Daily Inspiration 12-31-17

"Your task is not to seek for love, 

but merely to seek and find 

all the barriers within yourself 

that you have built against it." 

-- Rumi 

[Classic post from 12-27-16. Note: Of all the things that I write about, this one subject is the most powerful for me, the best lesson, and the best practice that guides my life now. Thank you for being a reader of these Daily Inspirations! I appreciate the commradery. Enjoy this beautiful day wherever it finds you.]

So many of us begin building barriers to love at a very young age. We may be doing it as a way of survival, protecting ourselves, and a long list of other great reasons, and so there they are, protecting us, shielding us, from some perceived ill.

Barriers are just resistance, and so understanding this makes it easier to see the real issue. Resistance always intends to protect, and yet at the same time does not allow the things and feelings that we truly want, like love.

Abraham, Esther Hicks says that resistance is the only real issue we have in a joyous life. They say that our natural state is one of well-being, and that resistance, which comes in so many forms, is simply a cover-up to that natural state. All the love we could ever desire is there, and yet it is buried under the debris of our resistance.

We talk about stuffing feelings, and when I think about it that way it is easy to see how layer upon layer of resistance covers our wellness in many different ways, including physical and mental states.

These layers of resistance cause hardship. We fight to get loose and as we fight, we only add to it. It is like trying to find peace by having war. But, the way out is not struggle. It is ease.

From Abraham, Esther Hicks: "Most rarely align with their true power, because it seems illogical to them that there is power in relaxation, in letting go, or in love or joy or bliss. Most people do not understand that their true power lies in releasing resistance--which is the only obstacle to their true power." 

And they add, "There are so many things that you have been taught to believe that are counter to the powerful Laws of the Universe that it is difficult for you to think your way out." 

Trying to think our way out is the same thing as trying to figure out how we can get what we want, wondering why this is happening to me, lamenting about all the roadblocks that seem to be in the path, and these are all loaded with resistance, which, as Abraham stated, is the only obstacle to our true power.

The only answer remains. Ease. Release. Letting go of the rope. Relaxing into our always connected, though perhaps not recognized Spirit within. The best love we could ever imagine is inside each and every one of us all the time. We only need to let go of all of the barriers we have built for self-preservation, releasing all of that resistance we have built layer upon layer over the years, and there is the love beyond all expectation, right there where it has always been.


Forget Original Sin. It Is Original Love. And, It Is And Has Always Been There. Ready. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by following your bliss wherever it leads.

Daily Inspiration 12-30-17

"Receive and ye shall give." 

[Classic post from 11-28-16]

Check this out from Abraham, Esther Hicks:

"As you set a financial goal, it is not only about the expansion for yourself; it's about the expansion of all of those who are involved in that which you are about. In other words, it creates this nucleus, this machine, that allows so many to begin to thrive along with you. It's much bigger than finances." 

This will make the next level so much more fun!


What Comes Around, Goes Around. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by becoming more joyful. It's an automatic win-win.

Daily Inspiration 12-29-17

"Life is a death sentence 

in which each of us is given 

a unique period of life." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 10-18-16]

What I love about spiritual teachings that I have experienced is not that they prepare me for death or to be unafraid of that inevitable point of the life journey. No. What I love about them is the way they prepare me to practice living a more awakened life--to be more aware of the fullness of life within me and all around me. To be here now. To appreciate more. To love more. To be upset far less, and to convert from being upset to being happy very quickly.

The idea of death used to scare me. I know it can come unexpectedly, and it can also come with a time of knowing it is coming soon. I've experienced the deaths of family members and others in both ways. Sometimes the coming soon part can last quite a while, even years. But, in the end, it isn't the death that matters, it is the living.

No matter what or who, there are always those who are 'left behind' so to speak--who are left here to live for some time longer, and that time is unknown generally. Some hold on to someone's death as if it devastates their life. They mourn for long periods, even years. They have paused their living of life to pay attention to an event that has nothing to do with them. Truly, they are feeling sorry for themselves as they hang on. That act is not focused on the death but what the living person feels they are now lacking. In other words, it is focused on themselves. But we each choose how we will feel about someone else's death.

Instead of mourning, there could be a joyful celebration. This requires getting out of ourselves and into celebrating that life of the one who died. It helps also to realize that death is not the cessation of life, but a transition to another form of life--a non-physical form. As I realize this, there is no loss, for they are not gone, they have merely and delightfully transformed, and they are still here, though my eyes are not designed to 'see' them.

It is said that life is for the living, and the living part can be re-energized, or refocused by the death of someone we know, as well as the thoughts of our own potential transition. It could then be said that death is to enhance the living. Or, certainly, it could be.

As I learn to let go of the seemingly important stuff all around me, along with all my cares and woes, I can experience more of what it is to be alive and to learn to appreciate this life and this living and to live it more fully.

It begins by being open to the spirit within me. We all have that, yet we may not yet be aware of it. As I align myself with that spirit within me, the God within me, if you will, I am in a place of joy, love, appreciation, knowledge I didn't know I was capable of, and a freedom that requires no defense. I get to choose it all, or not. I get to choose to mourn or not. I get to choose to celebrate the lives of others and that of my own, or not. I get to choose to love or not--to appreciate or not.

Is death really a reminder to live and to enjoy life? I think, yes.


I Choose To Focus On Delight. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by laying down that tired old rope you've been holding on to. Feel the joy of that act of choosing to live!

Daily Inspiration 12-28-17

"Your work 

is not to fix them; 

they are not broken." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 9-30-16]

I was watching a video from Starbucks about a rural Christian church in Cordova, outside of Memphis, TN. In the video, a Muslim group bought property directly across the road to build the Memphis Islamic Center. The pastor was initially upset and began to pray about it and read the Gospels again. He felt they should welcome them, so he put up a big sign saying just that. One of the members of the church told the pastor that he was very upset about this and that he might have to leave the church. The pastor suggested he reread the Gospels. After doing so, the member said that "it wasn't them, it was me." He was not demonstrating the love that is so apparent in the Gospels. He knew it in his heart and so he changed his mind.

War is crass. I wrote that a long time ago. We pretend to seek a world without war. Beauty pageants are known for the women saying they want world peace. We have no power to put that upon the world. In this scenario, it would never be. There are too many variables, and all of those variables begin with us.

