365 Inspirations—210: Synchronicity

"Whatever you focus on becomes your life and it creates the reality that you are living right now. What you choose to see depends on you."—Katherine Jenkins

There's a book called Synchronicity: The Art of Coincidence, Choice and Unlocking Your Mind sitting on my desk in my office next to my painting of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes. Also on my desk are a tiki statue, a bronze turtle, a crystal from China and a fortune that reads:

 "Inspiration from within is waiting for you. It's time to go deep."

These various symbols of meaning change from time to time depending on where I am and what I am doing in my life. The book is one that my husband recently picked up from the library.

To say that I believe in synchronicity is not quite right. I feel like I live in sychronicity or more simply in sync.

I don't believe synchronicity is something out of the ordinary. I believe, in fact, that it is very ordinary and can be a part of anyone's life if one chooses to believe it.

Synchronicity is about choice. I believe we all have a choice of how we want to live, but certain patterns and habits make us believe that nothing is changing or that we are stuck in the same old rut.

In fact, things are changing all the time and we actually CAN choose a different way or a new direction or a new way of seeing things.

Whatever you focus on becomes your life and it creates the reality that you are living right now. What you choose to see depends on you.

When I decide on a direction in life, I try to work in that direction. I see things, call them synchronistic events if you will, that support where I am going. Any thought, image, or idea that does not support this direction does not show up on my radar. I'm actually choosing my thoughts and what I see on the inside as well as the outside. In fact everything manifests from the inside out.

Sometimes, when I get lazy, I tune into things that don't support my direction. These may be negative emotions or beliefs, bad news on the radio, gossip, etc. When I do this, I tend to move away from my core and into another reality that does not support who I am.

Lately I've been tuning more and more into my surroundings and actually choosing my thoughts about those surroudings. This makes such a difference in my life.

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe the thoughts I'm choosing to have or the images I'm choosing to see in my internal and external reality. I think old habits and thoughts try to come in and block this new way of thinking. As long as I keep coming back to my core, I'm able to move in the right direction.

I think this is the basis for meditation. We go inward and are able to create from that space outward. So much of life is based on the external and very little attention is given to what is happening on the inside, but that's where every single thought, idea, feeling, impulse and vision originates. Everything inside colors our reality outside and creates synchronic events in our lives.

Do you feel a lot of synchronicity in your life? Is your life moving in the direction you'd like it to go? What is blocking you from living the life you are meant to live?

365 Inspirations—116: The Birth of an Idea

"First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination."—Napoleon Hill

Have you ever gotten a very clear picture of something you will do? I don't know if it's the full moon in Scorpio or what, but all these little pieces of information kept coming to me over the last few months about my next venture and they all came together this morning.

The idea was so strong that I was shaking, literally shaking, like a volcano! I told my husband and he said, "It's a REALLY great idea."

I think it's more than just an idea.

I feel like I was looking through a blurry telescope and once I adjusted the focus, all the pieces formed a very clear picture.


That's what happened this morning.

So now that I see clearly what I want to do, I need to lay down some foundations and get to work. I won't keep you all hanging for too long, but don't want to spill the beans until this is really underway.

I'm not going to let this one slip away. Too many things pointing me in this direction! I'm very excited!

Have you recently had any new ideas that you have followed through with?

365 Inspirations—Nine: Meditation

"Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there—buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day."—Deepak Chopra

I don't know where I'd be without all the meditation I've had in my life. I'm very grateful for it and have written many, many posts on it. You can find them all here.

I practice Vipassana Meditation in the tradition of S.N. Goenka from India. Read my posts on meditation above to find out more about it. I started my practice in this tradition in 1996 in Nepal with my then-monk-now-husband.

I was a 20-something, vagabond on a quest for the meaning of life when I arrived at the footsteps of a remote meditation center near Kathmandu. Boy was I in for a rude awakening! I didn't realize how much baggage I had been carrying around, and I'm not talking about my backpack!

Through continuous practice, it was easier for me to make clear choices and even be in a space of unknown when there wasn't a clear choice to be found. I was much more able to experience things as they were and not as I wanted them to be.

Meditation streamlined my life and made me happier with simple things. In fact, it made me appreciate the beauty of all people, places and things.

I have gone through periods where I have abandoned my practice for a bit, but somehow I always return to it and am always grateful when I do.

Today I had a large gap between my classes at the college (I'm an ESL teacher). What did I do? I came home and meditated! I feel very refreshed now. My goal is to keep this up throughout the year. It makes such a difference in my life!

Do you meditate or have you ever practiced meditation before?

31 Writers, 31 Lessons-Lesson 12: Harness Your Thoughts with a Mantra of Gratitude

It might just be another one of those internet myths, but I’ve read that our minds are busy with an average of 70,000 thoughts in the course of each day. Even if it’s only 1,000 thoughts, the idea made me wonder what thoughts were occupying my mental real estate.

Most of the thoughts I’m aware of entertaining are above reproach—substantial, even:

• Will the law of gravity and the laws governing quantum particles ever be united in a single theory of the universe? (Laypeople’s astrophysics is a hobby of mine.)

• Remember to use effective inflection on these particular words in this afternoon’s speech—and allow an extra 10 minutes commuting time.

• I’ll take my mother-in-law thrift store shopping Thursday.

