Wings of Change – Change Your Life Articles

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong, you don’t fit in? Does your life constantly bang against the wall of conformity and crash against the common perception of life? This is what the authors of Wings of Change, Jim and Katharina Murdoch, were facing when their lives were turned upside down by unexpected events. How could life be any worse? Religion wasn’t meeting their needs, jobs weren’t meeting their needs, and to top it all along came a force which threatened to tear their family apart.

But they survived, not what could be said about their belief systems. “Our beliefs took a knock, a big knock,” says Jim. “One day we thought all our beliefs about God, life and the world were in order, then they were all turned on their head. Nothing has been the same since.” This was the turning point in their lives as they began to pursue the answers which had been avoiding them until now. And thus began a journey of discovery.

Their discoveries, uncovered independently as they each walked distinct paths, were complimentary and served to bind them together against all odds in spite of the forces threatening to pull them apart. Amazingly, their separate paths were uncovering the same truths and they found themselves agreeing more and more as they learned about God, the universe and consciousness.

The lessons they learned on their journey serve as an inspiration to the reader. You will read how they grew in awareness of who and what they are, how they learned to let go of old ways and paradigms and how to listen to their inner voice for guidance. The reader will benefit from their lessons of overcoming obstacles, daring to experiment with new ideas, realizing their purpose and acting on their new found truth to live the life they desire.

To help tell their story, Jim & Katharina have been inspired to adapt a parable to highlight each chapter. Using a family of geese they intriguingly blend in their life’s experiences into the geese’s life and their pursuit of happiness in learning the V formation and daring to fly south.

Katharina sums it up, “The readers will have fun. It’s inspiring and they will learn something for life. There is hope for anyone. No matter how bad a situation may be there is wonderful hope.”

Wings of Change – Discover a New Formation to Success will inspire you to take a new look at life and dare to be different.

Everyone wants freedom. You want freedom, I want freedom. But very few of us actually have freedom and very few of us can actually define freedom. What I am talking about here is personal freedom, your ability to make the choices you want and which benefit you. The problem is you don’t have personal freedom and there are four good reasons why you don’t.

In fact it all boils down to only one big reason. Here are the four reasons why you don’t have personal freedom:

1. You do not choose how healthy you are. You are allowing the doctors, the nutrition experts, the common fads to make your choices for you. How often do you choose what foods to eat, what supplements to take, what exercises to do. It’s difficult isn’t it? There are so many opinions and differing diets and fitness theories that in the end most people resort back to another form of allowing others to choose, doing what everyone else does. But what are your choices? What do you want?
2. Do you go to religious meetings? Why? Because you woke up one day and decided to go? Not likely. You go because you have been given a set of beliefs which you accept. Did you ever think where those came from? Have you ever thought why you do certain things in certain ways? Like get education, get a job and have a pension plan. Have you ever thought if thee was another way, another path, and path which would actually be beneficial and lead you to your dreams? Perhaps there is. He who seeks will find!
3. What have you done this week which was your choice and your time? Not much, eh! Apart from working for an employer to earn your money, how much time have you spent doing stuff for others? Have you taken time for yourself lately? I am not saying you should neglect others and especially loved ones, but it is important to get a balance and to reserve time for you and your desires.
4. And what about that money you work so hard to get? Are you in control of that? Are you making your own choices when it comes to spending that money, or are you subject to the advertisements and fancy store displays and what your friends say you must have? Or how much food do you throw away simply because you run for the sales and specials and end up with much too much? Do you choose how to spend your money on the things you want? I don’t recommend spending less as much as spending wisely.

So are you free? Who is making your choices? Why are you doing the things you do? Why do you believe the things you believe? Why do you buy the things you buy? Why do you eat and exercise the way you do? We all have a built in sensory system to help us make better choices. It is called intuition. Learn to listen to the gut feeling and you will begin to make better choices and move into your own personal freedom.

Do you struggle to keep your New Year’s resolutions? More than likely, the excitement of starting a New Year wanes away and you find yourself back into your old routines.