If we say we want no war; that we want peace, then the first place to look for it is in our own mind. Are we at peace in our mental and physical life? Is there no war within us or waged around our bodies? We cannot project on to the world anything more than we are ourselves. That would be the height of arrogance and ignorance to attempt to do so. Yet we do, don't we?

It has been said that there is no way to peace, but that peace is the way. That would be exactly right. It has to begin within. We will know it is when we are in alignment with our Source within. Whatever name we may give that, it has no boundaries and it has no differences. Our Source is one in many voices. And, we know it when it is in alignment because of how we feel. In alignment, we feel good, we feel that peace that we proclaim, we feel the unconditional love of our Source, we feel good.

When we are at war within, leaving peace far from us, we can be said to be out of alignment with our Source because our Source is love. We know where we are by how we feel. We will be feeling fearful, angry, upset, full of rage, violent in our bodies. We lash out. We inflict pain verbally and physically. We are living in fear.

Whether it is an argument with our spouse, our children, our neighbors, or co-workers, or whether we are encouraged into more fear with other people's Facebook posts about politicians, or this is wrong and that is wrong, we know where we are if we will pay attention to how we feel. If we are feeling bad, angry, upset, disappointed, powerless, we are living in fear. Our Source is not there. We are out of alignment. This is exactly why there will never be world peace. If we cannot have it within and at home, how could it ever come globally? It cannot.

Whatever we want, we must line up with that, and we will know where our alignment is relative to our Source by how we feel.

Let me finish this post with the entire quote by Abraham, Esther Hicks from which I found the quote at the beginning:

"You're not ever going to teach them how to vibrate, nor would you want to change them all to a place of vibrating just like you. Your work is not to fix them; they are not broken. Your work is to choose from among all of that which feels best to you and fixate on it as long as it gives you pleasure and joy. And in doing so, you will align with the Energy of your Source, and you will live a magnificent experience. You just have to not let your joy depend upon what anybody else is living, cause that'll get you every time." 


World Peace Begins Within Each Of Us. We Each Control The World We Choose To See. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by laying down that rope of resistance and fear. In so doing, joy is automatically released.

Daily Inspiration 12-27-17

"It's a beautiful day everyday, 

because beauty is incredibly flexible." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 9-19-16]

It is if you say it is. It isn't if you say it isn't. I suppose that means you have total control over how you see and interpret what you see.


You've Got The Power! Let The Force Be With You All Day. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by making this a very beautiful and happy Monday! It's another great day to be alive!

Daily Inspiration 12-26-17

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"The fastest way 

to get what you want, 

is to want what you have." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 9-23-16]

I have come to believe as Abraham, Esther Hicks has taught, that desire, or wanting is what draws life force through us, and that without it, there would be no life, or reason for it. So, in that analogy, we are beings in want of something more.

At the same time they teach that by recognizing the contrast that is all around us, we learn what we do not want, or do not like, and that fuels the desire for something that we do want and would like better. And, as long as we don't push against this that we do not want or do not like--as long as we recognize the value of it to guide us to something better rather than fight what we are seeing or feeling, our desires draw more life energy through us.

I suppose you could say that it is all about something new, some new idea, new direction, new thing, and that may well be true. It can also be true that to appreciate what we already have, we go forth toward something else with a sense of well-being, and that I believe is the best journey we could be on--knowing that we want something, appreciating what we have already got, loving life and the process of growth.

Then I thought that many times, perhaps even often, we might lament what we are not, or not yet, when it seems so much more beneficial to celebrate what we are, what we have become. From this foundation of well-being, we can celebrate what we will come to next, what we will become in the process.

My early mentor, Jim Rohn, expressed some of this idea of becoming this way: "We can have more than we've got because we can become more than we are." He made it even stronger with this: "The most important question to ask on the job is not "What am I getting?" The most important question to ask on the job is "What am I becoming?"

And, one of my Rohn favorites: "After you become a millionaire, you can give all of your money away because what's important is not the million dollars; what's important is the person you have become in the process of becoming a millionaire."

This attitude toward what we think we want as expressed so nicely by Jim Rohn, is the place of well-being. It is in his way, I think, celebrating ourselves and what we already have, what we have already learned, and accumulated--respecting and appreciating this that he seems to indicate is the real journey, or the main reason for the journey at all.

In other words, in wanting this more, will I become more, because becoming more is my well-being, it is my alignment with the Source within me, it is celebrating this gift of life. In fact, the way Jim has expressed it many times that we must become more, because in becoming more, we open a much larger portal to whatever our desires can expand into.

Just as Jim Rohn expresses the idea in becoming more, I like the idea of celebrating where we have been, what we have done or accomplished, how much we have grown, and yes, become. Celebrating is another way to say appreciating, and appreciating what we already have, including all that we have become, is the fastest and best way to venture into our current new desires.

From The Place Of Joy, We Find More Joy, Seeking More. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by celebrating all the joy you already have!

Daily Inspiration 12-25-17

"Whatever Christmas is for you,

I hope that it has exceeded

all you could have hoped for. "

-- Terry Minion  

[New post]

Christmas should be __________. Christmas should be about ________. Christmas is for ___________. Merry Christmas! The holidays are tough. Many people are depressed during the holidays. Christmas is too commercial.

There are as many different ways that Christmas can be, can mean, can be manifested as there are humans to choose. After all, we chose it all. We just made it up. Then we collectively agreed on certain things about that. So, whatever it is to you, that is perfect. Since we all get to choose, we all get to choose how it will be, what it will mean, how it will play out.

Look at all that power we have! We can make it what we will. And, we do!

I sort of like the idea of choosing joy, but it wasn't always that way for me. Yet, it was always my choice of what I would think about it, how I would choose to feel, and what actions I may or may not take.

So, from my new home on wheels to yours wherever you find yourself, I wish you to choose what suits you best.


I Am Choosing Joy Today. I Am Choosing Joy No Matter Where I Am. 

Spread Some Joy Today--If you've got a mind to do so. If you have the joy to spread, it is easy enough to do so. Simply be.

Daily Inspiration 12-24-17

"Today, I will experience some magic. 

I will be alert to all that goes on around me, 

and I will be delighted and amazed. "

-- Terry Minion  

[New post]

Most likely, today will be a busy day.

Don't forget to take your peace and love with you. The busier we get, the more we need to remember that everything we feel we create within us.

Make it a special day full of delight and wonder.


When Love Is Your Guide, You Are Always At Peace. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by creating some joy out of thin air. That's another way of saying to choose it by choosing thoughts of joy.

