“I Create My World” Book of Positive Affirmations: GIVEAWAY!

“Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Positive affirmations are one of the key elements needed to create the abundant, amazing life we all desire. As Zig Ziglar once said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily”; so to create your best life, it’s important to create positive daily habits through a set of resources available for daily reference.

We believe that teaching children to be positive and recognize their own self-worth at a young age will help them develop into a powerful creator that can harness the true ability we all have inside us.  That’s why today, we’re sharing the book of Positive Affirmations, “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen.

What we like most about this book is that it’s geared to appeal to children. They can learn about the law of attraction, and how positive affirmations work in a vibrant and engaging book they’ll want to read over and over.

We’re also GIVING AWAY two copies to two lucky winners at the bottom of this post!

Here’s how Connie’s book of positive affirmations was created:

“I painted the collection of whimsical paintings that comprise I Create My World, each with their own characters and interesting story, for a child to interpret using their unlimited imagination. I enjoyed making them, and it was fun and challenging thinking up new and interesting images.

After I had collected quite a few, I put them safely under my desk and moved on to other creative pursuits.

Fast forward years later when I was working with affirmations from Sanaya Roman’s books and also theories of the law of attraction as espoused by Abraham-Hicks.

One day, on my early morning walk, I had been repeating affirmations while concentrating on picturing the life I wanted to create. Soon after, I was enjoying the warm water of my morning shower when into my mind popped the words “The paintings under your desk go with those affirmations.” I had not been thinking about those paintings and they would still be under my desk to this day except for those words.

The ebook “I Create My World” is the final result of pairing those paintings with affirmations that encapsulate what I’ve learned in my spiritual studies.”

Here are some of the paintings from inside the book:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enter to win a copy of the ebook, “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen HERE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you can’t stand the suspense, and want to buy the ebook now:

You can get it on Amazon here

You can also get it on iTunes, here

Connie is also crowd sourcing to create physical copies.  If you’d like to contribute, click here

Do you practice daily positive affirmations and also teach them to the little ones in your life?  Let us know in the comments below!

Disclaimer:  We were provided with a copy of “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen for review purposes only.  All opinions of this book are our own.

Have you ever considered The Wizard of Oz to be a tale of leadership?

Imagine this…

There you are minding your own business when a huge tornado comes along and turns your world upside-down. You are transported to a land where little people sing in shrill voices, a woman wearing a gown appears from the sky in a bubble, a witch with hideous green makeup tells you that she is going to make your life miserable, and your family is nowhere to be found. The only thing you have to hold onto (literally) is a small dog named Toto who got you into this trouble in the first place. If he just hadn’t tried to bite the Maxwell House lady…

You know the story. But did you ever stop to think what great leadership skills Dorothy used to get herself out of that mess and back home? Would you have been able to do the same?

Dorothy as a Natural Leader

First of all, she knew where she wanted to go. She had direction. Even if it did start out in tiny steps going in a circle of golden bricks, the plain and simple fact is that she never stopped thinking about her goal. She wanted to go home, and nothing would deter her from that. Circles or no circles, crossroads or no crossroads, witch or no witch, Dorothy was going home. Period.

Secondly, she told everyone she met what her goal was, and even intrigued a few of them into adventuring along with her. Now, granted, this was quite the rag-tag group. A Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion might not be anyone’s first pick of partners on the journey to success. But, didn’t they believe in her? Didn’t they encourage her? Didn’t they help her get where she wanted to go? And they stuck with her regardless of the challenges she encountered. Not such a bad group after all. I daresay it was Dorothy’s conviction and good heart that kept them by her side and believing in her.

More Challenges

Next, she overcame the many obstacles that she encountered, no matter how daunting. No menacing trees throwing apples would stop her. And certainly, no poppy fields with sleeping potion could keep her down. No big, intimidating door would keep her out. And no witch would keep her locked up. No sirree, nothing was going to stop Dorothy from moving forward toward her goal. She focused her efforts and determined to get home.

Finally, she realized that the biggest part of the journey she had made was within herself. Regardless of how many miles she had walked, the real journey was in recognizing what was truly important to her. She understood the importance of family, friends, values, and the roof over her head. Everything else was interesting and at times glamorous, but temporary. True wisdom starts from within, and Dorothy learned this lesson.

