Daily Inspiration 6-30-11

"You are free to do whatever you like.

You need only face the consequences."

-- Sheldon Kopp

We do so dang many important things. But, who says they are important? For example, when the phone rings and we run to answer it. What if we didn't? Heck, now we have voice mail, caller ID and all kinds of helps.

Someone tells you to do something. What if you said, no?

What is so important anyway? How do we measure the importance of an act? A scale of 1-10? Life or death?

I love how Mark Twain said, I am an old man with many troubles, most of which never happened." I think most of the consequences of our choices to not do something would be nonexistent as well.

Heck, we could even have some fun saying no for a while. . .

It Still Comes Down To My Own Choosing.

Spread Some Joy Today--First, help yourself to feel joyful by changing your thoughts to appreciation. How many things, people, events, circumstances can you appreciate today? Then, you can spread some of that to others.

Daily Inspiration 6-29-11

"Our repeated failures to fully act as we would wish must not

discourage us. It is the sincere intention that is the essential

thing, and this will in time release us from the bondage

of habits which at present seem almost insuperable."

-- Thomas Troward

"When the imagination and willpower are in conflict;

are antagonistic, it is always the imagination which wins,

without any exception."

-- Emile Coue

When I was a little boy, I used to hear that phrase, "try, try again." It's great advice, of course, yet often we may find ourselves missing the mark or not getting up enough steam. Whether it is creating a new habit or unloading an old one, it often takes a certain amount of repetition.

Now, we normally think of that in terms of effort or physical effort, but as the second quote by Emile Coue indicates, it is something much more imaginative that prevails. That might give us pause to think and perhaps change our approach to new projects of desire, and maybe spend more time in imagining, than in doing. . .

Mental Prepaving Can Save Time and Energy

Spread Some Joy Today--Think about good things happening. Think about things going right instead of that other avenue. Who knows? You could get lucky. . .

Daily Inspiration 6-28-11

"Your brain doesn't know what it cannot do until you tell it."

-- Ed Strachar

It is flat amazing what we can do when we just decide we can and we will and we will be good at it. It is equally amazing what we cannot do when we decide that we can't and we won't and we would be terrible at it. What is amazing is that they are both true--two opposing ideas that are both true.

Whenever I have made a decision that I was going to try something, that I wanted to do something, I've done it. I cannot think of a situation where I made a decision and it didn't come true. At the same time, there are times where I have decided that I cannot do something and it always turned out that way.

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, isn't it?

As my age now begins with the number 6, I find some people I know that are not even there yet complaining that they aren't smart enough, don't get it and miscellaneous excuses for not learning something. I'm here to say that it is the learning of things that keeps me young in mind. There's so much I haven't even tried yet and I'm looking forward to making that decision coming up soon.

I think people should listen to themselves more. I mean listening as if you were someone else hearing what we say about ourselves or or circumstances or environment. If they did, they could learn to change that talk to something more affirming. I believe there isn't anything that we cannot do. All we need is the desire and a decision to get started now.

I Believe In ME!

Spread some joy today--Feel the power! It's all in your own mind. Exercise class starts in one hour. . .

Daily Inspiration 6-27-11

"It's not about getting somewhere,

it's about being where we are."

-- Terry Minion

How many of you have gotten in your vehicle, started out on an errand, and a mile or so later found that you made a habitual turn to go to a habitual place that wasn't on your agenda today? I've heard it said that this increases with age; however, I don't think it has a lot to do with age, and much more to do with preoccupation.

Sometimes (I might even say oftener than I desire) I am just thinking about things. Problems I'm trying to solve maybe, or those endless scenarios that run amuck in my cranial cavity. In any case, I'm thinking and driving habitually. It's kind of scary if you think of that habitual part. I remember commuting 52 miles each way to work for four years and finding myself not remembering the last 10 miles. Wow.

Then there are those situations where I am agreeing to go somewhere or do something that I really don't want to do, but I'm trying to please someone else and do it anyway. You know the drill probably, as I'm thinking of being somewhere else and not paying much, or as little attention as I dare and get by. Though I try to think of where I am, I find myself wishing I was somewhere else, or at least wanting it to get over with quickly.

At some point, I started realizing what a waste of time and energy this was, and it was not helping me to have any joy; in fact, it was the opposite. So, I began a process of consciously trying to be "in the moment." The key I found was to let go of expectations, and just go with the flow of whatever was going on. The other key was to stop allowing my mind to wander without supervision. Good ideas both, but I have to say that this wasn't the easiest thing I've ever tried.

Still, I persisted and have been making steady progress over time. In other words, I keep trying and wanting to get better at it. So now, many times, I just relax into the thought of doing that thing that I really don't want to do and to see if I can have some fun with it. And I do. Then, I just relax in the moment by enjoying my journey where ever I am going moment to moment by enjoying the sky, the air, the flowers, the people on the sidewalk. In other words, being where I am at the time I am there.

It does work and I am getting better. The main benefit for me is joy. I get to experience the joy of being there in the moment and experiencing something new because I surely wouldn't have experienced it had I not been there. I've also learned better how to say no. No, thanks. I don't care to go. Not that hard, but very powerful. I had to learn to relax in that as well, but that's another story. . .

Being There, The Sequel. . .

Spread some joy today--I think you will agree if you try it that you will have more joy and spread more joy by being where ever you are in the moment.

Daily Inspiration 6-26-11

"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations."

-- Faith Baldwin

I've lived in the same city now for 27 years. Strangely enough, I've lived in approximately 46 places in my time, so to be in one place for 27 years is a big deal. It's interesting also to see how many changes and the magnitude of some of the changes when you're in a place to see them over time.