Daily Inspiration 12-23-17

"We're asking you to trust in the Well-being. "

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[New post]

I read this and just had to share it because it is so empowering. And, it seems so appropriate to consider in the hurried and hectic living of our lives.

"We're asking you to trust in the Well-being. In optimism there is magic. In pessimism there is nothing. In positive expectation, there is thrill and success. In pessimism or awareness of what is not wanted, there is nothing. What you're wanting to do is redefine your relationship with the Stream. We do not ask you to look at something that is black and call it white. We do not ask you to see something that is not as you want it to be and pretend that it is. What we ask you to do is practice moving your gaze. Practice changing your perspective. Practice talking to different people. Practice going to new places. Practice sifting through the data for the things that feel like you want to feel and using those things to cause you to feel a familiar place. In other words, we want you to feel familiar in your joy. Familiar in your positive expectation, familiar in your knowing that all is well because this Universe will knock itself out giving you evidence of that Well-being once you find that place." 


What Costs Nothing And Is The Most Valuable Thing In The World? Love! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by feeling move love, sharing more love, resting in more love, and experiencing more love all around you today.

Daily Inspiration 12-22-17

"I'm as mad as hell, 

and I'm not going to take this anymore!"  

-- From the movie, Network, 

written by Paddy Chayefsky 

[Classic post from 7-30-16]

What is the value of anger? Does anger have value? Is anger good? Excellent questions, all.

The clip from the movie, Network, is a great example of some of the value of anger. It entices movement, it sprouts decision, it releases the anchor of powerlessness and depression, unworthiness, despair, and more. It is an improved feeling. Yes, it has value--plenty of value. The main value is a movement from a feeling of despair and resignation to a feeling of power and ability. A decision to do something by being mad as hell is a powerful change from powerlessness.

Although in this case, anger is a positive movement from what was, it is still considered a negative emotion, and staying in anger would not be much different than staying depressed. The ultimate value of the anger is the movement from a worse feeling place to a better feeling place. From the improved view from the plateau of anger, we can move into more improved feelings such as blame, and disappointment. From there, we can improve toward overwhelment, frustration, and into pessimism. From this clarity, we can reach hopefulness, and once we reach hopefulness, the entire array of positive emotions are within our grasp.

The value of movement cannot be underrated. Anger has value, but being an angry person has little value. Pessimism has value, but being a pessimistic person has little value. Being frustrated and irritated has value, but being a frustrated and irritating person has little value. It isn't the place as much as it is the movement to an improved feeling.

Once we cross the border of hopefulness, optimism is just over there. We can reach out and touch it, feel it, experience it, and see the more pleasing view from that vista that is optimism. Optimism has value, and being an optimistic person begins to attract a different set of circumstances and people into our lives.

From optimism, we don't need binoculars to see enthusiasm. It's right there within reach. Enthusiasm has value, and being an enthusiastic person shares value with others. Next door to enthusiasm is happiness. What a great place to get to. Happiness has all kinds of value, and being a happy person spreads a wealth of value wherever one may roam.

We are now on the cusp of love, appreciation, joy, and peace. What are the values of these? I don't have enough room to count the ways. Being a loving person, an appreciative person, a joyful person, and a peaceful person spreads value to all of the world right from where one is. Just being here is enough. And the really good news is that there is layer up layers of levels of improved feelings of love, appreciation, joy, and peace.

Wherever we are on the emotional scale from the very bottom to the very top, it is not the place that has value, it is the movement to an improved feeling. We all get to choose what we will experience, and how we will flow energy. We are creators. We have the power and the expertise to create despair, powerlessness, or love, appreciation, and joy. As we get to a place where we desire a change, that movement is powerful. What we do from there is the creativity of our flowing of energy.


Where Are You Now, And Where Would You Rather Be? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by moving into joy.

Daily Inspiration 12-21-17

"Personal growth is not a matter 

of learning new information, 

but unlearning old limits." 

-- Alan Cohen 

Custom table replaces jackknife couch

Removed jackknife couch to add workstation platform

Two-thirds of my new space

Two-thirds of my entire home space of about 150 Sq. Ft.

I can still eat well

I can still enjoy favorite Vegan food!

My new workstation

Workstation & favorite chair fully functional. Who knew?

Yes! I kept my favorite reminders from my previous office.

You have no idea how much they have helped and continue

to help me stay aligned with a joyful life.

[New post]

It's been a while since a new post, although I have specifically chosen the reposts that have helped me to keep focused on perhaps the largest and most substantial transition of my life. I've sold my home for 32 years, went from 1848 sq. ft. to about 150 sq ft. I bought a 2015 StarCraft AR-One MAXX 21' travel trailer as my new home to pull behind my 2002 Ford F-150 5.4 liter V-8 Super Cab pickup. I've added a CargoGlide bedslide in the back of the truck to carry some of my belongings, and work-related things and the rest goes in the trailer.

All in all, I let go of approximately 95% of my stuff. I thought about selling it via garage sales, Facebook marketplace, etc., and then decided I didn't want to sell it. I wanted to let go of it by giving it all away. You wouldn't think that was a challenge, but surprisingly, it was. Yet, it is all gone thanks to one generous soul who took several trailer loads for a good cause.

It's amazing to think about the power of a thought. I have disrupted my life and those of others in this decision to make this change. I've affected many lives in many different ways. We are not independent of our environment. They say that the movement of butterfly wings in South America affect the entire planet. As hard as that is to imagine that we feel the movement of air from that butterfly, it helps me relate to how flapping my wings so to speak has caused much to occur.

Things I gave away, things I bought, each and every decision, the people who bought the place, the lenders and real estate agents, title company, and hundreds more have felt the breeze from the wings of my decisions and all of that came from one single thought. It's mind-boggling and fascinating at the same time.

Some of the images above show my custom workspace. I wanted my workspace to be as similar as I could make it to what I had. Though I had 350 sq. ft. of office space and now I have about one-tenth of that, it feels similar enough and is extremely comfortable. My Veri-Desk allows me to do Internet grunt-work and stand and sit as my body would desire.

I've got my favorite "signs" on the wall a few feet away. I was telling a friend who took so much of my stuff that I could give many hours of lecture on that one phrase: WHAT is MY job, HOW is GOD'S job. I can relate that phrase to almost everything in one way or another. It is that powerful and simple at the same time.

