Daily Inspiration 10-31-17

"The Art of Allowing is: 

I am that which I am, 

and I am pleased with it, 

joyful in it. 

And you are that which you are, 

and while it is different perhaps 

from that which I am, 

it is also good." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 11-22-15]

I'm always looking at how to translate the idea into practical living. I'll share some examples from the last few days to demonstrate.

Friday evening, I was outside a busy restaurant to pick up some take-home food. I saw an older lady (it's funny to me to use this phrase now since she was probably not much older than me!), I said hi to her and she asked me if I happened to have a set of jumper cables. I said that I didn't know, but I normally do and that I would look in my truck. Nothing in the back, so I said I would look behind the seat. There they were.

When I brought them out, she was obviously relieved. Her car wouldn't start. Then out comes a younger man talking briefly with her. He was obviously unhappy. In order to jump the batteries from his car to her car, her car had to be moved. It was no big deal as it was downhill. She tried to do it but the guy was having issues with the way she was going about it, so he got her out and did it himself. As he was doing that, she said it was her son.

There was a lot more impatience from the son about the mother's unfortunate circumstances and his unhappiness about his inconvenience. I was smiling and calm throughout. To me, there was nothing to be upset about. The mother said thank you to me and sorry for my trouble, and I said, I had the easy part as it wasn't me in need, and that I was very pleased to be able to be of assistance. Then, she thanked me for being a soothing influence with her son.

We get to choose our mood in every circumstance, don't we?

There were three other situations where someone was calling a person by a name that ties them with a group. This is always the first step in creating enemies. We call them some kind of name that takes away their humanity. Now they are easy to kill because they aren't really human. Regardless of what group we throw real human people into, it is all about dehumanizing them for our ego's own comfort and safety. It could be the color of their skin, the religion we think they belong to, a particular type of activity we think they are associated with or could be associated with. It could be an ideology, and the list goes on.

Whenever we do this, it is always based on fear and it is always intended to dehumanize the other. To say that every Muslim is the same, every Christian the same, every Buddhist the same is impossible in reality, but easy in our use of language. We might as well say every politician is the same, every CPA is the same, every drug dealer and drug user, every grade school teacher, every social worker, every President, every anything is the same--that they are all to blame because they are part of something more than themselves. It's pure ego. It's pure fear. It's purely irresponsible. It's totally and undeniably unloving.

We get to choose our mood in every moment. We get to choose our thoughts of ourselves and others in every moment. We get to choose how we associate one thing with another. We get to choose. We are the only ones who choose. The outcome or the reality is the result of those choices.


We Choose To Allow (Love), Or Not (Fear). There's Really Only Two Choices. Which Will You Choose Today, This Moment, In This Situation, In This Interaction? 

Spread Some Joy Today--That choice would be love. Joy and love are interchangeable.

Daily Inspiration 10-30-17

"Every problem has in it 

the seeds of its own solution.

If you don't have any problems, 

you don't get any seeds. . ."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

[Classic post from 3-19-11]

Ever heard the phrase, "it's always something. .?" Maybe it came out of your own mouth. I know it's come out of mine. I stopped saying it because it's a counterproductive affirmation as it has always been used in my experience as an acknowledgment that we are not in control and things just randomly happen to us. I remember hearing when I was young things like, "the aheader I go, the behinder I get," and other such similar affirmation statements.

What I find most interesting today, is that after learning to believe that my thoughts control my actions, rather than some other circumstance or deity, I see how those common phrases from my earlier life really are counterproductive for us. But more than that, it is how we deal with and respond to problems or circumstances.

When I accept that someone or something else created a problem for me, I feel powerless; however, when I accept responsibility for a problem or circumstance and look for what I wanted to learn from it, I grow powerful. What a dramatic contrast, don't you think? One makes me feel powerless, the other more powerful. Based on that, my choice is clear.

I am beginning and practicing getting excited--seriously--truly excited about problems and what appears on the surface to be negative or undesired circumstances. I figure that as any other skill, the more I practice it, the better I will get at it. And, I am getting better at it.

Some examples of late are working very long and hard to close a lucrative deal and then having the deal fall apart, or continue to delay time after time after time. I now look for ways that strengthen me and focus on improving my craft, ways to presenting my services and so on. I never worry about any given deal anymore. It's all a learning experience.

Another example is someone quitting and adding to your immediate workload. I now know that this can be such a learning experience and that it is humbling and exciting at the same time.

There are so many problems that come our way and it is only our attitude or the way we look at them that serves or does not serve us. I have found that problems truly are opportunities, and as with any opportunity, we can accept it or reject it, get excited or get depressed, become powerless or powerful. The choice is always our own.


I Choose POWER-FULL!

Spread Some Joy Today--There is nothing like the excitement of a new idea or a new way of looking at things to change one's demeanor. To me, that is the value of learning something new every day!

Daily Inspiration 10-29-17

"One way to drive fear out of a relationship

is to realize that your partner's values
are the same as yours, 

that what you care about
 is exactly what they care about. 

In my opinion, that drives fear out 

and makes for a great partnership

whether it's a corporate partnership or a marriage."

-- Steve Jobs

[Classic post from 4-23-12]

This idea from Steve Jobs demonstrates that we all need each other and when we find those with common values, a relationship can be mutually beneficial.

Another quote that adds to this idea is from Hermann Hesse, where he says that "our mission is to gain true discernment of the contraries, first as contraries, but then as poles of unity." I just love that "discernment of the contraries" portion of the quote.

Often what appears to be contraries is, after all, poles of unity. Truly, we all came from the same source and will return there.


There Is More In Common Than Not.

Spread Some Joy Today--Be extra kind to someone just for the joy of it.

Daily Inspiration 10-28-17

"Our remedies

oft in ourselves do lie

which we ascribe to heaven."

-- William Shakespeare

[New post]

We have so much power and often we may think that we do not. We have the power to change our lives, our circumstances; indeed, our world. And, it's all because we can think thoughts and in particular to choose our thoughts.

Have you ever seen someone who did a makeover and changed dramatically from a so-called ugly duckling to a swan? Male, female, it matters not, but I'm sure you've seen someone who changed the way they look dramatically, and in so doing changed their lives for the better.

It isn't the change that drives a change in thinking, it is a change of thinking that drives the physical change.

I'll share some wonderful words to this effect from Abraham, Esther Hicks:

"You have the ability to quickly change your patterns of thought, and eventually... your life experience."

"The Law of Attraction is responding to your thought, not to your current reality. When you change the thought, your reality must follow suit. If things are going well for you, then focusing upon what is happening now will cause the well-being to continue, but if there are things happening now that are not pleasing, you must find a way of taking your attention away from those unwanted things."