Final Thoughts on Dorothy and Leadership

“You don’t need to be helped any longer. You’ve always had the power.” ~ The Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz

So, what do you think of Dorothy’s leadership skills now? She had direction. Plus, she attracted the right people into her life to help her get there. She overcame obstacles, no matter how large or small. And she realized that the largest part of her journey had really happened within. Not bad for a little girl.

So, grab your basket and your best blue gingham frock and take a few steps along the yellow brick road with Dorothy. She has a few things she would like to share with you about leadership. What do you think?

Many blessings,

Katrina

Pregnancy and labor can be a very overwhelming time filled with many emotions such as excitement and fear. While pregnancy is generally reflected in a positive light, the same cannot be said about labor, and this is all before the potential for postpartum pajamas and depression and everything that comes after the labor. There is a general sense of negativity that surrounds the labor experience. That’s particularly true when we talk about natural birthing. We hear of very few positive examples of natural, drug-free childbirths.

“The truth is that with the right preparation one can achieve a successful drug-free childbirth…”

And, there is a lot of fear behind this type of experience and it is seen as un-normal.

With so little natural birth education passed along to mothers-to-be, it is no wonder that many women are not confident in their body’s innate ability to birth naturally without narcotics and why medical births are the new norm.

With C-sections up 53% since 1996, these procedures are being used on women with little or no complications. Common medical interventions include Pitocin, Epidurals and Cesarean section surgeries. The truth is that with the right preparation one can achieve successful drug-free childbirth. This article will discuss how to practice for childbirth and take control of the birthing experience.

“We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful; it’s that women are strong.” -Laura Stavoe Harm

How to prepare for natural labor:

Over the years there has become less and less of a focus on enhancing women’s confidence in the ability of the body during labor. Simply spending more time educating women on how to handle the birthing process, as well as fostering an environment to help make the mother as comfortable as possible, are healthier and less expensive alternatives to the interventions. These following methods may reduce labor pain naturally and help women to birth without interferences.

1. Surround yourself with a positive concept of birth

With so much negative energy regarding birth, it is not surprising that many women fear birthing the way it was originally intended. Hollywood has dramatized the event with depictions of women screaming at their husbands while begging the doctors to eliminate the pain. In addition to the negative portrayals, very few women themselves have positive birth stories to share and take it upon themselves to share these adverse encounters with other pregnant women.

“…many women who take a proactive role in their labor and make the effort to make it enjoyable have had very positive experiences…”

]One of the best things an expecting mother can do is create their own perception of the birthing experience by avoiding any and all negativity. Labor does not need to be a dreadful experience and in fact, many women who take a proactive role in their labor and make the effort to make it enjoyable have had very positive experiences. Seek out these women and listen to their empowering birth stories.

2. Plan and Visualize

Many mothers feel like patients rather than participants in their labor, by having a strong understanding about how birth and the body work a woman can take an active role in making the right decisions for her body. Creating a birth plan can ensure that the birthing environment is a positive one. Imagery and visualization are other powerful tools for women to practice prior to labor. Envisioning successful labor can help build confidence in the woman’s ability to birth naturally without medical interventions coming into play. Tight and tense muscles can prevent the body from opening, which is essential in order for labor to progress. Practicing imagery and visualization towards the end of your pregnancy and during labor helps to condition the mind and reduce stress and anxiety.

3. Increase knowledge & trust intuition

Read books, attend classes and become as up to date as you can on birth in general. By learning as much as you can about the process and how the body works the woman can be inspired to let nature run its course while trusting in the wondrous ability of the human body to do what it was made to do. Birthing is a very natural experience. In fact, women birthed without medical interventions for millions of years before modern medicine brainwashed us. Now, we believe that medical involvements were a better alternative than letting the body act naturally. By educating oneself on the natural progression of labor you are reinforcing confidence in the body’s innate power.

4. Be mindful of fears and emotions

Birth is such a life-changing event it would be impossible to not have fears and emotions associated with the experience. Ignoring these fears does no service. You must encounter your fears and work on releasing them through meditation and visualization. By acknowledging worries the woman is able to work towards overcoming those reservations throughout pregnancy to ensure a blissful birth.

5. Connect with Body, Mind, and Spirit

Yoga is one of the most popular forms of exercise during pregnancy and combines gentle stretching, relaxation and breathing techniques. This ancient practice increases internal awareness and focus that helps create confidence and trust in your body while also bonding with your baby. It can lower blood pressure and prevents and relieves aches and pains that impinge on the body during pregnancy.