Moving around in this small space takes some getting used to. It is true enough that one can adapt to almost any environment. After living 68 years in larger quarters, even when I lived in an apartment, this is indeed tiny and freedom of movement is a work in progress, but I am adapting after only four nights in my new home.

Now my new life will be mobile. I am a full-time RV'er. I don't even know where I am going next, but that will come when I give it more thought and make a decision. In the meantime, I parked in a nearby RV park in Vacaville for a shakedown-get-to-know-my-space-sift-the-remaining-stuff-because-there-is-still-too-much-stuff time. I'll be here through the 27th and then who knows where.

That's the short update. I have learned enough from this experience to write a book at least. This year has seen amazing changes. I became a Vegan on July 9th, and what a positive change this has been. I've lost 48 lbs. and eaten more than I used to. I sold my home of 32 years and disrupted a lot of lives by my thought that caused that choice. I'm thinking that all of those disruptions were for the best of all concerned. My intentions are always that.


Happy Trails Is What People Are Telling Me. I Like It.

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply being you.

Daily Inspiration 12-20-17

"Do not strive to attain perfection. 

Strive to recognize it." 

-- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 8-20-16]

How perfect is that!? There it is. Maybe by recognizing the perfection that already exists, that is all around us, that is fully within us, that is life itself, we can accept perfection.

Perhaps instead of trying to be good, it might be more beneficial to recognize the good that is all around us, within us, that is life itself.

It could also be that instead of seeking joy, it may be already within us, simply awaiting our recognition of that joy that is also all around us, and is, indeed, life itself.

Instead of wanting love, we accept and recognize the truest love within us, that is all around us, that is life itself.

Rather than seeking a portion of abundance to counteract our awareness of lack, we recognize that abundance that is fully within us, all around us, and is unquestionably, life itself.


Un-Strive To Find, And Simply, And Exquisitely Accept That It Is Already, Has Always Been, And Always Will Be. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by accepting and allowing the natural joy within to wash over you.

Daily Inspiration 12-19-17

"Our inner picture 

has to be based on 

our intention to feel good, 

which is of course 

synonymous with feeling God." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

[Classic post from 8-21-16]

In his book, Living An Inspired Life - Our Ultimate Calling, Wayne continues: "If we make this an inner mantra: I intend to feel good, we can picture ourselves experiencing joy regardless of what's going on around us. We can remind ourselves that whatever we desire is on its way, in amounts greater than ever imagined. If we keep this vision uppermost in mind, then before long, the All-Creating Source will conspire to bring our vision into our physical life. Most important, we'll begin to act on our vision and receive Divine guidance." 

Some have said to me, "you just can't go around feeling good all the time. That's just a dream world." They are right, of course. It is just a dream world--my dream world. I assume by what they say that they would prefer me to feel bad instead. Or to focus more on all the suffering in the world. But, that's no longer my world. They want me to take a stand on the issues of the day. They say, "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." And, of course, they are right, so I am standing for feeling good, for living in my chosen reality, my own dream world.

What is fascinating to me is that this idea of feeling good really works. It works like nothing other that I have seen in my life. I no longer have unhappiness in my life. I've let go of so many things that were causing me to feel crappy. I think the one that took the longest to go was the idea of frustration, which is very much like the definition of insanity by Albert Einstein, as in "doing the same things and expecting a different result," or more accurately, thinking the same things and expecting a different result.

I no longer have the frustration that was so common. I live predominantly in joy now--varying degrees of joy, love, peace, and appreciation. I like how Abraham, Esther Hicks, who, by the way, helped to show me the path I'm on, says this about living my moments:

"Mining the moment for something that feels good, something to appreciate, something to savor, something to take in, that's what your moments are about. They're not about justifying your existence. It's justified. You exist. It's not about proving your worthiness. It's done. You're worthy. It's not about achieving success. You never get it done. It's about "How much can this moment deliver to me?" And some of you like them fast, some of you like them slow. No one's taking score. You get to choose. The only measurement is between my desire and my allowing. And your emotions tell you everything about that." 

To me, feeling good has become my only real objective, and there are so many ways to feel good. As Abraham says, "mine the moment for something (anything!) that feels good" when you think about it. "Something to appreciate," which is anything! also. "Something to savor," whether it is taste with the tongue or delightful odors, there is always something to savor if you want to savor. And, "something to take in," like the color of the sky, the leaves in a tree or on the ground, or the breeze wafting over your skin, or that favorite feel-good movie, or looking someone in the eye.

One last delicious point from the Abraham quote, where they say, "The only measurement is between my desire and my allowing." What a dynamic way to put that. Let's call it a gap for the moment. That gap can be as big as the word, "impossible," and as small as the word, "done!" It's not about being worthy, justified, or successful. It isn't even about what we want, only the distance between what we want and our allowing it in. And, we know what we have by how we feel moment by moment.

There are so many ways to feel good, that to feel bad has no value to me anymore. It's sort of surprising to think that I did value it often. Why would anyone choose to feel bad, to be upset about anything, to struggle, to be frustrated, when they could feel good? There is no such thing as one world. We all are living in the world of our choices. We all get to experience our world by how we feel about it. Choose as you will, as it is always your choice. All your choices are good for you because they are your own.


Feeling Good Isn't Something We Find Or Create. We Simply Allow Or Disallow Our Thoughts On That. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding more and more feeling good moments. Ooooh, there's one! There's another. . . here's one. . . OMG, they're all around me now. . .

Daily Inspiration 12-18-17

"If you'd like to teach 

a kid to ride a bike, 

training wheels are a bad idea." 

-- Seth Godin 

[Classic post from 8-22-16]

Seth continues: "You're much better off with a small bike with no pedals. All training wheels do is confuse, distract or stall." And, since Seth Godin is a marketing author and expert, he adds, "the same is true for marketing. You don't need to go to school for four years. You need to do marketing." He also says that "the same thing is true for leadership. Find something worth doing, find others to join in."

Have you ever tried to ride a bike with training wheels? I tried it once and it felt completely stupid. One of the unique things about a bike is that it has a roll axis, unlike a car with four wheels. In other words, we can lean right or left, and in fact, that ability to lean has a great deal to do with riding a bike, and training wheels stops the roll axis, and you can watch a little kid on a bike with training wheels trying to lean and they can't. It's a silly protectionist thing that a parent would put on a bike because they are afraid the child will come to harm. But it slows the process of learning to a crawl.

