Is There Life Out There?

 

I’m pretty sure this blog will raise a few eyebrows, and that’s okay. I invite you to stretch your imagination and join me on an otherworldly journey.

As a child living in the country, I spent many nights gazing at the shimmering sky pondering what life might be out there. In school, I was taught we are the only life forms. But it never made sense to me…of the bazillion stars and countless planets and galaxies, I found it arrogant to assume we were the only ones.

Aerospace engineer Werner von Braun concurred when he said, “Our sun is one of one hundred billion stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy is one of the billions of galaxies populating the universe. It would be the height of presumption to think that we are the only living things within that enormous immensity.”

So, before you write off the idea of a real-life ET, consider the following…

Astronaut Edgar Mitchell claimed, “We are not alone in the universe. They have been coming here for a long time.”

Former President John F. Kennedy boldly stated, “Citizens of this Earth, we are not alone!” With these words, it appeared the former president intended to share secret information with the American public. Kennedy wrote a letter to the head of the CIA demanding to be shown highly confidential documents about UFOs ten days before his assassination.

Before President Trump left office, he created an order instructing the Pentagon and other agencies to reveal what they know about UFOs to the American public by June 2021.

And, just last month, the Pentagon admitted it has been holding and testing wreckage from UFO crashes.

You may be wondering why I’m sharing my thoughts on potential extra-terrestrial life now. Based on the above, it appears we are on the brink of receiving new, significant information on the topic. And isn’t it better to stick your toe in the water before diving in head first?

On the next clear night, go outside and gaze at the sparkling sky and join me in contemplating who else might be out there. Personally, I like to think there are many benevolent star families gazing down at Earth and perhaps even helping us through our rocky ride.

 What do you think? Join the conversation!

"In the deepest sense the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is a search for ourselves."-Carl Sagan, American astronomer

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of women's fiction and contemporary romance blended with  new age spirituality. 

CLOUD WHISPERS: 2019 IPPY bronze winner for visionary fiction and 2018 Reader’s Favorite finalist for visionary fiction. A novel of family and forgiveness with a strong spiritual message: The daughter she gave away. The family she always wanted. The journey to redefine her fate…. https://amzn.to/2IZ6DRc.

 

RESTART IN BRISTOL, A Racing Hearts in Serenity romance—Reader’s Favorite 2020 Honorable Mention in the Romance genre and Semi-Finalist in Kindle Book Review’s Romance category: He’s a hot mess. She wants stability. Will these childhood sweethearts risk another pass at love? https://amzn.to/37cCw1b.

To sign up for my Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/.

Our Stories Become Our Reality

 

In my contemporary romance, Restart in Bristol, Holly tells herself stories about her childhood that become her reality. I won’t give away a spoiler, but I will share that she focuses so intently on one aspect that it creates limiting beliefs in her life.

According to the Oxford dictionary a belief is, “Acceptance that something exists as true; without faith or evidence in someone or something.”

Beliefs can be beneficial, but they can also limit us. Sometimes our beliefs stop us from trying and stop us from achieving our dreams. Why do people have limiting beliefs? Because our minds have a tendency toward the negative.

So, what can you do to diminish limiting beliefs? I could write an entire book on this topic, but awareness is a great place to start. Begin questioning your beliefs. What are they, why do you hold them, and do they make sense? Maybe a particular belief made sense at one point in time, but now that you are older and wiser, it no longer serves you.

For example, a limiting belief could be that you think you can’t do something because you failed at it in the past. You can let go of this limiting belief by looking at the facts and considering new possibilities. The facts could be that you failed at this activity five years ago and since that time, you’ve read a book on the subject and learned new skills. Now, turn your “I can’t” statement into, “X was challenging in the past, but I have learned new skills and I’m capable of learning, growing, and achieving X.”

