Daily Inspiration 1-31-17

"There's a world of difference

between truth and facts. 

Facts can obscure the truth." 

-- Maya Angelou 

"Truth is mighty and will prevail. 

There is nothing wrong with this, 

except that it ain't so." 

-- Mark Twain 

"Whoever undertakes to set himself up 

as judge of Truth and Knowledge 

is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." 

-- Albert Einstein 

The sales rate of George Orwell's classic 1949 Big Brother novel, 1984, is still at number one in 5 categories on Amazon.com over a week after the "alternative facts" quote by Kellyanne Conway. It's mysterious how sales can be affected and by what. And, it is curious how facts and truth can be in conflict, or even be diametrically opposed and both be accepted, but it happens all day every day in millions of different ways.

I've been associated in one form or another with the automobile business since I was a teenager. It began with my love of cars, then taking two years of Auto Shop in high school, to becoming a journeyman-level auto mechanic in the Air Force, to selling them when I got out, becoming a sales manager, to calling on dealers selling them their own product with a truck body now attached to it, to doing Internet work for dealers, writing a book about Commercial Trucks, and more. That is a lot of varied perspectives on the same basic subject.

That's the theme of this post: How varied perspectives of facts often shadow the truth, and that truth and facts both are also none other than individual or mutually agreed upon perspectives.

I just finished the unabridged audiobook, Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle For the Soul of American Business, by Bob Lutz, who at 84 is a lifetime car guy with a vast number of perspectives from the inside out.

I found this book absolutely fascinating. The main focus was on his experience of being hired out of retirement to be vice-chairman of General Motors in 2001 with the edict of turning around their product from a long slippery slope of product disappointments to making great cars again as they did in the 1950's and 1960's. He talked about his history to give perspective on his leadership and gave an insightful history of General Motors products with particular emphasis after 1950.

This historical perspective of GM's product successes and mistakes was important to me in particular because I began selling Chevrolet products in late 1972 with the introduction only a couple weeks away for the 1973 models. I saw the decline in quality and had to do what we could to make up for it at the dealer level. Working at the dealer level from 1972 to early 1997, my eyes were wide open and in shock at some of the poorest quality cars (not all bad, of course), along with growing government product mandates, choking smog equipment, early computer technology, and the list goes on.

What I learned from this book was to remember that perspective is really what truth and facts are. It reminded me of several things. One was a game we used to play in grade school we called telephone. Several of us would sit on the ground in a circle and whisper something to the one next to us, then they would relay it to the next and the next until at the last person to hear it, the message was almost always something completely different than when it began.

Another is how if we gather in a circle around some object at the center of the circle, each person will have a unique perspective of what is before them because only they have that particular viewpoint. These are facts. They are truth. Yet they are different. They could be said to be alternative facts and alternative truths. We could even be adamant about our point of view as being the truth, or fact, or both, and yet receive many arguments to the contrary.

Last, wherever we go, whatever we do, and whatever we view, we bring our accumulated facts and truths with us. We bring our previous perspectives, both our individual and those we have collectively agreed upon wherever we go. We often make judgments based on all of this, and it is labeled by us as good or evil or some other proclamation. It's comforting to have a mutual agreement in our judgment, and sometimes we may even enjoy the comfort of many to agree with though individually we disagree.

These are not alternative facts or alternative truths, they are perspectives and judgments. We each have them. So be it. The only reason I bring this up here is that realizing or being aware of this bigger picture of how we decide things, might give us just a little pause in our judgment for a more varied consideration, and open us up to the idea that other people's perspectives are as valuable as our own, though quite varied they may be.


Enjoy Your Perspective While Respecting The Perspectives Of Others. All Perspectives Are Valuable. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by opening your perspective to a whole new world of joy.

Daily Inspiration 1-30-17

"Stress is not a negative emotion, 

it is a package of negative emotions." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

It's funny how many think of stress as a thing, or as a treatable disease. It is certainly dis-ease, but not a disease. It is not a thing, but a response to stimuli. It is an emotion that we feel, but it is more than this. It is a package of emotions.

Consider frustration. How does frustration relate to stress? It is in that package we call stress. So is worry, disappointment, discouragement, anger, revenge, hatred, guilt, powerlessness, fear. In fact, it is all fear, and all of these cause a response we often call stress.

Natalie Goldberg said, "Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency." 

Emergencies are rare, but when we make them a part of our daily life, it becomes stress. We are moving so fast sometimes, and we think things are so important, and that we must be a part of it that we find ourselves in stress perhaps all day long.

Viggo Mortensen shares these words of wisdom: "One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren't enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress." 

Stress may have become a daily enemy. Consider these beautiful words by Martin Luther King, Jr., "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." 

And last but not least, Karen Salmanshohn's advise is worthy of your consideration: "Give yourself a hug. Right now. Really. Stop what you're doing. Wrap your arms around yourself and hug yourself. Tightly. Appreciate all that you're doing and all who you love and all which you have!"


Slow Down. Cut Yourself Some Slack. Life Is Good. Love Is Always The Right Answer. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by looking for more and more ways to feel good. What is right about this? What could be right? Where is the joy in this? It's in there somewhere.

Daily Inspiration 1-29-17

"The phrase, 

'to each their own,' 

expresses more truth about life 

than we may realize." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

I was reading some movie reviews yesterday about a movie I was considering renting. There were so many that hated it, turned it off a short way into it, expressed other disappointments with it. At the same time, although in a minority of the reviews I saw, some loved it. Who's to know? It would only be us.

I usually don't pay much attention to the reviews because I have found some of the best and most memorable movies I've ever seen had a lot of poor reviews. Also, the opposite has been true in that many of the ones I rented that had great reviews, I found less than desirable, and not worth my time. To each their own. So, I take movie reviews lightly.

Isn't this true of so many things in life? We learn by experiencing for ourselves. Sometimes others can serve us with their opinions, but ultimately, they are just that--opinions, and though they may see this as fact for them, it is certainly not the fact for all.

As things go on in the world, in our employment, in our homes, and in our relationships, we run up against a lot of opinions. They might even be stated as having more authority than an opinion, such as in laws, rules, regulations, edicts, pronouncements, predictions, and more. Yet, they are not necessarily fact for us. I like how Abraham, Esther Hicks talks about other people's opinions and how to deal with that:

"Because others cannot vibrate in your experience, they cannot affect the outcome of your experience. They can hold their opinions, but unless their opinion affects your opinion, their opinion matters not at all. A million people could be pushing against you, and it would not negatively affect you unless you push back. They are affecting what happens in their experience. They are affecting their point of attraction--but it does not affect you unless you push against them." 