As we see that which we want in our minds rather than the things we don't want, we draw on what we want. If I want to see beauty in the mirror, or in the neighborhood, or in the world, I must focus on seeing the beauty that is truly and always there instead of focusing on faults, or things that are ugly, wrong, disgusting, and that list grows so easily, doesn't it? But, we can always see beauty when we are focusing on beauty, and that includes seeing beauty in ourselves.

All of a sudden via our new appreciation, we begin taking better care of our appearance, our clothing, our surroundings. Maybe we are now seeing the beautiful tree instead of the unmowed lawn with weeds. No matter what, if we will but look for it, we will see beauty everywhere we look.

And, the really good news is that as we focus there, we see more and more beauty all the time. It may even get to the point that we don't even notice those things that used to drive us crazy when we looked at them.


Seeing Anew With The Eyes Of Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding the beauty in your self and your surroundings today. You really do create your world out of thin air.

Daily Inspiration 10-27-17

"What is the difference between

an intellectual understanding and knowing?

Practice.

What is the difference between

knowing and being?

More practice.

Or, better stated:

Practice more often."

-- Albert K. Strong

[New post]

I've often flashed on the way a newly-minted MD opens what is called their medical practice, and how lawyers will state that they are practicing law. We may not think of it as practice the way we might normally think of using the word practice, but it really is that if you think about it. A new MD or a new lawyer is going to get some practice in their practice or they aren't going to be a very good doctor or lawyer, are they?

We think of practice quite easily when we think of learning to play a musical instrument or to improve our dance skills, or any skill from level to level. We sort of take that for granted, don't we? If we want to get better and improve, we have to practice. No matter what skill we want to improve upon from mountain climbing to running a marathon, to skydiving, to gymnastics, to public speaking, we will need to practice, and as we practice, there is the potential to become what we might call art, or to be an artist.

When someone has practiced a great deal, they could be said to be at the top of their game. They have a lot of experience at what they do. They know their trade or their skill and they may even become known as an expert in their field of study.

When it comes to physical things, I think we understand all of this and accept all that I have just covered, but it may seem to be different when it comes to things of the mind or the heart. I think in these areas we might seem more vulnerable, less confident, less in the knowing, and the being of it may not even be on the radar.

Yet, it is the same in the mind and heart as it is in the physical body. If we want to go from an intellectual understanding of something to an inner knowing, this requires practice just like nailing the dismount in a gymnastic performance. Heck, in many cases in our learning, we may not even get to the level of intellectual understanding unless we practice.

Then to go from a good understanding to true knowing of an idea or concept or subject to having it become us, or a better way to say that might be to have it fully integrated into our thinking and actions, truly requires a willingness and commitment to practice more often, to have it at the top of our mind perhaps as we move through our day, until that magical day (which may never actually come) that we don't give it any more thought at all. Then it simply is.

We go from learning to understanding to knowing to being. It is the level of being that all artists want to get to, and yet here is the easy part of all of this: It doesn't require skill. It only requires practice.


I Used To Practice To Really Know. Now I Practice More Often. Joy-Fully. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Injoy your day. It is Friday! It's Friday! Friday, Friday, Friday!

Daily Inspiration 10-26-17

"Whoever is happy

will make others happy too."

-- Anne Frank

[New post]

It's contagious? Like yawning several times causes others to yawn?


Who Knew? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing to be happy.

Daily Inspiration 10-25-17

"When we say something

is too vast to be explained,

it is never too vast to be known."

-- Paul Selig,

The Book of Truth

[New post]

I thought that the statement above was so interesting. It says so much.

I think every writer knows that regardless of their prowess as a wordsmith, that there is so much that can be expressed in language and then there are things that cannot be expressed in any other way than in knowing, allowing, being.

To put this quote into some context of the source I gleaned it from. They were talking about love, and not the kinds of love that we think of usually when we think of love, but the love that is the essence of our being.

"You are love already. You all are. It is the truth of your nature as being of God. You don't learn love, you learn behavior. You allow love to be as you, and in the agreement to be as it, it is as you in all ways."

I italicized the part of this quote that grabbed my attention. We allow it. We know it. It is us. We are it. It is all. It is as God. That is how powerful love is.

To continue just a bit more: "The depth of love that is you cannot be articulated because it is so true, in such truth, that nothing else exists at that level of vibration."

My italics and underline again. Nothing else exists at this level of vibration.

This gives new meaning to the 1 John 4:8 Bible quote, "God is love."

To add just a pinch more truth to this quote, let me find joy in 1 John 4:16b: "God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him."

To bring this to a practical and delightful conclusion, we cannot help loving. We are love as we are an aspect of God, but the agreement was that we could learn behaviors at will. Some of those work very well and bring joy, and others not so much, but no matter what we choose as a behavior for the limited time in this body, there is no forsaking the truth that we are love.


And, The Best News Of All Is That We May Choose To Allow Love To Be Expressed As Us At Will. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by making the choice to allow the love that you are to be expressed throughout your day in every interaction.

Daily Inspiration 10-24-17

"Opportunity is always plentiful.

It is a matter of having eyes to see.

Not seeing volumes of opportunity all around us

reminds me of not being able

to see the forest for the trees."

-- Terry Minion

[New post]

I was sitting in my favorite green chair this morning and just thinking of what I wanted to share. There were so many opportunities, and there always is every single morning. I might go through a hundred or more thoughts to share and finally, I will say, "that's the one!"

One thing I've learned really well, and I learned it as a sales manager a long time ago: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. They have to want to drink. I could lead someone to consider a few of the always plentiful opportunities, but I cannot cause them to choose one. They must choose. But, first, they must see it, realize that they could do it, and then choose it.

I was thinking specifically about the car business, of which I've been associated in one way or another all my life, but I was directly in the car business working at dealerships for about 25 years. I saw myself as a teacher and that is why I wanted the sales manager job. That is exactly how I fulfilled that position as well. And, as a teacher, I was the number one student in the learning camp.

It is very rare to find a salesperson in the car business that sees the grand opportunity that this position can afford, and I believe much more so than any other position except the owner. Most see it as a job. Sell a car, eat, sell another, pay a bill, sell, sell, sell. Of course, sales is a requirement, but to see it as a job where I make a sale and get paid is a truly narrow view to me. The grand view is to see it as a business opportunity--a chance to be in business for yourself without needing a bunch of money to do it.

Now, this applies to a lot of sales positions, not just the car business, but I'll focus here as an example.

