Daily Inspiration 4-30-16

"Let life surprise you." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

Are you open to the unexpected joys of your life--those that are not planned, not even considered? What about just leaving it open to surprise and delight you as it may in its own time? How about an affirmation to begin the day:

I await with eager anticipation all that life has to offer me today. I love being surprised with new appreciations and joy. I am renewed one joy at a time!


Consider Switching Sides From Time To Time. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by giving it and allowing it.

Daily Inspiration 4-29-16

"You're picky about the car you drive. 

You're picky about what you wear. 

You're picky about what you put in your mouth. 

We want you to be pickier 

about what you think." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

Yesterday, I was floating on air, joyous, grateful for all I saw, and although I have become generally a very happy man, I was at another level yesterday and enjoying every single second of it. I greeted people I was walking by, complimented others, silently appreciated many, and was, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "drinking the wild air."

I met briefly with a friend for coffee, and enjoying the time spent with him. Then somehow the conversation turned to personal experience of old people, especially relatives, like parents in their 80's and early 90's. The tone changed dramatically as he began talking about dementia, crazy behavior, end of life issues.

In conversations, we normally exchange anecdotes on whatever subject we are on, and it seems to be human nature to chime in. I mentioned a very short bit about an experience with my late wife, Nancy. As it came out of my mouth, I realized that I was encouraging this theme to continue. As he came up with another situation, I felt my happy feeling was waning quickly. I immediately stopped him and said that we have to talk about happier things. He said something about it can't be helped because so many people I know are old or dying. I changed the subject, and shortly after we left and went back to our tasks for the day.

When we pay attention to how we are feeling, as when I was feeling oh so good, totally enjoying the moment, to then feeling tension and sadness about all of these old people and all the problems surrounding that, we can take charge of what we pay attention to and stay on the happy trail instead of going down the unhappy trail. It is so common to get into a conversation, end up going down the unhappy trail, further and further down, until everyone in the conversation is unhappy.

Taking responsibility for how we feel is so empowering. I want to feel good. I was feeling good. I refuse to feel bad, so I am changing the conversation. If I can't change the conversation, I am finding a way to get up and leave. We do not need to go down that unhappy trail, and certainly not very dang far. It is purely a choice. Awareness of how we feel, enlightens us to what is happening so that we can choose on purpose to feel good or to not feel good, to stay on the happy trail. Just because others, regardless of how close they may be in proximity or relationship, are experiencing something, doesn't mean that we need to experience it with them.

Just because others want to talk about everything in the world that is wrong, doesn't mean that we need to join them. Each of us is able to make a choice that is best for us. We choose what we will focus on. We choose then, how we will feel.

Sometimes people say to me, "well, you just can't feel good all the time." I say, "I'm giving it my best shot!" I think I can feel good all the time; albeit, there are many, many different levels of feeling good. There's good, great, happy, joyous, ecstatic, passionate, excited, encouraged, loved, loving, appreciative, in awe, nice, fun, funny, delicious, delightful, delighted, marvelous, breathtaking, remarkable, bewildering, fabulous, astounding, incredible, phenomenal, staggering, striking, alluring, refreshing, captivating, fascinating, rapturous, ravishing, yummy, darling, thrilling, adorable, extravagant, luscious, luxurious, and opulent, just to name a few.


Want To Feel Good? Choose That. Great Choice! 

Spread Some Joy Today--everywhere you go today. You have to have it to share it, so enjoy it within yourself. Roll around in it. Pour it over your head and body. Sprinkle it all around you as you move around today. Share that joy! Be that joy!

Daily Inspiration 4-28-16

"It is not our differences that divide us. 

It is our inability to recognize, accept 

and celebrate those differences." 

-- Audre Lorde 

As you may know, the artist, Prince, died this month. He was never on my radar as a musical artist. I was too busy being focused on the Beatles, the Eagles, Chicago, Jim Croce, Badfinger, Elvis Presley, James Taylor, and many others. I knew of Prince in a basic way in that if you listened to top 40 music, you would hear of Prince. Yet, I never bought one single or album of Prince's. It is only now with all the tributes on Facebook, YouTube and the Internet that I am learning so much more about this wonderful human being, philanthropist, promoter of love and healing, and someone who shared his wealth in so many ways with so many people around the globe.

I recall three short video clips I saw recently of Prince where I was completely amazed and in awe of his talent as a musician. It is said that on his first album recorded in Sausalito CA, there were 27 instruments used and he played them all. A massive talent to be sure.

I saw a quote about popularity this morning by Cyril Connolly: "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." There is no doubt that Prince was unique in himself, and yet still had and has a massive public audience.

Each one of us is unique. We are like individual snowflakes, never duplicated, yet all made of the same ingredients. Each one of us is multi-talented, and could be considered experts at something. Sometimes we get hung up on the word expert thinking perhaps there can be only one true expert, but being an expert is something we all are because it only means that we have skills in some area. 

Popularity is a funny thing. It is often something we crave and chase, wanting fame and the fortunes said to come with it, but what we really crave is acceptance. Remember high school? Craving acceptance. Doing crazy things to fit in and be accepted, quickly discarding our uniqueness in the process because the craving is so strong. More often than not, popularity becomes conformity. And though I left high school 49 years ago, I can see the kids in the neighborhood are still very much in touch with that basic craving acceptance strategy of conformity. But, it simply means we have to look a little closer to see more of the uniqueness, and because that is where all the real value is.

To say that it is our differences that divides us, is oh so common, and it is to live in fear and promoting fear. It often directs our politics, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The quote at the beginning by Audre Lorde is so perfectly and succinctly stated about we as people in our relationships, intimately and globally. When we can see our differences by recognizing them, accepting them, and celebrating them, we can live as unique snowflakes in a world covered with snow.


Recognize, Accept And Celebrate The Differences In One Or More People In Your Life Today. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by releasing your ego's craving for acceptance by loving yourself exactly, and especially the way you now are.

Daily Inspiration 4-27-16

"Appreciation is always 

the appropriate response." 

-- Rev. Tony Ponticello 

Continuing with part two from yesterday's post.

Yesterday I was writing about how we can know something and yet not be fully living it, in that perhaps it has not yet become habitual in our lives, and then we find ourselves trying to help someone by sharing knowledge we think is of value in the situation they are in, only to realize that I was the one who most needed to be reminded of that very valuable teaching.

As stated yesterday, a very big part of it is understanding that reality is a fluid concept not a static one, and that reality is individual perception and subject to change in numerous ways. Often when people say, "face reality," or "this is what is real," they are merely expressing their immediate opinion of what reality is, but there is no such thing as THE reality. Even if you are looking at something and it causes you to feel such and such, someone else right next to you may see something completely different. That is so common, and clearly points to reality being unique to each person.

So, in a situation where there is interaction with another or others, what we see as the reality is only the choice of our focus at that moment. Granted, our focus may be habitual from past learning, or on auto pilot, so that we are choosing by default, but we are choosing nonetheless.

We also get to choose how we feel by the choices of focus that we make. When we focus on this, we feel bad, and when we focus on that, we feel good. What this comes down to in the end is one of the best questions ever to be asked: Do you want to feel good, or bad? Happy people are only happy because they are choosing to feel good, and we get to choose in any situation.

