THE PRESENT MOMENT

You've heard it said that today is the first day of your life. The truth of the matter is that the present moment is all you ever have. The past is a canceled check and the future is not guaranteed. Therefore it does no good to ruminate over what has been. Likewise, it serves no purpose to worry about the future. The important thing is to make the most of today, one moment at a time.

The best way to do this is to focus on what is positive in your life and to follow your bliss. Never allow anything to take you from your joy. When you're feeling out of touch with your joy, experience the feeling and then let it go. Then keep climbing the rungs of the ladder until you return to your joy.

Practice awareness of your life experience. This will ensure that you will remain in that place of joy. This way you will not be an observer of life. Instead, you will be a participant. Life is meant to be experienced. It is all about allowing it to flow and unfold.

Resistance is never the answer. If you are experiencing something you don't want, you will automatically begin to reach for that which you do want. Do not focus on what you don't have. Instead, focus on what is. Be grateful for all you have. This will begin to attract the abundance you seek.

Use affirmations as a means to move you forward. Put out what you want to possess and claim it as if you had it now. The universe responds to your vibrations. When you put forward a positive, you will begin to attract it to you. Do not allow negatives to repeat themselves. If you remain unconscious and focus on lack, you will attract that into your experience.

It is all a matter of what you are feeling that will bring you to a better place. As long as you feel “good,” more good will come your way. Keep alert. This way you will stay in the present. This way you will not allow anything that is unconscious to manifest.

Keep your ego in check. That is where all trouble lies. It will attract conflict. Stay in touch with your spirit of joy. This, too, will keep you present.

It's not to say that unpleasant experiences may not develop in your life. This is part of the human experience. Choose not to react to them. Take whatever positive action you can in order not to allow life to drag you down.

Practice enthusiasm. Enjoy the present and look forward to what is coming your way. The present you will give yourself is that which you seek. This is all God wants for you. Always remember, you deserve it!

Author Davis Aujourd'hui

Book Series:

"The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude" Book 1

"Babes in Bucksnort"

Both are available in Paperback and Kindle Version. Kindle's are $3.99

CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO BE ALL YOU CAN BE

Do you feel as if you're not the person you would like to be? Do you feel as if your life is lacking meaning? Do you feel envious of others? Worse yet, do you feel as if you were a failure? Then it's time to challenge yourself – to be all that you can be.


As a young child, you may have had dreams. Perhaps those dreams never came to fruition. Perhaps those dreams changed along the way. No matter the case, it is imperative that you come to believe in yourself. Have faith that dreams come true.

As a young child, I wanted to become famous. Life challenges prevented that from happening. That's just as well. Fame would only have fed my ego which was based upon insecurities.

I am a survivor of a traumatic childhood. I suffered from years of suicidal depressions. I am also a recovering alcoholic and recovering sex addict. Years of therapy and twelve-step programs were the key to opening up my potential to become the person I had always wanted to be. Slowly, but surely, I learned to let go of those things that didn't serve my spirit as I also came to better know myself. Then I was in a position to grow and to realize dreams.

I'm still not famous, nor do I care if I ever am. What I am now is a successful author and that manifested from another dream I'd developed along the way. If I can realize my dreams, anyone can.

All of this can come to you if you're willing to take my challenge. Surround yourself with positive people, places, and things that you can emulate. Consider things such as letting go of self-destructive behaviors, going into therapy, joining a support group, or finding a church that feeds you positive messages based upon love, not fear. Become a part of a greater community. Break out of any tendencies to isolate. Get in touch with your spirit and focus on activities that make you feel good about yourself.

It's not an easy road to overcome life challenges, but it can be done. It takes a lot of work, but it will pay great dividends. Believe that you are worth it. Then begin a little at a time. It only takes baby steps, one day at a time, to move forward in a positive direction.

Face your fears and take those baby steps toward overcoming your hangups. Nudge yourself a little at a time. You can do it. It is simply a matter of taking charge of your life. Choose not to be an observer of your life. Be a participant!

It all begins with focusing on whatever inspires you and brings you to a place of joy. As you continue to follow your joy, amazing things will begin to happen. For one thing, it will bring you to a place of gratitude. Your whole attitude and outlook on life will change. Eventually, all kinds of good things will begin to come your way.

Positive thoughts and actions will manifest in positive results. You will develop a life filled with meaning as you let go of any judgments connected to your past. Whatever has come to pass has brought you to your now. The present moment is the place to begin.

Remain true to your emerging self as you come to know who you truly are. Take a good look at yourself as you learn to become more honest. It will involve taking a look at your strengths and weaknesses.

Focus on your strengths and be gentle with yourself as you look at your weaknesses. After all, you are only human as we all are. Do not compare yourself to others. Keep the focus on yourself. The good news is that you can let go of your weaknesses and turn them into strengths as you develop more awareness of your authentic self and the self you want to be.

What's past is past. Come to appreciate and accept what has been and what is. Look with eagerness to you future. Affirm and believe, you can be all you want to be. Dreams do come true.

Author Davis Aujourd'hui

Sister Mary Olga Fortitude Book Series

Book #1 "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"

Book #2 "Babes in Bucksnort"

Both are available in Paperback and Kindle Format. The Kindle Format has a cost of $3.99. Order today and be prepared to laugh out loud!

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE

How many of you have just been an observer of life instead of a participant? Life is meant to be lived. If you sit on the sidelines, you will miss out on whatever opportunities may come your way.

Maybe you don't know where you would like life to take you. At least you have that awareness. The question is, what can you do now? Try to imagine the life you would like to have. Think of whatever dreams you may have had along the way. That's a good starting point. Where do you go now?

