Book Review-Wayne Dyer's The Power of Intention

" We are already one and we imagine
we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. Whatever we have to be is what we are."
-Thomas Merton-


Well hello there,

Today, I wanted to share with you my review of the book,

The Power of Intention. Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way

Now, before I begin, I want to state I received a copy of this book free of charge from Hay House, as they reviewed my blog and thought my readers might like to hear about the book. I want to make sure I am compliant with all FTC regulations, and let you know that although I received this book without charge, the review is my own personal opinion after having read the book from cover to cover. Okay, thanks for letting me clear up those housekeeping items. On to the review.

I read this book some time ago. It was a joy to flip the pages and learn more about the power of intention, the force in the universe that we all have the power to call upon to move our lives forward.

But I wanted to wait before publishing this review, to wait until the end of the year, when so many of us are looking to make changes in our lives and to improve upon our circumstances. As we count down the hours to the end of one year, and the welcoming of another, we could all use a little help in understanding how we really create what we want in our lives. And the answer is not in a list of unrealistic resolutions.





And, if you are grieving a loss in your life, or trying to bounce back from tough times, discovering intention can help you understand the power that you have at your disposal to get through anything that presents itself in your life.





The answer? Real change in your life comes from within. It comes when you realize you are not alone, but connected to something much larger than yourself. Dr. Dyer describes this as source, it could also be described as God, Buddha, the universe, whatever works for you. Change in your life comes when you are inspired, letting spirit work through you, to lead you to your purposeful life.

For me, as I read the book, I began to understand what happened to me when I started to write. When I let everything else go, with my own ego, and how I thought I should be, act, live and grieve, I was able to connect with a power I never knew existed. And that power gave me strength, even in the darkest of days. It showed me, at the loneliest and saddest time of my life, that I was not alone. And, the answer to every question is, and always will be, love.


This book is a gift. Not only is the presentation beautiful, with illustrations that provoke the imagination and quotes from some of the greatest thinkers of our time. The words crafted within those pages serve as an awakening for the reader.

The book is divided into three sections:


Part One: The Essentials of Intention. Understanding the power of intention and how to connect to it in your own life.


Part Two: Guide to intention and how to apply the principles. This is the practical application, the how to make it work for you in your own life.


Part Three: Description of how Dr Dyer sees someone who is connected to the power of intention.

I have read previous works from Dr. Dyer, and I am always impressed with how he simplifies complicated concepts and writes in a way that connects with the readers. This book is not different. The most powerful three pieces of the book for me?

1. Intention is not something we do, it is a connection that we acknowledge.

2. We all have a choice to connect to the power of intention or not.

3. The seven faces of intention:

• Creativity
• Kindness
• Love
• Beauty
• Expansion
• Unlimited Abundance
• Receptivity

Look above. It's all the good stuff right?

Now, put the three together.

We are connected to a source bigger than ourselves. If we allow ourselves to reconnect to that source, it will guide us to a better and more peaceful life filled with good stuff. It is our choice to see ourselves either connected or separate.

As I have said before, the answer is love.

I could go on and on about this, and the book is so much more than my simplistic explanation. Bottom line, it is worth the read. Let Dr. Dyer show you the power that you are already connected with, but may not be able to see in your life right now. As the year comes to a close, and you are envisioning the life you want for yourself in the future, take some time to read this book, and truly understand that there are no limits.

Two thumbs up from Kelly Sue.


The book can be purchased at the following:


Hay House: http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=5110&utm_id=3313





Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Intention-Learning-Co-create-World/dp/1401925960/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289416372&sr=1-3





Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Power-of-Intention/Wayne-W-Dyer/e/9781401925963/?itm=1&USRI=the+power+of+intention





Chapters Indigo ( Canada): http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Power-Intention-Gift-Edition-Learning-Wayne-Dyer/9781401925963-item.html?ikwid=the+power+of+intention&ikwsec=Books

Have a good one,

Kelly

Merry Christmas to you...

