Friday, June 30, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-30-17

"Argue for your limitations, 
and sure enough they're yours." 

 -- Richard Bach 



[Classic post from 2-5-14]

I was thinking today of the car business and being a sales manager. Car and truck inventory was always a fascination to me and I was also amazed at how other sales managers viewed inventory. Since no dealer can be big enough to stock everything, trading units with other dealers is a very common thing, and at one point I remember averaging about 25 dealer trade calls a day. That's a lot of work and time spent looking stuff up and if they actually decide they want it, working out the trade details.

I'll never forget one sales manager who wouldn't take a unit I had in stock. This is what he said to me: "brown, brown, stays around. I have no use for brown." I burst out laughing thinking he was just joking around, but I found out how serious he was about never stocking anything brown. I guess he will just have to miss all the profit from those brown ones I was selling.

Another dealer wanted only one truck. It had to be a 4x4 Extended Cab 1/2-ton pickup. And, the kicker is that it had to be white and only white and it had to have a gray interior. I could just see his fleet of white Extended Cab trucks and nothing else on his lot. Of course, all the profits went to me and our dealership on all the other colors we were selling besides white. . . and brown.

I used to have so much fun with inventory and learn more possibilities. One dealer wanted a unit and I asked him in return for the morphodite he had on his lot. I wanted the unit that everyone refused to sell or couldn't sell. I got a pretty strange truck, and I challenged my staff to see if they could sell it when the other dealer couldn't. It was gone in less than two weeks and at a nice profit too. You just never know what can be done until you do it.

Later, working for a truck body company, I took an order for two 8' service bodies with a cargo bed enclosure to cover the cargo area. Our wires were crossed somehow and they were produced as "low pro units," meaning the top of the side boxes was lower than the standard body. I do admit that this combination with the cargo bed enclosures was unusual, mainly because dealers didn't order them that way. The manager at the dealership who I had known for some time was so upset. I was surprised at how upset he was. I agreed to work on getting them out of his inventory, but within two weeks, he sold them both to one customer. He refused to replace them thinking it was a total fluke. But, I have learned over the years that everything sells if you don't block it from selling.

Isn't it interesting how we argue for our limitations? We take a thought and by repeatedly thinking of it, this becomes a belief and then we say it can't be done. But, it can be done by those who think that it can be done.


In What Ways Are You Creating Your Limitations? 

Spread Some Joy Today--Yes. Do that. It will be amazing how that returns like a boomerang.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-29-17

"A Yale University management professor 
in response to student Fred Smith's paper 
proposing a reliable overnight delivery service: 
The concept is interesting and well-formed,
but in order to earn better than a 'C', 
the idea must be feasible."

-- Frederick W. Smith


[Classic post from 2-29-12]

It's really easy to laugh at this quote now because everyone knows about FedEx. In 1971, Fred Smith began Federal Express and in 1973 began overnight service on April 17th. That first night only 18 packages were carried, and the rest is history as they say. Ten years later in 1983, they passed one billion dollars in sales revenue. That was over 29 years ago. Last year it was almost 40 billion.

The best way I've ever heard of thinking of a billion dollars is that if you had a billion dollars and you spent $10,000 per day, every day, seven days a week, it would take you 274 years to spend it all assuming it was gaining zero interest the entire time! To spend it all in a lifetime, you would have to spend around $50,000 a day. At that rate, it would still take you 54 years to spend it.

J. K. Rowling wrote a book called Harry Potter and was turned down by the first 12 publishers that it was sent to by a literary agent. A year later, one publisher took it and the rest is history as they say. J. K. Rowling went from a single mother on social security at the poverty level to now a billionaire.

How many people do you think can recognize a billion-dollar enterprise in its seed form? 

Do you know anyone who might have a billion dollar idea? How about you? How about a million dollar idea?

Have you ever saw an invention, product or service and then said that you had that idea some years ago?

There are seeds in all of us to excel in certain areas when we allow them to be; when we decide to do it; when we are willing to risk. You might even be the next billionaire in the seed.


"Throw Your Dreams Into Space Like A Kite, And You Do Not Know What It Will Bring Back, A New Life, A New Friend, A New Love, A New Country." -- Anais Nin

Spread Some Joy Today--"Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing." -- William Shakespeare

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-28-17

"Do not judge lest you be judged.
For in the way you judge, you will be judged;
and by your standard of measure,
it will be measured to you."

-- Matthew 7:1-2, 
The Bible, NAS



[Classic post from 5-26-11]

In the past number of posts, I've been thinking and writing about things that I've learned over time, along with those that I have had to practice on to get good at and thereby make the message my own.

I love really great quotes where ever I find them and after reading the Bible a couple of times completely myself, I have found a number of golden nuggets that continue to serve me and also act as reminders to my own frailties. Matthew 7 about judgment is one of them, and it is probably one of the most quoted Bible quotes in existence. However, what is not quoted very often is verses 3 through 5 that come after and it adds immensely to the fullness of verses 1 and 2. So, here is the whole of it verses 1 through 5:

"Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

As I look back on all that I have learned from the Bible, I know that this is easily one of the most important verse selections in my life. It is one that I remind myself of so much more even today than at any other time. I have realized just how powerfully magnificent it is and also how real and true it is and how it helps me to be a far better person than I might ever become.

To me, the lesson is not judgment but is about loving one another, which is the single most important lesson in the Bible for me (John 13:34). When I realize how silly it is for me to judge someone else (and this requires practice on my part), it allows and encourages me to see them as like me and to love them the way they are. It is true enough that what goes around, comes around. You never know how treating someone poorly or without respect will come back to you.

A long time ago, I was in a transition struggling with what exactly to do. I went to work for a small used car lot as a temporary idea, and I knew the manager--or at least I knew of him and his name, but little else. He treated me very poorly and I left. They tried to stiff me on minimum wage pay and it just was sad. Fast forward ten years give or take and I am the general sales manager at a dealership, and guess who comes in looking for a job? I don't think he even made the connection.

Judgment is the easiest thing in the world. It is also the easiest thing in the world to be wrong about. We are all deeper than we seem. We are all made of the same exact materials. We all come from the same source. We are far more connected than not. All the more reason for looking at ourselves with a critical eye before we look at others. Better yet--looking at ourselves with a loving eye, and then with that same loving eye toward others.