Whatever brings you joy is the path to follow. The writer, Joseph Campbell, said to follow your bliss. That is the way to freedom. That is the way to finding the life you wish to possess.

It's not to say that you won't have stumbling blocks along the way. That's just life. The question is what can you do with those in order to keep heading in the direction you desire.

Start by appreciating whatever blessings you currently have in your life. There is a spiritual law in the universe that, by starting with appreciation, you will attract more blessings into your life.

Replace doubt with faith. Let go of your fears. They are the only things stopping you from moving ahead.

Try journaling. Just let your thoughts flow. It will be amazing what you may uncover.

Focus on whatever goals you may have. If you don't have any, consider the gifts that you possess. That is a good starting point. We are all unique and we all have our own precious gifts. We are creative energy just waiting to express itself.

Resistance is not the answer. You need to allow life to unfold. Stop judging yourself. That's not to say that you shouldn't take a look at whatever obstacles have prevented you from moving forward. Perhaps you have an addiction. Perhaps you are unknowingly allowing your past to repeat itself.

There is a solution to every problem. In fact, there is usually more than just one. Live in the solution instead of the problem. That's the way to find freedom.

Pray if that is your habit. Perhaps you might meditate. Talk to others and ask them to point out your strengths. Focus on the positive. The more you do so, the more you will move in that direction.

The important thing is to affirm whatever qualities you possess or wish to possess. Believe that you possess them now. You will be amazed at the results. Nothing will happen unless you apply yourself. You deserve it.

Stop your complaining. It's time to live. Take responsibility for your life. You are worth it! Dreams do come true.

Author Davis Aujourd'hui

Book Series - "Sister Mary Olga Book Series"

#1 "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"

#2 "Babes in Bucksnort"
Both are available in Paperback and Kindle Format. Kindle is now at the special price of $3.99.

HOW MY BACKGROUND INFLUENCED MY CHARACTERS

I was a social worker for over twenty years. This allowed me the grace of becoming a student of the human condition. I worked with every imaginable type of disenfranchised adult: the mentally-ill, the chemically-addicted, the chronically and terminally-ill, the demented, prostitutes, murderers, and more. It was a serious business and there weren't a lot of success stories. I had to focus on how I could be of help to those who so desired it.

What did this experience teach me? I learned that each individual has the right to self-determination as long as they are able to understand their unique life situations. I learned that, just because someone is different, I was in no position to judge. All people are deserving of respect. It's just that most of the people with whom I worked came from or came to very broken backgrounds. Life is not fair. Life is not easy.

Yet, like all of us, my clients had their own visions. Mind you, some of these visions did not seem to be based upon perceived reality! In some of these cases, I was presented with humorous anecdotes, some of which I have been able to incorporate into my books.

I had a schizophrenic client who believed she was of Russian royalty. I borrowed from her background in order to create a character in one of my yet unpublished books. This client would put on great airs. While she could often be abusive, she could also be of great humor and serve as a source of amusement. Of course, I had to remember my role and to remain as detached as possible. That was a challenge!

I had a client who was extremely prejudiced, but she was really just a fearful old woman who was a paranoid schizophrenic. She would appear in the most public places and hurl racial slurs at the unsuspecting. It is amazing that she was never physically harmed.

She would paint her face with baby powder so she looked like a ghost. She also had a disturbing fascination with her feces and it was not beyond her to throw it. I also based a character in one of my later books after her – a character named Ebeneezer Ickums who was an “inmate” of the Down the Rabbit Hole psychiatric unit.

I had an elderly client who became rapidly demented. She had previously been a very dignified woman. Almost overnight, she turned into a very sexual creature. She believed that I was her husband and that I would come to her at night and make passionate love to her.

I heard some incredible and some incredulous stories from some of my clients. In the beginning, I was very gullible. It took me awhile to discern when someone was baiting me. In these cases, I managed the clients' finances. While most clients were reasonable with their requests, many were manipulative and some learned how to get the better of me.

The second or third time a client requested money to go to a grandparent's funeral would quickly come to be suspect. A client who would appear without shoes in the middle of winter and ask for money to replace them would also raise a red flag.

I had one client who I would take on clothes shopping trips to replace his wardrobe. I would soon learn that he would sell or throw out his clothes in order to get more. One client set up a meat stand in a supermarket parking lot, having used his food stamps in order to sell his groceries for money. After all, it takes money to drink. Some poor souls were awfully resourceful.

Fiction mirrors life and, like most writers, I have been able to use that to my best advantage when writing my books. While my characters are largely based upon my imagination, there have been some very human situations that have influenced me. Since I have chosen to write in a humorous vein, I have borrowed from the zaniest of situations in order to entertain my readers.

Aside from inspiration for my characters, my clients have also helped me to discover those parts of myself that have required healing. My alcoholic clients helped me to understand how self-destructive my own drinking had become. That eventually led me into recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous.

My title character has a serious drinking problem that I treat with a great deal of humor. I have drawn from humorous drinking escapades in order to create humor within her own story. I may be getting ahead of myself, but I send her off to Holy Happenings Rehab in the next book in my series. Of course, recovery isn't always perfect and such will become the case for her. Addictions are powerful and difficult to let go of.

My life challenges have become a wellspring into which I have been able to tap in order to create zany characters and situations. I've never had more fun in my life. Imagination and inspiration are my main influences, but my own experience has been instrumental in shaping my ideas. Life may be stranger than fiction, but I try to make my fiction stranger than life. Enjoy my books and your own unique life journeys.

Author Davis Aujourd'hui

"The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"

"Babes in Bucksnort"

Both books are also available in Kindle Format also for the price of $3.99. Hope you all enjoy.