Life Attractions

Celebrate Your Strengths by Expressing Appreciation

Have you been able to express what you appreciate today? One way to remember to do it, is to focus on your strengths. Stop and think, what is it that you enjoy doing the most?  Then start observing what you appreciate in that strength around you.  It helps you to form a focus so you can get things done.  It also makes it easier to take action.  As you take more action, you will find your confidence and happiness will be begin to surge.

For example, I decided to change some of my attitudes towards eating.  I enjoy teamwork, so I noticed the strengths and contributions of others, especially at mealtine.  The social conversations and expression of appreciation became most enjoyable.  Indeed, it was much more pleasant than the consumption of food. This made it much easier to maintain my diet. I could celebrate the strengths of others as well as the support for myself.  Now isn't that attractive?

Nourish The Seeds of Change and Create a Spectacular Life

Would you like to nourish the seeds of change to create a spectacular life? Once you have a dream you will need to nourish it for it to grow.  Start looking for the seeds of your dream in what you already have. These are the seeds of change. Then look for a simple and powerful form of nourishment to help them grow.  For me, the most powerful form of nourishment are validations. Validations are an expression of gratitude in the form of appreciation. When you are grateful and express your appreciation, you are validating the life force that is needed for growth.

Being grateful is much more than just listing what you liked during the day, or remembering to say a ritual “Thank You.” When we do this, gratitude can become just another another job.  Gratitude is much more empowering when you see it as your choice to validate life. Gratitude recognizes that there exists a force for life that can transform the challenges that come your way.  You put gratitude into practice when you notice this gift of life and express your appreciation to yourself and others.

You can cultivate gratitude by taking a moment to reflect on some of the highlights of your life. For example, it could be the birth of a child, completing a race, or accomplishing a goal by working with a team. Go with the feeling of life’s power to overcome challenges, put yourself in the flow. Savor it. You also experience it when your are absorbed, doing what you really like to do, and notice the gifts of others.  You may experience this most of the time. Notice this life force during the day.

This is easy to do. You can reflect on it in the car on the way to work, at night before going to sleep, in the morning when you are putting on your socks, or in the evening when you are appreciating the positive moments of the day. You may want to write them down. It will give you more enthusiasm for life. Studies have shown that people who are grateful are more optimistic, come closer to reaching their goals, exercise more, and have high levels of vitality and well being.
 
Most important is expressing your gratitude and appreciation to others. It works well as a focus for promoting all of your relationships.  Expressions of appreciation are most effective when they are authentic, that is, from the heart, consistent, and specific.  For example, you can validate a child by saying, "What I appreciate about you today is . . ."  The more specific the better.

Studies show that when parents express love, optimism, and a zest for life, their children become happier.  When partners express appreciation to their mates, it builds their relationships.  When managers walk around and acknowledge their workers, productivity is enhanced.  When customers are
acknowledged for their purchases, they are more likely to purchase again.  All in all, validations can help grow a spectacular life in many ways.  Now, isn’t that attractive?

Finding Your Direction in Challenging Times: Getting Aligned With a Powerful Declaration

One way to find your direction in challenging ties is to get aligned with a powerful declaration. A Declaration  is a formal statement that focuses our energy.  It is a way to align our higher
intentions, vision, mission, goals, and plans.  The most famous of all declarations is the
Declaration of Independence.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed
by their creator with unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Caroline Myss calls this "The Sacred Contract of America."  A sacred contract is an agreement made for the planet's highest good.  Each individual, family, and nation has a sacred contract. It is a combination of patterns of power that give the path to our Divine Purpose. Each of our sacred contracts is woven into that our nation, and needs to be maintained as a conscious citizen.  America is one of the most pivotal nations in the world for seeding Global self esteem.  The challenge before us is to reconnect with the Vision of our forefathers and honor the wisdom that has gone before us.   One place to start is by honoring your character and strengths.

You can begin by exploring your character strengths. As I have mentioned in previous posts you can begin to identify the character strengths most unique to you by taking the VIA strengths test at the Authentic Happiness website.  Then reflect on how you have used them in your life. Also consider which ones are most prevalent in your family.  How have they helped you to meet the challenges in your life?  Everyone has them.   Then consider your major challenges today, how would you like to use them to meet that challenge? This will help you to define your contribution, fuel your passion, and give you a deep sense of gratification.  