My advice was to let the other make their own choices because we cannot choose for them, and let go of focusing on what is going wrong, or is not working, or what the other person's attitudes and drama is. That is all conditional love. If you will be this way, I will love you, and if you are that way, you will not fit into my life. Most of the love we experience in our lives is very much conditional love. As long as you fit in, there is love and when you have crossed the line, I can love you no more--in fact, I don't even want to be around you.

It is so easy to focus on what is going wrong, what is not working, the drama. Being right is conditional love, assuming it is love at all. But, being right is not conducive to a happy life. We get to choose to focus on that or we can choose otherwise. It doesn't even matter if the relationship is over, completely broken or just in a temporary state. Focusing there creates drama in our life too, along with all manner of negative feelings. And it doesn't matter if this is a romantic relationship or it is a relationship with a boss or coworker--or even a customer. They are all relationships.

Back to the advice. . . my advice was to focus on the positive aspects of the other person regardless of what is going on now. I suggested thinking what they liked best about that person, how special they are, how attractive they are, how smart they are, how creative they are, and on and on and on, making a list of all the positive aspects of them that they could think of.

I learned this from Abraham, Esther Hicks quite some time back where they suggest that we start a notebook and make lists of the positive aspects of people and situations just to feel good or to feel better even when things are going very well, but it is especially helpful when we want things to improve because they are not going so well.

Appreciation is magic. By finding these positive aspects to appreciate, it may or may not repair what is going wrong in the other, but it absolutely will do so in us. In addition, and here is the best part for me, it allows us to practice UN-conditional love. When we love someone regardless of what is going on, including cutting us loose, or even worse tearing us down, we are in our fullness, complete, whole, loving. That magic may or may not transfer to the other, but chances are it will somehow positively affect them, while it is certain that it will positively affect us.

Unconditional love is something we need to remind ourselves of. I was having an issue with a client where communication was and is terrible and we have not been paid either. After giving this advice, I immediately found my buried-in-the-drawer book of positive aspects and started filling a page of all the positive aspects of the management of that business, and much more. It changed my thoughts from anger and disappointment to unconditional love. Whatever happens is okay now. It is okay. I am good.

Try this magic yourself. There's lots of drama around. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, going wrong, change to focusing on what is right, good, working, perfect. Pay attention to how you feel. When you're feeling upset, angry, disappointed, frustrated, these are signs of where your thoughts are focused. Once you decide you want to feel good instead, begin the appreciation process. Start a notebook. Change a life!


Appreciation Is The Path To Unconditional Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding appreciation and expressing it.

Daily Inspiration 4-26-16

"Reality is real 

within every perspective. 

It is not static. 

It is fluid." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

This will be in two parts. Part two will continue tomorrow.

Have you ever been talking with someone, subsequently giving them a bit of advice regarding interaction with others, and be so reminded of something that you needed to remember to make better use of in your own life? You knew it, but had temporarily not given it any recent attention until you saw the situation so clearly in your conversation with the other that the advice just flowed out of you and it was so clearly the perfect solution to the situation.

This happened yesterday for me and it brought me such joy as to last all yesterday, and even into this morning just thinking about it. In other words, my teaching lesson wasn't for the other, it was for me. I needed to be reminded and this was a perfect opportunity for me to see it even more clearly than how I knew it before. It was exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. It is said that we teach that which we crave to learn ourselves.

It has to do with reality. You know. . . that which is in your face, and that which you accept as the way it is, even when you may want it to be something else. It often helps create drama and more focus and holds us away from what we really want because what we don't want demands our fuller attention. Yeah, that reality. The reality that they talk about in the newspaper, on the TV news, radio, tabloids, Internet and in one on one interactions in business, romantic relationships, in fact everything around and about us. Yes, it demands our attention. And so, we comply.

But, it is only A reality. It is not THE reality. Because reality is simply what we choose to focus on. Yes, we often choose to focus on things that cause us to feel negative emotions, to be upset, angry, down. It happens all the time, and yet, we could choose differently if we remembered that we have that power. The power of choice. I get to choose how I want to feel by choosing how I view this situation. I get to choose. And yes again, we often choose to feel bad by choosing how we view a situation. But, it is not the tail wagging the dog, we are wagging the tail. In other words, we are making the choice in every moment of what we will focus on.

The image above shows people in a circle with one inside the circle. This is reality. There they are. Yet, each and every one in the image has a different view. Each and every one has a different reality. Some aspects are similar, but each is unique. So which one is real? They all are. There is no reality. There is only a choice of what we will pay attention to, and in that there are many things that we could pay attention to. For example, we could be one of the outsiders. We could be viewing the most obvious by focusing on the person in the middle. Yet we could also focus on the person opposite us on the outside, or to our left or right. We could also focus on the ground, or the sky. There are so many perspectives. And, if we add more people, we simply add more perspectives. So reality is a fluid concept.

If we accept responsibility for our choices of focus, we may elect to choose a different focus than the most obvious, in-our-face choice, like the person in the middle. We always have a choice of what we will focus on. And, as we focus, we can know by how we feel if the focus we chose is beneficial, or what we would like. If it feels bad, we don't have to stay with that. It should be obvious that this is not beneficial to us, yet our knowledge from the past may indicate that this is the reality that people just have to deal with. I say, crap to that! If it feels crappy it is crappy. Why stay there? All we need do is choose a different perspective--one that causes us to feel better; to feel good. And, we ALWAYS have the choice. We are the choosers.


Reality Is Simply A Choice Of Focus. We Are The Choosers. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by remembering that joy is simply a choice. It is not a result. It is a choice.

Daily Inspiration 4-25-16

"The most interesting thing 

in the environment 

is your own mind." 

-- Sherry Turkle 

James Allen takes that most interesting thing in the environment and expresses how that environment comes about: "He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass: environment is his looking glass."

I've come to believe that there are essentially two ways to see life: One, is that we are here on a ride that someone or something else created for us and it is totally up to us to figure that out and make the best of it. And, two, we are here creating our own environment with the power of our mind; albeit, we may not always be aware of the power that we ultimately control. I have come to know life as the latter, and the more I know about that, the more interesting the whole of it becomes. In fact, I've come to a point in my expansion of having a whole bunch of fun with my environment and my controlling of it or rather learning the allowing of it.

I found one of James Allen's quotes particularly interesting because we often think of hard work and sacrifice as a way through to our objectives, and the bigger the objective, the more sacrifice is required. I especially enjoyed his idea of what that sacrifice is: "There can be no progress nor achievement without sacrifice, and a man's worldly success will be by the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance." 

As he says, "there can be no progress nor achievement without sacrifice." That is what so many of us have been taught, but we were often led astray in what kind of sacrifice that would be. There was a long list of what kinds of sacrifices we might be obliged to entertain and execute for the privilege of gaining the goal. "and a man's worldly success will be by the measure that he sacrifices. . ." Same old, same old.

The next part is the most interesting: "his confused animal thoughts." Let's just call that in a more modern way, the ego, paying attention to what-is, reacting to all that is already around us, dealing with problems, drama. Of course it is confused. That is easy enough to see by simply standing back for a bit and watching others. The same kind of things keep happening over and over because the "animal thoughts" are in control.