"I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the word seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses." -- Taylor Caldwell

This quote sums it up very well. So, on this, the most magic day of the year, I wish you all Merry Christmas. May the reason for the season sit in all of your hearts on this eve and throughout the year. Take some time tonight to look up to the sky and count your blessings.

Here's Chris Botti and Ave Maria.....simply amazing.

Merry Christmas,

Kelly

Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep....

“Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.”-Og Mandino-


White Christmas is one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. And each year, after I watch it, I am reminded why this simple song is a classic.

It can be just as easy as listening to Bing's suggestion you know. Look for your blessings today, they are all around you.

Sing along with me...

Kelly

The Best Gift You Can Put Under the Tree....

"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" - Bob Hope -

I 'm working some last minute preparations today. I'm sure I am not the only one.

So, I wanted to share with you my #1 gift suggestion to place beneath your tree this year. I, like so many of you, have learned through the trials of life, how fleeting our time can be with the people we love. And, with life moving at the speed of a text message, we can sometimes forget to slow ourselves down and really drink up the moments with the people who mean the most to us. When I think back to my fondest memories of Stephen, it is never anything to do with material things he may have given me. It is always our late night chats, where we would solve all the world's problems and some of our own as well. When I think back to my cherished recollections of my father, it is never the gifts he gave me that make my heart smile. It is the long and intimate conversations I would have with him, when he would tell me stories, and give me lessons on life from his own experiences, and tell me of his deep and unending love for my mother.

So, this year, give the people you love the best gift that can put under the tree. Your time and attention.

Write a note that explains your gift, wrap it up in a box and put it under the tree. You can do this for anyone that is important to you, but I will give you a couple of examples.

Imagine how your husband or wife or partner would feel if they opened a box and this was inside?

To my Husband/Wife/Partner:

Life moves so quickly. And sometimes, I find myself thinking about how wonderful you are, but when we talk, it is about grocery lists, utility bills, and the upcoming week's schedule. Sometimes, life just moves so darn fast, it is hard to slow down and appreciate the things that are most important in life. So, this Christmas, I decided to give you the gift of my undivided attention and time for us to nurture what we have. I want us to plan, each week, to take the time, just for each other.

Let's make a promise to slow ourselves down, turn off the Blackberry, and give ourselves the gift of time. I want to hear you, I want to really listen. I want to understand your dreams, and have you smile and know that I am your biggest cheerleader. Life is short, and the moments that we really are present with each other are the ones we will remember always. The moments we are present are the real gifts. So, this year, I give you time.

Or, how about this?

To my precious child:

I know this is a weird gift, especially when you thought this box was just the right size for a Ipod Touch. I know it seems like you picked the short straw for presents, being that it is only words, and it does not plug in, or require any assembly. But this year, I wanted to give you something that is more important than any other present beneath our tree.

My time, just for you.

I know sometimes that I am busy when I get home from work, and I am half listening as you try to tell me about what happened in Science class. I know that sometimes I am preoccupied, thinking about the laundry, or the "to do" list. This gift changes that. I want each week, to set aside some time to give you my complete and undivided attention. You can talk to me about your life or ask me about mine. We can bake cookies or launch rockets. It's up to you. But I just want to give you the gift of time so you know how important you are to me. I'm your biggest fan, and I don't tell you that enough.

Your time and attention. The best gift you can give, and it requires no financing, no money down, no monthly payments. And, you don't have to go to the mall today either.

I will leave you with one of my favorite songs from the musical Rent. What will you do with your 525,600 minutes in 2011? Make it count.

Love ya, mean it,


Kelly the Christmas Elf

Communicationg at Christmas With the Bereaved

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange. ~Author Unknown


Happy Sunday,

I wanted to re post a blog that I published last year, entitled Communicating During the Holidays and Grief.





http://gratitudeingrief.blogspot.com/2009/12/communicating-during-holidays-and-grief.html





If you are loving someone who has lost a special person in their life, please take the time to read my post. Know that you are needed now more than ever, even if it is just to hug someone and let them cry out the hurt.