So, it's informative to listen to or read other people's opinions, but the only one that matters is our own, and especially as this relates to our opinion of ourselves. At the same time, allowing those opinions to be valid for them, without giving them any of our energy unless we find resonance with them, we can move through our lives with much more peace and joy.


Let It Flow, Let It Go. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying your opinions without insisting that others need to respond. Be injoy without messing with the joy of others. To each their own joy.

Daily Inspiration 1-28-17

"What if you could see the invisible, 

such as energy and vibration?" 

-- Albert K. Strong 

It is a scientific given that at the most basic level, everything is energy, and that energy is vibration. The things we see are these, and the things that we don't see that are invisible to our eyes are these too. The vast amounts of space in between material objects, including planets, solar systems, galaxies, or the space in the room I'm in is also this. The difference is only in the level or speed of the vibration of that energy.

Without getting any more technical than this, I wanted to share some ideas that relate to what we do not see and yet have an effect on our lives and the lives of others near and far.

Thoughts are vibration. They have a certain frequency, which is essentially the speed of the vibration. We may think that our thoughts are contained within our head, but they cannot be contained. Think of radio waves, television, cellular transmissions and such. We don't see any of that, yet it is there and it is moving away from the source of the transmission. It is in vibration at certain frequencies. One radio station broadcasts, or transmits at one frequency, let's say 101.5 FM, and another at 88.7 FM and they are received by a receiver that is tuned to those frequencies. It would be crazy to receive all of those transmissions at once. Let's call them individualized frequency transmissions.

Our thoughts including our incessant self-talk are being transmitted as we think them. They affect us as the transmitter and also because we are also a receiver, and yet we may think that we are in full control of where these thought transmissions go. We are not in control of that.

As we are communicating in person with another human, we are having an internal dialogue of thoughts. We may be expressing our thoughts about that person, what they look like, how their voice sounds, what they are wearing, and an infinite list of other details so fast that we couldn't keep up with it if we tried. What we don't think about is that our thoughts are being transmitted over distances far greater than our heads. Our thoughts are vibration and those vibrations are going out in ever-widening circles beyond ourselves.

But, here's the essential part. Other people are transmitters and receivers just as we are, and so there is a lot of different frequencies of energy all around us all the time. This begs attention to what we may be transmitting, and that more so, than what we are receiving. We generally think nothing of this aspect of our communications.

As we are talking with another, what are we saying that is not coming out verbally? Is it kind? Egotistical? Lustful? Down-putting? Encouraging? Appreciating? Uplifting? In other words, what are we saying to them or about them that we are not saying with our mouth?

When we are talking with a prospect, customer, or any other, what are we saying internally that we are not speaking aloud? If we said what we are saying internally with our speech, would that uplift the other, or cause them ill?

Recently, I've given lots of attention to what I am saying that I am not articulating with my vocal chords. I find that this causes me to look for things to consider that are lifting the other up, offering them loving thoughts, appreciating their presence in this world by realizing that we are all one at the source and that all deserve love, respect, kindness, upliftment, empowerment, joy.


My Unspoken Communication Is Being Transmitted, And More Importantly, Received. Am I Good With What I Am Communicating? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by actually spreading joy, instead of that other stuff. The difference is easy to spot.

Daily Inspiration 1-27-17

"When you become 

 your own greatest lover, 

you will have lots of competition 

 for the position." 

-- Alan Cohen 

As I have grown in my own learning, expansion, and connection with the Universe and All-That-Is, my life as I have known it has changed and can no longer revert to the ignorance of what was. This is a good thing.

Now as I read things in the news, on Facebook, in the media, or spoken by others, I see through many of the statements to that which lies hidden under the words.

Here's an example of what I mean from my local newspaper. The headline caught my attention and caused me to laugh. It read, "A 'loser' broke my heart and I just can't get over the pain." I laughed because I was asking, "well, if you can't, then you are doomed to lifelong pain." This is a person who has relinquished control to all that is outside of her. Even her daughter suggested that she shouldn't give that man so much power over her, but she cannot let it go. But, here's the real deal: she doesn't want to let it go. She is being rewarded by her pain. Of course, this is only because she has allowed her ego to rule her life.

First things first. She is feeling a loss. It is fear. She sees a shortage. Something has been taken from her and she wants it back. Abraham, Esther Hicks, can respond to this. "There is no shortage. And any attention to shortage of something wanted will always produce negative emotion within you because your guidance is letting you know that you have strayed from your broader basic understanding of abundance and Well-Being." 

Next is that it is our thoughts that create and not the other way around. We are attracting to ourselves by our thoughts, and accepting responsibility for that is key. At the most basic level, if we turn off the lady's thinking capacity, the problem immediately vanishes. It does not exist. Of course, nothing else does either since everything relates to our thoughts.

Last, understanding that we are feeling negative emotion, which tells us we are out of alignment with our own inner knowing or we could say inner being, and that our thoughts are creating our environment, the solution to any problem of thinking is our focus. What are we focused on? What are we giving attention to? In this case, she is giving attention to her fear of shortage and her ego is helping her find more pain to satisfy its desire to be right at all times. No matter the circumstance, we always have the power of focus at our beckon call.

Relating to the quote at the beginning, when we begin to love ourselves, we will find so many people loving us where we previously did not. Like attracts like. As we think, so it shall be.

I'll end this with this wonderful Abraham H. Maslow quote: "Some people have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy." 


We Can Be This, Or Not, As We Choose. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Does pain ever satisfy? The answer to that is yes. However, I personally prefer joy over pain. Not everyone does, and yet we may each choose as we will.

Daily Inspiration 1-26-17

"As I express my gratitude, 

I become more deeply aware of it. 

And the greater my awareness, 

the greater my need to express it." 

-- Br. David Steindl-Rast 

Perhaps the best questions that one could ever ask: What do I want? Would I prefer to feel good, or not that? Do I have any control of my life, really?

The answer to the last one is, absolutely. No one else does. Though we sometimes think we can't control our life, this isn't true, and only because no one else can think our thoughts for us. There is no doubt that many may try to influence or even manipulate, but we are the final authority and the final security in whether that is accepted or rejected.

The main reason that we may often feel as if our life is not controlled by us is that we are allowing our ego to rule. Though the ego is a wonderful tool as a helper in selected situations, it is an extremely poor manager. It reminds me of good salespeople promoted to manager and failing miserably. They aren't the same job only higher up, they are completely different kinds of jobs. The ego, if allowed to rule, will lead us astray and then justify that in every conceivable way.

The other reason is that we are on auto-pilot. We let our self-talk and thoughts just ramble without any awareness of what is really going on. In this we are open to almost any input and so we go here and there and all over the map reacting to all manner of things that go on around us in person and in the media.