Who Am I To Judge? Even Moses Didn't Want The Job. . .


Spread Some Joy Today--The more we see each other as ourselves, the more love and joy we find. It is true.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-27-17

"When one door closes, 
another door opens; 
but we often look so long 
and so regretfully 
upon the closed door,
that we do not see 
the ones which open for us."

-- Alexander Graham Bell


"A pessimist is one 
who makes difficulties of his opportunities
and an optimist is one 
who makes opportunities of his difficulties."

-- Harry Truman 



[Classic post from 2-26-10]

Seeing doors open and close is too dang easy. I sure would like it to be that easy, but it hasn't been in my experience. A better, more "real" way of looking at this is to look at how we see problems. Ain't it the truth, problems are just part of living. They will always be around to mess with us. We can change them from problems to opportunities.

Though I've always tried to look at some problems as opportunities, a co-worker taught me to look at every problem as an opportunity. Matter of fact, he didn't even use the word problem, instead, he always used the word opportunity.

At first, I thought he was just showing off some positive thinking ideas and that it would wear off in no time. It was even hard to believe that he truly meant it as often as he referred to opportunities. As I soon learned, he was committed to this approach and it was just part of the way he dealt with things. Then, it became endearing and then exciting. He showed excitement when there was a problem because to him, that was truly an opportunity. It was an opportunity for the company to shine by how the problem was looked at and dealt with. It was an opportunity to solve an issue rather than perpetuate it. It was an opportunity to attract, rather than repel.

Ten years later, he responds in the same exact manner. He is an inspiration to me with his opportunistic attitude. It also must be contagious, because I find myself beginning to think the same way for much of the time. At the very least, now I find myself thinking of him when I have a problem and that helps me to put my rosy glasses on and look at the problem differently. And, it works.

I've always wanted to be an optimist. . .


I Optimize My Optimism Daily By Fine Tuning Problems.

Spread Some Joy Today--Let's go look for some problems to turn into opportunities today. Should be an easy challenge to find the problems. Just a tad bit harder to turn them into opportunities, but doable.

Monday, June 26, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-26-17

"Changing the world is easy.
Anyone can do it.
All we need to do is
change the world within us."

-- Albert K. Strong



Yesterday, I was looking on the bottom shelf of my bookcase and saw two very thick binders of old writings from the '70s and '80s. I've tried to keep a diary in bits and spurts, and not many of them, and yet there are many hundreds of pages in those binders. Most of it is dribble I think, but even the dribble has moments that shine. I read one lengthy bit from early 1987, more than 30 years ago now, and I found it interesting enough to keep reading.

Mostly it was just thoughts that I was thinking, trying to understand myself and the world around me. Some of the shining moments were expressing my desire to love others without conditions, and loving myself as part of that. Of course back then it was mostly thoughts and not so much action, but first, comes the thought then comes the action.

Translating what I was going through then, what I was learning then to now, the biggest difference I see is not the thinking, but the action. Back then, I was still hoping for the world to change, waiting for circumstances to change so that I could step in and enjoy the fruits of that new world. Didn't happen. Still hasn't if I were thinking and acting like I was then. But, I live in a very different world now.

The world has changed. The external world around me has changed. It is a far better world from my point of view now, and that change came only by changing my own inner world.

Here's the interesting part to me about that. I didn't get here by gaining, but by losing. I didn't get here by gathering, but by letting go. I didn't get here by finding answers, but by answering questions. I didn't get here by finding new beliefs, but by releasing beliefs. I didn't get here by strengthening my will, but by softening my heart.

Questions are key. One of the questions that I have asked myself that is very important is this: How do I want to feel?

Everything we do, every decision we make, every action we take is done in order to feel something. Generally to feel better. To feel relieved. To feel joy. To feel loved. To feel accomplishment. To feel satisfaction. To feel happy. To feel rich. To feel love. All of that resonates with us because when we are resonating, we are in alignment with who we really are, or we could say, in alignment with our inner being, our God within, our soul. The word doesn't matter, but the resonance does.

When we think, decide, act and it feels other than these, it is out of resonance, or in discordance. What is interesting about history is how often we have come to accept these feelings as reality, when they are personal choices becoming our own inner reality. We could call this separation from our Source, separation from God, out of alignment.

What I have realized in all my travels in knowledge is that the truths that we seek are not without us, but within us. We know a truth by its resonance. That's why they say that truth resonates within us. That knowledge that is found outside of us is fine if it resonates. If it doesn't resonate, if it is discordant with our inner knowing, it is good to question it. As we believe things that are in discordance within us, we move further away from truth.

I have not arrived at a world that is airy-fairy and all good-feeling and eternally happy. I have realized that there are things that I will like and things I will not like. Positive and negative are abound in this life; however, how I interpret that is purely up to me. What I call that is purely my choice. How I feel about that is purely a personal decision.


It Is A Brave New World! It Is So To Me. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing as you will and enjoying as you will because you will.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-25-17

"Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are."

-- Chinese proverb




That speaks volumes very succinctly, don't you think?


Relax In Your Peace Today. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of all that tension that comes from looking at problems. There are no problems with joy.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-24-17

"You can do anything you wish to do,
have anything you wish to have,
be anything you wish to be."

-- Robert Collier


"The only lack or limitation
is in your own mind."

-- N. H. Moos



[Classic post from 8-27-11]

The fact that we may choose to do less, have less, or be less is just fine. What I think is important is that the only lack or limitation is in our own mind. It's like driving a Chevy Malibu with a 454 V-8. Just knowing all that power is at your command is comforting. Just using it periodically in very short bursts is fun. Feeling the excess underneath the idle as I cruise slowly, knowing full well that at any time I choose regardless of speed limit signs, or cops behind billboards, that I can delve into that resource just bolsters my confidence and I feel more alive.

Now, if I really want to, I am confident enough to race it full out scared to live with excitement. . . and do it again and again, and any time I choose.

Love that car!


Isn't Life Grand? We've Been Given Everything We Could Possibly Need. So Awesome!

Spread Some Joy Today--The length of your appreciation list will determine the depth of your joy. Feel free to add to the list at any time.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-23-17

"Luke: What's in there?
Yoda: Only what you take with you."