With proper motivation and the will to change, you can be the exception to this trend. The trick is to turn your optimism for the New Year into concrete actions. Once you start a routine, it becomes easier to follow through.

Whether you’re making multiple resolutions or wanting to work towards one bigger goal, be sure to pick something that’s achievable within the year’s time frame.

Set Achievable and Clear Goals

Strive for making your goals achievable so you don’t set yourself up for future failure. For example, let’s say your goal is to lose weight. Determine where you stand currently, and then give yourself a goal that can be achieved following the 1-2 pounds per week guideline.

You’ll also benefit from making clear goals. Rather than saying that you want to be thinner, say how many pounds you’d like to lose. Then define the “how” as well. Are you going to follow a specific diet? How are you going to cut calories? Are you going to start a moderate exercise routine? How often?

With a clear, achievable goal and a set plan of tasks you know you can complete, you virtually guarantee your success! You know exactly what you want and how you’re going to get there. All you need to do now is take action.

Take Action

Taking action is usually where people tend to run into some trouble. It’s easy to get pumped up about an idea, but when it comes down to executing your plan, you might be tempted to fall short.

In this situation, you only need to muster up the energy to start. Tell yourself that you’re going to stick to your new plan for one week and then evaluate how it went. On the other hand, if you take everything in all at once, you’ll be less likely to begin in the first place. If it looks overwhelming, just focus on the short term.

Form a Routine

The reason you want to take baby steps at first is because once you form a new routine, it’s actually easy to hold yourself to it. Some say that it takes as little as two weeks to get a new routine engrained in your brain.

For example, in the weight loss scenario, starting an exercise routine can be especially grueling if you’re out of shape. The first two days can leave you tired, sore, and weak. That doesn’t sound like fun at all! However, those first two days are the worst you’ll endure. After your routine is built, you may find that you look forward to your exercise sessions.

Reward Yourself

Reward yourself often for your excellent efforts because you deserve it for working hard to change yourself for the better. You don’t need to wait until the end of the year to treat yourself.

Break up your goals into smaller pieces and every time you achieve a milestone, give yourself something that you enjoy. It could be an item you’ve been wanting or maybe a night out on the town.

Rewarding yourself for a job well done motivates you to keep going!

Do It Again!

After your first successful year of bettering yourself through New Year’s resolutions, you can then repeat the process and work on another aspect of your life. Before you know it, you’ll be a perfectly happy and healthy person because of your awareness, perseverance, and hard work!

Once you begin your journey into meditation, you’ll soon discover the power that it has to reveal truth and peace in your life. In a fast paced world where everything keeps getting faster and more complicated, it’s important to deepen your practice with meditation.

With regular practice you’ll find that you’ll be able to go deeper into meditation without much effort. As you practice, you’ll be better able to deal with distractions and achieve a certain depth of meditation in a shorter period of time. If you practice for just 30 minutes per day, you’ll be able to go deeper each time.

Deepening Your Practice

You may be wondering what it means to deepen your practice. It’s definitely a topic that’s difficult to put into mere words. It’s similar to talking about how to deepen your love. If you’ve been in love you’ll know in your heart what it feels like to experience the depth of love. The same is true when you meditate, you’ll know what it feels like as your practice deepens.

Tactics For Deepening Your Practice

If you want to go beyond regular practice to deepen your meditation skills, you can try these other tactics.

Consider these suggestions as you deepen your practice:

1. Focus. A big part of deepening your practice is working on an improved focus. Find something that works for you.
   • First try experiencing eyes open meditation. Meditate with a small focal point and don’t let your gaze go astray during your session. You can also try eyes open meditation without the need for a strict focal point; this may help you to keep your focus within.
   • Alternatively, you can explore the option of eyes closed meditation. Many people enjoy the aspect of shutting out the visual sense, while others think it’s too much of an escape from true life, so do what feels right.
2. Your breath. Your breath is also a part of your focus. It’s how you break up your life into a series of moments. Take a moment to breathe in the good and a moment to exhale the bad. In order to deepen your practice, experiment with different breathing techniques.
   • Work on the length of your breaths. Some people decide to work with their moods when they work on breath length. It’s a way to just go with how you feel, instead of deciding on a set pattern of breathing.
   • Use a mantra. There are many mantras to choose from or you can even create your own depending on how you feel or what you like.
3. Your posture. Your posture also has an impact on how deep your practice will go. Choose a position that’s comfortable for you.
   • During sitting meditation, it’s always a good idea to maintain good posture. This means: Don’t slouch! The location of your legs usually doesn’t matter as much.
   • If you maintain a good posture without hunching over, you tend to maintain your alertness and you’ll be less likely to fall asleep. Remember that your goal is to remain in the present moment and not merely to relax.

Keep Up Your Practice

The most important thing you need to do is keep up with your practice. You can then tweak any other aspect of meditation that you feel needs adjusting. However, you may find that you simply evolve without much effort as you continue your meditative journey.

You can help the world by being kind to yourself. Some believe that you must be completely selfless and put other people and things above yourself in order to spend your time in a worthwhile way. But this isn’t always the case.

When you’re kind to yourself, you can actually spread that kindness to others in a viral way.

Work Out Your Own Issues First

If you constantly ignore your own wants and needs, you’ll eventually become stressed out and frustrated. You simply can’t go about life ignoring what you truly want. You can tell yourself that you’re doing it for the good of the world, but in the end it’ll be quite the opposite.

If you’re stressed out, others will notice, even if you think you’ve bottled it up inside. There are subtle hints that you give away. Your muscles may be tense, or you might even have a nervous tick. You also could be distracted and noticeably distraught during times where you would have normally participated socially.

You may think that it’s no big deal, but it really can be. People can pick up on a negative or nervous mentality, and become stressed out themselves!

Have you ever been around someone who’s clearly enjoying life with a big smile and relaxed nature? Their attitude is infectious, isn’t it? You’ll probably end up enjoying your day a whole lot more just because you encountered this person.

Remember that the opposite is also true. If you act negatively, you may end up sending someone home in a bad mood even though you never intended it.

Spreading The Spirit

Once you’ve worked out your personal issues, you can then pass on a positive spirit to the world. You can do this without even trying. Go about your day in a positive light, and you may find that you’re joyous mood spreads to everyone, even the lady at the checkout counter at the local store.

You can also consciously and actively spread around a good spirit. Pass out sincere compliments to both friends and strangers. Tell your friends and family what they really mean to you. They’ll appreciate hearing it.

You may also find that these actions make you feel good in the process. It’s just another way that a simple gesture can help you to spread joy to the world.

New Ideas

If you’re up to it, you can take everything to yet another level. Brainstorm new ideas and activities that you find personally enjoyable and also help others as well.

With some creative thinking, you’ll probably think of several things that fall within your personal skill set that can benefit the world.

• For example, if you enjoy carpentry or other house building skills, join your local chapter of Habitat For Humanity and spend time with them on your weekends.

• If you enjoy environmentally friendly activities, engage in them in your free time. You can also spread an awareness of these activities to your friends and colleagues.

Feeling like you’ve made a positive difference can help you feel great about yourself!

Your True Self

Your job is to find your true self. Just that act alone does a lot for helping the world. You can inspire others to find their true selves and the world will be a happier place for all you come into contact with.

Effective communication is one of the keys to success, and when you’re good at it, people notice.

Most people think that strengthening communication skills involves developing persuasive speech and conversational skills, but what you may not realize is just how important effective listening can be.

Without an effective listener, none of your conversational skills would matter. This is because your points – no matter how clear – still wouldn’t be heard or understood.

Remember that listening is a full 50% of the communication effort so it’s worth your time to develop this precious skill, too.