So, answering the first questions, what do I want? and would I prefer to feel good, or not that? is critical. Once the decision is made, the direction is clearer. If the choice is that it doesn't matter if I feel good or not, then life is whatever it is and though ultimately I do control it, I am not accepting that and so it is on auto-pilot. What comes, comes.

Choosing that I want to feel good is the point of change to feel better, and better, and better. Once we have this awareness, we see the world around us differently. Instead of bad guys lurking in the shadows, we see light, beauty, strength, calm, joy. We immediately begin appreciating, and as we appreciate, we cannot help but be grateful, and that point of attraction, brings us more to appreciate and be grateful for.

It's as simple as this to change our lives for the better. I decide that I want to feel good and so I look for things that help me to feel good. As I am feeling good, I am attracting more things, people, circumstances to feel good about.

One would think that I could go back to auto-pilot anytime I want--back to the "normal" way of life. Yet, I cannot. Once I have opened my eyes and have seen, I have seen, and I cannot un-see. I can stay where I have grown to, but I cannot go back to what I was.


Appreciation And Gratitude Leads Me To A Higher Place. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by opening the door to your awareness of all of the joy that is within and all around you. This is what it is to be in joy.

Daily Inspiration 1-25-17

"Those who forget the past 

are doomed to repeat it." 

-- Sara Shepard 

Well. . . I've heard this kind of statement so many times in my life. Winston Churchill was famous for saying a quote that is similar and also attributed to George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." There are many others about learning from history as in one by Jesse Ventura: "Learn from history, or you're doomed to repeat it." 

These were all very interesting until I found this quote from Abraham, Esther Hicks that made me laugh with joy when I read it:

"If you examine your history, you cannot help but repeat it! Law of Attraction says it is so: "Whatever I am looking at, I am including in my vibration." 

We can "remember the Alamo," and an extensive list of tragic things, and maybe some will find solace in that, but I doubt it. Better to remember the butter I helped make in third-grade that I spoke of yesterday. That memory brings me joy almost every time I look at butter. It's either Mrs. White and third-grade or Julia Child's love of butter. They are both good.

What is the value of remembering the pain and re-experiencing it in the now?

What is the value of remembering the joy, appreciation of someone or something, a spectacular achievement that delighted you, and re-experiencing it in the now?

Whatever I am looking at from the past I am re-membering to me now. If I'm going to look, why not look at something that uplifts, inspires, brings me joy? I'm not really very fond of pain, and emotional pain can seem worse than physical pain many times. Perhaps it may be better to forget the Alamo, so to speak. Instead, remember walking up and getting that high school or college diploma. Or, that first kiss. How about the day you hit a home run with the bases loaded, or the 'A' on that test that we studied so hard for. Maybe it was making love on the beach one night. Or as exquisite as what it felt like to be hugged and shown love by a caring parent.

I'll never forget sitting on the couch with my father who died when I was only 13 and who divorced my mother when I was 5. We would visit his home in Long Beach CA for a week in the summer. What I remember about those few minutes is glorious. He was hugging me, and I could feel his end of the day whiskers on my face. I enjoy that thought and feeling from time to time, and it always feels marvelous. As well those kind of moments were very rare, and it is the perfect way to remember him.

Whatever I am giving my attention to I am including in my vibration. So are you. What that is for me and you is fully and completely our own choice of focus.


Every Moment Of Every Day Is A Choice Of Focus. We Are The Choosers. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by remembering all the joy and love in your life. Re-experience it freely as you create more of it anew.

Daily Inspiration 1-24-17

"We must find time 

to stop and thank the people 

who make a difference in our lives." 

-- John F. Kennedy 

Yes, and as well thank those who have made a difference though it may be long ago.

Mrs. White. I don't know her first name. She was my third-grade teacher at Lee School in Azusa CA. My memory tells me that she was always a nice person. I really enjoyed third-grade with her. Third grade is the only time I ever got straight A's in one of the four quarters. The other three had a lot of A's, but some B's mixed in.

The thing that stands out to me today is butter. I love butter. Real butter. With salt. And quite often as I am buttering toast or something, I think of Mrs. White.

She took us on a field trip to a dairy that was a few miles away. We got a tour of how they get milk from the cows, and learned about cream and raw milk and pasteurized and homogenized milk. Mrs. White bought some cream to bring back to class. She got a butter churn and we all took turns churning the butter. This was all in learning and in preparation for an open house for the parents to come visit the class. The butter was served with crackers and we were all so proud that we helped make butter.

But, here's the best part: That butter was the best I have ever tasted. I can still taste it in my mouth. It was so delicious, smooth, spreadable.

I am so grateful for such a positive and enjoyable memory that is now 60 years old and still as good as it ever has been. As well, I had that third-grade report card most of my life, and I probably still have it somewhere, although I used to know exactly where it was.

It's interesting how we touch each other even far into the future and even after we may be long gone from this life. I wonder if any of the other kids in that class were similarly touched by Mrs. White. . .


Spend A Bit Of Your Time In Celebration Of Someone Who Inspired You. 

Spread Some Joy Today--As you are in delight, so are those who come into contact with you.

Daily Inspiration 1-23-17

"Things do not bring us any meaning. 

It is we who bring meaning to things." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

We see something, hear, touch, smell, sense something, and it means something to us. Often, we know exactly what it means to us, and other times we may be hard pressed to articulate what that meaning is, yet we feel that there is meaning within us.

Abstract paintings are like that. You could say that people either like one or do not like it, but it is even deeper. There is meaning to some and no meaning and no sense of anything at all to others.

The painting I show here by local artist, Marjorie Lutz, is one that I bought that spoke to me. What was it saying to me? It wasn't saying anything, but rather, I was interpreting what I saw and I felt a connection to it. I cannot tell you exactly what that is because it is many things.

I love the colors and where they are on the canvas. I love the different textures including things added to the paint. From a distance of about 15 feet or so, I feel the movement within it, the harmony within it. I see palm trees and a beach, and a sailboat in rolling seas, snow capped mountains, and tropical forest. I see a brilliant sunrise after a good soaking rain, I feel music within it. I see and feel many things, all of which I bring to the painting, not the other way around.

Who knows? It could be that the artist just stood back and threw things at the canvas and this is what happened. But, it doesn't matter to me whether it was the artist's best work or worst. I was in a room surrounded by paintings from this artist and this is the one that once I saw it, I could not get it out of my mind. So, I bought it, and I am delighted that I did.

Other people may think it looks like crap, nor a real painting, and not worthy to adorn a wall, and that is fine. We all bring our own meaning to everything we see. I brought mine and it resonated with me. It is entirely possible it was painted specifically for me, and the Law of Attraction brought me to the out of the way place where it was displayed so that I could experience it. All of that can be true, and yet none of it matters. I saw it, it resonated with me, I was joyful looking at it and I am joyful every time I look at it even some years later. And, any time something bought continues to serve and/or bring one joy, that is indeed, a great purchase.