-- Yoda wisdom from
Star Wars



What do we take with us? Our point of view. Our point of attraction. Our accumulated knowledge. And, if we haven't let them go yet--our fears.

What is the most telling in this short exchange between Luke and Yoda is the control and power that Yoda states Luke has. Yoda says that a lot to Luke in many ways and the entire challenge in all Luke's learning is in accepting the reality that he has that power and always has had it.

Abraham, Esther Hicks makes more real:

"Since you have control over what thoughts you offer, what could be more just than the powerful Law of Attraction responding equally to everyone who offers a vibration? Once you gain control over the thoughts you think, your sense of injustice will subside and will be replaced with the exuberance for life and the zest to create that you were born with. Let everything in the Universe be an example to you of the way the Laws of the Universe work."

We go into that cave every day as we leave our house, and as with Luke, what is out there is what we bring with us. We are the sole interpreter of our own reality.


Our Point Of View IS Our Point Of Attraction. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by experiencing your boundless joy. It's on the other side of resistance.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-22-17

"You learn from error,
but not from blaming the self."

-- Paul Selig,
The Book of Truth



Since beginning these Daily Inspirations, I have focused on sharing what I've been learning, new insights realized, and often how it has changed me or my thinking, and more often than not, my heart. Onward.

The quote I gleaned above shook me with its power of clarity. He added after this part that if we burn our finger on a hot pan, we most likely learn to not do that again, but we don't chastise ourselves for the rest of our lives in regret by blaming ourselves for our error. We move on. We learn.

Yet, how often do we hold on to something from long ago and carry regrets with us far into the future for things that have no meaning now?

Just before the quote above, there is another enlightenment to glean:

"Every time you claim yourself as inferior to another, you are lying. Every time you condemn yourself for what you have done or could do, or believe what you think is wrong about you, you are lying."

Putting this into more clarity, he continues, "Anything that was done or expressed by you at any time was simply how you knew yourself and the expression of you as an active being in consort with your needs--or perhaps your fears, yes--at the time. But they were just what they were, things done. They were not who you are."

How do we heal the past? We have to reframe it--see it differently. We need to let go of the rope were tugging on keeping that regret alive and active. We need to see that this was just what was then based on all manner of things in and around our lives, but it is not who we are. It may have been who we were at that moment, but we are in a constant state of flux in our lives, and we are constantly learning as we go.

Sure, we repeat mistakes sometimes. So what? We get stinking thinking sometimes. So what? We sting others when all we really want to do is caress. So what? It is what it is. It was what it was. There is only one time that we can do anything about anything and that is at this moment.

And we start by telling the truth about ourselves. We are not inferior to anyone. Nor is anyone else inferior to us. We are all divine creatures from the same Source Energy on different paths here spinning and toiling as we choose on an experiential adventure. We are. We simply are.


Celebrate Your Divine Spirit. Celebrate Your Human Adventure. Love All As You Love Yourself. 

Spread Some Joy Today--As Paul's dead mother came to him in a dream said to him in his despair: Let it be, Let it be, Let it be, Let it be, Speaking Words of Wisdom, Let it be. (Thanks, Paul McCartney!)

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-21-17

"We might consider more often
celebrating the obvious."

-- Albert K. Strong



It's so easy to ignore the obvious, the common, the familiar, when there is so much to celebrate and to do this often helps keep more of our blessings in view, recognized, and appreciated.

Today, I am celebrating clean drinking water. It comes to my house. I just paid the bill for the month of its use to the city and it is what I have to call a stupid bargain. A pittance. It is almost insignificant in the scheme of monthly expenses, and yet it is something I cannot live without. Literally.

Not so long ago, we had to go to the well, or a stream, or other place and bring water home. Who knew if it were clean or not, so boiling it was required. Not in my lifetime, no, but not so long ago. In fact, today, there are millions of people on the planet who do not have clean drinking water in quantity and it is certainly not delivered to their home. They might walk miles to get it in buckets bringing it home by physical labor.

I go to my faucet, lift it up or turn the handle and out comes clean drinking water. I turn on the shower and I wash in clean water. I water the plants and bushes around my house. I use it for cooking. It is always there. And, it costs almost nothing in comparison to other things in my life that have far less value.


Celebrate The Obvious! Celebrate Your Blessings.

Spread Some Joy Today--by realizing how blessed you truly are.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-20-17

"You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow 
from flying over your head,
but you can prevent them 
from building nests in your hair."

-- Chinese Proverb



[Classic post from 11-21-09]

I absolutely love this proverb and it is so full of wisdom. Though things happen all around you, this does not mean that they must have any effect on you. You get to choose what you think and how you feel about it. Gather troubles and make them your own, or let them float on by as a twig floats down the river. There it is and there is goes. See ya! Ba-bye now!

If you've had nests in your hair--and you know who you are--take heart! Encourage those birds to move to a new home and shake that hair out, or maybe even get a good haircut, perm or color. Change it up. You're on the loose and looking for good times today and planning for joy tomorrow! It is amazing what can be done in such a short time. Who knew it could be that easy?


Birds Of A Feather. You Get To Choose The Feather.

Spread Some Joy Today--Maybe Send A Thank You Card To Someone Today. The Friends You'll Make . . .

Monday, June 19, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-19-17

"What is outrageous
is not what you ask for.
What is outrageous
is what you settle for."

You can always tell
what you believe you deserve
by what you are getting."

-- Alan Cohen



These two quotes can seem to be a bit harsh, but they are so accurate in our lives whether we accept them or not.

I was thinking about abundance and had this question: What are the limits to abundance? Is there only so much and then it is gone? Is it only for some like the lucky, those with the right upbringing and education? It seems that a few people have what we might call abundance and the rest have such limited abundance. How much abundance is there?

As I pondered those questions, it hit me that abundance cannot have any limits or it would not be abundance. It is not abundance that is limited, it is our thinking. It is our point of view of the world around us and within us. Abundance can be ours. It is limitless. And that's the key for us--we have to jettison our self-imposed limits.

I shared this quote from Thomas Troward last week and it is certainly worthy of repeating every hour of our lives. Beginning with the idea that we limit ourselves, he said, "All of this exists in, and is produced by, our belief; and when we come to examine the grounds of this belief we shall find that it rests upon an entire misapprehension of the nature of our own power."

