You Are Your Thoughts

By Lisa Payne

Happy New Year everyone!

How are all of you feeling?

Have you chosen your word of the year? This year I choose to believe. I choose to believe that people are good. That even when others are in the midst of their worst moments I will still believe and support and love. Everyone gets a pass. I am leading my year ahead with an open heart and love. My dear friend Joni sent this to me recently and it made a deep imprint:

Hate has 4 letters, but so does love.

Enemies has 7 letters, but so does friends.

Lying has 5 letters, but so does truth.

Sad has 3 letters, but so does joy.

Negativity has 10 letters, but so does positivity.

Life is two sided. Choose the better side.

I find this powerful. For me, it’s not choosing the better side, but choosing the happier side. The side that makes me feel good.

We have choices. Every single day when we wake up we have a choice. Am I going to carry anger from a past hurt or am I going to forgive and move on? Am I going to let the muddy dog prints on my white carpet ruin my day or will I be happy to have a dog that shows me such unconditional love? Am I going to be annoyed that snoring kept me awake part of the night or am I going to wake up grateful that he loves me so much and always has coffee waiting? Sometimes I want to have the pity party and be mad or sad or angry. And that is okay. But I am also going to realize how bad I feel when I choose that negative route and then try to steer myself in the other direction.

I know several people who had a lot of heartache in 2023. One never knows when it will be their time to have to endure so much pain that it hurts to breathe. So much bad news that they feel it in the depths of their soul. The place where you go so low, you have to dig yourself out and it feels like you will never see the sun. The human spirit can be tested beyond comprehension, and the human spirit can also prevail. In the end, you get to choose.

Another good friend, Jill, told me about a book called E2 by Pam Grout. She knows I’m into the power of positive thinking and this book has experiments that prove your thoughts create your reality. It is crazy how these experiments work! It can help with those times when you need guidance making a decision, or want a sign from the other side, or even asking for a sign that you are on the right path. Every experiment that I have done so far has proven powerful and helpful. Maybe give it a shot this year!

The new year can be whatever you want it to be. Manifest your desires by asking your higher power for all the things you want, and watch what happens. I believe, and so can you.

Lisa Payne writes about home, family, and food. You can reach her at paynefam6@gmail.com.