Today I was out and dropped by the brand new huge Wal-Mart Super Store. It is built on property that I am quite familiar with. When I first moved to Fairfield, I used to shop at the Albertson's grocery store and several other shops in that large shopping center. Then many of them left as the years past and finally Albertson's left as well. It was pretty much vacant for many years and Wal-Mart took it over and completely started from scratch, except for one thing on the property. The Albertson's store--just that one large building on one end of the shopping center--was sold to a large church. So, on the property is now the Wal-Mart and the church.

I was thinking as I drove out of the Wal-Mart about shopping at Albertson's for so many years and how I never would have guessed it would be a church someday. In front of the Albertson's was a bank that I used to bank at which was razed. The outdoor movie theatre turned into a Raley's shopping center, across the freeway used to be nothing but dirt and now it is hundreds of homes and more shopping centers. The Solano Mall used to be a big open field that had one store--J C Penney's and now it is a huge mall with surrounding commercial property.

And the list goes on. . . I could fill many pages of the changes that I have seen since I've lived here. I don't know where we get the idea that things would or should stay the same, or how we don't think about change until it is upon us. We think of McDonald's being over 55 years old and think it has been the same all this time, but it really hasn't.

The reality is that things and us are changing all the time. There is nothing but change. Everything is in motion.

What's also interesting is that as much as I liked many of the things that are no longer here, I find that virtually all of it has been an improvement--at least in my eyes. I am learning to not just anticipate change, but to embrace it.

Change Is Good.

Spread Some Joy Today--Expect people to change as much as anything else. Love them anyway.

Daily Inspiration 6-25-11

"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances,

but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."

-- Hugh Downs

Sometimes people can disappoint us. We may find out that they have cracks in their plaster, tarnish on their armor. Such it is to be human.

This issue is often one of perception. We have a tendency to put people on pedestals and lift them up as if they are someone so much more special than ourselves. We do this with movie stars, sports stars all the time. Then, as soon as that star player gets a DUI or some other public infringement, we have a tendency to turn on them and then talk about them as if they were the plague. This is called conditional love.

The reality is that it isn't their problem, it is our own. We are the ones putting them on a pedestal and when they fall off it is our own fault, not theirs. It is the ridiculous expectations that we give them, that they may fail to live up to that is unreasonable.

The solution and a better way of life in my own learned experience is to just love people. Love them as they are, warts and all. Don't love them as they could be, but love them as they are this moment. In other words, practice UNconditional love. Love's value is in the lack of condition, not in the condition. People cannot disappoint us unless we give them a set of circumstances they must meet in order to not disappoint us.

I'll admit, this unconditional love stuff is not so easy at first because we've learned the conditional love so well. Nonetheless, the reward you will experience by practicing unconditional love will be such that you will amazed and in awe of its magnificence. You will begin to look at everyone around you differently. You will hear or read about things famous people have done and you will no longer speak ill of them--indeed, or of anyone about anything. As you practice, you will get better as with any practice, and the rewards are beyond just being worth it.

It is not the circumstances that create the problem, it is the way we think about it. Choose to think about it differently and the circumstances must change.

Happiness Is Just A Thought Away. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Just love people today. Just love them for who they are. Don't wish they were better. They are perfect the way they are--right now!

Daily Inspiration 6-24-11

"Our intention creates our reality."

-- Wayne Dyer

When we think about the word intention, we might think about it in a commonly used way as these: "I have no intention of _________," "I had no intention of ________," "I don't think they have any intention of _________," "My first intention was ________," "He, they had good intentions," "They had no intention of ________," and so on. These are all looking at intention from a less than positive light.

Let's try another way: I intend to _________, or I intend ___________. Doesn't that sound so different, and far more powerful? In Dr. Wayne Dyer's book, The Power of Intention, he makes numerous references to using intention in such a powerful way to create what we want.

I heard about it before Wayne Dyer's book from Jerry & Esther Hicks on a CD titled Segment Intending. The idea was at the beginning of something today, to intend the way you want it to be, and then it will be that way. Well, it sounded easy enough, and so I began making use of it. It is the practical application of knowledge that makes it valuable. It has now been approximately 3 years since I've been practicing this and I have to tell you that it is working quite nicely. I am beginning to not even think that much about it, but just set my intentions and go.

Now, I don't use this in every area of my life yet, but one area, in particular, I have used for all this time and that is traveling. At the beginning of my travel for the day (these are immediate intentions just for one day at a time), "I intend pleasant, effective and efficient travel to and from all destinations this day. I intend to have very enjoyable and timely travel where ever I may need to go today." Then, I relax. If I feel myself tense up for any reason at any time, I acknowledge my intentions for the day and let it go and consciously relax.

At first, it was hard to relax in it. I wanted to watch the rearview mirror for cops, and otherwise be on the lookout, but as I practiced it, I did that less and less and now don't even think much about it. It seems like I almost always arrive on time or maybe early even when I am leaving later than I wanted to. I just relax in it as if my intention has the power to modify time or something.

Someone was riding on a number of trips this week and made mention of how surprised they were about the traffic being easy going, and that it was very unusual. I said that it happens all the time to me. And, it was at that moment that I realized how well this has been working because what I said is true: it happens to me all the time now. I also find that I arrive much more relaxed and calm. I don't feel the need to try to exceed the speed limit by large amounts but just flow with it. Making intentions works.

Try it!

I Intend Good Things Happening To Me All The Time.

Spread Some Joy Today--Speaking of joy! What a great thing to intend every day. I intend joy to be in my life today. I intend joy. Watch what happens!

Daily Inspiration 6-23-11

"When the impossible has been eliminated, whatever

remains, no matter how improbable. . . is possible."

-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Problems. We all have them, and most of the time, I am sure that as I am, you may be looking for solutions to them. It's only natural. . . or so it seems. . .