Christmas is all about giving, a special time of year where we take the time to stop our busy lives and think about others. We make our lists, and bake our cookies, and we try and find the perfect presents.





My challenge for you is to understand that the greatest gift that we can give another is our time and love. The greatest gift we can give is to let someone know they are not alone.





This Christmas, look around your life and give people what they need the most.





Oh yeah, and you can still bake the cookies.





Kelly

Huffington Post: Grief Medication is Not the Answer...

Happy Saturday all,

I wanted to pass along this excellent article written by Jeanne Dennis for The Huffington Post.

I believe we need to start having more conversations about how we handle grief and loss in this drive thru world of ours. Thank you Jeanne for your insight and wisdom.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanne-dennis/working-through-grief_b_793899.html

As we count down the last week before Christmas, I hope this article may give some a fresh perspective on their own journey.

Kelly

Toothy Grins from Heaven.....

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.


Christmas shopping. It's just not as they portray it in the commercials. Where are the happy people dancing in sequence down the aisles, with cheery Christmas music blaring in the background?


On a recent shopping excursion, I believe I may have been sucked into a vortex of negativity, stuck in a store with the most negative people on the planet. I was bumped, and growled at; I was witness to more than one parent completely melting down with their children. I was also witness to more than one child not really understanding the "reason for the season. "

I find the holiday season to be bittersweet for me. As an occasion girl, I have always loved this time of year. But, as with anyone who has lost someone important, it is also a time when you are painfully reminded that there is one less person to shop for this year. Last year, I could barely breathe in the stores. I remember standing in a quiet aisle of car cleaning supplies just about this time a year ago drying my tears with one of those expensive wash clothes for your car (don't tell Target, but I put it back on the rack) I stood there for more than twenty minutes, simply trying to inhale so the pain in my chest would subside, and I could gather the remaining items on my list.

This year, I am stronger, but I still have moments where the thought of Christmas without Stephen is still very difficult to think about. It is especially hard when I shop, and I see things I know he would like, or laugh about. So, as you can probably imagine, my emotions were getting the best of me as I pushed my cart through the aisles of this store, and watched all of these people....just taking life for granted. One Mom in particular, she yelled at her little girl, and I had to physically remove myself from her presence so I did not confront her with the ravings of a bereaved parent. Did she not know how truly blessed she was to have this little girl looking up at her, even if it was only to ask for the $49.99 doll only days before Christmas?

In any case, all the growling and bumping and bah humbugging just got the best of me. And, when I pulled into the parking lot of the final store on my shopping excursion, I just sat in the car for a moment, and had.....well, a moment. I was missing Stephen, and thinking back over the Christmases gone by...in particular, I was remembering Christmas Eve when he was a small baby, maybe eight months old. He had these two lonely teeth at the bottom, and would grin on command and proudly show them to you.

So there I was, sitting in my car, reminiscing about the magic of Stephen at Christmas. Missing him, and wishing that I could explain to my fellow shoppers about the importance of being present in the moment, of just being happy because you never know what is around the corner.

I finally mustered up the courage to brave the final store, and stepped out of my car.

Where I was abruptly met by......

A toothy grin.

It was the toothy grin of a baby girl, out for a day of shopping with her mom. She was sitting in the cart, and she lit up as soon as we made eye contact, and her smile was brighter than any Christmas bulb I've ever seen. It was as if some invisible director pointed to her and yelled "Action!"

I burst out laughing, and the mother popped her head out of the car and smiled. I told her that her little sweetheart just made my day. Her mother replied that she does that, gives out those "two tooth smiles" just when you need it the most.

Boy, was she right.

So, two things to remember. Take a nice deep cleansing breath if you are shopping today. Think about the reason for the season, be present in the beauty that is now, don't miss it. Make a point to give away some smiles, I'm telling you, it works. And if it doesn't work, at least you'll make some people nervous.

Second thing, look for those toothy grins. I believe that God brings them to us when we need them the most, to show us He is listening and comforting us. It is up to us to look for and notice them.