I have a pilot's license and it would be like trying to fly a plane with it attached to a pole. A plane has, even more, freedom than a bike because instead of two axes, roll, and yaw, it has three--roll, pitch, and yaw. Left or right leaning, up or down, and right or left pointing. Training wheels on a bike limit the rider to one axis: yaw. It takes all the freedom away.

Our freedom is in our ability to decide, to do or to act. As we consider the fear of decision's ramifications, and/or the unknown aspects of doing something we may have never done before, we attach training wheels to our life. It feels crappy but safer, and yet, it isn't safe at all. We can feel inside that it doesn't feel right. We can feel the resistance and the restraint involved. We have imprisoned ourselves, lost our freedom.

Because we so strongly want freedom, we rebel against the self-created resistance and restraint, and with the ego's complete cooperation, we begin blaming others, external forces, and more. And yet, our freedom is always fully in our control if we will only become aware of that power. Training wheels will not help us learn to use this power, we must simply exercise it, trust it will all be okay and move.

Freedom is also our willingness and ability to fail and to learn from those failures. The label, fail or failure is made up. Truly there are only results, and we can then make adjustments if the results are not as desired. Pema Chodron wrote a short book about leaning into the unknown. The title is, Fail. Fail Again. Fail Better. 


Take Off The Training Wheels. Freedom Awaits. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by experiencing and spreading joy. Now.

Daily Inspiration 12-17-17

"The essence of a belief is that we own it, 

regardless of what's happening around us. 

If you can be easily swayed by data, 

then it's not much of a belief." 

-- Seth Godin 

[Classic post from 8-24-16]

In yesterday's post, I mentioned the movie, The Confirmation and that there were several good discussion points in the movie. Yesterday, I pointed out one that stood out to me from the father and son interactions, and today I'll share another I gleaned from the film.

The son was confused about things. He didn't know what to think. He heard things about his estranged father from others and he didn't know if they were true, or even how he felt about the remarks. His father, showing a beautiful bit of wisdom, said that he needed to listen to what others say, and then make up your own mind. He mentioned that he needed to decide for himself several times.

So what is a belief? It is simply a thought we continue to think, or a something we have made a decision about for whatever reason, and we consider it to be truth. The solidity of that truth is often tested by data from others, and we can continually modify our truths to match that of another, or many others (groups always seem to have more power, but that is simply an illusion), or we can allow that data to pass us by, holding on to our chosen thoughts.

The wise advice to the son to make up his own mind is great, but how does that work? How would he know what to believe and what not to believe? He would know it by how he feels deep inside--not the reaction to the data that will cause a feeling response, but the somewhat deeper response to the information, an inner knowing. An inner knowing is what resonates with our higher self, our inner being, the God within us, our soul, our Spirit, or choose your own words, but I'm sure you know to what I refer.

Resonance is a fascinating thing. It is a thing of beauty. It is Divine Guidance. It is Inspiration. It is a certain truth of truths that only we know within.

Way back in 1980, I owned a musical instrument store in Napa CA. I was a guitar player, and sold a lot of guitars. There is nothing quite like a well-tuned guitar, except maybe a delightfully skilled musician playing it. I saw many of them come into the store. We had a lot of students and they often found tuning to be challenging. We found a guitar tuner that was very inexpensive at only $9.95 and it was called the Match-A-Tone guitar tuner. It had a dial and you would turn it on, choose the string note, and it would generate a tone and all the student needed to do was to match that tone. It was pretty obvious when they matched. A little low or a little high was easy to hear, and when it was in tune, the string resonated with the tuner tone.

That's how we know. It resonates within us. It matches the tone of our inner knowing. It has the same vibration. It is in complete harmony. We don't need to think about it, because we know it by how it feels. You can feel resonance. You can feel the out of tune-ness, or disparity that is the lack of resonance. It feels off. It feels out of tune. If feels like the vibrations don't match.

That would have been so valuable to the son so that the son not only made his own decision, but checked in with. and connected with his inner all knowing wisdom until he found resonance. That is also a great way to periodically test our beliefs to see if we should continue to believe them, or let them go in favor of something that matches our inner knowing.


You Know It When It Resonates, When It Is A Vibrational Match Inside You. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing your joy to flow. The only thing that can stop your joy from flowing is your thoughts. It is also your thoughts that allow your joy to flow. What are you thinking?

Daily Inspiration 12-16-17

"When you change 

the way you look at things, 

the things you look at change." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

[Classic post from 8-23-16]

I watched a powerfully good movie last night that just came out on video, The Confirmation, with Clive Owen, and Jaeden Lieberher in the lead as father and son. There were a number of interesting points worth discussing in this flick, and this morning, I'll focus on one very simple, and yet profound thing.

In the movie, Clive is a craftsman--a finishing carpenter. He wanted his son to be more appreciative of things because they are made by people. Somebody made that. Several people worked on that to create this. He asked his son, have you thought about who made your pants? Or your shirt. People made them. Someone sewed them together. When you go across a bridge, think about all the people it took and the skills it took to build that bridge. He was also suggesting that loving what we do and taking some pride in doing it well was a virtue to contemplate.

So today, I will pay more attention. I will pay homage to all those people who made the things that I enjoy. My bookshelves (numerous!), guitars, the computer I'm typing on, people that grew the plants that are in my courtyard, my truck which serves me well, the clothes I'm wearing and those in my closet, the carpet I walk on, the kitchen I cook in, along with all the pots, pans, knives, eating utensils, Tupperware containers, the blinds on the windows, the windows themselves, the roof over my head, the cement in the sidewalk.

There are literally thousands of things to give thanks for within just a few feet of where I stand, and of the things that we appreciate and like, we may do that from time to time, but we probably haven't, as I haven't opened my awareness to all the people involved in making all these thousands of things that aid my life in so many ways.


Appreciating All The People Who Created And Produced All The Stuff Of Life. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding joy wherever you go, whatever you do, whomever you're with.

Daily Inspiration 12-15-17

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"There is nothing either good or bad 

but thinking makes it so." 

-- William Shakespeare 

[Classic post from 8-27-16]

It is what we say it is. It is what we think it is. It is what we feel about what we think it is. It is what we believe it is by what we think, say, feel, and do. There is no such thing as the truth, but as many truths as there are those to think something about truth. In other words, we make it all up. We may choose to believe what someone else made up, but if not us, someone made it up somewhere along the line.

Everything is neutral until we make it something.

