Daily Inspiration 11-30-11

"I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things. . .

I play with leaves.

I skip down the street and run against the wind."

-- Leo Buscaglia

I love this time of year. It's just a bit chilly, highs in the low 60's, lows around 40, a touch of fog in the morning, sun in the afternoon. Leaves are taking their sweet time turning colors other than green, then falling gently to the ground, and right about now they are coming down in the thousands as you can see by the sidewalk in the photo.

I took Charlie the little black dog out for a walk and he's not nearly as fond of this time of year as me. I had to take a photo of some of the huge leaves that are as big as he is, and he is afraid of them when the wind moves them around, especially when the wind moves them toward him. If it is calm, he's brave enough though, yet he would rather walk around them than over them whenever that option is available.

I read a Leo Buscaglia book way back in the 1970's about him having a class over at his house and his neighbor coming over to complain about the leaves on his lawn. So the lover that he is, invited guests to help rake the leaves into bags and he brought them into the house and spread them all over the living room floor. Everyone was happy then.

I've always remembered that story, although I cannot remember which book, nor can I find it. So, out and about a day or two ago, I took some shots on my camera phone of some of these leaves all over the walkway. I wanted to sweep them up and put them all over the living room floor at my house. Of course, that would never work unless I lived alone.

Yet, I love leaves. I love seeing them all over the patio and driveway and have no interest in blowing them away or raking them up. In fact, I am done with the lawn mowing and now all the leaves that are there will remain until spring. It's winter food for the nightcrawlers and I love watching them gather them into piles and feast on them while I sleep.

Other people prefer clean walkways, clean patios and all that. I'm happy for them that they like those things, but I just don't share that feeling. The leaves add character, color and a comfortable, relaxing view, even enhancing the concrete as far as I'm concerned.

So, I thank Leo every year about now for sharing that wonderful and enduring story. Thanks Leo! I love you!

We All Love Things In Our Own Special Way

Spread Some Joy Today--How ya doing on your love list? Remember? Write, 'I love. . .' at the top of the page and then write as many things as you can, then add a few each day or each week. It's fun and expands your joy rather easily.

Daily Inspiration 11-29-11

"The sense of smell can be extraordinarily evocative,

bringing back pictures as sharp as photographs of

scenes that have left the conscious mind."

-- Thalassa Cruso

My business partner and I were chatting about how smells will propel us to a specific place in our lives and how it happens in an instant. This has always fascinated me.

Sometimes I'll be walking up the driveway at my house and a certain smell will take me to my grandma's house in the summer time back around 1960. I think that is fascinating how that smell triggers that memory of that specific place and time so long ago.

I was reading an interesting piece called How Smell Works and it was saying that it isn't just the smell but the association with a conditioned response in that it is sort of filed with a specific time, place and event.

In the article it mentioned chlorine and swimming pools. When I smell wet concrete on a hot sunny day, it takes me back to about 1957 at the community plunge laying on the concrete decking after swimming and laying face down smelling that wet concrete smell.

These associations are random that I am referring to, but people like Tony Robbins have changed people's lives using mental and physical associations to help guide people to positive change. That's fun and interesting too.

Isn't is so cool how our minds, our bodies, and other things all work together and that we can carry memories that seem insignificant at the time for a lifetime?

Memory Lane By A Nose With My Eyes Closed

Spread Some Joy Today--Enjoy some sweet laughter today. Besides, it's fun.

Daily Inspiration 11-28-11

"You have to listen to what resonates within

your own gut. You find your direction there.

Your voice comes out."

-- Kathy Mattea

There was a time through the best part of my life that I had been searching for answers. I've now read many hundreds of books and each author has given me some piece, however large or small toward that end. And, I continue to read and study some authors today as I accumulate more information to sift through.

I seek knowledge and wisdom, different ways of looking at the same thing to strengthen my understanding. When I find something that resonates with me, I follow it and see what comes, and if it doesn't resonate within me, I let it be.

I've come to rely on and believe in the value of my own guidance rather than that from outside myself--my inner guidance system if you will. As I learn to use it like a body out of shape that grows in strength and agility from exercise, I become more adept at using it and paying attention to what it is telling me through the way I feel. It is simply the most powerful tool I've ever found.

I've often had a problem following some doctrines and supposed guidance from without. I even believed that was possible, yet I found it so hard to follow because much of it just didn't resonate with me--it wasn't truth to me. So I would pick and choose and that worked better. I would pick the things that resonated and felt right and let lay the ones that did not. Others have had opinions of my picking and choosing and I would let them have them, and kept going anyway doing the best that I could.

I now believe very strongly in my own power of focus, my own inner guidance because it is the only thing that makes any sense to me. I believe that we all have this exact same capacity and guidance and we may or may not be aware and/or we may or may not choose to make use of it. I think that we all know and have always known what resonates within us and what does not even though we may or may not have paid much attention to it. The good news is that at any time we can become aware, exercise our innate power and follow our own guidance.

What I Learn From Study Only Confirms What I Already Knew Deep Inside.

Spread Some Joy Today--Publicly recommend someone you know well enough to do so. Linked-in is a good place, or Yelp, Facebook, and others.

Daily Inspiration 11-27-11

"Of all the things that matter,

that really and truly matter,

working more efficiently

and getting more done,

is not one of them."

-- Mike Dooley

I love this quote by Mike Dooley. As much as I would like to be more organized and to do things more efficiently, I agree that these are of relative importance.

What this causes me to realize is that why is so much more important than what.

Think about that.

It's Always Those Little Things That Aren't So Little.

Spread Some Joy Today--Forget about Christmas cards. Give hugs.

Daily Inspiration 11-26-11

"Sometimes, the people who stand in the way

and create obstacles are actually helping the most

because they confront you and force you to come up

with your best, enabling you to become a greater achiever."

-- Dr John Demartini

I've seen a number of instances where this is easy to see in someone else, but not nearly so easy to recognize in ourselves. Yet, I am committed to learning and I am learning more about this interesting issue of challenges from others. It seems to be more typical in people close to the person, than in strangers, or acquaintances.

One situation that I've dealt with for a long time, I've wanted to quit many times, and the longer that I deal with it, I find myself making use of all the studying I've been doing in the last few years and getting to put it into practice instead of just words.

It is enlightening to realize that I am making substantial progress and am learning by practice to respond rather than react and to have things bounce off rather than be absorbed. And, the most interesting thing to me is that I am finding myself grateful for the challenges because it makes me better, more focused, with greater confidence and poise, along with greater love and capacity to love.