A salesperson who can see the real opportunity will see that the dealer (the owner), puts up almost all the money. They build the dealership, hire a team, fill the parts department, create a service department, buy a massive dollar amount of cars and trucks, provide training from the factory and from the dealership and other sources. They do a lot of advertising, have computers, phone systems, and all manner of things needed to operate a business like this, including paper, pens, notebooks, you name it.

Now the salesperson can make use of all this accepting what they are hired to do as a job, or a career (a long-term job), or they could see this as a way to be in business for themselves with the partnering and financial backing of the dealer and all his or her resources. One of the reasons there is a lot of turnover at car dealerships is that the salespeople see it as a job. They have little or no investment in it, see no big future generally and it is consequently treated as something they feel they need to do for the moment to pay bills and eat until something better comes along.

But, when one sees the real business opportunity, they can lead rather than follow. They create rather than accept. They build because they have an investment in the outcome that is far greater than making a living. They are creating an empire and their biggest, boldest, and the most enthusiastic investor is the dealer. As a dealer, who would not want to invest in someone like this entrepreneurial adventurer?

The average salesperson at a dealership typically from my own experience makes between $25,000 and $40,000 a year and may last less than two years before finding greener grass elsewhere. A typical entrepreneurial adventurer will gross $175,000 to $300,000, and some higher. That will buy a lot of food and pay a lot of bills, but it isn't the money that is really important. It's good, but the more important thing is SATISFACTION! It is being a builder.

Have you ever built anything and then proudly admired your creation? This is that. I know for sure and for certain that to start a business, grow it, and make it successful is nothing but joy. To stand back and look at it is a joy. To feel the ways I serve my clients is a joy. But in my business, I had to put up the capital myself. At the dealership, the salesperson is supplied with the necessary capital AND gets a paycheck for their trouble. Their investments would be very minimal.

This is but one example of the millions upon millions of opportunities that we may or may not see that are all around us all the time. Sometimes those trees may just be in the way, but rest assured, the forest is there.


Wow! Just Look At That Forest!

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving what you do and being willing and even eager to see more than you may see at first. No matter the view, there is always more there than we see.

Daily Inspiration 10-23-17

"As a sales manager, I saw that salespeople

always wanted to learn more ways to close the sale. 

They thought there was some kind of magic 

that could be wielded to bring the prospect

to do as they desired, which was to buy.

I always taught that the close of the sale

is the most natural thing and very easy

when the beginning of the sale is done with

respect, dignity, kindness, and love."

-- Terry Minion

[New post]

The last two posts in particular, as well as so many of my posts, are often seen as spiritually-based, or more spirit than practicality. People love practicality. So do I. I think that we all would like to be a better person, to be better at making choices, and live a more fulfilling life.

Many people see spiritual teachings and enjoy them as causing them to think a bit, and maybe a bit differently, but I think that they, as I used to, accept their message intellectually, but not seeing the practical application of that new insight or point of view.

Since I turned 22, 46 years ago now, I've been in sales and became a sales manager at 25. I've written two books on sales, and have studied it more than almost anyone I know. Sales is something I know a little about. So, I'll take sales, which is something we all do though we may not do it as a job or career, and tie it with with the last two posts, and most of the spiritual teachings that I've studied.

Many of the sales strategies and teachings that I've experienced and read over the years try to create systems that are intended to take a prospect from the greeting to the close in the least time, with applied methodologies, scripts, tricks, manipulations, and more. I've even tried some to experience them for myself. Many of them are ineffective at best, and sale killing at worst. It's not really that complicated, but if you're going to sell a program strategy to people eager for magic, you use magic yourself to serve their needs and desires.

What works best? Love works best. I've never seen anything that works better.

I've seen a handful of really good salespeople in my travels, and they were successful because they were so good with people, and they were so good with people because they liked people, enjoyed learning about them, determining what they wanted and what they liked best. In other words, they loved people, loved what they did, fully enjoyed the people they met, built strong relationships, often they were relationships that would last a lifetime. They were good at this because the salesperson is operating from love and as love, they loved others.

Prospects are people like you and me. They have needs, desires, beliefs, prejudices, and history. We all respond best when we are met in love with another human being. We enjoy learning about them. We appreciate the kind attention and loving interaction. We can see through the thin veneer of insincerity. We can see through the veil of a selfish agenda. We can sense the hurry to move us from point to point without giving us the attention that we crave. We can tell when we aren't being heard or understood. We know because we can feel the vibration is aligned our misaligned. It feels off, or it feels right.

You may not say it this way, but the word Namaste works perfectly in sales. Not the word itself, but the meaning of the word. It means that I honor myself and as I honor myself, I honor you. I honor the Divine in you and I honor the Divine in myself. We are now on the level ground of mutual respect and appreciation. From there, the door to a relationship is open wide, whether it be to guide them to something you have to sell that they want and will benefit from or you guide them elsewhere to something or someone that you know will benefit them more.

I have used love as a basis of sales management for over 40 years and it serves today as well in my own business. Nothing works better in my opinion. And, my study of spiritually-oriented texts serves to expand my joy and my loving application of those truths in all that I do physically.

As we understand better that we are so much more than we seem to be, and see that in others too, we can just be real with one another rather than trying to trip one another up. In some ways it reminds me of that famous Vince Lombardi quote, "Gentlemen, this is a football." The basic truths are always going to be truth. Jesus said to "love one another." It applies in everything that we ever will do as much as it ever did. 


Everything That Begins In Love Stays In Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting your own Divine truth rule your world.

Daily Inspiration 10-22-17

"Love is in everything."

-- Paul Selig,

The Book of Love and Creation

[New post]

What does it mean to be enlightened? What does it mean to raise our vibration? What does it mean to rise above? What does it mean to see through the eyes of love or the eyes of Christ?

How do we live in this world of duality and yet see oneness? How do we change from thousands of years of collective history to make different choices?

I've been giving these kinds of questions and many like them a lot of thought of late and I now think I've been able to answer them to my own satisfaction and share those thoughts with others.

When I think of raising my vibration or rising above, I think about seeing things from a distance--enough distance to see a larger picture of what I was looking at up close. Now I cannot see the problems, I can only see possibilities. It reminds me of standing on a peak looking off into the ocean or crossing the summit and seeing the vast valley below, or flying a plane and seeing all those squares of large farms made to look like a patchwork quilt, and even better, to see pictures of the Earth from space, whether looking at a certain portion or the whole thing at once.

Looking from space, I see no war, no famine, no hardship, no natural disaster destruction. I might see a lovely large cloud formation that seems to be spinning ever so slowly, but I do not see a hurricane in the way we might see it here. I might see what looks like smoke in one location but I don't see the fires burning or the volcano spewing ash into the atmosphere.