It amazes me how people who have the power to solve a problem have so many rules about how the problem can be solved that the solution is effectively blocked. Often with the brightest logic as an argument, the rules are merely repeated. It is certainly not the most pleasant of conversations, and frustration is a common result.

When I run up against a list of illogical rules blocking the solution of a solvable problem, I have come to the realization that the problem is just an idea. It is a way for me to not take it too seriously. Reason should prevail, but it may not, so what point is served by being upset by a problem that is impossible to resolve other than by someone, or some entity's listing of rules.

This is one of those situations where it feels like a tug-of-war and I have now learned to just drop the rope and let them have their struggle.

I Seek Peace and To Feel Good.

Spread Some Joy Today--Let go of the struggle, whatever it is, and just go with the flow. Think of a river and you're in a boat rowing upstream against the current. Now, relax and put the oars in the boat. Take a deep breath and go with the flow.

Daily Inspiration 6-22-11

Success Week

"Success is not the destination;

it's a way to travel."

-- Denis Waitley

Rounding out the last of success week, I've shared my top ten or so success quotes and ideas. What is unique about the selection is that each and every quote is something that anyone can choose. They don't require a bunch of work, lucky breaks, steely-eyed focus, or an extra dose of hope. They are easy, and they all say the same thing in different ways. The fact they are easy and anyone can achieve it is perfect.

Today's quote helps to clarify that success isn't something on the outside, but something that comes from within. It isn't a destination; a place to go, arrive at, or achieve, rather, it is a daily, hourly, moment by moment journey and of making choices in the now about what you want as you live it at the same time.

It is best, in my opinion, to keep the rules to an absolute minimum, for rules are what create that experience called failure. It wouldn't be called that if there weren't any rules. What do we have to do to be a success? As far as I'm concerned it is just living and seeking to experience more joy; to feel a bit better; to love; to appreciate and enjoy everything around us--in other words to experience this life. To say that someone must achieve something in order to be called a success and if they don't achieve it, they are a failure, or they have failed is purely opinion and we need not plug into that in the least unless we want to. That would just be their point of view, but we can view it very differently.

I recommend that we need to take it easy on ourselves and not get so hung up on trophies, especially when we get so serious about them. Life is bliss if we decide it is bliss and choose to experience that bliss, and it is not if we don't. The choice is only our own. Success is our own choice and not to be from anyone else. I like that idea a lot.

Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance To The Music!

Spread Some Joy Today--It's as easy as deciding to feel good! It's contagious and delicious.

Daily Inspiration 6-21-11

Success Week

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment:

that if one advances confidently

in the direction of his dreams,

and endeavors to live the life

which he has imagined,

he will meet with a success

unexpected

in common hours."

-- Henry David Thoreau

Continuing my top ten or so quotes and ideas that have moved me, and at the top or near the top of that list is this Thoreau quote. It is a classic and I just love the way it flows and I love the sureness and optimism of it. To advance confidently in the direction of his dreams. . . We choose our lives and many times we get into a pattern in which we have accepted a routine that we don't really like or a load we didn't intend to be a long term load and such. Thoreau was always focused on what he wanted and moved everything to serve that, and we can as well if we want to do it. We may choose not to and that is okay, and the best thing there is to call that a success and realize that we are indeed doing what we have chosen to do, because we always choose when we think clearly about that.

What I get from this Thoreau quote is this: To allow myself and even encourage myself to dream; to see what I want; to see the value and thrill of that; to feel worthy and to make decisions to follow those dreams realizing they can become reality in my life by that choice, and then living up to the ideals and ideas that I have to the best of my ability, all the while enjoying the journey that unfolds.

What's interesting looking at that is that I feel that I am doing just that and now live my life in accordance with that idea and strategy with increasing joy. Today, I had to drive about an hour or so to an appointment and felt joyous almost the entire trip. It was so much fun and satisfying. Just think where I would be had I started this when I was younger! Of course, it's never too late. It feels great!

Bernard Edmonds had a similar way of looking at it: "To dream anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself, to test your limits, that is the courage to succeed."

Let Us Advance Confidently! Worthiness Is Ours!

Spread Some Joy Today--To spread joy we only need one thing: to be joyous ourselves. You don't need to tell anyone about it, your face and demeanor will speak volumes for you.

Daily Inspiration 6-20-11

Success Week

"Success is not the key to happiness.

Happiness is the key to success.

If you love what you are doing,

you will be successful."

-- Albert Schweitzer

Continuing with my top ten success quotes and ideas. This quote by Albert Schweitzer is wonderful and it feels so true. And, of course, it just makes common sense.

How could anyone feel successful if they are not doing what they love to do? And, if they were able to feel successful doing what they don't like doing, then what would be the point?

It's not about the money, fame, perks or toys. It's about feeling good about what you do, where you are, how you live, what you want. That's pretty simple and basic, isn't it? The more rules we create for success to be in our lives, the less it is in our lives. I only like the definitions that make it so that we all can be successful. Those quotes about determined effort and all that hope and luck and stuff is for the lottery, but not success in my mind. It needs to be easy for each and every one of us, then it makes sense to me. This one is easy. Do what you love, and love what you do. That's a choice we can all make if we want to.

I also love the way Albert says that, "success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." That is so perfect. I used to think that when I was successful, I would be happy and that never worked out. People are looking for things to change for them so they can be happy, when they have it backward. Be happy, and things will change for you!

Happiness Is The Way And That Is Just A Choice!

Spread Some Joy Today--Choose joy and happiness today. If only just today. Try it.

Daily Inspiration 6-19-11

Success Week

"To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent people

and affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty,

to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed easier

because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do you say to that? This one went so easily into my top ten success quotes. I was introduced to this quote back in 1988. I left one dealership for another after a little over 5 years at this store and my sales staff made me a plaque and all their names were at the bottom. It is easily one of the best gifts I've ever received. Since then, I've never forgotten this important quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Seems like we can all fit in there somewhere. . . he didn't say we had to do it all--just some of it. I'll do the appreciate beauty one. . .

