Pay Attention

 Have you ever noticed how animals exist?  They are constantly aware of their environment and get feedback from the things happening around them.  If not, they could be in danger and may not survive.  When I was studying Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) my teacher wrote on the board "PAY ATTENTION."  The universe is giving us messages all the time and helping us make decisions to move safely through the world.  The animals and insects have sensors or feelers that direct them.  We also have those feelers but in our busy world we tend to override them.

So many times in our lives we are going on automatic and we don't stop to see what is really happening around us.  Do we pay attention to our hunches or feelings and trust our instincts?  For me it takes practice.  The more I trust myself and pay attention to by feelings and instincts the more reliable they are.  I often stop myself when I get anxious and ask what is going on.  Am I sick?  Is there something or someone I need to check on?  Do I need to slow down and take a deep breath?  One day last week I awoke with a feeling of anxiety.  I told my husband and he said, "whatever it is we will deal with it."  What a reassuring statement that was for me.  Maybe all I needed was to have the reassurance that I was not alone and could handle anything that came up. 

When I look back at my life and realize all the things I have overcome to get to this point it gives me courage and confidence to go on.  Things that seemed insurmountable at the time, with hindsight were just another bump in the road.  One of the blessings of being older is that we can reflect on our lives and realize that we can and will overcome the challenges that confront us. 

So today I leave you with the thought of paying attention to the things around you.  Do you need to give someone or yourself a hug?  Do you want to trust yourself to try something new that has been on your mind?  Do we just want to have faith that tomorrow will bring sunshine?  PAY ATTENTION.....The world is here to give you clues.