Daily Inspiration 6-30-15

"Forget not that the earth delights 

to feel your bare feet 

and the winds long 

to play with your hair." 

-- Kahlil Gibran 

Just when we thought that we were experiencing everything around us, a wise soul reminds us that we are also the experienced. I think that makes us the experiencer and the experienced.


Hmmm. An Interesting Perspective. . . 

Spread Some Joy Today--because you're going to be spreading something, and joy seems like a highly beneficial thing to share. Not everyone will accept it, but enough so that you cannot be discouraged.

Daily Inspiration 6-29-15

Life's Biggest Lessons 

"The biggest lesson, in a sense I got, 

is the power of unconditional love. 

I think there is no power on earth, 

like unconditional love." 

-- Warren Buffett 

What does unconditional love mean? It means simply this: To love. Regardless. Absolutely. To fully accept.

Can we worry about someone and love them? Those two things vibrate at such different frequencies that it is like trying to get the music on 101.9 FM by tuning to 740 AM. Not even close.

Can we be disappointed in them and love them? Be angry at them and love them? Feel jealousy about them and love them? Feel grief and love them? Feel discouragement and love them? Be frustrated with them and love them? Have impatience or irritation and love them?

Not even.

In really loving them, this emotion is at the top of the scale, and fear, grief, and despair are at the complete opposite end of that scale. They are completely and totally incompatible.

If we truly love someone, it would be without any condition and without any negative emotion. We just love them. We want the best for them. We want them to love others the way we love them. We cannot be loving and feeling negative emotions at the same time. It cannot be. The frequencies don't match.

Can we allow those we love to make mistakes? Especially those situations that we know to be mistaken? Yes. Imagine your own life without so-called mistakes. We learn by thinking and doing. Besides, in unconditional love, it isn't really a mistake, it is purely a result.

Another word for unconditional love is freedom. By loving you are giving freedom. You know what freedom really feels like. You want that for others too.

Another word for unconditional love is empowerment. By loving you are empowering others. You know how being empowered feels. You want that for others too.

Another word for unconditional love is joy. You know what joy feels like. You want that for others too.

Another word for unconditional love is appreciation. You know what it feels like to appreciate. You want that for others too.


There Is Nothing So Empowering, Uplifting, Freeing, Joyful, And Appreciative As Unconditional Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Hmmm. . . that would be done mainly by loving without condition. . .

Daily Inspiration 6-28-15

"We ask ourselves, 

 'Who am I to be brilliant, 

 gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' 

Actually, who are you not to be?" 

-- Marianne Williamson 

I used this photo a few days ago and I cannot get it out of my mind. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and I know that is true, as this one speaks volumes to me. Here's some of what this photo says to me--even screams to me with delight:

I'm fabulous! I feel fabulous! I feel like a star! I feel joy! I love my perfect hat. I love my choice in shades. I can be anybody behind some cool shades, and right now I'm fabulous. I've got beautiful, naturally curly hair. I love my hair. My great summer dress with the yellow borders clicks with my shades as do the other colors that blend so nicely with my great hat. I feel alive. I feel good. I feel free. I feel wonderful. 

I'm in love with me right now. I love me. I love myself. I feel like I'm showing off the real person inside me that so often I have tried to hide. I am hiding no more today. I am feeling too good to be concerned about any of that. I am feeling like I have a smile on my entire body. I feel like a wave of deliciousness has covered me giving me even more joy. I am fabulous. I feel fabulous. I am so enjoying this moment as if there were no other moments to be concerned about. 

And, while I am loving me and feeling fabulous today, I am loving every single person and thing that I see through my eyes and my perfect shades. I see them as fabulous too. In fact, we are all fabulous today. The sky is fabulous, the air is fabulous, the animals are fabulous, the ground is fabulous, the people I see are fabulous, everything around me is fabulous. Isn't fabulous so divine? I love it. I want to feel this way all the time, or at least as often as I can because it feels so delightful and fun. 

It isn't the things I'm wearing. I love them, and they are fun, but it isn't the things on my body. It is me. It is how I feel deep inside. I adore this feeling. When I add these beautiful and fun things to my body, I feel like that feeling deep inside that I don't pay attention to very much is allowed to come up to the surface and have fun with me. The things I'm wearing just enhance the feelings that are already within me. It is so marvelous when I allow this to happen. I want it much more often. I love being fabulous, feeling fabulous, and sharing my fabulousness with the entire world. 


"If You Allow Yourself To Feel Fabulous, You Are Fabulous!" -- Natalia Kills 

Spread Some Joy Today--Be Fabulous!

Daily Inspiration 6-27-15

"Begin challenging 

 your own assumptions. 

Your assumptions are
your windows on the world. 

 Scrub them off 

every once in awhile, 

or the light won't come in." 

-- Alan Alda 

Some challenging questions to scrub off our assumptions:

Where and when did I learn that?
When did I learn to feel sad about that; those kinds of things or situations?
How many things do I feel sad about?
When did I learn to hate that or them or it?
How many things do I hate?
When did I learn to worry about that, this, them?
How did I learn to be jealous? Envious?
When did I learn to feel guilty?
Why do I feel insecure?
Where did I learn that?
How often am I unhappy? Why? When?

I heard this story long ago and perhaps you have as well: A mother and daughter were in the kitchen cooking a holiday meal of ham. The mother cut the ends off of the ham, and her daughter was very curious about that and said, "mother, why do you cut the ends off the ham?" She thinks about it and says, "well, I'm not really sure. I've always done it. I think I learned it from my mother." Since this is a holiday gathering, the mother finds her mother and asks her why she always cut the ends off the ham. Her mother said, "well, I don't know why except that my mother did that and I guess I learned it from her." So, they ask the great grandmother why she did that, and she said, "Oh, when I was first married way back, we had a very small kitchen and a very small oven and the ham wouldn't fit, so I cut the ends off."

Sometimes, and probably often, we just don't know or seem to be aware of what we are doing day to day, situation to situation, event to event. We learned something and never questioned it. We assumed that was the way to do it and so we do it that way, at that time, during this part of the year, under these circumstances, with these people, with these choices. It became a habit. Now it seems to be part of us. We see it as truth, the right way, the way it should be, the only way, my way. We own it.