Success Is Getting Easier and Easier! Heck, All We Have To Do Is Laugh Often and Much. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--OK, I usually start bringing out Jingle Bells around the end of June, early July. It just feels good, you know?

Daily Inspiration 6-18-11

Success Week

"I do the very best I know how--the very best I can;

and I mean to keep on doing so until the end."

-- Abraham Lincoln

Continuing with my top ten favorite quotes and ideas about that often defined word, success, I love how Abraham Lincoln always seemed to get to the heart of the matter and simplify everything. Just do our best, he says, and just keep on doing our best. Perfect advice.

Some others had very similar sentiments, such as Charles M Schwab who said, "The man who has done his best has done everything," and of course, the famous Teddy Roosevelt quote, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." To be just a touch more specific, Napoleon Hill said, "It has always been my belief that a man should do his best, regardless of how much he receives for his services, or the number of people he may be serving or the class of people served." All of it stellar and sound advice.

I can assure you that I have not always done my best. In fact, there have been many times I have done as little as I dare be and get by. Not laziness mind you, but often it was a reaction of frustration and liberal doses of helplessness, with a dash or two of feeling sorry for myself. I haven't had that combination in some time now, and I'm liking that a great deal. It really wasn't any fun and it certainly wasn't serving me or anyone else either.

There's one other kicker, and that is that today's best is not always equal to yesterday's best. Today's best may only be 50% of yesterday's best, but the important part is the best part and forgetting the comparison part. Let all that go. It doesn't serve either. Just do the best you can and that is where Teddy's advice reins: "Do what you can (your best today, this moment), with what you have (no delays or excuses), where you are (right now!). It's a great definition of success that each and every one of us can take full advantage of.

I Do My Best And It Serves.

Spread Some Joy Today--What are your rules for success. How many stars and moons must line up in Jupiter or how much money do you have to have to be a success. Here's the best secret to success I've ever found: the fewer the rules, the more the success. Seek joy. It's way more interesting, fruitful, immediately rewarding and contagious!

Daily Inspiration 6-17-11

Success Week

"Success is not to be pursued; it is to be

attracted by the person you become."

-- Jim Rohn

Continuing sharing my top ten success quotes and ideas by sharing this great quote by Mr Jim Rohn, one of my great mentors in sales, management and life skills.

What I love about this quote is that it combines two extremely valuable ideas and advice: One, is that success is not something to chase around. It is not something to go get. It is not something even that you achieve like you would shoot a target in a shooting gallery. Although some achieve certain results by pursuing a success objective, it is usually not what they thought it was when they get there.

For most, chasing success is more like fishing in unfamiliar waters. You might catch something if you're really lucky. That's no fun.

Instead, the other idea is that success is something that you attract. It comes to you, or that you become it and that the way that is done is by being an attractive person. Like yesterday's post, it is like becoming a person of value. That kind of person attracts success and every other good thing.

The person we become is the one thing we have complete and total control over. We can become more, serve more, provide more, share more, love more, study more. We all have that capacity and that power. The only question is do we do it? Many may say no and yet still be hoping for success. That's the cart before the horse.

If we keep expanding ourselves, success will follow us wherever we go!

So, the short way to say this is that success is not something we chase, but something that chases us!

Become A More Attractive Person And Success Will Follow You!

Spread Some Joy Today--Give up all your need to be right--just for today. See what happens.

Daily Inspiration 6-16-11

Success Week

"Try not to become a man (or woman) of success,

but rather try to become a man (or woman) of value."

-- Albert Einstein

Sharing my top ten success quotes and ideas, and this one comes from who many voted as the man of the century for the last century, Albert Einstein. This quote is in my top ten because it is so simple and so wonderful at the same time. In other words, heck with success--be a person of value--that's far more important.

So how do you become a person of value? I think it is by starting with your own expansion and enlightenment, then with this foundation, sharing with others to aid any that are interested, and love each as they are now. I think we can only provide value by being valuable ourselves. In a similar way, loving ourselves is the best way to be more open and sincere about loving others--especially in an unconditional way.

What do you think makes a person of value valuable?

The Shorter Version Is To Be A Lover.

Spread Some Joy Today--Make a list of ten things or people you appreciate today. If they are people, tell them so.

Daily Inspiration 6-15-11

Success Week

"Everyone is successful."

-- Terry Minion

What the heck? I've been touching on the word success and so might as well give it a week.

This quote above came to me yesterday and I've been thinking about it. I believe that we are all creators and that we are all successful at creation. It's how differently people may judge the creation that is a hang up for many.

Some might look at my successes and call them failures, or something else. It just depends on how they choose to look at it and what they intend to measure. You've heard about the Spin, or Spin Doctor where someone will take some outcome and put their own spin on it--typically a positive spin where many might otherwise look at the situation negatively. It can also be spun the other way.

But those are just a bunch of rules and imposed standards that are used by people to give judgements and appraisals. In other words: opinion.

I am saying that I believe that each and every one of us are successful. What we are successful at is creation. What that creation is will be as unique as each of us is. It's high time we celebrate and praise instead of complain and blame. Celebrate your success every day because it is clear to me that you are successful at creation.

I now realize that I am very successful every day. One day I might be successful at taking it easy and relaxing, another day working through some issues, and another being a friend, still another being a leader, and so on. I am successful all day long every day of my life and I think it is so much fun to think of it that way.

No More Success and Failure. There Is Only Success.

Spread Some Joy Today--Have a private celebration of your successes. Give yourself some liberal praise. Nice work!

Daily Inspiration 6-14-11

"The wise man. . . If he would live at peace

with others, he will bear and forbear."