Next is where some clarity enters: "and fixes his mind on the development of his plans." Focusing on what we want as opposed to accepting what is. Fixing our mind on what we want is the guiding star of all of life. It is the change-maker. It is where all progress and expansion are created. It is the real stuff of a purposeful and joyous life.

And, the last bit, "and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance." Practice. We get better by doing and by adjusting as we move forward toward our desires. Practice helps enhance our resolution to stay on the path. Self-reliance is our enhanced inner confidence and competence, along with accepting responsibility for our own thoughts, actions, and results on the path of our desires.

The part that jumped out at me was that the sacrifice isn't having to let go of something we want, but letting go of some of our self-defeating thinking that often keeps us where we are even though we can feel that where we are is not really where we would like to be.

Of course, if where we are is where we want to be, we have already arrived.


If It Is Not, There Are Sacrifices To Be Made. (Joyous Ones!) 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of holding on to what is not joy for you.

Daily Inspiration 4-24-16

"Justice that love gives is a surrender, 

justice that law gives is a punishment." 

-- Mahatma Gandhi 

I awoke this morning with my thoughts in overdrive. I slept fitfully, and upon awakening, I was amazed at all the thoughts rushing through my head, and they were all pretty interesting and maybe a little strange. The first one that I recall was about punishment.

I wondered, when has punishment ever satisfied? I could not think of one. That especially, as well as provocatively, applies to me. I realized that I was beating myself up, or punishing myself for eating pizza last night. I had a craving, and many times I will encourage it to pass, but last night, I was in no mood for that. I went for it. Yep. Papa Murphy's Murphy's Combo (they hate selling medium size and are so encouraging to get at least the large for only $1 more), baked in my own oven, cut with my own pizza cutter, enjoyed while watching a movie. Yummmmmmm.

I don't know the exact number, but I might have consumed with glee around 3,000 calories, and probably over 50 grams of fat with all that cheese. Yum. Throwing caution out the window for one night. Such bold disregard for my new body program. So, this morning it was typical to berate myself about my past choices.

Isn't it all about past choices? Of course, it is. All of our berating ourselves or anyone else for that matter is in the past. No, no--that's not quite right--it's also the future, isn't it? Well, no matter, it does no good whatsoever.

That was my next thought before I even left the bathroom. First was beating myself up for my weak-suck, what-the-heck-was-I-thinking (don't you just love those phrases with the dashes?) decision, then the epiphany came next: When did this ever help? In fact, when did punishment ever help? They say it all began with the apple (was it an apple?) and the 'original sin' and the forever more punishment, but I say it never has worked, even then. Maybe even especially then. No matter. I know it has never worked for me. That's enough to deal with.

Loving is what works. And, if there is anything I learned from reading the Bible, it is that. Loving is what works. Loving is what we crave. Mother Teresa said so succinctly, "if you judge people, you have no time to love them." That would include me. As I am judging myself, I have no time left for loving myself.

Wisdom says, what happens on the outside, comes from the inside. This is very easy to observe when we pay the least bit of attention.


Whatever Is Done, Is Done. I Cannot Change It With Punishment. However, I Can Transform It With Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by giving yourself a break. Not once. But always. In all ways. You are craving love and joy just like every other person on the planet. So give it first to yourself, then freely to others.

Daily Inspiration 4-23-16

"If we cling to belief in God, 

we cannot likewise have faith, 

since faith is not clinging but letting go." 

-- Alan W. Watts 

This quote leapt off the page at me, and I thought, "wow, how perfect a thought about faith." How about if we take that quote and modify it just a bit to this:

If we cling to belief in _______, we cannot likewise have faith, since faith is not clinging but letting go. There it is. Now simply fill in the blank. If we cling to belief in. . .

. . . not or never having enough money, or not making enough money
. . . the world being a more and more dangerous place
. . . the idea that there is no gain without pain
. . . always punishing those who are at fault
. . . jealousy being a way to show I care or love someone
. . . peace coming from victory over evil
. . . never finding someone to love me like I crave to be loved
. . . being too fat and can't seem to lose the weight
. . . smart enough, creative enough, lucky enough, good looking enough
. . . depression being something that happens without our permission or thinking
. . . things never seeming to work out for me
. . . doubt
. . . revenge
. . . being less than others

I've mentioned the sign on my wall now for several years that says, "What is MY job! How is GOD's job! Since belief is simply a thought that we continue to think over a period of time, belief is something that is malleable. We often get so hung up on how something will come to pass, that we try to do God's job, or as they say in church, God's Will. There's a good one to add to the list above: If we cling to belief in God's Will being out of our control, we cannot likewise have faith. . .

The only thing we have to do is decide what we want, and we don't even have to believe in it. Once we decide it, God will figure out how, and our faith is expressed in letting go, getting out of the way, releasing it, trusting its fulfillment. Trust is a better word than faith, I think. Let's try it out:

If we cling to belief in God, we cannot likewise have trust, since trusting is not clinging but letting go. Trust goes way beyond believing. It becomes knowing, and knowing is perfect trust, perfect faith. I don't need to believe because I know. My trust is the manifestation of knowing.


I'm No Longer A Believer. It IS. I AM. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by looking all around you today for the joy that is waiting to be recognized and appreciated and shared.

Daily Inspiration 4-22-16

"We can never judge the lives of others, 

because each person knows 

only their own pain and renunciation. 

It's one thing to feel 

that you are on the right path, 

but it's another to think 

that yours is the only path." 

-- Paul Coelho 

I have found that this concept expressed in the above quote to be one of the hardest lessons for me to learn, but it resonates so clearly with me that I have now been practicing it for quite some time. And, I am in complete gratitude for the teachers who brought me the message and for the progress that I have made in practicing it my life. Prejudice is one of the most pervasive things in our world, and if we could just let go of that idea for a little while, we could see love instead, because there is truly only love when we uncover the prejudice.

Below is a perfect quote from Abraham, Esther Hicks expressing this in a way that helps me consider so much going on in the world. It reminds me of those beauty pageants where the girls all say they want world peace, but they don't really say what that is or what that means.

"World peace means one mindset big enough to make the decisions about what everybody else wants and the rest of the world conforming. That is the ultimate definition of world peace. You say, "Oh, let's get along!" And what each of you mean is, "You do what I want." A peaceful world means, "Everybody wanting what I want. Going along with what I want." And the only problem with that is: there are more than one of you, and you have endless desires that are born within you. The ultimate experience is everyone having their experience and launching their individual rockets of desire, and the Universe yielding to all of them simultaneously. And everybody not worrying about what anybody else created, and so, then allowing what they are wanting. What a world that is, when there are endless desirers--who are allowing the fulfillment of their own desires." 

We could also say that about the idea of World War, or world domination. It's such a big subject, and yet, it is as small as ourselves with one other person. The idea is the same, but the scale is so different. And yet, it isn't. It is still as small as our individual thoughts of what we think about how others should live.


Is It Possible To Love Unconditionally? I Say, "Yes!" It Is Certainly Worthy Of Practice. For My Own Sake At The Very Least. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding love in everything in your life. It is always there.

