You’re walking down a path.  Along this path there are stones of all shapes and sizes.  As you walk along, some stones are in the middle of your path, and others are on the sides.

The ones on your path are those events of your day.  They are easy to pick up.  [...]]]>

You’re walking down a path.  Along this path there are stones of all shapes and sizes.  As you walk along, some stones are in the middle of your path, and others are on the sides.

The ones on your path are those events of your day.  They are easy to pick up.  They are right there.

The ones on the side of the path are the ones you’d have to consciously choose to walk over and pick them up.

As you walk along your path, and you “bump into” the stones on the path, you are faced with a choice.  Pick them up, walk around them, or step over them.  These are the obvious choices.  Some of those big ones, though, are tougher.  Stepping over them isn’t quite as easy.  It’s a long walk around them.  Picking them up seems to be the choice.

The big ones, for whatever reason, are almost always easy to pick up.  The tough part is putting that big one down.  You then choose to walk with it.  Those big ones are heavy!  It tires you out!  And yet you cannot put it down.  By the end of your day, you’re tired.

Funny thing about this, you again, for whatever reason, choose to hang onto that big stone, and take it to bed with you.  It’s pretty tough to sleep with this big stone.  It’s a bed hog, and often lays right on your chest.  Sometimes it even makes it tough to breathe.  By the next morning you’re absolutely exhausted.

Sometimes as you walk down the path, you pick up more than one big stone.  There’s a lot going on.  The burden is even heavier, but you cannot put them down.

Days and nights of carrying around these stones begins to take it’s toll on you.  Your body and mind are tired, and you seem to have disconnected from your Spirit.

Years of carrying around you have forgotten what it’s like to walk around without stones, and think this must be normal.  You don’t look like you used to.  You don’t feel like you seem to remember feeling.  Your body doesn’t function the way it used to either.  You’ve aged.  Some dis-ease has begun to set in.

This isn’t what you signed up for.  This isn’t what life is supposed to be about.  At least, that’s what you’ve heard…somewhere.

That’s the Worry Path.  We’ve all walked along it at some point.

Here’s the thing.  It’s not really the Worry Path.  It’s just a Path, and those Stones are just Thoughts.

Remember the stones along the side of the path?  They were the ones you would have to consciously walk over to in order to pick them up.  Those ones are a little out of the way, but they’re special.

They’re light.  You can fill up your arms with them, and walk without effort.  Plus, when you walk over to them, sometimes you see the way around the big ones in the middle of the path.  Even better, when you fill your arms with them, you don’t have any room to pick up the big ones either.

By the end of the day, when you have filled your arms with the small ones on the side of the road, you still feel fine.  When you go to bed, everything is okay too.  They’re easy to put down, and are actually kind of soft and squishy.  They make good pillows!  You can rest your head on them, and fall asleep right away.  When you wake up, you’re refreshed.

Some of these small squishy stones are still there in the morning, but most of them have disappeared and made their way back onto the side of the road again, ready for you to notice them, walk over, and pick them up.  They’re always there on the side of the road, just waiting patiently for you.

Some days, it almost seems like they’re bouncing on the side of the road trying to get your attention—especially then they’re a particularly big stone in the middle of the road.  It’s almost like they’re hoping you’ll notice them so they can point out the way around the big rock.

But you don’t always notice.  Sometimes you forget they’re there, and all you notice is the big stones.  You bend down and pick it up.  It’s in the way.

You’ve found the Worry Path again.

***

Worry is an insidious, contagious, purposeless thought.

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy." ~Leo Buscaglia

Don’t mistake Worry for Awareness.  They are not the same.  You can be aware of something and choose not to worry.

The question always is, “HOW?”

How do you NOT worry when it’s sitting right in front of you?

Find a different stone to pick up…find a different thought.

Look for it, and find it.  Make the decision to fill your brain with different thoughts.

Here are some ways for you to consciously change your thoughts.

Youtube

Search for laughing babies, funny animals, videos of your favourite song, comedy skits, etc.  There’s ALWAYS something on Youtube that will make you laugh.  Make sure you share whatever you find!  There’s bound to be someone in your circle of influence who needs a pick-me-up too.  What’s your favourite video on Youtube?

Music

Choose something that gets your feet and hips moving…something joyfully contagious.  Make a CD filled with your Joyful music.  Keep copies in your car, at your office, in the kitchen, the laundry room, and where ever else you can listen to music.  Get a cheap mp3 player, and keep it with you at all times.  Make it easy for you to pick it up and listen whenever you need that pickup.

Dump & Flip

This Tool is from the Joy Journal Audio Program (a 5 minute daily tool for consciously directing your thoughts for Joy).  This tool is for those really tough days when the worry gets right up in your face.

Get a piece of paper and fold it in half so you have two columns.  On the left side dump out all the crap. In point form list what’s upsetting you, frightening you, worrying you, ticking you off.  Get it all out.  By doing this you are acknowledging what is, and releasing it onto the paper.