-- Samuel Smiles

"Let us ever remember that our interest is in concord,

not in conflict; and that our real eminence rests in

the victories of peace, not those of war."

-- William McKinley

My joy and amazement increases in ways I didn't expect. After all, it is so very common to defend our position, even when we are the ones who have failed. We do this by seeking blame and inventing vain excuses meant to sound legitimate and provoke sympathetic understanding at the least, and forgiveness and consolation at best. In many ways we have grown into expecting the worst of people we may have to deal with, especially in unpleasant circumstances. This creates an ongoing feeling of fear and dread and it multiplies creating adversaries.

Such is the way it was with me a good deal of the time and as it is with many that I know and have known, yet it need not be this way, and the "I'm ready for the battle" mentality is not productive or encouraging.

Today, I had a situation where I needed to handle something that I have ignored too long and it would have been easy to handle some time back, and now has escalated to something more. So, finally, I decided to handle it. And guess what? It was a piece of cake. It was even pleasant!

I wasn't surprised, but I was very pleased. As I practice my own calm confidence and loving attitude, I find more and more that the people I talk with are the kindest, most helpful, even encouraging souls. Of course, part of the difference (maybe a big part) is the way I approach it. I don't go it looking for a problem, but a solution. I may even enter apologetic for causing them grief and sincerely want to take care of the issue and redeem myself. Then, they seem to always want to help. Isn't that cool?

So, now I am noticing today how many times this is happening in my life now. It was a interesting revelation. All of a sudden, I realized that this is now happening all the time. Even people who have righteousness on their side turn out to be kind and helpful because I don't make silly excuses. I freely admit my error and my willingness and interest in resolving the issue. I accept responsibility for my actions and for trying to resolve it.

Avoiding resistance, allows me to be relaxed and calm and loving and interestingly, the person in front of me is mirroring that too. I even help put smiles on their faces. It's a far better outcome and a much more pleasurable journey.

It's Ever True: What Goes Around, Comes Around.

Spread Some Joy Today--Take someone out for lunch or coffee. Do some catch up.

Daily Inspiration 6-13-11

"All you need in this life is ignorance and

confidence, and then success is sure."

-- Mark Twain

A formidable combination, don't you think? You don't know that it can't be done, and yet have confidence that you can do it. It's magical.

Yesterday, I talked about secrets of success and how many there are and shared one of my top ten. This is also in my top ten, and I can assure you that may not believe it to be true, but the sentiment and advice in this quote by Mark Twain is spot on. I've used it numerous times to achieve results.

Sometimes, the best and most productive thing you can do is to tune out the rest of the world in pursuit of what you believe in or what you want. There are plenty who will gladly give advice in the form of warnings and what if's and a list of the logical reasons why something won't work or cannot succeed, and how much better it will be for you to wait until. . .and of course, there is a list there as well.

Friends and relatives and other well-meaning people have helped discourage a serious number of potential entrepreneurs. It is generally the ones who don't listen to that advice that are able to be successful by making great use of their ignorance and confidence together. It's the one, two punch!

I'm Happily Ignorant and Blissfully Confident!

Spread Some Joy Today--Tell someone you love them today. Here's a cool way that works for me: I say, "have I told you I love you lately?" It's magical.

Daily Inspiration 6-12-11

"Success is waking up in the morning, whoever you are,

wherever you are, however old or young, and bounding

out of bed because there's something out there you love

to do, that you believe in, that you're good at--

something that's bigger than you are, and you can

hardly wait to get at it again today."

-- Whit Hobbs

The definitions and "secrets" of success are so many and varied that one truly has to find at least one or more that we can adopt for ourselves. It will not do to just be confused by the volume of them.

For so many years I looked to adopt a definition, and though I've chosen multiple definitions, the one above is one of my top favorites. When I read this one, I am a success! That feels good. Do you ever say that to yourselves? Say it with me now: "I am a success!" Yes! It feels great.

I'm not much of a striver. Striving is not all it's made up to be. It's all that "working at it, working hard, and stiff upper lip stuff." How dull. But, success. . . well, that has a whole different ring to it. It indicates accomplishment and arrival, yet it is definitely not the end. Heck, you can get up every morning a be a success all over again. That's pretty cool, don't you think? Say it with me now: "Today, I am another righteous success story! I feel great!" There you go!

There's so many ways to look at it, so you just gotta make your own! Go for it! And, don't let any other person, or institution tell you otherwise. You alone are in charge of your own success. One more time with gusto: "I AM Successful!"

Somebody's Gotta Do It. That's Why I Chose Me!

Spread Some Joy Today--Help someone else feel successful. It's catchy.

Daily Inspiration 6-11-11

"Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your

own powers you cannot be successful or happy."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

"Just as much as we see in others

we have in ourselves."

-- William Hazlitt

Tonight I had one of the best compliments I think I've every received. . .

I was at a special event this evening and I saw a lot of people I love, yet I don't see often. To one gentleman who I recall always has a smile and exudes confidence, I said to him that "every time I see you, you always have a smile on your face!" He said to me, "you know, you always look like you've got everything figured out." And, I said, "Thank you! That's just how I feel."

Of course, my last response is not all true, but yet, at the same time it is--at least from a confidence standpoint, which is relatively new in my life. No, I don't have it all figured out, but what I have figured out works just fine.

To get that kind of statement which I received as a high compliment, I am very pleased. As I look at other people and I see that confidence and calmness in their eyes and their demeanor, I respect it and appreciate it and want to have it, and based on his comment, I am showing what I am feeling and wanting. It is so interesting.

What is also very interesting to me is that now that I have a certain level of calm confidence, I see more of it in others than I ever saw before!