Here are some techniques you can use to build your listening skills:

1. Fight the urge to speak. Sometimes when you’re engaged in a heated conversation, you start to concentrate on what you’re going to say next. You may even be tempted to open your mouth before the other person is finished. Make the extra effort to keep your lips sealed until they’re through talking.
   • While they’re speaking, don’t worry about what you’re going to say or how you’re going to say it. Instead, focus on the words and body language of the other person.
     
2. Look interested. Your nonverbal communication skills are important while you’re listening. If you’re looking disinterested and uncaring, the person trying to communicate with you will likely pick up on these subtle hints. They may be flustered or less likely to share their thoughts. Makes sense, right?
   • Engage with the person talking. Make eye contact and nod your head or smile. Let your conversation partner know that their points are coming across to you.
3. Repeat the highlights. One way to literally tell your conversation partner that they’re effectively communicating is to simply restate their points. You can repeat key phrases in an affirming tone. You can even give them a quick summary of what they just said in your own words.
   • Avoid sharing your opinions when repeating their concepts or ideas. At this point, you simply want to communicate that you’ve completely understood their meaning.
4. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask your conversation partner to elaborate on what they’re saying. If you need further information, then ask for it. The important thing is that you understand what they’re trying to get across.
5. Be patient. It’s also important to maintain patience, especially when working with people who may be shy or may not have the ability to communicate very well. If you’re not patient, you may end the conversation prematurely or scare off your conversation partner.
6. Follow your partner’s lead. Being an effective listener doesn’t mean that your only job is to listen. You can certainly add to the conversation, too. At the same time, you don’t want to overpower the conversation. Add your input when they ask for it or when they’ve finished their point.

Remember that practice makes perfect. After you’ve had an important conversation, ask yourself what you remember from the conversation. Write down the details if necessary. Did you allow the other person to do most of the talking?

When you fight the urge to dominate conversations, you’ll be able to truly hear what people have to say!

There are many avenues to explore when it comes to discovering your life purpose. Unfortunately, though, nobody else can find it for you. Since your life purpose is unique from anyone else’s, it’s a mission that you – and only you – can complete.

In your quest for passion, concentrate on enjoying the journey itself. Sometimes when you stop stressing about your life’s purpose, it falls into your lap!

Here are some ways you can discover your life purpose:

1. Write about how you feel. Try journaling with a pen and paper, or grab your laptop and just start writing. Write about how you truly feel and what you want out of life. Remember that no one is going to read this other than you, so don’t be afraid to express your thoughts.
   • Go back and reread your entries every so often. Many times this process can bring you new realizations that you didn’t think of when you were writing it in the first place.
2. Pursue your passions. If you’re passionate about a certain subject, maybe you can make a career or hobby out of it so that you can engage in activities that are personally meaningful to you. This way, each day of your life will feel like it matters and you will have a life purpose.
3. Consider your talents. Think about the areas in which you naturally excel and see if you can turn these skills into something meaningful for you.
   • Many people are drawn to a life purpose that makes them feel like they’re making a true difference in the lives of other people. You may find it fulfilling to be using something you’re good at to help others that are in need.
   • For example, if you find that you’re good at comforting people, perhaps you can consider a career as a counselor.
4. Converse with inspiring people. Strike up a conversation with someone who inspires you. While you might not be interested in the same things, you can talk about how they discovered their life purpose. Their triumphs and struggles will make good lessons for you in your journey to your purpose.
5. What brings you joy? Reflect on the moments in your life when you’re most happy. What are you doing at these times? You can start the quest for your life purpose by using what already makes you happy.
   • Maybe you’re most happy when you’re just sitting at home with your family. That’s a wonderful gift!
   • Remember that you’re not necessarily searching for something exotic! After all, your life purpose may already be under your nose.
6. Embrace change. Sometimes the thing that holds you back from self-discovery is a fear of change. There’s comfort and safety in not taking risks, but you also may never discover your life’s true purpose. Learn to embrace change because life is constantly changing around you.
7. Uphold your values. Everyone has a set of values that they tend to adhere to in life. You can use your values as a starting point to discovering you life purpose. Make a list of your values with your most important ones at the top. Think about what you can do to honor those values in life every day and you may find your purpose.