From here, I see beauty, color, movement, and many spheres in a field of vision all around the sphere I am viewing. I see a collection of things as if they are floating with a lot of space between them, and as far as I can see, I see that in greater, even infinite numbers.

Coming back down to where I live in this physical plane, the value of raising my vibration, standing back from my finite view, I can see with the eyes of love. I can see things differently. It is simply a choice.

We have been trained in our own history, dragging along a collective history of how we act, how and what we judge, how we choose to live and interact with each other. We have loads of rules, millions of laws, lists of right and wrong, while at the same time experiencing joy, love, anger, resentment, praise, punishment. Much of this is at odds, hence, duality.

As I step back, I can see the whole rather than the sides or the separation that we promote with each other, in our religious dogma, our inherited belief systems, and our collective expectations of how we should behave, live, deal with one another.

So, before this gets too long, I'll bring this to the fact that all of this is a choice. Accepting rules is a choice. Choosing our own rules is a choice. Allowing others to rule is a choice.

In choice--in knowing that we are always in choice--there are no such things as victims. There are no such things as right and wrong. There is only choosing and actions from those choices.

How can we see that everything is love? By choosing to see the love in everything. To accept the belief that love cannot be in everything, but only in the right things, the holy things, the virtuous things is a choice. It is a choice in separation.

How can we see the Divine in ourselves and the other while abhorring their choice? By choosing to see the Divine in ourselves and the other. We don't have to approve of their behavior, but we must honor their free will to choose, as we use our own to choose.

We become enlightened by rising above the choice of separation, of seeing the duality and choosing sides. We see with a wider vision all of the whole. We can see all the sides. And, we can choose to love all the sides. We always have our discernment, so we don't need to like everything, but loving everything is a much wider view. It is the view of the whole without any separation.


"I See All Before Me With The Eyes Of Love." -- Paul Selig

Spread Some Joy Today--by rising above and taking a wider view.

Daily Inspiration 10-21-17

"God is a circle

of which the center is everywhere

and the circumference is nowhere."

-- Empedocles

[New post]

Good day to you wherever you are!

I've mentioned a few times that I have been studying the books published by Paul Selig. Of the five that have been published to date, I've read each one several times and they are so marked up with notes in the margins, highlights, and sticky notes. With each reading, I am inspired and amazed anew. I will be sharing much more as I move along, and today I wanted to share one of the most important things I've learned from this study.

Some will look at this as an affirmation and it is directly from the book:

"I know who I am. I know what I am. I know how I serve. I am here. I am here. I am here."

It took me some time and repetition to really get this, and here is what I have learned and how I've learned to interpret this very powerful statement in my own words.

First, it is not an affirmation, but a statement of truth. They say (from the book) that whenever something is true, it is always true or it is not truth. Truth is not malleable. It is unchanging. The difference between an affirmation and a statement of truth is intent.

Let me take each short sentence and explain my understanding of it from this statement of truth in as short a space as I can.

First, "I know who I am." I am an aspect of the Divine, God, or whatever word suits your fancy. I am not who I seem to be. I am an aspect of God, and as I am an aspect of God, every other person on this planet is as well. Of all the truths that I have seen in these books, to me, this is the most important. As we allow ourselves to realize who we really are outside of this "self" that we think we are and have been and will be for a time, we learn how to understand ourselves and all others in the world.

Next, "I know what I am." I am an aspect of the Creator in manifestation. This one took me the longest I think to fully understand, but it was so clear once I got it. I am spirit in a temporary manifestation in a body and with a physical history, and a physical experience. This is not to discount the physical experience, but to fully accept it and appreciate the value of it. At the same time, I realize that each and every person I meet, don't meet, interact with, or never interact with, we are each and every one, this same thing. We are individualized expressions of the Divine in manifestation.

"I know how I serve." We all serve in the same way. We serve by being. As we "be," we serve all others and ourselves through our vibration, through our expression in this physical life and our expression is perfected in our alignment to our knowing of who we are.

"I am here." This is essentially our name. As we acknowledge ourselves in our Divinity, and in our manifestation, in my case as Terry, and in my service through simply and exquisitely being, I am only very temporarily that called Terry, but my real name is I Am. I am here is the acknowledgment of that. As I recognize the same in another, I can acknowledge that with "you are here." As I do this I honor the other. The word Namaste is another way of saying this, which is honoring the Divine in me and honoring that same Divine in you.

What is the value of this from a practical, living every day experience of this life? It is this: As we choose, whatever we choose, as we act, however we may choose to act, we have the opportunity to see ourselves and to see all others as they truly are. We have the opportunity to honor their presence regardless of our opinion of how they choose or what they choose for themselves.

You could call it unconditional love and that would suffice perfectly. In unconditional love, there is the understanding that I can love myself and love others without any conditions that they satisfy me in any way. As I honor myself and honor them, we each have the opportunity to align vibrationally in a deeper understanding of All-That-Is.

As we then make our own choices, we do not discount another, put down another, find fault within ourselves. It opens communication in a very real way, even though physical words may not even be spoken.

It is a way to thrive. It is a way to love and accept love. It is a way be "be." Not to be better, but simply to be, to align with the truth that we are.


Namaste. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by realizing who you are, what you are, and how you serve.

Daily Inspiration 10-20-17

"Gratitude is so close 

to the bone of life,

pure and true,

that it instantly stops

the rational mind,

and all its planning and plotting."

-- Regina Sara Ryan

[New post]

A couple of days ago I wrote about prayer and how Thank You! was what I thought to be the ultimate prayer.

This morning I saw the quote above and though the reminder of being in gratitude was good, what struck me about this quote was the latter part of the quote: "it instantly stops the rational mind, and all its planning and plotting." That is powerfully true, and yet I haven't really thought about it quite that way.

So, based on this, as my mind is running in circles as it often does like a dog chasing its tail, I could take some time and sit and try to meditate and release it all, but in that scenario, doing that seems like work. However, as I think about the fact that being grateful for something, anything, anyone, and more, I shut off my rational mind right then without any effort whatsoever.


How Amazing Is That!? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding any little thing, or anything at all to be grateful for. The effort is nil, but the reward is heavenly.

Daily Inspiration 10-19-17

"Change your thoughts

and you change your world."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

[Classic post from 11-5-13]

Albert Einstein said that "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing(s) and expecting a different result." That is so well said and so true, and yet many, if not most of us may not remember it enough.

I see a lot of businesses (including my own!), where we want something more--more sales, more income, whatever--and yet we are not willing to change what we think and thereby what we do in order to have what we want. Instead, we look for external things that may be hindering our progress. Some of them may be the weather, the economy, the holidays, tax time, too much rain, not enough rain, the city, county, state or the federal governments.