I'll end this post with this quote by Alan Cohen:

"All things are neutral, without positive or negative value, or any meaning whatsoever, until we put them to use." 


It Isn't What It Is. It Is What You Say It Is. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by feeling for resonation. This is your constant source of joy.

Daily Inspiration 1-22-17

"A man who carries a cat by the tail 

learns something he can learn no other way." 

-- Mark Twain 

I am thinking that our new President is going to find out that way.

I think that perhaps sometimes we are all learning things that way. Once the lessons of this are learned though, we learn to turn our heads and hearts toward harmony, brotherhood, respect, and love.

Let us hope the same for our figurative leaders. We each, of course, are the only leaders that matter when it comes to our own lives.


Learning Is Such A Fascinating Journey. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing people the space to figure out their own learning needs. We all have them.

Daily Inspiration 1-21-17

"It takes a lot less work to feel good 

than it does to feel bad." 

-- Alan Cohen 

Of course! That makes perfect sense. Feeling bad is all about struggle, resistance, pushing against unwanted things and ideas, disappointment, overwhelment, powerlessness, depression, anger, revenge, worry, doubt, discouragement, jealousy, fear, grief, rage, and despair, just to name a few. It takes effort to keep those feelings alive. They require work.

Feeling good on the other hand is likened to the opposite of work or effort because it is all about letting go. Just open our hands and let go of that rope we are holding on to. Just open our heart and let go of those things that we have been stirring to a frenzy in our bodies and mind. How much work is letting go? Zip. Nada. Holding on is where the work is. Pushing against things, people, ideas is where the work is. There is no work in letting go.

Next time you find yourself feeling bad, take a look inside and see what you are holding on to, and then if you want to feel good, or better, let go of that and see what comes. It may even seem magical, but it is not magic. It is called peace.


Paying Attention To How You Feel Is Your Powerful Point Of The Power To Change How You Feel. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go. Joy requires no struggle whatsoever.

Daily Inspiration 1-20-17

"Time is too slow for those who wait, 

too swift for those who fear, 

too long for those who grieve, 

too short for those who rejoice, 

but for those who love, time is eternity." 

-- Henry Van Dyke 

Today is the Friday of your choosing. You get to choose how you live it.

Here's a suggestion: Choose love!


Amen! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by giving up the need for stress. Joy is anti-resistance medicine for all.

Daily Inspiration 1-19-17

"Why we want what we want 

is of infinite and telling importance." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

This is for a friend, and yet, it is also for me.

In the movie, Cool Runnings, Derice is feeling he will be a failure if he goes back to Jamaica without winning a Gold medal at the Olympics. Irv, the coach tells him: "Derice, a gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you're not enough without one, you'll never be enough with one." 

Here's some words of wisdom from one of my favorite authors, Alan Cohen: "The secret is to determine what you would like to receive from other people, and then give it to yourself. This crucial shift can be difficult in a world where we are daily bombarded with the implication that we are empty and needy, and everything we want and need is somewhere else." 

Everything we really need is within us. All perceptions of the world around us are within us. All choices of what we will feel at any given time are within us. All power of decision is within us. All power of thought is within us. There is no shortage within us. In fact, there is no shortage. Abundance is the rule. Perception is the rule.

All we see and feel is a response to how we choose to see, which is our perception, and is based purely in our thoughts. In our thoughts, we are worthy or unworthy, loved or unloved, blessed or cursed, and all points in between. It is all in our own control.

So this is the reason that why we want what we want is infinitely important. The answer will determine whether it is passion or obsession that drives us. The difference between those two emotional drivers is as vast as night and day.

We are already enough in the eyes of our Creator. We will always be enough in the eyes of our Creator. Wanting is wonderful. It is the expansion of life, and when we are wanting for the reason of the joy of the expansion, the delight in the unfolding, the magic in the desire, we are in alignment, or in unison with our inner abundance.


Accolades Are Great. Inner Peace Is Better. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by fulfilling your desire, and everyone's desire to feel good, and joy is the recognition of your inner worth and value.

Daily Inspiration 1-18-17

"The world is your kaleidoscope, 

and the varying combinations of colors 

which at every succeeding moment 

it presents to you 

are the exquisitely adjusted pictures 

of your evermoving thoughts." 

-- James Allen 

I'm certain that you can relate when I say that there is a smile that is of the lips and the face, and then there is a smile that is of our entire being. The latter could be compared very well with the word, joy.

How often might you pay attention to what you are thinking as your are going about your daily tasks, traveling to and from work, going to the grocery store, doing errands, or just out for a drive? It's a curious thing how our mind seems to never cease thinking thoughts whether we are paying any attention to them or not. And, as we pay attention or not, we are creating with them nonetheless. How we feel at any given point is a direct indication of what those thoughts are creating, though we may not be paying attention to those feelings either. I know that sometimes, we are just moving about on autopilot.

Two days ago, I shared a single sentence quote of such power that it may take some time to settle in. It was from Abraham, Esther Hicks, and it is worthy of repeating here: "Appreciation is the magic formula you've been seeking." I think this is perfectly stated, and though it isn't magic, it works in such a way to certainly feel like magic in how it causes so many more of those smiles that are expressed in my entire being.

I'll give you a simple example from this morning. I almost always make my own breakfast at home, but this morning just before 6 a.m., I decided to drive to Starbucks in the rain and get a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Just for the heck of it. I'm in my sweats and flipflops, but I don't need to get out of the truck, and plus it is a short journey.

I start my 15-year old F150 and it runs perfectly like it did when I bought it 13 years ago. It's wet, dark and 44 degrees outside according to my truck thermometer. I find that I am thinking about this fun little unusual jaunt, and loving the comfort of my wonderful truck (Thanks! Paul Brown). I'm thinking how smoothly it is driving and how delightful it is to live in this time. Considering history, it was only a nanosecond ago, or less than 150 years in human time when this masterful machine we call the automobile did not even exist in it's simplest form.

People used to drive around in wagons led by horses, or mules. Even living in the city, there were no transportation options that we would recognize in today's world, except perhaps walking. I see the street lights that light the way and the neighborhoods. I see the smooth asphalt roadway that I am driving on, all the roadway markings, traffic lights. My windshield is fogging up a bit from the humidity, so I turn on the defroster and it magically evaporates off the glass.

I casually drive up to Starbuck's, place my order, noticing that the person taking the order seems so pleasant, and I return that feeling joyfully, and drive around toward the paying and receiving window. Once there, the person inside and I exchange smiles, and I drive on heading back home.

