by MarBeth Dunn | Jan 29, 2013 | Uncategorized
I was going through some old family photos yesterday with my cousin Joe. He’s been researching and chronicling our family genealogy for years, so he was thrilled as I was to explore the two, filled to the brim boxes of old family photos from my back closet. These photos hadn’t seen the light of day in many years, and I was so surprised to see love in so many of them. Seeing with new eyes, that had not seen until now what had been there all along, I’m so grateful for the growth, and compassion that enabled my new perspective. I stayed up long into the night, dividing the photos to share with my girls and other family members.
I fell asleep thinking about our beloved family pet, a miniature red poodle with a heart so vast and love-filled, that a warm feeling washes over me at the thought of her. She lives far away with my daughter, and I don’t see her as often now as I would wish. I’ve had so many pets, dogs, cats birds, and even a red howler monkey when I lived in Haiti, yet she is the one who touches me deeply. She opened my heart with her openness, and sweet, unconditional love. I awoke with her on my mind this morning as well, and I remembered that there is no distance with love. I’m sure that she’s feeling my love as I think about her.
As I passed the boxes of photos this morning, I smelled my Mom’s perfume wafting around me. It followed me into my office as I began writing, and again, I receive her message that love has no distance. It transcends even death. Life is eternal. Death is just a change of form, transition into another dimension. The love never dies.
© 2013 MarBeth Dunn – all rights reserved
by MarBeth Dunn | Jan 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
“Happy talk… Keep talking happy talk. Talk about things you’d like to do…”
Remember that song from South Pacific? You couldn’t listen to it and not feel happy! Have you noticed that happy people generally do talk ‘happy talk’?
Studies have shown that not only do happy people enjoy life more, they tend to get more of what 
most people say would MAKE them happy. Have you noticed how certain people seem to live charmed lives? They (for the most part) always have the good jobs, loving friends, supportive family members, nice places to live and a variety of other lifestyle items that would appear to bring them happiness. “Well, of course they’re happy,” you might say to yourself. “With all of that, why wouldn’t they be happy?”
Ah, but there is the secret ingredient to creating happiness that you may not realize: Happy people aren’t happy BECAUSE they’re successful, have good relationships, and abundant lives, they are successful, have good relationships and abundant lives because they are HAPPY. Get happy first and everything else shows up. Make no mistake, happiness is a choice. It does not depend on getting a job, having more money, living in a different place. After all, wherever you go, there you are.
Every wonder what happy people have in common? Cultivate these characteristics to create more happiness in your life!
First and foremost, happy people choose to have and keep a positive attitude. They don’t dwell on the negative or constantly talk about everything that’s wrong in their lives. They are not “stuck in their story” and they focus on what’s good in their life, not on what’s bad.
Happy people live by design. They choose to stay empowered, create a plan, know where they’re going and focus on what could be, rather than what is. Don’t underestimate the power of living in the emotion of “as if”. Staying happy is all about the feeling. A new car doesn’t make you happy, the feeling the car gives you does. See the difference?
Another trait of happy people is they hang out with other happy people! It may sound unsympathetic but happy people won’t tolerate negativity, including negative people in their lives for very long. They know it will only bring them down.
Spend some time with happy people and you’ll notice they don’t stay rattled for long. They accept what is, change what they can and don’t worry or complain about what they can’t change. This means they’re not constantly fighting an uphill battle, feeling disempowered over things beyond their control. Economy? Weather? Crazy drivers? Not worth the energy. Move on.
Happy people are spiritual, have a relationship with a Higher Power. It is a deeply essential component of their lives. They trust in a greater good and have a sense that things are as they should be. This isn’t about deferring accountability or responsibility, it’s an understanding and acceptance that there is an order to things that is beyond our human understanding and that’s okay.
I have a friend whose house burned down several years ago. She was sincerely grateful that she, her husband and brand new baby made it out of the house alive, AND her wedding dress and album weren’t turned to ash (although everything else was). Did she have moments of grief and loss? Sure, but she didn’t dwell on it and didn’t walk around in depression and despair. She was truly happy that the worst possible thing didn’t happen and she still had two important mementos with meaning. It probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that for the most part, she has had, and continues to have, a very happy life. She chooses attitude, not circumstances to dictate her journey.
Happiness is the result of a deeper emotion, joy, which comes from the recesses of your heart. Feel the joy, choose happiness and watch how your life unfolds.
© 2013 MarBeth Dunn – all rights reserved
by MarBeth Dunn | Jan 21, 2013 | Uncategorized
“It was like…magic.” We’ve all heard that phrase, maybe even said it a few times, and there is something so wonderful about things that seem magical. Have you wished for more magic in your life and wonder how can you get it or get more of it?
It’s really not so hard to live a magical life. Although people may explain it in many different ways, the way to get more magic into 
your life is quite simple: you must be aligned with and connected to Spirit. When you are aligned and connected, things become much clearer and everything seems to fall into place seamlessly and without effort. Why is that? Because your alignment with Spirit insures that you are on point for living your purpose, and being connected means you’re receiving everything you need to achieve it. Living in alignment and living out your purpose will take you to the place where you have a magical, fulfilled life. When you are aligned with Spirit, you are vibrating at a high level, and by the Law of Attraction will effortlessly attract everything you desire to live your purpose.
Ultimately, living on purpose is what will get you up every day with a fire in your belly and a passion to start the day and stay in your day. This has, in recent years, been described as your “why” or the reason you do what you do every day. Interestingly enough, that reason is never just about the work you’re doing as it’s so much bigger than that. When your why is strong, it’s in all probability because you are in alignment with Spirit, in that sweet spot, where things seem to happen naturally and easily. You will also feel more joy about the work you’re doing. You’re in “flow”, which is how author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes it in his book by the same name. Hours can pass and you’re blissfully unaware of time flying by because you are singularly focused, singularly driven and completely in love with what you’re doing and the invisible support that’s around you. You are in perfect alignment.
Conversely, it doesn’t take much mis-alignment to have it greatly impact your business or life. I was talking to a friend the other day as she described to me how she just felt a little “off” in her business. She explained that she felt like the game at Cracker Barrel, where you put the golf tees in the wooden triangle but it never has all the holes filled. “I feel like I’ve got 97% of those tees in the triangle but the 3% that are missing is just enough to make me feel like things aren’t right. I don’t have the enthusiasm for my business that I normally do.” After further conversation, we discovered that she hadn’t been writing enough; something she loves to do but has not been her main line of work (although it is a part of it). I suggested she not change anything except start carving out more time to write and create her own material. From there, she could reevaluate. The relief was palpable. Writing is a passion that needed to be included for her life vision to work 100%!
I’ve noticed that being in alignment is very much like being pregnant, you’re either are, or you’re not. “Almost” in alignment is still out of alignment, as my friend could sense, and out of alignment, even though it may be just the tiniest bit, blocks the flow of everything else. Bringing more magic into your life is possible and very attainable if you take the time to pay attention to the feedback your heart, body and mind are giving you. Listen to them very carefully because the answers are all there, just waiting for you!
© MarBeth Dunn – all rights reserved