This afternoon, I turned on the TV and for a few minutes watched part of an OverHauling episode. If you've seen the show, you know they take a guy's unfinished dream car and make it a dream car in 7 days and while they do that, they play tricks on the victim for TV interest. This victim wasn't acting like a typical victim. Instead, he was calm and relatively collected. They tried riling him up--even going so far as to insult him repeatedly because he wouldn't get upset, and it was to no avail. He was not plugging into their stuff, yet he remained communicative and under control the whole time. I've seen that show many times, and most of the victim's get quite upset, so this one was very interesting. I say, YES! Nice going! Bravo!

I like how Dr. Phil states it from his book, Life Strategies: "You do not HAVE to be angry just because you have the right to be angry."

If You Only Allow Yourself To Push Your Buttons, It Is Amazing How Calm You Can Be.

Spread Some Joy Today--Pay several people around you today a sincere compliment. Compliment their hair, clothes, whatever. Even if you don't know them. That will spread plenty of joy!

Daily Inspiration 6-10-11

"Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the

whole nervous system, and profoundly affects the heart."

-- Dr Charles H Mayo, M.D.

"What worries you, masters you."

-- Haddon W Robinson

Worry. It is an interesting thing. The act of worrying is using our imagination to predict events and scenarios and speculate various outcomes that are what we do not want. It is a very productive use of the imagination as Dr. Charles H Mayo of the Mayo Clinic states. It's not the sort of production that is beneficial, yet we have trained ourselves in the exercise of worry.

What's even far more interesting about worry and the imagining of events and scenarios, is that very few actually come to fruition. So, you could say accurately that we use our imagination to worry about things and events that we do not want, and watch them turn out to be false. Sort of reminds me of a dog chasing its tail in a circle.

What's also interesting about worry is that it is just a thought. It is thoughts of fear. String a few of those worrisome thoughts together and you can get your body riled up nicely and end up having that potential problem mastering your time and energy.

It seems logical and reasonable to me that worry is a total waste of time and energy. It promotes ill health and gives us unnecessary stress. I like how Steve Allen puts it into perspective: "One of the nice things about problems is that a good many of them do not exist except in our imaginations."

Cool. Calm. Collected. There Is Power In This. Focus On What Is Right. Make A Long List And Give Much Thought To That.

Spread Some Joy Today--To spread joy, you must have joy to spread. Worry and joy do not share space. Let go of the one and accept the other.

Daily Inspiration 6-9-11

"Anxiety is love's greatest killer. It makes others feel

as you might when a drowning man holds on to you.

You want to save him, but you know he will

strangle you with his panic."

-- Anais Nin

When people give me argument, I do my best to answer it with sense, and if they persist, I may swim upstream with them a stroke or two, then I will suddenly let go and float away downstream relaxing in my peace and calm.

I was talking with a prospect the other day who is the owner of a small business. He expressed some fear of the Internet, in particular, social media and specifically, Facebook. He told me a short story, then another. I tried sense. He told another. Finally, I turned to him and said matter-of-factly, "if you are afraid of the Internet, then I suggest that you avoid the Internet and keep doing what you are doing now." Then he started another fearful story, and I said, "whatever is on the Internet is not private, so if you are fearful of what goes on in the Internet world, stay out of it; however, I suggest the alternative of getting over it so you can use the medium to grow your business effectively."

I could see he had some more stories ready for me, but I wasn't having any of it. I said goodbye politely and left. If people don't want to swim or don't know how, they should stay out of the water. The alternative is getting in or taking lessons and getting on with life.

I absolutely love the Internet. I think it is tantamount to the greatest invention of all time--certainly it is in terms of information being widely and freely available to all. So, to me it is extremely beneficial and valuable. To some it is something to fear and tell stories about, but then again, I feel they have a propensity to do that without the influence of the Internet. How we think about things affects and creates our own world.

Live In Fear, Or Live In Love. It's A Choice--Yours.

Spread Some Joy Today--Listen to the stories you tell others. If it's not uplifting, tell a new story. If you don't know one, make one up.

Daily Inspiration 6-8-11

"Peace is not the absence of war; it is a virtue; a state of mind;

a disposition for benevolence; confidence; and justice."

-- Baruch Spinoza

"The most important thing in life is to learn

how to give out love, and to let it come in."

-- Morrie Schwartz, quoted by Mitch Albom

It's funny how you hear one word and that takes you to a place in your mind where some other memory pops up and then kind of sticks with you part of the day--and even sometimes much longer.

Today, I was at a meeting and I heard the word "evangelize." It was used not in the typical religious reference but as in "enthusiastically promoting." I got the meaning, but that word just jumped out because it didn't seem like it would have been there, and then again, it wasn't that it was a wrong choice, just an interesting choice.

It took me back a few years. I was a worship leader in church for about 9 years and I wrote a lot of songs and played them in church, but I was a black sheep I suppose in that I didn't fit the typical mold for that position. I wrote over 100 songs during that time and played probably about 75 of them in church, some only once maybe, others more, and there is one song that stands out so far from the rest that it stands alone. It was also the most popular one I did--or at least that is my take based on how loud the singing was. But, to me it is the most important song I wrote and to me it says what I think is the most important.

When I wrote it, which took just a few minutes, I was thinking, what does God need of our praise? What does God need of our gifts? What does God need of our devotion? So, I thought about that and then thought, what could we give God that would have any significance, or meaning? He has everything already, so what in the world could we give Him? Here's what came out:

GIVE THE LORD AWAY

WHAT CAN WE GIVE TO THE LORD TODAY?

WE CAN GIVE THE LORD, GIVE THE LORD AWAY.

WHAT CAN WE GIVE TO THE LORD TODAY?

WE CAN GIVE THE LORD, GIVE THE LORD AWAY.

WRITING OUT A CHECK IS ONE WAY WE CAN BLESS;

EVEN THOUGH IT'S WONDERFUL, WE NEED TO DO THE REST.