All the while on this short little trip, I have this smile that permeates my being. I am in joy. I am loving this trip. I am in awe of all that is around me that I often seem to take for granted. I remind myself that I was born before so many of these things that are conveniences for us in our lives today, and I am eager in anticipation of those things that will come in the near future.

All of these things are great. I love how they help us and serve us, and yet, what is even greater is standing in appreciation of them. And, even greater still is standing in appreciation of this life I am living, in whatever I choose to do in my day. And, I choose first and foremost to stand in appreciation and feel that smile that becomes my entire being.


What I See Is What I Get. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by standing in appreciation.

Daily Inspiration 1-17-17

"The purpose of life

is to discover your gift. 

The work of life

is to develop it. 

The meaning of life 

is to give your gift away." 

-- David Viscott 

I like this quote, but I would change one word and delete one word for it to be more true in my mind. It is in the last line. So here's how I would prefer this message in the quote:

The purpose of life is to discover your gift. 

The work of life is to develop it. 

The meaning of life is to share your gift. 

For the majority of my life, I have searched for my gift. It used to be said that everyone has that one special talent, that God-given gift, and that it was in the discovery of that, that we become whole. I think I took that to heart; however, it caused frustration and anxiety because I never seemed to get to that place where I absolutely knew without a doubt what my special talent or gift was.

So, I tried a lot of things. I kept searching, wondering, wanting. And, I have come to realize, and if you know about the Law of Attraction, then as I continued to search and want and wondered, more searching, wanting and wondering was given to me. "I know it's there somewhere" turned into "where the heck is it?," "will I ever find it?," "what is wrong with me?" Well, you can see how that would work out.

Then, only recently via some wise teachers that I stumbled across (a misnomer for sure), I realized that I had it all along. It is me. Or, you could say it this way: It is me, or It is me, or It is me! I am the gift. To discover my inner connection to all that is. This is to discover the gift, and we are all gifted with this the same with our own unique flavors.

My work has been developing it. I have been doing this all along. We cannot help but do it.

The meaning, or rather my meaning of life is to share this gift. I have been sharing this gift all of my life without realizing that this has been the case. I am sharing it right now. I shared it in so many different ways, and yet each of those ways was me. The gift was me. I have been sharing this gift in everything that I have done and continue to do.

The last realization about this is that it is not a destination. That's what I always thought it was. I thought that one day I will discover my God-given gift and I will have arrived. Not so. It is a journey. And, paying attention to that journey in all its glory is the joy of living our gift as we are discovering even more of it, working (or, rather, playing) to develop it, expand it, allow it more fully, and in the sharing with others that which we are through those things that we choose to do, and through our many relationships.


You Are The Gift. Celebration Is In Order. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by stopping the search for it. Joy is already with each of us. All we need to do is recognize it, expand with it, and share it.

Daily Inspiration 1-16-17

"No matter what they say, 

you can never have too much sugar." 

-- Michael, the Archangel, 

from the movie, Michael 

It's been a long time, so I decided to watch the movie, Michael, again. I love this movie for many reasons, and I think my favorite reason is because it inspires me to appreciate life more.

In the movie, Michael has moments where he just stares off into the scenery around him, like when he is sitting on the plow in a field the with dog Sparky. He speaks of how much he loves it here on Earth and how much he will miss it. Somehow, that passion for life, that overwhelming desire to live comes across so well in these scenes. It inspires me toward more appreciation in my life.

I've said it before, and will do so again; I think appreciation is the single most important and valuable activity I have ever or could ever learn. It has taken me out of boredom, complacency, despair, frustration, and even depression. It is that powerful of a living tool. In fact, Abraham, Esther Hicks says it so well in this short sentence:

"Appreciation is the magic formula you've been seeking." 

A while back I found this magic formula. Guess who delivered it to me? It was Abraham, Esther Hicks. And now it is such a part of my life every single day, all throughout the day, that I never even think about using it because I now automatically use it.

I am constantly looking for things to appreciate no matter what they are or where I find them. I find them everywhere I go. I cannot walk ten feet and not see something and mentally appreciate it. I don't even have to move my body. I can just look around the room or out of the window. I would have to say that I am pretty much in a constant state of appreciation.

Appreciation has many levels. I find that some things I appreciate with more passion than others, although that only takes the emotion from joy to excitement. The things, situations, people I find that move me even beyond excitement cause me to go into a more rare field of emotion: Wonder.

When I am in wonder, I don't even know what to say. I am stunned. I am in awe. I am in as pure a delight as one could find I think. So now I bounce through all of these emotions that feel so grand, and all of it because I decided to begin to appreciate instead of criticizing. And look where it has brought me. And, movies like Michael and many others remind me in an entertaining way that I am in love with life and living as I pay attention to what is really important--Sugar! Salt. Flavor. Appreciation. Fun. Joy. Love.


You Can Never Have Too Much Sugar. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by being injoy.

Daily Inspiration 1-15-17

"I think, 

therefore I am." 

-- Rene Descartes 

I was remembering this morning how I have heard some say something to the effect of, it doesn't matter what I think. Sometimes it is expressed using the same words but with different inflections. For example:

It doesn't matter what I think.
It doesn't matter what I think.
It doesn't matter what I think.

And my favorite: It doesn't matter what I think.

But, you know, the real truth is that is does. It has to. That is all there is of you. It matters all. What you think is what you are. What you think is who you are (in form anyway). What you think is what you have. What you think is what you do. What you think is who is around and close to you. What you think is your bank account. What you think is your health. What you think is your love life. What you think is your emotional life. What you think is everything. What you think is your reality, your world. It is your vibration in energy.

Now, if any of these things don't feel right, are in need of change, aren't working as planned, guess where the change will have to take place.

I'll leave you today with this bit of wisdom from Abraham, Esther Hicks:

"What you do is miniscule in comparison with what you choose to think, because your vibration is so much more powerful and so much more important." 


You Think. Therefore There You Are. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by thinking on joy, love, appreciation, empowerment, joy, love, appreciation. . . a little extra is a good thing!

Daily Inspiration 1-14-17

"There is no affirmation

without the one who affirms. 

In this sense, everything to which 

you grant your love is yours." 

-- Ayn Rand 

Before I get started with today's message, I want to add something to yesterday's message about blame and blaming. I ran across this quote today looking at quotes on affirmation, and it is so perfectly matched to some of yesterday's post, I had to share it today and I think it is worth letting it settle in a bit:

"When you blame others, 

you are affirming that you have no power, 

and your existence is only a reaction 

to the power of others." 

-- Bryant McGill. 

I've written about affirmations several times, and I've struggled with them over the years. I thought I knew enough about them, but I did not. I have been given a new perspective via a new book series I've been reading and I am completely renewed in the awesome power of intention and affirmation.

