportunistic for yet another day to make a difference in the world.
Seize the day and all its wealth of opportunities that lie in wait for you.
Choose not to listen to the news for just this week.
When you open your e-mails, delete those that have a negative context in the subject line.
Look outside the window and notice nature, always fresh and innocent and pure.
Tune out from the billboards on the side of the road and don't listen to the radio.
When sitting in heavy traffic, play some beautiful music that feeds your soul.
You make the choice as to what will entertain, motivate and encourage your senses.
Look for the 100% positive in every situation, meeting and encounter this week.

Shape your life going forward with proactive self motivation.
See it in your mind's eye and believe it.

By focusing 100% on seeing the good in yours and others lives this week, you will be generating a new wave. Remember each wave has, at its beginning, an idea, an intent, a single droplet of water and action.

Imagine a wave entertaining negative thought at the outset. If the water droplets examined their individual minuscule strength and debated their insignificance in the big picture, they could argue: "What's the point? What difference can little me make? Why try? Why get out of bed this morning? What's the use? I cannot change the outcome. I may as well surrender to my fate and shrivel up and die."

Well, we know exactly where that wave is headed for. Crash and devastation.

But suppose you are one of those droplets of water that is imbibed with faith. You see yourself as a vital participant in the creation of a whole new wave that can change the face of the world we know. You have vision and know that your contribution is vital to the collective. You realise that as we gather like minded individuals, we generate momentum, sweeping up those others who are indecisive, along with us in the swell. We are creating a new wave with our thoughts, our beliefs and our aspirations. We are creators with our vision.

We need to grow our awakening powers and expand our vision. We need each other as we grow our faith and accumulate other like minded droplets. We can create a gigantic tsunami of well being for this planet just by believing and intending and giving of our 100%.

Researchers have proven that there is a critical mass point and that once a certain number of a species have been taught something new, suddenly all or most of the species are imbibed with the inherent ability, without having to be shown or taught. They seem to be able to do it 'by inspiration'. Isn't that incredible?

Let's change our world by evolving the masses with a new thought wave. The more of us that become conscious and dedicated to focuings our efforts on our 100%, the more people we'll gather in the momentum of our making.

"We are what we think and the world is what we all think." David Icke

Let's give a 100% to the thoughts we generate this week.

yours in love
Nicolette

Search for the Unseen

In a world that is fixated with things material, striving for physical pleasures that don't bring any lasting happiness, I say: "Look for the unseen".
You've got to use your imagination to really open yourself to see. Search for signs and nuances, look for clues in the great mystery of life.
Don't take everything at face value, but rather dig beneath the skin and expect to find the hidden treasures. Expect the unexpected, because when you do, the magic that is your inheritance is there for the picking.

Life is rich with mysteries and the unexplainable. Dispense with explanations and concrete proof and live each day with the wonderment of a child who still believes in fantasy and miracles.

Find the make believe world in nature. Imagine the bees using the flowers as their doormats to wipe their sticky feet. See the magic in the golden ball of sun as it is swallowed up by the horison. See the spectacular and the miraculous in each new day and never cease to marvel at the hidden mystery of it all.

Step out of your jaded, bored and mundane point of reference. Put on some rose tinted spectacles. Allow yourself to entertain your senses with creative imaginings. Let go of control and parental seriousness. Surrender to the energetic flow of the universe.

Let today be a joyride. Especially today, notice the textures, the tones, the ripples, the insects, the stones.... Notice the miniscule, the smallest details in every situation. Look for the sign language, the unspoken sadness behind the eyes down cast or the arms folded across the chest in protection. See if you can detect the Spirit in every circumstance. See if you can feel the unseen essence that breaths life into us all.

On Thursday last week, whilst I was training Jenny in the gorgeous outdoors, one of her chickens came into distress. It seems that its foot had become trapped under a tray of wheatgrass. Wilson, her bulldog acted as the siren. He had probably witnessed the commotion and barked to alert us, and was then scolded for having caused the plight of the poor chicken. You can imagine the commotion as all the chickens flustered and flapped hysterically to escape Wilson.