A good question to ask from time to time might be, "is this assumption, this truth, this way serving me? Or is it not serving me?" Another great question is, "how do I feel about this or that?" If it doesn't cause you to feel good, the questions can help bring awareness and then the opportunity to change the assumption. Because they used to believe that the world was flat. In fact, the list of things that people used to believe as truth has changed so much, that today we question how they could have ever made that assumption, to begin with. We can't even fathom believing it now. Now it is false. It used to be the truth.

The truth may not be as solid as we once thought. Just like the planet, we stand on. We think it is solid, but there is much more going on underneath than we realize. It's okay and even good to challenge our own truths and assumptions, why we do things, how we feel about things, what allows happiness within us and what causes unhappy feelings.

When I was going to church, I heard the Senior Pastor say many times that "you know it when you know in your knower." Well, on the surface, that may sound silly, but I knew it as profound. We all have an inner knower, a Christ consciousness, a Universal Mind, a God within. When we line up with that, we know. When we follow others, we may have to challenge that learning. The place to challenge it is by seeing if it lines up with our 'knower' or not.


All Scrubbed Off And Feeling Good Again! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving more. Just love. Leo Tolstoy said it so well when he said, "If you want to be happy, be."

Daily Inspiration 6-26-15

"A friend is someone 

who knows the song in your heart, 

and can sing it back to you 

when you have forgotten the words." 

-- Donna Roberts 

Yes! Having this kind of friend is among life's greatest gifts. That's the kind of friend I want to be. I want to be an uplifter, a reminder of self-value, an encouraging influence.

I don't want to be the kind of friend who commiserates, one that allows you to feel sorry for yourself in front of me. I don't want to sympathize with you or blame others on your behalf. I don't want to discuss the problem or problems over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. I don't want to be that kind of friend. I don't want to feel bad along with you or about you.

I want to sing your joy back to you. I want to talk about all that you are and all that you are going to be. I want to boost and bolster you. I want to strengthen you, reassure and reinforce you. I want to lift you up, and never fail to recognize an opportunity to root for you, smile upon you, and pull for you.

I know who you are and I want to remind you of who you are. You are more powerful than you know. You are more in charge than you think. You have more love than you realize. You have more abundance than you acknowledge.

I want to be a friend. A real friend. Even to people I have never met in person. I have chosen this on purpose. It is what I want. This is what I am.


I Am A Friend. I Am Your Friend. I Love You. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by singing your joy within you, then sending it out to others.

Daily Inspiration 6-25-15

"One of the keys

to all drama

is conflict. 

If there isn't any conflict, 

there isn't any drama." 

"Nothing worthwhile 

happens without conflict." 

-- James Patterson 

Last weekend on Facebook, I saw a link to a class put on by James Patterson, who is considered the world's most successful author, on a site called MasterClass.com. I immediately signed up and took the entire course with 22 videos that same day. It was quite interesting and worth far more than the cost of admission. There are some other courses on there like an acting course by Dustin Hoffman. Very inexpensive too. End of commercial.

It's interesting and funny to me that I might watch 22 videos on a subject with thousands of words spoken, and have a handful of them reach out and grab my attention. And, it happens a lot, then I must stop and write it down. This is the case with the two quotes above. I found them fascinating and insightful in our daily lives.

Of course, in James Patterson's case, he is creating conflict on purpose to create drama and create, as he calls it, "commercial fiction." He also wants to draw people in, keep them guessing and moving all the way to the end. This he does.

I was thinking more along the lines of how we feel as we move through our lives. We all want to feel good, yet quite often people end up choosing to feel anxious, angry, unhappy, depressed, melancholy, worried, and much more that causes them to feel bad or not good. What causes that? It is conflict. 

Conflict is having animosity, feeling different than, feeling strife, having bad blood, feeling antagonistic, in opposition to, competition, having a dispute, having hostility about someone or something, disagreeing with, struggling, being disturbed by, and more. If you're alive, there will be conflict in your life.

It is here for a reason and it can either be beneficial as in the second quote, "nothing worthwhile happens without conflict," or it can become such a part of our lives that we are ruled by it. That would be a lot of drama, and I'll bet that you know someone that is just that way, and you can easily see how obvious it is once you know what you're looking for.

A more beneficial word for conflict is contrast. The value of that is to see what we do not want, causing us to know better what we do want. As we realize by how we feel that where we are and have the awareness to know that what is happening, we can choose what we do want and move toward it by choosing better feeling thoughts.

This process need not have drama. It need not have pain. Though the contrast may cause us to not feel as good, that is perfect guidance to help us on our way to what we do want instead. As James said, "nothing worthwhile happens without conflict." Just change the last word to contrast to soften it, but either way, it is true enough. The results of that are determined by how we respond to the conflict or contrast. Only we are in charge of that.


If You Step In Some Nasty Stuff, The Only Thing That Really Matters Is How Long You Stand There. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Keep moving toward joy. It's what you really want, so keep moving.

Daily Inspiration 6-24-15

"Your best teacher 

is your last mistake." 

-- Ralph Nader 

. . . and your last success, and your last experience, and this very moment. The only secret to learning is to be awake to it, be open to it, and every moment can be a learning experience.

Does learning, or 'a learning experience' mean that we miss the enjoyment of the moment, being in the moment? Absolutely not. It simply means we are paying attention. Based on that, it deepens the experience, the moment.

It is true that I have seen some who don't seem to pay attention, who keep doing the same things without realizing their repetitive behavior. I have confidence that they will awaken at any moment. It might be a song, a phrase, a book, or a look, and then they will awaken. What a glorious time this is, and I have to believe, because of its sheer mountain of ecstasy at the moment of awakening, that all who are human want to experience this. There is more going right in your world and mine than we may notice or pay attention to.

There is more beauty and fullness too. There is more well-being, more abundance, more joy than we may have previously imagined.

This Place Is A Connection With All-That-Is. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving the moment you're with.

Daily Inspiration 6-23-15

"If your goal is "to become successful," 

you might be overlooking 

what you've already achieved." 

-- Michael Katz 

It's perfect to know where you are headed, what you want in your career, your life, your family. It's great to set goals with the intent of achieving them. But, sometimes maybe we get too focused on what we do not yet have that we forget what we've gathered along the way.

Oprah Winfrey said, "If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough." I like how Abraham, Esther Hicks points out that, "You cannot desire something--and notice that it isn't coming--without offering two contradictory vibrations that won't let it come." It reminds me of kids on a long trip so often asking, "are we there yet?" Or maybe, "how much longer?"