It's the last part that makes it all worthwhile.

Anyone Can Love A Blessing, Yet Loving A Challenge Can Turn It Into A Blessing.

Spread Some Joy Today--When you perceive someone blocking you or challenging you, try seeing them as helping you instead. It will require practice, but the practice will be fun.

Daily Inspiration 11-25-11

"Step number one for changing the entire world,

is falling in love with it as it already is.

The same is true for changing yourself."

-- Mike Dooley

I've been a sales manager for several companies most of my life and one of the assumptions that was given me early on is that we want salespeople who are hungry and wanting more and going into debt to get them. The theory was that if they had those obligations, including spouse and family, they would be more motivated to perform because they would then have the motivation to do so.

It's all crap. It's not only crap, it's disgusting, seriously flawed and counterproductive. Going into debt to have motivation is ridiculous and it's a stupid thing to teach. Besides, I've seen it work exactly the opposite wherein the sales person is carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders and falls into overwhelm very easily. This creates attitude issues in how they see their lives relative to the larger responsibilities they have, creating new stress.

The other theory that I was taught early on was that sales people needed to be dissatisfied with where they were in order to have motivation to move toward something better.

It's all crap. Making a choice toward something we want is cool, but being dissatisfied with it as a requirement to have motivation to move is not as logical as it sounds and is not satisfactory in execution. Wanting something better is natural. Being dissatisfied with what we have is being ungrateful and is unnatural.

They used to tell me that you have to be unhappy with where you are in order to desire something more. I believe we will always desire something more because we are creators and we are choosing constantly. This is best done from a place of being satisfied, appreciative of what we have and where we have come. Then, the movement toward something more is a choice of contrast, but the contrast need not be dark in order to move toward the light.

Learning to love where I am at any given time is a relatively new thing for me and I can assure you that it is a wonderful feeling to have. It is a better thing to teach in sales as well. I love how Jim Rohn says to, "learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want."

Whatever Decision We Make From A Place Of Feeling Bad, Will Be A Bad Decision. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving who you are, what you have, and where you are at the moment. You can change it any time you want, and enjoying it while it is here is perfect.

Daily Inspiration 11-24-11

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought;

and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

-- Gilbert K Chesterton

G K Chesterton went a bit further in stating that, "the aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things; and there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them."

The one most significant thing that has changed in my life in the last four years is that now there is not one single day that goes by without my finding many things to be thankful for and stating such in one way or another.

If I could recommend any one thing for every single person on the planet, it would be to learn to be in a state of appreciation every day as often as it is possible to do so. Joy is better than money, things, and time.

And, I especially want to thank those of you who have been sharing this journey with me in these Daily Inspirations where ever you may be. It is an honor, a privilege and a joy to share these thoughts.

You Make Me Feel Like Dancin' . . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Each and every day is a brand new opportunity for joy. Take advantage of all you can!

Daily Inspiration 11-23-11

"We allow no geniuses around our studio."

-- Walt Disney

I'm guessing that Albert Einstein would share this sentiment. To me, this is saying that no one is so good that they can't make some coffee, pick up some trash, draw the boring scenes, or any of the other things that are part of the overall operation. It doesn't mean that we put focus there, but that there is a willingness to be on a team.

I can also see it the other way in that we only allow geniuses and we surround ourselves with geniuses. I like this idea even better. Not that they are better than anyone else, but that they naturally realize their capacity and are willing to express their uniqueness and their creativity without the fear of stepping outside of complacency.

In fact, I try to surround myself with people who are geniuses, who bring more to the table, help expand my own knowledge and skill.

As a guitar player, I would ask if it would be better to be surrounded by guitar geniuses, or people at or below my level? It would be geniuses. I would not learn much of anything from people below my level, nor at my level. Where I'm at on guitar, the world is full of guitar geniuses.

Whatever sport someone is in, I am sure they would find greater joy in playing with and against geniuses.

Some people might think of geniuses as arrogant, as in, 'I'm cool and you're not.' I don't. I think we are all geniuses in one way or another and the more we allow ourselves to be that unique genius, the better our life is in general.

Encourage A Genius. Encourage That One In You.

Spread Some Joy Today--by taking the time to appreciate in wonder the nature you can see, the wonderful machines that people have made for you to enjoy, the exchange of commerce that allows all to participate in so many ways.

Daily Inspiration 11-22-11

"Clarity is magnified when you

change the word should to want."

-- Mike Dooley

Since the mid-1970's when I studied Transactional Analysis (I'm okay, you're okay, parent, adult, child), I've played with completely deleting the word should from my vocabulary. I learned then that this word is a parental word and I've also heard it enough times in my life from every angle. I haven't completely succeeded, but the best thing to me about becoming aware is that once there, it is so much easier to deal with and get back on track quickly.

You should do this, you should do that, you need to do this, you need to do that. . . these are phrases that just make me want to rebel! Especially when it is someone else. Yet, sometimes I find my self saying it to my self, if you know what I mean. Yuck! That feels just as bad, maybe even worse.

The easiest way to change that feeling is to change the word should to want. Now it even sounds silly coming from someone else. . . you want to do this, you want to do that, but it is much cooler when I'm talking to my self: I want to do this, I want to do that. Much better, don't you think?

Next time someone says you should do something, be something, think something, buy something, say to your self, 'No, I don't! If I want to I will and if I don't I won't!' There ya go! Take charge. You are, after all, in charge of you and no one else can do that job as well.

I Think I Will, Because I Want To.

Spread Some Joy Today--by thinking loving thoughts and externalizing that in a smile.

Daily Inspiration 11-21-11

"What was most significant about the lunar voyage

was not that men set foot on the moon,

but that they set eye on the earth."

-- Norman Cousins

I think this quote from Norman Cousins is very powerful and interesting. I look at it in that we sometimes get so focused on an objective and what that objective is going to bring us and all the new information it may contain, and then we may also find that what was even more important was something else entirely, but without the original goal, would not have been found.

There are many products that were found after the goal to do something else was reached, and those products were so different than anyone would have anticipated, such as 3M Post-it Notes. In our Internet company, Upward Trend, we started out to do be a website company and after two years changed to a service company with the Trend Setter Package and it changed everything, but would have never been found without the original goal and moving toward it.

I can just imagine being on the Moon for the first time and looking at Earth and being so amazed that the Moon has lost its original significance.

My wife loves to ride out into the Suisun Marsh. We go to a boat launch area called Belden's Landing, park facing the dock and inlet and watch the boats come in while we sip a Starbuck's. We walk the dog and then after about a half an hour, head back home about 5 miles each way. It's kind of peaceful.

