Inspirational Quotes
Lately I have been receiving lots of gifts and prizes and the most recent was a lovely little book of inspirational quotes. Have you ever noticed how such gifts seem to come at just the right time – coincidence or not? Well, I know from experience that everything comes to me just as I need it. Well I am taking on a particular challenge right now and it has the possibility of seriously impacting on the rest of my life, so I am determined that it will all go exceptionally well and I will be successful.
This lovely inspirational quote has reinforced my belief in myself and shored up my confidence.
“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarised in Four c’s. They are curiosity, confidence, courage and constancy, and the greatest of these is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicity and unquestionably.” Walt Disney
Such a simple statement and yet so supporting – my daily dose of inspiration.
An Excercise in Gratitude
I was recently tooling around with Entrecard and read a blog (unfortunately I did not keep a record so that I could acknowledge it) and the writer was going to blog on what they were grateful for every day until Thanksgiving. Now since we do not have Thanksgiving in Australia, I decided that I would do something slightly different until Christmas Day and create my own gratitude list.
So I am writing on Facebook about what I am grateful for every day until Christmas Day. And I would love it if you would join me and add your own gratitude list. Lets create a few great vibrations for peace and goodwill on earth.
My thanks to whoever owns the blog, who had the good idea.
You Can Have Wildlife in Your Backyard
As I said in the previous post about backyard birdwatching, anyone with an average backyard can attract creatures of all sorts to provide endless watching (and meditative) pleasure. However you will need to be committed to certain activities if you wish to have a backyard that is a safe haven for animals, birds and other creatures like frogs and lizards. The first is to protect all species from marauding domesticated pets like dogs and cats.
Every now and then, I take pity on the dog next door which is lonely and bring it over to spend the day with me and my elderly terrier. The dog next door has had to learn to leave the lizards, frogs, birds and so on alone when she is here at my place, because they have right of way. Our terrier just wanders around among them and every now and then there is a bit of a kerfuffle when she comes upon an unsuspecting bird, but they all know that she knows the rules. No animal chasing in this backyard! That is essential if you want to have a natural backyard.
Next thing to think about is a protective place to sleep and breed. I have planted both natives and introduced plants so that there will be variety and plenty of food. For birds it is essential to have dense, small and large plants, open plants that are taller for perching and watching and some grasses as well. For lizards it is important to have a place for them to hide as well as safe sunny spots for warming up. Any sort of bark, hay, mulch will work as will small pipes or logs, whichever is easy to come by. Now frogs are a specialist matter and well beyond my capacity to advise however I will say that removing all poisons from use in your area will definitely see frogs returning.
Remember a natural habitat is a delicate balance between food for the wildlife and an excess of pests. If you want to have wildlife to watch, you have to be prepared to let them have food to eat! And this includes bugs. If there are no bugs to eat, the wildlife do not come. So be prepared to tolerate some bugs and just let the wildlife clean them all up. In the midst of all of this, we grow vegetables and have very little concern about bugs. Along with bugs, be prepared to tolerate some seeding weeds and overgrowth. Wildlife love to have cover and they must have the full range of food, including seeds and all sorts of weeds produce seed which our native birds find very tasty.
Now this tip is a bit controversial, but I do put out some seed most days and we have a continuous parade of visitors coming to see what is on offer today. Some people say that you should not do this because the birds become dependent, others say it is ok if you do not do it every day. I have found that putting out a small amount seems to work as we have varying numbers of birds coming to the feed and also varying varieties. And we do not feed every day.
Finally, provide water in shallow, open containers and be prepared to wait until the birds get used to them. We have had one pot drainage tray sitting on a post for a long time and the birds used it all of the time. We then introduced a large, deepish bird bath and I had to make it shallower, by adding stones, and wait for ages before the birds finally adopted it and now use it equally. Water and birds are a delightful mix and as they are very relaxed in our yard, they bath for ages and some even just sit in it on a hot day. I also spray the leaves of a few bushes in the afternoons for those birds that love to bath that way. It is great fun to hold the hose while they come in close, however it is also important to be aware of water restrictions. I hold onto this activity for really hot weather.
So just go for it, attracting the wildlife back into suburbia is both lots of fun and good for the planet. Not to mention a great meditative experience watching to see who is coming to visit and what they do while there. Meditation made easy! Start out with what you can do and then add to it as you see what works in your area. Experiment and have fun.
I Love Backyard Birdwatching!
