Learning Life Lessons Together

by Cynthia Bischoff | Jan 18, 2014 | Heartliving

You were born a child of pure potential and possibility. 

So, what does that mean?  . . . You can influence the outcome of this play you’re starring in called “Life”!  You see, each of came in to this world to participate in each other’s dramas, and in doing so, to advance the growth of each other’s souls.  We participate by learning life lessons together.

So if you came into this world to learn the value of forgiveness, for example,  then surely you’ll have to have someone to forgive.  And, if you came in to learn how not to give away your power, then surely someone will have to try to take it.  And if you came in to learn how to be more independent, then you may find yourself in a situation where you are all alone, so that you can learn how to depend upon yourself.

So you see, all our life challenges are here for each of us to overcome, to learn, and to grow.   And here’s the good news:  your script involves a lifetime of days.

You know, sometimes I have had clients tell me that they feel like they’ve screwed up their lives and have no way to “course correct.”   So I remind them that every day is but a sacred dot on the map of their lives. Each new scene affords them a new opportunity.  Every day that you wake up and get back on life’s stage, you have a new chance to respond differently this time, to create a new outcome.  –Because NOW it can be different.

It’s also very important to remember that all cast members (family, friends, even seeming enemies) are  souls just like you seeking to learn and heal, and one of the most important ways you can learn and heal is by delving deeper into your own heart’s consciousness.   You can begin to use your heart as your compass and to embrace the value and power of love, kindness, compassion.

NOTE:  I created a YouTube video on this very topic to give you hope; it is at my YouTube Channel:  HeartlivingVideo.  The title?  “Up Until Now”  The link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFdo1zvqx_M

Believe in Something Good!

by Cynthia Bischoff | Jan 11, 2014 | Heartliving

The way you describe your life and portray yourself is directly related to how you live your life on a day-to-day basis.

Every moment of the day you are deciding how to live your life.  Maybe you’re not deciding this consciously, but you’re still deciding it in the way that you respond to your life circumstances.  Can you think of a new possibility for yourself?  Or something you can do right now in this present moment to move your life forward in a positive way?  Maybe it’s to follow through on something you said you wanted to do—like eat better, go to the gym, but it can also be to pray, to call a friend you’ve been meaning to call, to take a deep breath, or to take a walk to clear your mind.

Participating fully in the present moment is going to help you create a meaningful life.  So if you’re holding on to a painful past, and if you find it difficult to let it go, what’s important is to know that your past does not define you unless you allow it to.  So if your past has been difficult and it feels really hard to get over something, the question becomes:  How do you get beyond your past?  And the answer sounds easy, but it can be tough, YET it always works:  You can get beyond your past by challenging the conclusions you’ve drawn about it.

So I’d like you to ask yourself, especially if you’re stuck in a difficult situation, to challenge your conclusions.  You see, what keeps you stuck the most might be just wanting to know why something happened the way it did.  And unfortunately, you may never know why a certain thing happened.  Instead, remember that you did learn something valuable, and no matter how difficult, you learned and are now wiser.

You know, we are all interpreting out of our own judgments and our own filter.  Things are not always as they appear to be.  So it’s helpful to lift yourself above your current set of circumstances, look down on your situation, and decide to move on.

…And what about forgiveness?  You see, not forgiving a person can cause you tremendous emotional discomfort and heartache.  You might find yourself upset with someone–maybe you feel betrayed–and you rehash repeatedly what happened–even if it happened last year, trying to make sense of something that makes no sense.  By continuing to expend your energy in this way, you lose your life force and this impacts your spirit.  Often you are unable to enjoy or participate in the present moment that you have that is actually okay now.

So choose to forgive others if you want to move forward.  Plain and simple, you wish them well.  And you decide you learned a lot from the experience.  After all, we came in to learn.  And then you move on with love and compassion as your traveling partners. Oh, and, of course, forgive yourself!

So don’t adopt or live out a life role that is contrary to what you want your life to be.  Remember that you are the author of your own story.  You didn’t come in to try out for a part in someone else’s drama as your main role, and you can revise your story at any time.

Above all, remember:  You are what you believe you are.  So believe in something good!

Benefits of Being Positive

by Cynthia Bischoff | Jan 4, 2014 | Heartliving

Did you know that the negative beliefs of fear, worry, doubt, and judgment are among the strongest thoughts that rob you of manifesting your desires?  So whatever is going on in your life, it’s important to remain as positive about your circumstances as possible.  Of course, the real benefit of being positive is that it will attract positive experiences to you.