Anyhow, Jenny rescued the chicken from its misery and held the petrified little bird in her two hands. She set the bird down on the ground and released it, but it limped about 6 steps and then crumpled in a heap. Clearly its foot had been injured, but when Jenny picked it up again, its little head drooped almost lifelessly.

Assuming the worst, that Wilson had attacked the chicken, I examined the bird for signs of blood or teethmarks and found nothing. There were no signs of sustained injury other than the leg which we'd seen had been trapped, yet the little creature closed its eyes and seemed to surrender to its fate.

Jenny laid the little crumpled body down on the grass in the warm sun to breath its last and went to wash her hands.

I knelt down beside the little creature and stirred with compassion for the chicken in its last moments, I placed my right hand on its small frame. My whole hand covered the small body and I could feel its weak heartbeat and the life force draining from it. The chicken closed its eyes and the eye sockets looked sunken and translucent. I held my hand over the chicken trying to preserve its body heat and I felt this amazing warmth in my hand as the chicken opened its eye and then closed it again. Jenny returned and asked me what I was doing and I must say the word I muttered wasn't from me, though I spoke it, I answered: "healing". Jenny silently crouched down next to me and we waited and watched. Then suddenly the chicken opened its eye again and popped its head up. It laid its head back on the ground as if to rest and then lifted it up once more. I released my hand from over its body and the chicken stood up and walked off.

Jenny and I sat awestruck and speechless in complete wonderment. What we had witnessed defied words. What I had felt was the power of the unseen world. It was as though my hand had been a conduit through which the creative life force passed.

As I drove home I wept in pure wonderment and awe at the magic I am surrounded by. Every moment I breath is magic. Every second of every single day is incredible and serves to remind me to keep 'searching for the Spirit of the Great Heart', as Johnny Clegg so aptly put it in his song. It is this search which produces meaning in a concrete world.

I encourage you, go within and search for the invisible, the intangible. You will find your greatest treasure there.

Have a beautiful day!

in love, awe and gratitude
Nicolette

I am Rich

Today I have had the most awesome day
Not because anything extraordinary happened
Not because I received a material gift
Not because I achieved any great accomplishment
The world didn't stop whilst I made a life changing discovery
I didn't do anything particularly unusual or profound
I didn't have a feeling of importance or of making a huge difference

Today I just lived for the moment
I took time to connect with whomever crossed my path
I didn't get rushed and panicked
I honoured my time with presence
and gave my fullest concentration to whatever I was doing
really listening and connecting with my heart
Today I shed tears of joy appreciating the simplest of things

My day started with singing at my youngest son's assembly. If there's one thing I miss about school, and there are lots, it is singing hymns every morning. How awesome is the combined energy of a hall full of people, all unanimously harmonising to the same tune. I sang like I was a child back in school. I sang from the depths of my soul. And when we sang our national anthem, I felt like I was going to cry. I felt proud, not in a superior egotistical way. I just felt alive and connected and proud to be part of the moment.

My son wasn't awarded any trophy or colours for his sport. He did receive a handshake and his whole team received certificates. I felt for him in his disappointment and yet I felt proud because Dylan is who he is. I felt gratitude to be there for him even though his experience was bitter/sweet. There were many who received accolades for superb academic and sporting achievement. I felt huge joy for the parents and their children who were acknowledged for all their various accomplishments. I felt like their joy was mine too.

As this year's prefects relinquished their duties to next year's team, I felt a lump in my throat as I connected with the happy/sad feelings in our midst. Tears of happines and tears of sadness. Memories shared and past and the anticipation of memories still to be made.

Later, at the shops, I engaged with the other shoppers and assistants via a smile, a nod or a few words. I savoured in presence as I tuned into all those around me.

I felt sufferance for the lady who helped me at the bakery counter, who shared that the health compliant shoes she has to wear, squash her toes and cause her pain. I felt like her pain was mine as  her smile and warm manner touched my heart.