Those two words go together so well because an intention is expressed best as an affirmation. If you've tried to use affirmations like I have, they are all about the future and intending that the future be more to our liking in some way by calling forth more abundance, better health, better situations, and more. But, the real power of affirmations is in the now. That's because this is all there is now. And, an affirmation from the intention of something happening right now is so powerful that I am jumping up and down inside just thinking about it.

It's just fine to imagine what I might want in the future, seeing myself in better financial condition, and more delightful things around me, as well as the health to enjoy them and so on. Nothing wrong with picturing and affirming this. It is wonderful. Yet, we can affirm things in our now that have an immediate effect instead of a future intended result.

I learned a little bit of this and I have written about it in what Abraham, Esther Hicks calls 'segment intending.' Yet even that is future; albeit, a much closer future, as in intending a safe trip from here to there, etc.

I've written about mentally blessing others also, which is an affirmation in the now. This is what has become renewed with delight in me, and it even goes deeper than what we might think of as a blessing.

When I accept that all of us are a product of the Creator, and that each and every one of us is loved unconditionally, and that I can accept that in myself as well, I have the foundation necessary to truly bless others as I move around in my physical life. As a product of the Creator, or God, or whatever words you may like to use, I am therefore a part of that too. As I acknowledge that in myself first, I can now acknowledge that in all others, and all things. And, I can do this more effectively and purposefully through the use of affirmations.

An example might be to say, "I am acknowledging the divine presence of the person in front of me (or beside me, or over there)," or I can add, "I seek harmony in our intentions," or, "I acknowledge that I am loved unconditionally by my Source and I acknowledge that same love in all others around me." Each of these and a thousand others are a way of affirming in the present and when I do this, magic seems to happen. I'm not necessarily looking for a result, but I am getting one. First, I am affirming myself and my own Source which is the Source of all things. Second, I am affirming all others human, animal, and things as coming from the same Source and that Source is within them, whether they are awake to it or not. This often creates an instant love connection, and harmony in the moment.

But, heck, enough theory. Try it yourself. First, acknowledge that you are a creation of the Creator, God, All-That-Is, and that this Source loves all of It's creations unconditionally. Next, affirm that. Next, accept that all others have the exact same pedigree, and last, affirm that in them and your connection to them in unconditional love. When you accept that you are loved unconditionally, it is easy to see beyond whatever facade a person may be showing to see the real truth that we are all loved together as well as apart.


Affirmation Turns A Thought Into Action. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by actually spreading that joy liberally in your acceptance of your divine love.

Daily Inspiration 1-13-17

"The search for a scapegoat 

is the easiest of all hunting expeditions."

-- Dwight D. Eisenhower 

If you talked to me 25 years ago compared to today, you would see something along the lines of the difference between Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. Of course, I would be Mr. Hyde today.

The transition has been gradual, and in the last few years, the transition is nearing completion. And, personally, I shout Hallelujah! with the utmost joy at this place, that in years past I didn't even realize could be occupied.

Now, it's not perfect yet. Completion or arrival doesn't mean perfection. It means that there is a certain maturity that has come where I have delighted in the cause of inner renewal, inner peace, and joy. I have finally understood blame and my previous need for it and where those thoughts come from. I am as free as a man can be in still having an ego.

This realization came to me a couple days ago. I was watching a documentary on Netflix called Fed-Up. It is what they call the obesity epidemic in this country. In every movie, whether documentary or fiction, there needs to be a protagonist and an antagonist. In this case, the protagonist is several who have the answers, and the antagonist is the food industry and members of government on their payroll. The protagonist is speaking on behalf of the so-called unknowing, unsophisticated victims, who are portrayed as powerless in the face of this ubiquitous foe.

It is easy to become upset by this and all portrayals like this. It's the old David and Goliath story with David not yet on the scene. If we are willing to blame, it is easy to blame wherever we may wander, whatever we may see or hear. But personal responsibility in choice? Well, it's in there but, "it's hard. It's so hard."

As I finished watching this movie, I realized that I wasn't going for it. I wasn't taking the bait. This movie, of course, has an agenda, and it is to move me to blame and away from personal responsibility. That's a very familiar place to me. I used to blame my stupid boss in the car business, the taxes, the government, the weather, the fill in the blank. It didn't matter. I blamed liberally. There was plenty to go around.

Then, one day, I wanted to change that. I wanted to stop blaming others. I think I had always wanted to but it was 'hard.' It was acceptable to blame. The Daily News is full of blame on almost every single page. Back then I watched the TV news at least twice each night and it was full of blame, the sitcoms were full of blame. Heck, blame was everywhere I looked. But, I began to ask myself about my own personal responsibility. If I'm not responsible as in blaming others or circumstances or things, then I am just like a pinball in a pinball machine bouncing off this thing and that racking up points for my ego so that I could be blameless.

Is all those accusations in the movie true? Probably, but that isn't the point. The point became so clear to me, and that point is that regardless of the circumstances, we have personal choice in how we will think about anything. Viktor Frankl is quoted as saying, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

What is required to give up blame is to allow others to make their own choices without any insistence that they satisfy me. You might say this is the definition of unconditional love. I say, absolutely. If we are loving people unconditionally, whatever they will do has no affect on me other than what I allow. This allowed me to see in the movie that people were getting what they were asking for, though they may do this unconsciously. They wanted fast and so fast food came into being. They wanted to not have to cook and so TV dinners came into being. The food industry is responding to what people want. If people didn't want it or didn't want to buy it, the food industry would have to do something different. They are only doing what they can to improve their lives by staying in business and growing, providing jobs and income for millions of people.

I go to the grocery store and I see all those processed foods. I don't blame them. I accept them. I rarely choose them for myself, but I don't insist that they not be there. In fact, I love the plethora of choices available to me. I learned this from Abraham, Esther Hicks back when they used to use a kitchen and a pie as an example. They would say that I go to my kitchen where I have every conceivable ingredient, and I decide I want a pie, and so I make my pie adding whatever I choose that I want to put in it. Then another says that there is Tabasco sauce in the kitchen and I don't want any of that to get in my pie, and Abraham says, just don't put it in your pie. And the other says, but I want it out of the kitchen because it might get into my pie. Abraham says it can't get into your pie unless you put it in your pie. And, well, you can see how this goes and how it relates to blaming others, wanting that which we don't like to be off the planet, and so much more. It is the stuff of war.

I could go on and yet I will end with the celebration I began with. I have come to a point in my life where I shout Hallelujah! at the top of my lungs for having completed this long journey of releasing the need for blame. My ego still wants to, but I no longer allow my ego to rule. I am in charge. My ego is an adviser, but not in charge. I love being in this place where I can still see all the blame going on and not feel any need to join with it.