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO DO TO HELP HIS LIGHT SHINE TRUE.

BY GIVING LOVE, WE GIVE THE LORD AWAY.

WHAT CAN WE GIVE TO THE LORD TODAY?

WE CAN GIVE THE LORD, GIVE THE LORD AWAY.

WHAT CAN WE GIVE TO THE LORD TODAY?

WE CAN GIVE THE LORD, GIVE THE LORD AWAY.

BY GIVING LOVE, WE GIVE THE LORD AWAY.

BY GIVING LOVE, WE GIVE THE LORD AWAY.

It seemed to me that the only thing that we can give God that would be meaningful would be to give Him away, but not by evangelizing in the typical way, but by doing the simplest and most profound thing possible, by giving love, because it seemed to me that by giving love, we are giving the Lord away.

I like how Mother Teresa is quoted: "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier," and "We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."

It's Not What We Keep But What We Give Away. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Many of us are not used to giving love openly--especially in business situations, but practice will change that, and it is the easiest practice too!

Daily Inspiration 6-7-11

"Adversity is like a strong wind.

It tears away from us

all the things that cannot be torn,

so that we see ourselves as we really are."

-- Arthur Golden

Ever bite off more than you can chew? I've done that a few times in my life, and never more so than where I am now. And, from time to time in all my great and wonderful positiveness, my mind-sight gets a bit muddy. Maybe you know what I'm talking about. I don't get really down or depressed anymore, but I notice that I'm not firing on all 8 cylinders. The cares and uncared for cares or ignored cares of the past have a way of dragging anyone down a notch or two.

In those cases it is so easy to think about turning and walking out, moving to Australia, or some other greener pasture. I know enough now that I cannot allow myself to linger in la-la land very long, and the best way out is always, as they so wonderfully sang in Bye Bye Birdie, to Put On A Happy Face. Of course, in la-la land, nobody wants a happy face. They laugh at happy faces there, and it sometimes seems so forced and fake--yet, it is still true that it is the choosing to be happy that makes the leap out.

The practical way is to just think of a better feeling thought. Just a little better feeling. Then, another slightly better one, and another and another until in baby steps we have got ourselves feeling pretty darn good and now that happy face is not so fake after all.

Sometimes I watch an inspiring movie that jerks a few tears here and there (joyful ones!) that does the trick. I found one tonight and I highly recommend it. It is from HBO and I got it from Netflix, but it is called "Warm Springs," and it is the early story of Franklin Roosevelt before he went headlong into politics. It is a delightful and very interesting story of adversity, challenge, strength-finding, and heart-opening.

It is also fascinating in how it shows how friends and people who see something special in you can be so helpful to guide you to the best of yourself. It was very inspiring to me personally tonight and may touch others in a similar way. It helped to put my trivial problems into a better perspective, much like this quote from Robert Fulghum: "If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you got a problem. Everything else is inconvenience."

"Some of God's Greatest Gifts Are Unanswered Prayers." -- Garth Brooks

Spread Some Joy Today--Blessings are always there. They are just hidden from time to time. Finding them again and counting them again is joy all over again.

Daily Inspiration 6-6-11

"People are always asking about the good old days.

I say, why don't you say the good now days?"

-- Robert M Young

"The other day a man asked me what I thought was the best time of life.

"Why," I answered without a thought, "now."

-- David Grayson

It seems strange to think of it because it is moving constantly, and that is that there is nothing but now. Each nanosecond is now. The future is what may be and the past is what was. Our view of both of those has a definite influence on our now.

I wrote a song many years ago called "The Best Is Yet To Come." I used to believe that as if we are working toward something and it will get better and better as we move into the future. Of course, that still can be true, but only if we are the best we can be right now, or that we are living fully right now, or loving fully right now. Yet, the idea of the song was that there is more to come, more life to live, more love to make and share and that it only stops when we do.

I am now enjoying my now more than at any other time in my life and I am loving it very much. I am looking at the past (when I do) as those stepping stones that led me here and it is perfect. I see a bright future and also realize it is created by what I choose to think and do in my now today.

My Now, My Past and My Future Are All Beginning To Blend Together As If They Are One. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--What are your joy rules? Some people have a lot of rules. Throw them away. Just appreciate something or someone and joy is a natural result.

Daily Inspiration 6-5-11

Choice Week

"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control,

but other things do fall under the jurisdiction.

I can decide:

How I spend my time,

whom I interact with,

whom I share my body

and life

and money

and energy with,

I can select what I can read

and eat

and study.

I can choose how I'm going to regard

unfortunate circumstances in my life;

whether I will see them as curses

or opportunities.

I can choose my words

and tone of voice

in which I speak to others.

And most of all,

I can choose my thoughts."

-- Elizabeth Gilbert

We choose so often each and every day that we don't even realizing we are choosing. Life is in our choices and we have multiple ways of seeing anything and anyone. It is not anyone outside of ourselves or circumstances or events outside of ourselves that does the choosing for us, but ourselves alone. We may respond or react. We may choose to be angry or happy. We may choose to justify and judge or allow. We may love with condition or without. It is all in our choices and our choices then become us.

Though we all may realize that we are indeed the choosers, what we may be missing is the deliberate choices that we can make to create a deliberate reality in our lives. What that only means is accepting the responsibility that our power lies in our thinking and therefore all of our choices. In this light, I blame no one and nothing and only realize that I have chosen and each choice creates results. There is infinite freedom in that realization and much joy in the practice of it.

Rather Than Choose And Then See How I Feel, It Is Much Better To Feel Good And Then Make A Choice. It Always Seems To Turn Out Well That Way.

Spread Some Joy Today--Joy begins with appreciation. Find many things and people to appreciate today. What a wonderful day it will be!

