Law of Attraction, Prayer, Uncategorized

What you believe becomes your reality

Katrina Russell

Thoughts create reality….. also known as “Positive Thinking”. I have found that there are two types of people who don’t believe this theory. Those who already think positively and those who refuse to think positively.

I see it all the time. I have conversations with people who are well accomplished. Who thhave a strong self value. Who understand that if they work hard they can accomplish anything. Then “Positive thinking” comes up and they start commenting about how “You can’t think yourself to success… you can’t just think, ‘I’m successful’ and become successful… that’s all woo woo crap that con artists use to delude the desperate out of their money.”

I tend to respond with… “oh… so you never thought that you were good enough to finish school and get a great job?”. Oh course they did… they thought positively about the idea of how their life would turn out… but they did the work.

Yes… you have to do the work. Thoughts create your reality when you do the work… that should be implied. This mantra is for those who don’t think that they are good enough to accomplish things. They need to think positively. They need to believe in themselves. They  don’t need to think “My husband is great and him beating me is great” that is not positive thinking. They have to think, “I deserve better than my husband is giving me, and I can do better by myself than with him”. Then she  needs to believe it and leave. They don’t need to think, “I can pay all my bills on my minimum wage job”. They need to think, “I am smart and talented and deserve to get paid accordingly in a job that I find rewarding”. Then they need to believe it in order to get the new job or get the education to start a new career.

Those who are successful already tell themselves these things. They already believe it. I use the example, say someone hands you a puzzle, one of those brain teasing 3 dimensional puzzles, and says, “I think it has all the pieces”. You may spend some time trying to put it together and if it gets too difficult you may say, “It must be missing some pieces.. this isn’t working”, but if they tell you that all the pieces are there you will be more willing to put in the extra effort because you know that it is solvable. Then there are others that will keep trying till it works regardless. If you are sure that you can do something you are more likely to accomplish your goal.

Then there are those who won’t even try regardless of how many pieces are in the box. Those are in the other category that don’t believe in positive thinking. They are the ones that are so low on themselves that there is just no point to thinking positively. It’s not going to work no matter what. They are too stupid, or they have horrible luck.. or they’re just not the “type of person” that can succeed.

With this type of person it is almost impossible to get them to understand the concept of “Positive thinking” because they’ve never done it. They’ve never seen it work. If you think positively and prove to them that it works, then you just have better luck, or your rubbing your fortune in their face…. or you’re just better than them and they get it.. and now they feel worse.

Those are the people that need the help the most.. and are the most resistant to it. You can’t change someone that doesn’t want to change… but for the average person that just has a bad streak of self doubt the idea that thoughts create our reality is game changing. If you believe something enough you will figure out a way to achieve it, as long as you DO THE WORK. It’s that simple.

 

parenting, Uncategorized

Why I like when my child fights back.

Katrina Russell

I have a 4-year-old. My 4-year-old sometimes has trouble communicating. Sometimes he has tantrums, sometimes he bursts into tears for seemingly no reason… and very often he doesn’t listen to what I want. It is a constant power struggle… and I think it’s awesome!

The other day was my birthday and a friend of mine took us out for dinner. While we were out my son decided that he was old enough to squeeze the ketchup on his own. After a small discussion I agreed to let him try. My friend took it on himself to try to stop my son and to reprimand him for disobeying me.

I understood part of his point. My son did fight back. My son did resist my wishes, but he did it to advocate himself. He didn’t have a fit. He didn’t throw the ketchup or cry or cause a scene he simply stated his case and told me that he felt that he was ready for more. That, in my opinion, is not disobedience. That is leadership skills. I told my friend that I had it handled and I was hoping that would be the end of it.

Later, when we were home for cake, my son finished his water and threw his water bottle on the floor. My friend told him to pick it up, and my son refused. This was disobedient, and my friend again, took it upon himself to try to correct his behavior. He was calling him a baby for misbehaving and threatening my son that he wouldn’t be allowed to hang out with him anymore and watch his favourite TV show. This was an empty threat. Everyone knew this and it accomplished nothing.