We've learned, or at least I have, that it isn't the goal of parking and watching the boats, but the view getting to and from that really matters. What I love about where I live is that I live in the city, but I can travel 15 minutes in any direction and be in the country. The marsh is wide open spaces only a couple of miles from home.

Yesterday, there was an overcast sky with a mixture of cloud types, gray and teasing rain. On the way back, there was the most spectacular Godlight I've ever seen. A Godlight is a name I give light that comes through in rays so that it stands out rather than just lighting up everything. Off in the distance over near San Francisco, there was a Godlight so bright and it was the only real light. It came out of a hole in the clouds and was brighter than I have ever seen before. It was so awesome. I didn't have my camera or my phone, so it has to be recorded in my memory. Finding this was not what we had in mind, but it made everything else insignificant.

You Never Know What You'll Find On Your Way To Someplace Else. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Make a date today to have the time of your life, to enjoy every moment you can today. Act as if . . .

Daily Inspiration 11-20-11

"What is the difference between an obstacle

and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it.

Every opportunity has a difficulty,

and every difficulty has an opportunity."

-- J Sidlow Baxter

Shit happens. I've always loved that phrase. It displays an attitude toward events and circumstances that we feel are outside of our control and it is a peaceful relaxing in that something is there, and it is what it is and it is okay for now. To me it is not resignation, but more a way of acceptance.

Another way to say that is that difficulties happen. And it is our own resistance to the difficulties that creates the stress we get in our lives. We resist it by giving it undue attention, finding someone or something to blame for it, worrying about it, telling others about it and so on. The more attention we give the difficulty, the more difficulty we seem to have, even growing in significance and effect.

It will only be the temporary acceptance of the difficulty, or allowing it to be what it is that we can begin to see the opportunity or better said, opportunities that always exist in difficulties. The more we accept control, responsibility, the more we can accept and the more this is done, the easier the flow of the opportunities. This would be sped up somewhat by praising the difficulty for bringing to your attention the opportunities that it is bearing!

There will even be a point with practice that you become excited and even joyful at the onset of difficulty because of the solid knowledge of what that means.

I know that is not what most of us are taught, and I have found that there is much I have had to unlearn, and learn a better way. Instead of being pissed off, angry, complaining, sharing it with anyone who will listen, seeking sympathy, bemoaning and all the things that keep the difficulty in front of us, learning to embrace, be thankful, appreciate and accept is the most powerful and fruitful way to get to the opportunity that we really want, or the solution that lies within.

The best way that I have learned to deal with this is using the metaphor of a boat in a stream. As I row upstream, I am resisting, causing great effort, growing weary, taking one step forward and two back, and all of that. The way to see the opportunity is to stop rowing immediately, put the oars in the boat and relax and trust. It always comes. Yet, sometimes I pick the oars up again and when I realize that I've done that from habit, I take control again, and relax. With practice I get so much better at it.

There Are So Many Opportunities, I Get To Choose.

Spread Some Joy Today--Accept yourself the way you are right now. Love yourself the way you are right now. Believe in yourself the way you are right now. Accept responsibility for yourself the way you are right now. Decide to change if desired, but do it from a position of already being perfectly fine.

Daily Inspiration 11-19-11

"Winners take imperfect action

while losers are still perfecting the plan."

-- Tony Robbins

I love this statement by Tony Robbins except that I don't see winners and losers, but just choosers and each choice creates an outcome.

I have done my best to live this creed. So many of the things that I've done through my life, I just decided I wanted to do it and began imperfectly, then began to almost immediately improve and then constantly improve.

Sometimes those decisions and beginnings ended up going for a time and then were discarded for something different. NBD. In fact, I learned so much from the process of doing that I could become an advisor to others to save them time and money.

I've changed careers in much the same way. I was an auto mechanic and didn't enjoy that as much as I would like, so decided with my knowledge of cars, I could sell them. So, I went and got a job selling cars. Then, decided I wanted to be the manager, and in a very short time, became the manager. Then, I grew weary of where that dealership was going and decided to leave and open a musical instrument store, and within 3 weeks it was opened.

I could have sat around and planned out all of these moves looking for the numbers, creating a strategy, how-to list of marketing, purchasing, and so much more. The longer I did that, the further away the actual doing would get.

There was a time I used to look back and regret decisions because they didn't work out exactly as I would have liked, but I have learned that this is a complete waste of time and energy.

Everything that we do is of value in some way or another. It doesn't matter how long we do it, whether it was a financial success or not. If we think of the experience of doing, of creating something out of our minds into reality, that in and of itself is fulfilling. In fact, I have become so appreciative of what I've done in these decisions and action because there is a bit of each that makes me whole.

Take Some Imperfect Action. Today!

Spread Some Joy Today--Realize that you are the authority when it comes to you. No one else has the knowledge and skill about you as you do. There is joy in that.

Daily Inspiration 11-18-11

"I had a ninth grade teacher who told me

I was much smarter and much better

than I was allowing myself to be."

-- Scott Hamilton

I say Thank God! for people like Scott Hamilton's ninth grade teacher. It's rare enough based on my own school experience that any teacher takes the time to even communicate such grand encouragement to a student with six periods and 30-45 kids in each class.

Then you might get out into the work world and hear only what needs to be improved on your job without any encouragement to wash it down with.

As a result of the lack of encouragement I found in my life, I've really had a strong desire to be an encourager of others. And I do. . . most of the time. Yet, sometimes in my endeavor to encourage, I give a bit too much I think. As a salesman and sales trainer a lot of my life, I call that talking past the sale, or buying it back. It's very easy to be so enthusiastic and let my encouraging spirit lead them to become a bit overwhelmed--especially if it is a substantial change from where they are now. It's far too convenient to be on the outside looking in, yet that is the needed perspective.

I love to cook, and it reminds me of the value of seasoning. I love salt and pepper and there is a point where, if I put in too much of either, it is not a good outcome.

Other times, people aren't really looking for encouragement, they're looking for justification. They just play it poorly, making it seem that encouragement would be the desired thing.

Who knew that encouragement would be so tricky? It is. Everyone is in a different place. Some just want me to help justify their failure, and I'm not much into that, but I have learned to see the signal and let go, put the oars in the boat and float away.

When people are ready, the encourager appears. Encouragement is in the person who is encouraged. My joy is just to share or shut up as the case may indicate.

. . . Where Ever Is Heard, An Encouraging Word. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--As Arthur said in the movie, "sometimes I just think funny thoughts!" It's a game changer.

