This week we look at Principle #6 from Jack Canfield’s “The Success Principles” entitled “Become an Inverse Paranoid”. While coloring today I set the intention to ponder the mantra: “Expect something wonderful”. He states: “The more you begin to look for the good, the sooner and more often you will find it. And if you take the attitude that it is coming, the less upset and discouraged you’ll get while you’re waiting for it.” Sounds good on paper but can be challenging to implement especially if we’ve been trained to always assume the worse…because that supposedly is being “practical”.
While coloring this mandala I repeated the mantra in my head. When I started, I only had the image in my head of some pink on four of the inner petals. The rest all came together as I was coloring. I love how this turned out. It’s wonderful (if I do say so myself).
Personal story about this mantra:
A few years back, I was on my way to an event with a family member who together, we tend to have a contentious relationship. Turning a corner a billboard appeared with only one sentence, in big letters: “Expect something wonderful!”In passing I saw that it was an ad for a local hospital maternity ward. I took the “message” as a good sign and relaxed a bit. Thirty minutes later the exact opposite happened. A major argument erupted, tears were shed, and I was left utterly confused. How was this wonderful? On my way home, I changed the tone of that question, to a more inquisitive one. I replayed the argument in my head, and there it was, the clue I’ve been missing all these years. Any time this person feels as if they are being accused of doing something wrong or it’s implied that they are stupid, they go into major trigger mode and attack. I finally understood them…and at the same time I understood more about myself because upon further reflection I find that I tend to be overly triggered by the very same implied “accusations”. So in the end I did receive something wonderful…albeit it was a painful way to get it, but it made all the difference (to me) in our relationship.
So how about you? Do you usually expect something awful? Or do you expect something wonderful?
“Every negative event
— Napoleon Hill
contains within it
the seed of an equal
or greater benefit.”
An Invitation
I invite you to color along with me this year as part of what I’m calling “The Year of Self-Exploration and Expansion” with all of my “Mandalas of the ___” (day, week, month, year). If you’re interested in more of a self-exploration approach to coloring, check out my “Coloring Mandalas as Meditation”. You can download this mandala at MandalaoftheWeek.com.
Mandala of the Day 