I, again, told my friend that he wasn’t helping and my friend left the room frustrated. I turned to my “disobedient” son and asked him to pick up the water bottle. He refused. I then told him that he was going to have to clean up my pile of papers on the table. He told me that wasn’t fair because it wasn’t his mess… I pointed out the hypocrisy and then explained that if he wasn’t going to clean up his own mess then I would have to clean it up.. and the more time that I spent cleaning up the mess the less time that I would have to play with him. Then I stopped talking and finished my cake.

My son sat for a minute, then proceeded to walk over, pick up the water bottle, and threw it in the trash. This was about the time my friend came back into the room. I told him that I handled it. He seems to think that kids should just do as they’re told because they are told. I do not like that idea. I like the idea of teaching children WHY they should do things. I like teaching children about repercussions. I like when my child speaks up for himself.

There are many people who feel that parents are too lenient today. “That’s why kids are so lazy and disrespectful”. Yet, it has been proven that the stricter the parent is without justification the more apt the child is to rebel. There is a difference between letting a child do what ever they want.. and letting a child make decisions so they learn the consequences.

I don’t want my son to grow up to be a cog. I don’t want my son to grow up and just do as he’s told. I want my son to grow up and create the life he wants and fight for the life that he deserves. Breaking his spirit won’t accomplish that, and arbitrary rules should be questioned.

bullying, Law of Attraction, Uncategorized

Friends are not always the most encouraging when it’s time for a change.

Katrina Russell

Have you ever known someone whom lost a boat load of weight, I’m not talking like 10-20 lbs. I mean like 50-100 lbs, and managed to keep it off? The first question people always ask is how they did it, and they are always disappointed when they are told the person changed their eating habits and/or exercised. No one wants to do that.

imagesEveryone wants to change.. without actually changing. These same people will see the new and improved, healthier person out at dinner or a party and say, “oh, you can have some cake”.. or the drink.. or what have you, “you have to live a little” or “a little won’t kill you” or something along those lines.

I have always found this extremely disparaging. It is a way of completely undermining the work the person has done. It’s not easy to “stick” to a healthy diet. It takes A LOT of work. Most people have to over come addictions, and other mental health coping mechanisms to get there. It really does take changing.

I couldn’t imagine someone saying the same thing to an alcoholic. “Oh, wow, you haven’t had a drink in a year! That’s amazing! Let’s celebrate with shots. One won’t kill you”. It’s a slippery slope. Now that’s not to say that someone who has lost weight can never have a piece of birthday cake again. I mean… maybe the person does decide that their addiction is too strong and it’s best not to, or maybe they feel that they have dealt with their habits enough that they can indulge on an occasion, but the point is that it’s the healthy person’s decision on how they handle their food intake. They know what is and isn’t OK for them.

I don’t think that most people who try to encourage the healthier person to “Live a little” downloadis trying to bully them or sabotage them. I think most people are just trying to include their friends.  I think that most people just want to act like the food is not a big deal, but it is.. to some people, and pretending that it’s not doesn’t help anyone. That being said, there are some that go the other way. There are those “friends” that don’t want you to succeed because they haven’t. You know the old saying, “Misery loves company”.

If you are on your path to a healthier you. Whether it’s weight-loss, substance abuse, or weight-loss-kratomeven getting a better job, be careful of your peers. Be careful of those who seem to always lead you down the path of the dark side… with those cookies. You know the voices that you hear in your head that say it’s ok… you can just have one… well, they are hard enough to ignore. When you hear them from those who love you it’s even more challenging.

If you want to change your life, that mean you have to CHANGE your life. It won’t be easy. There is no magic pill. You can’t half-ass it. But you can become what ever you imagine yourself to be… you just have to do the work.

Law of Attraction, Prayer, Uncategorized

You are who you think you are

Katrina Russell

It amazes me how many people that I speak to who say that they believe in science don’t actually believe in possibility… They only believe in the science that has been proven thus far. Which includes many “theories” that have just as much evidence as others but doesn’t sound woowoo and therefore is more believable.

For instance, my favourite topic, Quantum Physics. There are certain elements that are completely acceptable now that even Einstein thought were completely ridiculous. We now KNOW that matter can be both waves and particles, this has been proven in a series of experiments. It has been proven that matter characteristics change depending on whether or not it is being observed and that there is a certain amount of human consciousness that goes into the experiment when a person watches it. This, again has been proven by blind experiments. Yet, when someone says that humans have the ability to change or create their own reality this is considered crazy.