Daily Inspiration 4-21-16

"I say there is no darkness but ignorance." 

-- William Shakespeare 

Yesterday, I saw some comments about how music should be free to all. Once music became available in a digital format as opposed to analog, it made it easy to download and share via the Internet, data Cd's and more. The fact that it is now easy to download and transport doesn't make it free. It is ignorance that wants it to be free.

Some think that health care should be universally free. Maybe when hospitals, doctor's offices, all the machines that are used therein, along with the property, electricity, all the employees are free, that might work, but generally it is ignorance that wants it to be free.

There's a number of other things that some people think should be free, such as, the written word regardless of who wrote them, all photographs on the Internet because they are now digital as music is. In fact, anything on the Internet should be free to many.

But, you and I who have jobs, careers, our own businesses don't work for free. That would be silly. How would we pay the electric bill, buy food? Of course, if everything were free then we wouldn't need money, but there also wouldn't be much of anything available either. Creativity and inspiration come from desire.

Ignorance is looking at things that are created by others and expecting that they are free of cost. There is always cost in some way or another. Movement requires exertion of muscles and limbs, which requires fuel, and all of that has a cost. Musicians deserve to earn money from their creations as much as anyone who works and expects remuneration. Photographers too. Movie makers as well. Health care workers, for sure.

Yet ignorance is simply ignoring one thing and focusing on another. There are a zillion things that are not free and it would be silly to think they could ever be free, but there are many things that are universally free and will always be free. Here's a short list:

Passion. Enthusiasm. Love. Kindness. Joy, Happiness. Optimism. Patience. Peace. Stillness. Connection to God, The Universe, All-That-Is. Focus. Choice. Thoughts. Thinking. Spirit. Laughter. Breathing. Inspiration. Positive expectation. A smile. Creativity. Appreciation. Delight. Glee. Ecstasy. Gladness. Adoration. Beauty. Taste. Smell. Enchantment. Wonder. Awe. Fun.


If What You Are Focusing On Isn't Helping You To Feel Good, It Might Be Time For A Change Of Focus. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by realizing how free joy is and and freeing it is as well.

Daily Inspiration 4-20-16

"A truly humble person 

sees the critical verbalization 

by another person 

as merely a statement 

of the other person's inner problems." 

-- David R. Hawkins 

It's so easy to get upset by what someone says to us verbally or in writing. It seems to be our initial reaction when we hear it or read it. Of course, even when we know that is not the real us, it is our ego, it requires practice to pause and respond rather than to immediately react--even if we were alone when we received the critique.

From David R. Hawkins' outstanding book, Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, here is the complete quote from which I gleaned the piece above:

"The truly humble cannot be humbled. They are immune to humiliation. They have nothing to defend. There is no vulnerability and, therefore, the truly humble do not experience critical attacks by others. Instead, a truly humble person sees the critical verbalization by another person as merely a statement of the other person's inner problems."

If I think about it, it seems completely unfair to automatically accept a critique as an attack on me. I could ask, "who are they to criticize me?" But, I know all too well that for me to criticize others has been such an easy thing to do. In fact, it would be an automatic immediate reaction when I see something that is outside of my core beliefs. Unless. . . I have practiced surrender to judgment. And, what an absolutely valuable, proactive, and character-building practice that is!

Once I have surrendered being judgmental of others, I must also include surrendering to being judgmental of myself, for it is in judgment of myself, that the opinions of others and critiques gains traction.

Can this surrender really happen? Well, all I know so far is that understanding what is happening is most helpful, then practice is essential. My practice is helping to change me from a reactionary to an observer, but I have a lot more practice ahead. The good news is that I am totally aware of my ego and how it likes to rant and rave and control things, and the really good news is that I now know that I am not my ego and I am in total control when I decide to be.


Practice Makes Perfect? At Least, It Makes Better. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing love to rule in your life.

Daily Inspiration 4-19-16

"I want to sing like the birds sing, 

not worrying about who hears 

or what they think." 

-- Rumi 

Some years back, I used to complain about mockingbirds and how noisy they were and how long and varied were their songs.

Now I try to listen to each different bird song in their repertoire, and stand amazed at their learned skill. Some of the calls they make are quite fascinating, and I wonder what bird song they have adopted.


Isn't It Interesting How Our Outlook Can Change So Much? Thank God They Didn't Change, And Thank God I Did. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by hearing joy with new ears.

Daily Inspiration 4-18-16

"Is it partly cloudy

or partly sunny today?"

-- Inquiring minds need to know 

I've always enjoyed looking at basic weather forecasts. Sometimes it might say that it will be partly sunny, or it will be partly cloudy today. I always laughed at that because it seems like the same thing said in a different way. But, it never peaked my interest enough to determine if there is a difference and what it is.

Since we now live in a world of finding virtually any answer, and more often many answers to almost any question by typing the question into a browser window, I typed: What is the difference between partly cloudy and partly sunny? At the top of the search results on Google was a short paragraph from chicagoweathercenter.com:

"Technically partly sunny means more clouds than sun and partly cloudy means more sun than clouds, but for all intents and purposes the terms are interchangeable (except that partly sunny is strictly a daytime term)."

See, I just learned something I didn't know. I think we can type pretty much any question into Google or Bing or other search engine and find lots of answers. What an amazing time to be alive.

I was thinking what we used to do to find out things like this. I used to own a leather-bound set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I think I paid $3800 for it, along with a couple other sets of books in a "deal" at the county fair back in the late 1980's. Of course, I didn't really pay $3800. I paid about $105 per month.

Come to think of it, that's about what I pay for my iPhone each month today. And, my phone holds more information than all those volumes of that Encyclopedia Britannica--and it is easier to access information, including things like video, music, and other helpful things that were never in the encyclopedia. It would have been a challenge to look it up in the encyclopedia, I'm sure, if it was even in there. And it certainly would have taken more than the .62 of a second that my Google search took.

It's interesting that all of us get to see the way things were, and the way things are, and notice the difference. It could be said that an older person would notice a larger difference, but I'm not so sure. It just depends on what changes one is paying attention to.


It's Not Just A Brave New World. It's A Constantly Evolving Brave New World. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying your place in your world. It's yours.

Daily Inspiration 4-17-16

"And all things you ask 

in prayer, believing, 

you shall receive." 

-- Matthew 21:22, NAS 

It is said that if one is willing to work hard, one can have pretty much anything they want. If there is anything such as work to it, the work is believing in the desired outcome regardless of the current status.

I'm finishing up the last couple of chapters of Joel Osteen's wonderful audiobook, The Power of I Am, and another bit demanded my attention. It was this: He said, "You have to give God the permission to prosper you." I thought, Wow! Isn't that an interesting way to put it. And, as I considered this new attitude in words, I felt total agreement.

He continued, "You can't go around with a lack mentality, thinking, I'll just take the leftovers to show everyone how humble I am. After all, God wouldn't want me to have too much. That would be greedy. That would be selfish." He ends with, "that's going to keep you from an abundant life." 