What is unique about this set of character strengths is that they reflect six classes of virtues common to most cultures and traditions.  Moreover, they have stood the test of time, having been espoused by many cultures over the generations.  You will discover that when you start discovering your strengths it will enhance your self esteem, and your mindset will change.  You will discover that you will be seeing strengths in others.  If you do, be sure to share what you discover.  It will help you to validate their strengths and yours as well. 

 

 

Fulfilling The Sacred Contract of America: What Each of Us Can Do

This week we are inspired to honor America's highest ideals, first with the celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday, and then with the historic inauguration of President Obama.  Carolyn Myss, believes this is "The Sacred Contract of America."

At the same time, we are faced with many challenges -- a failing economy, stress, and environmental crises. Many have wondered how can we continue to carry out these ideals in our daily lives.

Come join Dr. Alice Vlietstra, human development consultant and coach, for a complementary one hour teleseminar on Friday, January 23 at 2:00 PM CST (www.Time.gov).  It will help you to align what you are now already doing with the powerful vision set before us.
 
Dr. Alice will do this by sharing with you a powerful set of tools that will clarify the key strengths you
already may have, of which you may not be aware. This teleseminar will enable you to:

1.  Raise your self image and connect with others, individually and collectively.

2. Discover the hidden power within yourself that allows you to experience flow, focus, and become
deeply gratified.

3. Tap into the power your lineage in order to give your life meaning and get things done.

4. Gain focus and clarity on your contribution while, at the same time, enjoying effective teamwork.

5. Experience more joy, harmony, and peace in your relationships, whether they are in the community,  at work, or at home.

In order to participate, just put your name in the box in the upper right hand corner in order to
receive the link.  We also will be sending out a reminder before day of the program. 

Warm Regards,

Dr. Alice Vlietstra
  

 

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities: The Power of Connecting with Your Strengths

Today we are experiencing uncertain times. The structures we thought would support us are no longer working. Has this presented a challenge for you?  Do you feel lost and confused? Do you see many opportunities before you, and feel overwhelmed with the many options?  Do you wish to take action, and find yourself hesitant with the uncertainty?

I would like you to consider the benefits of discovering and honoring your strengths.  Some of the most powerful strengths are those that have identified in Positive Psychology, Character Strengths and Virtues.  You can easily discover your unique strengths by going to the Authentic Happiness website
and taking the VIA Strengths Test.

The excitement, however, from using strengths, however, does not result from simply identifying
them, or seeing the words on a sheet of paper.  In order to really discover their power you need
to be able to take action, use them, and discover how they apply to your life.   

In earlier posts I have shared with you the power of declarations in aligning your intentions, vision,
mission, actions and goals. The most famous declaration is The Declaration of Independence. In the last post, I shared with you Caroline Myss work on The Sacred Contract of America. She believes it is the seeding of global self-esteem. When you understand the work on character strengths, you will see how you can help to contribute to this mission, one moment at a time, right where you are, with the people that are meaningful in your life. Most fascinating about the work on character strengths, is that it emerged from Philadelphia, the birth place of our country. Do you sense the mystical influence?

Here are seven benefits of honoring your strengths. I will be discussing in my upcoming teleseminar and in my posts.

1)  You will discover the hidden power within yourself. Often we look to external forces for our happiness: food, stuff, or money.  Strengths help you gain access to the flow that comes from within.

2)  When you are in your strengths you will find yourself engaged, absorbed, and deeply gratified by serving a higher purpose.

3)  Your unique combination of strengths helps you to focus.  Each person has three to five strengths that they use most frequently, rather than many. When you are aware of them, they will help you  to focus your energy. You can use the same strengths in many situations, at home, at work, and in the community.

4)  Because strengths are related to higher ideals, they help you to bring out the best of yourself, so that you can fulfill your higher potential.  The positive energy helps you to collaborate with others.

5)  When you define your area contribution you will find that you can better appreciate the contributions of others.  This allows for more effective teamwork.

6)  Strengths have the power to transform the negative into the positive.  Have you ever noticed that some people "push your buttons?"  You will see it very differently when you discover their strengths.

7)  Character strengths span the generations. When you find ways to connect with your strengths, you will tap in the power of your lineage and create hope for the future.