It has been proven that our thoughts create chemical reactions in our brain. If we think thoughts that stress us out our glands secrete cortisol… also known as the “fight or flight” hormone. If we think sad, depressing thoughts that stress us out our hormone levels spike and we physically feel all of the symptoms that correlate.

Then, of course what do we do? We listen to sad music, sit in the dark and eat crap food. This creates more cortisol, the darkness creates melatonin (a hormone that helps us sleep) and our insulin level spike and crash… all of which makes us more stressed out and the cycle continues. Some think that eating chocolate will help as it “mimics the feeling of love”, which is true to an extent. There is a chemical in chocolate called phenethylamine which stimulates the nervous system activating endorphins and creating a euphoric feeling… do you know what else does that? Exercise, and thinking happy thoughts… neither of which leave you with a sugar (insulin) crash later.

There is a huge epidemic going around now with opioids. I remember the first time that I was prescribed one. I had impacted wisdom teeth one of which cracked a tooth in front of it and caused excruciating pain. When the doctor gave me the script he told me that “it won’t kill the pain, but you just won’t care anymore” and that’s it.. that’s how it works. Opioids trigger a release of dopamine that just makes one feel happy.

After I had my son via C-section the nurses were adamant that I needed something.. Vicodin, Perks, Oxy… anything to help with the pain. I told them that the Motrin was just fine. I wasn’t in a hurry to fuzzy my brain with a newborn and except for the actual movement of standing and sitting when ab muscles were strained the most I really didn’t feel much discomfort. As it turns out holding a baby, feeling the love, and bonding by breastfeeding actually releases oxytocin into the system. The thoughts alone create the hormones that amplify the feelings. This is a fact.

Now I’m not saying that there is no need for pain killers. I do understand that some people have severe chronic pain and that it makes it very difficult to do things like exercise and think happy thoughts and that their bodies can’t make enough endorphins to counteract the pain. I also know that this can be both physical and psychological pain, but that doesn’t mean that you stop trying or that you let the darkness take over.

I read an article the other day about how “thinking positive” actually hurts and is counter productive because lying to ones self can actually cause more harm and people need to feel their pain. Well, I half agree. I agree that lying to yourself will cause more problems.. and I agree that people need to deal with their issues head on. What I don’t agree with is the author’s idea of thinking positive.

Positive thinking is NOT pretending everything is great when it sucks. If you have a crappy job, are in an abusive relationship, or just lost someone or something dear to you then you can just think, “Oh, everything is so wonderful”. That’s not positive thinking.. that’s delusional thinking. Positive thinking is acknowledging whatever bad thing is or has happened and understanding that it is not the end and that it can get better and spending your time and energy on thinking about the good things. Either remembering the lost loved one and the good that person has done.. or thinking about your next option with a job or relationship.. but never giving up.

The more that a person thinks about their future and their life the way they want it, the more “Happy Hormones” their brain produces. The more happy hormones a person has the more likely they are to DO something.. anything. They will start to believe that they deserve more. This brings us back to the Quantum Physics. Your consciousness creates your reality. The world is as you perceive it. If you only see the bad things the world is bad. If you only see the good the world is good. The more good you see.. the more good you’ll do.. and so on.

 

bullying, Healthcare, Politics, Uncategorized

Let’s lay blame where blame belongs

Katrina Russell

Don’t get me wrong. I am the first to say that not every claim of rape or sexual assault is true. I have actually lost friends over this. I believe that any accusations should be investigated, and there are lots of women who just cry rape when they regret what happened… however… when something like the Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby or Donald Trump controversy come out this is not one woman regretting her behavior or wanting a pay out.

download (46)Most of these women have a life of their own at this point and have nothing to gain and everything to lose by making these accusations. People often ask, “why didn’t they come forward sooner?” and I can understand that question, but I can also understand the answer. I can understand why a women wants to keep her mouth shut because her career is on the line. I can understand that someone, without the power, doesn’t have the overwhelming urge to give up everything no matter how right they may be.

The interesting thing that I have found is that men have no problem using the excuse that “That’s how things were back then”. It was normal for women to be abused and have absolutely no power to fight back and everyone was ok with that, but when women say that’s why they didn’t come forward they get called liars and laughed at.