There are millions of shades of gray and other colors, so many shades of love, lots of things that have variations on the same theme. Why not success? I know we think that success for us is much more concrete in that it is a solid place we intend to achieve, but what if it's not? What if it is a long line of shades of success as you move toward that solid goal of finally being there? What if every hour, every day is one more successful step in a successful journey toward success? What if you're already successful and not acknowledging it, not celebrating it, not giving yourself the credit that you already deserve?

Maybe a good way is to chill just enough to enjoy your day. Maybe relax and celebrate today and the accumulated success, knowledge, skills, love, expansion that you are achieving today and have achieved all along your way to wherever you are headed. What a delightful journey that would be in comparison with wondering if you're there yet, or fretting over the fact that you have not yet arrived. You are there. You have achieved much. You have grown and expanded. You cannot help it. That is your destiny to want and to experience. Now simply enjoy it as you travel to the next destination.

There will always be the next destination. It doesn't matter so much what that is because it will change soon enough; however, what matters more is how you feel today and feeling good will delight you on your journey and cause it to be worthwhile every single step along the way.


Celebrate Each Moment In Your Travel. Enjoy Your Journey. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing to focus on feeling good. As you do, you cannot help but share that with others. Even without saying a word.

Daily Inspiration 6-22-15

"You can say things like, 

"As I look at successful people, 

 and by that I mean rich people, 

 yes, and I mean happy people, 

 and sometimes they're rich and happy." 

 But when I'm talking about the successful ones, 

 what I really mean is the really happy people. 

 People that are really joyful, 

 that want to get up every day, 

 that are eager to get into their day. 

 Almost without exception, 

 they had a pretty rough beginning, 

 which turned them into a powerful rebel initially. 

And then they found a way to relax 

 into their natural birthright of Well-being." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

Photo cropped from a walk around video shot in 2011 

This post is dedicated to my dear friend, my best student, an inspiration to me, a dedicated father and husband, massively successful salesman, and an entirely delightful human being, Greg Martin.

When I read this quote that just came to me this morning, I immediately thought of Greg. He says that I taught him everything he knows about commercial truck sales and management, but that could never be true. He brought plenty to the table from the time we met in 1989 and I immediately began convincing him to come work for our team. He now leads the way at Platinum Chevrolet in Santa Rosa CA. (www.PlatinumChevyTrucks.com)

You know how I know this? Because I know plenty of people, even in a similar time frame who are lazily mediocre and generally unsuccessful in comparison. I taught some of them too. Yet, Greg shines because of him. I could be an influence, but the rest is up to him.

This applies in all of life's tasks and intentions. Anne Frank said, "Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands." I think the best we can do is give the best we can give and be the best we can be and leave the rest to them to use as they see fit. In other words, to let them go and let them be on their own. And, celebrate with them as they find their own sense of well-being.

Mother Teresa said, "Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in that action." So true. Whether teacher or student, parent or child, employer or employee, I believe, and have lived with this philosophy. So, if it could be said that I brought anything worthwhile to the table, it is love. As I have grown, that has become well-being in me. I see that same thing in Greg.

So, today, I celebrate my friend, Greg. He stands on his own as we all do, with the influence of the accumulation of his own experiences and thinking, having found his well-being that we all truly want more than anything physical. His only responsibility, if I can call it such, is to influence others toward their own well-being by how he thinks, and how he feels, and how he loves. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world," and for us to "shine our light before men." This he does. Thank you, Greg.


Here's To Everyone's Own Well-Being! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by shining your light and sharing your love.

Daily Inspiration 6-21-15

"There is so much more that is 

going right in your world than wrong." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

A really great way to live my life is to think that I am living in my dream. I get to choose what is in my dream. I get to choose what I focus on or ignore. Crime isn't in my world, it is in the world of other people. War and strife are not in my world. Unhappiness is not in my world. My world is at peace.

Here's a magical way to start each day from Abraham, Esther Hicks. Let's not call it an affirmation. Let's call it a blueprint. All buildings are built from a blueprint. Maybe write it down, print this out, and paste it where you can see it every morning and then read along. The magic begins the very first day:

"Today, I will look for reasons to feel good. Nothing is more important than that I feel good. Nothing is more important than that I choose thoughts that attract other thoughts that attract other thoughts that raise my vibrational frequency to the place where I can resonate with the positive aspects of the Universe."

If that's too long, feel free to shorten it to this:

"Today, I will look for reasons to feel good. Nothing is more important than that I feel good." That will do just fine. The magic begins on day one and continues with each day. Expect magic.

This bit really jumped off the page at me on Friday, June 19th from that day's message in the Ask and It Is Given perpetual calendar: "Once you are in control of the way you feel, you will enjoy it all: You will enjoy your exposure to the variety and contrast that helps you identify your desire--and you will enjoy the sensation of your own desire that is being launched from your own valuable perspective and is flowing from you."

This is the part that jumped off the page at me:  "Once you are in control of the way you feel, you will enjoy it all. And I'm still thinking about it today. It is so true.

In years past, and I've mentioned it several times in these Daily Inspirations, I often felt like a ball in a pinball machine emotionally. I was bouncing off this issue, that statement, getting flipped here and there, sinking to new lows, all the while trying to be so positive during the day at work. People would piss me off and I'd be in a funk about it. Things would go on in the world that I hated with a passion. My boss was an idiot more often than I cared for, and of course, it was never me. It was never my thinking. It was always what they did that caused problems with me. I was innocent. I was the victim.
That was a whole bunch of feeling sorry for myself and thinking I was not in charge of circumstances in my life, let alone the feelings I had about things. Sad, but true.

I have learned from much joyful study that I am in control of my world. What happens in my world is in my sole control. Anything that happens that I don't like is simply contrast that guides me to what my new desire is. I now control my emotions. I control how I choose to feel. If I feel a negative emotion, I can get excited because that is my guidance system at work, and it reminds me that in my world, I am in charge and I can change what I think and how I feel any time I so desire. And, in fact, that contrast creates that new desire which makes it so easy.

"Once you are in control of the way you feel, you will enjoy it all." That line is the ultimate guidance to me. It is where I have wanted to be and it is where I am because I know that I control my world, and every other person controls their own world. We come together in co-creation as we choose, yet ultimately, and delightfully, we are the final decision maker of our own way. We each can choose this or ignore it as we wish. I spent a lifetime looking for it (I could say it is the holy grail for me), and I relish that choice.

