The Company You Keep

The Morning Muse:
The people you surround yourself with can either lift you up, bring you down, or keep you stuck just where you are. Now, of course, in an ideal world you are not affected by anything or anyone around you. But, that is the ideal and not the reality for most people. Be conscious of who you decide to spend your time with. Think about what you want to create in your life, your intentions, and ask yourself if the company you keep share those intentions for their life. If they do not, ask yourself if they support your intentions. Would they judge you if you shared your dreams with them? Would they impose their self-limiting beliefs on you? Would they crush your dreams with cynicism? I call these people "dream crushers." I choose to either cut out these "dream crushers" from my life, if and when I can, or I at least identify them to myself so I can be aware of it when they are trying to crush my dreams. I am not saying to kick all your friends to the curb if they don't share or support your visions, but I am saying you can be conscious of the amount of time you spend with them, the extent to which your share your dreams with them, and the role that they are serving in your life. You always want to keep that attitude of gratitude and unconditional love. Be grateful for the role they once served or the role they are still serving and send them love, but protect yourself with your awareness. In addition to assessing the support you are getting from the current company you are keeping, you can begin to think about the kinds of people you would like to surround yourself with. Are they creative types? Are they entrepreneurs? Are they intelligent, kind, supportive, successful, loving, giving, thoughtful? By even thinking about the kind of people you would like to surround yourself with you are attracting those people into your life. Think about your vision and your values. If you want to be a successful painter, you might want to focus your thoughts on meeting some successful artists. If you want to be a healer, you might want to focus your intention on loving, giving, and healing friends. Lastly, I want to make the point that for those of you who are blessed to already be surrounded by friends and family that support or share your intentions, first be very grateful and then begin to think about how you can harness this uplifting support or shared vision. My suggestion is to bring these people together to focus on that vision. Perhaps, you invite them over for dinner to discuss your dreams, and their dreams as well. And, to lift each other up! It is very powerful to combine love and intention in a group setting. If you don't have that support system yet, join a group with a shared goal. Many local women's groups, men's groups, support groups, etc.., can be found in a simple google search. If a group you are looking for doesn't exist, start one. I am! In January, I am starting a women's group in San Diego. My intention for the group is to support each other's needs and goals. To offer each other advice, and support, and help make each other's dreams a reality. That's my intention for the group in January, my intention for today is to bring people together. I intend to be a "connector". If I have a friend who needs something that I know another friend provides, I will bring them together. Or, if I know two people with a shared dream, I want to introduce them. I want to connect people all day today, whenever possible. Connecting people is extremely rewarding. It's like being a matchmaker, but with out all the drama!

Gratitude Review:
1. I am grateful for this blog. I am so thankful to have a place to set my intention. Yesterday, I set my intention on attracting money... guess what, a deal involving more money that I had been pushing for finally went through. YAY! It was incredible. So, believe me when I say... Money is easy to attract. After yesterday, I believe it more than I already had. So, now I can set my intention on even more abundance (I have to admit that I set a limit on the amount I was attracting). But, I am so appreciative of the money I've already created, and the fact that I have this blog to share my successes as examples for others. I feel blessed.
2. I have said it before, but because of my topic this morning I will say it again. I am so so so grateful for the company I keep. My inner circle of friends include visionaries and creators, which lift my visions and my creative power. I love you all.
3. I once wrote about my gratitude for my alarm clock, but I need to add something to that. I am so grateful for the snooze button on the alarm clock. My alarm clock makes sure I am on time, but the snooze button allows me to ease into the morning. I love how 8 minutes feels like forever when you are trying to get up. If I get an extra 8-16 minutes, I feel like it makes all the difference. It's so funny... the mind is powerful and silly!

Daily Musings:
The exercise for today is two-fold...

1. Make a list of the people you surround yourself with the most. As you are writing down their names, ask yourself if they uplift you, bring you down, keep you stuck, crush your dreams, support you dreams, share your intentions. You can write that down next to their names as well as what purpose they have served or are serving in your life. Express you gratitude for what they have given you. Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with the people on the lift that are uplifting, supportive, loving, or share your vision.
2. Bring those positive people together. For example, invite them over for dinner or to a restaurant or out for tea. Or, join an existing group. Or, start a group with a goal that's in alignment with your values, intentions, and visions.

Surround yourself with love and have the most wonderful day!