Unloading the packets, when I finally arrived home, and hanging the washing on the line, I felt blessed with a contented peace. It felt as though God had pushed the 'slow play' button for me today. I was not tempted to rush or squeeze in any more important chores. I felt fulfilled in giving my 100% to savouring the moment I was in.

As I lunched on my patio with a colourful bowl of salad, my senses were overflowing with joy.  I cried with appreciation and gratitude for my beautiful food, the gorgeous day, the rain we've had and the lushness of my garden, for the experience of being a mom and a wife, for the friends and family that bless my life with their presence, and for the interconnectedness of us all.

I chatted with my son in the car on the way home from school, after having served his first detention for talking in the corridor. I shared how proud I am of him for being exactly who he is. I shared that no matter what, my love for him is unshakeable and that everything is perfect just the way it is. I sympathised with him in his disappointment and encouraged him to keep on striving, to reach for his dreams. And together we mulled over the highlights of those who achieved and laughed as we remembered their passion and joy.  

Today I feel rich because all of my senses are alive. I feel as though I have absorbed maximum pleasure out of every split second of today.I feel like I soaked up every trace nutrient out of every never-to-be-repeated nano second and I am laughing through the tears, so grateful for the gift of being.

I am so rich with joy!

Oh, I recommend it. Have yourself a rich day.

love and blessings for the week ahead
Nicolette

You're Beautiful!

You're beautiful
You really are
When I gaze into your eyes I see God's love
Your warmth and compassion make me feel connected and help me remember who I am
I'm so glad God made you, because your being exactly who you are, blesses me.

Did you know that God made you beautiful, from the inside out, not for you, but for our benefit.
God didn't have you in mind when he made you physically gorgeous. He wanted to bless all of us who cast our eyes upon you. He wanted us to see ourselves in your beauty so that we could be reminded of our inner beauty. Each time we behold beauty it makes us resonate with our inner centre of love.

God didn't invent mirrors. Man did. It was man who became obsessed with his narcissistic behaviour, his obsession with gazing at himself in the mirror.

The mirrors God gave us are each other. We should pay more attention to our God-made mirrors. These mirrors reflect back to us from the soul. They are a perfect reflection for us of our emotions, our egos, our self love, our minds and our intellect. When we see a trait that we don't like in others, it is our centre of love nudging us to recognise that inner weakness in ourselves. When we read fear in the face of another, we are gazing at our fear in our creator's mirror. When we behold beauty in another, we are reminded of the beauty which is ours. What we are reflecting and mirroring for one another is our love. We are by God's perfect design, mirrors for one another. How beautiful is that?

Notice that earth-made mirrors only reflect our physical bodies back to us. They are of little use other than to scrutinise the outer layer, the crust that seemingly houses our mind, intellect, emotions, ego and spirit. By gazing into a man-made mirror, we become fixated with the changes occurring in the outer crust, the decay, the inevitable ageing process. We can easily become distracted as our egos become fixated with outward comparisons between others and ourselves. We become self absorbed as our egos lure our minds, intellect and emotions into its make believe drama of : "I am only as good as my facade, the one I observe in my man-made mirror."

Have you noticed when you point your index finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you?
How often do you accuse, judge and label others?
Notice that when you do, three fingers are pointing back at you.
If you tell someone: "You're stupid", then you're three times more stupid than them. And worse, when you stand in front of that proverbial mirror and point the finger at yourself and say: " I'm so useless", you are four times more useless.
But if you praise someone and raise their awareness of their hidden strengths, if you acknowledge their Godness in them, you are three times more than what you recognise in them.
So you've got to praise yourself and when you do, you will be praising yourself to the power of four.

Let's look for every opportunity to find our love reflected back at us in every other being, every object and every living creature. Let's acknowledge the majestic and magnificent in every sunrise and sunset. Let's  become like little children in our awe and excitement. Let's see our God-given beauty in everything we behold. Let's sit up and notice our magnificence. We are surrounded by mirrors.