Establish an ongoing practice of questioning your beliefs. If they don’t make sense—change them or simply let go! Our thoughts are powerful and the stories we tell ourselves create our life experience. Keeping this in mind will allow you to write new chapters in your life story that are positive and align with your dreams.

“Be careful how you are talking to yourself because you are listening.” Lisa Hayes

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality. 

Restart in Bristol, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—Reader’s Favorite 2020 Honorable Mention in the Romance genre and Semi-Finalist in Kindle Book Review’s Romance category: He’s a hot mess. She wants stability. Will these childhood sweethearts risk another pass at love? Kindle: https://amzn.to/37cCw1b. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/3hgKZpF.

To sign up for my Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/.

 Recommended Tools & Reading:

The Vision Board Workbook by Chris Clifford: https://bit.ly/2JpqOdi

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: https://amzn.to/39SgKSt

The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra: https://amzn.to/2C9BF5k

Disclosure: The above links to recommended books are affiliate links. If you buy the book through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale. I’ve recommended these books because they’ve been meaningful to me personally and not because of the affiliate program. However, from a legal perspective, I need to identify these as affiliate links.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash.

Affirm & Visualize a Better Future

 

Are you ready to create a vision for a better future? Let’s envision great success and unprecedented joys in 2021!

If you’re wondering how to do this, read on!

In previous blogs, I’ve written about using affirmations and visualization to achieve your desired future, and both of these are powerful processes. But, did you know they are even more powerful when used together?

As a reminder, an affirmation is a positive statement that declares what you desire. Examples include: I appreciate my great health; I’m enjoying my beautiful beach home in the Outer Banks; and I’m gratefully celebrating the birth of my baby girl. 

Affirmations allow us to consciously choose thoughts that will deliver positive future results. These statements plant seeds and direct your subconscious mind to begin working toward achieving your goals.

Tips to make your affirmations more powerful:

• Create affirmations using the present tense (Use “I am enjoying…” and not, “I am going to enjoy…”)
• Affirm in the positive (Use, “I am enjoying great health,” not, “I don’t want to be sick.”)
• Use images to strengthen your affirmations.

Using images (visualization) is also an easy and effective process. You can use guided visualizations to identify and fully imagine what you want or simply close your eyes and think about your goals and desires in minute detail.

Research has shown that using affirmations and visualization together makes them even more powerful. There are many ways you can combine these tools.

 

You can state your affirmation and at the same time visualize it coming to life. For example, if your affirmation is “I appreciate my work promotion,” you would envision how you would feel, who you would be working with, and what kind of work you would be doing. 

Another great way to combine affirmations with visualization is by creating a vision board. When you look at your vision board, your mind naturally starts to imagine the outcomes you desire. You can use a vision board workbook or kit to aid in this process.

My favorite is the Vision Board Workbook (https://bit.ly/2JpqOdi) which provides a tutorial on how to design a vision board, tools to make it easy for you to create one, and a worksheet to identify your deepest desires, which is a critical first step of creating a vision board. There is also a “Tools of the Trade” section with page after page of phrases, affirmations, and pictures you can cut out to design your own unique vision board.

Affirmations and visualization are both powerful processes to help you achieve your goals and desires. Combined, the two processes become super-charged! So what are you waiting for? Create affirmations, visualizations, and a vision board that outlines the future of your dreams!

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality. 

CLOUD WHISPERS: 2019 IPPY bronze winner for visionary fiction and 2018 Reader’s Favorite finalist for visionary fiction. A novel of family and forgiveness with a strong spiritual message: The daughter she gave away. The family she always wanted. The journey to redefine her fate…. https://amzn.to/2IZ6DRc.

To sign up for my Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/.

Recommended Reading & Tools:

 The Vision Board Workbook by Chris Clifford: https://bit.ly/2JpqOdi

 The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: https://amzn.to/39SgKSt

 Disclosure: The above links to recommended books are affiliate links. If you buy the book through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale. I’ve recommended these books because they’ve been meaningful to me personally and not because of the affiliate program. However, from a legal perspective, I need to identify these as affiliate links.

