Daily Inspiration 7-31-12

"Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will." -- Ben Stein I found that I wasn't a very good Christian. I did that for a number of years, but it never quite felt right in church. I sort of felt that so many that were in church were much better than I about praying for things and they could go on and on about that, saying it all in a certain cadence and rhythm, with the most accepted phrases used in the right sequence and all that stuff. They were always asking God to do something, almost pleading sometimes, then saying that if it was His Will to be done they would be pleased. It just never made any sense to me. The reason it didn't make sense is that I took Matthew 21:22 to heart. Jesus said in that verse and several others a very similar message, "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." So, to ask with the possibility of an unknown answer was just not believing to me. His statement is pretty clear to me. There were many times in a prayer circle I would give thanks for the problem and be grateful and it was as if I were against God. How that could be is beyond me, but you had to be there I guess. Anyway, I'll not go any further into my church experiences except to state that I think our power is in praying, doing, acting in the belief that it is already a foregone conclusion that what we want is already and though it may not yet be seen, is absolutely coming. I also think that we need practice at this concept. So, the more often we practice it, the better we get a believing it when we say it. Think of it as an affirmation, because that is essentially what it is with power. Many times we might think we are not worthy, but we are. Many times we might think our power comes from somewhere outside of ourselves, but it doesn't. What would cause us to believe in a Creator and not in us as the created? Many times we might ask for a little when we really want a lot, but do we really think the creative power of God making a button or a penthouse on Park Avenue is different? More than anything, whether it is in church, in sales, or any other place, it is our belief, along with our worthiness to state what is desired, and with the conviction that knows the power that exists is true. That kind of belief and power is worthy of practice.

Wishin' and Hopin' and Thinkin' and Prayin'. . . Spread Some Joy Today--Pretend _____ always says 'Yes!' Start with 'Thank You!'

Daily Inspiration 7-30-12

"Do, every day, ALL That can be done that day." -- Wallace Wattles Ever read something years ago, and then a section or passage all of a sudden, maybe even over several days comes back to you and you just have to go find it and go over it again? This has been the case for me for the last several days. What kept coming back to me was the idea of doing your best, giving your all in each task that we undertake and how that can have a dramatic effect on how things turn out down the road. Sometimes people do as little as dare be and get by and that accumulates too. At the same time, trying to do too much, putting pressure on ourselves to perform acculates also. The passage below is brilliant. It is simple and easy. It is an excerpt from Chapter 12 of The Science of Getting Rich, and was originally written and published in 1910, over 100 years ago by Wallace D Wattles. That book was also the original inspiration for the movie, DVD, TV Show called The Secret in 2006. It also reminds me about the tortoise and the hare story. Here is the excerpt that kept coming back to me the last few days: "Do, every day, ALL that can be done that day. There is, however, a limitation or qualification of the above that you must take into account. You are not to overwork, nor to rush blindly into your business in the effort to do the greatest possible number of things in the shortest possible time. You are not to try to do tomorrow's work today, nor to do a week's work in a day. It is really not the number of things you do, but the EFFICIENCY of each separate action that counts. Every act is, in itself, either a success or a failure. Every act is, in itself, either effective or inefficient. Every inefficient act is a failure, and if you spend your life in doing inefficient acts, your whole life will be a failure. The more things you do, the worse for you, if all your acts are inefficient ones. On the other hand, every efficient act is a success in itself, and if every act of your life is an efficient one, your whole life MUST be a success. The cause of failure is doing too many things in an inefficient manner, and not doing enough things in an efficient manner. You will see that it is a self-evident proposition that if you do not do any inefficient acts, and if you do a sufficient number of efficient acts, you will become rich. If, now, it is possible for you to make each act an efficient one, you see again that the getting of riches is reduced to an exact science, like mathematics. The matter turns, then, on the questions whether you can make each separate act a success in itself. And this you can certainly do. You can make each act a success, because ALL Power is working with you; and ALL Power cannot fail. Power is at your service; and to make each act efficient you have only to put power into it. Every action is either strong or weak; and when every one is strong, you are acting in the Certain Way which will make you rich. Every act can be made strong and efficient by holding your vision while you are doing it, and putting the whole power of your FAITH and PURPOSE into it. It is at this point that the people fail who separate mental power from personal action. They use the power of mind in one place and at one time, and they act in another pace and at another time. So their acts are not successful in themselves; too many of them are inefficient. But if ALL Power goes into every act, no matter how commonplace, every act will be a success in itself; and as in the nature of things every success opens the way to other successes, your progress toward what you want, and the progress of what you want toward you, will become increasingly rapid. Remember that successful action is cumulative in its results. Since the desire for more life is inherent in all things, when a man begins to move toward larger life more things attach themselves to him, and the influence of his desire is multiplied. Do, every day, all that you can do that day, and do each act in an efficient manner."