On the right side, give each item on the left a flip.  Write it as a positive opposite.  For example, “Dealt with a miserable customer” turns into  “I get such awesome customers that are a joy to serve.”  Do this for each item on the left side of the paper.

Take the piece of paper and rip it down the middle at the fold.  Keep the right side.  This is a vision.  Fold it up and put in your pocket, or keep it where ever you wish.  Get rid of the left side.  Tear it up, or burn it.  It doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you get rid of it.

By keeping the right side and throwing away the left you are symbolically choosing your happy thoughts and releasing the negative thoughts.

No matter what’s going on in your life, there is only one path…one stream of thoughts, and it’s yours.  No one and no thing controls which thoughts you pick up or don’t pick up other than you.  Make sure you’re looking around and not just looking at the ones that are right in front of you.  Look off to the sides, and consciously pick the ones that add to the joy of your day.

Don’t walk The Worry Path.

Dream BIG!

Velma Gallant
The Queen of JOY!
Host of Welcome Changes Radio

PS ~ The Joy Journal Audio Program will help you consciously choose your thoughts, and it only takes 5 minutes a day.  Your happiness IS worth 5 minutes a day.

PPS ~ Check out Journey Through a Course in Miracles.  These short lessons will support you to put down those heavy stones you’ve been carrying around.

It’s that time of the year where New Years Resolutions are made.  Some are made loudly.  Others are made quietly for fear of not being achieved. 

What we chose for our New Years Resolutions are things we figure we need to Resolve…a Problem…something [...]]]>

Image by nexus6 via Flickr

It’s that time of the year where New Years Resolutions are made.  Some are made loudly.  Others are made quietly for fear of not being achieved. 

What we chose for our New Years Resolutions are things we figure we need to Resolve…a Problem…something we don’t like about ourselves.

Perhaps we need to lose a few pounds. Maybe it’s to quit smoking. Sometimes it’s to start doing something we think we SHOULD be doing.

No matter how you look at it, when you make these types of Resolutions you’re fixing something.

What if, instead of fixing something, you chose to build on something?

What is something you already do well at that you’d like to do better at?  What’s something you have a gift for that you could be sharing more?

Do you enjoy swimming? Could you resolve to swim weekly instead of randomly when you can fit it in?

Do you love to entertain?  Could you resolve to have friends over once a month?

Do you love to play music?  Could you take up a new instrument, or perhaps find people to play music with?

Your chances of achieving your Resolution go up significantly if it’s a Resolution you love.

For a change, your Resolution will be contributing to your JOY instead of your frustration.

Resolve to build on what’s already wonderful about You.  Build on a Strength, Talent or Gift.

Resolve to grow You and Your JOY!

Wishing You Joy and Prosperity in this New Year!

Dream BIG!

Velma Gallant
The Queen of JOY!

PS ~ Today is the last day to receive more than 66% off of the JOY Journal Audio Program  That’s just $11 to support you to Grow You and Your JOY!  You’re worth it!  Use the Code “LIFEISTOOSHORT” to get your discount.

My beautiful day actually started last night. 

My Grandma (who’s in her 80’s) gave me a call to wish me a Happy Birthday.  We talked for about 30 minutes, and shared some laughs.  I told her some stories about some of the things we are experiencing with our son, including his broken [...]]]>

My beautiful day actually started last night. 

My Grandma (who’s in her 80’s) gave me a call to wish me a Happy Birthday.  We talked for about 30 minutes, and shared some laughs.  I told her some stories about some of the things we are experiencing with our son, including his broken finger and his distress with it.  Can’t play video games as well with a broken finger you know!

Then I check my Facebook accounts (I have two…private and public) and Birthday wishes were filtering from friends and family around the world.

I hopped out of the shower, and my birthday gift from my husband and son was sitting on the bed.  It was something I really REALLY wanted…one of those hand held blenders.  Mine pooched a long time ago, and I just didn’t get around to getting another one.  This one’s pretty fancy with multiple speeds, and looks heavy duty! 

I’ve been paying more attention to nutrition with my quest to bring my body into balance this year.  I’ve been enjoying reading Nourishing Traditions and learning a lot.  Quite fascinating actually.

My husband took me out for a scrumptious breakfast after our workout.

The sun is shining, and we are supposed to get up to a balmy -13C today (which is quite beautiful after yesterday’s -38C with the wind chill).

All in all it’s been an absolutely FANTASTIC day!

And, as the tradition with just about everyone on the internet, I do have a Gift to share with you too.

If you head on over to http://welcomechanges.com/products-services you can use this coupon code (happy) to get 44% off of anything on the site.  That includes all the digital products (the whole TWO of them…Juicy Bites of Welcome Changes Ebook and JOY Journal Audio Program) and the coaching packages as well.  After all, it’s my 44th Birthday.  A Banner Year!

I am grateful for all the many blessings my life is filled with, and I’m reminded on a daily basis how beautiful my life truly is…even with all the bumps, curves and potholes. 