Now, how can you become more positive and overcome limitations? Here are a few things you can do . . . .

1. Adopt the attitude that everything that happens to you in life happens for a good reason: just think “Everything happens for the best.”   I grew up in a family where that was instilled in me, but I know many of us did not have that belief instilled.   Yet you can certainly change your thinking right now to reflect this simply by deciding if it feels true for you now.

2. Decide that you can learn something from every experience. So whatever has happened has taught you lessons and now you are wiser and can choose differently next time.

3. Open up to new possibilities while not getting stuck in old ways. Things don’t have to remain fixed.  Just because something has always been a certain way, it doesn’t mean it has to remain that way.  Remember my YouTube video “Up Until Now” because you can do it differently now.

4. Check to see if you are thinking and living in terms of limitations or if you are living in terms of possibilities.  When you live in terms of possibility, you allow yourself to dream and particularly to dream about your new life or new circumstances. How often do you do that?  It is possible to daydream, create, and live a new possibility.

So if you want to make something new happen in your life, assume that it is possible, hold the most positive outlook about it, and allow yourself to dream. Then anchor those dreams into new words and new behaviors and create new circumstances. You do have the power to change yourself!

All the best to you in this new year!

My Grandmother and Her Tree – Lasting Memories!

by Cynthia Bischoff | Dec 14, 2013 | Heartliving

During the holidays especially, we often become nostalgic over traditions we may have held with our families and friends.  One dear memory year round, but especially at Christmas, is one I hold of my grandmother.  I keep her picture on a shelf in my office next to a little gold-etched crystal tree.  I keep the tree next to her picture year-round!

Is there a relative or friend you hold dear to your heart, particularly for the inspiration you gained from them?  That would be my grandmother for me.

My grandmother was very independent and strong-willed.  She lived in her two-story home on the water until she passed at 97.  She and my Grandfather built that home.  She had 12 children, my mother being the youngest, and 3 passed under the age of three.  I often thought of how tragic it must have been to have lost those three babies, yet when I asked my grandmother, she would say, in the way that people of her age back then did:  “I was sad, but I could rejoice knowing that they were God’s angels after they left us.  I knew God must have needed them or He wouldn’t have taken them.”  In addition to her abiding faith and belief that everything happens for the best reason possible, Grandma taught me so much.  She had a certain strength, acceptance of life, ability to comfort, and joy of living that will stay with me forever.

I spent many evenings during the summers with her growing up.  We would listen to 78 rpm’s  before 33’s became available.  She loved all types of music.  She gave me money to buy her a Beatles album when they were popular!  We would sit together in that rocking chair in the picture I have of her here and rock as we sang together.  Each evening she’d say, “Honey child, let’s have us a little party.”  Just Grandma and me.  That was my cue to get out the ginger snaps, pour myself a coke, and Grandma would have a shot of whiskey most evenings.  This, she said, relaxed her body and made her sleep well.  I don’t doubt it did!

Her kitchen had a linoleum floor and a gas stove that always smelled of a certain grease, usually because she’d made a cherry turnover or fried up some bacon.  She loved to cook, and because I was thin, at the beginning of the summer, she’d say “Let’s try to fatten you up this summer.  Just a little.”  That was her way of saying, I’m going to cook everything I love for you and me!

So why the tree?  Well, my grandmother LOVED Christmas more than just about anything.  She always had a real tree in her parlor.  Her parlor had large velvet furniture with U.S. Navy pillows (my Uncle had given them to her when he was in the Navy years before), and old heavy pictures hanging on the walls.  It was a dark room before you turned on the lamp, and it had a fake fireplace and, at Christmas, her tree.  One year, in her nineties, she had her picture in the paper because she decided to leave her trip up ALL year.  A live tree that she kept watering that I’m sure was as dry as stone.  But she LOVED to look at it, the ornaments, the lights, and so–she left it up all year.  Someone must have notified the paper knowing it was a story.  Grandma, herself, was a story.

So my picture of Grandma in her chair and this little eternal tree stay on my shelf in my office and in my heart all year! I am always in awe of the people who touch our hearts so deeply.  Grandma, thanks so much for the inspiration you gave me as a child and continue to give me in my sweet memory of you.

This year at Christmas I will be in Chicago visiting my son, daughter-in-law, and my sweet grandson Zachary who was born on October 30 this year.  It will be our first Christmas together.  I am now Grandma!  How did those years go so quickly?

Zachary, I look forward to traditions we may have together and can only hope to be an inspiration for you someday.  You already are one for me!

Happy Holidays to all!

With love and gratitude, Cynthia