It is all choice, and the magic of beginning with this: "Today, I will look for reasons to feel good. Nothing is more important than that I feel good," which leads to the holy grail of, "Once you are in control of the way you feel, you will enjoy it all."


May The Choice Be With You. 

Spread Some Joy Today--because it simply cannot be helped.

Daily Inspiration 6-20-15

"It doesn't matter how many times 

during the day that I pick up the rope, 

it only matters that I lay it down." 

-- Terry Minion 

It doesn't matter to me anymore whether after picking up the rope and pulling on it I think I am winning the tug-o-war or losing the war. It is all resistance. Simply the act of picking it up is resistance. And, I now realize and understand that whenever I pick up that rope, I feel bad. It doesn't matter what name I give the emotion, such as, anger, jealousy, unhappiness, hurt feelings, disappointment, they are always negative when I have the rope in my hands--even when I think I'm winning.

I might pick up that rope many times during the day. Some people might think I need the exercise. However, there is one strong value in realizing that I have the rope in my hands again. It is that I am seeing what I do not want, and this allows me to realize that I am struggling with what I do not want. At the same time, as I pay attention to how I am feeling, I have the opportunity to know what I do want instead, and if I summon even the smallest amount of courage, I can drop the rope and go in the direction of my new desire, and I will always feel good in the process.

Some might think that when I finally get fully positive that I will never ever again have negative thoughts and emotions. That will never happen. What does, and what has happened though, is that I no longer dwell on what I don't want as much, and every day that I realize my own power, I dwell there less and less. So, yes, I pick up that rope, often not realizing that I have done so for a short while, but by paying attention to how I am feeling, and noticing that I am not feeling good, I remember that which is what I want more than anything: to feel good. At that moment, I drop the rope, and there I am feeling better already.

There are hundreds of ways that we all pick up that rope. We often find plenty of justification. And I know this--whenever we pick up that rope, we are not feeling good. We are feeling bad. We will never feel good holding on to the rope. It doesn't matter how strong we think we are or how many are on our side pulling because holding and pulling on that rope is a no-win game. Unless we enjoy feeling bad, the only solution to feeling good is in dropping the rope. It doesn't matter how many times we pick it up each day, week, month, year. It only matters that we lay it down so that we can feel good again. With each act of laying it down, we get more and more relief.


Lay It Down. Or Not. We Always Choose For Ourselves. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by realizing that we cannot hold the rope and have joy at the same time.

Daily Inspiration 6-19-15

"Habits are at first cobwebs, 

then cables." 

-- Spanish Proverb 

The following is one of the best quotes I've ever seen, and it is full of wisdom and insight. I will let it stand on its own:

"Prayer is sitting in the silence until it silences us, 

choosing gratitude until we are grateful, 

praising God until we ourselves 

are a constant act of praise." 

Fr. Richard Rohr 

Amen.

Spread Some Joy Today--by making choices that lift you up.

Daily Inspiration 6-18-15

"Make an executive decision, 

then act on it with boldness. 

Regardless of how it turns out, 

it will be far better 

than thinking it to death." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

Henry Ford so matter-of-factually said, "You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do." All the best thoughts and decisions have so little value without action. Accomplishment requires activity. 

A decision to change something is limp without activity following the decision. Let's say that I want to quit smoking, lose some weight, get more physically fit. I've made the decision hundreds of times probably and then remained the same or even made it worse by continually focusing on the problem and not the solution. The solution requires--no, it doesn't simply require--it demands action. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so eloquently encouraged us to "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

As important as action is, it was thinking that created a decision, and thinking that caused us to act, and it will be thinking that will keep us on the path toward our goal. If one were more important than the other, it would be thinking that prevails; however, when it comes to accomplishment in the physical world, activity, or action with our dedicated thinking behind it rules.

When I get my mind in order; that is, aligned with what I really want, then I make that executive decision, and take even the weakest of action, I am on my way. The more aligned my thought is, the stronger the action will be, but the less strength is required. Action alone is all work and no play and has limited results. Aligned thought with action makes accomplishment a delight.


Even The So-Called Wrong Decision Can Be Far Superior To No Decision At All. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by deciding to simply enjoy yourself today regardless of what is going on. Let's hear some praise and appreciation in that self-talk!

Daily Inspiration 6-17-15

"Dreams are renewable. 

No matter what our age or condition, 

there are still untapped possibilities within us 

and new beauty waiting to be born." 

-- Dr. Dale Turner 

I think the biggest problem with dreams and the fulfillment of them, is that we get too focused on time, and worse than this is focusing on how they would come about. When we don't see them happening or even coming any closer than thought, we begin wondering how they could come about. Then, we begin the ego-driven analyzing of how that cannot work because we are too _______, don't have enough ___________, or we weren't born to the right parents, or there isn't enough time, or. . . the list is very, very long.

If we really had a belief in our own power and the power of God or the Universe, and if we would leave all the how aspects to them, more would come about to match our desires and dreams. When we struggle against our own dreams, this is the epitome of resistance. We pick up that rope and start struggling against all those enemies: time, lack, unworthiness, timing, age, and more.

Let's all let go of that rope, and just allow God or the Universe to do what they do best.


We Can Just Chill. It Will All Be Okay. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by taking some deep breaths and focus on our own job: What do we want?

Daily Inspiration 6-16-15

"Don't wish it were easier, 

wish you were better. 

Don't wish for fewer problems, 

wish for more skills. 

Don't wish for less challenges, 

wish for more wisdom." 

-- Earl Shoaf 

There is a definite difference in looking at the problem and looking at the solution. They have completely different vibrations. Wishing for fewer problems is focusing on the problems, and wishing for more skills, is focusing on the solution. What a dramatic difference is displayed in this short quote by Earl Shoaf, who was Jim Rohn's mentor.

An even better way to look at this is to stop looking at, reminding ourselves of, and mentally or vocally discussing what it is that we don't want. The only way out of this is to focus on what we do want, why we want it, how wonderful it will be to have it, to mentally, vocally, and enthusiastically discuss it, and imagine ourselves already in possession of it.

The way to know where we're at in this focus is absolutely how we feel. When we feel off, negative, angry, down, depressed, jealous, and more, we are focused on what we do not want. When we feel good, alive, energetic, enthusiastic, joyous and more, we are focused on what we do want.