This lesson from William Shakespeare has always been one of my favorite quotes from my first reading of it. It caused me to consider what it was saying, and I have taken its message to heart, and in so doing, it has changed my life for the better.

I need to periodically remind myself by looking at it again, or remembering that whatever I am looking at, I am deciding what that is by what I am thinking, and consequently feeling about it.

When I was very young, I was being taught right from wrong, often accompanied by punishment if I chose incorrectly. I didn't much like pain, so I endeavored to learn the right and avoid the wrong, but sometimes I was just not paying attention and wandered off into the wrong territory. I also learned that this wasn't really so much of a problem unless my parents found out.

It's like today. Every time I get in my truck, I break the law. I don't try to, but sometimes I'm just not paying close enough attention. Going 30 mph in a 25 mph area, going 70 or 75 mph on the freeway keeping up with all the other people doing at least that, and some much more, when the speed limit is 65 mph. Every single time I drive anywhere, I break the letter of the law somewhere along the way. I'm not alone by any stretch of the imagination, and luckily, it is rare to get caught in these errors.

There are a lot of things like this where choices are made that have a label of good or bad, legal or illegal, right or wrong, appropriate or inappropriate, and more. We make it all up--every bit of it. Someone just decided to set a speed limit at a certain level, and they made up what the punishment would be if they caught you exceeding it, and sometimes, or maybe often, by how much.

It's all made up by someone. In fact, there are entire governments that are fashioned around all of this stuff, with courts, lawyers, judges, jails, and treasuries to handle the load of wrong-doers, law-breakers, and such. It's an entire bureaucracy in action.

And thinking makes it so.

I get to choose too. I get to choose my thinking. I get to choose what I want to label something. I get to choose how I feel about something by what my thoughts are on the subject. Others may have their thoughts and feelings, and they may or may not match my own, so we all get to choose.

What a fantastic lesson this is to learn. I get to choose all of it. I make it so by what I choose to think about it. I create my own beliefs. I create good or bad. I create right or wrong. Others may choose as well. They may even try to get me to believe what they believe, to think what is true is what they say is true. So be it. Let them choose. We cannot really stop it anyway. And, the good news about that is that they cannot stop me either.


It Is What I Think, Say, And Believe It Is. I Alone Decide For Myself As I Allow That. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by making your own choices about joy or not joy, spreading it or not spreading it. Do as you wish. Consider it as you will.

Daily Inspiration 12-14-17

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"Happiness is 

not something to pursue. 

Happiness is 

something we accept." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 8-30-16]

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. . . Great words from the Declaration of Independence. And, of course, the word pursuit can mean to chase after, or expend effort to secure or obtain, or it can be like an occupation, pastime, or better stated, a way of living. To have our life; our inherent right to live, to be free, and to choose happiness; live in happiness.

Happiness is not something the pursue. The pursuit of it would only attract more pursuit of it, rather like a dog chasing its own tail. It is not something that is outside of us. It is not in a thing, a circumstance, or and event, location, or another person. Happiness is not finding the right person. Happiness is not finding the right circumstances. Happiness is not achievement or success. Although, all of these are often promoted in advertising, and in other means, as if this were true.

Happiness is 100% totally an inside job. It is something we choose and accept. We could be on death row and in these dire circumstances choose to be happy. We could be the wealthiest person on the planet and not be happy. In every person, happiness is always and readily available as we choose it and accept it individually. Life, liberty, and thereby the ability to choose happiness.

When we find things that please us, we feel good because the thoughts we have about those found things are pleasing thoughts, or we could say, happy thoughts. It isn't the thing that makes us happy, it is the thought we have of the thing. When we are attracted to another person, we feel good, or we could say, they make us happy, but what it really is is the thoughts we have about that encounter that creates the feeling we might call happiness.

Yet, we are free to choose happiness in any moment, at any time, with or without external stimuli. Happiness is simply, and exquisitely, a choice to have a happy thought--to think thoughts that feel good or feel happy, or to feel that stronger feeling of happiness that is called joy.

We can choose happiness while waiting in line, while getting a root canal, taking a shower, driving our car, or whatever. All we do is to choose a thought that feels good.

If you've been to church, you might have heard the phrase, God is good. All. The. Time. It is common for the pastor to say the first part and the congregation to yell out the last part. It feels good to hear it and say it, because it is true. I love how Abraham, Esther Hicks explains that feeling good is being in alignment with our Inner Being, or it could equally be stated as Immanuel, or God within, and that when we are not feeling good, we are then out of alignment, and that this inner guidance can accurately, effectively, and divinely direct our lives.

That would mean that feeling happiness is in alignment with God, or Inner Knowing, The Universe, All That Is, or any name that pleases you. You can feel that matching vibration within your body, and mind. This alignment is why happiness is such a valuable thing for us. It is why it is worthy of pursuit, except that pursuit is within not without.

Learning that I choose happiness or not is one the the most important lessons I've learned in my life. You could say that I am in pursuit of happiness, at least in the third meaning of that word where I am living it by constantly choosing and accepting it.


I Choose Happiness. Every Day. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing it, accepting it, sharing it.

Daily Inspiration 12-13-17

"Confidence is the most important 

single factor in this game, 

and no matter how great your talent, 

there is only one way 

to obtain it--work." 

-- Jack Nicklaus 

[Classic post from 8-26-16]

Hmmmm. Certainly, work, or rather, a better word would be practice, is something that can lead one to have increased confidence. Yet, the word, work, and especially when it is preceded by the word, hard, is only of real and profitable value when doing something we are driven to do, love to do, can't wait to do, as was obviously the case with Jack Nicklaus, and I'm sure all the top golfers then and now. And, then, in my mind, it is no longer associated with that four-letter word, work. It certainly would be more appropriately associated with the word, play.

But, the reason I chose this quote was the idea that confidence comes from work. I know for sure and for certain that it is indeed, the most important single factor in the game, or any game, or any task, of any kind. And maybe it can come from practice, or work, or even hard work. Yet, confidence is not a thing to be received or attained. It is simply a thought, and a feeling, that creates a temporary belief.

This thought, resultant feeling, and temporary belief can just as easily come from our imagination, and perhaps even more powerfully and fully than through any amount of practice or work. In fact, work is sort of a backward way to the feeling and belief of confidence. It's an active way. The faster, easier, smoother way is through imaginary visualization.

Confidence is a feeling. It is the result of thought. And, from the place of a desire to do a thing, it is a very desirable feeling to feel. There are many routes to every destination.


