“Practice having fun… let ourselves go a little.” – The Language of Letting Go 

A huge breakthrough in my ability to lighten the f$&# up and have some fun, was doing the 40 day love letter exercise suggested by Iyanla Vanzant in her book Until Today. By writing love letters to young Jamie boy, and eventually writing letters from him to big James, I welcomed my inner child back into my life. I remember forcing myself to skip down the beach, jump in the ocean, roll in the sand, and do it all over again. I knew people were watching, so I yelled out I love my life. I tried not to care. It was scary, ridiculous, yet fun. That was over 5 years ago and I’m still trying to have more fun, and be a little sillier, each day of my life. Because the more I enjoy living, the more ILML! 

– Jamie

“I have found that as your wisdom and maturity develop, the number of other people you blame for your own circumstances shrinks.” – Dr. Steve Maraboli

The reality is that nobody, especially me, likes to be blamed. And though it’s impossible to never blame anyone, it is possible to keep my mouth closed. Then I can practice getting the focus back on things that make me feel way better, like gratitude. Of course, I may need to set some healthy boundaries and practice detatching sooner, but blaming others with my mouth (either to them or gossiping about them to others) never leaves me feeling good inside. When I practice forgiveness, take responsibility for my behavior, calmly detach as necessary, and keep my mouth closed when I’m upset, feel like blaming, or want to gossip, ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Thinking positive thoughts will eventually manifest into a positive life…” – Willwyn’s Creed

I absolutely, positively believe this to be true. I imagine a single bright yellow daisy planted in a pot at my kitchen window sill in full bloom. That flower is so tall, happy and pretty, reaching for the sun and stars. But the moment I start getting upset, unhappy, frustrated, anxious, fearful or overwhelmed, I’ve lost my connection to source, looking up, I notice that my beautiful flower has started to wilt and the petals are curling in. Luckily, all I need to in in order to bring it back to its full glory is to work my program. By using the AA (Atttude Adjustment) Tools I’ve so freely been given, I really can manifest a wonderful experience at any moment throughout my day, no matter what’s going on around me. And when I do that… ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Life can be full of wonder and delight, provided I do not let my expectations override my acceptance.” Adapted from Daily Reflections

Lately I’ve been listening to videos upon awakening. I google “morning affirmations” and listen to different ones each day while doing yoga in my bed, and it feels amazing. The reason doing things like this, and meditating, exercising, doing service work, getting to meetings, fellowshipping, reading inspirational books, journaling, and writing gratitude lists is so important for me is because some part of my brain is always trying to get me to focus on the problems and difficulties in my life. I call that part of my brain “The Shit Magnet”. It wants to activate and accumulate everything that makes me feel shitty. By taking contrary, spiritual actions, I distract it, redirecting the flow of energy away from the shitty stuff and onto the good stuff. And when I’m able to do that… ILML! 

– Jamie Q

“Many of us have been afraid for so long… it feels normal.” – Until Today

I’d like you to try a visualization. Imagine a childhood fear, like the Boogie Man in the dark closet late at night. Imagine seeing past his fangs, his drooling saliva, and his howling scream. Now slowly, with invincible courage and faith, walk up to him, put your arms around him and say, “It’s ok. Don’t be scared. I love you.” Imagine his face softening and as he gently lays his head upon your shoulder, he wraps his arms around you. When you look up, he’s no longer a scary Boogie Man, instead he’s just a child that was yearning to be loved. From this point forward, when the Boogie Man appears in your life, whether in others, or in a scary experience, or even inside of us, close your eyes, wrap your arms around him, and give him your courageous love. When I am fearless enough to choose love rather than reacting in anger or self-pity, the Boogie Man just melts away and… ILML!   

– JamieQ

“… placing my will and my life into the care of a Higher Power.” – Courage to Change 

It’s easy for me to place my will and my life into the hands of God when I’m spiritually centered, when I’m at a meeting, when everything is going my way, or when I’m praying or meditating. But it’s a whole other story for me to do it when I’m frustrated, things are not going my way, or I am determined to get something that I want. In those moments, I am driving the car, and telling God to hop into the backseat. I am under the delusion that I can handle things much better than my higher power. What I have forgotten is that God is not some control freak trying to prevent me from being happy. Rather, my higher power is the intended manifestation of increased goodness in my life. So why in the world would try to push that away? When I take the time to nurture my mind, body and spirit with love, kindness, understanding and gratitude, I much more likely to have God guiding my thoughts, attitudes, and actions. And when that’s going on… ILML!

– JamieQ

I release all anger, resentment and blame. I truly forgive all those that need forgiving, and I forgive myself. I look forward to this day with love, and peace, and joy and anticipation of abundance in every area. This will be one of the best days I have ever had. I love you.” – Louise Hay Morning Meditation

We’ve all heard it before. The power of positive thought, the attitude of gratitude, and living in the moment. These aren’t ideas that might or might not work to make our life better – they are scientifically proven ones. It’s pretty simple. When I don’t take the time to do the daily deal, life just isn’t as great, and I’m not so happy. But when I invest an hour or two each morning in doing the deal, no matter what has happened in my past, or what is coming my way, ILML!

– JamieQ

“Repair attempts are very significant…” – Attitudes of Gratitude in Love 
In every relationship, especially intimate ones, there will come a time when one, or both of us, feel hurt. Someone may have said harsh words, lied, or done something we feel is unacceptable. It’s at this point that we begin to nurture our resentment, which will fester and make us sick and unhappy until we attempt to repair it. Regardless of whether we remain in the relation or ultimately choose to leave, it’s important for us to forgive others when they attempt to repair a broken relationship, and for us to try to repair it whenever they feel hurt – even if we didn’t mean to hurt them. Forgiveness doesn’t mean we condone their behavior, it just means we don’t want to be imprisoned by it. The more I turn away from hurt and fear towards love, the more ILML! 

– JamieQ

“And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone…” – AA pg.84
Thinking “I know best” has gotten me into a world of trouble. In fact, from time to time, it still does. This righteousness and need to let others in on my vast source of knowledge closes the door on an abundance of gifts and evolution that awaits me. But when I surrender my know-it-all-ism long enough to consider the words and opinions of others, and even try them on for size, I allow my world to expand with infinite opportunities. As with God, the moment that my desire to have a higher power in my life became greater than my insistence that God did not exist, I felt the overwhelming presence of God in my life. So today I’ll stop trying to know, control, manage, judge and direct. Instead I’ll make it a day of growth and learning. By opening myself to the ideas of others, I become enriched and ILML! 

– JamieQ

“It’s not a question of what we can find fault with, but what we can love, value and appreciate,” – Adapted from Courage to Change

I an authoritative expert at discovering errors, mistakes and all wrongs done by everyone — including me. For some strange reason, it’s incredibly easy for me to spot the problem, and it seems to have been that way my whole life. Thankfully, the program has brought awareness of this character trait to me, and the recognition that it often makes my life, and the lives of those around me, uncomfortable. Today I can use this fine tuned ability to identify the problem in order to instantly get into the solution, which is frequently just having acceptance and refocusing on the millions of things I have to be grateful for. When I use the tools of my program, like this one, in all my affairs, ILML! 

– JamieQ