Daily Inspiration 11-17-11

"Allow the world to live as it chooses,

and allow yourself to live as you choose."

-- Richard Bach

I heard it when I was a kid: 'Live and let live.' I never saw it in practice. It was one of those things people say that I call 'idealisms.' So, most all of my life, I've stood in judgement of others behavior, while pretending to not be critical. Of course, I've stubbed my toe on that many times through living and trying to become a better person, especially a more loving person. It wasn't without a certain amount of success, so it has been progress.

Then, I started picking up pieces here and there. Richard Bach is an example, and Gerald Jampolsky, Leo Buscaglia, Dr. Thomas Harris (I'm Okay, You're Okay), Wayne Dyer, Eric Berne, and others. Each was added to the other and my perspective was improved. Yet, it wasn't until 2007 when I one day bought The Secret Audio by Rhonda Byrne, that opened my mind to the idea of the Law of Attraction that it all started coming together for me. That book, led me by studying the various participants in that work to Jerry & Esther Hicks. It was here that I learned so much more about the idea of the Law of Attraction, but something even better in what they called the Law of Allowing, and they also call it the Art of Allowing, and I think the latter speaks more to the heart of it. It is this concept that I have wanted to learn the most because in essence it is peace.

I love how Wayne Dyer puts it: "Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you." That, of course, is the essence and activity of unconditional love. And, it is from unconditional love that allowing exists, bringing it all full circle and so plain and simple as the most fundamental truths are.

I practice it daily, and am not perfected in it, yet progress is evident. It is indeed a challenge sometimes to let go and allow, especially when I think I know better, but I have to do as Jennifer Aniston says below and let a mirror be held up to me. As I see that I am a work in progress, I must also accept that others are as well. Maybe they want to learn what I've learned, and maybe not. It doesn't matter. I am learning to love them in their choice for themselves, whatever that choice is.

If I look at it as if we all came here on purpose to have certain experiences, it is easier to then allow them to have what they came to experience while I accept my own. And, since I believe that we are all from the same source, though appearing to be so different sometimes, that encourages me to allow and love even more.

Yet there is one other way I've seen this as well. It is called the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And, I would have to add to that line, and then, let them choose for themselves.

"True Love Brings Up Everything--You're Allowing A Mirror To Be Held Up To You Daily."

-- Jennifer Aniston

Spread Some Joy Today--"Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are." -- Marianne Williamson

Daily Inspiration 11-16-11

"Just one mental shift--focusing on the abundance

of your environment--switches your psychological

settings so that your life automatically improves in

many areas you may think are unrelated. This is

essentially a leap from fear to faith."

-- Martha Beck

Turn on the news for the last several years and at the top of the news is the economy and how bad things are. It is true. They said it was. It's on the national and local news.

The first thing I have to mention is when has the news ever focused on anything other than what's wrong? According to the news, what's wrong is what is news. If it was right it wouldn't be news.

It's all fear. The news promotes it, many if not most believe it and spread it to one another in conversation. It's a focus on lack--what we do NOT have, what we should have but don't, what we used to have that went away.

And, there's always, always someone or something to blame and the blame is widespread because there is confusion about who or what to blame. Yet, that does nothing to the fire of fear except throw some more fuel on it. Since when did blame ever help resolve an issue? Never. Instead, it magnifies it.

What will absolutely change this focus on lack, is to change our focus to one of abundance. It's truly the only thing I know of that will change the way we feel about what is going on around us, and within us.

Sometimes people say to me that thinking about abundance is so hard when they are losing their home or struggling to make ends meet. My answer has become that it is only hard when you choose to make it hard. To me, it is very, very easy. It doesn't matter how much money I have or don't have, I can feel the abundance in my life when I choose to.

Here's how easy it is to go from feeling lack to feeling abundance: Choose a better feeling thought. As Einstein so aptly said, to do the same thing and expect a different result is the definition of insanity. We have to change our thinking if we want things to change at all. Choose a better feeling thought--just a little better. Then choose another. When your mind reminds you of the lack of dollars in your pocket, stop immediately and choose a better feeling thought.

How to choose a better feeling thought? My best method is to find something, anything at all to appreciate. Maybe it is the color of the leaves on the tree at this time of year, the color of the sky at sunset, the smile in a child's face, the enthusiasm in a child's play, the wagging of the tail on the dog. It doesn't really matter what you focus your appreciation on, anything or anyone will do. Once done, then find another.

Whenever you are appreciating anything, you are automatically feeling abundance. We all have such abundances in our lives when we choose to see them. Even if the dollars are few, it is amazing how you can even become appreciative of that if you choose to. One way is to give to someone who needs it more than you some of the money that you do have. If you do that with your heart in it, you won't even miss that money regardless of how little you thought you had.

Another way is to put a $100 bill in your wallet or purse and mentally spend it. Think of all the things you can afford to buy if you wanted to buy them. Spend it time and time again mentally. If you spend it ten times, you've spent $1,000. Don't have $100? Sell something you don't need, have a garage sale, put it on eBay. It will help you feel that financial abundance that so many are missing right now.

Appreciate your life as it is now and see the abundances all around you and that will change everything.

Choose To Feel Good. It Is 100% A Choice.

Spread Some Joy Today--Give something you have that you no longer need away. Don't sell it. Give it.

Daily Inspiration 11-15-11

"How much would it improve the quality of your life

if you could find a way to be "always up" despite, or even

because of, what was happening around you and to you?"

-- Kirsty Dunphey

I ran across a person named Kirsty Dunphey on the Internet a few years ago. I don't remember exactly how that came about, but she produces a newsletter about every week or so and I've now subscribed for probably three years. She lives in Tasmania, an island just below Australia, and she is an author, business owner and public speaker. I've also republished some of her pieces from her newsletter with her permission when one strikes a chord in me.

A few newsletters back, she made a statement and an offer which I thought was fascinating as I took her up on it. Basically she said that she knew I probably read the newsletter, but the chances were good that I had never read one of her two books. She was right. Her offer was to ship it for a flat $10 from Australia (this means the book is almost free because the shipping is almost that amount), allow time for me to read it, and then pay her what I think it was worth to me. I thought that was unique, so I immediately went for it. The book I chose is her latest and the title is, "Retired At 27; If I Can Do It Anyone Can." (It is available on Amazon.com, or her website)

The book arrived this afternoon and I've already read more than one third of it, and it has some gems in it even at this early stage. One gem is that she was staying at a friends' home in Sydney and at the end of the night they gathered for some dessert and drinks and her friend asked his girlfriend what the highlight and lowlight of her day had been. That led to a grand discussion of everyone's day.