Photo by Peter Fogden on Unsplash.

10 Unique Holiday Gifts

 

Are you tired of buying hum-drum gifts or giving the same old thing year after year? 2020 has been a unique year…why not make your gift giving unique as well?

 

To this end, I’ve created a list of ten unique gift ideas. This isn’t a comprehensive list; instead, these ideas are offered to get your creative juices flowing and to inspire you to come up with your own list of thoughtful gifts.

 

10 Unique Holiday Gift Ideas:

 

1. Time: Take your dad on a fishing trip, a green-thumb friend to a local garden, a music lover to an outdoor jazz festival.
2. Experience: How about a cooking, photography, crafting, or writing class?
3. Service: Give your neighbors the gift of a night out when you babysit their children.
4. Charity: Give to your friend’s favorite charity in honor of him or her.
5. Sweets: Sweeten someone’s holiday with a plate of cookies, homemade fudge, or your own unique sweet treat.
6. Photo Gift or Book: What parent, grandparent, or friend doesn’t love a walk down memory lane? Create a themed digital book or keep a special memory alive by creating a keyring, blanket, or wall canvas from a treasured photo. You can use a local drugstore or an online company like Snapfish to create your photo gifts.
7. Clean: Pack up your Bissell Crosswave and clean your best friend’s floors. Or, go all in and clean her home from top to bottom.
8. Spa Gift Card: Give the gift of pampering and relaxation!
9. Airbnb Gift Card: The gift of a get-a-way is always appreciated…especially these days!
10. A New Vision: Give the gift of infinite possibilities with The Vision Board Workbook. This workbook provides a tutorial on how to design a vision board, tools to make it easy to create one, and a worksheet to identify your deepest desires. It’s a bargain at $13.97 plus shipping: https://bit.ly/2JpqOdi.

I hope this list helps you come up with a few new and unique gift-giving ideas. Wishing each of you a happy holiday and peace, love, joy, and success in the new year!

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality. 

Restart in Bristol, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—Reader’s Favorite 2020 Romance Honorable Mention and Semi-Finalist in Kindle Book Review’s Romance category—He’s a hot mess. She wants stability. Will these childhood sweethearts risk another pass at love? Kindle: https://amzn.to/37cCw1b. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/3hgKZpF.

The Perfect Lap, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—2019 Reader’s Favorite Contemporary Romance Finalist—His job is to drive fast. Hers is to put the brakes on him. When sparks fly, will love cross the finish line? Kindle: https://amzn.to/2VkXIkv. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/2WAsOnp

Nora’s Promise, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—Reader's Favorite 2019 Contemporary Romance Bronze winner and 2019 NIEA Bronze winner—She trusts animals more than men. He races through women like checkered flags. Can one orphaned boy bring them both to the finish line? Kindle: https://amzn.to/384lB1f . Audiobook: https://amzn.to/2OktquX.

To sign up for my Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/.

 

Affirmations for Positivity

 

With a steady diet of negativity encircling us—COVID, the election, worries about the economy, and the news, just to name a few—it’s easy to get caught in the clutches of fear and to focus on everything that's wrong.  

Over the last week, I’ve heard concerns from family members and friends regarding health, jobs, the sustainability of small businesses, and even freedom.

These thoughts and concerns are normal because our brains are wired to focus on the negatives first. This was helpful in ancient times when our worries were life-and-death situations, like avoiding becoming dinner to a saber-tooth tiger.

Today, the tendency to think about everything that may go wrong no longer serves us. Focusing on negative outcomes results in anxiety and fear, and, if unchecked, can cause a plethora of stress-related health issues. In addition, negative thoughts direct our subconscious minds to work toward negative outcomes, which is the opposite of what we want.

The good news is that we can retrain our brains to think positively. Affirmations are a powerful tool to aid in this process.

