Children will laugh so hard they fall over.  They fully indulge in life.  Why gently sniff a flower when you can bury your face in it and drink in all it has to offer.  Children can be our greatest teachers; are we open to their message?

They come into this world defenseless and totally trusting.  They accept what they are given with total faith that we know what is best for them.  They are ready to smile at us and practice the purest source of unconditional love.

Do you enjoy your children? Do you attempt to change them rather than observe all they have to offer you? Have you noticed that as they mature they become a reflection of the information key you gave them about life?  Not convinced?  The next time they engage in a behavior that disturbs you go within.  Ask yourself is this something that I have within me?  If they whine for instance ask yourself a series of questions “Is it possible they hear me complain a lot about the heat, how tired I am, how overwhelmed I am, how hard life has been, how stressed, how we need money, how hard work was?”  Is it possible they are just reflecting back to us how we show up to them?  

Do you show them what joy looks like?  When they walk in the room and their faces light up to see you does your face mirror their joy?  Have you noticed when you are busiest they look to grab your attention? Have you every considered the reason they do this is to bring you back to a joyful state?

What if you started to change your thought patterns about your children?  What if you see them as your teacher?  What if “SonofaB#tch don’t bother me right now”  Turned into “Let me take a moment to be present and connect with my child; to nurture one of the most important relationships in my life.”

The greatest gift we can give ourselves, is to understand we can choose our state.  We have the power to shift our state.  Do you believe you can do this?  Have you ever walked yourself through one state to accomplish a goal and created a new state for yourself?  How did it feel? What did it look like?  Write in and share your success story with us.

Go ahead.  Shift your state right now.  Are you distracted, stressed, scared, overwhelmed, hot, down, depressed?  Then make a decision right now to shift your state.  Think about happy times in your life. Remember what that felt like. Get up and move around.  Go for a walk.  Tackle one project you’ve put off.  Go hug your spouse, your child or visit someone in the office and say “hey how are things with you I’m going for a snack can I get you something?”  In fact go ask a bunch of people in your office.  Get out of yourself.  Stop your “KA KA” thoughts about you and shift your attention to being of service to another.

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.  When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” Buddha