She calls what she learned from this the high, low and positive. It is common to be positive when talking about the highlight of your day, but when it comes to the lowlight, we could go into the dumper if we didn't have a twist she added of asking what the positive aspects came from each of the lowlights mentioned.

She also mentioned that she is not one to keep a diary; however, she began writing down on purpose the highlight or highlights of her day--just a sentence perhaps, but acknowledging them for more memorable storage. She says that, "in looking for the bright moment each day, it guarantees that I appreciate the day for what it has been and that I am always looking to the positive."

Finally, she says, "by making this a daily habit, I am making it permanent and I cannot think of a better thing to make permanent than seeing the joy in each day." Bravo! I totally agree.

I've enjoyed a lot of what Kirsty has shared on her Internet sites. It is interesting to me how we find people that provide value to us and they may not even be aware. In Kirsty's case, I've communicated that a couple times via email. I'm grateful that she has been bold enough to put her newsletter out there and to continue to send it over time. Thanks Kirsty! See more from Kirsty at www.kirstydunphey.com.

Positive Thinking Doesn't Mean Negative Things Don't Happen. It Is How We Respond To Them And How We View Those Things That Can Make It A Positive Thought Or Experience.

Spread Some Joy Today--Joy is rarely about what happens to us, and most often is about other people, and how we choose to see things. Seek joy everyday.

Daily Inspiration 11-14-11

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly

trying to make you something else

is the greatest accomplishment."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A couple of days ago, I was talking with my business partner and we were discussing me and how some people react to me in a way that I find odd. I've heard it before and it's funny to me because I am not that way inside of myself. Finally after some discussion, I responded, 'It's not my problem. I'm being the best Terry Minion that I can be and that's all I can do.' As it came out, I thought it was an interesting phrase that I'm being the the best me I can be, and I felt good about it.

It puts me in the company of the likes of Bob Dylan, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley, and so many more. I am unique as they are. I am being the best that I can be as they are and were. I have just as much capability and opportunity as they (though I may have used mine differently). It is great company to be in.

It also puts me in the company of Mrs. Raney (one of my high school teachers), Dennis Pullman, Ed Blake, Art Johnson, and many others you've never heard of. They chose to just work on being the best they could be and let the rest fall away.

Some people have a lot of rules of the way we should behave and what to do and how to do it and what we should be, and that's all just leading us away from ourselves in pursuit of something we are not.

So many also have rules about what you should have accomplished. I am not what I have done. I am not what I have. They are not even indicators of where I am or should be on some scale that they made up. None of that matters really.

Here's what matters more to me: To be the best I can be day by day, whatever that is is okay. To love with all my heart as many people as I can. To encourage and assist people to be the best they can be and to love with all their heart. To be bold enough to try and do; to try new things that I didn't know I could do until I did them and not to be very concerned about where I am on the scale. As an example, I'm a musician and songwriter and am unique at that, and frankly don't care what it means to anyone else. It is an expression, not an expectation. And, to have fun and feel as good as I can feel, to see what I don't like as contrast that leads me to what I do like. To seek joy every day and to see how much joy I can experience. To share. To experience. To touch others and be touched. To live.

Happiness Is Being Selfish Enough To Choose.

Spread Some Joy Today--Forget about other people's expectations today. Just let it be. Enjoy your day. Choose fun thoughts. Send love mentally. That's cool.

Daily Inspiration 11-13-11

"My memories are inside me--

they're not things or a place--

I can take them anywhere."

-- Olivia Newton-John

This evening I was thinking of memories and experience and how they play together. I was particularly thinking of purposely trying to save memories, or create a memory by photography or video. It made me think of so many tourists I see that have their camera around their neck, their camera bag and supplies and trying to capture everything they can.

That thought then caused me to think of how many times it seems that the act of trying to save the memory creates something different and cheats the experience.

I remember times when I was younger and how I tried to document as much as possible to create these memories to view later. There are binders full of prints that maybe I looked at once, then they go in the cupboard for years.

In my later years, I take the camera, but record very little--sometimes, not any. Yet all the memory of the experience is with me still and a far greater portion of the event is captured in sight, sound, smell, touch, and emotion inside me and that is superior to any mechanical device. The really interesting part is that though I record every nuance of the experience, by not trying to record it mechanically, or manually, I get to fully enjoy the experience unencumbered. Indeed, some of my best memories are recorded in this way.

It seems that my grandparents on my mother's side spent their lives recording everything in film and movies. I now have them and they are in many boxes, perhaps thousands of photos, many of relatives I haven't a clue about. They have no value since they've gone because their value was to them. This is as it will be with all of my photo records.

The camera has its place, and I love beautiful and interesting photography, and I even like taking photos myself from time to time, but what I have been learning to enjoy the most is the experiences themselves.

"I'm Always Fascinated By The Way Memory Diffuses Fact." -- Diane Sawyer

Spread Some Joy Today--Do something nice twice today. Once for yourself, and once for someone else. Start with you.

Daily Inspiration 11-12-11

Thought vs Action Controversy Week

"We don't see things as they are;

we see things as we are."

-- Anais Nin

This last installment on the theme of thought versus effort comes down to one short little word: Why. Frederich Nietzsche said, "He who has a big enough why to live for can bear almost any how." Dr. Viktor Frankl backs that up as well in the form of meaning in his book, Man's Search For Meaning.

We had a lady next door who has since moved away who loved to iron. I'm serious. She loved to iron clothes. I never met anyone who actually loved to iron clothes until I met her. To many if not most, ironing is drudgery, hard work, tedious. So it was just a different thought that changed a tedious, hard job into an absolute joy.

Ever notice when you're doing something out of obligation or duty and you seriously don't want to be there or be doing that thing or event, that the day just goes into slow motion and the clock takes forever to move and your body feels like it weighs a lot more than it did yesterday, and well. . . it's work and it's very unpleasant. Then, something happens that gets your interest. Who knows what it is, but all of a sudden, it's not so bad, then as time goes on, maybe it's even better than this and you begin to enjoy yourself and it changes everything. You just lost a bunch of weight in the last few minutes, your droopy face has spark and light, and the only thing that happened was a thought change. Something changed the thought and the thought you had was controlling how you were feeling. And, it can change in a moment.