Doing All We Can When We Can Is Perfect.   Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying yourself and your work today with no concern about tomorrow.

Daily Inspiration 7-29-12

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." -- William James The idea expressed by William James above was not really a new idea, it was just that it was getting more activity. This idea is thousands of years old and it was spoken of in various ways in ancient texts, but it just wasn't accepted as the norm. Even in William James day at the turn of the last century, it was gaining some traction, but still not considered normal or accepted by many. In today's world it is still not 'normal;' however, it has gained so much traction and has become such a wide spread idea by many hundreds, even thousands of teachers all saying the same thing in a wide variety of ways. So much so, that many of these teachers call it a movement, or to use many of their words, an awakening. I can recall studying some of this idea in my twenties, some forty years ago, but it was not easy to find books on the subject, or they were disguised as something else. And, today, there is an abundance of writings, recordings, Internet products like blogs, websites, YouTube videos, and more. I think this is so exciting! I have learned so much from just sampling that abundance and it is inspiring, uplifting, and empowering to me. I don't concern myself where the world is in their search for meaning, nor anyone around me really. I do see people who are a bit lost or out of synch, but that isn't my affair because I know that I couldn't have been told anything until I was ready to hear it. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear is very accurate. When people are ready, they will attract the information they want or need--just as I did. I am very grateful for all of the teachers and authors who have been willing to put information out there so that I could trip over it from time to time prior to allowing it to come in. I cannot thank them enough because it has so radically changed my life.

Now I Find Myself One Of Those Teachers . . .   Spread Some Joy Today--If your want to really learn something, teach it.

Daily Inspiration 7-28-12

"The key to life is to become skillful enough to be able to do rewarding things." -- Jim Rohn I love live music with a passion. And, I love all levels of skill at it. I suppose it is because I am a musician and can relate to the millions of levels. As a musician it is easy to also know where we are on the skill scale, but we don't pay much attention to that until someone more skilled and/or practiced reminds us of our place. At the same time, with the vast majority of musicians I know, they love music at all levels too and so they don't look down on someone with less skill, but applaud the effort and the place they are at, while rejoicing in the finest when they have the opportunity to witness it. I went to a small event our client, ABC Music in Benicia put on tonight and there were two groups playing. One group is what you would call professional musicians, the other group was made up of music teachers. Both groups very skilled, but the difference was interesting and inspired this edition of the Daily Inspirations. I loved both groups for different reasons and because they were playing great music and having fun. It was obvious on their faces. The teachers teach students young and older that are total beginners through advanced musicians. This I know from being a teacher myself as well as an avid student, praise and encouragement is the key ingredient, but more than this it must be fun. It must be enjoyed. The more it is enjoyed; the more fun, the better. I remembered when I first got to play a whole song on the guitar when I was a teenager. It was a hot song at the time, and a classic now, called Louie, Louie, and it has three chords and that is it. I didn't even know one chord then, so my teacher, an older, more skilled teenager, turned the guitar to the key of E and I just had to put my finger over the whole fret to make the next chord and so on. It was easy as pie. What fun that was. Then I learned some chords from a Roy Clark book, and I was hooked. I got better and better as time and practice and better instruments came and went. But, the key ingredient was that it was fun. Just like the musicians tonight were having. They don't play regularly together. It was an improv and a skilled one at that, but they were having fun and they had at least as much, and maybe more fun listening and appreciating the other group and visa versa. My takeaway and the lesson I found from this experience tonight is that regardless of where we are, we need to have fun, and appreciate where we are in pursuit of where we want to be. There will always be more no matter how skilled we get, so if we don't have fun along the way and appreciate ourselves and our efforts and our experiences, it is a total waste of time and energy. At the sales seminar on Thursday, the same thing applied. There were all different levels of skill in sales in that room, from the absolute beginner to the best in the region. We need to respect ourselves where ever we may be and have fun moving toward the increased skill level. If we aren't having fun with it, and if it isn't rewarding, there will be little or no desire to move to a higher skill level. One other key takeaway was that musicians become better by playing with other musicians, and by playing together create a certain synergy that gives the music a whole new experience and is a great encouragement to play more and to improve. Doing things with others rather than alone spurs added skills and a more enjoyable experience at the same time. Did I mention that I had a wonderful time? It was the best!