You name it, and we have something to blame on it, or as a result of it, or who is in charge, or who is not in charge, but should be. We can blame people equally with things, events, ideas, concepts, time, age, and more. It seems we can even blame ourselves, though more rarely, yet that is actually worse, or at least that's how it feels.

Rainer Maria Rilke said, "Don't be too quick to draw conclusions from what happens to you; simply let it happen. Otherwise it will be too easy for you to look with blame. . . at your past, which naturally has a share with everything that now meets you." And, let me follow that quote up with this one from Bashar: "You must own the choices you have already made before you can make new ones."

There is no doubt at all that our thinking and our choices from the past have effect on our present, and allowing those to be and accepting responsibility for making them is the most powerful tool to the ability to change. As Madeleine Albright said, "What people have the capacity to choose, they have the ability to change." We accept, allow, choose differently, and change is secured.

Next time you are wanting something different and you continue to think the same thoughts and do the same things that created where you are, remember Einstein and his magical phrase, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing(s) and expecting [or hoping for] a different result."


Let's Try Something Different!

Spread Some Joy Today--Love your choices. Love where you've been because it has led you to here. From here, you can go anywhere!

Daily Inspiration 10-18-17

"If the only prayer

you ever say in your entire life

is "Thank You,"

it will be enough."

-- Meister Eckhart

[New post]

What a wonderful quote! Although the more I learn as my life unfolds, I have come to the conclusion that "Thank You," is the only prayer ever needed. The less my opinion has to do about anything, the more I see the value and reason to say, Thank You!


Now I Think That Thank You! Is The Ultimate Prayer. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding the gratitude within that is your expression in prayer.

Daily Inspiration 10-17-17

"How wonderful it is

that nobody need wait

a single moment before

starting to improve the world."

-- Anne Frank

[Classic post from 12-21-12]

This is one of the single most powerful quotes I've ever been inspired by, and it bears repeating: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." It is the ultimate answer to who has power in the world: every single one of us. It is an answer of one of the sources of joy we have in our lives by accepting the responsibility and the privilege.

It is the ultimate answer as to when things always happen: right NOW. And, it is the ultimate answer and each and every one of us CAN improve the world by our thoughts and our actions.

Paste this one on your wall, your mirror, your day planner, your desktop. Let it remind you as it does me that we can and do make a difference and to take joy in that by doing so this moment.


The Mayan Calendar Says TODAY Is The Day!

Spread Some Joy Today--Celebrate the day!

Daily Inspiration 10-16-17

"It is not what we choose

that is important;

it is the reason we choose it."

-- Carolyn Myss

[New post]

No matter what is chosen, it is the why in our choosing that matters so much more. Why is the big driver. Why is the expansive device. Why is the fuel that runs the engine of accomplishment.

What is important. Yes. We choose. It is our power of choice. And yet, why we want what we choose makes the what seem almost insignificant in comparison.

Next time you choose something, take some quality time with all the reasons you are wanting it.


You'll Be So Glad You Did. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply choosing joy. Why you want joy is more fun, though.

Daily Inspiration 10-15-17

"The most pleasant 

and useful persons

are those who leave

some of the problems 

of the universe

for God to worry about."

-- Don Marquis

[New post]

Some years ago, I remember that at our church on New Year's Eve the pastor would drag out a wooden four-foot high cross made of 4x4 post material. He would then suggest that we take a pen and piece of paper and write down something that we want to give to God to deal with so that we can let go of it and trust that the Lord would follow through. So everyone would write one or more things down and then take the hammer and a nail and nail the paper to the cross.

Everyone was relieved for at least a few minutes. The festivities of the New Year celebration perhaps had their attention for a while, but soon enough on the first day of the new year, one by one, people were taking their issues back and trying to figure out for themselves how it would be solved.

Trust is a malleable thing.

Recently, I was reminded of this past event and so wrote down on separate pieces of paper and laid them down at a makeshift altar feeling relief for minutes that it was no longer in my control. Minutes. Yes. No, I didn't count how many. . .

I've written about my sign on my wall that has now been there at least 8 years that says, "What is MY job and How is GOD'S job." It reminds me of Mike Dooley's insistence that we avoid the cursed how's at all times. How is the way we mess things up more than not, but what is always our job. Always.

I've written often about letting go of the rope of resistance too. Whenever we are in worry, dealing with how's when they are truly none of our business is picking up that rope and pulling hard like in the old tug-o-war game.

Then, I looked at my sign and started laughing out loud. I opened my hands and visualized rope burns from my constant struggle in resistance even though I so recently gave all those self-perceived problems to God. Now, every time I feel tense, I look at the sign, look at the palms of my hands and laugh out loud at my silly insistence that I can control things better than God can. Seriously? Yes. Then I laugh some more.

Trust is a malleable thing.

And, practice is beneficial in trusting. Feeling tense? Let go of the rope. Look at your hands. See the rope burns that you are giving yourself. Picture you trying to take God's job away by thinking that you have more resources. Total silliness, right?

I spend a good deal of my day letting go of the rope. The more I let go, the better things turn out.


Trust Is A Malleable Thing. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting God handle some of that load you're carrying around. Breathe a little. Feel the peace in that. Pay attention to when you're picking that rope back up. And don't forget the ointment and gauze. . .

Daily Inspiration 10-14-17

"In order to eliminate the negative influences,

simply ignore them."

-- Lao-tzu

[Classic post from 1-24-12]

It's funny to me, but I read this quote for the first time today and it is so perfect because that is exactly what I started doing and still do today to keep focused on the positive things I want to focus on and avoid getting tangled in the negative, needy things that are always clamoring for attention. I do it by not paying any attention to what the negativity or what is going on that I don't care to see. And, it is absolutely amazing how well this works right from day one.

Now, other people will try to persuade you to pay attention to the news and the problems, but it is not really that hard to say no, thanks. It also gets easier with practice to the point that I don't pay much attention to the distractions anymore.


Empowering Myself Is So Cool. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Stop the 'fine, how are you' routine to the common, 'how are you?' question. Practice some creative and joyful answers! How about, 'off the chart!' 'I don't think I've ever felt this good!' 'I think today is the best day of my life!' or 'I can't imagine the hottest rock star feeling quite this good.' What a difference, don't you think?

Daily Inspiration 10-13-17

"Don't lower your expectations 

to meet your performance.

Raise your level of performance

to meet your expectations. 

Expect the best of yourself,

and then do what is necessary 

to make it a reality."

-- Ralph Marston

[Classic post from 5-31-12]

I'm always challenging myself to improve; to do well; better; the best I can, given the parameters, and I feel that way about everything that I do. However, I am certainly not a perfectionist, as I do have a tendency to say, "okay, that's good for now."