Sometimes people think that so-called New Age writings, and The Bible are at odds, but this is often a fantasy, or adhering to only speaking in religious tones and phrases. Two days ago, my post contained quotes from Abraham, Esther Hicks and Joel Osteen--even adding Merlin Carothers. That's quite a party, and yet they were in agreement. So, here again is a prosperous bit from Abraham, Esther Hicks speaking of the same thing in slightly different words:

"Let's say you are $100,000 in debt and you want to have $100,000 in savings, instead. So there's a $200,000 gap between where you actually are and where you would like to be. It is not likely that that $200,000 is going to manifest in the form of dollars in your bank account today. But you could close the gap between the feeling of debt (fear, worry, anxiety) and the feeling of abundance (ease, freedom, happiness) today. You could accomplish that in five minutes. It is only vibrational gap that you have to close. And then those dollars must manifest. It is law!" 

Joel says, "You have to give God permission to prosper you." If you don't believe it can happen, that God has the power--even that you have the power--your desire for prosperity is only a fleeting wish, powerlessly floating in the air. Belief in being prosperous is giving God permission. It is not hard work. It is not physical, it is of the mind, our thoughts, our feelings--our vibration, our being. We know we have given permission or not by how we feel.

Abraham, Esther Hicks says the same thing. It is the vibration, being in alignment, matching our Inner Being's desires for us (God within). It is moving our thinking into alignment with our desires, and we know it by how we feel.

Belief is a thought. Belief is a feeling. Doubt is thought. Doubt is a feeling. Yet, these are two very different thoughts and very different feelings. They are ultimately two very different vibrations as the difference between 560 am and 101.5 fm on the radio. Going to 560 am and hoping to receive the message from 101.5 fm is the same as that fleeting wish, powerlessly floating in the air.

With or without any of the religious connotations, all of this is ancient wisdom. It's just that it is so easy to be distracted with all that goes on around us, leading us away from our desires, pointing us to what many say is reality; albeit, their reality. Our work is giving God permission, aligning with all that God wants for us, what we want for ourselves. Aligning is another word for believing. When we believe, we feel good, and when we doubt, we feel poorly. Want to feel better? Give God permission. Give yourself permission.


You'll Know It When You Feel It. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by believing in the power of your own joy to move mountains.

Daily Inspiration 4-16-16

"Happiness is. . . 

whatever, whomever, 

and whenever you choose." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

This wonderful, delightful, soothing, serene morning is a perfect time to share this tidbit from Abraham, Esther Hicks:

"Sometimes you manufacture scenarios and put them in your own way just to prove a point. It is as if you would rather be right than happy. When you catch yourself doing that stop and say, "This unpleasant thought is unnecessary." Then choose one that feels better." 


Of Course! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by getting out of your own way.

Daily Inspiration 4-15-16

"Don't use your words 

to describe the situation, 

use your words 

to change the situation." 

-- Joel Osteen 

Yesterday, I was listening to one of Joel Osteen's latest books, The Power of I Am, and two phrases fairly close together demanded my attention and I had to write them down. One is the quote above. He's saying not to speak about what is going on and how that is not to your liking, but instead, speak only to what you want, what is working, what is empowering within yourself.

The second quote I had to write down was when he added, "Don't take your problems to God. Take your praise to God." That is part of the same thing. How often we might talk about the problems in our life, the so-called reality of what is in front of us, praying to be loosed from them, all the while continuing to speak of them. He says, instead, "take your praise to God."

I've told this story two or three times, but again reminded of how and when I started changing from complaining to God to praising God for virtually every thing. It was an old book my wife gave me that she thought I should read. What's really funny about that is that she had never read it, but somehow thought I should, and when I took what it said to heart, she resisted that change in me. The book was published in 1972 by Merlin Carothers, titled, Power In Praise-- How the Spiritual Dynamic of Praise Revolutionizes Lives. In that book, I learned to praise God for everything regardless of my opinion of it. It immediately changed my life.

Then somewhat later, I was introduced to Abraham, Esther Hicks, who gave me a whole new lease on life and even expanded on what I learned before that. Along the lines of the two quotes from Joel Osteen, consider these words from Abraham, Esther Hicks on the same subject: "You have the ability to direct your own thoughts; you have the option of observing things as they are, or of imagining them as you want them to be--and whichever option you choose, whether you are imagining or observing, is equally powerful. In every case, your thoughts produce a vibration within you that equals your point of attraction--and then, circumstances and events line up to match the vibrations that you have offered." 

In other words, we can look upon our problems, or we can imagine the way we want it to be, and the choice of that focus will ultimately determine our results. We can talk about our problems to God, to our friends, to our coworkers, to strangers, and all we have is more of our problems. Instead of unburdening ourselves, we are adding to it by continuing to address them.

Yet, when we let loose of our problems, find the things in our lives to praise--even to praise God for--more of those things will become real in our lives. And, learning from Merlin Carothers, even the act of changing to praising God for the problems, no matter what they are, revolutionizes our life. It certainly did my own.

In Abraham-speak, what we choose to focus on creates our point of attraction, attracting more of that. And they add that we will know our point of attraction by how we feel, so that when we are feeling good, that is what we are attracting, and when we are feeling negative feelings, we attract more of that. Of course, that matches Joel and Merlin in that talking about our problems is never uplifting to ourselves, and praising God cannot help but be uplifting.


Counting The Blessings By Focusing On Them And Giving Thanks For Them, And All Things. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Joy is the result of praise. Praise is the ultimate result of joy. To praise is to be joyful. To be joyful is to praise.

Daily Inspiration 4-14-16

"When are you going to grow up?" 

-- A question I've been asked by several in my life 

As I lazily got up this morning after sleeping until 6:30 am, I was reminded somehow about the idea of maturity. It's a crazy thought first thing in the morning, I know. But, there it was.

I remember my mother asking me when I was going to grow up a few times when I would do something silly. I guess she thought that I should have progressed more by then. I also heard it from my wife during my first marriage a few times. I guess a few bouts of silliness is all it takes to question whether or not I've grown up yet, become more mature.

Mature. It's interesting what images come to mind when I look at that word. I see a man who is serious looking, confident, controlled. The Bible even says that as a child, I did childish things, and as I grew up I let go of childish things. And, truth be known, I have let go of a lot of childish things. Not because I wanted to necessarily, but I'm way too big now to ride a tricycle (actually, I've been too big since I was five). Yes, there's a lot of silly kid things that I no longer do.

And yet, there are some silly kid things that I still do. In fact, it makes me laugh at myself whenever I do them because I can recall the first time I did them and it was during my childhood, or as a teenager. No, I'm not going to tell you what they are. I cannot blow my cover completely. Let it suffice to say that I do them proudly and in all fun when I am alone only. People would look at me in crazy ways if I did any of them in public. Of course, all those on the other side that are interested in looking down at me can see and hear them, but I can't seem to see them, so I imagine that I am alone and safe.

Here I am at 66 years of age, still immature in many ways. It's amazing. And, it's fun too. I mean, these things bring me joy, laughter, fun, and they have for well over 50 years now, and some even longer. So, if I'm not yet grown-up at 66, then what hope is there for me? Maybe 70 is when it happens, or 80. Hmmmm. I don't think it happens then either. I think there are just some things we hang on to simply because they feel good, make us laugh, that we find funny, and yes, silly too. It's okay.