And he adds the best part of his entire treatise on the subject of abundance that he calls, The Spirit of Opulence: "If we clearly realize that the creative power in ourselves is unlimited, then there is no reason for limiting the extent to which we may enjoy what we can create by means of it."

"Where we are drawing from the infinite we need never be afraid of taking more than our share." After all, it wouldn't be infinite if there were finite shares, would it? Using the word share regardless of the size of that share is a limit, isn't it? Bill Gates has a big share, and yet there are no limits to the size of his share because there are no limits in abundance and he hasn't really but taken a few grains of sand from all the sand in all the Universe.

"That is not where the danger lies. The danger is in not sufficiently realizing our own richness, and in looking upon the externalized products of our creative power as being the true riches instead of the creative power of spirit itself."

We look around. We see others driving big fancy expensive cars and trucks. We see multi-million dollar homes and all manner of luxurious amenities abound on TV and the media. And, we often may see that and compare ourselves at whatever levels we may compare, and yet none of this is abundance. And abundance is not money. Though money is abundant, it is spirit is the real abundance. We each have that same spirit within us regardless of the external indications that we pay so much more attention to.

In our human suit and using our human brain and human skills, we all set limits on abundance. We all accept a certain amount as good enough. This is fine. We all define abundance and on what level we will play. Yet our spirit has none of those limitations.

My only suggestions from my thoughts and those of Thomas Troward this morning is that we realize that there are no limits to abundance and that there is no such thing as a fair share or any kind of share when we refer to abundance. Abundance is limit-less. And, the other thing is that it might be fun to occasionally examine what we are getting and realize that there is more should the desire be there to expand our conceptions and presumptions.


Limited Abundance? Only In Our Minds! 

Spread Some Joy Today--because there are no limits to the amount of joy you can have and share with others. Joy is and love is abundance.

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-18-17

"It is not the answer that enlightens
but the question."

-- Eugene Ionesco



It's interesting where my mind has taken me this morning. I made a few rare comments on Facebook and that caused more thoughts to cruise through my mind. Memories were exposed and not all were pleasant.

As I was floating through some childhood memories, I remembered a popular phrase, 'spare the rod, spoil the child.' What a bunch of crap that is! I remembered being whipped with a belt and hit with a 3/4" hardwood paddle, that later had holes drilled out so it would leave round marks. I received several doses of each for just being a kid. The rod wasn't spared, but in my humble opinion, that had nothing to do with me being spoiled for the future. Respect for authority may have been an objective, but fear of authority was the end result.

It's not the answer that enlightens, it's the question. Some good questions in those instances might have been, what is my objective in doing this? Am I wanting to show love or fear? Will this achieve my objective? How would I feel, respond, react, learn from this if it were me being punished? Will any good come from this? And, of course, the edict that sparing the rod spoils the child can justify this action as I allow my belief in such logic to prevail.

Those memories caused me to see that I now have developed compassion for all that went on then. They were doing what they knew to do and I knew nothing better than to accept that. Then, I remembered all that I have learned since then and how I no longer give permission to others to cause me to believe anything. I have learned to ask questions, to challenge beliefs, including, and especially my own from wherever they became attached to my thinking.

This brought me back to center like a quick little journey around the block, reminding me that I get to ask the questions. I am in charge of all in my mind. I am reminded of some great questions: What would I rather be thinking right now? What will I choose now? How do I want to feel now? How do I see my life now? Where do I see my life taking me now?

Since now is all there really is that I have control over, all my choices are now. I can respond in so many ways to these questions. And, there is one that stands out above all the rest. It is this:


I Choose Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing as you wish, and by asking yourself some great questions that bring you back to the moment.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-17-17

"The best bridge
between despair and hope
is a good night's sleep."

-- E. Joseph Cossman



It is amazing what a good night's sleep can do because in order to go to sleep we need to let go of the day, our cares, the rope of resistance. As we do that, our natural well-being begins taking over and we may even awake with a whole new perspective. We may even have solutions for whatever was being called a problem.


Sleep Is Like A Magic Reset Button. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of resistance in any way you can. Think of letting go of resistance as uncovering your joy. It's your natural state, but we often cover it with many layers of stuff.

Friday, June 16, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-16-17

"The miracle of gratitude
is that it shifts your perception
to such an extent that
it changes the world you see."

-- Dr. Robert Holden



I love, love, love how this quote is stated. Sometimes we might be thinking that adopting an attitude of gratitude will help us feel better, and especially feel better in a world gone wrong. Though that surely might be a case in point, it is so much larger than this, isn't it?

Sure, gratitude 'shifts your perception.' Of course, it does. And this is a way of simply seeing more 'good' than 'bad,' to feel better as we become more thankful for some times and some people. Yet often, we may be still thankful for some and pissed off at all the rest, moving from anger to trying to be thankful, to actually being thankful, and then something happens and we're back in anger soon enough.

Sure, it 'changes the world we see.' Parts of it anyway. Choosing change can be a challenge. There's a lot of things in our lives to be thankful for, to be grateful in, and then there's a lot of other stuff that we might have to take a college course in to see differently.

All of this is one way to see gratitude.

The reason I'm so excited about this quote is that 'it changes the world you see.' Because of this, if we do not like what we are seeing in the world at any time, all we need to do is to shift our perception to gratitude and then all we will see is this world. In order to see that 'other world' that we did not like, we have to let go of gratitude. We cannot be grateful and angry at the same time. We cannot even see the things that would have previously made us angry as we are in gratitude. There is one or the other only. If I am choosing to see something other than what I am grateful for, as I let go of being grateful I may see that.

But, if I no longer want to see that stuff, tired of it, bored with it, I don't need to try to chase it away or try to make it something it is not. All I need to do is to focus on what I am grateful for. As I do this, the Law of Attraction automatically helps me find more to be grateful for, just as if I focused on the other, the Law of Attraction will help me find more to be angry about.


Therein Lies The Secret Of Happiness. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by exercising your gratitude. That which goes unused is lost.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-15-17

"If we were giving 
one encouragement to parents, 
it would be to deliberately 
choose your emotional disc - 
your alignment with who-you-really-are - 
and then talk to your kids. 
Don't let the subject at hand be the reason
for choosing your emotional disc. 
Don't let the fact that they have misbehaved 
or disobeyed be the reason 
that you feel the way you do."

