Thursday, February 19, 2009
Superstitious? Not me!!
If I had a dollar for every time I've uttered the phrase, "knock on wood," or "I don't want to jinx things, but..." I would be a very rich person. As a kid I remember never stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk as I heard that was bad luck...same with looking at a black cat, and answering chain letters. I had "lucky charms" that I would always carry with me, I forwarded every email that said if I didn't I would have back luck forever - I even changed my phone number once because I was told the numbers 666 were the sign of the devil and were unlucky.

I'm not sure why we succumb to superstition so easily - perhaps it provides a sense of control in an otherwise uncertain world. Whatever the reason, I know that there are many people who are afraid to share wonderful news in fear they will "jinx" themselves, or those who knock on wood every time they talk about something positive in their life...there are even athletes who wear "lucky" socks or other items because they believe they will enhance their ability.

A few years ago, as I began to shift from believing that my destiny was controlled more by outside circumstances than my own power and spiritual connection, I realized that faith, not fear, was where I needed to direct my thoughts and energy. As my faith - in myself and in my connection to the Divine Power that created all life - grew, I was gradually able to let go of the superstitions that had once seemed so empowering. I can tell you that the experience has been liberating, and life has become more peaceful. I am no longer afraid to respond "I am doing great and life is wonderful..." when someone asks how I am...I am able to delete those emails that suggest I'd better forward it within 1 minute or I will have bad luck forever. I can walk under a ladder without worry, and pet a black cat without thinking twice.

I no longer live in fear of "what if" and rather focus my energy on my own power - my ability to align myself with positive expectations. This has made a huge difference in how I view my life and the world. It seems incomprehensible to me that a force as divine and magnificent as God would be worried about what emails I've forwarded, what part of the sidewalk I walk on, or if I knocked on wood after I shared good news. I'd like to believe that God is more interested in my moral character and how how well I am serving Him in life...

And so the next time you receive one of those emails that tells you to pass it on to 10 people in 10 seconds or else, try hitting delete...then smile...and know that everything is going to be just fine...because it is only when you let go of fear, are you are finally free... ~ Andrea :-)
Written at 8:56 PM by Andrea.
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Monday, February 16, 2009
The meaning of Hope...
Hope is the voice deep within that whispers, "I think I can"...
and grows louder to say, "I know I can, and I will!"
~ Andrea Chervenak

Everyday life is challenging enough, but the economic crisis the world is now facing has created unprecedented struggle and suffering for so many. If not directly affected, you probably know someone who is. And then there is the fear factor - the worry of what the future holds, not just for yourself, but for the world around you.

No matter how aware or enlightened you are, it is so easy to slip back into patterns of anxiety and fear...how readily we can get caught up in the cycle of doom and gloom. And if there is anything that I have learned, it is that allowing yourself to exist in negative expectation only serves to increase its power, and allows it to grow and morph...until you are so deep in the thick of it, that the light of hope becomes invisible...

If you have lost your job, your home, or are overwhelmed by any situation that is testing your ability to hold on to hope, and have faith that everything is going to be okay, I pray that you will find a way to disassociate from this dark perspective and be able to keep your focus on the light that is surely ahead. In no way am I diminishing the anguish you might be feeling - but I have lived in a place of darkness, and know that it is suffocating and does only one thing - weaken you mentally, physically, and spiritually.

It may require you to dig deep, but refusing to attach yourself to fear, negativity, and doubt...and instead choosing to align yourself with the positive energy that flows so readily to those who seek it, will help you to light your path and lead you to all that is yours to know and do.

When fear and doubt take hold, declare your intention to let it go: "Even though my situation is difficult and challenges me in so many ways...I choose to let go of all fear, all doubt, all negatitivy, all anxiety..."

And declare your intention for what it is you want to attract to your life, "I choose to align myself with the positive energy of faith and hope...and I give thanks that all I need to know and all I need to do will find its way to me."

I know this is not easy, but I also know that on the other side of darkenss there is always light...and its beacon shines more brightly to those who seek it.

With wishes for blessings of abundance, good health, and peace... ~ Andrea :-)
Written at 11:40 AM by Andrea.
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Friday, February 6, 2009
It is never too late...
Several years ago I turned 50 and had pretty much given up on living the life I had always expected to live. I was struggling with chronic health issues and had gone from being an independent, free-spirited, and positive being... to someone I no longer recognized.

While browsing through a bookstore one day I came across a beautiful metal bookmark with a quote from George Eliot that really struck a cord:

It is never too late to be what
you might have been.


I remember thinking, "if only this were true..." as at this point I had begun to belive that perhaps I was not destined for the purposeful and passionate life I had always envisioned. But I suppose the optimist in me still existed because I decided to buy it to add to my "inspiration corner" that I had set up in my bedroom. Every once in a while this quote would catch my eye and I would again think, "if only this were true..."

And so here it is, just a couple of years later, and quite frankly I find myself in a place that I truly never imaged was possible when I bought that bookmark not that long ago -living a life filled with more inspiration and purpose than I have ever imagined possible.

I have been so blessed to have found my way from a very dark place, to living a more enlightened and inspired life. The focus of my life has completely changed and the person who was once full of doubt and uncertainty has been replaced by someone who has choosen to live in a place of faith and positive expectation.

I have been divinely inspired these last few years and am so grateful for the guidance that has led me to develop a line of inspirational tee shirts, along with a website about the power of positive intention and expectation (http://www.WearYourIntention.com/). A book that I have spent the last two years writing (Heal With Hope A Healing Handbook & Journal) that is scheduled to be released in the next two weeks. And I marvel at the evolution of the Heal With Hope website that has grown from a few pages two years ago, to over 100 pages today.

The lessons I have learned and applied to my life are not special to me, and can transform anyone's life. And so I have finally found an outlet for the purpose and passion I had always hoped to find in life...by sharing these lessons with others in the hope that someone else may be inspired to turn their life around, and that anyone who is feeling as though the best days of their life is behind them - and that miracles only happen to others but never them - will know that everything is possible. It truly is "never too late to be what you might have been." It doesn't matter what your age is, or how impossible your dream may seem. I found my way, and you can too!! ~ Andrea :-)
Written at 10:09 PM by Andrea.
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