I'm keeping mine, and frankly, I don't give a damn about maturity anymore. I hope you're proud and happy with your own private immature moments and actions. It's our own little private world where we can do those silly things, laugh at ourselves and our own immaturity, and wonder to ourselves if we will ever grow up. Nah.


I Know That I Have No Plans To Grow Up Anytime Soon. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by laughing often and much. It's a healing thing.

Daily Inspiration 4-13-16

"To be interested in the changing seasons 

is a happier state of mind 

than to be hopelessly in love with spring." 

-- George Santayana 

I laughed when I saw this quote about spring because it seems to me that this was the way I felt so much of my life. I couldn't wait until spring. Of course, when I was in school, it was always summer because then we would be out of school until fall.

I think it all started with driving. I played around with developing a different attitude when I was behind the wheel. My wife used to laugh at me and thought it was silly, but it worked like magic. I used to get pissed off when someone would make a stupid move near me while on the road. "Stupid driver! Get off the road! Go get some driving lessons! You idiot!" and such. Maybe you've heard some of that. I grew up with it from my father especially and my step father too.

Then, I heard a recording from some motivational speaker I cannot remember who suggested having a different response on purpose and then practice it. So, I did. It worked most of the time, then it worked all of the time. Now, I don't even think about it. He suggested that I say aloud, "Wow! That was an interesting maneuver. I wouldn't have thought of doing it that way. Nice. Something different," and variations of that. Now, I don't even think about it as I said, nor do I say anything. I just smile.

I believe that practice changed my life for the better. In fact, I think it was changed more than I had previously given it credit of doing, because I began trying it on other things. One of them was the weather.

Some days I would hate and some days I would love and I would hate more days than I loved because they weren't spring, or it was raining, or it was cold, or it was too hot, or it was overcast, or it was foggy, or it was fill in the blank. Weather had a hard time pleasing me. So I applied my new found skill and began saying, "this looks like a different kind of day. I wonder how I might enjoy it." Or, "Wow. Those clouds are interesting!" Over some time, I began to find something about every kind of weather to enjoy, to praise, and to delight in.

As with the driving, the weather no longer upsets me, in fact, it always delights me, whatever it is. In fact this week it was overcast and cooler and a few days were somewhat wet, and I was absolutely loving every moment of it. I now look forward to whatever the weather will be. I used to obsess over weather reports. In fact, when I used to watch TV, my favorite part was the weather on the news. Now, I could care less what the weather is. I know I'm going to love it no matter what it is.

Then, this very successful practice moved into other aspects of my life. Much later, I would read Eckart Tolle and others who shared the same kind of values and ideas that I was practicing beginning with my experiences driving. It is fascinating to me how one can change ones thinking and have it change what goes on around them. As Wayne Dyer has said, "change your thinking, and change your world," and more specifically, "change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change." 


And So It Is, And So It Does. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by changing some of your thoughts to joy.

Daily Inspiration 4-12-16

"What comes at you comes from you." 

-- Bert Winn 

I woke up this morning thinking about my role in these Daily Inspirations. I think the best I can do is to share something that I've learned that moved me, point in the direction of that learning, and relax in the personal sharing of experience and thought toward something that is in some tiny or large way inspiring, uplifting, engaging, or enlightening.

Most of the time spent doing these is spent in contemplation of sharing something worthwhile. I like sharing my personal connection in spite of the fact that it often puts me out there on a limb so to speak because I like that personal touch from others as well. It's less like philosophy and more like trial and error.

So, that led me to what legacy I might like to have from all this effort and time. What would I distill from all that has transpired since 2009, where if nothing else was learned, what would I see as the most important and yet simple?

Then, almost immediately, I saw the quote above, "What comes at you comes from you." How simply that is said, and how accurate from my learning.

I think the most important thing I have learned is that we are creators and we create by our thought, and our emotions tell us how aligned with our Source those thoughts are, where feeling good is in alignment and feeling not good is away from alignment. And that we are connected to Source 100% of the time, and that Source seeks our joy, our best experience, which is why feeling good resonates with what our Source desires for us. It is the most simple and yet most profound concept of how to enjoy our lives that I have found. It is not religion, and yet far more grand than any religion could possibly be. It is control of our lives as we would like to control it and enjoy it. 

When a reader writes to me that they now know that they have control of their lives because of this simple teaching, it is so empowering to me to see them so empowered in themselves.

There are so many things that I've learned over my lifetime that seemed to ring true, but didn't hold true. In other words, it sounded good, but it didn't resonate and feel good. Often it was more like manipulation, where if you do these ten things, and each of those ten things have ten other sub-points, and so on and so on. It is so easy to get lost and forever confused in that kind of teaching. Yet truth is simple, not complicated. We are the ones who often complicate things, when in reality it leads us somewhere else entirely.

If I were to try to teach a child, or any other person something to be a perfect guide to their entire lives, it would be the bolded paragraph above--that they are creators, and that they are in control, and everything that comes, comes from themselves, because they are the creators of their life, and that this is something to rejoice in.


The Peace And Joy Of Simplicity And Understanding. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing your joy as you will and sharing it as you see fit.

Daily Inspiration 4-11-16

"What's the difference?" 

-- A popular lament of children 

when I was a child 

It is way better than, "who cares?" Probably better than, "so what?" Then there's the, "whatever. . ." Light years ahead of, "who gives a _______?" The enlightened version by Eckhart Tolle might be, "Is that so?" The knowledge-seeker might say, "And, how is that important to me?"

Well, you get the drift. There are a lot of ways to respond to what others or some authority is saying is good for us, something we should do or be, advice in all forms.

And yet, there might be something to learn here that could be so valuable as to change my life forever. Then a helpful and insightful response might be, "that sounds interesting. Tell me more!" 

But, really, how often have we done that? Probably not very dang often--at least based on my own memory.

One is eager and open and all the others are suspicious, protective and closed.

Does it really hurt to listen and be interested in learning something? Generally not; however, we have so much going on within ourselves, who has the time?

I like the point of view of curiosity. "What can I learn from this? How can this be of value to me or others? I might find a tidbit that will lead me to something that has grand value.

What's the worst thing that could happen? I would spend some time. I might end up saying, "I can't think of anything that I can use here right now, but I came and I heard, and the value may become apparent later."


We Bring Our Attitude Or Point Of View Along With Us Everywhere We Go. But We Can Negotiate As We See Fit. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by listening to new ways to find joy. Maybe you'll find more than you knew was available.

Daily Inspiration 4-10-16

"When it feels to you 

as if someone is pushing your button, 

realize that you are the one 

with a great big button out there 

that is just begging to be pushed. 

If you don't put it out there, 

no one will push it." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

I've heard many people (including myself!) who have said things like, "He/she pissed me off!", or "That just pisses me off." or, "Who the hell do they think they are treating me like that?", and a long list of angry reactions to some stimulus from another.

But, it is never the other that is causing the reaction. That's the excuse we use because it puts blame away from us. Our ego loves to blame everything except ourselves. Yet, it is ourselves. The stimulus is only an opportunity for us to express what is already inside. 