Simply A Change Of Focus. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by focusing on what you want today.

Daily Inspiration 6-15-15

"Our chief want 

is someone who will inspire us 

to be what we know we could be." 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson 

I love this quote by Emerson, and I love how Jim Rohn would respond to it. He would, and has said, "But, what if they don't show up?"

How do we become inspired? What is considered inspiration? What is it to be inspired? What sizes do inspirations come in? What is it to resist inspiration? Can we make a habit of being inspired?

As with many words, there is more than one definition of inspiration or to be inspired. According to Webster, it is this:

1. a: a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation.
   b: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions
   c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions

2. the act of drawing in; specifically: the drawing of air into the lungs

Perhaps some of us are feeling unworthy of divine influence, but that is nonsense because all are worthy. Or perhaps some of us are waiting and hoping for that huge inspiration, and I say huge because it is divine. It's interesting how we judge divine.

On a smaller scale perhaps it is the action or power of moving our intellect and/or emotions. This is also available to all. Read a book, watch a movie, feel the wind, hear a song, touch the earth, take a nice warm shower. Yesterday I became so inspired just walking the dog. It was 84 degrees with a 15 mph breeze with periodic gusts and it felt so divine and luxurious. I wanted it to last all day, so we walked slowly and further than normal. Any of these kinds of things can be inspiring.

The act of influencing or suggesting opinions. Opinions of others influences me as a quote inspires me. That's how I began writing today. I saw this quote by Emerson and my thoughts began flowing. Are they important? It doesn't matter. I'm sharing my opinions, and maybe someone is inspired by them, or not. But, I am, so that is good enough.

The act of drawing in. . . I think of this more as allowing. To be inspired means to allow. So often we may resist inspiration. I know I've done plenty of that, and perhaps even every single day in some way. I've got concerns or fears on my mind and that is a mental loop that blocks out inspiration. To be inspired, I have to allow, I have to draw it in and the only way to do that is to allow. I have to let go in order to allow. Once I get to the point of allowing, the inspiration is received.

Back to size. Sometimes maybe we are looking for that grand, large, huge, divine inspiration--that life-changing event kind of inspiration. I know I do. I love those. Yet, the more I see that missing, the more it is missing. Does that make sense? It's like staring at the problem and we get so used to the problem, or so hung up on it, that we cannot allow a solution--we even resist the solution. Since these grand life-changing inspirations come once in a while, the best way to find more of them is to expect them and allow them. Calm, confident patience works well here.

And, the other thing that helps more than we know, is to not forsake the small, daily, hourly, minute by minute, moment by moment inspirations from other people, our environment, nature, our own connection to the Infinite. They also require allowing, and by allowing them, even expecting and encouraging them, more of them arrive, touch us, and delight us, as we eagerly anticipate that divine influence that we adore so much, as it is on its timely way to us, as we become more of an allower.


To Become More Of An Allower, Become Grateful, And Develop The Habit Of Thankfulness. This Habit Will Bless You All The Rest Of Your Life. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing your own joy to flow out of you.

Daily Inspiration 6-14-15

"It is quite interesting to note 

that not only does a good-feeling body 

promote positive thoughts, 

but that, also, positive thoughts 

promote a good-feeling body." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

Today's post is dedicated to Robin, who is a long-time client and reader of these Daily Inspirations. She is also a long-time fitness expert who has dedicated her life to sharing the value of fitness, one body, and one class at a time. She calls her business, FITBODIES I.N.C. (www.studiofitbodies.com), and she is herself, the leading example of fitness.

I'm very much into the awesome power of our minds to help direct our lives, and so it is easy to think that this is the main way things work best, yet sometimes, as Tony Robbins has taught for so many years, our state, or our 'physicalness' if you will, can and does direct our mind.

Here is a short section from Esther and Jerry Hick's book, Money and the Law of Attraction, Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness:

"The idea of "success," for most people, revolves around money or the acquisition of property or other possessions--but we consider a state of joy as the greatest achievement of success. And while the attainment of money and wonderful possessions certain can enhance your state of joy, the achievement of a good-feeling physical body is by far the greatest factor for maintaining a continuing state of joy and Well-Being. 

Every part of your life is experienced through the perspective of your physical body, and when you feel good, everything you see looks better. Certainly it is possible to maintain a good attitude even when your physical body is diminished in some way, but a good-feeling body is a powerful basis for an ongoing good attitude. And so, it is not surprising that since the way you feel affects your thoughts and attitudes about things, and since your thoughts and attitudes equal your point of attraction, and since your point of attraction equals the way your life continues to play out--there are few things of greater value than the achievement of a good-feeling body." 

It is true that our thoughts create our reality. It is also true that our bodies help create our thought. In this physical world, there is not one without the other. Our reality is dictated by both, and when they are in a state of Well-Being, joy is the natural result.


Now Is Always The Best Time. I'm Choosing Now Right Now. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by moving toward that great-feeling body. No one will be able to miss the joy in your entire presence.

Daily Inspiration 6-13-15

"Accept no one's definition of your life; 

define yourself." 

-- Harvey Fierstein 

Alan Cohen said, "The more you try to justify yourself or your actions, the farther you drift from authority. Let your being speak for itself."

Last night after reading these two quotes, a thought popped into my head, and it was this: There isn't any person or group on the planet--not my parents, relatives, employers, spouse, teachers--in fact, not anyone outside of myself who knows about what I want, and who I am as I do. Personality or psychological tests can't determine it, there are no methods that can do it. They would all be grossly inaccurate. They could get lucky in bits and pieces, but that is like having three or four pieces of an 850 piece puzzle.

Since I know this to be true, there is only one single authority about me. It is me. Any time that I allow someone else to be an authority about me, I am disempowered. When I remember that I am the only real authority on me, I am re-empowered.

With all those around us who attempt to influence us, along with the media, publications, video, government, and advertising, it can be a challenge when we forget for a few moments who is really in charge. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, and it is perhaps even truer today than in his day, "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."


You Alone Are In Charge Of You. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Delight in this day. If you're reading this, it's another day to enjoy, to learn, to love, to experience--to be.

Daily Inspiration 6-12-15

"You can't buy a good reputation; 

you must earn it." 

-- Harvey Mackay 

Harvey Mackay's quote is something I've heard so many times over the years. And, I love Abraham Lincoln's description too: "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." As with pretty much everything, reputation is what people think it is.

