Holiday Blues: 10 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress

Learn 10 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress from Amandah Tayler Blackwell.

The woman looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. “I don’t want to go to my aunt and uncle’s for Christmas. I don’t want to answer questions about why I’m not married yet or why I want to pursue my dreams.”

She continued to look at herself – tears formed in her eyes. She gripped the countertop hard; her knuckles looked as if they’d rip through her skin. She took a deep breath and released it.

“Maybe this year things will be different. I can make them be different. After all, I’m an adult and my parents can’t force me to do anything I don’t want to do anymore. I make my own decisions.”

It’s supposed to be the “most wonderful time of the year.” However, the holidays are the time of the year that most people despise.

While the holidays are a joy for some, for others they add more stress to their lives. Sadly, some people are driven to commit suicide for one reason or another.

Remember that you are in control of you. Whether you enjoy the holidays or not is entirely up to you.

It’s possible to laugh and smile your way through the holiday season. Read on to find 10 ways to beat holiday stress. Before you know it, you’ll be saying, “Ho! Ho!” instead of “No! No!” [Read more…]

Discover the Golden Ladder within Yourself and Climb Out of Your Pain

Discover The Golden Ladder within You from Amandah Tayler Blackwell.

In March 2007,  I began my metaphysical and spiritual (I sometimes refer to it as the Journey to the Center of Me.). As I started to peel back the layers of my life, the poetry within me began to come out. One of those poems is titled The Golden Ladder.

Sometimes, we hit rock bottom and can’t see a way out. However, if you adjust your eyes to the dark, you’ll see a glimmer of light, of hope. Furthermore, you’ll see that you within you is a golden ladder that you can use to climb out of the depths of your despair or whatever it is you’re feeling or going through.

When you begin to climb, pause on each rung and think about how you got there. Maybe you experienced a break up. Perhaps you lost your job. Maybe someone close to you died. Whatever your experiences are, learn the lessons so you may move forward. Find the love and carry it with you.

Here is The Golden Ladder.

The Golden Ladder

Deep inside lays a golden ladder,
You must seek your inner being to locate it.
It cannot and will not be found outside of you,
Although, I’m sure you’ll believe this to be untrue.

No one will present you with the golden ladder,
You must discover it yourself – it’s the only way.
Your life provides the map to it, with all of its twists and turns,
Do you accept the adventure?
Or will you run and hide?

The golden ladder will lead you to the top,
If you expect the best, this is where you will find it.
At top are all of the riches that your life has to offer,
What will you do to get them?

Complaining, blaming, whining, playing a victim,
These will not lead you to the golden ladder.
They are the obstacles that will prevent you from it,
It will become invisible to you, yet remain present.

Whether or not you chose to seek the golden ladder,
The outside world as you know it will continue on as it has been.
Its projection to you may be good or bad, prosperity or lack, success or failure,
It may shock you to know, you played a part in it all,
You were the key and did not realize it.

The choice is yours to seek the golden ladder,
The world will continue on as you know it,
Your life will continue to be as it is.
You could change it by seeking the golden ladder,
Take hold of it and begin to climb,
The choice is yours my friend, the choice is yours.

If you enjoyed this poem, I’d appreciate it if you shared it others on social media. Tweet it, post on Facebook, Pin it, etc. Email it too!

Have a Blessed Day and Life!

Journey to Wonderland: Discover the Magic of Your Life – Introduction

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Journey to Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Advice from a Caterpillar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my favorite books is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (commonly shortened to Alice in Wonderland) written by one of my favorite authors, Lewis Carroll.

I’ve read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland numerous times and always watch mini-series’ and films based on the book. I liked the 2010 movie featuring Johnny Depp. My favorite mini-series is the SyFy channels, Alice. It’s a modern take on Alice in Wonderland.

Like Alice, you may want to journey to your own Wonderland. You may want to get away from the Jabberwockies, Cheshire Cats, Dodos, and Hatters. You may want to escape the Queen of Hearts, Knave of Hearts and White Rabbits. You may want to avoid the Mock Turtles, March Hares, and other characters who may have hurt you or drive you crazy. On some level, you’ve invited these zany characters in your life. The power lies within you to keep the cast as they are or heal and transform them into a supporting cast. What’s it going to be?

Journey to Wonderland: Discover the Magic of Your Life teaches you how to embrace everything in your life, even the stuff you don’t want. The late and great best-selling author Debbie Ford always said, “What you resist persists.” She’s right. The more you push against something, the more it stays in your life. You continue to attract people and situations that seem to work against you.