There really is something about birds for me. I have no idea what it is but I find it incredibly enjoyable and satisfying to watch birds go about their daily lives. Expand that, I actually also love watching nature at work. I love to watch the trees flower and fruit in the season, I love to watch how animals and birds interact with their environment and I love to watch the effects of the things that I do on it all. You see, I have grown a garden that is intended to bring the wildlife to me. A backyard birdwatching haven. And since the law of attraction is all about enjoying your self, having fun and being who you really are, I get to do all of those things every day, right from my home office here in Cairns, courtesy of my garden!
I have planted trees specifically for the purpose of feeding birds and butterflies and providing a bird friendly habitat. In the main these are native trees, however I have found through my reading that citrus trees and many non-natives work wonderfully as well. I now tailor my gardening life to the birds that are resident or visitors. For example I would never prune or trim the Justica’s during spring because all of the honey-eaters that are growing up their young and need as much food as possible. My garden is a food factory for them.
You will also find in my garden, a couple of watering holes for the birds. Even though it took them a while, they eventually got used to them and now bathe and drink there throughout the day. This makes it possible for me to be working in my home office and watching the birds come and go as they do.
The habitat it very important because all types of birds seek refuge for nesting and each seems to need something a little different. The sunbird pair need a sheltered place and a rope; the finches need a dense tree with a lookout nearby, the doves need a dense tree with peace and quiet and so on. Over time, we have created two secret gardens to serve all of these purposes. Additionally, our elderly terrier does her best to see any marauding cats off the premises! Even so, cats managed to destroy the nest of a willy wagtail which was a sad loss to all of us here. We were very excited to have this sweet little bird nesting on our deck.
So if you also love all things nature, and you live in town on an ordinary sized piece of land, you too can do your bit for the various species and create a wildlife refuge and habitat. Next time I will write about our animals and I am very happy to answer questions about how to create you own piece of heaven in your backyard. In the meantime I am off to feel the joy – happiness really is birdwatching in my backyard.
Have Fun And Create With The Law of Attraction
I came upon this article by Russell Yarmel, The Success Man and it is so good that I decided to post it for my readers to see. Enjoy!
It seems to me that a lot of you are “busy trying to master the Law of Attraction”.
You’re running through your daily affirmations.
You’re reminding yourself, “be positive, be positive”.
You’re asking yourself “how can I look on the bright side here?”.
You’re reading books, following advice, trying, trying, trying… while the rest of the world is running by you, laughing at you for staring in the mirror and reminding yourself how great you are, like you didn’t already know it.
It’s about this that I’d like to talk to you today.
Remember Why You Learned About LOA in the First Place
What is your goal? Stay focused. What is it that you want in your life?
Do you want to be able to tell everyone about how every little thought is creating and contributing to the Universe? Is that really the most pertinent thing in your life right now? Or do you want some money, so that you have the time to study the things that interest you?
Or do you want to lose 40 pounds, so you don’t have to worry about your heart failing while you read?
You’re Playing Your Cards All Wrong
What does LOA say?
What you focus on, you create.
When you focus on your “need to master the Law of Attraction”, you’re thinking about your lack of mastery of LOA. So really, while you’re sitting there thinking you need to do this and need to do that and “oh, why aren’t things manifesting in my life instantly already?”… you’re actually pushing yourself farther and farther away from this desired “mastery”. Truth is….
You’ve Already Mastered the Law of Attraction
That’s right. You already have LOA down, 100%. Everything you think about is being attracted to you, and if you’re thinking about how you WANT to master LOA… you’re really only thinking about things that you don’t have, simply because you’re telling yourself that you haven’t yet done it! Bizarre it is, but it’s the truth. You do not need to put any effort into mastering this fine art, as it’s a gift given to you at birth, something inherited, which you carry deep down inside of you.
The Solution
Rather than trying to master LOA, accept it as a fundamental truth, and move on with your life, knowing that you have this wisdom. Make a decision to go out, do the things you enjoy, make decision, decision, decision, take action, action, action, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Go out there and get the things you love. Hold on to the image of the things you want in life, and feel the feelings associated with having them.
The worst thing you can possibly do is get caught up in the “how”.
Don’t worry about “How do I change myself to make this work more in my favor”.
Rather, decide to make prompt and decisive decisions, and allow the “how” to come to you.
If you really believe in LOA, you know that you do not need to waste your time trying to learn it, rather just focus on what you want, and only then will you see how fast it’s actually working.
Nobody’s enjoying watching you sit there and wondering “how” to run.
Rather, we’re all cheering you on as you take the first step of that sprint…
Everyone who I’ve tagged in this note is familiar with LOA…
and isn’t wasting time tying his or her shoes!
Keep on running, my friends!
Much love,
Russell
p.s. Quit being so hard on yourself! There’s no need to repeat the mistakes of others! Have fun and do what you like, it’s what you’re here for!