Yet I recently saw a really cool way to think about the idea of having a reputation from Seth Godin. He calls it "A Practical Definition of Reputation." He says that "Reputation is what people expect us to do next." Before I finish the quote, look hard at that sentence. It seems so powerful to me. Instead of a reputation being what you've done in the past, or what you've earned from past activities, Seth is putting it into action, and when I really look at that phrase, it means so much more. Other people's thinking about our reputation, causes them to have certain expectations of us. Call it confidence. Call it trust. Call it belief.

Here's the entire quote:

"Reputation is what people expect us to do next. It's their expectation of the quality and character of the next thing we produce or say or do.

We control our actions (even when it feels like we don't) and our actions over time (especially when we think no one is looking) earn our reputation."


Some Food For Thought. . . 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply thinking pleasing thoughts. The better you feel, the more joy you're bound to spread.

Daily Inspiration 6-11-15

"I talk to myself almost constantly; 

however, a good deal of that  

isn't worth listening to." 

-- Terry Minion 

Although I consider myself a positive person in general, you'd be amazed at some of my internal dialogue. Or, maybe you wouldn't because you recognize that in yourself. Still, there is progress. What used to be predominantly negative is now far less so. Those things they call mood swings used to be deep moods, now they are much more shallow, and I may more quickly move out of the negative moods and into better feeling places.

Much of my life, particularly in the work and career side, has been a journey from inspiration to activities, through many adjustments, to what I call mastery. In other words, I know it well enough that I could do it in my sleep. Then I get bored and can't wait for the next inspiration to send me off on a new mission.

I'm there right now. It's a weird feeling. It's like being in neutral, on cruise control, not as interested and so on. I've experienced many of these throughout my life, and a long time ago, I used to call them plateaus. I would climb and climb and then I would come to this plateau and then there would be a period on the plateau and then on to the new adventure, the new thing, the new inspiration to act, then the tweaking of that, and so on.

I guess that's why I've done so many things in my life. Maybe it's like that movie, The Seven Year Itch, although the time frames are not as predictable. Maybe it's obsessive-compulsive. I do have a tendency to dive in, become enthralled by it, and then it ceases to interest me much, or not at all anymore. I could make a list of those jobs or other activities that match this theme. Can you relate to any of this dribble?

So, right now and for the past couple of years or so, I've been wanting to know where I want to go from here. I'm sure the inspiration will come soon and then I'll be fired up and off on the new thing. 

This all came to a head for me yesterday when I wrote yesterday's Daily Inspiration which was inspired by a visit to a client. The change that I saw in him is the kind of change I can totally relate to because he was inspired. You can see it in his demeanor, his voice, his words, his stature, his face, his body language. He exudes that inspiration and his new adventure. So the day before yesterday when I was visiting with him, and he said that I inspired and helped him, little does he realize how he inspired me watching and talking with him!

I hadn't paid much attention to my state of being until that meeting when I realized what was missing that I so dearly crave: to be inspired. To act on that inspiration and go on a new adventure. And, you know, I've found that it is perfectly okay to say to God or the Universe, "I'm ready to be inspired. I crave inspiration. I eagerly await the next inspiration and the resulting adventure. I thank you in advance for this next opportunity!" It's okay to say, "I want to know what I want!" It's okay to put it out there and then just let go of it. The rest will come in the perfect time.


I'm Ready With Eager Anticipation! 

Spread Some Joy Today--Get inspired!

Daily Inspiration 6-10-15

"The more you want to be a teacher, 

the more you need to be a student." 

-- Alan Cohen 

We all have things that we want to do in this life, and for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a teacher. But, I didn't want to be a teacher in a school in the way that I saw teaching being done when I was in school most of the time, because there was no creativity there, no feeling, it was more like being a facilitator--someone going through a planned program of the curriculum. I say most because there was one handful of teachers who led by the example I was seeking. And, I loved them and loved learning from them.

With that handful of teachers through all of my schooling, I've never later contacted them to tell them how they made a difference in me. We move on. Yet we've grown. We get busy and we don't have it in our mind often enough to have it be a strong desire to find them and say to them, "You have made a difference in me. Thank you." So I expect that it is very rare for a teacher to hear these kinds and encouraging comments.

As a teacher, I hear them only rarely myself, but they speak volumes to me when I do hear them. They are a great encouragement to me and help renew my desire and drive to continue on the path I've chosen.

Yesterday I was with a client for a couple of hours. He owns two retail stores in dramatically different markets. I've done what he was doing, so I could relate to his business and his market in general. When I first met him, he was very negative about the business he was in. He was sarcastic and pessimistic about the present and the future of his business.

During that time and other times when we had a chance to talk at some length, I would try to encourage him by giving him ideas of other ways of approaching his business, things to try that I had found successful, and in general, to have a different outlook. This is natural for me to do, so I don't pay much attention to it anymore. I just try to encourage people when they seem discouraged.

I had not seen him in quite some time in person and I know that he was going through a change in his business. I needed to see what he was doing so that we could serve him better with our Internet services. When I saw him, he looked like he was a new man. It was hard not to look at him because he seemed to have changed so much.

During the conversation about his new venue, he said that I had made a big difference in him. I asked how did I do that? He said that whenever we talked in person or on the phone, I always seemed calm and encouraging. He said that I suggested different things to try and different ways of looking at things. He said that he used to be angry for the last three years and now he was excited and enjoying his new direction in business. He said that he didn't know if I was always that way in my own life, but it sure made a difference in his.

I saw the physical difference in him and the mental difference too. He talked positively, excited even. He was seeing a much brighter future, and he was selling a lot of products when in the past product sales were not so hot. He looked easily 10 years younger and I was amazed at the transformation. From yesterday to 2012 when we first met, these were two very different people.

We all have the opportunity to make a difference in those we come into contact with. We may never hear about how we helped someone to become more, to have healing, to be transformed. It wasn't me. I didn't do it. He did it. All I did was share, do my best to encourage and give him some ideas to consider that may be of service to him. I was using all the creativity I could, and that is all I can do as a teacher. It is all I ever wanted from a teacher in school, and all the teachers I have paid attention to over the years. The list of those who have made a difference in my life is very long, and I am openly grateful to them all, for to be the best teacher I can be, I must also be the best student.


How Can You Be Of Service To Someone Today? How Can You Make A Difference? 

Spread Some Joy Today--because it is contagious to others.