So which was it? Either men have this as an excuse and, therefore, so do women.. or men don’t have this.. and none of their behavior is OK. I was raised by a man.. with a big brother and now I have a son. I have been surrounded by men my whole life. I remember watching my dad watch women walk by and his girlfriend laughing about it. I was raised to know that I have the right to stick up for myself. I was raised that I was a strong, powerful woman. And I was raised to know that not everyone was.

So, how about we stop blaming victims.. and start listening to facts. No matter which finger is pointed.. or when.

bullying, parenting, Politics, Uncategorized

Healthcare needs to be a conversation.

Katrina Russell

Can we please have a conversation about mental health? Another attack… shocking! Should guns be banned? Maybe… Should there be more regulations… definitely, but let’s talk about the real issue. Mental Health. Depression is behind almost every door. Bullying is inside every phone and every computer. This is not the same world it once was. We can’t treat it as is was.

download (43)I have a friend that is currently struggling with addiction and looking desperately for a long-term care center… but of course health insurance doesn’t cover it. If he has $22k/ month he is all set… but the average person?

This is not a rarity. I do not believe that addiction itself is an disease as “they” say.. what I do believe is that most addicts have severe mental health problems.. usually depression or anxiety and that they use drugs to self medicate.. and just cause a spiral. So why are we not talking about mental health MORE? Why are we not making sure that EVERY American has access to help?

We treat drug addicts like criminals.. and believe that even criminals should be allowed guns… and yet.. no one wants to help any of these people. I’m not even talking about politicians. They are a small part of what this country is made up of. We need to start making changes ourselves. We need to start thinking about ALL of our citizens. We need to think about addicts… and the school children who have to practice safety measures in case of shootings. We need to think about the lives that we are leaving our children.

I don’t know how to fix the healthcare system.. and I am not a politician. What I do know is that we need to talk about it… and not just bully and blame.. but understand.. and empathize. We need to help.

Law of Attraction, Love, parenting, Politics, Prayer, Uncategorized

I’m a dreamer…

Katrina Russell

I saw a post the other day with a meme that used the famous song lyrics, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” over the faces of some well known civil rights activists. It was meant to be a positive message. Instead there were a bunch of people commenting about how John Lennon was a drug addict and all other faults they knew about the other icons.

ubjjsThe funny thing is it’s completely ironic… the post is saying that we need to love one another not tear each other apart. For some reason today people feel that everyone needs to be perfect. That no one can be flawed but WANT better.

Social Media was designed to bring people together but instead all people do is nitpick. They find any flaw and magnify it. They hear any story and look for someone to blame. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen someone comment on a post in a well meaning way only to have someone point out that the original comment used improper grammar or spelling. OK.. thank you.. but that is not the point. How many parents have been blamed for a horrible accident? How many celebrities are judged for what they wear off camera?

The world needs to learn to love. We need to learn to love ourselves. We need to learn to love our neighbor. We need to stop hating on everyone and everything because we are not perfect. Love isn’t about perfection. Life isn’t about perfection. It’s about learning and growing and accepting.

 

 

 

 

Law of Attraction, Love, parenting, Prayer, Uncategorized

Your beliefs are all you have

Katrina Russell

Beliefs are a very powerful thing. Our entire existence resonates around the things that we believe. We believe we are beautiful or ugly… we believe we are smart or stupid.. we believe we deserve good things or that bad things will always happen to us.

“I think therefore I am”. One of the most famous philosophical understandings of all times. If we are capable of thinking then we must exist, and the things that we think must make us who we are. If we think that things can only get better, then we will keep trying till they do. If we think that things can only get worse, then we’ll give up. Seems pretty simple.