Have A Grand Time Learning And Growing By Appreciating And Accepting Yourself In Pursuit Of The New And Improved You. There's Plenty Of Time. Spread Some Joy Today--Cut yourself some slack. No need to be hard on yourself. Chill. It's all good.

Daily Inspiration 7-27-12

"Sales people should take lessons from their kids. What does the word "no" mean to a child? Almost nothing!" -- Jim Rohn Today I had the opportunity and pleasure to attend a sales seminar that was packed to overflowing put on by Grant Cardone. I was not familiar with Grant and this particular seminar was about closing sales. He is very energetic and quite skilled as well as an interesting guy. I enjoyed his presentation and information very much, and got to see a few folks that I haven't seen in quite some time. I sat next to a young man who was in the car business for only three weeks. It brought back memories of when I first began in that business in 1972. I think we hit it off and I will communicate with him and offer to be of assistance if I can, just because I can feel where he's at. As I said, the large room was packed, and in my own experience of so many years of training sales people, I know there will be maybe, just maybe a handful out of that group that will take to heart the nourishing skill and wisdom that Grant was giving with all his enthusiasm. That's too bad and I would love to see it changed, but that is the way things go so often. We get back to work, get busy, got our life to live and all that stuff (or maybe it should be STUFF), and we are so soon back into our routine and the seminar is a distant memory. Maybe the words, 'that's good for him, but I can't do that stuff,' might even be said. Truth is, all that information and skill is always there and will always be there to take hold of whenever we are ready. Most are not ready, but if even a couple of people came away with a new design on their lives and career, I know it would be so satisfying to Grant, as it would to me. I get it. And, in addition, I came away with some excellent information for my businesses which I will be implementing in the next few days. I got a renewing charge from the event and I hope many others did as well. Thank you, Grant for taking the time and energy to show up and give us your best. I appreciated it and bought his four books mainly as a thank you, but I will be reading them for the value in them right away. I get so busy in my growing business that I forget to recharge with events like this. It was a powerful reminder to schedule things like this to insure that I get some different flavors and experiences from time to time. Of course, attending a live seminar or training would be number one, but there is much to be learned from books, audio and video. That I take full advantage of and share with our team as well. One thing Grant said at the beginning of the meeting. He said that Leaders are Readers. He explained that the average person in America reads one book or less per year, but the average CEO reads 64. Whether those numbers are accurate or not is not important because it is my own experience that the ratio is about right.

Get Fired Up And Renewed Often! Spread Some Joy Today--Help someone today by sharing your own knowledge and expertise. Be a mentor!

Daily Inspiration 7-26-12

"I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does than much better." -- Plutarch I got to see a dear friend the other day who lives a distance away and I see just every few years. We aren't social friends, but more like we find joy in each other, and we love each other very deeply. Though we go different directions and have made many changes over time, that love and joy and deep knowing is as solid as any such thing can be, and I relish that very much. I looked at a lot of quotes about friendship and there were only a couple that I could relate to this person. The first is at the top from Plutarch who lived pretty close to 2,000 years ago. What this quote spoke to me about my friend is that we go different ways, we even disagree on issues of importance, yet respect totally each others point of view without any insistence that they adopt ours. That is unconditional love and that is exactly how I feel. The second quote I found was this from one of my favorite people, Henry David Thoreau. He says this about friendship: "The language of friendship is not words but meanings." We see the underlayment of truth or love beneath all the exterior communications. It's just love and pure acceptance. As I celebrate this friend of whom I speak, I am thinking of a few other friends with whom I have a very similar relationship, and that is pure joy for me to recognize that and to enjoy it. I think of them often and somehow communicate with them without speaking a word. I am very grateful for these few.

"I Have Friends In Overalls Whose Friendship I Would Not Swap For The Favor Of The Kings Of The World." -- Thomas A Edison Spread Some Joy Today--Enjoy a friend.

