Daily Inspiration 6-21-14

"What we value most 

shapes how we process information, 

what we remember, and how we act, 

so that our minds, emotions, and intentions 

all work together to fulfill 

those most meaningful values." 

-- Dr. John F. Demartini 

Last year, Dr. John F. Demartini published yet another great book titled, The Values Factor: The Secret to Creating an Inspired and Fulfilling Life. Now, I'm tired of seeing the phrase, "the secret" in the title of books because in my lengthy study, there are so many who claim THE secret, when there aren't really any secrets, just points of view. Now, I also admit that I have found so many of these points of view to be not only interesting, and informative, yet, sometimes transforming. This book is in the upper echelons of that mix.

I highly recommend the audio version of this book which is 12+ hours long and took me from just below Yakima, Washington all the way to Vacaville CA to read. It would have been much more of a project to complete reading with my eyes, and in this particular case, I think the audio is helpful and user friendly. Audible.com and my iPhone app took care of all I needed.

I am reeling from the experience of listening to this. I am now amazed at how often I have beat myself up again and again for not doing something that I think I need to do, should do, and so on, and this book tells you why that happens and how to change it from torture to joy. I also have to warn you that this is a practical book with a proven message and is not for the faint of heart, yet it is for everyone who wants to know why we beat ourselves up so often and why we don't achieve that which we say we want and so much more.

It all comes down to our highest values. The interesting thing to me about this book is how Dr. Demartini sees everyone on the planet as powerful, yet often people don't realize it, or they accept other peoples values instead of their own. He talks (or, rather the narrator) of case studies that are fascinating and might even remarkably come close to our own situations.

For example, this passage is telling: "Anytime you find yourself saying, "I should. . .," "I need to. . .," or "I really must. . .," you can be pretty certain that you are talking about social idealisms or the values of some external authority instead of expressing your own true highest values. When you hear yourself saying, "I desire to. . ..," "I choose to. . .," or "I love to. . .," then you know that you are talking about a goal that is truly valuable to you. Those goals you will inevitably achieve because they align with your highest values."

I saw so much on this trip and have yet to even process it all; however, this I know for sure: I learned a lot just by plugging in my headphones while I was enjoying the view. One thousand, nine hundred and thirty two miles of it. When we finally got home at 1:15am this morning, Charlie was dancing around the living room with joy! He loves to travel, but he was as glad as me to be home--maybe more so.


Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by hugging someone you love.