Take some time today to spread some of the good stuff around,

Kelly

Reflections on a Resilient Life....Remembering Elizabeth Edwards

"Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you've lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that's good." ~Elizabeth Edwards

A person who is dear to my heart sent this quote along to me and I had to share it. Although I was never fortunate enough to meet Elizabeth Edwards in person, I have thought of her often on my grief journey. I read some of her words about the loss of her own child, and wondered if I would ever be able to find that same grace and serenity in my own life.

She was a woman who lived a life that was imperfect, and messy at times. Her life did not spare her from pain or loss. But she continued to "put together something that's good."

I get up and try to do that every day. Some days, it works, and others, I simply whisper that I will try again tomorrow. Her quote is printed and on the bulletin board in my office. I look at it daily, along with other great thinkers, for inspiration. I look to remind myself that others have found the secret to a happy life, and it is never found in perfection. It is always found in making peace with the imperfections that surround us.

May we all take a moment to read her words today, and know that the resilience that she was able to find and hold on to throughout her rich lifetime also sits within each one of us. To honor her life, and learn from it, let us all make it our job to continue to live a happy life, even when life is difficult. Let us all try, even if it is minute by minute, to put together something that is good.

Sending wishes for comfort and peace to the Edwards family,

Kelly

Fresh Coat of Paint...

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

I've come to a conclusion. Life is like one big painting project. Let me explain.

I've just finished up a painting project in my house. And, as is the story for most of my life, I never really thought the whole thing through. Instead, I plunged ahead, with the vision of perfection in this little brain of mine, and just starting swinging the brush.

But, as with most home improvement endeavours, once you open that can of paint, you realize there's a ton of things you did not take the time to consider before donning your super attractive paint shirt. You know the one, it has paint samples from every paint project since the early eighties.

To give you some examples, I did not consider:

• The ceiling height of our front foyer.



• The confirmed fear of heights as it relates to the ceiling height of the front foyer.



• That this project may only look manageable, but in four days, I will have a moment where I consider just living with a half painted wall. I will have a pretty convincing conversation with myself about how it would show individuality.


• That I actually am not sure about this new color. Perhaps I should have just left well enough alone.



• And finally, I did not consider that this project would confront me with the ugly truth about my housekeeping talents and serve as confirmation that I have not properly cleaned the baseboards since some time in 2007.

I'm telling you, this project was like a month of therapy. With each stroke of the brush, I examined each and every corner of my life. I thought a lot about what sort of mental space I was in the last time I painted these walls, and did wonder if I painted while blindfolded and drinking wine.

I thought a lot about change in life. And how we resist it or long for it, think about it and plan for it, run away from it or towards it.

Sometimes change in life comes in the form of a slap right up the side of your head. It comes as a wallop, knocking your current situation right out of your head.

Others, it is a gradual awakening to a new reality. It is left up to you to push the change forward.

Sometimes, you long for it. Sometimes, you don't.

But regardless of the origin, change comes. Change comes for everyone and everything. It is the nature of life.

So, I see life as a painting project. I picked my new color, jumped in, and realized I had no idea what I was doing. But, knowing that half painted wall that could not be undone, I decided to simply keep painting.

So, when life changes, whether by choice or design, just keep painting, one stroke at a time. If you do keep going, slow and steady, you may see that this fresh coat of paint on your life looks a little cleaner than the last one. You see that you are a better painter, having learned from your past mistakes and successes. You see the value of your hard work. Maybe you will learn to appreciate the new colors in your life, having a better understanding of how they got there.

The biggest thing to learn? That sometimes, life has to get really, really messy before it can be transformed into something beautiful. Sometimes, you just have to keep painting.

Today, I ask you to keep painting. It may not be beautiful yet, but it will be. It will be someday, because of your perseverance.

A Fresh coat of paint.

Grab your brushes,

Kelly

Surviving Grief by Recording Blessings

Many thanks to Jessica Milicevic for taking the time to speak with me about being a USA Book News Award Finalist and taking the time to write such a thoughtful article. She made me younger too, and that is always welcome!

Thought I would share...

Surviving grief by recording blessings