The Wonderland of your life can be filled with magical moments. It can be filled with laughter, fun and sunshine. It doesn’t have to always be gray and gloomy. Although, gray can be good sometimes.

Fire breathing dragons don’t have to fly around your Wonderland and wreak havoc on your life. You don’t have to include people and situations that suck the life out of you.

Now is the time to take your Wonderland back before it’s too late!

Journey to Wonderland: Discover the Magic of Your life

If you’re tired of embarking on adventures that leave you exhausted and worn out instead of happy and light, read the 31 blog post series, Journey to Wonderland: Discover the Magic of your Life. You can transform your life within 31 days or less, if you’re willing to surrender your current belief and thought system.

Read Journey to Wonderland: Discover the Magic of Your Life with an open mind.

Toss out what you’ve learned for a moment and open to the possibility that life can be easy.

Open to the possibility that you don’t have to revisit old wounds or the past to heal it. Besides, why would you want to do this? What good comes of it? No good comes of it.

Surrender to the idea that you can have, be and do whatever you want right now, without any strings attached.

Your life can be drama free right now. Doesn’t that sound good? After all, isn’t it best to leave the drama on the pages of novels?

If you’ve said, “YES!” Than buckle up and get ready to Journey to Wonderland and have the greatest adventures of your life!

Reader of The Seussification of Life Invents a New Word: Seussism

I love receiving emails from my readers and received the following from Carol R., in Ohio:

I want you to know I just love “The Seussification of Life.” I carry it with me in my briefcase and refer to it daily. Anyway…I wanted to tell you that I invented a ‘new word’ after reading your book: Seussism. In fact, here’s one I thought of: You learn from me like I learn from you! Thanks again for your book. I just love it! I hope everyone reads it. ~Carol R., Ohio

The Seussification of Life: Daily Meditations for the Movin’ & Groovin’ Soul

Dr. Seuss, The Seussification of Life,Author Amandah Tayler Blackwell

You learn from me, like I learn from you.

There’s nothing that you or I can’t do.

So put on your thinking cap.

But not too tight so that it makes you want to take a nap.

Now sit in your favorite chair and let your imagination run wild.

You remember how, don’t you? Just like when you were a child.

There, doesn’t that make you smile?

After all of that thinking, you probably feel like you ran a mile!

Get a pen and paper and sit for a while longer.

Write down your ideas when you’re ready.

Let them flow free. This is the key.

Tomorrow, you can start the process all over again.

Perhaps you can invite a friend to join you.

After all, two minds are better than one!

Over to you. Got a Seussism you’d like to share? Leave it in the comments below.

If you’ve enjoyed this post and rhyme, I’d be grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing to a friend, or sharing it on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever your favorite social network is. Thank you!

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How Dr. Seuss Teaches You that You Matter

Dr. Seuss’ quote, “A person’s a person no matter how small,” from Horton Hears a Who! makes the point that YOU matter because you are you.

It doesn’t matter if you have five degrees or a corporate jet. You matter because you exist.

Don’t allow others to make you feel inferior. Remember, they need your consent to do so.

In The Seussification of Life: Daily Meditations for the Movin’ & Groovin’ Soul, you’ll find 31 quotes from Dr. Seuss along with fun rhymes and exercises.

 How Dr. Seuss Teaches You that You Matter

Here’s an excerpt from the first chapter of The Seussification of Life: Daily Meditations for the Movin’ & Groovin’ Soul.

The Seussification of Life: Daily Meditations for the Movin' & Groovin' Soul, Dr. Seuss

“You may be tempted to think you’re small and unworthy because you haven’t accomplished your dreams yet, or aren’t living the lifestyle that your friends and family live. Luckily, you don’t have to follow the crowd. You don’t ave to drive a fancy car or live in a “McMansion.” You don’t have to surround yourself with things in order to stand out and make a difference. You already stand out because you are you. You can achieve our dreams if you stand in faith and stay open to opportunities. For example, have you ever been overlooked for a job promotion? You may have been discouraged and thought, The boss and upper management don’t see me. But what if you were overlooked for the job promotion because there was something better on the horizon that you couldn’t see? You may have felt small at the time, and you may have been upset, but what you couldn’t see was the promotion that was on its way to you. A promotion that was bigger than you could have ever imagined.”

Do you see how you matter because you are you? Money, cars, clothes, etc. can be gone in a flash. Why? Because they’re material. They can be replaced in no time.

There is only ONE you and YOU matter.

You matter because you are here.

You matter to those who are near and dear

You matter so do not fear that you don’t.

How do you teach those in your life that they matter? Share your tips in the comments below.

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