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks



This is such wonderful advice for maintaining harmony in lieu of chaos in a family--especially in a family where kids are experimenting with what they will come to understand as appropriate or not appropriate behavior. Kids are good at pushing buttons because they are learning by that, and how a parent reacts or responds will be their higher learning.

But, what I thought was the most telling in this quote is that I think it applies in every situation and relationship whether with another person or with information that is received from any non-personal source.

We get to choose how we will think about any situation in our lives. We can simply react out of habitual learned responses or we can respond as we would like to respond. Thoughtfully rather than thoughtlessly. Via the heart instead of the mind. With patience rather than impatiently. In love rather than out of fear.

Regardless of what another does or has done, we get to choose what, if any, our response will be.


No One Can Make Us Feel Anything. We Choose. Always. Consciously. Or Unconsciously. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by taking complete charge of your chooser.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-14-17

"When you look in the mirror
and don't like what you see,
change what you are looking at."

-- Albert K. Strong



[New post]

This is a recent selfie of me, yet the subject of this is not about me and it is. It is what we see when we look at ourselves.

We're so used to seeing from the inside out, receiving light from that which is outside of our bodies and translating that into our external reality. The only time we see from the outside in is when we see a photo or when we look in a mirror, and we do both of these things many times during a day. Far more seeing out than seeing ourselves, for sure. Consequently, we create an image of ourselves from inside that might conflict with the image in the mirror. In other words, the inner vision of ourselves and the outer version do not necessarily match.

Lately, in the last few weeks, I've been finally taking the advice from Louise Hay to do some "mirror talk." Truth is, I've always done mirror talk. I'm speculating that we all do it. Why would it just be me? And, the key is what we are saying about ourselves as we see our reflection in the mirror?

I used to look for flaws. blackheads, whiteheads, spider veins becoming more prevalent, skin texture, coloring, puffy cheeks, lines and crevasses, dry cracked lips, receding hairline, that nose that keeps growing, eyebrows in need of maintenance, my red face (neck, arms, etc.), and the list went on and on. There was so much to be concerned about; so many imperfections to see. All of that had me feeling like crap about myself, causing me to think even further about the rest of my body and all the massive flaws there too, and how all of those things were in need of change. This is a path to nothing but stress.

So I decided to heed Louise's advice and say positive things and look for joy instead of pain, to look for beautiful instead of ugly, to see wellness instead of illness. As I was realizing that I had made this change last evening just before bed when I rinsed my face and while my face was still wet, I was loving myself exactly as I was, I thought that I would share that with whoever is reading this. Because this change has taken me from disappointment all the way to love and joy.

What did I say to the mirror image? I said, "You are beautiful. All of your so-called flaws are not that at all. You have beautiful eyes. Yes, they are older now, but they are as bright a blue as they have ever been. Your skin coloring is perfect. You are perfect exactly as you are. You are a wonderful person and whatever you have done or not done in your life is perfect. You are a magnificent example of a human being, and beyond this human suit you are wearing, you are Love. Your smile is delightful. I love you!"

Each morning, evening, or whenever I pass a mirror now, I am saying something positive and uplifting to myself. This is also causing me to think these kinds of thoughts all day long. As I think about something that I might have previously thought of as a mistake in my life travel, I now see that as guidance toward growth and expansion. As I might think of some painful event in the past, I see it now as a stepping stone toward the joy that rules my life now.

I can see more clearly now. I can see that things that used to go bump in the night were nudges back onto my chosen path. I can see how love rules my life now, and how all that blaming and judgment of others in the past is nearly gone from my life. And, the worst of any of those things was as people have said that we are our own worst critics. The benefit from this change is seeing the real me, the truer me, the loving me, the embraceable me.

I hope that if you have been experiencing any of that negative self-talk when you look at a picture of you or look in the mirror, that what I have said here may be of benefit in moving toward loving yourself instead. It not only feels better, it is the ultimate encouragement.


True Love Begins With The Self. After all, You Are With Yourself Constantly. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving you as you as God loves you.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-13-17

"Where we are drawing from the infinite 
we need never be afraid 
of taking more than our share."

-- Thomas Troward



Yesterday, I shared a post from 2012 that had some quotes in it from The Spirit of Opulence by Judge Thomas Troward, so I thought that I would share the entire piece. It's the kind of thing to print out and read many times, for it contains such volumes of wisdom and more important than this: encouragement. There is no need to put limits on ourselves as the Universe is limitless, by our agreed understanding. Here is:

The Spirit of Opulence
by Thomas Troward

"It is quite a mistake to suppose that we must restrict and stint ourselves in order to develop greater power or usefulness. This is to form the conception of the Divine Power as so limited that the best use we can make of it is by a policy of self-starvation, whether material or mental. Of course, if we believe that some form of self-starvation is necessary to our producing good work, then so long as we entertain this belief the fact actually is so for us. “Whatsoever is not of faith”—that is, not in accordance with our honest belief—“is sin”; and by acting contrary to what we really believe we bring in a suggestion of opposition to the Divine Spirit, which must necessarily paralyze our efforts, and surround us with a murky atmosphere of distrust and want of joy.

But all this exists in, and is produced by, our belief; and when we come to examine the grounds of this belief we shall find that it rests upon an entire misapprehension of the nature of our own power. If we clearly realize that the creative power in ourselves is unlimited, then there is no reason for limiting the extent to which we may enjoy what we can create by means of it. Where we are drawing from the infinite we need never be afraid of taking more than our share. That is not where the danger lies. The danger is in not sufficiently realizing our own richness, and in looking upon the externalized products of our creative power as being the true riches instead of the creative power of spirit itself.

If we avoid this error, there is no need to limit ourselves in taking what we will from the infinite storehouse: “All things are yours.” And the way to avoid this error is by realizing that the true wealth is in identifying ourselves with the spirit of opulence. We must be opulent in our thought. Do not “think money,” as such, for it is only one means of opulence; but think opulence, that is, largely, generously, liberally, and you will find that the means of realizing this thought will flow to you from all quarters, whether as money or as a hundred other things not to be reckoned in cash.