I Think I Can. I Think I Am. I Know I Am. It Is. I Am. 

Spread Some Joy Today--You'll know it when you feel it, and so will everyone else.

Daily Inspiration 12-12-17

"The most radical act 

anyone can commit 

is to be happy." 

-- Patch Adams 

[Classic post from 8-25-16]

I know that happiness is not something that is achieved. It is something that is chosen. It is not found, because it isn't lost. It's always there and ready at a moment's notice. I choose happiness. That's the choice. And, the easy way to happiness is choosing how you see things. It's all about thoughts.

Here's a great piece from The Universe, a.k.a., Mike Dooley of tut.com:

"When in a hurry, step #1 for changing the entire world is falling in love with it as it already is. 

Same for changing yourself. 

And, best of all, with this approach, there is no step #2." 


Loving It The Way. . . It Is . . . They Are. . . I Am. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Let loose on your happiness today. Here's a great question: What do you have to lose? I'm sure you have a good answer for that!

Daily Inspiration 12-11-17

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"I'm grateful for always 

this moment, the now, 

no matter what form it takes." 

-- Eckhart Tolle 

[Classic post from 8-31-16]

Have you ever been overcome with a deep feeling of gratitude by thinking about something, reading something, listening to something, or watching something that it brings you to tears; to your knees, so to speak? I have felt this so many times. When it happens, it is often a surprise. I didn't expect it, but I am so loving those few moments or minutes. I find myself in total appreciation of someone, or several for that experience, and what value they bestowed upon me.

I remember vividly, driving on the Grapevine between Bakersfield CA and the greater Los Angeles area many years ago, when as I was listening to a song, I just began crying, sobbing with joy and appreciation. It has happened when I'm reading something, listening to an audiobook, watching a movie, along with many other external stimuli, and it has also happened by simply thinking a thought, or recalling a memory. It just happened again yesterday as I read an inspirational message. There is nothing quite like that experience. It is exhilarating, and it is also draining, but a good draining, as if it is releasing toxins from within or something.

The word, gratitude, is a well-worn buzzword of the last twenty years or so, with hundreds, perhaps even thousands of books on that subject. So, generally, I prefer the word, appreciation instead because it is more descriptive. But, where I like to use the word, gratitude, is as a word that describes a myriad of thanks-giving ways, thinking and demonstrating appreciation, feeling and showing love, and much more. It is a great 'catch-all' word, that when used with that in mind, contains all manner of good feelings.

Recently, I took a previous Daily Inspiration and expanded it to a somewhat longer article, with a long title: To Say That Gratitude Has Changed My Life Is So Thin--Truly, It Has TRANSFORMED My Life! This is true. Gratitude has transformed my life. It has helped transform me from someone who took so many things for granted, to someone who notices with all my senses, and I find myself wherever I go in almost constant gratitude.

Oh, as many of us may do, I've held gratitude in the past for certain things, special events, special people. That's easy. But it isn't life transforming. The difference for me is that I began taking to heart what Paul said in the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I first read that in 1996, and it touched me and I began to allow that idea in, and little by little, I found that it was possible to live like that, and so I began allowing it to be a part of me.

I began to ask, what about this can I appreciate? I would especially ask this if something I was noticing was not pleasant, or not to my immediate liking. Is there anything to appreciate in an ugly situation? Yes. How about the worst of so-called disasters? Absolutely. We only need turn toward what can be appreciated in that, or in other words, change our focus. It might be like in a movie where they pan out, or back away from a scene and now the scene we previously saw is a much smaller thing relative to all that surrounds it. A bigger picture, if you will. That changes the entire view of the event. It's just a matter of what you want to see.

I've shared this bit from Abraham, Esther Hicks that I have on my wall to better explain about the last line in the last paragraph: "Today, no matter where I'm going and no matter what I am doing, it is my dominant intent to see that which I am wanting to see." What do I want to see? I want to see beauty, peace, love, joy, empowerment, freedom, wonder, awe, and to appreciate things, other people, the air that surrounds us all, the sounds of the day and time and location, the smells. I want my senses to be alive and to be grateful for all of it; grateful for living, for being alive, for being a creation and a creator, a student and a teacher, a lover and a friend.

As with patience, gratitude is a practice. As I practice, I find more and more and more to be grateful for, as I find more opportunities to enjoy patience. It probably sounds funny to say that I enjoy being patient, but that is what happens when it becomes a practice. Gratitude is exactly the same in that as I am grateful, I find so much more to be grateful for. And, as that has taken hold, and I've turned it into a practice, it has transformed my life, which affects all those I touch in some delightful way.


My Life Is Transformed, One Blessing At A Time. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by practicing your joy and turning your joy into a practice.

Daily Inspiration 12-10-17

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"Depression is just a thought. 

So is joy. 

They don't happen to us. 

We happen to them." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 8-28-16]

This morning, as I was becoming awakened, but not yet having my eyes open--you know, that semi-dream state and semi-awake state just before our eyes open to the new day. From that place, I heard the Mission Impossible theme music, and a recording that said, "Good morning, Mr. Minion. Your mission, Terry, should you decide to accept it, is to enjoy yourself--to be injoy throughout the day today. Contrary thoughts and situations will come your way, and it is your job to see that joy rules. . ."

I started laughing because it was so wonderful, and yet so bizarre at the same time. Where did that come from? I haven't got a clue, but I was loving it just the same as if I did it on purpose. What a delightfilled way to awaken to a new day!

Wayne Dyer says, "We deserve to feel joy--it's our spiritual calling. So whatever it takes to feel joy, we simply must act upon it." I agree totally.

I don't know when this change took place in my psyche, but it had to be in the last eight years or so. It began slowly, and then increased over time to the point that it has become a mantra of mine to enjoy myself, or better stated, to injoy myself, or to be in joy throughout my day. It's not nearly the challenge that some think it is. It requires no work. It only requires letting go of the stuff in and around us, and once done, even if only done a little, the natural joy that is within us is exposed more and more. If we clear the stuff on an ongoing basis, then joy is exposed more and more often and to greater and greater degrees.

I have let go of the stuff enough now to have joy exposed in me every single day, and some days, it just rocks my world. Like today. I can just feel it rocking my world as I write this on Sunday morning at 7:25 am on August 28th, 2016. I know without a smidgen of doubt that today will be a truly joyous day. I can feel it. I know it. It is already.