When I was working for others, I liked what I did, but more often than I would have liked there was crap I had to deal with that was unpleasant and undesired. I did it because I had to and felt crappy about it the whole time. Now, as my own boss, I have lots of problems to deal with, but they aren't really problems and I don't have a problem dealing with them. In fact, I often seriously enjoy solving them. It's just a change in attitude or thought. Before I had to, didn't want to and now I want to and am glad to solve it. Big difference, but just a difference in thought.

But, you don't have to go into business for yourself to have that change in thought or attitude. Begin where you are with what you have to work with and turn it from work into fun. Begin by finding one thing about what you do today to appreciate, and then appreciate it, love it, praise it. Next, find another and another and another and pretty soon you'll be loving your job and what you do and everything about it.

In my opinion, the way to change anything toward more positive feelings is to learn to appreciate--sincerely appreciate something, anything, and then continue to repeat that process and you will see miraculous changes. I'm beginning to think that the key to life in general is learning to appreciate everything--you, your life, your body, your personality, your family, your boss, the place you live, the neighborhood you live in, the place you go to church, the neighbors, the government, and so much more.

I think I can get to the point that I am just a lover, appreciating everything, including the contrast that allows me to choose appreciation.

Effort Is No Longer Any Kind Of Work. It Is A Natural Extension Of My Thoughts Of Appreciation.

Spread Some Joy Today--There is nothing that is external that will bring you joy. It is 100% an inside job.

Daily Inspiration 11-11-11

Thought vs Action Controversy Week

"The person we believe ourselves to be

will always act in a manner

consistent with our self-image."

-- Brian Tracy

Driving downtown today, I listened to a radio commercial about hormonal imbalance and how this system will get you into balance so you can lose weight when all else has failed. In fact, the dieting industry--and it is indeed an entire and huge industry--has a crazy long list of different diet programs that are guaranteed to get results that the other diets have failed to do and blah, blah, blah, blah.

Want to lose weight? Stop eating. It is guaranteed to work, but just like every other kind of diet like low carb, no carb, no starch, calorie counting, Atkins, South Beach, North Woods, Deep Lake and all those others, they only work for a while on MOST people. On some it works for a while longer.

And, of course, you know how much effort and even cost is involved in any of these diets, whether you're starving yourself of food, or just the foods you really, really like the best. Sacrifice is painful. It is WORK, commitment, nose to the grindstone, on the treadmill at 8, gym after work, and more. Whew! I've lost a pound just writing it.

Yet, the only thing that will keep the weight where it is said to be wanted in the new and improved us, is a new self-image or picture we hold of ourselves in that new place, and then holding focus on that image, enlisting belief. This is nothing at all but thought.

It is how we think about ourselves and how we imagine ourselves to be that we are. A diet could only change that for a small period, then if we haven't changed our self-image, or thoughts, we will be right back matching our previous thinking. This happens all the time with people trying to lose weight through effort.

The key is that it doesn't require effort, or a special plan, or menu. The key is seeing yourself where you want to be and loving yourself in the meantime.

And, this doesn't just apply to diets, but applies in our work, our hobbies, our home life too. Think your way to where you want to be and the effort will be effortless.

"What Does A Thought Look Like? Just Look Around You, Right Now. . . To See Yours." -- Mike Dooley

Spread Some Joy Today--How many elevens are there today? It's kind of fun!

Daily Inspiration 11-10-11

Thought vs Action Controversy Week

"If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure,

stop trying to balance them.

Instead, make your work more pleasurable."

-- Donald Trump

Consider the dialogue from this Star Wars clip:

"Luke: Oh, no. We'll never get it out now

Yoda: So certain are you? Always with you it cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?

Luke: Master, moving stones around is one thing, but this is totally different.

Yoda: No. No different. Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned.

Luke: All right. . . I'll give it a try. . .

Yoda: NO! Try not! Do. Or do not. There is no try."

Space ships are much harder to levitate than 1 foot diameter stones. Everybody knows that, right?

So, God created the earth and all that we know and see. Do you think God broke a sweat when He created the moon? Or maybe it was the universe that stressed Him out. Or maybe He was so challenged by the acorn, or the dust mite. I'm sort of speculating, since I couldn't answer for God that He didn't stress over any of it. I'm guessing that a button or a continent was all the same when it came to effort. Or, was there any effort at all?

Maybe it's just we humanoids that think that the bigger something is the harder it is to fix, or maybe it's the problem that's closest to us at the moment. As Luke continues to try his best and put forth all the effort he can muster, he cannot raise the ship and quits in defeat. Isn't that how we've all felt sometimes. Maybe now. I can't do it. I don't have enough power. It is beyond me.

Yet, it is in our letting go of the struggle to perform, jump through the hoops, seize the day, that we are able to allow. That word allow is so important. Shhhhhh. Relax. Allow. Everything is okay. Life goes on. It will all be perfect. It is perfect.

When we relax, take a breath, refocus, find things to appreciate, to be grateful for, this puts us in the space where any decision we now make will become almost effortless in action, where before, all the effort we could muster wasn't enough. As Yoda says, "only different in your mind."

Leaping Tall Molehills With A Single Bound. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Forgive someone you've been holding on to. They way is to release it and let it float away like a leaf on a stream. Watch it disappear. . .

Daily Inspiration 11-9-11

Thought vs Action Controversy Week

"Success is living up to your potential. That's all.

Wake up with a smile and go after life. . .

Live it, enjoy it, taste it, smell it, feel it."

-- Joe Kapp

Here's a phrase that indicates a lot of sweaty effort: 'I gotta ______.' I gotta, I have to, I must, If I don't, are all a bunch of work. Whatever thought is involved is all related to some kind of fear.

Truth is, we don't gotta. Turn to thought instead with I wanna, or wouldn't it be nice if, I love ____, I have abundance all around me, I am blessed. That will change everything.

I just watched an interesting movie a couple nights ago called The Company Men. If you haven't seen it, the movie is about a large corporation downsizing and letting a lot of people go and how they dealt with that. If I had watched this just a few years ago, I would have been depressed plugging in to their all to currently related issues, but this time I watched it with a completely different attitude.

Anyway, there was a whole lot of 'I gotta,' going on in that movie. They weren't focused on what they had, but what they no longer had. The more they focused there, the angrier they got and the harder they tried to get it back, the further away it got.

What's really interesting is that I've found that same thing to be true in my life. And, it doesn't change for me significantly until I let go of that and get back into thoughts that are empowering. Once the thoughts are there, the results change and it all works as we might think it was meant to be.

Joe Kapp's quote above is a good way to look at thinking about life. Seek joy. I have found that the more I seek joy, the less anything at all worries me. In a world full of worries as in The Company Men and in our daily news, that is a wonderful place to be.