We must not make ourselves dependent on any particular form of wealth, or insist on its coming to us through some particular channel—that is at once to impose a limitation, and to shut out other forms of wealth and to close other channels, but we must enter into the spirit of it. Now the spirit is Life, and throughout the universe Life ultimately consists in circulation, whether within the physical body of the individual or on the scale of the entire solar system; and circulation means a continual flowing around, and the spirit of opulence is no exception to this universal law of all life.

When once this principle becomes clear to us we shall see that our attention should be directed rather to the giving than the receiving. We must look upon ourselves, not as misers’ chests to be kept locked for our own benefit, but as centers of distribution; and the better we fulfill our function as such centers the greater will be the corresponding inflow. If we choke the outlet the current must slacken, and a full and free flow can be obtained only by keeping it open. The spirit of opulence—the opulent mode of thought, that is—consists in cultivating the feeling that we possess all sorts of riches which we can bestow upon others, and which we can bestow liberally because by this very action we open the way for still greater supplies to flow in. But you say, “I am short of money, I hardly know how to pay for necessaries. What have I to give?”

The answer is that we must always start from the point where we are; and if your wealth at the present moment is not abundant on the material plane, you need not trouble to start on that plane. There are other sorts of wealth, still more valuable, on the spiritual and intellectual planes, which you can give; and you can start from this point and practice the spirit of opulence, even though your balance at the bank may be nil. And then the universal law of attraction will begin to assert itself. You will not only begin to experience an inflow on the spiritual and intellectual planes, but it will extend itself to the material plane also.

If you have realized the spirit of opulence you cannot help drawing to yourself material good, as well as that higher wealth which is not to be measured by a money standard; and because you truly understand the spirit of opulence you will neither affect to despise this form of good, nor will you attribute to it a value that does not belong to it; but you will co-ordinate it with your other more interior forms of wealth so as to make it the material instrument in smoothing the way for their more perfect expression. Used thus, with understanding of the relation which it bears to spiritual and intellectual wealth, material wealth become one with them, and is no more to be shunned and feared than it is to be sought for its own sake.

It is not money, but the love of money, that is the root of all evil; and the spirit of opulence is precisely the attitude of mind which is furthest removed from the love of money for its own sake. It does not believe in money. What it does believe in is the generous feeling which is the intuitive recognition of the great law of circulation, which does not in any undertaking make its first question, How much am I going to get by it? But, How much am I going to do by it? And making this the first question, the getting will flow in with a generous profusion, and with a spontaneousness and rightness of direction that are absent when our first thought is of receiving only.

We are not called upon to give what we have not yet got and to run into debt; but we are to give liberally of what we have, with the knowledge that by so doing we are setting the law of circulation to work, and as this law brings us greater and greater inflows of every kind of good, so our out-giving will increase, not by depriving ourselves of any expansion of our own life that we may desire, but by finding that every expansion makes us the more powerful instruments for expanding the life of others. “Live and let live” is the motto of the true opulence."

--Thomas Troward, from “Hidden Power and Other Papers Upon Mental Science”


Enjoy Your Expansion!

Spread some joy today--by imagining the positive possibilities that lie waiting to be accepted by you.

Monday, June 12, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-12-17

"If we clearly realize that the creative power
in ourselves is unlimited, then there is no reason
for limiting the extent to which we may
enjoy what we can create by means of it."

-- Thomas Troward




[Classic post from 3-22-12]

I was brought up as the eldest of five in an environment of lack. The common complaint was that there wasn't enough, yet the reality is that there was always enough. A better way to say it was a lack mentality, or there was a focus on lack, or always looking at the glass as half empty on its way to empty.

I didn't really know any better than to think those same things and then throughout my own life, I chanted similar sentiments, continually reinforcing the lack. Luxuries were a rare event for sure, but looking back, I see clearly that there was always enough and that it was this attitude, or way of looking at things that created a consistent flow of more of the same.

It is only now that I am thinking differently about this by ignoring what is, and focusing on opulence and generosity, which naturally means that there is more than enough so that there is plenty to give away. One thing that has helped me is a short piece by Thomas Troward called, The Spirit of Opulence. I've shared the entire piece previously, but today I want to share just a bit to reinforce what I am saying about my purposeful change in attitude.

I'll start with this short quote with bold highlights that are mine: "The spirit of opulence--the opulent mode of thought, that is--consists in cultivating the feeling that we possess all sorts of riches which we can bestow upon others, and which we can bestow liberally because by this very action we open the way for still greater supplies to flow in. But you say, "I am short of money, I hardly know how to pay for necessaries. What have I to give?"

"The answer is that we must always start from the point where we are; and if your wealth at the present moment is not abundant on the material plane, you need not trouble to start on that plane. There are other sorts of wealth, still more valuable, on the spiritual and intellectual planes, which you can give; and you can start from this point and practice the spirit of opulence, even though your balance at the bank may be nil. And then the universal law of attraction will begin to assert itself. You will not only begin to experience an inflow on the spiritual and intellectual planes, but it will extend itself to the material plane also."

I have taken this wonderful advice written in approximately 1921 to heart and have concentrated in the last several years on practicing the spirit of opulence by giving most generously in many ways other than in dollars. There are many who concentrate on nothing other than dollars, and I think this is so limiting. I am so wealthy in so many ways and it is a sheer joy to share any and all of that wealth in the spirit of opulence.


I Highly Recommend This Practice!

Spread Some Joy Today--Realizing that you have spiritual wealth is the embodiment of joy sharing capacity. Focus on your wealth to realize you have more than enough to share.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-11-17

"It is, a very common,
ancient, well-perfected device
for trying to feel better:
Blaming others."

-- Pema Chödrön



She continues, "Blaming is a way to protect your heart, trying to protect what is soft and open and tender in yourself. Rather than own that pain, we scramble to find some comfortable ground." And, often, we seem to find what we think is more comfortable by blaming others or circumstances or events. But, is it more comfortable? Does it feel better? Really?

What was eye-opening to me in this quote was that I had never thought of blaming as an attempt at trying to feel better, and yet it resonated with me. Protection, yes. I get that. Protecting myself and my ego, trying to put the spotlight somewhere else. Heck, we learn this at very young ages. But, trying to feel better? To feel good instead of bad? That seemed so different to me.