An affirmation is a statement that affirms what you desire. Examples include: I appreciate my great health; I’m enjoying my beautiful lake house in east Tennessee; and I am celebrating my successful new wellness business.

You can create an affirmation to direct your attention and energy toward what you want in any aspect of your life. You can also use affirmations to replace negative thoughts. For example, when you have the thought, “I’m stressed,” try replacing it with, “I am celebrating my stress-free world,” or “I let go of those things that no longer serve me.”

Using affirmations remind us to stay positive by consciously choosing thoughts that align with what we desire. They help us achieve great success by directing the RAS (Reticular Activating System) in our minds to subconsciously work toward achieving our goals.

“We have to retrain our thinking and speaking into positive patterns if we want to change our lives.”—Louise Hayes

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality. 

The new Vision Board Workbook includes clippable affirmations as well as other positive words and phrases you can post in your personal space or use to create a vision board: https://bit.ly/2JpqOdi.

Restart in Bristol, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance: Reader’s Favorite 2020 Honorable Mention in the Romance genre and Semi-Finalist in Kindle Book Review’s Romance category—He’s a hot mess. She wants stability. Will these childhood sweethearts risk another pass at love? Kindle: https://amzn.to/37cCw1b. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/3hgKZpF.

To sign up for my Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/.

 Recommended Reading:

 ***NEW: Vision Board Workbook*** by Chris Clifford: https://bit.ly/2JpqOdi

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: https://amzn.to/39SgKSt

 Disclosure: The above links to recommended books are affiliate links. If you buy the book through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale. I’ve recommended these books because they’ve been meaningful to me personally and not because of the affiliate program. However, from a legal perspective, I need to identify these as affiliate links.

Power to the People

 

We are a divided country.

But we don’t have to be.

The power is with the people.

We have the power—and the responsibility—to choose our responses to the world and the people around us. Instead of focusing on our divisions and our inherent need for rightness, we can choose peace. We can choose forgiveness. We can choose love.

Regardless of your political affiliation, religious beliefs, or any other polarizing factors, you can choose to see that which unites us instead of that which divides us. You can choose kindness by listening to your neighbor or colleague even if his beliefs differ from your own. You can make a meal for someone who is shut-in, even if she holds radically different political beliefs. You can forgive someone who has ‘wronged you’ by remembering he is doing the best he can.

We can work together, play together, and live together peacefully despite our differences. We can choose inner peace by not allowing others to create waves of anxiety in our ocean of calm. We have the choice to respond to any situation with composure, understanding, and love.

I’m not suggestion we shouldn’t have an opinion or that we should blindly accept and walk away. I am suggesting that we embrace one another’s perspectives and engage in respectful conversations. I’m suggesting we look beyond politics, religion, sexual preferences and all other dividing factors. When we take the time to look deeper, we begin to see our connections.

When we are continually bombarded with negativity, it’s easy to get sucked into a lower vibration, which results in stress, agitation, and even depression. Once again, we have the power to change this. Turn off the TV, put down your phone, end the conversation that’s spiraling into a negative vortex. Use your free time—even if it’s just a few minutes here and there—to ground yourself. Focus on your breathing, take a walk, gaze at the sunshine, pet your dog.

Always remember that you are in charge of your response and you can change your response at any moment. Changing your response in a positive way increases your energy vibration. When you raise your individual energy vibration, you contribute toward raising our collective vibration.

It’s time for peace, love, and unity…and we the people have the power to usher it in.

“Power to the people, power to the people, right on!”—John Lennon

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality. 

Restart in Bristol, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—He’s a hot mess. She wants stability. Will these childhood sweethearts risk another pass at love? Kindle: https://amzn.to/37cCw1b. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/3hgKZpF.

 

The Perfect Lap, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—2019 Reader’s Favorite Contemporary Romance Finalist: His job is to drive fast. Hers is to put the brakes on him. When sparks fly, will love cross the finish line? Kindle: https://amzn.to/2VkXIkv. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/2WAsOnp.