As Wayne Dyer has remarked (my paraphrase), when you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out, and when you squeeze a person, what is inside them comes out. The stimuli will allow us to release a reaction and that reaction contains what is already inside of us. That might be anger, hatred, disgust, prejudice, revenge, jealousy, guilt, or any number of volatile thought-based negative emotions.

It could also be different. Instead of a reaction, it could be simply awareness. Or, it could release compassion, tenderness, understanding, unconditional love, or any number of thought-based positive emotions.

In all cases--all cases--it is our thoughts within ourselves that are creating the emotions or feelings we are having, and all of that dictates a reaction, a response, or simply an awareness. We are totally in control at all times. And, because we are in control, we are choosing to think those thoughts and follow through with whatever actions or lack of action we are choosing. People can only push our buttons and get a reaction when we allow that to happen. They have no power over us except that which we give them. 

Next time you read something, see something, or hear something that pisses you off, remember that this reaction is from you, not them or it. Remember that it is what is inside you. Ask yourself if that is what you want inside you? Ask yourself if this is the person you want to be? Acceptance of that is fine, but blaming others or conditions for that is not because it isn't true. If that is not what you want, only you can change it, and you have the power within you to do so at any time.

One last bit from Abraham, Esther Hicks: "You can be happy or sad, it doesn't matter. You get to choose. You can go this way or that way. You get to choose. Figure it all out as you go. There's not one right path. There are many right paths. Do anything you can do--which means think it or speak it or do it--that makes you feel a little better." 


How Does It Feel? Do You Want To Feel Worse, Or Do You Want To Feel Better? Hmmmm. Good Choice! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting all that upsetedness go. Reach for a better feeling thought. Joy is in that direction.

Daily Inspiration 4-9-16

"He who would accomplish little 

need sacrifice little; 

he who would achieve much 

must sacrifice much. 

He who would attain highly 

must sacrifice greatly." 

-- James Allen 

A friend asked me to join her in a quest to lose some weight. I could have said, "what do your mean? Do you think I need to lose weight?" Instead, I eagerly accepted the challenge to lose 20 lbs. in 6-weeks. Though I could certainly benefit from a much larger weight of vacated flab, I thought it would be a piece of cake--or rather, less pieces of cake.

The first week, I dropped (I call it releasing mostly because I don't want to find any of the weight I might lose) 7 lbs. Wa-hoo! I drank so much water that I was in the bathroom every 45 minutes all day long one day. But, my zeal for the challenge, began to wane. The motivation seminar was over, and I was left with my own brain and ego again. The next week, I gained it all back, plus one.

The next four weeks, I did a lot of thinking--mostly while enjoying my favorite foods and drink. I re-watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead to renew my familiarity with juicing. I bought more vegetables and then threw them away after they went bad being ignored in the refrigerator. I know the benefits of success are worthy, but I was imagining missing those favorite things to never be enjoyed again. I was reminded how we beat ourselves up and encourage our own failures.

Then with the 6-week meeting on the horizon, I began again in earnest. I stopped drinking my favorite drink and ate smaller portions, and often less caloric meals. I didn't give up all my favorites, but I let go of many.

I ended the 6-week plan down 14 lbs. Not bad for one week, but to me it was sort of pathetic overall. Now the pact being renewed, the motivational meeting over again, I'm left to my own devices. Will I change my thinking?

What did I learn in the last 6 weeks? I learned that no matter what we want to change, and even if we want it changed badly, nothing will change until we change. I had to change me. Not the circumstances. Not the food. Not anything external to myself. I had to change my thinking. In one week I released 14 lbs., so I know what can be done. I want to do it. I want to feel better, sleep better, and look better. I want to wear that closet full of clothes that I haven't been able to wear for over three years (maybe four or five).

It's up to me. It's always up to me. If anything is to change, I must change. I need to picture what I want as an end result to remind myself what it is that I want. If I can focus on what I want, I can get there. Along the way, there are plenty of things I do not want that will taunt me, but I have learned that the only way it will change is if I will change. I am changing. This next 6-week period results will be more indicative of that change.

That is the sacrifice. In James Allen's quote above, he talks about sacrifice. Doing little requires little sacrifice, and to accomplish much will require much sacrifice, while doing greatly requires so much more. We often think of sacrifice as losing something that we want in order to have something that we think we need or think is better. In this case though, sacrifice is not losing anything except thought. We must sacrifice our habitual thought for a thought that feels better and causes us to change for the better.

That sacrifice, though weightless in reality, can often feel heavy because we are so attached to it from the past. Yet, as we focus on what we want, and feel the good feelings of that, the sacrifice will feel more like an investment.


Here's To Your Own Successful Challenges! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing yourself to learn from your own experiences, and those of others (just to save time and energy, of course).

Daily Inspiration 4-8-16

"The reason things 

always work out for the best, 

is because this is actually 

the highest of all spiritual laws. 

Any apparent exceptions 

are simply evidence 

that the work is still in progress." 

-- The Universe, 

aka, Mike Dooley 

As with so many things that we allow to be, the message above from Notes From the Universe (www.tut.com) came a perfect time with the perfect message for me today.

So much of life is attitude and perspective. The glass can be half full or it can be half empty and both would be correct; however, they feel very different, and each perspective leads to a different result. And, though I feel that I was brought up by my parents in a half empty mindset, I have endeavored throughout my adult life to have that half full life, and to live it and teach it.

One could say that the half empty mentality is living in and moving toward lack, while the half full mind would be in appreciation of what is already here on their way toward abundance. And so it is with all of us in how we choose to view our daily lives and activities. 

But, what if the highest spiritual law--that law that God insists we have owned from birth--is true? Then the second part of Mike's quote above is indeed, the glass half full attitude. "Any apparent exceptions. . . " Aren't there always exceptions? I think there are always exceptions, and it is how we see, think, and thereby feel about those exceptions that determines all for us. "Any apparent exceptions are simply evidence that work is still in progress." Amen to that! It's on its way! I asked and I received and now it is in progress! How cool is that!

It is such a powerful tool toward happiness to develop and practice the attitude that things are always working out. It is one of the perfect affirmations to state many times throughout the day, "Everything is always working out for me!" Or, "Everything is always working out for our company!" Or, "Everything is always working out in our world!"

This one is going on my wall this morning.


As I Remember To Remember This Perspective And Attitude, I Am Renewed And Regenerated. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeing your glass half full and glowing.

Daily Inspiration 4-7-16

"The wall of inability 

can only be built 

with one's mind." 

-- Edmond Mbiaka 

I was thinking about how we often limit ourselves without even realizing that we are doing so. We think they are external limitations, yet they are very rarely that. They are almost always internal, in our mind, based on our perceptions of our current reality, and our so-called lack of resources.

Indeed, we not only have set our own limitations, we argue for them. Richard Bach said, "argue for your limitations, and they are yours." Often we will argue angrily for our limitations with friends and anyone else who might listen. It is pretty easy to get agreement with a world full of woes. Everybody has some, and they are often shared with each other with the idea of getting them off our chest, but instead, we still get to keep ours, only now they are enhanced by the input of others.