Another quote regarding blaming from Pema is this one:

"We habitually erect a barrier called blame that keeps us from communicating genuinely with others, and we fortify it with our concepts of who's right and who's wrong. We do that with the people who are closest to us and we do it with political systems, with all kinds of things that we don't like about our associates or our society."

Certainly, it is a defensive mechanism, yet I never thought of blame as a way of not communicating genuinely with others. It makes total sense. Fortifying it with our accumulated concepts of right and wrong adds even more clarity. I also know how we have a tendency to do it across the board in life, and it is especially easy with things that are not very close to us. I think it is harder to blame the other when they are really close, though we do it anyway, if not outright verbally, within our inner constant dialog.

But, rather than blame, I think Pema gives the way through and to resolve rather than pretend it is another's fault is this:

"Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look."

We don't have to stay there, but accepting responsibility for how we feel and how we may have created this feeling can help us come to own it and brings us to allow it to pass away without becoming attached to it.

Even more clearly, she shows a more enlightened approach:

"If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher." 


Whether We Blame Ourselves Or Others, Is There Really Any Benefit In That? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of the need to blame. Try accepting the way things are and finding loving ways to resolve issues.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-10-17

"The concepts
of right and wrong,
good and evil,
exist only in a finite view."

-- Albert K. Strong


Close up, it is easy to see right and wrong. Hard to ignore.

In the last many weeks, I have been reading the books of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Robert Caro. His four-volume series, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, (only 3,557 pages!) is a lifetime of work, and the fifth volume is still coming at some point.

His first book, The Power Broker about Robert Moses is a masterwork about New York City, massive public works projects, and how one man could control so much power in the city and the state of New York, and who may have been the most prolific builder in all of history. Both of these works are a study in power, and from an even bigger perspective, idealism and practicality in the human endeavor.

I didn't just learn about the people in these books and not even the overriding subject of power and influence and achievement. I didn't just learn, no--I was enlightened. Even that word seems so weak. My consciousness was expanded. I will never be the same as a result of what I read.

I've been practicing trying to explain in as short a manner as possible what I got out of these books. What I just wrote is part of it, but it is also more.

Two days ago, at the check-out in Sam's Club, I had my headset in my ears with the audiobook off for the moment and the young female clerk asked what I was listening to. I told her it was an audiobook called The Power Broker and she asked me what I had learned from it. In a split second, I was amazed at her insightful question, and in a couple of seconds formulated my necessary short answer. Here is what I said:

"Right and wrong exist only up close. The further away we get, right and wrong do not exist."

She seemed fascinated with that answer and seemed like she wanted to sit down and have me explain more about that to her, but the next customer was cued up.

Right and wrong have left the building. Out here it is not existent.

As I was leaving, I was so grateful to her for asking that wonderful question and having very little time to answer it. It was as succinct as I can imagine getting in explaining the overriding theme that I received from the 1,162 pages of this book in less than 15 seconds. The Lyndon Johnson series brings the total to 4,719 pages matching that same theme and answer.

This morning getting a haircut, I told my hair stylist about that encounter and what I learned from these great books. It made sense to her. We talked then about how so often we make judgments about events or people when we don't know the whole story and we may never know any but the smallest piece of a story. I told her that applies to others and it applies to ourselves in how we may remember things differently at different times and so on.

I told her that the best result for me personally is to step back in every situation and try to get a larger perspective and allow things to unfold rather than simply making a judgment.

She thought that maybe we should all do this and I said, no, that doing that would never work. The best we can do is to allow others to believe as they choose, to make judgments as they choose, to do or say what they choose, as we allow ourselves to gain a perspective where we can see how all that works together gaining a better understanding of all of life. As we express our own perspective to those who want to see or hear it, they can adopt some ours for their own, or let it be as they choose.

And, that is how it was from the books. All of it worked together. It is like watching the earth from space how the clouds are moving around, the earth is spinning and circling the sun at the same time, the water and the land, all of it in harmony, traveling in harmony, in divine operation without any of our input or concerns. Yet, it is fascinating also to see things closer up and to see it unfolding in its own way.


The End Result In Just One Word? Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying the unfolding joy in your life.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-9-17

"You don't make mistakes.
Mistakes make you.

Mistakes make you smarter.
Mistakes make you stronger.
And, they make you more self-reliant."

-- Harriet Lauler, 
played by Shirley MacLaine
written by Stuart Ross Fink
from the movie, The Last Word




A few moments later in the movie, Harriet advises Anne Sherman, played by Amanda Seyfried to not only not fear failure or try to avoid it, but to purposefully fail:

"Fall on your face! Fail. Fail spectacularly! When you fail, you learn. When you fail, you live."

In an earlier part, these questions were asked when she was talking to some young kids about all the big risks she took in her life:

"You have to ask yourself this question: Are you willing to take a risk to do something stupid, or, are you willing to take a risk to do something great?"

It always fascinates me what I learn from movies. And, in some, I gain whole new perspectives about my own travels through life.

I loved these gems I just shared with you, and yet I gleaned more from this delightful flick. I saw deeper into someone than the surface knowing may indicate. I saw beyond the harsh, angry, controlling facade of someone who is manipulative and overbearing into that soft, gooey, loving and divine part so effectively hidden until some circumstance, or some encounter with another, or others open that faint crack wider and wider until there is no more animosity, hatred, disdain, or fear, and then there is ourselves in some way, and there is infinite love. And, in this, all are affected.

How can that be? Someone who is hated by everyone in their life, including family, and blaming all others for their plot in life (pun intended) is not really that at all. It is only a show. It is only a facade. What is beyond the facade is what is real.

It reminds me of a grand statement in the preface of A Course In Miracles, where it is said: "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God." 


Seeing Beyond What I Think I See. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving the unloved, the rejected, the downtrodden, the discarded. Seeing ourselves in them helps us to love them and to allow them to allow their own love to surface and show the real person within.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-8-17

"There is not a more pleasing exercise
of the mind than gratitude.
It is accompanied with such an inward satisfaction
that the duty is sufficiently rewarded
by the performance."

-- Joseph Addison



[Classic post from 6-15-10]

While searching for something else, I found a site about psychology and someone was stating what a loser they were and how everything goes wrong and how terrified they are and how depressed they feel and they are 25 and unemployed and living at home and on and on and on. Then there were all these responses to the lengthy statement of how bad things are and how hopeless life is right now. The responses were all over the place, some recommending psychotherapy, others to stay away from self-help books and others trying to cheer him up by just being positive and upbeat. It was an interesting read.