I've known many who beat it to death trying to excel. I don't think it need be that hard. I love Teddy Roosevelt's famous phrase to "do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Tomorrow is another day and I'll go and do what I can with what I have, where I am then too. And that will be good enough. . . for now.

What's interesting is how everything constantly gets improvement with that attitude.

I was talking yesterday to some people and considering how we operated and what we did four short years ago compared to today. It is an amazing transformation. It will also be the same kind of comparison four years from now because there is constant growth.

One of my favorite sayings comes from one of my mentors, Tony Robbins. He calls it CANi, which stands for Constant and Never-Ending Improvement. There are so many ways to improve, to see what can be done, to explore creativity and innovation on a regular basis.

I hear some business people talk about when the times get better, they will be better. When times are good, they will be happy. When business improves, life will be good again. I have a hard time with that. I think that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. More business doesn't create happiness.

The other thing I hear a lot is that when times get better, they will grow their business again. There are so many ways to grow a business that doesn't have anything to do with more business. It comes back to CANi and doing what you can with what you have, where you are NOW.

Let go of all the "if come maybe" stuff. There is so much to do right now. There is no future in reality. Everything is right now.


Happiness Is Not Pursued. It Is Allowed.

Spread Some Joy Today--Allow yourself. Grant yourself permission to be happy today. It's always been as simple as your choice. Choose it now.

Daily Inspiration 10-12-17

[re Mickey Mouse]

"He popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago

on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood

at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself

were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner."

-- Walt Disney

"Everything depends on the way we look at things. . .

The hopeful man sees success where others see failure,

sunshine where others see shadows and storm."

--Orison Swett Marden

"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift. . .

You seek problems because you need their gifts."

-- Richard Bach

[Classic post from 1-2-10]

I'll bet that if you kept a good, detailed diary over a long period that you would find that every problem brought you a blessing. Of course, they don't look or feel that way at the beginning or while we are experiencing them, but after the dust is settled, the benefit can be clearly seen. It has been said that everyone has 20/20 hindsight. What most of us could really use is 20/20 foresight so we could see the benefit up front and it would make it so much better dealing with the problem. Or, so we think. Truly, we may not have nearly the motivation knowing the outcome up front.

Looking back, I could give you a long list of problems I went through finding blessings on the other side. One thing that I have changed recently is making all the difference in how those problems feel. It's all about the feeling, isn't it? Many times, it feels unpleasant (saying it kindly) to deal with problems or to experience certain circumstances. The thing I changed is how I look at them. I see them and welcome them now as learning experiences and frankly, as blessings. I know absolutely that I am going to be better, things will be better and I will feel better afterward, so I have chosen to feel good about them up front. I tell you this: it makes all the difference in the world what they feel like. No more being unhappy about them, putting up with it, dealing with it, complaining about them. Now, I praise them, look forward to them and even get excited about them. Of course, I am a work in progress, so it does get easier and better as I move forward.

What is really interesting is to look at other people and watch them go through what I used to go through. It's like watching someone smoking. I think, "man, I'm so glad I don't do that anymore!" It is empowering and energizing and affirming.

Another interesting thing is to read about others like the Walt Disney quote above. I know that was a very long time ago, but look where he and his brother were and where their lives and where the little company went. It went off the charts! It became a worldwide mega business and is still growing even 43 years after Walt Disney's death in 1966. Matter of fact, it grew many times the size it was when he died. That is a powerful legacy.

Think of what can be done when you believe in yourself and know that you are going to do something special. Persistence, vision, tenacity, hope, faith, joy, laughter, confidence, dream are words that come to mind.

What was that problem again?


I Enjoy The Journey and See Opportunity Everywhere!

Spread Some Joy Today--Try thinking differently just for today. Pretend that money is not an object of concern. You're at a party and someone important asks what you do and why you do it. You answer, "________________________ . . ."

Daily Inspiration 11-11-17

"The guy says, 

"I wish someone would come by and turn me on."

What if they don't show up?"

-- Jim Rohn

"If. . . I have lost every other friend on earth, 

I shall at least have one friend left, 

and that friend shall be down inside of me."

-- Abraham Lincoln

"The deepest principle in human nature 

is the craving to be appreciated."

-- William James

"We increase whatever we praise.

The whole creation responds to praise, and is glad."

-- Charles Fillmore

[Classic post from 1-13-10]

I just love Jim Rohn's quote above. Indeed, what if they don't show up? Great question. He says, "you gotta have a better plan for your life." He's absolutely right. And William James is exactly right as well--at least in all I know personally--that we pretty much all crave appreciation. If not you, I know I do. There is absolutely nothing that fires me up more than appreciation and encouragement. It's better than money and lasts a lot longer too.

But, in our quest for appreciation, what if they don't show up?

Let's say you do something special that you haven't done in a while like making a special dinner for a loved one, or sprucing yourself up on the outside, or creating a romantic situation, or any number of interesting things. You probably do it mainly because you feel like it. You're motivated for some reason. You're not really looking for appreciation (so you say. . .), but yet, you are expecting a positive response. Then, it happens. They miss it completely, or they say something stupid, or they are just oblivious. Heck, it has happened to me many times.

It is so typical in those situations to feel spent, unappreciated, disappointed and other emotions. Hey, stuff happens, right? You might even feel a little silly doing it in the first place.

All you need is some appreciation. What if they don't show up?

Don't throw in the towel. You're motivated, excited and interested. Stay on that track! It's the right track. Now it is time to think a bit differently and have a better plan for your life. Here's the plan: From now on, do it for you! Don't do it for someone else expecting a return. Do it for you and if someone else responds nicely to it, that can be a side benefit, but not the goal. If they respond poorly, you don't really care because you did it for you, not them. That is a plan that will work! I guarantee it!

I love Abraham Lincoln's quote about being his own best friend. Self-esteem is of primary importance. Let me repeat that: Self-esteem is of primary importance.

Here's a good way to get started: Praise yourself! Love yourself! Pamper yourself! Be a friend to yourself. Say only good, uplifting and flattering things to yourself. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks if you think highly of yourself. If you think lowly of yourself, then it only matters what others think. Not so good for you. What if they don't show up? What if they give you crap? Let that go away.

Charles Fillmore said above that "we increase whatever we praise." Don't we know it is true? So get the praise machine dusted off and plug it in. Turn it on high and feel the breeze! We're praising now! Lifting ourselves up! Shining like a bright star! Feeling good! Get on with your shiny self! If anybody deserves it, it's you! Don't be saving it up for some rainy day. Let it all out. That bucket will never run dry. Trust me!