This Is Genuine And Delightful Progress! 

Spread Some Joy Today--as you learn how to release your joy along your own path.

Daily Inspiration 1-12-17

"When confronted with a situation 

that appears fragmented or impossible, 

step back, close your eyes, 

go to the inner place 

where problems cannot enter, 

and abide in the consciousness of well-being. 

When you are committed 

to inner peace above all else, 

all else will take care of itself." 

-- Alan Cohen 

As we worry about things and focus on solving problems, all we do is make them worse. We cause them to grow as a result of the attention that we give problems, or unwanted situations. Solutions require a different mindset, a willingness to see things in a new way. And, I think the best way to make this shift is to step into your own inner peace.

You could think of it like going into a dark room and sitting in a comfortable chair and releasing all thought for a few minutes. As you release thought, all the problems of your life and of the world evaporate. This place is well-being, and it is peace.

You could say very accurately that peace is the absence of conflict. Sometimes conflict is beneficial because it helps us to expand and grow to become more, and so does peace. Going into our inner peace at any time is beneficial, and I think especially when we are focused on problems and situations that are upsetting us in one way or another.

It is very hard to solve problems in the face of them. It requires a change in thinking to get to the place where we can focus on solutions. Taking a break from the problem is a way of clearing its focus and influence allowing us to make the transition with more ease and calm.

It need not take very long. A few minutes can be perfect. If at home, go to another room and close the door. If at work, go to the bathroom or an empty office, or take a walk outside and stop at a bench or find a place to rest for a few minutes. The main thing is to get our physical body away for just a few minutes and our mind will follow. From there, we can relax and let go, breathe deeply, and in a very short time, regain our composure, and more important, gain a better perspective.

Going into our inner peace every day for even just a few minutes will also help us to maintain a better perspective of all of the aspects of living we encounter and move through each day. It is a perfect way to begin and/or end every day.


Wishing You Peace And Well-Being. 

Spread Some Joy Today--as you allow your inner connection to peace.

Daily Inspiration 1-11-17

"You have been criticizing

yourself for years, 

and it hasn't worked. 

Try approving of yourself 

and see what happens!" 

-- Louise Hay 

What a delightful idea!


You Are The Salt Of The Earth! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by taking joy in you!

Daily Inspiration 1-10-17

"Enjoy the unfolding." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

It's one thing to go away and come back and see a child has grown so much, and another to watch the unfolding day by day by day.

It's one thing to relax and enjoy the ride, and another to keep score by constantly wondering where we are now and lamenting about why we aren't there yet.

The world around us, and the world we play in has become so focused on instant results, or magic formulas, that we often lose the enjoyment of the journey toward that which we want next. The journey can be delicious. I think that when we enjoy the deliciousness of that unfolding adventure, while knowing where we're heading with confidence, that this is where the joy really is in the reaching of the goal.

We can get so focused on the destination, and not appreciating the value of the path that gets us there.

Try this next time you have a goal: Pay attention to the unfolding and rather than keeping score, enjoy the change at whatever speed it comes about. Have confidence in the eventual arrival at the goal, while finding joy in the steps along the way.

After you get to your destination, your best memories will not be of arriving, but the travel along the way.


Arriving Is The Smallest Part Of The Story. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by being in joy, injoying your day, injoying your particular journey, injoying your life.

Daily Inspiration 1-9-17

"Clouds may block 

 our view of the sun, 

but they cannot remove it."

-- Alan Cohen 

I got my pilot's license in July of 1969, and most of my flying was done within a couple years of that date. When I saw the quote above, it reminded me of flying then, as well as flying now in commercial jets with other pilots flying the plane. It also excited my thoughts and memories of other ways in which we trust what we do not necessarily see, including, trusting in God, or in our own inner knowing.

Once you get a pilot's license, you can get other 'ratings,' such as an instrument rating, which certifies via an FAA testing that you were trained sufficiently to navigate using the airplane's instruments in non-visual circumstances, like flying in clouds and such. All airline pilot's have to be instrument rated, of course, and I'm sure we've all been on an airplane where you're going though clouds and you can't see anything outside the window. We're trusting the pilot knows how to navigate without being able to see.

When learning to fly, they teach and test you on a little bit of instrument-only flying, so that you learn to trust that the instruments are true to what they are supposed to do. Sure, there is skill involved, but it is trust that matters more in learning to use the instruments. From a physical point of view, it is easier than you might imagine without our being able to see the horizon or landmarks, to become disoriented. But, by being able to use the instruments to 'see,' and trusting in their guidance, all is well.

We trust all the time, but we aren't paying attention to it. As we drive down any two lane road in the country at 60 mph, we are trusting that the oncoming cars have drivers who are awake and paying attention, staying in their lane. We wouldn't be able to drive if we didn't trust in this, even though we all know that every once in a while they don't stay in their lane.

There's a lot of things that we trust in with our eyes. Even in night driving, we see headlights indicating others and their positions. But, trusting things that we cannot see, that is where we may have had issues, and where our confidence can be tested.

Trusting in God, or our inner being, our inner knowing, of the Universe to back us up is a huge issue for many. We cannot see, it is all invisible to us. We have to believe, and as we believe, we are trusting.

I believe that we are all seasoned pilots, but that sometimes it is easy to forget that we know how to fly via our instruments. We prefer different and more real evidence. And, just like any pilot, we have to practice to get better at our skill, and more confident in our trust.


Trust More. Worry Less. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by trusting your connection to all of life.

Daily Inspiration 1-8-17

"In the middle of difficulty 

lies opportunity." 

-- Albert Einstein 

Yesterday, I created a post about value and how we have influence on others and how we provide value, and even how in what seems to be a negative way, we can provide value, but that it just takes a little longer to see it that way. This caused the thinking that creates this post.

This last recession, which according to Wikipedia began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, caused lots of change in the world. It was one of the more severe recessions if we are comparing them one to another, likened only to the Great Depression which began in 1929. Yet, I disagree with the dates, and that it was something negative. It depended on what industry you were involved in as to the dates, and it depended entirely on your personal interpretation as to whether it was bad or not.

Some people were completely unaffected by it, generally speaking, others lost homes, jobs, and others gained from it. This was true in the 1929-1933 period as much as the late 2000's.

In my life, it caused substantial change, and yet it created significant opportunity. We have a tendency to focus on what is going on in front of us so it would be very easy to list all the negative factors. And with a bit of time to gain perspective, the list continues to grow on the positive side, even overtaking the negative, causing it to become a valuable event.

It was a bit traumatic for me in the beginning and during a period, but this event caused me to make decisions that created benefit for me in unexpected ways and created many advantages to others as a direct result of its effect on me.