I like how Abraham, Esther Hicks says that every morning when we get up we have been reset, and the only thing keeping us where we are is thinking the same thoughts we did yesterday. Every moment is a new reset if we choose it to be. We can stop our limiting thoughts and begin thinking God-like unlimited possibility thoughts any time we want to. Chris Guillebeau says that, "quitting is a valuable skill." We need not hold on to what has been unless we choose to.

Abraham, Esther Hicks acknowledges, "Once you've decided that you want something, the opposite of it is going to be very much a part of your awareness, too." And, so it is that we see wanted and unwanted in the same reality; however, they add, "To live in the what-is of your day, with wanted and unwanted, and to focus primarily on the wanted is the formula for a joyous life experience."

Consider that. If there is any work involved (and it isn't really work at all), it is holding our focus, or constantly reminding ourselves to focus on what is wanted rather than what is not wanted. Somebody said, "no." Someone beat you to the deal. The clock ran out. You had to work late, and missed the opportunity. The list is endless of all the unwanted that can be within what-is our what we often call reality, but again, the work is only to turn from that and refocus on what is wanted while ignoring or letting go of what is unwanted.

We also limit ourselves by defining our goals to precision. Clarity can be good, but clarity can also point out how much more unwanted is out there.

The better way to concentrate on what is wanted and know we are there is by realizing how we feel. If we are focused on what we want, we will feel good. When we are focused on what we do not want, we are not feeling good. It's that easy to know. Our feelings are the best guide we have available to us. When we think of having no limitations, we will feel good, when we count and express our limitations, we feel crappy.

So, one could say, utilizing a popular phrase, when it feels like shit, it is. At the same time, with a different focus, one could say, when it feels like bliss, it is. When it feels like bliss it is wanted, when it feels like shit, how in the world could we want that? We don't. None of us do. Yet, that's how we feel when we are focused on our limitations, on what-is, on our reality, on all the problems and roadblocks, on our lack of resources, and more.

I am often reminded of that Indiana Jones movie where the gatekeeper says, "he chose poorly," because it reminds me that we all get to choose our limitations or to choose unlimited.


I Want Unlimited. I Have So Many Choices Every Day. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by releasing some of those limitations we put on our joy.

Daily Inspiration 4-6-16

"It is not because things are difficult 
that we do not dare;

it is because we do not dare 
that they are difficult."

-- Marcus Annaeus Seneca

(54 BC - 39 AD)

[Classic post. This is the most popular post from 2010]

This quote from Seneca the elder inspires me. It also helps me to understand the obstacles that appear in my pathway and how I have dealt with them in the past as well as how I might better deal with them today and in the future.

The very first thing that came to my mind when I read this quote was learning to build a website and to be more Internet savvy. In September of 2007, I had spent the last few years wondering about websites and wanting someone to magically appear and come do things for me and then I wouldn't have to learn anything about doing them. This is a common trait in my thinking from time to time wherein I create these huge thirty foot high walls that I expect I will have to climb over, but I don't have the energy and so, back to the couch I go to escape into much more pleasing thoughts. Every feel that way? It's not fun. Or maybe it is because that wall doesn't.

Once I decide that I really want to learn, it is so interesting how this thirty foot wall all of a sudden becomes more like ten feet, then 6 feet, then 4 feet, then 10 inches, then a 4-lane highway. Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about! I'm certain that I'm not alone. But, ain't it grand that this happens? Problem solved. Yesterday I couldn't spell it and today I are one! Success! That's what I'm talking about!

It seems that I should recognize this scenario each time that silly thirty foot wall appears. It's happened enough times, but I still feel that overwhelmed feeling. Yet, there is good news. I feel it less and less now that I am aware of how to deal with those walls. And the better news is that I am finding less and less thirty foot walls too. So, it's all good.

I've heard people say that, God doesn't give you a problem so big that you can't deal with it. I say, I'm glad he kept them under forty feet. . .

I'm Sharing My Daring For Difficulties Sake.

Spread Some Joy Today--Got walls? It's just a mirage! Walk toward it with a tinge of confidence and those walls come a-tumblin' down. Rock on!

Daily Inspiration 4-5-16

"It is very beneficial 

and also quite easy 

to learn from others 

by virtue of their example. 

It is far more beneficial; 

albeit, often a challenge 

to learn from my own example." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

As we see with our eyes, we are looking at what is in front of us, and if we simply pay attention to what is going on, especially in conversations and interactions with people, we learn by their example. What we learn has to do with what we are seeing. What we are seeing has to do with where we happen to be at the time. It's easy to learn from others if we are open to that idea. Not from their knowledge, but from their actions.

Learning from our own example is a bit more challenging, yet far more beneficial because it is representing an accumulation of our beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge. We often are not paying attention to our own example, but others are--especially children, co-workers, employees. So awareness of the example of others is valuable, and awareness of our own example is paramount.

The last several days and weeks I've been paying much more attention. From all that I have learned from Abraham, Esther Hicks and many others, we often pay so much attention to 'what is,' or what is happening in front of us visually or otherwise, that we get further away from what it is that we want because of our focus on what is, which is more often than not, what we do not want.

Abraham said, "In your action, you lose sight of the vision, you lose sight of your trust in the process, and you just bang around in a sense of futility. Hold the vision and trust that the Universe will acclimate to your vision. Hold the vision and trust the process." They add, "Hard work is not the path to Well-Being. Feeling good is the path to Well-Being. You don't create through action; you create through vibration. And then, your vibration calls action from you."

I've noticed lately certain people around me talking so much about what is, what the problems are, all the roadblocks in the way, uncertain of how their desire will be accomplished in a steadily worsening atmosphere, where they feel somewhat powerless to make it happen as they would like. At every opportunity, they talk about the process they have been going through and all the issues that confront them, and yet, they keep trying.

I'm quite certain that you have heard, and experienced the same kind of thing from certain people in your field of awareness. If we are paying attention, and knowing there is a better, more effective way, we will not participate in these conversations. Yet, we often do. This is where the learning from our own example is more challenging than learning from the examples of others.

Lee Iacocca popularized a management statement: "Lead, follow, or get out of the way." If we are to be a good example to others, we must lead. If we are to be a non-example, we follow, and if we are loving, but uninterested in sharing the pain of others, we can simply and profoundly, get out of the way.

When someone around us is talking incessantly about 'what is,' and by being aware, we can easily see this is not a beneficial thing to them and those around them, the best example we can be is not to spend time or energy discussing 'what is' with them. We can't just start talking positive stuff because they're in a place where that is just an irritation. But what we can do is not participate. As we sit there, we can be sending loving thoughts, seeing them in the place that they want to be, and at the same time, if we are unable to move the subject elsewhere at the moment, we can find a way to get out of the way, excuse ourselves, go somewhere else, and continue our loving thoughts at a distance. 

It is so important not to keep discussing the problems and the questions that we don't have answers for. It is all for naught. It has zero value. All that does is keep us focused on what we do not want. If we are to move ourselves, and at least be an influence toward others, we must find ways to feel good by focusing on what is good, what is right, what is valuable, what we want. That will be our example.


My Grandmother Said It So Well When I Was Very Young And It Has Always Applied As An Excellent Example: Count Your Blessings. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by your shining example.