What if they don't show up? Indeed. We don't need them to show up. We got it going on right here, right now!

That's what I'm talkin' about!


I Am A Shining Example Of God's Creative Talent! He Only Made One Of Me! That's All Right By Me! And, He Did A Fine Job Too!

Spread Some Joy Today--Get that smile going from ear to ear. Get that look of total confidence back in your eyes. Get that worthiness back in your step. Keep that kindness in your heart. Help someone else feel better about themselves today. Just because you want to share the feeling you have. It's all about the love!

Daily Inspiration 10-10-17

"There is an ongoing battle 

between conscience and self-interest 

in which, at some point, 

we have to take sides."

-- Robert Brault

[Classic post from 3-27-12]

I worked for others for just over 40 years, and for myself for about 9 or so. Most recently I've worked for myself for the last 4+ years [now 10 years]. There is one thing about working for myself that stands out more than anything else and that is the ability to make choices in policy and make decisions on the spur of the moment and to do what I think in my heart is the right thing. What's even so much better than this is having real partners who think the same thing.

I worked in the car business for over 25 years and it is notorious for self-interest. Even as much control as I could get as a manager wasn't enough. I remember having to make choices that I had a very hard time with and all of them were focused on saving money. The really funny thing is that in almost every case, it ended up costing them much more money to get it finally resolved. Their fear of loss and instinct for protecting themselves ended up being the thing that cost the most in the end.

And now, I get to choose and the buck stops here with us. We get to choose to do what we think is right even if it costs us money. In fact, the money is almost insignificant in the mix. Going with our heart of hearts is the best instinct every single time. As I look back on some of those choices, I see how clearly this was the best choice.

Here's a quote from one of the world leaders in customer service and retention, Nordstrom's: "Rule #1 - Use your good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules. - Nordstrom's Employee Handbook."


Make Your Best Choices Regardless Of What Others Think: Go With Your Heart.

Spread Some Joy Today--You can sit right at your desk and in a moment go into joy. Just think of something funny! Maybe something like the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles. Oh, that's just a guy thing though. . .

Daily Inspiration 10-9-17

"You do not need to increase your wealth.

You need to increase your awareness

of the wealth you already own."

-- Alan Cohen

[Classic post from 10-31-12]

Consider the quote above, and then consider these that follow in the order they are presented:

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone."

-- Henry David Thoreau, Creative Naturalist, Author and Mentor to Millions

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful. . . that's what matters to me."

-- Steve Jobs, Creative Entrepreneur & Game Changer

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

-- Thomas A Edison, Creative Inventor & Game Changer

Today money was part of a conversation. What else is new? It is part of so many conversations. But that isn't quite accurate, it is typically more about the lack of money or the need or want of money that is typically the case. I know this conversation very well since I've had it with myself, my spouse and others for most of my lifetime.

For a good part of my life, I made around a hundred thousand a year, and sometimes substantially more, but it was never really enough. I was always chasing that elusive place where I had more than I could spend and not run low or run out. It takes a lot more to get to that place, or so it seemed to me. So, I envisioned a quarter of a million a year, and have met people making that kind of sum. Then I was bold enough to think in terms of a million a year, or a hundred thousand a month. Sounds pretty cool, right?

Even though I had previously done okay and made a lot more than many, I have also been amazed at how little one can get by on. What it really comes down to is that money is simply a means to some end and there is a wide variety of those.

Though I haven't focused my life on money totally, it was not the best place to put my focus. I have learned just in the last few years the importance of focusing on something far greater than money. In fact, Thomas A. Edison would never have failed 10,000 times if he were doing it for money. Indeed, he had a far greater idea than remuneration. I dare say, we are all very thankful.

Steve Jobs had far greater ideas too. Look how his passion for change and serving has changed all of our lives even if we have never, ever purchased an Apple product. His impact is universal.

Henry David Thoreau had very little use for money and found ways to need so little of it that it would be severe poverty in today's world, yet he marched to a different drum and we are all the better for it.

Wherever we look, the people that have had the largest positive impact on the most people were not focused on making money by what they were doing, though they certainly may have succeeded in eventually earning a lot. They focused on making a difference instead.

That is a very simple way to look at this and it is something that we can all do to improve our lives and I believe our fortunes as well. One of my mentors is Jeffrey Gitomer and he says the best way to succeed is to provide value first. I have taken that to heart and I am all the better for it. I am finding ways to make a difference and it is my greatest success yet.


Wealth Is Far More An Attitude Than A Number.

Spread Some Joy Today--Each of us has a special skill, attribute or attitude that can influence a large number of people. The more we allow ourselves to delve into that place of uniqueness, the more joy we will naturally spread. Don't hide it. Expose it instead. Be bold enough to make a difference. Though everyone will not choose to do so, we all can certainly make a difference. In that, you could say that we ALL then, make a difference. . .

Daily Inspiration 10-8-17

"There is a natural flow

of what wants to happen.

Let it."

-- Alan Cohen

[Classic post from 3-29-13]

I had a meeting with two clients today. They own a restaurant in the area. One of them was delayed and I sat on a comfy leather couch for about 40 minutes practicing my patience, doing some purposeful breathing and watching people at work.

There was a blond-haired woman who was in training and I heard her say to one customer that it was her first day. The general manager was doing some training with her and she was doing everything in stride. She is very beautiful. It was a classic beauty that reminded me of European Royalty. The other thing I noticed was that she seemed to have an aura of self-confidence about her. We all know how first days on the job can be, but she didn't show any nervousness about that.

I thought as the meeting was ending that I should go up and tell her my observations. But, she went in the back and I went ahead and left. After getting home, I thought to myself, wouldn't I like to hear something like that from a stranger or anyone for that matter? As it came back to me several times, I got on the phone and called the restaurant, asked for the new blond girl and here's what I said:

"Hi, I'm Terry and I was the guy waiting on the couch for some time. I have no agenda for this call except to tell you something that I thought you might want to hear. As I sat there looking in your general direction, I was appreciating your classic beauty. In fact, it reminded me of European Royalty. I know this was your first day on this new job, and I wanted to add that my other impression of observing you was that you seemed to exude personal confidence or self-confidence. I thought you might enjoy hearing that. I hope you have a wonderful afternoon."

She was elated as I was hanging up. I can just imagine how I would have felt having someone say something like that about me. In recent years, I've become bold enough to do this kind of thing often. I see someone and have this positive impression and I tell them. Maybe their hair looks great or it shines or the color they are wearing makes their eyes pop, and a myriad of other compliments. Many are small and short, others a bit longer, and every single one of them has been received with gratitude and joy. It has not failed me yet to say something sincere, positive and heartfelt. And, the real bonus is how it makes me feel to do it.