Here's a really positive thing to do to help invigorate your thinking. Create a love list. Here's an example:

I love a full tank of gas

I love the smell of wet concrete on a hot day

I love watching people play guitar

I love walking

I love listening to the birds around my house

I love feeling joy . . .

You can carry a little notebook and jot new ones down as you periodically look at your past entries to renew your spirits. It's fun and you might even find it interesting what makes the list.

Perhaps you can see that it is all about thought and the more positive thought, the less the effort, even to the point of effortless in action. With negative and fearful thinking, it is all about work, hard work, drudgery, things you have to do that you don't really want to do and more. Joy changes all that very quickly.

I Love Feeling More And More Joy! I'm A Joy Freak!

Spread Some Joy Today--Start your love list and start with at least 20 items. You'll find that you love a lot more about your life than you thought.

Daily Inspiration 11-8-11

Thought vs Action Controversy Week

"When you have got an elephant by the hind legs

and he is trying to run away,

it's best to let him run."

-- Abraham Lincoln

When my thinking is lined up and clear, any action required is pretty much effortless.

I love this quote by Abraham Lincoln because I experience this all the time and I have learned to generally follow this advice and to let him run. It's like this Daily Inspirations. I truly want what I write here to be valuable to anyone who happens to read it and to myself in writing it, especially since I probably learn more by doing them that anyone else might. However, in trying to do well, I find myself searching hard, racking my brain as they say, struggling. That struggle produces almost nothing but lost time. It is amazing how I can do that for a couple of hours and not make the slightest progress. Sometimes, I don't even realize I'm doing that, but when I do, I stop immediately and let the elephant run. See ya! Have a nice run! Whew!

As I relax in the absence of the elephant, I find a peace come over me and I do whatever I need to do to distract myself from thinking any more about that subject for a while. Maybe it's an hour, or more, but soon after truly relaxing in it and letting go of the elephant, what I needed just comes to me out of the blue. Flash! There it is, and I sit down an type it with almost no effort at all.

I could have sat there and tried typing, working hard, nose to the grindstone, no pain, no gain and all that, but that turns everything into a four letter word. Who wants that? That's something we all want to avoid generally.

So, the answer is in the thought, not the effort. It is in the relaxing and not worrying about anything. It is in being at peace with the way things are for the moment. Then, in that clear space, what it needed will come and then the effort will be so small, but more important than this is that it will produce far more.

Effortless Is FUN! Struggle is WORK.

Spread Some Joy Today--Think of someone in your life who could use some encouragement, then act on that and find some interesting ways to encourage them.

Daily Inspiration 11-7-11

Thought vs Action Controversy Week

"No pains, no gains."

"It is not ease, but effort--not facility, but difficulty,

that makes men. There is, perhaps, no station in life

in which difficulties have not to be encountered and

overcome before any decided measure of success can be achieved."

-- Samuel Smiles

When I see these quotes--and there are thousands more like it--I see a belief that success cannot come without difficulty, much effort, pain and more. And, of course, as we see these quotes and we've heard them since we were little, we think that it must be the case, or it must be true. Then we reluctantly set out to become more by getting through all these barriers and then finally, at some time after the smoke has cleared, maybe we will have been one of the few who made it through.

Maybe it's time to go to the Spin Doctor and get an attitudinal. They can stick that scope up there and pull out those barriers that hinder the flow of success. Clear those passageways! Let 'er rip!

It all comes down to what we believe. And a believe is just a thought we keep thinking, so if we believe there has to be pain, great struggle and effort, then that is what it will have to be. To believe one thing and expect a different result is insanity. So we get what we believe and we get what we get.

And, of course, all this struggle, effort and pain comes from the activity or action which must fail many times in order to succeed.

Yesterday, I talked about how some win and some don't and the difference is not activity but thought. As I thought more about it for today's Daily Inspiration, I realized that many times in my life, I focused on what I wanted and achieved it very easily. The only problem is that there has been no consistency in that. Has that happened to you too? We learn how to get through once and then can't seem to get through again.

I think the biggest reason for this is the above. It is the belief that we carry from the outside influences in our lives, such as, teachers, television, radio, friends, well-meaning relatives and seeing life go on all around us. We see what is and we get more of what is.

Yet, those few times when we got through so easily, which was such a joy, we didn't believe these things, it just sort of happened. I think that was a very strong desire that overcame all the negative influences, and when we want things but that really strong desire is not there, we cannot get through.

When I was a salesman, I was not on the top of the board very often, but put a trip to Hawaii on the agenda, and I'm number one without a doubt. I won four trips to Hawaii, along with trips to Acapulco, Bermuda, British Columbia, London, along with a cruise to the Bahamas. There was serious strong desire for these, but no consistency otherwise.

The rest of the times my effort was hard, and the pickin's were few, because, well, that's the way life is supposed to be, right? There's no free ride, no gain without pain, no reward without sacrifice and all that rot.

Or not. . .

Which Is Harder? Thought Or Effort? Maybe It Depends On The Prize. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--For lunch today, why don't you treat yourself. Take a little extra time and do something to give yourself some joy.

Daily Inspiration 11-6-11

Thought vs Action Controversy Week

"We clothe events with the drapery of our own thoughts. . ."

-- James Allen

As I often do in these Daily Inspirations, I talk about things I'm learning or finally getting that I've studied for a time as a way of clarifying it even further and sharing it at the same time. Lately I've been giving a good deal of thought about activity vs thought, ease vs effort, struggle vs surrender. There is some conflict in different authors on this and the traditional says effort and the new age says ease and so on. I am lining up with ease, but it has been a challenge to release all my past learning and outside influences; a.k.a., habits, or comfort zone.

So, I'm thinking of some examples to reference to help demonstrate this difference.

I'm thinking of winning contests, door prizes and so on. My partner, Ryan wins them all the time. I could go to the same event and buy a hundred tickets, and his will be pulled not once, but several times. I've seen him win three items and more than one event. It's amazing.

I ask him what that's all about and he just believes he will win. He expects to win. He doesn't think that much about it, but believes. He sort of lets it go. It works like clockwork for him. This is an example of thought achieving results.

On the other side of this issue, I've seen people that I know who were very much into entering every contest on the planet and getting nowhere with it. They calculated the odds, did everything they could think of to maximize the possibility of winning, but they were hoping for the big payoff and always working the angles. This is an example of doing activity in trying to achieve results.

