Vibrant Nation

Inside each of us is a little spark, a flame or a big assed bon fire that needs to be tended to. It's that spark of spirit that made me scream, "Enough, enough," and start a 90 Day No Negativity Challenge. That spark eventually nudged me into what Thomas Merton calls the wilderness of my own interior journey.

From that journey, I've learned that the best way for me to tend my inner flame is to engage my soul on a daily basis and keep free of negativity. Here are my top ten tips for keeping free of negativity.

1. Stop complaining, criticizing, or blaming.
   Just banish them from your mind and life. At least try. Set a timer and try it for fifteen minutes and go from there.


2. Stay silent.
   This is a big one for me because I like words and I like to talk. Just shut up sometimes. As OldBlonde said, "The person who stays silent has all the power," and "If it's not a question, it doesn't need an answer."


3. Joe Friday is an angel.
   "The facts ma'am, just the facts."


4. Stay in the moment.
   Where's your attention? It should be on right now, not what was or could be.


5. Know what your triggers are and prepare for them.
   Mine is first thing in the morning, drummers and swings. Drummers make me stupid and I do stupid things on swings.


6. Keep some of yourself to yourself.
   Don't throw yourself out to everyone, full tilt. Hold back. You are not mangy dog that is begging to be scratched with a stick as the Sweet Potato Queens would say.


7. If you wouldn't say it, don't think it.
   I'm personally rather fond of my imaginary billboard on I 85 that randomly projects my thoughts to the whole world. You are free to borrow it.


8. Take care of yourself.
   You are the only you the world has and we need your gifts. Whatever that means to you do it. Taking care of yourself and your inner flame is the most selfless thing you can do.


9. Life is an adventure and what happens is all part of the wilderness experience of being human.
   Treat it like a trip to a far away land that you paid big bucks for and enjoy it. The trip is paid for. All you gotta do is enjoy it.


10. Choose.
    The best thing about being human besides cowboys, sex, and chocolate is that every moment of everyday we get to choose. So choose, it's either fear or love baby. I'm choosing love. What about you?

Click here to read more posts from Watermusic's 90 Day No Negativity Challenge