Yoga builds stamina, relaxes the pelvis, and helps the baby transition into an optimal birthing position. The relaxation response can significantly improve your overall health and well-being. Research shows that when people engage the relaxation response daily it can reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. And, it can also improve blood pressure, immunity, and self-esteem. Relaxation helps to create endorphins, which help to decrease pain during labor, whereas fear causes the release of stress hormones and catecholamine that can increase pain and duration of labor.

Meditation helps to create melatonin, which is released into the bloodstream during stress-inducing times. It also produces endorphins that have very powerful pain-relieving effects, similar to morphine. The more dedicated the woman is to her prenatal meditation, the less afraid she will be of preconceived pain prior to the onset of labor.

`This allows the woman to be less disturbed by any actual pain. Therefore, it creates feelings of joy. Frequent practice results in higher levels of endorphins during labor. Regular practice of yoga and meditation is essential to prepare the mind and body for labor.

6. Supportive Network

Making sure to have people around who support your decisions is extremely important.

Without health care providers, friends and family members to support your decision it can be very difficult. Create a strong support system for the positive birthing environment. This enables the mother to be the love and encouragement she needs.

Making the effort to practice regularly, becoming educated as much as possible and keeping a positive attitude are essential to empower the mother-to-be and ensure she can birth with freedom and joy. Just as one would prepare for a marathon, the same provision should apply to the biggest life-changing event that a woman will experience. In addition to helping make pregnancy and labor easier, these modalities also help the post-partum body recover quicker.

These techniques prevent and treat postpartum depression and anxiety by allowing the mother some time to herself to nurture her mind-body connection. With so many physical and hormonal changes going on during this time, it is beneficial for the mother to take some time to decompress and build awareness with her changing body to adapt to each new stage of motherhood.

Thoughts about life and personal growth welled up as I replaced our daughter’s car seat with one that would be more comfortable for her as she grew.  Our little girl was growing up fast and it seemed like only yesterday I had put that original car seat in.

As I completed the new installation, thoughts of the snake that sheds its old skin, or the butterfly that breaks free from its cocoon quickly bubbled to the surface. A reflection on life had been staring me right in the eyes the whole time.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ~ Viktor E. Frankl

How does a car seat connect with personal growth?

As children get older, many things (car seats included) need to grow right along with them in order to help facilitate that growth. To watch a child grow and expand (which happens very quickly, by the way), makes you think about your own personal growth as well.

As a parent, there are moments that give you a glimpse into the future or a memory from the past. Parenthood also gives you the ultimate perspective that our physical lives are absolutely limited, and we have to do what we can with the time we’ve got.  You see, the car seat was a perfect representation that growth happens, and sometimes it happens like it or not.

Maybe you’re comfortably nestled in and happy with where you are in life. You’ve released your full potential, but that’s ok, as long as you’re happy. True happiness is true wealth and the key to living the life YOU desire.

But what if you’re not comfortable?

What if you feel a tension inside that’s holding you back from where you want to be? If you feel it (and we’ve all felt it at some point), it’s time to grow, and release what’s prohibited you from reaching your peak. But you’ve got to be willing to get uncomfortable and start letting go of your current reality. If you’re really ready to grow, you’ve got to accept and look forward to what could be, not what is.

“…Even the mightiest of redwoods would be but a bonsai if never freed from its restrictive planter.”

When growth happens from the inside, the outside becomes unstable. Not because we’re acting in an unstable manner from our desire to change, but because the outside cannot stay as it is if the inside is changing. It will eventually change with us or be released from our experience, this is law. The world around us is simply a reflection of the world within us.

Sometimes, you’ve got to shed that old skin if you want growth to happen. You’ve got to break out of that comfortable cocoon that’s housed you all this time. Even the mightiest of redwoods would be but a bonsai if never freed from its restrictive planter.

So ask yourself, “Is there something still out there that calls me? What in the world do I still want to experience?” and if an answer comes to mind, congratulations! You’re still alive and have time to do it. Start today. Start now. You’ve got one go-around in this body and you might as well continue to grow until the sun stops shining!

I loved to read when I was a child. I would spend hours upon hours reading the Oz books, Dr. Dolittle books, Paddington books, Little House series, and Wrinkle in Time series, to name just a few. I got lost in the worlds that the authors created, and it was easy to imagine myself alongside the characters enjoying the happy stories and the journey with them.

“What’s fascinated me from the time I was a little kid was the way we construct our lives through stories.”
~ Henry Louis Gates

The best part was always the ending. Even though I usually didn’t want the books to end, it made me feel good to know that the characters resolved their differences, moved through their challenges, and came to a place of greater awareness and peace.