Daily Inspiration 6-4-11

Choice Week

"Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives,

as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which

secret garden we will tend. . . when we choose not to focus

on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the

abundance that's present--love, health, family, friends,

work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring

us pleasure--the wasteland of illusion falls away

and we experience Heaven on earth."

-- Sarah Ban Breathnach

One of the other very powerful things that I have learned in just the last few years is gently working toward realizing and being grateful for the abundance that I have.

Everything is relative. If we in America compare ourselves to some of the poorest people in the world, there is no doubt that we have abundance. Yet, that is not what we in America normally do. We normally compare ourselves to those that are rich in comparison to ourselves, then we focus on the lack that exists between those two current realities.

Sometimes that motivates us to get going and get more abundance in our lives, and other times it just bums us out--not in a down-trodden depressed kind of way, but in a resigned sort of way. Not giving up, just not feeling much real hope. We begin seeing this reality--and we notice that we aren't there yet again and again. That's where those phrases come from such as, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and so on.

Yet the thing that I find motivating me is focusing on the abundance I have--whatever it is. I am rich in things, talent, energy, focus, friends, learning, expertise. To use an old phrase as I heard as a child, I am counting my blessings one by one. As a side note, it is also interesting how little "things" mean to me anymore and most of my life I couldn't wait to get more things.

In my observation of people, it is the choosing between focusing on their abundance or their lack that I see affecting people's lives. Most that I see are focusing on what they don't have, what they're lacking, who's done what to whom, and so on. I think changing that focus toward abundance would change a great many things in their lives.

We always have the choice of how we want to view a situation; our lives; the world. Abundance and lack are not so much realities as they are attitudes. You don't have to be rich to feel an abundance. In fact, realities don't create attitudes--no, attitudes create reality.

Heck, You Can Just Make It Up In Your Head. Works For Me!

Spread Some Joy Today--See if you can list ten things that you're grateful for. Count those blessings and enjoy your abundance.

Daily Inspiration 6-3-11

Choice Week

"I've made mistakes, and I know why I made them,

but I made that choice. Nobody's ever made a choice for me."

-- Sandra Bullock

I used to call it PMA (Positive Mental Attitude), and positive thinking. It's what I was learning in my mid-twenties from motivational speakers and books I was reading, but I wasn't getting it really. Oh, I could repeat it, but I wasn't living it. Know what I mean? It has taken so many more years to come back to it and then to live it and even understand it more.

Part of what is so cool about getting to this point is accepting responsibility for my choices. I did my share of blaming the economy, the current administration, the boss, and that list could go on for days. Now that I have accepted this responsibility, I need only look in the mirror if I was seeking excuses or people to blame.

It was a hard idea to really grasp for a while because when I was thinking about positive thinking, I was thinking about the inside out and when things would happen that weren't really so much fun, I would think from the outside in--as if something outside was attacking me, wreaking havoc with my life. Then, I would muster all the positive thinking I could to think my way through it.

It is a different and so much more effective thing to accept everything that I get and be fully responsible for it with no excuses, and no circumstantial evidence to try to convince others or myself that I am an innocent victim.

So, in the end, it isn't about positive thinking at all. It is about realizing that I create my own world. Realizing this fully and accepting the role of creator allows me to do more than positive thinking ever could.

I Am A Victim No More! And, It's A Sweet Victory!

Spread Some Joy Today--There is so much joy in the realization that you have more control than you thought you did. Accept the responsibility that you are in charge.

Daily Inspiration 6-2-11

Choice Week

"If someone throws you the ball,

you don't have to catch it."

-- Richard Carlson

Great advice and it puts things in an interesting perspective. If someone throws you the ball, you don't have to catch it; if the phone rings, you don't have to answer it; if the doorbell rings, you don't have to answer it; if someone wants you to argue with them, you can choose to ignore them. We make so many choices throughout our day that we don't even think of them as choices.

Sometimes we play against ourselves in procrastination, or our selective attention, but more often than not it is the prompting of others that has us running around feeling as if we have to do something for whatever the reason may be in order to be polite, respectful, efficient, or responsive.

It's interesting to watch what people do when the phone rings. It's as if there is some high authority causing them to respond into fast action. Want to try something different? Put it on buzzer and make a conscious decision to not answer it. Better yet, put it in airplane mode, and better yet, leave it at home for a time. See what it's like to not catch the ball and feel how empowering it is.

I wonder how many things we can do that with?

I Choose Not. . . Or Not. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Who's in charge? YOU! Isn't that some serious joy?

Daily Inspiration 6-1-11

Choice Week

"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice.

It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

-- William Jennings Bryan

"Our lives are the sum total of the choices we have made."

-- Wayne Dyer

As I consider where I am right now today, with the awareness that my thoughts create my life, I find myself curiously accepting responsibility for everything about my life. It is an act that would at any other time in my life been rejected as folly, yet now I find that to attempt to reject it is folly.

So, I look at myself in the mirror when I get out of the shower and I was thinking this morning of what a magnificent creator I have become. Just look at that body in all its glory! I created that image, along with the way it looks. If I don't like the look very much, I have only one to blame. It isn't the food, or anything else exterior. It is purely my own thinking that brought me here.

It is so empowering and also shocking and it makes me laugh and I celebrate my success as a creator. Maybe I was was intending to create something a bit more athletic and lean, and honorable intentions they may have been; however, I have created successfully nonetheless whatever vision I see before me. Indeed, I am always successful at creation, though ofttimes I may be a bit confused as to the clarity of it.

The Good News Is That I Can Just Create A Better Image Anytime I Choose. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--In any situation, I have a choice on how I will view it, react or respond to it, feel about it. I find more joy in always--always choosing the better feeling thought regardless of what others choose or what they think about my choices.