Daily Inspiration 7-25-12

"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." -- A. J. Muste Often when I about to write one of the Daily Inspirations, I reflect on my day or last few days and see if there is something significant that I learned worth sharing. Since I'm open to learning many things each and every day, that process often works. Tonight, a different thought came to me. What is the single most important thing that I have learned in my whole life. I thought that was an interesting question. I've learned so much and especially in the last five years, that I could fill books with it, but to single one thing out is most difficult. Then, it came to me that learning that I am totally in charge of whether I am happy or not was a pretty big one. Most of my life I was looking for something that I could achieve to get to that would create happiness and I found only of late that this isn't a good method and it hardly ever works. It creates more frustration than happiness. However, to just simply decide to be happy, that was a very powerful change in me. But, as good as that was, it was not quite there. Then I remembered the quote above and it might be more aptly expressed this way: There is no way to __________. _________ is the way. There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. It is not something that can be caught, or something on the outside, but something we become, or allow from within. There is no way to joy. Joy is the way. There is nothing that creates joy except and allowing of it to freely flow from within. So often it is just stifled and kept under wraps. We may think that certain things need to be aligned for it to be, but it is way easier. Joy is the way. It is the same with peace which is several steps beyond happiness and even joy. To be at peace is to be at one with God to me. It's an atonement, or at-one-ment. And, it is something not found, but to become one with. The practical way this happens is looking for better feeling thoughts continually. I have learned no other method that works consistently as this. Though my learning is far from over, I would have to say that the most important thing that I have learned is that there is no way to _______. _________ is the way.

Fill In The Blanks For Yourself.   Spread Some Joy Today--Sing. . . Ooo, eee, ooo, ahh-ahh. Ting, tang, walla-walla, bing bang. . . .

Daily Inspiration 7-24-12

"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out." -- Ronald Reagan I love this quote from Ronald Reagan. I absolutely adhere to it as best I can. I am not a micro-manager unlike some of those I've worked with, although I have a small tendency to hang on to jobs a bit longer than I could, so I'm working more and more on the delegating part. This I do know for sure and for certain: There is no way I can do it all myself--no way, no how. Based on that, it's all a team effort.

I Love My Job. I Love What I Do. I Love My Team!   Spread Some Joy Today--Do what you do today with all your heart and soul. What a difference you make.

Daily Inspiration 7-23-12

"A man ninety years old was asked to what he attributed his longevity. I reckon, he said, with a twinkle in his eye, it is because most nights I went to bed and slept when I should have sat up and worried." -- Garson Kanin Age and aging is an interesting thing. When I was 18, I distinctly remember not being able to even imagine being so old as 30. Then it came and it went, along with the big 4-0, 5-0 and 6-0. There are certainly interesting changes in the body, but the mind doesn't seem to go so quickly. Tonight I watched a recently released documentary by Mark Wexler, How To Live Forever. I recommend it. It was enjoyable and was all about the oldest of the old and whether people would want to live 500 years if they could. The typical questions were asked many subjects, such as, to what do you attribute you long life? The answers were all over the map. Some drank alcohol and smoked every day, others led a very conservative lifestyle. In fact, their diet, was the thing that was all over the map. Yet, what was prevalent in virtually all of them was an attitude of living life and enjoying life and not worrying about much of anything. That was often their best advice: enjoy life. Don't worry, be happy. I think George Burns said it nicely: "If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it."

Let Peace Begin With Us. Be cool. Have Fun. Enjoy. Spread Some Joy Today--Today is a great day to send a Thank You care or two, or three. It will be amazing how good they will make you feel.

Daily Inspiration 7-22-12

"The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis." -- Dalai Lama There was a short discussion about religion and other topics and because I took a different point of view on something, I was asked by who's authority I know this. It was an interesting question. It was sort of fun to be put on the spot and even outnumbered. I smiled at the challenge. So, I said, "by my inner knowing." So, I was told that this is not an acceptable authority. "On the contrary," I said. "It is the best authority." What I thought was interesting is how we look to someone else as an authority figure. It doesn't matter what it is. We claim that the doctor has the authority, the teacher, the therapist, the mother, the father, the church, the Bible, the guru, the Internet marketing genius, the person who has written the most books, the movie star, and the list goes on for days. And, in no case, is it ourselves. It is always someone outside of ourselves that is the real and viable authority. I'm educated sufficiently. I am an avid reader and have read many hundreds of books, and I love learning and I like to follow learning from certain sources deeper than others. It isn't because I consider them an authority or the authority, but simply because what and how they are saying a thing resonates with my inner self, or my inner being, or inner knowing. It is as if I have only confirmed something that I already knew. I like how Oscar Wilde said that, "education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught." The teachers that I study seem to be teaching me what I already know, and that is how it resonates, along with the fact that it feels right, or more precise, it feels good. There are many things I've tried to learn, even to the point of memorizing parts of it, and many times that learning never felt right. It didn't really matter the source or how high the authority was, it just didn't resonate truth to me. In fact, most of my life I had a lot of this from a wide variety of sources and I was instructed to trust the authority or respect the authority or believe it because of the authority, and all the while, it just didn't feel right. I couldn't discuss that with those people because to challenge it was to deny it and it offended them. So, many like myself, just clam up and go with the flow. It's only in the last few years that I've trusted my inner self or inner knowing. Now I trust it more than anything. If it resonates and feels good, I go with it and if it doesn't resonate and feels bad, I let it go. I think that we give up our own authority all too easily when it is there to serve us if we but pay attention to it. One last thing on this idea is that I have at the same time learned to allow all others to have and use the authority of their choice, to have and choose thoughts as they may and to have joy that whatever is chosen by them is serving them as they would like. I do as I feel is best and allow and encourage everyone else to do the same.