Daily Inspiration 6-9-15

"You can conquer almost any fear

if you will make up your mind to do so. 

For remember, fear doesn't exist 

anywhere except in the mind." 

-- Dale Carnegie 

It's interesting to consider that virtually everything is in our minds. Depression is just thoughts; albeit, self-defeating thoughts. Health is also thought. Love is thought. Happiness is thought, as is unhappiness. We live in a world of thought and because it is our thoughts, we each create our own world around us from the choices of thoughts within. Our thoughts rule our lives. That is perfect when it is recognized as such, and when it is not, well. . . the word pinball comes to mind.

I love the quote above, but I might not feel the same where the word "conquer" is used. Conquering fear is most often painful and the stronger the fear, the more painful it is. It reminds me of putting a rowboat in a fast-moving stream and then rowing upstream with all our might. That's not a way that I would choose to go about it, so I will leave conquering for those who enjoy that kind of work. 

Consider this great quote from Henry David Thoreau: "What's the use of a fine house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?" Our outlook, or how we see the world has everything to do with how things turn out.

Some think that the physical rules. They think that what is happening around them rules how things turn out. But, that is just the tail wagging the dog. Even with them, it comes back to the fact that they are choosing that thought, doesn't it?

One more quote from Thoreau fits here: "There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself."


Martin Luther's Advice: "Pray, And Let God Worry." 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing joy for yourself.

Daily Inspiration 6-8-15

"No one has ever 

become poor by giving." 

-- Anne Frank 

Indeed. If I gave all the money I had to someone, I would not be poor, I would be broke. Broke is a temporary condition, and poor is a state of mind. I will never, ever be poor. In addition. There are lots of ways to give.

We can give our love, our joy, our time, our energy, our dedication, our support, our attention, our service, our caring, our assistance, our inspiration, and a long list of other gifts worth giving and receiving.


What Do You Have To Give Today? 

Spread Some Joy Today--because it is absolutely a gift. If you've got some, the only way to get more is to give it away.

Daily Inspiration 6-7-15

"Why demand perfection 

if you can't offer it?" 

-- Alan Cohen 

When a relationship is new, we often delight in everything about the other. Yet at this place, we know very little, we see only a portion, and our positive feeling imagination fills in whatever blank is needed to be filled at the moment. What's not to like? We see only the good, or rather, only the things we are choosing to see.

As familiarity increases, we see quirks, idiosyncrasies, oddities that we were sure weren't there before and now are a surprise. Not only a surprise, but not desired, and taking portions of our infatuated vision away and replacing them with these undesirable characteristics.

Since we are demanding perfection, in our minds at least, is perfection something we are that we can offer the other in this relationship? Not likely, and since we cannot offer it, our demand for it in another is arrogant and childish at the same time.

Consider this beautiful lyric by Leonard Cohen: "Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."

It doesn't matter what kind of relationship it is. It could be parent and child, child and parent, two lovers, boss and employee, the board of directors and CEO, you name it. Is it fair for us to demand something we cannot offer?


Are We Loving With Conditions? Even Unrealistic Conditions? Conditions We Don't Offer Ourselves? Or, Can We Love Unconditionally? 

Spread Some Joy Today--Just love. That is enough.

Daily Inspiration 6-6-15

"Hope for the best 

and prepare for the worst." 

All we can do is 

be prepared for the worst." 

-- All too common phrases 

What does hope mean to you? I think hope is a position of neutrality. In other words, I am hoping that this will happen, but at the same time, I know that it may not. It is tantamount to wishing, and if I remember my childhood teaching, wishes are for fishes. I never did understand that, except that maybe fishes was another word for a loser. Fishes is so much softer sounding.

So, I hope for the best. Hmmm. I would like this to happen, and at the same time, I think that it may not happen. In the case of the above common phrases, it would be more like, I am hoping for the best, and even though at the same time I think it may not, I will focus on the may not and prepare for that event while I ignore my hope. This hoping for the best and preparing for the worst is a terrible phrase to give much thought to. It takes us in a negative direction. Preparing for the worst is focusing on the problem. Whatever we focus on, we get.

Preparing for the worst is, in fact, inviting the worst. Why would I do that? The Law of Attraction says "we get what we think about whether we want it or not." If we're preparing for the worst, we are focusing on the worst so that we can somehow prepare. Prepare how? Preparing to accept the worst? Preparing to appreciate the worst? Preparing to isolate and analyze the worst? What would all of that really be about? It would be about spending our thoughts and energy on what we do not want, forsaking what we do want. That's a whole bunch of unhappiness.

Then people say that failing to prepare for the worst is preparing to fail. I say it is the opposite. Failing to prepare for the worst is a good thing. Who wants to prepare for the worst, what we do not want rather than what we do want, focus on the problem rather than the solution? More silliness.

We forget who and what we are. We are life-force. We are Energy. We are eternal Energy, we are pure positive Energy. We have more power than we may ever know in these soft and squishy bodies. We are meant to succeed. Well-Being is our natural state. All too often we allow our ego to rule. Ego has its place, and yet it does its best to invade and conquer all. As we remember that we are Energy, and realize that we are in total control of our lives, our ego, our situations, we can reclaim our power and rule our own world as we see fit.

How about forgetting about hope entirely. How about preparing not only for the best but the spectacular? How about putting a dent in the universe? How about rocking the world? How about exceeding your own vision of what could be for you?

Let us choose some new words to use: Stupendous. Superb. Ecstatic. Magnificent. Glorious. Earth-Shaking, Grandiose. Sublime. Brilliant. Glittering. Breathtaking. Marvelous. Mind-blowing. Phenomenal. Stunning. Use these words at the end of the phrases, I'm preparing for _________! I am expecting to be ________! I anticipate that I will ___________!


I Am Preparing To Be Astonished At The Results Of My Thoughts And Efforts. I'm In Charge Of How This Turns Out. I Want My Results To Exceed My Anticipation! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by deciding to be a joy spreader! Go ye and spread joy!

Daily Inspiration 6-5-15

"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, 

you would never think a negative thought." 

-- Peace Pilgrim 

I was looking for an image for another subject of these Daily Inspirations, when I saw the image above and the words in the image, Positive Attracts Positive. Of course, the word attract instantly had me thinking about the Law of Attraction. And, I thought there are so many people who don't really understand this Universal Law or don't believe in it or think it is something they need to think about. It's none of that. It just is. It doesn't matter if anyone believes in it because it just is. It doesn't matter if you see it working in your life or not, but it is. It simply and beautifully is.