Now isn't that attractive? I look forward to hearing from you

Warm Regards,

Dr. Alice

 

America's Sacred Contract: Crisis or Opportunity

A most wonderful and passionate story teller, Caroline Myss has prepared a CD "The Sacred Contract of America." It will invite you to actively participate in resurrecting America to its highest potential.  America, according to Caroline Myss, currently "is on a respirator." She recognizes that many Americans feel disappointed on what their country has become.

Then she gives the history of America in a way that is inspiring, moving, and helps you to reconnect with the vision of our founding fathers. By reconnecting with the original vision, you can rediscover what it means to be an American. 

She does this through her concept of "A Sacred Contract." A sacred contract is an agreement made for the planet's highest good. Each individual, family, and nation, has a sacred contract. It is a combination of patterns of power, which she calls archetypes, which give the pattern to our divine purpose.  Originally unconscious, we can become aware of them, -  where they are beneficial and where they are not. Then we have a choice, and can consciously choose to use them for good.

Each individual's sacred contract is woven into that of the nation and needs to be maintained as a conscious citizen.  Caroline Myss describes the twelve major archetypes of America, and how they have influenced our lives.  She believes that America is one of the most pivotal nations in the world for seeding global self esteem.  Then she gives the history of the impact of the archetypes in promoting self esteem, where they have succeeded and failed.

Caroline Myss challenges us to reconnect with America's original vision and to remember the wisdom that has gone before us.  She asks hard questions, presents disturbing information, but at the same,  offers few practical answers on what people can do. It needs to be positive action. This is where we can better coordinate our resources.   More to come.
   

 

Change - Little Actions, Consistently Taken, Bring Big Results

This year I have decided to look for the best.  It all started over the holiday break, as I was reflecting on the last words of my father to our family before he passed. He was the son of an immigrant. It was his dream for our family to honor the "Finest of America."

As I began to think about it, I found it was a most fascinating topic. There was much to write about. Many ideas came to my mind. The spirit was so strong I had no choice but to say, "YES. This will be my focus for the year." Later on that day I realized that it was the anniversary of my father's birthday.

As you have seen on my last post, my first discovery was the American inspiration for change, The Declaration of Independence. The vision of our forefathers was to honor our inalienable rights to "Life, Liberty, and Happiness."  We can honor this vision in our actions every day, just by sharing our gratitude by letting others know what we appreciate.
 
I was listening to Alex Mandossian in his Teleseminar Secrets class on Monday.  Late into the evening, one of the students asked.  "What do you believe is most important for success?"  He believed that success resulted from small actions, consistently taken, every day.

For example, on his blog, at www.alexmandossian.com, Alex put up a post on the importance of  expressing appreciation, in small actions every day. Its power can be seen in this YouTube clip on validation. 

When we express our gratitude and appreciation we are doing more than sharing with others, we are also honoring the vision of our forefathers. When we do so, it makes a space for the spirit of our forefathers to support us. This strengthens our faith and our resolve to accomplish a goal. The results might be bigger than you think.
 
 
 

Declarations: A Powerful Secret for Change

Now that we are in the New Year, many are taking time to reflect and resolve to change for the better. Before making resolutions and setting new goals, I suggest that you relate it to a higher purpose.

There are many ways in which we can direct our efforts for the future.  We can do it by honoring our
higher intentions, creating a vision, mission or purpose, and following it with a plan with specific
goals.  A powerful secret for change is to make sure all of the aspects of change are aligned. You can do this with a declaration. 

A declaration is a formal statement that directs and focuses our energy. All energy travels in
frequencies and vibrations. When you state a declaration out loud, it goes throughout your body.
If you touch your body at the same time, you will feel the resonance in your body. The higher the vibration of the declaration, the greater the power. 

The Declaration of Independence is an example of this power.  The government of the entire United States emanates from these words. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." This is a profound statement of the freedom,liberty, and equality of all men by virtue of endowment by a divine higher power. When you state this words, with your hand on your heart, you will feel the vibration in your body.

A declaration directs the kinds of actions that must be taken to make an intention a reality.  This is
because it aligns your actions with a higher principle. The Declaration of Independence was formed when Americans were feeling oppressed.  They were in their darkest hour. The Declaration of Independence formed the path for change. If it worked for our forefathers, it also may work for you.
 
Connect your intentions for change with a higher purpose. Then form a declaration and say it to yourself or with others. For example, I talked with a youth the other day.  He did not want to live with his parents forever. So he made a declaration to become more independent by getting to school on time.  This helped him to be more responsible for his actions.  It was a benefit for himself, his family, and his country too.