Nora’s Promise, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance— Reader's Favorite 2019 Contemporary Romance Bronze winner and 2019 NIEA Bronze winner: She trusts animals more than men. He races through women like checkered flags. Can one orphaned boy bring them both to the finish line? Kindle: https://amzn.to/384lB1f . Audiobook: https://amzn.to/2OktquX.

To sign up for my Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/.

 

Recommended Reading:

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: https://amzn.to/2GwSGJc

The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra: https://amzn.to/2C9BF5k

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: https://amzn.to/39SgKSt

Disclosure: The above links to recommended books are affiliate links. If you buy the book through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale. I’ve recommended these books because they’ve been meaningful to me personally and not because of the affiliate program. However, from a legal perspective, I need to identify these as affiliate links.

Photo by Wylly Suhendra on Unsplash.

Expect Miracles

 

Miracles happen every moment of every day, but only appear to those who are open to receive them.

Have you experienced times in your life when the exact thing you wanted showed up unexpectedly? A friend appeared when you needed him or her the most. Or you desperately wish for something and it emerges out of the blue. This happened to me over the weekend when my windshield wiper split apart while I was driving in a heavy rain. I wished for an auto parts store and one appeared in the next bend.

You can consider these incidents sheer luck or random coincidence, or you can look for a deeper meaning. Deepak Chopra writes about coincidences in his bestselling book, The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire. Chopra says, “When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities. This is when the magic begins!”

When you look for deeper meaning and give gratitude for the magic that occurs in your life, these experiences begin to occur more frequently. C.G. Jung coined these phenomena as ‘synchronicity,’ or “the coincidental occurrence of events that can’t be explained by conventional mechanisms.”

I touch on synchronicity in my contemporary romance, Restart in Bristol. Below is a brief excerpt:

Deep in thought, Holly sank onto the sofa in the hotel’s lobby. She wondered if fate had brought her to Chicago or if it was a coincidence that Nora had asked for Holly’s help with a rescue cow at the same time Davey had asked for Curtis’ help testing cars.

Last night, Skye had suggested the answer was obvious. But she wasn’t the best person to ask because she didn’t believe in coincidence. According to Skye everything—the good, the bad, the ugly—happens for a reason. Even though Holly wasn’t completely sold on Skye’s philosophy, she had to admit it was a little fluky that she and Curtis had ended up in the same city at the same time.

The next time one of these unexpected coincidences occur in your life, ponder whether it was a random event, or if it was a small miracle in your life. Better yet, begin looking for—and expecting—ongoing miracles!

*

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality. 

Restart in Bristol, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—He’s a hot mess. She wants stability. Will these childhood sweethearts risk another pass at love? Kindle: https://amzn.to/37cCw1b. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/3hgKZpF.

 

The Perfect Lap, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—2019 Reader’s Favorite Contemporary Romance Finalist: His job is to drive fast. Hers is to put the brakes on him. When sparks fly, will love cross the finish line? Kindle: https://amzn.to/2VkXIkv. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/2WAsOnp

Nora’s Promise, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance— Reader's Favorite 2019 Contemporary Romance Bronze winner and 2019 NIEA Bronze winner: She trusts animals more than men. He races through women like checkered flags. Can one orphaned boy bring them both to the finish line? Kindle: https://amzn.to/384lB1f . Audiobook: https://amzn.to/2OktquX.

To sign up for my Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/.

 

Recommended Reading:

 The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: https://amzn.to/2GwSGJc

The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra: https://amzn.to/2C9BF5k

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: https://amzn.to/39SgKSt

Disclosure: The above links to recommended books are affiliate links. If you buy the book through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale. I’ve recommended these books because they’ve been meaningful to me personally and not because of the affiliate program. However, from a legal perspective, I need to identify these as affiliate links.

Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash.