Category Archives: Positive Thinking

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR: GO WITH IT!

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ImageLife is about change.  You can’t escape it.  You’ve heard it said, “Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.”  The seasons change, people change, and WE change. It’s what we call living. All things that are alive continue to change. Change is part of the circle of life and is vitally necessary. Like the trees letting go of her leaves,  we’ve got to learn when to let go too, whether it is in our careers, relationships, or other pursuits.  We change and we can even outgrow our own puny dreams of the past. Other times it’s people; we don’t connect so well anymore with some because we are each growing at different speeds or we’re choosing to grow and they have chosen to not grow.  Now that doesn’t mean you don’t fight for the important relationships in your life for we don’t just throw away people. But it does mean that we are more discerning with your choices and we have to let others grow at their own pace and not invest so much time in changing THEM. Rather we must use that energy to change OURSELVES.

Embrace Change. Just like the earth, we are all changing seasons right now. And, as I watch how easily the leaves fall from the trees with a little wind, I wonder why we try so hard to hold onto what is, instead of welcoming what might be. I know that each of us (just like the trees) is just being prepared for our beautiful springtime that is assuredly ahead. So just as spring follows winter, each of our own individual harvests is inevitably just ahead. Like the trees, we’ve got to learn when to just let go. Fall is a beautiful time and the falling of the leaves has a purpose. The tree knows this instinctively.  And like the trees we must have faith that something better is awaiting each of us. And finally, with a heart full of joy and appreciation we must learn to greet each day knowing that blessings are on the way and thank God for them right now in advance.  Remember, a grateful heart attracts blessings.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

To Forgive or Not Forgive, THAT IS THE QUESTION

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“Feeling Stuck” was the subject of an email from Dr. Robert Anthony that caught my attention this morning.  So what does being stuck have to do with forgiveness? The first paragraph of the email explained it:

“If you feel stuck in any area of your life it could very well be due to a lack of forgiveness. Perhaps you are having trouble forgiving someone else or yourself.  It doesn’t matter. Holding on to past memories or “stories” is guaranteed to tie up your energy and block your ability to attract what you want.”

Wow now that was certainly food for thought. Everyone has specific areas of their lives where they excel and a few in which they are simply “stuck.”  Stuck areas are those that cause you the recurring grief, where there’s no movement and no progress. Think about your life.  Where are you “stuck?”  Who do you need to forgive?  Is it yourself or others?  I don’t know about you, but that’s given me a lot to think about today.”  So here’s five questions you need to answer to move on?

  1. List the areas of your life that you are feeling stuck in.  (job, relationships, health, etc.)
  2. Think about what negative stories you are holding onto in that area.
  3. Who or what is the source?  Are you angry with yourself or is it someone else?
  4. Pray on it and figure out a way to forgive them or yourself.
  5. Let it go!

Remember as we forgive, we too are forgiven!

A New Wealth Program is Necessary

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A Reprogramming Was Necessary

It was the thoughts, beliefs, and ideas of my formative caretakers that helped to shape me.  I am grateful for many of the positive lessons.  However some things I had to throw off for they no longer served me.  I had to use my mind, for I learned that my reality was my thoughts and that “as a man (or woman) thinketh so is he (or she).” I had to open my eyes, my mind, and my heart to receive new input. Thoughts of poverty did not serve me well and for that matter no one else around me. I had to think myself out of the Projects where seeing poverty everyday was normal. I had to create a new normal and I did, but so many people I know are still stuck with an impoverished mindset, fearing and hating and needing and craving money all at the same time.  For this reason I felt compelled to write about wealth and programming. It could be the economy but lately I’ve run into so many poor people who desire yet shun or despise wealth at the same time. You can’t have it both ways.  Money is not evil.  It is only currency, the currency to buy freedom, healthier foods, pay your bills on time so that you can have integrity, and to live a life of purpose and passion.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.
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Are You Programmed for Poverty or Wealth?

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I remember in my early twenties reading a book called the ‘The Magic of Thinking Big,’ In my circles at the time thinking big was being able to pay the rent, buy a suede coat after saving up for months, or just having a job.  My limiting environmental programming had taught me that to want much more was greed, to ask for more than the basics was selfish.  I had to overcome this early programming in order to be successful.

A familiar phrase of the elders were, “The children in Africa are starving.” Their intent was “Be grateful,” for they had gone through much harder times and sacrificed for us to have what little we had. But, the message I heard was, “Don’t ask for much in life.”  Even the church was complicit, teaching that, “It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven.”  Their intent was to teach us not to put wealth before God.  The message I got was that I had to choose between God and wealth because it is impossible to have both.

Even as a child I knew that it was impossible for a camel to get through the eye of a needle.  Fortunately I learned later in life that ‘The Eye of the Needle” is a difficult camel passage and a place and not a physical needle.  That changed the message entirely.  To complete the negative indoctrination regarding money, my father would comment regularly when seeing rich people that they were crooks.  I’m sure that was probably his personal experience doing migrant work and growing up in the South.  However the takeaway message confirmed the church’s message, “If you choose wealth, then you are going against God and salvation.”

Who says you can’t have both?  There are so many spiritual teachings that teach us of our power and greatness.  Abundance is also an attribute of God and as spiritual heirs, wealth is ours.  The importance determinant is what we do with that wealth. Do we serve, remain moral and upright, and are we grateful to the point of sharing?  That’s how we measure the value of wealth.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

Slow Down

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A yellow light means that we should prepare to slow down. Yellow lights are different for each of us. To some they may appear as illnesses, broken relationships, unhappiness, or feelings of  depression or of  just feeling disconnected  or uninspired.   Some of us are moving way to fast and could even cause an accident if we tried to stop too abruptly at the speed we are going.

Let’s say you’re driving down the road of life at high speed and you notice a desired destination just as you are passing it.  If you stop too quickly, you can cause an accident.  That’s why we have yellow lights in our lives.  Some of us are speeding down the road of life so fast that we are missing life itself.  We’re missing out on the important events in our children’s lives.  We’re missing out on capturing those stories our elders have to impart to us while they are still with us.  We’re missing appointments to take care of our physical health, to exercise, and to eat healthily.  And, we’re missing out on building that spiritual connection that only prayer, meditation, and service can provide.

Do yourself a favor. Take time now for your spiritual development, your family and relationships, and more importantly your physical health.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.
Audio Testimonials of Satisfied Clients
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