Without getting into exact details, the influence of the recession caused me to give up things, and to begin new things, and to change old self-defeating habits. It might be seen by some that these things were forced on me by the situation, and yet, I see it as if I attracted it because, in my 20/20 hindsight, know that I wanted these changes and that this case of the recession was merely a bit of encouragement.

In fact, and without exaggeration, I am so much happier now. I look upon this period of travel as one of the best things that ever happened in my life. I feel like I am free now, whereas before was bound only thinking I was free.

I think maturity is only learning to go with the flow of life, seeing beyond what it seems to be displaying, and realizing that no matter what, it is all good.


But, That's Just Me. You Have The Right To Decide Otherwise. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by realizing that it is always within you all the time and that you are always in charge of letting it out or keeping it under wraps.

Daily Inspiration 1-7-17

"The value of a man 

should be seen in what he gives 

and not in what he is able to receive." 

-- Albert Einstein 

Some one paid me a high compliment yesterday stating that I didn't realize the power of my influence and value to many. Often we may not see the value we provide, or recognize the effects on others, even at great distances, and even with people, we have never met. Yet we do. We all affect one another and even those way outside of our localized realm. It has been said that a butterfly flapping its wings in Boliva, has an effect in Nebraska.

This caused me to consider value and how we might think that we provide value, as in the idea of success, via our financial prowess, or how we created a start-up company that caused several to become million or billionaires. We might think that we are not providing value if we are not receiving personal rewards that we think recognize that or those values. And, though this may be true for some, it is a mistake to believe that this is a formula of our worth in providing value. Some painters died in poverty and were not well known for their efforts whose paintings now sell for millions of dollars. They provided value then without remuneration, and provide value maybe even hundreds of years later a plenty.

I believe that we all came here on purpose and with specific intentions with all manner of possibilities in how that would come to pass. Some call that the infinite field of potentiality. It gives us the flexibility to fulfill our intentions through almost unlimited avenues of personal choice.

If I asked you, why did you come here? What were your intentions?, you may or may not be able to answer that from your memory of your intentions, but I think you couldn't help but answer it in how you live your life--especially in how you give in your life. Another good question would be to ask ourselves, what value do I provide in this world? We might even sit down and celebrate the many things we do, influences we provide and attitudes that we display that demonstrate our value.

I don't just mean so-called positive value. There are all manner of things that are often called negative, and even evil to some that also provide value. Have you ever done something in your past that many would consider bad, or being a bad influence, only to find out years later how positive that negative act became via the influence? No, it isn't about good or bad, it is only about influence and value. What value do I provide? What value have I provided? What kind of an influence am I? These questions can open the way to fulfillment and receive the confirmation of that provision quickly.

In my alignment with my inner Source, I cannot help but provide the best influence and value via that alignment. As I am not, I am still providing value, but it may take years to understand how. After all, it is our inner Source that is our guide when we seek that guidance by aligning with it. I think it is in our giving with our intention of providing value to others that is always in alignment within.


Celebrate Your Value On All The Levels That This Takes Place. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by feeling the joy that comes from your giving and your alignment within.

Daily Inspiration 1-6-17

"If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right.

Men will believe what they see."

-- Henry David Thoreau

[Classic post from 5-31-10]

I remember when I was a child, my mother being upset and yelling, "don't do as I do, do as I say!" Of course there were instances to back that up, such as telling me not to smoke cigarettes as they both had cigarettes burning in the ashtray. I didn't listen to them, but followed their example. This, of course, was true for many things that I ended up doing that I "shouldn't."

Then, later in life as a manager, I would sometimes find myself saying one thing and doing another. It is a serious challenge to lead by example, but it is the thing that leads the best.

One last thing about this: be easy on yourself. I keep trying to do my best to lead by example and celebrate the successes. Enjoying the journey is far more important.

What I Do Speaks Louder Than What I Say.

Spread Some Joy Today--If your goal is always joy, leading by example is easy.

Daily Inspiration 1-5-17

"Travel is a bigger challenge 

when we're chained to a post."

-- Albert K. Strong 

Ever seen an animal chained to a post? Whatever the length of the chain or rope is the limit of the travel in any direction. Of course, that's the whole idea in this situation. We want to limit the movement of the animal for one reason or another, often for the safety and security of the animal and people nearby. But, it's kind of sad to see it when the animal wants to roam, as watching a bird in a cage, which I think is one of the silliest things you could ever do to a bird.

In some ways, we are all chained to a post. We may travel a bit farther, but it is still dramatically limiting. And, I think that we also do it to preserve our own safety and security, which is the solidity of the post, as we play around with the length of the chain which is our beliefs, our view of the world and ourselves in it, our habits, and our awareness.

This limitation--the length of the chain--is always self-inflicted, and the solution of either lengthening the chain or removing it entirely is always within our immediate power. We may not believe that which is one of our self-inflicted limitations, but that only hides the truth, and yet the truth is there for us to uncover as we will.

Can I excel at this job? Can I get a great job without a college education? Can I become a millionaire? Can I work out of my home instead of going to a job location? Can I travel the world for my career having a life of adventure? Can I own my own business? Of course! These and several million other ideas are entirely possible. One way to know that is to ask if anyone is actually doing this now? If they are, it is entirely possible for us as well. In fact, even if they weren't, we could be the first. There's nothing like being a pioneer.

Our chain is mental and physical. It is created in our mind and expressed physically in our lives. This causes us to think that the limitation is real and that it comes from the outside. It's the town I live in, the economy at the moment, my lack of educational documents, the crutches I walk with, the wheelchair I live in, the job I have, not having experience, and more. Yet, it is none of that in reality. Those things are only physical expressions of our mental state. They are our self-imposed limitations which cause us to feel as if we truly are chained to a post.

Our escape from this is easy and hard. It is easy because we are the answer and we are right here. It is hard because we have to change. No matter how upset we are where we are in our limitations, there is a certain comfort in the known, and we can, as animals often do, give up trying to break through the limitation and accept it as it seems to be, becoming complacent within it. Escape is the unknown and our fear of the unknown can also help us stay within our known and accepted realm. But, there is a whole new world right on the other side of our current view.

Step one is having a desire to change. Step two is making the decision to change. Step three is to see the change as we want it to be. Step four is to do our best where we are until the coast is clear. The horizon will come into view. Patience is helpful. When the horizon is in view, move toward it.

Just knowing that this chain that we feel is of our own creation, is a triumph worthy of celebration. We are unlimited beings. We have all potential and possibility before us, along with bolt cutters at hand to free us from the post.


We Only Think The Post Is Solid Because We Stopped Trying To Pull It Out Of The Ground. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of your self-imposed limitations on your available joy.