There Are So Many Very Simple Ways To Spread Joy Every Single Day.

Spread Some Joy Today--Don't hold it in anymore. Uplift someone you know, or a stranger as well with a simple compliment. People crave compliments when they are sincere. It is a gift that keeps on giving.

Daily Inspiration 10-7-17

"It is not through struggle and effort 

and trying that resistance is released, 

but instead through distraction 

and releasing and relaxing." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 3-18-15]

A long time ago, I was the equivalent of a journeyman level auto mechanic. I had two years of auto shop class in high school and then became an auto mechanic in the Air Force working on cars, and a lot of trucks big and small. Knowing what I know from that hands-on experience, I so appreciate a good auto mechanic today. Cars have steadily become more a combination of sophisticated electronics and even more complicated mechanical features, let alone, a plethora of options that didn't exist when I was a mechanic. My hat is off to them.

It can be a frustrating experience to diagnose a situation and then have the solution be incorrect, or insufficient. Trying to find out what the onboard diagnostics are actually saying can be a challenge for even the best of mechanics.

One thing I learned in the Air Force about frustration when it comes to finding out what the real problem is so that a solution can be given, is that frustration can become an attitude. I don't like that this thing I do not want is happening, I don't know what to do about it, and I don't want to deal with this right now. We've all been in the vicinity of that scenario, maybe even hundreds of times. And, the reality of being there causes the solution too often to get further away from us, causing, even more, frustration.

What I learned was that the attitude of the diagnostician is critical to the correctness of the diagnosis and the end result of an accurate and speedy repair. We happened to have three such people in our shop. One was the shop foreman who was a calm, confident, and knowledgeable Tech Sergeant who always seemed to have a cup of coffee in his hand. Another was an older civil service veteran, and the last was a young guy my age who came to the shop the same time I did.

This young guy seemed to be happy almost all the time. He laughed a lot and studied his stuff and became in a short time the go-to guy for diagnosis issues. I'll never forget one such issue where several of us tried to solve it, and he stepped in and found it in short order and found a very unique problem in an unanticipated area. It ended up being a piece of carbon stuck in a valve that was part of the early 70's emission system. Remove the little piece of carbon, and the problem left, and the solution came.

The thing that I remember the most about this man and this situation along with others that I watched him take charge of was the attitude with which he approached the problem. He got excited. Frustration was something he didn't even allow. He was interested and challenged in a very positive way. He went at it as if he were mastering a game. It was fun for him. He loved what he was doing, and you could tell by his demeanor that he enjoyed himself, and enjoyed the opportunity to figure it out.

That scenario is embedded in my mind. He was an inspiration to me. I wanted to emulate that attitude toward problems. And, it is also how Abraham & Esther Hicks suggests is the best way to find solutions as well. They state that frustration is a lot of resistance, and here's a quote to end this with that puts it in perspective:

"To be in your natural state of love and appreciation does not require lovable objects for you to focus your attention toward, but only an absence of resistance, which is the only thing that can hinder or mute your natural state of love and appreciation and Well-Being. In the absence of resistant thought, your Vibration returns to its natural state of power and clarity and love. 

In the absence of resistant thought, your true nature of resilience and replenishment and vitality returns. In the absence of resistant thought, your true nature of eagerness and joy and fun returns. 

It is not through struggle and effort and trying that resistance is released, but instead through distraction and releasing and relaxing. 

Over time, your appreciation for the question will become equivalent to your appreciation for the answer, and your appreciation for the problem will become equivalent to your appreciation for the solution. And in your newfound ease with what-is, you will find yourself in the state of allowing what you truly desire. And then, all manner of cooperative components will reveal themselves to you in a delicious co-creative dance of Deliberate Creation." 


My Attitude Toward Contrast Or That Which Is In Front Of Me Has Much To Do With What Happens Next. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Because it feels good. There is no better reason.

Daily Inspiration 10-6-17

"We're so engaged in doing things

to achieve purposes of outer value

that we forget the inner value,

the rapture that is associated with being alive,

is what it is all about."

-- Joseph Campbell

[Classic post from 8-4-11]

I've come to a very interesting place in my travels. There is much that I want, yet I feel that I need so much less than I have. I have learned how to enjoy the journey regardless of the circumstances or results. It is a rather joyous place to be and by and large, I keep it to myself, enjoying it myself. I share little bits with some, but keep most of it for private enjoyment.

I remember phrases in my early twenties as "learn to stop and smell the roses," and such. I always thought that was referring to leisure, not as a pastime, but as a focus and escape from the toil of the daily grind. Sometimes people call it a vacation, holiday, TGIF, the weekend, the long weekend, and more. I did all that and it didn't really change much of anything. It was almost as if it was just a different kind of activity.

Even on vacation, there was an agenda. Sightseeing, timetables, bus trips, road trips, and other activities that somehow become expected. Then I took a vacation trip to Maui in the mid-nineties and for ten days did no important activities, and the most important agenda was nothing. I read two John Grisham books cover to cover, walked on the beach, staring at the ocean, adored the environment, and had the best vacation in my life. I wasn't traveling all over trying to experience everything, but just experiencing being still and rather unfocused. It was glorious.

Then it was back to the daily grind again. Gotta pay the bills you know, gotta hit the numbers, gotta buy the stuff. . .

And, just a few short weeks ago, I have finally learned how to "have it all." I mean fulfillment. I have learned to become a taker. Now, I take moments whenever I can. They can be very short in terms of time, such as being at a traffic light, and yet I can use that much time to connect and pay attention and enjoy the moment without any thought of the agenda or what is coming next.

Today, I realized that I have accomplished this and I was very pleased with myself. I was sitting in my truck waiting for someone to show up. It was about 85 degrees and the sun was hot, but the breeze was pleasant. I was watching people move around me and absorbing the sunlight and heat and breeze and the lack of need of anything or anyone. I thought this is bliss! And it is especially good to take these moments or spaces and embrace them and float with them as if I am floating downstream on a calm raft. There is plenty all about me and I'm aware of no lack, no worries, no concerns, no agenda, no duties. What a glorious space.

Then, I am back to my tasks, duties, agendas and time schedules, yet something has changed them as well. They are more pleasant than they used to be, and it must be a result of that smile on my soul . . .


"I Have Learned, In Whatsoever State I Am, Therewith To Be Content." - Philippians 4:11

Spread Some Joy Today--Try being a taker today. Take moments, minutes, spaces, wherever they may be that you can take for yourself alone, and go with it. At first, it may seem as a "guilty" pleasure, but I assure you, it will easily become bliss.