Love,

Velma

PS ~ The Coupon Code of “happy” will be valid until midnight November 30th, so don’t wait too long to take advantage of it.

PPS ~ This is the first time I’ve offered a coupon on coaching packages too.  You could save over $1100!  (It will give you 44% off of the monthly payment plan for 6 months as well.)

An after I published PPPS ~ I goofed…it won’t work for the subscription, but if that’s what you need, I’ll still give you the 44% discount. We’ll just have to process this another way.

It seems like we’ve been together forever, and it seems like just yesterday when he was on one knee proposing to me beside Lake McGregor on the way to visit my Mom.

We’ve laughed a lot, and we’ve cried a lot [...]]]> I’m thrilled to be celebrating our 11th Anniversary with my wonderful Hubby!

It seems like we’ve been together forever, and it seems like just yesterday when he was on one knee proposing to me beside Lake McGregor on the way to visit my Mom.

We’ve laughed a lot, and we’ve cried a lot over these years.  It’s been easy, and it’s been difficult too.  We’ve been through some pretty major ups and downs together.  One of the major ups was the birth of our son.

And…

It’s all been worth it.  I’m looking forward to the next 39 years.  (We figured it out…We’ll be in our mid-80’s…we could reach 50 years!)

Please join me in celebrating.  A celebration is always made better with friends!

I also want to share a gift with you, because isn’t that what everyone does?  I’m almost always different, but I can be the same sometimes too!  Please enjoy $11 off of my Joy Journal Audio Program.  When you click the buy now, use the coupon code of HAV (short for Happy Anniversary Velma).  I’m going to leave the coupon code active for just one week, so it expires on September 24th.

Today is a Joy-filled day for me.  Thank you for Celebrating with me!

Dream BIG!

Velma Gallant
The Queen of JOY!

PS ~ I don’t really have a PS, but this was looking naked without one!

He’s looking forward to the Easter Bunny coming too.  He doesn’t get a lot of candy, and he’s OK with that.  When the Easter Bunny comes to our house, he hides [...]]]> Easter Break is coming.  We received the notice in our son’s backpack.   Six days off, plus off early on Thursday.  He’s tickled.

He’s looking forward to the Easter Bunny coming too.  He doesn’t get a lot of candy, and he’s OK with that.  When the Easter Bunny comes to our house, he hides plastic eggs with change in them.  He’s hoping for lots of Loonies!  (For those of you who don’t know, that’s the Canadian $1 coin.)  He has such fun, and so do I watching him zip around the house looking for the plastic eggs.

Easter also seems to make Spring official.  Daffodils are at the flower shops, and maybe even peaking up in some gardens too.  (I don’t have any, but I’m looking for signs that my transplanted rose bushes survived the Winter.)

Spring is all about New Beginnings too.

I’m ready for it!

I have made some decisions, and I’m ramping up to make some more decisions.

One decision I made was to ease up on the Welcome Changes Radio schedule for the summer.  There will be no shows for the last week of July and the last two weeks of August.  I felt this would be much more kind to me than trying to pre-record shows, which would require me essentially doing two shows in one week, just to have one pre-recorded show.  That’s a lot of work!  Besides, if I’m not kind to me, how can I expect anyone else to be kind to me? I have to set a good example. 

I made a decision to launch a group coaching program in May called “Joy Made Easy…and Fast!” which will be a six month program, limited to 8 individuals.  If there is enough of a response, I’ll create two separate classes.

I also made a decision to close the doors on “Joy Made Easy” Community Coaching.  The program didn’t work out as I had hoped.  This is okay with me.  I received a lot of clarity from this experience. 

I’m flirting with some other decisions, including researching fermented foods, and possibly incorporating more raw food into my diet.

Anyway, enough about me and my decisions.

The question is, are you ready to make some decisions?

Have you already made some decisions?

Are you flirting with some decisions?

If you are flirting with decisions this may be of value for you.  I’ve created an Easter Break Special with two of my favourite products.  Juicy Bites of Welcome Changes, and JOY Journal Audio Program.  I’ve reduced their prices both down to $19.  That’s an $8 savings on the ebook, and $14 on the audio program.  The special is ONLY available here:  http://welcomechanges.com/easter-break.

This special is only available as long as that page is live, which will be until April 16th.

Remember, don’t go to Juicy Bites of Welcome Changes or JOY Journal Audio Program.  If you go there, you’ll be paying full price. 

Go to http://welcomechanges.com/easter-break and you’ll get the special price of $19 each.

Now, I must look for some elbow, knee and wrist pads so I can learn how to Rollerblade.  That’s another one of my decisions. 

Have a FANTASTIC day, and a Fabulous Easter!

I got SPRING FEVER!

Dream BIG!

Velma Gallant
The Queen of JOY!
Host of Welcome Changes Radio

PS ~ If you’ve made some strong decisions and you’d like to plurk (play+work=plurk) together to make it happen, visit here:  http://welcomechanges.com/products-services/private-sessions/.  Request your interview to begin the process.