Well, what about bigger beliefs? What about religious and  spiritual beliefs? They too make us who we are and affect how we deal with things. Before my  father died I was a bit more agnostic. I acknowledged something was out there, but I didn’t really know what.  I’m still not sure, but I have turned my belief a little more towards religion. My son started Catholic school, and we started to attend Mass on Sundays and I like and appreciate the idea of the afterlife. I like and appreciate the idea that my father is looking down on us… or checking in on us in some way and seeing how we are doing and is proud of us.

th (1)I had an interesting experience this past weekend in which we had gone to a party with some of my son’s father’s old high school friends. It was mentioned that our son goes to Catholic school and I later heard one of the women talking to my son’s father about it. He was saying how he hated it and that he thought the whole idea was stupid, but kept his mouth shut around my son. That is fine, he doesn’t have to believe the things that we do. My brother is a complete atheist and feels much more comfort KNOWING that when we die our bodies get eaten by worms and that’s it… no mystery.

I was raised to understand that everyone has their own ideas, and their own beliefs, and that no one really knows for sure.. it’s what resonates with you best that works. What bothered me about the conversation between the woman and my ex, was the tone of disapproval.  I don’t want my son growing up feeling that way.

The next day my  son, who is 4, and I were putting together a puzzle. I had found it under a stack of books and told him that I had forgotten about it. That “Papa” had bought it for him  when he was a little baby and was too young to use it at the time.. but it was perfect for him now. After we finished the puzzle he looked at it somberly and I asked him what he was thinking. “I wish Papa was here to see us do this”. That little sentence broke my heart… but thankfully he has been learning about God and Heaven and I was able to say, “I think Papa is watching us from Heaven and is very proud of you”.

Now, I don’t KNOW that’s true. I don’t KNOW that my father isn’t just the pile of ashes in the urn on my piano and that’s all that’s left… but I do know.. that doesn’t comfort me, and it doesn’t comfort my 4 year old…. and doesn’t hurt anyone to for us to believe that Papa is watching and proud of us.

bullying, Law of Attraction, Love, parenting, Uncategorized

I’m Sorry….

Katrina Russell

My son was at his therapist’s office the other day. In his little life he has had a lot of loss and sometimes we all need help coping with the grief that comes from that. Since he’s so young he spends most of his time to just playing and avoiding questions that make him feel uncomfortable. This last week his therapist noticed that he was apologizing a lot. This is not like him. He usually apologizes when necessary but not unusually so. She mentioned that it is a sign of anxiety and feeling guilty about things.

Im-sorryI thought about this for a while, and tried to evaluate what had been going on in his life lately that  may have made him feel that way. After a bit I realized that it wasn’t his anxiety at all. It was his God father’s. I love my  friend and he is a wonderful person.. but he apologizes to inanimate objects when he trips. I told him that I was getting ready to take my son to school and his response was, “I’m sorry”.. for what? Not only did it not involve any behavior that he had to apologize for.. my son going back to school is a good thing. We are all excited.

My friend blamed this behavior on being in the customer service industry… but that’s not the case. There is no need to apologize for good things happening even in customer service. In his case he is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. He is always expecting bad news.. and he is always first to take blame.. even for things that aren’t his fault.

I don’t know where he learned this, but I want to make sure that my son doesn’t pick up this habit. I want my son to apologize for things he’s really sorry for, not just pay lip service. I want my son to feel comfortable in his own skin and with his own actions. I want my son to look forward to people’s news. I want “Guess what?” to be a question of excitement not dread. It’s important to teach empathy and awareness.. it’s something else to create anxiety and guilt.. or a fear of being wrong just for being oneself.

Houston, Law of Attraction, Politics, Prayer, Uncategorized

Actually, Yes, send your prayers!

Katrina Russell

21149994_2161878090566549_2049937517285688697_nI saw a meme on Facebook that had plenty of likes and I understood the point, but no. Yes, If you have the money and the time available, by all means get out there and help. Go for it.. do what ever you can… but that’s the point. Do whatever you can. Some people feel as though prayer is a waste of time, but any positive energy sent to those in pain is a good thing. Even if you don’t believe in the power of vibration.. the law of attraction.. or the power of prayer, I imagine you must understand how it feels to see that others are thinking of you and hoping for your well-being.

There is a reason that people hold vigils for someone who dies. There’s a reason why memorials are constructed… and sympathy cards have become an entire market. People need to know that others care. People need to know that they are not alone.

So yes, even if you can’t afford to give the extra money. Even if you can’t jump the next plane to Houston… You can give. You can do good. You can send your prayers.. support… energy to those in need, and let them know that they are not alone. Let them know that there is always hope. Let them know that you care.