In Matthew 21:22, the Bible says, ". . .all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." The key ingredient there is believing, which is rare enough. It is easy to ask, even to demand, cry for, cajole, but believing is another level of thought. In this example, the prayer is the action and the believing is the thought. The thought is far more powerful and more likely to have the results that we claim to want.

Tonight I was trying hard to think of everyone I knew in the field I've spent a lifetime in because I need to bring someone into our company to help us expand, and all of a sudden it struck me what I was doing and what a habit it is and how unproductive it is. I've mentioned the sign on my wall that says, "What is MY job and How is GOD's job." As I looked up and saw that sign, I remembered that figuring out who is not my job. That's the action part. It's habitual, yet ineffective. I need to focus on the thought part of this which is clarifying what I want and visualizing it already being done and believing that it will come to pass, then let it go and let God take it from there.

Dream And Then Go There - We Are The Artist.

Spread Some Joy Today--Do an ARK, an Act of Random Kindness today.

Daily Inspiration 11-5-11

"Wisdom is meaningless until

our own experience has given it meaning."

-- Bergen Evans

Have you ever asked that question, 'if I had to do it all over again, I would ____?' It could be that business you had, the decisions you made, whatever. I sort of think it is healthy to do that once in a while--mainly for the fun and illumination of it.

I don't think it is healthy to look back in any sort of regret, but to acknowledge decisions made, results received and see if lessons have been learned.

So, today, I was thinking about a book business that I started in 2004 mid-year and essentially closed in Dec 2010. Fact is, I still have it at www.delsoutlet.com; however, it is now what you would have to call a hobby, not a business because it is so miniscule now in comparison. I let it go for several good reasons, and the biggest is that I have another business that is far more lucrative that captures my time and energy.

So, today, I was thinking, if I had it to do all over again, what would I do? As I was looking backward, I saw several glaring errors that I could correct and in briefly analyzing this, I knew that by correcting them, it would have made a big difference, or at least that's my supposition. Then I have to say, so what? That's wasn't an option at the time. Only in the luxury of the current moment can I see what it could have been. Assuming my analysis is correct, of course.

But, then I ask the tough question--would I do it at all if I had it to do again? I have to say that knowing what I now know from experience and considering the changes that have taken place in the market since 2004, I would not even begin it again.

That's so easy to say now from the point of wisdom, but at the beginning, that point of enthusiasm and dream vision, I never would say that I wouldn't do it. I didn't know any better. And, that is the wonderful thing about starting out! If I would have known better, I would have passed and missed all that experience, hard work, effort, successes and not so successes--I would have missed it all.

So, as I look back, I conclude that it was quite worthwhile. I gained a great deal of experience and much of that knowledge helps me today to guide my own affairs and to help other business people to make better choices while in that fog of enthusiasm. Assuming they want the help, of course.

I Find That It Matters Far More What I Do When I Don't Know Any Better Than To Think ANYTHING About What Might Have Been.

Spread Some Joy Today--by being joyous. Sometimes the best thing is just to forget about everyone else and focus on your own joy. It's contagious!

Daily Inspiration 11-4-11

"One forgives to the degree that one loves."

-- Francois de La Rochefoucauld

I was thinking about forgiveness and how that word has changed its meaning so much for me in just the last few years. Previously, my thoughts on forgiveness were much like how Wikipedia states it in the beginning of their piece on forgiveness. It begins, "Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution." Yep. That was pretty much how I used to feel too. I love the phrase in there, 'concluding resentment, indignation or anger.'

I used to hear the phrase a lot, 'forgive and forget,' as if that were what people actually did. I heard a lot about the idea of forgiving, but didn't see much forgetting. That reminds me of this wonderful quote: "There's no point in burying the hatchet if you're going to put up a marker on the site." -- Sydney Harris.

Basically, people do something or say something and we take offense or are not pleased with that, then we are supposed to forgive them? Shouldn't they be the ones to set things right? Isn't this how we think sometimes?

If I think about that last comment, I see that it wasn't the other but our own reaction or response that creates the resentment, indignation or anger. In other words, that is our own idea. Then, for some reason, whether we think it is the Christian thing to do or the right thing to do, or someone is prodding us, we say they are forgiven, but in reality we cannot forgive them, since they didn't do anything to forgive, but we did it to ourselves.

I would have had a hard to getting that a few years back, but now it is so clear. We habitually react or respond in blame which is what creates the potential for needing forgiveness to begin with.

Another way to look at forgiveness is to just let go. Pretend this problem is a bag with a strap and we've gathered a few of them, and now we forgive ourselves by taking that burden off ourselves and leaving it on the road and walking away leaving it behind us. In this, we can see that forgiveness is not something we are doing for others, but for ourselves alone. It is our own feeling that we are healing or trying to heal. It was all our own idea.

And, I save the best for last. From what I've learned, forgiveness is a personal release of love and the more unconditional love I will allow and release, the more I am forgiven and the less I see a need for any forgiveness, for there is no more blame, and only loving.

It Is As It Should Be Since We Are All Created From The Same Source.

Spread Some Joy Today--Memory is a two-way event. By releasing those memories that no longer serve us, we are free to experience joy.

Daily Inspiration 11-3-11

"Stressing output is the key to improving productivity,

while looking to increase activity can result in just the opposite."

-- Paul Gauguin

Confusing activity with results again. Sometimes I feel as if I'm so busy that I become curious what I am actually accomplishing, and more important than this is whether or not what I am accomplishing or trying to accomplish is worth doing.

The problem I have is that even though I love 'To Do' lists, I have a tendency to fill them up with things to do and they don't all need to get done--especially by me! Or, they are not so important as other things on the list and I end up doing more of the unimportant ones than the important ones because they are easy, or more interesting, or I'm ready to do that, and so on.

But, what I need to do is to release so much activity and focus on a few key things to accomplish or at the very least move forward, and do them, allowing the other things to languish if needed.

How often I have said aloud and privately that I wish there were more hours in the day and more energy to make use of them. That's not very realistic, so I'm left with making the time and energy I have to be used more effectively.

And, here's something interesting. . . many times, taking a break, doing something physical, working out, going for a walk, playing with the dogs, calling a friend, or some other very interesting and invigorating activity that isn't normally thought of in the word productivity is actually very productive because it is like a quick renewal. At the same time, and this is more important, those make the day worthwhile, and do not need to consume a whole day, but can be very fruitful as a pleasant distraction from work.

Less Is Very Often More.

Spread Some Joy Today--Forgiveness is releasing and letting go. It is also very selfishly joyous. I love that forgiveness benefits me more than anyone, don't you?