Finding your purpose in life may not be as hard as you think. Use these strategies on your journey and one day soon you’ll realize that you’ve found the one feature of your life that makes everything worthwhile.

You’ve heard the expression that a little can go a long way, and there’s no exception when it comes to showing your appreciation. Learning how to express your gratitude will enable you to enjoy improved communication and more fulfilling relationships.

While a grand gesture is always nice and has a time and place, simple gestures are habits that you can add to your everyday routine. It’s important not to keep all of your love and appreciation stuck inside your head. Instead, let it out and you’ll give meaning, purpose, and joy to everyone around you!

Try the following simple gestures to express your gratitude:

1. Talk more. Make your thoughts known. Your simple gestures of appreciation can be at the office, at home, with your kids, with your partner, and more. When you verbalize how you feel in a positive manner, it can make all the difference in a person’s day.
   • If you think of a compliment, give the compliment. It’s simple and it works.
2. Give a card out of the blue. Give friends, family, colleagues, or your partner a sincere card or note. There’s something extra special about getting a message when you aren’t expecting one. Plus they make nice keepsakes.
3. Go out of your way. Take a moment to think of something you can do each day or every once in awhile that’s above and beyond. Taking even a small burden off your loved one’s shoulders shows that you care.
   • For example, if your spouse is usually the one who handles the laundry, surprise them and take care of it.
4. Develop your listening skills. Practice being truly aware of what you’re told when people are speaking to you. You’ll likely commit certain bits of information to long-term memory. You’ll be surprised at how happy you can make someone simply because you remembered something they told you.
5. Show affection. When it comes to affection for your loved ones, some simple affection can go a long way. Bring more hugs and kisses into the relationship. Chances are everyone could use more “I love you’s” in their lives.
6. Consider a handmade gift. When it comes time for gift giving, consider a handmade gift. It doesn’t have to be something expensive or complex as long as it’s coming from the heart. These gifts are often the most cherished of all.
7. Cook something. If you’re showing appreciation to your family, plan a special meal one day. Maybe try something you haven’t tried before, or go for an old family favorite. If you’re showing appreciation for another group of people, consider bringing them some baked goods. A cupcake or a brownie just might brighten someone’s day!
8. Always say “Thank You.” You’ve learned to say please and thank you to strangers and the people in your life shouldn’t be an exception. It’s easy to fall into a pattern where we take others for granted. Make it a habit to always thank people for anything they’ve done for you, even for simple things like holding the door.

Live a Life of Gratitude

If you continue to live your life in the presence of gratitude, it won’t be difficult to maintain simple gestures of appreciation. When you concentrate on the needs of the people you love and fight the urge to fall into predictable patterns, you’ll set yourself up for a happy life. Those around you will always remember your positive gestures!

A healthy self-esteem is a starting point for a happy life. Unfortunately, when you lack self-esteem, you also lack the ability to reach your true potential. Why? Because your thoughts are truly powerful!

It All Starts With Your Beliefs

Most people have heard the statement, “If you can dream it, you can do it,” but few people actually take it to heart. For some reason big goals seem unattainable and an “I can’t” mentality takes over.

While everyone experiences negative thoughts from time to time, you may need to make an extra effort to get through these challenges. Positive thoughts must be victorious in the end!

Tips For Developing Self-Esteem

Developing a healthy self-esteem doesn’t need to be a difficult task. There are small changes you can make to get yourself on the right track.