Did you ever notice that? In children’s books, the main characters are allowed to learn and mature through their adventures. They encounter obstacles and learn their lessons, then come to a place of resolution. They are “allowed” to be happy.

For some reason, as adults, we look for more complicated storylines. Adult books and movies are filled with infinite twists and turns, and lots of darkness. Often when movies are tested on audiences, it’s the ending with an unresolved situation that tests strongest. It’s almost as if we want characters to feel lost, hurt, sad, and alone.

Why do we like to make things more complicated as adults? Why are we attracted to drama?

Some of you may say that the books and movies merely reflect life the way it “really” is.

But is that true?

What if life is one big story and we are the authors? Or, what if life is far easier than we make it? What if life challenges really can be smoothed out quickly and with little effort? What if we are making it all far more complicated than it needs to be?

For me, it’s simple. I prefer living a happy story where people smile and treat each other kindly. Occasionally we even break out in a song and dance. There is little drama, and at night everyone sleeps safely and soundly. That may be boring to some, but it suits me just fine.

So, when we come to that fork in the road and one path has a character holding a hatchet and wearing a bloody hockey mask while the other path has a fun-loving group of characters laughing and skipping along the way, you know which one I’ll pick!

Happily ever after,

Katrina

Spring cleaning your home is a chore. Spring cleaning your life is a calling.

A new spring brings with it the beautiful song of nature’s awakening. Budding vegetation sprouts from the earth, the sun prolongs its daily visit, and nature shares a small preview of the infinite source of abundance available.

As the Earth begins a new cycle, we as humans also share this ritual of renewal. But to make room for new growth, the collection of seasons past must be released. “Spring cleaning”, as we’ve come to know it, can be a positive and truly cleansing experience – not only for the home but the soul.

“Keep your own house and its surroundings pure and clean. This hygiene will keep you healthy and benefit your worldly life.” – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Cleansing the home

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with material items in your home?

If so, it’s time to cleanse. The release of clutter at home will also relieve clutter in the mind. Possessions are nice to have, but if they’re not being used functionally, they have the power to possess you and ultimately, control your life. Less is more; renewal in the home rejuvenates the mind and brings a new, clearer visualization into view.

While spring cleaning the home – declare that you’re not only cleaning your home, but also clearing your mind. Think of each area of the home being cleaned as a step toward fresh beginnings – one step closer to attaining a laser-sharp focus that creates unhindered success. You can raise your own level of positive energy when cleaning as well; turn on your favorite music, sing, smile, and dance around to make these tasks far more tolerable. Chances are, you won’t even realize how much you’ve completed while doing your own cleaning cha-cha!

What if clutter isn’t ready for the trash?

There’s surely no need to add to the landfills – to follow the adage of “One person’s trash is another’s treasure” is a valuable mantra to memorize while spring cleaning. Pack up items you’d like to keep but aren’t using. If you haven’t used them in 6 months, get rid of it. Give to people you know, The Salvation Army, Goodwill, or even Freecycle. You may not realize it, but the possessions you’re giving away will come back to you as a blessing in some form. Clean the mess to surely be blessed.

Cleansing the mind

“The state of your home is a reflection of the state of your mind.”

The home isn’t the only thing that could use a good spring cleaning. There’s plenty of thoughts taking up precious real estate in the thriving metropolis of your mind. Think about how you can create that laser sharp focus to achieve your dreams. What negative relationships are hindering you from being your best self? What negative thoughts and beliefs could be replaced with more enlightening, positive ones? Make a declaration for positivity to fill your life and reaffirm that declaration daily. Your willpower will prove to be the judge, jury and executioner of the negative energy cluttering that cortex of yours.

Once finished, celebrate and pamper the new YOU! You’re lighter in the home as well as the mind (and probably a few dollars richer from the things you didn’t need.), so why not turn that clutter into comfort? Celebrate who you are, how far you’ve come, and where you are going. Treat yourself to a pedicure, massage, or whatever else makes you feel good – you deserve it!

New home, new habits, new YOU!

From here on out, continue to love yourself fully – keep the dust bunnies of negativity at bay and get ready for new beginnings and opportunities to come. Give yourself the time YOU need to clear your mind, whether it be through yoga, taking a walk, exercising, painting, or just reading a book – you deserve to take as much care of yourself as everything and everyone around you. Without serving yourself, you can not truly serve others.

Shine on!