And let's thank each other for being exactly that.

Thank you, my sweet reader, for being my mirror. Thank you for continuing to reflect for me that which I need to address in myself and that which I need to have gratitude for. Thank you for your beauty, your honesty and your love. There is no truer mirror than you.

You are beautiful in every single way.

Have an awesome week

love
Nicolette
P.S. Perhaps we could try not observing ourselves in man-made mirrors this week, but rather in the God-made mirrors that abound. Notice the nuances and inner feelings that are conjured up as you gaze into the mirrors that surround you. Notice how much less your ego is able to sabotage your feelings of self worth without man-made mirrors. Observe how much easier it is to connect with the self within, without the distraction of the peripheral mirror.

In Praise of Trees

Trees are more valuable to the universe than humans. Think about it. Trees provide oxygen for the planet. They don't litter or defecate. They provide shade and shelter for animals and humans. Many trees provide fruit and nuts, valuable nourishment for humans and animals alike. Even when they die their wood is useful for making furniture, homes, tools and fire for warmth and cooking. They decompose easily and cause no harm to any other living organism.

But humans, on the other hand, litter and plunder, defecate and destroy the planet. Humans are major consumers. They take but how much do they give back? They rape and pillage the environment because of greed. So often humans are consumed with satiating their immediate needs for food, comfort and shelter, that they forget about correcting the imbalance caused by their taking. We humans consume oxygen, but we don't convert our carbon dioxide back into oxygen like plants do.

The footprint we make on our planet is huge. Every hot bath we run comes at the cost of coal that is mined out of the earth's centre. Every time we drive somewhere we are using up the fossil fuels which are mined out from our earth's belly. Every week we throw out piles of rubbish and are unconcerned as to where it is dumped. What do we do as individuals to reuse and recycle our own rubbish?

I have noticed how very few of my neighbours make use of a recycling company to collect their waste products. Every week the bins are piled high to overflowing with human waste. I notice people stripping their gardens of plants and discarding them in the rubbish heap. Diamonds and gold, copper and other metals are extracted for human want and greed. We are so busy hoarding and taking like worker ants, that we are oblivious to the major devastation we are causing to our environment. Man-made factories spill their chemical waste into our river systems killing fish and other organisms.

We really ought to learn from nature and start consuming just what we need. We need on an individual scale to give back to our planet. We need to start doing things that enhance our planet for the benefit of everyone.

I have always been a tree hugger and fanatical nature lover. I seem to have a close bond with everything green that grows. I have green fingers and am passionate about saving plants and finding homes for plants that have become over crowded. I couldn't imagine living in a place devoid of plants, lush green vegetation, gorgeous soft grasses and shade giving trees. The colour green calms me, providing me with a warm inner peace that gently soothes my senses. When I have spent all my energy and have been indoors for a while, there is nothing more appealing and soothing than walking outside in nature, sitting on the grass or in the shade of a magnificent tree and breathing. I thank God for trees. I am so grateful for and dependent on the plant life of our planet.

So please, I urge you when you cut down a tree, plant another in its place. Become green. Start a compost heap and sign up with a recycling company. If you utilise plastics and all manner of chemicals on a daily basis, you need to be accountable for how you dispose of them. It is our responsibility, not someone else's. Yes, we hear lobbyists who make a stand, but what are we as  individuals doing?

We need to connect with nature and feel its rhythm. We need to walk barefoot and soak up the messages that mother earth has for us. We need to listen, see and feel with our core and be sensitive to the natural flow of energy and life on our planet.

So, I ask you: "What are you doing to improve this planet? What are you doing to give back? What is your value to planet earth?"

If you aren't recycling yet and you reside in Johannesburg, South Africa then here's Mama She's Waste Recyclers contact details 076 041-6764 or carmen@wasterecyclers.co.za. They make recycling so easy. If you live elsewhere look up your nearest recycler and give them a call.

Make your mark. And don't forget to hug a tree and give it thanks for its contribution to your existence.

lots of love
Nicolette