But, then there are the myriad inconsequential (okay, trifling) thoughts that overtake my mind:

• Is that white spot on the living room rug an innocent clump of lint or a soon-to-be-smelly cream cheese stain?

• How would I look with a silver streak in my hair?

• I bet pork is really a red meat, despite that clever “other white meat” marketing slogan.

• And so on.

Mulling over the muddle in my mind propelled me to search for a mantra I could repeat to slow down racing thoughts, although I wasn’t sure to what purpose. Why shouldn’t my mind fly all over the place whenever I’m not using it to focus on a critical task?

Well, a racing mind didn’t feel very good, that’s why. Something told me I’d be happier, saner, and maybe even smarter, if I applied the brakes to my thoughts. So, I adopted a one-word mantra that I repeated intermittently, mostly when I was meditating. It was so boring I don’t even remember what it was and it didn’t seem to quiet my mind.

However, an essay I’d read by the late spiritual writer Mary L. Kupferle had stuck in my mind for years. Kupferle suggested that no matter what’s going on, no matter whether things are going the way we want or not, we should repeat “Thank you.” Just that. “Thank you.” She promised that unexpected blessings would accrue to anyone who just said, “thank you” throughout the day.

Well, I’ve been using this mantra. And you know what? It works. Oh, does it work! It not only quiets my mind, making room for contemplative and productive thought; it’s also a statement of gratitude. And gratitude attracts blessings like a magnet.

This has been my secret. Even my non-judgmental husband doesn’t know I do this all day long—any time, anywhere. On nature walks, while driving, making the bed, writing my memoir, working out on the treadmill, I think: Thank you, thank you, thank you. (It’s got a nice walking rhythm to it.)

I don’t direct the words at anyone or anything. I just think them. I think them as I’m falling asleep, and especially on those rare occasions I’m having trouble falling asleep. They’re floating through my mind right now.

They’ve brought me a husband and in-laws I still appreciate and adore after 25 years. Potentially fraught situations have gone more smoothly than I had any right to expect, whether finding a parking space when I’m in a hurry; getting the new fridge and furniture through our narrow apartment doors two days before hosting a house party; receiving positive news about my relatives’ or my own health.

And this mantra has brought me unexpected honors. Who would have expected Katherine Jenkins, the author of Lessons from the Monk I Married, and publisher of her unique and valuable blog that I’ve long admired, to invite me to share my secret gratitude mantra with you?

For all these things I say, “thank you, thank you, thank you.” I urge you to try it.

Lynette Benton is the author of Polish and Publish, and a writing instructor and coach. Her memoir-in-progress is titled, My Mother’s Money. Contact her at Relief11@comcast.net.

365 Lessons-Lesson 13: Live Moment to Moment

This moment is all you have. What are you doing right now in this moment? Are you here? Can you feel yourself from the inside? Can you feel your breath? Can you feel your body? How does your body feel in this moment? Stop everything. Stop your thinking and just feel yourself from the inside. How do you feel? Take the next few moments to feel yourself from the inside out........

We spend so much energy thinking about the past and the future, but all we really ever have is now. Maybe you know this, you have read about it, people have said this in the past and you agree. But do you really know this? Are you really practicing this?

How much time do you spend thinking about the future......where you want to go, what you want to do, who you want to be. Or how much time do you spend worrying about the future or lamenting about what happened in the past? Is this really a good use of time? What's gone is gone and the future's not ours to see.

I am a list maker. One reason I make lists is to get thoughts out of my head. I put my ideas on paper. When I complete something on the list, I cross it off. I try not to think too much about what I have done or what I'm going to do. I just put it on the list. Sometimes I lose my balance and start thinking about what I'd like to accomplish in the future. This gets overwhelming after awhile and starts the whole cycle of stress, worry, fear, etc. These emotions can overpower us and make us feel like quitting.

I think it is good to reflect on our own accomplishments from the past, as long as we don't get stuck there. If we are mindfully reflecting, it can give us strength for this moment. If we are holding on to what we once were, we have lost this moment.

Oprah Winfrey said, "My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." I completely agree.

Right now you may be thinking, "I don't like where I am in life." This thought can be discouraging. To get ourselves out of the deep hole that we have put ourselves in can seem like too much effort. It's easier just to rest in the hole and forget about it. If we think about the distance we need to go, we may stop before we even begin.

Once you start living your life in moments, this whole idea of getting somewhere changes. The only thing you are responsible for is living THIS moment the best you can. Just think about this moment. Keep bringing yourself back to this moment again and again.

If you are walking, just walk. If you are looking at the ocean, just look at the ocean. If you are typing a blog post on your computer, just type a blog post on your computer. If you are reading this blog post, just read this blog post. If you are shoveling shit, just shovel shit. If your children are screaming, witness that in the moment and do what you need to do in the next moment. If someone says something you don't like, witness it first. How does that feel inside you. Be where you are without thinking you have to change it...without thinking you have to change YOU or anyone else.

Of course emotions and feelings and thoughts will arise when you are doing any activity, but you don't need to chase your thoughts down dark corners. Let them come up, let them be there...but don't hold them.

Right now I am typing. I feel my fingers on the keyboard. The sun is shining into my office. I feel tingling in my feet. My legs are crossed. I feel comfortable right now. I feel light. I don't know what I will type next, but this is what I am typing right now.

How about you? How do you feel right now? How are you living this moment? It's all you have.