When I read the line, Positive Attracts Positive, I also immediately thought of the opposite of that, in that, Negative Attracts Negative. Both are true because the definition or explanation of the Law of Attraction is simply this: That which is like unto itself is drawn. And, to take it just a step further, That which is like unto itself is drawn, and with more energy, it is drawn with more speed. In the case of thoughts, this would be the amount of emotion applied to the thought.

As we think a thought, the Law of Attraction begins to offer other thoughts, helps to line us up with situations, other people, events that match that thought. As more emotion is felt, those match-ups are made more quickly.

You could say that the Law of Attraction is neutral. What I mean by that is that it makes no judgment whatsoever whether the thought is positive or negative, good or bad, or anything else. It simply acts on the thought. Consequently, if we are thinking negatively, we are sure to draw more negativity to us and the Law of Attraction will help out, and with more emotion about that, more will be drawn more quickly. Of course, the exact same proposition is in positive thought, or a mixture of thoughts.
When I came to really understand this powerful Law, I could immediately see depression and how someone can be depressed and have it so strong that it is considered an illness. It is simply thoughts run amok with the massive assistance of the Law of Attraction. And, as long as those thoughts are in that place of negativity, the Law of Attraction is being of assistance. As we go with the flow of that, we experience more feelings of despair, fear, grief, and powerlessness.

The bonus is that it is also true in the positive arena. As we find some joy, some delight, something or someone to appreciate, the Law of Attraction goes immediately to work on bringing more like thoughts, lining us up with people who are helpful, situations where more great things happen, events that surprise and amaze us. And, as we go with the flow of that, we experience more love, freedom, joy, appreciation, and empowerment.

It is easier to see this Law at work in others than to see it in our own lives; although, once we can see it clearly in others, it becomes easier to see it in ourselves. You can see it in how people talk, how they act, who they hang with, and so much more. Try it. As you see people at work or in other areas of your life, watch them, listen more closely to the theme of their communication, the words they choose, their complaints or praise, their actions, and their results. It will jump out at you once you look for it. It is amazing to watch and to understand that it is at work all the time in every one of us, and it all comes down to our own offering of thought.

Your emotions will guide you so that you need not pay a lot of attention to what you are thinking. If you are not feeling good, you are attracting negatively. If you are feeling good, you are attracting positively. If you are not feeling good, and then you notice that, now you have the opportunity to change. Or not. Either way, we are totally in control whether we do that on purpose or by default in not paying any attention at all.


Well-Being Is Our Natural State. Anything Else Is Simply Resistance. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by being awake to your emotions and your intuition.

Daily Inspiration 6-4-15

"The only thing more important

than your to-do list is your to-be list. 

The only thing more important 

than your to-be list is to be." 

-- Alan Cohen 

Yesterday, I talked about going to the bank and conversations and attitudes toward work and play--or better, what they want to do versus what they have to do and how they cannot wait until they can cease doing what they have to do so they can do what they want to do, or at least not be doing what they have to do regardless of whether what they do when they are not working is play or fun or something else. Whew!

One of the things those bank tellers told me a short time ago is that I'm one of their favorite customers. I asked why. They said it was because I never complain, have no issues waiting in line from time to time, always seem happy, and always have nice things to say. They said that some of those other customers are not happy people.

I think people just forget to be. They get all hot to trot about this and that and that and this and the clock and how long this is taking and they want to be doing what they want to be doing rather than standing in this line, or having this mistake they have to fix, or whatever. I've talked about this before and how silly it is to watch it from where I am in my world these days.

Today, I had two people at separate times and locations get on my tail while I was driving. I could see in the rearview mirror how impatient they seemed. I always smile because it's all a bunch of silliness. Yet, whenever I see it, and they continue in their displeasure, I pull over, sometimes even to a full stop and let them and all the others behind them move along unencumbered. Far be it for me to slow the important affairs of the world. It also happens more than not that all they did was beat me to the next stoplight.

To be or not to be. That is the question. To be what? Impatient? Uncaring? Angry? Upset? Insulted? Victimized? Stressed? Unhappy? Lacking? Upsetting? I wonder if that works for them. Maybe there is some kind of payoff in it for them.

How about being happy! Patient. Kind. Thoughtful. Caring. Pleasant. Calm. Confident. At peace. Joyous. Abundant. Loving. Inspiring. Uplifting.


The Last Paragraph Is Me Now. I Guarantee It Is Way Better Than The Other. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by demonstrating your calm good nature. You won't ever have to point it out. People will see it. And appreciate you.

Daily Inspiration 6-3-15

"Turn your face to the sun, 

and the shadows fall behind you." 

-- Maori proverb 

I go to the bank quite often because our income arrives throughout the month, and one of the ladies is asking me what I'm doing for the weekend. "Anything fun?" she asks. I say, "absolutely! I have fun all the time whatever I'm doing." She looks at me strangely, but not as strangely as she used to. "Oh, you're working, right?" I smile and say, "maybe some, maybe not." Obviously, we've had similar dialogues before.

That seems to frustrate them because they separate work and fun in different places and different times. Whatever day it is, I often say, "Happy Tuesday," etc. When I say, "Happy Wednesday," at least one replies, "Hump-day!" The first time I heard that I had to ask what it meant. T.G.I.F. I knew, but hump-day was new. It all means the same thing: I can't wait to get out of here and do what I want to do!

So, yesterday, I found this great quote by James A Michener, which works so well here:

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor, and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he's always doing both."


Yes. I Am. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by sharing a bit of love with someone else today.

Daily Inspiration 6-2-15

"People often say that 

"beauty is in the eye of the beholder," 

and I say that 

 the most liberating thing about beauty 

is realizing that you are the beholder. 

This empowers us to find beauty 

in places where others have not dared to look, 

including inside ourselves." 

-- Salma Hayek 

Each of us has a different idea of what is beautiful, or of beauty. On the surface, the variety of this aspect of the human body is like the grains of sand on a beach in number. And though we have influences from the media, it is always our own choice as to what we see as beauty. When it comes to people, if we cannot see below that surface, we often miss the real beauty.


Finding The Beauty In Ourselves Is Like A Key That Unlocks The Beauty We Can Find In Others. 

Spread Some Joy Today--from that glow of the beauty within you.