Try following these strategies to help you develop a healthy self-esteem:

1. Ignore negativity from others. For some reason, many people get into the habit of putting others down. You know you shouldn’t listen to these people, but sometimes you take what they’re saying to heart. It’s especially hurtful when it’s coming from someone you love.
   • Some people will even steer you in the wrong direction because they think they’re doing the right thing. When it comes down to it, you’re the only one that knows yourself and your dreams. You simply can’t let anyone stand in the way!
2. Learn to accept compliments. You might toss off compliments as lies because some people may have ulterior motives. While this might be true, in most cases people are being genuine. After all, most people won’t go out of their way to give you a false compliment.
   • Accepting compliments will help you discover what you’re good at and strengthen your self-confidence.
3. Get a life coach. Life coaches are in the business of helping you live your life to its fullest potential. You don’t need to be scared or embarrassed to seek one out. If a life coach doesn’t seem feasible for you, you can look into getting some self-help guides.
   • Go online or to a local bookstore to find some relevant workbooks and resources.
4. Use affirmations. Affirmations are great self-esteem boosters because they show your brain what you already know you can achieve. They bring positive energy into the present moment.
   • You can read affirmations on the subjects of your choice or you can get into the habit of writing your own affirmations. Nothing can be more targeted to your true feelings than your own words!
5. Avoid comparing yourself to others. It’s easy to get into the habit of comparing yourself negatively to other people. Remind yourself that everyone is unique. You’re equipped with your own set of strengths and weaknesses, so the best thing you can do for yourself is concentrate on developing your own strengths.

Follow Your Dreams

Once you’ve worked on your initial feelings about self worth, it’s time to take a step in the right direction. A part of a healthy self-esteem is having the drive to take action toward your goals.

Have a plan and follow through. If you feel that you’ve improved your self-esteem but then fail to take action towards your dream, it will only be a matter of time before your self-esteem begins to wane again.

When you’re faced with challenges, actively seek solutions. When you do, you’ll soon notice what a positive role your healthy self-esteem plays in your life!

The meaning of life is one of those sought after quests that can never truly be answered. There are just too many opinions and personal definitions for any one meaning to be true for everyone.

Also, there are certain topics in life that can simply never be fully described with mere words, such as true love and true self.

Some will say that discovering the meaning behind true love and your true self is the meaning of life. What do you think?

Discovering Your Purpose

While you might feel a bit confused, you can start to find meaning in your life by discovering your true purpose. For some, this comes easily but for others it may take some deep soul searching. Your true purpose is not necessarily a job or something concrete, although it could be. There are no rules to follow, just the rules set out by your heart.

Try some of the following activities when searching for your true purpose:

1. Brainstorm. Find a time and place where you can have some quiet self-reflection. Just start writing down ideas on what you think your true purpose might be. You may not arrive at it at first, but you’ll eventually come across something that hits the nail on the head.
2. Activities and hobbies. Reflect on your favorite activities and hobbies. Can you turn any of them into a life’s purpose? Some people feel that if they take their hobbies further it’ll start to feel like any old job. This won’t be the case if you’ve truly found your purpose.
3. Skills and intelligence. If there are certain skills and abilities that you’re good at, perhaps you should try pursuing those, even if you didn’t think you wanted to before.
   • Also, you might want to look into a theory called Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner. Gardner describes how everyone has a type of intelligence and it might not always be what is typically accepted as intelligence, such as a high IQ.
4. Happiness. Ask yourself whether or not you’re happy in your current life situation. If you are, perhaps you’ve already found your life’s purpose or you’re on the correct path to it. If you’re unhappy, see if you can isolate the reasons why. Once you know why, you can take action to correct the imbalance.
5. Regrets. Make an effort to let go of your regrets. These never serve a positive purpose in your life. However, if you identify your regrets, perhaps you can use them to help you discover your purpose. Perhaps there’s something you regret that you can correct. Often times, it’s not too late to make a positive change!
   • For example, if you’re in your 50s and you always wanted to go to college, you shouldn’t let anything stand in the way between you and your dream.
6. Religion. If you’re a religious person, it’s likely that your religion discusses life and meaning. Search through religious books or seek out a spiritual advisor to learn more about the meaning of life.

Follow Your Bliss

To put it quite simply, if you’re following your bliss, you’re on the road to discovering your true purpose. You’ll also be discovering your personal definition for the meaning of life.

Remember, you’ll always have outside influences when it comes to finding life’s meaning, but following your heart is the only true answer.