Yesterday's valuable lesson was the fact that we all get to choose our perspective, our thoughts about anything. About ourselves, about others, about the neighbors, the city, the state, the country, the world, and anything and everything that goes on in these of which we have some awareness. So today, and every day now, I choose my experience by uncovering my natural inner joy--that fun little  kid inside that loves to be amazed, loves to laugh, loves to have fun, loves to make light of things. 

Although these lifetime lessons that I'm sharing are not in any particular order of importance, in that I think they are equally important, I think yesterday and today are really number one and two. I choose my perspective, my reality, my thoughts, and I choose joy. It's the ole' one-two punch! Wham! Bang! Bip! Bap! Yeah! Done!

By the way, at the end of every CTS Daily Inspiration is the idea to "spread some joy today," with a little message. Today's message will be the 2,525th time. None were repeated unless unconsciously. That's a lot of ideas on spreading joy! That's a lot of being injoy!

I hope that you injoy your day today! It's not up to me, but if it were, you would.


What A Wonderful World. I've Accepted And Embraced The Mission. Nothing Is Impossible. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by uncovering the debris that seems so dang important. It's covering one of the most valuable assets and possessions you could possibly own: your joy. There's an abundance of it--a never-ending supply.

Daily Inspiration 12-9-17

"Do what you can, 

with what you have, 

where you are." 

-- Theodore Roosevelt 

[Classic post from 9-24-16]

Easily the simplest advice for achievement, and from a wise perspective. The only thing I would add to this is to . . .


Do Whatever You Can To Enjoy The Journey. Live Long And Prosper! 

Spread Some Joy Today--Life is meant to be enjoyed!

Daily Inspiration 12-8-17

"Self-worth makes you

extremely attractive." 

-- Alan Cohen 

[New post]

I love this quote from one of my favorite authors. And, of course, we are probably thinking, at least initially, about appearance. Self-worth does indeed increase our attractiveness physically because a person who values him or herself, who sees the value that they are to others, holds a perspective that is inviting and easy to align with because they are in alignment with their inner being, their higher self, their inner knowing. That is attraction in its essence: Alignment with Source of which we are an aspect.

But, as we might look deeper here, it is actually more about the alignment for the person noticing their own self-worth, self-worthiness, value, connection to All-That-Is, than the physical being. Yet, we all know deep inside that one cannot express without the other. As we are in alignment within, we are attractive within and without. We are attracting all that is in alignment with our higher knowing, all that is good for us because we are at a higher level of vibration.

It's not about I am and you're not. It's that we all have the same exact powers. The only real difference is how we are using them or choosing not to use them. This is yet another reason to look upon others by seeing the Divine within them regardless of what they show on the physical plane. We are all of the same Source, made of the same Energy, though we are individually gifted with choice (Free Will).

And, because we are gifted with our choosing, we may choose value or not.


Perception Is A Requirement And Is Always The Personal Property Of The One Who Is Perceiving. 

Spread Some Joy Today--as you perceive the value in yourself and all those individualized brothers and sisters in Creation.

Daily Inspiration 12-7-17

"Caregiving often calls us

to lean into love

we didn't know possible." 

-- Tia Walker

"When in doubt,

give,

let them have it,

surrender,

make peace.

When there's no doubt,

give,

let them have it,

surrender,

make peace."

-- The Universe,

aka Mike Dooley 

[New post]

I receive a lot of inspiring messages from various people I subscribe to and this morning, I received two that I thought was perfect to share together.

I have some bit of experience in caregiving, and it is all about leaning into love you didn't know possible.

I have some bit of experience from my practice of giving, letting them have it (not needing to be right or better than), surrender (letting go of the stupid rope!), and making peace which is simply the absence of fear.

The first was a relatively short-lived task, the second is a life-long practice.


Take It As It Comes, And Bless It As It Comes. Therein Lies Joy. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing your love to flow. There is no end to it. You will never run dry. You have an infinite supply to give away.

Daily Inspiration 12-6-17

"Practice is obviously valuable,

and especially in repetitive acts

that we wish to improve upon;

however, there is one thing

that is often undervalued about practice,

and that is being fully aware

of the many opportunities to practice

that we are presented with daily." 

-- Terry Minion 

[New post]

Anyone who learns a new sport, a new job, a musical instrument, cooking, all manner of repairs to such things as computers, automobiles, or virtually any skill knows that practice is essential to get good enough to be proficient, or expert enough to be a guiding light for all who want to follow. The old adage, which I still love, practice makes perfect is a succinct statement of the value of practice.

Yet, when it comes to things of the heart or things surrounding behavioral change, new mental perspectives and more, practice isn't often something recognized as valuable as it does for those previously mentioned.

I think they are equally important, but what is more important than simply to practice in the second group--heck, and even the first group too--is to become aware of the many opportunities that we have to practice, and as we practice, it is inevitable that we improve, expand, become more.

In things of the mind and heart and soul, those opportunities are often attached to contrast, which is a very soft way of saying challenges, which is a soft way of saying problems or situations that can be frustrating at the least and painful at the most. This means that if we are to recognize these opportunities to practice and then actually practice, we need to be aware so that we can see these challenges and contrast as something that is there to help us get better, to get through, to grow, to become more of our true selves.

We need to see with new eyes. This is essentially what awareness is. To see things with old eyes is to see habitual patterns, to see repetitive history, to see problems instead of the potential solution. We all have old eyes. The real value is in becoming more aware so that we see those silver linings in all those things that seem to bother us gently or violently on the surface. Old eyes see the surface, is easily led to frustration, anger, resentment at others and at ourselves. New eyes see another opportunity to be our true selves, to respond rather than react, to love rather than find fault, to enjoy rather than feel degrees of pain.

I've been going through a very interesting experience selling my home and changing my life so dramatically by letting go of about 90% of my "things," and more. So many opportunities to complain, to cajole, to blame, to rant and rave and be unhappy. And yet, all of those are perfect opportunities to practice who I really am deep down inside. That guy on the surface is not really me. I am the one deep inside who knows nothing but love, and as I see these opportunities for the truth they contain, and remind myself of the value I know of practice, I find peace in chaos.

I have to say that this lesson learned from opening myself to become aware of those opportunities to practice, I am effectively, and joyfully being who I truly am.


As I Do This, Those Challenges Are Transformed Before My New Eyes. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeing what is really coming along for your benefit all day long, every day of your life.