I have an easier answer and a much more effective one too. Get ready. . . here comes the wisdom of the world. . . to solve almost all of life's problems, turn your life around and turn your life on. . . Here it is--gratitude.

The other day I had a sort of revelation while driving. I was thinking about some people who have told me that they have a hard time being grateful for so many things. I always suggest that they not worry about that aspect and just pretend to be grateful and that the practice of pretending will bring it to you in reality. I know this because I did it myself.

So in the car, I was thinking about those responses and it came to me that the whole purpose of gratitude is to get out of yourself! Wow. I thought that was pretty powerful, simple, and very enlightening. It's so simple that it is taken for granted.

We're into ourselves 24/7 because we are inside ourselves and everything else is outside. We think thoughts so fast and we've accumulated so many habits and beliefs. Sometimes the only way to get some perspective is to find a way to get outside of ourselves, even if only for a few short minutes. The benefits can be life-changing. And, the way to do that immediately and surely each and every time is to be grateful. Find things to be grateful for. Express gratitude for people, things, and events. Seek thankfulness and enjoy the rewards of that outward expression of inward thought.

If you ever feel down, seek to be grateful for being there. If that doesn't work, find something else to be grateful for. It doesn't matter how big or small. To God, I don't think there is such a thing. Just find something, anything. Then begin adding things. It could be that the sky is blue or that water comes out of the faucet, then it could be gratitude for the family, the home you live in. Believe me, the list will grow and grow and grow. There is so much to be thankful for. Make a list today!


There Is Always Something. . . To Be Grateful For!

Spread Some Joy Today--I know it for a fact and have proven it to many others: become grateful and your life will always be full--beginning with the day you become grateful.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-7-17

"Holding a grudge
is like walking on hot coals
while being chained to a post."

-- Albert K. Strong



Nelson Mandella said, "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies." When looked at from either of these perspectives, it is filled with pain and only harming ourselves.

It begs the question: What good could possibly come from that?

Nelson Mandella was an angry man, and that anger was easily justified in his mind and that of many around him, and he learned while in prison for many years what good that anger did. He heaped hot coals upon his own head for a long time until he came to the realization that it was only himself that he was doing harm to--like drinking poison and then hoping it would kill his enemies.

I watched an excellent short video last weekend from Davidji. I subscribe to his weekend meditation emails and find myself learning more every week on choosing a more peaceful perspective. In the video, Davidji said this line that resonated with me:

"Having gratitude for the painful moments is the true life lesson."

What good can possibly come from painful moments? A grateful heart would be at the top of the list in my mind. Why? It's not so much because it is a lesson that I need to learn, but a perspective that I am encouraged to view that can help me come back to love.

Drinking poison won't help me, holding a grudge keeps me in a repetitive cycle of self-inflicted pain. A few simple questions at any point leading me toward a better perspective might be, how's that working for me? Is this what I want? Do I want to feel this way? Am I in charge of my own life?

When I can find gratitude, to be grateful for, thankful for, blessed by a situation I was in pain about, I can see beyond the pain. I can take responsibility for the pain as being self-inflicted. I can see a grander perspective of life in general and how harmony and disharmony co-relate everywhere, and that out of disharmony, harmony is born in desire for its own sake, all leading back to love.


Love Is The Larger Perspective.

Spread Some Joy Today--by taking another look from a different point of view to see the benefit that magically appears from that perspective.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Daily Inspiration 6-6-17

"In the phrase,
'power and control,'
power is the ability,
and control is the choice."

-- Albert K. Strong




Contrary to popular misconception, each and every person on this planet, have the same exact amount of power and choice. No one has more than another regardless of how it may appear. We all have the power of thought--the ability to think. We all have the unique choice of choosing the thoughts that we think. No other regardless of position has more power than any other in these. Unless they abdicate their own power.

I was reminded this morning by a few key phrases I was reading in Money, and the Law of Attraction, by Esther & Jerry Hicks and the Teachings of Abraham. Here are some of those phrases and thoughts that resonated with me:

"If you will bring yourself to a more deliberate control of your own thought, you will bring yourself to a more deliberate control of your own life experience."

I remembered that no one has any power over my thought unless I allow that. I alone retain the power of thought in me and I alone control my choices of what I will think.

"As you develop the habit of looking for good-feeling thoughts, the circumstances that surround you must improve. The Law of Attraction demands it. When you feel good, you experience the sensation of doors opening as the Universe is cooperating with you; and when you feel bad, it feels as if the doors are closing and the cooperation stops."

The key, of course, is paying attention to how I am feeling and having a desire to feel good. I have the power and the choice here always and in all ways. Feeling bad is merely and exquisitely a wake-up call that feeling bad is not what I really want, thereby giving me an opportunity to choose differently. Whatever the negative feeling is I might call bad is simply telling me that I am out of alignment with what I want. As I focus on a pothole and become upset that it is there, I find more of them to be upset about. As I focus on beauty, I find more beauty to love.

This last part is such a powerful learning experience for me:

"You must not rely on conditions changing in order to control the way you feel. You must improve your ability to focus positively regardless of the condition--and to do that, it helps to remember that every subject has wanted and unwanted within it, and that, if you are deliberate, you can find something that feels better."

Abraham was pointing this out by how we might be in some kind of relationship (romantic, work, or any other), and see the other or others experiencing pain in a situation, maybe even blaming us for the pain. We may want their pain to subside and to have them feel better, but often we may be feeling their pain within ourselves. They add this very important bit:

"We just want to emphasize that you are not feeling their pain, caused by their situation, but instead you are feeling your own pain brought about by your own thinking. There is great control in that knowledge, and, in fact, true freedom."

Again, we all have the same power and choice, but not in another. We only have that power within ourselves. We cannot make another feel anything, but we can certainly and exclusively choose how we want to feel by what we are choosing to think.

One of the most empowering things that we can do toward inner peace is to allow all others to think and choose as they will without any insistence that they will satisfy us. Only we have that power for ourselves.


Our Individual Power And Ability Reign.

Spread Some Joy Today--by rejoicing in your power of thought and choice.