We All Get To Choose Our Best Authority.   Spread Some Joy Today--Don't label anything today, except to allow yourself to feel good and find ways to feel a little better, and a little better and so on.

Daily Inspiration 7-21-12

"Grudge. Noun: A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury. Verb: Be resentfully unwilling to give, grant, or allow (something). Synonyms: spite, rancour, rancor, resentment, malice envy, begrudge." -- Google "To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete." -- Epictetus

Life Is Short. Enjoy The Trip.   Spread Some Joy Today--If there's any bits of ill will back there somewhere, now would be a good time to set it adrift and free.

Daily Inspiration 7-20-12

"If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?" -- Laurence J Peter I have to admit to a cluttered desk. Not because I don't like order and neatness, it is simply because I detest filing. I am organized. . . sort of. . . I have lots of files. Indeed, I have many filing cabinets with files. Client files, training material files, and hundreds of other files. I've also got a couple of those stand up file organizers on top my desk, along with a 5-tier horizontal shelf unit. I even have boxes of files and papers. I've got all kinds of organization. Then, I have the stacking system. I have several stacks on my desk of papers, magazines I haven't had the time to look at and these stacks, though crisp and neatly stacked at one time, often have papers covering them up. Then I have a roll around file unit that I stick things on top of and then the stacks on top of the filing cabinet, and . . . well, you can imagine the picture. I am cluttered and I have a cluttered mind I guess. It's not that I don't know how to be neat, but I don't know how, if that makes any sense. It does to me. I know how. I just don't do it. I see people with nothing on their desk but a phone and a computer monitor and keyboard and I wonder what they do. What is going on in their brain? How can they tolerate such starkness? It seems like a sign of nothing going on. Maybe they carry around a big briefcase carrying their stacks from home to office to home again. Maybe that credenza is a holding area for clutter that is kept out of sight. Maybe they keep all their stack in another room. Who knows? It's so strange to me. Then there are some people I know who know where everything is in an instant and go right to it in a file somewhere and there you have the answer to your quest. Me? I go through this stack first and that one second all the while hoping it is near. I've read that you should never touch the same paper twice. I don't. Twice is too small a number for me. I've told my partners several times that when we make it big, the very first thing I am buying for myself is the full time services of a masterful personal assistant. Someone who has me so organized that I hardly recognize it as me. Someone who knows where everything is like some of my friends. And, especially someone who not only knows how to file, but what to file where. I can't wait. . .

Happy Desk Days Are Coming Soon. . . I Can Feel It In The Air. . . It's Gonna Happen!   Spread Some Joy Today--Take a 15 minute break sometime today and list 25 blessings in your life. Tomorrow, look at it again. You are blessed, aren't you!

Daily Inspiration 7-19-12

"You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge. Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance." -- Eckhart Tolle Consider taking stock of all that you are instead of all that you are not, or not yet. Consider counting your blessings regardless of size instead of problems. Consider your capacity to love with an unending supply within rather than being so choosy as to whom it is given and whether they deserve or not. Consider the vastness of now compared with the limits of the past and future. Consider the gifts that you have within you and how you may share and multiply them with others rather than measuring and weighing your accomplishments. As with being good, kind, considerate, loving, appreciative, thankful, joyous, peaceful, all these are not brought in from the outside, and they cannot be purchased with money or sweat, but are fully available and free for all to recognize them in themselves as already in their possession, within them. As each of us acknowledges this bounty, our abundance is known and felt.

We Are So Much More And Have So Much More Than We Ever Thought. Many Of Us Just Looked Outside When It Was Inside All The Time.   Spread Some Joy Today--It's Love Yourself Day. Get yourself a card and give yourself a gift and a treat. You've certainly earned it and today is your day to celebrate.